All eyes are on Alicent Hightower and Ser Criston Cole when the Dowager Queen and the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard start a secret affair in House of the Dragon Season 2. Alicent, the Queen Mother, who has been an admirer of Cole, becomes close to her sworn sword as the Targaryen civil war approaches. Season 2 glimpses into their relationship as it unravels. While the first episode only reveals the fact that they are intimately involved, the two have many ups and downs in the following episodes.
Alicent and Cole’s relationship is against both their moral standards. They have sworn not to pursue it only to find their way back to each other again. Blood and Cheese further pushes the guilt and shame they have about the secret affair to new heights and results in Criston Cole taking a more aggressive approach to the brewing war. He is appointed Hand of the King by Aegon II. With a plan to claim more castles for the Greens, Cole sets off to battle while Alicent awaits him in King’s Landing. Episode 4 catches the Queen Mother in distress, drinking a herbal tea specially prepared by the Grand Maester. Alicent appears pale and physically unwell in the episode. Albeit subtly implied, the tea Alicent is drinking is moon tea, which caused many fans to suspect that the Queen Mother is pregnant. House of the Dragon has, in fact, hinted at her possible pregnancy on more than one occasion.
House of the Dragon Has Subtly Hinted at Alicent’s Pregnancy
House of the Dragon’s Major Betrayal Makes More Sense Than Fans Think
House of the Dragon season 2 introduced a major betrayal that completely turned the show on its head. As shocking as it was, it makes complete sense.
While the boys are off to conquer castles and win wars, Alicent Hightower is dealing with something of her own. Episode 3 ends with Rhaenyra revealing the true meaning behind King Viserys I’s last words. In Episode 4, Alicent seems pale and emotionally unwell. Her guilty conscience might have a part to play in her emotional state, but that’s not all. Alicent is holding a piece of cloth and pressing on her lower belly when Lord Larys Strong comes into her chamber and asks why she didn’t attend the small council meeting. Alicent is obviously physically unwell. She’s sweating and has to hold onto the back of a chair to support herself as she walks. Briefly, Larys hints that Alicent has been “indulging” herself as he notices the moon tea. This implies that he knows about her secret relationship with Ser Criston Cole and that she is trying to either abort or prevent a pregnancy.
This scene alone doesn’t prove that Alicent is pregnant. It simply hints that she might be. However, the moon tea scene isn’t the first scene that hints at Alicent’s pregnancy. An earlier episode provided some extra context that helps clarify the mystery. In fact, eagle-eyed fans already suspected that Alicent might be pregnant with Ser Criston Cole’s baby after viewing Season 2, Episode 3, “The Burning Mill.” In the episode, Alicent’s conversation with Helaena about Jaehaerys’ death ends on a strange note. Alicent tried to comfort Helaena by saying, “You have as much claim to grief as anyone.” Helaena asked her back, “And you?” Alicent seemed confused. She tried to talk more about Jaehaerys, but that was when Helaena walked away from her, hinting that Alicent wasn’t being truthful. Losing Jaehaerys wasn’t the grief Helaena was referring to, but someone else.
The scene nearly made no sense, ending with Helaena telling Alicent that she forgave her. However, many fans noticed one tiny detail that might have subtly hinted at what the scene was about. Alicent placed her hand on her belly and replied with shock, asking what Helaena was talking about. Her belly looks swollen.
Helaena knew about the affair. She had walked into Alicent’s room and witnessed her mother in bed with Ser Criston Cole the night Jaehaerys was murdered, so it would make sense if they were referring to that incident. However, Helaena’s forgiveness caught Alicent by surprise. It’s likely that the Queen Mother was thinking about the child in her womb.
With prophetic abilities, Helaena is the most disillusioned character in House of the Dragon. She’s able to glimpse into the future before events unfold and see the truth that people want to hide from others. The exchange Helaena had with her mother was confrontational. It’s very likely that Helaena knew that her mother was pregnant. “Alicent is pregnant,” wrote one Redditor after Episode 3’s premiere. “I could imagine some random plot where she takes moon tea from the Maester… and then Cole basically finds out later and loses his mind,” wrote babalon124 days before the moon tea scene was aired.
Alicent Drinking Moon Tea Confirms Fans’ Suspicions
House of the Dragon: Who Kills Vhagar?
Vhagar is the Blacks’ most feared enemy on House of the Dragon, as she’s seemingly invincible. But she does meet her end in Fire & Blood.
Just like the Redditor suspected, House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 4 has a scene where Alicent drinks a cup of moon tea prepared by Grand Maester Orwyle. Furthermore, in the scene, Alicent is holding her belly, which indicates that she’s worried that she’s already pregnant with Ser Criston’s baby. The kind of distress and grief Alicent displays is simply too thick for early prevention. Though House of the Dragon has focused on the contraceptive aspect of moon tea, it’s mainly known for its abortifacient effect. For example, in Game of Thrones, Lysa Arryn told her father that she was carrying Littlefinger’s child in the hope that he’d marry her to the man she loved. Her father then sent her moon tea to get rid of the pregnancy. Lysa drank it without knowing the effect of the tea.
The post-credits scene of Season 2, Episode 4 teases a potential lover’s quarrel between Alicent and Cole. In the teaser for Season 2, Episode 5, a brief scene finds the two of them at odds. “So you’ve cast me aside?” Alicent says, confronting Cole. Given that Cole replies to her by talking about the dragons in the war, it’s likely that they are talking about strategy. However, there’s also the possibility of personal conflicts at play, with Cole simply brushing her off by talking about the war instead. Whether the Hand of the King finds out about Alicent’s potential pregnancy like the Redditor has suspected will likely be answered in the next episode when Cole rides back to King’s Landing along with Aegon, whose life is in a critical state after being blasted by Vhagar in the Battle at Rook’s Rest.
What Is Moon Tea in House of the Dragon?
House of the Dragon: Is Aegon Targaryen a Villain?
King Aegon II Targaryen is a central character in House of the Dragon, but it can be difficult to determine if he is a hero or a dastardly villain.
Moon tea is a medicine that prevents and gets rid of unwanted pregnancies in the Game of Thrones universe. According to George R.R. Martin’s books, the tea is made of mint, wormwood, a spoon of honey and a hint of pennyroyal. It is generally made by maesters and woods witches. In Game of Thrones, the tea is used most often as a way to abort an unwanted pregnancy. However, House of the Dragon seems to have focused on its preventative aspect. In Season 1 of House of the Dragon, King Viserys I ordered moon tea for Rhaenyra after hearing about what had happened between her and Daemon in the brothel. Rhaenyra was unmarried at the time. A child out of wedlock would damage her name, so drinking moon tea as a prevention of pregnancy was necessary. Alicent found out about the moon tea and thought that Rhaenyra had lied to her. She then summoned Ser Criston Cole and learned that he was the one who had shared a bed with Rhaenyra the night before. Alicent has also ordered the tea for Aegon’s maid to prevent possible pregnancy.
It’s ironic that Alicent ended up doing exactly what she had once judged Rhaenyra for doing. While young Rhaenyra had taken moon tea to be responsible for her affairs, Alicent neglected her duty as the dowager queen. As Lord Larys Strong said, she has been indulging in her own desires without thinking about them clearly. Her obsession with her son sitting on the Iron Throne has similarly overridden her rationality. Alicent’s unwanted pregnancy (if confirmed) speaks loudly about her selfishness and hypocrisy.
