George R.R. Martin releases a new chapter from 'Winds of Winter'

George R.R. Martin has given Game of Thrones fans a gift from the Seven Gods: a new chapter from the highly-anticipated Winds of Winter, the next novel in his Song of Ice and Fire saga. 

The chapter, posted to his blog Tuesday, follows Arianne Martell as she travels on behalf of her father, Prince Doran Martell of Dorne. She is accompanied by her rambunctious Sand Snake cousin, Elia Sand, who stumbles into caves once belonging to the children of the forest.

“Look how the stone’s been shaped,” he said. “Those columns, and the wall there. See them?”

“Faces,” said Arianne. So many sad eyes, staring.

“This place belonged to the children of the forest.”

“A thousand years ago.”

Fans of the HBO show Game of Thrones won't gather too much new information from the chapter, which focuses on characters the showrunners have omitted -- in books, Prince Doran is alive, though he was killed by the Sand Snakes in the show's sixth season. (Perhaps posting this chapter was meant to quell fans unhappy with HBO's terrible Dorne decisions?)

But the new writing does make several mentions of Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons.

“Daenerys Targaryen is of our blood as well. Daughter of King Aerys, Rhaegar’s sister. And she has dragons, or so the tales would have us believe.” Fire and blood. “Where is she?”

“Half a world away on Slaver’s Bay,” said Lysono Maar. “As for these purported dragons, I have not seen them. In cyvasse, it is true, the dragon is mightier than the elephant. On the battlefield, give me elephants I can see and touch and send against my foes, not dragons made of words and wishes.”

The excerpt isn't entirely new content; Martin explains on his LiveJournal that he has read moments from this chapter at various conventions over the years.

And he is aware his insatiable fans will be upset for only getting a taste of what Winds of Winter has in store.

"You want to know what the Sand Snakes, Prince Doran, Areo Hotah, Ellaria Sand, Darkstar, and the rest will be up to in WINDS OF WINTER? Quite a lot, actually. The sample will give you a taste. For the rest, you will need to wait," he writes.

Martin also makes it a point to "spike any bullshit rumors" by adding that he is "NOT" done writing the sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Thanks for clearing that up, George.