My Personal Predictions for the first part of the WoW

[Veltigar]

Like most of the posters on this forum, ever since I finished ADWD I’ve been thinking about what is going to happen in tWoW (or at least the first part of it). Since I’m currently not busy doing anything else, I thought that it would be a good idea to put my predictions in one long thread so that they can be critically examined by fellow enthusiasts.

I’ll try to be as methodical as possible, but if I get a little sidetracked on the way than please carry on, it will not last forever. If you have anything to add, or if your opinion differs from mine, than by all means speak up. Together we might be able to correctly predict a small part of GRRM awesome piece of art.

A quick overview of the topics:

1) The Ironborn victory and its consequences

2) Sam, Jaqen and the Sphinx

3) Faegon and Arianne

4) Concerning Darkstar

5) Meanwhile on the Iron Islands

6) Rerum Awesomness (AKA Why Stannis is going to crush his opponents)

7) Davos and the Skaggs

8) Law & order: Kingslanding

9) The Riverlands: Rise of Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill

10) The Vale: HtH and Alayne Stone/Bob Baratheon and Lyanna Stark

11) Arya’s return to Westeros

12) A Blackfish in the Neck: “Family, duty, honor”

13) Beyond the Wall

14) Tyrion and the gang

15) Meanwhile at the wall

16) Bonus: After Dany’s landing (this is certainly going to be part two)

1) The Ironborn victory and its consequences

I know a lot of people don’t like the Ironborn. They are a crude bread of men, ravishers and rapists to the bone. They have problems with authority, they don’t have the numbers and they aren’t used to warfare on this scale. On the other hand you have the handsome Tyrells, protectors of chivalry and refined Southern culture. They outnumber the Ironborn greatly and are very well equipped and lead by proven battle commanders. How on earth do the Ironborn think to win from this giant of the green lands?

In the long run, that answer is fairly simple: Dragons! Euron wants the dragons because he knows that they’ll be game changers and that whoever secures them will probably win the war.

But what’s Eurons plan for the short run? He must have one because even if Victarion acts like the dutiful brother and his voyage goes smoothly it will take a considerable amount of time to get Dany and her dragons back to Westeros. And since he has already attacked the Reach he knows that he’ll (at the very least) has to overcome the hosts send by the Iron Throne long enough for Dany to arrive to get a shot at ultimate victory.

I don’t think that Euron will be contempt with just holding out until the Dragons fly in too secure victory (Euron is much too smart and cautious to rely solely on that). Euron has always been bold, both in his actions and in his schemes like for instance the sack of Lannisport and by sailing farther west than any Ironborn had dared before. I think he intends to destroy large parts of the Tyrell army and lay waste to most of his enemies in the Reach before Dany arrives (for the same reason Faegon wanted to land in Westeros rather than to go and beg to his alleged aunt).

Euron now controls the Shield Islands and he has assembled his fleets there with the intention of pushing deeper into the Reach via the Mander or attacking Oldtown. Garlan and Willas Tyrell are assembling an army to drive the Ironborn away from them, but the problem is that they don’t have a fleet to take their men over the rivers and the bay (to retake the Shield islands). If the Ironborn were to attack the army when it tries to cross than it would end in a total massacre off the Tyrell host. This is probably what is going to happen. The Arbor fleet won’t get there in time or it will be destroyed by Ironborn raiders.

So, how is this going to play out? Well, firstly I think that the Ironborn aren’t going to be alone when the fighting start. The Florents of Brightwater keep will join the Ironborn in their fight because it’s the only shot they have at retaining their lordship. And although they suffered losses, they are still powerful (Since Garlan was initially send back to the Reach to raise an army to claim Brightwater Keep).

The Ironborn will start by claiming large pieces of land along the west bank of the Mander. The Tyrell host will have no other choice than to cross the river - thus exposing itself to attack – in order to deal with the Ironborn. I think that they’ll be able to cross the river easily and that they will destroy every Ironborn who tries to attack them. And then just when they are feeling confident about their mission the bomb will drop. An army of Ironborn and Florents is laying siege on Highgarden (or rather taking it since Highgarden is more like a palace than like a stronghold).

Both Willas and Garlan don’t seem to be stupid. They know that what was true for the Starks will be true for them (lose your castle = lose your head) + they have lots of family members there (like the Queen of Thorns). They’ll have no choice but to turn their army around and march back to Highgarden. When the army is busy making its second crossing the Ironborn will attack and the Tyrell army will be utterly destroyed.

By destroying the army and taking Highgarden the Ironborn will have secured a strategic position to start their reign over the Reach (+ GRRM said that we were going to see Highgarden in the future, which is true in this case). They’ll also have diminished the treat of the Tyrell since they lost a considerable chunk of their army, a lot of family members and their castle (which will be important for other storylines like Kingslanding and Faegon).

After this great victory the Ironborn will attack Oldtown, take the city and sack it completely but I’ll talk about that one later. Another possibility is that the Ironborn attack Oldtown first and then crush Tyrell host and take Highgarden but I don’t think that is likely because that would be more time consuming for the Ironborn since the Tyrells than have to attack them over land (more time for the Tyrells to receive word about an ambush) + it wouldn’t be beneficial to Sams storyline since it wouldn’t leave much time to forge a maesters chain.

2) Sam, Jaqen and the Sphinx

As pointed out above the Ironborn storyline influences Sams storyline the most. I believe that when we see him again in tWoW, a considerable amount of time will have passed for him. He’ll probably have some links already. I’m thinking about a link for ancient history, economics, ravencraft and possibly warfare (all things he has a considerable amount of experience with because of his love for books, his training for lordship and his live with the NW). He’ll be very busy with earning his silver link for medicine and the Valyrian steel link for magic.

By the time we get to him, Sam will have developed a new friendship with Arellas (I would say bromance but since Arellas = Sarella that word does not fit). I think that is inevitable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I think that Sarella is going to be impressed by Sams calling as a member of the NW and how fast he’s able to forge his chain. Sam on the other hand, will be most pleased to meet a peer who loves knowledge as much as he does, which is a first for him.

Secondly Sarella is part Summer Islander. Sam has obviously taken a liking for Summer Islanders, since they saved him and the others of his company from death. And Sarella will be pleased to talk to somebody who knows a bit about their customs and who is unbiased about her mother’s people.

Thirdly Sarella is described as being an accomplished archer. Sam, however clumsy he might be at it, has promised Jon to keep on practicing with the bow. I can really imagine a scene where Sam is in a quiet place busy shooting arrows at a target (and missing of course) when Sarella discovers him and shows him how its dune. They might even develop some sort of routine like waking up at dawn, practice with bow and arrow and then start studying.

During these moments, the two of them will probably be discussing the strange behavior of Pate/Jaqen and that he has a very creepy vibe to him. Eventually, they will find out that he isn’t who he claims to be and that he’s after that book hidden in the citadel (I don’t recall the title but it was something like how to kill a dragon). Unfortunately, right at that moment the Ironborn will launch their assault on the city. During the confusion of the attack Pate/Jaqen will try to steal the book from the citadel. But I don’t think he’s going to succeed. I believe that Sam and Sarella will be able to snatch the book away and flee the city. After they leave the city they’ll have four possible destinations.

