How Will 'GoT's 'Winds of Winter' End?

The big news that landed on Thursday was the George R.R. Martin Winds of Winter excerpt, and if you're a Game of Thrones fan, there's no way you missed it. With Season 5 of Game of Thrones premiering April 12, and spring actually having arrived, the only thing that could have possibly improved on the beginning of April is this sneak peek of the new novel. It has me wondering, though, How will Winds of Winter end?

If you haven't already rushed over to George R.R. Martin's website to read the full excerpt; if you're keeping yourself in the dark until you've found the perfect place to savor this sweet treat in style; or if you're waiting to discover the fates of your favorite characters on the small screen, you might want to bookmark this article for further reading at a later date, because let me be clear, there are major spoilers ahead.

As a diehard fan and a grateful one (it's hard to write a book, folks, give the man a break), I like living with a little mystery in my life. In fact, the number of hours I spend dreaming up new theories for how this spectacular series will end could probably be counted in days, not hours. So, with the delicious new details from the Winds of Winter tickling my imagination, I've got five new theories for how this book might end that I'm just dying to share. I'll give you one last caveat that there are major spoilers ahead — don't say I didn't warn you.

Arya Finally Comes Into Her Own

If you've been keeping up with the Winds of Winter details slowly trickling in, you'll know that Arya's already crossed another name off her list after catching Raff the Sweetling at a performance of the Braavosi mummers troupe. Will Arya conclude her training with the faceless men and make her way back to the seven kingdoms? As a favorite of mine who's more than earned a return to the heat of battle, I can only hope that Arya's return will play a central role in the conclusion of this forthcoming epic.

The Dragons Reign Down Fire

With Tyrion poised to take a position of power at the right hand of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys should have everything she needs to defeat Khal Jhaqo and reclaim her lost khalasar. Daenerys at the head of a Dothraki horde would certainly be a fitting end to this the penultimate volume chronicling the game of thrones.

Sansa Makes a Match

Martin has already promised us more marriages and more murder within the pages of Winds of Winter, and if you take the most recent release of an except featuring the dark beauty as an omen (and of course I do), all signs point to a marriage for the eldest Stark girl. We can only hope that this wedding won't be a red one, however, whether Sansa joins hands with the insipid Petyr Baelish or has her way with Harry the Heir is still a matter of more than a little mystery, and I haven't yet laid my own odds.

Cersei Gets What She Deserves

The fates do seem to be sealed for our fair queen at the outset of the upcoming Winds of Winter. With threats from the Tyrells, Aegon VI, the High Septon and, of course, the forthcoming trial by combat, it's hard to imagine the incestuous Lady Lannister making it out of this book alive. Of course, given that Tommen and Myrcella's fates do not yet seem to have been decided, and Martin has promised us more than a little blood with this book, perhaps the end of Cercei will mean more than we can imagine.

The Battle for the North

Epic battles do seem to find their way into the final pages of many a volume in the Song of Ice and Fire series, so it would be fitting to mark the end of Winds of Winter with a bloody battle for the North. With Stannis' forces camped beside a frozen lake weakened by over-fishing, and the Frey/Bolton army just begging for a fight, a mighty battle for Winterfell certainly seems like one of the most likely outcomes for the final bloody chapters of this highly anticipated book.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN I DON'T KNOW WHO KNOWS I CANNOT WAIT. OK, breathe. It's going to epic, that's for sure.

Images: Giphy (5)