What if Stannis Wins?

[salt]

I am certain he would dismiss the Varys' and Littlefingers from the capital, and drive right into the arms of any opponents.

They're already in the arms of his opponents. Varys supports Aegon, and Littlefinger has always supported himself.

[salt]

I can see Stannis, maybe not as king( tho I wouldn't mind that at all) but as Lord of Storms End.

He aimed for the Moon(the Iron Throne)

but

Landed amongst the stars( Lord of Storms End, what he thought he was cheated out of from the very beginning)

Never going to happen. Stannis would only bend the knee to someone if it turned out they, not him, were the rightful heir. The only possible way this could happen is if Stannis legitimized one of Robert's bastards. Not a very likely scenario.

[FuzzyJAM]

If Stannis wins there's going to be complete and utter chaos.

If anyone ends up on the Iron Throne they won't have "ended" it. They will have to make a very fragile peace where huge enmity will exist between them and some of their lords, not to mention rivalries and blood feuds amongst themselves. I don't see Stannis being the one to broker peace agreements, let alone sign up to one. And that's leaving aside the religion question - history has taught us that a monarch with a different religion to his subjects is not conducive to peace and stability.

[Noimporta]

It'd be one of my favourite possible endings. Completely unexpected, subverting every single cliche in the book, probably implausibly awesome. In fact, I'll take this opportunity to make a vow:

If Stannis wins in the end, I will offer every single ASOIAF book I own to R'hollor, and then use them as fuel for a feast in the name of the rightful king. And record all of it.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

The very idea of a "lawful" right to the throne is that it exists independently of one's ability to stage a rebellion. In practice, might makes right, (also in common sense, since Aegon had no right to anything) but legally, ancestry does. Anyway, by your measure the Lannister bastards are currently the lawful rulers. They won.

But they're ruling falsely by pretending, knowingly or not, to be Baratheons. No one has sworn fealty to the Lannisters as the royal family. So, not the same thing.

[Dr. Pepper]

If Stannis wins there's going to be complete and utter chaos.

If anyone ends up on the Iron Throne they won't have "ended" it. They will have to make a very fragile peace where huge enmity will exist between them and some of their lords, not to mention rivalries and blood feuds amongst themselves. I don't see Stannis being the one to broker peace agreements, let alone sign up to one. And that's leaving aside the religion question - history has taught us that a monarch with a different religion to his subjects is not conducive to peace and stability.

Whomever wins it in the end will have peace. Peace is a natural side effect of war. There simply comes a time when there are no more resources left to continue the fighting and people will bend the knee while the realm heals her wounds. Even Cersei could be Queen over a lengthy period of peace without trying to hard.

[Crown]

I hope Stannis wins, he's definitely my favorite candidate, if not my favorite character.

[FuzzyJAM]

Whomever wins it in the end will have peace. Peace is a natural side effect of war. There simply comes a time when there are no more resources left to continue the fighting and people will bend the knee while the realm heals her wounds. Even Cersei could be Queen over a lengthy period of peace without trying to hard.

Wars of succession have lasted centuries.

Heck, even in Westeros the Blackfyre Rebellion is still going on to some degree.

[Fightbringer]

there's an obvious reason why he's the only one of the original five kings left alive, he killed the other four:P

[Fire and Blood!]

Except for Euron there is no worse candidate than Stannis for the Iron Throne.I realise that it is unlikely, but I hope he is personally slain by Aegon.Even better if it's by stabbing thru the heart with Blackfyre.

[Jayce]

... but its hard to see how he gets the Reach, Dorne, and the West...

He marries Dany?

(Yes I know he has a wife currently)

[Lummel]

If Stannis were to become King it would mean good news for the makers of false teeth, for he'd grind his own flat within days of his coronation.

[Groat]

As the storry progresses Stannis seems to grow crazier and crazier. For a man like Stannis, the only fitting end is a bloody one. Stannis would destroy the wall, Winterfell, and the entire Northern population before he admits defeat. Expect a bitter, brutal demise for him.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Stannis is an unlikable asshole, but of all the Five Kings and a bunch of other candidates, he is the second best suitef for King, after Robb Stark. He follows justice and duty, values people by merit instead of birth, and chooses moral values over easy solutions. All he lacks to be the perfect king is charisma.

[Kuekuatseu]

The comparison of Donal Noye about the Baratheon brothers comes into my mind:

"Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day."

Sure, he has a lot of notable qualities. Qualities that made him stay longer but in the end, will be of his disadvantage.

I like Stannis though, I hope he lasts up to the last book where he eventually dies :)

[BlueHighwind]

The comparison of Donal Noye about the Baratheon brothers comes into my mind:

"Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day."

Sure, he has a lot of notable qualities. Qualities that made him stay longer but in the end, will be of his disadvantage.

I like Stannis though, I hope he lasts up to the last book where he eventually dies :)

Who else should sit on an IRON Throne by a man of pure Iron?

[OnionAhaiReborn]

Donal Noye was wrong about the Baratheon brothers. Or else, he is wrong about what they became later in life, after the time that he actually knew them. Robert the true steel? We didn't get to see him in the days of the rebellion and before, but I'm pretty sure the King we meet on AGoT is not the 'true steel,' but a drunken terrible King who has bankrupted the realm.

So, too, is Noye wrong about Stannis. He'll break before he bends? I think not. Stannis bends aplenty- in ways both noble and hypocritically immoral. He bent when he cut Davos' fingers off instead of hanging him. He bent when he pardoned the Lords who came over to him from Renly. Stannis also bent when he broke his marriage vows and started sleeping with Melisandre. He bent when he participated in the murder of his own brother. He bent when he pardoned Davos for trying to kill Melisandre and then named him Hand. He bent when he forgave Davos for rescuing Edric Storm. And he was the only King able enough to bend and see that the Wall needed help and it was his duty to protect the realm.

Yes, Stannis is a stubborn man. He will fight until the bitter end, and then some. He's a man of extraordinary determination. But he truly is not without mercy, even though he notoriously is. And he's willing to bend his code of honor in service of what he considers the righteous path. He is hellbent on achieving his goals, not a man who doesn't bend.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

The comparison of Donal Noye about the Baratheon brothers comes into my mind:

"Robert was the true steel. Stannis is pure iron, black and hard and strong, yes, but brittle, the way iron gets. He'll break before he bends. And Renly, that one, he's copper, bright and shiny, pretty to look at but not worth all that much at the end of the day."

Sure, he has a lot of notable qualities. Qualities that made him stay longer but in the end, will be of his disadvantage.

I like Stannis though, I hope he lasts up to the last book where he eventually dies :)

Why do you think Donal Noye's statement is correct? Robert the true steel, really?

[Lord Ben]

I'll throw my vote behind Stannis too. He started out much worse than he is now. Despite the rough exterior he seems to be learning and adapting to the situation and able to prioritize his actions.

Honestly I think it'll end up with a divided realm instead of singular but even if it weren't to be that way the Tyrell's have shown they'll bend the knee to anyone they think will beat them. And long before fighting is done.

Siege ended = Bend knee to Robert.

War of Kings starts = Bend knee to Renly

Renly dies = bend knee to Lannisters

[DetroitLeprechaun]

I want Stannis to win. He's iron, remember? "He'll break before he bends." Stannis is not the most likeable character, but certainly a very well respected one. There's one very clear and very possible way for Stannis to win, and it all depends on my man Davos.

If Davos saves Rickon, then the North will rally to Stannis (if they follow White Harbor's lead). The Boltons get overthrown, and the Freys are slain at Winterfell. The North remembers