We can’t stress this enough, but if you are desperately trying to avoid spoilers for season six of Game of Thrones do not read the rest of this story. We won’t take it personally–we won’t even take it impersonally–it’s just that this news might not seem that huge on its own, but what it might presage really is. So if you go ranging beyond The Wall of this warning you have no one to blame but yourself.

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The great Game of Thrones fan website Watchers on the Wall is reporting that Paul Kaye–better known to you and I as the wine-loving, flaming-sword-wielding red priest Thoros of Myr–is returning for season six, after not having been around since season three. The member of the Brotherhood Without Banners was last seen bringing his friend Ser Beric Dondarrion back to life and losing Arya Stark.

(Wait! I know you’re excited and having the same reaction we had, but before we get to that this report gets even better.)

Apparently Kaye’s agency touted their clients return for season six on their website, which Watchers on the Wall says confirms reports they had heard about Kaye being spotted filming some scenes for the upcoming season.

Including a report that he had filmed a scene that involved…”hold on to your butts”…a hanging.

Yup! Yuuuuuup. If this doesn’t indicate (finally) the appearance of a certain Lady Stoneheart, nothing ever will. If there is any other purpose to bring back the rogue, guerrilla group that doesn’t involve Stoneheart we don’t know what it could be. To also have Thoros come back and help hang someone, without it involving the (no longer) late Catelyn Stark would almost be intentionally antagonistic to book readers.

Now if you aren’t a book reader and don’t understand why this is such a huge deal, we’ve been discussing Lady Stoneheart’s potential appearance in season six (after being sure she’d appear the last two years…oops) for awhile now, so take a second to check out our coverage for a little more context, including why other returning characters might also be indicators of her return.

Is Game of Thrones Setting Up a Family Reunion in Season 6?
Another Game of Thrones Character is Returning in Season 6
A Game of Thrones Character Return Hints at Possible Season 6 Battle

There was also an interview given recently by one of the folks responsible for prosthetics on the show, Barrie Gower, who said that a storyline that had been cut from seasons four and five was hopefully going to actually come in to play this season. That’s not a bad piece of circumstantial evidence. There were some that thought Lady Stoneheart would appear in the first episode after the Red Wedding way back in season three, and there were those (like me) that were convinced she’d appear in the final scene of season four, and then everyone who just knew it would happen last year. Having a character that needs to look as though she had been dead for a few days under water, a woman that had had her throat slit, might require some good prosthetic work…

As you can see, we obviously thought/hoped this would happen, and the evidence has been slowly mounting that this will really (really really) be the year it happens.

We’re a week away from the season six premiere, and every time we think we’ve hit peak excitement we get even more amped up.

What do you think of this news? Is the silent, vengeful lady finally showing up. Tell us what you think in the comments below.

And take a look at what could be Game of Thrones‘ biggest battle yet on this Nerdist News!

Images: HBO