Who Will Be Daenerys' Third Treason?

Season 7 of Game of Thrones is over, and fans still wonder about how far they still have to go. Long ago in Qarth, Daenerys was foretold her future at the House of Undying:

“three treasons will you know…once for blood and once for gold and once for love…”

The term blood may refer to family, which means the first treason was Mirri Maz Duur — who took revenge for the war crimes committed by Khal Drogo and Dothrakis in her town. She killed Daenerys’ unborn child, Rhaego and turned Khal Drogo into a comatose. The second deceit, the one for gold, can be complicated and may refer to more than one person. It can be, the now-love-struck, Jorah Mormont who was spying on Daenerys for King Robert in Season 1.

It can also be Brown Ben Plumm who abandoned her during the siege of Mereen. He considered Daenerys’ cause lost as she should not control her dragons. There are also other possibilities as well which brings us to the current events in Season 7 of Game of Thrones.

The Attack on Sand Snakes

In Episode 2, Euron Greyjoy attacked Yara’s fleet somewhere in the Narrow Sea while they were taking Sand Snakes to their home. Surprisingly, Danny was sitting in Dragonstone which served as a gateway to the King’s Landing by sea. Not very long ago, another short-sighted and self-righteous ruler of Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon, had successfully blocked the Blackwater bay to stop food supplies reaching the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. On the other hand, Euron not only entered the Blackwater Bay but also met the queen and returned.

He also found Yara’s fleet with full intel and attacked it. It is hard to believe that it was just a stroke of good luck.

Case in point, the Narrow Sea is not that narrow after all. It still takes a person 4–5 days to reach Braavos from White Harbor. How exactly Euron found them? There can be two explanations for that. Either there is a turncoat in Dany’s counsel or in any of the houses pledged their loyalty to her. Second theory sounds more plausible than the first, as Dornish men might not have the same level of loyalty for sand snakes, as they had with Doran Martell. Ellaria Sand killed him back in Season 6. It is possible that few Dornish men would want to avenge the murder of their Lord. The same can be applied for the young Greyjoys. Any of the seamen on their fleet might be a secret mole of their uncle.

The Attack on Casterly Rock

The attack on Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister was even more confidential, as none of the other houses were involved in the planning phase.

It was a fair fight between Lannisters and Targaryens. But, to everyone’s surprise, Lannisters had already vacated the castle. If I were Dany, I would suspect Tyrion for foul play as he is the only Lannister in her counsel, and so far, Lannisters are proved to be one step ahead of her in every round. It could not be another smart guess that Dany was going to attack Casterly Rock and not the King’s Landing.

Real Motives of Lord Varys

Not very long ago, Lord Varys told the tale of his castration to an unsympathetic Tyrion. It was blood magic.

“I still dream of that night, my lord. Not of the sorcerer, nor his blade, nor even the way my manhood shriveled as it burned. I dream of the voice. The voice from the flames. Was it a god, a demon, some conjurer’s trick? I could not tell you, and I know all the tricks. All I can say for a certainty is that he called it, and it answered, and since that day I have hated magic and all those who practice it.”

On a side note, dragons are also born as a result of blood magic, and anyone who hates magic has enough reasons to hate dragons as well. Varys is supporting Daenerys' claim to Iron Throne for the time being, but it’s hard to take him at face value. He betrayed Tyrion during his trial for killing Joffrey, but he also helped him escape the King’s Landing. It raises a question that was it a gesture of sincerity, or had he something else on his mind?

The Citadel’s Role

In the book A Feast for Crows, Sam had a conversation with Maester Marwyn:

“Who do you think killed all the dragons the last time around? Gallant dragon slayers armed with swords? The world the Citadel is building has no place in it for sorcery or prophecy or glass candles, much less for dragons.”

Citadel has shown a particular disapproval for magic and all things related to magic. The Maesters also play a significant role in the politics of Westeros as their role of advisor to great lords of Westeros. It was Pycell who brainwashed the Mad King against Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. A sweet Maester of Winterfell put the idea in the head of Lord Rickard Stark of making a Northern alliance by marrying his son, Brandon Stark, to Catelyn Tully.

Dragons are the biggest manifestation of the magic from old Valyria, and the rebirth of dragons has brought the magic back again in the World. In this situation, it is highly likely that Citadel must have been making plans of its own to weaken the rise of the Mother of Dragons.

Missandei of Naath

Missandei first met Daenerys in Astapor as a scribe of the slaver, Kraznys mo Nakloz. Dany gave her a choice to return to her family and also warned her of the danger she would face in staying with her.

“I can give you freedom, but not safety,” Dany warned. “I have a world to cross and wars to fight. You may go hungry. You may grow sick. You may be killed.”“Valar morghulis,” said Missandei, in High Valyrian.

