The Red Woman Melisandre has uttered many memorable lines throughout Game of Thrones history.
Fans can always count on the mystical priestess to deliver powerful truths while propagating her faith in the Lord of Light and changing the lives of many – for better and for worse. One such Westerosi whom Melisandre has crossed paths with is Arya Stark, and on the latest episode of Game of Thrones, the two women had a conversation that has ignited a fascinating theory about where the series will go from here.
Just before Arya takes a flying leap at the Night King and kills him with her Valyrian steel dagger, and just after Beric bravely sacrifices his life to save Arya’s as she’s overwhelmed by wights in the corridors of Winterfell, she meets with Melisandre for a mid-battle chat.
This isn’t the first time Melisandre and Arya have spoken: the first encounter they had was on the third season of Thrones, when Melisandre prophesied Arya’s future: “Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes. Eyes you’ll shut forever. We will meet again.”
Arya did indeed shut many eyes forever before finally slaughtering the Night King, a move which also killed his entire army. When she and Melisandre met again, Arya confirmed that the priestess can actually see the future.
Off Arya went to kill the blue-eyed Night King, thus sealing shut her second set of eyes. But what about the third eye color Melisandre mentioned?
Many fans believe that those green eyes belong to none other than Cersei Lannister and that Arya will murder the Mad Queen when she and the survivors of the Battle of Winterfell arrive in King’s Landing on the next episode of Game of Thrones.
Cersei’s eyes are definitely green, described by author George R.R. Martin as a perfect match to the emeralds of a tiara she once wore. Actress Lena Headey, too, has green eyes. However, astute fans will recall that Arya has already killed someone with green eyes: Littlefinger. His peepers are said to be gray-green and cat-like in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, though actor Aiden Gillen’s eyes are blue in real life.
If Arya does have more green eyes to close, will she actually kill the emerald-eyed Cersei? The Mad Queen is one of a few names left on Arya’s**** list, standing with the Hound and the Mountain, so there’s not exactly a lack of desire to murder her on Arya’s part.
There’s also a strong chance that Arya might murder Jaime Lannister, Cersei’s twin who shares her eye color, then implement the techniques she learned at the House of Black and White in Braavos to disguise herself as Jaime and kill Cersei. Such an act would connect to another major Game of Thrones prophecy: the one Cersei received in her youth.
In a Season 5 flashback, fortune teller Maggy the Frog told Cersei that she would marry a king, he would father 20 children and she would give birth to three, and her children would each taste power before dying while she was still alive. In Martin’s novels, the conversation continues, and Maggy tells Cersei that she will eventually be overcome with grief and pain. At that time, she will be murdered by a Valonqar – the word for “little brother” in High Valyrian.
Cersei’s other sibling Tyrion could be the little brother who murders her, especially given that he’s bent the knee to Daenerys. However, “valonqar” means little brother and not littlest, meaning that Jaime, who was born minutes after Cersei, could also be the one to kill her, or at least someone who looks just like him.
Arya stealing Jaime’s face to do the deed would be a surprise twist for viewers, and might even link up to Maggy’s mention that a “younger and more beautiful” queen will cast Cersei down and take all that she holds dear. Perhaps Daenerys will be the one to ask Arya to murder Jaime as revenge for the Lannister man slaying her father during Robert’s Rebellion. Then, Arya might snatch Jaime’s mug, fulfill Maggy’s prophecy by murdering Cersei as Jaime, and clear the Iron Throne for Daenerys to take.
Since few predicted that Arya would even kill the Night King on the latest episode, there really is no saying how sound these theories are or anticipating what exactly will happen next. Hopefully, the next episode of Game of Thrones will clear up any lingering questions about Arya and Melisandre’s conversation and reveal whether Cersei will live to see another day.
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