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Would Aerys have allowed Benjen and Stannis/Renly to live?


darkdude103

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Aerys only asked for the heads of Robert and Ned after he killed Rickard and Brandon but made no mention of Benjen Stannis or Renly what do you think he would have done with them?

They'd be next. Especially when Stannis would inevitably rebel to avenge Robert on principle. Whether he would be able to rally as much support is debatable.

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They'd be next. Especially when Stannis would inevitably rebel to avenge Robert on principle. Whether he would be able to rally as much support is debatable.

There would be some angry Stormlanders that would rally behind him, but they would probably be it. With all the devastation from the War of the Usurper, most of the other Lords Paramount would be unwilling to rally into another rebellion, I'd imagine.

So, as per usual, Stannis takes a backseat to his older brother :frown5:

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There would be some angry Stormlanders that would rally behind him, but they would probably be it. With all the devastation from the War of the Usurper, most of the other Lords Paramount would be unwilling to rally into another rebellion, I'd imagine.

So, as per usual, Stannis takes a backseat to his older brother :frown5:

Wait... are we not assuming the scenario that Jon turns Ed & Rob in BEFORE the war starts? Therefore no lives except theirs would have been lost.

Benjen might march south, but who's going to follow a child to war? And even if the North rallied to the Stark banner, let's see them fight their way into the Riverlands and to King's Landing in one piece. Stannis would certainly be a problem and he'd gather some support, but he would have had no help from anyone. But he'd still make Aerys fight for his blood price.

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Killing Benjen could have been a problem, JonCon and the hand before him would have known that not having a Stark in Winterfell would mean chaos. There would certainly be some consequences, but we've seen to what lengths some northmen can go for their beloved Starks and how the whole place goes bananas without someone to instill fear and respect in every northern heart. So they'd have pardoned him... Stannis would have gone as he'd rebel, but Renly was kin, so the hand could have dissuaded Aerys to keep him.


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I think, if Aerys would be sane, the bloodshead would stop.



Targs were overthroned only because of immense unity between Jon Arynn, Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark. Without such tight unity and common cause, the great armies of Vale, Stormlands and the North would not so fervently join forces to turn on the crown.



Would Jon Arynn stand, if Starks would be lead by Benjen and Stormlands by Stannis? He has no connection with them, as oppose with master-padovan-padovan relationship Jon, Rob and Ned had.



In such circumstances, I don't think Aerys should need worry or fear for his crown. Of course Stannis would stand on principle, and he would be utterly destroyed.


So there is no need to more heads, as far as the security of the crown is concerned.


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I don't think Aerys reign of blood was ever going to end as long as he sits on the throne.



I mean he knows revenge is a powerful motivator, he killed their brothers, ergo they wnat revenge on him, therefore he should kill them asap before they can get him.



Dude was nuts and paranoid.


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Aerys was generous to those who showed him loyalty, if Benjen and Stannis had fought for him and proved their loyalty he may well have even rewarded them. But who knows? Aerys was madder than any of them knew at the time


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I think that Aerys would have moved on to Stannis and Benjen after killing their brothers. We should remember that Houses are strong factions and Aerys knew he was pissing off the Starks and Baratheons like little else when he killed those he killed. No way that Benjen would silently sit and serve a king who killed his father and two brothers. Perhaps Stannis would have served despite Robert being dead but I think that in the end, Aerys would come for him as well.


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Would a man who was mad enough to burn Rickard Stark for his son's crimes to touch off the war, who was mad enough to burn an entire city of innocents when it looked like he had lost take revenge? I think this is a duuuuuh.... one. :P



Stannis wouldn't have lived through the siege of Storm's End. Renly was there too but too young to be a combatant so it's a coin flip if he's a prisoner or starves to death. Benjen spent the war as the "Stark in Winterfell" so would seem to be safe from immediate retaliation and the Stark forces would seem to be able to hold the neck for awhile even after the rest of their allies fall. So him living or not may depend on how serious Rhaegar's statement to Jaime about changes coming after he wins at the Trident was. If Aerys stays in power, I imagine it would take away but the Royal fleet could eventually outflank Moat Cailin and take the north after a long grueling campaign and that would be it for Benjen.


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Aerys was generous to those who showed him loyalty, if Benjen and Stannis had fought for him and proved their loyalty he may well have even rewarded them. But who knows? Aerys was madder than any of them knew at the time

Better say those that sucked up to him constantly. Can you really imagine Stannis, of all people, among this circle of lickspittles and flatterers? Besides, that ship has sailed when they supported/didn't stop Robert straight away.

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Better say those that sucked up to him constantly. Can you really imagine Stannis, of all people, among this circle of lickspittles and flatterers? Besides, that ship has sailed when they supported/didn't stop Robert straight away.

Well that has given me the best mental image, Stannis vs Aerys, if looks could burn. I think it comes down to Summerhall, if the Royalist Stormlords stop Robert with Stannis among them its likely the Stormlords at least would get rewarded. Stannis is more difficult, now he is a fave of mine obviously, but I do think he is self centred and block-headed (the reasons given for his flight to Dragonstone fit that to a tee) so he'd probably go in there thinking he'd get rewarded for his services, most Nobles would think he'd get rewarded for his services (this is how these men think, after all) and there would be shock and outcry if he was dragged onto a pyre himself. Not to mention a lot of people would be expecting Rhaegars wisdom to prevail over Aerys insanity in any post Roberts death scenario.

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Let's retrace what got them killed in the first place, shall we?



Brandon was a traitor, because he called out Rhaegar.


Brandon's companions were traitors, because they came to King's Landing with a traitor.


Furthermore: Brandon's, and his companions', fathers were traitors, because they had fathered traitors.


Then: Ned was a traitor, because he was a brother to one and a son to another, and Robert was a traitor, because he had been engaged to traitors' sister.



Now answer me this: how on Earth, within this completely bonkers insane, but consistent, logic Benjen and Stannis (and Renly) were not traitors?


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