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Prologues alternate Ice and Fire


Castellan

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Am I the last person to notice this pattern? I was skim reading the prologues for another reason and noticed it. I did a bit of searching and found a thread by Lordimp where he saw it as alternating north and south, with the southern scenes always involving masters. But I see it a little differently-
 
The Northern scenes all focus on an encounter with wights or Others - who are increasing mobilised. The southern scenes focus on fire in that they focus on people investigating/coming into contact with fire and blood magic which may oppose the others. The southern scenes also involve the conflict between maesters' ideas of knowledge and fire magic.
 
There is also a similarity in the pairs of scenarios, which I have tried to bring out in the summaries below.

AGOT - Ice - Will, Gared and Waymar encounter the Others after investigating evidence at the willing village and arguing among themselves, with Wymar's principles against Gared and Will's instinct and experience. At the end, Waymar finds his courage and challenges an Other with "Dance with me then" - the challenge is taken up, but Waymar is outclassed and his sword is shattered, whereupon the Other speaks some mocking words and Waymar is killed.

ACOK - Fire - On Dragonstone, The red witch newcomer to Westeros - Melisandre - is seen through Cressen's disapproving and sceptical eyes. He decides he must kill her and himself by sharing poisoned wine with her, but dies, watched knowingly by Melisandre who drinks the wine, unaffected.

ASOS - Ice - Chett is anxiously planning an uprising and desertion, but it has to be postponed due to snow. Rangers return to report the location and size of Mance's army. LC Mormont gathers the troops to tell them they will march in force against Mance's army. However, they all hear a ranger's horn sounding three times - the signal that the Others are attacking.

AFFC - Fire - In Oldtown, Pate is anxiously planning to hand over a key to the Citadel in exchange for enough money to sleep with Rosey. In the meatime we have Pate's observation of his fellow students arguing about the existence of dragons in the east and learning of Dany's involvement with them. Mollander drunkenly toasts Dany. Leo brings in the fact that Archmaester Marwyn himself may give the tales of dragons credence, and adds that there is a glass candle burning in Marwyn's chambers. Alleras says there are three dragons and Dany hatched them. Its true this is all within the framework of the plot of Pate's being hoodwinked and murdered by Jaquen in disguise, but the students' conversation and the presence of another person in disguise learning about dragons and Targaryeans (Alleras/Sallera) is just as important as Jaqen's arrival in Oldtown.

ADWD - Ice - back in the North, Varamyr's luck has run out and he ends up helpless and confronted by the wight of Thistle, the woman he was hoping to occupy.

I guess the main interest of this kind of pattern is for those who want to predict the next prologue - so predict away, if you want. Meanwhile I'm going to go back and reread the epilogues.

 

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Hey. This is interesting. 

That means TWOW should be fire themed and we know per George that Jeyne Westerling is involved somehow. Interesting. I'll have to think on a bigger guess after coffee. 

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27 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Hey. This is interesting. 

That means TWOW should be fire themed and we know per George that Jeyne Westerling is involved somehow. Interesting. I'll have to think on a bigger guess after coffee. 

That doesn't bode well for Jeyne, does it? I wouldn't like to be in a prologue myself! 

I suppose there is a tiny connection to fire & blood because Jeyne's great grandmother was Maggy, a maegi brought from the east by Jeyne's grandfather. But that may be irrelevant. I am wondering if these events will happen at Casterly Rock, or on the way there, or if the theories that its not really Jeyne are true, and she'll pop up somewhere else.

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29 minutes ago, Bowen Marsh said:

The prologue for TWOW will take place outside of Mereen.  The POV could be Barristan or Tyrion. 

I agree the first chapters will probably be in Mereen, but sometimes the prologue is quite remote in location and plot from chapter 1.

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14 minutes ago, Castellan said:

That doesn't bode well for Jeyne, does it? I wouldn't like to be in a prologue myself! 

Haha. No kidding. 

14 minutes ago, Castellan said:

I suppose there is a tiny connection to fire & blood because Jeyne's great grandmother was Maggy, a maegi brought from the east by Jeyne's grandfather. But that may be irrelevant. I am wondering if these events will happen at Casterly Rock, or on the way there, or if the theories that its not really Jeyne are true, and she'll pop up somewhere else.

Actually, Casterly Rock isn't a bad bit of speculation. I also seems that the places we see in the prologue are visited again later in the story, and we have both Cersei who may try and flee to CR, and Tyrion who may "go home" and claim CR in some way. Interesting. 

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1 hour ago, LordImp said:

@Castellan There is definetly a pattern im the prologues and I like your thinking about Ice and fire . The TWOW prologue could involve Stoneheart and the BwB whom are connected to fire . 

 

I have thought of that, but I think Jaime & Brienne will be there, and Jaime likely killed. It is so depressing to think of that happening as soon as I open the book!

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