Jon Connington from exile to apotheosis, two ADWD chapters

[Lummel]

This thread is a spin off from Rereading Tyrion to look at the two Jon Connington chapters in ADWD. Because of this the chapters will be posted to follow on from the preceding Tyrion chapter.

[Lummel]

The Lost Lord – Jon Connington I

ADWD chapter 25, pp 306-319 (hardback 1^st edition)

Overview

Jon Connington waits on Haldon, then rides with him and Aegon to the Golden Company's camp. In a war council with the officers of the company Aegon convinces them to attack Westeros.

There is an atmosphere of heat, people are sweating, impatient and sour. We see Jon Connington's

irritation and frustration, giving away to guilt and a sense of loss with flashes of annoyance. We are conscious of his resentment of Illyrio and Varys, this seems to be an insult to his sense of Lordly dignity. Connington's state of mind colours the chapter and he is dismissive of people who do not enthusiastically support his cause. Connington is the first born Lord to be a POV since The Ned in AGOT but is plainly a very different person.

Observations

• “Haldon alone could not be trusted; he had proved that in Selhorys when he let the dwarf escape.”p306
  
• Plans going awry “Very little of what the fat man has anticipated has come to pass”p308, '“Which plan? Said Tristan Rivers' p317
  
• “The Imp was clever enough to have conspired in his own escape”p308
  
• “Flowers is a bastard name...” p310 not quite Prince Charming
  
• “Myles had been possessed of jug ears, a crooked jaw, and the biggest nose that Jon Connington had ever seen. When he smiled at you, though, none of that mattered” p311 Lord Varys – potential evidence of a romantic relationship between the two
  
• “Ghosts and liars, Griff thought, as he surveyed their faces. Revenants from forgotten wars, lost causes, failed rebellions, a brotherhood of the failed and the fallen, the disgraced and the disinherited. This is my army. This is our best hope.”p313
  

Analysis

Mummery, theatre and deceit

One of the themes to emerge from Tyrion's POV chapters is mummery, acting and the playing of roles. This is something continued in the Connnington chapter. The Shy Maid is tied up next to a mummers' barge. Connington prefers not to arrive by water, but instead spends time and money aquiring horses simply so that he can make an appropriately theatrical entrance. However we have to ask who was watching? There arrival was unheralded, they have to wait at the gate for a captain to turn up – there arrival is a non-event.

Mummery and deceit is continued within the camp. Connington reflects that many men who join the company go under false names, even claiming nobles name for themselves. In contrast Connington has hidden his noble surname, a rumour was put out that he had died and he has been living under the assumed identity of the sellsword 'Griff'.

We might also wonder if his hidden sexuality is also part of the mummery theme, but finally we have the prospect of a mercenary company pretending to be a royal army.

Silver Queen and Silver Prince

The silver could here be simply referring to their hair colour, but it is a troubling epithet. Silver is less valuable than gold, it implies the secondary and second best it is prone to tarnish standing in contrast to the Golden Company – the gilded skulls seem to speak to a living tradition. Connington's reflections on Rhaegar still seem golden, but will there be some revelation that will tarnish his memory in Westeros? Daenerys certainly seems tarnished from the perspective of the Golden Company. She is too distant and has failed to fall into their plans and expectations.

Dreams, memories and reflections

For Jon Connington "The past is never dead. It's not even past." We learn that last night he'd dreamt of Stoney Sept again...p307 just as we know that the second Mrs de Winter began her story "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again". Connington's narrative is regretful. The bells haunt him still. He has endured indignities on account of the guilt and sense of failure that he has carried with him into exile. Memory provides a powerful motivation for his actions.

Exile and apotheosis

The prospect of a return from exile allows a rebirth for Jon Connington, a resurrection, since the claim was that he was dead. An interesting comparison will be Tyrion Lannister who also resurfaces to reclaim his own identity at the end of ADWD. Identity and the loss of identity is a strand running through many of the characters stories, we have to wonder if Connington or any of the other characters can truly return across the Lethe.

