The Last of the Starks

We're here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and mothers. To our friends. Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together and die together so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty and our honor to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as men draw breath. They were the shields that guarded the realms of men. And we shall never see their like again.

ARYA to BERIC DONDARRION, SAM to EDDISON TOLLETT, JON to LYANNA MORMONT. JON looks at DAENERYS. As one, they ignite the pyres. DAENYRYS watches the flames spread under JORAH, then turns away. The living return to the crowd and the flames rise higher. The air fills with a thick black smoke.

To your health.

Have you seen Arya?

You can still smell the burning bodies, and that's where your head is at.

I just want to thank her for-

I'm sure you do.

Look, it's not about that.

Of course it's about that, you twat. Why shouldn't it be? The dead are dead. You're not.

Gendry.

That's right, isn't it?

Yes, Your Grace.

You're Robert Baratheon's son.

(nods)

You are aware he took my family's throne and tried to have me murdered?

I didn't even know he was my father until after he was dead.

Yes, he's dead. His brothers are too. So who's Lord of Storm's End now?

I don't know, Your Grace.

Does anyone?

I think you should be Lord of Storm's End.

I can't be. I'm a bastard.

No, you are Lord Gendry Baratheon of Storm's End, the lawful son of Robert Baratheon. Because that is what I have made you.

To Lord Gendry Baratheon of Storm's End.

To Gendry!

Lord Gendry!

Gendry!

Gendry!

Gendry!

Lord Gendry!

Gendry!

That's easy, isn't it?

(to GENDRY) Uh, hold on.

And a Lord of Storm's End who will be forever loyal to you.

(to GENDRY) Come, my lord.

See? You're not the only one who's clever.

I have to go down and get another barrel.

We fought dead things and lived to talk about it. If this isn't the time to drink, when is?

The last time I saw her, I told her I'd kill her if I ever saw her again.

I'm sure you had your reasons.

I did. I do.

So did you?

Never got the chance. She did it to herself. Or her god did it to her. Lord of Light. We play his game for him, we fight his war and win, and then he fucks off. No signs, no blessings. Who knows what he wants?

I don't imagine thinking about that subject will leave you any happier than before.

And what if I'm not trying to be happy?

Then you're in luck. We may have defeated them, but we still have us to contend with.

Thank you. I feel much better.

More ale!

This is clever. Even better than the saddle I designed for you.

It's the same as the one Daeron Targaryen built for his crippled nephew 120 years ago. I liked that one.

You know our history better than anyone. That will be useful as Lord of Winterfell.

I'm not Lord of Winterfell.

You're the only surviving trueborn son of Ned Stark.

You don't want it.

I don't really want anymore.

I envy you.

You shouldn't envy me. Mostly I live in the past.

All of it.

Go on.

No, not in one go.

Go on. I believe in you.

We have to celebrate our victory.

Vomiting is not celebrating.

Yes, it is.

Ah! To the Dragon Queen!

To Arya Stark, the hero of Winterfell!

Rah! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Drink!

I'm fine!

(drunkenly) Your turn.

(to BRIENNE) Um, You are an only child.

I told you I was.

You didn't.

I did.

I surmised it.

Drink.

Go again.

Why does he get to go again?

Because it's my game.

You have danced with Renly Baratheon.

(to Brienne) No.

Drink.

The other way around!

I saw him riding that thing.

We all did.

No. No. I saw him riding that thing.

That's right, you did.

I did. That's why we all agreed to follow him. That's the kind of man he is.

(laughing) He's little but he's strong. Strong enough to befriend an enemy and get murdered for it!

Most people get bloody murdered, they stay that way.

Not this one.

Yeah, I didn't have much say in that.

Ah! He comes back and keeps fighting. Here, north of the Wall, and then back here again. He keeps fighting. He keeps fighting.

He climbed on a fucking dragon and fought. What kind of person climbs on a fucking dragon? A madman or a king!

