A few random questions

[Ser Edward the KnightHawk]

There's some SPOILERS below, but I don't know how to use the tag or whatever. Just a heads up.

1. Why is that Robb's army HAS to go through The Twins? I've looked at maps of Westeros and the Kingsroad is far from the Twins. I know this is probably a really obvious question but I really can't recall as to the absolute necessity of his path. Also if you do know the answer I'd love to know where you can find it.
   
2. How in the world is it possible for The Mountain to take that many hits and not die? From my understanding the Red Viper stabs him in the armpit and twists meaning that there's no way that cut is going to close without heavy help. Also several important veins and even an arterie is close by. I understand that he's THE Mountain and everything but that doesn't stop him from bleeding out like the rest of us.
   
3. When Tyrion finds Shae in Tywin's bedroom is that supposed to imply that Lord Tywin took Shae into his bed? I find this a little odd because I felt for some reason (might have been stated explicitly or implied) that he was a man in a lifelong mourning over his late wife. Maybe I'm just reading too into it. He is just a man after all. Still, I'd like to have your takes on this.
   
4. In the prologue, Merrett brings up Greatjon. When I finished the Red Wedding chapters I came under the impression that all of Robb's bannermen, besides the few that left off to Seagard, were killed. Is Greatjon dead or captured.
   
5. This last one is rhetorical. Why? Why? Why? Why? Robb!!!!! I didn't begin to read this series until after the show aired (I feel like a blind fool for never having even heard of this AMAZING series). I literally threw my fists in the air and bellowed "The King in the North" when Greatjon proclaims him his king. I mean I totally understand why GRRM does these things and I love him for it. Finally I get a world with real consequences, not a world where at the last minute the hero gets some arbitrary help out of the blue. When Ned died I knew it had to happen. And as much as I rooted for the Young Wolf I knew by the end of ACoK that he would most likely lose the war. He's also too much of his father's son to have ever bent the knee (even though Ned does at the end of his life). But why like this? Why? Couldn't you have given him a more valiant death? I don't deny that the scene was perfectly structured, down to the music and everything. But the Young Wolf deserved better than that. I'm not condemning GRRM for it, I was just really saddened by it. Tears rolled down my face when Catelyn says "It hurts so much, she thought. Our children, Ned, all our sweet babes. Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb ... Robb ... please, Ned, please, make it stop, make it stop hurting." I didn't stop reading after though like most people I see here on the forums. I continued to see retribution. I don't know if I'll ever get it but damn if the Starks really are done with by the end of this series I don't know what I'll do to myself. I'll probably do another post on just the Starks and what they all mean to me. But that's for another time.
   

I just want to thank everyone ahead of time for their input. I've already begun AFfC and can't wait to see what happens.

[zmflavius]

There's some SPOILERS below, but I don't know how to use the tag or whatever. Just a heads up.

1. Why is that Robb's army HAS to go through The Twins? I've looked at maps of Westeros and the Kingsroad is far from the Twins. I know this is probably a really obvious question but I really can't recall as to the absolute necessity of his path. Also if you do know the answer I'd love to know where you can find it.
   
2. How in the world is it possible for The Mountain to take that many hits and not die? From my understanding the Red Viper stabs him in the armpit and twists meaning that there's no way that cut is going to close without heavy help. Also several important veins and even an arterie is close by. I understand that he's THE Mountain and everything but that doesn't stop him from bleeding out like the rest of us.
   
3. When Tyrion finds Shae in Tywin's bedroom is that supposed to imply that Lord Tywin took Shae into his bed? I find this a little odd because I felt for some reason (might have been stated explicitly or implied) that he was a man in a lifelong mourning over his late wife. Maybe I'm just reading too into it. He is just a man after all. Still, I'd like to have your takes on this.
   
4. In the prologue, Merrett brings up Greatjon. When I finished the Red Wedding chapters I came under the impression that all of Robb's bannermen, besides the few that left off to Seagard, were killed. Is Greatjon dead or captured.
   
