Heresy 164

[Black Crow]

Welcome to Heresy 164, and the ongoing sideways look at the Song of Ice and Fire.

Heresy is not a theory but a free-flowing and above all friendly series of ongoing discussions and arguments, usually concerned with the Wall, the otherlands which lie beyond it, the old gods and the white walkers and the possible Stark connection to both – or in short, to Winter.

GRRM’s synopsis from 1993, [transcribed below as usual] emphasises that the story is followed through five related story arcs, not one. The script has obviously changed and moved in a number of interesting directions since then but above all it’s clear from the synopsis that it does not revolve around the question of Jon Snow’s mother, far less a return of the king scenario for the conclusion of an altogether much larger and much richer story.

The strength and the beauty and ultimately the value of Heresy as a critical discussion is that it reflects this diversity. This is a thread where ideas can be discussed – and argued – freely, because above all it is about an exchange of ideas and sometimes too a remarkably well informed exchange drawing upon an astonishing broad base of literature ranging through Joseph Conrad, Susannah Clarke, CS Lewis, and so many others all to the way to the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the Mabinogion; it’s about history [and 1189] It’s about mythology, archaeology, ringworks and chambered tombs and even heroic geology, but above all it’s about the Song of Ice and Fire.

If new to Heresy you may also want to refer to to Wolfmaid's essential guide to Heresy: http://asoiaf.wester...uide-to-heresy/, which provides annotated links to all the previous editions of Heresy, latterly identified by topic.

Don’t be intimidated by the size and scope of Heresy, or by some of the ideas we’ve discussed or might have over the years. We’re very welcoming and very good at talking in circles and we don’t mind going over old ground again, especially with a fresh pair of eyes, so just ask, but be patient and observe the local house rules that the debate be conducted by reference to the text, with respect for the ideas of others, and above all with great good humour.

And, topically, remember the forum rules on not discussing the show outside of the sub-forum provided elsewhere on the site. Traditionally we’ve been a bit laid back about this, restricting discussion only to those matters of unequivocal relevance to Heresy, such as the Craster’s sons business. Don’t abuse this unofficial license and we may still be able to slip under the radar. Try turning this into a general discussion of the show and the wrath of the Mods will descend, so let’s try to keep it business as usual

Beyond that, read on.

[Black Crow]

And now the slightly spoilerish full text of GRRM's1993 letter to his agent, Ralph Vicinanza. Things have obviously changed a bit since then but If you don’t want to know, don’t read on:

October 1993

Dear Ralph,

Here are the first thirteen chapters (170 pages) of the high fantasy novel I promised you, which I'm calling A Game of Thrones. When completed, this will be the first volume in what I see as an epic trilogy with the overall title, A Song of Ice and Fire.

As you know, I don't outline my novels. I find that if I know exactly where a book is going, I lose all interest in writing it. I do, however, have some strong notions as to the overall structure of the story I'm telling, and the eventual fate of many of the principle [sic] characters in the drama.

Roughly speaking, there are three major conflicts set in motion in the chapters enclosed. These will form the major plot threads of the trilogy, intertwining with each other in what should be a complex but exciting (I hope) narrative tapestry. Each of the conflicts presents a major threat to the peace of my imaginary realm, the Seven Kingdoms, and to the lives of the principal characters.

The first threat grows from the enmity between the great houses of Lannister and Stark as it plays out in a cycle of plot, counterplot, ambition, murder, and revenge, with the iron throne of the Seven Kingdoms as the ultimate prize. This will form the backbone of the first volume of the trilogy, A Game of Thrones.

While the lion of Lannister and the direwolf of Stark snarl and scrap, however, a second and greater threat takes shape across the narrow sea, where the Dothraki horselords mass their barbarians hordes for a great invasion of the Seven Kingdoms, led by the fierce and beautiful Daenerys Stormborn, the last of the Targaryen dragonlords. The Dothraki invasion will be the central story of my second volume,A Dance with Dragons.

