Few characters have stolen the spotlight in Game of Thrones like Lady Lyanna Mormont, the ruler of Bear Island. Fans got a hint of her attitude in previous seasons when a letter arrived from her addressed to Stannis Baratheon, but it is in the seventh episode of season six that fans were introduced to the Lady of Bear Island in the flesh.
It was quite an introduction indeed. A young girl, only 12 years old, made Jon Snow and Sansa Stark both look like fools. It was only thanks to Davos that Lady Mormont agreed to help the Stark cause. In the season six finale, Lady Mormont appears again, this time to shame Stark bannermen who were too afraid to join the Stark cause prior to the battle with the Boltons.
In just two appearances, she's already become a fan favorite. Now, the young actress that brings Lyanna to life, Bella Ramsay, is speaking up about her role on the show and her newfound popularity.
"It's crazy really," Ramsay says in an interview on Making Game of Thrones. "I didn't expect anything like it. I am very, very happy that people like Lyanna Mormont. We had to keep it quiet that I had a part in GoT so now it's out, my family have had lots of people they know contacting them, really excited they have seen me."
She also offers some key insights into her character, such as why exactly she decided to aid House Stark in their greatest hour of need, though it took some persuading from Davos.
"I think Lyanna realized she was named after a Stark, and her house should be supporting them," she says. "Davos spoke to her as a leader of a house, rather than a child, which she was grateful for. He empathized with her, without babying her, which she respected. I think that influenced her decision."
With the noble houses of the North now united under Jon Snow, it remains to be seen if Lady Mormont will be making any additional appearances in the show's remaining seasons. Showrunners have now confirmed that there are between 13 and 15 episodes of the show left. Here's hoping the fierce Lady of Bear Island will appear in at least one of them. Even if Daenerys fails to take the Iron Throne herself, Lyanna might serve as the perfect substitute to rule the seven kingdoms.
