Why Stannis becoming the Night's King makes narrative/thematic sense

[King Adrian Storm]

I'm not going to go through every little detail that shows how Stannis mirrors the Night's King, but mostly I want to talk about how him becoming the 2nd Night's King makes sense for the story going forward.

1. The Dark lord Trope- This is a good way of reinvinting this trope. We're not getting the Night's King from 8,000, who's been hiding in a deep dark cave. This is an active protagonist in the story, who will be corrupted and become a big villain of the story. I know some people like that the Others don't have a leader, but it doesn't seem practical to me. An army with no leader, just a bunch of knights leading soldiers (wights)? I don't see how that would work on a narrative level.

2. There isn't much room left for Stannis in the story as a protagonist. This may anger some people, but it's true. After Jon is resurrected, Dany comes to the 7 kingdoms, and Aegon takes the throne (or at least fights for it against the Lannisters) where does that leave Stannis. Melisandre will probably realize Jon was the hero in her dream when he is resurrected, and join him instead.  Stannis will help win the north back, but a Stark will be named Kitn. Chances are he won't make it South of the neck again. Many people say he'll just die, and then everyone will realize he's not azor ahai, but I think there's more to it. Grrm has built up Stannis too much to just have him be revealed as a fake.

3. The obvious parallels- No one can deny the similarities between Stannis and the night's king. They're almost like copies of each other. The only difference is ice and fire. They both set out to oppose the Others. They sold their soul to a witch that represents ice/fire, and they started making shadow babies for them. They both stayed at the Nightfort.

4. Dany's dream- In book 1 she had a dream that parallels Robert vs Rhaegar, but she's riding a dragon and killing enemies made of ice. Plus the enemies are the Usurpers forces (Baratheons), on top of that if Stannis opposes Dany as he likely will she would consider him a usurper as well.

5. The blue eyed king with a red sword who cast no shadow. There's no doubt this is Stannis. And this is one of the three "lies" she must slay. He is obviously going to be her enemy, and them fighting just for the sake of who will be in charge is dumb. They both would put aside their feelings to fight the greater good in that situation.

6. Justice- This is Stannis' number one goal, but his flaw is what he sees as just. He almost burnt his nephew to get a dragon out of it. His vision is definitely skewed. At some point when Stannis loses all hope, he realizes that no one wants him as their king (as Renly says), and he's tired of the corrupt politics of Westeros, who's to say he won't side with the Others to bring "Justice". Grrm has said the Others are not "evil". If Stannis were to see their side of the story, I could understand him joining them.

7. Davos- With Davos off looking for Rickon, Stannis has lost his moral compass. Who's to stop him from making a bad decision like sacrificing Shireen? Or making a deal with the Others?

8. Fire to Ice- This is what stumps most people. Why would he join the people he's trying to destroy? It's not that hard to believe. He's not a die hard fan of the red god in the books. He follows because he believes it will make him the hero to unite the 7 kingdoms, and become king. If a better option came to him say, an army of ice soldiers instead of just 1 fire witch it's possible he could take it.

9. Unintentionally? This is a theory of mine, that I've posted before. That maybe Stannis sacrifices Shireen/Mel to try and stop the Others, but what he really does is begin the long night. The Bloodstone emperor supposedly began the long night by sacrificing a woman close to him, and azor ahai forged lightbringer by sacrificing a woman he loved. I believe Azor ahai is the person who started the long night, and a seperate entity to tptwp and the last hero.

10. Familiarity- We know nothing about the Others. At all. We don't know what they even want. In this story of poltics and corruption, it's weird to throw in a plot of ice demons overthrowing the world. We need some familiarity with the Others to get onboard with what they're doing, and I think Stannis joining them would be just that. I mean if they have no leader it's like watching a faceless army. Which leads me to my last point.

11. Communication- How will the Others communicate with men? They speak a completely different language. How can we know what they want, if he can't understand what they're saying. If Stannis joins them, we'll have a voice of reason. 

One thing I forgot to mention in the post is the possibility of Stannis writing the pink letter. Ramsay definitely didn't write it. I think the mystery will be solved if Jon brings it up during a confrontation at the wall. After the Boltons are taken care of, Jon is crowned KITN he might ask Stannis about it, and it'll be revealed he was behind it. This would cause a HUGE rift between the two, and could lead to Stannis being an outlier later on, and causing him to turn.

