George R.R. Martin Is Setting Daenerys Up To Break The Rules Of Game Of Thrones In Winds Of Winter

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Daenerys Targaryen staring at the Iron Throne

Published Aug 27, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

James Hunt is a writer and editor based in Newcastle, UK. A Sports Journalism graduate from the University of Sunderland, he quickly realized that supporting his local football (or "soccer") team, Sunderland AFC, was painful enough without having to write about it, so decided to write a load of nonsense about movies and TV instead.

Forget about breaking the wheel, Daenerys Targaryen may be breaking a Game of Thrones rule when The Winds of Winter releases. It's been seven years since her ultimate fate was revealed in Game of Thrones' ending, where she was killed by Jon Snow when the Iron Throne was finally within her reach. Although she styled herself queen, Dany never actually got to sit on the seat made by her ancestor, Aegon the Conqueror, and his dragon, Balerion, and it was then melted down after her death by Drogon.

However, like many other Game of Thrones characters, Daenerys will get a second chance, because she's in a very different place in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books, and, crucially, still alive. However, it's not all good news: with the delays to The Winds of Winter, it means Dany has been stranded in the 15 years since A Dance with Dragons was released, having diarrhea in the Dothraki Sea (some less generous folks might say it's a better fate than Game of Thrones season 8).

There is also the small matter of The Winds of Winter's release, which currently does not seem close, but I live in hope because sometimes that's all we have to cling to in this world. And when Winds does come around, there's a good chance Dany will finally be making her way over to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, ready to take what she believes is rightfully hers with fire and blood. And if she does that, she will be making history.

Daenerys Becoming Queen Would Be A First For House Targaryen

Daenerys sitting on the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones promotional image.

Aegon the Conqueror established a dynasty that spanned almost 300 years, and it's one Daenerys is looking to reestablish. Fom Aegon I, to Aegons II, III, IV, and V(!), all the way through to Aerys II, aka the Mad King, there were a total of 17 Targaryen rulers across more than 280 years. Unfortunately for Dany, not a single one of them was a woman.

While there have, of course, been plenty of women married to kings and styled as queens, there hasn't been a single one who has served as the ruling monarch in that capacity, meaning Daenerys would be the very first. And, yes, that includes Rhaenyra Targaryen, despite her claiming the Iron Throne in both Fire & Blood and House of the Dragon.

Rhaenyra does claim the Iron Throne and serve as queen, but the issue is she is not officially recognized as such in the history of Westeros' kings and queens. Because Aegon II was seen as the rightful ruler by many, and Westeros is a deeply patriarchal (and sexist) society, the history was written to be that Rhaenyra was the usurper and her rule was delegitimized. Thus, in the line of succession, it simply moves from Aegon II to Aegon III.

So, if Daenerys is able to restore the Targaryen line, she would be the first ever true Targaryen queen. This actually makes sense with how Martin has established her as someone who is special and a figure of greater destiny. That may also play a part in her eventual downfall, but it is fitting that she would do what no Targaryen has ever done before.

There is also the chance that Daenerys becomes Westeros' first true ruling queen, period. In Game of Thrones, that honor belongs to Cersei Lannister, but it remains to be seen whether that happens in the book prior to Dany's arrival. However, she does become Queen Regent following the death of Tywin Lannister, so she technically has filled that role in her own way.

Will Daenerys Actually Become Queen In The Winds Of Winter?

Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) looking furious in Game of Thrones.

While Daenerys' arc is very much about her eventually becoming Queen of Westeros, there's still a long way to go before that happens. Her story in The Winds of Winter should loosely align with that from Game of Thrones season 6, which is: deal with the khalasar, return to Meereen, finish up business there, and eventually set sail for Westeros. This will also include Dany's first meeting with Tyrion Lannister, which hasn't yet happened in the books, and much more besides.

Then there's the matter of rival claimants. Depending on how the book handles Tommen's fate, it's possible Cersei will become queen for a brief time, but it's perhaps more likely that another Targaryen will take the Iron Throne before Daenerys: Aegon. In the books, the firstborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell is ostensibly still alive, under the moniker Young Griff, having been switched with another baby during the Sack of King's Landing and smuggled to Essos.

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The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros, ruling from their ancestral seat. What is the name of their castle?

AHighgarden BStorm’s End CCasterly Rock DThe Eyrie

✓ Correct! Casterly Rock sits atop gold mines in the Westerlands and has been the seat of House Lannister for centuries. The gold beneath it is the source of the family’s legendary wealth — though as Tywin once noted, the mines ran dry years ago.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Casterly Rock. Highgarden belongs to the Tyrells, Storm’s End to the Baratheons, and The Eyrie to the Arryns. Casterly Rock has been the Lannister stronghold since Lann the Clever swindled it from House Casterly.

Jon Snow rises through the ranks of the Night’s Watch to eventually hold what title — the highest position in the order?

AFirst Ranger BLord Commander CMaster of Arms DWarden of the North

✓ Correct! Jon Snow was elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch by his sworn brothers. He was one of the youngest men to ever hold the title, following in the footsteps of legends like Jeor Mormont.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Lord Commander. While Jon started as a steward, he was elected Lord Commander after the death of Jeor Mormont. Warden of the North is a different title entirely — one held by the Stark family.

Daenerys Targaryen hatches three dragons from petrified eggs. Which of the following is NOT one of her dragons?

