Welcome to Burning Questions of Game of Thrones, a weekly re-cap with theories, speculation and yes, questions.
Theories include show and book spoilers, because on occasion I’ll refer to book wiki for deeper interpretation of things that happen in the show. So please watch where you step because
I won’t refer to any leaked plot information for season 7. Feel free to jump in the comments to give me your two cents.
This is Part II of Burning Questions of Stormborn.
See Part I here.
What Will Daenerys Do Now?
The attack on Casterly Rock will go on as planned because The Unsullied probably mobilized before word of Euron’s attack reached Dragonstone. I know she will want to get on Drogon, head to King’s Landing and burn the Red Keep to the ground. She may burn up Euron’s fleet instead. And where’s Euron’s fleet? King’s Landing. This battle will involve the capital sooner rather than later. If Tyrion can convince her to wait, we’ll see. She’s meeting Jon Snow in the next episode, so she’ll be in Dragonstone for a time. But I can’t imagine Daenerys Targaryen will sit still after having her fleet destroyed. If she gets word of the fleet after the attack on Casterly Rock has started, she will probably join the fray, to make sure she wins the battle. Then she can continue to King’s Landing and torch the Red Keep.
Theon: How Could He?
Theon is a victim of physical and psychological torture, which is deeply traumatizing. It’s impossible to recover completely or quickly from those events. Theon was terribly triggered by the brutality of the battle and lost it completely. This was a total surprise and a very real twist. He jumped ship, leaving Yara as Euron’s hostage. Will Yara escape? Will Theon rescue her? How will Theon redeem himself? Here’s a thought: He’s another little brother that could (granted with a crazy twist) fulfill the Valonqar prophecy. Yikes.
Will Qyburn’s Weapon Work?
Qyburn is showing off a real-life weapon that existed in medieval times called a ballista. It’s a kind of a catapult on steroids that dates from 390 BCE. It was later perfected by Alexander the Great.
In ASOIAF this weapon is called a scorpion and was responsible for the death of the dragon Meraxes whose rider was Rhaenys Targaryen. A Scorpion shot a bolt through the dragon’s eye, killing it. Can this thing kill one of Dany’s dragons? Count on it. One of them will die. And come back as an ice dragon. Winter is here.
How Many Secrets Will We Learn From the Citadel?
We knew Samwell would find the cure for greyscale and he has (we think). In the same book there is a page with an illustration of Cat’s Paw, Littlefinger’s dagger, which we’ll no doubt be hearing about later. It’s origins must be both ancient and spectacular for it to be recorded history in the Citadel. How did Littlefinger get his hands on it?
What else are we waiting for Samwell to clarify for us and for everyone in Westeros? The Prophecy of Azor Ahai, which seems murky at best and will no doubt be clarified by the ancient tomes in the Library. Also, any and all methods of fighting the White Walkers, if they exist, including the secrets to forging Valyrian steel. The truth about the relationship between Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen was no doubt recorded by a Maester and sits on a shelf waiting to be discovered. And when I saw the Maester hand Samwell this book
I almost fainted. Why? Because one of the mysteries of the Three Heads of the Dragon prophecy could be in this book. Part of it, anyway. What am I talking about? A book prophecy that seems to be playing out in the show.
In summary: In one of Daenerys Targaryen’s visions in the House of the Undying (which is not in the show) she sees her brother Rhaegar and his wife Elia with a newborn who he names Aegon. Then he looks at Daenerys and says to her: “There must be one more. The Dragon has threeheads.” Rhaegar expected his three children would lead House Targaryen. Since he only had two children (newborn Aegon and older daughter Rhaenys) with his wife, it is thought that Rhaegar believed that his child with Lyanna Stark (number 3) would fulfill the prophecy.
Rhaegar’s children with Elia Sand were killed during Robert’s Rebellion. Only Jon Snow, his child with Lyanna, survived the war. He is widely believed to be the Prince that was Promised, and as a Targaryen he is one dragon. Danaerys is another dragon
So? And?
The third dragon may be….Tyrion Lannister??? Really. The theory is based on the story that Mad King Aerys (Dany’s father) raped Joanna Lannister during a feast at the Red Keep. Nine months later, out popped Tyrion. And Tywin Lannister’s words to his son “I could not prove you were not mine,” and “you’re no son of mine,” seem to back this up, but we have no corroboration of what happened that night. It may be in the book that Samwell is holding. Which is why I’m so hype.
Grey Worm & Missandei: Doomed?
