Plenty of characters throughout George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as its TV adaptations, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, suffer unimaginably cruel fates. For example, Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) is killed by molten gold at the hands of his brother-in-law, Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), as his sister Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) watches on; Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) is tortured and castrated by Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), only to sacrifice himself shortly after regaining his sense of humanity; and Robb (Richard Madden), Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), and Talisa Stark (Oona Chaplin) are slaughtered with their guard down at the infamous Red Wedding.
However, one recurring Game of Thrones character's ending, while equally devastating, is far subtler. While most of Martin's characters have their last moments depicted on page or screen, this figure's lack of a grand finale implies her fate is way worse than most fans realize.
Who is Ellaria Sand?
Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma) first appears in Sseason 4 of Game of Thrones, when she joins her paramour, Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), in King's Landing. Oberyn and Ellaria are the first major Dornish characters to appear in the show, so their cultural differences instantly make them stand out among the far more prudish people of the Seven Kingdoms. Sadly, Ellaria watches on in horror as her lover is brutally killed while battling against Ser Gregor Clegane, a.k.a. the Mountain (Hafþór JúlÃus Björnsson).
Ellaria returns in season 5 (with Varma joining the main cast), still mourning Oberyn. Ellaria becomes critical of Oberyn's brother, Prince Doran Martell of Dorne (Alexander Siddig) for refusing to avenge his slain kinsman, so she teams up with Oberyn's bastard daughters, Obara (Keisha Castle-Hughes), Nymeria (Jessica Henwick), and Tyene Sand (Rosabell Laurenti Sanders), known collectively as the Sand Snakes, to take matters into their own hands. The youngest Sand Snake, Tyene, is Ellaria's daughter, furthering their connection. By the end of the season, Ellaria poisons Queen Cersei Lannister's (Lena Heady) daughter Myrcella Baratheon (Nell Tiger Free), killing her on her boat ride back home.
After murdering Doran in the premiere of season 6, Ellaria's faction joins forces with Daenerys in her conquest of King's Landing. However, when their Ironborn fleet is ambushed by Euron Greyjoy (Pilou Asbæk), Obara and Nymeria are killed, and Tyene and Ellaria are taken prisoner. In the dungeons of the Red Keep, Cersei kisses Tyene, poisoning her the same way Ellaria poisoned Myrcella. She explains to Ellaria that the poison will inevitably kill Tyene, and Ellaria will be forced to watch her die and decompose in the cold, dark, prison.
What happens to Ellaria next?
The terrifyingly timed death of Tyene marks Ellaria's final scene in the show. She does not appear in Game of Thrones season 8, nor does she even receive a mention. The only conclusion of her storyline beyond her last on-screen moments is a new, unnamed Prince of Dorne assuming power just in time for the series finale.
However, despite her absence, season 8 implies an even worse fate for Ellaria. In the series' penultimate episode, "The Bells," Daenerys' conquest of King's Landing takes a dark turn. While riding her dragon, Drogon, the once noble queen razes the entire city, burning it to the ground. The Red Keep is caught in her flames, and the iconic castle crumbles, notably killing Cersei and her brother/lover Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) by burying them in the rubble.
If Ellaria is still alive by the time of the attack on King's Landing, she almost certainly suffered a similar fate. She'd been trapped in the dungeon, unable to escape, so the falling debris would almost certainly have killed her. After suffering the mental anguish of slowly watching her daughter die and decompose, Ellaria's death may have felt like a relief, despite the inevitable pain caused by being crushed by the Red Keep.
In leaving Ellaria off screen for the later half of season 7 and all of season 8, Game of Thrones turns her story even sadder. While an on-screen death would have confirmed her fate, the ambiguity around Ellaria drags her story out in order to maximize her pain before her passing. Additionally, the lack of mentions of Ellaria after her imprisonment helps sweep the character under the rug, making her feel forgotten both in and out of universe. If Game of Thrones' ending emphasizes the importance of stories, with Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) becoming king because no one's tale is better, according to Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), then Ellaria's brutal and unceremonious ending makes hers one of the saddest stories in all of Westeros.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to stream A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 on HBO Max.