In A Dance With Dragons, Daenerys made her influence felt on Westeros for the first time. The Tyrant Queen of Meereen has yet to start sailing back to Westeros or even acquire the Dothraki army she’ll need to conquer it. But her rule in Slaver’s Bay has created a long shadow, and amid the tumultuous wars still wracking Westeros, some nobles and powerful men have left the Seven Kingdoms to join her side. Tyrion Lannister is the most notable of these. But Archmaester Marywn is not far behind. What will he tell Daenerys?
What Will Archmaester Marywn Tell Daenerys In Winds Of Winter?
Marywn is an archmaester of the Citadel, and an odd bird. He’s called “Marwyn the Mage,” a once-derogatory term his colleagues gave him to make fun of his interest in magic and such things. But Marwyn, one of the few maesters to study magic, adopted the moniker. In A Feast For Crows, we met him for the first time when Sam Tarly arrived in Oldtown. There, he told Marwyn about the Others and everything he had seen north of the Wall. And Marwyn immediately decided he had no choice but to sail at once for Meereen to tell Daenerys about this. It’s a big moment, but we haven’t yet seen him arrive.
Why is Archmaester Marwyn, Westeros’s foremost authority on ancient magic, heading to join Daenerys? Why didn’t he send Sam or some other messenger? Obviously because Marwyn needed to go himself—he doesn’t just need to tell Daenerys about the Others, but about what they mean in the context of magic returning to the world.
Marwyn has strange artifacts, a strange demeanor and strange knowledge. He possesses a glass candle, an ancient Valyrian artifact that functions like a palantir. These haven’t worked in hundreds of years—but his glass candle has since lit up again. Powers are awakening that have been dormant for centuries. This is what Marwyn needs to tell Daenerys.
And it could be a very consequential meeting. Marwyn has admitted to Sam that the maesters are responsible for the past extinction of the dragons, that the maesters want no part of a world with magic in it. Daenerys will not like this news. But up until now, Daenerys has had one long-term goal: Conquer Westeros. Marwyn will come to her with a revelation: that the Others pose an existential threat to Westeros. Even five books in, Daenerys doesn’t really know about the threat from beyond the Wall. Marwyn will take care of that—and plant the seeds that will lead Daenerys to become a hero instead of a tyrant. At least, that’s one hope. She could also just decide to level the Citadel to the ground. But let’s hope she takes the long view.
