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Wouldn't It Have Made More Sense for Robert to Give Theon to Stannis Rather Than Ned?


Arthur Dayne's Honor

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I mean its common knowledge how much IB culture is based around Naval Strength, so why wouldn't Robert have given Theon as a ward to Stannis, who is a great naval commander and has other good moral qualities. It would likely make Theon's ascent to the Lordship of Pyke and the Iron Islands easier, since he would have been tutored in naval strategy by one of the best in such fields.

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I mean its common knowledge how much IB culture is based around Naval Strength, so why wouldn't Robert have given Theon as a ward to Stannis, who is a great naval commander and has other good moral qualities. It would likely make Theon's ascent to the Lordship of Pyke and the Iron Islands easier, since he would have been tutored in naval strategy by one of the best in such fields.

Because Bob didn't wanted the last son of Balon greyjoy to be a naval commander like his uncles. True Stannis would have taught him many great things, but it was a good decision to send to north as IB raids were frequent there and thus north has the perfect bargaining chip.

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Because Bob didn't wanted the last son of Balon greyjoy to be a naval commander like his uncles. True Stannis would have taught him many great things, but it was a good decision to send to north as IB raids were frequent there and thus north has the perfect bargaining chip.

I think Stannis would have been smart enough to plant misinformation into his lessons to make sure that Theon can't use it against him.

"See, if you're ever at war with an entire continent, what you want to do is get a whole bunch of canoes. Like a buttload of canoes, right, and then use them like battering rams against larger ships. Also, dromonds and longships are way overrated -- the real secret to aquatic conquest are whitewater rafts. Trust me on this, I'm Stannis Baratheon and I never lie."

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I think Stannis would have been smart enough to plant misinformation into his lessons to make sure that Theon can't use it against him.

"See, if you're ever at war with an entire continent, what you want to do is get a whole bunch of canoes. Like a buttload of canoes, right, and then use them like battering rams against larger ships. Also, dromonds and longships are way overrated -- the real secret to aquatic conquest are whitewater rafts. Trust me on this, I'm Stannis Baratheon and I never lie."

Ahaha that would have been awesome and imagine Theon applying that logic when he fights the battle of blackwater. To be Fair, Stannis wouldn't not have lied to him.

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There's also the fact that Stannis has a very different sense of justice. Stannis was furious that Robert didn't execute Balon.



And, as has been pointed out, Stannis was a superior fleet commander to Balon and giving Theon inside information in how to improve wouldn't have been a good idea. He wasn't officially a hostage, but a ward. Ned was dutiful and actually trained him in some things and there's the chance that Stannis would've done something similar.


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I don't see how anyone couldn't foresee that the IB wouldn't respect him at all. Being trained by Stannis may give aid in such regards.

Well they wouldn't accept theon any-more if he stayed with Stannis. Stannis effectively started the demise of Greyjoy Rebellion when he crushed Victarion's Fleet at Battle of Fair Isle, till then Greyjoy Rebellion was going all smooth and after that battle it went all south.

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Well they wouldn't accept theon any-more if he stayed with Stannis. Stannis effectively started the demise of Greyjoy Rebellion when he crushed Victarion's Fleet at Battle of Fair Isle, till then Greyjoy Rebellion was going all smooth and after that battle it went all south.

i guess that's true. But, I'm sayin if he knew of how to sail and be a proper Naval Commander they may have given him more respect.
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Yeah, I thought this same thing before. Totally agree with you, 'Arthur Dayne's Honor'.

The logical answer to why not though, at least what I thought, was plot reasons. GRRM needed him to grow up in the North with the Starks.

Or maybe Robert just wasn't smart enough? Or Ned offered to afraid Robert would give him to Tywin.

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Yeah, I thought this same thing before. Totally agree with you, 'Arthur Dayne's Honor'.

The logical answer to why not though, at least what I thought, was plot reasons. GRRM needed him to grow up in the North with the Starks.

Or maybe Robert just wasn't smart enough? Or Ned offered to afraid Robert would give him to Tywin.

Robert didn't always do the logical thing. Giving a ward to his best friend in the whole world rather than a brother he scorns is the kind of emotional decision he would make. It's like him giving Storm's End to Renly; you're not going to find a coldly rational reason for doing so. He did it because he felt like it. I would be surprised if Robert even considered Theon's future lordship a factor.

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Why would Robert care about a krakenspawn's education and whether or not he'd be treated better? He needed someone he felt he could trust to handle their Greyjoy hostage/ward, and it's gotta be Ned.

Though it would be very interesting if Stannis had Theon as a ward, he always wanted a son. Selyse would probably just ignore Theon (like Cat did Jon). How would Theon treat Shireen? Theon would be a very different man, I would think.

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Though it would be very interesting if Stannis had Theon as a ward, he always wanted a son. Selyse would probably just ignore Theon (like Cat did Jon). How would Theon treat Shireen? Theon would be a very different man, I would think.

Stannis wanted Balon dead and considered Robert colossally stupid for accepting his surrender without killing him. He would have despised Theon and would not have allowed him anywhere near Shireen. Also, while Ned and Stannis both have rigid views of justice, Ned pretended Theon was merely a "ward" and not a "hostage." Stannis would've cut the crap and imprisoned Theon or forced him to perform menial jobs.

There's also the fact that Robert enjoyed giving important duties and honours to people other than Stannis and Renly. He didn't really like his brothers.

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Robert didn't always do the logical thing. Giving a ward to his best friend in the whole world rather than a brother he scorns is the kind of emotional decision he would make. It's like him giving Storm's End to Renly; you're not going to find a coldly rational reason for doing so. He did it because he felt like it. I would be surprised if Robert even considered Theon's future lordship a factor.

He probably did consider his future lordship a factor and giving him to Stannis to be educated in naval stratgey and warfare would have been beyond stupid. Why would you want to arm the heir of the man that you just defeated in a rebellion with the type of knowledge that might make him be able to defeat you if the he should rebel as well?

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