Moments of Foreshadowing 9

[ARYa_Nym]

They emerged through a trap at the back of a stable, having come perhaps a distance of three blocks under Rhaenys’s Hill. A horse whickered in his stall when Tyrion let the door slam shut. Varys blew out the candle and set it on a beam and Tyrion gazed about. A mule and three horses occupied the stalls. He waddled over to the piebald gelding and took a look at his teeth. “Old,” he said, “and I have my doubts about his wind.”

“He is not a mount to carry you into battle, true,” Varys replied, “but he will serve, and attract no notice. As will the others. And the stableboys see and hear only the animals.”

Such claims in ASOIAF mean danger. A killer disguised as a stableboy will slay Varys. Besides, Varys mentioned animals, not horses. Varys is knows as a spider and he is a secret dragon as well. So the eyes of the stableboy will be fixed on him.

“And Arya, well… Ned’s visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced.”

Varys will mistake Arya for a stableboy and feel her Needle. Not to mention, Varys became Ned’s visitor in the Black Cells.

TBH, I think it's highly possible that Arya's arc will eventually move past this.

She was able to pass for a stableboy for most of the series mostly because of her age. But the older she gets the harder it will be for her pull that off.

She hasn't been mistaken for a boy since ASoS and is already starting puberty.

Her latest chapter:

IMO indicates that by ADoS she should look definitively female. I believe that will be the same book that she has to be back in Westeros.

“I’ll grow titties in a year or two.” Mercy rose, to tower over the little man."

."Am I too young for him? she wondered. Too plain? Too skinny? She hoped he wasn’t the sort of man who liked big breasts on a girl. Bobono had been right about her chest. "

In this chapter she uses the fact that she's female to her benefit. Before it was the fact that she could pass for a boy. Now she wants to look like a woman.

I don't think the FM change their bodies so if she has a undoubtedly female's body and no longer a childlike one then I don't think she can pass for a stableboy anymore.

[Mithras]

She threw back the shutters and shivered as gooseprickles rose along her arms. There were clouds massing in the eastern sky, pierced by shafts of sunlight. They look like two huge castles afloat in the morning sky. Sansa could see their walls of tumbled stone, their mighty keeps and barbicans. Wispy banners swirled from atop their towers and reached for the fast-fading stars. The sun was coming up behind them, and she watched them go from black to grey to a thousand shades of rose and gold and crimson. Soon the wind mushed them together, and there was only one castle where there had been two.

She heard the door open as her maids brought the hot water for her bath. They were both new to her service; Tyrion said the women who’d tended to her previously had all been Cersei’s spies, just as Sansa had always suspected. “Come see,” she told them. “There’s a castle in the sky.”

They came to have a look. “It’s made of gold.” Shae had short dark hair and bold eyes. She did all that was asked of her, but sometimes she gave Sansa the most insolent looks. “A castle all of gold, there’s a sight I’d like to see.”

“A castle, is it?” Brella had to squint. “That tower’s tumbling over, looks like. It’s all ruins, that is.”

People have made several interpretations of this scene. This is obviously important because it is long and enigmatic.

My theory is that this whole imagery is mostly about Jaime and Brienne.

These two castles are Jaime and Brienne. The castles were initially black (they hated each other). As the sun goes up, they turned to grey. After the bathtub incident, their view of one another changed and their relationship turned to grey. And soon after, they fell in love with each other. Note that gold and crimson are associated with Lannisters. And House Tarth has yellow suns and white crescent moons on rose and azure. Most of these heraldic imagery is present in the scene.

The wind mushes these castles together and they are merged into a single castle. This is the consummation of their relationship and I expect it to happen in TWoW because it is the wind that brings them together.

Shae claims that one castle is made of gold. Note that Shae was the beloved of Tyrion at that time and she was very good to him. Just like Jaime was the only one to love Tyrion and he had a queer affection to him. Later we see that Shae betrays Tyrion and Tyrion learns that Jaime had betrayed him about Tysha. So, Shae represents the side of Jaime here.

The other maid of Sansa is Brella. She has a pessimistic realism, a feature fit for Brienne. There is another thing they share in common:

“I served with Lord Renly before m’lady Sansa, and both turned traitor,” the woman Brella complained bitterly.

Brella served Renly once. So did Brienne. Now, Brella is serving Lady Stark. So is Brienne. So, Brella represents the side of Brienne here.

The tumbling tower seems like an eventual death. I expect Jaime to die and Brienne to give birth to their son, who will be raised by Jon and he will make a far greater knight than both of his parents combined.

