Theories for TWoW, round 2 [SPOILERS]

[SerSeymoreThyme]

"The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others; kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed Seneschal"

[Suzanna Stormborn]

"The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others; kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed Seneschal"

Thank you :)

so Victarion, dark flame?, Lannister ( i dont think this means Tyrion I think it's Tyrek or that other Lannister that never came back from his voyage, I'll have to look the name up), Griffin is Jon Con Sun's son is quentyn and Aegon is mummer's dragon. Perfumed Seneschal is Kreznak mo whatever right? Or is that Daario?

Cuz why would she need to stay away from Tyrion, he's there to help right?

[SerSeymoreThyme]

He may think he is but maybe not, I think it's Tyrion b/c of the pairing with the griffin, they were travelling together at the time. Dark flame is Moqorro. And one of the boats was called "Saelesori Qhoran" which translated to the fragrant steward. It carried Tyrion, Jorah and Moqorro from Volantis so it could mean that or Reznak Mo Reznak IMO

[Suzanna Stormborn]

He may think he is but maybe not, I think it's Tyrion b/c of the pairing with the griffin, they were travelling together at the time. Dark flame is Moqorro. And one of the boats was called "Saelesori Qhoran" which translated to the fragrant steward. It carried Tyrion, Jorah and Moqorro from Volantis so it could mean that or Reznak Mo Reznak IMO

Gerion Lannister, that's who I was thinking of as the 'lion' she has to watch out for, Tywin's youngest brother who set out a decade ago on the Laughing Lion to go to Valyria looking for Brightroar the sword. The search party Tywin sent after him traced him as far as Volantis where they found out most of his crew had deserted him, not wanting to follow him into the Smoking Sea. He bought slaves to crew his ship and set off. IMO he is going to show up in Slaver's Bay very soon and he is 'Lion' (him or his boat) that Dany is warned of.

[Veltigar]

Gerion Lannister, that's who I was thinking of as the 'lion' she has to watch out for, Tywin's youngest brother who set out a decade ago on the Laughing Lion to go to Valyria looking for Brightroar the sword. The search party Tywin sent after him traced him as far as Volantis where they found out most of his crew had deserted him, not wanting to follow him into the Smoking Sea. He bought slaves to crew his ship and set off. IMO he is going to show up in Slaver's Bay very soon and he is 'Lion' (him or his boat) that Dany is warned of.

Well, there are theories about him being the Corsair King so that's definitley a possibility. Dany does need more ships, right now she basicly has the Iron Fleet, the Volantine fleet and the ships captured after the first battle of Mereen. Out of these three the only vessels that are empty are the captured ships (Vic won't let them live). The Iron Fleet and the Volantine Fleet are packed with men, who'll obviously join Dany's cause. She might be able to cram more people on those ships but not all of her people, especially if she ads the Khalesar to her army (she could leave some behind in Mereen, but I hope she'll pull a Nymeria on Mereen and burn it to the ground). There are two people with ships that we've alreayd encountered who could help her. The first is Sallador, but he's probably fed up with Westeros and as he's born in Lys he'll probably support the slavetrade. The Second is Aurane Waters, who has a link to the Targs, but he's to far away.

So, she'll probably need to deal with others to secure her peoples crossing and the Corsair King of the Basilisk Isles is her best shot.

[Suzanna Stormborn]

Well, there are theories about him being the Corsair King so that's definitley a possibility. Dany does need more ships, right now she basicly has the Iron Fleet, the Volantine fleet and the ships captured after the first battle of Mereen. Out of these three the only vessels that are empty are the captured ships (Vic won't let them live). The Iron Fleet and the Volantine Fleet are packed with men, who'll obviously join Dany's cause. She might be able to cram more people on those ships but not all of her people, especially if she ads the Khalesar to her army (she could leave some behind in Mereen, but I hope she'll pull a Nymeria on Mereen and burn it to the ground). There are two people with ships that we've alreayd encountered who could help her. The first is Sallador, but he's probably fed up with Westeros and as he's born in Lys he'll probably support the slavetrade. The Second is Aurane Waters, who has a link to the Targs, but he's to far away.

So, she'll probably need to deal with others to secure her peoples crossing and the Corsair King of the Basilisk Isles is her best shot.

Ok, sorry why is there a theory Gerion is the Corsair King? just becasue he's been missing? I mean it makes sense.

But about Quaithe's prophecy, I just don't believe Tyrion is the 'lion' she has to watch out for, especially after she saved him in the fighting pits, and he has no ill will against her.

IMO Tyrion, BBP and Jorah are going to help her out in some great way before they leave Mereen.

[SerSeymoreThyme]

Ok, sorry why is there a theory Gerion is the Corsair King? just becasue he's been missing? I mean it makes sense.

But about Quaithe's prophecy, I just don't believe Tyrion is the 'lion' she has to watch out for, especially after she saved him in the fighting pits, and he has no ill will against her.

IMO Tyrion, BBP and Jorah are going to help her out in some great way before they leave Mereen.

