Game of Thrones started in a handful of locations and quickly spread out to tell stories that span entire continents. With so many different plotlines, it's inevitable that many important stories won't interact with each other, but that may change soon as Daenerys prepares to take Westeros. Since the pilot episode, Daenerys' story has been told alongside that of the Starks and Lannisters while rarely intersecting with the events in Westeros. In recent seasons, characters like Ser Barristan and Tyrion Lannister have traveled from Westeros across the Narrow Sea to the continent Essos to meet Daenerys, but it seems that Daenerys herself is finally ramping up to make the journey to Westeros herself and introduce King's Landing to her three scaly little friends.
At the end of Episode 6 of Season 6, "Blood Of My Blood", Daenerys gives a rallying cry to her newly-gained Dothraki soldiers atop Drogon. Daenerys promises to sail across the Narrow Sea and take Westeros, much like what Khal Drogo set out to do. Daenerys has been talking about taking King's Landing for five and a half seasons at this point, but it seems like the character is finally ready to make the leap. Here are the hints that indicate that Daenerys and Cersei could be having a Queen-off sooner rather than later.
Daenerys Has Nothing Left To Learn
Since audiences first met Daenerys in Pentos, she has traveled to Vaes Dothrak, Quarth, Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen. Along the way she has learned about leadership, diplomacy, and the evils of men. Daenerys didn't become Queen of Meereen, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons overnight. It's taken Daenerys a long time to become the ruler she was always meant to be. However not that she's spent so much time learning how to rule, there's really not much left for her to do in Essos. Daenerys has always belonged in King's Landing, sitting upon the Throne that once belonged to her father. She just wasn't ready for it yet, but now that she is it's safe to assume that she'll be taking flight soon.
The Greyjoys Want To Work With Her
The Targaryens have a lot in common with the similarly outcast Greyjoys, so it's no wonder that every Greyjoy with an interest in power is looking to work with Daenerys. Euron Greyjoy hopes to make her his queen, and Yara and Theon hope to beat their conniving uncle to her. The race for Daenerys is on, and whichever Greyjoy gets to her first will be able to provide the fleet of ships she needs to get her armies to King's Landing. Besides, Daenerys has a pretty great track record with Eunuchs so her and Theon would make an excellent pair.
Bran Has Seen It Happen (Maybe)
In "Blood of My Blood", there's a clue north of the wall that hints at Daenerys' upcoming arrival. As Bran is experiencing the history of the world in his escape from the wights, he sees a vision of King's Landing in flames, covered by the shadow of a dragon. This isn't the first time that Bran has seen such a vision, as his first encounter with the image came in a vision during Season 4. While it's possible that his vision may not be of the future, but of the past. I'd argue that it's the future, because if the vision is of the past it would imply that King's Landing architecture hasn't changed in over 150 years – the last time Dragons were known to be alive before Daenerys. To me, that seems like an awfully long time to go without an architectural redesign. It's unclear, but all signs point to this vision talking about events to come.
King's Landing Is Weak
King's Landing has been taken over by the Faith Militant, who may be a match for the Lannisters but will surely lose whatever upper-hand they have when confronted by a trio of dragons. It seems that everyone in King's Landing except for the Faith Militant despises King's Landing right now, so people likely aren't lining up to defend it. If there's any time to attack the throne, it's right now. Oh, what a joy it would be to watch the High Septon get roasted.
There's Not Much Time Left
Much like Jorah Mormont, there's not much time left for Game of Thrones. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have an endgame for the series in mind and it's approaching fast. Benioff and Weiss recently told Variety that "[We] think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap". With only about two seasons worth of episodes left in the entire series, Benioff and Weiss have to start tying together all the disparate strands of the story to all come together in a grand finale, and a big part of that is going to be Daenerys being incorporated into the main plot of the show instead of the in-show spinoff her story has felt like since the show's inception. Who knows, maybe she'll find Gendry along the way.
Watching Daenerys grow from a timid political offering to the Mother of Dragons has been rewarding, but it's also been frustrating in a way that makes fans ask "Do we really have to stay in Meereen this long?". While fans are excited to see Daenerys reach her full potential and lay siege to King's Landing, taking this time to watch her grow and develop will make seeing her conquer all the more rewarding. However, with the clock ticking on the timeline of the series and no reason to stay in Essos anymore, it's looking like a Dragon-showdown is coming to Westeros and it might get here sooner than anyone could have expected.
Image: Macall B. Polay, Giphy (5)
