BlackLightning

I agree. It's not just astronomy that they lack understanding of. It's astrology too. Astrology and astronomy are two sides of the same coin. The Dosh Khaleen study the stars and are able to preside over the khals because of their prediction and knowledge of current and future events. There's a good chance that when Dany hooks up with them, she'll slowly realize that the Long Night along with all magical activity are all results of extreme once-in-a-billion astronomical events. It's not even just the Dosh Khaleen. Archmaester Marwyn can offer lots of insight in that regard (maesters also seem to function as traditional astronomers as it is) but almost every single iteration of Quaithe has been tied to the stars and the planets. And then there is the matter of Shiera Seastar (I'm beginning to believe Quaithe is Shiera) whose name points in that direction. It all makes sense. The more educated people of Planetos are aware of the planets. In Westeros, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury are all ascribed to the seven gods. Venus in particular is split between the Maiden and the Mother because the maester's mistakenly interpret Venus the Morning Star and Venus the Evening Star as two different planets instead of one planet (GRRM is telling us that science is just as vulnerable to gross misinterpretation as religion) that is just that visible. In any case, that only accounts for six of the seven gods. What about the seventh, the Stranger? Methinks that the other comet you all are speaking of is actually the seventh "wanderer" that has such an erratic orbit that it actually passes through and interferes with the Earth's revolution around the Sun. Not only does it lend credence to the Dothraki story about how there were once two moons and one of them was much, much closer to Earth than the other, but the comet would actually have to be bigger or just as big as the planet Earth in order turn Earth into a frozen, sunless hellscape. The interference of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon's gravitational relationship can also be attributed to the rise and fall of magic. And there is a lot to suggest that dragons, wyverns and the other monstrosities of Valyria and the Long Night (and maybe even the Valyrians and Others themselves) are aliens, extraterrestial creatures not native to Earth. Not only that but that Asshai and the Shadow Lands have a direct connection to the planet Stranger. GRRM has made it a concentrated habit over the years to express his conviction that science fiction and fantasy are actually the same exact genre. He does that in almost all his other novels (for example, A Song for Lya) in many different ways and I think he's going for the big masterstroke with A Song of Ice and Fire. The work of HP Lovecraft (GRRM's idol) is rather fantastical but it blurs the lines between science fiction, fantasy and horror so much so that they became indistinguishable. No one has quite been able to follow Lovecraft's footsteps and do what he did so the things that Lovecraft did became its own genre. While sci-fi and horror became so popularly enmeshed that no one blinks an eye when they are fused (Alien, 28 Days Later) and sci-fi and fantasy have practically become one genre (Star Wars, Avatar), people seem to struggle with the concept of mixing horror and fantasy. It's something that no one wants to touch but when it works, it works and everyone is blown away (Pan's Labyrinth, Dracula, Coraline) Not only is it rare to get a good fantasy/horror but no one has really seen fantasy/horror/sci-fi hybrid on a big level since Lovecraft. Since GRRM originally wanted to create something unfilmable and is so deeply inspired by Pan's Labyrinth, I'm thinking that A Song of Ice and Fire is the lovechild of Tolkien's dungeons-and-dragons epics, Druon's medieval histories and Lovecraft's cautionary tales of reality-breaking cosmic horror. It suddenly makes sense why Dany and only Dany was positioned and kept in the far east for so long. She is the one character who has the strongest ties to the Red Comet, other astronomical activity (everything done under the open sky...) and all the magica and prophecies that have their roots outside of Westeros. If Dany learns the truth of the matter in The Winds of Winter or even A Dream of Spring, then it makes her fight against the establishment in Essos and Westeros that much more vital to the main thrust of the story.

A "comet" blocking out the Sun? Or otherwise crashing into Earth and the debris filling the atmosphere and blotting out the Sun's light? Well then in that case the Long Night makes a lot of sense.

I certainly think the last book will. I think the last full chapter of the series alone will take place over a span of a couple years and I think the epilogue will take place hundreds or thousands of years in the future.

Agreed. But why do you think the dragons will get to the size of Balerion--or at least, Vhagar and Meraxes (aka being able to carry multiple people should the need arise)

She doesn't have to return to Meereen until the last book? Are you sure you mean Meereen or did you mean to type Westeros instead? There is definitely not enough time for Dany to go to Asshai and/or Yi Ti, return to Meereen and then jet off off to Westeros. I think we will find out more about Asshai anyways due to the Melisandre POV. Dany can definitely get to Asshai and Yi Ti relatively quickly on dragonback. She'll be alone there with Drogon though; there's no way she can get an army or navy to those places and back in such a short time.