Drink.

Drink.

Drink.

Wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Drink!

Mm!

You were married. Before Sansa.

Drink.

You're drinking wine, but you prefer ale!

No!

You're a virgin.

That's a statement about the present.

At no point in the past, up until this very moment, have you slept with a man. Or a woman.

I have to piss.

We did it! We faced those icy fucks. Looked right into their blue eyes, and here we are. Now, which one of you cowards shit in my pants?

Please pardon me for a moment.

Drink it!

And after all that, this fucker comes north and takes her from me. Just takes her, like that. I mean it, Clegane. My heart is broken.

Don't touch me.

You can touch me.

I'm not afraid of wildlings.

Maybe you should be.

Well, Clegane, it's time to drown our sorrows.

I'm not done with my drink.

You saved the day.

You owe me one. Don't forget that.

For the rest of my days.

Are you ready now?

This is my drink.

All right!

She could have made you happy, for a little while.

There's only one thing that'll make me happy.

And what's that?

That's my fucking business.

Used to be you couldn't look at me.

That was a long time ago. I've seen much worse than you since then.

Yes, I've heard. Heard you were broken in. Heard you were broken in rough.

And he got what he deserved. I gave it to him.

How?

Hounds.

You've changed, Little Bird.

None of it would have happened if you'd left King's Landing with me. No Littlefinger, no Ramsay none of it.

Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would have stayed a Little Bird all my life.

Hey!

Pour another one.

Don't shoot.

It's nighttime, it's freezing, and everyone's celebrating. You should be celebrating with them.

I am celebrating.

Yeah, I am too. I'm not Gendry Rivers anymore. I'm Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm's End. By order of the queen.

Congratulations.

I don't know how to be lord of anything. I hardly know how to use a fork. All I know is that you're beautiful, and I love you, and none of it will be worth anything if you're not with me. So be with me.

Be my wife. Be the Lady of Storm's End.

You'll be a wonderful lord, and any lady would be lucky to have you. But I'm not a lady. I never have been. That's not me.

You didn't drink.

I didn't drink?

In the game.

I drank.

In the game. This is Dornish.

This is not the game. This is only drinking.

Suit yourself.

You keep it warm enough in here.

It's the first thing I learnt when I came to the North. Keep your fire going. Every time you leave the room, put more wood on.

That's very diligent. Very responsible.

Piss off.

You know the first thing I learned in the North? I hate the fucking North.

It grows on you.

I don't want things growing on me.

How about Tormund Giantsbane? Has he grown on you? He was very sad when you left.

(almost whispering) You sound quite jealous.

(nods) I do, don't I? It's bloody hot in here.

Oh, move aside.

What are you doing?

I'm taking your shirt off.

I've never slept with a knight before.

I've never slept with anyone before.

Then you have to drink. Those are the rules.

I told you-

Are you drunk?

No.

Only a little.

I didn't know Ser Jorah well but I know this. If he could have chosen a way to die, it would have been protecting you.

He loved me. And I couldn't love him back. Not the way he wanted. Not the way I love you.

Is that all right?

I wish you'd never told me. If I didn't know, I'd be happy right now.

I try to forget. Tonight I did for a while, and then I saw them gathered around you. I saw the way they looked at you. I know that look. So many people have looked at me that way, but never here. Never on this side of the sea.

I told you I don't want it.

(angrily) It doesn't matter what you want. You didn't want to be King in the North. What happens when they demand you press your claim, and take what is mine?

I'll refuse. You are my queen. I don't know what else I can say.

(desperately) You can say nothing. To anyone, ever. Never tell them who you really are. Swear your brother and Samwell Tarly to secrecy, and tell no one else. Or it will take on a life of its own and you won't be able to control it or what it does to people. No matter how many times you bend the knee, no matter what you swear.

I want it to be the way it was between us.

I have to tell Sansa and Arya.

Sansa will want to see me gone and you on the Iron Throne.

