3 Theories About How the Battle in Episode 5 of 'Game of Thrones' Will End
The penultimate episode of Game of Thrones' final season airs tomorrow, and after last week's gut punch of an ending, it looks like fans will finally see a clash of queens as Cersei and Daenerys pit their armies against each other. But who will emerge victorious in the impending Battle of King's Landing? There are some popular theories circulating about how the coming conflict will end.
Daenerys will burn the city to ash
The final word uttered by Dany's handmaiden Missandei was "dracarys," which can be interpreted both as a sign of her undying loyalty to the Mother of Dragons, and as a call to Drogon to burn King's Landing to the ground. While Cersei has created a human shield for herself by bringing hundreds of innocent subjects into the Red Keep, Dany has also proven herself pretty ruthless, saying she'll free the world of tyrants at "any cost." Will she reduce these innocent bystanders to cinders?
The burning of King's Landing has been foreshadowed as early as season two. In Dany's vision during her visit to the House of the Undying, she saw giant holes in the walls and the ceiling of the Iron Throne room. We learned during Arya's stay at Harrenhal that only dragon fire can melt the stone of Westerosi castles, so it's looking more and more likely that Dany will destroy the city she came to save.
The Golden Company will swing the odds
The start of this season saw Cersei welcoming Harry Strickland, the leader of the Golden Company, to Westeros. The Golden Company are an army of soldiers-for-hire famed for their fighting prowess. In the original novels, they have a reputation for never breaking a contract. However, the Golden Company are from Essos, the continent we spent the first six seasons watching Dany conquer and rule. Might this sway the loyalty of the Company from Cersei to Dany, who is technically their queen?
There's also a theory going around that Dany's former lover Daario the sellsword has somehow infiltrated the Golden Company, although it's doubtful that with just two episodes left in the series we'll see actor Michiel Huisman again.
One of the queens will die before the finale
Cersei's inevitable demise has been alluded to many times throughout the series; she hated her younger brother Tyrion because she believed he was prophesied to kill her, but her twin Jaime is looking like the likelier suspect. If he's on his way south to kill Cersei, we might just be able to forgive him for leaving Brienne after they finally got it together.
Just as possible, though, is that Varys will conspire to overthrow Dany, as he believes Jon Snow (aka Aegon Targaryen) has a stronger claim to the throne and would make a better ruler. If Dany goes full Mad Queen and starts incinerating King's Landing, it may fall to Jon to kill his auntie-turned-lover in the name of the greater good.
But, with this being Game of Thrones, making predictions is pointless. The show has always zigged when we expect it to zag, so who knows, maybe this week's epic battle will end with Dany and Cersei braiding each other's hair.
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