Small Questions v. 10105

[Lost Melnibonean]

Does Cersei ever talk or think about building a new seat for Tommen like Aerys contemplated? 

[kissdbyfire]

Well, there is that line from Stannis to Davos, when he is telling Davos about Proudwing:

ACoK, Davos I

"When I was a lad I found an injured goshawk and nursed her back to health. Proudwing, I named her. She would perch on my shoulder and flutter from room to room after me and take food from my hand, but she would not soar. Time and again I would take her hawking, but she never flew higher than the treetops. Robert called her Weakwing. He owned a gyrfalcon named Thunderclap who never missed her strike. One day our great-uncle Ser Harbert told me to try a different bird. I was making a fool of myself with Proudwing, he said, and he was right." Stannis Baratheon turned away from the window, and the ghosts who moved upon the southern sea. "The Seven have never brought me so much as a sparrow."

 

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

2 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Does Cersei ever talk or think about building a new seat for Tommen like Aerys contemplated? 

Sort of. A Feast for Crows, Cersei III

"Would that we could do the same to the rest of this foul castle," said Cersei. "After the war I mean to build a new palace beyond the river." She had dreamed of it the night before last, a magnificent white castle surrounded by woods and gardens, long leagues from the stinks and noise of King's Landing. "This city is a cesspit. For half a groat I would move the court to Lannisport and rule the realm from Casterly Rock."

Although she is speaking about ruling by herself (as she intends for to rule the realm until Tommen is 16 years old at least). So it would be more of a new seat for her.

But her dream has an interesting parallel to Aerys indeed:

In 265 AC, offended by "the stink of King's Landing," he spoke of building a "white city" entirely of marble on the south bank of the Blackwater Rush.

[Lost Melnibonean]

3 minutes ago, Rhaenys_Targaryen said:

Sort of. A Feast for Crows, Cersei III

"Would that we could do the same to the rest of this foul castle," said Cersei. "After the war I mean to build a new palace beyond the river." She had dreamed of it the night before last, a magnificent white castle surrounded by woods and gardens, long leagues from the stinks and noise of King's Landing. "This city is a cesspit. For half a groat I would move the court to Lannisport and rule the realm from Casterly Rock."

Although she is speaking about ruling by herself (as she intends for to rule the realm until Tommen is 16 years old at least). So it would be more of a new seat for her.

But her dream has an interesting parallel to Aerys indeed:

In 265 AC, offended by "the stink of King's Landing," he spoke of building a "white city" entirely of marble on the south bank of the Blackwater Rush.

Thanks @Rhaenys_Targaryen! 

[Ckram]

23 hours ago, kissdbyfire said:

Is it stated anywhere that Elia of Dorne was pregnant at Harrenhal? Why do I seem to remember something along those lines, and yet cannot find any evidence for it? Am I losing  it?

 

According to Yandel:

• the False Spring of 281 AC (not necessarily the year itself) ended less than 2 moons (months) after Harrenhal.
• Snow began to fall in the last day of the year and lasted almost for a fortnight.
• Pyromancers lit green fires for a moon (month) to "drive winter off".
• Elia had already gave birth to Aegon by the end of that moon (month).

So, if one consider that the end of the False Spring coincided with the last day of 281 AC, one could imagine that Elia was around 5 months pregnant at Harrenhal.

Source:

Quote

The World of Ice and Fire - The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring

And well it might, for with that simple garland of pale blue roses, Rhaegar Targaryen had begun the dance that would rip the Seven Kingdoms apart, bring about his own death and thousands more, and put a welcome new king upon the Iron Throne.

The False Spring of 281 AC lasted less than two turns. As the year drew to a close, winter returned to Westeros with a vengeance. On the last day of the year, snow began to fall upon King's Landing, and a crust of ice formed atop the Blackwater Rush. The snowfall continued off and on for the best part of a fortnight, by which time the Blackwater was hard frozen, and icicles draped the roofs and gutters of every tower in the city.

As cold winds hammered the city, King Aerys II turned to his pyromancers, charging them to drive the winter off with their magics. Huge green fires burned along the walls of the Red Keep for a moon's turn. Prince Rhaegar was not in the city to observe them, however. Nor could he be found in Dragonstone with Princess Elia and their young son, Aegon. With the coming of the new year, the crown prince had taken to the road with half a dozen of his closest friends and confidants, on a journey that would ultimately lead him back to the riverlands. Not ten leagues from Harrenhal, Rhaegar fell upon Lyanna Stark of Winterfell, and carried her off, lighting a fire that would consume his house and kin and all those he loved—and half the realm besides.

 

[kissdbyfire]

Cheers, @Ckram. The quote you provided is exactly what got me thinking about the whole thing!  

 

[The Bard of Banefort]

5 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Adding to what was already said, before Harys is to go to Braavos he is to treat with Myrish bankers and Pentoshi magisters...

