Brown Ben Plumm Will Ride Viserion

[Lost Melnibonean]

As soon as we meet Brown Ben Plumm, we learn about Viserion's attraction to him, as well as Brown Ben's Targaryen blood...

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Her captains bowed and left her with her handmaids and her dragons. But as Brown Ben was leaving, Viserion spread his pale white wings and flapped lazily at his head. One of the wings buffeted the sellsword in his face. The white dragon landed awkwardly with one foot on the man's head and one on his shoulder, shrieked, and flew off again. "He likes you, Ben," said Dany.

"And well he might." Brown Ben laughed. "I have me a drop of the dragon blood myself, you know."

"You?" Dany was startled. Plumm was a creature of the free companies, an amiable mongrel. He had a broad brown face with a broken nose and a head of nappy grey hair, and his Dothraki mother had bequeathed him large, dark, almond-shaped eyes. He claimed to be part Braavosi, part Summer Islander, part Ibbenese, part Qohorik, part Dothraki, part Dornish, and part Westerosi, but this was the first she had heard of Targaryen blood. She gave him a searching look and said, "How could that be?"

"Well," said Brown Ben, "there was some old Plumm in the Sunset Kingdoms who wed a dragon princess. My grandmama told me the tale. He lived in King Aegon's day."

"Which King Aegon?" Dany asked. "Five Aegons have ruled in Westeros." Her brother's son would have been the sixth, but the Usurper's men had dashed his head against a wall.

"Five, were there? Well, that's a confusion. I could not give you a number, my queen. This old Plumm was a lord, though, must have been a famous fellow in his day, the talk of all the land. The thing was, begging your royal pardon, he had himself a cock six foot long."

The three bells in Dany's braid tinkled when she laughed. "You mean inches, I think."

"Feet," Brown Ben said firmly. "If it was inches, who'd want to talk about it, now? Your Grace."

Dany giggled like a little girl. "Did your grandmother claim she'd actually seen this prodigy?"

"That the old crone never did. She was half-Ibbenese and half-Qohorik, never been to Westeros, my grandfather must have told her. Some Dothraki killed him before I was born."

"And where did your grandfather's knowledge come from?"

"One of them tales told at the teat, I'd guess." Brown Ben shrugged. "That's all I know about Aegon the Unnumbered or old Lord Plumm's mighty manhood, I fear. I best see to my Sons."

Daenerys V, Storm 57

Clearly, Brown Ben is a character to watch. Isn't this the only time we see any of the Dragons give anyone other than Daenerys some love? This must be either a hint that Brown Ben will ride Viserion or a feint in that direction. 

Tyrion fills in a little more family backstory for us...

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"I know you as well, my lord," said Tyrion. "You're less purple and more brown than the Plumms at home, but unless your name's a lie, you're a westerman, by blood if not by birth. House Plumm is sworn to Casterly Rock, and as it happens I know a bit of its history. Your branch sprouted from a stone spit across the narrow sea, no doubt. A younger son of Viserys Plumm, I'd wager. The queen's dragons were fond of you, were they not?"

That seemed to amuse the sellsword. "Who told you that?"

"No one. Most of the stories you hear about dragons are fodder for fools. Talking dragons, dragons hoarding gold and gems, dragons with four legs and bellies big as elephants, dragons riddling with sphinxes … nonsense, all of it. But there are truths in the old books as well. Not only do I know that the queen's dragons took to you, but I know why."

"My mother said my father had a drop of dragon blood."

"Two drops. That, or a cock six feet long. You know that tale? I do.

Tyrion XI, Dance 57

The World of Ice and Fire confirms that Princess Elaena Targaryen, daughter of Aegon III, and cousin to Aegon IV, was wed to Ossifer Plumm, who died on his wedding day. And the mysteries of the six-foot member and the two drops of Targaryen blood are revealed to be the rumor that Ossifer could not have fathered his son Viserys since he was already dead, and that Aegon IV was the natural father of Viserys.

