Lord Varys

But what is the purpose of Belwas, then? Why did he survive? Illyrio is not stupid and having a secret dagger at the throat of a potential is the kind of thing he would do. Perhaps Belwas doesn't even need a note. The guy might be more than he seems, or else Illyrio would never have trusted him with this mission. He might not even need an order to act but might decide to kill Dany as soon as he realizes she has become a threat to Aegon. Lysono and Daario are very different, actually. Daario is a very manly man. He is more than a little bit flamboyant but the society he lives in and has grown up sees his type of behavior as manly. Daario is, after all, a very capable fighter. Lysono Maar on the other hand looks and behaves like a woman. He does nothing to appear more manly (say, grow himself a beard) but instead highlights his feminine features by painting his finger nails (like a woman) and wearing all those earrings (like a woman). Unless we assume for no good reason that this all is an act there is a pretty good chance that Lysono likes playing the role of woman and even gets off on that. That more or less fits the definition of a transvestite. I'm not sure whether Jon Connington is a closeted homosexual (there are subtle hints that he and Myles Toyne might have been lovers or had an affair) but he really isn't all that open about it. Lysono Maar most likely isn't into women, either, but Connington clearly has big problems with this kind of gay people. Those people exist in Westeros, too. Laenor Velaryon also was the effeminate gay guy, not caring about manly stuff but having a thing for handsome manly men (just as Rhaenyra did). Prince Daeron the Gay and his lover/partner on the other don't seem to have any particularly colorful tastes. They were both knights and into manly stuff, perhaps in a similar way as Renly and Loras were. Varys, on the other hand, is an actor. Playing the role of woman most likely is the same thing for him as playing the role of the effeminate eunuch (which clearly is an act, too). There is some truth to this, but the whole secret betrothal to Viserys has set Arianne's mind into motion. The wheels are turning and she is thinking about how the Quentyn-Dany thing might cost her what she once was supposed to have. I agree that Young Griff most likely wouldn't have impressed Arianne all that much. But Prince Aegon Targaryen might. Aegon isn't featured all that much directly in the ADwD chapters dealing with him. That might change when we'll see him finally through the eyes of a woman. Tyrion thinks he looks like a maiden's dream, and if she sees him doing stuff of the sort she would expect from Oberyn or Darkstar she certainly would like that. Not to mention that Aegon actually is a very smart young man who should be able to be a very interesting person to talk to. An idea that I've always entertained is that Myrcella might become Aegon's first queen. If they capture her and Lady Nym on their way to KL, then they cannot only use her as a hostage but as political tool. If Aegon marries Myrcella then only Tommen stands between them and the Iron Throne, and that obstacle is easily removed. As Aegon's queen Myrcella is likely to live as long as Jaehaera Targaryen, though. It is correct that Arianne and Aegon should not have to marry - but it is still a pretty likely scenario that they will once they learn about Dany's alleged death. Assuming they have a thing for each other. If not, then there is no need for such a political marriage.

Please keep the show out of here! The problem with Tyrion's advice from a storytelling POV is that Tyrion would have had no need/motivation to give Aegon that counsel in this context, nor would Aegon have had any reason to react to it the way he did. This conversation was originally either supposed to take place at the meeting with the Golden Company officers or shortly before that with Tyrion advising Aegon in quiet moment. When the decision is wheter to risk much and more to go to Meereen to (perhaps?) win Dany and the dragons or to go to Westeros now and hope to make the best possible use out of the current political situation there this talk makes sense. But the way George portrayed it in the books it doesn't work. Nobody has any intention yet to decide between 'going east or west'. They are going south, down the Rhoyne, and hopw to await Daenerys at Volantis. They are still operating under the assumption that Dany is on her way west, and Aegon has no reason whatsoever to see himself as supplicant or beggar when facing his aunt. She will be on the move (from Slaver's Bay to Volantis) and he will await her with 10,000 sellswords. Aegon would have been in a position of strength. George should have placed the Aegon-Tyrion conversation after the news about Dany staying in Meereen had reached the ship (which it only does when Tyrion and Haldon leave the boat). But he didn't, and therefore this conversation is very irritating the way it is. Aegon technically has the option to take multiple wives, and I'm pretty sure this will come up one way or another. It could be a way to try to resolve the Aegon-Dany situation even if Arianne has already become Aegon's queen and the mother of his son. Polygamy is evil and forbidden, but there are precedents for that kind of thing and it should be preferable to war. But that's most likely an option Arianne will be opposing because of the Quentyn thing. I don't think Dany will end up with Euron. They are not likely to meet each other soon, and Euron certainly is more a force of destruction and chaos than anything else. I expect him to acquire more and more power while Aegon wages his campaign so that he can become a really great danger during the Second Dance and perhaps even the War for the Dawn. And I'm still liking the idea of Cersei marrying him so that they could become some sort of evil couple of doom.

