‘Game Of Thrones’ Rumors Suggest The White Walkers Are Headed South, Will The Night’s Watch Survive?

This article contains spoilers about Game of Thrones Season 6.

The day that Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire fans have dreaded for years may finally come to pass in Season 6. “Winter is Coming,” the motto of House Stark, the ever-outmaneuvered protagonists of Game of Thrones, is coming true, and if the rumors are true, not even the southern parts of Westeros are safe.

Since Ned Stark was executed on the steps of the Sept of Baelor in the Season 1 episode, “Baelor,” it’s become almost a tradition for the penultimate episode of each Game of Thrones season to have a game changing shock. Game of Thrones Season 2 saw the alliance between House Tyrell and House Lannister that saved King’s Landing in the Battle of Blackwater. Season 3 broke fans hearts with the infamous Red Wedding. But since Season 4, the penultimate shock has tended to be a large scale battle. In Season 4, the brothers of the Night’s Watch defended the Wall against Mance Rayder’s wildling army. Which raises the question, what does the team behind Game of Thrones have in store for the penultimate episode of Season 6?

According to fan site Winter is Coming, there may be not one, but a major battle involving the White Walker army in Game of Thrones Season 6. The location of the battle is fairly obvious for fans who know Westerosi history. According to legend, Bran the Builder, an ancestor of Ned Stark, built the Wall to keep out the White Walkers if they should ever return. Supposedly, powerful spells were cast on the Wall which prevent the White Walkers and the undead from touching or crossing it. But there was a catch: for the spells to remain in place, the men of the Night’s Watch had to remain true.

There is some disagreement in fan circles as to what “remain true” means, but it certainly seems that killing the Lord Commander you swore to follow out of jealousy and revenge would qualify as failure to remain true.

In the Season 5 episode, “Hardhome,” the White Walkers and the Night’s King pushed toward the Wall in a battle between their army and the forces of men, represented by a group of wildlings and a small group of brothers of the Night’s Watch. The implication seemed clear, the White Walkers are on a collision course with the Wall, and the brother’s of the Night’s Watch are almost completely unprepared. If the fan theory proves correct, the assassination of Jon Snow has rendered the Wall virtually defenseless. Skirmishes, mutinies, a major battle, and years of neglect have left the numbers of the Night’s Watch low. The first major appearance of the White Walkers in Game of Thrones Season 6 will most likely be the battle of the Wall, and it will likely be a slaughter.

In fact, the impending slaughter at the Wall may have been set up in Season 5. Maestor Aemon Targaryen died in the Season 5 episode, “The Gift,” and Sam left the wall in the finale. The only major characters who remain at the Wall are Ser Davos, Melisandre, and the presumably dead Jon Snow. It’s hard to imagine that Davos and Melisandre won’t leave the Wall early in Season 6, likely carrying Jon Snow with them.

The Wall represents the last hope of men to repel the White Walkers, but if and when it falls, how far south could the White Walkers push?

Reportedly, there were no White Walkers and none of the requisite CGI preparations at the Battle of the Bastards, the title some fans have given to the rumored showdown between Ramsay Bolton and Jon Snow. That doesn’t mean the Battle of the Bastards won’t figure into the threat represented by the White Walkers.

According to fan site, Watchers on the Wall, a major scene is set to film at the Winterfell set in Moneyglass. Reportedly, the scene will involve Ramsay Bolton, Jon Snow, Littlefinger, and Sansa Stark. There’s no word on what the four discuss during the scene, but it reportedly ends with the appearance of a giant.

Can Jon Snow and Sansa Stark reclaim Winterfell and prepare the North for the White Walkers?

[Image via HBO]