I would love to see Dany go to Yi Ti or Asshai or both. But do even have time for such an excursion? Will she leave men behind specifically to defend the Far East. Makes sense. I've come to believe that Quaithe is Shiera Seastar which would make her and Bloodraven half-siblings. Blood.

Oh okay. But yeah. Not necessarily. A Dream of Spring can end with a Bran chapter (he was our very first POV) with Bran ruling competently as king and a epilogue that takes place years, decades or even millennia into the future that ties up the very last loose ends and adds interesting tidbits. Meh, I don't know. We've seen Bran rule as a regent in A Clash of Kings and maintain a leadership rule of his little troupe in A Storm of Swords and A Dance with Dragons. He'll be learning from Bloodraven in The Winds of Winter and Bloodraven was probably a great politician. I think we'll start to see Bran step into the role of a ruler by the end of The Winds of Winter and throughout A Dream of Spring. Remember that Dany didn't have any experience or desire to rule at the beginning of A Game of Thrones but, by the end of it all, she's ruling and doing a pretty good job at it. She's a natural and Bran is too. All true. Bran would make a good regent or a good king. I think GRRM is just taking a very unorthodox approach to the classic King Arthur story in showing how a crippled dreamer can become a powerful medieval king. I really do believe that Bran will be the Professor X of Westeros with a mixed group of native Westerosi, Dothraki, Unsullied, CoTF and/or maybe even one of the Others acting as his X-Men.

I mostly agree but I'm not quite sure why you're telling me that burning cities in war happens for a reason. I know it happens for a reason; that's why I find it absolutely ludicrous that someone would burn a city that they have for no reason. Show Dany had absolutely no reason to burn King's Landing. You can't say that she's insane because she's delivering eloquent speeches, coming to rational conclusions and having coherent intimate conversations the very next episode. And for her to just do a complete 180 in her character development and burn King's Landing, she would have to be more insane than the Mad King which she wasn't. Not even the Mad King was so insane as to burn King's Landing when he still stood a chance of winning Robert's Rebellion, much less when King's Landing was owned. The Mad King didn't even think to burn Duskendale and kill all of its inhabitants after the Defiance of House Darklyn was ended. The Mad King didn't order the cancellation of the tourney of Harrenhal neither did he orchestrate a sack on Harrenhal and an assassination of the lords and knights gathered there....and he believed that they were conspiring against him. So, the fact that Daenerys would be King's Landing and killed lots of people for no reason makes no sense. She is neither cruel, stupid nor insane enough to do so. I don't doubt the fact that Daenerys will burn King's Landing. I'm almost sure she will. I'm pretty sure that I won't see anything wrong with it because I really feel like she won't want to do it but she will have a very good reason for it. Euron -- not Cersei -- will likely be ruling the city by then. Euron is a major threat now; I imagine he will be 2-3x worst by the end of the series. I, for one, believe that Euron is going to bring all sorts of subterranean beasts -- krakens included -- to the surface and make King's Landing a Lovecraftian horror. All the clues are there. Combined with a greyscale epidemic courtesy of Jon Connington's stupid decisions, I think King's Landing will be lost and will have to be burned and cleansed. Especially if the city under Euron's rule offers resistance. The city has been established as being rotten to the core since A Game of Thrones anyways and many of the people who live are generally awful. Plus, if Daenerys is the last of the dragonlords, House Targaryen is extinguished and the Iron Throne is destroyed, then King's Landing being wiped off the map fits. Not only does it mark the end of the Targaryen era and the Age of the Iron Throne but it also fits the themes GRRM has established--one of which being that the history is wheel. As for the sacking? Yeah, there was no way that was not going to happen. All cities that have been taken from an opposing army are sacked. Is all sacking violent and bloody? Not necessarily but the victors always has their way with the spoils. The regimes change and the victors set the terms of who gets what, who takes over and who is punished.

