Lord Varys

It is an unfinished chapter and likely reflects a status quo prior to Cersei and Margaery's arrest. The talk referencing KL in that chapter makes no mention of Kevan's death, the trials of the queens, or the threat Tommen's reign faces both from Aegon and the High Septon and thus doesn't fit with events after the Epilogue. The chapter was originally supposed to be in ADwD, so it would have taken place before the Epilogue. The Epilogue already made it clear that Cersei isn't going to send Harys Swyft to Braavos. The Small Council and Mace/Kevan decided that already. And the guy who might take his head if he were to fail is not going to be some queen - be it Cersei or Margaery - but Mace and Randyll. It is similar in that regard to the Alayne sample chapter as that, too, makes no references yet to the events in the last Alayne chapter - poisoning plot, Winterfell-North plan, etc. Even the Harry situation is somewhat off as AFfC established that Lady Waynwood would not force Harry into the match ... while the sample chapter implies they are already betrothed before they even met. There will be considerable rewriting in both chapters. She might eventually ally with Euron, but Euron can't help her in the city. Cersei has no men who are loyal to her left aside from, perhaps, some Lannister guardsmen. The City Watch is run by the Humfrey Waters guy she doesn't even know, the Faith Militant control Visenya's Hill (at least), and there are 30,000-40,000 Reach men under Mace Tyrell's command in the city. Cersei has no way to seize power in the capital at this point. Even if she were to win her trial.

Cersei is a political non-factor right now. She doesn't run the government and she lacks the men and the (moral) authority to seize power after Kevan's murder. What she thinks and says and wants to do will have very little effect on King Tommen's defense of KL or his campaigns against Aegon. Even if she were to magically seize power somehow, she would still lack the authority to actually do much as chance are zero that the Reach troops would follow her in the wake of the Margaery situation. That is a very likely scenario for a number of reasons some of which are connected to the Ser Robert Strong situation. Once his nature and identity is revealed - possibly only after Lady Nym and Tyene are already in the city - Dorne will never stand with the Tommen regime. Even if they thought Aegon was fake before, they would not suffer this monstrous slight. Also, we can assume that the High Septon is not going to approve a trial-by-combat victory won by zombie magic. That would be insane. A duel between two people where one happens to be undead (and thus, perhaps, almost inviolable) is a sham. So if Gregor's identity and nature were to be revealed during/after the trial-by-combat, Cersei could be declared loser even if Ser Robert wins. And that would also declare Tommen and Myrcella Jaime's bastards. From that point on the Tommen government would quickly collapse and we are likely to see massive riots in the city with the Tyrells standing aside as Margaery can't gain anything from staying connected with confirmed pretender bastard. Aegon will then be handed the city on a silver platter with no fighting between the Kingslanders/Tyrells and his forces. It looks as if some part of the Tyrell army will fight Aegon at Storm's End - or somewhere between Storm's End and KL - but if that actually happens should depend on when exactly the trial-by-combat takes place. Kevan's murder could also lead to it being postponed or cancelled right away depending on if Cersei is accused of Kevan and Pycelle's murder or not. If the Tyrell army is soundly defeated by the Golden Company and their allies this should also lead to further destabilization in the city - which could also be destabilized further if Mace and Randyll decided to cancel Margaery's Faith trial in favor of Tommen declaring her innocent - as Tarly suggested they do. The point of a Myrcella match would likely be that of Aegon strengthening his claim for the time being against Tommen. If the Golden Company would capture her and Nym on the way to KL - which is still possible, I think - this could be a nice way to destabilize Tommen's 'reign'. But Myrcella would then just be a placeholder - like Jaehaera - who Connington would quickly get rid of as soon as Aegon has taken KL. If she is dead, then she won't be a good match. But if the twincest were to be confirmed by the High Septon, the Tyrells could cut their ties with Tommen before he actually goes down - that would free them to try to marry Margaery to Aegon. Whether that will be a success is hard to say. Arianne (and Myrcella) are likely to reach Aegon first, and if Aegon does fall for Arianne and/or Arianne's hand will be her price for Dorne declaring for Aegon (which is not unlikely at all) then he won't have any other choice but to marry her. Margaery might then simply come too later. But if Dorne declares for Aegon without insisting on an Aegon-Arianne match then Margaery is the best possible match. With her would come the strength and support of the Tyrells which isn't something Aegon and his followers can dismiss easily.