A) The Wall, unlikely because of the distance.

B) Horn Hill, possible but seeing that it lies between Highgarden and Oldtown and that it’s home to the best warrior in Westeros it will probably be used as the base of operations for the Tyrell loyalists to defend the Reach which would draw a lot of unwanted attention.

C) Dorne, Sarella’s home. I don’t think they’ll go there.

D) Storms End. Sarella and Sam will head for Storms End after they hear about Faegon and Arianne. And they’ll provide the book to him in order to even the odds against Dany (Dany is obviously going to win the second Dance but thanks to the book not without a cost).

[People probably noticed that I didn’t mention Gilly. That’s because we don’t know if she’s still on board the cinnamon wind or not. I think she’s probably still in Oldtown working as a serving girl somewhere. Sam probably won’t be able to spend much time with her and the child, but when he and Sarella’s leave the city they’ll probably pick her up and take her with them. I think Gilly will soon spot that Sarella is a girl and that she’ll probably be jealous (it would be great to have two women bickering over Sam the Slayer)]

3) Faegon and Arianne

By the time Arianne arrives at Storms End it will have fallen to Faegon, it is known. They probably attacked the token force left behind under the leadership of Mathis Rowan, pretended to be hired by Stannis to relieve them and after being allowed to enter, overpowered the garrison.

Arianne and Lady Lance will be introduced to a handsome bloodstained prince, who will look regal in every regard. To make a long story short, Arianne will be most pleased with what she sees and she’ll probably be persuaded by his Valyrian appearance, his sad story and Jon Conningtons dedication. And she’ll probably think to herself, since this guy looks legit, Quentyn + Dany = King & Queen on the Iron Throne won’t happen. Why not marry him myself? I think that’s the moment they’ll hear off the Ironborn victory over the Tyrells. With the Tyrells and thus the Iron Throne severely weakened, the time is ripe to bring the war to the next level. Arianne marries Faegon and unleashes the armies of Dorne.

[Note: I don’t know why, but for some reason I think that Lady Lance and Arianne will be competitors for Faegons favor]

4) Concerning Darkstar.

I think that Darkstar has a bigger role to play in tWoW. Not because he’s Aerys’s son or one of those crackpot theories, but because he’ll be able to provide some backstory to the Daynes.

As we all know the people send out to hunt Darkstar down are Obara, Balon and Hotah. Swan is an excellent knight, Hotah is a BAMF and Obara has some skills to. Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne, but even he doesn’t have a chance against these guys and the army they have with him. That’s why he retreated to High Hermitage, to get the home field advantage. But that won’t be enough, that’s why I think that he might try to steal Dawn. If he succeeds than I think that the weapon will even the odds. Anyway, at least two of the three sent out to get him will be killed. I’m pretty sure that Obara is a goner, but I can’t seem to make up my mind if the other one who is certainly going to die is Hotah or Balon.

I imagine the fight will start after Darkstar ambushes them. I think that the most logical outcome is that one of the three dies and a least one of the others taking a wound. After that Darkstar scrambles away seeing that he can’t win against their numbers. They’ll tend to the wounded and burry the death and then they’ll give chase. They’ll find out that Darkstar, instead of fleeing back to the mountains is on his way to Sun spear or the Water Gardens. When they arrive their they’ll be just too late to stop Darkstar from killing Doran Martell. In the fight that follows one of them dies and the other kills Darkstar.

If Dawn is the weapon used to kill Doran than it will be sent to Arianne at Storms End so that she herself might see this blade of myths that killed her father. She’ll than pass it on to Faegon.

[i think that Dawn - if it resurfaces – will be in the possession of Faegon until he dies. Another possibility to bring it to him is Septa Lemore = Ashara Dayne]

5) Meanwhile on the Iron Islands

I don’t think the Iron Islands are going to be that import in tWoW. I expect that we’ll get some Damphair POVs (at least one). These will provide further backstory on the Iron Islands and the faith of the Drowned God. We’ll probably get confirmation that Aeron was molested by Euron as a child (GRRM said that the Aeron Chapter he wanted to read had some disturbing shit in it). If there are more than let’s say one or two chapters there we’ll probably be a storyline about Aeron discovering how Balon was murdered or something like that.

6) Rerum Awesomness (AKA Why Stannis is going to crush his opponents)

First of all, yes I’m a fan of Stan the Man, but I’ve tried really hard to judge his situation in the same way as the characters who don’t appeal as cool to me.

That being said, there is no way in seven hells that Stannis is going to lose the battle for Winterfell. Why? Well, let’s start with a simple assessment of Stannis’s strengths and weaknesses (or rather those of his army, Stannis doesn’t have any weaknesses).

First his weaknesses: Stannis army is hungry, cold and probably outnumbered. He has no cavalry left and Stannis isn’t used to fighting in the snow (one battle against the Wildlings doesn’t count).

Now his strengths: First off all Stannis’s opponents outnumber him when they combine their troops, that’s true, but luckily for him they all hate each other more than they hate him. The Freys, the Manderleys and the armed forces of the Bastard of Bolton will not join forces and they’ll all attack separately. Secondly he has the home field advantage. His enemies have to come to him and that gives him time to prepare some surprises for them. Thirdly the Bastard of Bolton (I don’t recall if the others knew about it) expects that the Karstarks are going to switch side as soon as they see the flayed man of Bolton approaching, but since Stannis has secured the men of Karborg after apprehending their leaders Ramsay will be very disappointed. Fourthly Stannis, through the captured Maester has the perfect tool for feeding false information to his enemies. He obviously used this tool, the pink letter Ramsay send to Jon Snow was full of false information that Stannis wanted to feed to Ramsay. Fifthly Stannis is a battle-hardened commander. The reputation of the commanding officers on the other side is less radiant. I don’t know who commands Manderleys host (probably the nephew who is captain of the guard), so I can’t say anything about him. The others however are known. Ramsay is a vile brute, he never had any proper weapon training and I doubt they ever bothered to learn him the basics of commanding. He’ll probably charge the same way he fights, like a mad man. The Frey army under the command of Ser Aenys would have been a formidable foe. Luckily for Stannis, Mors Umbers trap killed Ser Aenys and the command fell to Ser Hosteen. Stannis gave Ser Hosteen a promising nickname namely Ser Stupid. What we have seen of this guy so far is that he’s a very good soldier, but not a good commander. I think he’ll lead the Freys host to certain death. Finally, a big part of Stannis’s host are experienced North men, they know how to fight in the cold. That’s a big advantage against the Freys who aren’t familiar to these kind of conditions.

Now, how is this battle going to unfold exactly? I’ll think the armies will arrive in the following order. 1) The Freys 2) The Manderleys 3) Ramsay.

When the Freys arrive they’ll see a small settlement on the other end of a white plain. Stannis will have fortified the village with a wall of snow by then, with his troops placed behind it. From behind that wall they’ll mock the Freys and provoke Ser Stupid in to a full-blown charge. Ser Stupid will lead that one himself and place all the Frey cavalry in the front rows to bust through the wall of snow. Regrettably for him what he thinks to be a plain is actually a frozen lake. That frozen lake is already very weakened by the many holes the Baratheon men drilled into it (Stannis would have patched this holes up obviously) and it won’t hold under the force of a massive charge. Ser Hosteen and the other mounted soldiers and knights off the Frey force will drown in the lake, some foot soldiers will fall in the same trap, but I suspect that most of them survive (Be it terrified and without a clear leader).

