Emilia Clarke posts heartfelt tribute to Daenerys Targaryen and Game of Thrones

Tonight, Game of Thrones ends forever. The series finale will feature the last looks we get at beloved characters like Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark and Daenerys Targaryen.

It’s emotional for us as fans to work through our feelings, but that’s nothing compared to what the cast members must be going through. Many of them grew up on this show; for some, it’s been the whole of their careers, and will lay the groundwork for what follows. Emilia Clarke, who’s played Daenerys since the beginning, expressed her feelings in a wistful Instagram post:

First of all, how great are those pictures, with the shot of the lot of them in costume compared to the one of the cast and crew in plain clothes just hanging out? And it’s always nice to get a close-up of Daenerys’ ridiculous braidwork.

Here’s the post in its entirety, for your reading ease:

"Finding the words to write this post has left me overwhelmed with how much I want to say but how small words feel in comparison to what this show and Dany have meant to me.The mother of dragons chapter has taken up the whole of my adult life. This woman has taken up the whole of my heart. I’ve sweated in the blaze of dragon fire, shed many tears at those who left our family early, and wrung my brain dry trying to do Khaleesi and the masterful words, actions (and names) I was given, justice.Game of Thrones has shaped me as a woman, as an actor and as a human being. I just wish my darling dad was here now to see how far we’ve flown.But to you, dear kind magical fans, I owe you so much thanks, for your steady gaze at what we’ve made and what I’ve done with a character that was already in the hearts of many before I slipped on the platinum wig of dreams. Without you there is no us.And now our watch has ended."

And thanks to you, Emilia Clarke, for lighting up the screen with your talent these past eight seasons. We shall never see her like again.

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And by that, I mean that we’ll never see the specific confluence of actor and character and story that made Daenerys into an icon; of course we’ll see Clarke again, starting tonight!

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