Otto Hightower

Ser Otto Hightower is a knight of House Hightower and the Hand of the King to King Viserys I Targaryen.

Biography

Otto is the younger brother of Lord Hobert Hightower and the father of Gwayne and Alicent Hightower. He is the Hand of the King to Viserys I Targaryen and considers the king's brother and heir Prince Daemon Targaryen to be the greatest threat to the realm.

House Of The Dragon: Season 1

Nine years into the reign of King Viserys, Otto attends a meeting of the small council. Lord Corlys Velaryon informs the council that the alliance in the Free Cities known as the "Triarchy" is trying to claim the Stepstones. The Sea Snake warns that Westerosi ports could be negatively affected, but his concerns are dismissed by Otto and the king. Otto swiftly turns the discussion to the more joyous topic of the upcoming Heir's Tournament which the king has planned for the approaching birth of his next child and hopeful son. Later that night, Otto is present when Grand Maester Mellos and Maester Mickon are attending to an infected wound on the king's back. Otto instructs Mellos to keep the affliction a secret.

That same night, Prince Daemon leads the City Watch in hunting down the criminals of King's Landing, rounding them up en masse to face summary justice. At the small council meeting the following morning, Otto protests that the public measures were too excessive and that he cannot be allowed to act with such impunity. Otto demands that Daemon account for his actions; Daemon defends himself by stating that he followed the king's laws, and with most of Westeros's nobility coming to the king's tourney, it was a justified action to ensure their safety. Otto then says that Daemon should put as much effort into his marriage as his work with the gold cloaks, as Daemon hadn't been seen with his wife Rhea Royce at Runestone, or even in the Vale of Arryn, for a long time. Daemon insults his wife, and when Otto responds to defend her honor, Daemon states that he would be happy for his wife to share Otto's bed as his own wife has so recently passed. Otto furiously rises to his feet at the affront, but Viserys defuses the argument, bidding Otto not to rejoin his brother's provocation. Otto begrudgingly complies.

The following day, Otto sits beside the king in the royal box as the Heir's Tournament commences. Otto whispers to Viserys that he could have Lord Boremund Baratheon's tongue cut out after he called Princess Rhaenys the "Queen Who Never Was," but the king dismisses it as harmless. Otto is further provoked by Daemon as he picks as his first opponent in the joust his eldest son Ser Gwayne Hightower, defeating Gwayne in the second tilt by tripping his horse. Daemon then asks for and receives Otto's daughter Alicent's favor. As the tournament continues, a maester arrives and informs Otto about Queen Aemma's difficult labor, with Otto then promptly telling Viserys and both leaving the tourney grounds. Otto then later returns to notify members of the small council of the news of the birth of Prince Baelon Targaryen and the death of the queen.

Otto attends the funeral of Queen Aemma and Prince Baelon.

At a small council meeting, Otto presses Viserys to set his succession firmly in order for the stability of the realm. With Baelon's death, Daemon is now once again Viserys's heir presumptive, but Otto, with the support of Grand Maester Mellos, is adamant that Daemon is too ambitious and insists that Daemon has the loyalty of the City Watch. Viserys responds that his brother may be ambitious but has no ambitions for the Iron Throne itself because kingship wouldn't suit him, and responds to Otto's complaints that Daemon's command of the City Watch effectively gives the prince a private army by pointing out that it was Otto's idea to give Daemon the command in the first place, as Otto had complained when Viserys named his brother Master of Laws that he was a tyrant, and then Master of Coin that he was a spendthrift. Otto concedes the point, but asserts that in his opinion Daemon should be kept far away from any power, as he could be a second Maegor the Cruel or worse. When Lord Lyonel Strong asks who else would have a claim, Otto suggests the king's firstborn child Rhaenyra. Viserys refuses the notion of choosing between his brother and his daughter, so Corlys offers an alternative: his own wife Rhaenys, which Otto dismisses as Corlys had already declared his support for Daemon. The discussion ends abruptly when Viserys berates his small council for behaving like crows squabbling over corpses while he is still mourning his wife and son.