It could very well be. I love Tyrion, and hope he has a hand in the winning side. I'm wondering why Quaithe is considered to be out for Dany's best interests. Most of the other priests/practitioners of fire magic and R'hllor are characterized as evil, or at least skewing that way (Melisandre, Moqorro and Bennero anyway, Thoros seems decent), so why trust a shadowbinder from Asshai? Maybe its in her best interests to have Dany out of the way. Seems the more I read the forums, the less trusting I become. LOL

[Veltigar]

Ok, sorry why is there a theory Gerion is the Corsair King? just becasue he's been missing? I mean it makes sense.

But about Quaithe's prophecy, I just don't believe Tyrion is the 'lion' she has to watch out for, especially after she saved him in the fighting pits, and he has no ill will against her.

IMO Tyrion, BBP and Jorah are going to help her out in some great way before they leave Mereen.

Like SerSeymoreThyme already pointed out (post 107) We're not sure about Quathe or what her role in all this is (if she's a real person than I guess she's Shiera Seastar) or even if she truelly has Dany's best interests in mind.

That being said I think that Dany really needed to fear Tyrion, if Ser Jorah hadn't come into play. If Ser Jorah hadn't abducted Tyrion, than Tyrion might have stopped with councelling Faegon to leave for Westeros. If they would have traveled to Mereen, than Tyrion would have been much closer with Faegon and JonCon. And than Tyrion would probably feel that Faegons blackfyre heritage isn't relevant anymore, because the young King would probably eat from his hand, so there's no need to ditch Faegon for an uncertain alliance with the true Targaryen heir. If Dany and Faegon were introduced to each other at this point, than Dany would have had two options either bow to a fake King or fight the fake King than and there (Faegon would of course claim a Dragon). And with Tyrions talent for blackmail, bribing and sellswords he would have certainly made Faegon into a credible foe.

[Stoned Dragon]

Jon/Mel/Wall:

Jon dies from his wounds but wargs into Ghost. While inside Ghost, Bran is going to give him a bunch of cryptic visions (his parentage? how to defeat the others? his future?) that will make perfect sense to us but will only confuse Jon. While Jon is out of commission, the NW is going to elect their 999th LC and will be completely divided post-Jon's assassination. However, an attack by the Others unites them for a period of time and they are forced to fight in an epic battle that it seems like they are going to lose until Stannis shows up. However, Stannis dies and Mel, worried that without Stannis the Wall it won't hold, burns their bodies - since that's what they do to dead bodies and how Mel gets her magic - but surprisingly Jon is going to have his "Dany-Funeral-Pyre" moment and emerge from the fire unscathed and reborn as AA. Jon then re-starts his Watch and helps them repel the Other attack and is re-elected as the 1000th LC of the NW and is ready to fight the Battle for the Dawn.

Stannis/Theon/Winterfell/Boltons:

Stannis is going to sacrifice Theon at that Weirwood tree, since he needs the North firmly behind him. Stannis will then defeat the Boltons thanks the Manderly's treachery and his own cunning (fighting on a frozen lake is hard!). The letter from WF to Jon Snow was sent by Bolton after he fell for a ruse before being surprised by Manderly's treachery. Rickon and Davos return to Winterfell and Stannis is heralded as a savior (and reunited with Davos) and its a pretty awesome moment when the Northern houses sorta come to respect Stannis since he brought back Rickon and sent Arya to be with Jon Snow at the Wall. However, that's when Stannis gets news that Jon has been stabbed and the Wall is under attack by the Others. Stannis, then installs Rickon in WF with Manderly/Davos ruling in his stead and he heads for the Wall because (1) Stannis can't win Winterfell and then let the Wall fall and Ned Stark's bastard die & (2) Stannis will want to execute the people that killed Jon cause, ya know, he's rigid about the rules like that. Stannis will get there in time to participate in the battle, but unlike last time Stannis doesn't do so well and his glowing sword fails and Stannis dies. His death will probably be what spurs Mel to burn both Jon and Stannis (since she will think there needs to be a dragon awoken in order to defeat the Others and because she's worried) but when Jon is awoken by the flames/magic or whatever and Stannis is merely burnt to a crisp the light will turn on in Mel's head that she was wrong about AAR and that it's really Jon

Dany/Mereen/Tyrion/Baristan/Vic/Jorah

Battle of Mereen goes how we'd expect. Barristan/Vic do their "Hammer/Anvil" thing and crush the slavers and Tyrion flips the sellsword company. There is an awesome moment where Tyrion/Jorah/Vic/Barristan all have a pow-wow and its all snide remarks and hidden agendas and them not trusting each other. However, this is the moment when the Volantis fleet arrives and they have to band together - which they do, sorta. Vic tries to keep them from landing with the Iron Fleet and Barristan/Jorah start prepping for Battle Part Deux but Vic blows the stupid horn and gets himself roasted by the dragons, giving the Volantis fleet a chance to land. The battle is going horribly for everyone as the dragons start wrecking shit and Barristan gets killed in the chaos, and just when it looks like everything is lost is when Dany will show up with her giant khalisar and riding on Drogon. Her appearance flips the slaves in the ships to her side and inspires a last-ditch rally by her forces that totally works. However, Mereen is essentially destroyed and tons are dead. Dany wants to stay and fix it until Tyrion reminds her that (f)Aegon is in Westeros and she has to get going, so she does -- with all the extra ships, heading for Pentos first (now that Dany is pissed as Illyrio she doesn't mind giving the Tattered Prince Pentos).