Nope. The king decides who his heir will be, and nobody else, actually (unless he makes no decision at all and there is a Great Council called by him or his Hand to peacefully settle the succession). Prince Rhaegar was Aerys II Heir Apparent and the Prince of Dragonstone. But Prince Aegon was never formally installed or anointed as second in line to the Iron Throne by Aerys II. Aerys even refused to touch or recognize his granddaughter Princess Rhaenys as such, making it dubious whether he ever considered Rhaegar's children to be members of the royal family. If Rhaegar I had ascended the Iron Throne he would most likely have formally installed Prince Aegon as Heir Apparent and Prince of Dragonstone. But it never came to that. And therefore Prince Aegon was just one of the minor claimants to the Iron Throne by the time of his death. One that he had been passed over by his royal grandfather in favor of Prince Viserys. Daenerys Stormborn was anointed as Viserys III's heir. That much is clear from AGoT. She is repeatedly styled 'Princess of Dragonstone' prior to Viserys III's death, making it clear that Viserys III had anointed her as his immediate heir. Aegon certainly could counter Dany's claim on the basis of her being female and all. But as you have already stated there is no proof that he is actually Rhaegar's son so everything he says isn't worth all that much. The same goes for anything Jon Snow says, too. Being a prince's son isn't the same as convincing the world that you are a prince's son, after all. And I really don't see Jon Snow's parentage figuring into that debate at all. Jon Snow will never put forth a claim to the Iron Throne outside of the Targaryen context. Unless he is adopted into the Targaryen family by either Daenerys, Aegon, or Tyrion there is no chance that anybody is ever going to take his claim seriously. Even if Jon plays a crucial role in defeating the Others - this is not the same as being universally recognized/accepted as a royal prince. Unless another Targaryen - and the Targaryen loyalist power base of that Targaryen - accepts him as one of his/her own, there is no chance that he can force himself on those people. Jon Snow both lacks the Targaryen looks and the Targaryen connection. Just compare him to Aegon. Aegon looks like Rhaegar's son, and Aegon was raised by a well-known Targaryen loyalist. Jon Snow was raised by Ned Stark, a sworn enemy of both Prince Rhaegar and King Aerys II. And he doesn't look his father at all. Even if Jon Snow had been raised by the Daynes (noted Targaryen loyalists) it would have been very difficult/all but impossible to convince a majority of the Realm that this guy was actually a Targaryen prince.

This was never about legal prattle. Daenerys Targaryen is the last legitimate scion of House Targaryen in the eyes of the world. Any secret or hidden Targaryens (like Jon, Aegon, or Tyrion) play in different leagues because nobody knew about their existence until very recently (or not at all). Dany may decide that Aegon is not her brother's son because there is no proof that he is Rhaegar's son - and she has no reason to believe that he is the real deal. She doesn't even have to enter into Blackfyre conspiracy territory for that. In addition, Dany was the chosen and anointed heir of her brother, King Viserys III, who in turn had been the chosen and anointed heir of her late father, Aerys II. If she wants to play the legal game she can proclaim that Prince Aegon lost his claim to the Iron Throne for good when her father named Viserys his heir. Secret/hidden princes are political non-entities. It is not Dany's fault (or the world's fault) that Prince Aegon was raised in obscurity. History and reality made Daenerys Targaryen the last scion of House Targaryen and - from her point of view - the rightful Queen of Westeros. She is not going to give that up. Note that nobody styles or addresses Prince Aegon as 'King Aegon VI Targaryen'. He is no king yet. Nobody has crowned or anointed him, and neither was named Heir Apparent to the Iron Throne. But I'd also say that right now Dany has no reason to oppose Aegon or see him as her enemy. I think she'll will show signs to compromize at first. This is going to be a slippery slope, not a scenario in which friends and enemies are clear from the beginning. Dany owes Illyrio and Varys for the dragons. That is a fact. And she feels that way, too. She most certainly won't give up the Iron Throne but I guess she would be willing to enter into a political marriage of some sort. A deal to share the power. And it will not matter whether Aegon is Rhaegar's son, a Blackfyre, or a complete fake. Getting power through or with Aegon surely will be preferable to war. Only if that's rejected (and she is actually physicially attacked/betrayed) will she decide begin a war. But any escalation scenario between Dany-Aegon has to go with the assumption that Aegon is pretty much in charge of all/most of the Realm. Else his faction will be glad for Dany's help/assistance/support when she comes and not see her as a threat. Tyrion is going to see how he fucked himself with his advice to Aegon if Aegon neither failed nor is in need of Dany's assistance but has no longer any use for either of them...

Yeah, of course. The news about Quentyn will make it difficult/impossible for Aegon to peacefully include Daenerys into his new regime. Assuming he is already the crowned and anointed King Aegon VI Targaryen by then, sitting the Iron Throne and having won the love of a majority of his people. But even that should only be one contributing factor. Aegon will have to make other alliances and have to involve himself more deeply into the Westerosi affairs in any possible scenario that has him win and keep the Iron Throne until such time as Dany arrives. The Faith most likely will also be opposed to the idea of a Daenerys I - or rather, the High Sparrow will be reluctant to counsel Aegon to marry his aunt instead of Arianne (who is only his first cousin). Not to mention that a peace/pact with Daenerys most certainly will mean that Aegon VI and Daenerys I formally share their power, perhaps even in a more explicit way than Aegon and his sister-wives and Jaehaerys I and Alysanne. The Faith would not like that, and neither might Aegon himself by this point. After all, if he wins the Iron Throne then he'll want to keep what he has conquered and not like the idea of sharing it with his aunt. Dany's associates (foreigners, savages, and Ironborn) along with the rumors painting her as a cruel and mad ruler as well as her religious beliefs (which might actually be R'hllorian or perceived as such from the outside if Moqorro and Benerro end up joining her team) won't make her popular in Westeros, either. I think this Second Dance kind of thing will actually have little in common with the First Dance. Only the name, basically. The Dance was a war between siblings who hated each other. The Second Dance will be a war between two (distant) relatives who don't even know each other. I think a series of serious misunderstandings (Quentyn) and botched assassination attempts (Strong Belwas trying to murder Dany after Illyrio sends a note to him that the dragon queen is now no longer needed) might poison the relationship between these two people. But we'll most likely get nothing resembling the scale of the historical Dance. Dany will most likely have a huge fleet by the time she moves to Westeros. And if that's the case then she also has no reason not to attack KL directly. If she takes that she might kill/capture Aegon then and there. If not, then the rest of the war will be a hunt for him and perhaps one or two serious battles after which the thing will be settled. That should take all that long. But in light of the book(s) it took to cover the War of the Five Kings I can't but think that it will have to be at least 1-2 books. Especially in light of the fact that other things are going to happen at the same time. And Dany's arrival the beginning of this Second Dance in Westeros most certainly should happen around the same time or shortly before the final attack of the Others. It cannot happen in the middle of the War for the Dawn because that would make such a civil war a very silly idea. Didn't catch these two, but I was pretty sure that Elia catching blind fishs at the lake in the cave was a pretty obvious nod towards Gollum.

