‘Game of Thrones’ Season 7 predictions: part 4 [spoilers]

With parts 1, 2, and 3 essentially covering everything worth mentioning for Season 7, what could possibly be left to discuss? Well don’t worry about that, I’ve saved arguably the best for last. In addition to talking about expected meetings between certain characters, I will be delving into the prophecy of Azor Ahai and the importance it'll have on the overall story.

Fates collide

With ‘Game of Thrones’ reaching its climax, and all the major characters remaining now within proximity of each other, season 7 will be ripe with long-awaited reunions and brand new interactions.

As I’ve already covered the Stark family reunion, along with the rest of Arya’s Westerosi reunion tour, as well as the eventual meeting between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, there will be no need to mention them here. However, I will be discussing the interesting dynamics that other characters may share this season.

Let’s start off with one that’s already been confirmed to happen by the trailer for season 7. I am of course talking about the eventual encounter between Ellaria Sand, the new matriarch of Dorne, and Yara Greyjoy, the self-proclaimed queen of the Iron Islands who is trying to take it back from her uncle Euron Greyjoy. Based on what we saw in the trailer, it looks like the two of them will be getting pretty intimate.

This is certainly no surprise considering the fluid sexuality the two of them have shown since their introduction.

What will be even more interesting to see (arguably) is the kind of alliance this may seem to signify between the Greyjoys and the Dornish. We already know that they’re both allied with Dany, but what their interaction may indicate is that Dorne will be very much on board with assisting Yara and Theon in the retaking of their homeland.

This could also insinuate that Euron is reaping havoc all over the western coast of Westeros, meaning he’s proving to be problematic for the Lannisters, Tyrells, and Dornish.

Next up is one that a fairly decent chunk of the fanbase predicts will happen; the potential meeting between Samwell Tarly and “Lord Friend Zone” himself, Jorah Mormont.

The last time we saw Jorah, he and Daario Naharis had just “rescued” Dany from the Dothraki. However, right when Dany was seemingly on the verge of banishing him once again, he revealed to her that he has greyscale, a fatal disease with no known cure. This causes Dany to shift gears and command him to find a cure and then subsequently return to her once he’s cured. Based on what we see in the trailer, Jorah’s greyscale has gotten significantly worse and time is running out for him.

So where in the world will Jorah find a cure for a disease as difficult to treat as greyscale? Maybe at the Citadel in Oldtown, which is basically the center of all knowledge in Westeros, not to mention the place Sam is currently training at to become a maester.

While Jorah will certainly travel all over Essos searching for some magic based cure, there’s no doubt that he’ll make a stop at Oldtown sooner or later to see if the maesters have experimented with a cure for greyscale.

Although we’ve already seen how indifferent maesters can be to add to the individual woes of certain people, this is where Sam could possibly step in. We all know that Sam has a heart of gold as well as a predilection for reading. While most of his reading has probably been focused on the White Walkers, he is still training to become the new maester for the Night’s Watch at Castle Black, and part of a maester’s training will certainly include how to treat particular illnesses.

Perhaps not only will Sam be sympathetic towards Jorah’s situation, but will also possibly come across a book that mentions a potential treatment for greyscale.

With Tyrion Lannister now an integral part of Dany’s entourage, serving as her Hand of the Queen, there’s no doubt that he’ll end up having some sort of reunion with his beloved brother and sister. Considering the fact that Dany will be trying to take the Iron Throne back from his sister Cersei, and his brother Jamie will be commanding the Lannister forces, things could get a bit complicated for Tyrion.

While he certainly would have no qualms usurping the throne from his sister, especially considering their past relationship, Jaimie is another story.

The two of them have always had a close bond, not to mention Jamie was the one who freed Tyrion when he was supposed to be executed, with Varys’s help of course. With Tyrion’s knowledge of the layout of both Casterly Rock and King’s Landing, as well as the fighting strength of the Lannister army, he will prove to be of paramount importance to Dany’s conquest. The next time Tyrion will see Jamie and Cersei, it will most likely be to discuss the terms of their surrender which will probably be an awkward situation for the three of them.

Another awkward reunion that could very well happen this season is the reuniting of Davos Seaworth and Melisandre. The last time the two of them interacted, Davos pleaded to Jon to have Melisandre executed for the murder of Stannis Baratheon’s daughter Shireen.

However, as Melisandre brought Jon back to life, he decided to let her live on the condition that she never set foot in the North again. As we see in the trailer, Melisandre will be joining Dany’s entourage this season which could make things tense when Jon and Dany ultimately form their alliance. As Davos is still serving Jon, this could mean that him and Melisandre may have to interact once again. Davos has never exactly been one of her closest friends, but considering the context of their last meeting, it’ll be especially uncomfortable when they see each other again.

