Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of "Game of Thrones," including speculation of future events.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."
Those sobering words were spoken in the third season of "Game of Thrones" by Ramsay Bolton, and it felt like he was breaking the fourth wall, warning viewers not to hope for the fantasy outcome they may desperately want.
Just three episodes later, Ramsay's father Roose Bolton played a key role in the massacre of Rob and Catelyn Stark — along with the bulk of the Northern Army — at the Red Wedding.
From then on, fans had little reason to believe the Starks would ever get the vengeance they deserve.
But book readers are holding out hope, mainly in the form of an epic theory which outlines evidence that there's a huge underground conspiracy among the remaining Northern lords. The theory is known as "The Grand Northern Conspiracy," and many have good reason to believe we'll see it come to fruition in season six.
Here's the short version: The surviving leaders of the North are still loyal to the Starks, and have a plan to overthrow the Boltons, take back the North, and name Jon Snow as their king.
The Evidence
For show-only folks, we're going to have to turn to some text-based evidence for the basis of this theory. The starting point happens in "A Storm of Swords," when Robb is discussing his heir. More specifically, his lack thereof.
In both the show and books, Robb has a wife but no son in line to become the King in the North should anything happen to him. He believes Bran and Rickon have been murdered by Theon Greyjoy and presumes Arya is dead.
That leaves Sansa — but when Robb is still alive she's married to Tyrion Lannister. The last thing Robb wants is a Lannister in Winterfell. There are no more Stark children left fit to inherit Winterfell and the North, as far as Robb knows.
But he did have another brother, one who has Stark blood: Jon Snow.
In a tense conversation with his mother, Catelyn, Robb insists that naming Jon his heir is the best plan. When Catelyn points out that Jon is sworn to never hold lands (part of the Night's Watch vow), Robb says he can be released from his vows as a special decree.
When Catelyn also argues that Jon's bastard-status means he has no rights in the family, Robb says it would be easy enough to legitimize Jon as a Stark and give him the rights along with the title of heir.
Robb then holds a council meeting right before the Red Wedding, asking his lords to sign his proclamation naming an heir. We're never told for certain it names Jon — but all signs say it likely did.
So what happened to that letter?
No one really knows. Here's where the speculation comes in.
The North Remembers
The theory is based on the hope that Robb's letter was somehow placed in the hands of a trustworthy Stark loyalist. Though many of the Stark bannermen and lords were massacred at the Red Wedding, along with their King himself, some survived.
Now there are lords in the North merely pretending to live peacefully under the Boltons rule, while truly they are biding their time to rebel and name Jon their king.
(By the way, this entire theory breakdown written by Redditor/blogger Yeade is long enough to fill a 44-page PDF. So forgive us for glossing over the finer points. We highly encourage you to peruse the write-up in its entirety.)
One of the focal points of the theory is a man named Wyman Manderly, the Lord of White Harbor. His son Wendel was killed during the Red Wedding, and book readers believe Wyman is a central part of a larger conspiracy to unseat the Bolton's and exact revenge on the Freys.
"The north remembers, and the mummer's farce is almost done," Wyman says in the books, hinting that he and fellow lords have only been pretending to be loyal to the Stark-traitors. There is also evidence he killed several Freys and baked them into a pie before serving it at a feast with the Boltons — but that's a long story in of itself.
It is also likely that Catelyn Stark — who is zombified in the books to become an undead Lady Stoneheart — is a rallying point for these lords. So far there's no hint that Stoneheart will be in the show, but the rest of the Grand Northern Conspiracy has made several appearances.
The Show's Portrayal
Starting in season five of "Game of Thrones," several hints were dropped about the potential for a real Northern conspiracy. Sansa Stark arrived back in Winterfell and was greeted by a woman saying "the North remembers." That same woman was later flayed alive by Ramsay for promising to help Sansa escape if need be.
