At the opening feast, Alicent wore a green gown, whilst Princess Rhaenyra dressed in Targaryen red and black. In 111 AC, a great tourney was held at King's Landing on the fifth anniversary of the king’s marriage to Queen Alicent. A "queen's party", a group of powerful lords who were friends with Queen Alicent, remained, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.
Having no place at court anymore, Otto returned to Oldtown. He eventually pushed too far on the matter, and was stripped of his position as Hand. Īlicent's biggest supporter was her own father, Ser Otto Hightower. Both women wanted to be the first lady of the realm, but there could only be one. But when Alicent gave birth to a son, Prince Aegon, a daughter, Princess Helaena, and another son, Prince Aemond, in rapid succession, and Rhaenyra remained Viserys's heir, those feelings started to change. Originally, Queen Alicent had a good relationship with her step-daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.
While this forestalled other potential marriage-alliances Viserys's small council would have preferred, it was not a totally unwise choice, as the Hightowers were still one of the leading families in Westeros, with close ties to the Faith of the Seven (whose leadership were still based in Oldtown at the time). The notorious Mushroom suggested that Alicent had been more than an aide to the late Jaehaerys. Some doubted Alicent's virtue, as rumors began circling that she had given her maidenhead to Prince Daemon, and had later even slept with King Viserys while Queen Aemma was still alive. They married in 106 AC, despite the whispers of people who believed that the Hand had risen above himself. Ignoring all advice from his council, Viserys choose Alicent as his wife. In the years that followed, Alicent caught the eye of King Viserys I Targaryen, whose first wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, had died, and whose small council was urging him to wed again. The truths of these tales have never been uncovered. Already early in the reign of Viserys, Ser Otto and Prince Daemon Targaryen were at odds with each other, and the court fool Mushroom has suggested that the quarrel between the two men began when Daemon deflowered Alicent. Īlicent stayed at court, as her father continued to occupy the position as Hand under Jaehaerys's grandson and successor, King Viserys I Targaryen. Jaehaerys eventually died in 103 AC, while Alicent was reading to him. In the end, King Jaehaerys sometimes mistook her for his daughter, Saera Targaryen. She fetched his meals, helped him wash and dress, and read to him. Alicent eventually became the constant companion of King Jaehaerys, whose health was failing. When her father was named Hand of the King by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen in 101 AC, thirteen year-old Alicent accompanied him to court together with her brothers and mother. Alicent had several brothers, including Gwayne. History Early lifeĪlicent was born in 88 AC to Otto Hightower, the younger brother of Lord Hightower, the Lord of the Hightower. After having given birth four times, Alicent remained as slender and graceful as before the first pregnancy. In the television adaptation House of the Dragon, Alicent is portrayed by Emily Carey (young) and Olivia Cooke (adult).Īlicent was described as precocious at fifteen and clever and lovely at the age of eighteen. She was the mother of King Aegon II, Queen Helaena, Prince Aemond and Prince Daeron. She was the daughter of Ser Otto Hightower, who had been Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I, Viserys I, and later his grandson Aegon II. Alicent Hightower as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in Fire & Blood.Īlicent Hightower was a member of House Hightower who became the second wife to King Viserys I Targaryen.