So far there is no indication that 'dragon hatching' is even a thing. Those eggs just seem to hatch, there is no spell or ritual to it. Magic and rituals only became a thing there when the dragons were gone and the remaining eggs didn't hatch by themselves. Indeed. His concern is dragonlord descendants (and others) having access to his dragons, not so much others having or gaining Targaryen blood. He pushed almost all his daughters to marry, and while family came first in those plans, he had no issue with Daella or Saera or Viserra or Rhaenys marry outside the family.

No, but we still know this to be true. Sure. But the easiest way would be to have Alayne Stone marry, anyway. Edit: Totally the wrong thread, lol.

He certainly could. I meant that his fake death effectively wrote him out of the show in a manner which would allow the writers to treat him as effectively dead. He could come back ... or not. They could be ... or Laenor and Qarl wanted that shit. After all, they were (and could not be) forced to do this. Sure enough, it makes no sense that Laenor would part with his dragon and family that way ... but whatever, it is what they wrote. Could be, but I more meant that Moondancer might be too small still to carry more than one person. That could play a role if Baela was in KL during the riots and ended up flying back to Dragonstone while Rhaenyra would come later by ship. We can be sure that there will be many back-and-forths and dragons flying around. At least while they are still alive. I hope they will drop that mystery as a random riderless dragon battle/death doesn't exactly make for a great plot. At Tumbleton it is okay as a part of the larger battle, but if the show includes the Grey Ghost they should also give a rider (Rhaena, say, or Alyn of Hull). Baela as the defender of Dragonstone could make some sense, I guess, but I'm not sure what the pretext for that will be after the Gullet in light of the fact that the Greens have no strength at sea. But you might be up to something there, as Ser Alfred Broome is going to be introduced in season 2, apparently, while Ser Robert Quince has apparently not been cast. So the issue of the asshead traitor might not revolve around him being passed over for a fat guy but rather for having to answer to and serve Baela. But, of course, Quince could show up only in season 3, or have so small a role in season 2 that they didn't announce the role/actor yet.

Mellos played a considerable role. Thing is, I think Laenor was effectively already written out of the show. They didn't have Daemon and Rhaenyra kill him, but they still effectively killed him as he is gone now. All they need to do is acknowledge this (quietly) to make the dragon thing work. However, I do hope that this thing comes up in some way to have Rhaenys and Corlys at least learn the truth. One way to keep Laenor as a character/concept 'alive' is to make Addam and Alyn his sons from the time he was trying to be interested in women. They didn't include that line for no reason. That is not a bad idea. Joff's age makes it pretty easy for his last dragon flight also be his first. It looks like that. Once she gets letters from Winterfell and the Eyrie about more armies she could have gone to the Vale or the North as some of her followers do ... but she didn't want that, she was determined to go to Dragonstone to acquire more dragons. Thinking about that - the show would also greatly change the Baela plot. She will be in KL with Rhaenyra and might fly back to Dragonstone for her confrontation with Sunfyre, etc. because Moondancer is too small yet to carry more than one person. But she won't be stuck there under the rule of Robert Quince. If there is the same fallout stuff we have in the book with the Velaryons she could abandon Rhaenyra and return to Dragonstone when she commands the arrest of Addam. But then - why an older Baela wouldn't be with Daemon and Nettles is also very hard to fathom.

Guys, it has been long established that an annulment can be granted either by the High Septon or 'a council of the Faith'. The latter might be convened by the local clergy of the Vale, beholden to House Arryn, so remarrying Sansa Stark is a non-issue. Tyrion Lannister is presumed dead, anyway - and would be killed on sight were he to ever show his ugly face in Westeros again, at least under the current political regime - and the marriage was not consummated as per Sansa's testimony and whatever examinations of her body might reveal. Regardless of this, if you reread the sample chapter and compare it to the AFfC chapters it feels a bit disjointed and off as there are stronger ties between Sansa and Myranda/Lyn established there than seem evident in the sample chapter. The same goes for the characterization of Lord Robert who is much more mature in the sample chapter. Earlier plot threads introduced in AFfC are missing, notably references to the sweetsleep poisoning, the Lyn-Littlefinger pact, the friendship with Myranda Royce and, most importantly, the Winterfell-North plan Littlefinger revealed as a cliffhanger in the last chapter. The Mad Mouse as a character is now introduced as a searcher for Sansa with some connection to Varys in the Brienne chapters ... something we wouldn't have had in a scenario where the character is first introduced in the sample chapter. In such a setting him trying to abduct/attack Sansa might work as a surprise while now the character's agenda is already clear, so a more subtle approach might see things play out differently. Or not. Hard to say. Possible, but Littlefinger would likely do such things now only in the privacy of his study or solar and nobody is going to disturb the Lord Protector there, never mind what sounds may be heard outside the door. The Vale is cut off from the mainland in winter. People could go there by ship but that would take time. Not to mention it would be a hell of a filler if Brienne of all people were to go to Sansa now that she wasted two books looking for her. It seems rather likely that Brienne and Jaime will be put on a different task in the wake of their meeting with Lady Stoneheart. The quite interesting part of the notes is that events and characters are in a flux - e.g. the Winterfell rescue plan passing from Davos to Mance. That tells us not only that the POV character - or whether an event gets POV coverage or not - can change easily but also what characters are connected to certain events in general. What do you people make of the Melisandre/king's blood/dragon-hatching lines erased from the Jon chapters of ADwD? Is that a sign that this plot is completely gone now, or is it only postponed or moved to other locations? It seems George did have the Alysanne-Jaehaerys Nightfort visits as a preparation for dragon eggs at the Wall. But that is quite unlikely now. TWoIaF gave us the Vermax Winterfell clue, so perhaps such a plot could now take place at a Winterfell under Stannis' control? Or back at the Nightfort after Stannis finds eggs and delivers them to Mel at the Wall? Burning Shireen for dragon(s) actually seems like something that could make a lot of sense to them if things get really worse. At least more sense than just random burnings for no concrete reasons. If it were to work, though, Jon Snow might actually end up with a dragon from a different egg. That would fit rather well with the decision to move the wedding from Barrowton to Winterfell. Any other dragon eggs hatching is quite unlikely now. The Epilogue confirmed it again that there seem to be none left on Dragonstone. I guess Mel could eventually reveal she and Stannis found some in the caverns before they left ... but that strikes me as unlikely. The Nightfort should still be important as a location, but I think not as early or not exactly in the way it was thought to feature when it was introduced in ASoS.

I'd not bet on the Mad Mouse's apparent death being a fixture in the Sansa plot. Other characters grew in the AFfC Alayne chapters, notably Myranda Royce, Lyn Corbray, and, eventually, Harry the Heir who may not have been there as a character in the five year gap scenario. The Mad Mouse is clearly a catalyst, but we should assume things get subtler and more complex with rewrites. Brienne's chapters established a Varys connection, IIlyrio told us about the little mice, and then we have Sansa enter Littlefinger's study with an open window and messy papers. Rather than trying to capture Sansa he could help her reach the conclusion that she could convince Harry and the Vale to support Aegon as a means to free herself of Littlefinger, destroy Cersei, etc., clear her name, and seize power. It is obvious that the news about Aegon must reach the Vale right in time for the tourney. And Haldon is not very subtle about them calling on Vale help as they did Doran as they know that the Vale remained neutral in the earlier conflicts. They could still choose to ignore Aegon ... but how likely is it that they want to war in the North in winter? Lord Robert looks like Lysa, just as many of Cat's children look like her. Littlefinger would have long ago joked and mocked Robert if he were his actual father. Not to mention that Lysa would have ranted about it in ASoS. I rather see Sansa seducing Littlefinger to manipulate him. She already lies to him, so that is the next step. Doesn't have to include sex (yet), but promises. The idea that anyone would 'save' Sansa from him is very unlikely in this world. He is the Lord Protector and she his pet. They would all be good little tin soldiers like Jaime was with Aerys and Rhaella.

