Before Tyrion Lannister met Daenerys Targaryen, he met another Targaryen, but ‘Game of Thrones’ completely erased the storyline that made it possible. Tyrion’s escape from Westeros in the books heads in a completely different direction than the show.
Instead of eventually sailing straight toward Daenerys, he is taken to Illyrio Mopatis in Pentos, who sends him east with a group led by a mysterious man called Griff and a young boy known as Young Griff. And then Tyrion realizes who they really are.
Tyrion Discovers Another Targaryen
Young Griff is supposed to be Aegon Targaryen, the supposedly murdered son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell. Griff is in fact Jon Connington, who was Rhaegar’s old friend and Hand of the King. On the journey, aboard the Shy Maid, Tyrion comes to understand who they are.
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The twist is even more significant, as Aegon’s story is not random. However, Illyrio, Varys, and his allies have been preparing to bring back Targaryen rule, with plans for Aegon to eventually marry Daenerys. Tyrion was meant to be a part of that greater political deal.
However, he had other ideas. In the game of cyvasse, he questions Aegon’s thinking and encourages him to take a more aggressive approach, go west and seize the Iron Throne rather than wait for Daenerys. The Golden Company supports Aegon’s invasion of Westeros, as he follows suit.
‘Game Of Thrones’ Show Removed An Entire Targaryen Conflict
This is one of the most significant differences between Tyrion’s book journey and his TV story. The show completely eradicates Young Griff, Jon Connington, and the entire Aegon plot. Instead, Tyrion’s tale continues much more directly to Daenerys, and he ends up as one of her most trusted advisors.
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However, the books make Tyrion’s situation much more complicated. He already encountered another supposed Targaryen claimant and, ironically, helped push that claimant toward Westeros before Daenerys.
And that’s what makes the missing storyline so fascinating. If Aegon is indeed Rhaegar’s son, then Tyrion’s future relationship with Daenerys would be a lot more complicated. He would not only be giving advice to a Targaryen queen, but he would be advising an enemy.
He would know that another young man with a potentially stronger claim was already marching toward the same throne. This was a political disaster the show never had the opportunity to explore.
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