Later within the Tower of the Hand, Otto sends for his daughter Alicent and he gives a message to Grand Maester Mellos to be dispatched by raven to Oldtown. Otto embraces his daughter, comforting her and asking after Rhaenyra, then suggests that Alicent might offer her condolences to the grieving king in his chambers, telling her to wear one of her mother's dresses. Later that evening, at a pleasure house on the Street of Silk, Daemon hosts a party for his subordinates in the gold cloaks and several of his cronies. Otto reports these events to Viserys at a small council meeting the following morning, insisting that his sources claim Daemon dubbed Baelon the "Heir for a Day" and that it was a celebration.

Otto and his daughter are in attendance at the ceremony naming Rhaenyra as Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.

Five months later, Otto attends a meeting of the small council. He has assisted the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Harrold Westerling in choosing a number of candidates to come to court to fill the vacant seventh slot in the Kingsguard left by the death of Ser Ryam Redwyne. Lord Corlys storms into the council chamber announcing four Westerosi ships have been lost passing through the Stepstones, with Otto replying that the crown will compensate him and the families of the crews. When Corlys brings up that the pirates have no fear of Westeros because Daemon's occupation of Dragonstone with his army of gold cloaks hasn't been responded to by the crown, Otto warns him that he may have a seat at the council table but he is not the king's equal. Princess Rhaenyra interjects suggesting to use dragonriders to take the Stepstones, but with Otto's urging Viserys orders her to inspect and choose from the prospective replacements for Ser Ryam Redwyne instead.

In Maegor's Holdfast, Otto arrives as Harrold presents the candidates to Rhaenyra. Otto instructs Rhaenyra on what to say to them, as she had so far not been interacting with any of them. Otto protests when Rhaenyra picks Ser Criston Cole for the vacancy, stating that a more politically valuable candidate should be chosen, which Rhaenyra rejects.

Otto is in the chambers of Viserys with Grand Maester Mellos attending to an infected wound on the king's finger from the Iron Throne. Otto is informed by the king that Corlys and Princess Rhaenys have put forward a marriage proposal with their daughter, Lady Laena Velaryon, and is asked for his advise. Otto states that Corlys has overreached himself and the matter should be put to the council, as well as that Laena is young. Mellos acknowledges that the match would heal the wound made at the Great Council of 101 AC between House Targaryen and House Velaryon. Otto agrees with the Grand Maester's reasoning, and then brings up the pain of the passing of his own wife and that he does not envy Viserys being forced to remarry out of duty to the realm.

Otto interrupts a private meeting between Viserys and Alicent to notify the king that he has summoned the small council. In the council chamber, one of the Dragonkeepers informs them that Prince Daemon has stolen a dragon egg, the same one Rhaenyra picked for Prince Baelon's cradle, from the Dragonpit. The king declares to Otto to assemble a detachment of guards and that he intends to remove Daemon from Dragonstone personally, but Otto insists that it is too dangerous for Viserys to go, volunteering to go in his place.

Later in his chambers, Otto is putting on his armor with his daughter's help. He asks Alicent why, as the most comely girl at court, she hurts her own hands, then inquires if she will be visiting the king tonight. Ser Criston arrives to report that he has gathered twenty of the Hand's guard and Ser Harrold will be joining them.

At Dragonstone, Otto leads the detachment along the bridge leading to the castle before they are intercepted by Daemon and his gold cloaks. Otto proclaims to Daemon that he is to relinquish control of the island and return the stolen dragon egg, disband his private army, and banish Mysaria from his side. Prince Daemon asks where the king is, to which Otto replies that Viserys would not lower himself to entertain such a "mummer's farce," telling Daemon that he is pathetic and desperate for his older brother's attention. Daemon insists he is merely following Targaryen traditions by placing an egg in the cradle of his unborn child with Mysaria. Otto retorts back that these traditions are for trueborn royalty rather than bastards. He proclaims Daemon's union with Mysaria an abomination and that he is soiling his own brother's reign. Otto calls out to the men of the City Watch who are present, asking if they wish to continue following the prince in his treason. Daemon responds they are loyal to him and challenges Otto to take the egg out of his hand, with Otto proclaiming that to do violence against the King's Hand would be to declare war on Viserys himself. When he states that a confrontation could kill Daemon's unborn child and its mother, Daemon draws Dark Sister, prompting the rest of both sides to draw their weapons too, though Otto orders his men to sheathe their swords when Caraxes appears. Before it can spiral into open conflict, Rhaenyra arrives on Syrax. Otto inquires why the princess is here and orders Criston to escort her to safety, to which Rhaenyra responds that she is here to stop bloodshed and ignores Otto's objection.

