There are some pretty powerful relationships in Game of Thrones. Whether they are political partnerships, genuine friendships or something more romantic, these relationships are what pushed the show forward into more dramatic territory.
One supposedly strong friendship was between Missandei and Daenerys Targaryen. However, there are multiple signs that point to the fact that not everything was as it seemed. Here's 10 reasons why the duo weren't actually real friends.
STILL A SLAVE
Despite being rescued from her previous life as a slave, something about Missandei's and Dany's relationship doesn't quite add up. They act friendly around each other and Daenerys has even given her many gifts to make her feel comfortable.
Missandei has a leading place in the kingdom that Dany is building and yet it's almost as if she is still a slave. If she actually wanted to, Missandei probably wouldn't be allowed to leave, unless ordered to. It's as if she's still a slave just in a different cage.
DANY DIDN'T SAVE HER
Missandei famously dies at the hands of Cersei Lannister in one of the cruelest things she has done to the Targaryen regime. However, Dany actually does very little to save her. In every situation, there are always several options.
Perhaps it is what Missandei wanted, to become a martyr. She did genuinely believe in the overall cause after all. But Dany could have momentarily retreated, sent in the dragons or any number of other things. She let her supposed friend die instead.
DOESN'T TRUST ADVICE
Dany does indeed have Missandei in her inner circle. There have been many occasions where she has listened to her advice and acted on it. When Missandei died this contributed to her breakdown as she felt she had very few places left to turn.
Yet, there have been multiple occasions where Dany just hasn't trusted the advice she was given. She instead listened to others such as Varys. If Missandei was such a rock, why bring in so many other people with differing views? This had to be offensive to Missandei.
A HAND TO THE QUEEN
The previous point could at least be argued that it's good to have other points of view. However, there was a blow to Missandei that no one considered at the time. Tyrion Lannister, who joined the brigade much later than Missandei, was made hand to the Queen.
After going on such a journey together and supposedly being great friends, Daenerys didn't think to appoint Missandei to the second most important rule in her court. It's an odd decision but one that showcases how friendly they actually were.
CHANGING IDEALS
As Dany and Missandei matured it's as if their ideals of what they had been fighting for had changed. For Missandei this cause was all about protecting the innocent, freeing the downtrodden and ultimately reinventing the world they live in.
For Dany, this became a power grab. When she burned the city to the ground it tainted Missandei's death as it killed the very people she wanted to protect. If Missandei had lived to see it all, they would have had a fundamental disagreement.
DESIRE TO LEAVE
Missandei may have had different ideals about what they were fighting for, but she also had a completely different plan about when they had actually won. Missandei wanted to take Dany's military leader and escape away back to her home.
It was a peaceful plan and one that would give them a happily ever after. However, it showcases just how different she saw things. The two 'friends' were never on the same page about what came after and we wonder if Dany would have allowed them to leave them either.
INTEREST IN GREY WORM
Missandei is deeply in love with Grey Worm, who she was planning to spend the rest of her life with. There's a problem with this, however. Even though Dany clearly liked the couple together, there were a number of political problems with this.
She never broke them up, but their future plan would have seriously cost Dany. What's more, for Grey Worm, Missandei became his number one concern and it could have even compromised him. Daenerys thinks about her goals before her friends. Missandei thinks about her love first.
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS
Dany and Missandei have very different backgrounds. For the former, she was sold at a young age but actually grew up in relative luxury. The latter had never known any kind of comforts and had always been an item to be sold.
Their outlook on life was therefore greatly affected by this. Dany almost had a savior complex but perhaps could never understand some of the pains that Missandei went through and never really tried, just assuming they were comparable. This is why Dany loses her way in the quest for the Iron Throne.
ONE WAY SACRIFICE
Missandei ended up sacrificing her own life for the cause. Even though she may disagree on some aspects of Dany's actions, she still believed that they were ultimately fighting for the same thing. However, Dany would not make that same sacrifice.
Missandei was trying to be a martyr. There may have been an aspect of friendship there, but there was also a statement. Dany, on the other hand, would never allow herself to be sacrificed for Missandei. Not at this stage. It shows the difference between a Queen and servant.
JON'S INFLUENCE
For some reason, in the short amount of time she knew him, Dany became closer to Jon Snow than she ever did Missandei. It's almost as if her supposed friend took a back seat, as Dany decided to listen to her new flame more and more.
The phrase sisters before misters clearly meant nothing here, as at least Missandei still gave Dany some loyalty when she was with Greyworm, whereas Dany might have given up everything just to fight whatever cause Jon wanted to fight for.