Not necessarily. Dany has no reason to threaten Jon's sisters. If she had a reason, what would it be? The book version of Dany very kind and thoughtful when it comes to the welfare of others (particularly girls and young women). She repeatedly goes out of her way to put the welfare of people before herself. Keep in mind that these are people that she doesn't even know from a can of paint. Dany will know Sansa and Arya like she knew Ereoh and like she knows Irri and Jhiqui. Besides, Dany is not an airhead. She understands politics. It makes no political sense for her to bully or antagonize allies or the family of her allies. It also makes no political sense to defy, disrespect or endanger the livelihood of her husband/partners. Unless you're suggesting that Dany suddenly becomes another character, I don't see this happening. Even if she became legitimately insane, Dany would be more like Baelor the Blessed (stuck in la-la land, self-destructive in the name of religion) or Dowager Queen Rhaena (self-isolating, unresponsive, spiteful, difficult, socially self-destructive) as opposed to Aerys the Mad and Maegor the Cruel. You can't just dismiss his motives. If he is mistaken and/or his motives are impure or even sinister, then that changes everything. You're acting as if the show plot as if it was well-written and true to the source material. This paragraph is full of contradictions. If Dany is objectively looking to punish the North for resisting her, then Dany would be right to do so. Why do I say that? Because you use the term "objectively." Meaning that subjective things such as emotions and whatsoever are not even entering the equation. Logically, impartially, without bias, justly, soberly, squarely, evenhandedly, equitably, fairly, actually are all synonyms for objectively. So if she is objectively looking to punish the North for resisting her, then Jon is no position to deny her of that. Why would she want to punish Jon's family and/or the North for resisting her? You seem to be assuming that it is for some unjust or stupid reason. What if it's for a good reason? Jon still holds a massive amount of influence over the North and Jon's family is after all his family. If the North and/or Jon's family is resisting their rightful queen, then North and/or Jon's family is resisting their rightful king which would be Jon. The show f---ed this up but Jon is Dany's husband and king. Jon and Dany rule together because they are effectively married. If you operate under the presumption that they are not ruling together, then Jon -- as the son of Rhaegar Targaryen -- is the king and what he says is law. Jon tells them that Dany is their queen and that they will obey. If they fail to do that, then they are defying Jon. There is no defying or resisting Dany without defying or resisting Jon. Again: Jon still holds a massive amount of influence over the North and Jon's family is after all his family. If Jon cannot get them to submit to Dany, then Jon has failed. If Jon has failed to do his job and if he has failed to prevent the unnecessary escalation of a problem between his sister(s) and Dany, then the problem lies with Jon and his sister. Not with Dany. Especially if she is doing so objectively. Like come on...have you not read the books? Have you only seen the show? If so, why would Jon be that stupid? Catelyn Stark and Beric Dondarrion both died and were resurrected and not one iota of intelligence was lost to them. If anything, they became smarter. Jon Snow is smart and he would never just sit back and let such a situation occur before his death. Why would he just let it happen after his death? The only reason why he would is if his death and resurrection made him evil or amoral. Jon's family is her family. The people of the North are her people. Daenerys has already won. She didn't treat the people in Slaver's Bay poorly and she had practically no connection to them. She didn't treat the people of the Dothraki Sea poorly and she had only a tangential, forgone connection to them. Why would she treat the people of the North poorly when she has a strong connection to them and their land? Make it make sense. You seem to assume that Dany is actually going to just kill a million people at the flip of a coin without blinking an eye. Why? Why would she do all of that for no reason? She gains nothing and unnecessarily puts her own troops at risk. The American government nuked not one but two Japanese cities and that was after firebombing sixty-seven other Japanese cities and no one faults the American government for doing that. Even the Nanjing Massacre had a military purpose. A lot of your arguments seem to be based on the belief that Daenerys Targaryen is clinically insane and has a history of behavior that is not only is completely devoid of rationality but that makes absolutely no emotional sense. It doesn't even make sense on a primal, survivalist, animalistic level. Daenerys destroying King's Landing and killing millions of people after she has already taken the city makes Aerys the Mad seem sane. Ironically, your entire stance on this is also insane as there is nothing in the books that suggests that Daenerys Targaryen is mentally ill.

