House of the Dragon explained: How does Alicent Hightower die in the books?
House Of The Dragon season two continues but book lovers are curious to know how Alicent Hightower meets her end in George RR Martin's novel.
House of the Dragon Season 2 official trailer
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from the House Of The Dragon book series.
House Of The Dragon season two has so far been a hit with viewers but how does Alicent Hightower die in the book series behind the adaptation?
The Sky Atlantic and HBO fantasy drama has been the show on everyone’s lips for the past few weeks following the prequel’s return after an 18-month wait.
With episode four on the horizon, some viewers are curious to know how the Westeros-set story plays out in the unforgettable prequel novel series of the same name.
How does Alicent Hightower die in the House Of The Dragon books?
In George RR Martin’s first House Of The Dragon book, Fire And Blood, Alicent Hightower doesn’t get her happily ever after.
Her ending begins when Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen takes King’s Landing and executes Alicent’s dad Otto Hightower for treason.
Rhaenyra then makes the decision to keep Otto’s daughter Alicent and granddaughter Helaena alive as prisoners.
But while she survives the war in the book, Alicent’s death isn’t as dramatic as various other characters, not dying by dragon or brutally murdered.
Instead, she spends the rest of her life locked up in the tower mourning the deaths of her children, before dying from an outbreak of Winter Fever.
In the book, it reads: "She had outlived all of her children and spent the last year of her life confined to her apartments, with no company but her septa, the serving girls who brought her food, and the guards outside her door."
Martin also describes in Fire And Blood how her mental health also deteriorates during her final years as a prisoner.
Alicent begins “talking to herself” and develops “a deep aversion to the colour green” which she wore throughout most of her life.
But in the lead up to her demise, Alicent also speaks of wanting to see her children again so it is suggested to readers that she is ready to die at this point.
Now, the question is will the TV adaptation of House Of The Dragon follow this same plot or will it be altered in season two?
