Final Thoughts Before Game of Thrones‘ Fate is Revealed – Beware of Spoilers!

If you know me, you know I am a biiiig fan of Game of Thrones. I thought about watching the show all throughout high school, finally caving during my senior year, when I binge-watched seasons 1-6. I’ve watched seasons 7 and 8 live, which has been far more exciting than anything else I’ve done in college. (Just kidding. Sort of.) I’ve seen every episode, most more than once, and I’ve just begun to read all the books. I watch YouTube videos and read fan theories before and after watching each new episode. For S8E3 (“The Long Night”), I ran home from work and up the stairs of my apartment building, only to grab my laptop, bring it into the bathroom, and fire up HBO GO mid-pee. During S8E4 (“The Last of the Starks”), I cried three separate times in the span of 90 minutes. And now, I’m about to miss the beginning of the series finale due to a 5-10 work schedule this Sunday night.

Yet, for the entirety of Season 8, I’ve been trying, as others have, to figure out exactly what’s going to happen, who’s going to live or die, who’s going to finally take the Iron Throne. I figured Cersei wasn’t going to make it, never liked Daenerys, and predicted Jon Snow’s revival. However, I’m pretty lost as to how this saga is going to end. Still, I have a few out-there ideas that may or may (most likely) not come true.

1. Daenerys is pregnant with Jon’s son, and she is going to die during childbirth.

This theory of mine is by far the most outrageous but still very possible. Although there have been no visible signs of pregnancy, there was some slight foreshadowing in S7E7 (“The Dragon and the Wolf”). Even if Dany doesn’t die this way, I firmly believe she is pregnant. Here’s why:

In the S7 finale, Daenerys is seen talking to Jon after the meeting with Cersei has ended. She tells him she is the last Targaryen because she can never have children. Jon asks her about this, and she tells him the blood witch (from S1) said she could never bear a child. Jon asks her if she thinks this person was a reliable source of information, hinting that she was not, and that Daenerys could actually become pregnant.

Later in that same episode, Jon and Daenerys have sex (we love incest!), leading me to believe Daenerys actually becomes pregnant during that encounter. Storytellers generally do not throw details around for no reason. George R. R. Martin and his fellow HBO producers were likely deliberate about the chronology of the conversation, making sure to have it happen right before the love scene.

I believe Dany will die from childbirth because, I mean, she has to die. It would make some sense for the mother of Jon’s child to die in the same way his own mother did. The only error in this theory is the timeline. I’m not sure exactly how long it’s been since the love scene took place, and we don’t know how much time will have passed at the start of the finale.

No matter what, whether she’s pregnant or not, Daenerys will die. And Jon will be a part of it.

2. Neither Jon nor Daenerys ends up on the Iron Throne.

If my theory about Dany’s death turns out true, then she is obviously knocked out of the competition. Jon doesn’t want the throne, and I don’t believe he will take it. Instead, I believe he will give the throne to someone else – Sansa, in particular. As the true heir to the throne, (I think) Jon has the authority to choose its sitter. Sansa has always wanted to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and I feel like she’d do a pretty good job of it. She’s intelligent, just, and reasonable. Plus, she’s the only one who really cares about the North.

As for Jon, he could likely become Sansa’s hand. Or, he might return to the North and just do his own thing. But since it’s Jon freaking Snow, I hope his character will get the big arc ending he deserves.

Besides these two main theories, I have a few other guesses as to what might happen, without any real reasoning to back them up:

3. Tyrion Lannister will not stay in King’s Landing. If Daenerys doesn’t have him killed, I believe Tyrion will go to Casterly Rock, as he now has the claim to it. He’ll probably say “a Lannister always pays his debts” at least one more time.

4. Arya will end up with Gendry. She’s stared into the face of death about a dozen times, and she’s finally realized what’s important. Kind of weak for her, but whatever. She deserves a little romance. One thing’s for certain – she won’t be the one to kill Daenerys.

5. Bran will be essential to one last big reveal. I don’t know what it is, but he knows everything. His visions already explained the Night King, Hodor, and Jon’s parentage, and foreshadowed a dragon flying over King’s Landing. Maybe his visions will explain how it all ends.

I used to think no one would take the throne and it would be destroyed. This would kind of defeat the purpose of the whole “game of thrones,” though, and wouldn’t be satisfying or realistic at all.

So, what happens to Yara, Tormund, Sam, Bronn, Drogon, and the few others who are left? I guess we’ll all just have to wait and watch.