Alicent Hightower

Aemond Targaryen (son)

Daeron Targaryen (son)

**Alicent Hightowe**r is a member of House Hightower who became the second wife to King Viserys I Targaryen. She was the daughter of Ser Otto Hightower, who had been Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I, Viserys I, and later his grandson Aegon II. She was the mother of Prince Aegon II, Princess Helaena, Prince Aemond and Prince Daeron.

## Appearance and Character

Alicent was described as precocious at fifteen and clever and lovely at the age of eighteen. After having given birth four times, Alicent remained as slender and graceful as before the first pregnancy.

## History

### Early life

Alicent was born in 88 AC to Otto Hightower, the younger brother of Lord Hightower, the Lord of the Hightower. Alicent had several brothers, including Gwayne.

When her father was named Hand of the King by King Jaehaerys I Targaryen in 101 AC, thirteen year-old Alicent accompanied him to court together with her brothers and mother. In 103 AC, Alicent became the constant companion of King Jaehaerys, whose health was failing. She fetched his meals, helped him wash and dress, and read to him. In the end, King Jaehaerys sometimes mistook her for his daughter, Saera Targaryen. Jaehaerys eventually died the same year, while Alicent was reading to him.

Alicent stayed at court, as her father continued to occupy the position as Hand under Jaehaerys's grandson and successor, King Viserys I Targaryen. Already early in the reign of Viserys, Ser Otto and Prince Daemon Targaryen were at odds with each other.

### Marriage

In the years that followed, Alicent caught the eye of King Viserys I Targaryen, whose first wife, Queen Aemma Arryn, had died, and whose small council was urging him to wed again. Ignoring all advice from his council, Viserys choose Alicent as his wife. They married in 106 AC, despite the whispers of people who believed that the Hand had risen above himself. Some doubted Alicent's virtue, as rumors began circling that she had slept with King Viserys while Queen Aemma was still alive; moreover, the notorious court fool Mushroom mischievously suggested that Alicent had been more than an aide to the late Jaehaerys. Nonetheless, Alicent was wed to Viserys. While this forestalled other potential marriage-alliances Viserys's small council would have preferred, it was not a completely unwise choice, as the Hightowers were still one of the leading families in Westeros, with close ties to the Faith of the Seven (whose leadership were still based at the Starry Sept in Oldtown at the time).

Originally, Queen Alicent had a good relationship with her step-daughter, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. But when Alicent gave birth to a son, Prince Aegon, a daughter, Princess Helaena, and another son, Prince Aemond, in rapid succession, and Rhaenyra remained Viserys's heir, those feelings started to change. Both women wanted to be the first lady of the realm, but there could only be one.

Alicent's biggest supporter was her own father, Ser Otto Hightower. He eventually pushed too far on the matter, and was stripped of his position as Hand. Having no place at court anymore, Otto returned to Oldtown. A "queen's party", a group of powerful lords who were friends with Queen Alicent, remained, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.

In 111 AC, a great tourney was held at King's Landing on the fifth anniversary of the king’s marriage to Queen Alicent. At the opening feast, Alicent wore a green gown, whilst Princess Rhaenyra dressed in Targaryen red and black. Note was taken, and thereafter it became the custom to refer to "greens" and "blacks" when talking of the queen's party and the party of the princess, respectively. In the tourney itself, the greens were defeated by the blacks, when Ser Criston Cole, wearing Rhaenyra's favor, unhorsed all of the queen's champions, including two of her cousins and her youngest brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower.

Prince Daemon Targaryen was opposed to Alicent and her sons, and after his return to King's Landing, he made fun of Alicent, Aegon and Aemond, and the other greens, to entertain Princess Rhaenyra. It is said he acted cool towards the princes Aegon and Aemond, because they had pushed him even lower in the line of succession.

When Rhaenyra turned sixteen, the small council started looking for a suitable husband. Alicent had her own choice: her eldest son, Prince Aegon, who, while the princess was sixteen years old, was only six years old himself. Viserys argued that the siblings had never gotten along, but Alicent urged her husband that was all the more reason to wed the two. Viserys refused, believing that Alicent only made the suggestion to get her own blood on the throne.

By the time Princess Rhaenyra got married, in 114 AC, Queen Alicent had found a new member for her greens: Ser Criston Cole, former companion to Princess Rhaenyra. Criston fought in the tourney for Rhaenyra's wedding with Alicent's favor, and was named Alicent's personal sworn shield soon thereafter.
By 115 AC, the enmity between the greens and the blacks had grown deep. Whilst Alicent had given birth to Prince Daeron, who, just like his brothers and sister, looked unmistakably like a Targaryen, Princess Rhaenyra had given birth to Princes Jacaerys and Lucerys, who both looked nothing like either Rhaenyra or her husband, Ser Laenor Velaryon. Whilst Alicent was convinced the children had actually been fathered by Ser Harwin Strong, King Viserys did not share these feelings.
In 120 AC, Alicent's second son became involved in an incident where Rhaenyra's son Lucerys took out Aemond's right eye. Alicent, angered, demanded that the same would be done to Lucerys. After this incident, King Viserys declared that Alicent and her children would remain at court in King's Landing, whilst Rhaenyra and her family remained at Dragonstone. Later that year, as Rhaenyra gave birth to her first son by Prince Daemon, Alicent grew wroth upon learning the child had been named Aegon, believing it to be a slight against her own firstborn, who had also been named Aegon.