KL/The South

Cercei wins her trial but unfortunately Maergery loses hers. However, with the Dornish in town and Aegon running around Westeros, Cercei can't afford to let the High Septon kill Maergery, so she and the Tyrells runs the Faith out of town (also, with Kevan dead, its probable Mace Tyrell as Hand of the King doesn't even wait for the trial but tries to run the High Septon out of town himself). The Faith will return to Oldtown, where they were originally based, just in time for a massive Greyjoy attack on the city. Without help from the Crown, all hope seems lost until JonCon saves the Hightowers/Redwyns from the Iron Born attack on Oldtown and is rewarded with their fealty to Aegon. Like the original Aegon, (f)Aegon is crowned by the High Septon in Oldtown as the rightful King of Westeros. This finally prompts Arianne to make a decision about an alliance and she agrees to marry Aegon and unite the Dornish with Aegon's forces. Now with the Redwyn/Hightower fleets and arms, the Golden Company, the Dornish, and the militant Faith behind him, Aegon can take KL.

Since I doubt the book would be long enough to include a battle for KL at the end, I'm willing to bet that they take KL when someone at court open the gates for them (Varys? Jaime? the Dornish? the Tyrells?) and in the ensuing violence they kill Tommen, wrapping his body in a shroud. Everyone is eerily reminded of Tywin but nobody says anything cause its really awkward. Cercei flees to the Rock and Aegon VI is proclaimed King of Westeros....

Throughout all of this we just keep hearing about how Dany is coming or about how Dany has taken Pentos and in the last chapter we get word Dany is landing in Westeros.

[I do not sew]

One thing I've seen a lot of is people thinking the Boltons will either die or escape. Is escape even an option at this point? It seems like prolonged movement is a death sentence without considerable supplies, the likes of which a rushed contingent of Bolton men couldn't possible throw together/sustain. Both the Wall and the Dreadfort are a long way off and further north besides.

Surely one of them has to die, but I seriously doubt both will. That crackpot about Roose being a centuries old warg is cool as fuck. I know a lot of people would hate that, but I would LOVE it.

[mrlukeduke]

... she has to get going, so she does -- with all the extra ships, heading for Pentos first (now that Dany is pissed as Illyrio she doesn't mind giving the Tattered Prince Pentos).

Not quite sure I follow this bit. Please elaborate!

[Asshai]

There are lots of really great ideas on this thread. I think I'm going to have to seriously re-read the series and draw every speck of insight from them that I can. That said, I think I might put forward a few ideas of my own, regardless of my comparable ignorance. This book will have to be long. Assuming GRRM doesn't write another book in between this and ADoS, then this will probably ave to be the longest book yet if it is to encompass everything during a decade long Winter.

I imagine that the Army besieging Meereen will be attacked concurrently by both Barristan and Victarion's forces, resulting in the destruction of the Slavers and the capture of their Volantene fleet. I reckon that Tyrion will probably win round a few of the Sell-Sword companies as well. As the Dragons run amok, Daenerys returns at the head of the Khalasar. Completing the victory. I'm not sure exactly why, but I envisage Ser Barristan blowing the horn to bring the Dragons under her control before he succumbs to his wounds. I quite expect Victarion to attempt to control the dragons, perhaps being betrayed by Moqorro, with the Ironborn either joining Dany, or being killed as they fight ashore. Another possibility is that having been double crossed by Moqorro, Victarion is forced into submitting to Daenerys will. With the combined fleet of the Ironborn and the Volantenes etc. I would imagine that Dany could bring the fight to the nine free cities, conquering Volantis where the Red priests and the slaves await her. With such a formidable army, coupled with the powers of the Red Priests, she should be fairly unstoppable. While her forces ready for departure, I think she might go east to Asshai. Not really sure what may happen therem but I bet it would be awesome. Another possibility is that she may rally the Khalasars to her and send them across the Dothraki sea. I'm not so sure about this though, as with everything I've said it would probably take just too much time. Regardless of the myriad possibilities I predict that Daenerys will be just about to cross the Narrow Sea, in the stages of crossing it, or even having arrived by the time the book ends. I think that Tyrion will serve as her advisor, and if Barristan dies, then as her Hand. I also think that he'll help her train the Dragons, if blowing the horn isn't enough.

