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Kal-L

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  1. Firstly, in my opinion it's important to point out that the Tyrells doesn't represent the Reach as a whole. I do think that Mace Tyrell will be defeated by Aegon and (mostly) Jon Connington in his second attempt at taking Storm's End. From that point onward, I wouldn't be surprised if Randyll Tarly (the best soldier of the reach) betrayed the Tyrells and joined Aegon. I would be very surprised If Varys hadn't at least counted on that when he chose to deal with the skilled members of Tommen's council that could represent a danger to Aegon... The Starks are doing their own thing so in the first stage of Daenerys's conquest, I don't see any interaction happening between them. Still I don't see the North ever getting back to a place fealty to the Targaryens so I guess there will be problems if it comes to that. The Martells will become Dany long lasting ennemies. She will most likely destroy Sunspear and it residents but not without having taken the kind of wounds that hurt long after the battle.
  2. Very unpopular take here but Robert was no more ruthless towards the Targaryens than they had previously been towards him.
  3. I forgot about that one but Longclaw having to be Blackfyre simply because it is wielded by a suspected Targaryen is one theory I particularly despise.
  4. Especially when one of the sources happens to be Cersei Lannister.
  5. I don't even hate these theories but at this point these are beyond stupid to me : Any theories about Jon's parentage that doesn't include Rhaegar and Lyanna. At this point, the debate should be about how it happened and the respective motivation of the protagonists. Anytime I see Ashara Dayne mentioned is a red flag to me. Ned Stark and Ashara Dayne being the parent of Allyria Dayne. Aside of the fact that since the revelation we got from ADWD (coupled to the numerous holes N+A theory included), the belief that Ned was Ashara's lover makes no sense to me, the idea that Ned would have produced a bastard at Harrenhal is reaching an extreme level of irrationality.
  6. I agree that Jaime's recounting of the events is kind of blurred, mainly because Jaime was a fifteen boy lost in all the scheming that was taking place in the realm. The Great Tourney of Harrenhal, Lyanna's crowning, Rhaegar and his goons disappearance, the kidnapping of Lord Rickard's daughter and Brandon's reaction are merely the front. All that string of events that led to the fall of the Targaryens' dynasty quickly came one after another before someone could even attempt to stop it. It's normal for someone like Jaime to have a blurred memory of the event that took place and their exact chronology. What we know is that Brandon and his friends rode towards King's Landing with Ned's brother calling out for Rhaegar. What happened before that, did they come across some members of Rhaegar's factions who were with him when he left Dragonstone (JonCon, Myles Mooton...) ? What happened after that, did the wild wolf immediatly submitted when Aerys ordered his arrestation (somehow I really doubt that) ? Well it appears to me that Lord Rickard was kind of an odd-ball in the Starks's history, looking towards the South with far more interest that any Stark before him. He betrothed his eldest son and heir to a follower of the seven (we know that the marriage with Cat introduced the Starks to that new faith), and did the same with his only daughter sending her far away from the North regardless of her feeling about the marriage. If we compare that to the most notorious Lord Winterfell of the Targaryen's era, Cregan Stark who fathered five daughters (all unmarried for now), we can observe a huge difference of attitude in both Lords's view of the interest of their children and their relationship to the South (one introduced the seven in the North, the ther spread to old gods in the Riverlands). If anything Lyanna might not even have been interested in running with Rhaegar had she not been betrothed against her will far away from her home... It's most likely the first option. One should not forget that Bran is merely an eight-year-old's kid who has very basic knowledge of his family's history. Not even Cat knew about Rickard and Brandon's horrible fate and in her case I doubt she was spared because of her age.. It's more likely that bringing on the circumstances behind his father (burned alive) and his brother (strangled to death) was so harsh to Ned that he'd rather not mention it. He was kind of sparring himself in a way.
  7. Interesting, do you have a theory on Dawn's origins and how it would have come in the Starks hand and then in the Daynes's. I imagine it will involve the roots of both Houses and their distant relationship dating from the Age of Heroes.
  8. I would also add that Brandon's original purpose was to provoke Rhaegar in duel, meaning that Elbert Arryn, Kyle Royce and Jeffory Mallister would have potentially accompanied him as his "seconds" - and logically (in Aerys's mind) paid for the crime of defying House Targaryen alongside Brandon - while Ethan aside of his young could have been seen (and portrayed by some benefactor) as a simple obedient vassal.
