Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series brings Westerosi fans back to an era around two centuries before the events of the original show. The Targaryens have been all but deposed by the time that Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) claims the Iron Throne for himself. However, House of the Dragon explores an era where House Targaryen holds control of the Seven Kingdoms under its strict command. It’s not a question of whether a Targaryen will sit on the Iron Throne, but which Targaryen.
King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) was selected by his grandfather, Jaehaerys I, to inherit the role. The line of succession would pass to Viserys’ firstborn male heir. However, his wife, Queen Aemma Arryn (Sian Brooke), dies giving birth to a son and the baby soon also dies. Traditionally the line of succession would pass to Viserys’ brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), but the King decides to break from tradition and name his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), as his heir. However, other Houses within the Seven Kingdoms are also keen to take part in this squabble.
The primary conflict that will House of the Dragon will center around is the fact that eventually Rhaenyra's claim to the throne will be challenged by Queen Alicent's (Emily Carey) son, Aegon. Alicent and her father, Otto (Rhys Ifans), are a part of House Hightower, an influential and old house in Westeros. Given their importance in the series and prominence in Fire & Blood, let's take a closer look at House Hightower.
House Hightower in Fire & Blood
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, House Hightower is among the oldest family dynasties in Westeros. Although they have seen their fair share of conflict, House Hightower is a relatively peaceful clan, preferring to live in luxury and barter than wage wars. House Hightower swore loyalty to Aegon the Conqueror during the ancient days of Westeros. Like every family in the Seven Kingdoms, House Hightower began plotting against their new allies.
Although it's not clear how faithful House of the Dragon will be to Martin’s stories, Fire & Blood does indicate what direction the series is headed in. Alicent gives birth to Viserys’ son, Prince Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney/Ty Tennant), who becomes Viserys' first born son. Viserys also fathers two younger children with Alicent, Helaena (Phia Saban/Evie Allen), and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell/Leo Ashton). Joint control with the Targaryens over raising the next generation of Westerosi leaders would give House Hightower more power than they have ever had before. This period in history is referred to as “The Dance of Dragons.”
Who Are the Greens?
When Alicent and Rhaenyra end up on opposing sides of the civil war, Rhaenyra's supporters wear the color black, traditionally associated with the Targaryen name, while Alicent's supporters wear green, the color associated with the Hightowers. We saw a glimpse of this in Episode 5 when Alicent turned up to Rhaenyra's wedding in a bold green gown and earned the approval from her uncle. She was declaring her loyalty to her family in that moment and this is just the beginning of the amount of green fabric we're going to see on the show.
How Are the Hightowers and Maesters Connected?
The Hightowers are based out of Oldtown, which is also where the Citadel is. We saw the Citadel in Game of Thrones when Sam was sent to study there. IThe Citadel is where men go to become maesters. Because of this, the Hightowers are actually quite close with the maesters of the Citadel. In many of the early episodes where Otto Hightower is still Hand of the King, he is quite close with maester Mellos. Given that Viserys' treatment for his scars and disease haven't been going well, is it possible that Otto has been working with Mellos to slowly kill the King rather than help him? The conspiracy certainly exists among viewers and readers who have suspected for a long time that the maesters were involved in poisoning the dragons as well, making them smaller and smaller.
Where We Are in the Show
The series shows Alicent quickly rising to queen after going to comfort the king not long after Queen Aemma's death. In Episode 4, Viserys realizes that Otto's scheming and ambition was self-serving and biased and fired him from his position. However, he remained married to Alicent, who would go on to raise her children to believe that they are the legitimate heirs to the throne, particularly her son Aegon. While Alicent initially comes off in the series as meek and unsure, she soon gains her confidence after stepping into her role.
We know that she wishes that her father would return to his position, siding with her in the coming conflicts, and with the people preferring Aegon to Rhaenyra, she might have the support of the majority in this case.
Where Is House Hightower During Game of Thrones?
So where was House Hightower during Game of Thrones? House Hightower originated in the Reach. In Game of Thrones, the Reach and the city of Oldtown are under the control of House Tyrell, the family that House Hightower has pledged themselves to. Lord Mace Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) weds Aleria Hightower, leaving their children Margaery (Natalie Dormer) and Loras (Finn Jones) to inherit Highgarden. Alerie is the eldest child of Leyton Hightower, who doesn’t appear in Game of Thrones. Alerie’s sister, Lynesse, was formerly wed to ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen) before he was banished. In Season 7 of Game of Thrones, the Reach is captured by Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) after House Tyrell decides to align itself with Daenerys (Emila Clarke). The brief glimpses that we get of the realm in the series suggest that it's a lavish, wealthy city.
The only other glimpse that we get of House Hightower in Game of Thrones is during a pivotal flashback in Season 6. In the episode “Oathbreaker,” a younger Ned Stark (Robert Aramayo) comes to rescue his sister, Lyanna (Aisling Franciosi), at the Tower of Joy. During “Robert’s Rebellion,” House Hightower has remained loyal to “The Mad King.” As he attempts to enter the tower, Ned briefly duels Ser Gerold Hightower (Eddie Eyre) and kills him.
House of the Dragon premieres Sunday nights on HBO and HBO Max.