We also got a nod to the Stark loyalists when Stannis Baratheon offered Winterfell to Jon Snow. Stannis needed Jon's help rallying the North to his cause, and thought naming Jon a Stark might help. Jon, ever the Night's Watch loyalist, refused the offer. But during their conversation, Stannis showed Jon a note he had received:
"Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark."
This show-moment was a nod to the book characters, specifically 10-year-old Lyanna Mormont who did in fact reject Stannis as her king. While it may seem like an endearing notion coming from a child, perhaps Lyanna knows more than a grown man gives her credit for. Her house is among those who could know about the plan to name Jon both a Stark and King.
Then there are casting rumors for season six. One character description was listed as such:
He is a fat nobleman in his 60’s. He has distinctive rugged features, a Northern accent, and a distinguished air. Our source says he has a stirring speech during which he unexpectedly shifts political allegiances.
The casting didn't list an official name, but this sounds an awful lot like Wyman Manderly. The show has even provided precedent for Manderly to appear.
In the brutal Red Wedding scene from season three, there was a brief shot of several men eating dinner. Wyman's son, Wendel, was present. You can identify him from the merman on his coat — the Manderly's house sigil.
Though he went unnamed in the episode, and Wyman hasn't been heard from yet, some book readers take this as a sign that the showrunners have been planning the Grand Northern Conspiracy reveal for a long time.
Season Six Revelations
If you're a fan of the show, and have made it this far in our post, you of course know that Jon Snow was left for dead in the season five finale. That hiccup would make this entire theory null and void. But fans deep in the throes of "Game of Thrones" have been speculating for a long about the fate of Jon — and almost no one believes he's actually staying dead.
In fact, one set leak from season six filming has fans even more hyped about the Grand Northern Conspiracy.
Kit Harington (the actor who plays Jon) was seen filming a battle scene, and he was wearing Stark armor.
The battle is rumored to be an epic clash between Ramsay Bolton and the Nothern lords led by Jon Snow (or Stark?). If all goes according to plan, Jon will be resurrected by Melisandre, take up his Stark name, and lead a revolt against the Boltons.
Is that the coolest thing you've ever heard? (Other than "Cleganebowl"?) We thought so.
Get hype, because season six premieres on April 24, and with any luck we're finally going to see some vengeance for the Starks.
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Redditor 
So — this teaser. The video opens with several wide shots of the Hall of Faces, an enormous room where all the optional faces are stored. Then camera pans over the faces of characters from past and present seasons. Their appearance in the House of Black of White doesn't inherently mean anything significant. This feels more like a stylistic choice rather than a hint at an actual plot. 
This was Ned's iconic lesson he taught to Bran and his other sons. The phrase encompasses all of Ned's best traits: honor, respect, and leadership.
Catelyn Stark, Ned's wife and Robb's mother, was also killed at the Red Wedding. Just like other teasers so far, this one is focusing a lot on the Stark family. Catelyn is next in the montage, and we hear her telling Robb "Show them how it feels to lose what they love."
Unfortunately Robb and his army were killed before they had a chance to show the Lannisters what vengeance felt like.
The rest of the shots feature multiple faces too. Jon Snow appears next, sandwiched between Stannis Baratheon and his former love, Ygritte. Jon is saying one of his season five lines: "The long night is coming, and the dead come with it." 
Ygritte died in season four, and Stannis was apparently killed at the end of season five (according to the episode's director). Jon, however, is a huge point of contention. Many fans firmly believe we'll see his return in season six, but the showrunners have been emphasizing his death as final. 
We seriously doubt all of these characters are going to be killed in season six, but this teaser seems to really be focused on the mortality of every main character. Winter is certainly coming, and the future is unknown. This is the first season where showrunners Dan Benioff and D.B. Weiss have practically 
"R + L = J" is one of the oldest fan theories, starting on as far back as 1998, 
Ned, who married Catelyn before leaving to fight in Robert's war, found Lyanna dead in a place called the Tower of Joy. He returned home with a baby boy named Jon, admitting to his wife that he had an affair while at war. Ned raised the child in Winterfell, giving him the last name Snow to point out his bastard origin.