So, now we can trace Brown Ben’s patrilineal descent:

Father: Some Dude named Plumm
Mother: Dothraki Woman

Grandfather: First Plumm born in Essos
Grandmother: Half-Ibbenese and half-Qohorik woman

Great Grandfather: Younger Son of Viserys
Great Grandmother: Half-Bravosi and half Summer Islander woman

Second Great Grandfather: Lord Viserys Plumm
Second Great Grandmother: Woman from Dorne

Third Great Grandfather: Lord Ossifer Plumm (Aegon IV)
Third Great Grandmother: Elaena Targaryen

And now switching over to Brown Ben’s Targaryen ancestry through Elaena:

Fourth Great Grandfather: Aegon III
Fourth Great Grandmother: Daenaera Velaryon

Fifth Great Grandfather: Daemon Targaryen
Fifth Great Grandmother: Rhaenyra Targaryen

Note that in The Rogue Prince we learn that “Prince Daemon had little difficulty assembling an army of landless adventurers and second sons.” Also note that “Prince Daemon Targaryen and the small brown girl called Nettles ... based themselves at Maidenpool” where “he kept the girl Nettles by his side, day and night, in sky and castle.” Nettles, of course, tamed Sheepstealer...

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Many of the other seeds and seekers who aspired to ride upon Sheepstealer’s back ended in Sheepstealer’s belly instead.

In the end, the brown dragon was brought to heel by the cunning and persistence of a small brown girl of six-and-ten, named Netty, who delivered him a freshly slaughtered sheep every morning, until Sheepstealer learned to accept and expect her. She was black-haired, brown-eyed, brown-skinned, skinny, foul-mouthed, filthy, and fearless … and the first and last rider of the dragon Sheepstealer.

The Princess and the Queen

In Winds,

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we see Tyrion’s strategy begin to unfold...

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Brown Ben Plumm wore plate and mail over boiled leather. The silk cloak flowing from his shoulders was his only concession to vanity: it rippled when he moved, the color changing from pale violet to deep purple. He swung down from his horse and gave her over to a groom, then told Snatch to summon his captains.

...

"We are commanded to defend the Wicked Sister," Brown Ben informed them. The other men exchanged uneasy glances. No one seemed to want to speak until Ser Jorah asked, "On whose authority?"

"The girl's. Ser Grandfather is making for the Harridan, but she's afraid he'll turn toward Wicked Sister next. The Ghost is already down. Marselen's freedmen broke the Long Lances like a rotten stick and dragged it over with chains. The girl figures Selmy means to bring down all the trebuchets."

...

"Crossbows is how you hold the Wicked Sister," Inkpots said. "Scorpions. Mangonels. That's what's needed. You do not use mounted men to defend a fixed position. Does the girl mean for us to dismount? If so, why not use her spears or slingers?"

Kem stuck his pale blond head inside the tent. "Sorry to disturb, m'lords, but another rider's come. Says he has new orders from the supreme commander."

Brown Ben glanced at Tyrion, then shrugged. "Send him in."

...

Out went Kem. When he returned, he held the tent flap open for a Yunkish nobleman in a cloak of yellow silk and matching pantaloons. The man's oily black hair had been tortured, twisted, and lacquered to make it seem as if a hundred tiny roses were sprouting from his head. On his breastplate was a scene of such delightful depravity that Tyrion sensed a kindred spirit.

"The Unsullied are advancing toward the Harpy's Daughter," the messenger announced. "Bloodbeard and two Ghiscari legions stand against them. Whilst they hold the line, you are to sweep around behind the eunuchs and take them in the rear, sparing none. This by the command of the most noble and puissant Morghar zo Zherzyn, supreme commander of the Yunkai’i."

"Morghar?" Kasporio frowned. "No, Gorzhak commands today."

"Gorzhak zo Eraz lies slain, cut down by Pentoshi treachery. The turncloak who names himself the Prince of Tatters shall die screaming for this infamy, the noble Morghar swears."

Brown Ben scratched at his beard. "The Windblown have gone over, have they?" he said, in a tone of mild interest.

Tyrion chortled. "And we've traded Pudding Face for the Drunken Conquerer. It's a wonder he was able to crawl out of the flagon long enough to give a halfway-sensible command."

