Poll: Aurane Waters' Endgame

[Aurane]

The last time that Aurane Waters was seen, he had fled Kings landing taking a small yet powerful fleet of 10 dromonds with him. The most notable of these ships are these are the Sweet Cercei and Lord Tywin which boast a crew of 400 and 800 oarsmen respectively. If his ships are fully manned, he may have a crew of 2000+ at his command. This isn't a huge army yet it's still enough to have a significant effect on the conflicts to come in Westeros.

What do you think that Aurane Waters' endgame is? The most popular theories that I see are that he is maintaining his loyalty to Stannis after the battle of the Blackwater. Another is that he planning on courting Daenerys with his newly acquired fleet. Perhaps he's just a chaotic opportunist with no real loyalties. He may also ally with Euron or Salladhor Saan or someone else entirely.

Results:

Spoiler

 

Aurane Waters is: 

Independent/Freelancing (3): Vaith, Moiraine Sedai, Karneol

An Agent of Chaos (1): Springwatch 

Going to ally with Dany (4) : Chrisdaw, Legitimate_Bastard, Gendarrion, StormKing902

Planning to restore house Velaryon (2): Ser Uncle P, Legitimate_Bastard 

A Cercei loyalist (1): Hugofonics

Other/Inconsequential (1): Plain Simple Tailor

 

[Plain, Simple Tailor]

37 minutes ago, Aurane said:

The last time that Aurane Waters was seen, he had fled Kings landing taking a small yet powerful fleet of 10 dromonds with him. The most notable of these ships are these are the Sweet Cercei and Lord Tywin which boast a crew of 400 and 800 oarsmen respectively. If his ships are fully manned, he may have a crew of 2000+ at his command. This isn't a huge army yet it's still enough to have a significant effect on the conflicts to come in Westeros.

What do you think that Aurane Waters' endgame is? The most popular theories that I see are that he is maintaining his loyalty to Stannis after the battle of the Blackwater. Another is that he planning on courting Daenerys with his newly acquired fleet. Perhaps he's just a chaotic opportunist with no real loyalties. He may also ally with Euron or Salladhor Saan or someone else entirely.

I don't think he really has an endgame. He's just a guy. 

I think the entire purpose for Aurane as a character is to show how Cersei projects. She tries to think of him as Rhaegar, the only person she ever loved besides Jaime, even though he only vaguely looks like Rhaegar if you squint and are drunk. He's a living example of Cersei's own issues, and he has no other purpose besides that. 

[Vaith]

47 minutes ago, Plain, Simple Tailor said:

I don't think he really has an endgame. He's just a guy. 

I think the entire purpose for Aurane as a character is to show how Cersei projects. She tries to think of him as Rhaegar, the only person she ever loved besides Jaime, even though he only vaguely looks like Rhaegar if you squint and are drunk. He's a living example of Cersei's own issues, and he has no other purpose besides that. 

Gerold Dayne is similar in that context. Brings out the worst in Arianne, and also is likely a vehicle for the reader to see Starfall later in the books...

With that being said, Aurane is probably just going to be a pirate king who takes advantage of the ensuing chaos as the War of Five Kings begins anew and disorder comes back to Westeros.

I don't think Stannis has anything to do with it, though. If this was the case, I imagine he'd head north, and maybe stop somewhere like the Sisters, not head south to the Stepstones. It's all for personal gain, I think.

[Moiraine Sedai]

Raid and get wealthy.  Do what the Ironborn do.  He should do well until he runs into Euron. 

[Ser Uncle P]

House Velaryon's role in the history books is that of a major naval power.

I'd say he will try to revive that with the stolen fleet. The title 

Spoiler

"Lord of the waters" he uses in the Winds sample chapters 

 

 

He uses is similar to the "Lord of the Tides" title that the Velaryon's usually used.  

[chrisdaw]

What he does next isn't really his end game. He's got a ways to go.

He'll become Dany's lover after Euron has used her up and stolen Drogon. He is the Water in the making of Lightbringer, which is a description of Dany attempting to conceive a child for the purpose of sacrificing to get Drogon back.

Quote

"Burnt," said Salladhor Saan, "and be glad of that, my friend. Do you know the tale of the forging of Lightbringer? I shall tell it to you. It was a time when darkness lay heavy on the world. To oppose it, the hero must have a hero's blade, oh, like none that had ever been. And so for thirty days and thirty nights Azor Ahai labored sleepless in the temple, forging a blade in the sacred fires. Heat and hammer and fold, heat and hammer and fold, oh, yes, until the sword was done. Yet when he plunged it into water to temper the steel it burst asunder.