In a season one episode, Robert and Ned reminisce on the good ol' days of their youth, discussing their sexual conquests. “Yours was uh, Meryl? Your bastard's mother?” Robert tries to guess, referring to Jon. Ned's face looks grim. “Wylla," he replies. No other details are given.
Early on, book readers and show watchers are led to believe the Targaryen family is ruthless and (sometimes) insane. We know the Mad King burned people alive out of paranoia, and Daenerys' older brother Viserys is portrayed as having unsavory anger issues. With Robert's clear distaste for Rhaegar, and hearing he kidnapped Lyanna, it makes sense people would assume the Targaryen prince was not a good man.
Based on these anecdotes, Rhaegar doesn't sound like a monstrous man who would kidnap a woman for no reason. 
And who walks in at that very moment? Jon Snow. Not only may he be half-Targaryen, but he is practically alone in the world with no family left that he knows of.
We know Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna disappeared together, starting a war as a result. Though many believe he kidnapped Lyanna, others seem to think it was an actual love affair. Based on character clues from the men involved, it would have been highly unusual for Rhaegar to spark a war over a violent kidnapping, and even more unlikely that Ned broke his marriage vows and fathered a bastard. 
Well, first off, it makes him the literal "Song of Ice and Fire," because of his ties to the northern Starks and the dragon-riding Targaryens. This also means he is technically Daenerys' nephew. In terms of claims to the Iron Throne, it would depend upon whether or not Rhaegar actually married Lyanna, making Jon a legitimate royal child. 
Fans may be in a for a huge surprise when Jon's true parents are revealed in season six via a flashback to Ned at his sister's deathbed. Then again, if you made it to the end of this post, you'll be among the many fans who have been hoping for confirmation of this theory for years. 
Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones," including speculation of future events.
This may sound a bit bizarre to those who have been following the show.
In season five, episode seven, we saw the High Sparrow arrest Cersei and throw her into a cell to await trial. We learned afterward she was 
Gregor Clegane was called upon once to serve as champion for the crown. Back in season four, we watched in horror as Oberyn Martell battled against Gregor (commonly known as The Mountain). Oberyn managed to stab The Mountain with a poisoned spear, but it wasn’t enough to win the fight. The Mountain crushed Oberyn’s head in with his bare hands and won the trial by combat.
The first one has Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen in the first row. Then comes Sansa Stark and Robb Stark. And finally, Oberyn Martell and Cersei Lannister.
The first noticeable thing is that two of these characters are definitely dead — Oberyn Martell and Robb Stark. (Jon Snow's current and future life status is 
At the end of season five, Sansa escaped Winterfell after enduring a brief but ruthless marriage to Ramsay Bolton. Robb was killed in season three at the Red Wedding, but at the time of his death he was King in the North and had the support of nearly every northern lord. 
This one seems less clear in terms of specific character relationships, but the obvious theme is the Stark family versus the remaining Lannister clan.
Joffrey was known as a Baratheon to the people of Westeros, but the audience knows him to be Cersei and Jaime's bastard son (and product of incest). He was indirectly responsible for the death of both Catelyn and Robb Stark, and wholly responsible for Ned's execution.
Tyrion and Ned's common thread comes from their respective time serving as Hand of the King. Ned was Hand to Robert Baratheon, and Tyrion was Hand to Joffrey. Though they come from opposing families, Ned and Tyrion are both unique men in the corrupt world of Westeros. 
Arya, as far as she knows, is completely alone in the world when it comes to family. Her parents are both dead, and she has no idea where her remaining siblings are in the world. As she trains to become an assassin with the Faceless Men, Arya is forced to leave behind her identity. Maybe Jaime could learn a thing or two about shedding his past from the youngest female Stark.