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In Game of Thrones S8E6, the following scene takes place

BRAN: And Drogon? Any word?

SAM: He was last spotted flying east, toward--

BRONN: The farther away, the better.

BRAN: Perhaps I can find him. Do carry on with the rest.

TYRION: As you wish, Your Grace.

Why is Bran so interested in Drogon that he feels he has to look for Drogon? For a king, that shouldn't even be in his priority list.

Napoleon Wilson
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Anu7
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7 Answers7

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Drogon is capable of single-handedly wiping out an entire city in a reasonably short period of time. One of the strongest armed cities in Westeros (with weapons designed specifically for him) was devastated and leveled by Drogon.

He indiscriminately incinerated (yes at Dany's orders) men, women and children - military and civilian alike; there is no reason to believe that with Dany gone his ethics are going to be somehow purer than hers.

The woman who was like a mother to him is dead, along with his two siblings and he is now alone in the world.

They don't know what motivates him now that he is alone; Drogon may now pose the greatest potential threat in all of the known world.

Is he likely to come back to incinerate everyone? Are you going to wait till he is there to find out or are you going to keep tabs on him for the rest of his life?

Spectra
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Summer
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    Yet he let Jon live... smh. How much lamer can the writing get? – hspandher May 21 '19 at 08:06
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    @hspandher of course he let Jon live, it was clearly the pointy chair that stabbed her – adickinson May 21 '19 at 08:26
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    @hspandher Given his heritage, Jon is now head of the family. As much as he may want to, Drogon might not be able to kill "the new boss", but he can certainly quit / go AWOL. (That, or it's a teenage pout - "I hate you, but I'm not killing the only family I have left") And, what better resignation letter than "You know that thing you've all been trying to get for the last decade? I just destroyed it, nyaaah!" – Chronocidal May 21 '19 at 08:42
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    @Chronocidal Irrelevant. Drogon is bonded with Daenerys, he is not supposed to show loyalty to anyone, at the very least not to her murderer. What's worse, Daenerys relationship with her dragons was much more deep than what the normal Valyrians used to have. For the record, dragons have eaten Targareyans before. – hspandher May 21 '19 at 08:46
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    @hspandher From what he saw there was direct evidence for him to believe that it was Jon. From what he saw he could just believe that Jon found her like this and crying because of it. – Kami Kaze May 21 '19 at 14:30
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    Further to @Chronocidal's might not be able to kill (Jon): Jon may very well be inflammable, same as Daenerys. Melting the Iron Throne may have been the only outlet for Drogon's anger. – studog May 21 '19 at 15:43
  • @studog why in the world would Jon be not inflammable? The quality had nothing to do with Targs in general. – hspandher May 21 '19 at 19:34
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    There was a real-life example of something similar. The US Air Force donated a B-36 strategic bomber to a museum on the condition it never fly again. After a few decades the plane deteriorated, but there was a plan to restore it and move it to another museum a few states away. Clearly the best way to move such a large object is to restore it to flying condition and fly it to its new home. The USAF found out and nixed the "fly it" part. You don't want a flyable strategic bomber in private hands. The plane had to be disassembled and moved by road at great expense. Keep tabs on potential threats. – Adam May 21 '19 at 23:32
  • @hspandher but Drogon is aware of Jon's geneology, he can smell it? – mckenzm May 22 '19 at 05:01
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    Note "flammable" and "inflammable" mean the same thing. (English is so great. Sometimes the prefix in- means en- as in en-flammable, and sometimes it means un- as in un-sane. – RBarryYoung May 22 '19 at 17:59
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    Let's also bear in mind that Drogon is not only a magical creature straight out of Old Nan's tales, but he is in every likelihood the last of his kind. Bran may be King now, but he is still Bran. He would be very interested in learning what he could about Drogon - and even (speculation) perhaps preserving him, if possible. So both as Bran the Three-Eyed Raven, and as Bran the King of Westeros, he has a significant interest in keeping tabs on Drogon. – CGriffin May 22 '19 at 19:56
  • Drogons a targarian dragon. He protects targarians and lights things on fire. He couldn't kill Jon. But he sure as hell could tell Jon that he can't have the damn chair. – Shayne May 23 '19 at 03:00
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    Also the writers DID miss a potential way to put Jon on the throne while keeping the surprise up. After Drogon finds Jon with Danyes corpse, he proceeds to roast the hell out of him in anger. And then Jon walks out of the flame intact. Cue surprised Drogon, Jon is now his master. And the unsullied and horse dudes bow to the new Father of dragons. Roll credits... – Shayne May 23 '19 at 03:04
  • @hspandher - How does Drogon magically make the inferential leap that it must have been Jon that stabbed her? Was he there? Does he somehow understand the politics of Westeros, and the conflicting philosophies the two had about war? All he knows is that she's dead, and it took him a bit to confirm/figure that out. Love that people complain about stupid writing while making wild leaps of knowledge for characters or relatively unintelligent animals based on what the viewer sees. – PoloHoleSet May 23 '19 at 21:43
  • @hspandher: Dragons have always shows a special kind of deference/reverence to Targaryens in particular, that has been historically recorded and it mentioned at several times during the show's runtime. Jon already received that deference from Rhaegon. While Drogon is a bit more difficult than the others were, if all dragons show some modicum of deference/reverence to all Targaryens, Drogon will show some to Jon. It's not just their bond to a particular Targaryen. – Flater Jul 07 '20 at 21:06
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There's nothing remarkable about wanting to know where a dangerous, possibly vengeful city-destroying dragon with unclear motivations has gone - but it's worth asking why did King Bran immediately leave the small council meeting to go dragon-hunting, instead of staying to discuss matters of state?