 

[James Fenimore Cooper XXII]

Jon Snow will be the Night's King.  The NK has to be a Stark.  The Night's Queen did not pick any man at random.  She picked the commander, who was a Stark.  I think it has to do with genetic compatibility.  The Starks have the blood of the Others in them.  So does Craster.  Craster and the Starks are kin.

[Moiraine Sedai]

1 minute ago, James Fenimore Cooper XXII said:

Jon Snow will be the Night's King.  The NK has to be a Stark.  The Night's Queen did not pick any man at random.  She picked the commander, who was a Stark.  I think it has to do with genetic compatibility.  The Starks have the blood of the Others in them.  So does Craster.  Craster and the Starks are kin.

I agree.  The white Walkers were converting Craster's boys.  They will have no need of wights if they could convert just any infant boy into one of them.  They prized Craster's gifts because they can be turned to one of them.

[kissdbyfire]

And we have a new record!

OP, I think there are a few interesting details connecting Stannis and the NK, just as there are interesting things connecting Manderly and the RC. But that doesn’t mean I expect either man to become a second coming of these legends. 

But more than that, some things in the OP are left unexplained. For instance, why would Stannis, who is dead set on fighting the Others, suddenly decide to make a pact with them? You also mention the issue of communication, but you don’t explain how all of a sudden Stannis becomes fluent in Other-speak. 

[Curled Finger]

39 minutes ago, King Adrian Storm said:

I'm not going to go through every little detail that shows how Stannis mirrors the Night's King, but mostly I want to talk about how him becoming the 2nd Night's King makes sense for the story going forward.

1. The Dark lord Trope- This is a good way of reinvinting this trope. We're not getting the Night's King from 8,000, who's been hiding in a deep dark cave. This is an active protagonist in the story, who will be corrupted and become a big villain of the story. I know some people like that the Others don't have a leader, but it doesn't seem practical to me. An army with no leader, just a bunch of knights leading soldiers (wights)? I don't see how that would work on a narrative level.

2. There isn't much room left for Stannis in the story as a protagonist. This may anger some people, but it's true. After Jon is resurrected, Dany comes to the 7 kingdoms, and Aegon takes the throne (or at least fights for it against the Lannisters) where does that leave Stannis. Melisandre will probably realize Jon was the hero in her dream when he is resurrected, and join him instead.  Stannis will help win the north back, but a Stark will be named Kitn. Chances are he won't make it South of the neck again. Many people say he'll just die, and then everyone will realize he's not azor ahai, but I think there's more to it. Grrm has built up Stannis too much to just have him be revealed as a fake.

3. The obvious parallels- No one can deny the similarities between Stannis and the night's king. They're almost like copies of each other. The only difference is ice and fire. They both set out to oppose the Others. They sold their soul to a witch that represents ice/fire, and they started making shadow babies for them. They both stayed at the Nightfort.

4. Dany's dream- In book 1 she had a dream that parallels Robert vs Rhaegar, but she's riding a dragon and killing enemies made of ice. Plus the enemies are the Usurpers forces (Baratheons), on top of that if Stannis opposes Dany as he likely will she would consider him a usurper as well.

5. The blue eyed king with a red sword who cast no shadow. There's no doubt this is Stannis. And this is one of the three "lies" she must slay. He is obviously going to be her enemy, and them fighting just for the sake of who will be in charge is dumb. They both would put aside their feelings to fight the greater good in that situation.

6. Justice- This is Stannis' number one goal, but his flaw is what he sees as just. He almost burnt his nephew to get a dragon out of it. His vision is definitely skewed. At some point when Stannis loses all hope, he realizes that no one wants him as their king (as Renly says), and he's tired of the corrupt politics of Westeros, who's to say he won't side with the Others to bring "Justice". Grrm has said the Others are not "evil". If Stannis were to see their side of the story, I could understand him joining them.

7. Davos- With Davos off looking for Rickon, Stannis has lost his moral compass. Who's to stop him from making a bad decision like sacrificing Shireen? Or making a deal with the Others?

8. Fire to Ice- This is what stumps most people. Why would he join the people he's trying to destroy? It's not that hard to believe. He's not a die hard fan of the red god in the books. He follows because he believes it will make him the hero to unite the 7 kingdoms, and become king. If a better option came to him say, an army of ice soldiers instead of just 1 fire witch it's possible he could take it.