After this three things can happen. A) Stannis clan members clad in snowshoes attack them and slowly drive them into the frozen lake.

B) The Manderleys arrive. They were never planning on fighting against Stannis and now they can switch sides with relative ease. Their army attacks and again they drive the remaining Freys into the lake.

C) A combination of A) and B).

When the Freys are dealt with, it will be time to deal with Manderley. But even if the Manderleys don’t attack the Freys, they’ll hoist a white flag and bend the knee to King Stannis.

After this Stannis will use the false Maester again to trick Ramsay in to believing that his forces have killed Stannis. Then there are two possibilities: A) Stannis rides out with the new additions to his army and catches Ramsay with his pants down so to speak. Bye bye Boltons Bastard.

B) I think this scenario is unlikely but it would be awesome. Stannis could sent his army away and pretend to be captured by the Manderleys/Karstarks alongside a group of his most trusted knights. If he does this, he is sure to be allowed into Winterfell. Once inside the Manderleys show their true colors and start attacking the Boltons. They’ll hold the gates open for the rest of Stannis army to get inside. The hosts of the Umbers, the Hornwoods, Cerwyn, Ryswell and Dustins will surrender right away and the Boltons will be dispatched to asshole heaven (aka Hell).

If the first possibility turns out to be true than they’ll have to march on Winterfell itself. I think this is where Theon and the Manderleys come into play. If they bring the truth about the sack of Winterfell to light the non-Bolton Northerners will rebel and in an orgy of carnage defeat the Boltons. I also had this vision of them bringing a captured Ramsay to the walls and torture him until he cries out the truth (I suspect that Ramsay will be a lot less vicious when he’s on the other side of the flaying knife).

Another possibility is that Bloodraven intervenes and uses his ravens to show some sort of secret entrance to the crypts and that they attack from below. At the end of the day Stannis will hold dominion over Winterfell.

[There are a lot of people out there who believe that Stannis is going to be the new Nightsking. Personally, I think that if we are to get a new Nightsking an escaped Roose or Ramsay Bolton would be the best choice]

7) Davos and the Skaggs.

I think that most of the Davos storyline will serve to give us further insight in the fascinating Skagosi customs and wildlife and probably some insight about the Others, the long night and the role of the Starks of old. I base this assumptions on the isolated location of Skagos. The Island seems like a place where the old knowledge and habits could be preserved, for instance all this talk about the Stoneborn being cannibalistic could just be the Stoneborn performing human sacrifice.

I believe that Rickon and Shaggy Dog will fit in perfectly in the ferocious Skagosi society. They’ll probably be guarded by one of the noble houses (or perhaps by some Priestess or something like that). They’ll be well nourished and they’ll probably be revered in some way by the Stoneborn.

I think that Davos is going to have a tough time to get Rickon back to the mainland. He and Osha (she is going to get a bigger role thanks to the show) will probably need to resort to drastic steps to get him back. I imagine those two kidnapping Rickon in the night away from crazy Skagg worshippers. When they leave the Island they’ll travel to Winterfell to join King Stannis.

NOTE: My next predictions about Kingslanding, the Riverlands, the Vale, Essos and the Wall are the ones I’m least confident about simply because there seem to be a lot of unpredictable wildcards in play (e.g. the Blackfish, Marwyn,…)

8) Law & Order: Kingslanding

With the deaths of Kevan and Pycelle, the might of Lannister seems to be put to an end in the capitol. Their deaths will also cause further paranoia and hostility between the Tyrells and the Lannisters. If you add the arrival of the Dornishmen, religious zealots, the influence of Varys/LF and Ungregor to that mixture you don’t need to have a degree in chemistry to predict a catastrophe.

Let’s start with Cersei’s trial. Her champion Ungregor will utterly destroy Lancel, the champion of the faith. And thus Cersei will be freed and she’ll immediately start with moving to power again.

The outcome of Margaery’s trial is far less predictable. I believe that by the time we’ll get to her trial. The Dornishmen will have arrived and the Ironborn victory will have seriously weakened the Reach.

Tyene and Nymeria will be seriously trying to weaken the alliance even further and they’ll give special attention to Ungregor. I imagine that the trial will turn into a disaster for the Tyrells. This disaster could just be Margaery’s death. But it could very well be the loss of Randyll Tarly and if Faegon takes down Rowan and the Ironborn take Garlan and/or Willas down they’ll really need Randyll to save their asses.

If Margaery loses her trial and the Faith moves to execute her Mace will probably order his bannermen to protect his daughter and to butcher the High Septon and his forces. Randyll, however loyal he may be has sworn an oath to return Maergery to be tried. I think that he’s a true believer in the Seven and that if he’s bound to choose between the Faith and his liege lords he’ll probably choose the Faith.

In the carnage that follows the Dornishmen will move to kill Cersei and her children. They won’t succeed completely, because Ungregor will prove to be immune for Tyene’s poison and Nyms knives (I’ll believe at least one of them will perish in this confrontation). They will however succeed in killing either Myrcella or Tommen (I don’t think they’ll manage to kill both).

9) The Riverlands: Rise of Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill

The last time we saw Brienne and Jaime they were on their way to the BwB. When they get their the BwB will attempt to execute Jaime.

The meeting of Jaime and Uncat will be pretty gruesome and at the end of it she’ll order his death. I think that no member of the BwB has any problems with that. However, Uncat will also order the deaths of Brienne, Ser Hyal and Pod. The Berric faction won’t allow it. Gendry, Thoros and the Heddles will speak in favor of Brienne and her crew. Tension will rise until finally Lemoncloak (= the new Hound) snaps and draws steel. In the battle that follows Uncat will die and the Uncat faction will leave the scene.

Right about that time Adam Marbrand and his troops will arrive at the scene (I believe that new Jaime would never just disappear without giving orders to follow him from a distance or something like that). Gendry and the others will have no other choice than to lay down their weapons and to trust on the Kingslayer.

Jaime will spare their lives and give them leaf to go but I do believe that he’ll give them another option. Brienne would probably like to continue her search and head for the Vale, but there is a problem. Travelling in the passes has always been dangerous because of the Mountain Clans, and now it will be even more dangerous since the Clans are now armed with fine Lannister steel. The clans will also be bolder thanks to their experiences in the War of the five Kings and because of the fact that the Vale Lords are quarreling amongst themselves.

This is why I think that Jaime is going to ask them to swear allegiance to Brienne (he knows they won’t swear it to him). When the man swore their allegiance, he’ll equip them with horses, food and good steel and send them on their way.

Before they leave Jaime is going to have a long chat with Ser Gendry about his true parentage. I had this crazy idea that Jaime when dealing out weapons and armor to the former members of the BwB would pull Gendry aside and take him back to his tent. There he would give Gendry either Roberts war hammer or Renly’s armor (this is a crackpot theory of mine but I think it would be nice).

[i don’t think that the Blackfish will resurface with the BwB, but if he does I don’t see any problems. He’ll get the same deal as the rest of them.]