At the Wall, the Knight's Watch and Wildlings will probably be engaged in bloody conflict. I think that Jon is not dead, but very seriously injured, and that he may well be healed by Melisandre. Following his recovery I imagine that he'll reunite them all to defend the Wall against what is coming. I expect the Others to attack en masse, and to break through, sweeping down Westeros from the North. Stannis will most likely defeat the Bolton forces, allying with the Manderly forces to take Winterfell and claim the North. Davos will return with Osha and Rickon from Skagos. With the heir of WInterfell, the houses of the North will owe him their allegiance and ally with Stannis against the Southron forces.

Down South I expect that Storm's End will fall to Young Griff. Dorne will declare for them, with Aegon quite possibly marrying Arianne. They will most likely go from Strength to strength, cementing a powerbase, and contributing to the fracturing of the Tyrrel-Lannister alliance as they press against them. However, I expect that Jon Connington will die of Greyscale midway through the book, and that Aegon will find himself weakened as suspicion mounts that he is a Blackfyre. If Daenerys returns he's probably finished. Varys will continue to destabilise the Lannister-Tyrrel alliance, as we works in tandem with Illyrio and Jon Connington. I think that his own scheming may fall through, and that his plans may be upset by Littlefinger.

I haven't really thought out what may happen for half the characters yet! There's nothing else like ASoIaF, that is so separate and huge a universe. Regardless of what GRRM does, I'm sure that it will be great, even if I may fee; sad or dissapointed by how dreams failed to match up to the harsh reality. I'm just praying to R'hllor that is doesn't take six years to finish off...

[Sword of the Mid-Afternoon]

These are my predictions for what will happen in the various theatres of GRRM's epic series

1.

The Wall

– After the attempted assassination of Jon by his fellow Night’s Watchmen, Jon is resurrected by Melisandre in secret while remaining dead to the wildlings and NW members. Upon hearing about Jon’s death the wildings and NW members fight inside the walls of Castle Black. While out of commission, Jon is approached by Bran through his dreams and key things are revealed to Jon by Bran however, the reader is unaware of exactly what Bran tells him. After being resurrected by Melisandre, Jon comes back to the world in the midst of a fight between the NW and wildlings who bow down to him and pledge their allegiance. Jon then leads a host of wildlings and NW to Winterfell in response to the “Pink Letter” (see later) where he is greeted by presenting him with Robb’s will and also Howland will reveal R+L=J without telling Stannis first which upsets Stannis but once Howland comes forward to prove R+L=J, Stannis unexpectedly bends the knee to Jon the rightful King who in turn makes Stannis his King's Hand. Jon now has the power of all of the Northern Lords, Stannis’ army, the wildlings, the crannogmen and the Skagosi who accompany Rickon back. As news of the Wall’s falling reaches Jon and his army he decides that the only acceptable course of action is to head north and halt the invasion of the Others.

2.

The North

- Stannis' forces retreat behind the frozen lake and allow the Freys to be destroyed while the Manderly forces come over and swear allegiance to Stannis because Davos retrieved Rickon during the course of ADwD. Manderly and his forces return to Winterfell where they claim that they have killed Stannis and bring his sword with them to prove it while also bringing a contingent of Stannis' forces as 'prisoners'. However, Manderly has already conspired with Mance as well and while outside of Winterfell they send Jon the 'Pink Letter' because Maege Mormont and Galbart Glover have resurfaced with Howland Reed and subsequently Robb's will which proclaims Jon as the King in the North however they withhold this information from Stannis. After Jon's resurrection and proclamation of him being Azor Ahai and The Prince Who Was Promised he will travel to Winterfell where he is greeted by Stannis and co. who have overthrown the Boltons and Freys after Roose leaves and madness ensues. Unfortunately, Roose escapes but still Stannis and the Northern Lords take Winterfell. During Jon's arrival, they produce Robb's will and proclaim Jon King in the North which upsets Stannis but once Howland comes forward to prove R+L=J, Stannis unexpectedly bends the knee to Jon the rightful King who in turn makes Stannis his King's Hand. Near the end of TWoW, word reaches Winterfell that fighting has consumed the NW at the Wall which leaves the Wall perilously under protected. As fighting rages on in the South of Westeros over the Throne, King Jon Targaryen decides that the real threat to the realm lies not in the south, but with the Others in the North. Jon's final POV chapter ends with him deciding that the realm comes before the Iron Throne and so he takes the main part of his host back north to combat this threat while leaving Stannis and some of his soldiers to defend the Neck to prevent from any invaders from the South.

3.

