Stannis and his future: Textual Evidence supporting his next moves

[E-Ro]

Aurane Waters joining Stannis makes a lot of sense. While we don't know much about him, he did hint to Cersei that he would like his own lordship. No one in King's Landing is going to give him one now. However, once he hears how Stannis has not only beaten the Frey-Bolton alliance and is now backed by the lords of the North, but also has an open line of credit from the Iron Bank of Braavos... he's going to show up and pledge fealty. Worse case scenario for him, he just sails away.

Now, the wording says the mermaids blowing the sea shells will announce their arrival. We know Stannis would just hang Baelish, and Baelish knows this as well. So, it is hard to picture how his ship will show up and herald the coming of Stannis and/or Queen Selyse and/or Shireen and/or the Night's Watch.

I think Lf is going to be offed by sansa soon enough. So what he wants will become irrelevant.

[Constantinople]

I always understood that prophecy to be something a lot darker, to do with death. Patchface, after all, seemingly died after being lost at sea for days, and was then rediscovered. Couple that with Melisandre's serious dislike of the fool, and I think what Patchface is actually suggesting is quite sinister.

"'we will march into the sea and out again. Under the waves we will all ride seahorses and mermaids will blow great seashells to announce our coming, oh, oh, oh.''

By marching "into the sea", I'm thinking what he means is marching to their deaths, and then returning riding dead horses, with Others leading them. As for great seashells announcing their coming: how about the Horn of Joramun?

Maybe a bit "out there", as a theory, but I'm pretty sure there's something very unpleasant linked to Patchface, and I can't help myself but reading his talk of under the sea and mermaids as actually being talk of death and Others.

[Irelands Gemstone]

I think 'into the sea' literally translates as 'in the future'

On closer inspection it does seem like maybe those trumpeting are cheering Stannis' arrival. It could be, if this is how Stannis takes the throne that Sansa and the Vale, maybe littlefinger depending on his status as alive or dead take the Iron Throne and cheer the 'rightful' king as he comes to sit his rumpus on it.

George did say many more people would sit the throne. Stannis the Mannis has to be one of them.

[Lord of Beyond the Wall]

Stannis isn´t gonna leave the north alive, Ramsay Bolton will redeem himself when he kill this usurper.

[Rhymes with Weak]

Stannis isn´t gonna leave the north alive, Ramsay Bolton will redeem himself when he kill this usurper.

You will burn for this heretic...

[Lord of Beyond the Wall]

You will burn for this heretic...

Melisandre is not here :leaving:

[Irelands Gemstone]

Stannis is being set up to win the battle of Ice. And all of his previous experiences suggest he will do so.

Spoilers for tWoW theon sample chapter:

Stannis asks about the natural defenses of the area they are camped on (a frozen lake) and is told they have no manmade defences to which Stannis replies with "yet" implying he intends to build fortifications around the frozen lake. Keep in mind the Frey cavalry will be the first to break Stannis lines according to Roose, he intends to have Manderly follow up the Freys so they dont turn on his own Dreadfort men.

Freys will drown in the frozen lake as the horses hooves will shatter the ground and the plate will drown them. Manderlys will convert to Stannis as is being set up, and Lord Manderly himself claims.

How can you even doubt Stannis will win when George has told you otherwise in the text.

He also inquires as too how well his enemies know the ground, and he is told they dont.

[IRON BANK]

Stannis is being set up to win the battle of Ice. And all of his previous experiences suggest he will do so.

Spoilers for tWoW theon sample chapter:

Stannis asks about the natural defenses of the area they are camped on (a frozen lake) and is told they have no manmade defences to which Stannis replies with "yet" implying he intends to build fortifications around the frozen lake. Keep in mind the Frey cavalry will be the first to break Stannis lines according to Roose, he intends to have Manderly follow up the Freys so they dont turn on his own Dreadfort men.

Freys will drown in the frozen lake as the horses hooves will shatter the ground and the plate will drown them. Manderlys will convert to Stannis as is being set up, and Lord Manderly himself claims.