Okay, perhaps I was phrasing it wrong. Brevity is also part of it, of course. I wanted to say that George is neither usually a large vocabulary nor is he often investing time and effort to describe things to create atmosphere or just to give us a picture of a place. We have no clue how Dany's throne room in the Great Pyramid looks like, for instance, or any such details on many other places we visited. In fact, we don't even have very good physical descriptions of the main characters. They are described in general terms and we know about hair colors and eye colors, and who is beautiful and who is ugly, but can anybody describe Cersei's nose, Jaime's chin, Bran's mouth in detail? No, we can't. We don't even get a good picture/feeling how it is to have to interact closely with Tyrion. A different author most certainly would have focused how revolting the scar, the eyes, and Tyrion's malformed head and his overall physical shape was from the POV of a girl like Sansa. The only detailed physical description I remember of the top of my head is Sandor's, especially the one Sansa gives in AGoT. But even that most uses general terms and doesn't touch on individual features/impressions. In general this series is actually not structured so much as a novel but as a series of interconnected short stories. The (good) chapters all have a sort twist or cliffhanger at the end like a good short story is supposed to have, and they tend to revolve more around the specific topic than around the general narrative in more conventional novel would. That makes many chapters very powerful in their own right but it also makes the novels jumping from episode to episode rather than telling a consistent interconnected story. I find that especially vexing in the early chapters of AGoT when George clearly uses too few chapters to properly introduce the characters and get the story going. In addition, it is pretty obvious that George usually only mentions things if they are important. By ADwD this has gone so far that figuring out what it is important is no longer difficult. Everything that's mentioned (aside from, perhaps, some courses) is important. I'm actually not sure that this is a sign of him being headstrong. Connington didn't tell him that Aegon could not lead the attack. He just decided that he would do it. And keep in mind that Aegon approved the plan Connington already had laid out. Considering that this plan most likely included whatever ruse they are going to use to take the castle Aegon is not overly reckless there. And it is crucial for him to visible take charge of his people and be recognized as their leader and future king. If he didn't do that he would remain nothing but a pawn in the hands of Jon Connington - and it is pretty clear that Aegon is having nothing of that (which is fine). Arianne most likely will blame Dany, but the Quentyn thing is not going to be the reason why Aegon and company will decide to abandon/move forward without Daenerys. It will be their genuine believe that Daenerys Targaryen has died in Daznak's Pit or has no intention of ever returning to Westeros (or marrying Prince Quentyn Martell). This would make it very stupid to ignore the chance Aegon provides right now for Dorne and the Martells.

As to the descriptions: Come on, George has a very unadorned prose. The man focus a little bit on meals and clothes, but that's it. There no good or detailed descriptions of places, buildings, structures, people, or other important features. For instance, the whole cave episode in the chapter could have greatly profited from being longer and more detailed to create a really weird atmosphere for the reader. There is a hint that Maar disguised himself as a woman when slipped into Volantis to check out the situation there. We don't see him doing that but the way he talks about it does not suggest that he went in there dressed as a manly man. Maar gives the creeps to both Jon Connington (who sees him as an effeminate caricature of his dead silver prince) and Arianne. That is not confirmation that men with Valyrian hair and eyes look strange, it is confirmation that the effeminate/affected manner of Lysono Maar is making people uncomfortable who don't know him. It is also not confirmation that he is lying. It just shows that the man exploits the impact his manner and looks have on people to his advantage. @The Grey Wolf I don't think Aegon cares about the things Elia has to offer. She is a young tomboy girl who is making out with stable boys. We have no clue that he is into that type of girl. But if he was he is going to take what is offered and discard her later on. Prince Aegon isn't Robb Stark, after all. He is not stupid. And there is no chance that Elia, Connington, or Arianne would support Aegon's weird decision of a bride. Elia should be very aware that Aegon marrying her instead of Arianne isn't going to win him the loyalty of Dorne. Neither Arianne nor Doran would be happy with that. @Illyrio Mo'Parties The Epilogue must actually be quite some time after 'The Griffin Reborn' because Kevan already knows about the landing of the Golden Company in the Stormlands in Cersei's first chapter. He just doesn't know yet who they are and what they want. From 'The Griffin Reborn' we learn that no messages got away from Griffin's Roost and the other castles the Golden Company targeted prepared. But ravens did escape from Greenstone on Estermont and Tarth, and it seems Kevan's sources in Cersei 1 were only those letters. In-between Cersei 1 and the Epilogue Connington took Griffin's Roost and wrote his letter(s) to Tommen, claiming that he had just come back to reclaim his birthright. At the same time/shortly thereafter the first rumors about Aegon must have reached the court. That means quite some time must have passed between 'The Griffin Reborn' and the Epilogue.