The Riverlands and the Vale

- Littlefinger still maintains his control of the Vale while Robert dies but not of foul play by LF but because of his frail state. After this, Sansa goes along with the wedding and becomes Lady of the Vale. Her husband, Harry 'the Heir' Hardyng, is exactly what LF expected and is able to be controlled. All the while, Sansa bides her time waiting and watching LF's moves in the game of thrones. After some time as Harry's husband and being outwardly proclaimed as Sansa Stark, the Blackfish emerges from hiding and comes to the Vale solo - killing the 'Jeyne escaped and is carrying Robb's son' theory. The Blackfish becomes more and more important in Sansa's life and her decisions. He ultimately convinces her of LF's shady character and intentions as he becomes more aware of his scheme. Sansa is also watching LF carefully and is learning lots from him. LF's endgame is one that we are unsure of but his plans become more clear during the book. Also, at some point expect LF to finally take up residence in his castle of Harrenhal. Sansa takes over more control of the Vale as LF make plans for the net step in his overall goal because it is quite clear that the lordship if Harrenhal or the Vale is his ideal prize. Later on, when LF is either out of the picture in the Vale or is off acquiring more money/power/titles etc. the Blackfish will advise Sansa to finally become involved in the war and ally with the newly-proclaimed King in the North (they are still unaware of R+L=J) her half-brother, newly named Jon Stark. At this point, the Blackfish will also ask Sansa for men to lead a host north to Winterfell to proclaim their allegiance to Jon. After Sansa, Harry and the Vale declare for Jon, he will have the wildlings, Stannis' southern soldiers, most of the Northern Lords (Mormont, Glover, Umber, Manderly etc. but with the exclusion of the Boltons, obviously enemies of Jon and maybe the Dustins, as Lady Dustin seems quite Stark-unfriendly at the moment), some remaining NW men and the Vale.

4.

King’s Landing

– Both Queens will win their trials of the Faith, but with a little help from Varys tinkering. Loras Tyrell will appear unscathed to defend Margaery after having returned from his mission which evidently was not Dragonstone. Robert Strong will also win for Cersei but this will allow her to start to become more power obsessed and more like the Mad-King. Varys will work behind the scenes to further destabilize the kingdom while also planting the seeds of fAegon’s arrival. Doran Martell’s spies at court in King’s Landing will pay off wonderfully as Dorne once again becomes a force to be reckoned with, led by one of the best players of the game of thrones in the series. Jaime will return after being saved from UnCat by Brienne who sacrifices her life for him only to find that Cersei has now placed caches of wildfire around the city planning to burn to the ground. Jaime fulfills her destiny by killing her to save the city but only this time people understand. Jaime is offered the regency and finally accepts his duty. Varys continues to exert his influence by playing the Tyrells and Lannisters against each other. Somehow, after many Tyrell deaths, the Tarly led by fierce Randyll become the major House in the Reach.

5.

Dorne/Aegon

– Arianne brokers a marriage deal with Aegon once again uniting their Houses. Doran utilizes his spies in KL (Nymeria and Tyene) to further inform himself on how to get Aegon on the Throne. News of Quentyn’s death reaches Dorne but if Danaerys shows up she will still be welcome because well she’s still the only one with Dragons.

6.

Iron Islands

– Euron keeps to raid the Reach and eventually causes enough considerable damage to the it that the Tyrells have to withdraw from KL to defend the area leaving Randyll Tarly in KL representing the Reach. Aeron goes missing but eventually turns up and plays an important role. Theon dies in the Siege of Winterfell and Asha may also die.

7.

Meereen

– Danaerys gains a khalasar or two but must get back to Meereen in the aftermath of the battle there. Victarion’s fleet shows up and smashes the Volantenes providing Dany with a great edge in the water. Tyrion is able to convince Brown Ben Plumm to turn the Second Sons but also becomes one of Dany’s good advisors at the end of the battle. Barristan commands the Unsullied to victory and glory as well. Afterwards, Victarion, Barristan and Tyrion convince Dany that now is the time to make her return to Westeros and they set sail. However, Tyrion comes to learn of the events at the Wall with Jon and AA, PTWP, Others etc. and convinces Dany to Land at the Wall to save the realm. Dany instead decides to split her force with herself and Barristan going south to Dorne where they have a ready alliance, while Tyrion, Jorah (who she has commanded to take the black) and Victarion head north to the Wall to help a potential Targaryen in Jon. Dany lands in Dorne roughly at the same time when the Wall falls near the end of the novel.

8.

Arya

– Ends up getting an important assignment in KL which she goes to but then deserts the FM after that.

[Caius Caesar]

Although the previous post makes a lot of sense (at least to me)...I would like to throw my 2 cents in.

1. Why should remain till the end a "Seven Kingdom"? A biased outcome - The Northern Kingdom including the Frozen Lands. Capital at Winterfell, with Jon Snow/Targ as King with Bran his Hand. I believe Bran will muster the knowledge to control the Others.

The Southern Kingdom - KL still the capital. Dany + Gendry as Queen and King with Tyrion their Hand.

2. Regardless of the political outcome - Jamie Lannister will clear his name in the end. Will die as Lord Commander at an old age. Maybe he will take under his patronage the Young Queens Guard from Selmy.

3. Petyr and Varys will annihilate each other. (I don't have a viable idea to the WHY/HOW of the "wizard story" of Varys, especially after being displayed in HBO's 3rd season).

4. Sansa and Sandor is a bit of a fairy tale, even for me. The Hound redemption can come only through combat - that is killing the evil that Gregor was and still is as Robert Strong. Maybe they kill each other in the battle.