How can you even doubt Stannis will win when George has told you otherwise in the text.

He also inquires as too how well his enemies know the ground, and he is told they dont.

True: Stannis will win the next engagement quite easily. I think Sansa will get control of the vale one way or another. Manderly and Stannis will move down the west coast of westeros on land and sea probably clearing the way to his seat or moving down toward the twins.

[Irelands Gemstone]

Its my fourth re-read finished yesterday, I am making theories now as I remember from it, specifically looking at textual foreshadowing. I noticed that Tom O Sevens during the Siege of Riverun mentioned something about another wedding and played Raynes of Castamere in relation to Emmon Frey - I think the BwB are planning a red wedding of their own to be honest, I dont think Stannis and Manderly will go by land, too long and dangerous, as well as having the Trident to cross and Freys to fight, I do think it will be sweeping down by sea into a blackwater v2. Without Tyrion there, we all know how the Blackwater goes.

[Lord Egeman]

Something popped in my head: When he reveals Rickon, Manderly plans to use Shaggydog as proof for his legitimacy, IIRC. How is Sansa going to be revealed, then? Is her undyed hair and appearance enough?

One user claimed that Stannis is perfect to be manipulated by LF due to his sense of duty, similar to Ned. However, Ned didn't go along with LF because of duty, but because Cat told him to trust LF. He actually proved to be very trustworthy, then utterly betrayed him. Stannis, on the other hand, would not trust LF. Ned just met him and didn't know anything about the Southern players. Stannis spent his ~15 years in the small council, he knows what is LF's worth. If Stannis meets LF, he would order him to be executed on spot IMO.

Sansa, at the moment, has no army. She is getting very influential with Robert Arryn, though. I think LF will be undone by Sansa, as many suppose. Would he be out before the marriage? With LF gone, would she marry HtH? If she does, would she be able to manipulate him or Robert in an easier way?

On the issue of succession, Bran and Rickon is considered dead until Rickon is revealed, Jon is a man of the Night's Watch. He may not accept kingship, although this is the will of Robb, so he actually may to honor his dead brothers last desire. If he does not and Rickon is revealed and assuming everything goes well with Sansa(ruling the Eyrie and getting her marriage annuled, this being on good terms with Stannis), she may be the ruling regent of the North, and the Vale, and perhaps the Riverlands. LF is lord of Harrenhal, can Sansa, as Alayne, inherit the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands title through LF? Even if she can't do it like that, she can do it through Rickon if Riverlands join the North once again.

[Irelands Gemstone]

You know Bronze Yohn Royce nearly rebelled against Lysa when she didnt join her forces with Robb, the Vale lords are scrambling for a chance to go to war, they wont follow Littlefinger though, and it is unlikely they will let Robert Arryn order them into war, he is a boy after all, a sick one at that. Harry the Heir, the Young Falcon is too perfectly set up to actually inherit the Vale and the North, something will go wrong there.

I honestly think Yohn Royce will de-facto lead the Vale into war on the side of the North during the second Dance, on accounts that he didnt get to during the Wot5K.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Thread Revival: The original post was made by myself in 'Winds of Winter' part of the forum. It gained just over 23,000 views and 230 replies before going seemingly extinct.

The basis of this thread is to give parts of the text, particularly a prophecy by Patchface, seemingly a gibberish prediction context with some clever snippets of information.

''we will march into the sea and out again. Under the waves we will all ride seahorses and mermaids will blow great seashells to announce our coming, oh, oh, oh.''

This dosent make sense until you take it in one of two contexts.

a.) We will all ride seahorses means ... what? Velaryon ... remember him, Aurane Waters the bastard of Driftmark is the bastard son of a Velaryon (Stannis' high admiral) whose sigil is a seahorse.

- Spoilers for WoW but essential to the topic -

Aurane Waters has recently gone rogue with Cerseis new warfleet. Where he will end up is a mystery, but this suggests he will go to stannis.

