Mileage may vary as to whether Game of Thrones owes any character a happy ending – let alone a pair of them – but few would deny the rare joy of Tormund and Brienne’s awkward pairing. “Few” being creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who now monstrously tease “we need to kill one of them.”

Keep in mind that Game of Thrones Season 7 remains so spoiler-tight as to prevent even critics from viewing ahead of schedule, but Benioff and Weiss had rather dire warning for those enamored of Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) and his sexy bread-eyes for Brienne (Gwendoline Christie). Even as the first Season 7 photos couldn’t resist pairing the two together, Benioff and Weiss tell Entertainment Weekly the star-crossed warriors have only Whedon-esque tragedy ahead:

Benioff: That scene last season when Tormund was eating and lasciviously staring at Brienne was one of our favorites. Usually, when we really love something there are a few other people who like it as well. It’s great because there was no dialogue written for that, or major stage direction, there was just a line like, ‘He stares at Brienne because he’s never seen a woman like that before.’ And then we let the actors do what they do.

Weiss: There was the episode where they’re all leaving Castle Black together and there’s a shot — it wasn’t scripted at all — of two of them on horseback and she looks at him and he smiles at her. It’s not something you could ever write. It’s just this moment where this guy is creeping out on her and he smiles in a way that makes her very uncomfortable and she just looks away. I saw it 150 times and every time it made me laugh; it’s purely the two of them.

Benioff: It inspires us because we need to kill one of them now because there can’t be a happy ending or any romantic connection on the show. But we’re not going to tell you which one.

Our first guess would have been Tormund, given all the fierce battles survived at Jon’s side, as well that the Season 7 trailer placed him right back in the line of fire ice. All the same, director Daniel Sackheim previously offered some hope for their pairing, as did Hivju himself for “Briemund the Tarth Bane,” while apparent deleted scenes saw Sansa pushing Brienne toward the woolly wildling.

We’ll hope beyond hope that Benioff and Weiss are pulling our legs, but check out the Game of Thrones Season 7 trailers below, and ready your pitchforks if those crazy kids don’t end up together.

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