Unveiling the Epic Showdown: The Battle of the Goldroad in Game of Thrones

Daenerys Targaryen embarked on her journey to Westeros in the finale of Game of Thrones season 6, ultimately arriving at Dragonstone in season 7. With her three fully-grown dragons and a fierce determination to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, Daenerys seemed unstoppable. However, her triumph was undermined by Cersei Lannister's strategic counteroffensive. Cersei's trusted advisor, Qyburn, introduced a deadly weapon known as the Dragon-Killing Scorpion. In "Stormborn," the second episode of Game of Thrones season 7, Cersei and Qyburn manipulated the powerful House Tyrell, particularly Lord Randyll Tarly and his son Dickon, by emphasizing the supposed dangers of Daenerys, the daughter of the Mad King, sitting on the Iron Throne.

The truth was that Cersei cared little for her subjects and desired to maintain the existing power structure. During the gathering, she portrayed Daenerys' alliance with the Dothraki, described as "savages," and the highly-disciplined Unsullied soldiers alongside House Tyrell as a rebellion against the cunning Lannisters. Leveraging Daenerys' notorious lineage as the Mad King's daughter, Cersei easily misled the Tyrell bannermen. Subsequently, Jaime led the Lannister forces to the Reach and successfully seized Highgarden in "The Spoils of War," the fourth episode of Game of Thrones season 7.

Cersei Alienated The Tyrell Bannermen

Surrounded by traitors, Cersei refused to surrender and instead chose to fight back. Lady Olenna Tyrell, Ellaria Sand, and Yara Greyjoy had pledged their allegiance to Daenerys, while Jon Snow was declared King in the North. To start, Cersei devised a plan to eliminate Daenerys' allies one by one. The Lannisters desperately needed the Tyrells' grain and gold, as they were facing a scarcity of provisions during the onset of winter. In the seventh season's first episode, titled "Dragonstone," Cersei aimed to alienate the Tyrell bannermen by convincing them that supporting Lady Olenna meant siding with foreigners.

As a result of Cersei's intervention, House Tyrell's bannermen betrayed their allegiance and joined House Lannister in attacking the Tyrell stronghold. It is worth noting that House Tyrell was on the verge of extinction, with Lady Olenna being the last surviving member. Already grieving the loss of her grandson and heir to Highgarden, Ser Loras, as well as her granddaughter, Queen Margaery, who perished in the explosion at the Sept of Baelor orchestrated by Cersei, Lady Olenna sought revenge and formed an alliance with Daenerys of House Targaryen.

The Sack Of Highgarden

Instead of attacking King's Landing, Daenerys decided to besiege the city's outskirts with the help of the Tyrell and Dornish armies. Meanwhile, Tyrion, her Hand, sent the Unsullied to Casterly Rock, the Lannister stronghold. However, Daenerys' allies, the Dornish, Tyrells, and the Greyjoys, boarded the ships despite Tyrion's advice. Olenna, one of the allies, advised Daenerys to act more aggressively. In the episode titled "Dragonstone," Euron Greyjoy, Yara Greyjoy's rival and uncle, arrived in King's Landing and promised a gift for Queen Cersei. True to his word, he attacked Yara's fleet, capturing Yara, Ellaria, and Tyene Sand and taking them back to King's Landing.

Unfortunately, Tyrion's clever plans backfired in episode 3 of Game of Thrones season 7, titled "The Queen's Justice." The majority of Daenerys' fleet was destroyed, leaving the Unsullied trapped at Casterly Rock without provisions. They had no way to return to Dragonstone since Euron had destroyed their transportation. Meanwhile, the Lannister forces, led by Jaime with Bronn, Randyll, and Dickon, marched towards the Reach.

Jaime administered a fatal dose of poison to Olenna as she admitted to orchestrating the murder of his son, King Joffrey, during the infamous Purple Wedding. House Lannister capitalized on the Tyrell gold, allowing them to settle their debts with the Iron Bank. The Tarlys orchestrated the emptying of the Tyrell granaries, diligently transferring the grain into wagons. They also oversaw the collection of the current harvest from all the farms within the Reach, with Jaime ensuring that even the hesitant farmers complied. While Jaime supervised the transportation process, Daenerys caught his forces off-guard, launching a surprise attack in an open field.

The Ambush

In "The Spoils of War" episode of Game of Thrones, Randyll and Jaime were tasked with ensuring that the remaining wagons crossed the Blackwater Rush before nightfall. While the gold had already reached King's Landing, they focused on overseeing the transportation of the grain wagons. However, their plans took an unexpected turn when they heard distant battle cries. Determined not to abandon their infantry, Jaime and Bronn prepared their men for battle. Yet, their hopes quickly diminished as they heard a mighty roar. It became clear that they were outmatched. Daenerys confronted the Lannister-Tarly army at the crossing of the upper Blackwater Rush, amidst the cliffs and hills of the Goldroad. Randyll instructed his men to protect the wagons and form a defensive line, while the Lannister soldiers built a shield wall. All conventional tactics proved futile when Daenerys uttered the word "Dracarys," causing Drogon to unleash a torrent of fire upon the shield wall. In the chaos that followed, the Dothraki warriors broke through the enemy lines, and the battle commenced.

The Battle of the Goldroad refocused attention on Robert Baratheon's warning about facing the Dothraki in open combat. Daenerys ignited the grain wagons causing panic among the foot soldiers. The Dothraki swiftly slashed through the enemy with their Arakhs, leaving Jaime and Bronn filled with terror. Despite the archers' failed attempts to hit Drogon, Bronn successfully loaded the Dragon-Killing Scorpion and fired bolts. One well-aimed shot hit Drogon in the right shoulder, causing him to land while growing even more enraged. Using his tail, he demolished the Scorpion and as Daenerys struggled to remove the harpoon from his scales, Jaime seized a spear and charged at her.

As the battle drew to a close, Tyrion witnessed the aftermath from a distance, surveying the devastation. While Jaime believed he had a chance to strike Daenerys, Drogon unleashed a stream of fire towards him. In the nick of time, Bronn, mounted on a horse, pulled Jaime away and the two men plunged into the Blackwater Rush, flames from the dragon soaring above. Following the battle, depicted in "Eastwatch" of Game of Thrones, the Dothraki gathered the prisoners, and Daenerys executed Randyll and Dickon for their refusal to submit. The remaining captives promptly yielded, leaving Goldroad with the knowledge that she had given the Tarlys a choice.