House Hightower??

[LordImp]

17 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

If Aegon tries to deal with Euron the man will kill him. He'll kill them all - Illyrio, Varys, Connington, the Martells. The man is a sorcerer. And he is a charismatic psychopath with connections to the Faceless Men who plays his cards very well. His enemies have nothing to challenge him. Nothing at all.

And even if he wasn't a sorcerer he has ships - Aegon hasn't any, nor has he any experienced admirals amongst his supporters. Paxter is a dead man rowing.

The Hightowers can't hope to gain anything from opposing Euron after he crushes the Redwyne fleet. He'll control the seas around Oldtown for years to come and they can do nothing about that.

They will ally with Euron to keep their city, their wealth, and their lives. They will not declare for some beardless fake Targaryen - and that's how they will see Aegon. The boy can conquer Westeros all day long - unless he conjures up some war galleys along with competent crews he has literally nothing to offer to the Hightowers. And to the southern Reach in general. They are at the mercy of King Euron now. If they don't bend the knee he'll ruin them all. And unlike Aegon or Tommen or Stannis he actually can do that.

Or does anybody think the Free Cities, the Summer Isles, the Ghiscari, the Ibbenese, the Qartheen, etc. will continue to do business with Oldtown and the adjacent lands if that means they have to risk losing their ships, cargo, and live to the hundreds or thousands of Ironborn long ships controlling the southern coasts and waters of Westeros? No? I thought so.

This is the most likely scenario I think. The Hightowers usually surrenders rather than fighting . If declaring for Euron will help them continuing with trade they will. This will also give Euron a strong army. 

[Lord Varys]

6 minutes ago, LordImp said:

This is the most likely scenario I think. The Hightowers usually surrenders rather than fighting . If declaring for Euron will help them continuing with trade they will. This will also give Euron a strong army. 

Exactly. And he needs a strong army if he is going to wreak some havoc in Westeros. He is not set up as the danger he clearly is to spent the remainder of the series to sitting on the Arbor or even in Oldtown. He has to control some regions in the mainland, and be able to marshal an army to actually challenge Aegon, Tommen, Daenerys, Stannis, etc. Else there would be little point to his character.

Cersei should eventually join Euron, too, but her armies could at best fight in his name eventually, not with him. That might be what a huge chunk of the Reach will be forced to do. The Lannister forces might only be able to marshal a new army sometime down the road.

And, of course, the Hightowers will just bide their time and wait for the first opportunity to cast off the Ironborn yoke once again or even backstab Euron during some campaign if the tide turns against him. Smiling eye or not, they are not going to love him.

[The Bard of Banefort]

I also think the Hightowers will declare for Aegon, only for Oldtown to eventually get torched by Daenerys, as was predicted during the Conquest.

Quote

"The realm is full of kings. For the Faith to exalt one above the rest we must be certain. Three hundred years ago, when Aegon the Dragon landed beneath this very hill, the High Septon locked himself within the Starry Sept of Oldtown and prayed for seven days and seven nights, taking no nourishment but bread and water. When he emerged he announced that the Faith would not oppose Aegon and his sisters, for the Crone had lifted up her lamp to show him what lay ahead. If Oldtown took up arms against the Dragon, Oldtown would burn, and the Hightower and the Citadel and the Starry Sept would be cast down and destroyed. Lord Hightower was a godly man. When he heard the prophecy, he kept his strength at home and opened the city gates to Aegon when he came." AFFC, Cersei VI

Mace Tyrell's wife is Hightower, so that could prove a complication. If I had to guess, I'm thinking Margaery will already be gone by the time Aegon comes knocking.