9. Unintentionally? This is a theory of mine, that I've posted before. That maybe Stannis sacrifices Shireen/Mel to try and stop the Others, but what he really does is begin the long night. The Bloodstone emperor supposedly began the long night by sacrificing a woman close to him, and azor ahai forged lightbringer by sacrificing a woman he loved. I believe Azor ahai is the person who started the long night, and a seperate entity to tptwp and the last hero.

10. Familiarity- We know nothing about the Others. At all. We don't know what they even want. In this story of poltics and corruption, it's weird to throw in a plot of ice demons overthrowing the world. We need some familiarity with the Others to get onboard with what they're doing, and I think Stannis joining them would be just that. I mean if they have no leader it's like watching a faceless army. Which leads me to my last point.

11. Communication- How will the Others communicate with men? They speak a completely different language. How can we know what they want, if he can't understand what they're saying. If Stannis joins them, we'll have a voice of reason. 

 

I think it would be a hoot if Stannis ends up being the 2nd coming of Garth Greenhand.  That said, I agree the story demands some sort of leading intelligence for the Others.   While this could be something like a consciousness within the weirwood network or a temporal sort of thing, it is reasonable to anticipate that some character will expose and hopefully explain the whole NK mythos.  We already had Craster in all his weird weirdness.  Incest, sons and sacrifice.   Does this explain NK?  Maybe.  Does this explain the Others?  I don't think so.  NK appears to have been transformed and we can't know what power he may have had concerning the Others.   They are Other, why would a transformed human be the thing to explain them?  While NK and the Others are connected, I'm not sold that NK is one of them.  Always considered this legend to point more toward the proper care and worship of the Others.   Like NK is the White Priest, not unlike Mel is a Red Priest.  We are not likely to see either R'hllor or The Great Other.   

While I can see merit in many of your points, I will disagree on a few.   Stannis has plenty left to do North, South and right where he is.  I always read his primary motive as duty, not justice.  In this light, what duty could he (any of our current characters, really) have to the Others?  Agreed, Davos is the Jiminey Cricket on Stannis' shoulder, but Melisandre, the other valued advisor, is also not there to influence Stannis.   The last time I saw Stannis, in Theon I possibly from TWOW, but more importantly from GRRM's own hands, he was a powerhouse of decisive energy.  I like him better without his advisors.  He looks like he can take care of business.   Stannis' tale originated in impossible circumstances with Mel his only real advisor with any power.   He has learned to see his own visions in his own flames.  While the burning of the Peasburys was brutal, it also fed his R'hllor loving crew with the added bonus of horrifying his northern/Iron born retinue.  He doesn't seem personally invested in the burning practice so much as simply appeasing a faction of his followers.  An execution was required.  It doesn't make Stannis a true believer, just a good strategist.  

Wonder if Stannis could get good enough at what language the Others speak to correct their grammar?  

[King Adrian Storm]

47 minutes ago, Curled Finger said:

While I can see merit in many of your points, I will disagree on a few.   Stannis has plenty left to do North, South and right where he is.  I always read his primary motive as duty, not justice.  In this light, what duty could he (any of our current characters, really) have to the Others?  Agreed, Davos is the Jiminey Cricket on Stannis' shoulder, but Melisandre, the other valued advisor, is also not there to influence Stannis.   The last time I saw Stannis, in Theon I possibly from TWOW, but more importantly from GRRM's own hands, he was a powerhouse of decisive energy.  I like him better without his advisors.  He looks like he can take care of business.   Stannis' tale originated in impossible circumstances with Mel his only real advisor with any power.   He has learned to see his own visions in his own flames.  While the burning of the Peasburys was brutal, it also fed his R'hllor loving crew with the added bonus of horrifying his northern/Iron born retinue.  He doesn't seem personally invested in the burning practice so much as simply appeasing a faction of his followers.  An execution was required.  It doesn't make Stannis a true believer, just a good strategist.  

Wonder if Stannis could get good enough at what language the Others speak to correct their grammar?  