That'll be another interesting thing to see. What happens when Tyrion and Sansa reunite? We know FOR A FACT that Sansa will never tell Tyrion, "You were the best out of all of the men I had." And Tyrion is likely to try to force himself back into Sansa's life not be kind and gentle. Tyrion wanted to marry her both for her claim and because he's that desperate. LOL I wonder how Arya, Jon and Bran will react to Tyrion's demands that Sansa return to him.... I'm also convinced that it won't be Jaime. I think that once Jaime leaves Cersei for good in the books, it will be for good. He might stand by her as a sibling for a little but not as a lover and definitely not forever. The problem that I have with Tyrion being the one to kill Cersei is that I feel like it's a retread of what happened to Tywin. The fact that Tyrion killed Tywin while he had his pants down after Tywin abused and mistreated him for years (and almost had him killed as a baby) is the ultimate irony. Why do it all over again with Cersei?

Oh I definitely see Shakespeare all over Dany. Not just Dany; but Melisandre, Cersei, Jaime, Jon, Tyrion and Arya are all Shakespearean to the bone. A lot of people should be miffed. We have the right to be. Ned Stark -- a good man -- was decapitated for telling a lie (he was blackmailed into telling the lie to begin) after he had tried to tell the truth and hold the original liars accountable. Robb Stark -- a good man -- was betrayed and murdered because he married the wrong woman...under the protection of a peace banner and hospitality. Margaery Tyrell -- a relatively good woman -- was blown to smithereens after she paid her dues so that another person wouldn't be punished for something they actually did. Tywin Lannister -- a bad man -- was shot to death half-naked on the toilet by the son he's always mistreated. Ramsay Bolton -- a bad man -- was fed to the same dogs that he would unleash on people. Jaime Lannister -- a confusing case but for this example I'm using, let's say he's a good man -- saves 1 million people from death by wildfire and he is ostracized and lambasted for betraying his king. Shireen Baratheon -- a good girl -- was betrayed by her parents and was burned to death on a stake so that her father had a chance of winning one battle. Bran Stark -- a good boy -- was thrown out of a window because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Technically though, he could never be in the wrong place at the wrong time because he was in the safety of his own home. Lysa Arryn -- a bad woman -- was thrown out of a window by the man who manipulated her into thinking that she loved him so that she would destroy her own family. The man who killed her, killed her to save one of her own family members. Cersei Lannister -- a bad woman -- died from a cave-in while being comforted and held by the love of her life. It. Does. Not. Compute. And that's not the only place where we disagree. I don't think the valonqar has anything to do with either of Cersei's younger brothers. Maggy the Frog said THE valonqar not A valonqar not YOUR valonqar. Cersei merely assumed that it was talking about Tyrion. But that's too easy; no prophecy is ever that easily deciphered. Least of all by someone as simple-minded as a twelve-year-old Cersei. I think the valonqar will be Arya, Victarion or Euron (who I am 98% sure that Cersei will have the displeasure of marrying). All of the above are younger siblings and it's already been established that High Valyrian is gender-neutral. Valonqar can mean little brother or little sister. If Euron takes the Iron Throne while the heroes are away fighting the Others and Euron has already attacked or threatened Dany already, then Dany doesn't NEED to be pushed to attack King's Landing. Especially not if Euron has already left Oldtown ruin and DOUBLE especially not if Euron is a skinchanger (a lot of people think that he is). Euron is already established to be a slaver; not only that but he treats his slaves -- or anyone lowborn -- just as bad as the Dothraki khals and the masters in Slaver's Bay treated the slaves. You think Daenerys is going to hear and see that and not be reminded of Astapor's the Plaza of Punishment, the 163 miles to Meereen or how Eroeh was tortured and brutalized before she was killed? No; Euron's reputation is bound to proceed him, especially where Daenerys is concerned. Tyrion, Marwyn, Moqorro and Victarion are on a collision course with Dany and all of them (along with Barristan Selmy) will have something to say about Euron. None of it will be good. So, again: if (or rather when) Euron takes King's Landing, sits himself on the Iron Throne and tortures the people he now rules (read the Aeron POV from the Winds sample), Daenerys does not need to be urged to attack King's Landing. In fact, people may have to urge her to exercise caution and NOT attack King's Landing. But since this is Dany we are talking about, she will either do the exact opposite of what's she's told or she will pull a creatively legendary hat-trick out of her ass that no one will see coming.

For the record, I do think that the Iron Throne will be destroyed. Aegon the Conqueror built the Iron Throne with the dragonfire of Balerion. Dany will tear down the Iron Throne with the dragonfire of Drogon. Aegon was the first. Daeenrys will be the last.