OR

b.) this is the more unusual of the two options. The ship Sansa Stark and Petyr Baelish left kings landing on, its flag bore a Mermaid blowing a great seashell.

This seems to hint, that maybe Stannis, who needs to get his rumpus South, will do so on Velaryons stolen fleet ... with what army after his is caught in a battle of ice up North and nearly destroyed ... why a Vale army. Perhaps backing the rightful lady of the North, who will back Stannis as rightful King in the south. Littlefinger is devious and Stannis didnt care for him much however. This last part is simply my analysis, please offer any theories on it you make construe and post any information you might find.

1) I dig it.

2) I just can't see Stannis crawling into bed with Littlefinger. The Merling King is a Braavosi tradding galley. The Iron Bank of Braavos is backing Stannis.

[Lost Melnibonean]

I always understood that prophecy to be something a lot darker, to do with death. Patchface, after all, seemingly died after being lost at sea for days, and was then rediscovered. Couple that with Melisandre's serious dislike of the fool, and I think what Patchface is actually suggesting is quite sinister.

"'we will march into the sea and out again. Under the waves we will all ride seahorses and mermaids will blow great seashells to announce our coming, oh, oh, oh.''

By marching "into the sea", I'm thinking what he means is marching to their deaths, and then returning riding dead horses, with Others leading them. As for great seashells announcing their coming: how about the Horn of Joramun?

Maybe a bit "out there", as a theory, but I'm pretty sure there's something very unpleasant linked to Patchface, and I can't help myself but reading his talk of under the sea and mermaids as actually being talk of death and Others.

Stannis could be presumed dead in the south. (It's a little fuzzy now.) So they march into the sea and ride on Aurane's ships "under" the waves--unbeknownst to the pretenders in the south. They'll reemerge at the Blackwater with Tycho aboard the Merling King and the Iron Bank of Braavos will have its due.

[Irelands Gemstone]

2) I just can't see Stannis crawling into bed with Littlefinger. The Merling King is a Braavosi tradding galley. The Iron Bank of Braavos is backing Stannis.

Damm clever, George has left it very open ended, Justin Massey has departed to hire Sellswords with the Iron Banks money, it could be that the Vale is misleading, and Stannis actually lands to be greeted by a sellsword army ready for conquest ... but I want to know where is he landing to greet this army.

One thing is for certain though, Stannis survives the battle of Ice, even it says he dies, he warned Massay to continue even if he heard that he was dead. I think Stannis might play dead for a while. Dont know how or why, but I figure it might happen. This is extremely likely, I might edit my theory to include this if you dont mind, full credit due of course

[Facebookless Man]

Something popped in my head: When he reveals Rickon, Manderly plans to use Shaggydog as proof for his legitimacy, IIRC. How is Sansa going to be revealed, then? Is her undyed hair and appearance enough?

Almost every noble both North and South has seen Sansa and would recognize her, plus unlike Rickon she's not supposed to be dead. Hiding her is a far greater problem than revealing her.

[Señor de la Tormenta]

What if he needs the vales help to fight others? Them joining him doesn't have to be for a march on the south.

was a royce in the wall in the first chapter a random choice by Martin, or was it to show the vale houses still care about those things?

[Irelands Gemstone]

cutting in here, but in asnwer to my own question as to how Aurane Waters would know Stannis is at the wall: He was on Tommens small counsel as master of ships when the letter Jon Snow sent from the wall saying Stannis Baratheon was assisting him at the wall in defence of the realm was read aloud. Aurane knows Stannis is at the wall, and Jon sent a letter requesting help for both of them.

Edited for grammer :)

[Irelands Gemstone]

shameful self bump :P

[E-Ro]

Yeah aurane be def knows stannis is at the wall. I honestly think a ton of people are going to be surprised by just how far stannis makes it. I have a feeling he is gonna go all the way.

[Irelands Gemstone]

I think he will be the one on the Iron Throne during the second Dance of the Dragons, When Dany and Aegon are ripping each other new dragonholes, Stannis will be at war with .... who?