Set Up: Leaving Winterfell

After defeating the Night King, Arya and the Hound head to King’s Landing. They have much rich dialogue during their trip. The Hound tells her not to be like him, having a life solely built on revenge. Arya isn’t persuaded.

Jaime leaves Winterfell around the same time. At some point, he crosses paths with Arya and the Hound on the road. All three openly discuss their clear purposes. Arya will kill Cersei. The Hound will kill his brother. And Jaime will try to convince Cersei to surrender.

All three arrive at King’s Landing several days ahead of the final battle. Cersei rescinds her “hit” on Jaime, and they have many discussions and arguments. Arya maneuvers within the city, trying to figure out how to gain access to the closely guarded Cersei. Eventually, she finds, interrogates, and kills Ser Ilyn Payne, the man who beheaded her father.

The Final Day of Battle

Jaime is with Cersei, still trying to get her to surrender. Much of Euron’s fleet was destroyed [in the previous episode], so things don’t initially look promising for Cersei.

But Cersei’s men launch pots of wild fire onto Dany’s troops outside King’s Landing’s walls. She’s also placed wild fire traps throughout the city’s neighborhoods, which are set off during the battle, killing a considerable portion of Dany’s invading army. What’s most horrifying to both Dany and Jaime, however, is that the wild fire is burning/killing many civilian men, women, and children of King’s Landing as well. Jaime asks Cersei about this, and she says those people are merely “sheep” and casualties of war.

Dany is atop Drogon. She’s already burned the remainder of Euron’s fleet and much of Cersei’s army. She’s also flamed those on the outer walls who were heaping wild fire onto the Unsullied and Dothraki. (Side note: When Drogon breathes fire on stone walls and buildings in King’s Landing, they don’t obliterate the way they did in the actual episode.) There are many casualties on both sides, but the battle seems fairly even. So stubborn Cersei maintains her confidence, to Jaime’s frustration.

Outside Cersei’s room, we see Ser Ilyn Payne and several other soldiers guarding the door. The Mountain is inside Cersei’s room. Jaime reminds Cersei of the burning of the Sept, and what happened to Tommen. He speaks to her about “going too far.”

Now long into the battle, while flying on Drogon, from a distance Dany sees Cersei in a window in the Red Keep.

The Death of Cersei

Then three things happen at once:
Ilyn Payne begins to fight with the other guards outside Cersei’s room. Dany on Drogon now heads for Cersei to burn her. And Jaime realizes that Cersei is the new Mad King.

Before anyone else has a chance to kill Cersei, Jaime, in tears, standing behind her, realizes what he must do. He grabs Cersei and pushes her out of the window — the same window from which Tommen jumped. Dany riding Drogon toward the Red Keep sees Cersei’s body hurling toward the ground.

Immediately the Mountain charges toward Jaime who doesn’t even try to defend himself. The Mountain puts his sword straight through Jaime’s lower torso. Jaime slumps to the ground.

At the same time, as the Mountain is removing his sword from Jaime, Ilyn Payne enters the room. He quickly moves toward the Mountain, and stabs him in the neck. The Mountain backhands Ilyn Payne, sending him across the room. On the ground, we now see it’s Arya wearing Ilyn Payne’s clothing. Outside, Dany and Drogon dive down to Cersei’s lifeless body. Drogon nonetheless burns Cersei and the surrounding area. A large fire ensues.

Then the Hound, who has been slashing his way through men to get to Cersei’s chamber, enters the room and tells Arya to leave. “Remember what I told you, girl!” Now his words on the road hit home to her. Arya starts to flee the room. She looks toward Jaime, who is barely alive, to help him escape. But Jaime waves her off as if to say it’s useless. He’s about to die.

The Hound and the Mountain battle each other. Eventually the Hound takes both of them out of the window, toward the fire below (similar to actual episode). Elsewhere in the city, a few surviving King’s Landing soldiers bring out the last portable scorpion from a hidden location.

(The mad queen of the show is not Dany, but rather Cersei, who proved it long ago by burning so many civilians in the Sept, and again here at this battle. The beginning of GoT has Jaime pushing Bran out of the window for Cersei’s sake. Now he pushes Cersei out of a window for everyone’s sake. He was forced to kill the Mad King, and now the Mad Queen.)

The battle seems over. Dany and Drogon sit atop one of King’s Landing outer walls. Then suddenly Drogon is hit by a scorpion spear. He tries to fly, and makes it some distance. But then he crash-lands in the throne room of the Red Keep, and Dany is thrown off him. Drogon nudges Dany, who’s laid out on the ground, but she doesn’t respond. Though weak, with his last dying breaths, Drogon melts down the Iron Throne. Just as Cersei lost her three children, now Dany has lost her three children/dragons.

Outside the Red Keep, it becomes clear that Cersei’s forces have been defeated. Inside, Dany’s body makes some slight movement.

Aftermath: Dany and Jon

It takes awhile for Dany to recover from her injuries. During this time, everything concerning the fate of the kingdom is in limbo. Jon visits her often to see how she’s doing. She asks him what’s next. He says they’ll discuss that when she’s feeling better. Dany is devastated by the loss of Drogon. Jon consoles her.