I doubt that scene is going to play out like that in the show. More likely we will see Joff flying on a not completely tamed Tyraxes over to the Pit to have him fall off during the flight. I'd be very surprised if this Rhaenyra were too craven to personally defend the dragons. Could also be that Joff is commanded by his mother to stay behind and he then joins the fray when she gets into trouble. Rhaenyra's completely mindless flight from KL - without Alicent, Corlys, Tyland, etc. - in the book could make a fracture of sense in the show if she flew out on her dragon but Syrax was heavily injured and fatally crashed out of the city walls. Rhaenyra's people would then search for her while the city fell to the rebels and they would have no means to return to the city. If they actually plan to return to Dragonstone - and that was Rhaenyra's goal from the start in the book as far as wee know - not striking a deal with Corlys or at least using him as a hostage against Alyn and other Velaryons makes no sense at all.

In light of the fact that it will have been years since we last saw Laenor it should be okay for him to have died offscreen. Grand Maester Mellos is also quietly replaced by Orwyle in the show, for instance. But they could also depict his death somehow. In context it could also be Rhaenyra/Daemon just quietly realizing Daemon must be gone when Seasmoke gains a new rider. Indeed. The first season firmly established the dragonrider rules we know from the book. There is no way around that now. If they introduce ambiguity there it would be a mess and no reason why not everybody could borrow or steal some other claimed dragon. Vhagar would be just Aemond's horse, and Rhaena's anger in season 1 without foundation.

From what leaks say regarding the Syrax/Seasmoke confrontation it will be Addam. But I imagine Laenor's death will either be confirmed by way of his dragon accepting a new rider ... or by way of a letter from or the return of Qarl Correy. The guy liked to fight, so it would make sense for him to offer his sword to Rhaenyra and the Velaryons. If Laenor is dead it might make sense that he died in fights against the Triarchy.

That is pretty bad as an argument as Aegon III's reign in his own right starts with him antagonizing a Black loyalist (Torrhen Manderly). The guy may have been depressed, but certainly willing and capable to piss people off. Just think how let regents and court and lords prepare for a progress he knew he would never do. That was a big 'Fuck you!' to the entire Realm. The succession of Baelor is an issue decades after the Dance and has nothing to do with it as Rhaenyra was only heir because her father named her - while chances are almost zero that Baelor ever named one of his sisters his heir.

Guys, the Martells also wonder about Gregor's head in ADwD. There it is more subtle as the issue is it being a skull and the question raised is why Cersei would go through the trouble of cleaning it into a skull rather than giving them a recognizable head preserved by tar, say. The idea that Ser Robert has Falyse's head is funny but not likely, I think. Gregor's body rotted away due to the poison, yes, but his head wasn't affected when we last heard of him, so while some parts of Senelle and Falyse went into him I doubt it were heads. Rather blood, flesh, and perhaps parts of arms and legs.

The point is that nothing in the text indicates Cregan wanted to show mercy if the Baratheons, Hightowers or Lannisters met certain imaginary terms. He wanted to punish those houses for their treason, not cow them into submission or force them to admit or agree to anything. Aegon ll was never Cregan's king, of course, nor of the Lads or the Vale men. And Cregan and Larys and the entire court but the people they murdered and imprisoned turned Black. People tend to forget that Aegon II had to be murdered so that Aegon III could be king. It was the ultimate treason, but nobody at court but, eventually, Cregan complained about that or wanted to avenge the king - and Cregan was driven by rigid principles (like Ned wanted to punish Jaime for Aerys) and the anger of a man who was cheated out of victory and glory by scheming cripples, old men, and women. Aegon's death shows how Green his court was. And it also shows how Aegon II should be remembered: As a false king and usurper who was almost unanimously murdered by his court, a false king and usurper nobody wept for, nobody wanted to avenge ... while people fell over themselves to kiss the feet of Rhaenyra's son. There is just no substance in the story to frame him as 'the rightful king'. Aegon's end is much worse than Rhaenyra's. He is completely done. Rhaenyra has already won the war when her visit to Dragonstone gets her killed. Her letters set superior armies in motion, her cause is strong enough that the fighting continues under her banner. Aegon has none of that. Even symbolism favors the Blacks in the end as Rhaenyra's stepdaughter hatches a dragon while Aegon fails. Aegon should be the evil and monstrous half-brother in song and story, and he and Alicent should be as lovingly remembered as Stannis and Selyse are presented by the singers at Joffrey's wedding.

