Foreshadowing in House of the Dragon: The machinations of the Small Council

For those familiar with the story of the Targaryen civil war laid out in George R.R Martin’s Fire & Blood, it’s been thrilling to see the choices that House of the Dragon has made to further flesh out the characters and dive deeper into this time period. Fire & Blood is presented as an epistolary story, meaning that Martin writes as a maester compiling different accounts of important events throughout Westeros’ history. (One can only hope he donned a long, white robe and a heavy, iron chain while writing it.) As such, Fire & Blood tells the story of the Dance of the Dragons from different — sometimes conflicting — points of view. Character motivations, specific conversations, and more are often guessed at, which is why watching the show is so exciting; we’re getting the set-in-stone version of events.

Which versions of events will the show run with? In these posts, we’ll examine how each new episode of House of the Dragon is laying the groundwork for the wars to come. And beware: there will be SPOILERS.

The machinations of Otto Hightower

It’s been particularly interesting to watch Otto Hightower’s relationship with King Viserys. Without pushing Viserys or asking too much of him, Otto provides the king with an understanding friend, calm counsel, and positive reinforcement. He never makes his desires explicitly known. Even to his daughter, Alicent, he only says to go to the king and provide comfort, never explicitly stating what he hopes this comfort may lead to, although it’s painfully obvious to us at home.

This is an example of the danger that can come from having a King who’s generally a good person looking for simple companionship. Hightower may not seem like a vulture, but he definitely is one, and House of the Dragon is setting up some serious hypocrisy on his part to come. Although it seems like Otto wants to keep Daemon off the throne out of genuine concern for what a man like him would do with such power, he will eventually happily endorse his grandson by Alicent Hightower, Aegon II Targaryen, who is more dangerous, corruptible, and incapable of ruling than even Daemon Targaryen. With the next episode being titled “Second of his Name,” we’re likely to meet a young Aegon II.

The way Otto is treating Viserys may seem friendly, and his stance against Daemon may seem righteous, but it’s really all about him finding a monarch that he can control and holding onto his power.

The machinations of Lord Lyonel Strong

But Otto’s manipulations only gets him so far. If the show continues to stay true to the books, he’ll be removed as Hand for a short time as punishment for insisting that Viserys name Aegon as his new heir and displace Rhaenyra. And the man who fills his seat is one of the more dangerous characters in the story. So far, Lyonel Strong appears to be mostly harmless. An opinionated voice on the council whom Viserys trusts, House of the Dragon is already foreshadowing the important role that Strong will play in the wars and betrayals to come.

Viserys seeks Lyonel Strong’s counsel about marriage in “The Rogue Prince.” Lyonel advised him to marry the 12-year-old Laena Velaryon, showing himself to be a man unafraid to make morally questionable decisions and speak his mind, despite knowing that Viserys would not like it. Lyonel is careful, meticulous, and calculating, things he will eventually pass down to his son Larys Strong. Larys will eventually become a Master of Whisperers to rival Lord Varys, and his cunning will play a huge role in the civil war to come.

Both Lyonel and Otto are reinforcing a familiar theme on Game of Thrones theme: In everything you do, your house comes first. While Corlys Velaryon is clearly looking to advance his position, he does so out in the open, which is why the other Lords despise him so much. Otto Hightower and Lyonel Strong want security for their houses and places for their children in the halls of power. Viserys will soon find himself surrounded on all sides by cutthroats and liars seeking to advance their own positions. The show is also foreshadowing Rhaenyra’s growing awareness of this, and hints at the reasons why these lords truly oppose her reign. Rhaenyra will use every power at her disposal to get them on her side or otherwise remove them from power completely.

The continuing story of Laena Velaryon

Finally, let’s talk a bit about Laena Velaryon, who’s story is far from over. If viewers were relieved that no one took the sweet, innocent child to wife, they’re in for a rude awakening. In the books, Laena does eventually marry a Targaryen…Prince Daemon. By all accounts, Daemon is kind and decent to his new wife; they have twin girls together who become skilled dragonriders. At least the show will allow Laena to grow older before she marries Daemon, but the themes of incest and child brides will come up again. Daemon’s participation in these things will lead to further estrangement between him and his brother, but also help him forge alliances that will be crucial to the later war effort.

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