With time to think, and recover, Dany eventually has a serious discussion with Jon about the future. She realizes her purpose has been fulfilled, and that she really doesn’t want to rule the seven kingdoms. Killing off the white walkers and hopefully ending tyranny in Westeros … that’s enough of an accomplishment. Also, she doesn’t feel at home in Westeros. She will ask Yara’s help to return to Essos with the Unsullied, the Dothraki, and Missandei. There she felt more at home. She willingly cedes the throne to Jon.

But Jon’s been pondering things also, and has news of his own. As he’s said all along, he doesn’t want to rule. And he hates King’s Landing. Just as Essos feels like home for Dany, the North is what feels like home to Jon. But he doesn’t want to rule the North; that’s for Sansa. He will go beyond the Wall for a time and see what happens, with the wildling free folk and whoever wants to join him from the possibly defunct Night’s Watch.

Both Dany and Jon also agree that the revelation of their familial connection (she’s his aunt) has somehow changed how they view each other. Neither wanted to feel differently because of it, but they do. Plus, he’ll never feel at home in Essos, and she’ll never feel at home in the North of Westeros.

Aftermath: The Fate of Westeros

Upon Dany’s recovery, there is a meeting between her, the heads of the major houses, and various others. Dany and Jon both disclose their future plans to NOT rule Westeros. This is shocking news to everyone present, and it takes awhile to sink in.

Dany reminds them it was her intention to “break the wheel.” She tells them that the Unsullied and Dothraki that came with her chose to follow her. Similarly, the wildlings and men of the Night’s Watch chose to follow Jon. Westeros needs a chosen leader – someone chosen by ALL the people of Westeros. But how could such a thing be accomplished? It’s never been done before. And what will take place in the interim?

They decide that there should be a temporary leader, and discuss who this should be. Several names are put forth (similar to when they were voting for a new Commander of the Night’s Watch).

Someone suggests Bran. But Bran says he prefers to be in the North with Sansa, and says there are reasons why he can’t be a king. (Remember, in season 7 he said he couldn’t be Lord of Winterfell.) Then Bran says the country should be led, for now, by Tyrion, Varys, Brienne, Ser Davos, and Samwell Tarly. He doesn’t explain why those five. They can equally divide up responsibilities and each would have equal power. No more kings or queens. Just five equal leaders. It’s something new, but you will learn as you go.

And the five can figure out how to select one leader chosen by all the people. Or, Bran says, the people can choose to continue to be led by a council of five.

Some are shocked, some voice objections that others counter. After a time, all seem willing to give it a try. They take a vote and it’s unanimous. Bran concludes by saying he may be able to assist the ruling five on some matters and decisions. “Just send … a raven” (which makes the always-stoic Bran almost laugh).

(I like the symmetry of Bran ending as king after being thrown down in episode 1, and the Iron Throne being replaced by a wheelchair. However, if the wheel is truly to be broken, Westeros can’t be ruled by one person from a great house, not even Bran. Plus, Bran seems kind of out-of-it to be a king.)

Closing Moments

Arya now has her own ship and crew, and sails to Braavos. There she eventually finds Jaqen H’ghar. She tells him of her plans to explore west of Westeros, where no one has gone before. He replies, “It is an interesting thing that a girl wishes to do.”

While traveling in the far north, Jon (reunited with Ghost) and his traveling companions come upon some wildlings who survived the white walkers. One of them is a beautiful young woman, a redhead who seems more calm than “fiery.” She and Jon talk together. She asks him his name. He says Jon Snow (not Aegon Targaryen). He tells her that in spite of the cold and harshness, he thinks there’s something special about this whole area north of the Wall. She tells him, “Well, that’s quite a thing to know, Jon Snow.”

When Dany gets back to Essos, she runs into Daario Naharis of the Second Sons, and reignites her relationship with him. She also makes a trip to the Iron Bank, and scolds them for supporting Cersei. They’re not moved by her words, but they do want a good relationship with Daenerys moving forward. They’re also grateful for her help in ending the white walkers, which they now believe were real.

So, as a gift, the head of the Iron Bank gives her something they’ve had locked away for years: a dragon egg. And Dany smiles.

OR…

You could scratch much of the above, and instead have Dany and Jon end up together. They get married even though they are aunt and nephew. They decide to rule together with equal power as King and Queen, and live out their lives in a rebuilt King’s Landing. People often talk about their love story, and have named it “a song of ice and fire.” Westeros and Essos both experience centuries of peace under their rule and the rule of their descendants.

OR…

You could have the episode of “The Bells” go exactly as it did on the show, however, afterwards Dany feels great remorse. She was horrified when her dragon killed one little girl in Essos, and angry when the nobles of Meereen crucified children. Dany is horrified now over what she herself has done. She went too far and knows it. She decides that she cannot rule in Westeros, and announces to the Dothraki, the Unsullied, and everyone else who Jon really is. He is the rightful heir to the throne, and has the correct temperament to rule Westeros. She will go back to Essos with the Unsullied and Dothraki and rule there. Jon reluctantly rules Westeros for awhile. Then he decides to go live out his life north of the wall, and gives over the rulership of the seven kingdoms to Sansa before he leaves.