Canon Claude

I know it’s a bit of a stretch, but I can’t help suspecting that Helaena’s death was Larys’ work. We know that he was secretly hiding out in the city to sow discord and turn the people against Rhaenyra, and I feel like if Helaena was going to kill herself, she could have done it long before she actually died. Larys knows the city better than most, he’s quite happy to commit murder, and he could have realised that Helaena’s murder would be taken badly by the people of King’s Landing. Plus it means that Aegon II will be free to remarry and father more children.

Here’s two more: Stannis and Aegon III Younger sons who are emotionally traumatized from watching their mothers die in front of them. They both also blame themselves for their younger brothers’ deaths (justifiably or not). Stannis and Aegon also have zero interest in martial prowess or art or playing the courtly games. They’re both brooding loners with only a few close confidants (Davos, Gaemon, Viserys). Neither of them is much interested in sex (though Aegon got the better end of that deal). They talk of bringing justice to the realm, oozing contempt for the nobles who stand in their way every time. Robert and Aegon IV Both of them are promising young men who turn into fat wastrels that tear the kingdom apart upon their deaths because of the legitimacy (or illegitimacy) of their heirs. They welp bastards on a variety of women, including their own cousins.

That’s not the point I was trying to make. A king ordering a Kingsguard to kill themselves is doing it to get rid of that particular guard, since they serve for life. Marston Waters even declares that they would fall upon their swords if Aegon III commanded it once he came of age. And frankly, I feel like Aegon would have been tempted to make Marston do that as vengeance for helping Aegon II. Plus it clears the way for a more loyal Kingsguard of Aegon’s own choosing. And yes, Joffrey might have done that with Barristan, ordering an old man to kill himself so a younger man could replace him. Assuming that that’s an option.

You forgot about Sansa.

The god and goddess of love and beauty.

I’m aware of that. I’m an atheist too. I was just trying to create a specific hypothetical scenario. I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand.

Rereading FAB, this little addition to the Dance of the Dragons chapter is very curious. It seems random to include it at all, since it seems so ridiculous of a story. Prince Jacaerys is an envoy trying to find allies for his mother’s cause as war looms. Why would he (a) waste time on a random dalliance-turned-elopement and (b) why would he risk infuriating Cregan Stark with the aforementioned dalliance? Given that this series is about the song of ice and fire, though, and given how strange it is, even by Gyldayn’s own writing, I can’t help but suspect that this bond will play a role in the main series somehow.

I asked a specific question in the title. I have set up the parameters. If this hypothetical question is not to your liking, you are welcome to ignore it.

Let’s assume that agnosticism and atheism are not options.

Let’s say that you are transported to Planetos now. We still don’t know which of the gods are real, which ones aren’t. You have to choose a faith to join. Which one do you pick?

Gregor probably just did it for fun. He’s not one for conspiracies and sneaky orders. He’s far too blunt of an instrument for that. It’s more about what his master intends. If Tywin wants someone to suffer, he turns the Mountain loose on them because he knows that’s the Mountain’s MO. As to the above question, I feel like it’s possible that someone arranged for the Mountain to face off against Ser Hugh specifically to silence Ser Hugh, but that’s still leaving a lot to chance.

Marriage is a two-way street. Maybe Selyse was making Stannis miserable too. They definitely seem like they would bring out the worst in each other. Robert and Jon Arryn clearly screwed them over with this marriage.

Not to mention that Gaemon is descended from the Green faction. A conspiracy would have emerged to kill off Aegon III and replace him with Gaemon. And that’s not me saying that Gaemon would actively conspire against Aegon, it could easily be done without Gaemon’s knowledge.

To be fair, Gaemon wasn’t in a position of great privilege. A cupbearer was just a personal servant position, one which promises no rank or titles or even a promotion. He was also the food taster, which meant that he would potentially die to save Aegon’s life (that’s what ended up happening too). And thirdly, he became the whipping boy for Gareth to abuse in order to blackmail Aegon.

I figured this wasn’t a thing, or else Joffrey would have ordered one of his men to do it just for fun. Admittedly, I’m thinking of it again based on what Marston Waters says in “Fire and Blood” about his obedience to the king. It could have just been him trying to flatter Aegon out of the Red Keep, but would Aegon have had that power? Marston Waters stood by when his mother was eaten alive, after all. If Aegon was a truly vengeful person, could he have ordered Marston to slay himself? And would Marston then have done it?