We now find ourselves amidst one the most grueling and frustrating times of the year. Season 3 of "Game of Thrones" just ended, which means it will be another eight months before its return. Few things in life are worse. Luckily, there's still plenty of news that makes its way down from the infant stages of production that help fans scratch their itch. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Winter is a long ways away. We need something to keep us warm in the meantime.
For starters, season 3 proved to be dismal for Theon Greyjoy. He was tossed around and tortured throughout its entirety, however, things could change. During the season 3 finale, fan saw Theon's sister, Yara Greyjoy, making her way to save her poor, helpless bother. What's even more intriguing is that this storyline doesn't exist in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, so there's no way to tell where it could be headed.
In the books, the brother and sister don't reunite until much further down the road, while both prisoners of Stannis for their crimes against the North. It will be interesting in season 4 to see how the writers cater to this particular storyline. They could simply be bumping it forward and have Yara become Stannis's prisoner earlier on, or they could be developing their own new subplot as well. Regardless, Yara's decision to rescue her brother appears nowhere in the books, proving that the writers will slowly but surely drift away from their previously strict reliance.
In other "Game of Thrones" news, actress Carice van Houren, who plays Melisandre, the Red Priestess, tweeted an image of the front cover of the season 4 premiere episode. It's almost a cruel tease. Fans can see the cover, but the secrets inside are sealed, out of view. Check out the photo here.
There's a long wait ahead, but the longer the wait, the sweeter the reward. "Game of Thrones" will return to HBO in the spring.