  9. That's a good question. My "in-universe" theory is that she wants the Boltons to know of her supposed past affair with Brandon as well as the ambition of her family to explain her hatred for the Starks (and so her support of Roose Bolton). However I also think it's her way to defuse any doubt about any potential suspicion on her part over Roose's official version of Domeric's murder whose signature doesn't match with Ramsay's savage hand. She knows the truth and the reason behind it. My "out-universe" theory is that GRRM's gardening writing style led him to want to add some new characteristic to Brandon's character for multiple reasons which led him to quickly insert that rather awkwardly written scene. In the same book we also have new inklings about the story of Ashara Dayne that involved a Stark who would -in Barristan's mind- have dishonored her. Additioning both new elements, we come to the obvious conclusion GRRM was -far too- blatantly leading us to. That's also why I'm quite ambivalent regarding Theon and Barbrey's talk in the crypt.
  10. Pretty much this. While Tywin is a terrible father and a horrible human being overall, we have to take into account the context surrounding the characters. Lord Rickard Stark attempted to marry his eldest son and his only daughter to complete strangers (at the time the pact were made), and we know how it ended. Was Rickard a cruel unloving father ? I don't think so, I think he was man of his time, like King Aegon V.
  11. How so ? Ned was fostered in the Vale of Arryn, why couldn't the contrary be true as well ? Besides the Starks had been linked to the Vale and House Royce since the beginning of that century with Lord Beron's Stark's marriage with Lorra Royce, followed by Jocelyn Stark's (Lord Rickard's aunt) marriage with Benedict Royce. It's very likely that Elbert Arryn and Kyle Royce would have been fostered at Barrowtown along with Brandon. We know from Barbrey Ryswell that her husband Lord Willam Dustin had a great-uncle who was a veteran of the War of the ninepenny kings and an uncle known for his great prowess at arms. That's quite a good setting to raise young noble men. I would also add that Brandon wasn't attached to Winterfell, for all we know, he could have befriended Jeffrey Mallister at the Tourney of Harrenhal or during one of his visits to the Tullys at the Riverrun. Robert and Ned represented a real danger to him and his son as they were powerful enough to attempt to avenge the murder of Rickard and Brandon - which they did in the end. Ethan Glover on the other hand was a mere kid who might have been spared at the request of someone in Aerys' good grace who knew it was a life that could be spared.
  12. Brandon's actions indicate that he thought Rhaegar and his accomplices had brought Lyanna at King's Landing (Why there instead of Dragonstone ? They were probably led on towards that destination, coming to the conclusion that Rhaegar probably wouldn't want to offend his wife by bringing his mistresse at home.) Anyway it's verly likely that Ethan was spared because of his age and as Brandon's squire and "vassal" from the North, unlike the others young men, he was bound to follow his master. Note that we don't what happened after (and even before) Brandon was heard shouting Rhaegar to "come out and die"; somehow I can't see the "wild wolf" submitting without a fight... Perhaps the gravity of what took place that day is more important that we might have suspected.
  13. Artos Stark. He was strongest of his pack and yet never took advantage of it to usurp his nephew. The Starks had known several crisis after the death of Lord Cregan and his elder son Rickon and Artos usurping Willam and Melantha's son while easily done at first could have had terrible consequences for the the House and so for the North. Props to him for proving he was as wise as he was fierce. As a bonus I also particularly appreciate his "avenger" side, personally slaying the man who beheaded his brother, that's a real badass move.
  14. GRRM made sure that no non-valyrian looking Targaryen ever ascended the Iron Throne and I doubt the intention was to start with Rhaegar's son. If Jon ever rule Westeros, it won't be as a classic Targaryen. He will most likely be the King of Winter until the end of the Long Night.
  15. I would like to talk about marriages/alliances between families that kind of baffle me at first sight. The first one is the marriage of Ysilla Royce, daughter of Lord Yohn Royce with the young Mychel Redfort. I always found this match-up strange, why would the second most powerful man of the Vale marry his daughter to the fourth son of a less prestigious family ? It's not even a love match as the young Redfort had a rather known affair with Mya Stone, Robert's bastard. With House Royce's recent death rate, the young Redfort definitely hit the jackpot, but what is in for Ysilla's family ? There is also the mariage of Jocelyn Stark, Lord Rickard's aunt, with a younger son of a minor branch of House Royce ! Before that, the only known daughter of a Lord of Winterwell to have been married south the Neck had been Lord Torrhen Stark's daughter - to the great dismay of her family. I know that Jocelyn's father Lord Willam had been long dead at that point but what could have led to that strange match-up ? Remember that if anything happened to Lord Edwyle or his only son Rickard, she would supposedly become the heir of Winterfell (maybe there is something to dig there...). The Lannisters makes a big deal out of Gemma's wedding with Lord Frey's second son, probably with reasons, yet Gemma's fate is apparently far from an isolated case. What are your thoughts on these matches ? Do you have others strange/unequal deals in mind ?
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