Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for Episodes 1-4 of House of the Dragon.The Hand of the King is one of the most important positions in Westeros. In Game of Thrones, we see wise men pay the price for the loyalty of their service. After investigating Robert Baratheon’s (Mark Addy) affairs, Ned Stark is executed by his son, Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). Joffrey’s grandfather, Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance), is later forced to guide his ignorant grandson into making decisions that will benefit the realm. Even though Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) seemingly gets everything that he ever wanted when Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) makes him Hand of the Queen, he is forced to watch the woman he believed in slip into madness.
In House of the Dragon, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) serves as the Hand to King Viserys I (Paddy Considine). While Otto has given the King critical information about his enemies’ movements, he generally puts his personal desires over the good of the realm. In last week’s episode, “The King of the Narrow Sea,” Viserys fired Otto after receiving word that his brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), and his daughter, Rhaneyra (Milly Alcock), were having an incestuous affair. After confronting Rhaenyra on her alleged crimes, Viserys decides to fire Otto as his Hand.
Otto Pushes The King Into A Unstrategic Marriage
While Otto was justified in giving this information to the King, Viserys made the right choice in firing him. As Viserys notes to Rhaenyra, every man in his council seeks to improve their situation in some way or another. However, Otto’s personal desires have caused significant damage to Westeros and weakened the King’s stronghold on the Seven Kingdoms. Viserys has become a shadow of the man his predecessor, King Jaehaerys I, was; he’s allowed the pirates to take over the Stepstones, crippling the economy of Westeros.
In order to protect these critical islands, Viserys should have been guided into forming an alliance that could help wage the overseas conflict. A marriage to Laena Velaryon (Nova Foueillis-Mose) would have been wise; Viserys could have merged the two most powerful houses in Westeros and gained the favor of Laena’s father, Lord Corlys (Steve Toussaint). Corlys’ fleet would have helped him bring a swift end to Craghas Drahar (Daniel Scott-Smith) and his pirate army once and for all.
However, Otto manipulates Viserys into marrying his daughter, Alicent (Emily Carey), instead. He sends Alicent to the King when he is grieving, and suggests to him that he should choose his personal happiness over the good of the realm. Otto’s intentions are clear; he wants to see his grandson sit on the Iron Throne, ensuring that House Hightower will become even more powerful in the coming years. However, House Hightower is already loyal to Viserys. A political marriage makes no strategic sense, and even worse, it insults House Velaryon.
Sacrificing A House Velaryon Alliance Costs Viserys The Stepstones
Otto’s greediness cost the King what could have been the first major victory of his reign. Viserys has never had to defend his kingdom during war. Angered by the King’s marital decisions, Corlys decides to pursue an alliance with Daemon instead. This allows Daemon to show his bravery when he tracks down and executes Drahar, earning him the nickname “The King of the Narrow Sea.” Ironically, Otto’s personal resentment towards Daemon only makes the volatile dragon prince even more powerful.
Otto Initiates The Conflict of The Series
It’s actually Otto who initiates the conflict of the series. In the pilot episode, “The Heirs of the Dragon,” Otto is the first one to approach the King’s council with his concerns about Daemon. Otto opens the King up to the idea that he should name someone else as his successor because Daemon is too untrustworthy to rule. This allows the Iron Throne itself to become a mockery; if it can be passed between any number of successors, then what does that say about the unity of the House of the Dragon? We see what the common people think of the succession debate when Daemon and Rhaenyra attend a sordid, comical play in “The King of the Narrow Sea.”
Spying on the Princess Is a Sign of Disrespect
Perhaps, Otto’s decision to come forward to the King with the details of Daemon and Rhaenyra's affair had good intentions; an embarrassing familial scandal could discredit House Targaryen in the eyes of their allies. It’s also a move that would seemingly protect Rhaenyra. Due to the patriarchy, the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s rule requires her to be seen as “virtuous” and “pure.” If Rhaenyra earns a negative reputation before she even wears the crown, then her tenure as ruler would be doomed before it even began.
Otto has no reason to believe that the information he has received is untrustworthy; we know that Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who goes by the codename White Worm, has the most powerful network of spies in King’s Landing. Her personal connection to Daemon also suggests that she knows what his motivations might be. But spying on these two is a sign of disrespect on Otto’s part. He is inadvertently informing Rhaenyra that she is an outsider within her father’s circle; Daemon feels like the more exciting, interesting alternative. Even if Otto desires to see Rhaenyra replaced, it will do the realm no good to make her an unqualified leader.
A wise King surrounds himself with people that he can trust, and chooses the best decisions based on the wealth of information at his disposal. Even if every member of his council has their own motivations, the King can parse together different pieces of advice in order to come up with solutions that will benefit the realm. Viserys has allowed Otto to filter every report that he reads and it’s only created more problems. If Viserys truly wants to be the King that is worthy of bearing the responsibility of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” prophecy, he needs to stop relying on the word of his most ambitious advisor.