The biggest flaw of the book as a whole is that it is unbalanced and effectively glosses over Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters and their era as well as the later reign of Jaehaerys I (especially the youth of his grandchildren) and that of Viserys I. We can say now that we know some facts about Rhaenyra and Daemon, etc. ... but we cannot say we know them as people. Unlike, say, Queen Rhaena or young Alysanne who are fleshed out much better. I think this is supposed to be cruel irony as the man behind the murder seems to be Unwin Peake, described as a fervent Green. It is rather disgusting to have him kill Aegon II's last surviving son so he can marry his own daughter to Rhaenyra's (last surviving) son. Thinking about season 2: If Alicent-Rhaenyra try to make another peace, there are some interesting ways how this could go and fail: - We know the Triarchy joins the fighting rather late in reaction to Otto's earlier letters. Could be that Alicent doesn't know they are coming when she talks to Rhaenyra. After Rook's Rest, the true power at the Green court might revert back to Alicent before and/or while Aemond is made Prince Regent. - For Alicent, Aegon being crippled and the death of Rhaenys might be huge blows. In the show she seems to respect Rhaenys - even more so, after she spared their lives. They suffered huge blows before e - We can expect that Alicent will not be in favor of the more aggressive tactics and campaigns Aegon II and Criston Cole might be pushing for in the aftermath of Blood and Cheese. Once Aegon II is out of the picture, cooler heads could have a chance for a time. - Of course Alicent would have to know or believe that Rhaenyra did not authorize Blood and Cheese (or at least not want to target Helaena/Jaehaerys). - Prior to the Gullet we could have a scenario where Alicent intends to push Aegon to abdicate in favor of Rhaenyra so they could create a peace, especially if Rhaenyra were to talk about prophecy shenanigans during their meeting. This could also help explain why Otto and Alicent remain in KL while Larys only spirits away Aegon and his children. If it were all-out war for Alicent at that point then she should have fled with her son. In the show Larys might abandon Alicent after they fell out for some reason, stealing Aegon and the children from her. - For Rhaenyra, the loss of Jace in the Gullet would harden her resolve even more, as it does in the book, it being the reason why she ends up executing Otto - because he arranged the attack which killed her eldest son. That, in turn, would be why relations between Alicent and Rhaenyra get worse in season 3. If Daeron and Oldtown don't show up in season 2 one imagines the show's take on things is to go with a slowly escalating war which portrays things that happen simultaneously in the book successively in the show. That would roughly mean they start with Crownlands and Riverlands stuff, with the Westermen eventually joining the fray in the Riverlands, but possibly only after Aemond becomes Prince Regent. Oldtown might stay aloof of things until the fall of KL and the execution of Otto Hightower. The Ironborn and Northmen might only become really embroiled in the war after the Westermen invading the Riverlands increases the fighting there. That they are apparently building up things slowly seem to indicate leaks like Oscar Tully supposedly telling Daemon Riverrun has to stay neutral while old Lord Grover yet clings to life - that would be a classical build-up scene with the rewards only coming in season 3 or 4.

Morning is the only dragon which is confirmed to have hatched outside Dragonstone (and she might have come from a fresh egg by Syrax given to Rhaena before she left for the Vale). All the cradle eggs might have hatched on Dragonstone. And hatchlings like Quicksilver and Sunfyre given to princes did hatch on Dragonstone. But again - Jaehaerys' issue are not dragon eggs hatching, but Targaryen hatchlings in the power of people he thinks have the potential to become dragonlords. If Dany's eggs were to turn out to be Elissa's eggs - and the chances are pretty good at this point - then they might have already been stone eggs by the time Elissa gave them to the Sealord. And if that is true then the miracle is just that Dany could revive old Targaryen dragon eggs and not effectively revive something that was completely lifeless by that point. After all, she feels the heat of the eggs and dreams of Drogon, etc., indicating that there is some magical life left in those eggs. While we know that three eggs produced by Dreamfyre hatched after Rhaena settled on Dragonstone, Elissa stole three other eggs from the hatcheries on Dragonstone - and they could have already been pretty old/dormant/stony eggs at that point. To Elissa those eggs were coin she needed to build and crew her ship, she had no intrinsic motivation to hand the Sealord viable dragon eggs.