Thanks, didn't remember that. The only time Randyll does something remotely positively in relation to the Faith is when he punishes that poor guy even harsher when it turns he had stolen from a sept. But that shows Randyll being cruel and uncaring, not that he is pious. The source for Sam's song about the Seven is also his mother. If Randyll was a pious guy (like Lord Butterwell was, of instance) one would expect him to visit the sept with his children and perhaps being a good singer, too. Sam could have learned a few pious songs from his father in such a scenario. But there is no indication of anything like that. @Free Northman Reborn I'm not remembering my numbers right now but the two combined Tyrell armies in KL might actually be insanely huge. They are what remains of Renly's about 80,000 men at Bitterbridge, after all. It could still be 40,000-50,000 men. Half of them would be 20,000-25,000 men, more than double what the Golden Company has right now. But numbers do not matter all that much in the coming battle. The Golden Company is made up of professional soldiers and veterans, and most of the Tyrells levies will just be peasants with pikes. And Harry Strickland has elephants. The crucial factors will be choosing the right terrain for the battle (one assumes Aegon V lured the Golden Company into a trap at the Wendwater Bridge during the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion) and making use of that advantage. Jon Connington can do that. The man is a Stormlander by birth, he should know the right place and way to lure the Tyrell men into a trap. And with the Kingswood close by they might even be able to use the elephants as a surprise element. Tarly might be the best soldier in Westeros, but the fact is that there aren't many professional soldiers in Westeros. But every man in the Golden Company is a soldier, so he might find his master there. The man certainly did never fight against elephants before, nor would have any experience with archers as professional and effective as the Golden Company's. The knights of the Reach might be more than a match for the Golden Company's knights, but we don't know yet how they will react when they realize they will have to ride against horses and elephants. The Tyrell foot most likely will break as soon they see the knights or their fellows being trampled by the beasts. I don't see any chance that any Tyrell men right now in KL will fight Euron while the Golden Company hasn't been dealt with. They don't have any ships to get them down south, and there is little to no chance that Mace would split up his troops before Aegon is defeated. The source for the token force at Storm's End was actually the App. The books have yet to mention where the hell Mathis Rowan is. But I remember mentioning/suggesting that he must be down at Storm's End (unless he died offscreen) and the first major Reach Lord joining Aegon pretty early after ADwD came out. Rowan should have a few hundred men at least, though. He has to have more men than Stannis has inside or else the garrison could just butcher the force besieging them. Considering the strength and size of Storm's End the only way how Aegon could take the castle if they can convince Stannis' people to open the gates. And they can achieve that two ways. First by simply attacking the Tyrell forces pretending to be Baratheon men (disguising the Golden Company banners as golden Baratheon banners) or by revealing themselves as the Golden Company but claiming that they have been hired by King Stannis on whose command they have invaded the Stormlands to end the siege of Storm's End. The latter version could also be supported/aided by a ruse involving ravens. Connington has now control over the rookery of Griffin's Roost and he could send a raven to Storm's End claiming that Griffin's Roost has already been joined the Golden Company which is working on behalf of Stannis. Stannis' people would have no way of double-checking that. If such a raven would reach the castle a few hours before the Golden Company arrived there the chances that Stannis' people would open the gates would be very high indeed. And that is really all they would need to succeed. Winterfell most certainly is one of the strongest castles in Westeros, however I don't think it has the same reputation of impregnability or invincibility as Harrenhal once had, or as Storm's End, Casterly Rock and the Eyrie still have. We don't have any evidence for that but I'm pretty sure that Winterfell (especially earlier incarnations of it) were conquered and sacked by enemy hosts in the past. Both by rival First Men kings as well as by rival Stark pretenders for the Northern crown.

Toyne may have known. But Toyne is dead. And not necessarily of natural causes (or death in battle, a sort of natural cause of death for a sellsword captain). I see no signs that Strickland knows who Aegon actually is. There are hints that he doesn't really believe the story that he is Rhaegar Targaryen's son (insisting that they need Dany to vouch for him suggests as much) but that's not the same as believing/knowing he is a descendant of Daemon Blackfyre (or perhaps even Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel). We don't know when exactly Strickland was told about the pact with Illyrio but all he needed to know until he was contacted by Illyrio presumably and told to meet Jon Connington at Volantis there was no reason to give him any details. Strickland himself distances him from this pact, pointing out that he had nothing to do with it and was only honoring an arrangement made by Myles Toyne. In light of the fact that Jon Connington does not - and presumably must not - know that Aegon isn't Rhaegar's son it would be very dangerous to tell anyone in the Golden Company the truth. People talk, after all. And they behave differently if they are privy to things others aren't. Any captain/man in the Golden Company knowing how they have fooled Rhaegar Targaryen's friend Jon Connington into raising Aegon under false pretenses would face great difficulty concealing that knowledge. Connington should reasonably be surrounded by a lot of faces smiling at him the way Theon Greyjoy used to smile... As to Randyll Tarly: He makes it clear to the Small Council that he doesn't want them to go along with Margaery's Faith trial. That entails that he would not hand Margaery over to the High Septon for such a trial if King Tommen's Small Council made the decision to cancel that trial. Which would be contrary to his 'holy oath'. Tarly most certainly would not urge/advisers his peers against the sparrow trial and then also insist on keeping his holy oath he as sworn to the High Sparrow. That would be contradictory behavior. And Tarly is generally a pretty decent piece of shit. Not just towards Samwell but to other kin as well. He put down a lot of Florent levies sworn to his own father-in-law in Renly's camp, and he also had a another kinsman of his wife, Erren Florent, arrested (Selyse's brother who is still a captive at Highgarden). To everyone: No ideas/thoughts on the Lady Nym/Tyene/Myrcella matter? Are they going to slip past the Golden Company or will Arianne meet them as 'guests' in Storm's End. They are taking the Boneway and the Kingsroad which means they are going to pass Storm's End directly. And nothing suggests that they were told about the Golden Company invasion in time.

