Game of Thrones season 7: Emilia Clarke talks about a different kind of marriage

Daenerys Targaryen is going to be her own queen in Game of Thrones season 7, according to a new interview with Emilia Clarke.

Daenerys Targaryen has come a long way from the young princess without a real home to call her own in season 1 of Game of Thrones. Her dragons have grown in power, and so has she. She has learned to balance multiple advisers and seek multiple perspectives.

It seems like that arc will continue in season 7 of the show. In a new interview with Style (via our sister site, Winter is Coming), Emilia Clarke had a chance to weigh in on the would-be new Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

But she offered a nuanced take on what makes Dany compelling:

"“The marriage between her feminine sensitivity and her genuine desire to help those less capable of helping themselves. She’s fighting for people that don’t have rights. She’s got advice from everybody, and she just listens quietly, makes her own mind up, and is comfortable to stand next to the decision that she made.”"

With so much power, Daenerys does have to weigh things carefully. What’s interesting is how she will approach society in Westeros — and whether or not she’ll attempt to win the smallfolk over. It seems like it would be in line with both this quote from Clarke and previous seasons.

Whether or not it’ll work is a different question entirely. After all, this is the queen who has said she wants to “break the wheel” of society. That might draw some people in, but others may be skeptical of new royalty, who spent most of her years on Essos, bearing promises. Then again, those dragons may go a long way in convincing people that she means business.

At the same time, she will likely need to lean heavily on the perspective of people like Tyrion Lannister, who spent quite some time at the highest levels of power in the current Westerosi system. He’s already her Hand of the Queen — with a fancy silver pin and everything. Presumably, he will continue to offer her the most advice in season 7. Photos have shown him close at hand already.

A second question is this: Will her dragons end up helping or harming her reputation? That’s happened before, with Drogon in particular having killed goats and a young girl before in Meereen. She will likely have to keep them close without confining them too much, lest an enemy faction try and kidnap or kill one of them.

Next: Will Jorah Mormont make it to season 8?

Finally, and most broadly, how will Daenerys handle Westeros? It seems like that theme could play a big role in this season of Game of Thrones.