Epilogue, Dance

But he should have been prepared to leave as soon as he was rejected or was unable to reach satisfactory terms...

Epilogue, Dance

But apparently before that was to happen, Cersei's trial was set to take place within five days...

Epilogue, Dance

My assumption is that Cersei won her trial and then Harys departs.

  Reveal hidden contents

Then in Mercy, as notes above, the Lannister men apparently refer to Cersei as the queen.

This should come as no surprise. One of the charges that will be defended by Cersei's trial is that her children were bastards born of incest...

Cersei I, Dance

If Cersei loses her trial, Tommen will lose his crown and Stannis will be seen as Robert's true heir. The Faith would have to fight his claim, much like Aeron opposes Euron and the Church fought Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The Faith very much wants Cersei to win to avoid a crises of succession--unless, of course, the Faith is already in league with Aegon. 

Great points, thanks.

 

 

To go back to things George may or may not have said for a minute, I've often seen people claim that he swore he would never write a rape scene. Is this actually true, or is it more of a legend that's spread throughout the fandom? 

[Lost Melnibonean]

Do we know who knighted Rhaegar Targaryen? 

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

11 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Do we know who knighted Rhaegar Targaryen? 

No

[Lost Melnibonean]

Any ideas why Steffon Baratheon was unable to find a maid of noble birth from an old Valyrian bloodline in Volantis? There are noble families that can prove unbroken descent from Old Vayria. 

[Obsessive Fan with Ruler]

Hello, I am relatively unused to this so I hope I do not make a mistake.

I have been reading The Hedge Knight and it seems rules for Trials by Combat has changed between then and a Game of Thrones. In the Hedge Knight Ser Duncan is only allowed to get knights to participate in his trial by seven while in a Game of Thrones Bronn is Tyrion's champion despite not being a knight.

Does anyone have an explanation for this?

I thank you for your time.

[kissdbyfire]

41 minutes ago, Obsessive Fan with Ruler said:

Hello, I am relatively unused to this so I hope I do not make a mistake.

I have been reading The Hedge Knight and it seems rules for Trials by Combat has changed between then and a Game of Thrones. In the Hedge Knight Ser Duncan is only allowed to get knights to participate in his trial by seven while in a Game of Thrones Bronn is Tyrion's champion despite not being a knight.

Does anyone have an explanation for this?

I thank you for your time.

Welcome to the forums!

I'm not sure the rules changed, maybe it's to do w/ Trial of seven being linked to the Faith and the Andals? 

[Lost Melnibonean]

55 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

Welcome to the forums!

I'm not sure the rules changed, maybe it's to do w/ Trial of seven being linked to the Faith and the Andals? 

And the chivalric code varies from region to region, but it does seem a bit inconsistent, so it's a good catch @Obsessive Fan with Ruler.

[Obsessive Fan with Ruler]

Thank you for your answers. It has given me something to think about.

To be honest, my working theory is that one of King Aegon V's pro-smallfolk reforms was loosening the restrictions on Trial by Combat and Tywin decided not to get rid of that law. I just wanted to know what other people thought about it.

On another note, having read nearly all the series other than the Dunk and Egg Stories, which I am reading now, and not personally knowing anyone who has read all the books I have a lot of questions I wish to discuss. At what intervals do you think I should ask them? I do not want to ask them too quickly and overwhelm the thread, or not get all of them answered.

On yet another note, how do I quote somebody? It is probably quite easy but I can not seem to do it.

I thank you for your time.

[kissdbyfire]

20 minutes ago, Obsessive Fan with Ruler said:

Thank you for your answers. It has given me something to think about.

To be honest, my working theory is that one of King Aegon V's pro-smallfolk reforms was loosening the restrictions on Trial by Combat and Tywin decided not to get rid of that law. I just wanted to know what other people thought about it.

On another note, having read nearly all the series other than the Dunk and Egg Stories, which I am reading now, and not personally knowing anyone who has read all the books I have a lot of questions I wish to discuss. At what intervals do you think I should ask them? I do not want to ask them too quickly and overwhelm the thread, or not get all of them answered.

On yet another note, how do I quote somebody? It is probably quite easy but I can not seem to do it.

I thank you for your time.

There's no time limit... if you want to avoid several posts w/ almost no interval between them, something that can be frowned upon by some, you can post several questions at once? 

You can also start your own topics if there's a subject you would like to discuss at length. 

How to quote: on the bottom of each post you'll find a little + and right next to it the option: quote. Hope this helps.

 

[Lost Melnibonean]

26 minutes ago, Obsessive Fan with Ruler said:

Thank you for your answers. It has given me something to think about.

To be honest, my working theory is that one of King Aegon V's pro-smallfolk reforms was loosening the restrictions on Trial by Combat and Tywin decided not to get rid of that law. I just wanted to know what other people thought about it.

On another note, having read nearly all the series other than the Dunk and Egg Stories, which I am reading now, and not personally knowing anyone who has read all the books I have a lot of questions I wish to discuss. At what intervals do you think I should ask them? I do not want to ask them too quickly and overwhelm the thread, or not get all of them answered.