I think Jaime will return to KL and become Cersei’s Hand to the end of ADoS. After the Others are defeated, Jon will come with a force to the KL to save Sansa, who has been a prisoner of Cersei the whole time. Jon will not be able to move and we will see the Defiance of Duskendale 2.0. where the Mad Queen is the defiant in this case. Arya, Pod, Brienne, Sandor will make a rescue mission to get Sansa out. Pod will slay Osmund and sadly die in front of Sansa, whom he had a crush in ASoS. Arya will take out Ser Meryn and she will manage to stab Cersei fatally. Sandor will slay UnGregor but he will not survive the fight. Jaime will help them on the mission since he had said Sansa is his last chance to honor. In the end, Cersei will decide to activate the wildfire plot to not let Jon sit on the throne of his ancestors. Jaime will strangle her with the Hand’s chain but at the same time she will stab Jaime fatally. This time, Jaime will not be able to save the city. The KL will be mostly burned but Bran will summon the Hammer of Waters to put out the fire and save as much as he can. I think the visions Mel saw might be related to this finale.

Visions danced before her, gold and scarlet, flickering, forming and melting and dissolving into one another, shapes strange and terrifying and seductive. She saw the eyeless faces again, staring out at her from sockets weeping blood. Then the towers by the sea, crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths. Shadows in the shape of skulls, skulls that turned to mist, bodies locked together in lust, writhing and rolling and clawing. Through curtains of fire great winged shadows wheeled against a hard blue sky.

[Lost Melnibonean]

I think that shows the kinslaying of Stannis :)

The mud was such a dark brown it appeared almost black, but there were swathes of golden sand as well, upthrust rocks both grey and red, and tangles of black and green seaweed. Storks stalked through the tidal pools and left their footprints all around them, and crabs scuttled across the surface of shallow waters.

The upthrust rock both grey and red is the stone dragon (Jon Snow) who is both Stark (grey) and Targaryen (red).

Tangle of black and green seaweed is a symbol of the upcoming Second Dance of Dragons where Team Dany will be the new blacks and Team fAegon will be the new greens. They will be entangled in a tight and bloody battle.

The Stork which left its footprint all around them is Arya Stark, who was dragged all over the Riverlands including Saltpans which is very close to the Quiet Isle where Brienne was headed and she was chasing her footprints unknowingly.

I am not sure about the dark brown mud and the stripes of golden sand. And also the crabs. Perhaps the crabs might be related to this:

Theres three kinds of crabs in there. Red crabs and spider crabs and conquerors.

Red crab is Stannis, spider crab is fAegon and conqueror crab is Dany. And shallow waters represent Joffrey Waters (now dead), Tommen Waters and Myrcella Waters, which are fading away quickly because the tides turned.

The tide was going out now, and swiftly. The water that separated the island from the shore was receding, leaving behind a broad expanse of glistening brown mudflats dotted by tidal pools that glittered like golden coins in the afternoon sun.

Do you have a more complete argument regarding stone dragon = grey red = Stark Targaryen?

[maidenandwarrior]

The Winged Knight was Ser Artys Arryn. Legend said that he had driven the First Men from the Vale and flown to the top of the Giant's Lance on a huge falcon to slay the Griffin King. --AFFC 2039

So the Winged Knight slayed the Griffin King.

I think this foreshadows that another winged knight (yet to be determined) will kill the Griffin's King, Fake Aegon.

[Lost Melnibonean]

So the Winged Knight slayed the Griffin King.

I think this foreshadows that another winged knight (yet to be determined) will kill the Griffin's King, Fake Aegon.

Hmm... Bran is the winged wolf who always wished to be a knight... (just sayin').

[maidenandwarrior]

Hmm... Bran is the winged wolf who always wished to be a knight... (just sayin').

Yeah, not sure. It could be anyone at this point. I mean, Rolly Duckfield is in Aegon's kingsguard and would qualify for a winged knight. So would someone like Balon Swann. It would probably be someone with a connection to the Vale (don't say Harry the Heir!) for symmetry, but it could easily be any winged knight.

[Bob Sacamano]

”The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of

the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high."

Could this be foreshadowing that he will wield Lightbringer?? Or that Lightbringer is Dawn? Or is just words?

[Lost Melnibonean]

The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of

the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high."

Could this be foreshadowing that he will wield Lightbringer?? Or that Lightbringer is Dawn? Or is just words?

Longclaw is Jon's sword and Jon is the Prince that was Promised.

[Mithras]

Do you have a more complete argument regarding stone dragon = grey red = Stark Targaryen?

The actual thread is here.

[Mithras]

In life, Ser Myles Toyne had been ugly as sin. His famous forebear, the dark and dashing Terrence Toyne of whom the singers sang, had been so fair of face that even the king’s mistress could not resist him; but Myles had been possessed of jug ears, a crooked jaw, and the biggest nose that Jon Connington had ever seen. When he smiled at you, though, none of that mattered.