5. House Tyrell will suffer through their relation with Littlefinger. House Dorne will get the better side of the deal.

6. JonCon and Aegon - there is smth fishy with Varys. The Martells will get the truth of it. JonCon might be the real one..but not Aegon.

7. Related to 6. - Sam will become a Grand Maester for either Southern or Northern Kingdom. I think for KL rather. In the North the old ways will prevail through Bran and Jojen.

So....I hope I didn't bore you too much!

[Artorias of the Abyss]

My predictions all sort of center around the fact that the Gods/magic are neither wholly good nor wholly evil. I haven't decided if they are real beings or some sort of ethereal force, but the complete depiction we've gotten of the religions is that none of them are particularly good. Human sacrifices (fire, blood for weirwood, drowning) being omnipresent may imply that the gods either thrive on human violence, or humans are simply pawns in their machinations. In a way, the religious/magical conflicts in ASOIAF parallel the politics, war and intrigue of the realm in a great way. Just as the human characters are conflicted and rarely evil or good, it seems as if the magical forces show the same duality. Just as the human characters are constantly vying for territory, power, and influence, the gods routinely engage in power plays (Valyria, the Stepstones, Hardhome, Summerhall?). That being said, I believe George will further ramp up the magical influence and shed some light on the reasons for otherworldly phenomenon in the Realm (or at least I hope so).

One thing I noticed on my recent first reread is how much colder the climate has gotten. Even in King's Landing, a coastal town known for it's sweltering heat, is experiencing snow and extreme cold. In the next book, I predict that the wall falls very early, and at around the same time Stannis will take Winterfell. A huge hoard of Wights will sweep on the North, while Stannis is holed up in the castle. This is perfect for Stannis, because he's most famous for sitting in a castle and surviving on absolutely nothing at Storm's End during R'sR. It also explains why Stannis would end up commanding Northern forces, and would also explain why Melisandre is drawn to him. It would also open up the chance for Davos to come provide aid as well, or for Stannis to be eventually taken and become the Night's King. I like the second option more. It's a nice twist of fate, as Stannis' sigil is on fire. Stannis has already used magic to commit a grevious sin, and his "soul" has been drained as well. It would also allow Jon to be revived by Melisandre (eventually against Stannis) or by wintery forces (warging etc, allies with Stannis). Another possibility is that Mel converts as well (note that all 3 of these characters rarely sleep or eat). This would most likely be the end of WoW, as Stannis becoming undead would be a huge shock and would set up a cliffhanger nicely as he moves his forces steadily south.

Aegon owns the Stormlands, and is well positioned to execute a pincer on the Reach if he and Dorne forge an Alliance (highly likely in my opinion). If Aegon can quickly assault a Reach already weakened by Iron Islander raids, a way, and financial obligation to the Throne, he stands to control the vast majority of food stores in Westeros. From this point on, The North will yield virtually no food of any kind. He may claim the iron throne before or after he assaults the Reach (after would make much more sense). Highgarden and Oldtown might even bend the knee, as they are being seriously punished by the Krakens with not much help incoming with Redwyne's fleet so far away (and the waters he must sail through are none too safe). On the other hand, Aegon only has the Golden Company, and the Stormlands he's conquering have few soldiers to provide because of the Blackwater. And Aegon has no ships to really conquer. I don't see Aegon moving anywhere until he can get some allies. If he attempts to take King's Landing, he exposes his back to the Reach and his front to the Riverlands. Really, Aegon and Dorne work quite well together. Both thirsting for vengeance and conquest with about half as many troops as they need.

The only other source of food is the Vale, which is famously productive and is untouched. I suspect this, and the number unbloodied soldiers here, is why Littlefinger sought to control the Vale and why GRRM brought us there. A great storyline, I really can't even begin to guess where this is going. LF will definitely gain major control of the Vale and I think his plan will go quite splendidly for a long time. He's a shrewd guy, has a few choice allies, and he's good at this. I don't see his plan blowing up immediately. I don't see LF needing to kill Robert anytime soon either, as Robert does what LF tells him and it would pass control of the Vale immediately to Harry. LF wants his year to secure control of the Vale, and the Heir, so I don't see him moving hastily. This is probably where the meat of the political intrigue in the book will come from. Sansa is learning to play the game from one of the best, and we are finally getting to look inside his twisted mind.

