George R.R. Martin At The Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) In Neuchatel
George R.R. Martin, author of the "Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series that is the basis of the television series "Game of Thrones", gestures during his masterclass at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) in Neuchatel July 10, 2014. Reuters/Denis Balibouse

George R. R. Martin is known to surprise readers with sudden deaths of major characters, and "Winds of Winter" may not be any different. Fans of the books series now speculate as to who they expect will live and who will be left standing. [Spoiler Alert]

With the release date of "Winds of Winter" still not clear, fans have taken to speculation to try and guess what happens next. Members of Westeros forum overwhelmingly believe all the remaining Stark children will live.

All the fan favourite characters like Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Stannis Baratheon, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Bran Stark and even Jon Stark are predicted to survive "Winds of Winter." Readers will remember that the fate of Jon Snow is still unknown after he was attacked. One of the members in the forum suggested he could survive by warging into his wolf, Ghost.

A majority of the fans believe Cersei Lannister will die. After her walk of atonement and consequent diminishing of her power, the character may have very little to contribute to the overall plot in the book. After the death of Kevan Lannister, there are very few people left that he can rely on for support.

Another character many fans expect will die in "Winds of Winter" is Victarion Greyjoy. After unsuccessfully trying to take his late brother's place at Kingsmoot, he was last seen making his way for Meereen. His objective is to take control of Daenerys' dragons.

Many of the fans also feel this may be the last book in which Barristan Selmy will be seen. With Daenerys flying away on Drogon, he is left to defend the city of Meereen against the attacks from the Yunkai as well as from the shadowy group called the Sons of the Harpy within the city.

Some of the fans expect Daenerys to reappear in Westeros towards the end of "Winds of Winter." One of the members in the forum expects Victarion to bring the queen of dragons back along with him, either willingly or unwillingly. The character is speculated to occupy the Iron Throne range from Stannis Baratheon to Aegon.

Will Jaime and Brienne survive, too? Please leave your comments below.

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