Long before Tormund clapped eyes on Brienne, Game of Thrones fans were waiting for another man to declare his love for her: Jaime Lannister.
They had so much chemistry! They connected on every level! They saved each other's lives! They really truly knew and respected and LOVED each other! They were too good and too precious for this goddamn show!
Jaime and Brienne haven't seen each other since Season 4, when he gifted her new armour, a sword, and Podrick, and sent her off to search for the Stark girls and fulfill his oath to Catelyn.
Look at how crushed they were to say goodbye!
But the preview for the next episode has revealed that, after two seasons apart, THEY WILL FINALLY BE REUNITED.
OH MY GOD.
THIS IS THE BEST.
Except it's all very complicated and there's a good chance we're actually going to get our hearts broken.
Unlike in the books, Jaime is still pretty attached to Cersei at this point, and even declares his love for her in the Episode 8 preview to someone who is likely Edmure. And Brienne straight-up tells Jaime she may have to fight him. They are on opposing sides at the moment – Brienne is in the Riverlands to retrieve the Blackfish and his Tully army for Sansa, while Jaime is there to defeat them. It would be just like Game of Thrones to bring our faves back together only to have them tear each other apart.
BUT! Things might not be as dire as they seem.
Jaime's lost honour is a big part of his character, and his quest to gain it back has been central to his character arc (at least it was until it kinda went off the rails in Season 4).
It's that vow that then led Brienne to find Sansa, pledge allegiance to her, and head to Riverrun at Sansa's request.
So they've come full circle, really. And it makes sense that Brienne's presence at Riverrun – on top of Jaime's encounter with the Blackfish – will remind him of his character arc (before the show started messing with it).
Maybe, just maybe, he'll help Brienne escape with the Blackfish.
From the preview, it looks like they DO escape. Even if Jaime isn't involved, hopefully he and Brienne won't be fighting it out at this stage. At the very least, the whole thing seems likely to help get his plot back on track. Because with all the wildfire in Bran's visions, it's looking likelier that Cersei's madness and use of wildfire from the books (and Jaime's subsequent estrangement from her) will play out on screen. So maybe Jaime's declaration of undying love for her in next week's episode will actually be the swan song for their relationship.