Carice van Houten prompts Game of Thrones conspiracy theories and hype

One mysterious photo and caption later, Game of Thrones season 8 fans have new material to think about, courtesy of Carice van Houten.

Game of Thrones season 8 is closing in on one month until release, and the stars now seem to be a bit freer with what they can post on social media.

Take Carice van Houten, for example. As found by r/freefolk (and still available on her Instagram Story), she posted an image of an Arryn house sigil with the caption “Press day.” To further confirm that the final round of press pre-season 8 is starting, Sophie Turner also posted similar to her Instagram Story, confirming that she’d been doing press with Maisie Williams.

But Turner didn’t post anything revealing. Going for the Arryns is a particular choice in the case of van Houten (or at least, our conspiracy-loving brains want it to be a choice). Moreover, it looks like it’s a seal on a dragon egg. Let’s not go that deep, though.

We already know that season 8 will feature the return of the only surviving Arryn (and one of the few characters who has Tully blood), Robin. While the Tullys may not have been kings, the Arryns are indeed descended from some of the former kings of Westeros. Specifically, they were once Kings of Mountain and Vale.

Melisandre has shown an interest in using king’s blood for her spells before, and if she can’t get to Daenerys, maybe Robin will be an easier get. In fact, it’s entirely possible that Robin has a little Targaryen in him as well, as per the link above, the Arryns intermarried with the Targaryens frequently. If she’s actually targeting Daenerys, this might be where she has to go, since Jon probably won’t help with this plan, being that it’s his aunt and his current paramour.

Melisandre says in season 7 that she does need to come back to Westeros, and this is her last chance to really do it on-screen. The king’s blood connection might be tenuous, especially considering that there are much better candidates present. However, because war is coming, a not-great option is better than no option at all — or at least that might be Melisandre’s thinking.

Or maybe it’s just a photo, and we need season 8 in our lives. Still, the question of Melisandre’s involvement in these final chapters is worth thinking about, as is Robin Arryn’s.