So, Game Of Thrones Season 7 has begun and things are heating up in Westeros as the characters prepare for battle.
Over a year since the previous season aired, exasperated fans are eager to see what this season holds for the future of the realm.
Since cast and crew finished up filming at the end of February, show-runners have been committed to keeping us guessing in the run up to release date.
We’ve been teased with taster promos all year, but the official season 7 trailer released at the end of March gave fans a few clues about what to expect.
A three-way power struggle in Game Of Thrones Season 7 between Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow appears to be on the cards, and some important characters could now be up for the chop.
We learned at the end of season six that Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, and Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, are in fact related. Together, could they be enough to finally bring down the Lannister legacy once and for all?
Fans have also theorised that Sansa Stark, played by Sophie Turner, could potentially betray her brother Jon by aligning herself with Little Finger, played by Aidan Gillen.
If, as the trailer suggests, it all comes down to Cersei, Dany and Jon, where does this leave the power hungry pair?
There is also a long-standing prophecy that Cersei will be killed by a younger sibling – whether it’s Jaimie or Tyrion remains to be seen, but our money is on her younger twin becoming the Queenslayer.
Other fans have thrown a new theory in the mix: A+J=T. In other words, Aerys Targaryen supposedly had an affair with Joanna Lannister that resulted in her giving birth to Tyrion, meaning he would be Dany’s half-brother – and the third dragon rider.
Eagled-eyed fans have also spotted a potential clue in the Night King’ iris at the end of the official trailer that seems to suggest the White Walkers find a way to breach the Wall.
Game Of Thrones Season 7 will consist of just seven episodes rather than the usual 10, although more money has been spent on each episode and they have been filming for the usual length of time. So we can expect something of epic proportions, if previous seasons are anything to go by.
Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow, previously said: “Season seven has much more ambition – the whole scale of it is up.”
Continuing their tradition of cameo appearances, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss announced in March that British musician Ed Sheeran will be guest starring in Game Of Thrones Season 7.
Artists including Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Will Champion from Coldplay, Sigur Rós, and Mastodon have all popped up in the series over recent years. Ed Sheeran was next on their target list since Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark, is apparently a huge fan of the red-headed warbler.
David Benioff said at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas: “For years we were trying to get Ed Sheeran on the show to surprise Maisie and this year we finally did it.”
Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane AKA The Hound
British actor Jim Broadbent has also confirmed he will be appearing in season seven, openly revealing to ScreenCrush: “I’m an old professor character. I did five episodes. I did sort of one major scene in each episode.”
The GoT rumour mill has also gone into overdrive since Joe Dempsie, who played long-lost Gendry until he was last seen rowing out to sea in season 3, was spotted in Belfast during filming.
Iain Glen, who plays Ser Jorah Mormont, was also spotted pouring over a script on a flight to Belfast with Gwendoline Christie, who plays fan favourite Brienne of Tarth.
There have been suggestions that Ser Jorah is cured from Greyscale in the coming season, leaving him free to help Dany take the Iron Throne.
Spoiler site The Watchers on the Wall recently revealed the the official agency resume of David Bradley, the actor who played Walder Frey, has him appearing in Season 7.
We remember Walder as the man who orchestrated The Red Wedding in season 3, and saw him being killed by Arya Stark last season.
Actress Gemma Whelan (who plays Yara Grejoy) was spotted filming in Caceres with Pilou Asbaek, (Euron Greyjoy), suggesting he captures her in the coming episodes.
Indira Varma (Ellaria Sand) and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers (Tyene Sand) were also filming in the same location which means he might have got hold of the Sand Snakes, too.
Kit Harington (who plays Jon Snow) recently weighed in on one of GoT’s biggest fan theories – Azor Ahai, or “The Prince Who Was Promised”.
According to fans, Azor Ahai was a legendary figure in Thrones history who once defeated the darkness using his burning sword, Lightbringer. They also say he will soon be reborn as “the prince who was promised”.
Speaking about Game Of Thrones Season 7 Kit told Huffington Post: “I think you have to wait and see what happens this year, and if we find out anything more about Jon.
“I think Jon would hate the term ‘The Prince That Was Promised.’ If someone turned to him and said, ‘You’re The Prince That Was Promised,’ he just wouldn’t pay much attention. That’s what I love about him, so I don’t really care about it either.
While it has been confirmed that “A Tier” cast members (Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) are all contracted through to Season 8, this doesn’t necessarily mean their characters will survive.
The less-expensive cast members (anyone NOT Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, or Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) are not safe either. It’s a cruel world in Westeros, and anything can happen.
Game Of Thrones Season 7 has begun, for more news and reviews, check out #ThroneWatch at www.bamni.co.uk/category/thron