What did Game of Thrones look like when George RR Martin first imagined it?

British bookseller Waterstones posted, and then took down, what it says is a three-page proposal Martin wrote in October 1993 for what he planned to be "an epic fantasy trilogy." Many elements of it resemble what has taken place in the books and HBO show so far, but others are ... quite different.

If you're a Game of Thrones fan who is averse to possible spoilers, you probably shouldn't read on. Yet this proposal is so vastly different from what's been published and aired that you may not have much to worry about.

For instance, the proposal says that Arya Stark will fall in love with her (supposed) half-brother Jon Snow and that "their passion will continue to torment" them "throughout the trilogy." Eventually, Tyrion Lannister's own unrequited love for Arya would lead him into a "deadly rivalry" with Jon. Luckily, Martin decided to ditch all of those plot elements.

Waterstones and HarperCollins didn't respond to requests to comment on the proposal, but it's reportedly on display in the London office of HarperCollins. Read below: