The king is dead, long live … the queen? The king? Who knows? The entire show is built around this major point of conflict. Either Princess Rhaenyra, the legitimate heir, will succeed her father and become queen as Viserys always planned, or Alicent and Otto Hightower will install Prince Aegon on the throne instead. With neither side willing to accept any other outcome, it looks like the matter will have to be decided by a war.The Hightowers sure seem to have been shoring up their position in preparation for this moment. They’ve removed all the Targaryen iconography from the Red Keep and replaced it with symbols of the Faith of the Seven, as if to remind everyone of their pious and holy foundations. They’ve kept Rhaenyra and Daemon at a distance, and ensured Viserys stayed out of their way by plying him with milk of the poppy. At different points we see Alicent and Otto sitting on the Iron Throne, managing the affairs of the realm. Plus, Alicent is now under the mistaken impression that it was Viserys’ dying wish for Aegon to succeed him. If she really thought about it, she’d realize that it doesn’t make sense, but Alicent believes what she wants to believe.Rhaenyra, on the other hand, takes it for granted that the lords of the realm will support her claim. They swore as much when she was first named heir, all those years ago. She’s never taken it seriously when people have warned her that the Seven Kingdoms are not ready to be ruled by a woman. In her mind, they’ll have no choice. She’s never had cause to doubt that. She may soon be in for a rude awakening.If war is inevitable, who’s got the advantage? With Rhaenyra and Daemon on their way back to Dragonstone and unaware of the king’s fate, the Hightowers have control of the Red Keep and the Kingsguard. That puts them ahead logistically, but there are other factors to consider—like, for instance, dragons.A quick count of Rhaenyra’s firepower gives her seven dragons—one each for her and Daemon, three for her children with Ser Harwin Strong, one for Daemon’s daughter Baela, and one for her grandmother, Princess Rhaenys. Team Alicent has just three, one for each of her children, though one of those is Vhagar, the oldest and largest dragon in Westeros.There’s also the question of support within the realm. Although every major house pledged fealty to Rhaenyra when Viserys named her as heir, that doesn’t mean they won’t change their minds now, through choice or by force. As we saw in episode four, the smallfolk may not be ready to be ruled by a queen; the nobility may not be either.It’s starting to look like the sides are fairly evenly matched, though we know who we’re rooting for.
