House of the Dragon Season 2 ending explained: Where is Otto?

After eight episodes of dragonfire, bloodshed, and one Daemon nightmare after the other, House of the Dragon Season 2 has finally come to an end.

It’s been a strange journey through this chapter of the Targaryen Civil War. There have been some truly shocking moments, such as Blood and Cheese, Aegon’s near-death experience, and Daemon’s incestuous visions.

Now it’s all over, and we’re left with more questions than we started with. Will Rhaenyra be able to take back what was rightfully hers? Will Aemond and Daemon battle it out over God’s Eye? And where is Nettles?

But before we think about the future of the show, here’s the House of the Dragon Season 2 ending explained, covering everyone from Rhaenyra to Otto Hightower. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

How does House of the Dragon Season 2 end?

House of the Dragon Season 2 ends with Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower coming to an agreement that Rhaenyra will claim King’s Landing when Aemond makes his move for Harrenhal.

Essentially, Alicent switches sides. Why? Well, after spending some time with Aemond’s demeaning and aggressive approach to the war, Alicent decides that the best thing for her and Helaena‘s safety is to give in to Rhaenyra and flee King’s Landing.

This comes after Aemond tries to forcibly make Helaena to ride her dragon into battle with him. As such, Alicent sneaks into Dragonstone in the dead of night to meet with Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra is understandably bitter after everything Alicent has done, and Alicent simply wants the war to end so she can be at peace after a long age of tension, violence, and scheming.

Her proposal to Rhaenyra is this: if she invades King’s Landing in three days’ time, when Aemond has left on Vhagar for Harrenhal, then she and Helaena will bend the knee. In exchange, Rhaenyra will let them live and leave the city.

At first, Rhaenyra is in disbelief over Alicent’s change of heart. She then raises the question of what will happen to Aegon. Though Alicent insists that he is too broken to fight her after the events of Rook’s Rest, Rhaenyra knows that he has to die in order for her conquest to be true.

So, Rhaenyra makes a counter offer. She will accept Alicent’s terms, but she has to standby while Rhaenyra beheads Aegon in front of others as a statement of her takeover. Alicent, though highly emotional at the prospect of agreeing to her son’s murder, gives in.

Alicent then leaves Dragonstone, the plan set that Rhaenyra will invade King’s Landing in the coming days while Aemond is distracted battling Daemon.

Season 2’s final moments

The season finale then ends with a montage of the various armies and characters preparing for the oncoming battles that will kick off Season 3.

The Hightower (and Tessarion), Lannister, and Stark armies are all marching toward their respective battles. The dragonseeds are fitted for armor, preparing to fight, and Corlys takes to his ships.

Daemon is also in armor, readying for battle at Harrenhal after pledging his loyalty to Rhaenyra once and for all. Tyland Lannister is also on his way back to join the fray after gaining the support of the Triarchy fleet.

Rhaena, who has been running through the Vale for days in search of the wild dragon, Sheepstealer, finally tracks him down. He gives an almighty roar, implying that she will be his new rider.

As for Aegon, he and Larys Strong are sneaking out of King’s Landing to safety, a move completely unknown to Alicent, who has just struck the secretive deal with Rhaenyra.

And, most confusingly, there’s a glimpse of Otto Hightower in what looks like a cage.

The episode then comes to an end, with all characters prepared and ready for the bloodshed ahead.

Where is Otto Hightower?

In the final moments, Otto Hightower is seen in the back of what appears to be a cell, dirty and exhausted-looking, implying he’s a prisoner.

There’s no dialog or wider context to explain where he is or why he’s been imprisoned. Last we saw him, he was heading back to Oldtown after being fired as Hand of the King and hinting that Aegon’s inheritance of the Iron Throne wasn’t genuine after all.

So how did he end up in what looks like a prison, being transported somewhere? Well, we’ll have to wait until House of the Dragon Season 3 to find out exactly what’s happened to dear old Otto, but we can take a few educated guesses based on what we know so far.

In the book House of the Dragon is based on, Otto is integral in getting the Triarchy on side for the Greens, and is later the first person to be beheaded as a traitor when Rhaenyra takes the throne. However, in the show, Otto has been gone for a while.

Our best guess is that, following his argument with Aegon, Otto has since tried to get Alicent’s other son, Daeron, into a position of power over Aemond. This would be considered treason, and might explain why he’s being escorted as a prisoner. Perhaps he’s been brought along to King’s Landing by the Hightower army.

That said, because Otto is one of the first to suffer the consequences of usurping Rhaenyra’s claim, it could be that he’s already been captured by the Blacks. There’s no indication of who might have him, so it’s anyone’s guess at this point.

For more, check out the House of the Dragon filming locations. You can also learn more about the dragons featured in the show, and see what we thought of the season with our House of the Dragon Season 2 review.