Even as we watched in horror when the Night King hurled that spear, no one really anticipated the blood-bath. Like that scorpion hit Drogon in an earlier episode, no one really expected the spear to sever through Viserion’s sides. And that is something really irked many of us as the seemingly impenetrable dragons, who would burn all enemies within sight, were now vulnerable. Daenerys Targaryen’s wild-card to win the Great War is now under a palpable threat.

Viserion has been of great service to his mother as he rescued the ‘breaker of chains’ after she was imprisoned in Qarth. And after the formidable threat Daenerys faced in Slaver’s Bay where she was attacked upon nearly thrice, it was again Viserion again who helped his brothers Drogon and Rhaegon as they burned the assault ships of the Masters. And again when his mother needed them against the army of the dead, he flew alongside his brothers saving the lives of many including the King of the North, Jon Snow.

Named after Daenerys’s brother Viserys (who interestingly was also the first Targaryen to die on the HBO show), the dragon breathed his last before he was ‘turned’ by the Night King on today’s episode. It was always a mystery for the fans as to who would ride the two dragons apart from Drogon, which is Queen Daenerys’s ride. With Viserion out of the equation, it remains to be seen if Jon Snow will ride Rhaegon (named after Rhaegar Targaryen, also rumoured to be Jon’s father) as many popular fan theories seem to suggest.

And also, with the army of the dead getting their own dragon, it will be an evenly fought three-way war. Will Cersei join forces with Daenerys and Jon? Will she be able to negotiate her way on the Iron Throne? There are only 8 episodes left, and a scary amount of loose ends to tie. How will the showrunners conclude this season and pave their way for the final season? We can hardly wait, but I guess that is something all of us have to do. All men must wait.