How the War of Five Kings could fit into one book

[butterweedstrover]

George RR Martin original planned the series to be trilogy consisting of: 

1. The war of five kings 

2. Dany's invasion of Westeros 

3. The Long Night 

So far he hasn't finished a single one of these arcs, so I'd like to outline how he could have fit his story into three books by outlining the first. This would need all the major events covered, but some of the extraneous character will have to be cut. Without further ado (beware of spoilers): 

DANY-

Chapter 2: Have her be married to Khal Drogo, then as the wedding starts have a mysterious guest (Quaithe) gifts Dany the egg (other two eggs are cut), and tells her if she is a true dragon she could walk in fire. Drogo looks expectantly at her, thinking his bride a real Targaryen. She has no choice but to agree or the Dothraki will think she is a fraud, as she does so the dragons are born and all bow before her naked form. Then as Dany offers the dragon to her husband out of respect, the dragon burns Khal Drogo alive. The Dothraki turn on her party, killing Viserys. Jorah helps Dany escape and she watches as her brother yells for help. The Dothraki think she planned to kill Drogo.

Chapter 4: Dany is scared of her dragon now, but it is sweet and innocent so she decides it was just trying to protect her and Drogo would have done worse on their wedding night. Jorah leads her west to Meereen (Yunkai and Astapor are cut) where they might book passage to Westeros. He convinces her that with a living dragon all in Westeros will know her to be the true queen. He also hears rumors of a war and convinces her now will be the best time. In Meereen she sees the slaves and decides to play the slave masters false and trade her dragon for an army and then sacks the city. As she is declared 'queen' of Meereen Jorah bemoans her mistake and says 'you should be queen of westeros, not some far off city'. She is young but says she must to free all the slaves. As she makes that declaration in front of all the city, there is an uproar and then some say the Dothraki have broke their pact with the city and have come for war.

Chapter 8: As Meereenese turn on one another, some blame Dany for attracting the Dothraki, 'her freedom means our death' some whisper. As Dany is about to have a mental breakdown, Jorah sends word to Varys. Stannis has by this time lost blackwater, but his fleet is still intact. Melisandre now holds more power over a defeated Stannis, and convinces him to go find the fire/dragon Targaryen, marry her, fulfill the prophecy, and regain his chance to become king.

Chapter 10: Final battle between: Slaves, Unsullied, Harpies, and Dothraki. The sides fight among themselves, until Stannis' fleet comes and saves the day. Dany thinks the Stag is the banner of the Usurper come all this way to kill her at her worse moment and goes into a rage. She embraces fire and blood by riding a dragon, the first time in centuries. This is Drogon (who has grown up over the course of a few months) and all the westeros fighters cheer as she burns Meereen to the ground. She thinks she is removing the monuments to Slavery (the Pyramids). The Dothraki are scared of and cannot fight the ships thinking them demons, and they retreat. After the battle Jorah convinces her that Stannis is not his brother. Ends with Quaithe killing Melisandre (who is about to meet the queen) and telling her "you were wrong, she was never the one, it was another (Jon). And I will use her to destroy your legend. You have lost."

PLOT TWIST: Quaithe is actually Shiera Seastar, a distant relative to Dany. She and Brynden (bloodraven) plan to bring back the others to destroy the fire (life) from the world. Why? Stay tuned

WESTEROS-

Chapter 3: Ned leaves for KL with Robert (who has already arrived) and the Greyjoys decide to attack once Ned has left the stronghold. They know this because Theon is a spy who gave them a heads up. As Robb, Catelyn, Bran (crippled before the book began, we don't know it was Jaime, that is the big mystery. Like in the books Jaime is described as a golden knight, and there are clues left as to the true identity of the man who pushed bran), etc. are stuck in Greyjoy occupied Winterfell. Catelyn and Ser Rodrick sneak out to go warn the king and liberate the city. Theon and Robb get into very personal fights in a heated dinner scene at occupied Winterfell. Chapter ends with Rickon being killed because Robb was being petty and refusing to cooperate with Theon.

