The 30 most heartwarming moments on Game of Thrones

7. Davos gives Shireen a gift (“The Dance of Dragons”)

KATIE: While both remain esteemed members of the Baratheon camp, Davos and Shireen alike feel the pangs of being an outsider. Davos had to give up a few of his fingers as penance for his smuggling before he was welcomed into Stannis’ service. Shireen is Stannis’ sole heir, but she’s locked away on account of her disfiguring greyscale. They are at once at home and out-of-sorts under Stannis’ regime, and therefore had a lot to talk about.

Davos is a father figure to Shireen when Stannis can’t be bothered with the job. We discussed Stannis’ love for his daughter earlier in the post, but the fact remains that she’s not his first priority. Davos, on the other hand, lost his son in the Battle of the Blackwater, and he sees some vestiges of his son’s character in Shireen. They were well-read, and both cared for him as he cared for them.

In “The Dance of Dragons,” Davos tells Shireen that his son always wanted him to learn to read, but Davos was too stubborn to comply. It was Shireen who finally taught him in Season 3, and by learning Davos honored them both—his lost son and the daughter he found in the empty space he left. The stag he carves for her is a thank-you for all they’ve meant to each other, and a reminder to Shireen that she’s a Baratheon through and through.