Yes. Beautiful love scene though.
What Kind of Leader Will Sansa Be?
Sansa will be a strong and tough Queen of the North. The Wolf Queen. Look at her.
Because of the trauma she’s endured, she may fall into Cersei’s mindset of “everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.” She won’t tolerate any kind of challenge to her sovereignty. She will take it as betrayal. As she told Littlefinger, she wants to feel safe. Whoever makes her feel unsafe — dies.
Jon Snow won’t rule the North any time soon. He will return to the North, but on other business. He may or may not remain King of the North in name but Sansa will become, and remain, the Wolf Queen.
She will finally put into practice all she has learned. I doubt she’ll need to pull a power play where Jon’s concerned. His work and purpose are far beyond Winterfell. It’s also possible that the Northerners name her their Queen after she gains their trust. This may involve killing the Umber and Kartstark heirs, or having Littlefinger arrange it. So she can feel safe.
What About the Reptile?
Littlefinger is not as serious a threat to Sansa as he seems. Yes he still wants everything, and yes he thinks he’s so close to achieving it…but Sansa has his number now. She won’t be swayed. He and his army are a security blanket to her now, that’s all.
Oh he has a few slithery moves yet to make, but as Sansa told Brienne in episode 1: “I know exactly what he wants.” This gives her power over him, and hearkens back to this conversation in S2, in which Cersei tells her, “Tears aren’t a woman’s only weapon. Learn how to use it.” Sansa is using the promise of it. Remember, she never responded to Littlefinger’s vision of them ruling Westeros together.
He’s too smart to believe that Sansa’s madly (or even mildly) in love with him, but he does know that she’s developed a taste for power. He’s stoking that desire in order to achieve his ultimate goal (“everything.”), but he’s blind. Sansa’s taste for power is what will destroy him. She wants to feel safe. That means she means to be under no one’s power but her own. How do you do that? Killing your enemies and staying unmarried.
During this notorious (s)exposition scene in S1 Littefinger said:
“What we don’t know is usually what gets us killed.”
Holy foreshadowing. So after all this time, what is there that he doesn’t know?
Why This Scene with Jon and Littlefinger in the Crypt?
At first this scene seems out of left field. Littlefinger, who is not stupid, comes out with a ham-fisted anecdote about delivering Ned’s bones to Catelyn and goes downhill from there. Reminding Jon how Catelyn hated him and saying how wrong she was about hi because he survived Ned and his brothers to become King in the North…it was as if he was trying to disgust Jon.
Just when you think it can’t get worse, Littlefinger ends with the admission that he loves Sansa as he loved Catelyn. In the crypts? In front of the Stark he helped kill? Truly I expected Ned’s statue to fall and crush him to death at any second. For someone so careful, devious and discreet, Baelish was acting like a stupid horny teenager. This is not the Baelish we know and hate. So what’s really happening in this scene?
The most important information in this scene has nothing to do with the action or the dialog. You’re being told two things.
It’s important to note that almost no one who isn’t a Stark ever enters the crypts in the books. The few non-Starks who do descend to the Crypts feel extremely uncomfortable there. Jon tells Littlefinger: “You don’t belong here.”
While the Stark kids grow up playing in the crypts as if they’re a playground, non-Starks get freaked out after a brief time down there. Except, apparently, for Littlefinger. Why?
This scene is the second time he’s entered the crypts uninvited, following a Stark child. The last time Baelish was in the crypts was with Sansa, so I re-watched that scene. And my hackles went up, to use a wolfy euphemism.
LittleFinger did the same thing to both Sansa and Jon. He crept up behind them after they had entered the crypts alone to pray. He interrupted them, distracted them and led them or drove them out of the crypt. Why? Is there something hidden there he doesn’t want the Stark children to see? What could it be? Did he hide something in the crypts? Book readers help me out here. Evidence of Jon’s Targaryen roots would disrupt his plans — is that what it is? How would he know what’s in the Winterfell Crypts unless he put it there? Is it evidence of a past crime against the family? Knowing Baelish it could be anything.
But wait, there’s more.
Look at the shots.
In almost all of the shots in this scene, the statues of Ned or Lyanna appear between Jon and Littlefinger, as if they’re protecting him.
Just for a little extra symbolism, Ned’s statue holds a replica of his Valyrian steel greatsword Ice. Lyanna’s statue holds a lighted candle. Fire. The scene is practically shouting that Jon is the Prince who was Promised.
