The first volume of George R. R. Martin's epic history of the Targaryen kings titled "Fire and Blood" isn't directly tied to the events of his main "A Song of Ice and Fire" Book series or its TV counterpart "Game of Thrones" for that matter. But the book may have confirmed one of the most popular theories in the fandom.

In his recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, George R. R. Martin said that "Fire and Blood" contains quite a few important connections that readers will have to find and "puzzle out whether they're hints or red herrings."

With that in mind, let's talk about one of the biggest "Game of Thrones" theories that might have been confirmed by Matin's new book.

But before delving into all the details, bear in mind that "Fire and Blood" is told from the perspective of Gyldayn, an archmaester of the Citadel who lived centuries after the events from the first volume took place and therefore we need to take everything he says in this book with a grain of salt. With that out of the way, let's jump right into some good old theory crafting.

Gendry's dragon blood and his potential role in Game of Thrones season 8

"Fire and Blood" pretty much confirmed a long-standing rumor that Orys, the founder of House Baratheon, was indeed Aegon the Conqueror's baseborn half-brother. This further implies that Gendry, the only remaining Baratheon in the show at least, has Targaryen blood, meaning that he could definitely ride one of Daenerys' dragons.

It's worth mentioning that Gendry actor Joe Dempsey revealed that his character has a big part to play in the final season of the show, so who knows, maybe we'll see him riding a dragon into battle against the Night King.

Fire and Blood introduces another prophecy that may hint at Gendry's fate

As if we didn't have enough of obscure prophecies in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books already, "Fire and Blood" introduced yet another mysterious prophecy.

"When the hammer shall fall upon the dragon," the prophecy states, "a new king shall arise, and none shall stand before him."

When reading this prophecy, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, Robert Baratheon killing Rhaegar Targaryen with his hammer in the Battle of the Trident. But there might be another explanation that involves our boy Gendry.

As pointed out by Mashable, Gendry could forge a Valyrian steel hammer, kill the undead Viserion with it, and allow a new king to rise.

"Game of Thrones" season 8 is set to premiere on HBO in April 2019.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED