What will be the reactions to Young Griff ?

[Lord of Oldstones]

Red or black dragon is a dragon.I really wish he'd be proper ruler rescuing realm from Lannisters and liberate the Reach from Euron and by such he would have a huge support. Then eventually joining his zombie brother Jon and aunt to make three heads and save the world but its far far idealist scenario.If it ever publishes, in reality his ending would not be covered in glory with scheming and greedy Golden company and plague of Greyscale & contention with Dany. 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Lightoftheast

[The Commentator]

Aegon will not be well received. There are already people in Westeros who hold power because of the Lannister handout. The others like Euron want the throne for themselves. He and Connington will have to take cities and castles by force.  He is still the second-best choice though. It is more desirable to a powerful house to marry a son to a princess. Most would prefer to have Daenerys. 

[BlackLightning]

How do you guys think Jaime or Stannis will respond to news of Aegon's resurgence?

20 hours ago, Kalikrates said:

It is more desirable to a powerful house to marry a son to a princess. Most would prefer to have Daenerys. 

Why do you think so?

[Frey family reunion]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:41 AM, Aejohn the Conqueroo said:

I don't think the reactions to Young Griff will be entirely honest, rather I think that the various lords of Westeros will determine him to be either legit or fake based upon their own interests

Bingo.  And the smallfolk will just want someone that can stop the warfare and bring peace and stability back.

[Frey family reunion]

On 8/25/2022 at 8:54 AM, BlackLightning said:

How do you guys think Jaime or Stannis will respond to news of Aegon's resurgence?

Why do you think so?

For Stannis, it will just be one more pretender to the Throne.   For Jaime, it's probably just one more threat to his family that he's going to have to deal with.

[BlackLightning]

2 hours ago, Frey family reunion said:

For Stannis, it will just be one more pretender to the Throne.   For Jaime, it's probably just one more threat to his family that he's going to have to deal with.

You think it will be that simple?

I wonder if Jaime will have some kind of existential crisis when the family of Rhaegar and Aerys come back. Like the chickens coming home to roost. Jaime dreams/thinks of both Rhaegar and Aerys quite a bit...I think Daenerys and/or Aegon's arrival will make Jaime feel like he's being haunted by his ghosts. Particularly if Bran turns back up right around that time...

And then there's Stannis. Stannis has to know that the Targaryen claim is better than his.

[Julia H.]

On 8/26/2022 at 6:54 PM, BlackLightning said:

You think it will be that simple?

I wonder if Jaime will have some kind of existential crisis when the family of Rhaegar and Aerys come back. Like the chickens coming home to roost. Jaime dreams/thinks of both Rhaegar and Aerys quite a bit...I think Daenerys and/or Aegon's arrival will make Jaime feel like he's being haunted by his ghosts. Particularly if Bran turns back up right around that time...

That's a very good point. Rhaegar in Jaime's dream specifically reminded Jaime that he had left his family (wife and kids) in Jaime's care. While Jaime does not seem to regret killing Aerys, failing to protect Rhaegar's children has left him with a sense of guilt. So, having to choose once more between his own family and Rhagear's child could be a conflict of the heart - a chance to "replay" and change a situation he regrets, on the one hand, but with the complication that now he has kids of his own, sort of, on the other hand - so what will be more important, the personal debt he owes to Rhaegar's memory or his duty towards his own innocent children? However, this can happen only if he believes that Aegon is the real prince. There will be no dilemma if he thinks Aegon is a Blackfyre or even a Targaryen but not Rhaegar's son. (Alternatively, the same conflict may come up in connection with Jon, which would be interesting in another way, because Jaime would have to regard Jon not only as a Targaryen but also as a Stark.) 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Julia H.

[Frey family reunion]

On 8/26/2022 at 11:54 AM, BlackLightning said:

You think it will be that simple?

I wonder if Jaime will have some kind of existential crisis when the family of Rhaegar and Aerys come back. Like the chickens coming home to roost. Jaime dreams/thinks of both Rhaegar and Aerys quite a bit...I think Daenerys and/or Aegon's arrival will make Jaime feel like he's being haunted by his ghosts. Particularly if Bran turns back up right around that time...

And then there's Stannis. Stannis has to know that the Targaryen claim is better than his.

No Stannis has definitely decided that not only is he the rightful ruler of the realm, but he's the one destined to drive back the forces of darkness.  Do you think for one moment that he believed that Viserys should have been given the Iron Throne?

I suppose Jaime could be a trickier matter, but in the end, Jaime has two major forces which are going to push him in opposition to Aegon.  One of course being his sister and his children.  If Aegon proves a threat to them than he's going to protect them.

