House of the Dragon episode 8 saw Princess Rhaenyra and her husband Prince Daemon return to King’s Landing. Here we got to see King Viserys who has now become nothing more than a skeleton. His face has been decaying, his mind losing a sense of reality and his body has become chained to the bed. In the meanwhile, Queen Alicent and The Hand Otto Hightower have taken over the matters of the King into their own hands. Rhaenyra and Daemon however uncover some interesting findings that could put suspicion on Otto Hightower.
King Viserys has been reduced to skin and bones in House of the Dragon episode 8
As seen, King Viserys had lost half of his face to the infectious rot that had overcome his body all those years back. He lost the ability to move around and remained constrained to his bed. Viserys did not handle any of the King’s matters either as he was barely in his senses and could not think straight most of the time. When Daemon and Rhaenyra meet him for the first time, they make some unsettling and suspicious discoveries. The maesters and the Hightowers had been keeping King Viserys addled on milk of the poppy. While Alicent claims that it was done to ease the King’s pain and suffering, Daemon brings up another point. The Hightowers had slowly but effectively completely redesigned the Red Keep. They had removed all Targaryen heraldry and instead installed statues and stars.
How Otto Hightower may have had a hand in his death
King Viserys surprises everyone when he manages to walk himself to the Throne Room and take over the proceedings regarding the inheritance of Driftmark. Everyone looks in awe as the King somehow makes his way up to the Iron Throne with the help of his brother Daemon. Here he foils the plans of the Hightowers. This results in Lucerys becoming the future Lord of the Tides and the death of Vaemond Velaryon at the hands of Daemon.
It would not come as a surprise if the Hightowers decided to send the King on his way after the surprising turn of events that day. However, Alicent Hightower had nothing to do with it. House of the Dragon episode 8 has shown that Queen Alicent has been nothing but a kind and dutiful wife to King Viserys. Nonetheless Otto Hightower is surely capable of doing something as sinister. His displeasure when Viserys refused to drink the milk of the poppy was evident as ever.
Moreover, over the six years Viserys has been away from the small council, Otto Hightower has been making his move. He has been converting the entirety of the small council and making them allies of the greens. House of the Dragon episode 7 proved that Otto was completely capable of despicable acts. There has been a conspiracy theory even in case of Fire and Blood where the Hightowers were thoughts to have poisoned Viserys everyday through his medicinal tea. In fact, even the maesters were working under the command of the Hightowers. Rhaenyra herself said that she wanted Maester Gerardys to take a look at the King just to be sure. All of this is definitely enough evidence to suspect Otto Hightower.
