The Atlantic

<em>Game of Thrones</em>: Death Be Not Proud

In the season's penultimate episode, characters contemplate the end of life—and the audience sees the most shocking casualty yet
Source: HBO

“You think my life is some precious thing to me? That I would trade my life for a few years? ...I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago.”

Ned Stark

Game of Thrones is nearing its Season One endgame, and as the Starks and the Lannisters continue their violent feud, the bodies are beginning to pile up. “Baelor,” this week's penultimate episode, ups the stakes considerably, with a number of game-changing plot developments—and the series’ most shocking casualty to date.

As the Dothraki continue their wild-card quest toward Westeros, Khal Drogo collapses due to a wound he incurred in . In theory, the fight that caused his injury is exactly the type of moment that gets immortalized in Dothraki legend: the the traitor's blade before easily besting him in battle. It's not hard to imagine young Dothraki boys gathering around the campfire to hear the story of the courageous Khal Drogo.

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