The Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones was packed to the brim with deaths both confirmed and ambiguous. And while most Game of Thrones fans spent the summer wondering whether they had truly seen the last of Kit Harington’s character Jon Snow, a certain segment of the fan base was worried about the status of another commander. But a new official book called Game of Thrones: The Noble House of Westeros Seasons 1-5 puts to rest any doubts about the fate of Stannis Baratheon. If you want to know for certain what happened in those final moments, read on.

The source of confusion over Stannis’s fate comes from the way his last scene was filmed. The camera cuts from the iron-faced Baratheon saying “Go on, do your duty” to Brienne vengefully swinging her sword, and then we abruptly see . . . Ramsey Snow? We don’t see the sword connect with Stannis. We don’t see Brienne grimly cleaning Baratheon blood off her sword. We just see this.

And if Bran’s fall from the tower in Season 1, Episode 1 taught us anything, it pays to be skeptical about deaths you don’t actually see. And if the rumors are to be believed, presumed-dead characters will be popping up all over the place in Season 6 of Game of Thrones, so you’d be wise to be wary.

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin muddied the waters even further when he announced that Stannis was still alive in his version of the story (a.k.a. the books). Martin gave all you Stannis lovers out there some hope to cling to. Don’t you know by now that means he’s about to yank it away?

Watchers on the Wall’s editor in chief first noted that in the Baratheon section of Game of Thrones: The Noble Houses of Westeros Seasons 1-5, the paragraph covering Stannis concludes, “Stannis was killed outside of Winterfell by Brienne of Tarth, who wished to avenge Renly’s death.”

To add insult to injury, Stannis fans, Brienne’s paragraph concludes, “Brienne killed Stannis.” Well, that’s that then. HBO officially confirmed that these statements are right and true.

This isn’t the first time HBO has put their official stamp on Stannis’s death. When the finale first aired, the episode’s director David Nutter said the only reason they cut away from showing Stannis losing his head was that “it would have been gratuitous. You really got a sense that Stannis had nothing else to live for. Brienne’s lifelong mission had come to an end. It’s a situation in which Stannis was ready to die and prepared to die.” Yes, O.K., but coming from a show that doesn’t exactly have a history of being delicate when it comes to, well, anything, this “gratuitous” argument didn’t necessarily stick.

But Game of Thrones made their position clear again when they commissioned this “Beautiful Death” artwork from digital marketing agency 360i and artist Robert Ball for the Season 5 finale. Billed as “the official episode-by-episode guide to the most iconic deaths in the realm,” this tableau focused on the end of the legitimate Baratheon blood line. (Not a drop in Tommen, is there? It’s up to you, Gendry!)

That choice, by the way, is one of several reasons why some Game of Thrones fans continue to believe that another Season 5 death is not all it seems to be. Shouldn’t the death tableau for the Season 5 finale be Jon Snow? If he’s truly dead, that is? This, for the record, is what Game of Thrones: The Noble House of Westeros Seasons 1-5 considers the final word on Lord Snow. “For that he was murdered at Castle Black by his own men, including Alliser Thorne and Olly.” Murdered, sure. But will he stay that way? We’ll find out when Game of Thrones returns for a sixth season in 2016. (Or maybe even sooner.) For now, you can enjoy learning more about the various House sigils, histories, home, family trees, character profiles, weapons, costumes and more when Game of Thrones: The Noble House of Westeros Seasons 1-5 goes on sale December 8.