What Happens To Daenerys In The Books

The 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series of books by George R.R. Martin, upon which 'Game of Thrones' is based, hasn't concluded yet! So as of 'A Dance with Dragons', the latest published installment, Daenerys Targaryen is very much alive.

Watching the first season of 'Game of Thrones' on a cramped couch with a mug gone cold taught me early how messy leadership is, and Khal Drogo's mark on Daenerys stuck with me more than a sword or a title. He gave her immediate legitimacy among a fierce, mobile people — she became khaleesi not because of a Westerosi coronation but because she stepped into a living, breathing authority handed to her by marriage. That experience taught her how power can be embodied: the way a leader moves, how decisiveness and visible strength win followers, and how cultural symbols (the khalasar, the braids, the rituals) create loyalty beyond law. Beyond ceremony, Drogo shaped her emotionally. Their relationship pushed her from sheltered girlhood toward a kind of practical courage mixed with trauma. Losing him cracked something open; the grief and anger she carried became fuel. That fury, combined with the memory of being loved and respected by a powerful man who allowed her space, made her both empathetic and uncompromising. It’s why later she could both comfort the enslaved and rain fire on betrayers — she’d learned that mercy and ruthlessness are tools, and sometimes both are necessary. Tactically, the Dothraki lens mattered too. Daenerys absorbed a warrior’s instinct: mobility, surprise, and the symbolism of a following that obeys out of devotion. Even as she adapted Westerosi strategies, I always saw shades of Drogo in her insistence on presence, spectacle, and a personal bond with followers — like when she walked among freed slaves or opened the fighting pits. Drogo didn’t teach her fine politics, but he taught her how to inspire and how loss can harden vision, which mattered for every throne she later sought.

Daenerys' father is Aerys II Targaryen, also known as the Mad King. He was the last member of House Targaryen to sit on the Iron Throne, which is one of the many reasons why Daenerys is determined to reclaim it.

Daenerys' mother is none other than Rhaella Targayen. Sister-wife to Aerys II, she was a member of House Targaryen. Her life was full of trials; marrying her own brother as predicted according to prediction, she watched his madness grow. Regrettably, she passed away giving birth to Daenerys in the midest of a great storm, so Daenerys acquired the nickname 'Stormborn'.

This question always sparks a weird little ache in me whenever I flip back through the early chapters of 'A Game of Thrones' — I get pulled right into that dusty tent in Vaes Dothrak. To be blunt: Khal Drogo and Daenerys did not end up with a living child in either the books or the TV show. In both versions there's a pregnancy that people talk about and hope for — the idea of the mighty Rhaego, the so-called 'stallion that mounts the world' — but Mirri Maz Duur's blood magic kills the unborn baby as part of her ritual. The child never grows up to lead a khalasar in either medium. The scenes differ in tone and detail between the two. In the show 'Game of Thrones' the sequence is more visually explicit: Drogo is left catatonic after the ritual, Daenerys ends his life, and the funeral pyre becomes the place where the dragons are born from the eggs. In the books by George R. R. Martin the same tragic thrust exists — loss of the child, Drogo incapacitated — but there’s more interiority, more haunting prophecy and speculation in the text. People have long argued about whether any supernatural trick left a trace of Rhaego, or whether Dany might have future children, but canonically as published (and as shown on screen) there are no surviving children of Drogo and Daenerys. Instead, Dany’s real offspring in a way become her dragons, who function as her familial legacy and complicated substitutes for human heirs, which always gives me chills rather than comfort.

I still get goosebumps thinking about how that whole thing began on the page — it’s such a slow-burn, culture-clash opening that turns into something surprisingly intimate. In 'A Game of Thrones' the relationship is set up as a political move: Viserys and Illyrio arrange for Daenerys to marry Khal Drogo because Viserys wants an army to reclaim the Iron Throne. Dany is sold into the marriage more than she chooses it, arrives in Pentos, and then is handed over to a Dothraki khalasar. The first meetings are awkward and frightening for her; she’s a terrified teenage girl in foreign clothes surrounded by strangers who live by different rules. That initial fear is important — it frames everything that comes after. What I love about the book version is how gradual the change is. Dany doesn’t instantly fall in love, and Drogo isn’t some epic rom-com hero. He’s a powerful, blunt man of his people who doesn’t flatter her, but he also shows a quiet protectiveness. Dany learns Dothraki ways, grows into the role of khaleesi, and they carve out private moments where closeness builds: shared rides, language lessons, the intimacy of camp life. It feels organic, messy, and realistic. Then tragedy creeps in — Drogo’s wound and the disastrous blood-magic solution that follows bring everything to a terrible head. The book sequence reads like someone coming of age in exile: political pawn to a woman who starts to claim her destiny, and that origin — bargaining and survival — colors their bond to the end. If you haven’t re-read those early Dany chapters lately, try them again; the tone is very different from the show and worth savoring.

In Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen’s decision to execute Varys was a pivotal moment that revealed her growing ruthlessness and fear of betrayal. Understanding why she killed Varys requires looking closely at his actions, her mindset, and the political stakes at play. Varys’s Motives: Protecting the Realm or Undermining Daenerys? Varys, known as “the Spider,” was Daenerys’s trusted advisor for much of her campaign to claim the Iron Throne. However, over time, he grew deeply concerned about Daenerys’s increasingly volatile behavior and the possibility that her rule might bring destruction rather than peace. After learning from Tyrion Lannister that Jon Snow was the legitimate Targaryen heir (born Aegon Targaryen), Varys quietly shifted his loyalty. He believed Jon’s temperament and sense of justice made him a better candidate to rule Westeros and protect its people. To that end, Varys began covertly supporting Jon Snow’s claim, attempting to sway key figures to back Jon over Daenerys. This included sending letters and gathering support behind the scenes, which amounted to a political conspiracy against Daenerys. Daenerys’s Perspective: Betrayal and the Threat to Her Throne Daenerys was deeply aware of the precariousness of her position. She had survived exile, betrayal, and war to claim the throne she believed was her birthright. When Varys’s betrayal was uncovered, it was more than just political dissent—it was a direct threat to her life and vision for Westeros. She saw Varys’s actions as treasonous, especially given her previous warnings about loyalty and the consequences of betrayal. For Daenerys, allowing such a conspiracy to continue could destabilize her rule and undo everything she fought for. The Execution: A Statement of Power and Justice True to her word and reflecting the harsh realities of Targaryen tradition and wartime rule, Daenerys ordered Varys’s execution by burning. This method was symbolic—fire represented both her house and her willingness to destroy those who opposed her. By executing Varys publicly, Daenerys intended to send a clear message: betrayal would not be tolerated, and she was prepared to use brutal measures to secure her reign. Summary: Why Did Daenerys Kill Varys? Daenerys killed Varys because he secretly conspired to replace her on the Iron Throne with Jon Snow, believing Jon to be a wiser and more just ruler. This act was viewed by Daenerys as an unforgivable betrayal and an existential threat to her claim. Her decision to burn Varys alive underscored her resolve to punish treason severely and maintain control over Westeros.

Well, 'Game of Thrones' creates a world that can ensnare any viewer, and the complex relationships are part of the charm! As per the revealed lineage, Daenerys Targaryen and Rhaegar Targaryen are indeed linked. They are siblings. Rhaegar was the elder brother of Daenerys, and both are children of King Aerys II Targaryen, also known as 'The Mad King'. Rhaegar tragically died in 'Robert's Rebellion' before Daenerys was born.