‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Says Heartfelt Goodbye to Show

Emilia Clarke wrote a bittersweet farewell to Game of Thrones on Sunday as she films her final scenes in the fictional world of Westeros.

While fans await next year’s final season of Game of Thrones impatiently, the cast is already getting some closure. Clarke posted her message about the show on Instagram, saying that she was heading back to the set of the epic fantasy series. She attached it to a picture of herself in an unmarked baseball cap and a big coat with fur around the hood. She appears to be laying on a bed of flowers.

“Hopped on a boat to an island to say goodbye to the land that has been my home away from home for almost a decade,” Clarke wrote. “It’s been a trip @gameofthrones thank you for the life I never dreamed I’d be able to live and the family I’ll never stop missing.”

Clarke punctuated the note with a broken heart emoji and the hashtag “last seasonitis.” Many fans and co-stars are suffering from the fictional ailment right alongside Clarke, as the sprawling storylines close in on a singular point.

It’s unclear what Clarke meant by her intention to “say goodbye” to Game of Thrones. Many fans automatically assumed that the actress was on her way to film the final scenes of the show, but she could be on set for as long as two more months. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, Game of Thrones is scheduled to continue filming into early August, and Clarke’s Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen presumably has a pivotal role in the final saga.

The show has a reputation for filming episodes out of order, which means that Clarke could be on her way to film her final scene, but it could end up being the first one we see when the season premieres next year. Production is centered up in Northern Ireland, which may explain Clarke’s puffy ski jacket.

Game of Thrones‘ eighth season is currently scheduled to premiere any time in 2019. Producers have been hesitant to offer even an estimate on which month it will come out in, as their schedule is so tenuous and subject to change. The season will have only six episodes rather than the usual ten, though many assume that each one will be longer than an hour, much like the episodes in season 7.

Before her bittersweet return to work, Clarke was last spotted in London on Friday, according to EW. She was attending Beyonce and Jay-Z’s OTR II Tour before heading back to the set.