BlackLightning

Aegon the Ass named Princess Jaehaera his heir Rhaenyra didn't throw away her principle when it came to the Rosby inheritance. Rhaenyra is the only surviving child of Viserys' first marriage. Legally, Rhaenyra and her line comes before her half-siblings. She definitely missed her opportunity with the Rosby girl (and it came back to bite her when the girl refused to let her stay in Rosby) but the girl and her brother are the offspring of the same marriage. The word of the King is law. And the King's will >>>>> ancient and noble Andal succession law. The Greens weren't even defending Andal succession law. The Greens were power-hungry. Oh I'm sure, they would've blamed it on her sex. She set the standard. If Rhaenyra had never been challenged, the realm would've been much better for it. I think Rhaenyra would've been an decent Queen and Jacaerys a great King.

Pushing back against this It's not about bias and @Craving Peaches is not wrong. The Dornish (much like the Scottish, the Ethiopians, ) were proto-patriotic in that they cared more about the integrity and freedom of their nation and culture than they cared about personal honor and security. And the Targaryens, after all, started it...

I stand corrected on Tyrion (mostly; I'm curious to see the source interview) but Ned Stark not saying anything positive about Tyrion is telling. He is not fond of him nor does he feel bad or concerned that Tyrion has been arrested by Catelyn. In fact, he fully supports Catelyn in her decision and would've likely done the same. In the end, Tyrion has never had a good, trustworthy reputation. And the person 100% at fault for that is Tyrion. 100% correct The crime of 1) murdering the Queen, 2) manipulating the King into murdering the Queen and 3) dishonoring the very institution of all monarchies, not just the Westerosi one. This is, of course, operating under the presumption that many people (including yourself but correct me if I am wrong) that the books will end like the show. If the books will end like the show, Jon murdering Daenerys (in her own home, no less) at the behest of Tyrion would be an atrocity. Frankly, it'd be viewed as much worse than Daenerys losing her shit and deciding to raze King's Landing to the ground. And you're still not properly acknowledging the fact that kinslaying is beyond abominable. It doesn't matter how foul that person is; the rules of the ASOIAF series clearly state that such an act is both inexcusable and unconscionable. And for it to be his own father...Tywin is a terrible person and deserved to die but Tyrion is forever indebted Tywin. Not only that but Tyrion is Tywin 2.0 Everyone hated and feared Bloodraven...he had no friends. AKA the exact opposite of what Tyrion says he wants. Bloodraven was never a confirmed kinslayer nor was he ever an accused kingslayer...unlike Tyrion. The closest that Bloodraven got to kinslaying got him exiled to the Wall Bloodraven, for all his ills and misdeeds, was also a decorated war hero and a successful Hand. Tyrion was a good Hand...but he wasn't that good. And nowhere near as successful as Bloodraven. You know who else was a very successful Hand? Tywin Lannister, an bad man. Ending the story with yet another bad Hand of questionable competency after a long line of bad or incompetent Hands is not good. No one who has survived the horrors of the War of the Five Kings, the Second Dance of the Dragons and the Second Long Night is going to want to have a man with Tyrion's track record in control at court! No one! And for a dark horse like Bran (he's a sweetheart but face it...he'll be a bit creepy and it's going to take some time for the people of Westeros to adapt) to make that kind of appointment at the beginning of his reign (which will be disputed) would be an act of political suicide. Especially if he's also having a thieving deserter from the Citadel, a sellsword-turned-banker and a female "knight" on his Small Council... https://www.insider.com/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-important-plans-rickon-stark-2020-9 https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/07/08/a-winter-garden/ GRRM never said that The Winds of Winter is going to be the darkest novel because it's the one where children die in droves. That's something you made up. He said it's the darkest novel yet because a lot of its characters will be in very dark places. However, the ending of the series, as he has reiterated, will be bittersweet much like Lord of the Rings. And frankly, Rickon