What tea did the Maester serve Rhaenyra at the end of House of the Dragon episode 4?

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen had a very adventurous night in the latest episode of House of the Dragon. Unfortunately for her, word travels quickly in King’s Landing. Before she knew it, the Hand to the King had already caught wind of her escapades in public. He reports it to her father, King Viserys. The small council is already worried about Rhaenyra’s marriage, and the King worries even more as the Princess’ “virtue” is now in question.

Rhaenyra had a slew of suitors at the beginning of the episode, but she didn’t find anyone to her liking. After everything that transpires, the King commands her to marry Laenor Velaryon. She has to pay the price of her actions and get married as soon as possible to avoid further gossip from ruining the perception of the princess. Towards the end of the episode, we see the Maester giving Rhaenyra tea to drink on the King’s Order. It’s the Moon Tea.

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Why Rhaenyra is given the Moon Tea

Moon Tea is also known as Tansy Tea. In the book, A Storm of Swords, Lysa describes Moon Tea as a mixture of the wildflower tansy, “and mint and wormwood, a spoon of honey and a drop of pennyroyal.” It is an herbal concoction used to abort pregnancies in Westeros. Rhaenyra spoke the truth as she denied the claims of her having intercourse with Daemon Targaryen. But Daemon told another story to King Viserys. He accepted that he did “defile” Rhaenyra. Now the King is torn between who he should believe. Rhaenyra does lose her virginity in this episode, but to Ser Cristan Cole, not to Daemon.

Sending Moon Tea to Rhaenyra signifies that Viserys doesn’t wholly trust his daughter. He takes a precautionary measure to prevent future complications as he still wishes for Rhaenyra to be Queen after him. This push and pull between the father and daughter further damages their relationship. On the one hand, King Viserys will do whatever it takes to ensure Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne is never in danger. But on the other hand, he still sees her as his little girl and doesn’t trust her decisions wholeheartedly. Rhaenyra is beginning to understand that she has to do things that she doesn’t want to if she wants to be the first Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

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