When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die; there is no middle ground.

And in next week's series finale of "Game of Thrones," we'll finally see who wins. Fans certainly got to see who died in the penultimate installment, "The Bells."

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Daenerys Targaryen truly lived up to her heritage, becoming the Mad Queen, as she and her dragon Drogon laid fiery waste to King's Landing — despite the city's surrender. Buildings crumbled and many innocent people perished. Her allies Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister were horrified by the carnage.

Cersei Lannister also died during the attack, along with brother Jaime, which means Daenerys now has a clear path to the Iron Throne. But should she sit on it?

The series finale trailer ominously hints that Dany's reign over the Seven Kingdoms would be dark and full of terrors.

"The Bells" featured the exits of several notable characters: spymaster Varys, executed early in the episode for treason; pirate Euron Greyjoy after a fight with Jamie; Cersei's advisor Qyburn; and both Sandor Clegane and his brother The Mountain, after a bloody and hard-fought "Cleganebowl."

The series finale caps eight seasons and 73 episodes of HBO's award-winning fantasy drama. Written and directed by series creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, the 80-minute episode airs May 19 at 9 p.m.