is more useful to the story alive than dead. A succession crisis between Jon and Rickon with the question of what to do with Stannis and the Others looming in the background is very juicy...especially when you throw Sansa into the mix. First of all: I too think KL will be a burnt, blasted ruin when all is said and done. I've always believed that it would happen before the end of the series (sometime in A Dream of Spring) but, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense for it to happen at the end of The Winds of Winter. It's as clear as day. That said, the end of KL (as we know it at least) does mean the end of "the game of thrones." Northern Westeros has its own game of thrones going on and that game of thrones is completely independent of the game of thrones played in southern Westeros. Cyvasse is all the rage in Dorne and the Free Cities and it plays like a literal "game of thrones." It's both a metaphor for the "game of thrones" and a reference to the real-world game of chess...which is a literal "game of thrones." Arya has been learning "the game of faces" in Braavos and when you really examine its rules, you will see that it has a lot in common with the "game of thrones." Slaver's Bay is experiencing its own game of thrones: by the end of Dance, it's been pretty much made clear that Barristan, Grey Worm, Missandei, etc. are fighting at least three different factions with each one vying for control over Meereen. We hear of rumors pertaining to another game of thrones in the far eastern country of Yi Ti. The game of thrones is a referendum of sorts on human nature, on how we're always angling and grappling and fighting for power. Ending the game of thrones means "breaking the wheel" and I don't believe that any one person can conclusively break it beyond repair...even if they are at the head of a massive army. Secondly, the end of KL does not mean the end of Connington, Aegon and the Martells. What was the point of bringing up Aegon and foreshadowing this war between "dragons light and dark, red and black with a lion snarling amidst them all" if half of that equation is going to be blown up before the other half of that equation can show up?! Sometimes, losing a fight can be good for you and winning a fight can be the worst thing that ever happened to you. Aegon and the Martells winning the Iron Throne at the cost of pissing off millions of people and destroying King's Landing to the point where it is indefensible is a fitting conclusion to that storyline. What storyline? That of the Dornish vengeance. Two points have to be made in order for the story to stick its landing in a way that makes sense. Vengeance may feel good in the short term (i.e. raping and murdering the lot of nobles and priests in King's Landing who were "complicit" in the rape and murder of their family members) and it may be justifiable but it is ultimately an evil that only invites more evil and hardship. And it's besides the fact...Doran played the hand he was dealt poorly and waited way too late to cash in. His attempts to preserve life while also getting vengeance while also putting the Martells in power over the whole empire is going to do the exact opposite. You can't have it both ways. Aegon and the Martells are a big part of the endgame. I don't think you realize how you are letting the showrunners (who clearly never cared to understand the story as it was, much less make a fitting adaptation for it) shape your perception of the story. Cersei Lannister is not going to be holding the Iron Throne while playing hard-to-get high school games with Euron Greyjoy when the Wall is breached and the Mother of Dragons makes landfall. If not her, then who will be sitting the Throne when it happens? Stannis? It's extremely unlikely as time, space, logic and almost the entire continent is not on his side. Euron? More likely than Stannis but still unlikely to happen...at least, not yet. Jon Snow? Forget about it; no time and too far...somewhat more likely than Stannis. Myrcella or Tommen? Almost impossible but still more possible than Cersei and Jon Snow. It has to be Aegon. And if it is Aegon, who will be his queen, who will sit on his council and who will be most present at court? Only GRRM and God know exactly who they all will be but I think we can all safely bet money on the fact that Varys will be present, that at least one of the Martells will be in a position of great power, that Connington will have left a significant mark and that Daenerys will be excluded.