All page references are to the hardback 1st edition of ADWD. Pagination was the same for the UK and USA printings.

[Loras]

Mummery, theatre and deceit

One of the themes to emerge from Tyrion's POV chapters is mummery, acting and the playing of roles. This is something continued in the Connnington chapter. The Shy Maid is tied up next to a mummers' barge. Connington prefers not to arrive by water, but instead spends time and money aquiring horses simply so that he can make an appropriately theatrical entrance. However we have to ask who was watching? There arrival was unheralded, they have to wait at the gate for a captain to turn up – there arrival is a non-event.

Mummery and deceit is continued within the camp. Connington reflects that many men who join the company go under false names, even claiming nobles name for themselves. In contrast Connington has hidden his noble surname, a rumour was put out that he had died and he has been living under the assumed identity of the sellsword 'Griff'.

We might also wonder if his hidden sexuality is also part of the mummery theme, but finally we have the prospect of a mercenary company pretending to be a royal army.

Identity is a huge theme for all of the characters throughout both 'Feast' and 'Dance'. The character of Jon Connington is particularly well drawn through his two chapters.

I like the allusions that you drawn through the mummery theme that has been prevalent in this particular Essos storyline. You have mentioned the horses as a signal of strength, or to give the party more gravitas compared to arrival by either boat or on foot.

This isn't the first time that this has been brought up, back in 'A Game of Thrones', when Dany was travelling with the Dothraki we understand how Viserys would have been treated without a horse. He would have been referred to as Khal Rhaggat - or the cart king. A certain nobility or status is associated with horses, not just in Essos but in the Seven Kingdoms generally.

Connington's sexuality is a contentious issue in the fandom, though I have never seen the suggestion of Jon having a relationship with Myles Toyne before reading this thread. There is a certain wistful and remorse to Jon's chapters. He has a very romantic tone in his chapters, but it is tonged with tragedy.

Something that could be added to your list would be Jon hiding his greyscale and masquerading as a whole and healthy soldier.

Dreams, memories and reflections

For Jon Connington "The past is never dead. It's not even past." We learn that last night he'd dreamt of Stoney Sept again...p307 just as we know that the second Mrs de Winter began her story "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again". Connington's narrative is regretful. The bells haunt him still. He has endured indignities on account of the guilt and sense of failure that he has carried with him into exile. Memory provides a powerful motivation for his actions.

I don't know whether I agree that it is memory that motivates Connington or failure. The melancholy that permeates his chapters is palpable. I think that it is a need for redemption that motivates Jon rather than anything else!

[Lummel]

The idea about Myles Toyne wasn't mine, I've borrowed it from lord Varys, who was the first person I saw mention it.

Good point on the greyscale, since that creates his hidden motivation to move quickly

[Fire Eater]

To end the Usurper's line for good and all.

All those years of exile, guilt and hate have changed him into a better military leader, but in some ways have changed him for the worse. He is not above killing children to achieve goals it would seem. It would be ironic in that cersei passed her children off as Robert's to protect them, and now it seems that lie is going to be the reason for their endangerment.

What does he [bittersteel] have to grin about? He died defeated and alone, a broken man in an alien land.

Why is Bittersteel smiling? Could it be because Connington is about to have the GC move to place a Blackfyre on the IT?

Anyone else seem to think that Connington has some Hannibal influence?

[the Scorpion Knight]

Why is Bittersteel smiling? Could it be because Connington is about to have the GC move to place a Blackfyre on the IT?

maybe bittersteel is finding the joke that the GC will put a red dragon hilarious

[Ragnorak]

First an aside.

It was a camp that even Arthur Dayne might have approved of—compact, orderly, defensible.

Jaime has much the same thought. What is it with Arthur Dayne and defensible camps? If Rhaegar had just dispensed with the tower love shack and let Dayne set up camp in a romantic field, Ned never would have stood a chance.

