The Game of Fire

Yesterday’s episode of Game of Thrones was an eye opening experience for both the viewers and our favorite characters. Not only do we get to see what comes flying down from the sky at the Iron Fleet, but we also learn that no matter how depleted Daenerys Targaryen’s forces are, they will always fight harder than any of Cersei Lannister’s many shiney armies. Let’s find out if my theory of Drogon being clad in Valyrian steel armor holds up.

The fighting doesn’t start right away like in episode 2. Varys takes it upon himself to write a letter to someone about Jon Snow’s true identity as Aegon Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. One of his little birds discloses that Dany refuses to eat out of grief over Missandei’s death. Varys then meets Jon as he arrives on Dragon Stone to discuss his claim to the throne. Jon is still a Stark and maintains his loyalty to Dany as his queen. Tyrion watches this echange from afar and goes directly to Dany to discuss Varys’ treachery. Dany is outraged that Jon told his sisters after she explicitly told him not to, claiming that he is the true traitor. Dany knows that she doesn’t have the heart to punish her love so she decides to put Varys to death by dragon fire to send a message to anyone attempting to belittle her position as queen. At this point, Daenerys only has Tyrion and Jon left as council, and she has lost all trust in both of them.

Immediately after Varys’ execution, Jon goes to Dany as a way of trying to further convince her that he is loyal to her as queen. Dany attempts to make yet another romantic advance toward him, and Jon denies her once more because of his Stark ethics. Dany now feels rejected and embarrassed so she makes the final decision to rule with fear. Dany then holds council with Tyrion and Grey Worm in the Dragonstone throne room. Tyrion pleads to her not to burn King’s Landing during the attack, and Dany heads his plea. She then tells Tyrion that Jaime was captured attempting to make it into King’s Landing to save Cersei. Tyrion then ventures to the front lines to speak with Jaime in secret. Tyrion shares his master plan to save Cersei, Jaime, and their unborn child. He instructs his brother to leave the city through the dragon skull tunnels under the Red Keep and there would be a boat waiting for them to row to Pentos. All Tyrion requests in return is that Cersei rings the city bells indicating surrender. Jaime still has some hope that Cersei will win, but after seeing his brother betray his queen and risk his life for his unborn baby, he accepts the offer and is released.

The following morning, Euron Greyjoy has all of his scorpions locked and loaded, Arya and Sandor head for the Red Keep, Jaime weaves through the frantic city crowds, and both armies face each other ready for battle at the main gate. The suspense builds until we finally see what Dany has in store for the Iron Fleet. Out of the clouds comes not a bird, not a plane, but…a singular, unarmed Drogon? Well, I was expecting a bigger reveal than just basic Drogon, but at least Dany is nose diving at top speed right at Euron’s ships. As Dany demolishes the entire Iron Fleet in Blackwater Bay without taking a single hit from the scorpions, the Golden Company at the gate have no idea what is headed their way. Dany clears the back wall of King’s Landing fro scorpions then tears through the sky blowing out the front gate allowing the Unsullied and

Dothraki soldiers to make their way into the city. Jon and his Northmen follow close behind taking out any Lannister soldiers that resist. As Dany clears the walls of any scorpions, Cersei is showing her first feelings of fear since the lost her son, Tommen. Qyburn tells her that the Iron Fleet is burning and she still believes her men will continue to fight for her. Unfortunately, she is wrong. The Lannister soldiers lay down their weapons in front of Jon as Dany lands with Drogon on a tall city building near the outer wall. The city bells are rung indicating the surrender of Queen Cersei. Dany stares at the Red Keep from atop Drogon and the wrath and rage well in her eyes as she hears the ringing bells. She succumbs to the Targaryen madness without even knowing and begins burning the city to ashes. Civilians are burned alive, slaughtered, and raped by the Dothraki and Northmen as Dany sweeps fire over the entire city making her way to the Red Keep. Jon finally sees just who Dany really is and realizes that she cannot be allowed to rule Westeros because she has become what she hates most: a tyrant.

Meanwhile, Jaime took the long way around and ended up on the beach with the boat for his and Cersei’s escape. Euron Greyjoy crawls out of the ocean only to fight Jaime to keep Cersei. Euron is able to get two good stabs in before Jaime runs him through with his sword. Jaime knows he is a dead man but still goes after Cersei to see her one last time. Qyburn and the Undead Mountain take Cersei and flea the tallest tower of the Red Keep as Dany tears down the outer towers with dragon fire. Everyone is attempting to leave the Red Keep as Sandor and Arya get pretty close to their targets. Sandor commands Arya to turn back stating that Cersei will most likely die from some other cause and that she should consider her own life above all else. Arya thanks Sandor for his friendship and leaves the Red Keep as Sandor trek’s further in the collapsing castle. The Hound finds his brother on a partially destroyed staircase and challenges his old nemesis to the final battle. The Mountain kills Qyburn for getting in the way and The Hound allows Cersei to pass and continue to make her escape. The Hound strikes his brother and knocks his helmet off to reveal a swollen rotting corpse.

Cersei eventually makes it to a courtyard and finds Jaime. The two take off for the underground tunnels following Tyrion’s plan. The Mountain and The Hound continue their family feud and The Hound realizes the only way to kill his brother is by tackling him off the destroyed staircase into a fiery pit of rubble below. Arya makes it out of the Red Keep only to find crowds of scared people running from their imminent death at the hands of the woman she once called queen. Jon decides enough is enough and takes as many troops as he can and falls back out of the city. Arya is trampled by people, crushed by rubble, and surrounded by fire. She tries to help as many civilians as she can but is unable to save anyone as Dany flies overhead spewing fire across the already destroyed homes.

Somehow, Jaime and Cersei are able to make it down to the tunnels only to have all the exit tunnels blocked with debris. With no escape, Jaime comforts his sister and love in their last moments together as the ceiling caves in on top of them, leaving the Red Keep completely demolished. Arya has yet again evaded death only to find a city burning and utterly dead. As if a hallucination, a white horse covered in blood and ash stands several feet from her, waiting for her. She approached the very real horse and rides out of the city, toward her new goal. Arya,

like Jon, realizes Daenerys Targaryen is not the queen they thought she was. The only name left on Arya’s list now is Queen Daenerys Targaryen.

Wow. Just wow. As a viewer, I saw Dany start to slip seasons ago, but if the burning of King’s Landing doesn’t solidify that fact, then I don’t know what will. We lost yet more main characters this episode including Varys, Sandor Clegane, Gregor Clegane, Qyburn, Euron Greyjoy, Cersei Lannister, and Jaime Lannister. We also lost the old Daenerys that we grew to love and want as queen. I have a feeling that she’s going to face the music in the final episode and she won’t be on the Iron Throne for that long. This whole season has built up that Jon is Aegon Targaryen and that he is the rightful heir. This is one of the only instances where the rightful heir doesn’t want the position, is a decent person, and is the one that Westeros wants to rule. My final predictions for this wonderful series as the last episode come upon us are the following: Tyrion will die by Dany’s hands, Arya will kill Dany, Jon will take the Iron Throne, and Sansa will be allowed to rule the North independent from the Seven Kingdoms. Winter has finally reached King’s Landing both literally and metaphorically in the form of Jon Snow.

-KatTheLadyNerd

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