It depends I understand the point that @KingAerys_II is trying to make: all of Dornish society is culpable because rather than surrender with honor and/or ask for terms when outnumbered/outgunned like every other region in Westeros (excluding the Free Folk beyond the Wall), the Dornish chose to resort to acts of unmitigated depravity. And I'm mostly inclined to agree: the Oakheart/Cafferen wedding is basically another Red Wedding. It is both absolutely deplorable, inexcusable and impractical. Yes, the Red Wedding is more depraved than the Oakheart/Cafferen wedding because the victims were guests and in-laws...but the Oakheart/Cafferen wedding is right up there. At least, you can make the argument that Walder Frey, Tywin Lannister, Sybil Westering and Roose Bolton had made a sensible, political decision and that Robb Stark had really messed up. The Oakheart/Cafferen wedding was an completely illogical atrocity. Committed by both people highborn and lowborn...and you can rest assured that they had plenty of support at home. And slavery of all things? Slavery is abominable to the Fot7 and yet the Wyls claim to be followers of the Fot7. So...??? And I don't want to say that civilians are fair game in Dorne but...the Dornish regularly employed protected civilian classes (women, children, elderly, handicapped, mentally ill) as unarmored soldiers in battles and sieges...and peace talks. Therefore, is there really such a thing as a civilian in the First Dornish War? I don't know if you're American or not but some of the most beloved American generals and presidents have done just as bad if not worse than the Targaryens. Yes, I'm talking about WWII's Eisenhower, Patton and Truman but I'm also talking about Barack Obama. And by worse than the Targaryens, I'm talking about maiming and torturing prisoners in dark, underground hovels. Which, as it were, is the same sort of thing that the Dornish were doing. The fact that Wyl Widowlover and his small Dornish army were able to get so far into the Reach unmolested (Old Oak is not only close to the Summer Sea but it's very close to the Westerlands) is both horrifying and astonishing...and says a lot about the worthiness and readiness of the Tyrells as Lords Paramount. Frankly, I would have punished the Tyrells. An army of hostile Dornishmen being able to march past the heartland of the Reach and get within spitting distance of the Westerlands is like wildlings making it just south of the Barrowlands. Warden of the South, my ass.

George loves writing for Tyrion but Tyrion is the "villain [protagonist]" of the tale. And no, Bran is George's favorite character. But Bran is also the hardest character to write. Tyrion is probably one of the easier ones. Tyrion's knack for using his wits to get out of impossible situations won't last forever. You have a lot of foreshadowing about this in Storm and Dance. Tywin repeatedly tells Tyrion that he talks and jests too much and that his tongue will be his undoing one day. The vast majority of people within the story that Tyrion has come across DO NOT like him...and for good reason. "Irrelevant" lowborn people who don't know him well like Ysilla and Yandry (captains of the Shy Maid) can't stand him. And people of largely unimpeachable character like Ned Stark never say anything good about Tyrion. Regardless of how bad of a man Tywin is, kinslaying is beyond the pale. The near-universal stigma of kinslaying is enough to give someone like Victarion pause. Not even Aerys at his most unhinged would dare. All of the known kinslayers of the series (Maegor, Euron, Ramsay, maybe Gregor) are monsters. That is no coincidence. That's ludicrous and disturbing. Are convicted murderers and rapists installed as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? As Speaker of the House? As Vice President of the United States? Why are you putting criminals in high offices so that they can atone for their crimes? If you want to make criminals atone for their crimes, you confine them to an isolated institution where they are rehabilitated into productive members of society...not give them sociopolitical authority over millions The whole gesture becomes even more insulting when you look at the way that Jon Snow was treated. In any case, Bran would be a fool to make Tyrion (with his long history of being unpopular/unlikeable) his second-in-command. Lots of people would have a problem with that. Arya? Sure...but only with friends. Never alone. But if it came down between her friends and her actual family, Arya's going with family. If they needed her (and they will need her post-Long Night), she'll stay. Sansa? As Lady of Winterfell? Yes, it makes sense...but only if Rickon isn't alive. And Rickon, as it stands, is the future of House Stark. GRRM keeps saying that he has lots of plans for both Rickon and Osha. As Queen of the North? No, it doesn't. Getting 1 or 2 dragons to Westeros before Dany arrives? That's not how the dragonhorn works and no one in Slaver's Bay is ready or inclined to leave for Westeros immediately after claiming a dragon. How can the Martells be midstory filler when the Martells and Aegon will be on the Iron Throne by the time Daenerys comes and the Wall falls They'll be the ones in control when the shit hits the fan