10) The Vale: HtH and Alayne Stone/Bob Baratheon and Lyanna Stark

Sansa will shine in the palace of Nestor Royce. The guys will be smitten and the women will be impressed. I think she’ll make friends again (Mya and Myranda) and that for a time, she’ll be very happy. And then she’ll meet Harry the Heir (=HtH), now I have read a lot of comments on people who would like her to fall in love with him and he with her and that together they’ll be like this awesome couple. To those people I say forget it, it’s never going to happen or at least not on Sansa’s side.

I believe that HtH will fall head over heels for her and try everything to get in her favor, just like Bob wanted Lyanna more than everything. Sansa however will see through his gallantries and see what lies underneath. What I mean is that she’ll discover that HtH is nothing less than a giant douchebag, a likeable douchebag but nonetheless still a douchebag (just like Robert was, I mean I liked him, but he was a douchebag).

Sansa will during tWoW start to realize what kind of a man LF really is and I’ll think she’ll subtly start with playing her own version of the game in order to assure her own safety (I imagine that she’ll enlist her new friends, sweetrobin, HtH, Lothor Brune and the mad mouse as her new pawns).

How things will turn out when Brienne and crew arrive will be hard to tell. But I imagine that they’ll play cat and mouse for a while until a new arrival of a certain dragon queen.

11) Arya’s return to Westeros.

The last time we saw Arya she was sent to a guy/place called Izembaro to complete her training as a FM. Now, personally I never liked the FM. A creepy cult of death worshippers, killing people and calling it a gift there has to be something going on there (I don’t remember where exactly I read it but someone asked George if the FM were hired to kill the dragons and he replied “not yet”).

And even if turns out that the FM don’t have any agenda of their own, we can all agree that Arya can’t stay with them forever (and I don’t think the FM are going to like that. They have a “blood in, blood out” vibe to them IMO). But how exactly will Arya free herself from bondage?

I mean she obviously felt some resentment about giving up her own identity (that’s why she hid Needle). But where we left her in ADWD that resentment was almost gone. I think that she’s really on the verge of giving up her name and becoming truly no one. To wrestle her away from that path, there needs to happen something with a huge emotional impact.

But what could possibly have the required emotional punch for cynical Arya to come back to senses? The news of Jon’s assassination? The news of Fake Arya? The news that Sansa and/or Rickon are still alive? A meeting with Dany and her dragons?

These are all possibilities but I think that by the time this news travels back to Braavos or wherever she is by then, Arya should already be on their way to Westeros (With Dany’s army or alone).

That is why I have come up with a totally different theory, which borders on crackpot, but I think it’s rather plausible because it would make sense plot wise.

My theory (don’t shoot me) is that Syrio Forel is still alive. I don’t think he’s Jaqen H’qar, because that just doesn’t make sense. I believe that he was what he was, namely the former first sword of Braavos and a BAMF. I think that it’s very likely that he was able to escape Ser Meryn Trant. I mean Trant isn’t the greatest knight in the realm and he isn’t used to fighting against a fencing master. And Syrio is no ordinary master, he’s an artist! I think he kept Trant at bay for a while and then fled the Red Keep. Once he reached the streets of Kingslanding he was save. I mean Ser Barristan was able to hide in the city and he was probably one of the most known members of the entire court.

Anyway how is this going to play out? Well, IMO there are three options.

A) Arya is serving in the temple when she comes across Syrio in one of the alcoves. He came to the temple to die and drunk the black water (maybe because Trant wounded him severely or something like that). In his final moments he recognizes Arya, calls her by her name and asks if she remembered his lessons. Moved by Syrio, Arya walks out the temple and digs Needle back up. She goes to the harbor and leaves Braavos.

[Think about what a great moment this would be on the show. I can easily imagine Miltos Yeromelou lying on a cold marble slab talking to Arya. His final words could then be something along the lines off “What do we say to the God of Death?” and then Arya answering “today”. That would be utterly devastating to the audience]

B) Arya is send out to dispatch somebody to the afterlife. For some reason, they’ll have time constraints or they botch things up or something like that. A fight starts and when they finish, Arya sees that one of the bodyguards of her intended target (or the target itself, but that’s probably impossible because of the you-can’t-go-after-someone-you-know issue). Again Arya is able to hear his last words, she’s devasted by then and picks up Needle and pulls a Fuck the police moment and leaves Braavos.

C) Syrio comes back to town and someone who holds a grudge to him comes to the temple to ask the FM to give Syrio the gift. The mission is accepted and a FM is sent to deal with the target. Arya hears that they are after Syrio, she picks up needle and goes away to protect Syrio. She comes to late or she gets there in time but the FM catch up and Arya and Syrio fight side by side against them. Anyway Syrio dies, Arya finds her identity again and leaves the city.

12) A Blackfish in the Neck: “Family, duty, honor”

I think that we are going to get a Blackfish POV in the next book. Why? Because I think that we’ll need eyes in the place he’s heading to.

The last time we saw the BF, he escaped from Riverrun and he apparently disappeared into thin air. The readers – and the characters as well – don’t know where he went. So where did he go? To answer that question we need to look at his family motto: “family, duty, honor.” The Blackfish is a stubborn, tough and skilled knight who loves his family, but he’s also smart enough to realistically asses his changes off success and make tough decisions based on them. Let’s start with a couple of scenario’s for the BF (I think that D is bound to happen, but please read the others as well).

A) Retreat to the Vale:

Sweetrobin and LF are there. He has many friends in the Vale and he knows that the Vale Lords were eager to join Robb in his war. But I don’t think he’s going there. If he knew that Sansa was there that might have been different, but he doesn’t know that. He’s probably weary off LF and he would stray far from the Riverlands were his duty and his honor lie. So, I don’t think that he would go there.

[He might head for the Vale later on. I would like that because I would love the BF-LF dynamic. I don’t think LF would refrain from hurting/killing the BF if he thought that was necessary. But I do think that LF would feel guilty for like a whole minute if it would ever come to that].

B) On the way North to fake Arya:

This scenario is very unlikely. He doesn’t know Arya, he knew that Robb thought that she was dead. And she’s in the hand of either the Boltons or Stan the Man. He knows thatit would be very dangerous + it would take ages to reach Winterfell

C) Rescue Edmure:

This would totally be in line with Family, duty, honor but I don’t think it will happen. Edmure will be well guarded, the BF wouldn’t be able to gather the required manpower to free him (even if he teams up with the BwB) + when they attack the caravan, the Lannisters would probably slit Edmure’s throat. To make this mission even more difficult is that everybody suspects that he’ll try and liberate Edmure making a surprise attack or something like that impossible.

D) Attack the Twins and save Roslyn:

I think that this scenario will take place. Edmure told his uncle off Roslyns pregnancy. Edmure also told the BF that Roslyn sincerely loves him and that she didn’t want to take part in the RW. The BF also knows that Edmure’s child will never be save while the Lannisters occupy Riverrun. Especially when it’s a boy. And there are other bonuses he gets by attacking the Twins as well like for example liberating the nobles from the North and the Riverlands who are still held hostage, revenge on the Freys and a signal to the Realm. He will also have the advantage of surprise on his side.

