WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for House of the Dragon season 1 and Fire & Blood!Helaena Targaryen frequently recoils at the touch of her mother Alicent Hightower in House of the Dragon, hinting at a connection to Helaena’s prophetic nature and Alicent’s neglectful past. When Alicent visits young Helaena in House of the Dragon episode 6, Olivia Cooke’s character attempts to comfort Helaena when she’s speaking about bugs. Helaena instantly shrugs off her mother’s hand, indicating she didn’t like the uninvited affection. Alicent then tries to comfort adult Helaena after the death of King Viserys, at which point Helaena hits away her mother’s hand. Alicent notably struggles to give her children proper affection, but Helaena’s rejection of her mother seems to have a deeper meaning.
The reason why Helaena doesn’t like Alicent touching her could be related to her dragon dreams. Helaena is subject to clairvoyance and frequent cryptic prophecies, which could potentially be exacerbated by touching others. Helaena is generally touch-averse, especially when it’s unexpected, yet she doesn’t wince when someone she trusts, like Jace or Aemond, touches her. Perhaps Helaena can see the past or future misdeeds of Alicent when she touches her, which would decrease any warmth she feels toward her mother. House of the Dragon season 1 also suggests that Helaena may be resentful that Alicent made her marry her despicable brother Aegon, who is hinted to sexually assault her when he’s drunk.
Why Alicent Has Such Difficult Relationships With Her Children
One of the clearest contrasts in House of the Dragon season 1 is how Alicent interacts with her children compared to how Rhaenyra interacts with her children. Rhaenyra treats her children as children, leads with love, affection, and compassion, and guides them through their complicated roles in the world. Alicent’s journey through motherhood is much different; she loves her children dearly, but her relationships with them are largely cold, unaffectionate, occasionally violent, and manipulative. While all of Rhaenyra’s children love her, the only child of Alicent who seems to genuinely admire her and want her affection is Aemond, who happens to be the most volatile and stern of Alicent and Viserys’ kids.
House of the Dragon hints at these differences being due to how Rhaenyra and Alicent were raised. Rhaenyra grew up with an attentive mother and father who adored her and properly prepared her to become the heir to the Iron Throne. Viserys remained eternally devoted to Rhaenyra after her mother’s death, later acting warm toward his grandchildren and defending them until his dying breath. House of the Dragon suggests Alicent’s upbringing was cold and distant, as her mother’s death left her alone with her manipulative and unaffectionate father Otto Hightower. Even into adulthood, Otto criticized Alicent and used her as his political pawn, so Alicent never learned how to properly parent her own children.
What Happens To Helaena & Alicent In HOTD’s Future
Alicent and Helaena won’t receive happy endings in House of the Dragon’s story. Following House of the Dragon season 1’s finale, in which Aemond accidentally kills Lucerys, the Blacks take their revenge on the Greens. Daemon Targaryen arranges the crime known as “Blood and Cheese,” which sees the two eponymous assassins murder Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, the six-year-old son of Helaena and Aegon. Helaena was forced to watch the beheading and choose which of her children died, which left the Queen broken and described as “mad” in Fire & Blood. The grieving Helaena eventually falls to her death from the window in Maegor’s Holdfast, thus ending her tragic story.
As Helaena grows more distant after Blood and Cheese, Alicent Hightower is distraught by Jaehaerys’ death and the impact it has on Helaena’s mental state. Considering Helaena was Alicent’s only true ally in King’s Landing after Rhaenyra took the Iron Throne, her daughter’s death causes Alicent to be further embittered and vengeful against the Blacks until Aegon II reclaims the throne in House of the Dragon. Soon after, Aegon is poisoned, meaning the only family Alicent has left after the Dance of the Dragons is Helaena’s daughter Jaehaera. Following the coronation of Rhaenyra’s son King Aegon III Targaryen, Alicent dies of an illness while Jaehaera dies after falling from Maegor’s Holdfast – just like her mother.