Dany did have a dream that sat somewhere between a sex dream and a nightmare. Remember the one where she laid down with a man with blue lips whose manhood was hard and cold as ice. Blue lips = death, ice-cold erect penis = dagger That may be a bit tinfoily but I really do think that there's going to be an Iago-Othello-Desdemona triangle of tragedy in between Tyrion, Jon and Dany. I do believe that Dany will be unjustly killed by Jon due to Tyrion's schemes. Tyrion is, after all, very clever, very manipulative and has a deep, dark issues with rejection (especially from women) and abandonment; he has always had a lustful, envious personality too. Dany is the definition of unpredictable; she has a tendency of doing things that scare/shock people, not because the things she does are scary but because the things she do are go against the grain completely. It's like Dany has this power to make the unthinkable reality. And to have that ability and to be a woman....I imagine that she is going to be very intimidating and make the people of high Westerosi society very uncomfortable. Even after saving them. I fully expect Jon to be much darker, ominous character post-resurrection. Not trusting by half and probably more wolf than human. Sansa and Bran may even play the part of part of Emilia and Cassio respectively. Cassio removes Iago and replaces Othello as the captain and Emilia is the one who does all of the detective work necessary to expose Iago.

Totally agree. This is where I really disagree. I think Aegon will take King's Landing and sit the Iron Throne by the end of The Winds of Winter. With both her children dead by that time, Cersei will run for the hills (pun intended) because she'll view Arianne as the YMBQ and Aegon as the valonqar. She'll fall back on Casterly Rock where she will rule as a rebel queen much like Renly.

Well, to be honest, her dream does nothing to suggest that the final defeat of the Others will be on the Trident. What her dream does suggest is that there is going to be a epic battle fought on the Trident. I expect there to be some parallel connection with Robert's Rebellion. And we all know that Robert's Rebellion did not end with the duel of Rhaegar and Robert at the Ruby Ford. It ended much later than that...either with Jon Arryn's visit to Sunspear, Robert's marriage to Cersei or both. This is why I think the lords, knights and smallfolk of Westeros would be inclined to make Bran their king. Bran will be the key to the defeat of the Others (I think he'll be kidnapped by the Others at some point in The Winds of Winter and taken to the Heart of Winter) With the dragons gone, all of Westeros (maybe even all of the world) will be counting on the direwolf to protect them just in case the Others pop back up. Bran will be their security blanket. And Jojen said that the direwolves would be the last to leave the mortal plane... I also think this is one of the core reasons why Melisandre is not only included in the story but why she became a POV character. While she's not Bran, I think she'll also play a key role in understanding the Wall and Others both as well as playing a key role in both of their destruction/downfall. But yeah...while 99% of the characters will likely never know for sure if the Others will ever return (or, in my opinion, if winter will ever end), I think will George will make it clear that they were victorious and that there will never be another Long Night again. Interesting. I think Patchface is linked with Euron Greyjoy, the mermen and other submarine beasts and the Drowned God. That said, Moqorro says the Drowned God is a servant of the Great Other so we'll see. I used to think that way. I don't know what I think anymore. I can see it going either way with the Others being routed/destroyed/defeated in Act Three and the Stark/Targaryen feud transpiring in Act Five. Kind of like how in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar is assassinated in Act III and the story's true climax occurs in Act Five with Mark Antony's victory over Brutus and Cassius at Philippi. But I am pretty sure that the Others are not pure evil. And that a simple battle will not be nearly enough to beat them. I, for one, don't even think they can be defeated in battle. There are only three dragons coming, there isn't enough Valyrian steel in Westeros to even arm a dozen elite warriors and there won't be enough time to mine dragonglass and then forge them into weapons. That's the thing. I don't think the conflict between Jon and Daenerys (if it's real conflict at all, that is, and not the result of some elaborate lie or a complete misunderstanding) will be new. I think Daenerys will fall madly in love with Jon but no one will really know if Jon feels the same way. Jon might continue on as a POV in Ghost's body but, by the time he returns to his body, I don't see him being a POV anymore. While he might be caught somewhere in between living and undead, I see him being damaged in more ways than one. In any case, I can see Dany growing more and more desperate and angry at Jon's coldness and Jon being even more recalcitrant due to Dany's fiery, emotional nature. There'll be enough room for someone like Tyrion to turn the two against each other and seek to profit off of them...or even someone like Sansa who naively instigates a conflict that she is powerless to stop. Remember, the Second Long Night will happen at the same time as the Dance of Dragons so to speak. George seems like the type to make this Second Dance a twofold dance: a hot war between Dany and Aegon and a cold war between Dany and Jon. Whereas Team Dany and Team Aegon will be openly hostile to each other and violently duke it out on the battlefields, Team Dany and Team Jon will have some hidden hostilities at play and will square off in more intimate, private spheres: ballrooms, bedrooms, backrooms. Moqorro did speak of a lion snarling in the midst of dancing/dueling dragons. Never said that there would only be two dragons involved. I think the Nightfort is where the Others will breach. I kind of have developed a slightly tinfoil theory that Stannis will win the Battle of Winterfell but: Roose (or maybe Ramsay but not both) will escape and fall back on the Dreadfort Shireen and Selyse will die Davos will still be MIA most of his forces will be destroyed or broken beyond repair Aegon will have both the Iron Throne and Storm's End Dragonstone will be impossible to reach, much less re-claim and the vast majority of people in the North will reject him in favor of the Starks (including Melisandre) He'll become super bitter and retreat to Nightfort where he will meet Brienne who intends on avenging Renly. Only the Others interrupt and take Stannis for their own. Stannis - more or less - will allow it. And Noye called it a long time ago: Stannis is the iron and iron will break before it bends. That way, Dany's dream about a blue-eyed king with a red sword who casts no shadow (referring to both Stannis and Lightbringer while also referencing a characteristic of vampires) and the Usurper's host armored in ice at the Trident (a host of Others and wights headed by a Baratheon) can come true. It's a bit tinfoily but it's a theory I have developed. From the moment I finished reading A Dance with Dragons and started thinking about what's next, I always thought of Stannis as a dead man walking and would out of the picture by the end of The Winds of Winter. But I've only recently began thinking that there's way too much to do with Stannis... The Horn of Winter plot? I'm beginning think that that's intertwined with what's going to happen with Euron Greyjoy, the Citadel, the Hightower and the Faceless Men in Oldtown.

