Highlights
- The power play between Queen Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra sparks a war of succession in Season 1 of House of the Dragon.
- Mysaria, aka the White Worm, orchestrates dangerous plots outside the Red Keep, influencing court politics with her spy network.
- Lord Larys Strong rises in power by betraying his own kin, becoming a key ally to Queen Alicent Hightower in the dangerous game of thrones.
Most of House of the Dragon Season 1 is mainly a power play about the relationship between Queen Alicent Hightower and her stepdaughter, Princess Rhaenyra. The tiff between the two ladies snowballs into a full-blown conflict, thanks to court politics, and the machinations of wicked players. King Viserys’ death sparks a war of succession, and things worsen when Queen Alicent wins the dangerous bid of securing her son, Aegon II, a spot on the throne.
The King’s decreed heir, Princess Rhaenyra, will strike to take back the throne her father left her. Her stepbrother, Aegon, usurped her, and Aemond killed her second son, Lucerys. Think of Rhaenyra and Alicent as dangerous wounded animals, but are they the most powerful characters in House of the Dragon?
10 The Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower
Alicent Is The Dowager Queen
After the death of King Viserys Targaryen, the Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower holds the most power in court. She calls the shots and decides when and how her son, Aegon, is going to be coronated. The coronation is her idea and what she says, goes. She tells her powerful father, Otto Hightower:
My son will be anointed tomorrow at dawn. The whole of King’s Landing must witness his ascent. He will assume authority. There will be no more dithering.
Alicent is left with little power after the peaceful transfer of power into Aegon’s hands. She will guide the King, her secondborn, Aemond, and Lord Commander Ser Criston Cole, from time to time, but the real power lies with the monarch.
9 Mysaria
The White Worm Will Orchestrate The Blood And Cheese Plot In Season 2
Mysaria, or the White Worm, is the most dangerous of those who live outside the Red Keep. She runs a spy network in King’s Landing and everyone from Alicent’s lady-in-waiting, Talya, to street urchins on her payroll. Furthermore, Mysaria was once Prince Daemon’s paramour and squatted with him at Dragonstone during his occupation of the eponymous island.
Prince Daemon fortified Dragonstone with an army of Gold Cloaks and thus his lady, Mysaria, knows the ins and outs of King’s Landing’s politics. On Daemon’s orders, she orchestrates the murder of a son of a Green by hiring the former serjeant of the Gold Cloaks named Blood and a ratcatcher named Cheese. They infiltrate the Red Keep to avenge the murder of Lucerys Velaryon. “There is more than one way… to fight a war,” she says in House of the Dragon Season 2’s Final Trailer.
8 Lord Larys Strong
Murdered His Kin To Earn The Favors Of Alicent Hightower
Lord Larys Strong went from being Lyonel’s son to Alicent’s informant and, later, Aegon II’s Master of Whisperers. This transition takes place within House of the Dragon Season 1, and Larys grows into an incredibly powerful person at court. Larys’ credibility as an informant is attested by the fact that Alicent is willing to pay any price for his information. He planned the murders of his father and brother, Harwin, through prisoners of the Black Cells. He had the prisoners’ tongues cut out and instructed them to trap his kin inside and set fire to Harrenhal. With this, Larys became the Lord of Harrenhal and Alicent’s powerful ally.
Larys is a man of few talents, but the things he knows best are the organization of covert operations, gathering intelligence, and giving counsel. He has the lordship of Harrenhal, money, resources, and an important position on the Small Council.
7 Princess Rhaenys Targaryen
A Powerful Dragonrider And A Resourceful Woman
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen or “the Queen Who Never Was” rides one of the largest dragons in the Seven Kingdoms. Her father, Prince Aemon, was the Old King Jaehaerys’ choice of heir, and she lost the throne to her cousin, Viserys Targaryen.
Princess Rhaenys is a Targaryen on her father’s side and a Baratheon on her mother’s. She is married to Lord Corlys Velaryon but is a powerful person in her own right. A dragonrider with excellent flying ability, Rhaenys has held High Tide during Corlys’ recovery. She has immense clout at King’s Landing, wealth, a say in the affairs of High Tide, and the ability to bring the enemy to its knees.