The Yunkishman glared at the dwarf. "Hold your tongue, you verminous little—" His retort withered. "This insolent dwarf is an escaped slave," he declared, shocked. "He is the property of the noble Yezzan zo Qaggaz of hallowed memory."

"You are mistaken. He is my brother-in-arms. A free man, and a Second Son. Yezzan's slaves wear golden collars." Brown Ben smiled his most amiable smile. "Golden collars, with little bells. Do you hear bells? I hear no bells."

"Collars can be removed. I demand that the dwarf be surrended for punishment at once."

"That seems harsh. Jorah, what do you think?"

"This." Mormont's longsword was in his hand. As the rider turned, Ser Jorah thrust it through his throat. The point came out the back of the Yunkishman's neck, red and wet. Blood bubbled from his lips and down his chin. The man took two wobbly steps and fell across the cyvasse board, scattering the wooden armies everywhere. ...

The white cyvasse dragon ended up at Tyrion's feet. He scooped it off the carpet and wiped it on his sleeve, but some of the Yunkish blood had collected in the fine grooves of the carving, so the pale wood seemed veined with red. "All hail our beloved queen, Daenerys." Be she alive or be she dead. He tossed the bloody dragon in the air, caught it, grinned.

"We have always been the queen's men," announced Brown Ben Plumm. "Rejoining the Yunkai’i'i was just a plot."

Tyrion, Winds

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Things get really interesting with that pale white wooden cyvasse dragon veined with blood ending up at Tyrion's feet.

There are six trebuchets arrayed about Meereen...

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The dry, scorched plains around Meereen were flat and bare and treeless for long leagues, but the Yunkish ships had brought lumber and hides up from the south, enough to raise six huge trebuchets. They were arrayed on three sides of the city, all but the river side, surrounded by piles of broken stone and casks of pitch and resin just waiting for a torch. One of the soldiers walking along beside the cart saw where Tyrion was looking and proudly told him that each of the trebuchets had been given a name: Dragonbreaker, Harridan, Harpy's Daughter, Wicked Sister, Ghost of Astapor, Mazdhan's Fist. Towering above the tents to a height of forty feet, the trebuchets were the siege camp's chief landmarks.

Tyrion X, Dance 47

Aboard the Shy Maid we first observe Tyrion play cyvasse with Haldon. Haldon's game has wooden pieces and no colors are decribed, but Tyrion recalled losing his dragon to a trebuchet in the previous game he played "off screen"...

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Haldon removed the screen. Each of them contemplated the other's opening array. "You are learning," the Halfmaester said. Tyrion almost grabbed his dragon but thought better of it. Last game he had brought her out too soon and lost her to a trebuchet.

Tyrion IV, Dance 14

Later, Tyrion did reach for his dragon and defeated the Halfmaester...

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"I only need half my wits to be a match for you." Tyrion moved up his heavy horse to support the light. "Perhaps you would care to wager on the outcome?"

The Halfmaester arched an eyebrow. "How much?"

"I have no coin. We'll play for secrets."

"Griff would cut my tongue out."

"Afraid, are you? I would be if I were you."

"The day you defeat me at cyvasse will be the day turtles crawl out my arse." The Halfmaester moved his spears. "You have your wager, little man."

Tyrion stretched a hand out for his dragon.

It was three hours later when the little man finally crept back up on deck to empty his bladder. ...

"Yollo," Duck called. "Where's Haldon?"

"He's taken to his bed, in some discomfort. There are turtles crawling out his arse."

Tyrion IV, Dance 14

So, first Tyrion’s dragon gets knocked out of the sky by a trebuchet, and then he stretches a hand out for it.

In his next game, he plays with the black dragon (black or red with rust, a dragon is still a dragon), both literally and figuratively. After playing the black dragon, Tyrion plays against a Volantene...

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He moved his catapult again, closed his hand around Tyrion's alabaster dragon, removed it from the board.

Tyrion VI, Dance 22

Trebuchets, of course, are a type of catapult, and once again, we see one knocking a white dragon out of the sky. After crushing Brown Ben in several games, Tyrion taps his dragon and notes that he was lucky. Later when Tyrion negotiates his escape with Brown Ben he spies a cyvasse table and remarks his "throat is as dry as an old bone." That's a pretty curious way to say you're thirsty. But bones are white. Like alabaster.

