Best couples in ASOIAF

[Terrorthatflapsinthenight9]

Since today is Valentine Day I felt I had no choice but to make a thread about the couples and romances in ASOIAF. 

Amongst the many couples in the main series and in its spin-offs, as well as in the history of Westeros and Essos, which ones do you think is or are the best in all the saga ? 

For what reasons do you love this/these couple(s) ? Which other couple(s) should get a honorable mention ?

PS: By couples and relations I mean canonically established romances and/or marriages, so it's not a shipping discussion.

[Corvo the Crow]

Loras-Whoresbane will be the best once it's written. Right now, they are all the same to me.

[The Bard of Banefort]

25 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

Loras-Whoresbane will be the best once it's written. Right now, they are all the same to me.

I feel like Cupid. I was able to conjure love out of thin air 

[The Bard of Banefort]

There are a few historical couples I like that I wish we learned more about, namely Aemon and Jocelyn, and Rhaenyra and Harwin. I also look forward to learning about Duncan and Jenny.

Kevan and Dorna are sweet, even though we never see them together. (I didn’t realize that they had a cute little love story until I reread the Westerlands chapter in TWOIAF. Dorna was a hostage under Kevan’s care to ensure her father’s loyalty, and they ended up falling in love. In a way, it’s a shame Sansa didn’t marry Lancel or one of his brothers, since I think they would have treated her very well). I hope we get to see more of Garlan and Leonette too.

I actually liked Robb and Jeyne, and I wish we got to see them together more.

Most of the couples I really like are those that haven’t made it to the consummation stage yet. Those are Jon and Val, Jaime and Brienne (who I tend to view as more of an emotional relationship than sexual one), and Sansa and Sandor (yes, I know that they are problematic, but they have great chemistry, and I am an adult who can separate fiction from reality). *

I hate Rhaegar and Lyanna and am fairly indifferent to Dany and Drogo, BUT I hope that their fans don’t feel too nervous to say so. There’s this kind of moralistic spirit around shipping these days, and I find it a huge buzzkill. Like I said before, I think adults should be allowed to enjoy what they like without it reflecting on real life.
 

*Although I’m starting to notice that a lot of the antis just so happen to be Jonsa shippers  I don’t want to jump on the Jonsa hate train, because I already find the “backlash” there to be kind of over the top and silly but. . . still.

[Nevets]

Ned and Catelyn is probably the healthiest relationship we've seen.  They clearly love each other deeply and are a great partnership. 

Tywin and Joanna appears to have been a real love match, as well. 

The Tyrells seem to be mainly happy couples.  Honorable mention to Margaery and Tommen.  They like each other and could be a great couple if it lasted long enough, which it won't. 

Honorable mention to Sam and Gilly.  Problematic but has great potential. 

Another honorable mention to Asha and Qarl the maid.  Probably transitory but hot while it lasts.

[frenin]

There's no better couple in the series than Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark.

 

[EggBlue]

Myrcella & Trystane deserve a mention as well.

I also currently theorize that Ned was truly in love with Ashara and that he has done something huge to help her in something to deserve Dayne family's utmost unusual respect:) so, in this particular scenario I really like Ned&Ashara

[Jaenara Belarys]

5 hours ago, Corvo the Crow said:

Loras-Whoresbane will be the best once it's written. Right now, they are all the same to me.

What would that ship be called? Whoras? Loresbane? 

[The Bard of Banefort]

39 minutes ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

What would that ship be called? Whoras? Loresbane? 

LorWhor

[BalerionTheCat]

I like Edmure and Roslin. OK, their marriage was horrific. And they had no choice. But I feel they are 2 good persons sharing the same horror and needing each other. Even if their ordeal is not yet finished..

I like Sam and Gilly, Jon and Val (maybe doomed). I also think Sandor and Sansa would do well together. Arya and Gendry.

[Corvo the Crow]

1 hour ago, Jaenara Belarys said:

What would that ship be called? Whoras? Loresbane? 

Lorwhor, as Bard said. I wouldn't mind whoras or Hotas either but Lorwhor is like Lore Whore so most funny one i think.

But you can't just go calling someone's relationship a whore so we must also find something to say to their face, to the effect of "to his face we call him Lord eunuch"

[Corvo the Crow]

2 hours ago, frenin said:

There's no better couple in the series than Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark.

 

It's guy love between two guys.

 

 

[The Bard of Banefort]

7 minutes ago, Corvo the Crow said:

Lorwhor, as Bard said. I wouldn't mind whoras or Hotas either but Lorwhor is like Lore Whore so most funny one i think.

But you can't just go calling someone's relationship a whore so we must also find something to say to their face, to the effect of "to his face we call him Lord eunuch"

How about FlowerGiant?

[Corvo the Crow]

To their face we call our lords flower giant, root and stem.

[The Bard of Banefort]

I feel like we’re eventually going to learn some terrible secret about Tywin and Joanna that’ll ruin the sunny perception of their relationship. It seems too sweet for Tywin.

[Corvo the Crow]

5 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

I feel like we’re eventually going to learn some terrible secret about Tywin and Joanna that’ll ruin the sunny perception of their relationship. It seems too sweet for Tywin.

So sweet it would rot his teeth. He can have golden ones though.

