Why would Bran stay with BR for his entire lifetime?

[Lord Godric]

That interpretation makes Bloodraven's statement meaningless. He tells Bran he will never walk again, but he will fly. If he's referring to warging, Bran can walk just as well as he can fly.

That is a great point. I have to admit I always assumed that Bloodraven just meant that Bran would warg -- but like others have said if this was all about Bran experiencing flying while warging, then he has already done that by warging the Ravens. And like you said Bran does indeed walk while warging too, whether it is Hodor or Summer. So there has to be more to Bloodraven's statement than just warging into something that flies.

[Mumatil]

I don't see any reason for him to stay with the 3EC once the war with the Others is over. I don't understand why people believe that he will stay with BR for his lifetime? Bran will rebuild the wall and Winterfell with the help of COTF. He is Brandon Stark come again. \Bran/

I think BR or the COTF will later on tell Bran that he is destined to stay and hes the replacement or something.

But Bran wants to hook up with Meera and whats left of the Stark family so He'll probably disagree and try to find away to escape them.

[Dragons Dancing]

We wouldn't be having this conversation if Bran could walk. Just because he is crippled does not mean he is destined to be stuck in a tree for the rest of his life. Even as a cripple, he can have a rewarding life without being attached to a tree.

He is sitting in a tree now to facilitate his teaching by BR. I expect him to leave the tree likely the same way he came with Hodor carrying him and head south. How he will do this with the others afoot is unknown but he did make it there with the others afoot and as far as we know Coldhands is still available to help. With his greatly enhanced skills he can use the ravens himself to see the others and white walkers movements and avoid them.

Leaving him to grow into the tree is weak and stupid.

[Black Crow]

Poor Hodor

[a white raven]

I'm thinking the only benefit to Bran becoming a perma-tree would be so that we the reader can learn tidbits from his weirwood visions. What I really hope happens is what some others have brought up about the CotF intending Bran to be BR's replacement, training him, developing his gifts to the max and then doing something to make Bran revolt and make a break for it. That way he gets all the power without having to be a tree.

[chrisdaw]

Gods sit their throne. He is becoming all seeing, all knowing and all powerful, he's not the same as men, he can't just walk among them again, and he can't control from the inside. It was necessary he be given his own bubble.

[Hans Sprungfeld]

We wouldn't be having this conversation if Bran could walk. Just because he is crippled does not mean he is destined to be stuck in a tree for the rest of his life. Even as a cripple, he can have a rewarding life without being attached to a tree.

He is sitting in a tree now to facilitate his teaching by BR. I expect him to leave the tree likely the same way he came with Hodor carrying him and head south. How he will do this with the others afoot is unknown but he did make it there with the others afoot and as far as we know Coldhands is still available to help. With his greatly enhanced skills he can use the ravens himself to see the others and white walkers movements and avoid them.

Leaving him to grow into the tree is weak and stupid.

I strongly disagree. If there is any rule in regards to magic it is that that magic has a high cost. Dany lost her unborn son for the Dragons, Stannis seems to have lost a lot of his life force for the shadowbabies, and listening to prophecy seems to lead characters to bad ends (as Marwyn indicates). I can't imagine Bran is going to gain access to the weirwood net and be able to leave the cave with no cost. The story works best if the cost of joining the tree was his human freedom. Furthermore as indicated by ADWD Bran works better from the shadows. He sucessfully helped Theon remember his name, and he appears to be working on making Jon a king. Finally we already saw Bran as a lord (which he would be if he leaves). The results weren't pretty; he allowed the Hornwood inheritance to go unsolved allowing Ramsey to strike, and he left Winterfell unguarded and vulnerable to attack. Leaving him to a tree is the best use of the character and the one that fits into the overall bittersweet storytelling.

[Dolorous Nedd]

I rather prefer him to be Lord of Dead Forever so I never have to read his boring shitty chapters again .

Wow! You are missing a vital part of the story if you think that.

[firepoet]

If Bran is truly paralyzed for life, then spending his day in a tree with the powers of a god is a happier ending, and more useful as a character, than spending his day in a bed needing help just to go to the bathroom.

[firepoet]

Wow! You are missing a vital part of the story if you think that.

His chapters are pretty boring. They provide useful information, but the chapters themselves aren't terrific reads.

[Dolorous Nedd]

That interpretation makes Bloodraven's statement meaningless. He tells Bran he will never walk again, but he will fly. If he's referring to warging, Bran can walk just as well as he can fly.

