If You Think Red Wedding Was The Most Emotional GoT Moment, You're Wrong
Game of Thrones was a rollercoaster of emotions that had fans wincing, gasping and ugly crying on pretty much a weekly basis.
And the Red Wedding is often described as both the most brutal murder in the series and the most emotional scene.
But while it was one that shocked and horrified, another scene is even more emotional for so many viewers – the sacrifice of Shireen Baratheon.
The scene is horrific in its own right. A child being burned at the stake is beyond evil. But even then, there are layers to it that make it truly heart-wrenching.
Before she is aware that her sacrifice is even being contemplated, Shireen asks her father if there is anything she can do to help the cause. As viewers, we fear for Shireen as Stannis holds her tight and says, "Forgive me".
That moment was confirmation, if it were needed, that Stannis was a weak man who saw his own daughter as nothing more than a means to an end.
As he spoke those words, any hope that Shireen would have a happy end to what had been a lonely and sheltered childhood simply vanished.
Then there is the moment that Shireen recognises her fate. Having already seen Mance Rayder burned at the stake for refusing to bend the knee – and hearing others, including her uncle who she said had "always been kind" to her perish the same way, the sight of the pyre was terrifying.
As was the sight of Melisandre that added even greater fear and Shireen did all that she could to wrestle herself free from the clutches of the soldiers.
Naturally, when she realised what was happening, Shireen cried out for her father. What child wouldn't? And yet he refuses to come to her aid.
And by his side, the child's mother reassures him that this sinful act is being carried out for the greater good. It was the ultimate betrayal.
There is even a moment of conflicting emotion when Shireen calls out for her mother and the ghastly reality of what is unfolding around her smacks Selyse in the face.
She suddenly wants to change her mind; to run up and protect her daughter; to do the right thing. But it's too late. She has already sealed her daughter's fate.
And while Selyse's agony is superbly portrayed by Tara Fitzgerald, we can't help but focus on the true victim of this scene. The girl who trusted in her parents and watched in horror as they completely failed her.