āShe could move to cut off any challenge to her succession.ā
āThen I wonāt challenge āā
āYou are the challenge! You are the challenge, Aegon! Simply by living and breathing!ā
this dialogue makes me sad whenever i think about it, especially after season two.
because alicent was right.
these werenāt just ottoās warnings echoing in her head, not just her indoctrinating her son the way her father once indoctrinated her.
the wording she uses and the way she speaks to aegon and grabs him are cruel and itās very likely that itās something that haunted him throughout growing up. hearing this from your mother does something to you.
but itās necessary to make him understand just how precarious his and his familyās situation is going to be once their father dies, and most of all, itās true.
alicent knew that rhaenyra would always view her sons as a threat, no matter whether they tried to usurp the throne or not. and she was willing to fight for her children and herself!
she was willing to sacrifice her sonās autonomy and his wish not to have the crown forced upon his head, as well as to manipulate him and scare him into believing his life was a challenge and that he had no choice but to fight.
and alicent did this to save her own position and her childrenās lives.