With Daenerys still missing, the threat of the Sons of the Harpy remains on-going as they have recently set the Meereenese fleet on fire. Some days later, in the Great Pyramid, Tyrion learns that Grey Worm and the Unsullied have yet to find who was responsible for burning the fleet. Lord Varys, a new advisor and Tyrion’s friend from Westeros, then reports that Astapor and Yunkai have fallen back into the slave trade. Missandei also brings to Tyrion’s attention that Daenerys' two other dragons, who remain imprisoned, haven't been eating since their mother left. Tyrion guesses that they are morose because they are in captivity. When Missandei asks how he knows this, he replies, "That's what I do. I drink and I know things.” Tyrion decides to visit the catacombs in order to meet the dragons and free them, knowing they will be better off this way. Tyrion then ventures alone into the catacombs and encounters Viserion and Rhaegal for the first time, unshackling them both after gaining their trust.

Some time later, Tyrion passes the time by engaging Missandei and Grey Worm in small talk. Neither of them are very good at small talk, however, and both are bewildered by his behavior. When Tyrion tries to engage them in a drinking game, Missandei says that neither of them drink. Lord Varys enters and rescues them from conversation, informing the trio that the Wise Masters of Yunkai, the Good Masters of Astapor, and the Free City of Volantis have been secretly funding the Sons of the Harpy movement. While Grey Worm advocates attacking the cities, Missandei advises against it since that would leave Meereen unprotected. She then states the masters only speak one "language," violence and war. Using this information, Tyrion asks Varys to use his spy network, the little birds, to send them a message.

Several days later, Missandei, Grey Worm, Tyrion and Varys prepare to meet with the Masters representing the slave cities. As the diplomatic mission enters the harbour, Grey Worm advocates using military force, though Tyrion informs him this time they must "make peace with our enemies." Tyrion explains that he is able to empathize with slaves because of his recent experience being sold to Yezzan zo Qaggaz, though Missandei counters that he has not experienced slavery enough. In the meeting chamber, the emissary from Astapor is revealed to be Tyrion's former slave master Yezzan, alongside Razdal mo Eraz from Yunkai and the Volantene representative Belicho Paenymion. Yezzan remarks at how Tyrion has quickly climbed to the top of the pyramid before then offering to give Daenerys and her allies a large sum of money and ships if they leave Slaver's Bay. When Missandei defends slave liberation, Razdal contends that slavery has existed in the region for centuries. After hearing their offer and reminding them there are other ways to make money, Tyrion proposes a counter-offer. While Meereen would remain a free city, he offers to give the other cities of Slaver's Bay a seven-year time limit to phase out slavery and compensate all slave owners. However, they must end all support for the Sons of the Harpy, regardless of their denial of it. He then cautions them that they will not get a better offer. Afterwards, Tyrion and his entourage are then confronted by a group of former slaves in the audience chamber. A freedman demands to know when Daenerys will return, while another is appalled at the idea of Tyrion negotiating with slave traders. Tyrion insists he is doing his best to rule the city in her absence, however, the freedmen refuse to listen to the foreign dwarf and look to Grey Worm and Missandei for reassurance. Despite their misgivings, they both publicly back Tyrion in front of the freedmen. In private, Tyrion assures Missandei and Grey Worm that he is serving Daenerys' interest by taking advantage of the Masters' own arrogance, but that they cannot end slavery overnight. Grey Worm, however, warns Tyrion that the slavers cannot be reasoned with and will most likely take advantage of him instead, since they already do this for a living.

Nevertheless, the situation in Meereen begins to slowly stabilize, with almost no incidents involving the freedmen or Harpies, though Tyrion reminds Missandei, Grey Worm and Lord Varys that they need to convince the Meereenese that everything has been done with Daenerys' blessing, as the masters could use his foreign status against him to fully reclaim Slaver's Bay. To accomplish this, Tyrion invites Kinvara, High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis, to negotiate spreading the word of Daenerys' achievements. To Tyrion's surprise, Kinvara appears to fully agree with supporting his goals, believing that Daenerys is the prophesied ‘Prince That Was Promised’. Varys is more skeptical, however, being suspicious of any practitioners of magic, and points out that another Red Priestess named Melisandre had already promised the same to Stannis Baratheon, who was ultimately defeated and killed. Kinvara counters that the Lord of Light's human followers occasionally make mistakes, then shuts him down with knowledge of his castration. Kinvara then assures Tyrion that she will send the preachers and priests best suited to the task at hand.

