The Winds of Winter release date is—presumably—closer than it has ever been, and the book may even show its face as early as next year, if certain rumors are true. And much ink has been spilled about Jon Snow and his fate, but another very large and looming question will probably take up more of the book: What will happen when Daenerys comes to Westeros? One thing’s for sure… it won’t be pleasant for anyone involved.
Winds of Winter Plot: Daenerys The Avenging Dragon
Daenerys has been a fan favorite since A Game of Thrones, and since then, we’ve all been hoping she’d finally, finally get back to Westeros. That looks like it will actually happen soon—with a new khalasar at her command and Meereen possibly crumbling, she’ll have little left to keep her in Slaver’s Bay and all the means necessary to leave it for Westeros. And, sooner or later, she’ll arrive, with an army of Dothraki, Unsullied, mercenaries and free slaves at her back.
Does that sound like an army that will bring peace to Westeros? No. When Daenerys first arrives in her ancestral homeland, which she views as her birthright, she will bring only war. The Lannisters and Tyrells won’t so quickly step aside, and neither will Aegon, another purported Targaryen who is stomping around the Stormlands with his own mercenary army as A Dance With Dragons ends.
Did you really think Daenerys would bring stability and order to Westeros, the kind it was lacking under the latter days of Robert’s rule and ever since? No, that’s crazy talk. She’s going to start another civil war, probably worse than than the last. After all, she has three dragons, and an army that cares little for the Westerosi, or for civilians in general. It’s going to be a bloodbath, filled with carnage.
Sure, Daenerys will win her second War of Conquest. With dragons, there seems little doubt of that. But it will be far from painless, especially if Aegon doesn’t join up with her immediately. After all, he may well soon have the Martells on his side, which will give us a three-way civil war, at least—Lannister/Tyrell loyalists, Aegon patriots, and Daenerys’s own army. That still leaves lots of houses unaligned. Westeros may be weakened after the War of the Five Kings, but it will certainly rally against her. Hopelessly, but Westeros will fight against the return of the dragons. It was always going to be this way: Whatever comes of it in the end, Daenerys will come to Westeros bringing fire and blood.