Wow this thread is crazy

Exactly Anyone who can't see how malicious and depraved Tyrion is hasn't really been paying attention to the books. I'll never forget the way he reacted to the fate of Masha Heddle...and this was way before he was severely traumatized and betrayed He may end up as @csuszka1948 says but, in any case, he'll either be put to death or exiled. Sorry but I don't think any of the endings of the main characters will be as they are. There will be some passing similarities but the differences are too great for any of the endings to be "the same." Not even in the broad strokes. For example: The nature of the Others is completely different. Euron is so powerful that he scares and worries Moqorro, a legitimately powerful sorcerer... The structural magic of the Wall has weaknesses one of them being the Horn of Winter. Ancient greenseers can use their powers to control nature. The influx of all the wildlings tribes and probably the Skagosi in the North would make it both impossible and impractical for someone like Sansa to rule over All of the Starks are said to be powerful skinchangers with Bran at the top of the food chain, Arya coming in at second and Sansa being the "weakest" The Starks have not had a maritime tradition in thousands of years and Arya has no connection to the seas Tyrion is innocent in killing Joffrey but he killed his father with zero hesitation and he frequently fantasizes about torturing and killing his other blood relatives. Then he went on a very public rant about wanting to kill everyone in King's Landing. After everything is said and done, no one will want anything to do with him: he is the definition of untrustworthiness Daenerys cannot control all three dragons; she can only control one. Who will claim and control the other two? Dorne is getting very involved in this last phase of the story. And House Dayne appears to be very important to the endgame. Jon Connington is a ticking time bomb

Well that's not necessarily true. The only story arcs that do not reach a proper conclusion are the stories pertaining to the Meereen theater (Tyrion, Victarion, Barristan) and maybe the Riverlands theater (Jaime and Brienne). Anything else is really just a proper conclusion masquerading as a cliffhanger (Daenerys) or all the material that people wanted to happen in Dance actually belong in Winds because it thematically doesn't really align (Davos, Theon/Asha) For the record, I think this will happen before she flees west. Briefly. No more than two chapters. But you're right. Either Cersei flees west and teams up with someone else in order to fight back, she remains a prisoner within the Red Keep or she dies She does The thing is that the likelihood of her being the one to use wildfire to lay waste to her enemies and destroy a significant portion of the city is very low. Varys wants her to make the life of his cookie-cutter king easier, not harder. I think soon-to-be-half-mad Connington will be the one responsible. Varys won't see that one coming and will thus have no way of preventing it once it starts. No. Jeyne won't continue to be Arya. If Arya survives the series, it has to end with her finally embracing her identity as Arya Stark of Winterfell, kickass lady wife and mother. Much like her LOTR counterpart Eowyn. Rickon will be the one to continue the Stark name and bloodline but Arya will have her own castle full of children. Arya wants to be a valuable, productive member of a pack...her issue is that her status as both a girl and second-born means that there is no real place for in her in any pack...especially since she is no good at the things that female members of a pack are expected to contribute to the pack. So, she tries to pick up swordplay as a way of proving herself to both her pack and herself...but that journey takes her to other places. I say all that to say that when Arya rediscovers herself, her pack and redefines her role within the part in a way more true to herself, the end of her story means that she lives in that truth within the pack. Part of that is working as a detective or sheriff but part of it is becoming a good wife, mother, sister and aunt

lmao Exactly. I think a lot of casual conversations in the last two books (especially the very last one) will be about people reminiscing, arguing, complaining and fighting about food instead of eating.

Interesting Those two scenes definitely have got to be from Winds. It probably means we are closer to a Winds release than we think.

Ditto I'm marking my spot because I'm curious as well. As if her current backstory (child of rape with said parents being sibling-spouses, born during a Cat-5 hurricane, grew up an orphan on the streets of various cities, raised by an abusive older sibling) isn't compelling enough?

That part

Wow I seem to have ruffled some feathers The point I was making is that I felt that @Hippocras was overstating the amount of misogyny and sexism in the world and projecting said overstated misogyny and sexism onto Ceryse Hightower. Nowhere in the text does it state or imply that Ceryse's treatment at the hands of young Maegor rose to the level of Joffrey or Ramsay. To draw that conclusion with no evidence is an overstatement and projection of misogyny and sexism. I NEVER stated that misogyny and sexism didn't exist nor that it was a minor inconvenience. Nor did I ever say that the world is not deeply patriarchal. But, in the end, the fact of the matter is that people rioted and warred on the behalf of Lyanna, Arya, Donella and Helaena simply based on what they heard. Not only did the vast majority of Seven Kingdoms rise in favor for Rhaenyra, but they kept fighting on her behalf after she had died. No one is going to stand there, bear witness to an adult noblewoman from a prestigious House be raped and abused by her underaged husband on her wedding night and do or say nothing. Not in the Starry Sept (which is where the wedding is held) and especially NOT right in front of the High Septon (who not only was in attendance but performed the rights). And for the record, @Lord Varys I don't think you can say that it is fundamentally unnatural and wrong for a woman to rule as regent. It happens literally all the time. In fact, we see more female regents (de jure or de facto) than male regents.

