Click here for
[PART 1](https://steemit.com/gameofthrones/@petermarie/rise-of-the-mad-queen-an-analysis-of-the-growth-of-daenerys-stormborn-targaryen)
[PART 2](https://steemit.com/gameofthrones/@petermarie/rise-of-the-mad-queen-part-2-an-analysis-of-the-growth-of-daenerys-stormborn-targaryen)
Queen Daenerys of the House Targaryen, first of her name, is finally ready to sail to Westerosi and claim her father's throne--that ugly piece of metal that she has heard so much about and should be hers by right. Moreover, she now sees herself as fulfilling her destiny, not just to be a Queen and a Dragon, but to free the whole of Westerosi from the 'tyrannical' rule of her father's usurpers. However, Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys have both advised her that, despite having put together the largest and most fearsome army in the world, she will need the support of at least a few of the great houses of Westerosi to win and keep the throne. She is very reluctant to do so--in her eyes, all the great houses are traitors for staying under and supporting the usurper's rule. Yet, her time as Queen of Meereen has taught her that the politics of ruling is never straightforward, and so when Theon and Yara Greyjoy arrive to pledge themselves to her cause with a fleet of their own and knowledge of the seas, and Ellaria Sand offers the assistace of Dorne, she accepts. Now, she has an army, a large company of sellswords, enough ships, enough horses, a naval commander, 3 Westerosi advisers, and 3 Dragons. It is time to sail. She leaves the Second sons and her lover Daario Naharis to keep Slavers' Bay in check for her, and takes the rest on her ships across the salt water of the narrow sea to Dragonstone, the Westerpsi home she never knew.
It is important to note here that while there have been tyrannies in Westerosi, especially during the War of Five Kings, Daenerys heraelf did not know of these. Yes, Tyrion and Varys and the late Ser Barristan had expressed their displeasure with the current rule, but none of their grievances were exactly 'tyrannical'. Not like the slave trade that florished in Slavers' Bay. To her, the crime she was going to dish out justice for was really the ousting out of her father and slaying of her brother, and the only reason she wanted the throne was out of a sense of entitlement, now well-mixed with a rigid belief in her own judgements and sense of justice, and her followers' reassurances that she was the just Queen Westerosi needed.
It is in this state that she arrives at Dragonstone. By this time, the ruler of Westerosi--Queen Cersei of House Lannister--can no longer ignore the tales of Daenerys' dragons, her armies and their strength, and has started to ready defenses against her. The War of the Queens has begun. Ravens have already gone out to all the houses that their rightful queen has arrived. Tyrion, with his knowledge of Westerosi and his sister has helped her to draw up a battle plan. They go to meet some, including Highgarden's Oleanna Tyrell who wastes no time in telling her that the Nobles would never obey her unless they fear her. Daenerys want to attack King's Landing quickly and directly but Tyrion advises her against this, suggesting a slower approach which will still ensure victory, not result in the destruction of any cities, and put the common man on her side.
However, things go quickly awry. Cersei, it seems, has smarter advisers and manages to get the upperhand over Daenerys. First, she takes out most of Daenery's ships with Euron Greyjoy's aid, capturing Yara and Ellaria in the process. Then, she allows Daenerys to take Casterly Rock while they get the Kingdom's largest stock of gold and food out of Highgarden. Daenerys is furious with Tyrion and heads out at once with Drogon and her Dothraki (the Unsullied were at Casterly Rock) to head them off. They succeed in utterly decimating the battalions of Lannister Army that had been assigned there, burning up every scrap of food (and gold?) that had been packaged, sparing only those who bent the knee there and then. The only persons who escape are Jamie Lannister and Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, who immediately return to Cersei to report the tenacity of the Dragons and Daenerys' army.
Now let's take a brief pause. At this point, Daenerys is getting impatient and lives are meaning less and less to her. In fact, she shows that she would rather execute offenders on the spot by immediately burning up Randall and his son Dickon Tarly when they refuse to bend the knee. In fact, Varys himself, who had professed his belief in the Dragon queen was starting to doubt, telling Tyrion that he had to find a way to rein her in or she would go the way of her father Aerys. All she wants right now is the Red Keep, and woe to whoever stands in her way.
But her enemies are not the only ones interested in her arrival. Riding down all the way from Winterfell in the North, Jon Snow, the King in the North, arrives with his Hand, Ser Davos Seaworth. Jon, however, isn't interested in the War over Westerosi. All he wants is to access the large deposit of Dragonglass that researc had revealed to be buried under Dragonstone. There is a greater threat, he claims. One which would wipe out all of life, regardless of who won the war. Daenerys doesn't believe him at first--as a proclaimed King in the North, Jon himself was contending against her rule. But under Dragonstone, she sees proof to support his claim and believes.
But Daenerys is truly playing the Game of Thrones now, and playing it the Westerosi way. While she believes Jon about the threat and does find herself very attracted to him, she must ensure every act she does takes her closer to her father's throne. Hence, she compells Jon to bend the knee to her and relinquish the North to her in exchange for her help, and Jon, who wants no throne himself, complies.
Still, the fact that Daenerys has agreed to focus on the more deadly threat does not mean her last enemy, Cersei Lannister has too. Jon, still on his mission to save all life, requests they meet the other Queen in a parlay. Daenerys of course, refuses. But Jon reasons with her and finally she agrees. However, they know Cersei will never believe the threat of the Army of the Dead, so to make their case, they have to do something first: get a living undead soldier as proof. So Jon, with leave from Dany, goes back over the Wall, accompanied by Gendry, Beric Dondarrion, his Red Priest, The Hound, and Tormund Giantsbane. They do manage to get one of the undead, but then the entire arny falls on them. They have no choice but to send an urgent raven from to Daenerys at Dragonstone.
