Name a surprise character who could be king/queen at the end

[Lord Vance II]

The North (behind Jon), the Riverlands and the Vale (behind Sansa) come together around....Rickon "The Black Wolf" Stark. 

[Queen of Procrastination]

Samwell Tarly:The Maesters have secretely been working to overthrow the lords and rule themselves the whole time. By the time they start with the revolt Sam has become a full Maester and he becomes Graendmaester which is equal to the rank of King. 

[Therae]

Leaf.

[Van Gogh]

Big Walder Frey.  He's uncannily astute for his age and he's very good at evaluating (sizing up) the people around him.  He's part Blackwood and he might get some help from Bloodraven.  Bloodraven is part Blackwood himself.  It would be just like Bloodraven to start grooming a smart boy like Big Walder for leadership.

I doubt Bloodraven would prefer this but it could happen.  If Dany decides to return to Essos and continue her world-building efforts to end slavery, that would create a vacancy for ruling Westeros.  Big Walder is a lot smarter than any of the Starks and the Baratheons.  He could mature into a capable ruler.  Should Dany choose to become the Empress she would need someone to govern Westeros.

[Lucius Lovejoy]

Jeyne "Queen Arya Stark" Poole married to fAegon VI Targaryen (sp?).  Two Imposters with good sounding names.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

1 hour ago, Lucius Lovejoy said:

Jeyne "Queen Arya Stark" Poole married to fAegon VI Targaryen (sp?).  Two Imposters with good sounding names.

Assuming that Aegon is fake. He may not be. There's no such possibility for Jeyne.

[Lucius Lovejoy]

Hey @Lady Blizzardborn, truth be told I actually think Aegon is the real deal.  The idea of Jeyne being on the Iron Throne was something I thought up after reading a thread trying to provide evidence that Arya would be Queen, although I've always thought Arya would wind up dead during the battle for dawn, so having fArya as Queen and Arya die would sort of let both outcomes be true.

Alas, I don't believe fArya or (f)Aegon will be on the Iron Throne at the end because...

Spoiler

The HBO show does not include either plotline, and allegedly will end up at the same spot the books end up.

 

[Nocturne]

On 3/3/2017 at 5:10 AM, 40 Thousand Skeletons said:

Bloodraven. Already has a throne. Legitimized son of Aegon IV. Still alive kinda sorta. Has 1000 eyes. Has been playing the game for unknown reasons. May be immortal and not actually need an heir.

Confirmed, The God Emperor of man from Warhammer is Bloodraven.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

2 hours ago, Lucius Lovejoy said:

Hey @Lady Blizzardborn, truth be told I actually think Aegon is the real deal.  The idea of Jeyne being on the Iron Throne was something I thought up after reading a thread trying to provide evidence that Arya would be Queen, although I've always thought Arya would wind up dead during the battle for dawn, so having fArya as Queen and Arya die would sort of let both outcomes be true.

Alas, I don't believe fArya or (f)Aegon will be on the Iron Throne at the end because...

  Reveal hidden contents

The HBO show does not include either plotline, and allegedly will end up at the same spot the books end up.

 

Cool. I've got a different take on that though...

Spoiler

I think the show cut Aegon because of the cost of CGI for dragon vs dragon battles. They cut Jeyne because Sansa's plotline in the Vale wasn't deemed interesting enough for television.

Any number of people could briefly sit the IT. I agree on Aegon not sitting it in the end, but he might take it for a little while.

[UnFit Finlay]

On 03/03/2017 at 4:02 AM, Lord Wraith said:

Edric Storm legitimized. I mean he is from Robert who was the last king. Doubtful but would be surprising.

This is my ideal ending actually.

Jon proves himself as Azor Ahai, etc, and after much teeth grinding and reluctance, Stannis "the man who will never bend"  bends his knee and accepts that Jon is the rightful King.

Then Jon sacrifices himself to save the realm leaving Stannis with the Throne he craved but no longer feels worthy of. He'll be haunted by the horrible things he did, and intended to do, for the Throne, and will legitimize Edric as an act of atonement to the boy, his brothers and Courtnay Penrose.

Edric then marries Sansa finally uniting the Starks and Baratheons on the third attempt.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

8 hours ago, UnFit Finlay said:

This is my ideal ending actually.