So, here is what I think could happen: Viserion will be knocked out of the sky by a stone hurled from the trebuchet Dragonbraker, and Tyrion will stretch out a hand for it. Tyrion will get lucky and Viserion will just be wounded. Tyrion, of course, likes cripples and broken things, and we have to assume that Tyrion knows the tales of Nettles and Sheepstealer, and Aegon II and Sunfyre. He's clearly familiar with Brown Ben's Targaryen ancestry, and he could very likely trace Brown Ben’s ancestry to Daemon Targaryen. Tyrion, then, will help Brown Ben to nurse Viserion back to health, and to bond with the white dragon. 

ETA

@Lord Varys raises a good counter argument against the premise that Viserion will be knocked from the sky by stone hurled by Dragonbreaker. Although he did not provide any textual support, we can note this from the Tyrion spoiler chapter, which I believe has been read in the past and was included with the App of Ice and Fire...

Spoiler

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By the time Plumm and his companions came galloping back from the camp of the Girl General, the white dragon had flown back to its lair above Meereen. The green still prowled, soaring in wide circles above the city and the bay on great green wings.

Tyrion, Winds

First, we should note that this has not actually been published yet, and most of us recall a certain sword that never made its way into the early Tyrion chapters in Dance.

Spoiler

Nevertheless, I would assume that by the time Plumm returns to his Sons, Viserion will be out of the fight. But, is it possible that Viserion’s whereabouts at that point are a mistaken assumption? And it is certainly possible that the reason Viserion retreated to his lair is that he was wounded by a stone hurled from Dragonbreaker. Still, since the text suggests, albeit not conclusively, that Dragonbreaker was hurling bodies rather than stones, this is problematic. On the other hand, though, perhaps Viserion was made seriously ill by ingesting diseased bodies hurled by Dragonbreaker.

ETA II

Who do you think of when you read about Mushroom and his accounts from the Dance of the Dragons, eh? I think of Tyrion. Well, check this out...

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Prince Jacaerys announced (with the prompting of Mushroom, if his Testimony is to be believed) that any man or woman who could ride one of these dragons would be ennobled.

The Targaryen Kings, TWOIAF

So, it was the dwarf that put forward the notion of taming a dragon. 

[HoodedCrow]

I didn't take this idea seriously, till now. If Tyrion was trying to train Viserion, he could also be sneaky and wear his clothes.

[Lord Varys]

That doesn't carry much water in the way it was presented above because 

Spoiler

Viserion did not only catch corpse in flight (suggesting that he has no trouble evading the stones hurled in the air by the trebuchets) but he also retreated back to his pyramid in Meereen to feed during the battle. It is Rhaegal who is still around and has flown out there across Slaver's Bay.

The idea that the trebuchets will be still in the hands of the Yunkish Allies by the time Viserion returns makes no sense. Assuming he ever does during the battle.

It might be that both dragons will be affected by Dragonbinder, of course, considering how loud it was on Old Wyk, but there is no reason to assume Viserion will be hit by a stone. Nor is there a good reason to believe Brown Ben will become a dragonrider. He has the blood, but so did Quentyn. And unlike Quenty Brown Ben is a coward at heart. There is little reason to believe he would want to actually force himself on a dragon's back.

[Lost Melnibonean]

25 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

That doesn't carry much water in the way it was presented above because 

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Viserion did not only catch corpse in flight (suggesting that he has no trouble evading the stones hurled in the air by the trebuchets) but he also retreated back to his pyramid in Meereen to feed during the battle. It is Rhaegal who is still around and has flown out there across Slaver's Bay.

The idea that the trebuchets will be still in the hands of the Yunkish Allies by the time Viserion returns makes no sense. Assuming he ever does during the battle.

It might be that both dragons will be affected by Dragonbinder, of course, considering how loud it was on Old Wyk, but there is no reason to assume Viserion will be hit by a stone. Nor is there a good reason to believe Brown Ben will become a dragonrider. He has the blood, but so did Quentyn. And unlike Quenty Brown Ben is a coward at heart. There is little reason to believe he would want to actually force himself on a dragon's back.

