Game of Thrones ends with a new King's small council - here's who's sat at the most important table of Westeros. The Game of Thrones finale surprised many by making Bran Stark the new King of Westeros (but only six kingdoms, as Sansa has made the North independent).

Like any good King, Bran's first order of business was to make a new small council. Right back to the start of the show, the King's council has been one of the most important groups of people, led by the Hand of the King and dealing with the actual ruling of the kingdom. In the case of the Three-Eyed Raven King, it looks like they'll be doing a lot of the leading.

Related: Game Of Thrones: Everybody Who Survived The Show

At the end of Game of Thrones, the small council looks thus: Tyrion is Bran's Hand of the King; Bronn, now Lord of Highgarden, is the Master of Coin; Samwell Tarley is the new Archmaester; Brienne of Tarth is the new head of the Kingsguard (and her former squire, Podrick, is under her command); Davos Seaworth is the Master of Ships; still to be decided is the Master of Whisperers, Master of War and Master of War.

Game of Thrones Finale Starks at Council

King Bran's small council feels like something of a joke, given how - Tyrion aside - it's made up of the most unsuspecting supporting characters. Bronn was a sellsword, Brienne a disrespected soldier, Davos a smuggler, and Sam the rejected son of a great house. But that is really the point Game of Thrones is trying to make, both in terms of character justice and the future.

Game of Thrones has been defined by its great houses - Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon - but all the time there's been these characters of no noble backing but full of worth fighting for themselves and what's right who are now, finally, getting an opportunity to shine. These are the fan favorites, the characters who had no right surviving as long as they did but are now going to shape the future of Westeros.

And that future is why this is so important - King Bran's new small council is a visual representation of "breaking the wheel", a long-standing promise from Daenerys before her death. None of the characters in the small council are of royal blood, and the only one from a historically great house is Tyrion, who was roundly rejected by his family. They represent a new age for the six kingdoms, one not defined by the arbitrary rules of the past.

Next: Game of Thrones: What Happened to Arya?