The next day Otto and his daughter are summoned to a meeting of the small council, in which King Viserys announces his intention to marry Alicent Hightower before spring's end. Lord Corlys is outraged that his own daughter has been rejected, and marches out of the council chamber after Otto gives him a satisfied look.

A year after his daughter's marriage to Viserys, she gives birth to a son, Aegon Targaryen. On Prince Aegon's second nameday, Otto joins a royal hunt arranged by Viserys. Otto is pressured by his brother, Lord Hobert Hightower, to convince Viserys to name Aegon his heir over Rhaenyra, as this would place a member of their dynasty on the Iron Throne. Otto expresses doubts that Viserys will be so easily convinced. When Ser Tyland Lannister counsels Viserys to send aid to the Stepstones, Otto steps in, reminding him that Daemon and Lord Corlys started the war without the crown’s leave, and that it would make the crown look weak to intervene now, after so long.

When the hunting party arrives at the Kingswood, Otto joins the gathered lords and ladies in applauding the king, queen, and prince as they emerge from their carriage.

Otto interrupts an argument between Viserys and Rhaenyra to inform the king that a white hart has been sighted. As the white hart is considered a symbol of royalty, Otto tries to convince Viserys that its appearance on Prince Aegon's nameday is a sign from the gods that Aegon should rule.

That night, Otto informs Viserys that the Royal Huntsman has the trail of the white hart, and has sent out the hounds. When Viserys expresses his displeasure over Lord Jason Lannister's attitude in asking for Rhaenyra's hand, Otto reminds him that Rhaenyra will do as he commands, to which Viserys replies that he has no desire to command his own daughter. Otto makes another suggestion: Rhaenyra could marry her half-brother, Prince Aegon. Viserys laughs this off, however, as Aegon is only two years old.

A stag is captured, but to Otto's disappointment, it is not a white one. Otto and the rest of the party watch as Viserys struggles to put down the captured animal. When he finally does so, all applaud him.

Later, Otto and the rest of the party watch in some surprise as Rhaenyra returns to the camp with a boar she and Ser Criston Cole killed.

After returning to King’s Landing from the hunt, Otto visits his daughter, pointing out to her how Aegon's birth has united the men, and ended fifteen years of uncertainty and doubt. He tells Alicent that she must convince Viserys to name Aegon his heir, as the realm would descend into chaos were Rhaenyra to be named instead of him, no matter how good a queen she may prove to be. Alicent is unhappy with the idea of raising Aegon to steal his sister's birthright.

When Prince Daemon returns to King's Landing, victorious after the War for the Stepstones, Otto watches suspiciously as he kneels before Viserys and gives up his crown and the Stepstones to him. Viserys embraces his brother and holds a feast in Daemon's honor, which Otto attends.

The small council meet to discuss Corlys Velaryon, and Otto informs the king that, according to his brother in Oldtown, Lord Corlys plans to marry his daughter Laena to the son of the Sealord of Braavos. This potential alliance would necessitate the crown making a marriage pact of their own.

One night, Otto is informed by a spy working for the White Worm that Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Daemon were seen together in a pleasure house. Otto decides to inform the king, though with great reluctance. Although doing so would undoubtedly discredit both Daemon and Rhaenyra and give his grandson Aegon a clearer path to the throne, it gives him no pleasure to inform his king and friend of his daughter losing her virginity. When Otto informs Viserys, the king furiously accuses Otto of having his daughter stalked, and trying to destroy her reputation. Otto tries to deny this, but Viserys orders him out.

Otto is later summoned to the small council chamber by Viserys. The king reminds him of how his father Prince Baelon Targaryen died only five days after King Jaehaerys named him Hand of the King, after which Otto took his place. Viserys has figured out that Otto set Alicent up to be his wife after Aemma passed, but Otto insists that Alicent loves him, as he knows Viserys loves her. Viserys thanks Otto for his service to the realm, but states that his judgement is compromised, and dismisses him as the King's Hand.