It should take quite some time until the Quentyn story reaches Westeros. Doran has spies and contacts in Lys and elsewhere, but it takes time for such news to travel. And we have to keep in mind that a lot of stuff happened in Meereen and the people there are not inclined to be very interested in Quentyn or his demise - assuming they learned that he is dead yet. One assumes Barristan didn't announce to the public how and why the dragons were loosed. Events leading to inevitable alliance between Dorne and Aegon go like that: 1. Whatever positive first impression Arianne has of Aegon. 2. Aegon's success in the coming battle against the Tyrells as well as his success in taking Storm's End (once the details are revealed to Arianne and the reader - George has confirmed long ago that the Storm's End battle is going to be covered in another chapter, most likely the first Jon Connington chapter of TWoW). 3. The news about the events in Daznak's Pit. Those will spread quickly and travel fast considering Daenerys' importance to the political situation in the region. Even more so, because the slavers will want to spread that tale. And it will be unambiguously about Daenerys Targaryen's gruesome death through her own dragon not a version that makes it appear likely that she survived and might return. Even if Doran receives a report suggesting that Dany could have survived/making it clear that he ultimate fate is unclear, he most likely will deduce that her movement is going to crumble/rip itself apart and she might not have any men left once she returns to Slaver's Bay. 4. Even more importantly, the story about Daenerys Targaryen's alleged death in Daznak's Pit will include the small but very important detail about her recent marriage to one Hizdahr zo Loraq, hammering home the fact that nothing is going to come out of the Quentyn plan as well as leading to the not unreasonably conclusion that Daenerys I intended to settle in Slaver's Bay as a conqueror-queen and had no intention to ever travel to distant Westeros. Perhaps those news will even include the story of Quentyn's arrival at Meereen and Dany spurning him. Those points will force Dorne into bed with Prince Aegon and the Golden Company, even if they believe/realize/know that he is not Rhaegar's son. Revenge and power with the help of a fake Targaryen is much better than nothing with the non-existing help of a real Targaryen. The news about Quentyn's death and the way he died will later be a very important reason for the enmity between Dorne/Aegon and Daenerys. But that is not exactly going to be an issue in the immediate future. @Ibbison from Ibben I don't think the captains of the Golden Company knew anything about Aegon's real identity if he isn't Rhaegar's son. It would be stupid to tell them anything. Maar might know something if he is Varys/Illyrio's confidant and agent, but that remains to be seen. But I see no reason for him to tell the truth about having seen one male Targaryen even if that's Viserys (and he knows Aegon isn't a Targaryen). The man wants that Arianne believes Aegon is her first cousin so he is going to tell her that Aegon is a Targaryen/Rhaegar's son. We can safely assume that Randyll Tarly is not particularly devout and doesn't give a damn about that 'holy oath' he swore to the High Septon. But Tarly might have sense enough to not unduly provoke the High Septon - which actually would mean that Aegon had a harder time taking KL under his command than if it is Mace in charge of the city near the end. @LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse I certainly can see Mace scrapping the Margaery trial now that Kevan is no longer pushing him. In fact, he might even decide to not allow Cersei her trial-by-combat. That's what I would do. Accuse her of the murder of the Lord Regent and the Grand Maester and conduct a trial against her on the basis of that. A trial which - as I'd claim - takes precedence over the Faith trial and will conducted by the Iron Throne. That way Mace could rid himself of Cersei for good without involving the Faith into the whole thing at all. However, I'm not sure Mace is as stupid or vainglorious enough to insist on marching against Aegon personally instead of sending Tarly and remaining back in the Red Keep to keep the Iron Throne warm and the city under Tyrell control. My personal take on Randyll Tarly is that eventually there must be some sort of confrontation between him and Sam. Considering that Samwell is likely to end up in team Daenerys considering his knowledge about the Others and other things I'd not be surprised if Randyll eventually ended up in team Aegon. But Sam going to court eventually under Aegon could be interesting, too. The boy might not be the prophesied savior but if he takes the Iron Throne Sam and Sarella most likely would feel obliged to inform him on the real danger threatening the Realm.