Now how will this attack take place? Where will he find the troops to pull off such a daring attack? The answer is simple: Greywater Watch.

At Greywater watch he’ll find the soldiers of House Glover and Mormont who were sent there by Robb (+ survivors of the RW) and of course the Crannogmen.

The Crannogmen and the Freys off the crossing have had a feud for several centuries. And the Northerners hate the Frey for their betrayal. I think that the BF will propose this plan to attack the Twins and that Howland Reed will support it, even if the others are against it (He’s a pretty brave guy if you ask me). There might also be some sort of representative off the BwB there who pledges the brotherhood down for attack (In that case Hot Pie as their man on the inside could open the gates after the Crannogmen killed the watchers on the wall).

The actual attack itself will happen in the midst of the night. Crannogmen armed with poisoned arrows will kill off the guards, the BF and his outfit of crannogmen and Northerners are going to bust the Greatjon and the others out of jail and then they’ll rescue Roslyn. In the battle that follows inside the Twin most of Old Walder Freys descendants will be butchered and the Twins itself lit on fire (or at least half of it).

A POV in the neck would also give us information about the Crannogmen, Howland Reed, Jon Snows parentage and of course Robbs will.

[People will have noticed that I left Jeyne Westerling out. That’s because I don’t think she’s going to be relevant in the future. She sure as hell isn’t carrying Robbs child]

13) Beyond the Wall

A) The Lands off always Winter: Like most people out there I believe we’re going to see a Benjen Stark chapter were he describes the lands of always winter. He’ll probably die at the end of the chapters (maybe sacrificed in some way, because Stark blood might have some magic in it or something like that).

B) Bran & Bloodraven: First off all I would like to say that I don’t believe in the Jojen Paste theory. I believe that Brans POV will show us more about tCotF and the others. More Starkhistory and probably Bran trying to influence things South of the Wall. I don’t think that the Reeds will leave without Bran. I think that at the end of the first or second part of tWoW we’ll see a massive attack on the cave by the Others and their mignons (I don’t think that the Others will attack the Wall if they have this huge nest of CotF in their back). They’ll probably break through and kill BR, Jojen and most (or all) of the CotF. Bran, Meera and Hodor will escape to destination unknown, helped by the Coldhands (who is the former Nightsking).

14) Tyrion and the gang

A) The Dothraki sea:

At the end of ADWD Dany was left in the Dothraki Sea with a hostile Khalesar coming her way. If that wasn’t exciting enough we have an aggressive Drogon on the hunt for his mistress and the fulfilling of MMD unwilling prophesy (Quentyn is the sun that sets in the west and goes down in the east, The mountains are the pyramids that are crumbled by the dragons, the dothraki sea is the sea that is drying up, etc.). Anyways Dany will be able to birth a living child again.

I personally think that Drogon is going to fry the Khal and his staunchest supporters. After that Dany on her dragon is going to gather the Khalesar together (they’ll probably flee after the horrible death of their Khal). She’ll pressure the Dothraki to move quickly and she’ll travel at their speed to Mereen (I don’t think that she’s going to return to the city with dragon speed. I think that Mereen will be left to stew in its own fluids for a while) or until they meet her bloodriders (she could leave them to command the host). The time that she spends on the Dothraki sea will be used to muse over her past decisions and to come up with a plan for what’s next.

B) Mereen:

This is complex stuff. Let’s see when Brown Ben Plum and Tyrion are busy playing chess they see Victarions fleet arriving. I think this is the signal to switch side. The Second Sons (and the Windblown too) will move to secure the Yunkai hostages (best way to prove allegiance is by having some of Dany’s trusted supporters returned to her). I think they are going to succeed in this task and free the hostages moments before they were to be launched with trebuchets towards the city (on orders of the Harpy aka the Green Grace and Reznak). The bodies of their wannabe executioners will be shot over the walls (that’s what Selmy hears). The Ironborn will land and carve through the Yunkai’i ranks like a hot knife through butter. Grey Worm, his Unsullied and the companies of Freed Man will leave their barracks and attack their enemies from the rear. The Yunkai’i will be thoroughly destroyed, the legions of New Ghis, Tolos and all the other places will share their faith.

The victorious troops will enter the city (I’m really looking forward to the Victorious entrance of the Ironborn in the city, that will be a great scene). The commanders will be asked to meet with Ser Barristan. Victarion, Daario, Tyrion, Ser Jorah, the Tattered Prince, Brown Ben Plum, Grey Worm, Marselen, the Green Grace, the Shavepate, Reznak and the others will meet for the first time.

This will be a meeting full of surprises (Just imagine Tyrion and Victarion interacting). They’ll talk about the Volantine fleet, the sons of the Harpy, the faith of Hizdahr, the whereabouts of Dany and what to do with the dragons.

At the end of the meeting they’ll go their separate ways, each of them trying to find the identity of the Harpy and making preparations for the next battle. Tyrion and his allies will use their brains, Vic and his blokes will start torturing people. I also think that the end of the meeting will establish hostilities especially between Vic and Daario, Ser Jorah and Daario, Barristan and everybody who wants to kill Hizdahr, etc.

They’ll eventually find out about the Green Grace (I’m putting my money on Tyrion) and dispatch her and her minions to the after live (I don’t know if they’ll kill Hizdahr right away or wait for Dany (I think that it doesn’t matter because he’s a dead man anyway). Hostilities between Daario and Ser Jorah/Victarion/Ser Barristan/… reach the boiling point. A fight starts and Daario dies.

[something that might happen, I would certainly like to see Daario Douchebag being served right: I had this theory a while back about Daario being Dany’s betrayal for gold. Daario, in exchange for a humongous amount of gold, rented his Storm Crows out to the Harpy for killing freed slaves. Tyrion would discover this (Being made suspicious because Daario was treated far better than the other prisoners or because he wasn’t there with the other two to be catapulted over the wall) and one of the others would use this as an excuse to take him out]

C) Dany arrives at Mereen:

I think she’ll arrive shortly before the attack by the Volantine fleet. She’ll use her dragon to burn some ships down. The Volantine slave soldiers rebel and join her cause. She’ll then spend some time in the city (maybe the time needed to travel back to Yunkai and free the city), getting beter acquainted with Tyrion, who will break word about Faegon (and I think Tyrion is going to tell her that he doesn’t believe in his authenticity). Hearing this news Dany will order her people to get on the ships and she’ll leave for the Free Cities. Personally, I’ll think she’ll pull a Nymeria on Mereen and Yunkai. She’ll burn them to the ground and show that there is no other way than forward. She’ll definitely sack Volantis for supplies and she’ll probably go for Pentos as well to have a chat with her old buddy Illyrio (and what a talk that will be). After that she’ll head for Westeros. I’m guessing she’ll land in the Vale.

D) Victarions fate:

A lot of people think that Moqorro is going to betray Vic. I’m not one of them, I think that Vic will get killed by the Dusky woman. Moqorro just saw that and didn’t tell Vic. I’m still puzzled about the Horn. I don’t know what is going to become of it. I doubt that it will be successful the first time, so my bet is that after blowing the horn for the first time. Vic will strike an alliance with Tyrion and or Marwyn because they seem to know things about dragons.