Thank you for making so much sense. 

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A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.

--Lewis Mumford

[The Fattest Leech]

2 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

As soon as we meet Brown Ben Plumm, we learn about Viserion's attraction to him and Brown Ben's Targaryen blood...

Daenerys V, Storm 57

Clearly, Brown Ben is a character to watch. Isn't this the only time we see any of the Dragons give anyone other than Daenerys some love? This must be either a hint that Brown Ben will ride Viserion or a feint in that direction. 

Tyrion fills in a little more family backstory for us...

Tyrion XI, Dance 57

The World of Ice and Fire confirms that Princess Elaena Targaryen, daughter of Aegon III, and cousin to Aegon IV, was wed to Ossifer Plumm, who died on his wedding day. And the mysteries of the six-foot member and the two drops of Targaryen blood are revealed to be the rumor that Ossifer could not have fathered his son Viserys since he was already dead, and that Aegon IV was the natural father of Viserys.

So, now we can trace Brown Ben’s patrilineal descent:

Father: Some Dude named Plumm
Mother: Dothraki Woman

Grandfather: First Plumm born in Essos
Grandmother: Half-Ibbenese and half-Qohorik woman

Great Grandfather: Younger Son of Viserys
Great Grandmother: Half-Bravosi and half Summer Islander woman

Second Great Grandfather: Lord Viserys Plumm
Second Great Grandmother: Woman from Dorne

Third Great Grandfather: Lord Ossifer Plumm (Aegon IV)
Third Great Grandmother: Elaena Targaryen

And now switching over to Brown Ben’s Targaryen ancestry through Elaena:

Fourth Great Grandfather: Aegon III
Fourth Great Grandmother: Daenaera Velaryon

Fifth Great Grandfather: Daemon Targaryen
Fifth Great Grandmother: Rhaenyra Targaryen

Note that in The Rogue Prince we learn that “Prince Daemon had little difficulty assembling an army of landless adventurers and second sons.” Also note that “Prince Daemon Targaryen and the small brown girl called Nettles ... based themselves at Maidenpool” where “he kept the girl Nettles by his side, day and night, in sky and castle.” Nettles, of course, tamed Sheepstealer...

 

~snipped some good stuff~
 

Nicely done! I need to read it a few more times to really digest the info, but you have pulled some good references here. This is something that stuck out to me when I started reading Dunk & Egg a few years back. I really questioned why George was giving us such potential backstory on a character like BBP?

To me, BBP was part of the second wave of important characters that George planned on introducing. They came in to the story just when needed. No wasted page space with them in the shadows at some war council, or something.

And best yet, no hidden Targaryen blood to come popping out like a sad clown. We know BBP's family history.

There could be some issues with the actual battle sequence of events, as @Lord Varys mentioned, but I think the cyvasse game just gave the broadest strokes.

[Lost Melnibonean]

7 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

Nicely done! I need to read it a few more times to really digest the info, but you have pulled some good references here. This is something that stuck out to me when I started reading Dunk & Egg a few years back. I really questioned why George was giving us such potential backstory on a character like BBP?

To me, BBP was part of the second wave of important characters that George planned on introducing. They came in to the story just when needed. No wasted page space with them in the shadows at some war council, or something.

And best yet, no hidden Targaryen blood to come popping out like a sad clown. We know BBP's family history.

There could be some issues with the actual battle sequence of events, as @Lord Varys mentioned, but I think the cyvasse game just gave the broadest strokes.

You might like this. 

[Lord Varys]

Brown Ben isn't a completely irrelevant character, and his Targaryen blood certainly will play a role. But he is not the kind of man you would want to give a dragon, nor is he a man brave enough to mount a dragon on his own. Not now that Viserion and Rhaegal have grown and have made themselves some lairs.

Perhaps he can be convinced to make an attempt but if so then he is much more likely to become a second Quentyn or at least an Alyn of Hull than some sort of Nettles of Hugh the Hammer. Brown Ben is a coward at heart, he even plays a defensive cyvasse game, and dragons don't like cowards.

