‘Game of Thrones’ Spoilers: Everything We Know So Far About Season 7

Winter is finally here and “Game of Thrones” is just over 24 hours away from being back on television screen for its seventh season.

The season, which is starting later than ones of the past to accommodate for the official change of season on the show (winter is no longer coming, as the characters and fans all learned in the season 6 finale that winter had officially arrived). The longer than usual wait time has left fans more hungry for clues about what would happen than ever before, and the wait has led to a number of theories about what would happen on the new season. While there is plenty fans don’t know for sure that will happen this season, here’s everything we know for a fact.

Read: 9 Questions “Game Of Thrones” Needs To Answer In Season 7

This Season Is The Shortest One Yet

Shortly after the Season 6 finale last year, showrunners and creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss revealed that while the previous seasons of the show had all consisted of a full 10 episodes, they felt that the show only had about 13 episodes total left to finish telling the story, meaning that the final two seasons would be shortened. It was decided that Season 7 would consist of seven episodes, while Season 8 would be six episodes. For seasons that have aired, seven will officially be the shortest.

However, fans discouraged by the fact that there will be less episodes don’t need to worry about that meaning there will be less for them to digest when it comes what happens in each episode and what it means to the overall larger story, as the cast have all promised that the action will be as intense as ever. Maisie Williams, who portrays Arya Stark on the series, confirmed during a Facebook Live chat in September that there would still be plenty of content despite the decreased episode count.

“We only have seven episodes this time. But we’re shooting for just as long, so there’s just as much content. And you guys will not be disappointed,” she said.

Daenerys Will Come Home

For fans who were worried that Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) fleet would run into trouble as it crossed the Narrow Sea, there can be some relaxation over her fate. Dany will arrive in Westeros after a long time talking about she would take back the Iron Throne. Now, after arriving in Dragonstone, she will begin to plot her move towards King’s Landing and the throne she really wants.

Jon's Focus On White Walkers Will Be More Intense Than Ever Before

It seems like no one else in the Seven Kingdoms seems all that bothered by or concerned with the threat of White Walkers now that Winter has arrived—except for, of course, Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the former bastard of Winterfell and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, who is now the new King Of The North. The threat that is posed by them is more real than ever before, and he will need to convince everyone else to believe him if there’s going to be a fighting chance at defeating them. This hope for a plan of unity of course will lead to some big meetings and reunions...

Big Reunions And First Time Meetings Will Take Place

There’s a good chance all of the remaining Stark children will be reunited this year, with Jon and Sansa (Sophie Turner) already at Winterfell, Arya at The Twins and Bran (Isaac Hampstead-Wright) at the Wall. More exciting however will likely be the way several other characters paths cross this year, including the long-awaited meeting between Daenerys and Jon.

Read: Has This Popular “Game Of Thrones” Fan Theory Been Debunked?

Huge Threats To The Lannisters

Now that all of their children are dead, Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) are virtually alone in a world full of enemies that want to take them down—especially now that Cersei has ascended to the Iron Throne for herself. Though it isn’t confirmed, many believe this is the season Cersei will finally pay for everything she’s done, and will finally fulfill the end of Maggy the Frog’s (Jodhi May) prophecy.

A Shift In Power

Though the most powerful seat in Westeros is currently occupied by Cersei, there's a good chance she won’t stay there for long, since the number of challengers to her throne grows every day. It’s unlikely that she will have the luck both her sons had of being on the throne for a few years before their deaths, and her reign, especially if she is killed, could mirror what fans saw of her husband, Robert’s (Mark Addy) reign—a short run where her focus wasn’t quite on how best to run the country. Whereas the husband she had killed was more concerned with his drinking and sleeping with prostitutes, Cersei may be too focused on retaining her power and obliterating her enemies to notice that she’s actually contributing to her own very likely downfall.

“Game of Thrones” premieres Sunday, July 16 at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO.