Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

As a devoted fan of George R.R. Martin’s epic saga, I find myself often pondering about the intricate web of events that unfolded in the world of Westeros and Essos. The narrative arc of Daenerys Targaryen, the Dragon Queen, has always been captivating, and it’s fascinating to consider alternate paths her life could have taken.

As a gamer, I can still remember the emotional rollercoaster that was the Game of Thrones series finale five years ago. The Iron Throne-shaped void in my heart remains just as palpable today as it did then. After enduring trials, tribulations, and deceit for eight seasons on screen, Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) finally seized the ultimate power in the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, her ruthless act of incinerating half of King’s Landing left me with a bitter taste, forcing Jon Snow (Kit Harington) to take her life to prevent further chaos. As I watched Drogon carry Daenerys’ lifeless body away, my heart was filled with sorrow.

The finale is a legendary TV moment, primarily due to the intense backlash it provoked. An online petition emerged for a rewrite of the final season with skilled writers, and numerous articles were published as viewers debated whether the show had adequately prepared for Daenerys Targaryen’s transformation into a villain. Regardless of one’s view on the foreshadowing and execution of Daenerys’ descent into villainy, it sparked plenty of conversations.

Reflecting on the captivating saga of “Game of Thrones,” particularly the evolving characters like Daenerys, is consistently enjoyable. While I believe the series skillfully foreshadowed her villainous transformation throughout its run, the conclusion left much to be desired. However, this doesn’t diminish my desire for a more favorable outcome for Dany. One line from the show stands out as particularly poignant and lingering in my memory. It appears in the eighth episode of season 5 when Daenerys encounters Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) for the first time within Meereen, ultimately deciding to appoint him as her advisor.

During their discussion, Tyrion inquires from Dany about what she needs his advice on, and she responds by saying she wants to achieve her goals. When she clarifies that she’s referring to the Iron Throne, Tyrion wonders if she’s ever thought about wanting something else. Initially, she believes he’s joking, but he maintains that he’s only partially jesting. He then challenges her to ponder this question: “Consider how many lives you’ve improved here positively,” he says. “Maybe this is your place. Where you can make the greatest difference.

In simpler terms, Dany acknowledges that despite all the good she’s accomplished in Slaver’s Bay, it’s not where she belongs. For seven centuries, the Seven Kingdoms have been the home of House Targaryen, a dynasty that lasted nearly 300 years before Robert Baratheon dethroned her father, Aerys II Targaryen, known as “the Mad King.” Despite her feelings for Meereen or its people, she feels an irresistible pull to return to Westeros and reclaim what is rightfully hers.

Imagine if I, as a devoted admirer of Daenerys Targaryen, had the opportunity to rewrite history. What if instead of pursuing the Iron Throne, she chose to remain in Meereen and rule over Slaver’s Bay, which she would have renamed the Bay of Dragons? How drastically could her journey have differed then?

Whenever I reflect upon Thrones, I often ponder this question. To be honest, it wouldn’t have felt fulfilling for viewers if Dany had abandoned her significant aspirations to conquer Westeros, a goal the show had been building since its inception in the very first episode, and instead settled in the Great Pyramid of Meereen. However, could it have resulted in a more content ending for Daenerys Targaryen herself?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

The Targaryens have just as many ties to Essos as Westeros

Initially, we should ponder over Daenerys’ statement that Meereen is not her home, but rather the Seven Kingdoms is. It’s crucial to note that Daenerys has never lived in Westeros; instead, she was born on Dragonstone shortly following the deposition of the Mad King, and then taken as an infant to Braavos. As such, while she may long for Westeros, it’s not a place she remembers vividly; rather, it represents a home she never truly had. This longing is often depicted in George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series through the imagery of “the house with the red door,” a place where she resided in Braavos along with her brother and Ser Willem Darry. For Daenerys, it’s not about going back to her actual home, but more about reclaiming the childhood that she feels was taken from her unjustly.

