Before we begin, if you haven't caught up with Game of Thrones, especially Sunday night's season finale that has legions of fans in an uproar, then turn away now. There will be tons of SPOILERS ahead! The Game of Thrones Season 5 episode "Mother's Mercy" not only leaves us with several tantalizing questions that we'll have to wait 10 months to be answered, it sets up a slew of tantalizing possibilities about where the show's creators can go from here. So, while we start the long and painful wait for the new season, we thought it would be best to help get your mind off the traumatizing finale by looking forward to Game of Thrones Season 6. This season marks the end of any semblance of familiarity for those who have read the George R.R. Martin books. Barring some sort of miracle where the author gets imbued with Flash-like writing abilities, Season 6 will be uncharted territory for TV fans and book fans alike. So, with that in mind, we're presenting 9 things we need to see happen in Game of Thrones Season 6.

9 [1] Jon Snow Isn't Really Dead... Is He?

Game of Thrones Jon Snow Photo

Is Jon Snow dead? Kit Harington himself confirmed in an interview published shortly after the finale aired that Jon Snow did die, after getting stabbed by his treacherous Night's Watch brothers over and over again (more on those pricks later), and that he's been told he won't be coming back for Season 6... And yet there are still a few valid reasons to think this may not be true. First off, George R.R. Martin himself said, shortly after the last book was published in 2011, that, "Oh, you think he's dead, do you? I'm not going to address whether he's dead or not. If there's one thing we know in A Song of Ice and Fire is that death is not necessarily permanent." The most logical theory is that Melissandre (Carice van Houten) could use her powers as a disciple of the Lord of Light to bring Jon Snow back, especially now that Stannis (Stephen Dillane) is dead. While this represents how he could be brought back, the reason why he should is simple: So he (and we) can finally learn about his true lineage, arguably the biggest burning question that has plagued fans of the books and the show since Day One, spawning several popular (and logical) fan theories. That question lies at the heart of this show, and since it's remained cloaked in mystery for so long, it just simply makes no sense to either, 1) never reveal the answer, or even worse, 2) reveal it AFTER Snow is dead, especially given how his birthright could give him a claim to the Iron Throne, if one popular theory ("R+L=J") is true.

8 [2] Sansa and Theon Mend Their Fences

Game of Thrones Sansa

Another shocking moment from Sunday's finale didn't actually happen in the books, when the pitiful Reek (Alfie Allen) finally did something right for a change, saving Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) by pushing the bitter Myranda (Charlotte Hope) to her death, before they jumped from an even higher height to escape the Bolton's nefarious clutches. Of course, we never see them again after that, but it's for that very reason that they're alive, when you consider how long they held the shot on Jon Snow's lifeless face at the end. The question that remains is, where do they go? My money is on this unlikely duo trying to track down Sansa's brothers, Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson), since Theon admitted to Sansa a few episodes back that he didn't kill her brothers, just a couple of farm boys. Speaking of Rickon...

7 [3] Rickon and Osha Return

Game of Thrones Rickon

We haven't seen Rickon and Osha (Natalia Tena) since the Season 3 finale, after Bran told Rickon that he needed to stay alive, to carry on the Stark name and become the heir of Winterfell, if none of their siblings managed to survive. So, while Bran and Hodor (Kristian Nairn) left on their quest to find the three-eyed raven, Rickon and Osha went to the Last Hearth (between Winterfell and The Wall), and we haven't seen them since. With Sansa back in the North, it seems like the perfect time to catch up with Rickon, Osha and their direwolf Shaggydog, perhaps as they assemble allies of the Stark's to take down the Bolton's. Maybe they even run into the rest of Stannis' fallen army and persuade them to join their cause? Hopefully at least one Stark will take their rightful place as the heir to Winterfell sometime this season... which could also be young Bran...

6 [4] Bran Emerges As a Fully-Trained Jedi... Um, Warg

Game of Thrones Bran

I keep picturing Bran Stark returning in the same way that Luke Skywalker came to Jabba the Hut as a fully-trained Jedi knight. We knew early on that Bran, Hodor and Meera (Ellie Kendrick) were sitting out Season 5 because their story had caught up to the books. The showrunners revealed in interviews before the season started that Bran would spend this whole time training to become a "warg," learning how to use the "greensight," which would allow him to see the past, present and future. It certainly seems like a powerful gift, but who knows what other powers this may give him. With his training presumably over, there is one potential reason that he could be heading south, which I'll get into later, but if that happens, it's certainly possible that a reunion with his siblings along the way could happen, and it certainly would be a touching moment, given all this family has been through.

