Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Culture
    2. Books

    George R.R. Martin Reveals He Originally Planned for Jon Snow and Arya Stark to Fall in Love in the 'Game of T

    A leaked copy of George R.R. Martin's original outline for the book series on which Game of Thrones is based shows that the author originally planned for Jon Snow and Arya Stark to fall in love. The first outline also had Tyrion falling in love with Arya eventually.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 21 April 2019 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Fur clothing, Fur, Beauty, Fashion, Outerwear, Photography, Hug, Textile, Winter, Long hair,
    (Image credit: HBO)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    • A leaked copy of George R.R. Martin's original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire, the series on which Game of Thrones is based, reveals that Arya Stark and Jon Snow were originally supposed to fall in love.
    • In that version of the story, Tyrion Lannister would also have fallen for Arya.
    • In the final version of the series, Arya and Jon's relationship is purely platonic.

    This post contains spoilers for Season 8 of Game of Thrones.

    Game of Thrones isn't afraid to dabble in incest (see: Jaime and Cersei Lannister and, more recently, Jon "Actually a Targaryen" Snow and Daenerys Targaryen), but George R.R. Martin's latest reveal is next level, even in Westeros.

    Apparently, the author's original outline for A Song of Ice and Fire called for Jon to fall for another relative: Arya Stark.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Here's an excerpt from Martin's original outline, describing Arya's realization of her love for "half-brother" Jon:

    And Jon wasn't the only GOT guy lusting after Arya Stark in the original plan for the books. Apparently Tyrion Lannister was also head over heels in love with her and it led to a bitter rivalry between him and Jon Snow. Per the outline:

    You may like
    • Emma D#039;Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, standing in front of a large bonfire at night, in #039;House of the Dragon#039; season 3. As You Watch 'House of the Dragon' Season 3, Let Our Targaryen Family Tree Be Your Helpful Guide
    • a collage of acotar book covers Sarah J. Maas Confirms She Got the Rights Back to the 'ACOTAR' Adaptation: "I Want to Be in Charge"
    • lili reinhart as olive and tom bateman as adam kissing in a hall in the movie the love hypothesis Everything We Know About 'The Love Hypothesis' Movie—Including Why #BookTok Fans Are Obsessed With the Cast

    What a different show would that have been?

    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for theMarie Claire newsletter.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    SUBSCRIBE HERE

    RELATED STORIES

    Nose, Mouth, Lip, Facial hair, Eye, Hairstyle, Chin, Forehead, Eyebrow, Collar,

    (Image credit: "Getty Images")

    Throwback For The Stars of Game of Thrones

    Game of Thrones

    (Image credit: Archives)

    The Biggest Game of Thrones Spoiler Yet

    Explore More
    Game of Thrones Disney Plus Streaming
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    lili reinhart as olive and tom bateman as adam kissing in a hall in the movie the love hypothesis
    Movies Everything We Know About 'The Love Hypothesis' Movie—Including Why #BookTok Fans Are Obsessed With the Cast Prepare to fall in love with this Ali Hazelwood romance if you haven't already.
    By Quinci LeGardye
    a collage of the best friends to lovers books including emma every summer after and more
    Books Consider Yourself a Real Yearner? You'll Swoon Over These 10 Friends-to-Lovers Romance Novels From classics by Jane Austen to spicy contemporary bestsellers.
    By Andrea Park
     
     
    sarah j maas smiles wearing a blue sweater in a promo shot for her appearance on call her daddy
    Books 'ACOTAR' Book 6 Hits Shelves This Fall—With Book 7 Coming Shortly After Here's everything we know about the next installment(s) in the Sarah J. Maas romantasy series.
    By Nicole Briese
    Mary Bennet (ELLA BRUCCOLERI) and Mr Hayward (DÓNAL FINN) stand in a forest, in #039;The Other Bennet Sister.#039;
    TV shows Austenheads, Rejoice! 'The Other Bennet Sister's Author Is Working on Her Next Hit Period Drama Get ready to return to the world of 'Persuasion' in 'The Other Elliot Sister.'
    By Quinci LeGardye
     
     
    Latest in Books
    A split image of author R.F. Kuang, resting her head on her hand while sitting with her shoulder propped on a restaurant booth table, next to the cover art for #039;Taipei Story.#039;
    Books R.F. Kuang Shares Her Favorite Reads About the “Hilarious Friction” of Learning a Language
    a collage of covers of books coming out in september 2026
    Books 21 Must-Read Books Coming in September 2026
     
     
    a split image of author jodi picoults headshot and the cover of her book hollow bones
    Books This Is What Postpartum Psychosis Feels Like
    a gif of book covers of books about vacation homes opposite the marie claire branded buy the book franchise art
    Books The Only Thing More Chaotic Than 'Summer House?' These Novels About Vacation Homes
     
     
    Latest in News
    collage of celebrities wearing the red-and-purple color combination trend for The A-List Edit
    Celebrity Style The Shockingly Chic Color Combo That's Taking Over the Runways and My FYP
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Bella Hadid arrived at New York Fashion Week in a patchwork Coach bag and Ugg boots
    Celebrity Style Bella Hadid Returns to NYC With a Coachtopia It Bag and VIP-Beloved Ugg Boots
    Katie Holmes wore a white crewneck sweater, black trousers, and leather loafers at the 2026 US Open
    Celebrity Style Katie Holmes Styles This Editor-Endorsed NYFW Uniform at the 2026 US Open
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.