That is factually incorrect as all we learn in FaB is that Cregan wanted to punish Storm's End, Oldtown, and Casterly Rock for their treason, there is no indication that this was conditional on them accepting Rhaenyra as the late queen or Aegon III as her successor. Cregan had an army he wanted to bloody and die in the fighting. That wouldn't have worked if he had given his enemies terms they might accept. The Regency has nothing to do with the Green defeat on the Kingsroad and the murder of Aegon II to proclaim Aegon III so that court and council saved their neck and were not killed by the approaching Black armies. Aegon III is king solely because his uncle's last army suffered a crushing defeat and because his own court decided to murder him because Aegon II refused to see that he had lost his war. If Aegon II had not lost his war and had died of natural causes around the same time Jaehaera or Aemond's son would have been crowned by the Greens, presumably, as they had a better claim than Aegon III. Team Green was, in the end, team Hightower-Targaryens, not team 'male heir in every possible scenario'. Certainly, some lukewarm Greens may have been more happy with a male monarch - even Rhaenyra's son - than lackwit female Jaehaera ... but not the men truly loyal to the cause of Alicent and Aegon II. Corlys and the other Blacks end up including certain Greens in the Regency government - which is only the way it is because Cregan Stark related and resigned as Hand. Aegon III's kingship is a fact of history since his proclamation immediately after the murder of Aegon II. His eventual coronation/reign was not conditional on the Greens accepting Corlys' generous terms. The new king was already made - and the old one murdered - and they just had to accept that or continue the war. How lost and done the Green cause was we also see when no Greens actually demand that Aegon II's murderers are punished. Cregan does that because the traitors stole his victory. But aside from, perhaps, lonely Lyonel Hightower no Green leader seems to have given a fig about the blatant murder of Aegon II. Hell, the new king could have even been complicit in his uncle's murder. He pardoned Corlys and owes his crown to traitors and kingslayers. There is some truth to that, but in context it is clear that nobody but the fool Munkun actually cared about the Great Council in its most rigid interpretation. Everybody else is much more pragmatic. Imagining the Aegon-Jaehaera match as something loyal Greens would like also feels odd. It is like thinking Stannis' followers liking the idea Shireen should marry Tommen. It is actually quite disgusting in context. Jaehaera's claim is neutralized by her marriage to Aegon III. Cregan even points that out as Lady Elenda could have proclaimed Jaehaera queen while she was still at Storm's End ... but after she was Aegon's little lady wife her person and claim were in the possession of Aegon III and his government. That is a very problematic interpretation as we can deduce how much Aegon III doted on his mommy from how he nearly died defending her life. We also know how close Aegon III was to his brother Viserys and that he idolized his elder half-brothers. The boy was not devoid of feelings. He did have many issues in later life, but his love to his mother cannot be doubted. And thus it actually makes no sense to assume he would not honor the memory of his mother, father, and dead half-brothers. The bigger problem with this entire issue is, though, that it makes no sense that (m)any lords and maesters living in a Westeros ruled by Rhaenyra's descendants would write a history painting her as a usurper as anyone looking for the favor of Aegon III, Viserys II and their descendants would praise them and their parents. Nobody would want to remember Aegon II as 'the rightful king'. In this world, the gender issue would be completely overshadowed by the dynastic issue - and that has Rhaenyra and Daemon's bloodline as the winning bloodline, not Alicent's. Aegon II and Rhaenyra meet effectively the same end - they are murdered by their enemies. The only difference is that power passes to Rhaenyra's sons while Aegon's bloodline is ended. Singers and maesters and septons would remember Rhaenyra not as an evil usurper but a tragic hero who was martyred by a usurper. If it turns out that this is not the case in Westerosi history it would actually be quite odd. And we don't know what happened as we don't even know yet how Rhaenyra is remembered by historians. We don't know if Rhaenyra was not anointed by the Faith, but it is confirmed that neither was ever anointed by the High Septon - which is the crucial thing showing support of the Faith, not 'some septon' doing it. In fact, it seems George deliberately decided to withhold the High Septon's blessing from Aegon II to show that he was not, in fact, the rightful monarch. We see that Maegor really had broken the Faith when the High Septon married him to his black brides - but when he found some septon to marry him to Tyanna this didn't mean the Faith in general espoused polygamy - just as Septon Murmison officiating at the Rhaena-Aegon marriage didn't mean the Faith was suddenly in favor of sibling incest matches. That is not in the text and what we know of this High Septon actually indicates he he hid behind his age and alleged frailty to avoid to have to take a side in the succession struggle - which would have been the smart thing to do. Remember - the High Septon himself learned of Otto Hightower imprisoning a lot of people before Aegon's coronation, leading to him to inquire about their whereabouts. As those people were all (suspected) Blacks a High Septon firmly in the Green camp would have known why they were imprisoned and might have even approved of Otto's actions. Also, Rhaenyra is crowned but once, on Dragonstone. When she takes KL she but takes possession of the Iron Throne and has people swear allegiance to her. There is no coronation there as she is queen since her coronation on Dragonstone. And the nameless castle septon could have easily enough anointed her head there. She would have had a septon there in any case. From AFfC we also know that it is not just tradition for a High Septon to anoint a monarch at his or her coronation, but every new High Septon is expected to do it eventually - that is why the High Sparrow is supposed to do it. Tommen was already anointed by his predecessor at his unseen coronation in ASoS. But that is not something that is recorded much by history, especially not in FaB. The idea that Eustace refused to anoint Rhaenyra is just weird. He was in her power and he only stayed in the Red Keep - or survived - because he swore fealty to her like everybody else in the castle. If that is the case - and it is - why and how do you think he would have survived refusing to anoint her? And why would you think that the Rhaenyra of the books would not want to be anointed by a septon?

