"Game of Thrones" Season 8 release date is a long way ahead of us, so there is plenty of time to speculate on how our favorite show will end. In one of the previous articles, we explored the possibility of the Night King being the original Azor Ahai (Last Hero). Now, assuming that's the case, let's talk about the final battle between the living and the dead.
The three twists
In their 2016 interview, "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss told Entertainment Weekly about the three twists George R. R. Martin revealed to them, two of which already happened -- the sacrifice of Shireen and the origin of Hodor's name.
But, when asked about the third shocking moment, Benioff revealed that it would happen at the very end of the series.
This interview, along with George's statement about the ending being bittersweet, makes us think of a sacrifice. But what kind of sacrifice? Well, in order to discuss the future, we must first explore the past.
The Long Night explained
How were the White Walkers defeated? The simple answer is, they were not. They only retreated into the Lands of Always Winter. And the reason why lies within the legend of the Last Hero. He traveled North along with a dozen companions, a horse, and a dog to seek out the Children of the Forest when the White Walkers attacked riding ice spiders as big as hounds.
They killed all of his companions, but the Last Hero managed to find the Children and, not long after, the White Walkers retreated and the Long Night was over.
In one of the previous articles, we theorized that Bran's Season 6 flashback showed us what happened when the Last Hero finally found the Children of the Forest. He was turned into the Night King we know today.
And while we expressed our belief that he was forced to make this sacrifice, there might be some arguments that suggest otherwise. Which brings us to today's theory.
What really went down during the Long Night?
"Game of Thrones" Season 7 featured a very important scene in which Jon and Daenerys found the paintings in the Dragonglass cave.
Watch the scene down below.
Now, if you look closely, you can see that one of the White Walkers wears a crown, the same one the Night King uses in the show. But here's the thing; This White Walker wears a goatee and looks nothing like the Night King we know today. Which only hints that the White Walkers had at least two leaders throughout history.
With that in mind, let's assume that the Children of the Forest told the Last Hero that the only way to defeat the White Walkers was to control them. And to do that, he must kill their current leader and take his place. And so he did. He took the rest of the White Walkers with him into the Lands of Always Winter and then helped men create The Wall to serve as the border between two realms.
But over time, his human side began to decay, and he was eventually transformed into the big villain we know today.
The final twist
Now back to that twist we were talking about earlier. Our guess is that Jon Snow will be the one who will sacrifice himself to save mankind. After all, he is the conciliator, a capable diplomat who brought the wildlings back to the realm, so it is only logical that he will end the Great War by becoming the next Night King. But what was the whole purpose of him being the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, then?
First, it makes Jon's sacrifice even bigger since he is, after all, the heir to the Iron Throne. Second, bringing peace between humans and the White Walkers is something you would expect from a son of ice and fire.