This is the same world in which... thousands of people are marching through a very bad winter storm to save a dead man's second daughter from her lawful husband hundreds of thousands more supported the downfall of the Targaryens because of the way a prince treated a noblewoman another couple of thousand people went to war to avenge the death of their dead lord's widow multiple kings of very different temperatures and backgrounds proclaim that their daughters will be their heirs a woman can speak to her husband and get a tradition that preys upon women abolished a woman can assume control of arguably the most powerful House in a empire of other powerful Houses unopposed millions of people hail a woman as both their supreme ruler and their savior

See, I'm going to stop you right there. Dany was never ever pledged to marry any presumably dead prince. The one who was "pledged" to marry was Viserys. And I use the term pledged very loosely because neither Viserys nor Arianne never knew about or consented to such a pledge. Even if you go with the argument that their legal guardians signed the pledged on their behalf and acted as witnesses, where are they? All of the witnesses to such pledge are dead and the last one is on his deathbed. Moreover, Prince Doran never even signed it for Arianne. Her uncle did but her uncle is not her legal guardian. It was never legally binding for Viserys and Arianne. So how can it be for Daenerys and Quentyn? This is what I mean by the fact that Prince Doran is doing a bad job of playing the game. If he is going to be this fearful and secretive, then he needs to not play at all. Or at least, have a very different strategy. Oh, it was definitely dirty. But it was bad advice. Right but with the way that the personalities and temperaments of Aegon, Arianne and their allies are set up... And for the record, Aegon is surrounded by a lot of yes-men so... If Dany tries to cross over to Westeros and the Dornish repel or outright attack her because of the stuff that they heard and/or because of what they think she did to Quentyn, that's pretty substantial. That's the thing. Aegon doesn't know what Dany is. No one west of Volantis knows what Dany is. And most of the people east of Volantis don't know that much more about her either. That's the problem. People like Connington, Doran, Illyrio, Tyrion and Varys keep making plans based on what they know about Dany without taking a moment to accept the fact that they don't know who she is at all. Not even the Green Grace or Hizdahr or Xaro Xhoa Daxos or Khal Jhaqo know who Dany is. Hell, Dany doesn't even know who she is or what she wants 25% of the time. How the hell is anyone else supposed to know??? So yes...in the end, Aegon is fool enough to marry someone anyone else. Why? Because he doesn't know her and he surrounds himself with people (many of whom aren't even competent in their area of expertise) who enable and inflate him. Yes, the Storm's End win is a big deal. It's a huge deal...especially if it is followed by the downfall of Mace Tyrell. But given Aegon's personality, I'm willing to bet money that the boy is going to let the win at Storm's End go to his head. If Aegon wants to be successful, he has to be better than Robb. And although Robb was never one to win a battle or two and believe that he is God's gift to the art of war...he still got way too sure of himself.

This is of course assuming that the Fot7's objections to the marriage between Rhaena and Maegor were genuine and not politically motivated. I did not know that it always hurts That aside, I find it ridiculous that no one present at the bedding (and I'm 99% positive she'd have family members present at the bedding) would say absolutely nothing to the objectionable abuse someone like Ceryse Hightower was suffering at the hands of a young teenaged prince. I think you are overestimating the misogyny and sexism of the world. That's a good point. In the end, all human beings (especially those of the same ethnicity or tribe) are related. Since it is human nature to have a preference or predisposition to mate and reproduce with people of the same tribe or ethnicity, we all practice incest to a certain degree. So in all actuality, incest isn't the problem...it's the degree of gravity and proximity of the incest that's the issue. Parent/child incest is always, always bad. And brother/sister incest -- while deeply unsavory and almost always bad -- was both theoretically common enough and necessary throughout human history, particularly in the early days. Cousin incest doesn't even really register as incest for the vast majority of human beings alive in 2023....much less in 1387 AD, in 1 AD or in 3000 BC

It doesn't have to be densely populated for the disease to spread Connington is a military commander who will be around large groups of people. He already has castle servants washing his infected materials. Where are these servants going and who are they working for? In the end, while yes, the disease will really become endemic once King's Landing comes into the picture, the Golden Company are going be super-spreaders. Wherever they will go, the disease will be there. This is how greyscale will ravage the south. Because I think the Golden Company will come into close contact with people from the Reach.

