WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon and George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood!House of the Dragon season 2 still has plenty of mysteries to answer about its main characters, including one about Queen Alicent Hightower’s family. While George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood book has already revealed the major storylines, rumors, and ultimate fates for the majority of House of the Dragon’s characters, there is still much left untold that the series can finally answer. Since Fire & Blood skips the childhoods of many of House of the Dragon’s adult characters, such as Daemon, Viserys, Alicent, and Criston, the HBO show can finally reveal their missing backstories.
Queen Alicent Hightower remains one of the most mysterious characters in both Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon, with very little being known about her life before coming to King’s Landing. By the time House of the Dragon begins, virtually all that is known about teenage Alicent is that she’s devoted to the Faith of the Seven, her father Otto uses her for political gain, and her mother died when she was very young. Now that the psyche and true history of Alicent Hightower’s life are being explored, House of the Dragon season 2 can finally explain one of the biggest mysteries regarding her childhood.
Who Is Alicent Hightower’s Mother?
Young Alicent Hightower often discusses the grief of losing her mother when she was young, though little to nothing is actually known about her aside from her religious devotion, which Alicent continued. Otto occasionally tells Alicent that she looks like her mother, but this is the most that House of the Dragon season 1 actually reveals about her. As Alicent takes on a more significant level of power in the realm during House of the Dragon season 2, the mystery of her late mother’s identity needs to finally be solved.
Neither House of the Dragon nor George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood give any indication as to who Alicent’s mother could have been. She’s presumed to have been a noble lady from the Reach considering she was married to Otto Hightower, the second son of the powerful ruler in Oldtown, though the lack of characters referencing her suggests she was from a somewhat lesser house. House of the Dragon highlights many families who lost their power or went extinct before Game of Thrones, so it’s also possible that Alicent Hightower’s mom was from a house that became obscure even by the prequel’s timeline.
Why Alicent’s Mother Could Be Big For The Targaryen Civil War
Discovering the identity of Alicent’s mother would be important for understanding the House of the Dragon character’s background better, but it could also have a big significance in Rhaenyra and Aegon's civil war. House of the Dragon season 2 will continue seeing the Greens and Blacks recruit various houses around the realm to their causes, though it’s unclear who else Alicent will appeal to after Otto already called Oldtown’s bannermen to Aegon’s side. However, House of the Dragon revealing which house Alicent’s mother came from could be important in gaining another family for Aegon II Targaryen’s cause.
Alicent has the power of Oldtown on her side due to her father, but it would be a greater addition to her story if the family of her mother truly showed up for her in a time of need. As the Targaryen civil war continues, Alicent seems to be further breaking away from the influence of Otto and House Hightower, so seeing her connect with her mother’s heritage could be how she rebels from within the Greens. Since family history, connections between children and their parents, and loyalty are major themes of the series, House of the Dragon season 2’s civil war would be all the more interesting if Alicent reclaims her mother’s house.