Editing Alicent Hightower (section)

==History==
===Early life===
Alicent was born in {{Date|88}} to [[Otto Hightower]], the younger brother of [[Lord Hightower]], the [[Lord of the Hightower]]. Alicent had several brothers, including [[Gwayne Hightower|Gwayne]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

When her father was named [[Hand of the King]] by King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen]] in {{Date|101}}, thirteen year-old Alicent accompanied him to court together with her brothers and mother. In {{Date|103}}, Alicent became the constant companion of King Jaehaerys, whose health was failing.<ref group="N">According to ''[[Fire & Blood]]'', Alicent arrived at the court in {{Date|101}} and became Jaehaerys's constant companion at fifteen. Since it is also said she was eighteen at {{Date|106}}, it means she was thirteen in {{Date|101}}, and became Jaehaerys's constant companion only in his last year, {{Date|103}}.</ref> She fetched his meals, helped him wash and dress, and read to him. In the end, King Jaehaerys sometimes mistook her for one of his daughters, especially [[Saera Targaryen]]. Jaehaerys eventually died the same year, while Alicent was reading to him.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

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.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}<ref group="N">According to ''[[The Rogue Prince]]'', the [[court fool]] [[Mushroom]] suggested that the quarrel between the two men began when Daemon [[Maiden|deflowered]] Alicent. However, in ''[[Fire & Blood]]'' that rumor is replaced with a different claim by Mushroom, regarding the relationship between Alicent and King Jaehaerys I. See also: asoiaf.westeros.org: [https://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?/topic/34958-the-asoiaf-wiki-thread/&page=120&tab=comments#comment-8427481 Daemon deflowering Alicent issue (August 31, 2019)]</ref>

===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 [[Marriage|married]] in {{Date|106}}, despite the whispers of people who believed that the [[Hand of the King|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).{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

[[File:The birth of the blacks and the greens by Jota Saraiva.jpg|thumb|left|The birth of the [[blacks]] and the [[greens]]. Art by Jota Saraiva ©]]
Originally, Queen Alicent had a good relationship with her step-daughter, Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]]. But when Alicent gave birth to a son, Prince [[Aegon II Targaryen|Aegon]], a daughter, Princess [[Helaena Targaryen|Helaena]], and another son, Prince [[Aemond Targaryen|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. One example of their growing enmity was when Alicent noticed that Rhaenyra paid much attention to Ser [[Criston Cole]] of the [[Kingsguard]], she publicly asked the court who was protecting the princess from her knight.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

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. However, a "queen's party" remained, a group of powerful [[lord]]s who were friends with Queen Alicent, who supported the rights of Alicent's sons.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

In {{Date|111}}, 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 [[House Targaryen|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]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

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.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question 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 was only six years old. 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.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

By the time Princess Rhaenyra got married, in {{Date|114}}, Queen Alicent had found a new member for her greens: Ser Criston Cole, former companion to Princess Rhaenyra, who had broken from her for an unspecified reason. Criston fought in the tourney for Rhaenyra's wedding with Alicent's favor, and was named Alicent's personal [[sworn shield]] soon thereafter.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

[[File:The greens by Fkaluis.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Alicent and her four children, [[Aegon II Targaryen|Aegon]], [[Helaena Targaryen|Helaena]], [[Aemond Targaryen|Aemond]], and [[Daeron Targaryen (son of Viserys I)|Daeron]]. Art by [https://fkaluis.tumblr.com/ Fkaluis] ©]]
By {{Date|115}}, the enmity between the greens and the blacks had grown deep. While Alicent had given birth in {{Date|114}} to Prince [[Daeron Targaryen (son of Viserys I)|Daeron]], who unmistakably shared the Targaryen looks like his brothers and sister, Princess Rhaenyra had given birth to Princes [[Jacaerys Velaryon|Jacaerys]] and [[Lucerys Velaryon]], who both looked nothing like either Rhaenyra or her husband, Ser [[Laenor Velaryon]]. Alicent was convinced the children had actually been fathered by Ser [[Harwin Strong]], but King Viserys did not share these feelings. He had even ordered that Daeron and Jacaerys share a [[wet nurse]] until they were weaned, hoping that them being [[milk brother]]s would ease the enmity between Alicent and Rhaenyra.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

