House of the Dragon: How King Viserys Is Really to Blame for the Targaryen Civil War

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Warning: this article contains House of the Dragon episode eight spoilers.

King Viserys just royally screwed up.

During the Oct. 9 episode of House of the Dragon, Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) finally made up after being at odds for years. Not only did Alicent acknowledge Rhaenyra as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, but the former friends seemed ready to spend real time together.

Unfortunately, this moment of peace was derailed after a deathbed confession by Viserys (Paddy Considine), as he told his wife about the "prince that was promised" prophecy. "You wanted to know, if I believed it to be true," the confused Viserys said as Alicent comforted him. "Don't you remember? Aegon. His dream, the song of ice and fire."

As he continued, Viserys said what Aegon (his ancestor, not his son with Alicent) saw in the North was true. "The prince to unite the realm against the cold and the dark," he explained. "It is you, you are the one. You must do this."

This message from the dying Viserys seemed to inspire Alicent to return to her mission of putting her son Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the throne over Rhaenyra, as she told her husband, "I understand, my king."

Here's the kicker: We don't actually think Viserys knew he was speaking his confession to Alicent. Earlier in the episode, Rhaenyra visited her father's bedside and the sickly king first thought he was speaking to his lady wife. When Rhaenyra clarified that it was his daughter, she asked, "The song of ice and fire, do you believe it to be true?"

At the time, Rhaenyra never got a clear answer from Viserys, as he was heavily medicated. So, clearly, his final words were meant for Rhaenyra, who he wanted to confirm as the prophesized one. Instead, he gave the self-righteous Alicent motive to carry on with her treasonous plan.

And, as those who've read George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood novel know, the Targaryens eventually find themselves in a bloody civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. So, we can only imagine what comes next.

To see how this drama plays out, be sure to catch the new House of the Dragon episode Oct. 16 on HBO.