Bran

[chrisdaw]

Bran and his weirwoods seem very much a device for delivering historical information, I doubt very much that we won't get more Bran POV chapters.

[ShadowRaven]

But Asha didn't bring her men. Theon was working for the wrong family. He shouldn't have even tried to fight for the Ironborn. He should have stayed loyal to Robb Stark, and died fighting for him if necessary. When his father shot him down, he should have nodded and agreed to do whatever, and then he should have gone straight back to Robb with the news that they did not have the Ironborn on their side at all. He should have accepted that he would never have his father's approval or his sister's respect, no matter what he did.

Exactly, that would have been the wisest. And if he had played it out right, he could have been a Lord beating the crap out of Ramsay now.

[ShadowRaven]

Given that we didn't see anything of him for the entire second half of ADWD I think you may be right. Having a Bran POV now would inevitably dump a ton of information about what he and Bloodraven are planning. It would be much better storytelling if the results of their machinations were revealed to us slowly, through the eyes of the other characters.

But then, we have to find out Meera and Jojen's fate somehow, right?

This brings me on to an intriguing question. Who does Bran want to win? He can now have a terrific influence on one side or the other in the game of thrones - yet why would he want to support Theon or Roose given what they did to Winterfell? And Stannis, of course, worships the wrong god. I guess Bran would want to support the Night's Watch against the Others, but beyond that I'm not too sure, and I wonder if he cares at all about what's happening south of Moat Cailin that we'll see him interfering down there as well.

I'd love to see Bran go a bit power-mad and start decking it to Lannisters and especially Jaime. Power corrupts, unfortunately, and if he plays his ravens right he could have a lot of it from now on.

That does seem plausible.

The ravens just speak one word now at a time right? What if Bran wargs into one saying one word, then into another and says another word until they make a sentence. Wouldn't that be most logical?

[DurararaFTW]

I think Bran would want to save his family but I agree, we may not get a POV from him anymore. By this new chapter I imagine he's found out that Robb and his mother died, horribly, that his mother has been resurrrected and is now hanging people on weirwood trees.

That gives us a bit of a disconnect with what his character has gone through.

[Isalie]

Would be too bad if Bran stopped being a pain to read but would not have a POV any more anyway.

[voodooqueen126]

Given that we didn't see anything of him for the entire second half of ADWD I think you may be right. Having a Bran POV now would inevitably dump a ton of information about what he and Bloodraven are planning. It would be much better storytelling if the results of their machinations were revealed to us slowly, through the eyes of the other characters.

But then, we have to find out Meera and Jojen's fate somehow, right?

This brings me on to an intriguing question. Who does Bran want to win? He can now have a terrific influence on one side or the other in the game of thrones - yet why would he want to support Theon or Roose given what they did to Winterfell? And Stannis, of course, worships the wrong god. I guess Bran would want to support the Night's Watch against the Others, but beyond that I'm not too sure, and I wonder if he cares at all about what's happening south of Moat Cailin that we'll see him interfering down there as well.

I'd love to see Bran go a bit power-mad and start decking it to Lannisters and especially Jaime. Power corrupts, unfortunately, and if he plays his ravens right he could have a lot of it from now on.

Hopeful prediction:

Tommen is accidentally killed by Ser Robert Strong at Cersei's trial.

Myrcella, now technically Queen, is captured by Jon Connington, and killed because the ravens say "justice for Elia" repeatedly

[rise of the small folk]

I agree with folks that the only way to explain Asha pushing for Theon to go before a weirwood is through Bran's influence.

Still, I'm going to make a case for Asha of the North:

She's trying to make a new home for herself as she wants nothing more of the iron isles now that Euron is king. She had a similar plan for stability in her bid for queen of the iron born - to trade land for peace and coexist with the north. She's working that same motivation, trying to bring stability where chaos reigns. She may see Roose/Ramsay as more Euron butchers, and that the only possibility for peace would be a united north with Stannis as king. Yes, Asha is a warrior. But she also knows the costs of war, with proof again in her speech for queen.

To argue against myself:

What is a weirwood to an ironborn but another superstition? She's a prisoner of Stannis and of the north, what horse does she have in the race between Stannis and Roose? She may only be working the angle of a quicker, less painful death by decapitation rather than the agony of death by fire.

Can Bran really warg someone as willful as Asha? Hodor is another story entirely. I can't recall if he's tried anyone other than Hodor. (Thought: Bring Robert Strong to a weirwood!)

It also could just be that Asha went before a weirwood while captured by the Mormonts (right? I'm forgetting... need to reread) to do some soul searching. Then it might not be that Bran warged her so much as she had as much of a conversation as Bran could manage. We know he's already able to make his presence felt through time as well as space (he reached out to Ned at the tree).