[The horn and Marwyn are the wildcards in this storyline]

15) Meanwhile at the wall

We’ll definitely have at least one Ghost POV. Jons body will be stored away in the ice. I don’t think Mell will have anything to do with Jons resurrection (Because I think that Jon is going to be out for some time and if Mell just needs to give him the kiss of life he’ll be resurrected without much loss of time) or it will take a while for her to realize it she can do it (If she gets her hands on Theon/Asha she might use his blood to wake a stone dragon which turns out to be frozen Jon).

Another possibility is Bran intervening in the story. He might give clues to Theon (who seems to be a very good receptor so far), who then asks Mell to give the kiss of life and then Bran would be able to guide his spirit back to Jons body. Another possibility could be that Val is going to resurrect him (In this theory Val is some sort of priestess). Again they might need Bran or Mell to help them out.

I personally don’t know how exactly it’s going to go. Although I think that the two forces (Fire and Ice) will be needed to bring Jon back to life and make him able to do the shit AA needs to do.

The reactions off the people around him will be interesting to see (at first I thought that Val would become his second love to parallel Daario with Dany, but I have abandoned that theory.

[Especially, the interaction with Stannis who learns that he isn’t AA and that Jon is the result of R+L (by that time the Northern lords freed by the BF would have flocked to Stannis). Personally, I think that Stannis will bend the knee to Jon. I’m still not sure if Stannis is going to live or die, but I do know that Stannis at the end of the day will always do what he thinks is best for the realm and it’s people (Stannis to me is the ultimate non-magical hero. Dany has her dragons, Jon is AA, but Stannis has his sense of righteousness). I think that Stannis will be a huge example for Jon.]

16) Bonus: After Dany’s landing (this is certainly going to be part two)

I’ll be really brief because when we get to this point things get shady. Dany will win the second dance (not without a cost, remember my theory about Sam and the book). Sansa, saved by Brienne and her company will declare for her. Faegon is going to be killed by stonecold JonCon after the later finds out about Faegon’s true parentage. Jaime and Sandor team up to defeat Ser Robert Strong and Jaime kills Cersei.

[Nick Baratheon]

wow! i didn´t read everything yet, but it looks like it has been an awful lot of work. :bowdown:

a shame the like buttons are down!

Edit: Yep, now I´m finished. Pretty much everything seems plausible for me, :agree:

except 13) .

Don´t know if you know the Heresy threads, but they have some damnable good arguments that the children are in fact not on the side of men, but rather connected to the Others

[Nick Baratheon]

And I fear that with George´s current writing style we won´t get that much story in even the whole WINDSOFWINTER , but we can always hope :crying:

[Aerys Blackfyre]

good job!

[sumant30]

D) Attack the Twins and save Roslyn:

I think that this scenario will take place. Edmure told his uncle off Roslyns pregnancy. Edmure also told the BF that Roslyn sincerely loves him and that she didn’t want to take part in the RW. The BF also knows that Edmure’s child will never be save while the Lannisters occupy Riverrun. Especially when it’s a boy. And there are other bonuses he gets by attacking the Twins as well like for example liberating the nobles from the North and the Riverlands who are still held hostage, revenge on the Freys and a signal to the Realm. He will also have the advantage of surprise on his side.

Now how will this attack take place? Where will he find the troops to pull off such a daring attack? The answer is simple: Greywater Watch.

At Greywater watch he’ll find the soldiers of House Glover and Mormont who were sent there by Robb (+ survivors of the RW) and of course the Crannogmen.

The Crannogmen and the Freys off the crossing have had a feud for several centuries. And the Northerners hate the Frey for their betrayal. I think that the BF will propose this plan to attack the Twins and that Howland Reed will support it, even if the others are against it (He’s a pretty brave guy if you ask me). There might also be some sort of representative off the BwB there who pledges the brotherhood down for attack (In that case Hot Pie as their man on the inside could open the gates after the Crannogmen killed the watchers on the wall).

The actual attack itself will happen in the midst of the night. Crannogmen armed with poisoned arrows will kill off the guards, the BF and his outfit of crannogmen and Northerners are going to bust the Greatjon and the others out of jail and then they’ll rescue Roslyn. In the battle that follows inside the Twin most of Old Walder Freys descendants will be butchered and the Twins itself lit on fire (or at least half of it).

A POV in the neck would also give us information about the Crannogmen, Howland Reed, Jon Snows parentage and of course Robbs will.

[People will have noticed that I left Jeyne Westerling out. That’s because I don’t think she’s going to be relevant in the future. She sure as hell isn’t carrying Robbs child]

The thing is first he has to find grey water watch in order to get the army, and what northern gang are you talking about one glower and one she bear i think possibility of such thing happening is very low.

3) Faegon and Arianne

By the time Arianne arrives at Storms End it will have fallen to Faegon, it is known. They probably attacked the token force left behind under the leadership of Mathis Rowan, pretended to be hired by Stannis to relieve them and after being allowed to enter, overpowered the garrison.

Arianne and Lady Lance will be introduced to a handsome bloodstained prince, who will look regal in every regard. To make a long story short, Arianne will be most pleased with what she sees and she’ll probably be persuaded by his Valyrian appearance, his sad story and Jon Conningtons dedication. And she’ll probably think to herself, since this guy looks legit, Quentyn + Dany = King & Queen on the Iron Throne won’t happen. Why not marry him myself? I think that’s the moment they’ll hear off the Ironborn victory over the Tyrells. With the Tyrells and thus the Iron Throne severely weakened, the time is ripe to bring the war to the next level. Arianne marries Faegon and unleashes the armies of Dorne.

[Note: I don’t know why, but for some reason I think that Lady Lance and Arianne will be competitors for Faegons favor]

The problem with your theory here is you assuming the Aegon is fake can you present any evidence from the books to prove your theory.

When they arrive their they’ll be just too late to stop Darkstar from killing Doran Martell. In the fight that follows one of them dies and the other kills Darkstar.

Darkstar killing Hotah and all palace guards is a far fetched theory.

Before they leave Jaime is going to have a long chat with Ser Gendry about his true parentage. I had this crazy idea that Jaime when dealing out weapons and armor to the former members of the BwB would pull Gendry aside and take him back to his tent. There he would give Gendry either Roberts war hammer or Renly’s armor (this is a crackpot theory of mine but I think it would be nice).

How does jamie know about robert's bastards?

I think that most of the Davos storyline will serve to give us further insight in the fascinating Skagosi customs and wildlife and probably some insight about the Others, the long night and the role of the Starks of old. I base this assumptions on the isolated location of Skagos. The Island seems like a place where the old knowledge and habits could be preserved, for instance all this talk about the Stoneborn being cannibalistic could just be the Stoneborn performing human sacrifice.

Are you really serious with this??

[Veltigar]

@ Sumant 30 I'll try and answer all your questions.

The thing is first he has to find grey water watch in order to get the army, and what northern gang are you talking about one glower and one she bear i think possibility of such thing happening is very low.

