“When you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die.”
Cersei Lannister
Who is the most likely candidate to win the Game of Thrones and grace that ugly Iron Seat with thine buttocks? Here’s a top five:
“Lady Stark, you may survive us yet.”
Tyrion Lannister
Sansa Stark has grown into one of the shrewder players in Game of Thrones. As soon as the army of the dead had been defeated, she immediately started making moves to destabilise support for Daenerys and it has worked.
Sansa has slowly learned from those around including Westeros’ least trustworthy citizen, Petyr Baelish. Since then her position has been elevating, slowly but surely.
She can rely on the support of the North and also the east. Yohn Royce, leading the House Arryn forces has always listened to Sansa over Jon. Her Tully heritage also gives her connections to the Riverlands. Should she remarry Tyrion or marry the new Prince of Dorne, Sansa may pick up support of another Kingdom.
In the Game of Thrones, the stupid die and Sansa is not the silly girl who left Winterfell all those years ago.
When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives
Sansa Stark
“A Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing.”
Maester Aemon
Some of you may be shocked to see Daenerys so low on this list. She has taken the capital, is in control of the largest army and has a fully-grown dragon on her side. So why is she fourth likeliest?
Well her state of mind is critical. Madness has taken hold of her through her grief. Mad people do not make sound decisions. She now believes that the Westerosi Lords will never love her so she should make them fear her instead. Daenerys sole remaining Westerosi adviser cannot be counted on to stand by her after her war crimes.
Daenerys’ father, Aerys, was in control of King’s Landing, his forces vastly outnumbered Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark, and yet he lost horrendously. The Targaryen dynasty was on the verge of being wiped out. The more cyclical Game of Thrones looks, the more likely Daenerys death appears, and yet I cannot ignore the power she has at her disposal. Hence her position here.
“So many men have tried to kill me, I don’t remember all their names. I have been sold like a brood mare. I’ve been chained and betrayed, raped and defiled. Do you know what kept me standing all those years in exile? Faith. Not in any gods, not in myths and legends. In myself. In Daenerys Targaryen!”
Daenerys Targaryen
“If the day ever comes that that boy would rather wield a sword than forge one, you send him to me”
Eddard Stark
From being an orphan in Flea Bottom to ruling one of the seven kingdoms, Gendry has come a long way.
He has inherited his father brutish strength and battle readiness, yet he is kinder and has a heart for the poor folk. His allegiance is currently a hazy subject. Gendry has sworn to Daenerys Targaryen but is friends with Jon Snow and is unlikely to fight against him.
Not only does Gendry have a solid claim to the throne through his father, Robert Baratheon, but thanks to his ancestor, Orys Baratheon, he even has a little Targaryen blood in there too.
The Stormlands forces were cast asunder during the war of the five kings but since then they have suffered little in the way of damage. It’s hard to tell what size of army Gendry could muster to his side.
“I’ve been hammering an anvil these past ten ears. When I hit that steel, it sings. Are you gonna sing when I hit you?”
Gendry Baratheon
“He turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.”
George RR Martin – A Game of Thrones
Similar to Jon and Daenerys, Tyrion’s mother died in childbirth. He has always had the air of a king about him and the intellect to rule.
The Lannister forces have been devastated in the Battle for King’s Landing so Tyrion cannot depend on them to give him the throne. However, if Daenerys and Jon battle, Tyrion may be the last survivor of our lead three. If he remarries Sansa he may yet keep the North in the Seven Kingdoms. Don’t underestimate Tyrion, his political decisions of late have been poor but with no family distractions left, we might finally see Tyrion’s ruthlessness of early seasons return.
“Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour, and it can never be used to hurt you.”
Tyrion Lannister
Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born.
Maester Aemon
The bastard of Winterfell, promised to a quiet life in the Nights Watch, has been transformed into a heroic kingly figure.
Men trust him and love the way he leads from the frontlines. His supporters adore him and his enemies fear. Jon is the true heir to the Iron Throne and only one person now stands in his way, a Mad Queen who has burnt the capital to the ground, massacring all in her path.
Jon’s forces are now slightly depleted and he has an opponent who knows him well and she has a dragon to rely on. If Jon is to succeed, he needs to get close to her and slay her in a dishonourable way rather than have his troops battle such a dangerous foe. Can he overcome his own better nature to seize the throne from a tyrant?
“Sometimes there is no happy choice, only one less grievous than the others.”
Jon Snow
“If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.”
Ramsay Bolton
No, not Arya, nor bloody Jaqen Hagar. I mean, no one takes the throne. Daenerys always wanted to “Break the Wheel” and end the cycle of Westerosi monarchies. Well she may have done that with her disastrous invasion. Look at the state of King’s Landing, who is going to live their under her rule?
If Daenerys believes that fear will keep the kingdoms behind her, she is mistaken. It seems Westeros may return to a state of utter collapse with multiple wars in quick succession. Is it now time for the regional autonomy?
“I’m not going to stop the wheel. I am going to break the wheel”
Daenerys Targaryen