She won't.

She's not the girl you grew up with. Not after what she's seen, not after what they've done to her.

I owe them the truth.

Even if the truth destroys us?

It won't.

It will. I've never begged for anything but I'm begging you. Don't do this. Please.

You are my queen. Nothing will change that. And they are my family. We can live together.

We can. I've just told you how.

Half are gone.

The Northmen as well.

And the Golden Company has arrived in King's Landing, courtesy of the Greyjoy fleet. The balance has grown distressingly even.

When the people find out what we have done for them, that we saved them-

Cersei will make sure they don't believe it. We will hit her hard. We will rip her out root and stem.

The objective here is to remove Cersei without destroying King's Landing.

Thankfully, she's losing allies by the day. Yara Greyjoy has retaken the Iron Islands in her queen's name. The new Prince of Dorne pledges his support.

No matter how many lords turn against her, as long as she sits on the Iron Throne, she can call herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. We need the capital.

I watched the people of King's Landing rebel against their king when they were hungry, and that was before winter began. Give them the opportunity and they will cast Cersei aside.

We'll surround the city. If the Iron Fleet tries to ferry in more food, the dragons will destroy them. If the Lannisters and the Golden Company attack, we'll defeat them in the field.

Once the people see that Cersei is our only enemy, her reign is over.

All right.

The men we have left are exhausted. Many of them are wounded. They'll fight better if they have time to rest and recuperate.

How long do you suggest?

I can't say for certain, not without talking to the officers.

I came north to fight alongside you at great cost to my armies and myself. Now that the time has come to reciprocate, you want to postpone.

It's not just our people. It's yours. You want to throw them into a war they're not ready to fight?

The longer I leave my enemies alone, the stronger they become.

(to SANSA and ARYA) The Northern forces will honor their promises and their allegiance to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

What you command, we will obey.

So if all are in agreement Jon and Ser Davos will ride down the Kingsroad with the Northern troops and the bulk of the remaining Dothraki and Unsullied.

A smaller group of us will ride to White Harbor, and sail from there to Dragonstone with our queen and her dragons accompanying us from above.

Ser Jaime has chosen to remain here, as a guest of the Lady of Winterfell.

We have won the Great War. Now we will win the Last War. In all Seven Kingdoms, men will live without fear and cruelty under their rightful queen.

We need a word.

You understand we'd all be dead if not for her. We'd be corpses marching down to King's Landing.

Arya's the one that killed the Night King.

Her men gave their lives defending Winterfell-

And we will never forget them. That doesn't mean that I want to kneel to someone who-

I swore myself and the North to her cause.

I respect that.

You respect it?

We needed her. We needed her army, her dragons. You did the right thing. And we're doing the right thing telling you we don't trust your queen.

You don't know her yet.

I'll never know her. She's not one of us.

If you only trust the people you grew up with, you won't make many allies.

That's all right. I don't need many allies.

Arya-

We're family. The four of us. The last of the Starks.

I've never been a Stark.

You are. You're just as much Ned Stark's child as any of us.

You're my brother. Not my half-brother or my bastard brother. My brother.

It's your choice.

I need to tell you something. But you have to swear you'll never tell another soul.

What is it?

You have to swear it, before I tell you.

How can I promise to keep a secret if I don't even know what it is?

Because we're family. Swear it.

I swear it.

I swear it.

(to BRAN) Tell them.

So she's going to stay here with you?

She's sworn to protect the Stark girls, so... Say something snide.

I'm happy. I'm happy that you're happy. I'm happy that you'll finally have to climb for it.

Do you know how long I've waited to tell tall person jokes? To climbing mountains.

To climbing mountains.

What's she like down there?

What? That's not your concern.

I haven't been with a woman for years. Give me a morsel.

You're a dog.

I am the Imp, and I demand to know.

I knew you were fucking her. A pair of tall blond toffs. Must be like looking in the mirror.