It is very clear threat. Stones are okay. Hatchlings mean war. I'm with you that Barth might have convinced Jaehaerys that the risk that the eggs would hatch was very low. After all, dragon eggs apparently tend to petrify if they are not kept close to fiery places like Dragonstone. But the issue we talk about is not hatching - which just happens aside from the Dany miracle - but bonding/claiming. And Jaehaerys clearly fears that the Braavosi Sealord or the Volantene triarchs could become dragonlords if the three stolen eggs were to hatch.

It is more kind of pitiful how things end. Cripples and old men and women lying and scheming to save their own skins and/or create an obvious sham peace. The last climax is the Storming of the Dragonpit, everything afterwards anticlimactic and leading nowhere. Narratively the Regency account is plotted carefully, but it ends in medias res. The purpose of the story clearly is to show what happens if the dragon sleeps, so to speak. The rats and lions and wolves come out to dance on the table like the mice do when the cats are away (George even gives Alicent such a line earlier). We see Aegon III 'awaken' in the end, but he barely opens his eye. It is clear that there is a story told about the ultimate punishment of Unwin Peake and how Aegon and Viserys deal with the Harrenhal problem, the fake Daerons, etc. But without that, the book is lacking a proper conclusion.

Yes, but that was the Emperor of Yi Ti when Yi Ti was very powerful indeed, and not just some foreign nobility or royalty. It obviously happened rarely. But the implication is that the Sealord or the Volatene triarchs could become dragonlords simply by way of hatched dragon eggs. Meaning the idea is that whatever general dragonlord blood the nobility of the Free Cities spread among the people there was deemed potentially sufficient for the formation of a new dragonlord house. There is no talk or indication that Targaryen dragons need Targaryen descendants around to hatch nor that they could only bond with Targaryen descendants. Lyman Lannister and his wife Jocasta try what you suggest, but they want to go through Rhaena - a Targaryen dragonrider - hoping to acquire both her blood and/or (at least) some of her dragon eggs. The idea that there were any Targaryen bastards or bastard descendants in Braavos or Volantis by the time of the egg theft is not very likely as there is no indication that this was the case. It is effectively confirmed that the Old Blood of Volantis - who are described as the cousins and kin of the dragonlords of Valyria in the account on the Rhoynish Wars - are effectively dragonless descendants of the dragonlords. That is why Jaehaerys seems to fear they could become new dragonlords. The Braavosi elite are mongrel descendants of slaves, but it is easily imaginable that sex slaves from Lys or Valyria itself were among them, people bred and impregnated by dragonlords. A general look on Targaryen marriage policy in the blood purity department also reveals that it is about Valyrian looks more than the actual degree of kinship on the Targaryen side. Alyssa Velaryon may have some Targaryen blood, but she is a closer cousin to Aenys on the Velaryon side of the family. Ditto with Corlys whose Targaryen blood, if existent, would be very diluted indeed. Brown Ben Plumm and Quentyn Martell are closer Targaryen cousins than Corlys Velaryon (on the Targaryen side, at least). Daenaera Velaryon would be an even more distant cousin - yet her Valyrian looks make her - and Larra Rogare - perfect Targaryen brides. Thus it is clear that the crucial thing is Valyrian (dragonlord) blood which seems to be signified in the mind of the people by the characteristic Valyrian looks, not so much by actual degree of kinship.

