Game of Thrones is one of the rare examples of an elite show that features a rich and vast world, brimming with a catalog of intriguing and morally complex characters who have become pop culture icons since their debuts. Within the lands of Westeros and its neighboring Essos, a collection of couples have displayed impressive levels of affection and romance on the small screen, enhancing the many intertwining narratives in Game of Thrones.
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From north of the Wall to the city of Meereen, there have been several sweet couples who have become enamored with each other. In particular, here are some of Game of Thrones’ finest romantic pairs, with an emphasis on loving and heartfelt couples, as opposed to incestuous or toxic and abusive relationships.
After the capture of Ned Stark, his eldest son, Robb Stark, marches to war, being proclaimed King of the North after his father’s murder. In his quest to end Joffrey Baratheon and his reign, Robb comes across Talisa, a highborn Volantis lady giving aid to wounded soldiers on the battlefield, and is drawn to her beauty and care at first sight. From that moment, Robb was infatuated with Talisa, and their flirting was founded on genuine love and affection, later leading to their marriage, one of the key factors in the downfall of Robb’s vengeful pursuits.
With Robb’s oath to marry one of Walder Frey’s daughters broken, when it came time to trust the leader of House Frey, Robb was betrayed, resulting in the savage murder of himself, his mother, and his pregnant wife, in what came to be one of TV’s most traumatic events, the Red Wedding.
On Daenerys Targaryen’s journey to reclaim her ancestors’ throne within the Seven Kingdoms, her closest allies and confidants, Missandei and Grey Worm, partake in a long and drawn-out romantic relationship. From the moment Daenerys freed Missandei and Grey Worm from slavery, the pair began to show signs of attraction to one another, and their feelings later blossomed into a physical relationship once in Westeros.
Tragically, the couple’s hopes for the future are dashed. Missandei’s kidnapping and death at the hands of Cersei Lannister came as a devastating blow, tipping Grey Worm and Daenerys over the edge.
The unlikely coming together of a Wildling daughter of Craster and a timid Night’s Watch member is rather sudden. However, Samwell Tarly and Gilly prove to be a sweet and innocent couple, with their awkward and tender moments together filling the often dour and devastating world of Game of Thrones with some much-needed goodness. Since their first meeting when the Night’s Watch reached Craster’s Keep, Sam strives to protect Gilly and her child, and is even one of the first men in the history of the Seven Kingdoms to kill a White Walker in a bid to save baby Sam.
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As Sam’s travels take him to Oldtown and Winterfell, Gilly stays by his side every step of the way. Gilly’s pregnancy reveal fully solidified the pair as a long-term power couple in the fantasy show.
From the very moment the suave and charisma-filled Daario Naharis comes into the service of Daenerys, the pair hit it off immediately. Their fling during their time in Meereen was one of the more enjoyable affairs in Game of Thrones. As a sellsword who killed his comrades in a bid to gift the Second Sons army to Khaleesi, Daario’s desire and lust for Daenerys is undeniable, as his loyalty soon sees him become one of her closest confidants.
Daario’s natural charm and aura instantly appeal to Daenerys, and the pair’s professional relationship soon turned physical as their flirtatious banter broke down the Mother of Dragons’ shell and allowed her to enjoy herself in the company of the sellsword. Despite their sensual connection, Daenerys opts to leave Daario behind in Meereen, intent on not letting their relationship interfere with her conquest of Westeros, thus ending an entertaining but brief affair.
From the get-go in GOT, House Stark became immediate fan favorites in Westeros, with the heads of the house, Ned and his wife, Catelyn Stark, emerging as a healthy couple whom audiences rooted for. After becoming an item during Robert’s Rebellion, Ned and Catelyn stuck side by side for nearly two decades, solidifying them as a power couple in the Seven Kingdoms. Although they initially married to forge a pact between House Tully and Stark, the young couple grew to adore each other once properly acquainted.
Despite their picture-perfect marriage, which saw them raise likable children in Winterfell, one complication affecting their marriage was Jon Snow, whom Catelyn viewed as a bastard child born out of wedlock and a constant reminder of Ned’s infidelity. However, Ned plays along with the lie to secretly hide his nephew and the future heir to House Targaryen as his bastard son in order to save him from being slain by his best friend, King Robert Baratheon. Although the existence of Jon plagues aspects of their relationship, Catelyn and Ned love each other dearly. Catelyn even ventures into King’s Landing in secret to alert her husband to the dangers posed by the Lannisters, illustrating the lengths they will go to protect one another.
In terms of rooting for two characters to become a couple in GOT, no pairing did people yearn for more to become a romantic item than the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister, and the former sworn shield to Renly Baratheon, Brienne of Tarth. At their first meeting, Catelyn, Brienne’s new sworn shield, directs Brienne to bring Jaime to King’s Landing in exchange for Sansa and Arya Stark. On their arduous journey, Brienne and Jaime start from rocky beginnings, marred by a traumatic time in the captivity of Roose Bolton’s men, with Jaime losing his hand while protecting Brienne from assault. Once back in the capital, Jaime and Brienne’s shared trauma leads to the forming of a bond, and their infrequent meetings from then on are filled with an awkward and palpable tension.
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When Jaime reaches Winterfell in time for the battle against the undead, the pair spend many moments honoring each other, all leading up to their romance becoming concrete. Unfortunately, their brief time together as a couple is cut short when Jaime decides to return to King’s Landing to be with Cersei, leaving Brienne heartbroken, thus ending a relationship that had developed into one of the show’s brightest sparks.
No romantic couple in GOT is as authentic and heartfelt as the pairing of Jon and Ygritte, two lovers from opposing sides, whose story bears a resemblance to Romeo and Juliet. With Jon belonging to the Night’s Watch and Ygritte a member of the Wildlings beyond the Wall, this unlikely pair seemed to be destined to hate each other. However, when Jon fails to kill Ygritte after her capture, the young Night’s Watch recruit soon blends in as a Wildling, with Ygritte there to act as his guide.
Since the start of their interactions, their chemistry was unparalleled in the show. The actors’ electric spark being genuine, as evidenced by the fact that Kit Harington and Rose Leslie would go on to marry in real life. Like many couples in GOT, tragedy lies around the corner, and the lovebirds soon fall apart due to their group’s differences, making it nigh on impossiblefor their relationship to flourish. In a tragic ending, Ygritte’s death in front of Jon during The Battle of Castle Black leaves one of the most electric and magnetic relationships to end on a sour note.
2011 – 2019-00-00
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
Isaac Hempstead Wright
Brandon Bran Stark
