The 30 most heartwarming moments on Game of Thrones

27. Robb and Talisa’s baby news (“The Bear and the Maiden Fair”)

KATIE: On a show with an ever-mounting death toll, Talisa’s surprise pregnancy came as a welcome respite. (Let us disregard for the moment that Talisa and her fetus soon become part of that death toll.)

Perhaps that’s what makes this scene so touching. Amid all the misery of this show, Robb and Talisa experience this one, blissful moment of peace and hope for the future. For a moment, it’s not the war that defines them, but a deep and genuine love for one another. We see what that love costs them in Season 3’s penultimate episode. But for a little while, love is not a punishable offense in the world of Game of Thrones. It’s cause for celebration.

Bonus points for the inclusion of a Stark smile. Those aren’t the easiest to work in.

SARAH: War breeds rash decisions and whirlwind romances—it’s never easier to grab life with both hands when your own hangs in the balance. Robb and Talisa fell in love and got married in the time it takes most modern couples to arrange a face-to-face meeting on Tinder.

When Talisa announces her unexpected pregnancy, she and Robb are still happy to linger in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. Their love is a shiny new penny (eternally so, as it never got the chance to develop further) and this newness is the real scene-stealer. The things they talk about, like Talisa’s mother and home city, are subjects most couples have covered before they walk down the aisle. They’re still learning about one another. Maybe that begs the question: would they have remained so happy? Would they have stayed compatible? We’ll never know, but that doesn’t mean their budding romance isn’t lovely to see.

Like Katie said, it’s the pure, simple joy of the moment that made this scene so touching. “Can you leave the war for one night?” Talisa asks her new husband, knowing that the war is a consuming and terrifying force, and Robb agrees. It’s a reminder that real love, whether it only exists in the moment or has been there for years, has the power to drive out the darkness, if only for short while.