Still, with Dragonbinder out there it could still work somehow. The three dragons might all have dragons by the time the guys start their journey to Westeros. I'm more inclined that Tyrion is going to mount Viserion, but that could actually leave Rhaegal for Brown Ben. We'll have to wait and see. Brown Ben certainly would discover his courage if Tyrion actually successfully claims a dragon.

The Plumms as a house might become important eventually, by the way. The nobly branches were introduced in AFfC and with Tywin and Kevan gone and Aegon marching against KL some people in the West might actually remember that they are actually Targaryen loyalists. As Targaryen cousins the Plumms certainly would be likely to be the first among those.

[The Fattest Leech]

20 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

You might like this. 

Thanks! I didsorta glance that one over earlier, but I had to run out for a while. I am going to go through that one too

[CaliWolf]

4 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

I'm more inclined that Tyrion is going to mount Viserion, but that could actually leave Rhaegal for Brown Ben. We'll have to wait and see. Brown Ben certainly would discover his courage if Tyrion actually successfully claims a dragon.

I think if you use foreshadowing to guess which Dragon Ben Plumm or Tyrion would ride, they both would have Viserion. It would make sense that one or both of them actually can ride the dragon if they try, and it will end up being whichever has the courage to do it. I don't see either of them being able to ride Rhaegal, that honor would probably go to Euron/Victarion/Aegon. 

[Clegane'sPup]

11 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

As soon as we meet Brown Ben Plumm, we learn about Viserion's attraction to him and Brown Ben's Targaryen blood...

Thanks LM for bringing it together.

8 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

Brown Ben isn't a completely irrelevant character, and his Targaryen blood certainly will play a role. But he is not the kind of man you would want to give a dragon, nor is he a man brave enough to mount a dragon on his own. Not now that Viserion and Rhaegal have grown and have made themselves some lairs.

For me, it's not about wanting BBP to have a dragon, it's about the interaction between Viserion and Plumm as LM quoted in the opening:  Viserion spread his pale white wings and flapped lazily at his head. One of the wings buffeted the sellsword in his face. The white dragon landed awkwardly with one foot on the man's head and one on his shoulder, shrieked, and flew off again. "

As to whether or not Plumm is brave I'll go with with Tyrion's thought that Plumm is shrewd, tenacious, not unintelligent but wary. Plumm himself says, " There are old sellswords and bold sellswords but no old bold sellswords.

My speculation is that Viserion is already Plumm's. Now I need to go read the scene where QM got roasted.

 

[Lord Varys]

8 hours ago, CaliWolf said:

I think if you use foreshadowing to guess which Dragon Ben Plumm or Tyrion would ride, they both would have Viserion. It would make sense that one or both of them actually can ride the dragon if they try, and it will end up being whichever has the courage to do it. I don't see either of them being able to ride Rhaegal, that honor would probably go to Euron/Victarion/Aegon. 

That would only make sense if we assume that Euron/Victarion are going to get a dragon. Since Moqorro seems to be messing with this whole plan I'd not put any money on that right now. But even Euron and Aegon could become dragonriders later on in the story, after the previous rider of a dragon has died.

@Clegane'sPup

We know that a rider has to mount a dragon to claim it. Just getting along well with a dragon doesn't mean anything. Joffrey Velaryon did get along with Syrax, too, but he could not possibly ride her, and Aegon the Younger wasn't yet a dragonrider despite the fact that his little hatchling Stormcloud was following him around all the time. If he hadn't had the courage to eventually mount the dragon he would never have become a dragonrider. And neither will Brown Ben Plumm.

Perhaps Brown Ben would have had a chance to mount Viserion without much difficulty back in the day, but now the dragon has been imprisoned by his own mother, becoming wary of people in the process. Not to mention that both he and Rhaegal are now at least half-wild, perhaps even totally wild. Drogon nearly killed Daenerys herself when she claimed him in Daznak's Pit. The idea that a man like Ben would put himself in the same kind of mortal danger isn't very likely.

LM's scenario of an injured Viserion doesn't make any sense if you check the timeline.

