Unaffiliated Characters Preview — The Best of the Rest

There are a lot of characters on Game of Thrones, and not all of them are in the ambits of Houses Stark, Targaryen, or Lannister, either because they choose not to be or because they don’t have the means to act on their desires at the moment.

Take the two gentlemen above: Sandor “the Hound” Clegane and Beric Dondarrion. The two of them belong to the Brotherhood Without Banners, an organization dedicated to serving the people at large rather than any one house — it’s right there in their name. True, in season 6, Beric implied that the lot of them were headed north to fight the White Walkers, which means their interests align with those of House Stark. But until they actually meet some members of Team Stark, they keep their own council.

Eddison “Dolorous Edd” Tollett is in a similar situation. As an old friend of Jon Snow’s, he’s obviously on Jon’s side, but as acting Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, he’s forbidden from taking part in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms. Given his druthers, Edmure Tully would probably also be on Team Stark, but he’s currently rotting in a cell beneath the Twins, so he’s likely to have his druthers, is he?

And what of characters like Melisandre, whom Jon exiled from the North at the end of season 6? What does she do with herself now that she can’t serve her Prince Who Was Promised? And let’s not forget there are some characters out there who really are out for themselves. Euron Greyjoy, for example, clearly has delusions of ruling the Seven Kingdoms, and the Night King plans to roll over everyone in Westeros regardless of who they fight for.

And then there’s Arya Stark, whom we last saw killing the hell out of Walder Frey at the Twins. Yes, the fact that her last name is Stark should obviously put her in the Stark camp, but hear us out. At this point, we’re still not sure what Arya wants more: to reunite with her family or to take bloody vengeance on all the people who have made her life hell for the past six seasons. If she it’s Option One, she can go north to Winterfell. If it’s Option Two, she can go south to King’s Landing and try to cross Cersei and the Mountain off her list. We’re standing by before putting her in one category or another.

Next: Thronecast returns early ahead of Game of Thrones season 7

By the end of season 7, many of these characters may well have an affiliation…if they’re not dead. Stay tuned.