JON Snow’s decision to kill Daenerys Targaryen was one of the most heart-breaking moments of Game of Thrones’ final season.
The pair were driven apart as Jon’s royal ancestry came to light, implicating them not just in incest, but in clashing claims to the Iron Throne.
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Fans of the show will remember the tragic moment Jon (Kit Harington) plunged a dagger into Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) chest during their final embrace.
However, a newly released concept art book has revealed that there was originally an entire scene cut from the sequence that documented Jon’s final journey to meet with her.
The Art of Game of Thrones from HBO and Insight Editions features the concept sketches signed off by production designer Deborah Riley.
The axed on-screen moment saw a conflicted Jon’s last interaction with eunuch army The Unsullied.
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“As Jon heads into the Red Keep, struggling with a choice only he can make, he comes upon a huge pile of snow that reveals itself as a sleeping Drogon,” the caption reads.
“Recognizing Jon Snow, Drogon allows him to pass through the door that leads to the throne room… Unsullied soldiers guard below.”
The version that made it into the episode simply saw Jon leaving Tyrion Lannister’s (Peter Dinklage) cell, before arriving at Daenerys’ throne room without an armed guard.
The moment with Drogon was kept however, preceeding him melting down the Iron Throne with his breath and flying into the distance.
The journey through the King’s Landing ruins isn’t the only moment to be edited out during the production process.
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In George RR Martin’s original pitch, there were all manner of moments that never made the cut.
The author originally planned for Jon and Arya to embark on an incestuous romance, while he envisioned Sansa betraying the Starks to have Joffrey’s baby.
He also planned for Tyrion to have his nose hacked off during the Battle of Blackwater.
The Art of Game of Thrones is available for preorder now.
