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AGOT re-read - Syrio


red fork

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I'm just past the point where Arya flees during the takedown of the Hand and his household.

A crackpot thought sprang to mind... we're all pretty hung up on "FMx" (original alias: Syrio Forel) becoming (new alias) Jaqen H'gar.

But what if JH is some other FM on a mission, and Syrio became... Meryn Trant! Instead of being killed by the white cloak, he mullered him with one of the many spare blades lying around after dispatching all those Lannisters, and adopted his face?

Can anyone with a good memory of the later books point to anything in MT's appearances that might be "fishy"?

Cos we all want Syrio to rock up somewhere cool, right?

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Are people still pushing Syrio as Jaqen? I thought it was shown that the timelines didn't match up. Jaqen was in the cells of the Red Keep for some amount of months before being shipped out...

And I'm pretty sure GRRM regrets not killing Syrio on-screen after all this...

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Syrio Forel is one of the most engaging characters of AGOT.

We have no good reason to expect him to be alive. He died off-screen, proudly, honorably and for a good cause.

I don't really understand why we would want to believe that he survived when the situation is so clear and satisfactory.

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Syrio Forel is one of the most engaging characters of AGOT.

We have no good reason to expect him to be alive. He died off-screen, proudly, honorably and for a good cause.

I don't really understand why we would want to believe that he survived when the situation is so clear and satisfactory.

It's just 'cos I'm a dreamer. A crazy dreamer. :)

@ Poser: I wasn't up to speed on the timelines thing - that's new news, so thanks.

Who's fake Pate again?

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I just like the idea of there being a Faceless Man in Cersei's entourage this whole time without anybody knowing. I suppose he wouldn't have to be Syrio Forel, but it seems more interesting that way.

I agree that it's extremely unlikely though, there's about a 95% chance that he really is dead and won't be coming back.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Syrio Forel is one of the most engaging characters of AGOT.

We have no good reason to expect him to be alive. He died off-screen, proudly, honorably and for a good cause.

I don't really understand why we would want to believe that he survived when the situation is so clear and satisfactory.

What do you mean no good reason? There is only one good reason to assume he is dead, and that is that Martin said he doesn't see why people keep thinking he must be alive.

If Martin had never said that there would be equal chances of him being a live(at least). Before he faces Trant, he takes down 5 trained men, while being armed with a wooden sword, without breaking a sweat.

Add to that the fact that several characters thought to be dead but never confirmed "on screen" have turned out to be alive and I think there is very good reasons to believe he is a live.

If it weren't for what the author said I would of been leaning towards him being a live. It's not a matter of wanting to believe.

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To each his own, I suppose, but I certainly feel that we have good reason to assume that Syrio was killed by Meryn Trant. It happened off-screen (just barely, but still) but the circunstances were very much conductive to such a conclusion.

It is certainly conceivable that he survived somehow. But not particularly likely from either the perspective of the characters (Arya, Meryn Trant, Syrio himself - all of which certainly seem to believe that Syrio was about to die and found no evidence against it since) or the readers (there aren't any real pending plots involving Syrio, and we have had characters with pending plots dying under our eyes anyway).

But hey, I will be happy to see Syrio again if it turns out that I am wrong. Of course, I would be happy to see Jory Cassel, Vayon Poole or Ned Stark again as well, but I'm not holding my breath.

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I dunno mate, a guy takes down 5 men then is faced with a cocky knight who isn't all that well known for his skill(though we'd have to assume he'd be a decent fighter).. There would of been several swords laying around. Also Syrio seemed to be very intelligent and capable of capitalizing on any opportunity he had of escape. so if Martin hadn't of said what he said about it I wouldn't be convinced of his death at all.

Don't get me wrong, I found the guy funny but wasn't such a fan that I was upset he died, I just couldn't see how you could be so sure.

cheers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Are people still pushing Syrio as Jaqen? I thought it was shown that the timelines didn't match up. Jaqen was in the cells of the Red Keep for some amount of months before being shipped out...

And I'm pretty sure GRRM regrets not killing Syrio on-screen after all this...

I don't think so. I think he probably pulled "they never found the body" on purpose, or he'd have corrected this on TV by having them pan past Syrio's head on the way from Ned to Septa Mordane. His head isn't on the wall, and people were screaming in the room where he was. If he were dead, there wouldn't have been people screaming. JMO, it's deliberate.

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I don't really understand why we would want to believe that he survived when the situation is so clear and satisfactory.

I didn't think it was clear or very satisfactory. I'd love for him to show up again somewhere. I was thinking he'd meet Arya in Braavos when she went there, but the fact that we didn't see him there... Then again, she hasn't left yet.

He could actually have died (if so, his death did serve a purpose) or he could find some use for him at another time. I think that's the reason he wrote it that way.

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I don't think so. I think he probably pulled "they never found the body" on purpose, or he'd have corrected this on TV by having them pan past Syrio's head on the way from Ned to Septa Mordane. His head isn't on the wall, and people were screaming in the room where he was. If he were dead, there wouldn't have been people screaming. JMO, it's deliberate.

I was just about to mention this point when I stumbled across your post. There is no mention of anyone finding Syrio's body and because we never actually see him dying, chances are that he might still be alive.

***Spoiler Point Ahead***

I just had a crackpot theory of my own. What if this Izembaro, the Faceless man, whom Arya is sent to train under at the end of her chapters from ADWD, really turns out to be Syrio Forrel, who after escaping Ser Meryn Trant, returned back to Braavos.

Of course, like someone said before, 95% of the text we've read till now suggests that Syrio Forrel is lying dead somewhere under the Red Keep.

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As much as I liked Syrio as a character, I hope everyone in these novels that is supposed dead stays dead and that every new character that is introduced is indeed a true new character, not recycled.

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I just had a crackpot theory of my own. What if this Izembaro, the Faceless man, whom Arya is sent to train under at the end of her chapters from ADWD, really turns out to be Syrio Forrel, who after escaping Ser Meryn Trant, returned back to Braavos.

Izembaro sounds like a place, not a person. If he is a person, he's not a Faceless Man as they don't have names. Most likely then he'd just be someone like Brusco.

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The biggest issue I have with Syrio is how and why he came to be Aryas teacher. He was the first sword of Braavos! That doesn't seem like a job you get fired from. Why would he chose to sail away from his home-town and teach a little girl sword fighting? I doubt Eddard paid better..

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