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. Where's your drink? What are you, what are you doing up North?

What are you doing with that?

Oh, this? This is for you. For both of you.

You're supposed to be south.

You boys are a pair of gold-plated cunts. Do you know that?

That's a bit rude.

Year after year, I've shoveled Lannister shit, and what do I have to show?

You're a knight, thanks to me.

Thanks to me. And that title's worth as much as a blonde hair from your brother's ballsack.

Power resides where men believe-

Shut your mouth.

I'm just trying-

I've never hit a dwarf before, but say another word and I will belt you.

See, I don't believe you'd do that, after all-

You couldn't do it on your best day, you one-handed fuck. And your best days are long gone.

You broke my nose!

I did not break your nose.

How do you know?

Because I've been breaking noses since I was your size, and I know what it sounds like. Now listen. Your sister offered me Riverrun. Nice big castle, good lands, plenty of peasants who do what they're told.

And you trust Cersei-

I knew your sister was dead the second I saw those dragons. Now, your army may be torn to shit, but I'd still bet on your Dragon Queen to win. And it just so happens I'm a betting man. If Cersei's dead, she can't pay up.

Mmm, that's good. Of course, the odds change if the Dragon Queen's Hand turns up dead. Maybe a few of her top generals get picked off one by one. All of a sudden-

May I speak?

Why not? Only death will shut you up.

We made a deal long ago. Do you remember?

If anyone offered me money to kill you, you'd pay me double. What's double Riverrun?

Highgarden. You could be Lord of the Reach.

Highgarden? Are you mad?

It's better than being dead.

He's not going to kill us. He wouldn't be talking to us if-

The way I see it, I only need one of the Lannister brothers alive.

Highgarden will never belong to a cutthroat.

No? Who were your ancestors, the ones who made your family rich? Fancy lads in silk? They were fucking cutthroats. That's how all the great houses started, isn't it? With a hard bastard who was good at killing people. Kill a few hundred people, they make you a lord. Kill a few thousand, they make you king. And then all your cocksucking grandsons can ruin the family with their cocksucking ways.

Highgarden. Give me your word.

You have my word. None of this means a thing until we take King's Landing. We ride south in the morning. We could use an officer with knowledge of the city's defenses.

For fuck's sake.

On your own?

Not anymore. I don't like crowds.

Me neither.

Why not? They all love you now. You're the big hero.

Don't like heroes.

It must have felt good sticking a knife in that horned fucker.

Felt better than dying. You're heading to King's Landing?

I have some unfinished business.

Me too.

I don't plan on coming back.

Neither do I.

Gonna leave me to die again if I get hurt?

Probably.

My lady.

"My lord" is the standard response.

Why her?

You know she loves your brother.

That doesn't mean she'll be a good queen.

You seem determined to dislike her. A good relationship between the Iron Throne and the North has been the core of every peaceful, prosperous reign we've ever known.

Jon will be Warden of the North, so a good relationship seems likely.

I don't expect him to spend much time here going forward.

Well, I suppose that's up to him.

Sansa, look at me.

With Jon in the capital, you'll be the true power in the North. I'd feel much better about the future if I left here today believing that you and Daenerys were allies.

What are you worried about? Jon's taking our army with him. Your queen still has her dragons--

She's your queen too.

You don't have to be her friend. But why provoke her? How is that in the best interest of your family, or the North, or-

You're afraid of her.

Every good ruler needs to inspire a bit of fear.

I don't want Jon to go down there. The men in my family don't do well in the capital.

No, but as your brother once told me, he's not a Stark.

Are you all right?

Her people love her, you've seen that. You've seen how they fight for her. She wants to make the world a better place. I believe in her.

Tyrion.

What if there's someone else? Someone better?

You're not gonna ride the dragon south?

Just a horse. Rhaegal needs to heal. He doesn't need me weighing him down.

(scoffs). You weigh as much as two fleas fucking.