In {{Date|120}}, Alicent's second son became involved in an incident at [[Driftmark]] where he fought with Rhaenyra's three sons over his claiming of the [[dragon]] [[Vhagar]]. In the fight, Lucerys took out Aemond's right eye with his dagger after he mocked the three boys as "Strongs". Alicent, angered, demanded that the same would be done to Lucerys. After King Viserys refused, Princess Rhaenyra demanded that Aemond should be questioned "sharply" until he revealed where he heard her sons described as "Strongs" — as naming them such suggested they were [[bastard]]s, and therefore that Rhaenyra was guilty of high [[treason]] by sleeping with Ser Harwin Strong. Pressured by his father, Aemond eventually admitted hearing the name from his brother, Prince Aegon. After this incident, King Viserys decreed that anyone who mocked his grandsons as "Strongs" again would have their [[tongue mutilation|tongues pulled out with hot pincers]]. Viserys further 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 III Targaryen|Aegon]], believing it to be a slight against her own firstborn, who had also been named Aegon.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

In {{Date|122}}, Prince Aegon the Elder and Princess Helaena were married per the Targaryen tradition of [[incest|sibling marriage]], and within a year they welcomed twins, Prince [[Jaehaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II)|Jaehaerys]] and Princess [[Jaehaera Targaryen|Jaehaera]], Alicent's first grandchildren. According to the scurrilous ''[[The Testimony of Mushroom|Testimony]]'' of the [[fool]] [[Mushroom]], Aegon also fathered two [[bastard]]s in {{Date|123}}, including a girl by one of Alicent's maidservants. When Alicent's youngest son, Daeron, turned twelve in {{Date|126}}, he was sent to serve as a [[cupbearer]] and [[squire]] to Lord [[Ormund Hightower]], Alicent's cousin, in [[Oldtown]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

In {{Date|126}}, King Viserys's hand became infected after he cut it on the [[Iron Throne]], and it was feared that he might die. However, he recovered, and on the first day of {{Date|127}}, the king held a feast to celebrate the return of his health. Alicent and Rhaenyra made a show of amity and love, each wearing the other's colors. Their families greeted each other with kisses and toasts, to Viserys's pleasure. However, after the king left the feast to rest, Aemond toasted his three Velaryon nephews, speaking in mock admiration of their brown hair, brown eyes, and strength, calling them "three strong boys". Aegon also became offended when Jacaerys asked Helaena to dance, and a fight between the princes was prevented by the intervention of the Kingsguard.{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

After the death of [[Grand Maester]] [[Mellos]], Rhaenyra recommended that [[Gerardys]] take his place. However, Alicent wanted Maester [[Alfador]], who served [[House Hightower]], named to the office. Beset from both sides, Viserys chose neither, reminding both his wife and daughter that the [[Citadel]] would decide; in the end, they chose [[Orwyle]].{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

===The Dance of the Dragons===
{{Main|Dance of the Dragons}}
[[File:Green plotting.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The [[Green council]] plotting just after the death of King [[Viserys I Targaryen]], as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in ''[[Fire & Blood]]''.]] 
When King [[Viserys I Targaryen]] died in his sleep in [[King's Landing]], on the third day of the third moon in {{Date|129}}, a servant warned Queen Alicent as instructed, without telling anyone else. According to Mushroom, who was away with [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]] on [[Dragonstone]] at the time, Alicent [[poison]]ed Viserys' [[hippocras]]. Regardless, Alicent warned Ser [[Criston Cole]], now [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], and together, they called the [[small council]], where plans were made to crown Alicent's son Prince [[Aegon II Targaryen|Aegon]], instead of Princess [[Rhaenyra Targaryen|Rhaenyra]], who had been Viserys's heir. At the coronation ceremony held for Aegon II and [[Helaena Targaryen|Helaena]], Aegon's sister-wife, in the [[Dragonpit]], Alicent placed her own [[crown]] upon the head of Helaena and addressed her as "my queen".{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}} 

