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We have survived the army of the dead! The Night King and his army are defeated, and by now everyone across the globe knows who was behind the heroic move that saved the entire fantasy world of Westeros.
When I first started reading George R.R. Martin’s “A song of Ice and Fire”, I was told by many friends to focus on the details and the prophecies that are foretold in the books, the same goes for the TV series produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, they have left plenty of hints just like the books, when it came down to the details of how stories of these characters can unfold.
I remember two very well, when Daynerys visits the house of the undying in Qarth what she sees there through the doors (in books); and when Melisandre talks about prophesy of the ‘Prince That Was Promised’ (aka Azor Ahai) in the books and series, a hero who would return to defeat the dead with a flaming sword and will bring dawn.
However, today I’d like to talk more about the prophecies made by the red priestess from Asshai, despite some of her failures she was indeed right about many things that she saw in the flames.
Throughout the series, one in particular prophecy, “the prince that was promised, the one that will bring the light into the darkness,” is repeated several times narrated by the red priestess, Melisandre. In earlier episodes Melisandre is sure that Stannis Baratheon is the promised prince, we know how that ended.
You hear it again, this time in another episode much later, when Jon Snow is brought back to life by Melisandre after he’s stabbed by his own brothers of the nightwatch. That’s where when she feels he could be the one that was promised by the lord of light, but wait that didn’t turn out to be true either…
After she’s expelled by the king in the North aka Jon Snow, when Ser Davos explains how she burned and sacrificed an innocent girl, princess Shireen.
Left again in search for the fulfillment of the prophecy, Melisandre meets Daenerys at Dragonstone in Season 7’s second episode “Stormborn”. Sans doute, she again speaks about the prophecy, “the prince that was promised,” Daenerys points out that she’s not a prince.
“Forgive me, but your translation is not quite accurate,” voila the speaker of 19 languages aka Missandei of Narth; the most trusted person in team Daenerys steps in and translates by dropping a grammar bomb on her queen.
Missandei adds, “That noun has no gender in High Valyrian. The proper translation for that prophecy would be the prince or princess who was promised will bring the dawn.”
Everyone assumed that Danny could be the next Azor Ahai – a mystical hero who saved the world from the long night and darkness with his flaming sword.
Many fans in the past kept on predicting that Jon could be the next Azor Ahai since how the story kept on pointing out to him, however, at the end of the 7thseason it was left out in the open.
Melisandre and Arya:
Their first encounter was when Melisandre comes to take Gendry from the Brotherhood Without Banners, when Arya tries to stop her and calls her a witch, she looks into Arya’s eyes and says, “I see darkness in you, and in that darkness eyes staring back at me, brown eyes, blue eyes and green eyes”. “Eyes you’ll shut forever,” and tells Arya they will meet again.
Before anyone forgets, even the red witch/priestess was on Arya’s list!
What I loved and cherished the most in the last season’s third episode was Melisandre and Arya’s second encounter, which happened when the Hound, Beric Dondarrion and Arya find refuge in a hall from the white walkers who are already inside Winterfell.
The red witch/priestess is also there and she hints Arya about the blue eyes again, which obviously no one saw or guessed that she meant the eyes of the night king..
Melisandre looks at Arya and repeats what was once repeated by Arya’s dancing master Syrio Forel, “There is only one god and his name is Death, and there is only one thing we say to Death: ‘Not today.'”
Arya looks certain what she needs to do and runs away!
After all the fearful teeth grinding and soul shaking episode until the last minutes of the “The Long Night”, the night king in the godswood staring at Bran and ready to kill him forever, Arya arrives and with her mad skills defeats the night king, ends the long and forsaken battle with the dead. She’s the one who could be the Azor Ahai!
The dagger she used made of Valerian steel, was the one Bran gives it to her after they unite again in the godswood. The same dagger that was once meant to kill Bran in his sleep and the same dagger which was used by Arya to slice Little Finger aka Petyr Baelish’s throat.
The red priestess’s role in this episode was so important because she brought hope when she ignited the arakhs of the Dothraki army, again she lit the trenches when the dead were close to the walls of Winterfell, and in the end when the army of the dead were defeated she walked towards the light, took off her necklace and faded in the air as she foretold Ser Davos she’ll die after this is all over…
And a few names worth a mention, Kudus to Ramin Djawadi’s score composing, as the sounds of the drums kept us on the tip of our toes, and, every viewer, I am sure felt as fearful as the soldiers who were on the battle field. Lady Mormont for her fearless ending after she kills a dead giant, Jorah Mormont died serving his queen, Dolorous Edd who died while saving Sam, Tyrion and Sansa’s witty yet serious conversation and surviving the gruesome long night in the crypts, and last but not least Theon for his bravery.
And, lest not forget our beloved CGI direwolf Ghost who is luckily still alive!
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