Bran showed no interest in anything else that went on in the meeting - and that makes sense. He has no interest in politics: even before the whole three-eyed-raven thing, he was more interested in Old Nan's tales of snarks and grumkins than his boring lessons about which house has what words.

Now that he can roam through time and space, he has even less interest in tedious debates about how much funding should or shouldn't be diverted from ship building to brothel repairs. Remember how he said it was by way of punishment, not reward, that he made Tyrion responsible for settling such matters.

"I need to use my powers to locate a dangerous dragon" is an excellent excuse to leave a boring meeting. I might try it at work...

user56reinstatemonica8
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    Not to mention Bran can always do a rewind of any conversation that they have if he feels a need to. I feel like the writers just threw in the hat (understandably) with some of the more OP characters (Bran, Drogon, the Night King), but having a king who can resolve he-said-she-said disputes by actually observing the conversation ought to be pretty useful... – user3067860 May 20 '19 at 18:48
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    "You are right, your friend was wrong. He does still owe you four silver stags. However, while observing your past financial dealings, I noticed you have underpaid your taxes to the sum of..." – user56reinstatemonica8 May 20 '19 at 21:12
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    "haha, you made me King, but I'm just gonna go on the Raven-net and watch Dragon videos! pwned!" – zibadawa timmy May 21 '19 at 15:44
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    It occurs to me he might "possess" Drogon as his personal "death from above" FPV drone. – mckenzm May 22 '19 at 05:04
  • If you go back to even the first episodes, its not unusual at all that the King skips small council. The hand is trusted to rule in his place.

    If we're really honest. Tyrion is the now the real power in westeros.

     – Shayne May 23 '19 at 03:07
  • You know he's pretty much leaving the running of the kingdom to his Hand (like monarchs seem to do, whether they are disconnected seers or not) when he doesn't point out to Tyrion the pointlessness of having a Master of Whispers on his council. – PoloHoleSet May 23 '19 at 21:45
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Jenayah is right in her comment.

A wild beast like a Dragon is a threat. But Drogon is quite the threat because he was angry of his mother's death. He could return anytime and avenge any time. This query is for safety of the realm.

Before this, he is talking about missing people.

We appear to be missing a master of whisperers and a master of laws and a master of war

Drogon was also missing. So, it might have flashed in his mind.

From writing perspective, the reason is giving whereabouts of a major character. Mentioning a characters who/which have fame in the audience is important. Otherwise, it would be a disappointment in the fans and many more questions like "Where did Drogon go?". So, that conversation also helped in letting the audience know the situation of Drogon.

Nog Shine
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  • ...and opens up the possibility of a spin-off series based in Essos – user56reinstatemonica8 May 20 '19 at 15:33
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    @user568458 How to Tame not-Your Dragon? – Geobits May 20 '19 at 17:35
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    @Geobits: "How I met our mother" ? – Olivier Dulac May 20 '19 at 20:27
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    +1 particularly for the writer's perspective. I'm not sure I agree with your interpretation of the flow of the meeting though. (Not that my interpretation is necessarily correct) but I find it completely natural for them to discuss meta-matters first (missing positions) followed by the top order of business, locating the all important dragon of destruction. – Summer May 20 '19 at 21:32
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    Unless, "dragon" is now a position among the King's advisers, I fail to see the connection between Drogon being AWOL and the open positions in the Small Court. – Llewellyn May 21 '19 at 18:51
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As a the most powerful skinchanger we know of, it is possible Bran, as the Three Eyed Raven, might be able not only to find Drogon, but control him.

This potential control would have many benefits--Bran could use Drogon to protect the realm, ensuring an orderly transition to elective monarchy. (As many have noted, Dorne is sure to rebel at some point, never having been properly conquered in the first place.)

Even knowing where Drogon is would be beneficial--if the dragon is coming back to live in Westeros at some point, that would definitely impact the peasants in term of sheep population and the occasional human being eaten, per the dragons' time in Slaver's Bay.