That terrible secret would probably that Joanna and Aerys had a relationship, whether it was consensual, I wouldn't be sure.

Joanna + Aerys is probably = Jaime + Cersei and not Tyrion, unlike it was suggested by many people several years back. Not only Jaime and Cersei practice incest, a Targaryen hallmark pastime, but it goes so far as Cersei having the exact same thoughts as Aerys: burning the filthy KL and building a white palace on the other bank of Blackwater. 

This would also make both brothers Kinslayers, having slayed their sires and both in the same place, KL.

[The Bard of Banefort]

3 hours ago, Nevets said:

Ned and Catelyn is probably the healthiest relationship we've seen.  They clearly love each other deeply and are a great partnership. 

Tywin and Joanna appears to have been a real love match, as well. 

The Tyrells seem to be mainly happy couples.  Honorable mention to Margaery and Tommen.  They like each other and could be a great couple if it lasted long enough, which it won't. 

Honorable mention to Sam and Gilly.  Problematic but has great potential. 

Another honorable mention to Asha and Qarl the maid.  Probably transitory but hot while it lasts.

I haven’t read the Wall chapters in a while. Why are Sam and Gilly problematic?

[Nevets]

17 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

I haven’t read the Wall chapters in a while. Why are Sam and Gilly problematic?

Gilly basically forces herself on Sam during the trip to Oldtown.  But I think he's more or less OK with it by the time they get to Oldtown. 

[EggBlue]

Joanna/Tywin relationship is given too much credit ... it's true that Cersei and Yandel (from Pysell's notes) think of them as such a sweet couple and I do believe Tywin loved and respected Joanna as much as he was capable of. ( since Kevan believes it) .

However, we already know a few things that completely alters that pretty picture:

1) Joanna died and all Tywin could say about the son she left behind is that he unfortunately cannot prove is not his since the mother is dead! what's that if not disrespecting his dead wife?

2) Joanna plans with her friend for a match between their children and Tywin basically dismisses his wife's last wish without a second thought and on top of that deliberately disrespects her friend who by all accounts must have been an old and dear friend to Joanna... these nobles offer each other marriages all the time and logically a lot of these offers are declined , which means it's probably not impossible to let down a proposal without disrespecting anyone . right?!

3) by seeing Shae in his bed , the idea of Tywin Lannister being against whoring diminishes. who's to say he wasn't one of those men that -according to Daemon Sand- simply liked to keep his whoring secret? even before his wife's dead?

4)we can be sure about Joanna/Aerys relationship before her marriage to Tywin since the guy bringing it up in the world book(a Tywin lick-spittle) included that bit. I wouldn't even be surprised if Joanna initially had feelings for Aerys (such a taste!) and that was yet another aspect of the two men's hostility towards each other. I have no idea whether the affair continued after Joanna's marriage or not; or that Aerys raped her... although , knowing Aerys didn't keep his interest in Joanna a secret , Tywin probably would have sent her to silent sisters if there was an affair after their wedding. my guess is regardless of any relationship between the two , Tywin was suspicious of her and that probably got ugly from time to time. 

5) and let's not forget Tywin's misogyny that perhaps didn't let him have a healthy relationship .

putting all that together, Tywin and Joanna were likely far from a perfect loving couple .

[The Bard of Banefort]

9 minutes ago, EggBlue said:

Joanna/Tywin relationship is given too much credit ... it's true that Cersei and Yandel (from Pysell's notes) think of them as such a sweet couple and I do believe Tywin loved and respected Joanna as much as he was capable of. ( since Kevan believes it) .

However, we already know a few things that completely alters that pretty picture:

1) Joanna died and all Tywin could say about the son she left behind is that he unfortunately cannot prove is not his since the mother is dead! what's that if not disrespecting his dead wife?

2) Joanna plans with her friend for a match between their children and Tywin basically dismisses his wife's last wish without a second thought and on top of that deliberately disrespects her friend who by all accounts must have been an old and dear friend to Joanna... these nobles offer each other marriages all the time and logically a lot of these offers are declined , which means it's probably not impossible to let down a proposal without disrespecting anyone . right?!

3) by seeing Shae in his bed , the idea of Tywin Lannister being against whoring diminishes. who's to say he wasn't one of those men that -according to Daemon Sand- simply liked to keep his whoring secret? even before his wife's dead?

4)we can be sure about Joanna/Aerys relationship before her marriage to Tywin since the guy bringing it up in the world book(a Tywin lick-spittle) included that bit. I wouldn't even be surprised if Joanna initially had feelings for Aerys (such a taste!) and that was yet another aspect of the two men's hostility towards each other. I have no idea whether the affair continued after Joanna's marriage or not; or that Aerys raped her... although , knowing Aerys didn't keep his interest in Joanna a secret , Tywin probably would have sent her to silent sisters if there was an affair after their wedding. my guess is regardless of any relationship between the two , Tywin was suspicious of her and that probably got ugly from time to time. 

5) and let's not forget Tywin's misogyny that perhaps didn't let him have a healthy relationship .

putting all that together, Tywin and Joanna were likely far from a perfect loving couple .

I’m pretty sure Tywin was the Hand that the sex tunnel connecting to Red Keep to the brothel was built for.