'House of the Dragon' Episode 9: Alicent and the Prophecy Explained

 validated our worst fears about Queen Alicent. Sadly, Alicent believes King Viserys' dying wish was to have their son Prince Aegon succeed the throne. Really she should take into account all of Viserys' words, instead of hearing what best suits her family over at House Hightower.

Let's discuss everything that's been said about King Viserys' prophecy and how it's affected Alicent in the spoiler-packed section below.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

King Viserys when he was alive and mostly well.

What exactly is the prophecy (part 1)?

All the way back in , King Viserys passes a family secret onto his daughter Princess Rhaenyra -- a doomsday prophecy telling of the end of men. Let's break down what Viserys says:

"Our histories... they tell us that Aegon looked across the Blackwater from Dragonstone, and saw a rich land ripe for the capture. But ambition alone is not what drove him to conquest. It was a dream. And just as Daenys foresaw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men."

Aegon refers to , the first Lord of the Seven Kingdoms in Westeros. He was the founder of the Targaryens' ruling dynasty over Westeros but, as his prophecy reveals, he also wanted to unify the land against a common enemy. His prophecy isn't to be dismissed, because before him a Targaryen, , had a correct prophetic dream of Valyria's destruction by fire.  And 12 years later, Valyria -- the capital of the Valyrian Freehold, a large civilization in Essos ruled by dragonriders -- was indeed destroyed by an unexplained cataclysm.

Viserys told Rhaenyra:

"'Tis to begin with a terrible winter gusting out of the distant north. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds. And whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this Great Winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne. A king or queen, strong enough to unite the realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream 'The Song of Ice and Fire.'"

As we saw in Game of Thrones, this prophecy of a terrible winter comes true. An undead army of White Walkers threatens to bring a Long Night over Westeros. It's the duty of every Targaryen king (or queen) to pass the secret prophecy on to their heir so that one day all men can unite to fight the "cold and the dark."

"This secret... it's been passed from king to heir since Aegon's time. Now you must promise to carry it... and protect it."

Alicent and Rhaenyra's friendship briefly appears to be on the mend.

What exactly is the prophecy (part 2)?

In , at the great hunt, a drunk Viserys reveals that at one stage he had his own prophecy, but he lost faith in it. He tells Alicent that he named Rhaenyra his heir "out of love. Because I no longer believed..."

He doesn't finish the sentence but goes on to speak about how there have been many dragon riders in his line, a few of whom have been dreamers, aka prophets. He then describes what he himself has dreamed:

"When Rhaenyra was a child, I saw it in a dream ... A male babe was born to me wearing the Conquerer's crown. And I so wanted it to be true, to be a dreamer myself. I sought that vision again, night after night, but it never came again. I poured all my thought and will into it. And my obsession killed Rhaenyra's mother."

This could explain why Viserys was willing to sacrifice his love, Aemma, during childbirth -- he believed his son would be born healthy. Viserys also tells Alicent:

"I thought Rhaenyra was the way out of my abyss of grief and regret. And naming her heir would begin to set things right ... I never imagined I would remarry... that I would have a son. What if I was wrong?"

Viserys' doubt in his decision to make Rhaenyra an heir, as well as his prophecy that he would one day have a son wearing a crown, gives Alicent even more reason to believe their son Aegon is the rightful heir to the throne.

What does Rhaenyra ask Viserys in episode 8?

It's 20 years on from the events of House of the Dragon, episode 1, and a lot has happened. Rhaenyra has a brood of children and a new husband in Daemon, her uncle. She visits her father, Viserys, one night, knowing he's probably going to die soon. She's hoping to get some answers about their mysterious family secret before it's too late.

"'The Song of Ice and Fire.' Do you believe it to be true?"

"Aegon's dream."

"You told me it was our duty to hold the realm united against a common foe. By naming me heir you divided the realm."

Viserys is so out of it, drugged up on anaesthetic milk of the poppy, that he can't answer whether he thinks Aegon's prophecy, the Song of Ice and Fire, will come true.

What does King Viserys tell Alicent?

Instead, the night afterward, Viserys unintentionally gives his wife Alicent his take on Aegon's prophecy.

In a haze, on his deathbed, Viserys begins by apologizing. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." This is presumably an apology for forcing Rhaenyra, whom he thinks he's talking to, into taking on everything that comes with becoming the Targaryen heir, including bearing the family secret.

"But you wanted to know... if I believe it to be true."

Alicent, of course, has no idea what Viserys is talking about.

"Aegon," Viserys says.

"Our son?" asks Alicent, referring to her and Viserys' firstborn, Prince Aegon, who was found to have raped a young servant in episode 8.

Viserys shakes his head -- he's of course referring to Aegon the Conquerer. "His Dream. The Song of Ice and Fi -- It is true. What he saw in the North. The Prince That Was Promised." The Prince is a reference to the inscription on Aegon the Conquerer's dagger: "From my blood come the Prince That Was Promised and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire."

Alicent still thinks Viserys is talking about their son Aegon -- not Jon Snow, aka another Aegon Targaryen, aka The Prince That Was Promised.

"The Prince," Viserys continues. "To unite the realm against the cold... and the dark. It is you. You are the one. You must do this."