WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 8 of Game of Thrones.
With the Battle of Winterfell over, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) has won one of the greatest wars he'll ever face. He led his alliance to victory, with the killing blow to the Night King and his hordes being dealt by Arya Stark (Maisie Williams). There won't be any honeymoon period to celebrate, though, as Jon will have to bury several of his legion before turning his gaze to the main prize.
That is, of course, the Iron Throne of Westeros, which Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) presently sits on. With the promo for the next episode showing Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) calling it "the last war," it should also be made very clear that this one will be the biggest battle Jon will ever partake in, with the journey only now beginning.
The last episode, "The Long Night," is right up there with the "Battle of the Bastards" and "Hardhome" in terms of action, but what pins Jon's march on Cersei as his greatest challenge will be the turmoil he's about to face in his own camp. This civil war has been foreshadowed since last season when he went to recruit Dany. This season, the Stark girls have made it obvious they don't want to bow to a Targaryen Queen.
In fact, the entire North isn't keen on it, and the rumblings are sure to get even louder, as Dany has refused to confirm independence for them should she take the throne. In short, she wants them all to bow to her, which, in all fairness, is the bargain Jon struck when he asked for her dragons and soldiers.
But following the death of the Night King, it's safe to say a Stark won the war for the North and, by extension, all the living. We can see Jon's lover arguing that her dragons were the heavy-hitters who took out most of the zombies, and her armies -- the Unsullied, Jorah and the Dothraki -- were the ones who paid most dearly.
Dany has every right to say she sacrificed the most -- she may have even lost a second dragon. However, with the snow settled, that won't stop Jon's inner circle from being divided on who should take the throne, no matter what promise was made in the past.
Joining the Starks' perspective may well be Ser Jaime Lannister, who has seen Dany's mad, dragon-scorching ways already. He may also be concerned she has the same rage inside her as her father, the Mad King Aerys. Tyrion is her Hand, so he'll most likely support her, but with he and Sansa apparently strengthening their bond, you never know if he'll betray the Khaleesi.
Ser Davos, Missandei and Greyworm (if he survived) will surely back Dany, but the council will no doubt be polarized. Jon's already been warned by the sly and seemingly scheming Arya about family, leaving Dany to likely question his loyalty once the grousing about who will become the future ruler of the Seven Kingdoms starts up.
However, Jon has always been his own man, and his final opinion will come down to no one but him. Sadly, his last non-battle interaction with the throne-obsessed Dany saw him reveal his heritage, only for her to react with disappointment that she might now face another claim for the throne.
The point is, while Cersei's fortified her position thanks to Euron Greyjoy, Jon's group is always close to infighting. Now that they're ready to march on King's Landing, more bickering is the last thing the alliance needs, but we know it's inevitable. It's worth noting that Jon hasn't even divulged his lineage to the Starks and the North yet, which means his allegiance is going to be tested even further.
Ultimately, what shapes this as the most grueling war to come is that it's going to tear Jon up internally. The Long Night was a physical war, but the upcoming one against Cersei is going to be a cerebral dogfight that goes beyond swords and bloodshed. It'll test Jon's honor, personal code and his sense of duty. While the battle against the icy dead was clear-cut, with one objective, who he eventually backs to sit on the Iron Throne will be much trickier terrain to navigate.
Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, Game of Thrones stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.