Stannis marrying a Tyrell means that Mace will be caught between his second son and his sister. And Loras, said second son, will probably be even closer with Renly and their bond stronger due to mere proximity. A marriage between Stannis and Jana would make it easier for Loras and Renly to spend more time with each other. Given both his personality and the structure of society, Mace Tyrell will choose to side with his son (especially since doing so means that his daughter becomes Renly's wife and queen) over his sister in this case. If Stannis marries Mace's sister, it might take a long time for Mace to reach this conclusion. But if it's one of his cousins...it's a much easier decision. So, Stannis marrying Jana or some other Tyrell woman changes nothing more or less. Maybe he has a nicer (emphasis on -er part) spouse? That changes everything Now, Stannis marrying a daughter of Lord Leyton Hightower. That changes a lot...if not everything. Because if Stannis would marry any Hightower woman, it would be Mallora the Mad Maid. Not only is she Lord Leyton's eldest daughter (a Baratheon-Hightower match is prestigious) but she is the closest in temperament to Stannis. With a Mallora/Stannis match, the Stannis storyline becomes a lot more magical and a lot more interesting. Imagine the push-and-pull, catty jockeying between Mallora and Melisandre. Stannis might have one or two more children besides Shireen. Mace probably still marries a Hightower because of Olenna. With Mace and Stannis both marrying Hightower women (who are not fond of each other), a big part of the Wo5K becomes an arm-wrestling contest between Stannis and Mace. And between Lord Leyton's close relationship with Mallora and the fact that Stannis does lawfully come before Renly, the Hightower army would probably be declare for Stannis. And if Oldtown declares for Stannis, his situation in A Storm of Swords is nowhere near as bad. He probably still has to go to the Wall because the Tyrells outnumber the Hightowers and, in his absence, Oldtown has to face Euron alone.

Euron is a serious, universal threat. So good on you for bringing it up. But it seems like you completely forgot about Daenerys.

And Elia Sand (aka Lady Lance) is even worse than Arianne. I think that - at some point - Elia will do something bad/stupid and either leave Arianne to take the blame for it...or everyone will simply assume Arianne did it and she won't have any way to prove otherwise. Well first of all, to @Aejohn the Conqueroo's point, there is a pretty big difference between justice and revenge and neither Doran nor Oberyn understood it what it was. So, to that point, Dorne has always been doomed. To answer your question...the moment that Dorne makes any moves or plots against Dany is the moment when the destruction of Dorne is inevitable. Because, by the time Dany comes to Westeros, she would have crushed all of her enemies (re: slavers and their sympathizers) in Essos and she will be in no mood to play games. And Dorne is probably the one region in Westeros closest to Essos. For what it's worth, I think Arianne is way more hypercompetitive than she is overweeningly ambitious. She appears to have learned from the Oakheart and Darkstar situations so I think her jealous, hypercompetitive nature is what's really going to get her in trouble. No. It's the Stormlands. It's a region with high humidity and high enough temperatures and it's the one region where Connington will spend the most time. LMAO no it would not have gone better What he should've done is send Arianne to court at King's Landing and Oberyn to Meereen. And in sending Oberyn to Meereen, he should've sent either a small army with ships or coin to hire said army and ships. I'm sorry but it's hard for me to feel bad for Prince Doran. If he is in such a tough spot because he is limited to B-list and C-list pieces, then he just shouldn't play the game. But that's not true. Prince Doran's biggest problem is the fact that he is a terribly poor manager of people...not of land but of people. His overcautious nature not only isolates himself and his House (thereby creating a lot of unnecessary angst and instability within his family) but it prevents him from properly capitalizing on the "talent pool" in Dorne. His ex-wife Mellario could've been huge asset...but where is she now? Arianne and Quentyn are A-list pieces that have never been groomed/cultivated into A-list status...so they end up just being on the B- and C-list teams. The fact that Arianne and Quentyn are so ill-equipped and bumbling is 100% Doran's fault.

