Proof that we’ll be visiting Eastwatch-by-the-Sea in The Winds of Winter!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there are 19 castles built along the Wall in Westeros, but only three of them are in use: Castle Black, where we spend a lot of time on Game of Thrones, the Shadow Tower, which we only hear about, and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, which we visit in the seventh season, just in time to watch it crumble to bits when the Night King blasts his way through the Wall:

In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, we have yet to see Eastwatch-by-the-Sea with our own eyes, so to speak, but according to illustrator Ted Nasmith, that’s gonna change.

Nasmith is one of several illustrators who has worked with Martin on on projects like The World of Ice and Fire, all about the far-flung locations we may not get to see up close in the books. For example, take a look at his rendering the towers of Old Valyria before it was swallowed by the Doom:

For something closer to home, he also painted the Red Keep, with the Sept of Baelor looming in the background:

Ultimately, the fans get to decide exactly how these landmarks look according to their imaginations, but Nasmith’s work is as close to definitive as anything is likely to get. When Jonathan Roberts was illustrating maps for The Lands of Ice and Fire, he was even asked to refer to Nasmith’s rendering of the Red Keep for reference.

All of which brings us to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea! Nasmith has actually painted this castle, although it was for a private commission, not for any official book:

Redditor u/zionius_ recently asked Nasmith about any comments he’d gotten from George R.R. Martin about his work, and his image of Eastwatch came up. “That was a private commission, for which I relied on the very limited info in the novel,” Nasmith said. “On doing it, he remarked that it was inaccurate, then admitted that any descriptions were in his head, as yet, but were to be included in one of the sequels.”

It’ll be included included in one of the sequels, eh? I’m taking that as confirmation that Eastwatch-by-the-Sea will show up in either The Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring, hopefully coming to a bookstore near you before the turn of the decade.

As to how it’ll show up, the show offers us some clues. The first time we see it is when Jon Snow travels there to hunt a wight beyond the Wall, joined by the likes of Jorah Mormont, Gendry, Tormund Giantsbane, the Hound, Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr. Somehow I doubt that exact combination of characters will step out — really, I sort of wonder if that particular plotline will happen at all — but it’s definitely a possibility.

As mentioned, we also see Eastwatch when the Night King blows it to kingdom come. Wouldn’t that be a hell of a way to kick off A Dream of Spring, perhaps from the perspective of some random one-shot character, which is how Martin likes to start his books?

Or it could be something we don’t expect. The sooner we get our hands on Winds, the sooner we find out.

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