[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”21743″ img_size=”800×566″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]As the last season of Game of Thrones comes down to the final two episodes, our heroine Daenerys Targaryen is facing an uphill struggle in her quest for the Iron Throne. She has lost two of her three Dragons. Her trusted advisor and protector Ser Jorah Mormont has died while defending her. Long time friend and support system Missandei was beheaded in front of her at the order of Cersei. An army that was once a strength has been depleted and weakened by the battle against the dead.
If that wasn’t enough, her lover/nephew and former King of the North, Jon Snow has revealed to her his true heritage. He is in direct line in front of her for ascention to the throne and he is preferred to her in the North. While he pledges his loyalty and fidelity to her, it may prove to not be enough.
Elsewhere, Sansa has told Tyrion about Jon’s secret (right after pledging not to. She HAS learned a lot from Littlefinger). Tyrion immediately told Varys which has put Varys wheels spinning. Her supposedly loyal advisor is now contemplating putting Jon on the Throne instead of Daenerys. Tyrion, who is still her hand, wants to believe in her but he too is having his doubts.
Arya, after hearing about Jon’s secret from Bran, has ridden off with the Hound towards Kings Landing and so has Jaime. Is he going there to reunite with Cersei or does he have a more sinister plan? Arya has made her plans clear before. If she is able, she will kill Cersei. The Hound is on a collision course with the Mountain.
So with all of that going on, where can Daenerys turn to for help? Who can she trust? Let’s see who is left:
The majority of her Dothraki army perished in the battle with the dead. In great part due to the insanity of having them charge headlong into an overwhelmingly superior force. Who is coming up with these plans?
She still has a contention of her Unsullied and Greyworm is still firmly in her corner. He is however an emotionally compromised soldier who witnessed the woman he loved be butchered. Not sure she can count on wise council from him.
Concerning Tyrion, for all his cleverness, he has not proven to be the best strategist as far as this war has gone. He has lost them most of their Fleet from skirmishes with Euron. His assertion that Cersei would indeed be contributing in their battle against the dead was misguided and as Sansa pointed out, rather stupid on his part. Their plan to split their forces and go to Dragonstone without taking into consideration the close proximity of their enemy was foolish. So was not considering the possibility of an improved weapon to be used against her Dragons. Added to their close flying formation, the Scorpions had a tough time NOT hitting one of them.
Then we have Sansa and the North. While they are grateful for Dany’s contributions in the battle for Winterfell, they do not trust her and really never will. Their reasoning is clear: because she is not of the North. If Sansa had her way, Jon would be King. If for no other reason so the North would be left alone. So while they are “allies” it’s more in name than in deed. Ser Brienne is pledged to protect Sansa so she will no doubt remain by her side. Especially since Jaime broke her heart by leaving to return to Cersei.
Varys claim to be mainly looking out for the “Realm” is hardly a vote of confidence in Denaerys and he has proven to support whoever seems to be the particular flavor of the month. You can hardly put a check mark next to his name for having her back. You would think Varys would be upset with Qyburn. He turned Varys “little birds” into active killers.
As for Jon, he IS a man of his word. When he says he doesn’t want the Throne, he means it. However, his presence causes divided loyalties in the people and for Denaerys to win, she can’t have that. The fact that Jon has told Sansa and Arya about his background (despite Dany’s pleads not to) has not helped. Now that Sansa has spilled the beans to Tyrion and through him Varys, the things Dany feared are starting to look more likely. Jon is in her camp, but whether that proves to be good or bad for her remains to be seen. Ser Davos appears to be still loyal to Jon so he will probably follow wherever Jon leads. Let’s put him in Dany’s Camp for now.
Then there are the Free Folk, who have left for home, taking Jon’s Direwolf Ghost with them. In truth they are more loyal to Jon than they would ever be to Denaerys. In fact, Jon expressed regret he wasn’t going with them. That doesn’t sound like a firm commitment to Dany’s cause. However, Jon has made his bed (so to speak) with Denaerys. He may likely die in it.
So at this point, she has Greyworm, Jon (in spirit anyway), Ser Davos, and the newly named Lord of Storm’s End, Gendry Baratheon. In addition, she has what remains of the Dothraki and Unsullied, and Drogon. The North is tentative at best, in spite of Jon’s assertion otherwise. She has what remains of Yara’s fleet moored at the Iron Islands but how many is questionable and they are undoubtably not a match for Euron’s Ships. Especially since his vessels are all armed with the new and improved Scorpions. Not a great hand to be playing with. Looks rather grim, actually.
One might forgive her if she takes Missandei’s dying advice to her and burns the place to the ground. Of course, again, Cersei is one step ahead and has brought the people into the capital so it would appear that Denaerys is willing to kill innocents to get what she wants. Regardless that Cersei was the one who PUT them in harms way. Dany also has the Golden Company to deal with. If this were poker, Cersei is holding a full house while Dany is holding three of a kind and hoping to pull the fourth from somewhere. So what options does she have? Other than the Burning Embers plan.
There are a couple of options. The new Prince of Dorne has promised his loyalty to Dany. If that actually would equate to some military help it would be nice. The Distance away doesn’t seem to effect anything in the new “Game of Thrones Autobahn” that allows for instantaneous travel. Speaking of that, there is always the Second Son’s led by Daario Naharis. He has been keeping the peace in Dragons Bay for Denaerys and it would be likely willing to fight for her again in necessary. This would also require them to make use of the GTA (Game of Thrones AutoBahn).
Another possibility might lie with the Golden Company. Their loyalties only go as far as the gold they are paid. If a better offer is made they might switch allegiances, but the price would have to be right. This might be where the Second Son’s might help since they are basically a mercenary group themselves. While the chances of these things happening are slim, so are the odds of Denaerys pulling this thing off without some intervention of some sort. The wild card might be Arya. If she can somehow get to Cersei, her death could bring down the rest since in all actuality, fear is all Cersei has to hold everything together. If she goes down, it might prove to be the lynch pin to bring the Seven Kingdoms down, for whoever ends up claiming it.
So we have two episodes left to wrap everything up and a whole lot of intrigue to resolve. What course do you think Dany should follow? Will she follow in her Father’s footsteps and “burn them all” or will something happen to give her another path to take? What about Jon and Dany? Has the succession questions doomed their relationship and perhaps Denaerys chance to rule? Will Jon be able to reconcile the fact that he is in love with his Aunt? Share your insights with us at GVNation.
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Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