In George R.R. Martin’s fantasy realm, the dragonlords of Valyria have a more extensive past and connections in Essos rather than Westeros. The Valyrians were once at war with the Ghiscari Empire, ultimately conquering it and ruling over it as the Ghiscari became part of the Valyrian Freehold. Thus, when Daenerys fights against the slavers in the story of Thrones, she is essentially replicating the actions of her ancient Valyrian forebears.

It’s plausible to contend that Daenerys shares equal connections with Essos as she does with Westeros. While the Targaryens reigned in Westeros for 300 years, it was actually Essos where the Valyrians had spent countless millennia. Therefore, one could convincingly argue that the Bay of Dragons and Essos could have been as much Daenerys’s home as Westeros, if she had chosen to acknowledge this connection.

Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

Could Daenerys have kept ruling the Bay of Dragons?

Let’s discuss the real scenario in Slaver’s Bay during Daenerys’ stay. It’s important to note that taking control of Meereen and learning to govern wasn’t a walk in the park for her. This is the essence of the storyline: before Daenerys can rule effectively in Westeros, she chooses to understand the challenges of leadership by bringing peace to the newly liberated people of Slaver’s Bay. The wealthy slave owners and nobles of the region are not pleased with Dany setting their servants free and disrupting a societal order that had been in place for centuries. As a result, they make life difficult for her as she tries to keep control over the city.

In the show, we all witnessed the dramatic events unfold, starting with the Sons of the Harpy attempting to assassinate Daenerys in the Great Pit of Daznak. Then, she soared away on her dragon, Drogon. Later, they returned to burn their armada with the help of her dragons. It was evident that it would be challenging for Daenerys to remain in Meereen. For a moment, it appeared as though perhaps the worst had passed. The reason Daenerys trusts Daario Naharis (played by Michiel Huisman) to manage the Bay of Dragons while she sails to Westeros is because she believes there will be less opposition there in the future. All that’s required is a steady hand to prevent any fresh flare-ups.

Let’s face it: isn’t it questionable if Daario Naharis is a suitable leader for the city? He’s more of a mercenary than a politician. In contrast, Daenerys could have effectively monitored the region had she stayed there. She had three fully grown dragons to support her, after all. Therefore, I believe that if Daenerys had remained in Meereen, the Slaver’s Bay region might have continued to be under her influence to some extent. The major battle in the bay outside the city was a significant triumph for her, and while there would have been subsequent challenges, she probably overcame one of her biggest obstacles with that victory.

Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

Paramours, advisors, and enemies

From my perspective, it’s plausible that Daenerys Targaryen could have continued ruling Meereen. Yet, considering the characters surrounding her, who else might be part of her life? Would it have been Daario Naharis or another partner for Dany? In the book, she does marry Hizahr zo Loraq (Joel Fry) for political reasons, but in this alternate scenario, Dany may have been content with Daario as a companion. However, given her history, I speculate that Dany would eventually find herself needing to make another politically advantageous marriage.

Among all the characters close to Daenerys, it’s safe to say that Daario Naharis (Michael Huisman) would have faced the fewest challenges with her staying put in Meereen. Her faithful knight, Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), would still need to depart to find a remedy for his greyscale. Regarding Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) and Varys (Conleth Hill), it’s debatable whether they would have remained with Daenerys or not. I believe that if Daenerys had opted to stay in Meereen, there’s a strong possibility that Varys might have eventually departed to manage his own affairs in Westeros. Additionally, I think Tyrion may have eventually distanced himself from the Dragon Queen if she had been adamant about not leaving Meereen.

Furthermore, the issue of the dragons arises. By the time Daenerys departed from Slaver’s Bay, she had three enormous dragons in tow. These dragons were causing trouble in the nearby areas by consuming livestock and even children. If she remained in Meereen, managing and accommodating these dragons would have posed a significant dilemma. Given that she aspires to be a capable queen, allowing them to continue feeding on her subjects was not an option.

