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2 characters returned on Sunday's 'Game of Thrones' — here's what it means for future episodes

The Hound Sandor Clegane Game of Thrones
HBO

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six.

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"Game of Thrones" season six charged forward with its eighth episode, "No One." Between the dramatic showdown in Braavos leading to Arya's return home to one fan theory getting (possibly) crushed, it was an interesting hour to say the least. 

But one important scene revolved around the reappearance of two characters who haven't been seen since season three: Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr. 

The Hound stumbles upon Beric and Thoros while looking for the men who killed his religious pals in episode seven. Conveniently, Beric and Thoros are about to execute the very men responsible for the Hound's murder spree. Beric, Thoros, and the Hound have an amusing negotiation before hanging the three vagrants. 

Thoros of Myr Beric Dondarrion Brotherhood without Banners Game of Thrones
Thoros (far left) and Beric (far right) stand before the doomed men. Helen Sloan/HBO

Beric is the leader of a group called the Brotherhood without Banners. This is a sort of ragtag bunch of men who are champions of the common people. Back in season one, Ned Stark sent Beric on a mission: Find Gregor Clegane (The Mountain) and stop him from terrorizing the countryside of Westeros with his corrupt Lannister soldiers. 

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Beric took the order to heart, and has since gathered the Brotherhood and fought to stem the corruption of war whenever possible. He is hanging the three men shown above because they broke from the rules of the Brotherhood and killed innocents. 

Thoros, a red priest of the Lord of Light, went with him. Though Thoros wasn't a true believer of his religion at first, that all changed during his time with Beric and the Brotherhood.

Thoros Game of Thrones
Thoros when we last saw him in season three. HBO

Thoros accidentally realized he had the ability to bring Beric back to life using the power of the Lord of Light. When Beric died fighting the first time, Thoros simply "said the words" of his god because he didn't know what else to do. Miraculously, Beric was resurrected. Thoros has now revived Beric numerous times, though we've only seen it happen once onscreen. 

The Hound actually fought Beric in trial by combat in season three. Arya Stark was with the Brotherhood at the time, too. When Beric was killed, Thoros brought him back to life. They sent the Hound on his way, but not before warning him that the Lord of Light wasn't done with him yet. 

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Now that the Brotherhood has reunited with the Hound, perhaps we'll come to understand exactly what Beric meant by that. Will the Hound become a servant of the Lord of Light? 

Beric Dondarrion Game of Thrones
Beric has lots of scars from his many deaths and resurrections. Helen Sloan/HBO

Beric and Thoros are an interesting duo since they are a sort of parallel to Jon Snow and Melisandre. Both Jon and Beric are leaders with ties to Ned Stark, and each of them has a red priest/priestess who advises and rescues them. Melisandre met the Brotherhood in season three — she actually learned about the power of resurrection from Thoros and used it to help Jon come back to life. 

Based on his comments to the Hound in "No One," Beric knows about the pending threat from the White Walkers. 

If the Brotherhood intends to fight against the White Walkers, it makes sense that they would head north at some point. An interesting tidbit to keep in mind is Melisandre's comment to Arya before parting ways with the Brotherhood in season three.

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Melisandre told Arya (in a cryptic, future-telling kind of way) that they'd cross paths again. 

Well now Arya is leaving Braavos and heading to Westeros. Jon, Melisandre, and Sansa are in the north about to battle for Winterfell, and Beric is trying to convince the Hound to fight for the Lord of Light against the White Walkers.

Are all three of these storylines going to converge? With only two episodes left in season six, it's doubtful we'll see this big reunion before the finale. But who knows what season seven might bring. 

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