The Real Alaric

It gets better...while reviewing Robert's arrival at Winterfell, I noted that he mentions Highgarden's "fields of golden roses that stretch away as far as the eye can see"...while not all poppies are golden, California's state flower is the golden poppy, and this drawing from http://www.lieberson.com/en/neuro_medical_info/medicines shows a golden opium poppy: http://www.lieberson.com/en/Images/09_Hist...Poppy%20200.jpg Note also "But the invaders discovered that without the Incan 'gift of the gods', the natives could barely work the fields - or mine gold. So it came to be cultivated even by the Catholic Church." ( http://www.cocaine.org ) Makes you wonder what exactly "Casterly Rock" is. Maybe gold just grows on trees in Lannister-land ( http://www.cocaine.org/cokelefs.html ). Anyway, just some late-night free association (better than free-basing :) ) --Alaric

I'm not a student of history, so I can't comment on character names, but note the Maesters who make/distribute opiates are based in Oldtown, ruled by Hightowers, and the nearest major city (on the Kingsroad, anyway) is Highgarden to the NE. I wonder what the farmers between the two 'high' cities grow? --Alaric