233 replies to this topic

[Dingsda]

Somehow I am unable to create a new topic in the ADWD subforum, so I’ll post this here:

I hope the spoiler tags work!




While rereading the Dorne chapters from AFFC I came along the following passage (AFFC Bantam Mass Market Paperback page 426f. “The Queenmaker”):

“Garin […] entertained them with the latest tales from the Planky Town […]. If the sailors could be believed, the east was seething with wonders and terrors: a slave revolt in Astapor, dragons in Quarth, grey plague in Yi Ti. A new corsair king had risen in the Basilisk Isles and raided Tall Trees Town, and in Qohor followers of the red priests had rioted and tried to burn the Black Goat.”

Next Garin mentiones the Golden Company having brocken it’s contract…


There has been a slave revolt in Astapor, there have been dragons in Quarth, and the Golden Company really seems to be on it’s way, so what about all the other things being reported?

Spoiler

GRRM has mentioned that disease would be a theme in ADWD (cf.http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/42396-grrm-in-chicago/page__st__80__p__2113557#entry2113557). This has also been discussed on this board (cf.
http://asoiaf.wester...theme-spoilers/).

Now Anne Groell has given us glimpses from the manuscript of ADWD (as quoted in this forum):
" "His grey kiss (?) made his flesh crawl. Death had lost its terror for Tyrion Lannister, but Greyscale was another matter." (Tyrion!)" So the plague report seems to come true, too!

I could also imagine that the new corsair king could be a problem for those that wish to travel to Meeren by ship (Victarion, Marwyn, Quentyn).

What do you think?

Edited by Ran, 09 June 2011 - 10:00 AM.

[Completely Headless Ned]

The last sentence would be a bigger spoiler than the last word. The word could be taken 100 different ways. But if it was the last sentence and it said "For the second time in her life, Danaerys Targaryn laid eyes on Dragonstone" that's a big spoiler.

Edited by REID1990, 11 June 2011 - 02:50 AM.

[D_Richard]

I figured out the last word...

And when Tommen felt the warmth touch him, as the pool of his blood reached his cheek, he saw them all kneel before the strange man in black. The man that wore his crown and sat on his throne. Then they proclaimed him king.

"I like the sound of that, aye, King Dolorous."

[Corvinus]

What if is the last word is "dawn" either in reference to the sword Dawn, or to the assumed war with the Others.

Related to the sword: "Ned gazed in wonder at the greatsword that had been in his family for centuries. Many great lords and knights had carried it, calling themselves The Sword of the Morning, his famous uncle being the last. And now it was his turn to wield the sword they called Dawn."

Related to the war with the Others: "Jon stood atop the Wall until the late hours of the night. Despite the darkness, he could see them in his mind, shapes slowly advancing through the haunted forest. He stood there until he felt some heat upon the side of his face. He turned his gaze east to see the sun rising, its light furiously fighting to throw back the darkness that threatened to cover the whole world. Jon had a bleak feeling that this was the last time he would see the dawn."

[Faint]

Rather than trying to figure out what the last word is, a seemingly impossible task, I'd like to hear speculation on what is going on in this scene:

"By midday most of Winterfell had heard, mainly from the lips of Ramsay Bolton, whose boy Yellow Dick had been [inaudible], "When we find the man who did this," Lord Ramsay promised, "I will flay the skin off of him and cook it crisp as crackling and make him eat it. Every Bite.""

To me that reads as someone is assassinating Ramsay Bolton's men after he has taken up his place in Winterfell told via the POV of either Theon or possibly even 'Arya Stark.' But who is doing the assassinating?

Could it possibly be Asha? Someone else? Or is this simply the people of Winterfell rebelling, in which case, Ramsay would have had to release them from the Dreadfort? Why would he do the latter though?

[D_Richard]

Are we at all informed about the cause of death? Knife wound? Arrow? Torn flesh? Rope?

Part of me wonders if Shaggydog is close enough to Winterfell still to go hunting there at night.

Edited by D_Richard, 23 June 2011 - 01:13 PM.

[Faint]

Not unless someone heard the original audio and was able to hear clearly, since it was subsequently taken down. It doesn't sound as if it was done by wolf though, Ramsay is clearly looking for a human. The more I think about it though, Asha does not seem likely. She wants to rescue Theon, not waste time destabilizing Ramsay. Arya would be a good guess if she wasn't across the the sea in Braavos, which seems to eliminate her as a suspect (barring a spectacular change of course in her own story). But who does that leave? Jon Snow? One of Robb's loyal men? Howland Reed?

Edited by Sualk, 23 June 2011 - 01:29 PM.

[D_Richard]

I need to have this book on my doorstep yesterday.

[Wouter]

Just a hunch: maybe Theon is the one Ramsay is looking for - would be quite ironic as this is likely told from his POV. And Theon, in his state, wouldn't be the most clear suspect I guess. Since we don't know anything about how that guy died, we can't say Theon couldn't have done it in some way. He may not be quite as broken as thought.

[Faint]

Wouter, on 23 June 2011 - 02:51 PM, said:

Just a hunch: maybe Theon is the one Ramsay is looking for - would be quite ironic as this is likely told from his POV. And Theon, in his state, wouldn't be the most clear suspect I guess. Since we don't know anything about how that guy died, we can't say Theon couldn't have done it in some way. He may not be quite as broken as thought.

I toyed with this thought myself but am always discouraged by the preview chapter we got of him. He seems so broken down that I wonder how he could have built up a spine that quickly. He wasn't particularly courageous even before Ramsay got his hands on him, which makes me doubt he would be so now, but you never know.

Edited by Sualk, 23 June 2011 - 03:50 PM.

[tze]

Perhaps Lady has finally crawled out of her grave to dispense some much-needed justice.

[Arataniello]

Sualk, on 23 June 2011 - 01:04 PM, said:

Rather than trying to figure out what the last word is, a seemingly impossible task, I'd like to hear speculation on what is going on in this scene:

"By midday most of Winterfell had heard, mainly from the lips of Ramsay Bolton, whose boy Yellow Dick had been [inaudible], "When we find the man who did this," Lord Ramsay promised, "I will flay the skin off of him and cook it crisp as crackling and make him eat it. Every Bite.""

To me that reads as someone is assassinating Ramsay Bolton's men after he has taken up his place in Winterfell told via the POV of either Theon or possibly even 'Arya Stark.' But who is doing the assassinating?

Could it possibly be Asha? Someone else? Or is this simply the people of Winterfell rebelling, in which case, Ramsay would have had to release them from the Dreadfort? Why would he do the latter though?

My hope is that it is the smallfolk of Winterfell, still loyal to the Starks, who are doing the killing when they realize that the Arya Stark that Ramsay married is false Arya Stark.

[D_Richard]

Aratan, on 24 June 2011 - 04:40 AM, said:

My hope is that it is the smallfolk of Winterfell, still loyal to the Starks, who are doing the killing when they realize that the Arya Stark that Ramsay married is false Arya Stark.

I like this too... House Stark as the people's choice feels right.

Lord Ramsay's quote may foreshadow that one day he is cooked to a crisp and subsequently eaten.

[Axon]

Ramsay Bolton meets Epic Meal Time