And the related duty is towards his oath.  He is the Lord Commander of King Tommen's Kingsguard.  He's not about to violate another oath he's sworn, just when he's trying to regain redemption.  Especially over someone who may or may not be who his handlers claim him to be.

[The Mourning Knight]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:41 AM, Aejohn the Conqueroo said:

I don't think the reactions to Young Griff will be entirely honest, rather I think that the various lords of Westeros will determine him to be either legit or fake based upon their own interests instead of whether or not they believe the story that he was whisked away from the sack of Kingslanding and raised in exile to return and save his people.

Will the Tyrells and or the Boltons see an opportunity to get off Cersei's sinking ship and still maintain their holdings? What about all of those crownlanders currently sworn to Stannis? Does Aegon provide a potential road home?

I think if the opportunity exists to use YG to further their own interests then the opportunity will be taken.

I think this is the best commentary on this question so far. Especially the first paragraph. 
 

If they can really pull off taking Storm’s End, that (IMO) will become an adequate substitute for “legitimacy.” I think power and plausibility will win the day when it comes to those who will support Young Griff. Robert’s claim was pretty weak, but he was winning battles and a more appealing leader than what the realm currently had in the Mad King. I think the same will be true when it comes to Young Griff. 
 

And while I doubt he is truly Rhaegar’s kid, there is no doubt in my mind that he is a dragon…he’s just a black one. 
 

When Tyrion talks Brown Ben’s crew into flipping over to Daenery’s side he does it while holding up a Cyvasse dragon (red with the blood of a slaver.) When Doran unveils his plot to throw in with YG’s team, he offers Arianne a black Cyvasse dragon. The kid is a Blackfyre. A “mummer’s dragon” is not a “mummer dragon.”

[BalerionTheCat]

Storytelling, I believe fAegon purpose is to restore some amount of peace to Westeros before Dany returns. So that her invasion will not be the "savior's return" she expect. Those opposing the Lannisters and their allies will be more likely to believe and support him. Maybe it will be enough to win (temporarily) the IT. The Faith should like him. Not Stannis. Probably not the North / Starks either.

As others said. Who is really fAegon is not important. What people believe (or want to believe) is. I don't think GRRM needs to explicitly answer the fAegon identity question. IMO, he already gave enough clues. Maybe we will debate indefinitely the question, even after the end of the story.

[The Commentator]

On 8/25/2022 at 9:54 AM, BlackLightning said:

How do you guys think Jaime or Stannis will respond to news of Aegon's resurgence?

Why do you think so?

It is not in the best interest of Stannis. I mean, the man thinks he’s king. Jaime is a Lannister at heart. They won’t like it. Stannis is too far and too dead to be a threat to Aegon, real or fake.  Jaime will be the real threat. What his father’s thugs could not finish he will try. He might send Robert Strong to attack Aegon. 

[Lissasalayaya]

Young Griff will be received with cognitive dissonance followed by shame in some people and denial in others. Some secret princes restore the kingdom by fostering the good, and others are the sour fruit of uncareful wishes.

[James West]

What will be the reactions to Young Griff ?  Suspicion, obviously.  His main support will come from the Martells.  Many in Dorne will not fall for his claims.  Most of Westeros will not accept his claim.

[The Commentator]

On 8/25/2022 at 9:54 AM, BlackLightning said:

How do you guys think Jaime or Stannis will respond to news of Aegon's resurgence?

Why do you think so?

A son marrying a Queen gives more prestige to the family. In my opinion. 

[James Arryn]

On 8/19/2022 at 10:51 PM, WolfgangII said:

YG would gain some adepts by force (specially in the Stormlands) and very few by choice (Dorne and some petty lords who had a grudge against the Lannisters and see him as tool to get rid of them, maybe the Tyrells). But I don't think the Realm would flock to him: A great number of lords fought against his suppossed grandfather (Aerys II) and dethrone him. The Riverlands, Westerlands, Stormlands, and the Vale would have to accept they were in the wrong joining Robert's Rebellion before Aegon VI could accept them. Granted, he could issue pardons to get support, but what is he bringing to the table? He is just one more army (albeit a good and fresh one) in the continent. A imagine a lot not be happy to see Rhaegar' son comeback, and hold to see if he reach the throne. As @Arthur Peres said, the North would concentrate on their own problems and would not give two shits about any dragon boy.

Now, how the people would react? YG can have the greatest marketing campaign the Seven Kingdoms had seen, but he's still bringing more war, he's pushing against the capital with a host of mercenaries that may or not may be welcomed (the Golden Company are Westerosi, but defeated Westerosi), and I don't think the zealots of the Faith Militant (which continues to grow) would like to return to be subjugated to dragons, once again. I think YG would find out people weren't clamoring for his return, that the lords are resisting him, that his suppossed allies are reluctant to fight and the common folk either don't care about him or see him as an abomination.

