Say It Ain't Snow! This Tragic ‘Game of Thrones’ Theory Predicts the Final Battle Will Be Between Jon and Dany

Ugh, we think we’re gonna be sick… (And it’s not because we stayed up all night drinking wine like Tyrion.)

A new and crazy-popular Game of Thrones theory surfaced on Reddit last week, and it’s making it very hard for us to do anything but think about how we’re going to bawl our eyes out after the final episode.

The theory, posted by Reddit user nosefouratoo, claims that we’ve all been distracted by the Night King and the big battle of Winterfell so much, that we forgot what’s truly at stake. Case in point: The Night King versus Cersei, or the Night King versus the Starks—or just the Night King versus the living in general—is not the main focus of the story of Game of Thrones. Instead, they’re all just red herrings for the true outcome of the series.

The final season is building up to culminate in a giant battle between two of our fave characters: Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen. (Nooooooooo!)

George R.R. Martin has given us a major clue, saying “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” The quote is from William Faulkner, and GRRM has expressed agreement with it in the past, meaning he’s of the mindset that the great battle of the series isn’t about life and death…it’s about love.

We’ve already seen evidence of discord between Jon and Dany in the first two episodes of season eight: Arya and Sansa are wary of the dragon queen, and Arya tells Jon to never forget he’s a Stark. Sam Tarly now has reason to be against Dany after she breaks the news about his father and brother to him. And the audience is left with a little bit of annoyance toward Daenerys (whom the showrunners have always made us love and root for in the past), as she’s becoming a hothead (like when she lashed out at Tyrion).

Dany’s also become super power hungry, as evidenced by her reaction toward finding out Jon’s true name and parents. When Jon reveals at the end of episode two that Dany’s older brother Rhaegar is actually his true father, her first reaction is doubt, and she questions whether he should trust Bran and Sam. Her next reaction is fear about losing her claim to the Iron Throne. Of course, we’d expect Dany to be incredulous (after all, she just found out that the man she loves is her nephew), but she seems more fearful about whether Jon will take the Iron Throne from her instead, which in turn sets up the lovers for a big, dramatic fallout.

The fallout will force Jon and Daenerys to pick sides, especially since Jon’s view of power and the just way to wield it is in such opposition to Daenerys.

Just as much is predicted via a prophecy from the books, which means it’s almost guaranteed to come true. The Azor Ahai theory about the Prince That Was Promised spells out doom for the Prince’s lover. In the prophecy, the original Azor Ahai had to stab his wife, Nissa Nissa, through the heart in order to create the sword Lightbringer.

Tune in to episode three on Sunday, April 28, at 9 p.m. on HBO…but know that this battle is not THE battle. (Our lives would be so much easier if it was, though.)