Some of you are still waiting for George R.R. Martin to release The Winds of Winter, and some of you are hoping it’s worth the wait. Well, the only thing that could make the 13-year wait worthwhile is when the author gives us the shock of our lives: Daenerys becoming the Night Queen.
This isn’t a far-fetched idea and totally not impossible to happen. In fact, the Night Queen theory has been around for years, and since the books leave a lot to possibilities, we may as well get a satisfying conclusion to the A Song of Ice and Fire saga.
George R.R. Martin may be preparing for the Night Queen theory
Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen left Game of Thrones on a tragic note. Her death signaled the end of an era, a lineage, and a once-promising vision. Many were devastated by how her arc ended in the show, and the only hope they see that can reverse it and make it better is George R.R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter.
The only problem is that the book has remained in progress for more than 13 years. Martin is surely cooking up something wild and catastrophic—perhaps Daenerys actually becoming the Night Queen? It’s an exciting prospect, and it’s not just fan service but a viable concept we’d like to read.
If Martin is taking that much time to finish his sixth novel, he might be writing the biggest twist he can ever come up with for the entire novel saga. Those 13 years—while he admitted a good chunk were spent on television and other personal projects, also covered his time coming up with the greatest revelation in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Daenerys transforming into the Night Queen is the perfect contrast to her earlier days as a compassionate ruler. Consumed by her desire to claim the Iron Throne and win the hearts of people in Westeros, she would end up drowning in her own sorrow as she faced loss and betrayal from loved ones.
It’s a good nudge to the prophecy that’s been consuming the Targaryen dynasty for decades. Daenerys, born of fire and blood, becoming the Night Queen brings the prophecy to full circle. She would be the literal personification of ice and fire.
George R.R. Martin must carefully plot Daenerys’ path to becoming the Night Queen
It would be difficult to pull off this move without careful writing and analysis. Martin once promised that we’ll have the book on our shelves before the final season airs, but with the course of the show, it may very well be possible that he changed his mind and is now planning on taking a different path.
Martin notably revealed in the past that the books would have a different ending to the TV series. While he gave the showrunners a vague idea of how the story would go, he did not get into the specifics.
An ending showing Daenerys ultimately becoming the Night Queen would be the culmination of one of the most fascinating arcs in the series—an ending worthy of a 13-year wait.
