Helaena's Rejection of Alicent Hints at Deeper Meaning in House of the Dragon

And one thing that stands out is the way Helaena frequently rejects her mother's touch. At times, following the death of King Viserys for example, Helaena actually slaps away the hand of her mother when Alicent reaches out to her.

At other times, her rejection is less animated, such as when Alicent tries to comfort Helaena in episode 6. On this occasion, Helaena simply shrugs Alicent's hand off – but the rejection is obvious and hints at a tension between the two. Or, to put it more bluntly, a disdain felt by Helaena towards her mother.

There is certainly what appears to be a lack of maternal affection displayed by Alicent in her role of mother. If she feels a close bond with her offspring, it's not something she feels comfortable displaying.

Now, Helaena's reactions could simply be a result of her prophecies and clairvoyant nature. She appears uncomfortable with being touched by anyone she is not close to and there is a possibility that being touched feels strange or brings forth a prophecy.

It might be that when she is touched by Alicent, Helaena sees what her mother has done in the past or will do in the future. These images would be disturbing for any daughter and it's plain to see why she would want to get rid of them pretty quickly. If this is the reason, that would help to explain why Helaena seems so resistant to her mother's touch in almost all situations. And why she, as the daughter, can't seem to form that connection either.

Now-Iconic GoT Role Was Almost Played by Another Popular Actor

But it may have nothing at all to do with prophetic imagery.

It might simply be that Helaena resents her mother for forcing her to marry her brother Aegon. While incest is almost normalised in certain areas of Westeros (and quite happily entered into by some) the caveat with this relationship is that Aegon is a nasty piece of work.

And, although it's never quite confirmed, there is certainly a suggestion that he sexually assaults his wife and sister. And we know he's not averse to forcing himself on girls.

Major Got Star Considers Putting on the Armor Once More for Jon Snow Spinoff

What makes this forced marriage even worse, though, is that Alicent has explicitly said that she disagrees with inbreeding. So, not only is she forcing her daughter into an incestuous relationship with the unhinged Aegon, but she is doing it against her own moral judgement and, therefore, just for the family name.

When you put it like that, it's easy to see why Helaena is reluctant to feel what should be (but blatantly isn't) the loving touch of a mother. It may be a slightly apologetic touch intended to show affection and justify the marriage – but loving it ain't!