(laughs)

I'm taking the Free Folk home. We've had enough of the south. The women down here don't like me.

This is the North, you know. And the Free Folk are welcome to stay.

It isn't home. We need room to wander. I'll take them back through Castle Black as soon as the winter storms pass. Back where we belong.

It's where he belongs too. A direwolf has no place in the south. Will you take him with you? He'll be happier up there.

So would you.

I wish I was going with you. This is farewell, then.

You never know.

You've got the North in you. The real North.

Yes, well, the nights have been getting longer and there wasn't that much to do in Oldtown. There's only so many books a person can read, so we-

I'm sure he knows how it happens, Sam. If it's a boy, we want to name him Jon.

I hope it's a girl.

You're the best friend I ever had.

You too, Sam.

Think of the past twenty years. The war, the murder, the misery. All of it because Robert Baratheon loved someone who didn't love him back.

How many others know?

Including us? Eight.

Well, then it's not a secret anymore. It's information. If a handful of people know now, hundreds will know soon. Then what happens?

She loses the North. She loses the Vale, Sansa will make sure of that.

No, it's worse than that. He has the better claim to the throne.

He doesn't want the throne.

I'm not sure it matters what he wants. The fact is, people are drawn to him. Wildlings, Northmen. He's a war hero.

He loves our queen. And she loves him. If we marry them, they could rule together.

(with distaste) She's his aunt.

That never stopped a Targaryen before.

No, but Jon grew up in Winterfell. Is marrying your aunt common in the North? You know our queen better than I do. Do you think she wants to share the throne? She does not like to have her authority questioned.

Something she has in common with every monarch who ever lived.

I worry about her state of mind.

We are advisors to the queen. Worrying about her state of mind is our job. We still have to take King's Landing. Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve our problems.

Get to the skiff.

Now!

Spears!

They're coming round again!

Go!

Clear!

Man your stations!

No!

Go! Go!

Clear!

Missandei? Missandei!

Missandei!

Our message was well-received, then?

Your people have heard the Usurper is coming. They are grateful for your protection within the walls of the Red Keep.

You're certain about the dragon?

I saw it sink beneath the waves.

That must have been glorious.

The glory is yours, my queen.

When the war is won, the Lion shall rule the land, the Kraken shall rule the sea, and our child shall one day rule them all.

She's coming for you.

Of course she is. Keep the gates open. If she wants to take the castle, she'll have to murder thousands of innocent people first.

So much for "the Breaker of Chains."

We will storm the city, my queen. We will kill your enemies. All of them.

Your Grace. I promised you I would look you in the eye and speak directly if I ever thought you were making a mistake. This is a mistake.

You saw my child fall from the sky.

(nods)

They took Missandei.

Cersei needs to be destroyed, but if we attack King's Landing with Drogon and the Unsullied and the Dothraki, tens of thousands of innocents will die. That is why Cersei is bringing them into the Red Keep. These are the people you came here to protect. I beg you, Your Grace. Do not destroy the city you came to save. Do not become what you have always struggled to defeat.

Do you believe we're here for a reason, Lord Varys? I'm here to free the world from tyrants. That is my destiny and I will serve it, no matter the cost.

It could be a fortnight before Jon and the allied armies make it to King's Landing. In the meantime, demand Cersei surrender. Offer her her life in exchange for the throne. If there's a chance to avoid the coming slaughter, we should make the effort.

Speaking to Cersei will not prevent a slaughter. But perhaps it's good the people see that Daenerys Stormborn made every effort to avoid bloodshed, and Cersei Lannister refused. They should know whom to blame when the sky falls down upon them.

I've served tyrants most of my life. They all talk about destiny.

She's a girl who walked into a fire with three stones and walked out with three dragons. How could she not believe in destiny?

Perhaps that's the problem. Her life has convinced her that she was sent here to save us all.

And how do you know she wasn't?

Then there's the problem of Jon Snow. Perhaps it's actually a solution. You know them both. Tell me, who do you think would make a better ruler?