Chapter 5: Catelyn arrives at KL. She tells Ned what happened, and Ned begs the King. Robert decides to send Jaime Lannister, much to the opposition of everyone. Cersei doesn't want her brother sent to liberate the Starks, and Ned doesn't trust him. Roberts wants to unify both sides. Once Jaime (and his forces) are gone Cersei kills her husband as revenge. Chapter ends with Sansa being married to Joffrey, the new king. She thinks how rushed and unromantic the whole thing is, and gets mad at the fat king for dying and ruining her perfect wedding.

Chapter 6: Jaime saves Winterfell, but Bran recognizes him from somewhere. Jaime and Robb strike a begrudging respect for one another. As his forces depart (the Greyjoys and Theon are now in the Dungeon) Jaime stays, enjoying the company of Stark and thinks winning the respect of Ned's son would be the best way to get back at his father. In KL Ned finds out Cersei killed Robert, and Joffrey has him arrested and killed for bringing the accusation publicly before the king (like how Aerys killed Brandon and Rickard). News of the killing reaches Winterfell, and the garrison in that castle kidnaps Jaime as their POW, the banners are called.

Chapter 7: Tywin marches North to free Jaime. While he is gone Stannis tries to take KL, having received a letter from Ned that says Cersei killed the king. Renly, hoping to prove his loyalty to Joffrey and become heir to Storms end, betrays his brothers and goes to the Tyrells for aid. Tyrion, who never left the city, defends against Stannis (no wildfire) until Renly/Loras save the day. Stannis flees back to Dragonstone.

Chapter 9: Tywin sieges Winterfell, but Robb awaits his bannermen to break the siege. Tywin is hoping to take the castle before that happens. Boltons strike a deal with Tywin, and have Ramsey sent ahead to 'aid' Winterfell. Ramsay is let into the castle but betrays them, opening the dungeons for Jaime and the Greyjoy captives. Robb is killed and Bran watches helplessly, but Theon, who regrets betraying his ward family and is depressed by seeing Robb die (never his intention, he just want to be seen as an equal) helps Bran escape. They go North to meet Jon. Ends with Theon calling Jaime that 'golden bastard' or something and Bran remembering what he saw, maybe from a crows dream.

PLOT TWIST: Revealed incest and Parentage of Joffrey.

The Wall:

Chapter 1: Jon is already at the wall, first chapter of the book. Benjen is taking Jon on his first ranging, where they see a white walker. Benjen dies protecting Jon and Jon returns to castle black. He says what he saw, no one believes him. Some say he killed Benjen cause he is a 'bastard and that is what bastards do to family'. Jon is frustrated and tries to convince them of what he knows. Mad at his 'brothers' Jon goes to Mole's town where he, Pyp, and Gren find Ygritte, a wildling girl escaping south. Pyp and Gren try to rape her, and Jon thinks about his oaths and their true meaning, and decides to kill his friends to protect a wildling. He can't go back to Castle Black now.

Chapter 11: (much later in the book): Ygritte and him have been hiding out in Mole's Town as the Night's Watch go house to house in search of them. She says she believes him about the white walkers, and that was why she was running. Jon says he needs proof if he is to return to Castle Black. She tells him to forget about the 'crows' but he insists he needs to know. She decides to help him by showing him where to find a man who knows about the whitewalkers (the three-eyed crow). But they are stuck in the village until they see Theon and Bran coming. Theon and Bran find them and Bran, being he is a trueborn Stark, convinces the Night's Watch to disperse through some fake document or whatever. Theon doesn't tell Jon what happens, but Jon says he must go north. Bran, who also has visions, tells Theon he must go too. Theon doesn't want to go but is into Ygritte and so the unlikely party head north, when Ygritte says they are going to see the old tree man. Bran asks who the old Tree man is, and Ygritte says she 'don't know, but some say he were a dragon bastard named 'Brynden Rivers''. Theon's betrayal is left as a ticking time bomb for Jon to find out in the next book. Bran is reluctantly silent on the manner, still too young to know what to think. 

