Game of Thrones is populated by more than its fair share of shady characters, but there’s no figure quite as enigmatic as the Red Priestess Melisandre, who showed up at Dragonstone in Season 7 for just long enough to engineer a meeting between Daenerys and Jon, before promptly getting the hell out of dodge.
She told Varys she intended to sail to Volantis, one of the Free Cities of Essos, but promised, much like the Terminator, she’ll be back.
“I will return, dear Spider, one last time,” she said. “I have to die in this strange country, just like you.”
One fan has a pretty good theory for what the Red Priestess (and new Dany devotee) could be up to in Volantis, which is home to the largest Red Temple in the known world — and it could be key to Dany’s victory in Season 8.
In George R. R. Martin’s books, Volantis’ Red Temple is home to a slave army known as the Fiery Hand — a thousand warriors raised to protect the Lord of Light’s temples.
PopCulture.com adds more fuel to this theoretical fire by pointing out that, in the show, Volantis’ temple is overseen by the High Priestess Kinvara, the mysterious woman who came to meet with Tyrion and Varys back in Season 6.
Remember her?
During that deeply weird visit, she informed Tyrion that she already supported Dany’s claim to the throne, believing her to be the Princess that was Promised. After freaking Varys out by discussing the sorcerer who castrated him, Kinvara promised Tyrion she’d call on her priests to spread Dany’s message throughout Essos.
If Melisandre goes to meet with Kinvara in Season 8, knowing that they both support Dany’s claim, it stands to reason that the High Priestess might feel inclined to lend a few soldiers to her legendary queen’s cause.
Plus, PopCulture notes, as followers of R’hllor, the Fiery Hand might possess magical capabilities similar to those wielded by Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr — including flaming swords — which could come in handy against the Night King’s wight army, especially since Cersei won’t be sending any Lannister troops into the fight.
The only wrinkle in this theory, of course, is that Daenerys isn’t a fan of slavery, and while she probably wouldn’t take issue with having her bacon saved by last minute reinforcements if she and Jon got into a sticky situation, once she learned about the Fiery Hand’s servitude, she’d probably demand that Kinvara free them. Then again, if the Red Priestesses believe in Dany as passionately as they claim, breaking a thousand chains should be a small price to pay.
Kinvara’s visit with Tyrion definitely felt a little random at the time, but if Game of Thrones brings her back in Season 8 to help Dany defeat her foes — especially since we know Cersei intends to enlist the help of the Golden Company, a sellsword army also based in Essos — Melisandre could help tie things up quite nicely for Dany, before she fulfills her own prophecy and comes back to die in Westeros.