On yet another note, how do I quote somebody? It is probably quite easy but I can not seem to do it.

I thank you for your time.

Ask away. 

You mean quote the books or quote other folks on this forum? 

[Obsessive Fan with Ruler]

11 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

There's no time limit... if you want to avoid several posts w/ almost no interval between them, something that can be frowned upon by some, you can post several questions at once? 

You can also start your own topics if there's a subject you would like to discuss at length. 

How to quote: on the bottom of each post you'll find a little + and right next to it the option: quote. Hope this helps.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

Ask away. 

You mean quote the books or quote other folks on this forum? 

I thank you for your answers. I hope this works.

Though I have lots of problems with the books, quite a few to do with distance hence my forum handle, I will start with the most urgent five or six, I have not decided, that I have. For now I will try them one at a time.

The first one involves King Robb Stark's execution of Lord Rickard Karstark in a Storm of Swords. The debate in Robb's council is whether to let Lord Karstark go, keep him hostage or execute him. Robb decides to execute Lord Karstark despite the problems it would cause because honour demands it.

The question I have is why did no-one suggest sending Lord Karstark to the wall. That would punish Lord Karstark while not being as politically damaging, like what the Lannisters wanted to happen to Lord Eddard Stark. The option seems to come nearly every other time when someone has captured a lord they want rid of that I am surprised that the Starks, who have the closest connection to the Night's Watch, did not even consider it.

I can not even see it as the characters acting stupid for the sake of the plot as I can formulate, albeit possibly not very concrete formulations, several ways the possibility could have been considered and still end up with the same outcome. As such it just strikes me as odd.

What do the rest of you think?

I apologise that this is a bit long winded and I hope it is adequately explained.

I thank you for your time.

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

3 hours ago, Obsessive Fan with Ruler said:

Hello, I am relatively unused to this so I hope I do not make a mistake.

I have been reading The Hedge Knight and it seems rules for Trials by Combat has changed between then and a Game of Thrones. In the Hedge Knight Ser Duncan is only allowed to get knights to participate in his trial by seven while in a Game of Thrones Bronn is Tyrion's champion despite not being a knight.

Does anyone have an explanation for this?

I thank you for your time.

The main difference between a regular trial by combat and a trial of seven is that the latter form uses 7 combatants on each side to honor the gods. As knighthood has its roots in the Faith, possibly the possession of knighthood is considered more necessary during a trial of seven that during a regular trial by battle.According to Prince Baelor

"[...] I remind you that any knight accused of a crime has the right to demand trial by combat.

But that doesn't mean that one has to be a knight to demand a trial by combat. Any knight accused has the right to demand a trial by battle, but we have seen women be allowed to demand such a trial as well, for example.

The difference might also be rooted in who is the accuser, and who the accused. When Cersei (the Queen Dowager) accuses Tyrion (who is not royalty), she is allowed to use any champion she wants to use. But when Cersei herself stands accused, per customs she must needs be defended by a knight of the Kingsguard, as the Kingsguard are the champions of royalty who stand accused. A similar situation might have been applying with Duncan's trial.

Which might mean that another possibility is that Duncan needed six other knights to fight beside him because he was facing royalty. 

What will I do if I have to ride against a prince? Will I even be allowed to challenge one so highborn? He did not know the answer.

[Lost Melnibonean]

40 minutes ago, Obsessive Fan with Ruler said:

 

I thank you for your answers. I hope this works.

Though I have lots of problems with the books, quite a few to do with distance hence my forum handle, I will start with the most urgent five or six, I have not decided, that I have. For now I will try them one at a time.

The first one involves King Robb Stark's execution of Lord Rickard Karstark in a Storm of Swords. The debate in Robb's council is whether to let Lord Karstark go, keep him hostage or execute him. Robb decides to execute Lord Karstark despite the problems it would cause because honour demands it.

The question I have is why did no-one suggest sending Lord Karstark to the wall. That would punish Lord Karstark while not being as politically damaging, like what the Lannisters wanted to happen to Lord Eddard Stark. The option seems to come nearly every other time when someone has captured a lord they want rid of that I am surprised that the Starks, who have the closest connection to the Night's Watch, did not even consider it.

I can not even see it as the characters acting stupid for the sake of the plot as I can formulate, albeit possibly not very concrete formulations, several ways the possibility could have been considered and still end up with the same outcome. As such it just strikes me as odd.

What do the rest of you think?

I apologise that this is a bit long winded and I hope it is adequately explained.

I thank you for your time.

I don't think there is a simple explanation for that. Perhaps Robb felt he had to execute Karstark for honor's sake. It would have been even more complicated if Rickard had requested it, but he did not. 

[Prince Yourwetdream Aeryn]

High Sparrow and High Septon chosen by Tyrion were elected with the same procedure?