The BF needs to find Greywater Watch that's true but don't forget that the BF is an ally to the Reeds since he's a Stark loyalist. If you barge into the Neck with an army to try and find Greywater Watch to kill the Crannogmen then you'll probably end up between a rock and a hard place thanks to the conditions in the swamp and the guerilla warfare. However, when you go to the Crannogmen with friendly intentions, they'll find you and bring you back to the Greywater Watch/

About your comment on my northern gang => The She bear and Galbart Glover weren't alone. Robb sent them to Greywater Watch and I think that they took a couple of ships (2), filled with their own soldiers. So yeah, there is a Northern gang there.

The problem with your theory here is you assuming the Aegon is fake can you present any evidence from the books to prove your theory.

First off all we have the D&E tales. They weren't written because George thought that they would make a good read, they must have something to do with the greater story of ASOIAF.

Secondly, we have the emphasis on the fact that the Blackfyre's are extinct in the male line. I don't know about you but if they weren't to play a role in the story than why wouldn't George just state that the blackfyres were extinct period?

Thirdly it would explain the motivations of Varys and Illyrio (I mean this is ASOIAF "For the children" is not an adequate motive). I'm assuming that Serra is Aegons mother, Illyrio is Aegons father and Varys his uncle.

Fourthly The statue in Illyrio's manse looked a lot like young Aegon (When I read the description I found that suspicious)

Fifthly Tyrions clothes when he was with Illyrio were made for a young boy.

Sixthly There are the looks of Serra she has silver streaks in her hear (a Valyrian trait)

Seventhly the prophecy about a mummer's dragon. And then all of the sudden we get a long lost Targ? That isn’t right.

Eighthly There is this line from a Brienne chapter, when she and Pod are at the quiet Isle. The elder brother tells of the things that wash up on the shore and then he tells of a dragon sign washing up the shore. A couple of chapters before were told about the Clanking Dragon, this Inn next to the river with a black iron dragon sigil (=The blackfyre sigil is a Black dragon on red). Now, the Elder Brother told that one of the gifts they found was an iron dragon red with rust. This for me is foreshadowing that a Blackfyre disguised as a Targaryen would return.

To me this is evidence enough to prove that Faegon is Blackfyre.

Darkstar killing Hotah and all palace guards is a farfetched theory.

He doesn't have to kill all the palace guards. Doran isn't surrounded by guards, most of the time it's just Hotah. And since they don't know that Darkstar is coming, they wouldn't have increased his security. If Darkstar kills Doran and one or two guards who are with him, he'll still have a chance to escape. This is when the surviving members of the Darkstar hunt arrive, they together with the palace guards drive Darkstar in a corner. A fight starts, a couple of guards get killed and probably one of the survivors of the Darkstar Hunt. In the end Darkstar gets killed by the remaining Darkstar Hunt members and palace guards.

How does jamie know about robert's bastards?

The same way Brienne does. Everybody knows that Bob had illegitimate children and Gendry is the perfect replica of young BoB/Renly. I mean Brienne had far less contact with the Baratheon bro's than Jaime and she knows it, so Jaime will know it.

+ Jaime will certainly inform Gendry because that would be a great way to piss off Cerse.

Are you really serious with this??

Yes, Brans vision + the tales of Ser Bartimus about the history of the Wolf's Den told us that people used to perform human sacrifice to honor the Old Gods. This practice seems to be abandoned in the North (probably outlawed by the Starks), but the Skaggs are described as independent people, who still have a lot of strange customs, which differ from those of the mainland/ (They resemble the Ironborn in this)

EDIT: Changed the font size

[Veltigar]

wow! i didn´t read everything yet, but it looks like it has been an awful lot of work. :bowdown:

a shame the like buttons are down!

Edit: Yep, now I´m finished. Pretty much everything seems plausible for me, :agree:

good job!

Thanks

[Veltigar]

except 13) .

Don´t know if you know the Heresy threads, but they have some damnable good arguments that the children are in fact not on the side of men, but rather connected to the Others

It's been a while since I checked those out, but I'll go and have a look. I'm not really convinced about the Children being on the Others side, but it wouldn't be the first time that I changed my opinion after reading something on the forum (e.g. I hadn't picked up on the fact that MMD prophecy had been fulfilled at the end of ADWD).

Anyway Bran has never been my favorite character, so I'm less inclined to think about his storyline. As long as we agree that Jojen Paste = :bs: than I can live with pretty much every outcome of his arc.

[Nick Baratheon]

It's been a while since I checked those out, but I'll go and have a look. I'm not really convinced about the Children being on the Others side, but it wouldn't be the first time that I changed my opinion after reading something on the forum (e.g. I hadn't picked up on the fact that MMD prophecy had been fulfilled at the end of ADWD).

Anyway Bran has never been my favorite character, so I'm less inclined to think about his storyline. As long as we agree that Jojen Paste = :bs: than I can live with pretty much every outcome of his arc.

yeah this jojen paste stuff is not even hinted at, in the slightest. it´s like saying: " Hey, we haven´t actually seen Stannis´ cock yet, so he has to be a woman, huuuuuhhhh!? "

[Veltigar]

yeah this jojen paste stuff is not even hinted at, in the slightest. it´s like saying: " Hey, we haven´t actually seen Stannis´ cock yet, so he has to be a woman, huuuuuhhhh!? "

You might be on to something mate :P

[Nick Baratheon]

always on the grind :cool4:

[Veltigar]

always on the grind :cool4:

God, I really want the like button back

[flidderman]

First off all we have the D&E tales. They weren't written because George thought that they would make a good read, they must have something to do with the greater story of ASOIAF.

Secondly, we have the emphasis on the fact that the Blackfyre's are extinct in the male line. I don't know about you but if they weren't to play a role in the story than why wouldn't George just state that the blackfyres were extinct period?

Thirdly it would explain the motivations of Varys and Illyrio (I mean this is ASOIAF "For the children" is not an adequate motive). I'm assuming that Serra is Aegons mother, Illyrio is Aegons father and Varys his uncle.

Fourthly The statue in Illyrio's manse looked a lot like young Aegon (When I read the description I found that suspicious)

Fifthly Tyrions clothes when he was with Illyrio were made for a young boy.

Sixthly There are the looks of Serra she has silver streaks in her hear (a Valyrian trait)

Seventhly the prophecy about a mummer's dragon. And then all of the sudden we get a long lost Targ? That isn’t right.

Eighthly There is this line from a Brienne chapter, when she and Pod are at the quiet Isle. The elder brother tells of the things that wash up on the shore and then he tells of a dragon sign washing up the shore. A couple of chapters before were told about the Clanking Dragon, this Inn next to the river with a black iron dragon sigil (=The blackfyre sigil is a Black dragon on red). Now, the Elder Brother told that one of the gifts they found was an iron dragon red with rust. This for me is foreshadowing that a Blackfyre disguised as a Targaryen would return.

To me this is evidence enough to prove that Faegon is Blackfyre.

You forgot the single most compelling piece of evidence: the allegiance of the Golden Company. They were created by a Blackfyre to serve the Blackfyres, they are probably in possesion of the blade 'Blackfyre', and they broke a contract for the first time in their history to join Aegon.

It will be a major shock to me if it turns out he's not a Blackfyre.

[Veltigar]

You forgot the single most compelling piece of evidence: the allegiance of the Golden Company. They were created by a Blackfyre to serve the Blackfyres, they are probably in possesion of the blade 'Blackfyre', and they broke a contract for the first time in their history to join Aegon.