Some weeks later, after several Red Priestesses preach on the streets that Daenerys has been sent by the Lord of Light to end slavery, peace has been restored within the city. After witnessing this for himself, Tyrion wishes to celebrate with Missandei and Grey Worm for the resurgence of Meereen. While reluctant to drink, Missandei and Grey Worm do so in honor of their queen. After Tyrion tells a joke about Westerosi lords in a bar, Missandei tells a joke about two translators stranded at sea. While Tyrion feigns amusement, Grey Worm playfully tells her that it was the worse joke he had ever heard. Their celebration is cut short, however, by the sound of bombardment. Looking out the ramparts, they see a large fleet of slaver ships lay siege to the city. Missandei remarks that the slave cities have returned for their "property." By nightfall, as the slavers continue to bombard Meereen with trebuchets, Tyrion admits that his policy of diplomacy was a failure and allows Grey Worm to lead the city's defense. Grey Worm proposes that the Unsullied must not go to the beach, preferring to wait until the slavers enter the Great Pyramid. At that moment, they hear movement on the roof. When they go to investigate, they discover that Daenerys has finally returned with Drogon.

The following morning, Tyrion explains the events in Meereen during her absence to Daenerys. Despite the fact that they are under siege by the Masters' fleet, he believes that his success in bringing about a resurgence of a slaveless Meereen is the reason for their attack, because the Masters could not let such an example succeed for fear that their slaves could rise up. Daenerys declares that she will destroy the masters' armies, kill them all, and destroy their cities. Tyrion disapproves and explains the similarities between this plan and the one her father, King Aerys, had for King's Landing when the Lannisters were at his door. Instead, he proposes a different solution. Accompanied by Grey Worm and Missandei, Tyrion and Daenerys meet with the slave masters Razdal, Yezzan and Belicho to parley. Believing victory is near, the slave masters demand that Daenerys and Tyrion surrender Missandei and the Unsullied to their masters, and her three dragons to be slaughtered before leaving Slaver's Bay. Dany rejects their terms and orders Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal to burn the slavers' entire fleet. As Daenerys leads the counter-attack on the back of Drogon, Tyrion chastises the slave masters for breaking his pact, demanding that they surrender one of their own to be executed as punishment. When Razdal and Belicho try to offer up Yezzan, Tyrion orders Grey Worm to kill the two masters. However, Yezzan himself is spared so he can spread the word of Daenerys' power. Meanwhile, alongside Daario Naharis, Daenerys’ newly-recruited Dothraki army she brought back with her wipe out the remaining faction of the Sons of the Harpy.

Some time later, now that the former slave cities have finally come to peace, Daenerys and her party prepare for the invasion of Westeros. In order to enter into Westerosi politics, Tyrion advises Daenerys to end her relationship with Daario and leave him to run Meereen with the rest of the Second Son mercenaries, which she accepts as the right course of action. Tyrion attempts to console her on her loss of the relationship but admits he is not good at consoling. Tyrion goes on to admit that for years he has believed in nothing, however, during the months in her service, he has come to believe in Daenerys herself and that he is ready to live again. Touched, Daenerys presents him with a replica of the Hand's brooch and formally names him Hand of the Queen. Afterwards, out in the open Narrow Sea, Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion soar over the united Targaryen fleet, assembled with the Unsullied, Dothraki and the newly-recruited Ironborn armies, led by Yara and Theon Greyjoy. Sailing alongside Daenerys’ ever-growing fleet, and strengthening her invasion, are the newly-acquired Westerosi support that Lord Varys has organized with the Dornishmen and Reachmen. Missandei herself stands on the deck of the flagship with Daenerys, Varys and Tyrion as they looking ahead towards Westeros, bracing themselves for the coming war for the Iron Throne.

Missandei arrives with Daenerys and her party at Dragonstone after a long voyage across the Narrow Sea. The volcanic island is Dany’s birthplace as well as the location of the eponymous castle and ancestral seat of House Targaryen. As the three dragons circle over the castle, Daenerys kneels on the sand and touches Westerosi land for the first time since her birth. She and her entourage then climb the steps to the castle where they silently then enter the unguarded main gates and deserted courtyard. When they enter the castle itself, Daenerys briefly studies the fiery stag on one of Stannis Baratheon’s old banners, as he used to occupy the castle before his death. After a moment, Daenerys rips the banner down with a firm tug before entering the throne room and gazes upon the Targaryen throne itself, hewn from volcanic rock. Daenerys and Tyrion stride right past the throne and enter the Chamber of the Painted Table, the castle’s war room. Surveying the discarded markers from Stannis' last use of the table, Daenerys wastes no time, turns to Tyrion and remarks "Shall we begin?"

