James Fenimore Cooper XXII

So you think the north could fight off the Others on their own? I don't believe they can. The Starks will bargain with the Others in return to have rule over the north. That is the most probably outcome if your idea of a physically separated continent were to happen. The hammer of the past was nothing more than global cooling. The sea dropped and the step stones effectively became a land bridge.

Tywin and the Lannisters are mostly to blame. One could say all share some blame. Tysha was no stranger to westeros. Should she have known better? I think so. Tyrion was a young man but he's been educated from birth as a noble man. He should have known better too. An early teen rapists? Maybe.

Key phrase "in secret" We don't know how many and what percentage of the people remain loyal to the Targaryens. Because they keep it "in secret" rather than advertise.

Alaric and Ned Tough men come from the roughest of places. Poverty and scarcity do not encourage small talk. I am more convinced they lacked interpersonal skills more than a problem with personality. Where time and resources allow, many interactions between people are preludes to negotiation. Being the north, they skip right to negotiations. What are considered courtesies in the south may tax the patience of a northman. Most lords would have greeted the queen with more generosity and ceremony. Not Alaric. His vault was not as large and his funds may have to last the family awhile. It is normal for him to be stingy. Robert's welcome feast would have likely been grander in the south. It's just the nature of scarcity. The north does not have much resources in comparison to the south. There are cheap lords even in the south. Walder Frey rules over an extremely wealthy family and yet he is still frugal with his funds. Walder and Alaric have a lot in common, though the former has more resources at his disposal.

It is an accurate assessment of Sansa. Just because you don't like the answer given does not mean it crossed the lines of what is acceptable in the forum. The OP does not make the forum rules. Kindly grow up. Just because you don't like an answer does not mean there is anything inappropriate about it.

House Targaryen Dragon's Blood. The blood of Old Valyria. Silver-blonde, purple eyes, athletic. Usually taller than average. Physically beautiful. Quick of temper, but many in the family are also coldly calculating. Intelligent but ruthless. Some have a tolerance for heat. Some have a very high resistance to infectious diseases. Some may have prophetic dreams. Males in the family are alleged to have a higher than average chances of losing their sanity. Some are able to bond with dragons. One very special female fulfilled the Azor Ahai prophecy and hatched dragons from stone. House Stark Wolf's Blood. The blood of the First Men. Quick of Temper, Slow of Mind. Quick to Anger, Slow to Think. Freakishly long faces among some in the family. Ex. Arya Horseface. Very emotional. Family oriented people. Touchy nature, quick to take offense. Very much a trait of Jon. Poor self-control, prone to violent outbursts. Ex. Jon attacked Ser Aliser Thorne. Proven oathbreakers. A rebellious family. Troublemakers in recent history. Kin to Craster. Practiced human sacrifice to the weirwoods. Some have the ability to warg. One special boy has the green sight. House Lannister Gold-blonde hair. Physically beautiful. Blood of the Andals. Deceitful. Intelligent, but cruel. Prideful and haughty. Harsh. House Baratheon Dark-haired. Born of Durandon stock. Tall and strongly built. Stubborn. Warriors. Not particularly intelligent. House Frey Weak of chin. Most are not physically attractive. Good business people. Smart, clever, and wise with money. Very capable people. Practical. Very family oriented. The family is large and many of its members have married out into other noble houses outside the riverlands.

The North is not the kind of place that a materialistic, status seeking, spoiled girl like Sansa would dream about. She wants the big city. The north only has one city. It's a bleak place.

Any mistakes made here can be corrected because it came from strategy. Contrast that to Robb breaking his oath to Walder. The latter is not correctable because it is deeply part of Robb's character to value love and personal preference over oaths and contractual obligations. Robb's is a fatal character flaw. The former is a strategy in need of adjustment.

GRRM wrote a "fun" novel, by his standards, and his characters will do over-the-top things to heighten the drama. So a lot of it will be unforgivable. I will say, one murder is unforgivable because the victim can't be brought back to life. At least not as they were. Any act that cannot be reversed can be considered unforgivable. However, forgiveness will be coming from many sides. There is also the matter of justice. While it may be logical to kill somebody because of what they might do in the future, gosh, it is surely not justice. Mirri believed Rhaego would grow up to become khal and then continue raiding and raping. This is her belief. Based on that belief, she murdered the innocent child. From her point, it was logical. Let me emphasize, from her point. Not from any reasonable person though. We know that destiny is not written and it is never justice to punish the innocent. There are also acts that harm people in order to help a greater number of people. If the harmed are not innocent, then it is justifiable if their deaths came as a result of their own actions. Take the slave masters. They could have agreed to give up slaving. Instead they chose to fight. Their deaths are their fault. No forgiveness necessary, nor guilt. The old insurance man in Braavos was just a victim of Arya's ambition to learn the trade. No, it was not justice. It was logical from Arya's mind but she is not reasonable.

Yes The north and the iron islands are the backwoods of Westeros.

Forgiving is not the same as forgiving and forgetting. It simply means letting a wrong go unpunished. In this case because it leads to the greater good. Samwell doesn't any options but to let wrongs go. Give him power and he might misuse it to get even with dear dad. Daenerys has options and she will take the more constructive one to forgive if it will result in the greater good. She is one of the few who considers the greater good. Jon has already demonstrated his inability to put the welfare of the people ahead of the Starks. He has shown himself incapable of forgiving when he chose revenge instead of justice in the manner in which he handled Janos Slynt.

Brandon Stark + Lyanna Stark = Jon Snow Incest is not uncommon. What happens behind closed doors. Two wild ass Stark wolves playing doctor.

King Viserys III was already dead by the middle of the war. I would have stopped reading if Princess Daenerys had been killed. The story would be a hell of a lot less interesting. I don't enjoy reading about the Starks and their escapades. Thankfully, Princess Daenerys (Queen now) is the primary protagonists and the extra materials are about the Targaryens. This is really the story of the Targaryens. The war would have gone better because Eddard would have kept his word to Lord Walder Frey. The deal would have been the same, marriage arragements and fostering. The deal was very reasonable and even Eddard would have to agree. If Robb still breaks the sworn engagement and Eddard should be willing to accept whatever punishment the Freys care to require. All that being said, the war would be lost when the Lannisters and the Tyrells join their forces. Better doesn't mean the rebels win. It just means the Lannisters will have to get the Tyrells on their side.

Stannis is a prideful man. Does he stoop to something this low? No. Mance would. The author in order of most likely are: Ramsay Mance

The base of power moved to Essos. Willem Darry took the king and his infant sister to Braavos. The power base was not lost but it relocated. Viserys and his heritage were the power base.