PLOT TWIST: This is the last chapter of the book and takes places after the last Essos chapter. We know Quiathe is working with Brynden Rivers, and are now going to meet him

End of Book 1: A Game of Thrones

[Kinola]

Did you adapt out Sansa and Arya? I don't see them here.

[butterweedstrover]

2 hours ago, Kinola said:

Did you adapt out Sansa and Arya? I don't see them here.

Sansa was mentioned in her marriage to Joffrey. She would be betrothed at the beginning.  

Arya is cut however since there is no faceless-man plot. 

[BlackLightning]

On 4/10/2022 at 10:47 PM, butterweedstrover said:

George RR Martin original planned the series to be trilogy consisting of: 

1. The war of five kings 

2. Dany's invasion of Westeros 

3. The Long Night 

So far he hasn't finished a single one of these arcs, so I'd like to outline how he could have fit his story into three books by outlining the first. This would need all the major events covered, but some of the extraneous character will have to be cut.

Not true.

The War of the Five Kings story ended in A Storm of Swords

[butterweedstrover]

22 hours ago, BlackLightning said:

Not true.

The War of the Five Kings story ended in A Storm of Swords

Since there is no Dany invasion, we are still on part one. The leftovers (Stannis) and successors (Euron and Jon) are still taking up the fight.  

[Apoplexy]

3 hours ago, butterweedstrover said:

Since there is no Dany invasion, we are still on part one. The leftovers (Stannis) and successors (Euron and Jon) are still taking up the fight.  

Stannis was defeated in the battle of blackwater and balon greyjoy was killed by the end of ASOS. So that was the end of the war of five kings part of the original plot. Stannis's resurgence and the other greyjoys are new plot points separate from the war of five kings.

[BlackLightning]

5 hours ago, butterweedstrover said:

Since there is no Dany invasion, we are still on part one. The leftovers (Stannis) and successors (Euron and Jon) are still taking up the fight.  

I disagree.

If part one is over, then we are in part two. We might not be that far into part 2 (I think we're at 40%) but we're in part two.

If Stannis didn't lose the War of the Five Kings when he lost 80% of what little men and ships he had, then he lost it when he left Dragonstone for what most would call a self-imposed exile.

Balon Greyjoy died (offscreen, which bugs me to no end) about halfway through the third book. Being that Balon was one of the five kings and being that it took a while for Balon's successor to be crowned, I'd say that the war ended in A Storm of Swords.

Honestly, in any case, I don't ever think we were ever going to get multiple books based upon Dany's invasion.

If memory serves me correctly, the original plot for the second part of the books was for the Lannisters (specifically Jaime Lannister) to rule the 7K after winning the war. Despite ruling with an iron fist and some powerful alliances, there is no true peace in the Seven Kingdoms and the Lannisters slowly start losing control as the people become more and more unhappy. And then Daenerys takes the Iron Throne shortly after she appears with three grown dragons, at least one large khalasar and maybe some other sellswords.

Basically, I'm pretty sure that Aegon is where the original outline Dany would be right now...if not further along.

Aegon would not have popped up until the last book if you ask me.

 

[butterweedstrover]

1 hour ago, BlackLightning said:

 

If memory serves me correctly, the original plot for the second part of the books was for the Lannisters (specifically Jaime Lannister) to rule the 7K after winning the war.

 

Interesting. I haven't read that but it makes sense since Martin wrote in AGOT that Jaime was to be Warden of the west and east. Also Cersei was advocating for him to be Hand, not Tywin. 

Oh well. 

[butterweedstrover]

4 hours ago, Apoplexy said:

Stannis was defeated in the battle of blackwater and balon greyjoy was killed by the end of ASOS. So that was the end of the war of five kings part of the original plot. Stannis's resurgence and the other greyjoys are new plot points separate from the war of five kings.

