While the later seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones quickly became controversial, the earliest seasons are nearly universally beloved. Ned Stark’s adventures in season 1 helped to catapult the show into mainstream consciousness, even if it cost him his head in the end. While the undying tragedies certainly were heart-wrenching, they were still captivating and so well-designed that even the biggest twists never felt contrived. The Red Wedding alone was incredibly well done by itself.
Yet the final season has earned immense criticism for failing to properly seed Daenerys Targaryen’s fall to villainy. It seemed as if she simply lost her moral compass in the final episodes, after spending so long attempting to support the smallfolk around Westeros and Essos. Despite those critiques, however, her turn to darkness was foreshadowed by a key scene from Season 1.
Ned and Robert Argued Over Daenerys’ Life
In Game of Thrones Season 1, Episode 5, “The Wolf and The Lion”, Ned and Robert begin the episode on relatively good terms. While Ned was infuriated by Robert’s incessant need to sleep around King’s Landing while bankrupting the realm, he still had love for his old friend. Tragically, that deep-seated friendship nearly died when Robert demanded that Ned help him kill Daenerys Targaryen. After discovering that she was pregnant with Khal Drogo’s child, he wanted nothing more than to see her dead.
Ned refused to even entertain the notion that they would kill the princess.
Unfortunately, that request did not come as a great surprise. During the horrific events of Robert’s Rebellion, the king developed a relentless hatred of Daenerys’ family. After all, her brother, Rhaegar, kidnapped Robert’s betrothed, Lyanna Stark. The Mad King Aerys also brutally murdered Ned’s family and called for Robert and Ned’s heads. Driven by a need for revenge, he continued to nurse that resentment in the years after. It was no wonder that he wanted to see the pregnant Daenerys dead.
Yet, despite being ordered by his king, Ned refused to even entertain the notion that they would kill the princess. Horrified at the idea of killing a child — and likely thinking of his own secret Targaryen ward, Jon Snow — Ned refused to serve a king who would demand such horrors. He surrendered his post and elected to return to Winterfell, where the murder of children was not considered a common course. Tragically, Ned would never return alive. The girl that he attempted to save would eventually destroy the very castle that Ned and Robert were arguing in.
Robert Eventually Repented and Agreed With Ned
With Ned gone, Robert still attempted an assassination against Daenerys. Yet, while Robert did eventually repent. In Game of Thrones season 1, episode 7, “You Win or You Die”, Robert admitted that he had been nearsighted. On his dying bed, he proclaimed Ned his only true ally and begged him, “Let her live. Stop it, if it’s not too late.” Though Robert could not have known it, it was too late. Daenerys survived the attempt. By trying to kill the Khaleesi, the Westerosi king earned the eternal ire of Khal Drogo and nearly ensured the destruction of Westeros by the Dothraki army.
Robert’s main reason for wanting Daenerys dead was that she posed a threat to the entire Seven Kingdoms. If she bore a son, who could unite the Dothraki and the Golden Company under the Targaryen name, then Westeros would undoubtedly fall. It would also mean the continuation of the Targaryen name. The Targaryen dynasty nearly ended Robert’s family, and a resurgence would mean the death of all of his children. Those deaths would include Robert’s bastards and the three supposedly legitimate Lannister-Baratheon children. Robert could never have predicted that Daenerys would resurrect the dragons, but he knew that she would hate the Baratheon name. Keeping her alive was a direct threat to his family.
Robert Was Right for the Wrong Reasons
Tragically, killing Daenerys would likely have been the right decision for the people of King’s Landing. After all, season 8 saw her burning down the entire city. After Queen Cersei killed her dragon and her friend, Daenerys let loose a volley of dragon fire. It was a horrific attack that Ned’s own daughter, Arya, witnessed first-hand. If Ned saw what Daenerys would become, even the honorable Lord Stark might have been taken aback.
Daenerys’ influence did not even stop the White Walkers. Her dragon, Viserion, was the sole reason that the Night King was able to destroy the Wall. Without her involvement, Westeros would never have been in real danger at all. The free folk would have been in perpetual danger, but Jon had already let them through the Wall. Even the people of Meereen, who Daenerys saved from slavery, likely saw their society collapse after Daenerys left Daario and the Second Sons in command of the city. Though she had high ambitions, Daenerys accomplished little that would not be reverted after her death. Even the Unsullied are sailing to an island with poisonous butterflies.
Killing Daenerys Was Probably Impossible
While it can be argued that Robert’s remorse ensured that no more assassins were sent, the sheer fact is that any assassination attempts were likely to fail. As Khaleesi of the largest Khalasar in the Dothraki Sea, it is unlikely that any attack would have actually harmed Daenerys. She was constantly surrounded by attendants, sworn swords, and blood-riders. To make matters worse, she was always on the move. Even without the dragons, it would be challenging to find anyone willing to kill a Khaleesi and risk a truly horrific fate. Even if they succeeded, the assassin would not see the fruits of their labor, as they would be swiftly cut down.
In the one true attempt on her life early on, the assassin was quickly identified by the villainous Ser Jorah Mormont. Considering that Jorah was supposed to be Robert’s spy within the Khalasar, his betrayal meant that any attempt was doomed from the start. Robert’s attempt could have prevented the destruction of King’s Landing, but even his inside men were not interested in actually seeing Daenerys dead. Varys, Jorah, and countless others worked diligently to protect the princess. Robert knew that Daenerys would become a threat to the Seven Kingdoms, but even he could not stop her. Game of Thrones was always going to end with a dark Daenerys, and even King Robert’s best attempts could not prevent that.
