The 6 biggest plotlines in the 'Game of Thrones' books left out of the show

game of thrones jaime cersei season 4
The show began to show conflict between Jaime and Cersei, so they could be heading towards Jaime's Riverlands plot in season six. Neil Davidson / HBO

"Game of Thrones" has more characters and locations than the average viewer can keep track of, but believe it or not there are still many that didn't make it to the show. The original book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" clocks in at over 4,000 pages — it's no wonder the HBO showrunners have had to eliminate some storylines from their television adaptation. 

Though some of the missing plots could appear in the upcoming seasons, so far it seems at least six major stories were left by the wayside. Let's dive into the wonderful world of Westeros.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for non-book readers, plus there's always a chance these storylines may come to fruition in future seasons.  

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1. Lady Stark returns from the dead to seek vengeance against the Lannisters and Freys.

lady stoneheart Game of Thrones by zippo514
Catelyn Stark as Lady Stoneheart. This is one fan's imagining of how she looks as a zombified woman. HBO/zippo514/DeviantArt

This is one huge departure from the books fans have been expecting to see every season since Catelyn's death in season three. Rumors have already started again for season six, but there's a chance it's simply never going to happen. 

Catelyn Stark was murdered during the Red Wedding, but show-only fans may not realize that wasn't the last we saw of her in the books. Catelyn's body was thrown into the river, and recovered by a group of rebels called the Brotherhood without Banners. The leaders of the group are Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr — a red priest capable of bringing people back from the dead. 

Catelyn was resurrected, and she now leads the Brotherhood without Banners under the name Lady Stoneheart. This un-dead version of Catelyn can barely speak, since her throat was slit at the Red Wedding and the wound never healed completely. But Stoneheart — obsessed with getting revenge — is slowly bringing the Freys and Lannisters to justice by hunting them down and hanging them. The last we heard of her, she had captured Brienne and Podrick, and convinced them to bring Jaime Lannister to her. So far, there's no sign Stoneheart will appear on the show, but some fans are holding out hope.

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2. There's a group of men trying to reclaim the North and take down the Boltons and the Freys.

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This woman featured in season five hinted at the Northern Conspiracy when telling Sansa "The North Remembers." She advised her to light a candle in a tower if she was ever in danger. HBO

Along with Lady Stoneheart's quest to kill Freys and Lannisters, there is another rebellion against the Stark murderers that happens in the books. After the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton and his son Ramsay are given control of the North. In the show, there isn't much sign that any of the Lords formerly sworn to Robb Stark remain loyal to his cause. But the books contain several clues regarding a faction of houses plotting to overthrow the Boltons. 

The tagline of this movement is: "The North Remembers." You may have heard this line a few times in the show, but the books contain a far more powerful scene. Wyman Manderly is one of the Lords sworn to House Stark. In the books, there comes a time when Ser Davos (Stannis' right-hand man) is sent to ask Lord Manderly to swear fealty to Stannis. Manderly, who appears to be loyal to the Freys on the surface, meets secretly with Davos and gives a bolstering speech about how his dedication to the Freys and Lannisters is a "farce." 

Manderly has a source who reports that Rickon Stark (the youngest son of Eddard) is on an island called Skagos. He tells Davos that he will be loyal to Stannis' cause if Davos goes to Skagos and finds Rickon. There are deeper parts of the Northern Conspiracy that hint at an effort to crown Jon Snow as King in the North. Read up a summary of the whole plot at Watchers on the Wall. 

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3. One of the Martells tries to marry Daenerys for her dragons and to take the Iron Throne from the Lannisters.

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Doran Martell (above) sent his eldest son to marry Daenerys and bring her (and her dragons) back to Westeros. HBO/composite by Kirsten Acuna, Tech Insider

You may remember Prince Doran Martell, the brother of Oberyn and ruler of Dorne. In the books, Doran has a long-con plot to overthrow the Lannisters. The crux of his plan lies with his eldest son, Quentyn, and his knowledge of Daenerys Targaryen. Doran sends Quentyn to Meereen to marry Daenerys and bring her back to Westeros, either unaware or uncaring about her current marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq. Doran and Quentyn believe that with a marriage to Daenerys, and her dragons, they can overtake the Iron Throne.