Spoiler

The dragon has returned to its lair and Barristan and his men are already on their way to secure the trebuchets. There won't be any time for that.

Not to mention that those trebuchets are not exactly designed to target small and quickly moving targets in the air. It would have to be an extremely lucky shot even if Viserion was still flying above the battlefield.

Not to mention that Viserion should be too small to actually survive being hit by a stone hurled by one of the trebuchets. They are big enough to hurl multiple corpses at the same time into the city, after all.

[Lost Melnibonean]

3 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

That would only make sense if we assume that Euron/Victarion are going to get a dragon. Since Moqorro seems to be messing with this whole plan I'd not put any money on that right now. But even Euron and Aegon could become dragonriders later on in the story, after the previous rider of a dragon has died.

@Clegane'sPup

We know that a rider has to mount a dragon to claim it. Just getting along well with a dragon doesn't mean anything. Joffrey Velaryon did get along with Syrax, too, but he could not possibly ride her, and Aegon the Younger wasn't yet a dragonrider despite the fact that his little hatchling Stormcloud was following him around all the time. If he hadn't had the courage to eventually mount the dragon he would never have become a dragonrider. And neither will Brown Ben Plumm.

Perhaps Brown Ben would have had a chance to mount Viserion without much difficulty back in the day, but now the dragon has been imprisoned by his own mother, becoming wary of people in the process. Not to mention that both he and Rhaegal are now at least half-wild, perhaps even totally wild. Drogon nearly killed Daenerys herself when she claimed him in Daznak's Pit. The idea that a man like Ben would put himself in the same kind of mortal danger isn't very likely.

LM's scenario of an injured Viserion doesn't make any sense if you check the timeline.

Spoiler

The dragon has returned to its lair and Barristan and his men are already on their way to secure the trebuchets. There won't be any time for that.

Not to mention that those trebuchets are not exactly designed to target small and quickly moving targets in the air. It would have to be an extremely lucky shot even if Viserion was still flying above the battlefield.

Not to mention that Viserion should be too small to actually survive being hit by a stone hurled by one of the trebuchets. They are big enough to hurl multiple corpses at the same time into the city, after all.

Spoiler tags dude. 

[aryagonnakill#2]

There are other ways for Viserion to get injured.  Skahaz could betray them, there could be more fighting in Volantis or somewhere farther west on the way to westeros.  As far as Brown Ben not being courageous enough, Tyrion could tell him about Nettles and that could convince him.  I believe Tyrion intends on getting Ben killed so he can take over and not have to pay him.

[Lord Varys]

20 minutes ago, aryagonnakill#2 said:

There are other ways for Viserion to get injured.  Skahaz could betray them, there could be more fighting in Volantis or somewhere farther west on the way to westeros.  As far as Brown Ben not being courageous enough, Tyrion could tell him about Nettles and that could convince him.  I believe Tyrion intends on getting Ben killed so he can take over and not have to pay him.

Sure, a lot of stuff could happen. Brown Ben could die, too, by the way. He is fighting a battle right now. Tyrion certainly would want to get rid of the Second Sons and Brown Ben in time. But while they are still in Slaver's Bay there is no reason for any of that. 

[Lost Melnibonean]

1 hour ago, aryagonnakill#2 said:

There are other ways for Viserion to get injured.  Skahaz could betray them, there could be more fighting in Volantis or somewhere farther west on the way to westeros.  As far as Brown Ben not being courageous enough, Tyrion could tell him about Nettles and that could convince him.  I believe Tyrion intends on getting Ben killed so he can take over and not have to pay him.

Absolutely...

Quote

He dipped his quill in the inkpot. Tyrion of House Lannister, he scratched out, promising to pay the bearer of the note one hundred golden dragons. Every stroke of the quill leaves me a little poorer … or would, if I were not a beggar to begin with. One day he might rue these signatures. But not this day. He blew on the wet ink, slid the parchment to the paymaster, and signed the one beneath. And again. And again. And again.

Tyrion XII, Dance 66

[Scorpion92]

I do not think Dany will spare Brown Ben Plumm for his betrayal if/when they meet again.

