The night is dark and full of terror—a terror we never thought we’d know. Namely, the idea of a less-than-10-episode season of Game of Thrones. Even though there’s talk that the series will run for eight seasons rather than seven, the number of episodes left in the show’s arsenal hasn’t changed, as luck wouldn’t have it.

And, as is sure to be a surprise to no one, we’re pret-ty, pret-ty upset about it.

“I think we’re down to our final 13 episodes after this season. We’re heading into the final lap,” said co-creator/showrunner David Benioff in an interview with Variety. “That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at.”

The folks over at Entertainment Weekly echoed this line of thought with their own report, where Benioff stated that, “We’ve known for several years now how many hours roughly we want it to go. It hasn’t changed.”

This—because duh—resulted in HBO releasing a statement to press, which said, “Any conversations about the end of Game of Thrones and the number of episodes of future seasons is purely speculative. As is customary, HBO will sit with Dan and David to discuss the details once a decision has been made to go forward with season 7.”

So basically, HBO is as desperate as we are for more Thrones. Not that that should or would surprise anyone. In addition to being the most pirated show in the entire world, ever, it’s also a ratings and awards season super-behemoth for the network.

Now, though, comes the hardest thing to admit, given how upset I am at the mere thought that we only have 13 rather than 20 episodes left of our song of ice and fire: I hope they get their wish.

…I know, I’m sorry. And it may be surprising, given the reaction none of you (save the editors in our bullpen) witnessed when this news broke—less Game of Thrones is a goddamn travesty for me. But more than wanting more, I want it to be good. Benioff and his co-showrunner Dan Weiss have turned an incredibly intricate, complicated, involved novelization into a streamlined—and arguably better told (sorry, GRRM)—visual feast. Far more important, to me as a TV viewer, is that the remaining episodes of the show are good. More than good, actually–at this point I expect excellence. And if it means that we only get 13 episodes rather than 20, then I’m fine with that, because I trust those two with this story more than I do an executive with dollar signs in their eyes.

I prefer quality over quantity, and as the story progresses, this already insane production is only going to get more insane, more involved, and more epic. (Hello, MAGIC!) Besides, we still have the books, and George R.R. Martin’s world is so vast—its universe so deep and rich—that there’s plenty of room for more stories from the Realm. Prequels, sequels, stories from Essos or Sothoryos. So long as dragons and winter are involved, we’re there.

Here’s what you need to know about the “biggest battle ever” heading our way this season:

But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below.

Images/GIFs: HBO

Alicia Lutes is the Managing Editor of Nerdist and the site’s resident Thrones obsessive. Find her on Twitter (@alicialutes).