The greatest danger of all, however, comes from the north, from the icy wastes beyond the Wall, where half-forgotten demons out of legend, the inhuman others, raise cold legions of the undead and the neverborn and prepare to ride down on the winds of winter to extinguish everything that we would call "life." The only thing that stands between the Seven Kingdoms and and endless night is the Wall, and a handful of men in black called the Night's Watch. Their story will be the heart of my third volume, The Winds of Winter. The final battle will also draw together characters and plot threads left from the first two books and resolve all in one huge climax.

The thirteen chapters on hand should give you a notion as to my narrative strategy. All three books will feature a complex mosaic of intercutting points-of-view among various of my large and diverse cast of players. The cast will not always remains the same. Old characters will die, and new ones will be introduced. Some of the fatalities will include sympathetic viewpoint characters. I want the reader to feel that no one is ever completely safe, not even the characters who seem to be the heroes. The suspense always ratchets up a notch when you know that any character can die at any time.

Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow. All of them are introduced at some length in the chapters you have to hand.

This is going to be (I hope) quite an epic. Epic in its scale, epic in its action, and epic in its length. I see all three volumes as big books, running about 700 to 800 manuscript pages, so things are just barely getting underway in the thirteen chapters I've sent you.

I have quite a clear notion of how the story is going to unfold in the first volume, A Game of Thrones. Things will get a lot worse for the poor Starks before they get better, I'm afraid. Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn Tully are both doomed, and will perish at the hands of their enemies. Ned will discover what happened to his friend Jon Arryn, but before he can act on his knowledge, King Robert will have an unfortunate accident, and the throne will pass to his sullen and brutal son Joffrey, still a minor. Joffrey will not be sympathetic and Ned will be accused of treason, but before he is taken he will help his wife and his daughter escape back to Winterfell.

Each of the contending families will learn it has a member of dubious loyalty in its midst. Sansa Stark, wed to Joffrey Baratheon, will bear him a son, the heir to the throne, and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband and child over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue. Tyrion Lannister, meanwhile, befriend both Sansa and her sister Arya, while growing more and more disenchanted with his own family.

Young Bran will come out of his coma, after a strange prophetic dream, only to discover that he will never walk again. He will turn to magic, at first in the hope of restoring his legs, but later for its own sake. When his father Eddard Stark is executed, Bran will see the shape of doom descending on all of them, but nothing he can say will stop his brother Robb from calling the banners in rebellion. All the north will be inflamed by war. Robb will win several splendid victories, and maim Joffrey Baratheon on the battlefield, but in the end he will not be able to stand against Jaime and Tyrion Lannister and their allies. Robb Stark will die in battle, and Tyrion Lannister will besiege and burn Winterfell.

Jon Snow, the bastard, will remain in the far north. He will mature into a ranger of great daring, and ultimately will succeed his uncle as the commander of the Night's Watch. When Winterfell burns, Catelyn Stark will be forced to flee north with her son Bran and her daughter Arya. Hounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night's Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon's anguish. It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran. Arya will be more forgiving... until she realizes, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night's Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon's true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.

Abandoned by the Night's Watch, Catelyn and her children will find their only hope of safety lies even further north, beyond the Wall, where they fall into the hands of Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall, and get a dreadful glimpse of the inhuman others as they attack the wildling encampment. Bran's magic, Arya's sword Needle, and the savagery of their direwolves will help them survive, but their mother Catelyn will die at the hands of the others.

Over across the narrow sea, Daenerys Targaryen will discover that her new husband, the Dothraki Khal Drogo, has little interest in invading the Seven Kingdoms, much to her brother's frustration. When Viserys presses his claims past the point of tact or wisdom, Khal Drogo will finally grow annoyed and kill him out of hand, eliminating the Targaryen pretender and leaving Daenerys as the last of her line. Daenerys will bide her time, but she will not forget. When the moment is right, she will kill her husband to avenge her brother, and then flee with a trusted friend into the wilderness beyond Vaes Dothrak. There, hunted by Dothraki bloodriders [?] of her life, she stumbles on a cache of dragon's eggs [?] of a young dragon will give Daenerys the power to bend the Dothraki to her will. Then she begins to plan for her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms.

Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones, finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king's brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders. Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while he's at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Snow.

[7 Lines Redacted]

But that's the second book...

I hope you'll find some editors who are as excited about all of this as I am. Feel free to share this letter with anyone who wants to know how the story will go.

All best,

George R.R. Martin

What’s in that redacted passage we don’t know but here’s what appears to be the equally spoilerish original synopsis/publisher’s blurb for Winds of Winter; not the forthcoming one, alas, but one apparently dating back to when it was still to be the third volume of the trilogy and following directly on in content and style from the first synopsis set out above:

Continuing the most imaginative and ambitious epic fantasy since The Lord of the Rings Winter has come at last and no man can say whether it will ever go again. The Wall is broken, the cold dead legions are coming south, and the people of the Seven Kingdoms turn to their queen to protect them. But Daenerys Targaryen is learning what Robert Baratheon learned before her; that it is one thing to win a throne and quite another to sit on one. Before she can hope to defeat the Others, Dany knows she must unite the broken realm behind her. Wolf and lion must hunt together, maester and greenseer work as one, all the blood feuds must be put aside, the bitter rivals and sworn enemies join hands. The Winds of Winter tells the story of Dany’s fight to save her new-won kingdom, of two desperate journeys beyond the known world in to the very hearts of ice and fire, and of the final climactic battle at Winterfell, with life itself in the balance.

[wolfmaid7]

On the subject of glamours and curse shows like Charmed and The Craft for this but a glamour is a two but one spell that works on perception.Glamours DO NOT magically change an individual.It's all in the eyes of the looker.

Hopefully-and based on Mel it seems he has-GRRM didn't fall into the Hollywood interpretation and actually interviewed a Pagan about this.Hell he lives in New Mexico and we are all over that place.

A glamour when you get down to it is what we call in the magical community "a boast" it plays up a particular physical attribute and makes it seem "more" to the looker.

Mel may not be sooooo stunning but via a glamour she plays that up and that's what people see to the point that they seem like in awe of her beauty.

Jon experianced this when fighting Rattleshirt..Mance's description is nothing like what Jon thought he saw when fighting him as Rattleshirt.Rattleshirt/Mance seemed faster,seemed bigger..seemed seemed seemed because a glamour effs with your mind.

Likewise Rhaegar may have seemed like a freaking Ninja,untouchable exceptional seeming to be like Ali floating like a Butterfly and stinging like a bee.When in truth he wasn't all that he just seemed all that.To others the Prince was untouchable an unbelieveable badass ...they were in awe

A glamour can be positive as in the cases above or negative.

[Blade of Sunlight]

From the last thread:

Not at all, its actually far easier because its just a matter of focus. The opponent being glamoured sees exactly what's in front of him, but perceptually he sees it in a slightly different place.

Dead easy example. Point at an object, say a picture frame. Looking at it with both eyes open you place your finger pointing at say the middle of the bottom corner. Now close your right eye and your finger appears to be pointing further to the right. Close your left eye and your finger appears to be pointing further to the left, yet in neither case have you moved a muscle.

I've just seen it as "bending light" hence more bending means harder, but that's just an opinion.

I don't think that the finger example is valid since it appears in different place because it actually is in a different place in respect to each eye (the basis for stereoscopic vision, see: Stereopsis ), and as you can see by moving further away the difference between one eye and the other is reduced, which is why it's more difficult to gauge distance the further away something is.

Also, we've yet to see glamors used for anything other than disguises, changing aspects of something (Rattleshirt, lightbringer, FM), which impoves with connections to the person being mirrored, completely changing it's position is in my view something entirely different.

