House of the Dragon Season 2: What Did Alicent Drink? Is She Pregnant?

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4, titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” is inarguably the most action-filled and tragic episode of the season yet. Dragons and dragon riders take flight in a brutal dance of blood and fire. Meanwhile, certain characters face important decisions beyond the fields of battle. While contemplating the mistake she has made about the final words of her late husband, Alicent Hightower drinks a concoction brewed by Grand Maester Orwyle himself. This has made fans wonder what type of tea it is and the implications of Alicent consuming it.

Here is what Alicent drinks in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4.

What did Alicent drink in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4?

It is heavily implied in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 that the concoction that Orwyle brews for Alicent is actually moon tea. It is a medicinal preparation that the characters in the worlds of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire use to prevent and abort pregnancies.

In season 1, Mellos, the Grand Maester before Orwyle, gives the same concoction to Rhaenyra on Viserys I’s orders. Later in the season, Alicent instructs her lady-in-waiting Talya to supply the serving girl Dyana with moon tea.

George R. R. Martin’s books are filled with examples of the usage of this particular medicinal drink. Lysa Arryn, Catelyn Stark’s sister, mentions in A Storm of Swords that moon tea is brewed with tansy, a spoon of honey, a drop of pennyroyal, mint, and wormwood.

Was Alicent pregnant with Criston Cole’s child in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4?

Given that Alicent has secretly asked Orwyle to brew moon tea and hasn’t even told him that it’s for her, it is possible that she was pregnant until she consumes the drink in this episode. It can be inferred from the interaction between these two characters that this is the first time Orwyle has made moon tea for the dowager queen. So, she is not drinking to prevent a potential pregnancy, because if that were the case, this wouldn’t have been the first time she asked for it. After all, House of the Dragon indicates that she and Criston Cole have been sexually intimate multiple times.

For his part, Orwyle doesn’t seemingly believe Alicent’s claims that the tea is for someone else. However, he understandably doesn’t say anything about it and simply informs Alicent about a potential side effect of the tea and offers his services if it emerges.

How many children does Alicent have in House of the Dragon?

Alicent has four children both in House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood: Aegon II, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron. Unlike in the series, no sources mention a relationship between Alicent and Criston in Fire & Blood. Accordingly, Alicent never becomes pregnant with Criston’s child in the book.