ABalerion BDrogon CRhaegal DViserion

✓ Correct! Balerion “the Black Dread” was Aegon the Conqueror’s dragon, who died of old age over a century before the events of the show. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion — named after Khal Drogo, Rhaegar, and Viserys.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Balerion. Daenerys’ three dragons are Drogon (black and red), Rhaegal (green and bronze), and Viserion (cream and gold). Balerion the Black Dread was Aegon the Conqueror’s mount, dead long before Daenerys was born.

The Red Wedding is one of the most shocking moments in TV history. At whose castle does this massacre take place?

AHarrenhal BRiverrun CCasterly Rock DThe Twins

✓ Correct! The Red Wedding took place at The Twins, the castle of House Frey. Lord Walder Frey violated the sacred guest right by slaughtering Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, and their bannermen during the wedding feast of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is The Twins. Walder Frey’s castle — two towers spanning the Green Fork — was where he broke sacred guest right to massacre the Starks. “The Lannisters send their regards” remains one of the show’s most chilling lines.

Jon Snow wields a Valyrian steel bastard sword given to him by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. What is the sword’s name?

AIce BLongclaw CHeartsbane DOathkeeper

✓ Correct! Longclaw is a Valyrian steel bastard sword that was the ancestral weapon of House Mormont. Jeor gave it to Jon after he saved the Lord Commander from a wight, replacing the bear pommel with a white wolf for House Stark.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Longclaw. Ice was the Stark greatsword (melted down by Tywin Lannister), Heartsbane belonged to House Tarly, and Oathkeeper was one of the two swords forged from Ice. Longclaw is the Mormont blade Jon carries throughout the series.

Tyrion Lannister serves as Hand of the King to which ruler, expertly managing the defense of King’s Landing during the Battle of the Blackwater?

ARobert Baratheon BTommen Baratheon CJoffrey Baratheon DDaenerys Targaryen

✓ Correct! Tywin sent Tyrion to serve as Hand in his place during Joffrey’s reign. Tyrion brilliantly orchestrated the defense against Stannis Baratheon’s fleet using wildfire, though he received no credit and was nearly killed in the battle.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Joffrey Baratheon. Tyrion served as Joffrey’s Hand of the King in Season 2, appointed by his father Tywin. He later served as Hand to Daenerys, but it was under Joffrey that the Battle of the Blackwater took place.

Jon Snow’s true parentage is one of the show’s biggest reveals. What is his real Targaryen name, given by his mother Lyanna Stark?

AAegon Targaryen BAemon Targaryen CRhaegar Targaryen DJaehaerys Targaryen

✓ Correct! Lyanna Stark named her son Aegon Targaryen. He is the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna, who were secretly married. This made Jon the true heir to the Iron Throne — a fact that changed the course of the final season.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Aegon Targaryen. Lyanna whispered the name to Ned Stark in the Tower of Joy. Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen (not named after him), making him Aegon — a name carried by many Targaryen kings, including the Conqueror himself.

In the series finale, who is chosen by the lords and ladies of Westeros to rule the Six Kingdoms as king?

AJon Snow BSansa Stark CTyrion Lannister DBran Stark

✓ Correct! Bran Stark — now Bran the Broken — was chosen as king of the Six Kingdoms at the Dragonpit council. Tyrion argued that Bran’s story was the most compelling reason to rule. Sansa became Queen in the North, and Jon was sent back to the Wall.

✗ Dracarys! The answer is Bran Stark. Tyrion nominated Bran at the great council, arguing “who has a better story than Bran the Broken?” Sansa was crowned Queen in the independent North, Jon returned to the Wall, and Tyrion served as Bran’s Hand of the King.

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Now, machinations are in place for Aegon to take the Iron Throne. He's been raised as the perfect Targaryen ruler, he's arriving in Westeros with an army - including the Golden Company, the finest group of sellswords known to man - and Varys has killed Kevan Lannister and Grand Maester Pycelle to cause chaos in the realm and weaken Tommen's reign. It would be quite a powerful idea for Dany to finally arrive in Westeros, to come so close to the thing she believes is hers, only to find another Targaryen beat her to it.

Still, Daenerys taking the Iron Throne at some point feels likely. It's quite possible we're headed to another civil war, this time with her vs. Aegon (who may or may not be a fake, and it may or may not even matter), and there's no way Dany, one of the two main characters of the series, is going to lose to someone introduced in the fifth book.

When that's done, then I do think we will see her on the Iron Throne, in a much more concrete and official way than we got in Game of Thrones, but it might not be until A Dream of Spring, or at least the very end of The Winds of Winter.

Daenerys As Queen Would Also Break GRRM's POV Rule

This would also, actually, break another long-held rule. So far, Martin has resisted having the monarchs be point of view characters. None of the characters who have been crowned king and sat the Iron Throne - Robert, Joffrey, and Tommen Baratheon - have been POV characters. Nor were those involved in the War of the Five Kings: Robb Stark, Stannis and Renly Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy. The closest is Cersei herself, who becomes a POV character in A Feast for Crows, though, again, she is Queen Regent, not just Queen. Dany, meanwhile, is styled as Queen of Meereen, but there are none in Westeros.

It's an interesting choice, meaning we don't get insights into how they think, but it's more interesting to view them from those around them. Inevitably, however, that has to break at some point as the pool of characters narrows down, and the series approaches its endgame. Whether it is with Bran Stark, Jon Snow, or someone like Sansa Stark as Queen in the North, we'll have to get a POV chapter or two from a ruling Westeros monarch, and it could well begin with Daenerys.

Publisher(s) Bantam Spectra

Genre Fantasy

Author(s) George R. R. Martin

Genre(s) Fantasy

The upcoming sixth and penultimate book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. The long-awaited sequel will continue the stories of Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and more characters who were brought to life in HBO's Game of Thrones.

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