Come on, they are passing through the Rainwood. That is a place we have never visited before. George's prose is pretty unadorned as it is. Rooms, chambers, places, castles, faces, bodies, etc. are only seldom described at all. He likes to dwell on clothes and food, but aside from that most of the chapters consist of dialogue and thoughts, the actual world the series takes place in is seldom described in detail. @Veltigar Honestly, I don't think Prince Aegon and Jon Connington want many 'Blackfyre loyalists' among their ranks. Prince Aegon is Rhaegar's son, for the Golden Company as much as Westeros (or else this whole campaign is lost already). This chapter shows that the rank and file of the Golden Company seem to be descended from veterans fighting with Daemon Blackfyre and Bittersteel, but this is shown as the distant past. They serve a different dragon now, after all. In that sense I'm also not sure whether 'the friends in the Reach' quote really refers to old Blackfyre loyalists or rather to blood relations/private connections some of the members in the Golden Company still have to their old homeland. Laswell Peake might have connections to his (distant) cousin Lord Titus Peake which have nothing to do with ancient Blackfyre stuff. A pretty obvious friend of the Golden Company in the Reach might be Lord Orton Merryweather who may have served with the Golden Company during his exile. Considering that he and Taena have apparently returned to Longtable there is a pretty good chance that we'll next meet them with a pretty sizable army of Reach men at Storm's End. Just as Jon Connington might be able to strike deal with some of the Marcher Lords and other Stormlords he personally knows from his time in Westeros. The man has invaded the Stormlands but he is/was also one of their peers and might be able to recruit quite a few lords to Aegon's cause whose castles they never even attacked. In that sense I don't think it matters on which side House Tarly fought during the First Blackfyre Rebellion. I'm with you that the Tarlys might have been one of the houses who backed the Black Dragon to a degree but that would be ancient history now. The picture Kevan draws of Tarly in the Epilogue is that he is a more dangerous man that Mace (which I'm not sure is correct). But if that's true then what Tarly should be doing right now is wanting to climb to the top of the food chain. And that is not trying to join some fake Targaryen pretender but rather becoming the dominating power at King Tommen's court, a sort of second version of Lord Unwin Peake during the Regency of Aegon III. That would mean real power. And he could actually get that by crushing the Golden Company and becoming the savior of the Realm (and the king) in that process. Defecting to Prince Aegon would just make him one among many again, since Aegon has to reward the captains of the Golden Company first and foremost rather than turncloak Westerosi lords.7 If the scenario is Randyll turning cloaks after he has been defeated it is another story entirely. But then Randyll isn't one of 'the friends in the Reach' but rather just an opportunistic guy among many. Because even Mace Tyrell most likely will turn his cloak should he be crushed by the Golden Company and become Aegon's prisoner. And we have the whole queen situation to take into the equation, too. Whatever happens in KL will effect what the Tyrell armies will and can do. If Margaery is convicted, Mace has no reason to stick to Tommen. If Tommen dies, Mace has no reason to stick to Tommen. If Cersei effectively destroys the Lannister-Tyrell alliance for good (say, by trying to murder either Mace or Margaery or by creating a situation in which it comes to blows between the Tyrells and the Lannisters in the castle) Mace might be forced to cut his ties to Tommen. And so on. As to Tarly's personal situation: The man did profit under Mace Tyrell and was rewarded for his services. There is no reason to believe he felt he had been overlooked. He has just been appointed to Tommen's Small Council which - in the present situation - means that Randyll is one of the direct rulers of the Realm and has quite a lot of power. And as to his turncloak plans (if he has any): Actually handing over the Iron Throne to Aegon could win Tarly a pretty decent reward. Marching his army out of KL and adding it to Aegon's would be profitable for Aegon, too, of course, but it would be nothing extraordinary (and technically actually a very suspicious move that would be met with mistrust rather than quick acceptance by Aegon's people). Aegon would still have to take the Iron Throne by force, and there would have to be battles and such. I'm more inclined to think that Tarly will march against Aegon and give us a real battle which he'll then lose to - assuming he survives - join Aegon thereafter. But not exactly in a very influential position. Mace is more likely to fuck things up if he remains back in KL without Tarly to advise him while wielding technically all the king's power. I don't think he'll be able to keep the peace with Cersei (if she's still there) and the Faith. If the Margaery situation has not yet been resolved when Mace/Tarly hear about the fall of Storm's End (and Rowan's defection to Aegon?) then Mace will have to do something, and considering that I don't see him leaving Margaery while she has not yet been cleared I expect he would sent Mace against the Golden Company. Perhaps with half the Tyrell forces in the city, or even two thirds of them, depending how serious they will take the threat by then. I don't think the Ironborn threat to the Reach will have any influence on Tarly's actions, either. Willas and Garlan Tyrell (and the Hightowers) are trying to defend the Reach and the Reach Lords don't seem to be stupid enough to turn against each other in face of an outside threat. The destruction of the Redwyne fleet - which I think will happen - would be a huge catastrophe for the entire Reach and actually more likely to drive all the Reach Lords - Tyrells included - out of camp Tommen because Cersei is to be blamed for all that and the people know it. In light of such a development the Hightowers, surviving Redwynes, coastal Reach lords most likely would bent the knee to King Euron because they would realize that, for the time being, they have no chance to hope rid themselves of the Ironborn. And without some sort of agreement/treaty Oldtown and the Arbor will soon cease to be attractive for traders and merchants because the entire region is controlled by pirates. In general on Lysono Maar/Aegon: Guys, Lysono's effeminate looks and behavior makes Arianne's skin crawl (or something about his manners) not his Valyrian features. Connington has a similar feeling in ADwD. Arianne's reaction to Maar is no real hint how she'll react when she first meets Aegon. Aegon is described as very beautiful and handsome by Tyrion but there is a chance that Arianne will find him not manly/dangerous enough considering his apparent age. The length of Aegon's eyelashes (very long) is once mentioned by Tyrion. No idea whether Arianne likes long eyelashes on her men, though. I'm also not really expecting an Elia-Aegon affair. There is no hint Aegon likes his girls masculine, and even Elia should know better than to try to mess with a Targaryen prince. Especially if Arianne should get the hots for Aegon - if Arianne decides to try to seduce Aegon I think the boy will have no chance resisting her. She is really good in that department.

