The wait for The Winds of Winter is long, and it’s only getting longer. Author George R.R. Martin has confirmed that it’s 75% done, but we are not getting our hopes up. The last book in the A Song of Ice and Fire came out almost 12 years ago. So, if Martin doesn’t give us the next book already, let’s turn to AI for some answers.
But first, where is Daenerys in the A Dance with Dragons?
In A Dance with Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen faces numerous challenges as she rules Meereen as its queen. Daenerys deals with the disapproval of the Meereenese nobility and faces the difficulty of managing her dragons. She also receives a warning from Quaithe, “Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun’s son and the mummer’s dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal.”
She faces diplomatic challenges as well, with Xaro Xhoan Daxos offering her ships to depart for Westeros, but she refuses due to the fate of her freedmen left behind. The Wise Masters of Yunkai resume slavery and gather armies, preparing to march against Daenerys. Amidst political intrigue, the arrival of Quentyn Martell, and the growing tensions with Yunkai, Daenerys faces a moment of decision. The city is blockaded by enemy ships, and she lacks the means to battle them.
Buy: A Dance with Dragons
The situations escalate all around Daenerys. Her new husband, Hizdahr, invites the captains from the Yunkish army into Meereen to sign the peace treaty and celebrate the opening of the fighting pits. Daenerys is disgusted by everything these men stand for. Soon, we find out that Hizdahr was trying to poison Daenerys. Out of nowhere, Drogon lands in the dragonpit, and Daenerys escapes with him to the Dothraki Sea.
People in Mereen think she’s dead, and chaos ensues. Drogon has brought Daenerys to a hill, but she becomes sick. Later, Khal Jhaqo and his khalasar find Daenerys standing next to her dragon.
Read More: Can House of the Dragon make way for a Daenerys Targaryen resurrection? (And should it?)
What will happen next, according to AI?
After encountering Khal Jhaqo and his khalasar, Daenerys initially faces a precarious situation. However, her reputation as the Mother of Dragons and the widow of Khal Drogo grants her a certain level of respect among the Dothraki. Daenerys manages to assert her authority and convinces Khal Jhaqo to join her cause.
With the Dothraki behind her, Daenerys returns to Meereen, determined to reclaim her city from the clutches of the Yunkai’i and restore order. She reunites with her loyal advisors and allies, including Barristan Selmy, who reveals the treacherous intentions of Hizdahr zo Loraq.
United with her forces, Daenerys launches a counteroffensive against the Yunkai’i and their allies. With her dragons leading the charge, she unleashes their destructive power, decimating the enemy forces and causing chaos among their ranks.
With Meereen liberated, Daenerys sets her sights on the wider world and her ultimate goal of claiming the Iron Throne in Westeros. She gathers her forces, including the Unsullied, Dothraki, and loyalists from Slaver’s Bay, and sets sail for the Seven Kingdoms.
However, her journey to Westeros proves challenging as she encounters formidable enemies, including Euron Greyjoy, who seeks to marry her and secure the dragons for himself. Daenerys must navigate political intrigue, forge alliances, and confront her family’s tumultuous history as she strives to fulfill her destiny as the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Daenerys forms a formidable alliance with House Martell of Dorne, who shares her desire for vengeance against the Lannisters for the death of Oberyn Martell. With the Dornish forces by her side, she launched a series of calculated military campaigns, strategically targeting key strongholds and winning the allegiance of other houses through diplomacy and charisma.
Fight for the Iron Throne
As her army grows, Daenerys faces a moral dilemma when confronted with the presence of innocent civilians in the areas she intends to conquer. Struggling with her desire to be a just ruler and avoid unnecessary bloodshed, she implements a new strategy: offering terms of surrender to the major cities and castles she encounters. Those who surrender peacefully are integrated into her growing coalition, while those who resist face the full might of her dragons and forces.
Ultimately, in a climactic battle, Daenerys faces off against a powerful coalition led by Cersei Lannister, who is determined to maintain her hold on power. With her dragons unleashing their fiery wrath and her forces displaying remarkable discipline and resilience, Daenerys emerges victorious, claiming the Iron Throne and establishing a new era of rule in Westeros.
However, her triumph comes at a great cost. The long years of war and the toll of ruling take their toll on Daenerys’ mental and emotional well-being. As she sits upon the Iron Throne, she wrestles with her inner demons and the challenges of leadership. The decisions she makes have profound consequences, and the question of whether she can truly break the cycle of violence and tyranny becomes central to her character arc.
Throughout her journey, Daenerys faces internal struggles, battling her own doubts and the weight of her power. She grapples with the moral complexities of governance, striving to be a just and compassionate queen while facing the harsh realities of war and the sacrifices it demands.
What do we think?
The AI prompted a logical answer, but George R.R. Martin’s writing is never as straightforward as this. He has confirmed that Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys will meet each other. And Jon Snow is also nowhere in the picture. We think a lot more data and finishing will be required actually to churn out a whole book, but it’s a start.
While the author has assured us that the book ending will be different than the ending of the show, no one can surely predict what will happen to Daenerys. Being a central character, all the outcomes most readers can conjure will be considered predictable. For example, her winning the Iron Throne is as cliche of a prediction as her losing it. We only pray to Martin that her character arc isn’t the same as Game of Thrones.
AI has tried to answer fans’ curiosity in the past
In 2017, programmer and A Song of Ice and Fire enthusiast Zach Thoutt created a neural network based on all the previous books to generate The Winds of Winter. There are a total of 5 almost non-sensical chapters, but hey, it’s more of the book than what we have gotten from the man himself. Here’s an excellent excerpt from the first chapter:
“Aye, you need to speak of a hundred seasoned cloaks, mutton, fish and crimson silk, Sam could give back the smith, and for before there had been fallen. This dragon does not say we had four of a band, or no men or rats and two singers, the great pack of men and the winged trees. You can go with lots and doors and empty path be gone, or we can shield Winterfell until your lot are cracked and dying without a while. I’ll wear them as well, Ser Davos, and hardly even put you to Black Worm. She has been up riding the Kingsroad near his as long as you ever believed, four men who might improve the lot of her better.”
On Manifold, a prediction market, users predict a 12% chance of an AI system writing a high-quality The Winds of Winter before George R.R. Martin publishes it. This question will expire in 2026, so we’ll have to wait and watch (like we have been already, for years.)
What do you think? Will AI be able to write this book before Martin? Let us know on our discord server.
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