The Mad King, a new play set in the Game of Thrones universe, held its first-ever preview on Tuesday night. The production was met with a standing ovation. Some of that response was undoubtedly an expression of relief. A Dance with Dragons came out in 2011, so "A Song of Ice and Fire" fans have been starving for new stories for over a decade. That hunger was worsened by the rushed ending of the HBO show. However, the new stage play, which was written with the counsel and support of George R.R. Martin, doesn't just throw fans a bone. The Mad King completely recontextualizes key pillars of the larger Game of Thrones story. Even folks who had their favorite fan theories thrown out the window by the play are giddy with excitement.

Here's some of what we've learned, collated from a variety of sources who watched the play first-hand.

Heavy spoilers for the show follow.

1 Aerys wasn't entirely mad

Popularly known as The Mad King, Aerys's cruelty is legend in the Seven Kingdoms. The new story doesn't refute that Aerys was a terrible human being — if anything, the infamous Targaryen borders on comically evil. One of the moments that has stuck most with early audiences is a scene where Aerys "gifts" Robert Baratheon a toy model of his parents' ship. As fans know, Bobby's parents were killed during a storm while returning from a mission by Aerys to find a bride for prince Rhaegar Targaryen. What Aerys hands Robert is a box of splinters floating in water.

A major reason people think Aerys lost his mind is his all-consuming paranoia that everyone was conspiring against him. The Mad King reveals that most of the major players in the story — Rhaegar, Elia Martell, Lyanna Stark, Robert Baratheon, and so on — were in fact plotting heavily. The scheming is so obvious that Aerys tries to taunt Rhaegar into killing him out in the open.

The new narrative also fleshes out how much the tragedy at Summerhall influenced the trauma at the center of Aerys' cruelty. His PTSD, caused by witnessing a family member burn alive while he attempted to hatch dragons, doesn't really excuse the king's love of torture. The play frames Aerys' 'madness' as him having a grim sense of humor amid harsh circumstances, though.

2 A new perspective on Rhaegar's story

The Game of Thrones fandom loves to debate what kind of guy Rhaegar truly was, and TMK finally sets the record straight. Rhaegar didn't betray Elia Martell: she was aware of, and encouraged, his romance with Lyanna Stark. Rhaegar bonds with Lyanna over their shared dragon dreams; both of them deeply believed in the Prince who was Promised prophecy. Some of those visions aren't really dreams, either. The play suggests Rhaegar sees Daenerys in the House of the Undying in real time.

One of the juicier reveals is that Rhaegar is hit with a dragon dream in the middle of his fight against Robert Baratheon. Robert's battle prowess is undeniable; he defeats The Mountain during a tourney in the show. Would Robert have persevered if Rhaegar wasn't hit with a debuff in the middle of battle, though? The world may never know.

3 Elia and Lyanna are redefined

Where much of Game of Thrones makes it sound like the women surrounding Rhaegar Targaryen were victims of his obsession with prophecy, The Mad King shows them as active participants. Some of the actions Rhaegar takes are actually Elia's or Lyanna's idea. At one point during the story, Lyanna seems to believe the prophecy more than Rhaegar does. As Rhaegar struggles with conceiving a third child, Lyanna's grief over her dead relatives pushes her to see it all as a part of a divine plan.

Elia and Rhaegar are revealed to have a cordial relationship as well. While Rhaegar runs after Lyanna, Elia cavorts with Ashara. Elia and Lyanna are friendly with one another, and often write each other letters.

Another bombshell: Lyanna is the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

4 The Prince Who Was Promised is complicated

Fans love to argue whether Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow fulfills the prophecy at the heart of the story. The play, hilariously, suggests everyone is a little bit right about The Prince who was Promised.

Both Aerys and Rhaella as well as Rhaegar and Lyanna have sex on the night of the Red comet, which means that the Game of Thrones protagonists were conceived at the same time. Arguably, then, both Dany and Jon are TPWWP.

The circumstances surrounding Daenerys' conception are particularly intriguing. Before Aerys sleeps with his wife Rhaella, she proclaims a curse. She tells Aerys she will not bear a son, but rather a vengeful daughter who will bring both dragons and ruins to the seven kingdoms.

This new characterization of Rhaella, whose madness might outstrip that of Aerys, could change the most common reading of the Azor Ahai prophecy. The myth stipulates that Azor will bring about a new age of eternal summer, and that those who fight for its cause will be reborn. The prophecy also says that death itself will bend its knee, which doesn't really sound like the actions of a benevolent messiah. There are already dark bits and pieces that make the Lord of Light's followers sound like fire wights. If the Night King's army of wights is evil, why would the opposite extreme be any better?

For some, this new lore doubles down on Dany as the mad queen. Rhaella's curse doesn't threaten madness, however: it evokes anger and retribution.

The play doesn't really settle anything about the story's central prophecy. Fans deep in the lore mines now have new material to argue about, at least. It's also nice to not have to wait until GRRM finishes The Winds of Winter to finally have some new Game of Thrones morsels to chew on.