Ice and Fire Must All Go

[DireNorthWolf]

Following on theories that magic is the great evil in the world that must be eradicated (COTF realize this, using magic to end magic forever, etc) and that it's forms of Ice and Fire are represented by dragons/Targaryens and others/Starks (and COTF/First Men to a lesser degree and their offspring the Reeds):

Could it be possible that the slow death of Houses Targaryen and Stark represent their final decline and complete decimation by books end. Valyria has already been destroyed by itself like Atlantis, now Winterfell, soon the Wall. All of Targaryen and Stark having to die to eradicate and prevent reproduction of their "magic" abilities seems to be in line with the dark view of humanity GRRM holds.

The First Men were the Bronze Age, Andals the Iron Age, Ironborn are Vikings, they live in a very medieval time, and are about to enter a Renaissance based on reason and increasingly democratic governance (Maester plots and the decline of great noble houses give rise to a more populist rule getting out of feudal society).

There will be some remnants left that speak of old ways but they will be largely suppressed and virtually powerless without much magic left in the world (COTF, Others, Dragons) by the growing influence of the Church (Seven) and of learning in general (Maesters).

[Fire Eater]

There is absolutely nothing in the text to support the claim that the CotF are working to end magic. They are using magic to deal with an incoming Long Night. Magic isn't evil, no more than fire is, people are. It depends on how it is used. Magic isn't declining, but on the rise.

House Stark isn't going to die in the end, IMO and House Targaryen likely isn't either if Jon survives and R+L=J is revealed. There is nothing pointing the eradication of either houses, and it would be a terrible end to the series, IMO. GRRM doesn't have a dark view of humanity, but rather a realistic view as exemplified by his characters having light and dark aspects about them: Tyrion, Jaime, Dany, etc.

Democracy is a highly unrealistic scenario in this series given there are certain prerequisites that need to be met for a democracy that are lacking in Westeros such as at least a 50% literacy rate where in Westeros it is likely around 10%. In the real world, it took centuries to go from feudalism to democracy. There is no legislature like a thing or Parliament in Westeros to smooth the transition to democracy. There are also no precedents that they could use for a democracy. I don't see anything pointing to a Renaissance either. We already see the Renaissance aspect in the Free Cities, specifically Braavos. The noble houses are principally a warrior class, and there is a wide gap of effectiveness between a fully armored and armed knight and a common peasant infantryman. Peasant rebellions were crushed in medieval Europe, and didn't succeed until guns closed the gap of military effectiveness between an aristocrat and a commoner.

Ice and fire or yin-yang are two opposing forces that are fundamental to the universe. It is not about eradication of both, but balance.