They were definitely added later, so none of this was probably in the original outline. 

But since Part 2 begins with Dany's arrival, I always associate these additions like an appendage to Part 1 (or epilogue) rather than a prologue to Part 2. 

But anyways, it doesn't really matter much whether we think of it as Part 2 or Part 1 right now. It is what it is, though I think the series would be better as a trilogy even though a majority of Martin's subplots would have to be cut.  

[Apoplexy]

26 minutes ago, butterweedstrover said:

They were definitely added later, so none of this was probably in the original outline. 

But since Part 2 begins with Dany's arrival, I always associate these additions like an appendage to Part 1 (or epilogue) rather than a prologue to Part 2. 

But anyways, it doesn't really matter much whether we think of it as Part 2 or Part 1 right now. It is what it is, though I think the series would be better as a trilogy even though a majority of Martin's subplots would have to be cut.  

The Stannis and Jon plot could have been part of the second book when Dany comes to Westeros. I doubt Martin planned for her to come to Westeros and get the IT without resistance or without resentment from smallfolk.

[BlackLightning]

On 4/16/2022 at 4:52 PM, butterweedstrover said:

Interesting. I haven't read that but it makes sense since Martin wrote in AGOT that Jaime was to be Warden of the west and east. Also Cersei was advocating for him to be Hand, not Tywin. 

Oh well. 

Yep. The ending of part 1 includes Jaime killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession. Either that, or everyone before him ends up dying.

Like a Mufasa/Scar situation.

Basically, everyone with the Baratheon name dies off completely.

The end of part 1 would've looked a little bit like the TV show at the end of season 6...instead of Cersei, it would've been Jaime who would've been the king.

I don't think that Cersei was even a character in her own right back then. GRRM later split the original Jaime into two characters...which became the Jaime we know and the Cersei we know

On 4/16/2022 at 4:55 PM, butterweedstrover said:

They were definitely added later, so none of this was probably in the original outline. 

But since Part 2 begins with Dany's arrival, I always associate these additions like an appendage to Part 1 (or epilogue) rather than a prologue to Part 2. 

But anyways, it doesn't really matter much whether we think of it as Part 2 or Part 1 right now. It is what it is, though I think the series would be better as a trilogy even though a majority of Martin's subplots would have to be cut.  

There's nothing anywhere that suggests that Dany arrives at the beginning of part 2. She

Part 1 ends with Dany hatching the dragons AND getting her own khalasar (I don't think the original intent was for her to unite all the khalasars under her banner)

Dany might have made landfall in Westeros at the beginning of part 2 but she most likely wouldn't have. Unless there's a big time skip where everything is swept away under the rug, Dany still needs to take her khalasar to the coasts and get enough ships and supplies for the journey. Seeing as the Dothraki don't have any money...a portion of Dany's plotlines from Clash and Storm were probably always going to be there. Dany is going to need a lot of wealth not only for the trip to Westeros but for her household and her rule as the Queen of Westeros.

What we do know is that part 2 ends with Dany taking the Iron Throne after she crushes the Lannisters and probably Stannis (if he survived part 1...unlikely)

On 4/16/2022 at 4:55 PM, butterweedstrover said:

It is what it is, though I think the series would be better as a trilogy even though a majority of Martin's subplots would have to be cut.  

I think a true trilogy could've worked.

I think elements of the trilogy made it into the final cut. Case in point: the Sons of the Harpy were probably a group of Westerosi knights and nobles who were resistant to Dany's reign in Westeros

[butterweedstrover]

1 hour ago, BlackLightning said:

 

I think elements of the trilogy made it into the final cut. Case in point: the Sons of the Harpy were probably a group of Westerosi knights and nobles who were resistant to Dany's reign in Westeros

Yes, this would have been great. 

Honestly, the meandering philosophical/lore exposition in the latter books just doesn't do anything for me. And the plots feel like a lot of tangents just killing time until Dany arrives.