DukeZhou
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    Indeed. The writers wanted to leave open the possibility that it was Bran who plotted this all along, including saving Jon Snow and melting the throne. This was also hinted at in the short night. – HRSE May 20 '19 at 23:58
  • I so want to believe that this was what Bran was upto. His whole story, actions are so Shady – Anu7 May 21 '19 at 05:09
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    So you're taking his line of "Why else would I have traveled all the way here?" into meaning "I've been planning this out for a long time, and at long last it's time to claim my victory in the game of thrones"? – zibadawa timmy May 21 '19 at 15:46
  • That's not really an answer as to why Bran wants to find Drogon, sure, he may control him, but is that what he intends to do? – Jenayah May 22 '19 at 16:05
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    @Jenayah I suppose the implication is that he wants to find him in order to control him. But I'd agree the answer could use some elaboration (and it also merely shifts the question into why he'd want to control him, even if the advantages of this could be more apparent). – Napoleon Wilson May 22 '19 at 16:20
  • @NapoleonWilson I've added a few thoughts. My sense was this was mainly a kind of teaser thrown out to the audience to leave them "wanting more". I don't really have any theories here beyond the obvious. – DukeZhou May 22 '19 at 17:15
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From what I heard from NPR news today. They're going to be two or three spin-offs from Game of Thrones. Bran saying that he can find it leaves an open end to the series.

Extra open ends quoted: "Jon asks if killing Daenerys was right. "Ask me again in 10 years," Tyrion says, which at this rate is what George R.R. Martin should say when anyone grills him about The Winds of Winter." NPR news

Muze
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Most likely Drogon is going to find a nice quiet place, where there is food, and live out the rest of his years. Bran can probably warg into him to see what is going on. I don't know if he could control him. He made the face of someone that was going to have a little fun being a dragon. He is still a kid, regardless of being the three-eyed raven. I believe Jon would be the only person in Westeros that could even hope to control Drogon.

Glorfindel
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Mauro Hermida
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While yes tactically, it is very reasonable to want to know where Drogon is, as he poses a potential threat all on his own, there may be other reasons this dialogue was included.

Azor Ahai was a legendary hero who wielded a burning sword called Lightbringer, according to tales from Asshai and followers of R'hllor. In some other cultures this warrior is called Hyrkoon the Hero, Yin Tar, Neferion, and Eldric Shadowchaser.

Some believe that the Azor Ahai Prophecy was fulfilled by Jon Snow being in the Azor "reborn" role and Dany, Azor's wife, Nissa Nissa...

Jon Snow: Necessary?! Have you been down there?! Have you seen?! Children, little children burned'!

Night King

The idea of this prophecy relies on a belief of reincarnation and reenactment in order to undo some cycle started, presumably during the Age of Heroes, and presumably in relation to The Children of the Forest, betrayed by the First Men in relation to The White Walkers (and specifically for the TV series & upcoming prequel 'Long Night' TV series), and/or the creation of The Night King.

Daenerys Targaryen: [in Dothraki] Blood of my blood! You kept all your promises to me. You killed my enemies in their iron suits. You tore down their stone houses. You gave me the Seven Kingdoms! [the Dothraki cheer and Drogon roars. Daenerys turns to Grey Worm, addressing him in High Valyrian] You have walked beside me since the Plaza of Pride. You are the bravest of men, the most loyal of soldiers. I name you commander of all my forces, the Queen's Master of War! [the Unsullied stamp their spears in approval, while Grey Worm nods in gratitude] Unsullied. All of you were torn from your mothers' arms and made into slaves. Now...you are liberators! You have freed the people of King's Landing from the grip of a tyrant! But the war is not over. We will not lay down our spears until we have liberated all the people of the world! From Winterfell to Dorne, from Lannisport to Qarth, from the Summer Isles to the Jade Sea! Men, women and children have suffered too long beneath the wheel. Will you break the wheel with me?!

The first Long Night allegedly stems from events happening in regions around the Jade Sea, including a blood betrayl with the Opal Emperor of the Dawn Empire. This is also the region of, Yi-Ti, Asshai and the Shadowlands, a place where the legend or real life version of Azor may derive, a place where all manner of magic is experimented with, no matter how depraved, and some even believe, the place from which the first dragons are ever to be seen. Asshai also happens to be where Melisandre is originally from.

This Blood Betrayal, as it is known in the annals of the Further East, ushered in the Long Night, with the Maiden-Made-of-Light turning her back on the world, while the Lion of Night came forth to punish the wickedness of man. The darkness ended when a great warrior rose to lead the virtuous into battle with the sword Lightbringer in his hand. Light was restored, but the Great Empire was not reborn for the restored world was a broken place where every tribe of men went its own way, fearful of all the others, and war, lust, and murder had endured

So if we are to believe a cycle is broken, there may be good speculation in Dany's body being returned by Drogon to the lands from which this particular cycle started. (And why perhaps the writers had Dany name-drop the Jade Sea in her speech)

There is a possibility also that she could be resurrected for some yet to be disclosed purpose and following Drogon leads to those potential threats as well.

Darth Locke
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