@Veltigar It is very difficult to assess the KL situation on the basis of that. Especially since we don't know anything on Haldon's source on the army marching against Storm's End. But if Varys is the source then it is most likely very good information. The question as to who is going to lead the army is completely open. We don't know what is going to happen in KL in the wake of Kevan's death, but we do know that the plan was to have Cersei's trial three days later. Whether that's going to happen as planned is an open question, too, as is what's going to happen directly thereafter. Say, for instance, what's going to happen if Ser Robert Strong's true identity/status is revealed to a larger public in the wake of that. How will people in the city react to that? There is also no reason to believe Margaery's trial is going to postponed indefinitely (assuming Mace is going to continue with that now that Kevan's gone and can no longer push him) All they need is four septons and three septas, after all. Regardless of all that it is reasonable to assume that Mace will not sent his entire strength against the Golden Company. He'll keep half his strength or more in the capital to ensure that he can keep the Faith Militant and the remaining Lannister loyalists in check and the peace in the city. I'm inclined to assume Mace will remain in KL because he is now completely in control of Tommen's government and may enjoy sitting on the Iron Throne and all but that is by no means certain. He might also decide to win glory by smashing the Golden Company. Tarly commanding the army alone or alongside Mace is also an option. However, I don't think it likely that Tarly is a secret Golden Company ally or Targaryen loyalist. If that was the case then a battle could easily be avoided completely simply by Tarly either arresting Mace or murdering Mace and then opening the gates to the approaching Aegon. I think we'll see the Golden Company fighting and crushing the Tyrell troops whoever is going to command them. After all, Jon Connington is now a seasoned and experienced commander and the Golden Company is made up of professional soldiers who know how to fight and what to do. Their lines won't break easily (unlike those of the Tyrell levies) and they will continue to fight even if things seem confusing or dangerous for a time. Finally, the Golden Company has elephants. Neither knights nor peasants in Westeros seem to have any experience in fighting against war elephants. A general question: How likely do you guys think is the possibility that Arianne is going to meet Nymeria, Myrcella, and her party at Storm's End. We learned in that chapter that they took the Boneway and crossed the Stormlands so the chances that they walked right into the clutches of the Golden Company are pretty big, actually. And thanks to Kevan not mentioning any of that to Mace of Cersei (that Myrcella was coming with Nymeria to KL) the Tyrells have no clue about that at all. I don't expect the Dornish to commit to Aegon's cause prior to the Golden Company showing their mettle against the Tyrell. Arianne will play wait and see until she is sure that they can win if they combine their forces. And if Dorne then declares for Aegon publicly during the victory celebration after this battle the effect of that could ripple through the entire Realm. Many disgruntled lords everywhere might decide to throw in their lot with this Targaryen pretender rather than suffer this clearly fake Baratheon boy king. Not just in the Reach but also in the Riverlands, the Crownlands, and possibly even the West and the Vale. A Targaryen restoration means hope and tastes like the good old days, whereas Cersei's brood is not exactly popular and well-liked.

Hm. If we go with the assumption that the Dondarrions have a drop of Targaryen blood this could explain how and why Beric rose. And perhaps a fire wight with a workable 'fire magic package' in his system can pass it on - if Catelyn hasn't any Targaryen blood of her own which is not completely impossible (for instance, due to Tully closeness to the Iron Throne either Aerea or Rhalla could have married into House Tully back during the reign of Jaehaerys I). If this is the reason why this stuff works then Jon Snow's chances of being dead and becoming revived by Melisandre - and this being a first proof about his heritage - have just gotten much better!

Check TWoIaF. In recent times there were unidentified connections (of the blood tie sort) between House Tarth and House Targaryen. We don't know through whom but we do know that Selwyn and Brienne embody the main branch of House Tarth and thus presumably the Tarths affected by this. My personal take on this whole thing is that Dunk married Dunk's elder sister, Princess Daella, Egg's former betrothed, and had at least one daughter with her who eventually married into House Tarth - becoming the mother of Lord Selwyn and Brienne's grandmother. Thus we would slay two birds with one stone - the Targaryen connections thing would be explained as well as the pretty strong hint that Brienne is descended from Dunk, too. The other option would be that both a daughter of Dunk and a Targaryen married into House Tarth independent of each other. While possible this would be rather convoluted whereas a Dunk-Daella match should have potential for a great D&E story as well as for a constellation that sets the ground for an overall interesting development.

Actually, I've no reason to believe that either Brienne or Jaime are dead. What Brienne will do in the future will completely hinge on the question what task/mission Catelyn gives her. She has returned into her service, after all. And since she already lured Jaime into a trap we can assume she is willing to serve her again. Considering that Brienne actually has Targaryen blood I'd not be surprised if she and Jaime both eventually ended up in Aegon's Kingsguard.