It's also good to remember Shireen and Val's warning. Greyscale only sleeps and before long, it will awaken again. For all we know, greyscale might not become a problem until AFTER the Others are dealt with. The last quarter of A Dream of Spring could depict the (short, ill-fated) reign of Jon and Daenerys, the possible deterioration of their relationship and Bran's rise to preeminence against the backdrop of the greyscale epidemic. And to be honest, I don't think there is any indication that winter will end with the Others' defeat. Actually, I expect that the coming Long Night will be the last Long Night but that they will have to endure an millennial ice age. In other words, these next two books will have be huge. Especially A Dream of Spring which I suspect will be structured like A Storm of Swords. The true climax of A Storm of Swords occurs after the Red Wedding beginning with the Purple Wedding and ending with Lysa's death. I suspect the true climax of A Dream of Spring will also occur after the Others are defeated/routed/depowered. That said, the Others will likely make it to the Trident (or rather, Harrenhal) before they are put down.

It's a wonder that they could have messed that up. It's just so simple.

Interesting. You opened my eyes with this post...especially the bold part. Jon and Dany are really, at the end of the day, just blundering and blustering their way through. In fact, almost every single one of the characters are doing that in some way. Tyrion is one of the exceptions. Bran is also one of the exceptions but Bran is special because: Bran gets a lot of help Bran is a very good listener Bran is cautious by nature we barely see Bran...GRRM keeps Bran out-of-sight a lot But even Tyrion is going down the path of his father and will likely turn out worse than his father.

Well, I think the time between Winds and Dream is perfect for a plague. Connington only just got to Westeros and most of his activity thus far has been centered in the Stormlands. And he's likely to be in the Stormlands for a while. I don't imagine there being a massive outbreak until Connington gets to King's Landing (likely to occur in the last stretch of Winds) and starts interacting with the people of the realm on a macro level. Even so, it's going to start spreading throughout the Stormlands first and we all know that the border between the Stormlands, the Crownlands and the Reach is not very well defined. All you need to make this plague story work is to have a massive outbreak in the Crownlands, the heart of the Seven Kingdoms and home of its largest, most well-connected city. From there, it easily spread into the Riverlands, the Reach and the Stormlands. Remember how Ebola was something that popped up in Brazil or something? Us Americans were far, far away from the epicenter but we still freaked out about it. Greyscale is different because it turns its victims into monsters before they die. And it takes time for the disease to progress. I can definitely see Connington infecting Aegon. Arianne not so much because Connington strikes me as somewhat racist towards Dornish people and a bit misogynist. Like his feelings of jealousy and envy in regards to Elia are quite telling...especially since they are so deep-seated and intense after all these years. Connington will want to keep Arianne at a distance anyway. Speaking of which, I can see Connington not wanting Arianne in the picture at all.

