As the final season of Game of Thrones came to a close, there were plenty of characters
left behind.
Surprisingly, not all of them are dead just forgotten while fan favorites fought off the
Long Night and rode around on dragons.
Daario Naharis
Long before sparks flew between Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen, the Dragon Queen had another
lover, and we're not talking about the dearly departed Khal Drogo.
Daario Naharis was at one time a lieutenant of a sellsword company called the Second Sons,
who proved his loyalty to Dany by killing his commanders and taking control of the group
in her name.
Why?
Because he had a big old crush on the Breaker of Chains.
"We had philosophical differences."
"Over what?"
"Your beauty."
"It meant more to me than it did to them."
As Dany and her army took over the cities of Slaver's Bay, Daario got more and more
flirty, eventually earning himself a place in her bed.
As a queen, however, Dany's marriage would have to be a political one, so as much as
Daario's pretty boy looks amused her, Dany never quite returned his affection.
This is why she left him behind in Essos to help rule in her stead, breaking her ties
with him at Tyrion's prompting, and leaving Daario lovesick on another continent for the
events of the final season… which probably worked out for the best.
Nymeria
Remember back when the most heartbreaking thing about Game of Thrones was a scene straight
out of Old Yeller?
Back in season one, when Arya was somehow even smaller than she is now, she and Sansa
got along about as well as cats and dogs, but they both loved their overgrown direwolf
puppies.
They were heartbroken when Sansa's wolf, Lady, was put down and Arya's, Nymeria, was sent
away after justifiably biting Prince Joffrey.
Each of the Stark children had their own direwolf at one point, most succumbing to the same
tragic fates of their masters.
As of the last episode, Ghost is still alive, finally getting the pets he deserved from
Jon Snow, and somewhere in the Riverlands, Nymeria is still out there hunting.
Arya ran into the now-wild direwolf and her newfound pack on her way back to Winterfell.
"Nymeria?"
As cool as it would have been for Arya to have returned home with both sick assassin
skills and a giant wolf, Nymeria had her own family now.
As much as she wanted to, Arya wasn't about to take her away from them.
Meera Reed
Without Meera Reed, Bran wouldn't have made it back to Winterfell in order to reveal the
great big secret of the series.
Meera was tough as nails and an uncanny archer.
While she was unable to save her brother from dying at the hands of the wights, she does
deserve a few points for patiently sitting in a creepy, cold cave during Bran's trips
into the past, shattering a White Walker with a spear, and getting the Three-Eyed Raven
back to Winterfell in one piece.
In the end, though, the only thing she gets from Bran is a blank look and a half-hearted
thank you.
"My brother died for you."
"Hodor and Jojon died for you."
"I almost died for you."
Understandably frustrated, Meera reminds Bran of all the people who sacrificed themselves
to hold the door and save him.
Of course, in response he counters that Bran Stark did die long live the Three-Eyed Raven.
After all that, Meera finally goes home, taking a well deserved rest and staying out of the
ensuing drama of the final season.
Ed Sheeran
In a rather controversial cameo, British pop sensation Ed Sheeran appeared as a soldier
during the seventh season, sharing a fireside meal with Arya and treating her to a song.
Actress Maisie Williams was apparently more than a little starstruck, but alas, Sheeran's
character wasn't destined to stick around.
When his character "Eddie" appeared, he was part of the Lannister forces sent to the Riverlands
after Arya's brutal assassination of Lord Walder Frey and most of his house.
Unfortunately for Eddie, we know that those in gold and red armor eventually met with
a fiery fate on the Goldroad when Dany, the Dothraki, and Drogon absolutely destroyed
them in battle.
Remember those eerie shots of men turning to ash under the incredible heat of dragon
fire?
Poor Ed Sheeran probably ruined his singing voice screaming for his life.
The good news?
Thanks to a conversation about "Eddie the Ginger" in Season 8's first episode, we do
know that he survived his encounter with Drogon.
Just not in a particularly pleasant way.
"Came back with his face burnt right off.
He's got no eyelids now."
Hot Pie
Of all the minor characters in Game of Thrones, none are as beloved as Hot Pie, who earned
his nickname with baking skills that are almost as legendary as Arya's ability to get revenge.
He made Arya a loaf of adorable, slightly malformed direwolf bread before she departed
with the Hound, and stole our hearts with carbs.
When Arya returned to Westeros in season 7, she briefly reunited with Hot Pie at the crossroads
inn.
After thoroughly enjoying a few tasty treats, he got Arya up to speed on all the big news,
like how Jon Snow somehow became King in the North, which was one of the reasons why she
ultimately decided to return to Winterfell, which led directly to her saving the entire
world, which isn't a bad contribution to the series.
She does give him one piece of solid advice before she leaves, though:
"Take care of yourself Hotpie.
Try not to get yourself killed."
"I won’t.
I’m like you Aree…
I'm a survivor!"
Fighting the dead and taking on evil queens aren't exactly playing to his skillset, so
it makes sense that we didn't see him return in season eight.
But hey, Hot Pie might be the only person in Westeros who actually got a normal job
at the end of all this.
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