Triumph and tragedy bleed together on the ‘Game of Thrones’ season 5 finale

Cersei plays her last card, Sansa makes a desperate choice, and Jon fights for peace on the Game of Thrones season 5 finale.

The finale, titled “Mother’s Mercy,” will also find Arya at a deadly crossroads between her past and her future in Braavos. In Meereen, Tyrion, Jorah, and Daario struggle to keep order now that Daenerys has literally, quite literally, flown the coop.

Dany’s own whereabouts are being kept something of a secret — at least for now. Still, the preview for “Mother’s Mercy” makes it clear that major changes are underway in Westeros and beyond.

Dany flew off on Drogon’s back in last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, after the Sons of the Harpy attacked during the fights at Daznak’s Pit. Meanwhile, Arya found her quest to kill the Thin Man interrupted when Mace Tyrell and Meryn Trant arrived in Braavos; the would-be assassin wasted her day observing the brutal Kingsgard knight, but lied to Jaqen H’ghar and promised to kill her target the next day.

Back in Westeros, Doran Martell brokered an uneasy peace was between Dorne and the Lannisters, and arranged for both Myrcella and Trystane to return to Kings Landing with Jaime. (No one died, which was a miracle.) At the Wall, Jon Snow began the process of helping the Night’s Watch and the wildlings live together in peace.

And slightly further south, war was on Stannis Baratheon’s mind as Ramsay Bolton sabotaged his food stores and siege engines. After sending Davos back to Jon for aid, Stannis turned to religion, and burned his innocent daughter Shireen alive at the stake as a sacrifice to Melisandre’s Red God.

Regardless of whether the idea came from the showrunners or George R.R. Martin himself, the scene was one which viewers of Game of Thrones will not soon forget.

The still photos from the Game of Thrones season 5 finale don’t give fans all that much to speculate on –but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t seriously nervous.