Whether you're ready to admit it or not, Game of Thrones is coming to an end. With 13 episodes left in the HBO series, it's time to start thinking about the endgame and who would be the best king or queen of Westeros. The Season 6 finale showed Cersei claiming the Iron Throne in King's Landing, but as much as I love Cersei as a complex character, she should not be in control of a kingdom. Dany is making her way to Westeros with Tyrion and the Mother of Dragons has been earning her way to the top. However, I'd like to suggest an alternate idea to just one ruler — I want Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow to rule Westeros together.
Before you freak out, let's get something out of the way. I've never 'shipped Dany and Jon and since the Season 6 finale showed that he's actually her nephew, I particularly don't want this pair to get married. While the noble families all share some pretty close bloodlines, I know Westeros doesn't approve of twincest and an aunt-nephew marriage doesn't seem like it would be acceptable. Let's just hope that Bran — the only living person who knows about Jon's true parentage — informs someone that Jon is indeed a Targaryen before Jon and Daenerys meet since sparks could fly between these attractive people without them realizing how closely related they truly are.
What I'm suggesting is not a marriage between Daenerys and Jon — it's a platonic partnership for the good of the kingdom that's based on their lineage, but also on their leadership skills. If the idea of two leaders of Westeros irks you, then consider this: Who decides how the succession to the throne works in Westeros anyway? Right now, Cersei has pretty much wiped out any advisors to the crown who had disagreements with her. And it's not like the Baratheons or Lannisters have true claims to the throne anyway since Robert Baratheon was a usurper.
While you could argue that all claims to the throne are just power struggles between influential families, the Targaryens have history on their side since Daenerys' ancestor (and Jon's ancestor too for that matter) Aegon established King's Landing and set up the Targaryens to rule Westeros for 300 years. Yes, they were contested frequently and eventually defeated, but of anyone so far, Dany does have the most rightful claim to the throne — at least according to public knowledge.
I did some research about the traditional line of succession and if Jon being the bastard of Rhaegar Targaryen isn't an issue, then Jon actually has a stronger claim to the Iron Throne than Dany. But regardless of who technically should be first in line to rule, the Targaryens being the "rightful" heirs to the throne is a good thing for Westeros — and for fans. Because the two surviving Targaryens (I'm not even going to deal with Tyrion Targaryen theories at this point) would be the best rulers.
I'd be satisfied with either taking the throne, but I realized, why can't they both rule? Seriously, the rules of who rules are man-made anyway. If Daenerys successfully took over King's Landing from Cersei and discovered that Jon is her illegitimate nephew, she could decide to make him a fellow monarch. Dany has proven time and time again that she's not about following the rules of the patriarchy with her interactions with the Dothraki and in Meereen and she could break those rules again when she lands in Westeros.
You might question why Daenerys would allow someone else to rule with her since she'd be fine all on her own (with Tyrion as the Queen's Hand, of course), but why I think they would benefit from ruling together is because they have different leadership styles while both being thoughtful, moral, and fierce. At this point, Jon would actually be a gentler ruler than Dany since Dany is more hotheaded (must be those dragons), but that doesn't mean Jon isn't afraid to fight. He has become seasoned in battle — a good trait to have in a king and something Dany can't necessarily say she has firsthand experience in.
On the other hand, throughout her time as a leader in Essos, Dany has made it a priority to free enslaved people. As a woman, she has spoken for people who have no voice, something that Jon doesn't fully comprehend as Sansa proved to him in Season 6. That doesn't mean she's a softy, but when was the last time a ruler in Westeros even cared about the people he or she was ruling? Plus, let's not forget that Dany has got some dragons that would come in very handy for killing White Walkers — something Jon has understandably made a priority in his leadership.
Another key to their successful joint leadership is that Jon and Dany are willing to listen to advisors and other trusted people around them to help them rule. Daenerys is more power hungry than Jon, but she realized she needed to change her strategy thanks to Tyrion. And while Jon doesn't actively pursue power, he is truly the definition of a natural born leader (must be those genes). From the Wall to beyond the Wall to Winterfell, Jon is listened to and respected — you know, except that time he got assassinated — and people want him to lead them. Dany might make enemies in slave owners, but the people she frees are indebted to her forever and what makes it particularly poignant is that the way in which she frees enslaved people is strategic to some end, but also very genuine, which is how she managed to get the Unsullied to follow her unconditionally.
Both Dany and Jon give hope to the people who choose to follow them — and there, my friends, lies the real reason they should rule together. People have actively chosen to follow them as individuals. In the land of monarchy, people don't get to elect the king or queen of Westeros, yet people have advocated for Jon or Daenerys (depending on where they live) to be their leader.
I don't want to take away from all that Dany has accomplished throughout the run of the series, but I think combining forces with Jon would not only be good for Westeros, it would be advantageous for her as well. Yes, it's a nontraditional approach to ruling, but considering she has been a pretty unconventional leader the entire time on Game of Thrones, she shouldn't stop once she becomes queen.
Images: HBO; Giphy (5)