After Aegon heard of the rival coronation of Rhaenyra, he was incensed, demanding her execution. But Alicent, Helaena, and Grand Maester [[Orwyle]] urged Aegon to offer generous terms to Rhaenyra, allowing her to remain the [[lady of Dragonstone]] and for the lands to pass to Jaecerys after her death, for Driftmark to pass to Lucerys, and for her sons [[Aegon III Targaryen|Aegon the Younger]] and [[Viserys II Targaryen|Viserys]] to serve as the king's [[squire]] and [[cupbearer]], respectively, if she acknowledged him as king and made obeisance before the Iron Throne, also offering pardons to her supporters. However, Rhaenyra rejected these terms, and war was inevitable.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Blacks and the Greens}} After Aemond killed Lucerys in the [[fight above Shipbreaker Bay]], he did not receive a hero's welcome in King's Landing when he returned with the news. His mother Alicent paled and cried out for [[Mother (the Seven)|the Mother]]'s mercy, while his grandfather Otto asked him how he could have been so blind. Meanwhile, Prince Daemon swore revenge, promising Rhaenyra ''"a son for a son"''.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}}

After the coronation, Alicent had moved her chambers to the [[Tower of the Hand]], where her father resided. Every evening before bed, Queen Helaena brought her children to see their grandmother. Because the Tower of the Hand was less secure than [[Maegor's Holdfast]], [[Blood (the butcher)|Blood]] and [[Cheese (the rat-catcher)|Cheese]] were able to take advantage of this custom. They stole into Alicent's chambers, slew her [[bedmaid]], and bound and gagged Alicent. When Helaena arrived with the children, they slew Prince [[Jaehaerys Targaryen (son of Aegon II)|Jaehaerys]], Aegon's eldest son and heir, as revenge for the death of Rhaenyra's son Lucerys, cutting off his head. Blood was captured and [[torture]]d for thirteen days; Alicent ordered that [[Lord Confessor]] [[Larys Strong]] learn his true name, so that she might bathe in the blood of his wife and children, but Archmaester [[Gyldayn]]'s [[Fire & Blood, Being a History of the Targaryen Kings of Westeros|sources]] could not determine if this occurred. Helaena subsequently went mad with grief, and Aegon gave his surviving son, Prince [[Maelor Targaryen|Maelor]], to his mother Alicent to raise.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - A Son for a Son}}

Alicent unsuccessfully defended her father, Ser [[Otto Hightower]], when Aegon II replaced him as [[Hand of the King]] with Ser [[Criston Cole]]. After the [[battle at Rook's Rest]], the [[smallfolk]] of King's Landing were greatly awed by the sight of the dragon [[Meleys]]'s head, drawn through the city on a cart. Thousands of people began fleeing the capital, until Dowager Queen Alicent ordered the gates closed and barred. In the battle, King Aegon's dragon [[Sunfyre]] was badly maimed and Aegon himself had been grievously injured. He slept nine hours out of every ten under the effects of [[milk of the poppy]], and only Alicent and Ser Criston were allowed to disturb his rest. Prince Aemond took over the rule in his stead as [[Regent|Prince Regent]] and [[Protector of the Realm]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}}