Some time later, members of Dany’s council comment on how the weather relates to the night of her birth and the storm that came with it. Contrary to what she would have believed, she says that Dragonstone doesn't feel like home and then comments on the fact that Tyion’s sister and newly-reigned queen, Cersei Lannister, only controls parts of the Seven Kingdoms, to which Lord Varys says this is due to the fact that many nobles despise her. Daenerys then grills Varys on his true loyalties, comparing his desire for a Targaryen restoration to that of her brother Viserys, in which she also states that Varys only supported her when it suited him. She also questions why he betrayed her father for King Robert, to which he explains that he would have been executed if he had, making it clear that he represents the common people, and that his loyalty to them outweighs his loyalty to any monarch. They are interrupted by a visit from the Red Priestess, Melisandre, who is welcomed due to the number of Red Priests who supported Daenerys in Meereen. Melisandre explains to Daenerys that she may have something to do with the prophecy of “The Prince That Was Promised”. Daenerys points out that she is "no prince," prompting Missandei to explain that the prophecy, written in High Valyrian, is gender-neutral. Melisandre further states that Daenerys has a role to play in the prophecy, as does another - the King in the North, Jon Snow. Tyrion is surprised and when Daenerys asks if Tyrion knows him, Tyrion explains he traveled with Jon to Castle Black. Varys asks about Jon, and Daenerys learns of his role of unifying the Northerners and the wildlings against a common enemy. Tyrion tells her that Jon will prove himself a valuable ally in Daenerys' bid to claim the Iron Throne. Clearly intrigued by the sound of this man, Daenerys requests that Tyrion write a letter to Jon, after asking him to come to Dragonstone and bend the knee.

The following day, in the Chamber of the Painted Table, Daenerys hosts a meeting with the leaders of her allies, who include Yara and Theon Greyjoy. Amidst discussion Daenerys stops an argument between Tyrion and Ellaria Sand, who represents the Dornish allegiance, as she was responsible for the death of his niece Myrcella Baratheon as payback for House Lannister. When Daenerys asserts that Ellaria must respect her Hand, they move on to discuss strategies. Daenerys and Tyrion agree with Yara's idea to attack King’s Landing immediately, and that the Unsullied should attack Casterly Rock while the Westerosi armies lay siege to the capital, as this would cut off Cersei's retreat and dealing a massive blow to the morale of the Western army. When everyone has left, she requests a private audience with Olenna Tyrell, the last remaining leader of House Tyrell. Daenerys then tells her that she knows Olenna is on her side due to their mutual hatred for Cersei, rather than a love for Daenerys herself. In response, Olenna encourages her to be “a dragon,” rather than a "sheep,” like the other high lords and ladies.

That evening, an emotional Missandei visits Grey Worm in his chambers to bid him farewell before his departure to Casterly Rock. Upon her arrival, she asks him if he intended on saying goodbye, but he coolly asserts that he will see her upon his return. In avoidance to mask her emotions, Missandei formally wishes him good fortune regarding the dangerous mission. As she attempts to exit, Grey Worm states that all the Unsullied have to face their weaknesses. As he softens, he then confides in her that Missandei herself is his weakness. When she expresses confusion, he tells her that the Good Masters of Astapor tortured the Unsullied by exposing them to their worst fears. For example, a fear of heights means climbing a cliff, or if the young boy was afraid of drowning, he'd be thrown into the sea. If he drowns, it would be "good," and if he learns to swim, it would be "good" because only the fit survive. Grey Worm recalls that he was never the biggest, fastest or strongest but he was the most fearless warrior until he met Missandei. She replies that she also has to deal with fear and tenderly kisses him. Missandei then strips naked and proceeds to undress Grey Worm. He, however, is reluctant to remove his trousers in fear of horrifying Missandei with his castration scars, but eventually acquiesces to Missandei's wishes. The two of them continue to share an intimate evening together.

