Has Alicent realized her mistake in House of the Dragon?

The Dance of the Dragons arguably started in House of the Dragons because of a mistake Alicent made. She believed Aegon was the rightful heir because Viserys changed his mind. Only, she didn’t realized the conversation Viserys thought he was still having.

Caution: This post contains major spoilers from House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 3

The latest episode saw Rhaenyra find a way into King’s Landing. Realizing that Alicent doesn’t really want a war of the dragons, she decided to see if she could change her former friend’s mind. That wasn’t the case, but it did leave Rhaenyra understanding why Alicent has been so steadfast in putting Aegon on the throne.

Rhaenyra learned of her father’s last words in House of the Dragon

Alicent is sure that Viserys changed his mind about Rhaenyra being queen. After some coaxing, she finally shared his last words with Rhaenyra. As she said “The Prince That Was Promised,” Rhaenyra’s eyes shot up. The Aegon that Viserys was speaking about wasn’t his son at all, but she could understand why Alicent would make the mistake.

Rhaenyra shared that “The Prince That Was Promised” was part of an old story her father told her. She mentioned that it involved Aegon the Conqueror, and not the Aegon that is Viserys and Alicent’s son. This is the Aegon Viserys was talking about. It was a relief to Rhaenyra, but it doesn’t stop the war.

Can Alicent stop the Dance of the Dragons?

You could see on Alicent’s face that she realized the mistake she had made. She can’t admit that to Rhaenyra, but this is something that will now play on her mind. Alicent’s mistake has led to the Greens taking over and putting Aegon on the throne. That mistake led to the rushed coronation, the death of Luc, and the murder of Jaehaerys.

If it wasn’t for Alicent, none of this would have happened. Everyone would have had no choice but to actually put Rhaenyra on the throne. And Alicent can’t now admit to that. She’s telling her son that everything he has done is wrong, and we’ve seen how Aegon acts. He is a man-child who doesn’t deserve the crown and is listening to the wrong people.

So, there’s nothing Alicent can do. All she can now do is live with the guilt of everything that happens around her. Rhaenyra was right that it was always meant to be her.