During all of the horrible things happening to beloved (and not so beloved) characters in the Season 5 finale of Game Of Thrones — Jon Snow getting Julius Caesar-ed, Arya getting Ray Charles-ed, Stannis getting Napoleon-ed, and Cersei getting Jane Shore-ed — one shocking death almost got lost in the shuffle. Myrcella Lannister, safely on a ship bound for King's Landing with her uncle/father Jaime, succumbed to a poisoned farewell kiss from a vengeful Ellaria Sand. This death is sure to have huge ramifications for the Lannister family, but there's someone else who's been put in a precarious position by the assassination: Myrcella's betrothed, the heir to Dorne. So, what will happen to Trystane Martell In Game Of Thrones Season 6?
It's hard to know what's coming for the young prince, and not only because the show has finally caught up to George R.R. Martin's source material. The fact is, Trystane's just not that major of a character in the books — sure, he's engaged to Myrcella, but he's the youngest of Doran's three children and most of the focus in Dorne goes to his two older siblings, Arianne and Quentyn. Both of these characters were cut from showunners David Benioff's & D.B. Weiss's adaptation, with Arianne's role going to Ellaria Sand and Quentyn's quest to Meereen being excised completely.
So there's very little to go on when predicting Trystane's future. In the books, he never travels to King's Landing and Myrcella never dies, so the show's version of the character is in a decidedly different situation. There are, however, are few distinct possibilities we can analyze.
It seems highly unlikely that Trystane will be able to fulfill the mission he set out on: To take a seat on Tommen's Small Council and help rule the Seven Kingdoms as Dorne's emissary. Cersei is not going to take kindly to an advisor whose family is responsible for her daughter's gory, untimely death. She'll likely have him executed in retaliation as soon as he sets foot in the Red Keep... if Jaime himself doesn't simply chuck Trystane overboard first.
Then again, Cersei hasn't exactly been in charge of anything since she got locked up in a dungeon by the High Sparrow. She's finally back in the castle, but will likely be recovering from her traumatic Walk of Shame when Season 6 starts up. In Cersei's absence, her uncle Kevan Lannister has been ruling the Seven Kingdoms, and fortunately for Trystane, he will probably approach matters with a more level head. Not wishing to start a war with one of the most powerful kingdoms in Westeros, he'll probably reach some sort of agreement with Prince Doran — much to Cersei's chagrin, of course. It's possible that Trystane could simply end up residing in the Red Keep as some sort of hostage against further violence from Dorne, similar to how the Starks kept Theon as a hostage following Balon Greyjoy's rebellion.
There is one other tantalizing possibility for Trystane's future. The smart move for the young man, once he's realized what's happened to Myrcella, will be to literally abandon ship and head home. If he acts quickly enough while Jaime's still grieving, he might actually be able to escape. And, what would happen to him once he returned to Dorne? Now that his plans to marry into the most powerful family in Westeros have fallen apart, maybe it's time for a new plan: To marry the most powerful woman in Essos.
Prince Doran has long been a champion for peace, maintaining an alliance with the Lannisters even when his countrymen thirsted for blood following the death of Elia Martell, Prince Rhaegar's wife who was slaughtered by Lannister troops during Robert's Rebellion. But, Myrcella's death is going to shatter the fragile detente between the two families, forcing Doran to take action whether he wishes to or not. And aligning himself with the person most directly poised to conquer Westeros would be a smart move.
Perhaps Season 6 will find Trystane dispatched by his father to woo and wed Daenerys Targaryen. This would put yet another Westerosi character on a collision course with Dany's far-flung Meereenese adventures, and would serve to bring Trystane's brother Quentyn's storyline back to the show without introducing yet another new character.
Of course, if this does happen, it won't be all sunshine and roses for young Trystane, considering how Quentyn's quest ended...
Images: Macall B. Polay (2), Helen Sloan/HBO; HBO; sweatpantscafe/tumblr