Some days later, Missandei and Tyrion stand outside on the beach of Dragonstone as Jon Snow arrives with a small retinue of men as well as his advisor, Ser Davos Seaworth. Tyrion greets Jon, calling him "the bastard of Winterfell", to which Jon retorts, calling Tyrion "the dwarf of Casterly Rock". They greet each other warmly, happy to see each other again after many years, as they exchange friendly barbs back and forth. Missandei orders the Northmen to lay down their weapons, to which they oblige, though reluctant to do so. Then, as the party is escorted towards the castle, a group of Daenerys' soldiers whisk away their boat. Jon and Davos exchange looks of concern at this. While walking up to the castle, Missandei talks with Ser Davos, who takes an interest in her homeland of Naath. Meanwhile, Jon and Tyrion have a conversation about how they got to their respective positions, and how Jon's followers must think he's crazy for going to Dragonstone. Tyrion concurs, stating that if he were Jon's advisor, he would have advised against it, and cites that going south doesn't usually work out well for the Starks, to which Jon swiftly replies that he is not a Stark. They are then suddenly interrupted when Drogon swoops down towards them, and everyone is forced to duck for cover. An awestruck Jon takes a moment to recover, as the party continues on their journey towards the castle. Missandei and Tyrion escort Jon and Ser Davos into the throne room as Daenerys sits on throne, waiting for them. After their entrance, Missandei announces Dany’s many titles, which stand in stark contrast to Davos simply announcing Jon as "the King in the North". Initially, Daenerys assumes that he has come to bend the knee to her, as she is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Jon, however, reminds her that any fealty House Stark owed House Targaryen ended when her father murdered his grandfather and uncle, though he accepts her apology on behalf of House Targaryen for the crimes committed against the Starks and agrees she is not to blame for her father's sins. Jon states that his purpose is different; he has come to ask for her help in the impending fight against the Night King and his army of the dead, to which Daenerys would also need Jon's help in order to expunge the army. Tyrion urges them to kneel before Daenerys and, after the war against Cersei, their combined forces would defend the North. Jon refuses both because it may take longer to win the Iron Throne from Cersei and, by then, it may already be too late as at that point the Night King's army may have already bypassed the Wall and marched down south into the Seven Kingdoms. During their increasingly heated conversation Lord Varys whispers to Daenerys news of the assault on the Targaryen fleet, in which Yara Greyjoy, Ellaria Sand and their united Dornish and Ironborn forces are all either dead or captured.

Afterwards, in the Chamber of Painted Table, Daenerys confers with Tyrion, Lord Varys and Missandei. She proposes going out with her dragons to hunt Euron Greyjoy's Iron Fleet, but Missandei and Tyrion argue against it: they have no idea where Euron is, and all it would take is for one stray arrow to kill Daenerys and the dragons would be uncontrollable without their mother. Tyrion also assumes that the Lannisters will put up a fierce fight for Casterly Rock, adding that the gates and walls of the ancestral castle of his house is impregnable to siege. However, as his father Tywin assigned Tyrion to build the sewers in his youth, he informs them that he built a secret tunnel through a cove to bring in prostitutes, which now can be used to their advantage. Meanwhile, however, in the Westerlands, Tyrion’s plans are foiled. The Unsullied do manage to sneak in through Tyrion's secret cove tunnel and after following an initial fight, they overwhelm the garrison and capture the castle. Grey Worm, however, quickly realizes that the Lannisters have only installed a small, skeletal garrison. Overlooking the battlements, Grey Worm questions a wounded Lannister soldier about where the main Lannister forces are, realizing they’ve stumbled into a trap. Euron's Iron Fleet sneaks up on the Unsullied fleet from behind and unleashes projectiles, setting many Targaryen ships ablaze.

Some days later, as they head down to the beach, Missandei expresses her concern to Daenerys, as they haven't heard any news from Casterly Rock yet. Daenerys asks what happened between her and Grey Worm, and Missandei wryly says "many things," smiling. She then continues into the caves with Jon, Daenerys and Ser Davos. Jon leads Daenerys through an underground cave with rich walls of dragonglass, showing her ancient wall drawings which were made by the Children of the Forest. They depict the children themselves as well as the First Men and how they banded together to defeat their common enemy: the White Walkers. Daenerys is awestruck, coming around to the idea that Jon may be right to be concerned with the looming threat. She promises to defend the North with him when he bends the knee. When Jon refuses again, Daenerys asks him whether his own pride is more important than the lives of his people. As they exit the cave, Tyrion and Lord Varys deliver news of the Unsullied's empty victory at Casterly Rock and the Sack of Highgarden, which resulted in the murder of Lady Olenna. Enraged at the loss of her several allies, Daenerys snaps at Tyrion, accusing him of devising soft plans to protect his family and impulsively suggests burning King’s Landing to the ground. Jon then states, however, that burning the capital down would make her no different than the tyrants she is trying to overthrow. Instead, Daenerys decides on riding Drogon into battle, staging the events of the Battle of the Goldroad.

Afterwards, Ser Davos insinuates Jon’s attraction to Daenerys but Jon brushes Davos' observation aside, saying he doesn't "have time for that.” Jon stresses that they need to ally with Daenerys, because the North itself is largely depleted of soldiers after so many years of war, so they only have maybe 10,000 soldiers or less remaining. They then run into Missandei, who politely enquires why Jon's surname is "Snow" even though House Stark has ruled the North for centuries, and his father Eddard and brother Robb both had the surname "Stark," while he doesn't. Jon explains that because his parents weren't married, he is bastard-born as a result and uses the regional surname reserved for highborn Northern bastards of nobility. Davos asks Missandei if they have similar customs for bastards on Naath. Missandei explains that marriage does not exist in her birthplace of Naath, so she finds the idea of a "bastard" to be quite an alien concept. Davos remarks that it sounds liberating. He then asks why she left, to which Missandei finally reveals that she was taken by slavers, to be freed only years later by Daenerys. When Davos suggests Missandei simply traded one master for another, she counters that she and all the freed slaves serve Daenerys because they choose to. Davos keeps pushing, asking what would happen if Missandei decided to return to Naath immediately. She responds that Daenerys would give her a ship and wish her good fortune.