Love the entire mummery theme you lay out, Lummel. What are we to make of the contrast between the mummer's boat and the idle one?

between a listing poleboat that had not left the pier in years and the gaily painted mummers’ barge.

Boat's are made for sailing. It matches the idle status of the GC and Aegon.

Trust no one and keep your dragon close. Tyrion gave the advice to Aegon but it is Connington who seems to have taken it to heart despite what he tells Aegon about leal service. He doesn't trust Haldon, Varys, Illyrio, the officers of the GC, and he always keeps his young dragon close.

In addition to everything you pointed out, silver is prefered by Littlefinger and stands in contrast to Lannister gold. It is more subtle than gold but can buy men just the same. Roose was "bought" by his plump wife's weight in silver. I'm reminded of LF fearing the sheep not the shepards. Silver buys the sheep but usually one needs gold to buy the metaphorical shepard lords.

There's also a couple of red and gold references which is usually a Lannister one.

The sun was reddening the western sky and painting scarlet shadows on the golden skulls

Alone in the tent, as the gold and scarlet rays of the setting sun shone through the open flap

It wasn't just the quality of the horses that I noticed. There seemed to be a mount theme in general. Connington notices the elephants and thinks no horse in Westeros could stand against them and they talk of dragons as well.

It seems Haldon came from the Golden Comapny too since he's recognized and greeted like an old companion. Connington, Haldon, and Duck all came from the GC. I floated Wenda the White Fawn as a possibility for Lemore. Here we learn Lemore is a Lady and probably not a true Septa (unless I'm wrong about Septa trumping Lady as a title once that religious path is chosen.) There may be a GC connection to Lemore too. Wife, daughter, betrothed of an exiled lord? She has reason to hide herself. Someone who fled an undesirable arranged marriage?

[Winterfellian]

One of the themes to emerge from Tyrion's POV chapters is mummery, acting and the playing of roles. This is something continued in the Connnington chapter. The Shy Maid is tied up next to a mummers' barge. Connington prefers not to arrive by water, but instead spends time and money aquiring horses simply so that he can make an appropriately theatrical entrance. However we have to ask who was watching? There arrival was unheralded, they have to wait at the gate for a captain to turn up – there arrival is a non-event.

Mummery and deceit is continued within the camp. Connington reflects that many men who join the company go under false names, even claiming nobles name for themselves. In contrast Connington has hidden his noble surname, a rumour was put out that he had died and he has been living under the assumed identity of the sellsword 'Griff'.

Thanks for the great spin off Lummel! I really like your observations about the theme of mummery. To contribute a little to this I want to point out that the radical proposal to make way to Westeros, didn't come from the prince. He was merely Tyrion's puppet. The Golden Company and Griff are being tricked because they think that is Aegon the one making the call, where in reality is Tyrion.

What's more, in his last chapter Tyrion donned the mask of the "twisted little monkey" man when he gave his infamous advice to Aegon:

But what do I know...I am just some twisted little monkey man. Still, I'd do things differently...

Tyrion gives his advice not as a Lannister, Yollo, or Hugor Hill. He does it while adopting what it looks to be his least threatening mummer's mask/identity- the twisted monkey man. I think Tyrion's choice of mask is what makes the advice more "friendly" in Aegon's eyes.

[Fire Eater]

Myles had been possessed of jug ears, a crooked jaw, and the biggest nose that Jon Connington had ever seen. When he smiled at you, though, none of that mattered

Compare this to Jon's description of Ygritte: When she grinned, the crooked teeth didn't seem to matter.

So there probably was something going on between them.

He had failed Prince Rhaegar once. He would not fail his son, not whilst life remained in his body.

Do you think he will come to aid Rhaegar's actual remaining son?

"You look a proper prince," he told the boy. "Your father would be proud if he could see you now."

