4 Reasons Why The Greens Are Actually a Better Option in House of the Dragon
The show has always seemingly preferred Rhaenyra, but it might be wrong.
House of the Dragon is days away from being back to the screens with its second installment finally unveiling how things will turn out after the first season’s horrendous finale. The show’s new chapter is set to become a definite start for a full-scale relentless war between the Blacks and the Greens, two parts of House of Targaryen’s family members divided by both sides’ claims for the Iron Throne.
Despite having George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood as its prevailing source, House of the Dragon hasn’t always been a mere observer with no certain position regarding the Targaryens’ feud.
The plot repeatedly and sometimes even unwillingly made it clear that Rhaenyra was always the one with a bigger support and a birth right that could potentially guarantee her oldest offspring a bright future as Westeros’ King. However, the Greens with Alicent Hightower as their leader may have had much more benefits when it comes to ruling the fictional country, and there’s a bunch of reasons for thinking so.
Alicent’s Delusion About Viserys’ Last Words Is Fans’ Wishful Thinking Too
House of the Dragon’s first season featured a pivotal moment that foresaw all the mess that was going to happen next. The character was by her husband King Viserys’ side when the dying ruler told her “You’re the one, you must do this”. Leaving the King’s chambers, Alicent got convinced that his phrase meant nothing else but his sincere desire to see his and Alicent’s son Aegon taking over the power.
She didn’t know though that Viserys was only hallucinating about his first wife Aemma with whom he had his first heiress Rhaenyra. Still, some fans seem to be reassured that Alicent has been preparing herself for a big battle long before her husband passed away, thus making sure that Aegon would become a ruler that Viserys would love to see as his successor.
Rhaenyra's Heirs Are Not Legitimate For the Throne
Though their mother was in fact King Viserys’s first heiress who lost most of her chances to ever sit on the Throne after Viserys and Alicent’s sons were born, Rhaenyra's kids Jacaerys and Joffrey (we don’t count late Lucerys here) are still very unlikely to become Westeros’ rulers just because their blood is royal only partially.
The show never actually confirmed this, but it becomes obvious that her sons aren’t Laenor Velaryon’s children, but rather became a consequence of Rhaenyra’s affair with Harwin Strong.
If House of the Dragon’s season 2 odds are in Rhaenyra’s favor, the Throne descending to her would become a devastating turn of events for the Targaryens having a bastard as their King.
Rhaenyra May Not Have as Much Support from People as Alicent
The show’s first season features something that may have convinced Westeros’ common people to pray for having some other ruler but definitely not Rhaenyra. Back when the latter was a child, for some unknown reason she tore out a page of an illuminated manuscript.
It would not be a big deal in the real modern world, but Game of Thrones and its prequels’ storyline takes its viewers back in time when every single book was a real masterpiece created by hand. Rhaenyra's disrespectful act towards something that a person was poring over for days or even months appears to be quite a solid reason for not considering her the people’s Queen.
Alicent Is More Experienced in Keeping Peace in Westeros
Lastly, Alicent as King Viserys’s wife of many years has seen enough of her husband’s way of ruling the country to understand what exactly she needs to do to continue his legacy.
Given that Viserys and Alicent’s wedding separated both of them from Rhaenyra, who preferred to stay away from her former best friend that had presumably betrayed her, Rhaenyra has never had real example of a ruler before her eyes and thus isn’t even able to give some knowledge of it to one of her sons should he indeed become the heir to the Throne.
Besides, Alicent’s shrewd father Otto Hightower has always been King Viserys’ best helping hand and would definitely become one for his grandson if the latter was proclaimed new King. With both Alicent and Otto being the Greens’ front members, their potential win could bring much more benefit for Westeros than Rhaenyra and her backup team.