You are right Stannis does have a lot to do at the moment. He has to defeat the Boltons, and take control of the North. Which I think he'll be successful in, but he'll probably need Jon's help taking care of Ramsay or something involving Jon. Once he wins, I think Jon will be crowned King in the North. After that Stannis can't go south, because he has to deal with the Others. He'll likely go back to the Nightfort and strategize what needs to be done next. I think Stannis will be jealous, if the northern lords decide to praise house Stark, and forget about him. And while Stannis is at the Nightfort, I think things will start happening there. We know the Night Fort is a creepy/magical place. I think Stannis could start to go a little crazy up there.

On the topic of the Theon chapter. I read a theory that when Asha calls to have Theon sacrificed to the old gods, Stannis will learn ice magic to help him defeat the Boltons. Which is reasonable, and if he starts doing ice magic, it could lead him to becoming the next NK. 

One thing I forgot to mention in the post is the possibility of Stannis writing the pink letter. Ramsay definitely didn't write it. I think the mystery will be solved if Jon brings it up during a confrontation at the wall. After the Boltons are taken care of, Jon is crowned KITN he might ask Stannis about it, and it'll be revealed he was behind it. This would cause a HUGE rift between the two, and could lead to Stannis being an outlier later on, and causing him to turn.

[Curled Finger]

31 minutes ago, King Adrian Storm said:

You are right Stannis does have a lot to do at the moment. He has to defeat the Boltons, and take control of the North. Which I think he'll be successful in, but he'll probably need Jon's help taking care of Ramsay or something involving Jon. Once he wins, I think Jon will be crowned King in the North. After that Stannis can't go south, because he has to deal with the Others. He'll likely go back to the Nightfort and strategize what needs to be done next. I think Stannis will be jealous, if the northern lords decide to praise house Stark, and forget about him. And while Stannis is at the Nightfort, I think things will start happening there. We know the Night Fort is a creepy/magical place. I think Stannis could start to go a little crazy up there.

On the topic of the Theon chapter. I read a theory that when Asha calls to have Theon sacrificed to the old gods, Stannis will learn ice magic to help him defeat the Boltons. Which is reasonable, and if he starts doing ice magic, it could lead him to becoming the next NK. 

One thing I forgot to mention in the post is the possibility of Stannis writing the pink letter. Ramsay definitely didn't write it. I think the mystery will be solved if Jon brings it up during a confrontation at the wall. After the Boltons are taken care of, Jon is crowned KITN he might ask Stannis about it, and it'll be revealed he was behind it. This would cause a HUGE rift between the two, and could lead to Stannis being an outlier later on, and causing him to turn.

Can the Nightfort be any more madness inducing than Dragonstone?  

Our theories often inspire us to see a character or situation in different light, allowing new possibility into our own senses of reason.   Stannis learning ice magic because of an attempted sacrifice to the weirwoods is further than I am able to go at this point.   I can see something happening because the trees are fed with blood, but I still can't tie the Others to the weirwoods.  Few pieces actually get glued to my poster board.  

All sorts of things could happen if X occurs quickly and Y is in a magical mood.   I'm sorry, Brother, I don't believe Stannis wrote the infamous letter.   That makes neither of us wrong, but it does make it difficult for me to accept your scenario.   

[zandru]

I had thought the "Night King" concept was purely from That Which May Not Be Named. Using the text as a guide, we still have no idea of what/who the Others are, much less their form of internal government.

[kissdbyfire]

1 minute ago, zandru said:

I had thought the "Night King" concept was purely from That Which May Not Be Named.

Nope, two different things. The Night’s King is an ancient legendary figure; Old Nan tells Bran stories about him and his “corpse queen”. Mel likes to go on and on about the Great Other, and according to her the GO is Red Rahloo’s opponent/opposite. Then again, Mel likes to go on and on about a variety of things, and for the most part she’s full of it!

 

1 minute ago, zandru said:

Using the text as a guide, we still have no idea of what/who the Others are, much less their form of internal government.

Or even if they have one!

[Curled Finger]

58 minutes ago, zandru said:

I had thought the "Night King" concept was purely from That Which May Not Be Named. Using the text as a guide, we still have no idea of what/who the Others are, much less their form of internal government.

 

53 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said:

Nope, two different things. The Night’s King is an ancient legendary figure; Old Nan tells Bran stories about him and his “corpse queen”. Mel likes to go on and on about the Great Other, and according to her the GO is Red Rahloo’s opponent/opposite. Then again, Mel likes to go on and on about a variety of things, and for the most part she’s full of it!

 

Or even if they have one!

I thought the original quote was a Harry Potter reference, boy did I miss that one. 

