At the last episode of the first season of HBO | Max's hit Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, the stage was set for an all-out familial civil war pitting Targaryens against Targaryens, Rhaenyra Targaryen's (Emma D'Arcy) Team Black vs. Alicent Hightower's (Olivia Cooke) Team Green.

Prior to that, in a misunderstanding of epic proportions, Alicent believed that her late husband King Viserys wanted her children to take the Iron Throne, instead of his oldest child, the daughter he had supported long ago. Who also happens to be her childhood friend now stepdaughter. It's a George R.R. Martin story, just go with it.

To add even more complication to the mix, Rhaenyra's son Lucerys (Elliot Grihault) and his dragon Arrax were devoured by his uncle — and Alicent's son — Aemond's (Ewan Mitchell) dragon Vhagar. And so begins the Dance of the Dragons.

In season two of House of the Dragon, neither queens are set to back down.

“Alicent's at the height of her power,” Cooke told Empire Magazine.

“She's dealing with the task she thinks Viserys gave her, and feeling quite dazzled and special now her offspring sits on the throne,” she added.

However, that dazzle is accompanied with dread.

“There's also the impending doom and anxiety of how that will travel within the realm, and what Rhaenyra's retort will be,” the actress continued.

As a Targaryen dragonrider, Rhaenyra definitely has war in mind.

“The death of a child moves the goalposts for grief,” D'Arcy explained.

“It changes her relationship to her own rage. If you're a Targaryen, you're aware of balancing being a moderate, and harnessing that fiery Targaryen volatility. Her position between those becomes more fluid. That's one of the questions of Season 2 for Rhaenyra — the ethics of war,” she continued.

What's certain is that the former childhood friends have taken sides — and it's not with each other.

“It's yearning for past versions of the person,” Cooke noted.

“There are still embers Alicent holds on to. But in this new world, as much as Alicent can steer things away from nuclear disaster, there's not much room for love in terms for love in terms of Rhaenyra,” she added.

Gone are the days when both women were children. They've become wives and mothers — and now queens on opposite sides of the battlefield. Alicent, through Aemond and his dragon, drew the first blood with Lucerys' death.

For Rhaenyra, it's not just a matter of taking vengeance her son. Luc's not just her child, her is part of her army and one of the few dragonriders at that. She needs to retaliate because it's just good strategy. If she doesn't, it calls to question her ability to defend her claim and to command an army.

There's no other choice for both women. It must be war.

House of the Dragon season two will premiere June 16 on HBO | Max.