Melisandre's Trip to Volantis Could Be a Huge Twist for 'Game of Thrones' Season 8

Game of Thrones has been filled with a slew of twists and turns over the years, yet Melisandre's sudden departure in Season 7 left countless fans wondering what was next for the Red Priestess. She has been one of the more mysterious characters over the years with her fair share of prophetic visions and magical affairs, but even she can't stop the wheels of fate.

Prior to her leaving in Season 7, one of Melisandre's last acts before leaving was to make sure that Queen Daenerys invited Jon Snow to Dragonstone. Then she went out of her way to avoid the King in the North. After speaking with Varys, Melisandre explained that she would leave for Volantis before returning to Westeros. Since her actions have supposedly served the Lord of Light up to this point, it's curious that she would return to Volantis knowing that she had foreseen her own death in Westeros. This curiosity has many fans searching for more clues about her next move on #GameofThrones. Well, it turns out there's a moment from Season 6 that could explain Melisandre's actions and change the course of the impending war in Westeros between the humans and the White Walkers.

Why is Melisandre's trip to Volantis so important?

As one of the Free Cities of Essos, Volantis is notably the home to the largest temple of R'hllor, a.k.a. the Lord of Light, and has a 200-foot wall of pure dragonglass - yes, that dragonglass. Considering the city sits on top of a huge pile of the stuff (also known as obsidian), it could be key to the future of Jon & Daenerys's war with the Night King. So, maybe Melisandre has the right idea returning there; but what is she planning?

Not only does Volantis have a massive stockpile of one of two known items that can take down a White Walker, it also holds one of the most devoted fighting forces the world has ever seen called the Fiery Hand. This well-trained army of over 1,000 soldiers wear dark red armor, orange robes and fight with spears shaped like flames. The Fiery Hand could even light their weapons on fire like two other R'hllor acolytes seen on the show, Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr.

This army answers only to the High Priestess of the Temple of Volantis, Kinvara - a character who's already been in contact with Daenerys in Season 6. She appeared on the show when Tyrion invited Kinvara to Meereen in order to discuss the religious propaganda being spread across the countryside of Essos.

During the meeting, Tyrion learns that the high priestess is a firm believer in Daenerys' future in the world.

Tyrion: The truth is, we need your help. We were hoping that we could somehow persuade you...

Kinvara: You don't need to persuade me. I came to help. Daenerys Stormborn is the one who was promised. From the fire she was reborn to remake the world... She has freed the slaves from their chains and crucified the Masters for their sins... Her dragons are fire made flesh, a gift from the Lord of Light... Daenerys has been sent to lead the people against the darkness in this war and in the Great War still to come.

Upon Melisandre's return to Volantis, it's likely that she will meet with the High Priestess, who may or may not be aware of the fall of the Wall. Unless the High Priestess has had a change of heart, it's likely that she'll keep her promise to aid Daenerys, allowing the Fiery Hand to bolster her forces.

However, this is Game of Thrones, so nothing is ever that simple, right? What if Melisandre returns to Volantis during a political coup d'état and the High Priestess is in the middle of a civil war of sorts between their faith and the ruling powers of Volantis? In the books, the city of Volantis is ruled by a governing body of triarchs who are chosen by every freeborn landowner, regardless of gender, and are chosen from among the noble families who can accurately trace their descendants to old Valyria.

At one point in the novels, the high priest Benerro was speaking of Daenerys' claim to the throne of power and her attempts to remove slavery. The triarchs didn't take kindly to this and sought to hire the Golden Company to rout the entire temple. Although Benerro doesn't appear in the show, the High Priestess Kinvara has taken that role and will likely have much of the same conflict with the ruling authority in Volantis.

It would be an interesting twist (and an awesome moment) for Melisandre to return to Westeros with a band of warriors wielding dragonglass forged flaming spear to face the onslaught of the Night King. If the Fiery Hand were to cross the Narrow Sea with Melisandre, it could also signal another impending conflict once Euron returns with the Golden Company – honoring another moment from George R. R. Martin's source material.