10 Most Shocking Game Of Thrones Moments
5. Burned At The Stake
Like Hodor, Shireen was one of the few truly innocent and good characters on the show. And like Hodor, she suffered a death that was harrowing and painful to watch, and a complete surprise for book readers as well as show viewers.
The first of the three "holy sh*t" moments George R.R. Martin told showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff about (the second was Hodor, and the third is from the very end), Shireen is sacrificed so Stannis can march on Winterfell and defeat the Boltons.
It's made painful by how sweet we've watched this little girl be, especially in the episodes leading up to this moment (that should've been a clue, really). Stannis had promised he'd never hurt her, but when she says she'll do anything to help him she's unwittingly signing her own death warrant.
As she's led through the crowd, as she's tied to the stake, even as the flames are lit, you're expecting Stannis to change his mind, or Selyse to intervene. But they just watch on, as their only child is burned alive.
Those screams pierced our hearts, and aren't something likely to be forgotten anytime soon.