Last of course is Dany. Her forces will win Mereen, but the city will be devastated. Dany herself will probably begin to control the Khalasar. Seriously, they respect strength and she rides a fucking dragon. If they don't respect that, Drogon will just have a little snack. What she does with them is uncertain. She could unite her forces with Mereen, or she could travel to Vaes Dothrak and do something cool/Queenlike there. I quite like this idea, as she was so terrified of becoming a crone, it would be poetic if she came back leading a massive unified Khalasar. She might learn something incriminating about Illyrio, or she could simply want to conquer, and head towards the free cities. She could return to her forces at Mereen. I'm not really sure what's gonna happen there, there's a whole crap ton of ships there that seem perfectly suited to carry a whole host of Dothraki across the ocean once their crews have been killed. The Volantene fleet seems like a problem, and they'll never ally with Dany, but the Iron Islanders could be capable of taking them on. Also would be a nice chance for Dany to arrive on Drogon and roast some slavers. Anyway, because of the sheer number of ships, my hunch that she will command Dothraki, and the nice connection of Dany eventually bringing Dothraki across the sea (she's done it before, just not with as many). If she leaves from Mereen, she will land in Dorne. This could prove problematic for Aegon if he is allied with Dorne and assaulting the reach. It also mirrors Nymeria (she burned her ships) and positions the "ice team" coming down from the North and the "fire team" coming from the South. If she leaves from the free cities, she could land on KL (oh ho ho), The Wall (zombies ahoy!),Vale(LF didn't expect that!) or Dragonstone (it's probably this one, it's her ancestral keep and where she left from Westeros). No clue where she'll go next.

As for King's Landing, I suspect the faith quickly will control everything. I'm not sure what Cersei will be up to, but it's probably nothing good. The riverlands/westerlands are currently the most beaten by the war, and I don't see them doing much besides scarping and surviving before 3 massive armies come to destroy their battered lands even more.

Where does this leave us? I suspect the forces of the others (and probably eventually Stannis, even Rickon would work here since he's already dubious morally) will eventually reach the Riverlands, specifically the Trident. While this sounds like a big LotR "final battle" for our beloved GRRM, I think by this time the sides will be greyed (Dany's further descent into madness? sympathy for the others?).

[Sword of the Mid-Afternoon]

Although the previous post makes a lot of sense (at least to me)...I would like to throw my 2 cents in.

1. Why should remain till the end a "Seven Kingdom"? A biased outcome - The Northern Kingdom including the Frozen Lands. Capital at Winterfell, with Jon Snow/Targ as King with Bran his Hand. I believe Bran will muster the knowledge to control the Others.

The Southern Kingdom - KL still the capital. Dany + Gendry as Queen and King with Tyrion their Hand.

Totally agree with the multiple Kingdoms idea except with a few tweaks:

North/Riverlands (after utter destruction of all Freys)/Vale - Jon Star(k)garyen rules as King in Winterfell with Tyrion (who is known to like Jon) staying in the North (see my previous post) as Jon's Hand.

Dorne/Reach/Stormlands - Ruled by fAegon and Arianne in their alliance with Dorne. Storm's End is capital. After Tyrell's fall from power, Randyll Tarly steps in and sides with fAegon delivering the Reach as well.

Iron Islands - minor upset here as VIctarion ends up on top. Not exactly why but he does have the Iron Fleet and I feel too many people are writing him off

Westerlands/Crownlands - Jaime ends up ruling here through the seat of Casterly Rock as I believe KL will be destroyed in a future conflict.... maybe fAegon vs. Lannisters and Tyrells or even Dany coming to roast it with her Dragons

WIldcard - whatever LF decides to do, have NO idea what his endgame is

[Artorias of the Abyss]

KL will be destroyed the second a dragon comes remotely near it. It's packed full of wildfire, and we don't know if the alchemists ever removed the hidden stores set around the city by Aerys.

[Caius Caesar]

Dorne/Reach/Stormlands - Ruled by fAegon and Arianne in their alliance with Dorne. Storm's End is capital. After Tyrell's fall from power, Randyll Tarly steps in and sides with fAegon delivering the Reach as well.

Westerlands/Crownlands - Jaime ends up ruling here through the seat of Casterly Rock as I believe KL will be destroyed in a future conflict.... maybe fAegon vs. Lannisters and Tyrells or even Dany coming to roast it with her Dragons

WIldcard - whatever LF decides to do, have NO idea what his endgame is

1. Regarding a Dorne and fAegon (??) alliance I don't think it will happen. At least this is my feeling from the Arianne chapter. In Dorne "war means wait" or fAegon brings immediate war. Secondly, the heir of Dorne will not marry an "unknown heritage" person otherwise the Bastard of Godsgrace would be front runner.

2. Jamie - him being Lord Commander - he cannot hold any lands, father any sons, etc.....so, will he give up his comission and become Lord of Casterly Rock? The path he is on, IMO, is leading to a higher end - honor bound, Sir Arthur Dayne - like.

[cup_of_tea]

Jon/Mel/Wall:

Jon dies from his wounds but wargs into Ghost. While inside Ghost, Bran is going to give him a bunch of cryptic visions (his parentage? how to defeat the others? his future?) that will make perfect sense to us but will only confuse Jon. While Jon is out of commission, the NW is going to elect their 999th LC and will be completely divided post-Jon's assassination. However, an attack by the Others unites them for a period of time and they are forced to fight in an epic battle that it seems like they are going to lose until Stannis shows up. However, Stannis dies and Mel, worried that without Stannis the Wall it won't hold, burns their bodies - since that's what they do to dead bodies and how Mel gets her magic - but surprisingly Jon is going to have his "Dany-Funeral-Pyre" moment and emerge from the fire unscathed and reborn as AA. Jon then re-starts his Watch and helps them repel the Other attack and is re-elected as the 1000th LC of the NW and is ready to fight the Battle for the Dawn.

