Warning: The following contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 7 episode 4: 'Spoils of War'
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Qyburn said it best: œIf they can be wounded, they can be killed. If the latest episode of Game of Thrones is any indication, Daenerys' dragons aren't as invincible as we thought.
Cersei's advisor well remembers that Drogon was severly wounded in the fighting pits of Meereen, and he has total confidence that Dany's trinity of dragons can be struck down. Sporting a library of dragon skulls and skeletons, the cellars of the Red Keep alone are proof the firebreathers can be slain.
It's no secret that Drogon is Daenerys' favorite dragon. He's the biggest of her three, the strongest, and thanks to her undeniable favoritism, the most experienced in battle. In episode 4, 'The Spoils of War,' Dany rejects Jon Snow's advice to forgo the use of her dragons and rides Drogon headlong into the Lannister army. Catching them off guard in the expanse between High Garden and King's Landing, the Mother of Dragons literally roasts Jaime's men and turns them to ash. We've seen Drogon use his fire-breathing powers before, but now that he's fully grown, he is a truly fearsome monster of the skies. However impressive Drogon's powers may be, it's clear Cersei and the Lannister army have the means to take him down for good.
Though appalled at the incineration of his militia, Jaime remains calm enough to order archers to take aim as Drogon prepares to divebomb. While the arrows riddle the dragon's armored side, they are a mere distraction that forces Dany to temporarily disengage. Needing more firepower, Jaime orders Bronn to man the scorpion bolt, the deadly weapon Qyburn's ominously revealed to Cersei earlier in the season. Like Chekhov's Gun, this medieval missile was introduced with an absolute guarantee of wreaking havoc on Daenerys' dragons.
It didn't disappoint. Though Bronn narrowly missed his first shot, the projectile got Dany's attention and forced her to set Drogon's sights on burning down the turret. While she lines up her shot and shouts, œDracarys, Bronn unleashes a second scorpion bolt and sends it ripping through Drogon's right wing. The dragon shrieks in pain, and like a lead weight, he and Dany plummet through the skies. It's so thrilling that even Bronn can't hide his joy.
Fearing her beloved beast is mortally wounded, Dany lands the dragon beside the Blackwater Rush to tend to his wounds. Cue Jaime, with multigenerational anger in peak form. He killed the Mad King, and he won't stand to watch his spawn follow the same path. As Dany attempts to remove the bolt from Drogon's wing, Jaime charges at her, but as he approaches his kill-shot, Bronn tackles him into the river right as Drogon unleashes more flames.
Jaime's down for the count, and though he may never have a chance to kill Daenery's dragons, you can bet Cersei will.
How To Kill A Dragon
While 'The Spoils of War' illustrated how dragons fare against a well-placed scorpion bolt, the history of Westeros further illustrates their vulnerability to such weapons. Qyburn's weapon may seem original, but it's a well-worn tool in the wars for Westeros.
During the Targaryen civil war (known as The Dance of Dragons), multiple dragons were either wounded or killed by scorpions and crossbows. Dreamfyre was blinded by a bolt that ultimately led to her death, Stormcloud was fatally wounded by a scorpion shot to the chest, and during The First Dornish war, Meraxes, a beloved dragon of Aegon the Conqueror, was almost instantly killed by taking an iron bolt straight through the eye. While it's true that the majority of dragons in the infamous œDance were killed in dragon-on-dragon warfare, more than a few were taken down by the means of men. It's not hard to imagine, and had Bronn aimed his bolt five feet to the right, Drogon would be a thing of the past.
Though the scorpion will likely see action again in Game of Thrones, expect it take down either Rhaegal or Viserion, the lesser of Dany's trinity. Drogon has already taken his beating in season 7, and you can bet the others are next.
Dragonbinder & Ice Dragons
Though it has yet to be mentioned on the show, Dragonbinder plays a big role in A Song of Ice and Fire. The œhellhorn is a six-foot-long siren originally found amid the ruins of Valyria. While the lungs of the poor soul who blows the Dragonbinder are turned to ash, the dragons that hear the horn's sound will forever serve its master. In the books, this Valyrian tool is owned by Euron Greyjoy who waits for an opportunity to test its power. Should Dragonbinder be revealed in the show, it could quickly reverse the tide of Daenerys' power and turn Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion against her. Then again, if Dragonbinder is in the universe of Game of Thrones, you'd think Euron would have already shown it off before Cersei.
There are other weapons that could possibly bring down the big beasts: Valyrian steel, Dragonglass, and even though dragons are largely fireproof, perhaps the emerald Wildfire could do some major damage. As for more tinfoil theories, however, there's also the longstanding belief that ice dragons exist in Westeros. Though some speculate one may form out of the frozen pond at Winterfell, others fear that the White Walkers will be able to turn a deceased dragon into an undead, ice-breathing monster of The Land of Always Winter. As the opening episode of season seven confirmed, the Night King has no problem turning giants into Wights, so who's to say a dragon is off limits?
Whether they die by human means or White Walkers, œThe Spoils of War made it abundantly clear that no dragons are safe in the wars to come.
NEXT: Game of Thrones: The Starks' History with House Targaryen Explained
Game of Thrones returns next Sunday, 8/13 @ 9PM Eastern on HBO.