[chrisdaw]

Alysane is currently guarding Asha, Asha having accompanied her to a weirwood is not at all unlikely. Alysane herself is somewhat of a mystery, there is already speculation she herself can warg (on this forum, not in the books), and she claims that a bear fathered her children.

On a side note, given Jon's death, she has more claim to longclaw than any other, I wonder if she'll stake her claim.

[Ygrain]

I agree with folks that the only way to explain Asha pushing for Theon to go before a weirwood is through Bran's influence.

Most likely, something happened during the time when Theon was imprisoned in Stannis' tower that we don't know of. That immense weirwood on the island is there for a purpose, and I believe that it might somehow save Stannis from his current predicament.

Can Bran really warg someone as willful as Asha? Hodor is another story entirely. I can't recall if he's tried anyone other than Hodor. (Thought: Bring Robert Strong to a weirwood!)

Judging by the prologue, most probably not: in a body with its own consciousness, there is not enough place for a warg. I think warging Hodor is possible only because his mind is so simple.

It also could just be that Asha went before a weirwood while captured by the Mormonts (right? I'm forgetting... need to reread) to do some soul searching. Then it might not be that Bran warged her so much as she had as much of a conversation as Bran could manage. We know he's already able to make his presence felt through time as well as space (he reached out to Ned at the tree).

He is not making his presence felt. People see and hear the leaves rustling, no more. A direct contact with weirwood migth induce some weird dreams, as we could see with Jaime when he took a nap with his head against a weirwood stomp, but not a real conversation.

[DurararaFTW]

Alysane is currently guarding Asha, Asha having accompanied her to a weirwood is not at all unlikely. Alysane herself is somewhat of a mystery, there is already speculation she herself can warg (on this forum, not in the books), and she claims that a bear fathered her children.

On a side note, given Jon's death, she has more claim to longclaw than any other, I wonder if she'll stake her claim.

I hope not. I want him to get revived, leave the watch with longclaw and run into Tyrion and Jorah, having by all appearance obtained Longclaw after Mormonts death and defected from the Watch, these facts may or may not corrolated. In other word, Jorah is gonna get superpissed and kick Jon's ass to hell and back again.

[Lord of the Night]

I don't think we'll have a Bran PoV anytime soon. Like Howland Reed, he knows too much now.

We'll see him only through his actions with the trees and crossovers.

Actually i've read that Bran will be the primary POV in TWoW, he will have the most chapters of any character.

LotN

[Jory]

Actually i've read that Bran will be the primary POV in TWoW, he will have the most chapters of any character.

LotN

Where?

[Lord of the Night]

Where?

It was on GRRM's notblog, I can't remember when the post was written but he said that though Bran only had 3 chapters in ADwD he would have the most chapters in TWoW since his role and story becomes a lot more important.

LotN

[Sun]

Actually i've read that Bran will be the primary POV in TWoW, he will have the most chapters of any character.

LotN

I'd be interested in knowing where you read this, as well.

It does however make sense, now Jon is out of commission, for a while at least, that Bran will be one of our POV's at the wall. Perhaps he'll be our POV into what's to Jon's consciousness and body.

Edit:

It was on GRRM's notblog, I can't remember when the post was written but he said that though Bran only had 3 chapters in ADwD he would have the most chapters in TWoW since his role and story becomes a lot more important.

LotN

I see. That's certainly good to know. Thanks.

[DurararaFTW]

He must've said this in a comment, havent found it in any entries about ADWD or TWOW.

[Westerirei]

I can imagine Bran being central to the plot:

Providing communication between all of the Starks and their allies

Getting all the mysteries from the past using weirwood, and of course all of the present secrets too

Warging all of the ravens in 7 Kingdoms, rendering this way of communicating between his foes as useless

Possibly even warging dragons

[kephv]

He must've said this in a comment, havent found it in any entries about ADWD or TWOW.

He never said it anywhere.

[Michael Jon Snow]

Can Bran really warg someone as willful as Asha? Hodor is another story entirely. I can't recall if he's tried anyone other than Hodor. (Thought: Bring Robert Strong to a weirwood!)

The 3 eyed crow entered Brans dreams and I thought I recall him telling Bran that he could plant ideas in people's minds (haven't been able to find a quote yet that supports this.)

I doubt Bran warged Asha, but I think he or Bloodraven helped plant the idea in her head.

[Pliskin]

He never said it anywhere.

And it doesn't make sense anyway.

Having a Bran's PoV now means revealing all the mysteries of ASOIAF (Jon's parentage... etc).

Maybe Martin made only the comment that Bran will be the most important character in TWOW (doesn't mean that he will have PoV chapters...).

[bemused]

I was just struck by this thought while musing on the Theon thread. Bloodraven first tells Bran that he shouldn't expect to communicate much, but we've seen an increase in communication through the ravens and the trees.

BR and Bran seem to be pooling their resources. What if they can get the other greenseers to join in ? We may see sentences coming up.