The temple Dany's womb, the hammering and folding and heating, sleepless nights and labouring sex and pregnancy. The bursting asunder is miscarrying, Dany will miscarry Aurane's and her child. 

Possibly when KL rebels against Dany he will help her escape and get her to the north.

Possibly he will in some way betray Dany and she'll execute him based on this line.

Quote

They say she is a sorceress who feeds her dragons on the flesh of newborn babes, an oathbreaker who mocks the gods, breaks truces, threatens envoys, and turns on those who have served her loyally. They say her lust cannot be sated, that she mates with men, women, eunuchs, even dogs and children, and woe betide the lover who fails to satisfy her. She gives her body to men to take their souls in thrall.

Or if he keeps on keeping on then after delivering Dany to the north he may join his fleet to the Manderly's and fight for Jon when Jon marches south.

[Vaith]

13 minutes ago, chrisdaw said:

What he does next isn't really his end game. He's got a ways to go.

He'll become Dany's lover after Euron has used her up and stolen Drogon. He is the Water in the making of Lightbringer, which is a description of Dany attempting to conceive a child for the purpose of sacrificing to get Drogon back.

The temple Dany's womb, the hammering and folding and heating, sleepless nights and labouring sex and pregnancy. The bursting asunder is miscarrying, Dany will miscarry Aurane's and her child. 

Possibly when KL rebels against Dany he will help her escape and get her to the north.

Possibly he will in some way betray Dany and she'll execute him based on this line.

Or if he keeps on keeping on then after delivering Dany to the north he may join his fleet to the Manderly's and fight for Jon when Jon marches south.

I’d be surprised if GRRM decides to make a tertiary character Azor Ahai simply going off the one line about water.

Your theory about Lightbringer as an allegory for sex works well, and I agree with some of it (but I think it will be a living child that is the antidote to Other domination. ‘A babe stinks o’ life, after all, and Dany is living on borrowed time after Rhaego). 

I’d be tempted thus far to look to a more prominent character that could represent water, or, you know, one of its other states, such as *ahem* snow.......

[chrisdaw]

15 minutes ago, Vaith said:

I’d be surprised if GRRM decides to make a tertiary character Azor Ahai simply going off the one line about water.

Your theory about Lightbringer as an allegory for sex works well, and I agree with some of it (but I think it will be a living child that is the antidote to Other domination. ‘A babe stinks o’ life, after all, and Dany is living on borrowed time after Rhaego). 

I’d be tempted thus far to look to a more prominent character that could represent water, or, you know, one of its other states, such as *ahem* snow.......

I didn't say he's AA. I said Aurane Waters represents the water portion of the story. The first of three attempts, the attempt tempered by water, a failed attempt because the child will be miscarried.

[Vaith]

2 minutes ago, chrisdaw said:

I didn't say he's AA. I said Aurane Waters represents the water portion of the story. The first of three attempts, the attempt tempered by water, a failed attempt because the child will be miscarried.

Fair. I just think being the father of Dany's child is really a 180 for a character that hasn't done much except be a vehicle to show Cersei's political aptitude, imho. 

[chrisdaw]

16 minutes ago, Vaith said:

Fair. I just think being the father of Dany's child is really a 180 for a character that hasn't done much except be a vehicle to show Cersei's political aptitude, imho. 

Banging Dany won't make him particularly important overall, Daario isn't really, or Hizdahr. It's his ancient Valyrian bloodline that sets him apart from everyone else, as Euron thinks (knows) he needs to have a child with Dany for her dragon bloodline, Dany will decide on Aurane for his ancient Valyrian bloodline.

And he's only set up to be the first failure before the big guns. After him she'll move onto a lion, Tyrion, who will be riding Viserion so be thought to have good dragon blood.

Quote

Oh, good, thought Tyrion. If she gives her body to me, she is welcome to my soul, small and stunted though it is.

But Tyrion's child she miscarries too (breaking his heart as per the Lightbringer story). Who the third successful candidate is, Nissa Nissa, the male character with the strongest Targaryen dragon blood, the one who is hung up on never fathering a bastard, will by then be obvious. Blue flower wall of ice, fire consumes ice preserves.

