Warning: The following contains spoilers for George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels and HBO's "Game of Thrones" series.
"A Song of Ice and Fire" author George RR Martin is hard at work on "The Winds of Winter." But since he hasn't announced a release date for the sixth book in his novel series and since HBO's "Game of Thrones" won't return until April of 2016, fans are desperate for any small morsel of information they can get.
Martin's most recent post to his blog LiveJournal may have confirmed a lingering plot detail from book five, "A Dance With Dragons," which could bleed into "Game of Thrones." The plot point in question is the validity of 'the pink letter' Ramsay Bolton sends Jon Snow, which announced the death of Stannis Baratheon and the fates of other characters.
One fan asked Martin, "Alright Mr Martin, let's cut the c--p, is Stannis alive or dead" the author responded with "In my books? Alive, beyond a doubt."
Martin's answer appears to put to bed one of the central mysteries fans have been debating since "A Dance With Dragons" was published in 2011. In the books, the pink letter informs Jon of Stannis' failed rebellion and his death at the hands of Ramsay and the Bolton force at Winterfell.
Ramsay adds that he has captured Melisandre and Mance Rayder and he demands that Jon return his 'bride' along with Reek (Theon Greyjoy). In the TV series, Ramsay marries Jon's sister Sansa. However, in the books he marries a girl posing as Arya Stark so that the Boltons can cement their hold of the North. In both the show and the books, Theon rescues Ramsay's bride by leaping from the walls of Winterfell, though he never meets up with Jon.
The letter spurs Jon into action against the Boltons which leads to his betrayal and stabbing by his sworn brothers of the Night's Watch. The Night's Watch is forbidden from involving themselves in political affairs of Westeros, though this was just the final straw in a long line of issues Jon's men had with his leadership.
If Martin is to be believed, the pink letter is a forgery. A sample chapter from "Winds of Winter," released on Martin's website, showed Stannis and his army still kicking, though several scenes in the book are rumored to take place before or during the fifth book's timeline.
The show's creators, D.B. Weiss and Dan Benioff, have confirmed that Stannis did not survive Brienne's justice in the season five finale. Though, they also insist that Jon Snow is really dead and most of us know better. Could Stannis return in season six? As of now, we at least know that Stannis is alive in the books.
I guess we'll leave it at this: Valar morghulis.
