After a full year of waiting, the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres on HBO today, April 15! 

The episode title, which is usually revealed before it airs on TV, still hasn’t been dropped so most of us are left guessing.  

However, there are a few events we eagerly anticipate based on what we know from the Season 7 finale “The Dragon and the Wolf” and the official trailers! 

                                            WARNING: This post is dark and full of spoilers.

#1  Daenerys’ reception at Winterfell

Winter may have come, but it somehow feels less cold than the way Sansa greets Daenerys upon her arrival at Winterfell with Jon, as seen in one of the earliest S8 teasers.

Considering that the two will have to work together in the campaign against the Night King’s army, this immediate animosity is both awkward and dangerous for everyone around them.

#2  Jaime switching sides

“I promised to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.”

That was the Jaime Lannister’s only line in the official trailer for GoT S8, but it seems to confirm that he headed off to Winterfell to battle the white walkers with everyone after the fallout with Cersei at King’s Landing.

Jaime has undergone quite a character change since the beginning of the series from a man who thought only of the safety and prosperity of his family to one who was willing to fight for the welfare of the realm and humanity as a whole.

#3  The invasion of the Night King’s army and his ice dragon

After a full seven seasons of the Stark family throwing their house motto about, winter has finally arrived in the form of the Night King’s army and the ice dragon formerly known as Viserion.

“The Dragon and the Wolf” ended with the Night King’s army marching through the new hole Viserion blasted in the wall, and into Westeros.

Since people on Quora have been asking questions that really matter, we know that Winterfell is around 630 miles away from the Wall, roughly 6 weeks on horseback.

We’re not sure how this converts to the march of a giant zombie army, but let’s just agree that our heroes don’t have much time left.

#4 The reveal of Jon Snow’s true identity

The final pieces of the story are coming together as characters who were previously miles away from each other finally gather in one place. Take Samwell Tarly and Bran Stark for example.

From Sam’s transcription work during his training at the maesters’ Citadel and Bran’s Three-Eyed Raven visions, they were able to figure out pretty quickly that Jon is a trueborn Targaryen, the fruit of the secret marriage of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Now Jon is on his way back to Winterfell with Daenerys, and this reveal is sure to be particularly awkward in the wake of the affair the two started en route to Winterfell.

#5  Jon’s reunion with Arya

Because of all the war and mess, most people have forgotten that the last time Jon and Arya were together was way back in Season 1, before Arya and Sansa departed for King’s Landing and Jon headed off to the Wall to become a brother of the Night’s Watch. (TL;DR the time he gave her the sword Needle.)

They’ve always loved each other very much as siblings, so here’s hoping that their long-awaited reunion will at least be warmer than Bran and Sansa’s in S7.

#6  The arrival of the Golden Company

It’s tough to keep the names of people and groups straight in the GoT universe, but this is one you’ll want to remember.

The Golden Company is, to quote Cersei, “the strongest army in Essos,” a 20,000-strong mercenary band that only fights for the richest patrons. With the conquering of Highgarden and the repayment of the Iron Bank in S7, Cersei has managed to gather enough money to hire them.

As it turns out, the real reason for Euron Greyjoy’s retreat during the Westerosi version of the United Nations was to pick them up from Essos while Jon and company are preoccupied with the situation in the North.

All in all, bad news.

#7  The birth Cersei’s new child

There’s a reason for everything that Cersei does. As Tyrion learns after their council meeting in S7, the reason she’s been consolidating power in King’s Landing and making widespread plans to invade the other kingdoms is to build a legacy for her unborn child to inherit.

Needless to say, Jaime’s the father. 

This baby may not have been born yet, but Cersei’s scheming ensures he or she already has a big stake in the ending of GoT.

#8  The crowning of the final ruler of the Iron Throne

Who will take the Iron Throne when the dust settles and the great war is over? We have some pretty strong contenders in Cersei, Jon, and Daenerys, but if there’s one thing the show’s writers love, it’s a good plot twist.

We’ll just have to watch ‘til the end and pray that our faves make it.

Can’t wait to learn how the saga ends?

Catch the episodes of Game of Thrones Season 8 as soon as they air by topping up your Cignal prepaid load within the Maya Shop before the premiere!