[Vaith]

3 minutes ago, chrisdaw said:

Banging Dany won't make him particularly important overall, Daario isn't really, or Hizdahr. It's his ancient Valyrian bloodline that sets him apart from everyone else, as Euron thinks (knows) he needs to have a child with Dany for her dragon bloodline, Dany will decide on Aurane for his ancient Valyrian bloodline.

And he's only set up to be the first failure before the big guns. After him she'll move onto a lion, Tyrion, who will be riding Viserion so be thought to have good dragon blood.

But Tyrion's child she miscarries too (breaking his heart as per the Lightbringer story). Who the third successful candidate is, Nissa Nissa, the male character with the strongest Targaryen dragon blood, the one who is hung up on never fathering a bastard, will by then be obvious. Blue flower wall of ice, fire consumes ice preserves.

To be honest, I think the miscarriages have already been fulfilled with the loss of Rhaego in AGoT and her suspiciously heavy flow in ADWD.

[Legitimate_Bastard]

Combo of restoring House Velaryon and allying with Dany.

[Karneol]

22 hours ago, Aurane said:

Perhaps he's just a chaotic opportunist with no real loyalties. He may also ally with Euron or Salladhor Saan or someone else entirely.

I think his main purpose was to show that Cersei didn't look instead abilities or loyalty in her council after hate of the Tyrells.

Now he's free he will be another King of the stepstones or will get himself in the war of Myr, Tyrosh and Lys on the side which offers him the most money.

[Chris Mormont]

I think he will work as a naval free company, selling his fleet's service to the highest bidder.  Or he was already approached by the Iron Bank who wanted the ships in retaliation for Cersie not repaying them.

[Hugorfonics]

I totally get the sinister vibe from him, but im not sure his motives are sinister. Hes a bastard, plucked high into the SC, he always seemed like a Cersei loyalist to me. So when she falls all her laws will change, if Dontos is no longer a fool then Waters is no longer master of ships. 

So why stay and hand over your navy to Mace or the Sparrow or whomever? Hes playing it by ear, if Cersei makes it out of this I can see Waters returning

[Gendarrion]

His fleet is too small to be able to court Dany, he'll probably try to ally with her though, I have to agree to others here though, his purpose is to have the readers see how terrible a ruler Cersei is and how she can easily be manipulated by pretty boys.

if he continue pirating, he probably would just get defeated by powerful fleets by the free cities once his pirating started to have effect on their trades.

[Springwatch]

What Aurane does is show Cersei's instinctive ability to create chaos. She divides families, makes enemies, rips up wills, defaults on loans, removes legal controls on a militant church. Now she's accidentally created a pirate fleet as strong as any lord's.

Littlefinger is on the side of chaos too, and arguably even more destructive. He is more self-aware, though.

Chaos is not always entirely bad! If you're facing an excess of control, then throwing the game pieces on the floor might be the option to go for.

ETA

Aurane doesn't need an end-game. Because, chaos.

[Aurane]

 

Updated the poll.

3 hours ago, Springwatch said:

What Aurane does is show Cersei's instinctive ability to create chaos. She divides families, makes enemies, rips up wills, defaults on loans, removes legal controls on a militant church. Now she's accidentally created a pirate fleet as strong as any lord's.

 Chaos is not always entirely bad! If you're facing an excess of control, then throwing the game pieces on the floor might be the option to go for.

Yeah, I wonder if pushing Cercei into further debt problems with the iron bank was due to his lack of concern for the consequences of gaining his ships, or if he intentionally tried it in order to edge the 7 kingdoms on into further chaos. With the IB turning on the Lannisters, it seems like they have some bigger things to deal with than capturing Aurane. With fAegon arriving in the Stormlands, the Ironborn attacking the Reach, and the Lannisters unable to get a new loan, it seems that Aurane has far less to deal with from the Southron lords.

[Stormking902]

IMO the lord of the tides is on his way to Danny in Essos, I dont think he wants to be her husband necessarily just her loyal bannerman aka he wants to be made lord of driftmark over his nephew who btw is just a young boy and we know how young lords during war time fare.

Aurane needs a Targaryan restoration to make his house strong like they once were so that they gain back there respect that they have lost over the dacades.

[Headless Wolf]

He'll provide Aegon with a fleet, unite his forces scattered all over the Stepstones, possibly bring Connington Edric Storm as a hostage, and become Lord Velaryon by the end