As sad as it is to imagine a world where Game of Thrones has ended, that reality is sadly almost upon us: it is nearly time to say goodbye to Jon, Dany, Arya, and the rest of your favorite beleaguered residents of Westeros. Given how much information Season 6 dished out, it only makes sense the show may have dropped a clue or two about how the Game of Thrones saga will end. Between Jon being born beneath a bleeding star and Dany (finally) sailing for Westeros with her three dragons and Tyrion by her side, there was no shortage of movement in the plot. However, I suspect the one clue that hints at Game of Thrones' grand finale came way back in Season 2.
Now, Season 6 deserves major respect for giving the clue context. Winter has officially descended on Westeros and Uncle Benjen reminding Bran The Wall is fortified by magic pretty much guaranteed it will fall soon. Add in Dany and her army finally heading for the major playing field of King's Landing, and suddenly Dany's vision filled walk through the House of the Undying makes so much more sense. Game of Thrones has to accomplish two things before the story can conclude: unite the seven kingdoms and appoint someone to sit the Iron Throne. I believe the answer to how both of these events will go down lies in Dany's vision.
Remember how Dany found the Throne Room in King's Landing gutted and covered with snow? That was a major moment even if Dany did not fully realize the implications at the time. The scene foretold two things: winter will make it all the way to King's Landing and the Night's King likely will too. While Dany believes she is going home to fight a battle for the Throne, her biggest test will be in protecting the realm from the undead army making its way south of The Wall.
The way the Throne Room is completely gutted could be damage done by Dany's dragons, but it could also be the result of Cersei, who seems destined to be the final person who will sit the throne before all hell breaks lose in the North. Having the room be covered in snow could mean so much more than winter is coming, it could also mean Dany can only ascend to the throne with a little help from her northern nephew. Jon Snow, a Targaryen by birth and the man who may very well be Azor Ahai born again, has a major role to play in the story's endgame. While he may not sit the Iron Throne, he could be the key to getting Dany there.
What Dany's vision tells viewers about what is to come is Westeros as the characters have come to know it will be decimated before this is all over. Between the wars, Cersei, and the Night's King and his army, Westeros will be forever changed. Many of those changes are already taking place as the Greyjoys and Dorne align themselves with Dany while the North rallies around a bastard as their king. The old rules are changing in the wake of a danger greater than any these people have faced in their lifetime.
Dany does not sit on the Iron Throne in her vision, even though she reaches out for it. In a practical sense, she refused to be distracted from her quest to find her dragons, but Game of Thrones is also creating a world where change is beginning to happen at an accelerated rate. After the final battle, I believe the Iron Throne and all of the bloody history it holds will be done away with, and Dany will never truly sit upon it, even though she will rule.
Given Dany's ultimate goal has always been to be a ruler like no other, then why would she sit on a throne where her father ruled from a place a madness, Robert from a place of carelessness, and Cersei from a place of fear and a lust for power? I think Game of Thrones will end by setting Westeros on a new path where the old customs no longer matter — and Dany is the person who will usher in this new era.
The Night's King and winter will force the Seven Kingdoms to band together if they want to survive, and ultimately Dany will rule in her own way, realizing the Iron Throne is poison. She is all about unity and her reach already extends far beyond the borders of Westeros. Game of Thrones may have hidden the end of the story right at the beginning — and in the process proven all roads lead back to Dany.
Images: HBO; Giphy (3)