Jon proves himself as Azor Ahai, etc, and after much teeth grinding and reluctance, Stannis "the man who will never bend"  bends his knee and accepts that Jon is the rightful King.

Then Jon sacrifices himself to save the realm leaving Stannis with the Throne he craved but no longer feels worthy of. He'll be haunted by the horrible things he did, and intended to do, for the Throne, and will legitimize Edric as an act of atonement to the boy, his brothers and Courtnay Penrose.

Edric then marries Sansa finally uniting the Starks and Baratheons on the third attempt.

That last line needs fixing. Arya marries Gendry who is Lord of the Stormlands while his little brother reigns as king. THAT finally unites the Starks and Baratheons.

Lyanna and Robert were the first attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Sansa and Joffrey were the second attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Starting over with Arya and Gendry makes it more likely to stick. Third time's a charm.

And holy cow...we may have just forged Lightbringer!

[Lord Wraith]

11 hours ago, UnFit Finlay said:

This is my ideal ending actually.

Jon proves himself as Azor Ahai, etc, and after much teeth grinding and reluctance, Stannis "the man who will never bend"  bends his knee and accepts that Jon is the rightful King.

Then Jon sacrifices himself to save the realm leaving Stannis with the Throne he craved but no longer feels worthy of. He'll be haunted by the horrible things he did, and intended to do, for the Throne, and will legitimize Edric as an act of atonement to the boy, his brothers and Courtnay Penrose.

Edric then marries Sansa finally uniting the Starks and Baratheons on the third attempt.

Eh in my mind Dany is the one that dies but Jon stays in the North as King of the North and Wildlings. 

3 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

That last line needs fixing. Arya marries Gendry who is Lord of the Stormlands while his little brother reigns as king. THAT finally unites the Starks and Baratheons.

Lyanna and Robert were the first attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Sansa and Joffrey were the second attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Starting over with Arya and Gendry makes it more likely to stick. Third time's a charm.

And holy cow...we may have just forged Lightbringer!

Meh why is Stark/Baratheon so important? The Pact of Fire and Ice was about a Targaryen and a Stark. So Aegon and Sansa in the end. 

[Curled Finger]

Wow, some really interesting choices.   A surprise in my eyes would be a darkhorse contender.   But you people got me thinking along the lines of the Winter actually killing off many characters so that some as isolated and unlikely as Sweet Robert Arryn really would have to step up.   Man that's a scary thought.   I read through every post.   Am I to understand this community as actually believing Stannis has a real and possible shot at the throne?   I mean, I want it, but I don't see it happening in any way shape or form.   Stannis is my surprise character offering.  

[The Lord of the Crossing]

On 3/7/2017 at 7:37 PM, Sybil Vane said:

Big Walder Frey.  He's uncannily astute for his age and he's very good at evaluating (sizing up) the people around him.  He's part Blackwood and he might get some help from Bloodraven.  Bloodraven is part Blackwood himself.  It would be just like Bloodraven to start grooming a smart boy like Big Walder for leadership.

I doubt Bloodraven would prefer this but it could happen.  If Dany decides to return to Essos and continue her world-building efforts to end slavery, that would create a vacancy for ruling Westeros.  Big Walder is a lot smarter than any of the Starks and the Baratheons.  He could mature into a capable ruler.  Should Dany choose to become the Empress she would need someone to govern Westeros.

Thanks for the Frey love.  You might also consider Lothar Frey for the throne, the great wedding planner who took down the pompous pretender Robb Stark.

[UnFit Finlay]

10 hours ago, Lady Blizzardborn said:

That last line needs fixing. Arya marries Gendry who is Lord of the Stormlands while his little brother reigns as king. THAT finally unites the Starks and Baratheons.

Lyanna and Robert were the first attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Sansa and Joffrey were the second attempt. Neither married into the other house.
Starting over with Arya and Gendry makes it more likely to stick. Third time's a charm.

And holy cow...we may have just forged Lightbringer!

Nah. I think Sansa is destined to be Queen. She's basically spent the whole series learning to how to rule from the likes of Cersei, Littlefinger and even Joffrey (in a "here's how not to do it" kind of way"). A legitimized bastard like Edric will need a highborn maiden as Queen anyway and I don't think there's a better candidate around than Sansa. Especially now that she's lived as a bastard.

