Game of Thrones Season 6: The Last Time We Saw Daenerys Targaryen…
April is just around the corner, and that means we are entering the final days before the Game of Thrones Season 6 premiere. As part of our continuing primer on what the major Houses of Westeros where doing the last time we saw them, today we will be looking at House Targaryen. What sets this once proud House apart from the others on our list is that, as far as we know, only one member remains alive and well, but she’s pretty important: Queen Daenerys Targaryen.
Before we get started, however, here’re the other great Houses we’ve covered, so far:
Daenerys Targaryen did not start on Game of Thrones as a queen. When we first saw her in Season 1, she was a scared little girl being sold by her brother to a Dothraki Horse Lord in exchange for an army. Slowly, she developed a relationship with that Horse Lord, Khal Drogo, and the newly minted khaleesi was soon pregnant with his child, a son who prophesied to be the Stallion who would Mount the World.
Sadly, this is Game of Thrones, and Dany soon lost Khal Drogo, her child, and the majority of the Khalasar that had followed her. She was alone, save for her Westerosi adviser Jorah Mormont, who had promised to stay with her and protect her. With no hope left, and with the possibility that Drogo’s bloodriders would return and force her to return to Vaes Dothrak to live out the rest of her life with the other Dothraki widows, Dany had her husband’s body placed on a funeral pyre, tied the treacherous Mirri Maz Duur to it, and laid down her petrified dragon eggs. Then a great fire was lit…and then she walked in.
After that, Dany became the Mother of Dragons. She had her troubles, but she overcame them, and by Season 5, Meereen had fallen to the might of her Unsullied and mercenary armies. However, many of the Meereeneese locals were unhappy with her rule. They formed an insurgent group called the Sons of the Harpy and resisted her authority from within, waging a war in the streets that the Queen’s army was not ready for.
After the tragic loss of her most loyal and trusted adviser, Ser Barristan Selmy, Daenerys fed one a leader of a great Meereense family to one of her dragons, to show that she meant business. Still, although she suspected the great families were behind the resistance, she couldn’t be certain.
Soon after, Dany married Hizdahr zo Loraq, the head of another of the city’s great families, in an attempt to mollify the population. Around the same time, Daznak’s Fighting Pit was reopened at the behest of her new husband, and the gladiatorial games were reinstated. During the fights, the Sons of the Harpy attacked and kill Hizdahr, and surround Dany and her retinue.
The situation looked dire until Drogon—Dany’s largest and wildest dragon—appeared, breathing fire and raining death down upon her enemies. By the time it was over, Dany was on Drogon’s back and flying to safety, the Sons of the Harpy defeated.
What does Season 6 hold for Daenerys Targaryen? Well, based on the newest teaser, it looks like Daenerys will be taken by foot back to Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki city she was so hoping to avoid returning to back at the end of Season 1. It also appears as if Drogon will be shadowing his momma the entire way, so those Dothraki best not be getting handsy with the Dragon Queen, or they might end up with a face full of fire…just ask this guy.
Daenerys may be the last Targaryen in the known world, but she’s picked up a gaggle of loyal supporters who deserve mention here. We’ve already touched on Jorah Mormont. After a long estrangement, it looks like the two made up right before Dany flew off on Drogon near the end of Season 5. The last time we saw him, he had set out from Meereen in search of his queen.
But really, Daenerys may not need much saving, and Jorah has problems of his own. He contracted greyscale, a deadly, nigh-incurable disease, in the middle of Season 5. We can only assume that it will advance as Season 6 continues.
Accompanying Jorah on his search is Daario Naharis, the commander of the Second Sons, a mercenary company that helped Dany secure and maintain her throne. He’s also Dany’s lover, a position Jorah sorely covets. It should be an awkward road trip for those two in Season 6.
Two of Daenerys’ most loyal supporters remained in Meereen: Grey Worm, the captain of her Unsullied soldiers, and Missandei, a young woman who serves as Daenerys’ translator. Dany released both Grey Worm and Missandei from slavery, and they have remained eternally grateful. They will do everything they can to make certain Meereen is well taken care of in Dany’s absence. They’ve also struck up a romance, a complicated proposition given that Grey Worm is a eunuch. Will love conquer a lack of sexual organs?
Finally, Tyrion Lannister has recently pledged himself to Daenerys’ service. He’ll help run Meereen while she’s gone, and it seems he’s serious enough about the job to pour wine back into a decanter, as seen in the image above. That’s a huge gesture from a high-functioning alcoholic like Tyrion.
We’re closer than ever to finding out where all this goes. Tune in to the Season 6 premiere on April 24 for more information.