Stannis/Theon/Winterfell/Boltons:

Stannis is going to sacrifice Theon at that Weirwood tree, since he needs the North firmly behind him. Stannis will then defeat the Boltons thanks the Manderly's treachery and his own cunning (fighting on a frozen lake is hard!). The letter from WF to Jon Snow was sent by Bolton after he fell for a ruse before being surprised by Manderly's treachery. Rickon and Davos return to Winterfell and Stannis is heralded as a savior (and reunited with Davos) and its a pretty awesome moment when the Northern houses sorta come to respect Stannis since he brought back Rickon and sent Arya to be with Jon Snow at the Wall. However, that's when Stannis gets news that Jon has been stabbed and the Wall is under attack by the Others. Stannis, then installs Rickon in WF with Manderly/Davos ruling in his stead and he heads for the Wall because (1) Stannis can't win Winterfell and then let the Wall fall and Ned Stark's bastard die & (2) Stannis will want to execute the people that killed Jon cause, ya know, he's rigid about the rules like that. Stannis will get there in time to participate in the battle, but unlike last time Stannis doesn't do so well and his glowing sword fails and Stannis dies. His death will probably be what spurs Mel to burn both Jon and Stannis (since she will think there needs to be a dragon awoken in order to defeat the Others and because she's worried) but when Jon is awoken by the flames/magic or whatever and Stannis is merely burnt to a crisp the light will turn on in Mel's head that she was wrong about AAR and that it's really Jon

Dany/Mereen/Tyrion/Baristan/Vic/Jorah

Battle of Mereen goes how we'd expect. Barristan/Vic do their "Hammer/Anvil" thing and crush the slavers and Tyrion flips the sellsword company. There is an awesome moment where Tyrion/Jorah/Vic/Barristan all have a pow-wow and its all snide remarks and hidden agendas and them not trusting each other. However, this is the moment when the Volantis fleet arrives and they have to band together - which they do, sorta. Vic tries to keep them from landing with the Iron Fleet and Barristan/Jorah start prepping for Battle Part Deux but Vic blows the stupid horn and gets himself roasted by the dragons, giving the Volantis fleet a chance to land. The battle is going horribly for everyone as the dragons start wrecking shit and Barristan gets killed in the chaos, and just when it looks like everything is lost is when Dany will show up with her giant khalisar and riding on Drogon. Her appearance flips the slaves in the ships to her side and inspires a last-ditch rally by her forces that totally works. However, Mereen is essentially destroyed and tons are dead. Dany wants to stay and fix it until Tyrion reminds her that (f)Aegon is in Westeros and she has to get going, so she does -- with all the extra ships, heading for Pentos first (now that Dany is pissed as Illyrio she doesn't mind giving the Tattered Prince Pentos).

KL/The South

Cercei wins her trial but unfortunately Maergery loses hers. However, with the Dornish in town and Aegon running around Westeros, Cercei can't afford to let the High Septon kill Maergery, so she and the Tyrells runs the Faith out of town (also, with Kevan dead, its probable Mace Tyrell as Hand of the King doesn't even wait for the trial but tries to run the High Septon out of town himself). The Faith will return to Oldtown, where they were originally based, just in time for a massive Greyjoy attack on the city. Without help from the Crown, all hope seems lost until JonCon saves the Hightowers/Redwyns from the Iron Born attack on Oldtown and is rewarded with their fealty to Aegon. Like the original Aegon, (f)Aegon is crowned by the High Septon in Oldtown as the rightful King of Westeros. This finally prompts Arianne to make a decision about an alliance and she agrees to marry Aegon and unite the Dornish with Aegon's forces. Now with the Redwyn/Hightower fleets and arms, the Golden Company, the Dornish, and the militant Faith behind him, Aegon can take KL.

Since I doubt the book would be long enough to include a battle for KL at the end, I'm willing to bet that they take KL when someone at court open the gates for them (Varys? Jaime? the Dornish? the Tyrells?) and in the ensuing violence they kill Tommen, wrapping his body in a shroud. Everyone is eerily reminded of Tywin but nobody says anything cause its really awkward. Cercei flees to the Rock and Aegon VI is proclaimed King of Westeros....

Throughout all of this we just keep hearing about how Dany is coming or about how Dany has taken Pentos and in the last chapter we get word Dany is landing in Westeros.

Great post.

[alienarea]

It will never get published. GRRM releases/reads advance chapters bi-yearly were POVs travel from A to B and food and clothings are described very, very detailed.

Meanwhile the tv show surpasses the books and ends with Jon marrying Daenerys after defeating the Others and Tyrion killing Cersei.

GRRM will say this is not what he had in mind but since the tv show finished first he won't release TWoW were originally Jon Snow stayed dead, Tyrion died in the battle for Mereen and Daenerys was enslaved by Khal Jaqo after Drogon left her in the Dothraki sea.