While they are still on the causeway, Missandei, Jon and Davos witness a lone Ironborn ship approaching the island, a survivor of Yara Greyjoy's fleet. Her brother, Theon Greyjoy, and some of his men come to shore on a rowboat. As Theon disembarks, he is stunned to see Jon, whom he had last seen leaving Winterfell to join the Night's Watch years ago. Since then, Theon had  betrayed House Stark, a factor that nearly destroyed the Starks and in-part contributed to the death Jon's half-brother, Rickon Stark. Jon is stunned for a moment as well. Theon walks up to Jon and asks him if his half-sister Sansa Stark is alright. A furious Jon grabs Theon by his coat and shakes him, remembering Theon's past treachery. Jon tells Theon that what he did to save Sansa is the only reason that he is not killing him on the spot and releases him. Visibly relieved, Theon informs them that his uncle Euron Greyjoy attacked their fleet and took Yara prisoner. He says he has returned to ask Daenerys' help in saving her. Jon grudgingly tells him that Daenerys has just left.

Some weeks later, following the events of the wight hunt that resulted in the death of Viserion at the hands of the Night's King, Daenerys agrees to pledge all her forces to the Northern cause. Following this, Missandei and the other advisors, including Ser Jorah who has returned to Dany’s service, sail south to King’s Landing. Their objective is to show evidence of the threat posed by the army of the dead to Cersei Lannister, who has agreed to a meeting. The group arrives and are escorted to the Dragonpit, the location of the summit. After Missandei inquires about the Dragonpit, Tyrion notes that it used to hold several dragons during the Targaryen dynasty. He states that it used to be the most dangerous place in the world, as Davos then notes that it still could be, as the Lannister guards approach. Ser Bronn escorts the united party inside the Dragonpit, where they await the arrival of Cersei. The Lannister queen eventually arrives with her party, including her brother Ser Jaime Lannister and Euron Greyjoy. Cersei quickly grows impatient with Daenerys’ late arrival, only for the dragon queen herself to make a dramatic entrance on Drogon moments later. Once the various factions are all seated, Tyrion and Jon attempt to convince the Lannister queen of the greater threat coming from the North; according to Tyrion, one million people all live crammed together in the city. They will soon become one million more soldiers in the army of the dead. Although Daenerys promises to uphold a truce with the Lannisters until the Night King has been dealt with, Cersei dismisses their claim concerning the dead, saying they are simply attempting to strengthen their position while she is standing down. Tyrion replies that they have something to show her, as Sandor Clegane then brings out the wight that was captured beyond the Wall. When Sandor kicks the crate over, the enraged wight spills out and launches itself out towards the nearest target - Cersei herself. Jon then demonstrates how to efficiently kill with either fire or dragonglass. Shaken by what she has witnessed, Queen Cersei at first seems willing to accept a truce, but only if Jon Snow agrees to have the North remain neutral and support neither Cersei nor Daenerys. To everyone’s surprise, including Ser Davos, Jon replies that he cannot do so, as he has already bent the knee for Daenerys. In response, Cersei leaves the summit. Furious, Tyrion rebukes Jon for not being able to make a small lie in order to secure them a political and military advantage. Despite Daenerys’ protests that she will have him murdered - Tyrion declares that he will go and speak with Cersei alone or else they will be right back where they started. Some time after Tyrion speaks with Cersei, the three Lannister siblings return to the Dragonpit. Queen Cersei announces that has agreed to work with Daenerys, but not by keeping her troops back: the Lannister army will march north to fight alongside the Starks and Targaryens in the coming war against the army of the dead.

Upon returning to Dragonstone, Missandei and Daenerys’ court discuss the logistics of heading north in the Chamber of the Painted Table. It will take the Dothraki a fortnight to reach Jon’s home of Winterfell, and the plan is to have him and the Unsullied army cross the sea by ship and meet them at White Harbor. Ser Jorah points out, however, that the North is not really safer for her to travel than anywhere else. He explains that someone with a begrudging memory of Robert's Rebellion could easily take Daenerys out with a single crossbow bolt. Jorah then suggests that she fly to Winterfell to avoid any potential unpleasantness. Jon counters, however, that Daenerys ride with him and Ser Davos so the North can see her as a liberator and ally. After a moment's consideration, Daenerys decides to sail north with Jon. Ser Jorah, suspecting a different reason for her decision, throws her a look, which she notices but avoids. Later that evening, after setting sail to Winterfell, Jon and Daenerys consummate their budding romance, proving Jorah’s suspicions correct. Tyrion, who witnesses Jon entering Dany’s cabin, grows concerned with the possible political consequences of this new union.