Shadrich has no clear way to get himself and Sansa out of the Vale. He cannot go through the mountains as the passes are already closed (and it would be utterly stupid to take that road without a strong escort anyway). This would leave only a way by ship, and he is hundreds of leagues away from the coast. Even if he could reach a port he would also have to chance upon a ready ship - which could be possible if he works with Varys/Illyrio - but he cannot possibly hope to get her from the Gates to a port without being caught days before he arrives there. It just doesn't make any sense logistically. Now, if the gang goes to Gulltown or closer to the coast in future chapters things might change and real opportunities for such a thing may arise. But right now they are effectively impossible. Not that I believe Shadrich wants to abduct Sansa. I really hope those whole abduction plot lines are over now. On Littlefinger's motivation regarding Sansa: We should note that Petyr already wanted to marry Sansa once - back after Ned was disgraced (Cersei remembers that in ADwD). I don't think he has lost that wish/desire. While Sansa is still Alayne, his daughter, he may be able to keep his desire in check but I really don't see him actually giving Sansa Stark's hand away in marriage. Especially not to Harrold Hardyng. That would be my main reason for the assumption that he may have 'other plans' for Harry. I'm also not inclined to believe he wants to have sex with Sansa prior to their marriage. That would spoil the fun as he cannot want her to deliver his bastard - if he actually cares about fathering a dynasty. With a character like him that's far from clear. He may actually only care becoming a great man himself not necessarily the father of a dynasty, although that would be the usual mindset of a nobleman. And he is very aware of his own heritage. Surprise guests: I doubt that Sandor or Brienne/Jaime will show up in the Vale. It seems as if major stuff is going to happen in the Riverlands (which is why I think Brynden Tully is not going to pay the Vale a visit, either), and I see Jaime/Brienne returning to/be drawn into events in KL rather than someplace else. And Sandor should be drawn to KL, too, when he learns about the abomination his brother has become.

Any unpublished stuff could also be marked 'preliminary information' or something like that. Any unpublished manuscript is preliminary and should be subject to change until it is published to correct mistakes and make it better (and that's usually what is done). Somebody should rework Harrold Hardyng in any case as the article blatantly states Harry would rule the Vale as 'Harrold Arryn' when we don't really know that. It may be the case, and Harry's personal arms certainly indicate that he sees himself as an Arryn.

Well, it did until it didn't. Sigh...

Okay, then I guess I imagined it. Or it was 'regency wars' or 'regent war' or something like that. Have you found the comment where George talks about the word count of Gyldayn's account on the Regency?

Regent Wars: If my memory serves me correctly - which actually could be the case - then George himself used that term on his NAB when he mentioned how many worlds he had written on the Regency of Aegon III. That would be in the commentary section on an entry on either TPatQ, TRP, TWoIaF, or something else related. Whether this is an appropriate term at all I do not know. Ran/Linda do not paint the Regency era as a series of wars although it very well could have been. There were campaigns against the Stepstones and the Ironborn, the battle in the Red Keep itself following the arrest of Thaddeus Rowan, and the fighting in the Vale that killed Corwyn Corbray. Whether this had anything to do with the regents and their parties fighting each other or a general uprising/unrest due to the fact that the central authority was weak I cannot possibly say. Battle of the Kingsroad: Well, TWoIaF makes it clear that Borros the Illiterate (or rather Borros the Moron) lost that battle because he dismissed the threat posed by women and children. 40,000 men in total would also surprise me as we know from both TPatQ and TWoIaF that there was fighting in the Riverlands from the beginning of the Dance which should be an indication that the Riverlords were pretty spent by then. The fact that Elmo Tully stayed at home with the Tully levies until Second Tumbleton could be a hint that there were some untapped resources but it should not have been that much. There has to be a reason, though, why Borros had not all Stormlanders at his back. Either there was previously fighting in the Stormlands or Borros let a good portion of his strength back in the city to hold it against other Black forces. But with both the Tully and the Stark army this would seem unlikely to me.

Not doing wiki stuff at all, or only when I'm feeling up to it, but I'd recommend that this theory thing proposed above is expanded in hindsight of TWoIaF. There will be tons of hard facts to be included eventually, but there will also be theories mentioned, weighed, and dismissed by Maester Yandel, and the wiki should, I think, correctly reflect those things, perhaps also including commentaries how the broader community (i.e. the consensus of the readers - if such a thing exists on the particular topic) judge the proposed theories on various phenomena, developments, and so forth.

For the record: I've reached out to the German dubbing guys to get 'Only Cat', Doran/Oberyn's mother, and Tanda Stokeworth back into the show in the German version. Asha is in there, too, so hopefully this will work. On Lysa: I really missed Sheepshit. It would be great for both Littlefinger's and Lysa's back story to go there, and have the wedding there, to illustrate how much Littlefinger resents his origin. That really shows in his talks with Sansa while there are 'at home'... And there was really no need to rush into AFfC territory.

Thanks, didn't realize that the site was still on.

Thought somebody looking into this thread could no the answer: Does amoka permit that his portraits are used on the net in an ASoIaF context? I've written an on line review of TPatQ and would like to add the portraits of Aegon II and Rhaenyra. But I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that...

I have to admit it: I really cried in this episode, first when they introduced Stannis' family, and then when Shireen sang Patchface's songs. This was priceless. But I'm also quite pissed with how they ruined (again!) Loras' and Littlefinger's character. Why did he have to act on Cersei's orders? In the book he did everything on his own accord to ensure that Sansa stays in the city. That element still remains in the show, but to make Sansa clever Loras has to become an idiot. And to make Loras Tyrell heir to Highgarden is soo wrong.