There's been weddings, battles, trials, deaths, mammoths, giants and even a three-eyed crow - and now season four of HBO's award-winning series Game of Thrones has come to an end.

Last night's nail-biting finale saw some characters begin a new chapter, while others met an unexpected end.

The show, which features Huddersfield actress Lena Headey as the vindictive Cersei Lannister, is known for its shocking plot twists.

With nine agonising months to wait before season five, we're looking back at who were the winners and losers of season four.

Characters that have died, while being obvious losers, haven't been included (the death count on Game of Thrones is far too high for that).

The winners

• Stannis Baratheon
  The oft-forgotten contender for the Iron Throne looked like he was losing his edge for a while, what with his involvement with the sinister Melisandre and his conversion to the cult of the Lord of Light - but Stannis' thundering arrival at The Wall in last night's finale reminded us of his military might.
  His army was huge, he held his own with the gruff Mance Rayder and despite his lack of furs (someone has underestimated the temperature at the icy Wall), Stannis could boost his cause with his new position at the Wall. Plus, he appeared to have Jon's respect - and the Night's Watch have shown more loyalty to Jon than any other potential leader of late.

• Arya Stark
  She's spent the last few seasons as a captive, either trapped in Harrenhal or forced to roam with the Hound - but finally Arya has taken back control of her destiny and set sail for pastures new. Whether the Braavosi ship is a better option than returning to King's Landing with Brienne of Tarth is yet to be revealed, but finally the youngest Stark girl is free to make her own decisions.
  

  
   

• Tyrion Lannister
  Tyrion's escape from the dungeons (aided by Jaime) and his revenge on those who betrayed him was one of the finale's most shocking sequences. He could have run straight to freedom - but instead, he murdered his former lover, Shae, and his father, Tywin, before being stowed away on a ship with the help of Varys. Not bad for someone who was sentenced to death two episodes ago.
  Yes, Tyrion has lost his family - but with the exception of Jaime, it was a family determined to frame him for a murder he didn't commit, and see him executed for it. His new life in foreign lands has to be better than that, right?

• Cersei Lannister
  Played by Shelley star Lena Headey, Cersei Lannister also makes it onto the list of winners at the end of season four. Her wicked son Joffrey may have been murdered, but the death of Tywin means she could well take charge of the Seven Kingdoms as Queen Regent until her youngest son, Tommen, comes of age.
  She's also free to continue her incestuous relationship with her brother Jaime without interference - Tywin's plan to marry her off to Loras Tyrell is surely defunct following the patriarch's rather undignified death in the privy.
  It's hard to feel happy for Cersei, considering her dastardly campaign to frame Tyrion for Joffrey's murder - but there's no denying the season finale has left her in a strong position.
  

  
   

• Jon Snow
  He may have had to say goodbye to his lady love Ygritte last night as he built her funeral pyre - but the arrival of Stannis and the capture of Mance Rayder can only be good for Jon. He's been rescued from his suicide mission to kill Mance, for one, and Stannis' respect for his father, Ned Stark, should stand him in good stead, even if he is illegitimate.
  Throughout season four we were shown how willing the men of the Night's Watch were to look to Jon for leadership - could the arrival of the Baratheon army and the capture of the Wildling king boost Jon to a position of power at the Wall? Stannis may even put him in charge of Castle Black while he continues his quest for the Seven Kingdoms. He may "know nothing" now, but Jon Snow could be set to learn a thing or two in season five.

• Ramsay Bolton
  Game of Thrones' creepiest character (no one should be that pleased that their family's tradition is flaying people alive) has triumphed in season four, much to viewers' disgust. He got to keep his prisoner/plaything Reek (the artist formerly known as Theon Greyjoy) after Yara Greyjoy's pitiful rescue attempt, and was finally made a proper member of the Bolton clan by his father Roose after capturing Moat Cailin (or rather, after forcing Theon to capture Moat Cailin). Everything's coming up Ramsay, it seems.

• Petyr Baelish
  Speaking of creepy, Petyr 'what on earth is my accent supposed to be' Baelish has fared rather well in this season too, despite arranging the murder of the king, pushing his new wife through the Moon Door and generally being his sneaky, conspiring self.
  He ended the season safe in the Eyrie with Sansa Stark, plotting his next move.
  

   

The losers

• Mance Rayder
  It's not looking good for the King Beyond the Wall - his premature confidence that he could take Castle Black after last week's assault on the Wall was snuffed out last night thanks to the arrival of the Baratheon army. And while his army of Free Folk depleted the Knight's Watch's numbers last week, Mance lost several of his men and a giant in the attack, and saw a few more slaughtered by Baratheon's men.
  All Mance wants to do his get to the safer side of the Wall, away from the White Walkers - but with his refusal to kneel to Stannis, and subsequent capture, he might be creating further obstacles for himself.

• Daenerys Targaryen
  It's not easy being queen. Particularly when the slaves you have liberated want to go back to their masters, your closest, most trusted advisor is revealed as a spy and traitor and your dragons become increasingly stronger and harder to control.
  Daenerys may have conquered Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen, but running them as queen is a different game altogether. Maintaining order has proved tricky for our Dany in this season, and while her dragons were her strongest assets in season three, they have proved more of a burden in season four.
  Drogon murdering a little girl led Daenerys to the heartbreaking decision to place her dragons in chains - a tragic juxtaposition considering the slave liberation she has fought for since season two. Can the Mother of Dragons keep control or is her rule of Meereen built on rocky foundations?
  

   

• Varys
  After helping Tyrion escape King's Landing, Varys took one look back at his former home, heard the alarm bells tolling, and decided he was better off setting sail than staying put. His future is uncertain - Varys' power was rooted in Kings Landing and his place on the King's Council, where he was invaluable as an impressive spy.
  Will he be able to make his fortune in pastures new, or is leaving King's Landing a decision the Spider will later come to regret?

• Sansa Stark
  Poor Sansa. Her dreams of marrying a brave knight and living a fairytale have far from come true. First, her psychotic fiancé executes her father in front of her. Then he ditches her for Margaery Tyrell. Then she's wedded off to Tyrion, aka the Imp, and learns shortly afterwards that her entire family, more or less, has been butchered at the Red Wedding.
  She managed to escape King's Landing in season four - only to wind up at the Eyrie, engaged to her unhinged cousin and a target for her insane aunt. Sansa may have raided Lysa's wardrobes and formed a peculiar alliance with Petyr Baelish, but overall things are far from rosy.

• Reek/Theon Greyjoy
  Oh, Reek. You had a chance to escape, but couldn't. You almost remembered your real identity, only to run back to your cruel master, Ramsay Bolton, after doing his bidding.
  It's hard to believe Reek was once cocky Theon, strutting around Winterfell and bragging about how he was heir to the Iron Islands - oh how the mighty have fallen. It's been a downward spiral since his ill-judged takeover of Winterfell, and while he deserved to be punished for his betrayal of the Starks, things have gone further than anyone expected. Will we ever see the real Theon again?

Fans will have to wait until 2015 to find out the fate of their favourite characters - from the Wall to Kings Landing, Meereen and beyond, there's plenty of cliffhangers to agonise over.

But if we've learned anything from the first four seasons, it's that anything could happen, to anyone, at any time - all you can do is watch events unfold.

Roll on season five - but in the meantime, why not test your Game of Thrones knowledge with our seasons 1-4 quiz?

 

Click here to take you back to more Huddersfield news.

Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here, the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here

To follow us on Twitter click here