Quentyn arrives in Meereen, but his proposal isn't taken very seriously by Daenerys. Then, when she flies away on the back of Drogon, leaving Quentyn and her advisors behind in Meereen, Quentyn refuses to leave empty-handed. He attempts to tame her two remaining dragons, Viserion and Rhaegal, and bring them home. Sadly, his plan fails and he is doused in dragonfire. Quentyn dies from his injuries several days later.

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4. Another one of the Martells wants to make the Lannister daughter, Myrcella, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

Sand Snakes Game of Thrones
Nymeria, Obara, and Tyene Sand were cast in season five. The other four Sand Snakes and Arianne Martell were left out. Helen Sloan/HBO

Another Dorne-related plot the showrunners abandoned was that of Arianne Martell — Doran's eldest daughter and Quentyn's sister. In the books, Arianne hatches a plan to kidnap Myrcella Lannister. But she doesn't want to harm the girl — she wants to make her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, replacing Tommen and restoring a royal matriarchy in the realm. 

With the help of some friends, Arianne tries to take Myrcella to a castle in Dorne where they can safely crown Myrcella as Queen. But the plan is found out, and Doran sends soldiers to re-capture Myrcella. The young Lannister is injured in the scuffle — she loses an ear — but otherwise is unharmed.

The show only focused on the Sand Snakes (Oberyn's bastard daughters hellbent on revenge), who actually murdered Myrcella at the end of season five. There's no hope left that Arianne will be included, since her potential storyline was closed with Myrcella's death. 

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5. Jaime Lannister runs a bunch of diplomatic missions in the Riverlands and comes into his own as an honorable man.

game of thrones jaime cersei season 4
The show began to show conflict between Jaime and Cersei, so they could be heading towards Jaime's Riverlands plot in season six. Neil Davidson / HBO

This is one storyline we're hoping won't be completely abandoned. Season five had Jaime travel to Dorne in a failed attempt at rescuing Myrcella (this never happened in the books). He should have been riding around the Riverlands, attempting to make peace and tie up the loose ends of the War of the Five Kings (the recent battle between Joffrey, Stannis, Renly, Robb, and Balon for title of "King").

Jaime has one of the most interesting character arcs in the books — starting out as the honorless Kingslayer and slowly understanding the errors of his ways. Most of this change happens during his time outside King's Landing, acting as a diplomat on behalf of the crown.

In his point-of-view chapters, we see as he becomes more and more disenfranchised with his twin, Cersei, and their love. The turning point came when he freed Tyrion, and his younger brother told him about Cersei's lack of faithfulness to Jaime. While he's in the Riverlands, Brienne finds him and tells him she has Sansa — but readers know this isn't true. What's more likely is that Brienne is leading him into a trap set by Lady Stoneheart, the undead Catelyn Stark. Hopefully his Sand Snakes side-story was just a stalling tactic for the showrunners, and this plot will be used in season six.

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6. A secret Targaryen child is returning to Westeros to claim the Iron Throne.

griff and aegon artwork
This is one fan's rendition of Griff (left) and his advisor/companion Jon Connington as they journey from Essos to Westeros. steamey/DeviantArt

"Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin is known for introducing new characters who have more to them than first appears. One of these is "Young Griff," a boy Tyrion meets while journeying to meet Daenerys in Meereen. In the books, Tyrion spends a lot of time on a boat with Young Griff, a blue-haired young main who seems noble born with a mysterious past. Eventually Martin reveals to readers that Griff is actually Aegon Targaryen — Daenerys' nephew.

Aegon was just a baby when his father, Prince Rhaegar, fell in battle and Tywin Lannister stormed King's Landing. Supposedly, Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane killed Rhaegar's wife and children (including Aegon). But if Griff truly is Aegon, it means he was switched out with another baby and smuggled out of the city. Some readers doubt Griff's claim to be Aegon, and think it's a conspiracy. Either way, the young man claiming to be Aegon is now in Westeros with a small army, and is claiming the Iron Throne for his own. We have yet to see if he will be cast in the show.

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