If there was any doubt that Helaena was pregnant, House of the Dragon season 3, episode 5, cleared that up right away. At the top of the episode, Alicent is understandably worried about what Helaena’s pregnancy could mean, which is an understandable concern to have given the child is likely Aegon’s and therefore would have a claim to the Iron Throne.
Worried that carrying the baby to term is not the best move, Alicent enlists the Grand Maester’s help in quietly bringing her a special drink for Helaena. Alicent then tries to convince Helaena to drink the contents of the vial in order to end the pregnancy, pleading with her daughter to see that the child’s life would not be one of happiness but rather it would likely grow up a prisoner and become a bargaining chip in the ongoing fight for power.
Alicent even mentions how she herself had taken the brew before, as had Rhaenyra. Despite her best efforts, Helaena refuses to drink the contents of the vial as she refuses to end the life of her unborn child. It’s a major thread in the episode, one that is shrouded in a bit of mystery as Alicent never directly refers to the contents of the vial by name. All we know is that it’s clearly a mixture designed to terminate Helaena’s pregnancy.
While the episode does not mention what’s inside the vial Alicent tries to get Helaena to drink, Alicent’s callback to taking the mixture herself in addition to Rhaenyra gives us the context clues needed to deduce the precise contents of the drink she was urging Helaena to take.
Alicent was trying to give Helaena moon tea
Although House of the Dragon season 3, episode 5, does not refer to the contents of the vial that Alicent attempts to give to Helaena by name, it’s clear that she was attempting to give her moon tea. Moon tea is an herbal mixture that has been used in the past within the show as both an emergency contraceptive and an early abortifacient.
There have been two particular instances in which moon tea was administered in House of the Dragon as part of a key storyline, and these instances are the ones Alicent referenced to Helaena in conversation.
Back in season 1, Viserys instructs the Grand Maester at the time to deliver moon tea to Rhaenyra, as he feared that his daughter had lost her virtue and did not want to risk any dalliances resulting in an unplanned pregnancy for his daughter. Later that same season, Alicent orders Tayla to give Dyana some moon tea after the young girl was raped by Aegon, hoping to prevent a child from being born as a result of Aegon’s actions.
The second notable instance of moon tea being taken in the show came in season 2, when Alicent was forced to take the mixture directly as a result of her affair with Ser Criston Cole. Looking to avoid a pregnancy as a result of their forbidden affair, Alicent ingests the moon tea to make sure no love child comes of the affair with Criston.
Considering Alicent's history with moon tea, it's honestly not surprising that she tried to convince Helaena to drink the mixture. Alicent is certainly not mother of the year, but in this instance it's clear that she truly feels this is in the best interest of Helaena's future and isn't simply looking to give her the moon tea without cause.
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