Interesting use of words; "would" instead of "would have been", Griff is speaking in a tense that gives the impression that Aegon's father is alive. This foreshadows the reveal of Illyrio as Aegon's father.

[Lummel]

...What is it with Arthur Dayne and defensible camps? If Rhaegar had just dispensed with the tower love shack and let Dayne set up camp in a romantic field, Ned never would have stood a chance.

:laugh:

...What are we to make of the contrast between the mummer's boat and the idle one?

Yes I think that was an interesting choice. It makes me think of a Venn diagram. The Shy Maid - or her cause, or her occupants are broken down (all orphans) but they are pretending to be something that they are not.

The horses caught my eye because the theatre is pointless. Nobody was watching out for their arrival and it created extra work. Had they sailed down then the chests could have been unloaded immediately too. But Connington doesn't want anybody to see his Aegon that way. He is going out of his way to put on a pretence.

But then we see that the Golden Company put on a pretence too - they make him wait - yet apparently all the officers know what is going to happen, so they are quite happy to make the potential king wait too. Interesting.

...What's more, in his last chapter Tyrion donned the mask of the "twisted little monkey" man when he gave his infamous advice to Aegon:

Tyrion gives his advice not as a Lannister, Yollo, or Hugor Hill. He does it while adopting what it looks to be his least threatening mummer's mask/identity- the twisted monkey man. I think Tyrion's choice of mask is what makes the advice more "friendly" in Aegon's eyes.

That reminds me of the masks that ancient Greek actors used to play, there definietly a role playing element. I noticed that Aegon called Tyrion 'Yollo' when talking to Connington despite Tyrion having introduced himself to everybody on the boat as they passed the bridge of dream.

Myles had been possessed of jug ears, a crooked jaw, and the biggest nose that Jon Connington had ever seen. When he smiled at you, though, none of that mattered

Compare this to Jon's description of Ygritte: When she grinned, the crooked teeth didn't seem to matter.

So there probably was something going on between them.

He had failed Prince Rhaegar once. He would not fail his son, not whilst life remained in his body.

Do you think he will come to aid Rhaegar's actual remaining son?

"You look a proper prince," he told the boy. "Your father would be proud if he could see you now."

Interesting use of words; "would" instead of "would have been", Griff is speaking in a tense that gives the impression that Aegon's father is alive. This foreshadows the reveal of Illyrio as Aegon's father.

Striking observations. I like the Ygritte compassion. I doubt that Connington will get to live long enough to see his namesake, but it is a thought.

[Lykos]

I love the "Jon Connington living in the past" observation. The Greyscale has him turning into a stone statue a reminder of the past - he freezes in time, also Rhaegar is still "alive" in his mind ("your father would be proud") and he strives to resurrect - "wake" - Targaryen rule - "dragons" - from the past - "stone".

The Ygritte comparison is also awesome. The other Jon allied himself with Ygritte as a ruse, his true allegiance stayed true to the Watch, but when Ygritte died he integrated her cause into the Night´s Watch´s objectives.

[Lummel]

...I don't know whether I agree that it is memory that motivates Connington or failure. The melancholy that permeates his chapters is palpable. I think that it is a need for redemption that motivates Jon rather than anything else!

Coming back to this chapter I found the frustration and anger more apparent. He's angry at Haldane, at Tyrion, at Strickland. The next chapter I think is more melancholy.

...The Greyscale has him turning into a stone statue a reminder of the past - he freezes in time, also Rhaegar is still "alive" in his mind ("your father would be proud") and he strives to resurrect - "wake" - Targaryen rule - "dragons" - from the past - "stone"...

That is quite an image. Literally stuck in the past, a living statue.

It strikes me that the end of the chapter is fairly strange. Aegon is taken round to meet the cooks. It is very low key and contrasts with Connington's desire for a bit of theatre.

Clearly Illyrio has been dealing directly with the Golden Company and "Varys had been adamant about the need for secrecy. The plans that he and Illyrio had made with Blackheart had bee known to them alone" p 313 , so Connington wasn't party to those discussions either. This is a very compartmentalised plot.