[Lost Melnibonean]

23 minutes ago, Scorpion92 said:

I do not think Dany will spare Brown Ben Plumm for his betrayal if/when they meet again.

What if he's already riding Viserion? 

[Lord Varys]

52 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

What if he's already riding Viserion? 

Dragonriders don't sit on their dragons all the time. Not to mention that Drogon is bigger.

[Lost Melnibonean]

17 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Dragonriders don't sit on their dragons all the time. Not to mention that Drogon is bigger.

My understanding was the other gentleman suggested that Brown Ben would not be able to ride Viserion since Daenerys would not excuse Brown Ben's betrayal. In response I suggested that Brown Ben may accomplish the fact before she returns. If Tyrion of House Lannister and Brown Ben tame Viserion, and act in her interest, she is likely to trust them. 

[Clegane'sPup]

7 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

We know that a rider has to mount a dragon to claim it. Just getting along well with a dragon doesn't mean anything. Joffrey Velaryon did get along with Syrax, too, but he could not possibly ride her, and Aegon the Younger wasn't yet a dragonrider despite the fact that his little hatchling Stormcloud was following him around all the time. If he hadn't had the courage to eventually mount the dragon he would never have become a dragonrider. And neither will Brown Ben Plumm.

Perhaps Brown Ben would have had a chance to mount Viserion without much difficulty back in the day, but now the dragon has been imprisoned by his own mother, becoming wary of people in the process. Not to mention that both he and Rhaegal are now at least half-wild, perhaps even totally wild. Drogon nearly killed Daenerys herself when she claimed him in Daznak's Pit. The idea that a man like Ben would put himself in the same kind of mortal danger isn't very likely.

For sake of discussion let me say this up front so you get an idea of where I’m coming from. I haven’t read the coffee table book, I don’t have the app and I’ve only read the novella’s once.

As of DwD Viserion & Rhaegal are free and each has set up house separately. They are being supplied with meat/live animals in three different locations and they seem to like mutton. That is the pit they keep returning to. Granted they are not the cute little pets Plumm referred to them as.

Martin’s description of Rhaegal before he toasted QM is that his head was as large as a horse and his neck looked like a great green serpent as it uncoiled. That description doesn’t really tell me much. Doesn’t matter really because QM still got roasted.

With the proper goading from Tyrion, Plumm if in the right place at the right time could mount/ride Viserion. Tyrion on the other hand, even if the dragon is wounded, has a full belly or lays flat on the ground will not be able to mount the dragon without a ladder or some sort of devise.

The reason I’m being vague is because I don’t know the specifics of the activities that are transpiring in Meereen. I skip a lot of stuff in those chapters. Too much info for me to keep up with. Harpys, Brazen Beasts, Graces, sellswords, pale mare, but mainly the frekking names of people and groups. Get my drift.

Like with this horn Euron gave Victarion. Shite, now I gotta look up the spelling of the priest. Found it, Moqorro. Sure Vic threatens him quite frequently, who is to say that Moqorro is telling the truth about the glyphs on the horn. I’ve been lead on wild goose chases in these books before.

I know the dragons don’t like rain. They stayed in their hidey holes. They have a keen sense of smell and hearing. They know their name. I would agree with you that they are wild, untrained and miffed about being chained up. Given the right circumstance Plumm can claim Viserion. Viscerion picked Plumm, kinda sorta like your analogy:  and Aegon the Younger wasn't yet a dragonrider despite the fact that his little hatchling Stormcloud was following him around all the time. If he hadn't had the courage to eventually mount the dragon he would never have become a dragonrider.

There is another possibility. Depending on what happens in Meereen. While V & R are feeding someone could get lucky with one of dem specialty bows and put an arrow through an eye. The eyes are their weakness. Come to think of it, one of those Dothraki who find Dany could have one of those special bows.

Thus putting an end to dragon riders. But wait, I have read on these boards there is going to be a dance of dragons 2.0. Two books left.

Since I don’t have the app I didn’t get to read the Tyrion chapter and I would so like to. Frankly, that and the Balticon chapter should be fully released to the fandom.