While this phrase has been mainly associated with the Faceless Men in Braavos, people in other free cities of Essos also use it traditionally. Missandei, originally born on the island of Naath, has never been to Braavos or any of the free cities. She was sold in Astapor where she stayed with Kraznys mo Nakloz until he gave her to Daenerys as a gift. However, she is highly proficient in speaking multiple languages which include High Vayrian as well. Her choice of staying by Daenerys also doesn’t match with her otherwise innocuous personality.

A Case of a Flaming Sword

Lightbringer is a legendary sword used by Azor Ahai to defeat the others. To temper the sword, Azor Ahai shoved it into the heart of his wife, Nissa Nissa, and her soul climbed into the sword giving it a unique glowing look and warmth. According to Melisandre in the novel, A Clash of Kings:

“There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour, a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer…”

Jon Snow is the best candidate to be Azor Ahai reborn if he is indeed the love-child of Rhaegar and Lyanna. Dany and Jon’s intimate scene in the last episode proved the point that Daenerys can be Nissa Nissa. If this happens, the only way Jon can forge the Lightbringer is by killing her. The biggest twist in the tale is that Daenerys is also a candidate for being Azor Ahai herself. One way or another, she is going to "know" the treason for love.

The Future of Daario Naharis

In addition to Daenerys' prophecy of betrayal, there were other prophecies as well. One of which was,

“three mounts must you ride… one to bed and one to dread and one to love”

If the mounts were a metaphor for husbands/lovers, the prophecy can be applied to Khal Drogo as one to bed and Jon as one to love then who is the one to dread? There are two candidates for this part. One of which was Hizdar Zo Loraq who was supposedly a Son of Harpy which later turned out to be untrue. The only other bed warmer left in Dany’s life was Daario whom she left behind in Essos. But, did he choose to stay there? He had been a commander of Second Sons before joining Dany. In the last episode, Cersei also confirmed hiring second sons to protect King’s Landing. The options are paramount.

A Second Dance of the Dragons

Apart from the title of the fifth book, Dance of the Dragons was a historical civil war between the descendants of House Targaryen for the Iron Throne. The war got the name because both rivals rode dragons to the final battle.

“Eventually the queen was fed to her opponent’s dragon while her son watched, and the victorious king soon died of his own wounds. By the war’s end, King’s Landing was smashed, cities razed and sacked never to be rebuilt, and dragons had faded from this world.”

George R.R. Martin indicated in one of the interviews that a second dance of the dragons is approaching. According to the latest events, there are two legitimate Targaryen candidates for the throne: Dany and Jon. Looking at their choices in the past, Daenerys won’t rest until she removes the threat of another heir throwing doubts on the legitimacy of her claim. If this happens, Jon would have left with no other choice except paying her back in the same coin.

The Future of Greyjoys

When Euron Grejoy captured his niece Yara along with Sand Snakes, Theon, abandoning all hopes of rescuing his sister, jumped overboard to save himself, much to the dismay of fans. Yara stayed in the captivity of Euron all season, and Theon returned to the only safe harbor he knew, that is Dragonstone. There is a chance that if Euron blackmailed him to spy on Daenerys in exchange for his sister’s life, Theon wouldn’t say no. After facing Ramsay’s torture for months, Theon had not been himself lately. He tried to redeem his image by helping Sansa escaping the captivity of Ramsay. But, fear has become an integral part of his personality. It would be convenient for him to spy for Euron as compared to facing him on the battlefield.

Three Heads of the Dragon

In a vision during her visit to the House of Undying, Daenerys saw a man with silver hair saying to her wife:

“There must be one more… The dragon has three heads.”

If we buy into the three-headed dragon story, one more Targaryen is needed to complete the analogy of three-headed dragon. Is there another Targaryen hidden in plain sight? Evidence says so. Aerys II Targaryen was said to be adulterous, and he didn’t mind wooing ladies in the court of her wife, Queen Rhaella.

“Joanna Lannister was not the first lady to be dismissed abruptly from Her Grace’s service, nor was she the last.”

Don’t forget that such disposal occurred after Joanna’s wedding with Tywin. It was not uncommon for Kings and royalties in Westeros to force their wishes onto women of lower rank, and Joanna Lannister was no shy maiden. It is highly unlikely that such advances were made without the approval of the lady in question. She was said to rule over Tywin Lannister where his father Tytos Lannister could not claim that. On the other hand, Aery’s obsession with keeping Jaime on his side which some people dubbed as "a hostage" can have other interpretation as well. Aerys’ belief that Jaime would kill Tywin on his order was far-stretched even for a mad person. If Aerys and Joanna were indeed having an affair, any of the three Lannister children could be of Aerys. Tyrion is the best candidate for the "Secret Targaryen" theory. He is already questioning if he gets to know about his true parentage, his loyalty with Daenerys might not be the same.

Tyrion is the best candidate for the "Secret Targaryen" theory. He is already questioning whether Daenerys is fit to rule Westeros after she burnt Tarlys alive. If he gets to know about his true parentage, his loyalty with Daenerys might not be the same.