Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Game of Thrones season 7, episode 4

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With last week's episode, "The Spoils of War," Game of Thrones delivered not only its biggest battle yet, but also landed its highest ratings ever. While a number of the smaller moments helped to make an engaging episode of television, it's hard to deny the sheer power of the climactic confrontation between Daenerys' forces and the combined might of the Lannisters and Tarlys.

Given that the series has mostly moved past the storytelling of the books, there's no knowing if what was shown in the episode will remain true to George R.R. Martin's vision. But there's a strong chance that similar events will play out in the book. Dany bringing both her dragons and the Dothraki into battle against her enemies in Westeros has been telegraphed throughout the book with reminders of Aegon's victories 300 years ago and mention of the Dothraki's might in the open field. The early years of the show did the same, reinforcing the foreshadowing when it was still following the source material. There is another reason the battle is likely to appear in the books, however, as it plays into Martin's narrative style.

Many of the events in Martin's book series pay homage to moments from the past. As Martin himself is channeling real historical events for his story, so too do the present day moments in each novel mirror conflicts and events from the past. When it comes to Dany's decimation of the Lannisters, there's a fairly sizable precedent in Westerosi history.

The Field of Fire

Soldiers being burned alive in the Lore of Game of Thrones featurette.

From the three dragons to the base on Dragonstone, a lot about Dany's current story arc is reminiscent of her ancestor Aegon's own conquering of Westeros. Living on Dragonstone as one of the last of the ancient Valyrian dragonriders, Aegon and his two sisters Visenya and Rhaenys flew their dragons to a patch of land above the Blackwater Rush and established the Aegonfort. It was there that their conquest of the Seven Kingdoms began, and there that King's Landing would eventually be built as the capital of the new Targaryen empire.

Thanks to the insurmountable power of the dragons, Aegon and his sisters were able to sweep across the Seven Kingdoms and swiftly take key locations such as Storm's End and Crackclaw Point. They also demonstrated their might with the burning of Harrenhal, which helped bring the Riverlands under Aegon's rule. But Harren's downfall was but a prelude to what would become Aegon's most decisive and devastating victory.

Combining the might of Casterly Rock and Highgarden, King Loren I Lannister marched his western forces to meet King Mern IX Gardener of the Reach and confront Aegon near the Blackwater. With 55,000 men at their command, the Lannister and Gardener troops outnumbered Aegon's soldiers 5-to-1. Of the Targaryen's 11,000 soldiers, most were conscripted from the recently taken Riverlands. As such, they had much less to fight for than the opposing side who were dispelling a foreign invader. But for the first and only time during Aegon's Conquest, all three dragons were brought into the field.

While the ground troops engaged, Aegon and his sisters swept across the dry fields and set them ablaze. With their own men safely downwind, the Targaryen forces picked off any enemies that weren't burned alive. All told, 4,000 Lannister and Tarly men were killed by the dragon fire, 1,000 perished from ground forces, and 10,000 were left badly burned. The Targaryens, meanwhile, lost only about 100 men and Visenya was left with an arrow wound. For their troubles, the Targaryens accepted the surrender of 30,000 men, including Loren.

Loren's crown was removed, but he was allowed to remain as Warden of the West. The Gardeners, meanwhile, all perished due to the conflict. With the family wiped out and their soldiers mostly decimated, the stewards of the Gardeners opened the gates of Highgarden to Aegon when he came south. It was in that moment that House Tyrell were promoted to lords and given dominion over the Reach and control of Highgarden.

When King Torrhen Stark brought 30,000 men against Aegon's 45,000, he did so with memories of the Field of Fire and Harrenhal in his head. Without conflict, he bent the knee to Aegon, becoming the last King in the North for 300 years and effectively ending Aegon's Conquest.

The Second Field of Fire

Drogon burns the food in Game of Thrones

Even if Martin isn't planning for a conflict exactly like the one in "The Spoils of War," the writers of the show seem to have channeled his themes. On the surface, it's easy to see the similarities between Dany's attack and the Field of Fire, but there's actually more cyclical storytelling at play.

Just as the first Field of Fire preempted the rise of House Tyrell, the events directly preceding the Second Field of Fire saw their downfall. While the show still has some unaccounted for Tyrells, they seem uninterested in resolving their stories. After Cersei blew up the Great Sept and Jaime annihilated the forces at Highgarden, Olena's death effectively ended House Tyrell and put a close to their 300 years of rule over the Reach.

Likely, House Tarly will be given Highgarden, mirroring what happened to its previous owners. And as we didn't see Randall or Dickon Tarly perish in the battle, we can assume they're still alive. That said, Dickon first taste of war proved he has more of Sam in him than he does his father, so the death of Randall could see House Tarly turning over a new leaf.

Still, a good amount of the Tarly forces were wiped out in Dany's attack, along with most of the Lannister soldiers. While a garrison likely remains in Highgarden and lesser members of the family are probably in various keeps and castles throughout Westeros, it's down to Jaime, Cersei, and Tyrion for all intents and purposes. The Lannisters may have nearly escaped extinction during Aegon's Conquest, but Dany's campaign probably won't offer them the same reprieve.

There's no telling how many Dothraki Dany brought or how many men her enemies had, but it's safe to assume her numbers paled in comparison to theirs. After all, the full might of the Lannisters and Tarlys was likely needed to take Highgarden, meaning most of them were in the field when Dany and her troops arrived. And though she only used one dragon, it's easy to see how this Second Field of Fire will serve a similar purpose as the first.

Two of her enemies have been devastated, and lords across Westeros will hear of what befell them. Outside of the Ironmen and the Northmen, no other force in Westeros can dare challenge Dany, and she still hasn't brought all three dragons into combat. The Second Field of Fire probably won't be the biggest battle we'll see before the show and books are done, but it will surely be one that lives in infamy in the history of Westeros.

Next: How Bran's New Powers Could Affect Game of Thrones