Anyway, since this is magic and not science it's all speculation, for all we know you could glamour a squirrel into a dragon.

[Frey family reunion]

I think Rhaegar's rubies main significance is a bit more mundane. A reminder perhaps to all those jousting against him just who he is and how important he is. Which may tend to add a bit of anxiety to his opponents in the joust.

[SerWalterPuffsAlot]

me personally really hope Raegar wasnt using glamour or anything. I'd love to know the back story about the tourney at harrenhall but if its all about him being a secret worshiper of Rhollor or using glamour no thank you. I mean some shit has to be what it seems if every other person that dies comes back into the story it gets old for me. The main thing I would like to know about Rhaegar is what did he read that made him decide to become a warrior.

[wolfmaid7]

me personally really hope Raegar wasnt using glamour or anything. I'd love to know the back story about the tourney at harrenhall but if its all about him being a secret worshiper of Rhollor or using glamour no thank you. I mean some shit has to be what it seems if every other person that dies comes back into the story it gets old for me. The main thing I would like to know about Rhaegar is what did he read that made him decide to become a warrior.

I think it may have been the AA prophecy no? The conversation between Mel and Aemon gave me the impression that they were talking about the same person.However,i do agree with you,i would like to see that prophecy as it was written and as Rhaegar saw it vs how we have been getting it (word of mouth).

[SerWalterPuffsAlot]

I think it may have been the AA prophecy no? The conversation between Mel and Aemon gave me the impression that they were talking about the same person.However,i do agree with you,i would like to see that prophecy as it was written and as Rhaegar saw it vs how we have been getting it (word of mouth).

Makes sense that it would be AA PTWP LH prophecy. What kinda cocky bastard reads about the prince that was promised or whatever and is like yeah thats me LOL.

[PrettyPig]

I think Rhaegar's rubies main significance is a bit more mundane. A reminder perhaps to all those jousting against him just who he is and how important he is. Which may tend to add a bit of anxiety to his opponents in the joust.

While I won't rule out the possibility of a glamour at HH (it would make so many other theories work), I tend to agree with this. Look how decked out Loras was in the sapphire roses at the Tourney of the Hand - and he was also the fan favorite that day, handing out flowers and giving young girls the squigglies.

Buuuut, Loras also cheated in his joust that day, so...there's that.

[wolfmaid7]

Makes sense that it would be AA PTWP LH prophecy. What kinda cocky bastard reads about the prince that was promised or whatever and is like yeah thats me LOL.

That be true and though its funny your last line one has to wonder given what we know of the prophecy what the hell made Rhaegar think it was him?

There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him

When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone....Mel

1. After a long Summer

2.When the Stars bleed ( says Meteor shower to me)

3.Darkness falling heavy on the world

I mean what was Rhaegar going by?

Note: There is to me a marked difference in what Mel says and what Sallador Saan says.

His version when the "Stars" bleed

Her version when the "Red Star" bleeds

One says Meteor shower the other says a comet....But that may not be here nor there. :dunno:

[Matthew.]

What kinda cocky bastard reads about the prince that was promised or whatever and is like yeah thats me LOL.

There seems to be a degree of family influence there. Aemon himself has discussed the prophecy with Rhaegar, and the WB seems to indicate that most of the Targaryens that came after Aegon III were obsessed to varying degrees with bringing back the dragons. We've also been told that the Ghost of High Heart prophesied that the PtwP would be born of the line of Aerys II and Rhaella, which would be another reason for Rhaegar to assume he's the one.

[SerWalterPuffsAlot]

There seems to be a degree of family influence there. Aemon himself has discussed the prophecy with Rhaegar, and the WB seems to indicate that most of the Targaryens that came after Aegon III were obsessed to varying degrees with bringing back the dragons. We've also been told that the Ghost of High Heart prophesied that the PtwP would be born of the line of Aerys II and Rhaella, which would be another reason for Rhaegar to assume he's the one.

