[ADwD spoilers] Winds of Winter speculation, II

[tze]

I hope Roose Bolton is the prologue.

I don't know about Roose, but I definitely think SOMEONE from Winterfell has to be the prologue in TWOW. Something important is happening there, and with Theon's escape, we have no POV character within the walls of Winterfell.

[Été]

I don't know about Roose, but I definitely think SOMEONE from Winterfell has to be the prologue in TWOW. Something important is happening there, and with Theon's escape, we have no POV character within the walls of Winterfell.

I think it'll be Balon Swann actually, getting his ass handed to him by Darkstar, with some sort of devastating revelation about the Daynes attached.

[BrosBeforeSnows]

Stoneheart will kill Tommen. Aegon will capture Storm's End and the Dornish will throw in with him. Under the pressure of the advancing Southron armies, Cersei will panic and send Tommen to Casterly Rock in disguise. He'll be sent north through the Riverlands in order to avoid the Southern armies, and will be captured and hanged by Stoneheart. Ser Pounce will probably meet his end too.

[BrosBeforeSnows]

The Elder Brother of Quiet Island, who is either related to the High Sparrow somehow, or is the High Sparrow, will bring Sandor, now one of his converts, to face Robert Strong in Cersei's trial by combat.

[tearloch]

Squire....I LOVE IT! Epic battle for the soul of Sandor.

Also, prologue from Winterfell could be Mance? Or one of his 4 spear wives that were left behind...

[chrisss0r]

i finished adwd but somehow i must have missed some pages:

aren#t both the cleganes dead? I know who strong might be but is there a üassage where it's explained how he manages without a head etc?

[blackseer]

I think it'll be Balon Swann actually, getting his ass handed to him by Darkstar, with some sort of devastating revelation about the Daynes attached.

I'd rather see the Sand Snake, Obara, I think it was her name. Then we could know a little more about Oldtown through her flashbacks, understand the mind of Oberyn's heirs and see the true face of ser Balon Swann and Darkstar: they work for LittleFinger.

[The Faceless Bard]

i finished adwd but somehow i must have missed some pages:

aren#t both the cleganes dead? I know who strong might be but is there a üassage where it's explained how he manages without a head etc?

Gregor is as you think, while evidenced speculation has Sandor alive as well ;)

[Été]

i finished adwd but somehow i must have missed some pages:

aren#t both the cleganes dead? I know who strong might be but is there a üassage where it's explained how he manages without a head etc?

Gregor is believed to have been necromanced by Qyburn. Either the head sent to Dorne was a fake, or Qyburn's found a way of making his monster 'work' without his head. Some even speculate that he grafted on Falyse's head, but either way there's something seriously funky going on under that white helm.

Sandor was last seen dying of an infected thigh wound, on the banks of the Trident. As Arya rode for Saltpans, he was found by the Elder Brother, who is apparently a master healer. The Elder Brother says that the Hound died in his arms, and that Sandor was at rest. That seems pretty unequivocal until the Elder Brother tells Brienne he died on the Trident - that's how he describes the renunciation of his old life. Brienne reaches the Quiet Isle two or three months after Arya left Sandor to die. She makes note of a particularly tall acolyte with a gammy leg, who chucks dirt at her and the Elder Brother, then drops his spade to pet a dog. Both times, she points out that she can't see his face. I reckon he's due a comeback.

[GoodGuyA]

I feel that Across the Narrow Sea will be rather explosive. Dany heads off to Vaes Dothrak to prove her point before the crones and possibly bank some of the Khalasars to her aid, Tyrion will likely get himself knocked on his ass but still survive, Victarion will come to save the city a bit unwittingly, and Barristan will grumble.

As for Cersei, I agree that many people are well in the assumption that UnGregor will win Cersei to allow her to live a while longer. I highly doubt the Cersei prophecy is correct, because it just sounds too specific. I think Myrcella will die long before she has official rites to the Throne and Cersei will get a chance to see her plans gone awry before being killed in some ironic fashion. I do not think it will be Jamie though.

As for Jamie, he's definitely going to be alive, otherwise I'm sure many will just pin Martin as a lazy writer. That chapter I think will actually be Brienne perspective and she might be finished for good, but Jamie has usefulness yet even if as a symbol.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking that Stannis is basically nothing and could have very well died at Winterfell. That would be an interesting shift of the story to perhaps more of Melisandre's perspective (which I thought was interesting but could have had more done) as she tries to cope with the fact that she 'misread' the signs. Either way, I think she'll play a bigger role.

I am not expecting anything big to go on at the Eerie besides some political sorts. There always needs to be a good amount of that for the books, and I think the Eerie's the place. I do hope Sansa will get a little less of a complacent role by the end though.

Jon is obviously not gone for good, but I think it will be quite a while for his reintroduction to the story. Yes, us fans know he's got purpose, but you can't write a book for fans because they complain about everything :P It will be interesting to see how things play out there, and I won't even wager a guess.

After Dany returns to see her city saved (or nearly saved, with her rallying everyone back to victory) she will have to face Victarion. I do not think they will get along at all, honestly, and Victarion will be forced to assert his power. After that, she'll be sort of forced to tag along. but Victarion will not have the opportunity to do what he specifically wanted to do to her. With the four major characters (in Meereen) finally on the same page, they will head out and give the Free Cities a nice dash across the face before they learn of Aegon and how the Dornish alliance Dany hoped for is unlikely. Knowing of a northern plight, they head North.

