The Brightfyre Theory: Addendum

[DarkSister1001]

I like it, nice job. :)

I just happened upon another mention of blackberries, early on in AGoT Bran's second chapter

After the hunt had ridden out, he wandered through the castle sith his world at his side, intending to visit the ones who would be left behind, Old Nan and Gage the cook, Mikken in his smithy, Hodor the stableboy who smiled so much and took care of his pony and never said anything but "Hodor," the man in the glass gardens who gave him a blackberry when he came to visit...

I couldn't find it, but do we know who the gardener in the greenhouse is?

[Bael's Bastard]

I like the idea of Varys being descended from Bittersteel and Daemon's daughter. A century after Bittersteel convinced Daemon to rebel Varys is likely to put a possible descendent of Daemon's, AeGriff, on the throne, at least for a time.

[Trogdor Targaryen]

I like the idea of Varys being descended from Bittersteel and Daemon's daughter. A century after Bittersteel convinced Daemon to rebel Varys is likely to put a possible descendent of Daemon's,

AeGriff, on the throne, at least for a time.

I like that so much better than (f)Aegon.

[Lost Melnibonean]

You can buy a man with gold, but only blood and steel will keep him true.

Tyrion V, Dance

"Bitter" steel...

[Lord Varys]

There were only five Blackfyre pretenders: Daemon I, Daemon II, Haegon, Daemon III, and Maelys. Aenys Blackfyre lived during 'the reign' of Daemon III Blackfyre, who was crowned a year after Haegon's death. Nothing suggests that Aenys ever wore a crown or styled himself king. And that's necessary to be a pretender to a throne/crown.

[LordToo-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse]

PRINCESS VISERRA

Viserra was betrothed to Lord Manderly of White Harbor only to die by mishap shortly afterward. A wild, high-spirited maid, she fell from a horse while racing drunkenly through the streets of King’s Landing.

SEPTA MAEGELLE

Given to the Faith, Maegelle grew to be a septa known for her compassion and her gift for healing. She was the chief cause of the reconciliation of the Old King and Queen Alysanne in 94 AC, following the Second Quarrel. She nursed children afflicted with greyscale, but she became afflicted with the same illness and died in 96 AC.

PRINCESS SAERA

Though given to the Faith as Maegelle was, Saera did not have Maegelle’s temperament. She ran away from the motherhouse where she was a novice and crossed the narrow sea. She was at Lys for a time, then Old Volantis, where she ended her days as the proprietor of a famous pleasure house.

Hint.. Serra also died of greyscale, spent time at Lys, and in a pleasure house.

[Lost Melnibonean]

There were only five Blackfyre pretenders: Daemon I, Daemon II, Haegon, Daemon III, and Maelys. Aenys Blackfyre lived during 'the reign' of Daemon III Blackfyre, who was crowned a year after Haegon's death. Nothing suggests that Aenys ever wore a crown or styled himself king. And that's necessary to be a pretender to a throne/crown.

Oh, wow... I didna realize there was a glossary that define precisely what a Blackfyre pretender was. So how many kings fought the War of the Five Kings?

ETA: Sorry, that was a little too snarky... here's a smily face :)

[Blazfemur]

My only quip, and i love this theory always did. It would be required for Serra to be the Blackfyre, as males were extinguished. Dont know if this got covered and if it did, please point it out to me and i apologize in advance. But the common idea is that all males were extinguished int he Blackfyre line.

[Mithras]

PRINCESS VISERRA

Viserra was betrothed to Lord Manderly of White Harbor only to die by mishap shortly afterward. A wild, high-spirited maid, she fell from a horse while racing drunkenly through the streets of King’s Landing.

SEPTA MAEGELLE

Given to the Faith, Maegelle grew to be a septa known for her compassion and her gift for healing. She was the chief cause of the reconciliation of the Old King and Queen Alysanne in 94 AC, following the Second Quarrel. She nursed children afflicted with greyscale, but she became afflicted with the same illness and died in 96 AC.

PRINCESS SAERA

Though given to the Faith as Maegelle was, Saera did not have Maegelle’s temperament. She ran away from the motherhouse where she was a novice and crossed the narrow sea. She was at Lys for a time, then Old Volantis, where she ended her days as the proprietor of a famous pleasure house.

Hint.. Serra also died of greyscale, spent time at Lys, and in a pleasure house.

Nice one. Manderlys are able to grow as fat as Illyrio.

It also seems to suggest that Serra tried to run away with fAegon but Illyrio caught her and cut off her hands as it is usually done to the thieves.

[Blazfemur]

I realize Serra died. But we need a female to fit the male extinction for a lot of this to work. Unless Lemore turns out to be someone, we need a female to loophole the blackfyre extinction quote.

[Lord Varys]

If I understand the term 'pretender' correctly you have actually call yourself king or make it known to everyone that you are 'the rightful king' instead of somebody else.

We would not call Rhaenys, Laenor, Laena, and the other claimants in the Great Council in 101 AC 'pretender kings' and 'pretender queens', just as we do not refer to Vaella the Simple, Maester Aemon, and Maegor as 'pretender kings' just because the Great Council in 233 AC considered their claims.