But one thing’s for certain: the dragons living around Meereen would have made Daenerys’ position there nigh-unassailable to her foes. It’s important to remember that when the slave masters initially started picking fights with Dany, she hadn’t yet ridden a dragon and they were much smaller. After all three of them went into battle and destroyed the armada from Yunkai and Astapor, there’s no longer room for doubt that anyone who opposed her in battle would have to face them. At the time of Dany’s departure, Meereen was as secure as it could be in that regard.

Could it be that Daenerys would have spent her days peacefully governing Meereen, improving the city for its liberated slaves? Would her rule extend beyond Meereen, connecting with the prominent powers of Essos such as Volantis, Lys, and Myr? And what about the Dothraki? Since Daenerys amassed a formidable Khalasar to reclaim Meereen and invade Westeros, if she chose to stay put instead, it might have triggered various reactions among the Dothraki. Maybe Meereen could have emerged as a haven for them; maybe they would view her as weak for abandoning her quest to conquer Westeros.

As a gamer immersed in this digital world, these queries loom vast and intriguing. Yet, our creative minds serve as the canvas, painting scenarios that might otherwise remain unseen. However, there’s another colossal factor to ponder upon…

Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

Could the White Walkers have gotten past the Wall without Daenerys?

In case Daenerys had chosen to remain in Meereen instead, it’s important to understand that life wouldn’t have paused in Westeros. The ongoing power struggles and violence would have continued unabated there. Meanwhile, the relentless advance of the White Walker army, already enormous by the time Daenerys departed for Westeros, would have persisted southward.

Another intriguing query arises: How could the White Walkers possibly breach the Wall without Daenerys? In George R.R. Martin’s novels, a hint is given about the Horn of Joramun, a mystical horn that has the power to shatter the Wall. However, we won’t know if this holds true until ‘The Winds of Winter’ is published. For now, it remains uncertain in Martin’s books how the White Walkers will pass south of the Wall.

In “Game of Thrones,” the unique circumstance that allows them to breach the Wall arises when one of Daenerys’ dragons, Viserion, is slain by the Night King and subsequently reanimated into an undead force. The Night King then deploys this resurrected dragon to demolish a passage through the Wall, allowing his army to invade the Seven Kingdoms.

If Daenerys hadn’t ventured to Westeros, it’s likely that the Night King wouldn’t have slain Viserion, thereby preventing the terrifying undead dragon from breaching a section of the Wall. While it can’t be definitively stated that the White Walkers would never have crossed the Wall without Viserion’s aid, the threat they posed in getting past the Wall has been a recurring theme since the show’s first season. However, it seems reasonable to assume that their progress may have been delayed significantly in her absence.

It’s uncertain if that would be the case, but it’s possible that the Night King and his army could have been trapped north of the Wall for a very long time, turning everything living into wights and enslaving them to his will. Regardless of how much time passed, once they finally reached Westeros, its people likely wouldn’t have stood a chance without Daenerys and her dragons to aid them.

Game of Thrones theory: What if Daenerys Targaryen stayed in Meereen instead of conquering the Seven Kingdoms?

The Plotline That Was Promised

In essence, despite how intriguing it might be to ponder different storylines for Daenerys Targaryen, I believe we can confidently conclude that the narrative she followed in the series was fitting for her character development, regardless of concerns about the handling of her dramatic shift near the end. Can you envision a world within the realm of “Game of Thrones” where Daenerys never encountered Jon Snow? A scenario where she never marshaled her Dothraki forces against Jaime Lannister on the Golden Road? A timeline in which that pivotal meeting at King’s Landing never transpired, and dragons did not engage in aerial combat above Winterfell as the Night King’s army assaulted the castle walls?

It would have felt like a betrayal for Daenerys to abandon her long-held dream of traveling to Westeros. To this day, the scene where she sails away with her fleet and dragons sends shivers down my spine whenever I watch it. That was always her path in the series, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Instead of imagining the life Daenerys Targaryen could have had if she settled in the Bay of Dragons and established a unique type of Valyrian empire there, let’s consider an alternate scenario where Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Meereen, revitalized the Valyrian Freehold with her presence.

2024-10-14 16:42