After a long journey and upon their arrival in the North, Daenerys, Jon and their combined forces march through Winter Town on their way to Winterfell. The townspeople cast looks at Daenerys as Jon reminds her that Northerners have a long-established distrust of outsiders. Both Missandei and Grey Worm note the looks of distrust they receive from the Northern smallfolk as well, presumably due to their obvious foreign appearance. Drogon and Rhaegal fly overhead, startling the townspeople and causing Daenerys to smile proudly at her children. Once inside the courtyard of Winterfell, Jon reunites with his half-siblings, Bran and Sansa Stark, the latter being the Lady of Winterfell, who keeps a wary eye on Daenerys as Jon introduces her to the dragon queen. Sansa formally welcomes Daenerys to Winterfell, however, makes it apparent that it’s a begrudging invitation. Despite the steely reception, Daenerys politely thanks her, remarking that Jon told her about the beauty of the North and Sansa herself. Bran then interrupts, insisting that there isn’t any time for pleasantries, and informs Daenerys that the Night King has resurrected her deceased dragon, Viserion, who has now become part of the undead army.

Afterwards, Missandei and Grey Worm are in attendance when Danerys and Jon try to organize their defenses in the Great Hall of the castle. House Mormont leader and relative to Ser Jorah, Lyanna Mormont, voices the anger that many lords have toward Jon bending the knee to Daenerys since they named him their King in the North. Jon gravely answers that he said he would protect the North, and the only way they could do that is with allies. Amidst their uproar Tyrion speaks up to insist that they'd all be dead already without Jon - and that the remaining Lannister army will soon arrive to reinforce them as well, upon which the lords resume their objections. Tyrion insists they must fight together in the face of the onslaught of the White Walkers and their undead army. Sansa asks how they are meant to feed Daenerys' army, "While I ensured our stores would last through winter, I didn't account for Dothraki, Unsullied and two full-grown dragons." She scoffs, "What do dragons eat, anyway?" to which Daenerys snarkily quips, "Whatever they want". Sansa and Daenerys cast a side-gaze towards one another knowing that they’re disagreements have only just begun.

The following morning, when Tyrion’s brother Jaime Lannister arrives at Winterfell, he is escorted to the Great Hall immediately. Daenerys begins by saying that when she was a child her brother  Viserys would tell her about the man who murdered their father King Aerys and all the things they would do to that man, once they took back the Seven Kingdoms. She also remarks that his sister Cersei had pledged to send her army north and since Jaime came alone it appears Cersei lied. Jaime makes it clear that she lied to him as well, and that she never had any intention of sending her army north. Jaime tells her that Cersei has Euron Greyjoy's fleet and 20,000 fresh troops. Even if they defeat the army of the dead, she'll have plenty of men to kill the survivors. Jaime states he promised to fight for the living and he intends to keep that promise. Tyrion tries to step in but Daenerys quickly stops him because Tyrion was wrong about his sister too. Brienne of Tarth steps forward on Jaime's behalf and insists that he is a man of honor and adds that without him, she wouldn't be alive to protect Sansa. Sansa eventually agrees that they should let Jaime stay then Daenerys asks Jon his advice on the matter who informs her they need every man they can get. Daenerys eventually acquiesces, and Tyrion sighs in relief. As Sansa leaves, Daenerys turns to face Jon but Jon awkwardly avoids her. A confused Daenerys walks down the corridor with Tyrion and vents her anger about Cersei's betrayal. She says that Tyrion either knew Cersei was lying or allowed himself to be duped by her. She adds that if he cannot help get Daenerys on the Iron Throne, she'll find another Hand who can.

Later that afternoon, the sound of the horn brings Jon and Samwell Tarly out into the courtyard, where to their delight, find the remaining members of the Night's Watch and the wildlings dismounting from their horses. Unfortunately, the new arrivals bring bad news: anyone north of Winterfell who has not reached the castle by now have joined the army of the dead, who should be arriving before daybreak. After attending a war council, Grey Worm later finds Missandei in the castle courtyard, who greets two Northern children. She is disappointed, however, when the two girls run away in response, feeling further isolated as a foreigner. Grey Worm approaches Missandei and observes that when Daenerys wins the throne, they will have no place in Westeros and asks Missandei if she wants to grow old in a place like this. He then declares his intention to travel the world after they help Daenerys win, and asks Missandei if there's any place she would like to go. She replies that she would like to see the beaches of Naath again. Grey Worm promises to help her return home. Late evening, as final battle preparations have been organized, Missandei and Grey Worm bid farewell with a passionate kiss, as he then heads out to the battlefield with Ser Jorah and the rest of the defenders. Missandei herself heads down to crypts of Winterfell to seek shelter.