More mummery - the spymaster that Connington mis-takes for woman at first glance.

[Elba the Intoner]

I love the "Jon Connington living in the past" observation. The Greyscale has him turning into a stone statue a reminder of the past - he freezes in time, also Rhaegar is still "alive" in his mind ("your father would be proud") and he strives to resurrect - "wake" - Targaryen rule - "dragons" - from the past - "stone".

The Ygritte comparison is also awesome. The other Jon allied himself with Ygritte as a ruse, his true allegiance stayed true to the Watch, but when Ygritte died he integrated her cause into the Night´s Watch´s objectives.

Yes I mentioned this in the Tyrion reread too. If Jon is the one to carry the greyscale to Westeros via his travels with the golden company in support of a dragon, perhaps this is what was meant by waking dragons from stone. I wonder if Aegon will contract greyscale. "Griff put a black-gloved hand upon Prince Aegon’s shoulder. “Spoken boldly,” he said, “but think what you are saying.”" Was it his right hand? He was wearing his glove but that may not be enough protection.

I agree with Loras that his chapters seem very melancholy. In fact Connington comes of as a tragic figure to me, especially if it turns out that Aegon is a fake. All he wants is to be able to do right by Rhaegar and it may be that he has been duped this whole time, and now he even has contracted greyscale and is running out of time altogether.

[Uncat]

To end the Usurper's line for good and all.

All those years of exile, guilt and hate have changed him into a better military leader, but in some ways have changed him for the worse. <snip>

On a sidenote to this: More and more, I get the feeling, that Tywin actually changed the way, the game is played. Westeros has always been harsh. But the Castamere-way, where you end things for once and for all by rooting out other noble families seems to be a new thing and it upsets the players, because it upens the stakes.

It has a feel of the failing Roman republic to me. For centuries the nobles fought each other with political means, until Marius returned from exile and killed his enemies. Later, his main adversary returned and took his turn in killing nobles. It al culminated in Ceasar and Augustus civil wars. After some half century of sheding noble blood, the winner, August made a new nobilitas - new Lords, so to say.

Bottom line: JonCons is not the only one who grew harder

[Loras]

Yes I mentioned this in the Tyrion reread too. If Jon is the one to carry the greyscale to Westeros via his travels with the golden company in support of a dragon, perhaps this is what was meant by waking dragons from stone. I wonder if Aegon will contract greyscale. "Griff put a black-gloved hand upon Prince Aegon’s shoulder. “Spoken boldly,” he said, “but think what you are saying.”" Was it his right hand? He was wearing his glove but that may not be enough protection.

I agree with Loras that his chapters seem very melancholy. In fact Connington comes of as a tragic figure to me, especially if it turns out that Aegon is a fake. All he wants is to be able to do right by Rhaegar and it may be that he has been duped this whole time, and now he even has contracted greyscale and is running out of time altogether.

One of the reasons that I hope that Aegon is the genuine article is because part of me could not bear to read Jon Connington's reaction to that reveal.

A parallel that I see with Jon Connington is with Odysseus from Homer's 'Odyssy'. Here is a quote from the wiki article on the character of Oddysseus:

Odysseus’ name means “trouble” in Greek, referring to both the giving and receiving of trouble—as is often the case in his wanderings. An early example of this is the boar hunt that gave Odysseus the scar by which Eurycleia recognizes him; Odysseus is injured by the boar and responds by killing it. Odysseus' heroic trait is his m&#275;tis, or "cunning intelligence": he is often described as the "Peer of Zeus in Counsel." This intelligence is most often manifested by his use of disguise and deceptive speech. His disguises take forms both physical (altering his appearance) and verbal, such as telling the Cyclops Polyphemus that his name is Ο&#8022;τις, "Nobody", then escaping after blinding Polyphemus. When asked by other Cyclopes why he is screaming, Polyphemus replies that "Nobody" is hurting him, so the others assume that, "If alone as you are [Polyphemus] none uses violence on you, why, there is no avoiding the sickness sent by great Zeus; so you had better pray to your father, the lord Poseidon".[6] The most evident flaw that Odysseus sports is that of his arrogance and his pride, or hubris. As he sails away from the island of the Cyclopes, he shouts his name and boasts that nobody can defeat the "Great Odysseus". The Cyclops then throws the top half of a mountain at him and prays to his father, Poseidon, saying that Odysseus has blinded him. This enrages Poseidon, causing the god to thwart Odysseus' homecoming for a very long time.

There are some glaring similarities between the two.

I think it is clear that Jon did have an inflated opinion of himself in his youth. He rose too high, too quickly. In his second chapter (not that I want to jump too far ahead) he recognises this in himself. He has evolved during his exile and his Odyssey. His sigil is the griffin; for which the symbolism includes wisdom and strength - two of the key character traits of Odysseus.

It is also interesting to note that Odysseus also used disguise, just as Jon has throughout his years in exile. Sometimes this has been physical and others it has been verbal. The development of the backstory of Griff and his son may well have been facilitated by Lord Varys but it certainly fits with the analogy. Though if Griff is Odysseus does this mean that Tyrion will fulfil the role of the Cyclops?

Jon's loneliness also mirrors that of Odysseus - who spends a deal of time at the beginning of the book mourning for friends lost in the war. This melancholy pervades Jon's chapters:

The bells tolled for us all that day. For Aerys and his queen, for Elia of Dorne and her little daughter, for every true man and honest woman in the Seven Kingdoms. And for my silver prince.

The bells are such an important recurring motif in the books. They signal times of change, or indeed impending change. Here they are signalling the end of a dynasty. The Battle of the Bells changed the course of the war, something that Jon clearly blames himself for.

Though there is also something inherently arrogant about this statement. He says that the bells tolled for all 'true men and honest women', I wonder whether this will have a significance when it comes to the alliances that Young Griff will make.

Though for me, one of the most compelling parallels between the two characters is their epic journeys. Connington is cast out by Aerys for failing at the Stoney Sept and loses himself amongst the lies and deceit of the Spider's web. He is in its very essence the 'Lost Lord', though soon he will return to his position as the Hand of the King, back home - the 'Griffin Reborn'.

Though the question remains as to whether it would be applicable to call Rhaegar - or indeed Rhaegar's Ghost - his "penelope".

- Sorry about the ramble...!

[Lady of Dragonstone]

I love the "Jon Connington living in the past" observation. The Greyscale has him turning into a stone statue a reminder of the past - he freezes in time, also Rhaegar is still "alive" in his mind ("your father would be proud") and he strives to resurrect - "wake" - Targaryen rule - "dragons" - from the past - "stone".

I am a fanatical reader of the Reread and Reexamine threads and have never commented before, but I would like to say this is one of the best interpretations for this line that I have ever read and my gears are grinding now, so thank you.

"Ghosts and liars. [...] This is our best hope." This, I feel, sums up this entire storyline. Is George trying to tell us something? Not only in the context of the character of the GC, but perhaps a deeper meaning such as Illyrio and Varys, - and the question of who, exactly, is Aegon?

Very interesting point about Lemore, also.

Back to lurking, now. Astounding insights here as always.

[Uncat]

Jon and Jon. There is only one other instance of a important character sharing the name of a Stark character, I think. Bloodraven Bryden is another form of Brandon and they have a connection. I wonder if that has something to say about Jon and Jonny here?

[Elba the Intoner]

One of the reasons that I hope that Aegon is the genuine article is because part of me could not bear to read Jon Connington's reaction to that reveal.

{snipped for space}

I know, right!? I hope he never finds out tbh. If the reveal comes I hope it's after Jon C. is dead.