He doesn't want the throne. That's why he bent the knee.

Have you considered the best ruler might be someone who doesn't want to rule?

We're discussing treason.

Don't pretend you haven't thought about it.

Of course I've thought about it. Thoughts aren't treason.

He's temperate and measured. He's a man, which makes him more appealing to the lords of Westeros, whose support we are going to need.

Joffrey was a man. I don't think a cock is a true qualification, as I'm sure you'd agree.

And he's the heir to the throne. Yes, because he's a man. Cocks are important, I'm afraid.

What about my earlier proposal? They could rule together as king and queen.

She's too strong for him. She'd bend him to her will, as she already has.

He could temper her worst impulses.

As you have? You're drinking quite a lot. A Targaryen father and a Stark mother. Jon's the one man alive who might actually be able to keep the North in the Seven Kingdoms.

How many kings and queens have you served? Five? Six? I've lost count.

You've always known my reasons.

At a certain point, you choose a person you believe in, and you fight for that person.

Even if you know it's a mistake?

I believe in our queen. She'll make the right choice. With the help of her loyal advisers.

You know where my loyalty stands. You know I will never betray the realm.

What is the realm? A vast continent, home to millions of people, most of whom don't care who sits on the Iron Throne.

Millions of people, many of whom will die if the wrong person sits on that throne. We don't know their names, but they're just as real as you and I. They deserve to live. They deserve food for their children. I will act in their interest, no matter the personal cost.

So, what happens to her?

Please. Don't.

I've spoken as honestly as I can. Each of us has a choice to make. I pray we choose wisely.

I'm just about to start it.

Good luck.

Protect shell right up to the wall.

All right, I'll put another one on it.

He's headed down to the cellar. I'll need a cart over here.

That's it, thanks. Thank you.

It's really heavy, mind you.

We need some more water.

Take it down there!

. . . as are the rest of her advisors.

What happened?

Euron Greyjoy ambushed Queen Daenerys and her fleet. One of the dragons was killed, several ships destroyed, Missandei captured.

I always wanted to be there when they execute your sister. Seems like I won't get the chance.

They're going to destroy that city. You know they will.

Have you ever run away from a fight?

You're not like your sister. You're not. You're better than she is. You're a good man and you can't save her. You don't need to die with her. Stay here. Stay with me. (voice breaking) Please. Stay.

You think I'm a good man? I pushed a boy out a tower window, crippled him for life for Cersei. I strangled my cousin with my own hands just to get back to Cersei. I would have murdered every man, woman and child in Riverrun for Cersei.

She's hateful. And so am I.

My lord.

Queen Daenerys demands Cersei's unconditional surrender and the immediate release of Missandei of Naath.

Queen Cersei demands Daenerys's unconditional surrender. If she refuses, Missandei of Naath will die here and now.

Qyburn, you're a rational man.

Or so I flatter myself, my lord.

We have a chance here, perhaps our last chance, to avoid carnage.

Yes.

Help me. I don't want to see this city burn. I don't want to hear the screams of children burning alive.

No, it is not a pleasant sound.

I- I don't want to hear it. Help me save this city.

My lord, I am only a mouthpiece for our queen.

Your queen.

Cersei is Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. You are her subject.

Her reign is over. You understand this. Help her understand it.

We understand nothing of the sort. Your queen's last dragon is vulnerable. Your armies are battle-weary and depleted, while ours have been reinforced with the Golden Compan-

Ready! Nock! Draw!

I know you don't care about your people. Why should you? They hate you and you hate them. But you're not a monster. I know this. I know this because I've seen it. You've always loved your children. More than yourself, more than Jaime more than anything. I beg you. If not for yourself, then for your child. Your reign is over, but that doesn't mean your life has to end. It doesn't mean your baby has to die.

(to MISSANEDEI) If you have any last words, now is the time.

Dracarys.