'Winds of Winter' spoilers: A shift of power in King's Landing

The deaths in “A Dance with Dragons” will have consequences in “Winds of Winter.” The sample chapters of the upcoming book released so far tease some details about what to expect. A fan has put together a list of changes that will directly affect the power structure in King’s Landing.

The following article contains spoilers and a fan theory about the events in “Winds of Winter.” Fans who don’t want to know what happens in the book before it is released are advised to stop here.

A thread on Reddit looks at the changes in the Small Council at King’s Landing. With the deaths of Kevan Lannister and Grand Maester Pycelle, and Cersei currently being held prisoner, the politics will be dominated by House Tyrell.

Before the deaths, the power in the Small Council was equally divided between the Lannisters and Tyrells. Now, Harys Swyft is the only one in power who is loyal to the lion banner. The character is not known to be very competent, so he may be of little use to Cersei.

The fan points out that Harys is in Braavos, where he is meeting with the Iron Bank to negotiate a deal. According to the sample chapter of “Winds of Winter” released by George RR Martin titled “Mercy,” Arya Stark will stir up some trouble there. So it may be difficult for Harys to return to King’s Landing any time soon, and there is a strong possibility that he may not return at all.

With all of this happening, it will be Mace Tyrell running the show in King’s Landing. The theory suggests that the empty seats in the Small Council will be filled by Mace’s uncle Gorman for the position of Grand Maester, and Garth Tyrell for the position of Master of Coin. Nymeria Sand is already on her way to claim the Dornish seat.

Gormon was previously chosen to be the new Grand Maester, and there is no stopping the character to take that position again. Mace has also repeatedly promised the position of Master of Coin to Garth, so there is a good chance the character will now get that seat in the Small Council.

What happens next in “Winds of Winter,” according to the theory, is Tyene, disguised as a Septa, infiltrates the Faith and attempts to kill Cersei. The fan believes that she will end up poisoning Tommen instead. As the king’s widow, Margaery will get the Iron Throne. Cersei will blame both the Faith and the Tyrells for everything and may end up wiping them out, just as it happened in the TV series.