Azor Ahai

For people who exclusively watch the show, the prophecy of Azor Ahai is something they have heard sparingly throughout the series.

The majority of the time it was mentioned by Melisandre who believed that Stannis was Azor Ahai, or “the prince that was promised.” On the other hand, book readers are far more acquainted with the prophecy in which it was mentioned far more than in the show. However, regardless if you’re a book reader or just a show watcher, the prophecy of Azor Ahai is going to play an extremely significant role this season and beyond.

Azor Ahai was a legendary hero from ancient lore that apparently defeated the White Walkers thousands of years ago. According to prophecies originating from the followers of the Lord of Light, the same religion Melisandre worships, Azor Ahai is said to be reborn again to save the world from the White Walkers once more.

However, there are particular hints in the prophecy that are open to interpretation.

These have spawned countless theories as to who Azor Ahai could actually be. The prophecy goes on to say that Azor Ahai will be reborn under a bleeding star amidst smoke and salt. He’ll wield a flaming sword called "Lightbringer," his song will be a song of ice and fire, and his rebirth will mark the return of dragons. The dragon will have three heads, meaning there will be three dragons and three people to ride them. It should also be noted that although that prophecy uses male pronouns to describe the second coming of Azor Ahai, the prophecy could very well be referring to a woman.

There have been plenty of characters in the books and show that fans have speculated to be Azor Ahai with some of the crazier ones being Jamie Lannister and even Sandor Clegane (the Hound).

The two people that most fans agree to be the top candidates to fulfill the prophecy are Jon and Dany. Both of their cases are strong, with Dany having the more literal interpretation.

When Dany stepped out of the funeral fire for her late husband Khal Drogo, she had three baby dragons clinging to her and was arguably reborn, amidst smoke and salt, as the same Dany we know today. The there was the sighting of a red comet shortly proceeded this event. On the surface, it seems clear that Dany is “the prince that was promised” and will be the key figurehead in the war against the White Walkers. However, while Jon’s case may not seem as clear cut as Dany’s, he arguably has the best case.

Let’s start off with the major reveal last season in which the longtime theory that Jon was actually the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark (R+L=J) was finally confirmed.

Rhaegar, the brother of Dany and Viserys, was very fond of reading and did a lot of research into the prophecy of Azor Ahai. At first, he believed that he was meant to be “the prince that was promised”, but later realized that it would most likely be someone related to him instead. What is so significant about Jon actually being Lyanna and Rhaegar’s son is that it arguably makes him the song of ice and fire, in which Lyanna represents ice and Rhaegar represents fire.

During his birth, Ned Stark had placed Sir Arthur Dayne’s blood covered sword “Dawn” at the base of the bed that Jon was born on. For those of you who don’t know, Dawn is a legendary sword of House Dayne that was said to be made from a meteorite.

There’s also the strong possibility that the “smoke and salt” aspect of the prophecy is meant to be a metaphorical interpretation of war rather than a literal interpretation which would definitely help Jon’s case even more considering the fact that he was born during the final days of Robert’s Rebellion. While neither Jon nor Dany have a flaming sword, Jon does have a Valyrian steal sword called “Longclaw” which could very well be the second coming of Lightbringer, although it’s difficult to say how exactly it’ll become a flaming sword, assuming that part of the prophecy is meant to be taken literally.

However, the one thing Dany has that Jon doesn’t, are dragons which still makes her a very strong contender to ultimately be Azor Ahai. But the one thing most people agree on is that of the dragon's three heads, Jon and Dany will definitely make up two of them, leaving the final head open to speculation. The two people who could most likely be the third head of the dragon are Tyrion Lannister and Brandon Stark. After Bran finally found the Three Eyed Raven, he told him that he’ll never walk again, but that he will fly instead. It seems possible considering how powerful Bran’s warging abilities have become that he could very easily warg into a dragon. Plus Bran’s powers, in general, are quintessential for the upcoming war against the White Walkers.

On the other hand, Tyrion’s case is more interesting as there’s a theory that he is actually the son of the "Mad King" Aerys Targaryen and Joanna Lannister, Tywin’s wife. It was said that Aerys was particularly fond of Joanna as well as making Tywin’s life a living hell while he was still his Hand of the King. He was also known to abuse his power quite frequently and essentially rape any woman he chose. It’s quite possible that he raped Joanna and impregnated her with Tyrion, which would further explain why Tywin has always hated him. We’ve also seen how well Tyrion interacted with Dany’s dragons last season in which it was widely believed that Targaryens are naturally gifted at taming dragons. It would also be rather cathartic if Tyrion turned out to be the third head of the dragon. He’s stated before that ever since he was a child, the only thing he has ever wanted was his own dragon.