6 Ser Criston Cole
Lord Commander Of The Kingsguard
The only reason Ser Criston Cole ranks a notch above Princess Rhaenys Targaryen is that he is the commander of the Greens’ armies. Criston receives continual patronage from Queen Alicent Hightower and in return, he showers her with the utmost loyalty.
Alicent named Criston Cole as Aegon II’s Lord Commander in the previous season. He’s due to become the King’s Hand after Otto’s dismissal. Aside from these two influential positions, Criston is a great swordsman. He unhorsed Prince Daemon in a joust at the Heir’s Tournament and taught Alicent’s boys sword fighting. Criston’s weapon of choice is the clubbed weapon with a spiked ball known as the Morningstar. It can be pretty lethal, given Criston’s skill at wielding the said weapon.
5 Lord Corlys Velaryon
Is At The Head Of The Velaryon Fleet
Once serving as Viserys’ Master of Ships, the legendary hero, Lord Corlys Velaryon fought in the Stepstones without the crown’s aid. He continued the fight to secure the Narrow Sea for his House (and by extension the crown) even when the King dismissed his petition to send his navy into the troubled territory. Later, he invited the king’s brother, Daemon Targaryen, to Driftmark to urge him to join him in the war.
Corlys, a war expert, with immense knowledge of the seas, is the greatest ally Queen Rhaenyra could have hoped for. He secured the Narrow Sea for the Blacks and will be her Hand in the Dance of the Dragons. The Queen herself speaks highly of Corlys and the Velaryon fleet in House of the Dragon Season 1:
There’s no port on the Narrow Sea that would dare to make an enemy of the Velaryon fleet.
4 Prince Aemond Targaryen
Rides The Largest Dragon
Aemond Targaryen is a breakout House of the Dragon character. A second son, he inherits very little in comparison to his wastrel brother, Aegon II. Daemon rides Vhagar, currently the oldest and largest dragon in the world. He is one of the strongest sword fighters in the series and his intellectual pursuits are impressive.
Aemond is cold-blooded, intelligent, and shrewd. He is the one deserving of the Iron Throne among the Greens. He values tradition and deeply respects his House. Aemond is also among the best Dragonriders in House of the Dragon.
3 King Aegon II Targaryen
The Sovereign
King Aegon, the Second of his Name, rides Sunfyre – the most beautiful dragon in the Seven Kingdoms. Aside from this, he brings nothing more to the table. Aegon ranks above the rest in the order of powerful figures because he currently sits on the Iron Throne.
Foolish, drunken as though he may be, Aegon II’s wish is everyone’s command. Him at the helm of an absolute monarchy is a dangerous prospect. He can and will call the shots with little or no regard for the rest. Aegon is the epitome of concentrating absolute power in the hands of a corrupted individual.
2 Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
The King’s Decreed Heir, Commander Of The Blacks
Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen was crowned with King Viserys’ two-toned crown at Dragonstone and with that she went from being the Princess of Dragonstone to the Queen of the realm. Rhaenyra is a just ruler and often calculates the cost to her people.
As for her abilities, Rhaenyra rides Syrax, is assertive, and is at the helm of the Blacks at Dragonstone. With every winning battle, Queen Rhaenyra will inch towards the Iron Throne.
1 Daemon Targaryen
Dragonrider & Swordsman With Brute Strength
Daemon Targaryen is arguably House of the Dragon‘s most powerful character. He has wealth, the gigantic dragon, Caraxes, and the ability to win the war. Daemon’s sword prowess is well-documented in the first season. He wields the Valyrian steel sword named Dark Sister. He knows the ins and outs of Westeros’ politics and the lords and ladies.
Daemon Targaryen wields both soft and hard power. He has friends in Pentos and loyalist men at the City Watch of King’s Landing. He’s the strongest and arguably the most influential character in House of the Dragon.
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