As Game of Thrones aired more and more seasons, it grew further and further away from its source material, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels. The show remains very close to the books for the first few seasons, but by the time it reaches season 5, the series begins to follow its own original path. As such, several fan favorite characters and storylines from the books found themselves left behind for the HBO adaptation.
One such character who never made the transition from page to screen is Arianne Martell, the daughter of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne. The fiery, feisty Dornish princess acts as a point-of-view character in Martin's fourth novel, A Feast for Crows, and appears briefly in book five, A Dance with Dragons. Arianne is set to return as a POV character in the upcoming sixth book, The Winds of Winter.
In the books, Arianne is imprisoned by her father after leading a failed coup to place Princess Myrcella Baratheon in a position to take the Iron Throne from her brother, King Tommen. During her captivity, Arianne thinks about her father's past treatment of her, and she grows to resent him further. She remembers all the potential suitors he arranged for her throughout the years, and feels spurned that they were all older men, some on death's door. These matches make Arianne feel like a prize to be won, not a princess in her own right.
When Arianne finally sees her father again, she confronts him about her past suitors, and he reveals the truth: the suitors were picked in order to protect Arianne. Doran proposed old men in hopes that Arianne would reject them, because she had secretly already been promised to another man. When Arianne asks who, Doran says that her betrothed has already died, killed by a pot of molten gold.
Fans of Martin's earlier works will recognize this unique method of execution as the work of Khal Drogo, who killed Viserys Targaryen this way back in the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones. This moment implies that Arianne was set to marry Viserys and rule Westeros as his queen once he took back the Iron Throne. It makes sense that Doran opposed the Lannister and Baratheon rule as his sister, Queen Elia Martell, and her children, Rhaenys and Aegon, were brutally murdered by Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane during Robert's Rebellion. Arianne's betrothal to Viserys is part of Doran's grand scheme to restore House Targaryen's rule.
However, Martin's readers know that Viserys would not have been a good match for Arianne. The son of the mad king Aerys had inherited his father's cruelty. At every turn, Viserys abuses and belittles his sister Daenerys, almost viewing her as his property. Viserys is an easily manipulated fool, believing the lies fed to him over the years that the common folk pray for his return, and as such, he will do anything it takes to win back the Iron Throne. However, as Ser Jorah Mormont bluntly puts it, "Viserys could not sweep a stable with ten thousand brooms." It quickly becomes clear to all that Viserys is not the man to restore the Targaryen Dynasty.
As Viserys watches his sister Daenerys, who he married off to Khal Drogo in exchange for his Dothraki army's aid in retaking the Seven Kingdoms, become a beloved Khaleesi, he begins to seethe with jealousy. In fact, Viserys lashing out against his sister is what leads to his death. A drunken Viserys threatens Daenerys, and her unborn baby Rhaego, by drawing a sword, an act forbidden in the sacred city of Vaes Dothrak, and pressing it against her pregnant belly. As such, Khal Drogo executes him with molten gold, ironically granting him the "golden crown" he felt entitled to his entire life.
Knowing about Viserys' betrothal to Arianne adds new layers to his jealousy of Daenerys. Viserys lived in exile, believing he was promised a throne and a bride. In order to take back this throne, he sets up a similar marriage for his sister, only to see her receive the treatment and respect he'd been craving. As the wife of a Khal, Daenerys became a Khaleesi, a Dothraki Queen, and quickly earned the love and respect of her people. Viserys, meanwhile, became a laughing stock among the Dothraki. His sense of entitlement and impatience quickly grew stale, and, after being forced to walk, rather than ride on horseback, they gave him the embarrassing nickname of "Khal Rhae Mhar," the sore foot king.
Viserys likely saw Khal Drogo's relationship with Daenerys as what his eventual marriage with Arianne would be. As such, his resentment towards his sister and brother-in-law grew rapidly, as this is the life he believed he was supposed to lead, but couldn't. Ironically, this resentment led to Viserys' death before he could even meet Arianne, much less rule the Seven Kingdoms with her.
The next Westeros show, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is set to air on HBO in January of 2026. As such, now may be the perfect time to revisit Game of Thrones. When rewatching the first season, fans should keep this revelation about Viserys in mind, and see how it affects their perception of such a despicable character.