On “Game of Thrones,” the sword Oathkeeper has been there and back a-Gwen.
The sword, which now appears in a new Season 7 teaser, was originally part of Ice, the Valyrian steel greatsword of House Stark. Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance) had the Stark sword melted down and reforged into two different blades.
He then gave the reforged sword that became Oathkeeper to his son Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who later gave it to Gwendoline Christie’s character Brienne of Tarth. In Season 6, Brienne tries to give it back to Jaime, as she’s completed her quest to get Sansa (Sophie Turner) to safety, but Jaime doesn’t take it back. Instead, he tells her, “It’s yours. It will always be yours.”
OK. Phew. That’s the sword’s story. Or, it was until the new Season 7 teaser.
The teaser reveals a glamorous, sexy shot of Oathkeeper’s hilt. But wait, something is amiss. Who’s holding it?
The sword should still be with Brienne ― as we recapped, she’s still its owner ― but the hand holding it appears to be covered in freckles.
This is a picture of Gwendoline Christie:
And here’s a zoomed-in version of that picture:
Gasp.
That hand in the teaser and Christie’s hand in the photo look hella different.
Does this reveal a dark secret for Season 7? Will someone else get Oathkeeper? Does this mean Brienne’s end is coming?
The teaser could just be a behind-the-scenes image, but what if it’s not?
Other than unconfirmed leaks, we don’t know a lot about what’s happening in Season 7. Though, there is a theory from A Song of Ice and Fire readers that claims Brienne was secretly killed in George R.R. Martin’s novels by a zombified Catelyn Stark. Perhaps we will see Christie’s character meet her end in Season 7.
But, if the hand isn’t Brienne’s, whose could it be? Here are some suspects:
Suspect #1: Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)
Despite his respect and love for Brienne, could Jaime Lannister have reclaimed Oathkeeper for himself? Did he have her wrapped around his little freckled finger only to betray her?
A day may come when Jaime’s love for Brienne fails, but it is not this day. His hands appear to be clean ... and freckle-less.
Suspect #2: Tormund (Kristofer Hivju)
We know Tormund is into Brienne from all the thirsty as heck looks he gave her in Season 6. Could she have finally let her shield down long enough for Tormund to get close?
Better luck next time, dude.
Unless those freckles are just dirt — which, hey, they could be — it’s probably not Tormund.
Dang, man. Keep your cool.
Suspect #3: Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen)
Jorah Mormont is the definition of an oath-breaker. The guy fled from Westeros after illegally selling poachers into slavery, and later was secretly spying on his queen, Daenerys Targaryen.
Those are all bad things.
So far, Jorah’s journey has been bumpier than Dany’s first time flying on Drogon.
Khaleesi banished him, he contracted greyscale while attempting to deliver Tyrion to her, and he was banished again before eventually getting on good terms with the Mother of Dragons.
Jorah was already denied the sword of House Mormont, Longclaw, which is now in possession of Jon Snow. Somehow, getting the sword Oathkeeper would let Jorah come full circle.
And, most importantly, the guy appears to have freckly hands:
Boom. Caught freckle-handed.
Could the hand from the teaser belong to one of the suspects above? Or did we awkwardly analyze those hands for nothing?
Both are possible. Both make us uncomfortable.
There is some good news for Brienne fans, though. Freckled hands of various crew members of “Game of Thrones” seem to appear in another “In-Production” teaser from the show.
Plus, another first look shows Lena Headey (Cersei) getting makeup and hair touch-ups behind the scenes.
If the tease with Oathkeeper is only a behind-the-scenes shot, the person holding it may not have an impact on the storyline. It could just be a crew member or stunt coordinator. That’d mean the sword is still safe with Brienne ... for now.
We know from the show that all men must die. Hopefully this teaser doesn’t mean that one of our favorite female characters will die, as well.
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