The 30 most iconic moments from Game of Thrones, ranked

20. Stannis and Selyse burn Shireen alive

The death of Shireen Baratheon is one of the most brutal scenes in the series, made worse by the fact that her own father is the one who orders it, with her supporting him. Until this moment, Stannis is a favorite to sit on the Iron Throne, even if he’s not the most likable character on the show. His choice to listen to Melisandre is questionable, but she’s pretty compelling, and it’s not like she’s advocating child murder.

Only she is, and Stannis is listening. On Melisandre’s advice, Stannis burns Shireen at the stake in an attempt to appease the Lord of Light and get him to stop the snowstorm bedeviling his army. Even if it works, this act is unforgivable, as both Stannis’ actual army and his army of fans proved shortly thereafter. The snowstorm does clear, but so many men soldiers abandon Stannis rather than work for a man who would do what he did that he has no chance of defeating the Boltons.  Stannis kills his daughter to win, but it guarantees his loss.

And Shireen’s death doesn’t just bring about the end of Stannis’ reign, but also of the Baratheon line. The only character left with Baratheon blood is Gendry, and at the moment, he’s still an un-legitimized bastard. On the other hand, given that Robert, Renly, and Stannis left no heirs, Shireen’s death may actually solidify Gendry’s claim to the House.

That the girl’s death is due to Melisandre’s mistakes also changes things. No longer can Melisandre’s Lord of Light be trusted without question. Until this point, most of Melisandre’s predictions come true. Even if her means of achieving the Red God’s ends are morally questionable, they typically produce the desired result. Not so here. Melisandre is much more chastened from here on out. It may be because she had lost faith, like Thoros of Myr before her, that she was able to raise Jon Snow from the dead.

But mostly, this scene remains iconic for how incredibly powerful it is. Kerry Ingram is heartbreaking as the Baratheon princess who only wanted to help her father and instead was betrayed in the worst possible way.