All Men Must Fall in Love: Top 23 couples from Game of Thrones

21. Stannis and Selyse

Stannis and Selyse Baratheon, seen above watching the family witch burn their young daughter at the stake, are another couple who were, at best, wildly dysfunctional. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Stannis having a satisfying relationship. The guy was stone serious all the time — we can’t see him placing much value on things like dating, anniversaries, or addressing his partner’s wants and needs unless it helped him fulfill his duty to sit the Iron Throne. He’s just not boyfriend material.

We don’t know what Selyse was like before she married Stannis, but when we meet her in season 3, it’s clear she’s not all there upstairs, what with her preserving her stillborn sons in pickle jars and her approval of Stannis’ affair with Melisandre, since it’s all for the good of the creepy cult she’s joined. Was she always like that, or did she sink into melancholia and eventually low-grade madness after being married to Stannis for too long? She took her own life before giving us answers, and her husband died in battle not long after.

Thinking about it, Stannis and Selyse may have the saddest romance on the show. They never really loved each other, nor did it look like they were even friends. And then they sacrificed one of the few things they did love — their daughter Shireen — in the name of a military victory that didn’t happen.

Geez, now I’m depressed. Hopefully the next couple is a little sunnier.