I wonder what changed his mind about him being the PTWP to his "3 headed" kids being the prophesied ones.

[Matthew.]

I wonder what changed his mind about him being the PTWP to his "3 headed" kids being the prophesied ones.

I dunno, but I think we've seen some signs that the full text (if such a thing exists) of tPtwP prophecy might be a lot more weird and complicated than Mel's straightforward Azor Ahai, Champion of R'hllor prophecy; indeed the two are not necessarily the same thing.

For one, there's the Song of Ice and Fire and the Three Heads, but there's also Aemon's death rambles about the riddle of the Sphinx.

[PrettyPig]

That be true and though its funny your last line one has to wonder given what we know of the prophecy what the hell made Rhaegar think it was him?

There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him

When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone....Mel

Interesting and puzzling, because clearly for a while there Rhaegar and Aemon believed that the circumstances of Summerhall covered part of it - salt and smoke at least - but we have no indication thus far that there was a comet or a particularly long winter circa 259 to kick it off. However, he must have made some retroactive connections after finding the prophecy and deciding to become a warrior.

But wait, something's still missing! Where's the sword?

If Rhaegar was still under the impression that he fit the bill in 280/281, it makes me wonder if his post-tourney walkabout *during the return of the cold breath of darkness* was actually a visionquest to find Lightbringer and force the rest of the prophecy. 'Setting out with 6 companions' in the Riverlands certainly sounds like a Great Adventure (cue LoTR theme music) to me, with the Lyanna thing being incidental to the overall expedition.

Of course, that gets tricky considering that Aegon had arrived on scene somewhere in that time frame and became the new PtwP, but I know we've gone over the wonkiness of his birth timeline too and speculated on whether or not there really was an Aegon.

[SerWalterPuffsAlot]

i dont think the sphinx has anything to do with the prophesy i just think he's referring to Alleras whom Sam is about to run in to and was maybe in Aemon's dreams via glass candle. And i think its pretty obvious Alleras is Sarella Sand so a girl playing the part of a boy could be the riddle he's referring to

[Black Crow]

Given Rhaegar's interest in prophecy the business of the rubies may be a reflection of that in that they could be considered red stars. That doesn't necessarily make him a secret follower of R'hllor; I think that's made clear in the way that although they are supposedly dealing with the same prophecy they are not necessarily viewed in the same way.

At a simple level both Catholics and Protestants are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics.

In this case although Mel is proclaiming the coming again of Azor Ahai and says he is the Prince that was Promised, she makes no mention of the Trinity supposedly required for the Targaryen version.

In that connection too; 300 years ago Aegon came, saw and conquered with the aid of his two sisters/wives. In requiring that there be three heads of the dragon is this reflecting Aegon's bigamous incest, or was he consciously acting out the prophecy and in conquering Westeros did he think that he was the Prince?

[Matthew.]

i dont think the sphinx has anything to do with the prophesy i just think he's referring to Alleras whom Sam is about to run in to and was maybe in Aemon's dreams via glass candle. And i think its pretty obvious Alleras is Sarella Sand so a girl playing the part of a boy could be the riddle he's referring to

I agree that this is the most likely scenario, but I think there is some possibility that the Sphinx is something relevant to tPtwP prophecy; specifically in terms of mixing the blood of kings.

At some point in aDwD the Green Grace makes some comment to Dany about how combining the blood of the harpy and the blood of the dragon would "fulfill the prophecies," and I would argue that this idea has already played out with Rhaego, the burning stallion/Stallion that Mounts the World; the fact that he was ultimately sacrificed to wake dragons from stone makes me suspect that tPtwP prophecy does make some sort of mention of sphinxes.

Edit:

In that connection too; 300 years ago Aegon came, saw and conquered with the aid of his two sisters/wives. In requiring that there be three heads of the dragon is this reflecting Aegon's bigamous incest, or was he consciously acting out the prophecy and in conquering Westeros did he think that he was the Prince?