It's, of course, rather impossible to wager where Dany actually goes at this point. The whole thing upon the wall does not mean that she will go there, but perhaps merely that she will meet Jon. There's symbolism in subtext here and it confuses the heck out of me.

[Nightstar]

I seem to be in the minority in thinking that Stannis is basically nothing and could have very well died at Winterfell.

I'm another who must be in the minority; I don't see Stannis as a major player either.

He's more a plot device than anything- or perhaps it might be more accurate to call him a catalyst.

I don't think it really matters much what happens to him, except insofar as it affects the other characters.

Though perhaps I am biased, since I don't find Stannis very interesting.

[TamTam Rapley]

Even though he seems fated for a glorious death. I'd rather watch Victarion become a dragon rider and watch the haters on these boards rage. Oh Daenary's dying or being abducted by Victarion, for the trip back to Westeros would be nice too.

[Tagganaro]

I'm another who must be in the minority; I don't see Stannis as a major player either.

He's more a plot device than anything- or perhaps it might be more accurate to call him a catalyst.

I don't think it really matters much what happens to him, except insofar as it affects the other characters.

Though perhaps I am biased, since I don't find Stannis very interesting.

I disagree about this. I would have thought this a few books ago, but now Stannis is the only remaining King from the original Clash of Kings. Despite constantly suffering setbacks and dealing from a seeming position of weakness, Stannis still manages to persevere.

I'm not sure Stannis will end up sitting the Iron Throne or even end up alive, but I doubt his fate is to be killed off-page by a sadistic idiot who has no idea what he's doing. Stannis has definitely surpassed mere plot device imo, although he might have been that at first.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

Tommen and Myrcella both bite it in some way, shape or form. Myrcella was never formally crowned, but with her Lannister hair, she still fits as having a "golden crown." Nifty, right?

Brienne carries Jaime to UnCat, where he agrees to kill Cersei in exchange for freedom/his own life/maybe even Brienne's life. Jaime succeeds in killing her, but commits suicide or gets taken out by guards, thus they both exit at the same time. Jaime is Cersei's valonqar. I don't buy that it could be ANY brother or sister anywhere. The prophecy is very specific to Cersei — and has been literal up to this point — so I think it means a valonqar in relation to her.

The prologue will probably be someone down south (as is the pattern), but I suspect we'll get to Winterfell early on. There's just SO MUCH going on — all the Meereenese crap, Sam in Oldtown, the King's Landing intrigue, the stuff at the Wall with Jon, a bunch of renegades, including Brienne, Jaime and UnCat, running around the Riverlands, Arya in training, Sansa in the Vale, Rickon on Skagos, the Martells conspiring, the stuff with the Faith and the Iron Bank, Margaery's own trial, Bran beyond the Wall, a possible battle for Winterfell ... *breathes* And he thinks he can wrap it up with two books?

[the 3 eyed bro]

I don't think the trial by combat will be the end of Cersei because i think she has to have some confrontation with the younger/more beautiful queen. Also i think she will outlive all of her children.

[di0p]

All I want to see is Victarion blow the horn and nothing happen, giving Viserion or Rhaegal a nice meal of crispy Kraken. I highly doubt the horn works.

[Two Two]

All I want to see is Victarion blow the horn and nothing happen, giving Viserion or Rhaegal a nice meal of crispy Kraken. I highly doubt the horn works.

Got to be some device to gentle those delinquent dragons. Can't imagine the two being influenced by the suddenly educated Drogon.

[RobertOfTheHouseBaratheon]

Jon will be Ghost for a half the book, meanwhile the Night's Watch is destroyed by poor leadership and the inpending Others (maybe using the horn). A lot of people are discussing how Jon could be freed from his Oaths by death or by Rob's decree but is it not more likely the others wipe out the Night's Watch. I mean the wall isn't going to last the entire book as it would be pretty dull if the Others never invade Westeros. In fact Jon's "death" is a good way of getting him out of the way so he's not culpable for the invasion (also if he was there he'd probably die trying to stop it).

With the Others ravaging Westeros the problem ceases to become the Night's Watch's and becomes the realms problem. Jon will be able to engage in the problems of the kings/queens and still be faithful to what's left of his oath to his dead brotherhood.

[hesitantreader]

There is always the possibility that Jon is dead, and will only exist as Ghost/Jon from here on out.

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

The Wall is in open combat to start the book( or at least The Walls part) since the Wildlings took jon being assasinated pretty damn hard and don't want to go back across. this will leave the NW broken, or taken out completely, so the wall will be ripe for a Others invasion.

I think Stannis is alive, but still stuck in that snow storm, there was no battle of winterfell yet. I don't feel like combing through Dance, but Asha and Theon were never mentioned in that letter iirc, and I feel like Ramsay may have just written it in a state of rage from losing Theon/Jeyne and finding out Mance was behind it.

I feel like the team of Dany/victorian//Selmy will be enough to take out the Slavers,but I think Victorian will die trying to tame the Dragons.

Jon will be warged into ghost for a chapter or two, but revived somehow through Mel, who comes to her senses and says that Jon is AA. IIRC Ghost is still in that room at the wall,so maybe we see some of the fallout through his eyes, Kinda like summer in ACOK.