Thus I don't see Aenys Blackfyre was ever a Blackfyre pretender in the sense as Daemon I, Daemon II, Haegon, Daemon III, and Maelys were. Daemon I was crowned/declared king, Daemon II as well (he is addressed as 'Your Grace' and people style him king), and both Haegon and Daemon III were crowned. Maelys apparently also declared himself king.

[Mithras]

I think the case of Aenys was just another divison among House Blackfyre. He probably realized that trying to claim the IT with wars is not a good way to gather support but he found little acceptance in the Golden Company. Then, he decided the Great Council provided an excellent chance for him and he gave it a shot. He came to the council in his own name, not for the official heir of House Blackfyre.

[Lord Varys]

Yes, he came as claimant, and most likely rejected (or rather: ignored) young Daemon's claim, who was the crowned Blackfyre pretender king at that time. But considering that he intended to present his claim to the Great Council he would not have styled himself prior to that council, as the whole point of the council was to determine who was the rightful king rather than crowning some guy who actually thought he was king.

Even if Aenys believed he was 'the true king' his goal was to present himself as another claimant - another prince among princes - and let the lords sort the whole thing out.

But the five Blackfyre pretenders considered themselves the true kings of Westeros because they were descended in unbroken succession from the eldest 'trueborn son' of Aegon IV Targaryen. They knew they were kings, which is why they were crowned/crowned themselves. They never asked anyone else's opinion on that matter.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Check out the three GC captains not of Westerosi blood...

Not every captain was of Westerosi blood. Black Balaq, a white-haired Summer Islander with skin dark as soot, commanded the company's archers, as in Blackheart's day. He wore a feathered cloak of green and orange, magnificent to behold. The cadaverous Volantene, Gorys Edoryen, had replaced Strickland as paymaster. A leopard skin was draped across one shoulder, and hair as red as blood tumbled to his shoulders in oiled ringlets though his pointed beard was black. The spymaster was new to Griff, a Lyseni named Lysono Maar, with lilac eyes and white-gold hair and lips that would have been the envy of a whore. At first glance, Griff had almost taken him for a woman. His fingernails were painted purple, and his earlobes dripped with pearls and amethysts.

The Lost Lord, Dance

A Summer Islander with green feathers, a Volantene with a black beard and red hair--black on red, and a Lyseni who is not what he appears to be at first glance.

And perhaps this has been noted but I missed it...

And then Prince Aegon spoke. "Then put your hopes on me," he said.

"Daenerys is Prince Rhaegar's sister, but I am Rhaegar's son. I am the only dragon that you need."

Griff put a black-gloved hand upon Prince Aegon's shoulder.

"Spoken boldly," he said, "but think what you are saying."

"I have," the lad insisted. "Why should I go running to my aunt as if I were a beggar? My claim is better than her own. Let her come to me

in Westeros."

The Lost Lord, Dance

[In A Coat of Gold]

PRINCESS VISERRA

Viserra was betrothed to Lord Manderly of White Harbor only to die by mishap shortly afterward. A wild, high-spirited maid, she fell from a horse while racing drunkenly through the streets of King’s Landing.

SEPTA MAEGELLE

Given to the Faith, Maegelle grew to be a septa known for her compassion and her gift for healing. She was the chief cause of the reconciliation of the Old King and Queen Alysanne in 94 AC, following the Second Quarrel. She nursed children afflicted with greyscale, but she became afflicted with the same illness and died in 96 AC.

PRINCESS SAERA

Though given to the Faith as Maegelle was, Saera did not have Maegelle’s temperament. She ran away from the motherhouse where she was a novice and crossed the narrow sea. She was at Lys for a time, then Old Volantis, where she ended her days as the proprietor of a famous pleasure house.

Hint.. Serra also died of greyscale, spent time at Lys, and in a pleasure house.

Illyrio's wife didn't die of greyscale. She died of "the plague" spread by rats. They would've assuredly said greyscale since the disease had been mentioned before.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Illyrio's wife didn't die of greyscale. She died of "the plague" spread by rats. They would've assuredly said greyscale since the disease had been mentioned before.

The two diseases are described by Tyrion as close cousins.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Oops.

[Trogdor Targaryen]

My only quip, and i love this theory always did. It would be required for Serra to be the Blackfyre, as males were extinguished. Dont know if this got covered and if it did, please point it out to me and i apologize in advance. But the common idea is that all males were extinguished int he Blackfyre line.

I think that extinguished in the male line doesn't mean that there are no males in this generation, but that at a point in a previous generation, all the males were wiped out, meaning that the future Blackfyre descendants will not have the Blackfyre name. This means it is possible for Illyrio to be of Blackfyre descent, but not be named Blackfyre.

[In A Coat of Gold]

The two diseases are described by Tyrion as close cousins.

The grey plague and greyscale are close cousins. Not "the plague"

[Lost Melnibonean]

The grey plague and greyscale are close cousins. Not "the plague"

"How did she die?" Tyrion knew that she was dead; no man spoke so fondly of a woman who had abandoned him.

"A Braavosi trading galley called at Pentos on her way back from the Jade Sea. The Treasure carried cloves and saffron, jet and jade, scarlet samite, green silk and the grey death. We slew her oarsmen as they came ashore and burned the ship at anchor, but the rats crept down the oars and paddled to the quay on cold stone feet. The plague took two thousand before it ran its course." Magister Illyrio closed the locket. "I keep her hands in my bedchamber. Her hands that were so soft "

Tyrion II, Dance