The Game of Thrones ending is here and, after eight years, the whole thing is over. It’s done. Yep, it feels weird, but before we get into the biggest questions we have about the Game of Thrones ending, please consider this your massive spoiler warning, as there are major plot details for the entire finale included in this article. Consider yourself warned!
Hello, I see you’re still here. Let’s get down to it then, as the Game of Thrones ending might have given a surprising amount of characters their happy ending, but we’ve still got questions that we desperately need answered.
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1. Where did Drogon go with Daenerys?
After Jon stabbed Dany in the stomach (I don’t blame him after he realised that she’d turned into a tyrant seemingly unbothered by the death of so many innocents), Drogon swept up the dead Targaryen in his claws before flying off. Later in the episode we hear that he’d been spotted flying east, but the exact destination remains unknown. However, it’s likely that Drogon was heading to Old Valyria, where both the Targaryens and their dragons originally came from, which is a fitting resting place for their last living descendent. It’s also theorised that there’s some magic left in Old Valyria, which dragons are intrinsically connected to (as mentioned by Pyat Pree, a warlock of Qarth). There might even be some dragon eggs waiting for Drogon here, as some think dragons can change their sex at will… but let’s leave that for a potential spin-off, shall we?
2. Is Jon living with the Wildlings now?
Yes, he is. Although Jon was technically exiled to the Night’s Watch, the sight of Tormund at the Wall implies that no-one (apart from maybe Grey Worm) really thought Jon was going to just live out his days back where he began. Considering he’s effectively banned from Westeros and seems settled on never seeing his family again, going North with the Wildlings seems like the best ending he could have hoped for. Plus the sight of a green shoot poking through the snow implies that Winter is over at last, meaning that the Wildlings won’t have to fight tooth and nail to survive. And with Ghost on their side (and all the petting he could want), I think they’ll be just fine.
3. What’s the point of the Night’s Watch?
Now that there’s no Night King to defend the south from, the Night’s Watch might seem redundant. But there are still threats from the North, like the Ice Spiders and (probably) a bunch of other nasty creatures. Yet since the Night King is dead, it’s possible that the snowy Winter is going to recede and leave some of the land North of the Wall habitable, and the Night’s Watch might be responsible for governing that bit of land. I smell a spin-off...
4. Why is Arya going west? And what even is west of Westeros?
Arya isn’t one for settling down, as her rejection of Gendry showed, so her voyage west probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. But what is on the other side of the Sunset Sea, the ocean to the west of Westeros? Although much of the map is undiscovered, there are definitely three islands discovered by a friend of the ancient Targaryen ruler Rhaena Targaryen, a noblewoman named Elissa Farmen. Named Visenya, Aegon, and Rhaenys, Arya will probably run into them as well as the eastern shore of Essos. It’s anyone’s guess what lies in between these land masses though. Possibly a continent similar to America, with a Game-of-Thrones version of Native Americans? There’s rumours that one of the spin-off shows might follow Arya’s voyages, so we’ll have to wait and see…
5. Whose green eyes was Arya supposed to shut?
After Cersei’s death everyone on the good ol’ internet thought that Arya was destined to kill the green-eyed Daenerys considering Melisandre’s prophecy. Yet as Jon was the one to stab Daenerys in the stomach, who is the green-eyed unfortunate soul that Arya is destined to assassinate? Now that she’s heading west in her own ship there’s likely plenty of adventures awaiting the youngest Stark, so in a potential future spinoff she might find an important green-eyed target to assassinate. Or, considering the amount of people she’s killed, it’s possible Arya could have already fulfilled the ‘green eyes’ part of Melisandre’s prophecy. Perhaps we’ll never know.
6. How long was the time jump?
The Red Keep looked suspiciously clean during the gathering of Bran’s Small Council, implying that there had been a time jump after we saw the Stark being appointed King, but how long has it been? Considering the amount of mess left by Dany that had to be (literally) cleaned up, plus the time it takes Jon to get to the Wall, we’re probably talking at least two and a bit months. Way back at the beginning of season 1 Cersei mentioned that it took them a month to get to Winterfell from Kings Landing, and then in the book it mentions that it takes three weeks to get from Winterfell to the Wall. Either way, enough time has passed for them to get the Red Keep tidied up, though I imagine Kings Landing is far from healed from Daenerys’ massacre.
7. Who could be Master of Whisperers, War, and Laws?
I have no clue, I’ll be honest. There’s a reason Tyrion hasn’t found Lords or Ladies for the seats, and that’s because all the qualified candidates are dead. It’ll take a while for Tyrion to get the right people on board, and with so many noble houses extinct he might even have to rely on some of the (gasp) middle class!
8. Is Bran truly fit to be king?
When Bran the Broken (as Tyrion so kindly named him) was nominated for the crown, it’s no surprise that a lot of fans were surprised to say the least. Although Bran has centuries of wisdom in his noggin thanks to being the Three-Eyed Raven, and even knew that he’d be elected king (thanks to his ability to see the future), he doesn’t have any firsthand experience of what it’s like to rule people. We won’t get to see how he’ll be as King, but considering he’s rather disconnected from reality and emotion it might be tricky having him on the throne. Guess it’s good that he’s got his Small Council to rely upon, huh?
9. Why didn’t Drogon kill Jon?
Drogon had his own heart breaking moment when he realised Daenerys was dead, but even though he seemed to sense Jon was the one who killed his mother, he didn’t lash out. It’s possibly because he senses that Jon is part Targaryen, meaning that they’re bonded in some way by the blood running through his veins. Either that, or - on some level - dragons understand far more than we think, meaning that Drogon might know that Jon did the right thing. If you want to get really simple with it, Drogon might have seen the sharp stabby thing jutting out of Daenerys, then seen the sharp stabby Iron Throne, decided they were linked, and ‘killed’ the Iron Throne instead.
10. Will the Dothraki go to Naath too?
The last we saw of the Dothraki, they were on the docks at Kings Landing being their usual boisterous selves. We know that Grey Worm is taking his Unsullied to the pacifist island of Naath in memory of Missandei, presumably so the group can be the land’s protectors. Perhaps the Dothraki went with them (as they do respect the eunuch warriors), or the more likely possibility is that the horse-riding warriors would return to Essos and the Great Grass Sea.
11. Who is the Prince who was Promised?
There wasn’t a flaming sword in the Game of Thrones season 8 finale, but when it comes to deciding who the Prince who was Promised is, there’s a much more metaphorical approach you can take. It looks like Jon is the Prince Who Was Promised, as many think that Daenerys is the metaphorical darkness threatening the world, and the one Jon had to kill to save it. Her penchant for killing those who oppose her without a trial is pretty damned evil - and worryingly reminiscent of Cersei - and this theory goes that Lightbringer (the sword Azor Ahai pulls from Nissa Nissa’s chest after he kills her) is actually Daenerys’ firey, Targaryen soul, which becomes part of Jon when he kills her. Plus Jon having to kill his love is incredibly reminiscent of the bond between Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa, so it seems certain that Jon Snow is indeed the Prince who was Promised after all.
If you’ve got a serious need for more Game of Thrones goodness, here’s the best reactions from the internet about the Game of Thrones finale!
