Is this Jon Snow's new love interest in Game of Thrones season 7?

True love isn't exactly a running theme in Game of Thrones (at least, not a happy one), but if one couple were close to making us believe in fairytales, it was Jon Snow and Ygritte. Just when we thought maybe there's such a thing as a happy ending in Westeros, Jon Snow left his love for his job and then watched her die after she was shot by the young solider he trained. Bummer.

But if you believe the GoT season 7 rumour mill, love might be on the horizon for the new King of the North once again. Meet actress Megan Parkinson. 

She was first spotted on the Game of Thrones set by the Daily Mail who listed her as Sansa's double - fair enough, they look fairly similar - but Thrones community blog Watchers on the Wall think she might actually be playing a completely new character, who may steal Jon Snow’s heart. Why's that?

Well, the costume she's wearing in obviously Northern in style, but it's very simple and not really in keeping with Sansa's current wardrobe. Ok, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility for the young Lady Stark to wear it, but there's also another a picture which shows her with a sword belt... 

Sansa doesn't use swords. That's Ayra. Plus, Megan Parkinson is also shorter than Sophie Turner which isn't good for a body double. 

So, assuming WotW is correct, who is Megan Parkinson playing? 

The original season 7 casting list called for a 16-year-old Northern girl (a description which would fit) and a 10-year-old Northern boy (also spotted on set with Parkinson), who are part of "a high-stakes scene with leading cast members" (Kit Harington and Gwendoline Christie - also in the pics).

While it seems pretty obviously Megan Parkinson is playing this "Northern girl," she could be anyone from a version of Alys Karstark from the books, to a completely new character we've never heard of before. 

It seems the assumption that she might play Jon Snow's love interest comes from the fact that she has scenes with Kit Harington, and the pair were spotted hugging after filming, which I'll admit is pretty weak. I mean, maybe they just get on really well? I hear Kit is a lovely guy to work with. 

Still I can't help but hope Jon Snow will find love once again. 

According to her IMDb profile, Megan Parkinson has only starred in an episode of Holby City and a couple of TV movies so far, so Game of Thrones could be her big break. She's only listed for episode 1 of season 7 at the moment, but it's not unusual for HBO to keep the cast lists for later episodes quiet as it tend to give away who lives and who dies. Don't worry, there's only a year before we find out...

Game of Thrones Season 7 will debut in summer 2017.

Images: HBO