Yes, but that was the Emperor of Yi Ti when Yi Ti was very powerful indeed, and not just some foreign nobility or royalty. It obviously happened rarely.

In Valyria we have to take dragon logistics into account. Sibling incest was the ideal, but there would have been spare sons and daughters for matches with outsiders or more distant relations. Thing is, if we take 'thousands of dragons' in Valyria from HotD as coming from George - which is realistic as the 300 dragons destroying the Rhoynar were likely not the entire dragon arsenal - then obviously the more powerful dragonlord families - and especially the most powerful ones some of which had supreme rule of the Freehold at times - would have to control a lot of dragons. Scores, perhaps more than a hundred. That would mean such families must have been more fertile and much larger than the Targaryens, with many different branches, as dragon power would only have been a real factor if they were claimed by some actual dragonlords. (Unless the Valyrians did have magical means to control or unleash dragons in war which were not (yet) claimed by riders.) Thus realistically we would assume that non-sibling marriages within the family could involve the pairing of more distant cousins and kin to keep a larger dragonlord clan together. Sibling incest might have come up among the dragonlords not so much for blood purity in general (avuncular and cousin marriages could have been enough there) but to also control the dragons and ensure that a (female) dragonlord doesn't run away with a dragon. Also, we can speculate that the blood of the dragons wasn't supposed to be spread to everyone. The Valyrian elite was fertile and spread out and founded colonies, but one imagines they weren't keen to see their daughters marrying foreign nobility and royalty to give them dragons.

I think I was among the first who suggested that dragonlord incest might have to do with different dragon bloodlines which were bonded to individual dragonlord bloodlines. But FaB firmly debunked that idea unless we want to assume the Conqueror's grandchildren as depicted by Gyldayn had no clue about dragonlore and its history. Queen Rhaena thinks the Lannisters could acquire dragons (perhaps only by way of her blood) and Jaehaerys I fears that dragon egg theft could lead to a new dragonlord house in the Free Cities both in Braavos and in Volantis. It stands to reason that no Targaryen relations do live in either city at that point - especially not in as exalted positions as that of Sealord or triarch - so if they fears are not just superstitions the conclusion is that the Valyrian dragonlords did not believe in incest to keep their own specific brand of 'dragon blood' pure but saw it as a general means to that.

They might be both at Rook's Rest. I do imagine Baela will be out for blood after Rhaenys' death. Could be indicative of Aegon pushing her (and Otto) out of the government. They could have Addam being the first dragonseed dragonrider and have his success trigger the search for more. If claims Seasmoke without invitation she would have to check if the guy is loyal to her. Or Laenor comes back and they have a lot to talk about. Well, Aegon II in the books is pretty much like GoT's Joffrey, so what else could they do? Do we know who Aegon's walking goons are? The KG comes after. Is one of them Gwayne Hightower?

Read that, too. If that's true there are ways to fly with that, for instance, Alicent not believing Rhaenyra was behind Blood & Cheese personally, and she agreeing that the war cost them too much already. Rhaenyra lost Luke, Alicent/Helaena Jaehaerys, and both of them (in the show) are going to lose Rhaenys at Rook's Rest. That won't be a death anybody is going to cherish. Especially not Baela, who is effectively Rhaenys' foster daughter in the show. Also, in context, the show had Rhaenyra and Alicent as restoring their friendship when we last saw them. Both of them denouncing the other as a lying bitch after the coup would be the easy way out. I'd also expect Aegon II really taking charge of this prior to Rook's Rest, pushing aside Otto and his mother to escalate the war with Criston and Aemond. Aegon's injuries could give Alicent an opening to try negotiations again. Would be quite fun if the late attack of the Triarchy came as a surprise to both sides. If they want to stay faithful to book development the loss of Jace will be the thing that hardens Rhaenyra's resolve, so one could easily see Oldtown entering the fray with Daeron in the wake of the fall of KL.