[Aebram]

Thank you, Zandru and Kissdbyfire, I was just getting ready to chime in about this. If I may put a finer point on it:

In the "abomination*", Night's King is an important character. But in the books, he's just an old folktale. There's no indication that he is still alive, or that he (or a successor) will have any effect on where the story goes from here. 

The OP has pointed out some interesting similarities between Stannis's arc and the NK story. But the NK married an Other, whereas Stannis's partner is a sworn enemy of the Others.  So I can't see Stannis changing sides like that. But the NK story might be a foreshadowing of where Stannis is headed, getting so involved with magic that it eventually leads to his destruction.

Come to think of it, why would Stannis choose the Nightfort for his seat? It's the oldest castle on the Wall, and the most decrepit.  My hunch is that it was Mel's idea. There must be some extra magical energy there, which she can sense, and she hopes to use it.

(* Sorry, I just can't hate the TV show as much as some people here. It's what led me to discover the books -- and probably a few million other people too. It deserves a little credit for that, if nothing else. And the first two seasons were actually quite faithful to the books.)

[kissdbyfire]

9 minutes ago, Curled Finger said:

 

I thought the original quote was a Harry Potter reference, boy did I miss that one. 

I actually misread @zandru's post as well. It was not a reference to Mel/GO, but to the abomination.

So, zandru, to answer correctly now... the Night King, no "apostrophe s", who is the leader of the Others is a show invention, yes. 

[zandru]

8 minutes ago, Aebram said:

Come to think of it, why would Stannis choose the Nightfort for his seat? It's the oldest castle on the Wall, and the most decrepit.  My hunch is that it was Mel's idea. There must be some extra magical energy there, which she can sense, and she hopes to use it.

Good points! We know the Nightfort has some magical things going on - like that secret "Nights Watch Only" entrance, down the weirwood well in the kitchen. Doubtless there's more, with the Rat Cook scurrying around, the Lost Boys, the traitors standing their watches forever, embedded in the Wall (plus dad), and wasn't that where the Lord Commander later known as the Night King made his HQ? So was his cold lover an Other, or just a wight?

Being the oldest, more lore and magic would accumulate around the Nightfort! The Wall is made of spells as well as ice blocks.

[Curled Finger]

Night King.  Nightfort.  Nights Watch.  Night's King.  Knight's King? Knight's Watch? Knight Fort? 

Not that I am any good at all at word play, but I stumbled upon various names the Brothers of the NW are called.  They were known as the Black Knights of the Wall (maybe the Wall, maybe the Watch) long ago.  That got me thinking that the brothers were knights, well before knights were documented in Westeros.  Like Ser Galadon or maybe Cerwyn of the Mirror Shield or even Simeon Star Eyes.  So I'm thinking that if the word Knight was changed to Night at some point as happens over eons, maybe we are looking at the all these things with the word Night in the title incompletely.  

[zandru]

23 minutes ago, Aebram said:

(* Sorry, I just can't hate the TV show as much as some people here.

Ditto. While some poor choices may have been made in places, the show did a remarkable job in bringing the books to the screen! Well chosen actors, incredible sets and costumes, and the special effects really raised the bar.

I hope I won't be banned or shunned for saying this...

[chrisdaw]

You are overall correct, and your point about the Usurper's army in her dream has made me realise that some of what is said about Robert in Dany's POV is foreshadowing for Stannis.

In the Song of Ice and Fire ice represents calculation and fire represents passion. Ice are decisions of the brain, fire of the heart. The series is an argument for moderation between the two, not to stray too far to one side. Sacrificing one's own child to save a greater population because you believe yourself duty bound to do so is the height of calculation void of any heart. It is a full turn to ice and what the heart of winter symbolically represents. When Stannis burns Shireen he will symbolically come to represent the heart of winter.

Stannis will burn Shireen and Stannis will die. Stannis will have a second life, Shireen likely too. Of their deaths an ice dragon will be born. I'm not sure if Stannis will become the dragon or an Other (Night's King) that will ride the dragon, or both, or maybe Shireen is the dragon.

Son Rhaego and father Drogo both died, their deaths incidental consequences of passionate decisions. Dead girl Shireen and low fire burning shadowless Stannis will die, Shireen's death dutifully calculated sacrifice, Stannis's I'm not sure. One set of deaths brought about fire breathing dragons, the other will bring about the ice dragon.