The WB might lend some credence to the interpretation that Aegon was being motivated by prophecy. Its been a while since I read the section about the Conquest, but I seem to recall that he was represented as a sort of reluctant leader, who took no particular joy in combat, ruling, or even in riding his dragons, which seems like an awfully odd demeanor for someone who united a continent.

[Black Crow]

i dont think the sphinx has anything to do with the prophesy i just think he's referring to Alleras whom Sam is about to run in to and was maybe in Aemon's dreams via glass candle. And i think its pretty obvious Alleras is Sarella Sand so a girl playing the part of a boy could be the riddle he's referring to

Its possible, but I think that Aemon was far more likely to be referring to the old legend of the sphinx as asking riddles, ie; the prophecy is not so straightforward or as literal as Mel pretends but rather, like a lot of prophecies its cryptic and difficult to interpret properly. As GRRM has repeatedly warned, prophecies may come to pass but not as people expect.

At a very basic level therefore it is more than likely that the Prince and/or Azor Ahai will be identified in the end but that he/she is not necessarily going to be a warrior champion of light with a flaming sword but perhaps something else entirely.

[markg171]

I think Rhaegar's rubies main significance is a bit more mundane. A reminder perhaps to all those jousting against him just who he is and how important he is. Which may tend to add a bit of anxiety to his opponents in the joust.

True enough, but assuming that Rhaegar had been jousting for the last 4 days in that armour, it might have lost its intimidation factor by the final day. Unless of course he wheeled it out only on the last day. But I doubt Arthur or Barristan would have felt anything knowing they were jousting against Rhaegar seeing as they trained with him and had competed against each other before. Brandon and Yohn also don't seem to be guys who would suddenly be intimidated. We don't know who else he jousted against other than 2 other KG, but it doesn't seem like these guys at least would be intimidated.

There seems to be a degree of family influence there. Aemon himself has discussed the prophecy with Rhaegar, and the WB seems to indicate that most of the Targaryens that came after Aegon III were obsessed to varying degrees with bringing back the dragons. We've also been told that the Ghost of High Heart prophesied that the PtwP would be born of the line of Aerys II and Rhaella, which would be another reason for Rhaegar to assume he's the one.

This isn't actually true.

“Your grandsire commanded it. A woods witch had told him that the prince was promised would be born of their line.”

Nothing in here says that the Ghost of High Heart prophesied that the prince that was promised would come from their line. Barristan only says that she told Jaehaerys that he would. It's assumed that she therefore prophesied this, but we are never actually told this from the text. For all we know she told Jaehaerys this just so that he would assure that the line of succession was secure so that Duncan didn't have to abandon Jenny, her friend, should he suddenly be called upon to take the throne because Aegon, Jaehaerys, and Aerys all died.

Until we have confirmation that the Ghost said this because she'd received a vision/dream telling her this information, we have no reason to believe that this line means anything prophetic. Because only her dreams/visions are prophetic and we aren't told that that's where she got this information.

[addicted to snow]

That be true and though its funny your last line one has to wonder given what we know of the prophecy what the hell made Rhaegar think it was him?

There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him

When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone....Mel

1. After a long Summer

2.When the Stars bleed ( says Meteor shower to me)

3.Darkness falling heavy on the world

I mean what was Rhaegar going by?

Note: There is to me a marked difference in what Mel says and what Sallador Saan says.

His version when the "Stars" bleed

Her version when the "Red Star" bleeds

One says Meteor shower the other says a comet....But that may not be here nor there. :dunno:

When the star(S) bleed...

We have already seen one star bleed, we are waiting for the 2nd occurrence of the bleeding star, which will usher Azor Ahi into the story & will resolve all the magic that is not yet understood from the end of AGOTs (the Great Wolf & Burning Man Dancing in Dany's Tent)...