King Tyrion Lannister and the real winners of Game Of Thrones
HBO’s Game of Thrones came to an end on May 19th, 2019. With many of the original power players dead and numerous great Houses wiped out or brutally crippled, the remaining leaders met at the King’s Landing dragonpit for the Great Council of 305 AC to discuss the new political realities in Westeros. It looks like the good guys won, with fan favorites like Sansa Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Ser Davos Seaworth and Gendry Baratheon debating a roadmap for the future.
The selection of Bran Stark/The Three-Eyed Raven as the new Lord of the Six Kingdoms provides some assurances of stability, yet where power is in flux, the “game” will continue to be played. In a world that is less than perfect, cracks remain, such as Sansa’s determination to rule an independent North and the exile of Jon Snow. Familiar characters, some thus far untested on the big political stage, are installed in positions of great influence and power. Who truly won the game of thrones? The answers may surprise you.
Samwell Tarly, Grand Maester
Highborn but cast off as a dud much in the fashion of Tyrion Lannister, the bookish Samwell Tarly proved to be a disappointment to his militaristically minded father and their proud House. Driven into the ranks on the Night’s Watch, Sam became close friends with Jon Snow and used every opportunity to increase his learning.
After surviving the War of the Five Kings and the Battle of Winterfell, Sam appears as a member of the Great Council of 305 AC. King Bran the Broken chooses Sam as the next Grand Maester, and Sam sees to the writing of histories and urgent matters in King’s Landing, such as improving the sewer system.
The Grand Maester holds great sway in the political hierarchy of Game of Thrones. Seated on the small council, he is both intimate counselor to the King and considered the authority on all matters of history, science and medicine. Grand Maesters have also served as Hand to the King, which gave them even more direct influence over the monarch.
Grand Maester Samwell Tarly has risen a long way from his days as a disinherited son condemned to the ranks of the Night’s Watch. Though not a great warrior, Samwell is loyal to a fault and comes through when it really counts. With his warm, empathetic soul and high intellect, Sam will serve Bran and Tyrion as faithfully as he can, and it seems impossible for him to ever covet power or conspire to take it.