The significance of the Ice Dragon will likely be its translucent wings disperse sunlight and allow the Others to travel beneath them. Essentially it brings the Long Night. Beneath the Ice Dragon's translucent wings are an infinite amount of shadows but no true single shadow, and this image is called upon in Stannis's story and symbolism.

Quote

a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow.

Quote

These colossal beasts, many times larger than the dragons of Valyria, are said to be made of living ice, with eyes of pale blue crystal and vast translucent wings through which the moon and stars can be glimpsed as they wheel across the sky.

Note the eyes too.

Quote

King Stannis pointed a finger. "There you err, Onion Knight. Some lights cast more than one shadow. Stand before the nightfire and you'll see for yourself. The flames shift and dance, never still. The shadows grow tall and short, and every man casts a dozen. Some are fainter than others, that's all. Well, men cast their shadows across the future as well. One shadow or many. Melisandre sees them all."

Many shadows, like sunlight through translucent wings.

Is the brave Ser Onions so frightened of a passing shadow? Take heart, then. Shadows only live when given birth by light, and the king's fires burn so low I dare not draw off any more to make another son. It might well kill him.

Quote

Stannis's fires burn low, weak fire = weak shadow.

Stannis is not the Bloodstone Emperor, that is Euron. Dany has three big enemies she will defeat, they are the lies she will slay, and the same as in this AGOT passage.

Quote

Monsters stood in the grass beside the road; black iron dragons with jewels for eyes, roaring griffins, manticores with their barbed tails poised to strike, and other beasts she could not name.

The roaring griffin is JC for Aegon. The manticore is a sphinx is Euron. Stannis is the iron dragon with a gem for an eye. Possibly the Ice Dragon will have an iron skeleton.

Quote

Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends.

Dany against ice dragon Stannis is the final battle of the series. The ice dragon dies when someone sticks a flaming sword in its blue crystal eye. A flaming sword represents god's justice, the act is justice for Shireen, as Dany says of Robert but it foreshadows Stannis.

Quote

 

"Some kings make themselves. Robert did."

"He was no true king," Dany said scornfully. "He did no justice. Justice . . . that's what kings are for."

 

Aemon and Daemon is direct foreshadowing of the final battle, sword through the blue crystal eye.

 

[Hodor the Articulate]

14 hours ago, Curled Finger said:

Wonder if Stannis could get good enough at what language the Others speak to correct their grammar?  

People think Stannis has a teeth grinding problem, but he's really been practising Other-speak this whole time.

Others: crack-crackle-crackle-crack.

Stannis: crackle-crack-crackle-crack.

[Miss_Saffron]

11 hours ago, Aebram said:

the NK story might be a foreshadowing of where Stannis is headed, getting so involved with magic that it eventually leads to his destruction.

I like this idea. I believe that if the legends from the time of the Long Night are meant to foreshadow anything (and it's a good bet) it won't be as literal as a current character becoming Night's King 2.0, but a character being 'led astray' by a woman involved with powerful magic to his eventual doom and destruction? That I could buy. And Stannis is the best candidate for that scenario.

[zandru]

3 hours ago, Miss_Saffron said:

it won't be as literal as a current character becoming Night's King 2.0, but a character being 'led astray' by a woman involved with powerful magic to his eventual doom and destruction?

This sounds like a strong possibility! I recall a passage from "Dance with Dragons" where Melisandre observes that her bed "hasn't been used since Stannis left." And he's the man who lays with his own wife once or twice a year, apparently out of nothing more than a sense of "duty".

Stannis has been strong and decisive now that he's away from Melisandre and her many tricks and magics, and her apparently irresistable body. Will he return to Castle Black, or will she go to meet him at some point? How difficult will travel be, in that awful weather? Or might Melisandre stop the winter storms by ... burning Shireen? (I hate the long wait for "The Winds of Winter.")

[The Commentator]

The Nights King was a Stark.  Stannis, if anything, came from fire.  That is, if you believe Orys was the bastard brother of Aegon.  Stannis having fire running in his veins will make him a poor choice to lead the Others.  And the Nights King had to have been a skin changer in order to control his wights.  So to me, that points to the Night's King as somebody who was a First Man.  A First Man and a Stark.  So the new Night's King will be one of the Starks boys.  Bran, Jon, or Rickon.