6. Stannis Is Defeated - Down
The decision to sacrifice his daughter Shireen to the Lord of Light may have cleared the snow for his march to Wintefell, but the cost was far higher than he imagined. He lost his daughter, he lost a huge chunk of his army, he lost the war, and he has seemingly lost his life. With the sellswords leaving he never stood a chance of defeating the Boltons, something Melisandre clearly knows as she leaves him high and dry and returns to Castle Black. Stannis is still preparing for a siege when his men are under attack, and ultimately his forces are devastated by those of House Bolton. As for Stannis, hes badly wounded and stumbling around the woods, although still managing to fight off enemies. That is until he meets Brienne of Tarth, who introduces herself to him and explains her vow to kill him. He accepts his death, but the show cuts away before we see it happen. That leaves the possibility of him still being alive (Brienne is terrible at keeping her vows), but for now it is assumed that the last man standing from the War of the Five Kings (discounting Balon Greyjoy, because the show certainly seems to have) has gone the same way as his rivals.
James Hunt
Contributor
NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far.
A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.
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