In case you missed the disclaimer in Part One:
Disclaimer: Before you continue with this article, if you are not current with all the lore of A Song of Ice and Fire and you wish to be surprised by the upcoming content in Season Six, this article is not for you. I will cover fan theories that cross into territory covered in A Dance with Dragons, as well as the content that has been released for The Winds of Winter. If you do not like spoilers, click the little ‘x’ in the top corner of your screen right now.
You have been warned, and now number 3 on our countdown:
3) Arya Leaving the House of Black and White
Arya, a personal favorite of mine, has certainly been through the ringer in the past couple seasons. No challenge has been more difficult for her, than her quest to become No One.She is continually beaten into submission by her trainers at the House of Black and White.She throws away everything connecting her to her life as Arya Stark, but she cannot part with her beloved sword Needle.
When she kills Meryn Trant at the end of Season 5, she reveals that she is still Arya Stark. As punishment for taking a face from the wall to serve a personal gain, she is blinded. In the books her blinding comes much earlier, and is simply a part of her training. I really believe this storyline will be rushed through– I think we will see Arya blind for a couple episodes, and then she will leave the House of Black and White to start her work as an assassin.
Arya is also one of the few GoT characters that we have a POV excerpt for from The Winds of Winter. In this excerpt she has taken on the persona of Mercy, a young actress traveling with a theater troupe. A leaked casting call for Season 6 reveals that they were looking for an eerily similar theater troupe. If this is true, then we may finally see Arya return to Westeros this season.
2) The Tower of Joy Scene
You may have been looking at this list, and thinking where the eff is Jon Snow? I promise, I would not neglect the question that everyone has been asking. This cliffhanger is a puzzle to both book readers and show watchers, alike. No one really believes that Jon Snow is gone forever, but there are many theories as to how he may return.
If George R.R. Martin is known for killing off main characters so willingly, then why is everyone so sure that Jon Snow is coming back? I am going to tell you what I think, and you can decide for yourself. I am only going to explore the popular theory which finds its origins in Jon Snow’s true parentage. The main theory has come to be known as R+L=J .In the time before Robert’s Rebellion there was a tourney at Harrenhal that was said to be the greatest tourney of the age– all of the Lords and Ladies from North to South attended– even Prince Rhaegar was competing that day. Rhaegar won the joust, and rode past his wife Elia Martell to crown Lyanna Stark the Queen of Love and Beauty. ; he placed a crown of blue roses atop her head.
The story goes, that Rhaegar then kidnapped Lyanna and took her to The Tower of Joy, where he raped her and held her against her will. I am with the fanbase which thinks this is a bunch of BS. We have been given quite a lot of information about Rhaegar: he loved to sing, he would perform in disguise and give the money he collected to the poor, and he opposed his father’s oppressive regime. I believe that Lyanna went willingly with Rhaegar because she loved him.
Some even believe that he married her under a Weirwood tree, before they ran off to the Tower of Joy. It wouldn’t have been unheard of for a Targaryen to take a second wife, as evidence by the centuries of inbreeding, morality clauses were not upheld for the Dragons. The Tower of Joy received it’s name from Rhaegar after he and Lyanna absconded there. Ned Stark gives us more information supporting this theory while locked in the dungeons under the Red Keep.He remembers reaching the Tower of Joy, and finding three members of the Kingsguard standing between him and the path to his sister. This is the most important piece of evidence we have supporting R+L=J. Not only, were these Kingsguard there while their King and Prince were being killed, the two most powerful members of the Kingsguard were there: Sir Arthur Dayne and Sir Gerold Hightower.Arthur Dayne was the Sword of the Morning, who wielded an ancient sword called Dawn which was forged from a fallen star, and Gerold Hightower was the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
We know this scene is coming this season, and it is going to be huge. The only reason the Kingsguard would be there guarding Lyanna, would be if she were carrying the heir to the Iron Throne. Ned found Lyanna in a pool of blood, and she begged him to promise her something. I am one of many who believe that the blood was from childbirth, and that baby was Jon Snow.
1) CLEGANEBOWL
If you are familiar with Cleganebowl, stop right here, you already know what I am going to say. If you do not know about Cleganebowl, get ready to have your day made. This fan theory seemed like it might be a little out there, until recently when we got pretty solid confirmation. This theory is actually two theories that rely on each other to be true: The Gravedigger and Cleganebowl. The last time we saw the Hound he looked as good as gone, but I never believe anyone is dead in this universe until I see it myself.
Most of the evidence for the Gravedigger theory comes from Brienne’s storyline in the books. Last season, her story went way off the rails (as did Sansa’s); however, we know that this season she will be returning to the Riverlands (where her book plotline has been). During her journey through the Riverlands she visits a place known as The Quiet Isle; it is a secluded, not very well known, island just south of the Saltpans. The Saltpans are where Arya Stark catches her boat to Braavos, right after leaving the Hound to die, so we know the Hound could have made it there if he did survive his injuries. Brienne sees the Gravedigger on her way to speak to the Elder Brother. The island is inhabited by the faith penitent, who are atoning for their sins. The Elder Brother is one of the only people on the island who is permitted to speak, and he tells Brienne that the Gravedigger is a novice who has not been there long. Brienne notes that he is larger than she is, and the Hound is one of the few people in Westeros who is taller than Brienne.