LOL right because had it been up to Borros' daughter Cassandra, Storm's End definitely would've fought back.

False The Velaryons are not the Targaryens. They are of Valyrian descent but one of the key differences between them and the Targaryens is that the Velaryons frequently married outside of their own House. And to be honest, if you want to go by the logic of outbreeding and one-sided second cousins, all of the noble families of the 7K (in fact, all of Planetos even) practice inbreeding

I think GRRM did this all on purpose. He wanted to both simplify the Targaryen family tree**, subvert the trope about how a magical bloodline is always good and productive, and keep their lineage exclusive and prestigious. Too many daughters and sons means that Targaryen blood is being spread far and wide in Westeros. Which, if the Targaryens are to be considered special or even magical, is a problem. If everyone is a little special, no one really is. **And by simplify the Targaryen family tree, I don't think GRRM wanted to have to deal with Targaryen cadet houses. Because technically, as the overlords of such a massive and diverse continent as Westeros in an technological era resembling the Middle Ages, the Targaryens should have a rich holdfast and a significant presence in probably every region of the 7K (except maybe the North and Dorne) with all 5-6 branches of the family paying taxes directly to the Iron Throne and reporting to both the Iron Throne and that region's Lord Paramount. And too many sons means Targaryen cadet houses. They can't all join the Watch, the Citadel or Fot7 Honestly, however, given the fact that they were warrior-conquerors who became successful kings and queens (with one of the three being a sorcerer), there's nothing wrong with their ages. It would be hard for the movers and shakers of Westeros to take them seriously -- meaning that the Conquest would've been a bloodier, longer war -- if the Targaryens had been 10 or even 5 years younger. The question that you really should be asking Hippocras is why are five out of the six main characters of ASOIAF (i.e. Bran, Jon, Dany, Arya, Sansa) are so young. Frankly, there was nothing really wrong with Visenya's proposition. I never understand why the High Septon and the Most Devout took such a big issue with...unless, that is, you subscribe to the theory that the Oldtown power bloc (i.e. the Hightower family, the High Septon and the Most Devout, and the archmaesters at the Citadel) have always plotted against House Targaryen. They were never in a position to avoid direct contact with the Targaryens (unlike the Starks and the Northmen) nor openly confront the Targaryens (unlike the Martells and the Dornish)...so they opted to control them EDIT: I just realized that Well, first of all...let's be honest. Maegor is a Targaryen prince, second-in-line to the Iron Throne after the Conqueror and his sickly, limp-wristed firstborn. Ceryse is a Hightower (despite their wealth, history and prestige, they are far from being a Great House) and -- as you said -- 10 years his senior...aka an "old" maid. And, all things considered, she was almost certainly not the firstborn daughter of Lord Hightower. So, in truth, according to their standards...Ceryse Hightower was beneath Maegor Targaryen. Secondly, I think it's a leap to assume that Maegor and Ceryse's wedding night was similar to Ramsay Bolton's wedding night in which Ceryse was raped multiple times. The term "lusty husband" could be window dressing or it could be just that...a lusty husband. The fact that Ceryse wanted Maegor to return to her (and the fact that he was 13-14 at the time of their wedding) tells me that he was not that awful...at first. Moreover, unlike Ramsay's wedding night, Ceryse and Maegor had a true bedding in which people (of both sexes) watched them consummate their marriage with multiple bouts of sex. If she had been abused or mutilated, a huge stink would've been raised and word would've spread like wildfire.

He could take Oldtown But there's absolutely no way that he'd be able to take Casterly Rock. And I don't feel very confident about his chances in taking Storm's End...

Exactly And Volantis is an ancient city and home to at least two world wonders. The destruction of Volantis would do more than kill the slave trade...and I'm not at all saying that it's unnecessary or that it's not worth doing. It just is.