Dany's arc in TWOW according to Quaithe (Spoilers Abound)

[Fishfoot]

As I was reading through this thread about the possible identity of Quaithe, I noticed something new about Q's directions to Daenerys at the end of ADWD. Her list of "to get over here, go over there" statements lines up with Daenerys' path through the novels thus far ... if read in reverse order.

She dreamed. All her cares fell away from her, and all her pains as well, and she seemed to float upward into the sky. She was flying once again, spinning, laughing, dancing, as the stars wheeled around her and whispered secrets in her ear. “To go north, you must journey south. To reach the west, you must go east. To go forward, you must go back. To touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow.” “Quaithe?” Dany called. “Where are you, Quaithe?” Then she saw. Her mask is made of starlight. “Remember who you are, Daenerys,” the stars whispered in a woman's voice. “The dragons know. Do you?” - ADWD

Quaithe demonstrated that she can probably see the future with her warning about pale mare et al. on their way to Meereen. I say probably, because it's also possible that she's been making her predictions by looking around the world in the present through a glass candle. If that's the case, then this theory is out the window.

But if she can see the future, then it appears that Quaithe is directing Dany along the specific chain of events that lead to some future "destiny", which is important to someone for some reason.

Similar to how the structure of the prophecy Daenerys hears in the House of the Undying appears to be significant, I think this latest series of predictions from Quaithe may hold some clues as to where she will go next in TWOW.

So, on to the wild speculation:

• To touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow - Dany reconnects with Drogon in Daznak's pit and flies away. She rolls under him and burns her hair off in the process.
  
• To go forward, you must go back - Daenarys returns to the Dothraki to gather a Khalasar and burns down Vaes Dothrak in the process.
  
• To reach the west, you must go east - Dany sails east with one of the Greyjoys and lands on the west coast of Westeros, sailing south of Asshai and the shadow lands in the process.
  
• To go north, you must journey south - To eventually go to the north, which seems to be the ultimate destination of this journey (likely in ADOS), Quaithe suggests that Dany will go south for something, probably taking all that Cersei holds dear in the process.
  

My best guess about ADOS: Daenerys will go south from her landing place (somewhere on the Iron Islands) to deal with Aegon Blackfyre and JonCon the plague machine. Then she'll go north to the wall, do a reverse-sleeping-beauty on Jon, and die in a consequential way.

Thoughts?

[sbdx80]

That's interesting. I am of the opinion that both Danerys and Jon Snow are prophetic figures - Fire and Ice. But not sure I agree about her having a part in bringing Jon back - or any romance between the two. I don't think Jon is meant to love again after Ygritte. As much as it would be satisfying after all the misery of the series to see Jon and Dany riding off into the sunset on Drogon, making out as they fly, I don't see this happening as it doesn't match the tenor of the books.

[yankee211]

That's interesting. I am of the opinion that both Danerys and Jon Snow are prophetic figures - Fire and Ice. But not sure I agree about her having a part in bringing Jon back - or any romance between the two. I don't think Jon is meant to love again after Ygritte. As much as it would be satisfying after all the misery of the series to see Jon and Dany riding off into the sunset on Drogon, making out as they fly, I don't see this happening as it doesn't match the tenor of the books.

GRRM will not make the ending that predictable. He always says the series will have a bitter sweet ending

[Bacon Dragon the Crispy]

Dany will die in childbirth to bear Jon a motherless child. This is when she will be reunited with Drogo, in the afterlife... It is known.

"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east," said Mirri Maz Duur. "When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before."

[The Reckoner]

Possibly, their love-making won't lead to any sort of epic love or romance but rather the equivalent of a hot dog being thrown down a hallway.

[Easy Waters]

I find Quaithe's prophecy to be already half fulfilled:

Daenerys is destined to arrive at the wall, her starting point is Braavos. She went first south to Pentos, then east to Qarth, her next move is back to Braavos (probably crossing the path of Arya) and finally to the shadow of the wall, where she will bring the light to the rescue of Westeros.

[SevasTra82]

I'm curious on how the dragons will react around Jon....I think that may be the first even that sets things in motion that Jon is a Targaryen.

[Ser Jake]

I like the idea of Dany coming to Westeros via the Iron Islands with my buddy Vic, not from the east as people would expect her too.

[Monctonvike]

There is something about the shadow lands. I think their is rumored to be an ancient people that live appreantly they taught the Valaryians to bind dragons. I could see her getting some training there

[~No One~]

There is something about the shadow lands. I think their is rumored to be an ancient people that live appreantly they taught the Valaryians to bind dragons. I could see her getting some training there

I think there's an SSM that says we won't be going further East than we are already. Apologies if this has since been amended or if I've misremembered.

[Monctonvike]

I think there's an SSM that says we won't be going further East than we are already. Apologies if this has since been amended or if I've misremembered.

No worries I might have missed that! :)

I just saw some ancient rumor in TWOIAF book and thought she might be headed that way.

[~No One~]

No worries I might have missed that! :)

I just saw some ancient rumor in TWOIAF book and thought she might be headed that way.

