Where is Otto Hightower in the House of the Dragon season 2 finale?

Where, oh where, is Otto Hightower? That question has loomed over House of the Dragon's second season, and it remains an enduring mystery. The second episode of the season, "Rhaenyra the Cruel," saw King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) fire his shrewd grandfather Otto (Rhys Ifans) from his position as Hand of the King. In response, Otto declared he was going to leave King's Landing rather than sit around where he wasn't wanted.

When last we saw Otto, he was planning his next move with his daughter, Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke). Initially, he wanted to go back to the House Hightower seat in Oldtown, where he could help guide their army and mentor Alicent's youngest son, Daeron Targaryen. Instead, Alicent convinces him to go to Highgarden, so that he can make sure the Tyrells and other lords of the Reach don't side with their enemies.

Otto's whereabouts then become a looming mystery, as Alicent realizes he's stopped answering her letters and he never returns to King's Landing at prince regent Aemond Targaryen's (Ewan Mitchell) request. In the final moments of "The Queen Who Ever Was," we find out why: Otto has been imprisoned somewhere. But where?

Who is holding Otto Hightower captive in House of the Dragon?

When it comes to figuring out where Otto is being held, we've only got a few clues to go on. Fire & Blood, the book by George R.R. Martin upon which the show is based, doesn't have any sort of plotline where Otto is taken prisoner. Even after Aegon removes him as Hand, Otto stays in King's Landing right up until the end of his story. So don't expect much help from the book for this one.

In terms of clues from the show, our two big ones are that Otto was heading to Highgarden in the Reach, and that House Beesbury is currently warring with the Hightower host in that same region. House Beesbury is a small but honorable house whose former lord, Lyman Beesbury, served on the Small Council for King Viserys. During the Green Council coup, Lyman spoke up in defense of Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, and Ser Criston Cole killed him for it by accidentally smashing the elderly man's head against his Small Council membership marble. House Beesbury has gone to war seeking justice for their slain lord.

This makes our two most likely suspects for Otto's captors the Tyrells, who rule Highgarden, and the Beesburys. In the book, House Tyrell remains more or less neutral in the Dance of the Dragons. At this period in history its lord, Lyonel Tyrell, is only a child, and after their vassal houses begin having conflicted loyalty between the Greens and Blacks, his mother and castellan decide that the Tyrells will take no part in the conflict so as not to further divide the Reach. If they're the ones who took Otto captive, it would be a pretty weird choice.

To me, the most likely candidate is House Beesbury. They're already at war with the Hightowers; is there any doubt that if they had the chance to cage up a valuable hostage like Otto, they would? Plus, it's never explained how House Beesbury even found out that Lyman was murdered in the first place. Surely, the Green Council would have tried to cover it up. That means that either they didn't believe whatever message was sent to them, or someone spilled the beans. Given the timing of Aemond's Small Council receiving a report that the Beesburys have declared war late in the season, it would line up with the possibility of them catching Otto while he was traveling and getting answers out of him.

Of course, this is all speculation. The only thing we know for certain is that Otto isn't in King's Landing, because he's being held in a wooden cage rather than one of the black cells beneath the castle, which are made of stone. Wherever he is, it looks like he's in trouble. Perhaps it's a situation that will tie into the Battle of the Honeywine during season 3, where Daeron earns his nickname Daeron the Daring? Could it be that Otto is either ransomed off or rescued during the events surrounding that battle in the Reach?

Time will tell! We won't be watching House of the Dragon season 3 until sometime in 2026, so it'll be a while until we know one way or another.

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