R+L=J XXV

[Alia of the knife]

"The Jade Compendium" - here's the bit:

“Lord Snow,” Maester Aemon called out, “I left a book for you in my chambers. The Jade Compendium. It was written by the Volantene adventurer Colloquo Votar, who traveled to the east and visited all the lands of the Jade Sea. There is a passage you may find of interest. I’ve told Clydas to mark it for you.”

“I’ll be sure to read it.”

Maester Aemon wiped his nose. “Knowledge is a weapon, Jon. Arm yourself well before you ride forth to battle.”

CSI Westeros

Thanks! :drunk:

[Alia of the knife]

OK obviously Jon has a major role to play and based on his looks he is part Stark. I don't believe he is Ned's son in any case nor Lyanna's. I believe he is Brandon Stark's son and Ashara Dayne's. At the tournament of Harrenhal there was the rumor that a Stark beded Ashara and I don't think that this fits to Ned's profile. Martin has already confessed that there are unreliable narrators and maybe Barristan is one when he confirms that Ashara's stillborn baby was in fact a girl. We don't even know for sure if Ashara's death was even suicide (or murder?) or the reasons for it. In any case her death left infant Jon (not stillborn of course) to be raised by Ned since his brother was also dead.

Another argument to this is that according to what we learn about Rhaegar it would be completely against his nature to sleep with another woman, especially a betrothed maid from a great house and while he himself was married and dishonor himself.

And I think up until he actually fell in love, that would have been true.

His marriage was a political alliance, and while he was fond of his wife, he just didn't love her.

Up until he met Lyanna, no, he would not have stepped out on his wife, kept a mistress, etc. which I why I tend to think that after finding out his wife was barren, he may have resolved to put her aside, because then, at least they wouldn't be living a lie, and her son would still be King one day.

And while many couples endured political alliances, and suffered because of duty, I get the feeling that Rhaegar just was not able to do that, (maybe because he was honest), and maybe used prophesy for two-fold reasons:

One, he did believe it, but two, it also justified what he did.

Prophesy aside, he would need another heir beyond Aegon, in case something happened to him.

IMHO, of all the POV's, Selmy's is the most reliable. Griff and Cersei are the ones questionable to me.

And when Selmy tics off all the Targ. loves, he doesn't do it from, "oh this is a good thing," no, he quite objectively called those loves "slow poisons," and ruinous to the well-being of the Kingdom.

Perhaps he has a blind spot with Ashara, and doesn't want to think she would let herself be seduced by a player like Brandon.

I do think she probably fell for Brandon, but he moved on, so she turned to Ned, which would really bring to light some interesting dynamics in the Stark pack.