Night has fallen and outside in the courtyard, moments before the battle ensues, Tyrion takes several wine casks from the provisions to take with him down to the crypts below, where Missandei and all of the non-combatants are hiding out. Once inside the crypts, Sansa later joins the rest in hiding and Tyrion laments that he should at least be up on the battlements, even if he can't fight well, just like at the Battle of the Blackwater. Tyrion carries on to say that he and Lord Varys, who has also joined them in the crypts, could still use their great intellects as commanders, to try and see something other people wouldn't. Sansa chides that witty remarks won't make a difference, and the bravest thing they can do now is "look the truth in the face.” Tyrion is moved and quips that maybe they should have stayed married - to which Sansa responds, "You were the best of them." Tyrion remarks that is a terrifying thought. Sansa continues saying that a marriage wouldn't work out between them due to his loyalty to Daenerys, and Tyrion’s division between herself and Daenerys would be a problem. Increasingly frustrated and within earshot of their conversation, Missandei defends her queen to Sansa, firmly stating that without Daenerys they would all be dead by now. Later on, as the battle continues outside, the castle has now been overrun with the undead army. Missandei, Tyrion, Sansa, Varys and the others can hear a handful of men desperately pounding on the heavy doors to let them in, but they know they cannot risk a flood of wights passing their barricade. They hear the men's cries which are then quickly silenced. The wights themselves cannot find a way in, however, there are already plenty of dead bodies in the crypts for the Night King to resurrect, a special power of his. Suddenly, many of the interred corpses rise as wights and start clawing their way out of their tombs. As more corpses have risen from their tombs many of the living inhabitants inside the crypts are unarmed women and children, many whom succumb to their deaths. Sansa and Tyrion hide behind one tombs terrified. They contemplate on helping the women and children in the fight against the newly made wights in the crypt, with the dragonglass that they were given. They break away from their hideout and scurry around frantically until they see Missandei, Gilly and her young son moments away from being attacked by two wights. Tyrion and Sansa sneak up from behind and kill them both with dragonglass. Shortly thereafter, in the midst of the attack on the crypts, all of the reanimated bodies drop to the ground and fall apart signifying that the Night King and his army of the dead have been defeated, thus ending the Great War and the battle of Winterfell.

Following the victorious battle against the army of the dead, Winterfell has been cleared of the thousands of corpses in and around it. The fallen are gathered into funeral pyres, as Jon then gives a eulogy that it is the duty of those who survived to keep them alive in memory for generations to come. He notes to the survivors in his eulogy: “Our fellow men and women, who set aside their differences to fight together, and die together, so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid.” He also quotes the funeral speech used for members of the Night's Watch, he announces that they were the shields that guarded the realms of men, and they will never see their like again: “now their watch is ended.” The assembled leaders go forward with torches to light the pyres of the fallen. Sansa Stark weeps over Theon Greyjoy's body as Jon himself lights the funeral pyre for the young House Mormont leader, Lyanna. Daenerys is particularly distraught over the loss of another Mormont: Ser Jorah Mormont. She tearfully lights his pyre aflame and kisses him on the cheek as her farewell to his devout service and unwavering friendship over the years. As the pyres go up in flames, Daenerys is absolutely distraught at losing her longest confidante and advisor.

That night, the survivors hold a victory feast in the great hall of Winterfell, though so many have died that the mood is somber at first. Daenerys calls on Gendry Baratheon, noting that he is the bastard son of King Robert- the man who overthrew her family. Gendry humbly responds that he didn't even know that Robert was his father until after he died. She then declares that she will appoint him the new Lord of Storm's End, as a reward for his heroism. The appointment is met with thunderous applause as the mood lifts in the hall. Quietly at the main table, however, Tyrion notes to Daenerys - with approval - that appointing Gendry wasn't an altogether altruistic move. He adds that it is politically wise, however, as this props up Gendry as a rival claimant to rule of the Stormlands instead of Queen Cersei, while at the same time pacifying what could have been a rival claimant to the Iron Throne by making him dependent on her favor. Daenerys then relieves an exhausted Grey Worm from the feast, stating that he fought hard and should be resting. Before he leaves the hall, he shoots Missandei a knowing glance, indicating his desire for her to join him in bed. As the festivities carry on, Missandei eventually excuses herself from the table, stating that she is not feeling well. Understanding Missandei’s true intention in exiting the feast, a smirking Daenerys playfully asks her advisor if she has a headache or an issue with her stomach. Missandei plays along and informs Dany of a headache. She then hurriedly exits from the feast to join Grey Worm.