At a lord’s court the girl would never have been considered anything but common, he knew. She had a round peasant face, a pug nose, and slightly crooked teeth, and her eyes were too far apart. Jon had noticed all that the first time he’d seen her, when his dirk had been at her throat. Lately, though, he was noticing some other things. When she grinned, the crooked teeth didn’t seem to matter.

She [Ygritte] had a warm smile, despite her crooked teeth.

Looks like JonCon had a thing for good old Ser Myles Toyne.

[HairGrowsBack]

Just stopping by to say I love your insights, Paper Waver. Very articulate and well-rounded. I'm impressed.

Not much of a contribution, I know.

[Lost Melnibonean]

In life, Ser Myles Toyne had been ugly as sin. His famous forebear, the dark and dashing Terrence Toyne of whom the singers sang, had been so fair of face that even the kings mistress could not resist him; but Myles had been possessed of jug ears, a crooked jaw, and the biggest nose that Jon Connington had ever seen. When he smiled at you, though, none of that mattered.

At a lords court the girl would never have been considered anything but common, he knew. She had a round peasant face, a pug nose, and slightly crooked teeth, and her eyes were too far apart. Jon had noticed all that the first time hed seen her, when his dirk had been at her throat. Lately, though, he was noticing some other things. When she grinned, the crooked teeth didnt seem to matter.

She [Ygritte] had a warm smile, despite her crooked teeth.

Looks like JonCon had a thing for good old Ser Myles Toyne.

Oh, Jon, Jon, Jon...

[Mithras]

Just stopping by to say I love your insights, Paper Waver. Very articulate and well-rounded. I'm impressed.

Not much of a contribution, I know.

Thank you :blushing:

Oh, Jon, Jon, Jon...

Do you think JonCon might be involved in another romantic affair? I think he and Blackfish might have got along very well but it looks like they will fight against each other. And worse, it is likely that Blackfish will slay fAegon with an arrow (he is named after Brynden Rivers).

[Lost Melnibonean]

Thank you :blushing:

Do you think JonCon might be involved in another romantic affair? I think he and Blackfish might have got along very well but it looks like they will fight against each other. And worse, it is likely that Blackfish will slay fAegon with an arrow (he is named after Brynden Rivers).

Well a lot of readers believe Jon will betray Daenerys for love. They just got the wrong Jon!

[tf13]

In Jon's first ADWD chapter, the moon is calling "Snow". Going back to Dorea's story about the dragons inside the moon, we see a connection between Jon and dragons yet again.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Is this just a flowery passage or am I missing something...

They rode in silence through sparse woodland where the trees leaned drunkenly away from the sea. The nervous whinny of horses and the clank of steel guided them back to Renly's camp. The long ranks of man and horse were armored in darkness, as black as if the Smith had hammered night itself into steel. There were banners to her right, banners to her left, and rank on rank of banners before her, but in the predawn gloom, neither colors nor sigils could be discerned. A grey army, Catelyn thought. Grey men on grey horses beneath grey banners. As they sat their horses waiting, Renly's shadow knights pointed their lances upward, so she rode through a forest of tall naked trees, bereft of leaves and life. Where Storm's End stood was only a deeper darkness, a wall of black through which no stars could shine, but she could see torches moving across the fields where Lord Stannis had made his camp.

Catelyn IV, Clash

[Bob Sacamano]

Only heart trees ever see half of what they do on Skagos.- Roose Bolton

Bran will see his baby Bro in Skagos, and hopefully help him on his way back to claim Winterfell

[ALAPHD]

Frog-faced Lord Slynt sat at the end of the council table wearing a black velvet doublet and a shiny cloth-of-gold cape, nodding with approval every time the king pronounced a sentence. Sansa stared hard at his ugly face, remembering how he had thrown down her father for Ser Ilyn to behead, wishing she could hurt him, wishing that some hero would throw him down and cut off his head. But a voice inside her whispered, There are no heroes…

[bogdevil]

Is this just a flowery passage or am I missing something...

the predawn gloom, neither colors nor sigils could be discerned

Catelyn IV, Clash

maybe that in the battle for dawn old alliances and fealty will be forgotten and everyone must work together.

[Lost Melnibonean]

maybe that in the battle for dawn old alliances and fealty will be forgotten and everyone must work together.

Could be; this was at the end of the chapter...

As the long fingers of dawn fanned across the fields, color was returning to the world. Where grey men had sat grey horses armed with shadow spears, the points of ten thousand lances now glinted silverly cold, and on the myriad flapping banners Catelyn saw the blush of red and pink and orange, the richness of blues and browns, the blaze of gold and yellow. All the power of Storm's End and Highgarden, the power that had been Renly's an hour ago. They belong to Stannis now, she realized, even if they do not know it themselves yet. Where else are they to turn, if not to the last Baratheon? Stannis has won all with a single evil stroke. --Catelyn IV, Clash