Jon and Jon. There is only one other instance of a important character sharing the name of a Stark character, I think. Bloodraven Bryden is another form of Brandon and they have a connection. I wonder if that has something to say about Jon and Jonny here?

Well there's also Jon Arryn but he's dead by the time the story begins so I guess he's not that important of a character though his death is basically what starts everything off. Hmm, well if R=L=J is true, and if Aegon is a fake, then Jon C. is not working to put Rhaegar's true son on the throne at all though that is his intent and hope. I guess it's supposed to be ironic but again, as I said before this just makes me feel so sad for Jon Con. I wonder if Jon con's thought about how he will not fail Rhaegar's son as he failed Rhaegar foreshadows that he'll meet up with Jon Snow at some point? They are also connected by the greyscale threat, as Shireen is at the wall and she is the other character that has suffered from the childhood form of greyscale and thanks to Val's ravings to Jon Snow, there's now a hint that her greyscale is only sleeping and may wake up too.

[Uncat]

Two tragic lovestories connected by a name. Jon, the only good thing that came out of a love which cost the lover crown, family and life. Jon, the one man who could have saved the loved one from this doom but - eager to proof himself (before the beloved prince most of all?) - prepares the way for that doom.

Jon, the boy who newer knew his father and Jon, the man who was never recognized as a lover by that man, who fathered Jon.

Maybe I'm overinterpreting, but I would love to read something working into that direction! What a lovestory! Breaks my heart.

Oh, and Jon and Rheagar reminds me of Brienne and Renly. That kind of recreates the Jon-Rheagar thing on a smaller scale. Brienne is madly in love with a wonderfull prince/king. But that love is futil. But as with JonCon and Rheagar, the loved one is both married and not into the sex of the loving one. And on top of it, in both cases, the loved one found love not in his marriage but with yet another partner.

And when the doom comes, none of the two is able to protect the loved one, though both are the only thing standig between the loved one and the doom. Brienne finds no way to fight the shadow. Jon finds no way to get his hands on the slipping shadow which Robert became in Stony Sept.

Afterwards, both are exiled and need to rely on supportes who were enemies to the loved one. JonCon ends up with the ones promoting Blackfyre restauration (though he does not know it) and is possibly working with the father of the king to be. Brienne ends up with the mother of the rebellious King in the North.

Oh, and I could go on. Jon and Brienne both come across men who give their lives a new direction in exile (Jaime for Brienne, Myles Toyne for JonCon). That new direction is to run around homless in search of or fostering lost heirs as a way to make up for their failure. And then for both of them, there is this complication by conflicting commitments. For once, both "new men" are from the other faction. Toyne is from the GC wich seems to still hold true to Bittersteel and the Blackfyre cause, while Jamie is a Lannister. JonCon will eventually find out, that he is betrayed by his new partners (if Aegon is a BF) while Briennes new partner Cat feels betrayed by Briennes connection to Jaime.

Edit: Some typos...

[Lummel]

That is very convincing Uncat!

There this sense that for all the war and politics that love stories and unrequited love are powerful drivers in the story. The motivating force of Jon Connington's feelings for Rhaegar is incredible (well from my point of view anyway).

But in that sense Connington is already a stone man and a living statue. The bells are still ringing for him because he can't move on from Rhaegar's death and the fall of the house of Targaryen.

Bells suggest a call to wakefulness, but Connington is still pursuing the dream. He can't accept other people's criticisms of his dream either. See his thoughts on Strickland's objections. Connington thinks he is too afraid to fight (p316), that he is a coward (p317) - but we know that to be a mercenary you have to fight, and a cowardly mercenary (doubtless a great survivor) is really very unlikely to end up leading the most successful military unit in Essos. Strickland's objections are reasonable, they are running a huge risk, but that is not relevant to Connington.

ETA Is Connington a warning figure in the sense of this is what Tyrion could become, a man trapped in their own past, if he can't resolve his desire for vengeance?