Stallion That Mounts Texas

I think the best explanation is that the GC will be dressed in the colors of the captured Storm Land houses that fought for Stannis (Estermont, Morrigan, Connington, etc.,) and will attack the Tyrell force left to invest Storms End. After defeating it, Connington will offer up the Tyrell commander (Mathis Rowan?) as proof of fealty. The Tyrells have likely been shooting down any birds traveling to and from Storm's End, so I would not be surprised if no news of the GC and it's conquest have yet reached the defenders.

She also lacks the manpower to atttack King's Landing. Prince Doran is still in charge the last time I checked and there is no way he is about to authorize that kind of action without a surefire chance at victory.

I think Aegon has been raised to be too honorable for that (Son of Rhaegar). I can see JC getting his hands dirty so that Aegon does not have to.

I agree. It makes way more sense to keep an army in control of the capital and more importantly, in control of the king and small council.

Quite right. There were two Tyrell armies in the city. One commanded by Mace and the other by Randyll Tarly. Its the Tarly host that was likely sent out. The only question is whether Lord Tarly had the command.

Agreed, the topics that have been subsequently discussed revolve around the Arianne chapter. The discussion is naturally going to change somewhat.

I wasn't suggesting that they adopt the Volantene system completely....just a straight up roman style triumvirate.

I actually want Aegon to be Rhaegar's son, but I have a feeling he is not. In my perfect ending Aegon, Jon and Dany all rule as a sort of power sharing situation. Tyrion kinds of foreshadows this when he sees the triarchs of Volantis. He wonders how Westeros would have turned out if there were three rulers instead of Aerys and his father. I wonder if he will suggest this down the road.

I don't like Dany either and hope that Jon will eventually rule. Dany will be queen for whatever king ends up on the iron throne. Jon was raised by Ned Stark and is the son of the greatest prince to ever grace Westeros.

I can see you are a bit new to the board as there have been massive threads on the issue posted in ADWD thread. Kind of off topice but here goes... Its all from the early Tyrion chapters. 1. Tyrion finds a statue of Illyrio in his youth. He was a lean and fit sword fighter with blonde hair, and not in the condition he is in now (Aegon in lean and fit). 2. Illyrion tells Tyrion that he is getting master of coin, lands and a castle for his services. Tyrion thinks he is a liar. Tyrion believes he is getting something out of this worth more than any lands, castles or gold (a son on the iron throne). 3. Illyrio tells us that the death of Maelys the Monstrous ended House Blackfyre in the male line (suggesting that a female descendent survived). 4. Illyrio shows Tyrion a picture of his wife Sera. She is pale blonde and blue-eyed, but with a streak of silver in her hair. So we know she has Valaryian (Targaryen blood?). 5. Illyrion seems oddly sad to Tyrion as he cannot go to see Aegon off on his journey. He packs some Aegon's favorite candy in one of the chests and swears not to miss Aegon's marriage by Sera's name (seems quite fatherly). 6. There were early chapters for ADWD that showed even more talk of house Blackfrye in the Tyrion chapters, but was edited out. Many think GRRM did not want to make it too obvious and give away Aegon's true parentage like he did with Jon. As I said, its not 100%, but it is quite convincing when you think about it. If true he is still a dragon from a cadet branch of house Targaryen with a legit claim to the throne. Sadly, I don't think he is the son of Rhaegar.

Although it has not been 100% confirmed, there is enough evidence in ADWD to suggest that he is not Rhaegar's son and more likely a scion of House Blackfyre. He is still a dragon, but a black dragon and not a red one. Personally, I would have like to see Rhaegar's son actually alive (although he has another).

Aegon seems a good bet to gain the throne with JC as his hand for a time. They have already conquered 3/4 of the Stormlands. I think the Marcher Lords will be soon to follow. If Connington successfully defeats the Tyrell army, I can see many more houses coming to support Aegon.

The Darry's were strong Targaryen loyalists who sided with Aerys in the war of the usurper. Ser Jonothor Darry was a member of the Kingsguard and died on the Trident. Ser Willem Darry was to one who took Viserys and Dany into exile. The Darry's were a very powerful and wealthy house in the Riverlands, but had all of their gold and most of their land taken by Robert becuase of Targ support. The tapestries are a testament to that support and hope for Targ restoration.

JC was always a strong battle commander. He has had a long time to regret his mistakes from the Battle of the Bells and is not likely to show any leniency this time around. 1. When Aerys named him hand, Tywin disapproved of the choice only because of Jon's age (in which he was right), not because of his ability. 2. Kevan knew enough of Jon to fear him if he had actually come back to Westeros. My only concern is that the greyscale will make him act too rashly. I can't wait to find out how he took Storm's End and how he will deal with the Tyrell army.

Lord Tarly reminds makes me think of Jaime and the Whispering Woods. As strong a battle commander as he is, I don't think caution is in his vocabulary. I think he knows only one way when it comes to battle, and that is straight into the fray. He seems a good candidate to be ambushed. If Jon can capture, kill or turn Randyll, it would be a devastating blow to the Tyrells. I'm not sure who else would be a capable commander except for Mathis Rowan. Lord Mathis is the wild card. Much is made of his ability and the possibility that he could be a friend in the Reach and a Targaryen loyalists. I still have not been able to pin down his location in all of this. He was last seen in ASOS. I don't know if he returned to the Reach with Garlan and the rest of the Tyrell forces. I would say Paxter Redwyne, but he off battling Euron and the iron men. I think he will meet end his end at the hands of the Crow's Eye and his forces. Red Ronnet is an interesting part of the story. Cousin Jon has his younger brother, sister and bastard son. I wonder if he will aid Jon? Additionally, Aegon's forces have conquered almost 2/3 of the Stormlands with the fall of Storms End. I start to wonder if Connington has roused the Storm lords and made them amenable to Aegon's rule? If so, his forces may have increased substantially. I don't think Renly went to war with all of his possible strength (specifically, the Marcher Lords). Lord Julian Swann did not call his banners, but instead sent his two sons (Donnel to fight for Renly and Balon to fight for the Lannisters). It makes sense that they would withhold their forces because of the large numbers Renly already had and because they need to remain to check Dorne. I calculate that 10,000 + troops could be available. A victory over a large Tyrell army could be just what they need to turn their cloaks as they have little love for House Lannister.

An ambush seems to be the likely course of action for Conningtion. He knows the lay of the land, has troops of the highest quality and is probably still at about half strength. The Tyrell army is probably at least 20,000 strong. Success will depend on who is commanding the Tyrells. I wonder if the GC will deploy their elephants in some fashion?

I like the fake supply theory as well. Connington said he planned to take the castle by guile. But he was very confident in being able to take the keep, lending to the idea that he knows some secret about the castle. In the appendix to ADWD it states that Jon was briefly the lord of Storms End (likely after Aerys attainted Robert and his brothers). I don't know if there would have been time for him to inspect the castle. Maybe he was fostered there or spent time there.

No confirmation, but it is likely Tarly. Mace will not leave KL until his daughter's trial has concluded. Although it could be Mathis Rowan (where is he?). I would also like to cast a vote for Lord Tarly making a move at some point. Remember the Tyrells were only stewards of the old Gardener Kings. They were raised far above their station for simply yielding High Garden to Aegon. They never reigned as kings and have ruled the reach for a relatively short amount of time, as compared to thousands of years for the other great houses. Even the Queen of Thorns acknowledges that the Tyrell claim is a bit dodgy. Given this, we know that the Florents considered the Tyrells as pretenders. I wonder if the other great houses of the Reach feel the same way? House Tarly could just as easily displace house Tyrell without much resistance from the rest of the Reach.