Warning: Contains Spoilers
Fans all had our favourite characters who we longed to see survive Game of Thrones’ long-anticipated Battle of Winterfell.
And, throughout the highs and lows of The Long Night, we were all united in our longing to see the remaining animal companions of Game of Thrones live to enchant us another day.
Who among us hasn’t loved Ghost’s faithful approach to general good boy-ing? Or found Rhaegal and Drogon pretty damn adorable for dragons the size of jumbo jets?
Fans were frantic with fear at the thought of Ghost padding about on the front line with the Dothrakis, still not over the memory of Summer laying down his life for Bran against a zombified hoard.
A Direwolf he may be, but to viewers he embodies all the very best qualities of our own non-mystical doggy companions.
Neither were we one hundred per cent chilled in regards to the safety of Rhaegal and Drogon. After what the Night King did to their brother Viserion, we knew he wouldn’t think twice about turning them both into big flying popsicles.
This latest episode was among the tensest in Game of Thrones history, with a pretty grim – but not wholly unexpected – body count.
Luckily, it would appear all three of these magical creatures are among the hardy survivors of the epic battle against the Army of the Dead.
A preview of season eight, episode four has confirmed that Rhaegal, Drogon and – most importantly in my opinion – Ghost are still very much in the realm of the living, ready to kick some Cersei butt. Phew.
Breathe a sigh of relief and check out the preview for yourself below:
The next episode will take us to King’s Landing, with Daenerys boldly declaring she intends to rip out Cersei ‘root and stem’.
We briefly see Daenerys leading a fleet of ships towards the seat of power she has longed for since season one. But, of course, her weakened claim will no doubt have shaken her confidence.
The preview ends with Cersei looking out over the horizon with a steely, ruthless gaze. The North still has some formidable warriors on their side, but they would be wrong to underestimate the current Queen’s cunning a second time around.
Having barely had time to mourn their dead – or address certain huge relationship issues – it appears our remaining cast of heroes are about to be flung straight into another battle. And against a far more devious foe.
While nobody’s safety can ever be fully guaranteed in the brutal world of Game of Thrones, it’s still good to see these three beautiful beasts have lived to fight and snack on goats another day.
You can now – finally – watch the new season of Game of Thrones on HBO or Sky Atlantic.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.