With Jon Snow in danger, Daenery quickly takes her Dragons and rush to their aid, against Tyrion's advice. Her arrival turns the tides and saves them, but in the process, she loses one of her Dragons... One of her children, Viserion.
The parlay with Cersei. As expected, the Queen on the Iron Throne does not believe, but their proof does the trick. On the spot, her commander of her quite impressive fleet, Euron Greyjoy decides to turn tail and head back to his home on the Iron Islands. Cersei, on her part, agrees to Daenery's truce. They would hold off their war until the war with the army of the dead was won, and for this she would sent her own forces up to the North to join Daenerys' and Jon's. Satisfied, the Targaryen takes her advisers, now once more including Ser Jorah, recently cured of Grayscale, her armies, and Jon Snow, her new love back to Winterfell in the North.
However, her welcome is as frosty as the climate of Winterfell. The Northmen, who had proclaimed Jon their King were incensed to see him 'return a Lord', behind a new Queen and a Targaryen to boot. His sister Sansa, The Lady of Winterfell, openly shows her dislike, and makes her know that she would never have the North kneel to an outsider queen again. Jamie Lannister arrives and reveals a dreadful truth to them: Cersei never intended to send her armiea and Euron's retreat was a ruse while he really went to fetch the Golden Company, another group of sellswords. Plus, there's a new complication. Jon Snow, it turns out, is actually Aegon Targaryen, her brother Rhaegar's son and her nephew, giving him a stronger claim to the Iron throne than her. Jon says he doesn't want it, and she knows, but the very fact is a threat to her rise and she begs him not to reveal it. Then the Night King comes down with his army and they engage in an intense battle in which she loses her most loyal protector from the start, Ser Jorah Mormont.
Still, the Night King is defeated and it is time to fight the last was, against Cersei Lannister. Sansa wants the Northmen to rest, but Daenerys is tired of waiting. Half her forces have been depleted and she doesn t want to give Cersei the chance to grow any stronger. Jon backs her, and then, against Daenerys' wishes, reveals the truth about himself to his family.
It is important to note here that after pursuing and building towards the same goal for over 4 years, Daenerys no longer really cares about the 'rightful' ruler and all that. All her experiences and her natural power have combined to convince her she really is destined to take that throne and she is the one to rescue all the people of Westerosi from that said tyrannical leadership. Jon has a atronger claim and the people of Westerosi, especially in the North, love him, but aftrr all these years, she can't give up her claim. Not like that.
So she takes the army and heads down to Kings Landing. Once again, Tyrion has advised her against direct attact--the objective is to remove Cersei without burning down the city--so they plan a siege, to give the 'ursurping Queen' a chance to surrender while starving the city out. And this plan, once again underestimates Cersei. While they fought the Night King, Cersei had been busy building scorpions--weapons that can take out Dragons and placing them on all her ships and around the walls of the city. When Dany flies too close, three scorpion bolts find her 2nd Dragon Rhaegal and kill it in mid-air, and then go ahead to decimate her entire fleet, capturing Missandei, Dany's translator, adviser and closest friend in the process. Furthermore, Cersei has convinced the people that Dany herself is the ursurper and the she,Cersei was trying to protect them, taking as much as she could into the Red Keep.
Now Daenerys beyond furious. Tyrion's plans have failed her again, this time resulting in the loss of another of her children! She is set to attack, but in a desperate attempt to prevent the decimation of King's Landing, Tyrion convinces her to parlay with Cersei once again and demand her surrender. Dany agrees, but only so 'all people would see that she made eveey attempt to avoid bloodshed'. But the parlay is disastrous. Cersei refuses point blank and in front of them all, executes Missandei, Dany's last true friend in the world. Just before she is beheaded, the girl cries out only one word to Dany: 'DRACARYS!'.
Dany is angry and miserable for days. She doesn't eat, and doesn't see anyone. Now she knows she was a fool to think she could avoid pain. When Tyrion comes to her to tell her Varys had at last turned against her, she is not surprised. The prophesy she got at Qarth had said she would be betrayed thrice, and the last for love. She loved Jon, and he had betrayed her by revealing the truth to his sister. She executes Varys summarily and without emotion. But the last blow comes when Jon comes to see her and he, the very last person who could have loved her, turns away her romantic affections (she's his aunt, and he can't get past that). She has no love in Westerosi, only fear. Alright, she declares. Let it be fear.
There is nothing to be done now. It is time for direct attack. Tyrion, in a last ditch attempt to save the city, convinces her to call off her attack if the city bells were rung, signalling their surrender. The attack begins and mindful this time, Dany flies in on Drogon, deatroys all the scorpions, the entire Iron fleet, and the gates of the city. Her armies troop in and its over quickly: the defending army sees the force and quickly give up.
But Tyrion, Jon and everybody else had overlooked one thing: just how much pain their queen was in. Looking over the city on Drogon, finally having all she wanted, Dany felt this pain more than ever, recalling all she had to sacrifice to get here. Her dragon children. Ser Barristan. Ser Jorah. Most of the Dothraki. Missandei. All for a city that did not know her, did not love her, and that rallied over to the side of the usurper queen Cersei and defended her. Dracarys. Let it be fear.
And at this point, the dam broke.
None of the citizens of that foul city were innocent, not the civilians, not the women, not the children, and she gave them the justice she felt they deserved, flying over the city and burning it all down. Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen will not hold back any longer.
The Mad Queen is born.
*************
*How will it all end? Guess we'll see in the series finale of Game of Thrones, airing tonight on HBO!*
************
## Upvote, Comment, Resteem
Follow me @petermarie