5. This last one is rhetorical. Why? Why? Why? Why? Robb!!!!! I didn't begin to read this series until after the show aired (I feel like a blind fool for never having even heard of this AMAZING series). I literally threw my fists in the air and bellowed "The King in the North" when Greatjon proclaims him his king. I mean I totally understand why GRRM does these things and I love him for it. Finally I get a world with real consequences, not a world where at the last minute the hero gets some arbitrary help out of the blue. When Ned died I knew it had to happen. And as much as I rooted for the Young Wolf I knew by the end of ACoK that he would most likely lose the war. He's also too much of his father's son to have ever bent the knee (even though Ned does at the end of his life). But why like this? Why? Couldn't you have given him a more valiant death? I don't deny that the scene was perfectly structured, down to the music and everything. But the Young Wolf deserved better than that. I'm not condemning GRRM for it, I was just really saddened by it. Tears rolled down my face when Catelyn says "It hurts so much, she thought. Our children, Ned, all our sweet babes. Rickon, Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb ... Robb ... please, Ned, please, make it stop, make it stop hurting." I didn't stop reading after though like most people I see here on the forums. I continued to see retribution. I don't know if I'll ever get it but damn if the Starks really are done with by the end of this series I don't know what I'll do to myself. I'll probably do another post on just the Starks and what they all mean to me. But that's for another time.
   

I just want to thank everyone ahead of time for their input. I've already begun AFfC and can't wait to see what happens.

1) Because if you'll look at the map, the Twins is northernmost crossing. It is mentioned in the books that if they go any further south, they will have to fight past Tywin, and Robb is very uncertain about his chances of beating him (not to mention how he would have to ignore Jaime's host.

2) Well, he was wearing fairly heavy plate armour. I think in all likelihood, that cut didn't pierce the plate, the only one that did was the vault one.

3) He's a hypocrite.

4) Captured. Many were killed, but not all are dead. Some were captured, such as Patrek Mallister and Greatjon. It was like a battle, except the Starks couldn't actually defend themselves.

5) This, now, is a more emotional question, which I am ill-suited to answer. But don't worry. Some people are going to get their comeuppance.

[Ser Edward the KnightHawk]

Prince Oberyn's spear flashed like lightning and found the gap in the heavy plate, the joint under the arm. The point punched through mail and boiled leather. Gregor gave a choked grunt as the Domishman twisted his spear and yanked it free.

This is why I thought that it had pierced through. I guess it's not completely clear it went into his actual flesh but what else could be in the way if it pierced mail and leather and there was a gap in the plate.

[Straniero]

1) Because if you'll look at the map, the Twins is northernmost crossing. It is mentioned in the books that if they go any further south, they will have to fight past Tywin, and Robb is very uncertain about his chances of beating him (not to mention how he would have to ignore Jaime's host.

2) Well, he was wearing fairly heavy plate armour. I think in all likelihood, that cut didn't pierce the plate, the only one that did was the vault one.

3) He's a hypocrite.

4) Captured. Many were killed, but not all are dead. Some were captured, such as Patrek Mallister and Greatjon. It was like a battle, except the Starks couldn't actually defend themselves.

5) This, now, is a more emotional question, which I am ill-suited to answer. But don't worry. Some people are going to get their comeuppance.

zmflavius pretty much covered everything, I"ll only add:

1) It seems that the marshland of The Neck forces you to take the Kingsroad to the north (and south for that matter). It looks like taking a large force west of the Green Fork (the river The Twins bridge) into the woods and then through the marshes is impossible. His choices were to risk delay and attack while looping his army around the Trident and then heading north on the Kingsroad, or taking his force to The Twins where he planned to attend the wedding anyway.

2) Remember that Oberyn's objective seemed to be to force a confession and then make the Mountain die a slow, horrible death. While he definitely got through the plate and leather during the bit with the sun's glare, which led to the piercing of the leg, etc., he wanted the confession. The Mountain was huge and tough though (and wearing thick armor like zm mentioned), and he only got caught finally with those blows near the end of the duel.

5) Cat's POV was particularly horrifying at the end. When she started talking about her hair, and how much Ned loved her hair, it put a painful exclamation point on the tragedy of it all and how she utterly lost her mind. :(

[zmflavius]

This is why I thought that it had pierced through. I guess it's not completely clear it went into his actual flesh but what else could be in the way if it pierced mail and leather and there was a gap in the plate.

I'll admit that in this area, I'm not so certain. In any case, I suppose the boiled leather helped staunch the bloodflow, if temporarily. It also might not have been a deep cut.