Gendry and Arya would be a pretty hopeless Lord and Lady. They might still get together (I don't see it personally) but I don't think either of them would be happy ruling.

7 hours ago, Lord Wraith said:

Eh in my mind Dany is the one that dies but Jon stays in the North as King of the North and Wildlings. 

Meh why is Stark/Baratheon so important? The Pact of Fire and Ice was about a Targaryen and a Stark. So Aegon and Sansa in the end. 

Oh, I think Dany is going to die as well. The main reason that I think Stannis is going to survive is because he's just a normal bloke. He doesn't have dragons, he hasn't come back from the dead, and there's no mystery about his parentage. Jon, Dany or Aegon taking the throne just doesn't feel like a proper ending to me.

I don't think uniting Starks and Baratheons is particularly important, it'd just be a nice bit of symmetry.

[Sator]

No one.  (Not Arya who is taught to be No One, though that's an interesting echo.  I mean literally no one.)

I believe the story ends with the Iron Throne being dissolved by Daeny, who will have learned by then that even the best possible ruler is eventually followed by one who is evil.  The Seven Kingdoms are better ruled as seven independent areas (and the Crownlands perhaps become an eighth).  I also believe that she'll send off her dragon children to live free (though I wonder if Drogon will die first, causing Daeny to then free the other two).

As I am currently reading the World of Ice and Fire, I'm struck by the fact that every generation or two, the throne ends up with a horrible ruler.  So even if "Daeny wins!" is a good ending in the mind of most readers, it's still not actually an ending at all because someone will eventually take over when Daeny dies, and someone will take over from that person, and some of those people will be nightmares.

The true good ending is Daeny "breaking the chains" by disbanding the Iron Throne and releasing her dragons into the wild to be tamed by no one.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

10 hours ago, Lord Wraith said:

Eh in my mind Dany is the one that dies but Jon stays in the North as King of the North and Wildlings. 

Meh why is Stark/Baratheon so important? The Pact of Fire and Ice was about a Targaryen and a Stark. So Aegon and Sansa in the end. 

It's a sentimental thing. The Pact has probably already been taken care of by Rhaegar and Lyanna. 

I'm not averse to Aegon and Sansa, in fact I half expect it. But I also expect Aegon to die which will leave Sansa in danger if she is pregnant or has had a son.

2 hours ago, UnFit Finlay said:

Nah. I think Sansa is destined to be Queen. She's basically spent the whole series learning to how to rule from the likes of Cersei, Littlefinger and even Joffrey (in a "here's how not to do it" kind of way"). A legitimized bastard like Edric will need a highborn maiden as Queen anyway and I don't think there's a better candidate around than Sansa. Especially now that she's lived as a bastard.

Gendry and Arya would be a pretty hopeless Lord and Lady. They might still get together (I don't see it personally) but I don't think either of them would be happy ruling.

<snip

Sansa thought she was destined to be queen, and desperately wanted it. She may well decide in the end that she wants no part of that life, especially if she gets a hefty dose of it as Aegon's bride. I can easily see her retiring to Highgarden or elsewhere and never setting foot in a court again. That's assuming she lives.

Gendry and Arya in the first two books? Yes they would be hopeless and unhappy. Grown up Gendry and Arya will be different. Arya has always cared more about practicalities and the smallfolk than any other member of her family (except maybe Ned), and Gendry knows first-hand what it's like to grow up as a nobody with no protection and no future until Varys found him and got him a job. Put together they could make an amazing team, and would balance each other very well. That's assuming they live.

[TeethGrinder]

I don't think there will be a king/queen at the end. I imagine the system will be overhauled after the battle with the others.

I'd back Aegon or Euron to be the last to sit the Iron Throne. If there is to be a surprise then Theon is the best bet. 

[Westerosi Coast Gangster]

I'd like to see Theon at least become king of the Iron Islands, with his son from the captains daughter as heir.

[Lord Wraith]

13 minutes ago, Westerosi Coast Gangster said:

I'd like to see Theon at least become king of the Iron Islands, with his son from the captains daughter as heir.

We do see a mom and child in Sam's POV getting off a ship at Oldtown. Could be the Myraham.