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Alicent’s party - the Greens aren’t as popular with the fandom as the Blacks, but they sure have their reasons for going to war.House of the Dragondebuted dueling trailers, one for Queen Rhaenyra’s Blacks, and another for Alicent Hightower’s Greens. The latter media, dubbed"Official Green Trailer,“is 2:10 minutes long and jam-packed with critical information, compelling quotes, and thrilling moments.
The Greens want Viserys' decreed heir, Rhaenyra, to stand down and never return, citing the good of the realm. But war is imminent, and sabotage or clandestine intelligence operations will not subdue the Black Queen, who is wrought up over the assassination of her son (Lucerys) and the theft of her throne. Here is what goes down inHouse of the Dragon- Season 2 Official Green Trailer.
Alicent Asserts Viserys Wanted Aegon To Succeed Him
The Green Trailer allows Team Green to feel validated and describes the mother hen - Alicent’s reasons for installing Aegon on the Iron Throne. She genuinely believes that the deliriousKing, Viserys had a change of heartmoments before death and passed the baton to Aegon.
On his deathbed, he knew the realm would never accept a Queen.
In one of the snippets, she tries to knock some sense into her son, hoping he will act by the light of reason, something he’s rarely done inHouse of the Dragon, thus far.
Aegon II Is Shaping Up To Be A Pompous And An Arrogant King
Viserys died of"the rot"and Alicent’s firstborn took up the reins of monarchy immediately after the Greens' coup. Although retrieved from underneath a shrine of the Grand Sept, he did not want the throne and theSevenSix Kingdoms, but one taste of power and he was a changed man.
Aegon has shaped up into a pompous king, who takes the seat in a twisting, spinning fashion. Few people can keep a check on his theatrics. In one of the snippets, he appears visibly upset with his grandfather, Otto, and in another, he is happy to risk war between dragons to avoid surrendering to his half-sister, Rhaenyra.
Otto’s Moral Superiority
Aegon’s first Hand,Otto, single-handedly plunged the realm into warby poisoning his daughter’s mind and sowing discord. InHouse of the Dragonseason 1, episode 3 “Second of His Name,” a younger iteration of Alicent had refused to raise her boy (Aegon) to steal his sister’s birthright, saying"Rhaenyra will be a good Queen,“but Otto spoke gruffly:
It wouldn’t matter if she [Rhaenyra] were Jaehaerys himself born again. Rhaenyra is a woman… It is Aegon that’s being robbed.
Otto’s holier-than-thou approach is a front to sell the war. He’d rather set the realm on fire than vacate the Red Keep. He is just being a moral hypocrite when he says:
They wish not now for the good of the realm but for the satisfaction of vengeance.
It is pertinent to mention that Otto is the same person who ordered the previous Lord Commander Harrold Westerling to go to Dragonstone and murder Rhaenyra and her family.
Treason Will Never Go Unpunished
Blood and Cheese sneak into the Red Keep through the secret tunnels, and a rather disheveled Aegon II declares:
Plot against the king, and I will pay it back a hundred times over.
From the looks of it, Aegon II isn’t someone who will let treason slide. He will ride into battle on hisgleaming golden dragon - Sunfyre. At one point, the arrogant Aegon, who had everything handed to him, displays hostility toward Lord Larys Strong.
Aemond Vs. Daemon
Daemon Targaryen’s nephew, Aemond, is his spitting image.House of the DragonSeason 1, Episode 8 “The Lord of the Tides,” marks the first time an adult Aemond comes face to face with his uncle. Daemon throws the court off balance when he decapitates Vaemond Velaryon for raising questions over Rhaenyra’s chastity. Everyone but Aemond is horrified.
In the Official Green Trailer, Aemond says:
My uncle is a challenge I welcomeif he dares face me.
Aemond and Daemon are mirror characters, who will serve a greater purpose in the simmering conflict. Their rivalry culminates in an epic dragon showdown in lore, which takes place above the Gods Eye lake,with Harrenhal on its north shore. The location also makes it to the Official Green Trailer.
Alicent’s Moral Dilemma
Lastly, amid the Cargyll twins' mortal duel, Criston Cole riding forth in a battle, Otto necessitating the need for violence to achieve peace, and Aegon’s,“To War then,“Alicent displays signs of emotional fatigue. She says in the Official Green Trailer:
All my life, I’ve endeavored to serve both my House and the realm, and somehow, none of it matters.
The brutality of a realm-wide civil war has finally dawned on Alicent. This war between kin will lead to economic problems, loss of lives, and precious resources. Dragons will perish,Alicent’s House Hightowerwill suffer, and so will the realm.
House of the Dragon- season 2 premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, June 16 on HBO.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon is HBO’s prequel series to Game of Thrones. Set hundreds of years earlier, the show follows the inner machinations and rivalries of the Targaryen royal family. The show was created by Ryan Condal and George R.R. Martin, and stars Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke.
