Ser Frasier of House Crane Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 I know he got Wardenship of the North and all, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about actually being the one to ice Robb. I mean, betraying Robb is one thing . . . but going up to him and stabbing him in the heart is another. Seems that Roose would want some modicum of plausible deniability, in case the North rose up against the Boltons later on. The Red Wedding benefits the South immensely, but anyone who takes part from the Riverlands on up is looking very short-sighted when they do this. The Freys aren't the brightest bulbs in the box, but Roose is very smart and cunning and it seems that participating in the Wedding itself is a risky venture that has little long-term payoff, especially with his bastard heir pissing off Northerners left and right. Why didn't the Lord of the Dreadfort send most of his troops away right before the Red Wedding surreptitiously, and then let the Freys and a small detachment of his own men handle Robb? Maybe tell Walder Frey to have the Bolton men left to perpetrate the Red Wedding killed, so it looked like they were trying to defend their king? Then do the fake Arya plotline and legitimize the Bolton claim that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daendrew Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Because of skinflaynging and the importance of the Greystarks in the Long Night He needs kingsblood and kings skin to do what he wants to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelittledragonthatcould Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Robb has 3,500 troops. His men are still armed outside the Twins. If it was just the Freys vs Robb it could go either way, or even if the Freys won many of those 3,500 would have been able to flee linking up with other Stark supporters either in the Riverlands or the North. Roose needed the Stark loyalists extinguished, to do that he would need to help the Freys kill Robbs host. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balerion the kitten Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 First off, I think Walder is actually smart. Sure he's earned a bad reputation (in the books) but he's basically been able to make sure he's always on the winning side.And practically everyone who saw Roose kill Robb died. And there is no way Roose could spin events to make it look like he didn't have a part. Cause the north isn't that stupid, they can pick up the hints left. Examples. Roose himself didn't die at the red wedding yet everyone else did, Roose ends up marrying a frey and becomes friends with the Lannisters ruling the north on their behalf and he also becomes friends with the freys.Guess he was thinking "well can't hide it, everyone will know so might as well dive in at the deep end" . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victor227 Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Pretty much a combination of the above. He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid it, so he owned it, and having his army present ensured the total destruction of Robb's host by providing overwhelming force in addition to surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Winter-ish Stuff Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Because of skinflaynging and the importance of the Greystarks in the Long Night He needs kingsblood and kings skin to do what he wants to do. The Greystarks weren't around during the Long Night... The Greystarks joined House Bolton "in rebellion". That means that House Bolton was no longer a kingly house. I'm sorry if this messes with your theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daendrew Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 The Greystarks weren't around during the Long Night... The Greystarks joined House Bolton "in rebellion". That means that House Bolton was no longer a kingly house. I'm sorry if this messes with your theory. Did you read the post I linked? One happened after 500 years, the other happened with the 13th lord commander. The years match up.. And the prior posts The Purpose of Duskendale on the Nights Queen not being the downfall of the NK, and thus not who he gave his soul to and Secrets of ice on the titles King of Winter and King in The North both show our ancient history is systematically getting us away from what actually happened so he can shock us. But he gives the truth in other contexts. You need to connect dots, not accept what is told to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King of Winter-ish Stuff Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Did you read the post I linked? One happened 500 years ago, the other happened with the 13th lord commander. The years match up.. And the prior posts The Purpose of Duskendale on the Nights Queen not being the downfall of the NK, and thus not who he gave his soul to and Secrets of ice on the titles King of Winter and King in The North both show our ancient history is systematically getting us away from what actually happened so he can shock us. But he gives the truth in other contexts. You need to connect dots, not accept what is told to us. Oh I'll connect the dots... when there are dots to connect. You're literally grasping at straws here. The Bolton-Greystark uprising has no evidence of when it happened. The Long Night happened before the Night's King. I'm not even sure how you're disputing that... I've read through your theories and they're crackpot, nothing more. "Ancestral Ice is an Other greatsword"? We literally have no proof, evidence, or anything else to make that claim. All I'm saying, is that a lot of your stuff is just supposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Skinner Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 It's not like there's a lot of witnesses left alive from inside that room that aren't on Roose's side.Besides while I'm sure that the whole of the red wedding was motivated by ambition on Roose's end, the actual personal slaying of Robb was probably just something all Boltons strive to do, kill a Stark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Blizzardborn Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Also it would have looked suspicious if he didn't attend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Lannister Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 For the same reason Tywin was so brutal during the sack of King's Landing. He had to demonstrate irrevocably that he had severed all bonds to the Starks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkinDude Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 For the same reason Tywin was so brutal during the sack of King's Landing. He had to demonstrate irrevocably that he had severed all bonds to the Starks. This is what I think. Tywin was taking a big gamble on making someone the Warden of the North that he hardly, if at all knew. Roose being the one to put the knife through Robb's heart is what cemented his show of fealty to Tywin. Although only from the show, Cersei is demanding a similar act from Littlefinger to cement his loyalty and interest to House Lannister by killing Sansa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Agency of Sansa Stark Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 It'd been centuries since a Bolton killed a Stark king and assumed ownership of the North. He wasn't going to miss that opportunity for all the sapphires on Tarth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Wraith Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Killing Stark is basically a family tradition for the Boltons. Now we wonder if we will ever the cloak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Agency of Sansa Stark Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Killing Stark is basically a family tradition for the Boltons. Now we wonder if he will ever the cloak.I see no reason why not.He's earned the right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Blue Eyes Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 "Please give my regards to Robb Stark." - Jaime Lannister Roose strives to please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Make Shadowbabies Not War Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Everything mentioned above, with the added possibility of the author wanting to spell out the fact that Roose was a major contributor to the wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Varys Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Roose is a Northman. They kill their enemies with their own hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Warning Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 What's he being rewarded for if he doesn't help? Everyone would know he'd had a hand in it as soon as he was declared Warden anyway. Also he had some regards to send, personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raving Stark the Mad Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 A lot of this will be supposition, but I think that despite the idea that the betrayal of Robb was "all business", I believe there was a personal motivation behind the betrayal as well. I think Roose Bolton secretly hates being under the thumb of people like Ned Stark. They tell him he can't have any fun. Can't rape his smallfolk. Can't flay his enemies. Stuck up, judgemental, prudish idiots, as several here have made the point. Ned Stark was at least a man, and was dangerous, and I bet that Roose would have stabbed him in the back as well if he thought he could get away with it and become Warden of the North, etc. Robb was just a boy, and a naïve boy at that from Roose's point of view. I think he chaffed at being under his rule. Somewhere, deep down, I suspect Roose hated Robb Stark, and all the Starks. I suspect that Roose secretly was thrilled to put a sword through the boy that dared to tell him what to do, and what he couldn't do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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