Melifeather

Was anyone killed at the Harrenhal tourney? Not saying it couldn't happen, but it isn't part of the historical cycle. The deaths come later in the rebellion that follows the tourney. Littlefinger is playing a role that Tywin filled in the past. He'll be writing letters to various lords trying to gather his group of rebels to go against the crown.

Asha is anything but shy, but yes, she uses it many times facetiously. Jeyne Westerling is also described as a shy maid: Roslin Frey is described as a shy maid as is Brienne of Tarth.

If you ask me, Coryanne sounds like a close match! I mean, come on man! She's dishonored! There's a connection to a Baratheon! She's sent to seduce the king! She disappears! Tyrion reads about her while on the Shy Maid which is the Dornish boat that provided passage down the Rhoyne for Young Griff. I agree that the transition from handmaiden, to slave, to septa does sound like Lenore, who I currently believe is Rhaella. While I do expect to see repeats of certain elements, I don't believe that they have to be exact one-to-one parallels. For example, if I am right that Lenore is Rhaella, then the Shy Maid is more likely a link to her or even Elia rather than to Ashara. The thing about pole boats is, they are usually intricately carved and brightly painted, but the Shy Maid is neither. Her paintwork is a muddy greyish brown, mottled and flaking; her big curved tiller, plain and unadorned, which to me is a hint that the plain outward appearance of Lady Lenore is just a cover for a once splendid queen. The ship named the Sloe-Eyed Maid would be more apt to refer to Ashara. When Daenerys first saw the Sloe-Eyed Maid in Qarth, she thought the ship too small for her purposes. Later on the Sloe-Eyed Maid with a cargo of spices, was blown from the Bite onto the rocks of Sweetsister. Lord Godric Borel served Davos a stew made with spices from the wreck, and he told him the story of the fisherman's daughter, connecting the name of the ship to the daughter with Ned's bastard in her belly.

Have you identified an "Ashara" character?

I'll have to read this before commenting, but the posts you've highlighted certainly sound like they describe a Tywin character! Even the name "Unwin"...reminds me of the Ossifer Lipps and Uther Shett names.

You know I bought that Fire and Blood book back in 2018 and have yet to read it! With history repeating itself this story seems very relevant.

The more I think about Littlefinger playing Tywin’s part the more this idea has legs. Petyr plots to elevate Sansa for his own political gain. He tells her to win over Harry, the heir to the Vale. At first Harry isn’t all that interested, because he only sees Alayne the bastard daughter of an up-jumped lord. He doesn’t realize who she really is. Sweetrobin is secondary at the moment. He may die of an epileptic seizure without any interference. And Alayne is his only solace. He has no idea how she’s been plotting behind his back. Of course it’s Cersei that Tywin sought to elevate, but he may have used Ashara to both placate Aerys and pushed her towards Rhaegar “the heir”. Why would Ashara go along with Tywin’s plans? What did he promise? But again. It brings up the question of Ashara’s status and how she came to be Tywin’s pawn.

I quite agree with what you’re saying. The parallels between Sweetrobin and Aerys are there, but who would be Petyr’s parallel during the Harrenhal tourney? Who would be Ashara’s father figure? Of course my first thought would be Tywin. He certainly is conniving enough.

We've already discussed how the upcoming tourney in the Vale will be a repeat of the Harrenhall Tourney, but I'd like to dig a little deeper into the parts that Myranda and Sansa are playing in the Alayne chapters. In the Knight of the Laughing Tree story Meera calls Lyanna a "she-wolf" and later as the "wolf maid". She also describes a maid with laughing purple eyes and notes she danced with a white sword (Kingsguard), a red snake (Oberyn), and the lord of griffins (JonCon), and lastly with the quiet wolf (Ned). . . but only after the wild wolf (Brandon) spoke to her on behalf of a brother too shy to leave his bench. Myranda Royce is a noblewoman, the daughter of Lord Nestor Royce - High Steward of the Vale, and I believe she is standing in as the understudy playing Lyanna. Whereas Sansa is in disguise as a bastard daughter of an up jumped lord. Petyr Baelish probably wasn't considered nobility until he married Lysa Arryn. These relationships make me wonder about Ashara's status. Is there a secret here? Is she a true born daughter of Starfall? Think of this as a play. Arya was a mummer playing Lyanna until she left to become "no one" after which Myranda stepped into the role. Sansa is playing Ashara's part. This is why I think Ashara also lived for a time in disguise as a maid named Wylla. I wonder if the "maid with laughing purple eyes" was Ashara disguised as Wylla? Is this why Meera doesn't use names? It bothers me that Ashara was a handmaid right when she should have been of marriageable age. Yes, Joanna Lannister was one of Rhaella's maids, but her father Jason, was a fourth son, and younger brother to Tytos Lannister - who was Tywin's father. She wasn't as high in importance as her daughter Cersei was. Wouldn't it be beneath a lord's daughter to be a handmaiden? Especially considering that a maid at court may lose her maidenhead? She would be much too valuable to be placed in such a risky position. As Barristan noted in his thoughts, Ashara had been pregnant, but her daughter had been stillborn. There’s also the fact that Barristan wasn’t a lord nor did he own any land so how could he even hope to turn Ashara’s head? Was Ashara a handmaiden, because she was pregnant or because she was actually Arthur Dayne's bastard sister?

Do you think you'll watch House of the Dragon? Here's a preview: One of the last comments really made me think. "Dreams didn't make us kings. Dragons did." Of course that's a nod to Daenys the Dreamer who had a prophetic dream about the destruction of Valyria. The dream was instrumental in moving her entire family to Dragonstone, which in turn led to Aegon and his sisters conquering Westeros. Having dragons and knowing how to use them doesn't exactly encourage kings and queens to be "just". If you always get your way simply because you have the power to burn cities with monstrous beasts, would your inclination be a benevolent ruler or bullying tyrant?

I don't know that you can spoil something that aired over two years ago.

Gosh. I watched the show, but for the life of me I cannot recall if we ever saw Sweetrobin after his mother was pushed out the Moon Door. And the way Sansa got to Winterfell was weird. Didn't Littlefinger have her get in a carriage and then all of a sudden she's home? LOL Oh, wait, he lined up the marriage to Ramsay Bolton! The show condensed the story a bit. Sansa was forced to marry Ramsay rather than her childhood friend, Jeyne Poole, who in the books was forced to pretend she was Arya. Then doesn't Sansa kill Littlefinger with a knife while at Winterfell? I honestly can't remember exactly how the show depicted the combined Sansa/fArya storylines. Sansa does get to keep Winterfell, but I don't recall them making her a queen. And Jon declines to stay at Winterfell and rides north....with....Tormund? LOL! Help me remember!

I like that analysis, but don't forget that ice burns too.

How inconvenient would it be if Tyrion arrived at Sanaa’s wedding? Did she get her marriage declared invalid?

I thought a marriage to Harry was the goal? Young Griff has a lot to prove before Littlefinger would risk his prize.