I always speculated that Dany would be blamed for it. And that Arianne would find out some time after the fact and have some conflicted feelings about it.

Jon Con is the obvious candidate for someone who loses their shit at the sound of the bells. I think Dany will burn King's Landing but I think that at point the city will be beyond saving, infested with all kinds of monsters and diseases. This is true. I clearly remember that in the spoilers. It was supposed to be one of the last scenes of season 7 after Jaime leaves and the snow in King's Landing starts falling. I remember that too. I read that in the spoilers. Apparently, I don't know why all these pregnancy storylines were axed. Apparently, when they first decided to save Cersei's miscarriage for season 8, Dany was supposed to find out she was pregnant the same episode Cersei was to lose her baby. But...however...

You really think that the a last scene of the books will be a conversation between Tyrion and Bronn about how their first order of business is to rebuild the brothels of King's Landing?

For the record, I don't think Aegon is really Daenerys' nephew nor do I think that Daenerys will actually be the one to kill Aegon. I think Aegon's true nature will be revealed in due time. I also think that Euron (with Cersei's assistance) will kill Aegon and take the Iron Throne while everyone else isn't looking. So that's not a problem. The problem Dany is going to run into is that MOST people will think that Aegon really was her nephew and that she terrorized an entire continent in the dead of winter in her attempts to kill and usurp him. An unofficial kinslayer... Dany's chief problem everywhere she goes is that she is misunderstood and her actions are ill-perceived. She is either underestimated or overestimated. There are several benefits to being underestimated/overestimated wherever you go but I think GRRM is trying to show us both sides of the coin. The pros of being frequently underestimated/overestimated and the cons...

Val? That's...indescribably odd but okay. Sansa is okay too. I can totally see Sansa completely distrusting, being bewildered by and/or being disgusted with Daenerys. Sansa is smart and knows her history: the similarities between the trauma experienced by the Targaryens and the Starks are not going to be lost on her. So, after everything they've been through, why would Daenerys wage a massively destructive war at the worst possible time on her nephew? That's not going rub Sansa the right way, especially she'll be trying so hard to reconcile with Jon and Arya... I think the Targaryen madness is actually linked to magic. House Targaryen is a magical bloodline with a few members of that family having actual magic powers. In fact, I'm not so sure that every example of Targaryen madness is actual madness or mental illness. I think it boils down to actual magic powers, public misconception or both.

There's also the slight logistical problem that Arya doesn't know anything about ships, seas, sailors or navigation for that matter. I've always felt like the Stark sisters would reverse roles in a way. That Arya would continue being an adventurer and a warrior but that she'd marry a princely/lordly/knightly guy whereas Sansa would end up single and be totally okay with that because she's a high lady... So basically according to you, everyone except for Dany and Cersei will pass the test? That's laughable. Especially considering the Tyrion of the books is out here raping slaves, defrauding hundreds (selling someone something you don't own, much less have the slightest access to, is fraud) and evilly gloating over people who he has just killed. You sound like David Benioff? On a slightly more serious, I don't think Sansa will be taking a stand against Dany in the books...at least, not like that. I think that is something the jokes we call showrunners took from Arianne. Arianne is clearly being set up as Daenerys' fiercest adversary. Yes, because unlike Sansa, Arianne has several very good reasons to be dismissive and openly hostile towards Daenerys. None of which have anything to do with how pretty Dany is either. And also unlike Sansa, Arianne is the heir to Dorne (untouched by war and still very wealthy, especially in comparison tot he North) which makes her a much more powerful political opponent. And this is now...who knows what kind of headstrong-warlord-shit Dany will do to piss Arianne off in Winds and Dream. So you can get Sam, Arya and Sansa out of your head: the loudest detractor against Dany will be Arianne Martell. Especially if Doran or Mellario dies as a result of Dany's war. Oh yes, some of you seem to have forgotten that Arianne's mother is a slaver who lives in Norvo which isn't that far from from the Dothraki Sea.