Here's Looking At You, Kid

Dany wants to focus her time in Meereen to emancipate the peninsula and end slavery. I think she will be resistant to take on the role of Azor Ahai at first. Leading the forces of Light against the forces of darkness is not in her radar yet. She will come around and sail west at some point in the last book of the series.

The series has been careful to avoid painting a clan with the same brush. Like the Bolton has Domeric to carry the family morality. So it stands to reason that there are among the people of Meereen who would want to emancipate the slaves. Skahaz could be that good guy.

This is a series about ambitions so yes. George is saying give someone a little chance they start getting big ideas on their heads. Now, I don't know about Walder Frey. It's not unusual for a father and his son to look different. Do all of Walder's sons look like him? I don't think so. Hosteen looks different. Jon is a bastard if he is Rhaegar's son. Rhaegar was locked into a marriage that was consummated.

I don't much care for Jon but I'm sure he will come back in some shape or form. I expect he'll be the champion for ice.

There are folks who fill the jack of all trades niche. Bronn wouldn't object much to bounty hunting if you pay him enough. A Hedge Knight would do the same for coin. Men murdered Penny's brother because Cersei signed off on it and offered a reward. A sitting authority gave the green light and the hunters killed Oppo.

The ones who were freed and are now going through basic military training will be loyal because they owe their freedom to Dany. Skahaz is loyal because his family was the enemy of the Loraqs. I don't know what the feud was about but Skahaz was ready enough to accept letting the slaves go free.

Robb Stark gave his oath to Walder. The terms were Robb would marry one of Walder's daughters. Walder would provide support to Robb. Walder was not legally a vassal because Robb was not the lord of the riverlands. Robb was just a rebel. In other words, a lawbreaker.

Robb broke an oath to Lord Walder. Lord Walder was true to his word and his family fought for Robb. Robb, a man whose honor is worth less than soiled toilet paper, just decided he wasn't going to do what he swore to do.

Worst Decisions Jaime Lannister's was killing King Aerys. Jon's oathbreaking at the Wall. Dany trusted the witch Mirri Maz Duur. Robb breaks his solemn oath to Lord Frey. Oberyn getting cocky when he should let the poison do its work on Gregor. We could go on.

That would rank third. The worst? Breaking his oath to Lord Walder.

Hardly that. Ned was kinder if you put him up against Tywin Lannister but don't forget the first chapter of volume 1. He killed poor old Gared. He knew it was wrong to send an assassin after Princess Daenerys Targaryen and he was going to let it happen.

It hurts missing out on the benefits of a Roth IRA. I got into it late. Can you handle the risk? Technology firms like Nvidia have unbelievable growth. That might take you where you want to go.

Folks your comments are much appreciated. Not to be a downer but what I got are domestic stocks. US stocks. I wasn't sophisticated enough to buy into emerging market ETFs. Vanguard and most firms like that have funds in companies based in developing parts of the world. Taiwan semiconductor, Ali Baba, Tencent and what have you. I don't regret ignoring the Latin American region funds because they never got their economies where they needed to be. The Asian Pacific funds though are worth a look.

I might be the only Boomer here. I retired not long ago after serving in the military and then working for a building supplies distributor for the same number of years. The company pension pays me today. Social Security will kick in not too long from now. I also can draw from an IRA that I was funding for years. I kept a balanced portfolio. Growth outperforms yield in general. The end game was important for me. The way you benefit from growth stocks, which now are typically technology businesses, is through the increase in value and then sell to fund your retirement. I wanted move value investments that paid higher yield so that I can fund my retirement without having to sell shares. I believed then and still do that it was the best way I can pass wealth to my daughters. I sold most of the growth stocks years ago and replaced with higher yielding stocks from Coca Cola, McDonalds, Altria, and the like. I know I missed out on the growth of Microsoft and Apple but I'm ok with that. I have something to pass down to the daughters. What is your investment strategy to fund your retirement?

Ofcourse. It is also general consensus that Robb Stark is an oathbreaker.

The Masters of Astapor were descended from Ghis. I would think they knew enough history to understand the power of dragons. The mighty legions of the best soldiers in the world were able to hold off the dragons but only for so long. The dragons won the day for Valyria even against a superb force like the legions. The Unsullied of Astapor hold advantages over the legions of Ghis but they are no match for a grown dragon. No more than the legions were. Kraznys was calculating along those lines. Factor in the pride having a dragon would bring to Astapor and the decision to sell all their soldiers was easy.

There was more to it than that. Walder was also trying to save his own skin. The Stark ship was sinking because Robb and Catelyn were acting the fools. The Starks were sabotaging their own chances of surviving the war because they were not thinking with their heads. Mother and son upset important allies. It was a lost cause and Walder found a way to earn what you could call a pardon for his rebellion. He has to do something useful to earn forgiveness for the crime. Crushing the Starks was the key to receiving forgiveness from Joffrey. And boy, did he crush the Starks thoroughly.

Just because the guy could sing and could joust does not make him capable of governing. I'm convinced his father disinherited him and chose Viserys to inherit the Iron Throne.

Jon betrayed the watch because he wanted to rescue Arya. He had a picture in his mind of a girl on a dying horse and for that he ordered a dangerous wildling criminal to take her from Ramsay and bring her to the wall. That's treason. Sending Mance on that mission is the equivalent of declaring warfare on House Bolton. Jon declared war on House Bolton. Mance is sworn to the watch and the mission is illegal from every perspective.

They ain't sweet hearts!

It wasn't so much trusting the Starks. The victims of Stark betrayals trusted the honor system. Oaths are near sacred in Westeros. Walder applied the higher standards of most houses to the Starks. Walder assumed that the Starks had the honor of the average family. He was proven wrong and got cheated by the Starks.

Jon Snow. Jon gets no sympathy from me.

Daenerys defeated the slavers because she is a lot smarter than they are. Her victories at Astapor and over the Titan's bastard are genius level. Something beyond the abilities of lesser leaders like Jon Snow and Robb Stark. Choosing Belwas to fight Oznak shows incredible good judgment on the part of Daenerys. Those victories were well-earned and well-deserved. Talk about Sansa and Arya if you want to talk filler material. Even Jon Snow's story is only a setup to prepare for Daenerys to arrive in Westeros and save what's left of the kingdom.

1. Dany is the one whose chapters bring me the most enjoyment in reading. I like the larger than life character and her story is equally large in its scope. I am not only talking about the magic and the grandeur of the dragons. Her story also covers a big area with a lot of cultures and people. It is wide in terms of time as well. She takes the reader back to thousands of years in the past through her dreams and visions. 2. Barristan. I can see myself traveling with Barristan while looking to serve and protect young Dany. Two old soldiers in the last half of their lives looking for Dany. We are two old soldiers who question the past and look to future for a great cause to serve.

Let the Tully name be forever forgotten for betraying the Targaryens in the past. Let Roslin's children take on the name of her own family, Frey. And let them inherit all that belonged to the Tullys. Circling back to the scenario of the topic with Daenerys regaining control of her family's Westeros, Daenerys should grant all of those things to Lady Roslin after the latter swears fealty.