WARNING: Potential Game of Thrones spoilers.
I have a theory about Game of Thrones which I know many fans out there agree with: In the end, Daenerys Targaryen will end up with Jon Snow, and theyll rule the 7 Kingdoms (and beyond) as the Westerosi power couple of the ages.
In my opinion, their sweeping romancebuilt slowly over years and miles, long before theyve met, and with many other characters thrown insits at the heart of the entire series. The story is, after all, a song of ice and fire. My theory is that Jon Snow is the son of Lyanna Stark and Robert Baratheon or maybe Rhaegar Targaryen (Dont get hung up on bloodlines other than 2 pointsStark is in there for the ice and a Kingly line of some sort is in there for the royal.) Jon is the ice, and, of course, Dany, the Mother of Dragons, is the fire. Every other characterall of themcould die and it would be okay in the end if Jon and Dany end up together.
As an avid fan who happens to be a romance writer and reader, it is my humble opinion that author George R. R. Martin (in the books) and the GOT creators (for the on-screen version), need to get Dany and Jons coming together right to conclude the series in a satisfying way.
Unfortunately, as I often find with epic fantasies, authors, as well as movie and show creators, fail miserably at getting the romance bit right in the end.
Look at the most recent installment of Star Wars which killed one of the best onscreen romances stone dead (yes, Im talking about Leia and Han). Or Lord of the Rings. I read somewhere that Tolkien admitted to originally having Aragorn end up with Eowyn. In the books, Aragorn ending up with Arwen happens in one of the many appendices, and Eowyn is tossed together almost haphazardly with Faramir just to wrap it up.
Conclusion? The best fantasy writers in the world frequently suck at romance.
SoGame of Thrones author and show creators, Im talking to you now. Before you ruin what has the potential to be one the best romances of all time. Get the romance between Jon and Dany right. What do I mean by right? Here are a few key elements to getting it right:
1. They End Up Together
This one should be obvious. Jon and Dany end up together. They end up in the same place, not ruling from different spots. They end up a united front, listening to each other before any and all advisers, friends, and family. Their solidarity is one of the things that will make them that successful power couple (and make every woman on the planet sigh with satisfaction).
2. There Has to Be Heat & Tension
Another obvious romantic element. They cant just start agreeing immediately. There needs to be tension and trust building along the way. Tension can help with the heat as well, but heat is a separate element. We all know heat when we see itthe attraction needs to jump off the page/screen. Weve seen successful heat in the show alreadyincluding Dany and Drogo, as well as Jon with Ygritte. These previous successful romances mean GOT author and creators, as well as actors Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke, are going to have to make the connection between Jon and Dany even stronger. No insta-love please. I want to see them spark off each other, earn each others respect first, and then let the heat go crazy. Which means getting them together in person very soon, or there wont be the time (in the show at least) to build the tension between them first.
3. Their Love Has to Be Special
Where Star Wars: The Force Awakens went wrong was taking a love that was solid and special and making it break down in the face of a childs (Kylo Ren) struggle and betrayal. If anything, the Han and Leia we knew should have come together more to help their child and fight for him, not been separated by it. A special love, one that gives readers and viewers total satisfaction, isnt just about the heat, its about two people coming together because they are stronger together than apart. They are better together than apart. That doesnt mean they agree all the time, but, to borrow a line, they complete each other. Lets see this with Dany and Jon.
4. They Must Match
By this, I mean they are equals.
Already, they are equals in terms of who they are as good people. Both of them want to help make this world a better place and break the old way of doing thingsas shown by Dany freeing slaves and Jon helping the Wildlings.
They are also both equally realboth having moments of doubt, or not knowing the right path, or even making wrong decisions. Their joining should fill each others gaps and make them stronger together than apart.
The set up is also there in terms of their strength and natural leadership. Both of them are fighters. Granted, Jon is better with a sword and Dany uses her strengths in different waysequal doesnt mean same. Most importantly, people want to follow them. Unlikely people who, in previous seasons, we never would have guessed could work side by side, do so because of Jon or Dany.
However, they also need to be equals in terms of power. This is going to be tricky as Dany can withstand fire and has dragons which she can control with a thought it seems (as of the Battle of the Bastards episode ). Jon is a great fighter and has Ghost, but is that enough? To make the romance solid, Jon has to be equally powerful. This past weekend, the fantastic Battle of the Bastards episode (possibly my favorite episode of the entire series) did an amazing job of giving both their story lines equal weight. And possibly the best scene in the entire episode was Jon standing ready to face the charging cavalry on his own. But the most important scene might have been the telling one in the battle where he fights hard, but is saved from certain death over and overby circumstance (arrows dont hit him, a charging horse takes out a threat, etc.). If the shows creators are smart, theyll parlay that scene into Jon being untouchable now, protected on high after being resurrected, which will put him more on par with Dany. Give him one of her dragons (and by that, I mean the dragon chooses him) and even better. Have them defeat the Night King of the White Walkers together, and Im totally sold.
So by get it right I mean: These two different, but equally powerful, people end up together, with heat and tension, to create a special love which leaves them stronger together than theyd ever be apart. Jut my 2-cents for the #GOT creators (who clearly are reading this post, right? lol) as we near the end of this season with only a few more short (according to the rumors) seasons left go.
Fellow romance writers and readers, what else would you suggest is required to make Jon and Danys romance as epic (yes, I used the overused word) as the fantasy world in which they live and will rule? What key elements would you add as advice for the author and creators?
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