It's no secret that fantasy author George R. R. Martin never intended for his sweeping Song of Ice and Fire book saga to more than a trilogy. It's also no secret that Martin doesn't meticulously outline his books; instead, he simply has a strong idea of what will happen to particular characters in the end.
It is exactly for that reason that the book series we all know and love could have played out much differently, at least judging from a letter sent by Martin prior to the publication of Game of Thrones.
The letter was send to literary agent Ralph Vicinanza as a pitch for what was, at the time, a trilogy. It has now been posted online by Martin's U.K. Publisher Waterstones. Martin spends much of the letter explaining the major conflicts of the series, as well as diving in-depth into his plans for the first book in the trilogy, Game of Thrones.
Possible Spoilers Ahead! While much has changed from Martin's initial ideas, there are still some possible plot points revealed in these letters fans might want to avoid.
As fans know at this point, the series is broken down into three major conflicts: the war between the Starks and Lannisters, the rise of Daenarys and her dragons across the sea and the mysterious "Others" north of the Wall. Martin says all of the characters and plot points will converge at the end of the series for "one huge climax."
When it comes to the plot points of Game of Thrones specifically, Martin's finished work turned out far different from what he outlines here. In it, Sansa bears Joffrey Baratheon a child, Robb maims Joffrey on the battlefield and Tyrion burns Winterfell to the ground. He also murders Joffrey, who is then succeeded by none other than Jaime. Catelyn and Arya would have fled north to the Wall and Jon Snow, now a member of the Night's Watch, would refuse to shelter his family. Daenary's plot remains much the same with one major difference: she murders Khal Drogo out of revenge instead of out of mercy, as happens in the published book.
Of course, Martin never anticipated how long his series would become. Many of the ideas he outlines to transpire in the first book don't happen until book three in the saga (or at all) and many characters have gone completely different routes from where Martin originally thought they might go.
Perhaps one major spoiler lies in who will survive to see the end. Martin makes a point of detailing how major point of view characters will die in the series to ensure the reader never feels like their favorite character is safe. That being said, Martin always intended for five major characters to survive: Tyrion Lannister, Daenarys Targaryen, Arya Strak, Bran Stark and Jon Snow. As of book five in the series, each of these characters are very much alive (well, sort of).
Another spoiler lies in the secret heritage of Jon Snow. Long suspected by fans, the R+L=J theory is treated as fact by many longtime readers, and the mystery surrounding where Jon came from is one of the series' greatest. Even here, in his initial pitch, Martin makes note of the secret, saying that Jon's parents will be revealed in the final book.
Most surprising of all is the various relationships presented here that never came to pass. Martin writes that Jon and Arya share a forbidden love for one another. Tyrion also falls in love with Arya, putting Jon and Tyrion in conflict with one another. Perhaps if Arya had made it to the Wall as intended, her and Jon would have fallen in love. Thank goodness that didn't happen.
And that's all in book one! What about book two!? Well, it's been redacted. We might never know what Martin intended to happen in his then second book, A Dance With Dragons. Martin's currently working on the saga's sixth entry, The Winds of Winter, originally conceived as the third and final book in his trilogy. Will any of the ideas presented here come to pass? Will Tyrion make his way to the Wall? Will the forbidden romance of Jon and Arya ever blossom? We will know only when Martin finishes his next book.