The following day, Missandei stands by her queen during the war council when Daenerys plans her conquest of King's Landing. Grey Worm informs that half of the Unsullied and most of the Dothraki were killed in the battle as Jon adds about half of the Northern armies were destroyed as well. Missandei states that the smallfolk will support Daenerys after learning of her role in the defeat of the dead. However, Daenerys states that Cersei will make sure that this is denounced as a lie. Daenerys insists that they must attack the capital, and rip out Cersei Lannister root and stem. Tyrion warns her that a direct assault on the capital would result in so many civilian casualties that it would make the smallfolk hate her, so their focus should be to turn them against Cersei instead. Daenerys does not want to wait before taking the capital, fearing Cersei will gain more power. Sansa counters that they are not in a strong position to immediately mount a new offensive as most of their combined soldiers need rest. Jon interjects that the North will honor its allegiance to Daenerys and will just have to leave the badly wounded back home and march south with a smaller army. Daenerys declares to the war council that this will be the last war they have to fight in the Seven Kingdoms.

Some time after departing Winterfell, Missandei and Grey Worm stand on deck as Dragonstone comes into view, happy to catch sight of the island after spending time in the North and treated like a foreigner. Their joy, however, quickly turns to horror as a gigantic scorpion bolt appears out of nowhere, burying itself deep inside Rhaegal's chest: Euron Greyjoy's fleet is mounting a surprise attack, his ships now equipped with huge ballistas. The injured dragon's blood-curdling roar of agony is silenced when a third bolt impales him through the throat. Overwhelmed by shock and blood loss, Rhaegal plunges into the sea, where he sinks beneath the surface of the water and drowns. Distraught and enraged, Daenerys tries to make an attack run with Drogon on Euron's ship, but all of the scorpions start raining bolts at her, and she barely manages to turn away and escape with her life. Euron's ships then target their ballistae at Daenerys' fleet, smashing them to splinters. The survivors of the destroyed fleet drag their way onto the nearby shore of Dragonstone, including Tyrion and Lord Varys. Grey Worm stands ashore, only to realize in horror that Missandei isn't with them as Euron’s fleet has captured her on Queen Cersei’s orders.

In King’s Landing, Cersei and Euron gloat over their victory as a terrified Missandei has been put in chains. Cersei snides that Daenerys is the “Breaker of Chains” indeed. Meanwhile, back at Dragonstone, a furious Grey Worm asserts that they should storm the capital city at once in order to save Missandei. Lord Varys, however, believes this to be a mistake, as Cersei has not kept it a secret from them they she has swelled the city with refugees to use as human shields. He pleads that trying to remove Cersei's tyranny like this would itself be an act of tyranny, and turn the people of Westeros against her. Daenerys asserts that she knows her purpose in this world, to remove tyrants, and she will tear out Cersei root and stem. Tyrion agrees with Varys, insisting that they must offer Cersei the option to flee Westeros with her life. Barely restraining her rage, Daenerys nonetheless relents: not because she thinks Cersei will ever surrender, but because she would look bad if she didn't at least go through the motions of offering it to her. This way, everyone in the Seven Kingdoms will know that Cersei is the one to blame when Daenerys brings the sky crashing down on King's Landing. As Daenerys remains resolute, Tyrion and Lord Varys offer no other military option.

Some time later, Grey Worm and a small contingent of Unsullied escort Daenerys, Tyrion and Lord Varys to King’s Landing as they approach one of the gates outside of the city. Along the top of the gates the defenses have been drastically improved in the capital: each of the city wall towers now has one of the improved anti-dragon ballista weapons that were responsible for Rhaegal’s death. Drogon, Daenerys' last remaining child, hangs back behind them on the ground as Queen Cersei stands atop the gatehouse with Missandei, still in chains. Tyrion approaches the gate to plead with his sister. Cersei's archers get ready to shoot him, but after a long pause of consideration Cersei motions for them to stand down. Desperate, Tyrion begs that she is not the monster she thinks she is, and that her one redeeming features has always been her love for her children. He insist that while she might prefer to go down in flames dragging Daenerys with her, it would be also be condemning her unborn baby to death as well. After a long pause, as Tyrion’s words hold some sentiment, Cersei turns to Missandei and quietly informs her that if she has any last words, now is the time. Defiant, Missandei shouts "Dracarys!" With a nod from Cersei, the hulking Ser Gregor Clegane decapitates Missandei with a single swing of his sword, her head falling onto the ground below. Grey Worm is horrified and turns his face away. Daenerys, seething with rage, silently turns away and retreats from the city.

*In the aftermath of her death, follow Grey Worm or Dany’s journey through the rest of the series.