Is it possible that wording was an oversight by GRRM or is there a deeper meaning? It's funny when I read it the statement you made here didn't even occur to me.

[zelatorn]

i doubt bran will be replacing BR at the tree. first of all, it really isnt optimal to be a godlike tree in the middle of nowhere. i can certainly see him sitting out winter in those caves(tho i bet hell go south sooner) but trees dont really grow quick. plenty of time to return to winterfell or go to greywater watch before he's turned in mister living tree, IF he turns into one. so far i didnt really find any evidence that the CotF cant go south the wall if they want to stick with branm but i think they have their own agenda, prrobaly against teh others but not exactly good for all of mankind as well.

bran realy could become the immortal stark at winterfell, and even if not he would make a great lord. he's smart, and with proper education he can certainly rule the north.

as to the walking/flying discussion, i think it wasnt literal walking and flying he was talking about, in what form i have no idea.

[ObsidiaNPhoenix]

I've always though Bran would observe the happenings in the world as the next Greenseer, rather than return to Winterfell and rule. He seems to understand his role, and has a sense of inevitability that he will never walk or truly be mobile beyond his warging ability. He may be able to communicate with his family through the his Weirwood warging, which would require him to stay in the cave and learn from BR.

[stephen]

Could bran warg into a dragon? All the build up about flying from while he was falling, his dreams. The cotf telling him he would learn to fly. I feel like its to much to just be him learning to fly by warging with a crow. Its a crazy idea but is it possible?

[Dreadnaught]

If he is hooked up to a tree he may not need to return to his body because the tree sustains him. This would allow him the freedom to warg for however long he wants to. Makes me think of the Matrix.

[Khal_Rhaego]

Because he's a tree-paste eater!

[Little Bird of Varys]

Don't think it will stay in that cave forever or connected to a throne of Weirwood. He has managed to see at Weirwood of Winterfell without being connected to the throne. It really is a bit like Matrix. In the end, Neo manages to do some things without being connected to this unit.

[summer_stark]

My prediction has always been that he will leave through the caves and have a gendel/gorne adventure. And since he can send ravens ahead to find a way out, seems like the most obvious, logical plan. It also seems obv that all 3 Stark kids are learning useful skills from questionable mentors--and their newfound skills are just a means to an end in the larger plot. If Brans story turns into a history lesson for the reader and blowing wind through the trees, it seems like a pretty useless freaking skill. And, he doesn't need to sit in a tree to watch weirnet--he did it fine from his cave. He will leave, along with a very much alive Jojen, Meera, Hodor, and Ghost. He may feel it necessary to go to the Wall to help Jon, or may see Rickon return with Shaggdog and decide its safe to go back too.

I would be floored if he stayed--I mean, super shocked. There's just no plot purpose for it. So what the CotF need a new greenseer--not Bran's problem. He went there under false pretenses with no intention of living there. He thought BR could make him walk, and Jojen knew he must go to learn to fly, but none of that was advertised as sitting in a cave at the edge of the world with no one but creepy old people telling him he must be their new seer. Sorry, he's a kid.

He may die or turn dark or whatever--I'm not saying his will be a happy ending. He could take over Hodor permanently etc., but his usefulness to the plot must be considered. And in-universe, he is not helpful in that cave--nor is he really supposed to be--as BR and the others don't influence altogether that much. Plus, he can become BranTree when hes old and needs the trees to sustain him.

BranTree is lame. What's the point of all the talk about the caves and how they're all connected, but it's super scary to traverse them bc you'll prolly get lost?? Just a little errant, useless history? I beg to differ. I think it's practically telegraphed that he'll exit through those caves and use ravens to guide his way. Wtf are BR et al going to do? Most are stuck in trees and even if they control coldhands etc., those guys can't enter the cave, so leaving through those caves is the most logical way to go, IMO.

[JonNonRegis]

Why would Bran stay with BR for his entire lifetime?

Sometimes, you just can't walk away from a deal.

[HornOfJoramun]

I was actually going to make a topic like this when I first signed up a few days ago.

I've always been incredibly depressed at the thought of Bran living out his days as the new BR. I like it in the sense that it has helped Bran recover from the powerlessness he sustained from the paralysis of his legs because he can actually affect events (like him talking to Theon), but I just hate the thought of Rickon, Jon, Sansa, Theon, and basically everyone not knowing what he does [well hopefully will do] for the sake of Westeros.