In {{date|130}}, when Rhaenyra's dragons first appeared in the skies above King's Landing, the [[master of whisperers]] Lord Larys Strong spirited Aegon out of the city, along with Alicent's grandchildren, Prince Maelor and Princess [[Jaehaera Targaryen|Jaehaera]].{{refn|group="N"|In a now deleted blog post, [[George R. R. Martin]] added that Alicent herself gave the initial order to smuggle Maelor and Jaehaera out of the capital.<ref>[[Not a Blog]]: [http://web.archive.org/web/20240904154210/https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2024/09/04/beware-the-butterflies/ Beware the Butterflies]. George R. R. Martin (September 4, 2024). Archived and retrieved September 4, 2024.</ref>}} Alicent yielded the [[Red Keep]] to Rhaenyra during the [[fall of King's Landing]], during which her brother, Ser [[Gwayne Hightower]], was killed by Ser [[Luthor Largent]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Red Dragon and the Gold}} Alicent was bound in [[gold]]en fetters, but though her father, Ser Otto, and co-conspirators on the small council were beheaded for treason, Rhaenyra spared Alicent's life "for the sake of our father, who loved you once".{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}}

[[File:Alicent pleads for peace by Doug Wheatley.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Alicent begs Queen [[Rhaenyra Targaryen]] for peace, on her knees before the [[Iron Throne]], as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in ''[[Fire & Blood]]''.]] 
Alicent's grandson Maelor died at [[Bitterbridge]] while on the run from Rhaenyra's [[knights inquisitor]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}} After Alicent heard of Rhaenyra's planned campaigns against Prince Aemond and Prince Daeron, she pled for peace, on her knees before the Iron Throne. Alicent petitioned that the [[Seven Kingdoms]] should be divided between Rhaenyra and Aegon II, with her son taking the [[stormlands]], [[westerlands]] and the [[Reach]], ruling his new realm from [[Oldtown]], while Rhaenyra would rule the [[crownlands]], [[riverlands]], the [[Vale of Arryn]], the [[Iron Islands]] and the [[North]]. Her stepdaughter rejected this offer of peace, claiming that her brothers had given up their positions of honor by stealing her birthright and claiming the lives of her own sons. When Alicent claimed that only [[Bastardy|bastard]] blood had been spilled, whereas her grandsons had been innocent, Rhaenyra was enraged, and threatened to cut out her tongue if she spoke any more of bastardy. According to Mushroom, [[Mysaria]] suggested to Rhaenyra that Alicent and Helaena be forced to [[prostitute]] themselves in one of King's Landing's [[brothel]]s as an even crueler punishment than their tongues being cut out. However, [[Gyldayn]] discredits the story of the "[[Brothel Queens]]".{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}} 

Alicent laughed when she heard of the [[Two Betrayers]] at the [[First Battle of Tumbleton]], promising that the blacks would now reap what they had sowed. However, Prince [[Aemond Targaryen|Aemond]] died fighting Prince [[Daemon Targaryen]] in the [[Battle Above the Gods Eye]],{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Triumphant}} and Prince [[Daeron Targaryen (son of Viserys I)|Daeron]] died at the [[Second Battle of Tumbleton]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Overthrown}} When Helaena's madness led her to commit suicide by jumping from her window, Alicent rent her garments and cursed her rival.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Overthrown}} 

Rhaenyra fled the capital after the [[Storming of the Dragonpit]] and the [[Riot of King's Landing (Dance of the Dragons)|riot of King's Landing]], and Alicent was in attendance when Ser [[Perkin the Flea]] then placed his squire, [[Trystane Truefyre]], on the [[Iron Throne]]. Aegon II [[fall of Dragonstone|secretly captured Dragonstone]], and when Rhaenyra [[Flight to Dragonstone|arrived at the island]], he fed her to his dragon, [[Sunfyre]].{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Overthrown}}