FWIW I hope you're right! Who wouldn't want to see Asshai, right?

[Whitering]

GRRM will not make the ending that predictable. He always says the series will have a bitter sweet ending

To most fans of the series who hang out on this board, Dany being alive, on the Throne, and happy at the end of the series would qualify as bitter, and to many others it would be sweet, a la bittersweet.

No One

Ya, I was so disappointed, looking through the whole book, a page and half on Asshai....aaaaaaaaahh.

[~No One~]

^The artwork was really beautiful...it whets the appetite, and then....nothing.

[Fishfoot]

I like the idea of Dany coming to Westeros via the Iron Islands with my buddy Vic, not from the east as people would expect her too.

I definitely think there's a chance of this happening. The old, pre-Meereen/pre-lame Dany was above all an adept opportunist. She burned one solid bridge back to Westeros when she spurned Quentyn, so I'd be surprised to see post-revelation Dany repeat the stupidity by turning down another Westerosi Great House.

That said, she is the "child of three"... so who knows?

[~No One~]

I definitely think there's a chance of this happening. The old, pre-Meereen/pre-lame Dany was above all an adept opportunist. She burned one solid bridge back to Westeros when she spurned Quentyn, so I'd be surprised to see post-revelation Dany repeat the stupidity by turning down another Westerosi Great House.

That said, she is the "child of three"... so who knows?

Except that Quaithe warned against the kraken, and for some unexplained reason, Daenarys is following her advice.

OP, I think that it is hard to take any prophesy too literally in this series; there are just too many ways to interpret them. So for Q to tell Dany to go east, to pass beneath the shadow, this could point to Asshai. Dany certainly thinks so. But what if the shadow means madness, and she needs to come out the other side, sanity intact? Or riding Drogon? Or, since she's in the Dothraki Sea right now, if she goes back to Mereen, she'll be heading east again. And south.

I do agree that Quaithe has a glass candle, and used it to "prophesy" to Dany. But the only thing I'd bet on is that the Dothraki are going to help invade the 7K. At least I hope so!

[Steelborn]

Except that Quaithe warned against the kraken, and for some unexplained reason, Daenarys is following her advice.

OP, I think that it is hard to take any prophesy too literally in this series; there are just too many ways to interpret them. So for Q to tell Dany to go east, to pass beneath the shadow, this could point to Asshai. Dany certainly thinks so. But what if the shadow means madness, and she needs to come out the other side, sanity intact? Or riding Drogon? Or, since she's in the Dothraki Sea right now, if she goes back to Mereen, she'll be heading east again. And south.

I do agree that Quaithe has a glass candle, and used it to "prophesy" to Dany. But the only thing I'd bet on is that the Dothraki are going to help invade the 7K. At least I hope so!

I think the shadow really means Asshai. Quaithe confirms that when Dany asks her about it, it doesn't mean Dany will go though.

[DigUpHerBones]

i was under the assumption Q is just another fire priestess, just reached Dany before M or perhaps whatever their grand scheme is, it was designed that way to fill her head with that "stuff" before she is introduced to M.

i think the "shadow" is in reference to the "darkness" she will eventually have to walk in.

remember, Dany under the impression her "treason's" are over and done with, Brown Ben claiming the third...i think most of us can agree that is not Dany's third treason and it has yet to be reveled.

once that third treason presents itself, Crazy Dany, or Dark Dany, will let herself be known.

remember, from Selmy per Jaehareys II, "King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land."

there is a large group out there that forgets Aerys was not always "mad"...at one point, BEFORE DUSKENDALE, he was charming, funny, intelligent, good looking, basically your typical NON CRAZY Targ.

that one event set him over the edge.

that lays the groundwork for Dany's mental stability.

one event can turn her.

she will then be faced with a choice to embrace this "dark" Targ image (possibly with help of Euron and Bran), or to go back and "touch the light" and eventually side with Jon Snow in the BIG picture...

[~No One~]

I think the shadow really means Asshai. Quaithe confirms that when Dany asks her about it, it doesn't mean Dany will go though.

Yes, I agree. I do think there are so many ways to interpret each part of what she says, though, that it's difficult to use it as proof of anything.

[libertine]

Why do these prophecies always have to be so cryptic? If Quaithe really wanted to help Dany, she'd just say something like "Damn, girl! Next you need to go to Asshai and then you sail *insert correct cardinal direction* back to fuckin Westeros and conquer the shit out of it with your Dragons. Oh yeah and before I forget: don't hang out with those creepy Greyjoys, they're tryin to fuck you over." :D

Anyways, I have been thinking a lot about these prophecies and there's just way too much, you can interpret into them. So all I can do is making an educated guess. I think, the next thing we will see is how she gets her Khalasaar back, maybe having some problems with that first (go east). Then she's most certainly going back to Meereen, seeing that the battle is over and making her way back to Westeros with whatever allies are still left (go west).

Moreover I agree with Steelborn ... Just because Quaithe says something, doesn't mean it will actually happen.