In the end, I think YG would only have the support from the dornish, and when they found out he's not really Ellia's child, they would withdraw it (unless Arienne can wed him).

To be fair, the entire rebellion was not a censure on Targaryen power, it was a direct response by Jon Arryn to Aerys’ demand for his wards. Robert’s infantile ragemongering painted it as something about all dragons after the fact, but Rhaegar was literally the most popular man in Westeros until he died. If Jon Arryn sends Ned and Robert’s heads, there is no Robert’s Rebellion.

So supporting another Targaryen would only have really been an issue while Robert ruled, to everyone else they are just another Great House, the one with the greatest prestige re: the Iron Throne. And think about this…even with Aerys being completely batshit, the 7K was a million times more peaceful and efficiently run than it has been for a while now. And Rhaegar was considered to be a kind of Baelor Breakspear redux, this anointed by fate great-king-to-be. If Aerys doesn’t come to Harrenhal even Aerys’ madness is probably quietly put aside. 
 

The don’t have to admit they were wrong, most would still find Jon Arryn’s decision to be the honourable one, albeit seemingly ~ suicidal at the time. Supporting that decision then means nothing about ‘no Targaryen can ever rule again’, anymore than Runnymede was some kind of judgment on the Plantagenets as a whole. That’s 100% Robert’s rage about his stolen soulmate-who-didn’t-particularly-like-him. 

[LynnS]

I wonder how the small folk will react after Cersei's depredations, especially if Aegon looks like Rhaegar or reminds them of Rhaegar, by one means or another.  I wonder if Rhaegar's armor will resurface possibly reworked by Tohbo Mott with spells.  Renley's armor comes to mind.

And what's with the rubies?

Quote

 

A Dance with Dragons - The Lost Lord

When the lad emerged from the cabin with Lemore by his side, Griff looked him over carefully from head to heel. The prince wore sword and dagger, black boots polished to a high sheen, a black cloak lined with blood-red silk. With his hair washed and cut and freshly dyed a deep, dark blue, his eyes looked blue as well. At his throat he wore three huge square-cut rubies on a chain of black iron, a gift from Magister Illyrio. Red and black. Dragon colors. That was good. "You look a proper prince," he told the boy. "Your father would be proud if he could see you."

 

 

[Angel Eyes]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:52 AM, LynnS said:

I wonder how the small folk will react after Cersei's depredations, especially if Aegon looks like Rhaegar or reminds them of Rhaegar, by one means or another.  I wonder if Rhaegar's armor will resurface possibly reworked by Tohbo Mott with spells.  Renley's armor comes to mind.

And what's with the rubies?

 

I can't imagine it being in great shape, considering it would have spent 15+ years in water and rusted. And that isn't if it wasn't burned with Rhaegar on a funeral pyre.

[LynnS]

9 hours ago, Angel Eyes said:

I can't imagine it being in great shape, considering it would have spent 15+ years in water and rusted. And that isn't if it wasn't burned with Rhaegar on a funeral pyre.

I think they would have removed it before they put him on the funeral pyre.  It was busted in the chest by Robert's war hammer.  I suppose it could be repaired.

[StarkTullies]

Since Cersei has destroyed the Crown's relationship with the Reach (and Varys intends to keep it that way), the Reach will flock to Aegon.  They were the most loyal to the Targaryens in Robert's Rebellion to begin with.

It seems that the entire purpose of Dorne's involvement in the story is to be Aegon's biggest supporters.  With Quentyn's death and Gerris Drinkwater's biased report telling of how Daenerys mocked him prior to his death, Dorne will fully abandon their hopes with Dany and side with Aegon.

The Stormlands are harder to predict.  Stannis lost his power over them when he abandoned them for the Wall, but Jon Connington has some presence in his homeland, and surely most Stormlanders favor Aegon over the Lannisters regardless of their overall opinion of the Targaryens.

We probably know less about the Westerlands (outside the Lannisters themselves) than any other kingdom in the realm.  Do they truly support the Lannisters, or would they be happy to turn against the tyrannical family that exterminated the Reynes and the Tarbecks?

The other realms aren't currently loyal to the Iron Throne, and I don't think Aegon's arrival is likely to change that anytime soon.  Still, the Riverlands and the North (except the Freys, Boltons, and their lackeys) will favor just about anybody over the Lannisters.

Maybe the story will surprise me, but the predictable path of the story is that Aegon will be the beloved "good" king, and Dany will be too late to claim the throne as the "rightful Targaryen heir".  I think Aegon will be in Arianne's clutches by Dany's arrival (I think she is the "younger more beautiful" to cast down Cersei), so a marriage alliance with Dany will be off the table by then.  How Dany responds to situation is the question.