When Lord [[Borros Baratheon]] ended the [[Moon of the Three Kings]], Alicent negotiated the betrothal of her surviving son, King Aegon the Elder, to [[Cassandra Baratheon]]. Alicent was overcome with joy to learn that her granddaughter, Princess [[Jaehaera Targaryen]], had reached [[Storm's End]] in safety. Alicent did not trust the Sea Snake, Lord [[Corlys Velaryon]], but Larys Strong persuaded her to consent to his proposals, and she reluctantly agreed to betroth Jaehaera to Rhaenyra's son, Prince Aegon the Younger. Alicent, acting as proxy for King Aegon II, publicly pardoned Lord Corlys, and restored him to his place on the small council.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II}}

After King Aegon II returned to King's Landing, he was determined to get revenge on those who had betrayed him, and was urged on in these plans by Alicent. When the greens learned that Lady [[Rhaena Targaryen (daughter of Daemon)|Rhaena Targaryen]] had hatched [[Morning|a dragon]] in the [[Vale]], Alicent feared that the [[smallfolk]] would now consider the [[blacks]] as more legitimate, and Aegon made unsuccessful efforts to hatch a new dragon for himself. As the armies of the [[Lads]] and Lord [[Cregan Stark]] advanced on the capital, conspirators plotted against Aegon II. The king was found [[poison]]ed, and Alicent was arrested by [[House Velaryon|Velaryons]] on the [[serpentine steps]] and taken to the dungeons.{{Ref|FAB|The Dying of the Dragons - The Short, Sad Reign of Aegon II}}

===Further Life===
[[File:Alicent's last year by Jaydeewis.png|350px|thumb|right|Alicent in the last year of her life, haunted by the deaths of her children and grandchildren. Art by Jaydeewis ©]]
[[Rhaenyra Targaryen]]'s ten-year-old son took the throne as King [[Aegon III Targaryen]] in {{Date|131}}.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Targaryen Kings: Aegon III}} When the [[Lads]] arrived at the Red Keep, they found that the late Aegon II Targaryen had been laid out on a bier before the Iron Throne, while Alicent stood crying beside it. During the [[Hour of the Wolf]], King Aegon III's [[Hand]], Lord [[Cregan Stark]], sentenced to death the men who had arrested Alicent.{{Ref|FAB|Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf}} The Dowager Queen opposed the marriage of her granddaughter [[Jaehaera Targaryen|Jaehaera]] to the new king, and was absent from the ceremony.{{Ref|FAB|Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand}} 

[[Regency of Aegon III|Aegon's new regents]] were divided on what to do with Alicent.{{Ref|FAB|Aftermath - The Hour of the Wolf}} While they did not desire Alicent's own execution, some from compassion and others for fear that doing so would reignite the war, they felt she could not be allowed to participate in court life. If she did, she was likely to curse at the young king, or snatch a dagger from a guard and try to attack him. Alicent could not even be trusted around her granddaughter; once when she was allowed to share a meal with the little queen, she terrified Jaehaera by suggesting she slit Aegon's throat while he was sleeping. Since Alicent refused to be reconciled, Ser [[Tyland Lannister]], the [[Hand of the King]], ordered a gentle imprisonment, confining her within her own apartments in [[Maegor's Holdfast]].{{Ref|FAB|Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand}}

Alicent remained in her chambers for the last year of her life. Her only company was her [[septa]], serving girls, and guards. She was given books as well as needles and thread, but Alicent's guards reported she spent more time weeping than reading or sewing. One day she ripped all her clothing into pieces. By the end of the year, Alicent had begun talking to herself, and was known to abhor the color green. A few days into {{Date|133}}, the [[Winter Fever]] epidemic arrived in King's Landing, and Alicent became one of the victims of the [[disease]]. Though most infected became delirious, she regained some sanity, confessing her sins and telling her septa of her wish to see her children again. In her final hours, Alicent also often spoke of hoping to see King Jaehaerys, but oddly never of her husband, King Viserys. Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower died of the fever on a rainy night, at the [[hour of the wolf]], and her death was considered a mercy.{{Ref|FAB|Under the Regents - The Hooded Hand}}