5 [5] Arya Crosses More Names Off Her List

Game of Thrones Arya

Of course, the Stark family reunion wouldn't be complete without Arya Stark, but since she's on the other end of the Narrow Sea, that may not happen. Then again, when we last saw her in the finale, her mentor Jaquen H'gar (Tom Wlaschiha) punished her for an unauthorized killing by making her blind. What this means for her House of Black and White training is unclear, but it was sure worth it to see her kill the first person on her infamous list, Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie), who killed her sword trainer Syrio Forel (Miltos Yerolemou). If the Faceless Men cut her loose, she could very well come back to Westeros on a quest for Vengeance, but since Arya met Jaquen in Westeros anyway, it's possible she could be sent there on some sort of assignment, if she stays on. I have no idea if it will happen or not, but if Arya kills Cersei, one of the top names now on her list, it very well could be one of the most satisfying moments in series history. Don't forget, The Mountain, now resurrected as a zombie of sorts, is Cersei's protector, and he is also on Arya's list.

4 [6] Brienne Fulfills Her Oath to Lady Stark, Kinda

Game of Thrones Brienne

We didn't see much of Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick (Daniel Portman) in the back half of this season, but it turned out it was for good reason. The finale showed Brienne just staring at that tower window, waiting for a candle to be lit, giving her the green light to save Sansa and fulfill her oath to Sansa's late mother. Unfortunately, Brienne took off to confront Stannis just seconds before that candle was finally lit. I would guess that Brienne sees the candle still going, early on in Season 6, sending her on a quest to find Sansa. Now that Sansa only has Theon for protection, and not Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen), Sansa might be more open to Brienne's services. If in fact the Stark's do reunite and hatch a plan to take over Winterfell, don't be surprised to see Brienne leading the charge.

3 [7] The Night's King Breaches The Wall

Game of Thrones The Nght's King

My favorite moment in all of Game of Thrones Season 5 was the stunning ending of the eighth episode, "Hardhome", where we saw the blue-skinned white walker known as The Night's King resurrected all of the dead soldiers simultaneously, while Jon Snow looked on in horror. Simply put, it was breathtaking, but I was slightly disappointed that we didn't see this enigmatic character again. Now that we've seen what they can do, and the surviving wildlings are on the other side of the wall (for now...), it would seem that the time is right for The Night's King to make his move and breach The Wall. Besides, let's face it, I don't think many will be rooting for The Night's Watch next year, after their duplicitous murder of Jon Snow, and after Sam (John Bradley) and Gilly (Hannah Murray) took off for the Citadel. There isn't one sympathetic ranger in the Night's Watch, and I think a lot of people would like to see Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) and the others die miserable deaths at the hands of Night's King. Besides, it would be a great wake-up call for those in King's Landing, who we've often heard mock the Night's Watch because they believe the white walker's are just a myth. If the Night's King breaches the wall, it could be the one and ONLY thing that brings the warring Seven Kingdoms together.

2 [8] Tyrion and Dany Merge Meereen's Unsullied With The Dothraki

Game of Thrones Tyrion

It's been a season full of strife for the imp Tyrion Lanister (Peter Dinklage), starting with being shipped off in a crate to Pentos, and, oddly enough, ending with him serving as the de facto leader of Meereen, as they all wait for Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) to come back home. He has some help, of course, with Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) helping him keep the peace, and while this dynamic will surely be interesting to watch, Dany's reunion with the Dothraki adds another interesting wrinkle. It's possible that both Tyrion and Dany could convince the Dothraki to join forces with the sizable unsullied army, forming a super-mega army that would be a force to be reckoned with in Westeros. The only problem with this is the Dothraki hate the sea, and it's a long voyage across the Narrow Sea. But then again, Tyrion can convince seemingly anyone of anything, so perhaps it could work.

1 [9] Tommen Loses The Crown, And All Hell Breaks Loose

Game of Thrones Tommen

This is something I was hoping would happen in the season finale, but they took a unique and surprising turn with Cersei's walk of shame/atonement. Cersei finally confesses her incest relations with her cousin Lancel (Eugene Simon) to the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce), but she completely denies any charges about her ongoing relationship with her brother Jamie (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). The High Sparrow mentioned that Cersei will still have a trial, where it could very well come out that King Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) is actually Jamie and Cersei's son, meaning he has no claim to the throne since he isn't the son of former king Robert Baratheon. With Stannis dead, this leaves the throne wide open, and we could be seeing an all-out war for the crown that just may well lead to the most action-packed season yet. Remember how I mentioned earlier that Bran may be heading south? His greensight gives him the ability to see the future, and the past, which means he could know that Cersei is on trial, leading him to go down to King's Landing to tell everyone that he saw Cersei and Jamie together, before Jamie pushed him out of the tower, causing the loss of his legs.

Do you think all of these things should happen in Game of Thrones Season 6? Is there anything we missed that you think should be included? Chime in with your thoughts below, and we'll be sure to keep you posted with more on Game of Thrones Season 6 as we start the long, 10-month wait for our next glimpse into the maniacal and marvelous world of Westeros.