The fragile peace between Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower may already be showing cracks before House of the Dragon Season 3 even begins. After the shocking Season 2 finale brought the former friends together for a secret agreement that could spare King’s Landing from a devastating siege, new comments from Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke suggest the arrangement is hanging by a thread.
Season 2 ended with Alicent making an extraordinary proposal. Tired of endless bloodshed and political maneuvering, she offered Rhaenyra a path to take King’s Landing with minimal resistance. It was one of the most surprising moments of the series because it placed their shared history above the brutal realities of war. However, as Season 3 approaches, both actors agree that trust remains a major problem.
Quick Read:
- Rhaenyra and Alicent’s Season 2 pact may not hold in Season 3.
- D’Arcy says Alicent bending the knee feels “fated” to Rhaenyra.
- Cooke says Alicent “doesn’t have a choice” anymore.
Why Rhaenyra still struggles to trust Alicent in House of the Dragon Season 3
Credit: HBO
Speaking to TVLine, Emma D’Arcy made it clear that Rhaenyra has not forgotten everything that happened between them.
Add WoT as a preferred source on Google.
“I mean, I think it is hard for Rhaenyra to trust Alicent. Their history is a complicated one.”
At the same time, Rhaenyra is entering Season 3 from her strongest position yet. After spending much of the conflict reacting to the Greens, she finally has momentum on her side. D’Arcy explained:
“That said, there is such momentum, I think, in Rhaenyra’s campaign at this point, really for the first time. She is in a strong military, strategic position, and the Greens’ defeat seems all but certain, certainly extremely possible, extremely likely.”
What makes this particularly interesting is that Rhaenyra’s growing confidence is no longer based solely on military victories. She increasingly believes her claim to the Iron Throne is destined. According to D’Arcy:
“That she has a divine mandate to rule. So Alicent effectively bending the knee also feels fated. There’s almost a confirmation bias to that momentum.”
That mindset could become dangerous. When someone begins viewing every victory as proof of destiny, compromise becomes far more difficult.
Why is Alicent betting everything on their shared history
Photograph by Theo Whitman/HBO
While Rhaenyra is operating from a position of strength, Alicent appears to have far fewer options available. Cooke described Alicent’s situation bluntly:
“I think she doesn’t have a choice.”
The actor believes Alicent is relying on the one thing that still connects them.
“That’s all she’s got, you know, this promise at the moment. And I think she’s just banking on a shared history, you know, like a shared girlhood together.”
Viewers will remember that Alicent’s plan required enormous sacrifices, including accepting the possibility that Aegon would have to die for Rhaenyra’s claim to succeed. It was never a comfortable compromise, and Cooke admits the entire arrangement feels unstable.
“Yeah, it’s very flimsy.”
She added:
“She’s just got to have so much faith in that, and be quite blinkered, as she tries to keep up her end of the bargain, as well.”
The agreement may have delayed another chapter of the Dance of the Dragons, but it feels increasingly difficult to imagine it surviving every obstacle waiting ahead. If Season 2 was about rebuilding a bridge between two former friends, Season 3 may reveal whether that bridge was strong enough to begin with.
House of the Dragon Season 3 premieres on June 21, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max.
Also Read: “I no longer feel trapped”: Emilia Clarke finally closes her Game of Thrones chapter