It will be a major shock to me if it turns out he's not a Blackfyre.

Thanks for pointing that out, I forgot that one. We now have 10 pieces of evidence pro. :cool4:

[aryagonnakill]

few things.

Horn Hill is not on the way from Highgarden to Old Town

Who are you saying is the best warrior in the seven kingdoms who is at Horn Hill?

We had Jaime's own POV of himself telling his men not to follow him, and we were told later that the Lannister host in unravelling.

Why would Osha and Rickon separate? She would be the only person he didn't view as having abandoned him.

The blackfish going to greywater watch is a fine theory, but I don't think a representative of the bwb going there as well and then them coordinating a simultaneous attack on the twins where a person who was last seen at Riverrun will open the gates is likely. It's too complicated and doesn't really make sense. I think it's more likely that the blackfish never left Riverrun but thats just me.

Your Dany scenario just seems crackpot to me, as does your Mereen scenario and Arya scenario.

Edit- It is likely that (F)Aegon will be given a valyrian steel sword to appear valyrian, either from the golden company or Ilyrio so I don't think he will get Dawn. also I don't understand why he would be given the book from the citadel.

I like your pieces on Jon, Cersei and Margery, tho I disagree that Tarly would take the faiths side unless that was (F)Aegons side as well, part of your Bran and part of your Arya, your Sansa and part of your Jaime/Gendry

[Arya_Ghostface]

Wow good job Veltigar, I like your theories and thanks for the interesting reading. I agree with some more than others. I find the strongest one is the Blackfish in Greywater Watch one, because a meeting with the crannogmen is beeing set up for 5 books now, some important Northern characters are with him since before the Red Wedding and we have to get there somehow. BF sounds like the ideal candidate, and it would make sense for him as a character to seek them out to hide in their marshes. And it will be fantastic to see a Tully avenge the RW, BF and the Mormont lady are definately badass enough for that. Actually, now that I've read your theory, I will be disappointed if it doesn't turn out like that.

I also agree that the Ironborn will attack (and probably sack) Oldtown. I don't like the maesters ever since Marwyn said they had their own agenda (or something like that), and want to see a reboot of the order, minus the corruption that knowledge and power brings over the years. though I don't like the Ironborn for the reasons you mentioned. And I don't like the Tyrell's either, too haughty and vain, and look at Tarly's treatment of his son and Brienne! What a bigot! Not sure who I want to win this one, I think they will probably weaken each other enough to take themselves out of the game of thrones,

I like the idea of Tyrion siding with Victarion's fleet, I really think it's past time the Yunkai'i were defeated, they are really pathetic as enemies, it's only due to Daenerys' incompetence that they lasted this long (sorry, I think she's very silly, but that she will grow up and come to her own eventually).But I doubt the meeting of the parties afterward is going to be as friendly as you say. Also, death to opportunist, sexist, arrogant Daario and his bloody golden tooth.

One theory I find weaker is the one about Arya (she's my absolute favourite please don't judge). I agree that some event will make her want to take her identity back, but I find the idea of Syrio Forel seeking the gift so out of character it's funny. He would never die any other way but at the point of a sword. And he would never commit suicide. I would love it if he were alive and met Arya one last time though. Please, George?*puppy eyes*. I think Arya will somehow meet Justin Massey and fake Arya, learn that Jeyne Poole passes off as her nowadays and get angry. So angry she attackes them, and somehow finds herself in a position where she can no longer be a FM and has no other choice but to be Arya and return to Westeros.

I won't even go into Aegon, fAegon territory, I'm scared of you guys, and I haven't formed an opinion, only that Blackfyre makes more sense than Targaryen, because why else would the Golden Company agree to get him to the throne?

As for Jon, I believe he won't die, and that he won't warg as Ghost permanently. I still think it's likely Mel will bring him back, with Jon sustaining burns just like Victarion, but I can't speculate further.

[Veltigar]

few things.

Horn Hill is not on the way from Highgarden to Old Town

Who are you saying is the best warrior in the seven kingdoms who is at Horn Hill?

Actually, it is. It's not right on the road I'll give you that. But it's located a couple off miles from the main road between Highgarden and Oldtown (here's a map http://gameofthrones.net/images/Westeros_Maps/map_of_westeros.jpg).

Horn Hill is the home of the best warrior of Westeros (Randyll Tarly). I never said that he was there in the flesh, just that Horn Hill is his home. I just think it's the most logical place to regroup after an Ironborn attack on Oldtown and Highgarden. Here are my reasons:

1) No water. The Ironborn will control the lands close to the coasts and the riverbanks, but they can't take all the land since it would mean that they had to spread their men out to thin.

2) Horn Hill is an old castle. Not a palace like Highgarden. It will be easily defendable + Lord Tarly would have left the castle well suplied before he left.

3) This is the home to Randyll f*cking Tarly, he probably left enough loyal knights and soldiers to guard his lands and family. Furthermore seeing that everybody seems to think off Randyll as the best, these men will be capable as well (I don't think that he's the type to put up with idiots/people who can't fight).

We had Jaime's own POV of himself telling his men not to follow him, and we were told later that the Lannister host in unravelling.

Fair enough, I don't recall this but it's been a while since I had a chance to pick up feast. But I still think his men will arrive because of our little wildcard Ser Addam Marbrand. He's like the BF on the Lannister side, I don't think he would let his commander leave without some sort of protection.

Why would Osha and Rickon separate? She would be the only person he didn't view as having abandoned him.

I don't really understand what your trying to say. They won't separate, Osha is going to help Davos to kidnap Rickon back to the mainland in this theory and she'll tag along to meet King Stannis.

The blackfish going to greywater watch is a fine theory, but I don't think a representative of the bwb going there as well and then them coordinating a simultaneous attack on the twins where a person who was last seen at Riverrun will open the gates is likely. It's too complicated and doesn't really make sense. I think it's more likely that the blackfish never left Riverrun but thats just me.

The representative of the BwB is just another possibility. The scenario would work just as well without them. The only reason why I mentioned it was that we could see Hot Pie again then (George said we would meet him again and this seemed to me a good way to do it), but hey he can easily pop up again in some other fashion. And the last time we saw Hot pie was when he chose to remain at the Inn of the Kneeling Man.

The BF never left Riverrun? Now, that's just crackpot! The Freys might be stupid enough to fall for that trick, but Genna Lannister would probably order her men to sweep the castle in search of him + they would probably question the Maester about his whereabouts and if that Maester remains true to his oath he would be obliged to tell them where the BF hid himself.

Your Dany scenario just seems crackpot to me, as does your Mereen scenario and Arya scenario.

What are your predictions then? This is the reason why I started this, if you give me an outline of your own I would happily accept it if I thought you made a solid case :)

Edit- It is likely that (F)Aegon will be given a valyrian steel sword to appear valyrian, either from the golden company or Ilyrio so I don't think he will get Dawn. also I don't understand why he would be given the book from the citadel.

He already looks Valyrian! Anyway, I get your point. I used to think that the GC would give Blackfyre back to Faegon but... They try to pass off Faegon as a Targaryen. I think the people might accept that the GC backed a Targ instead of a Blackfyre (seeing the general believe that Mercs do everything for gold and can't have believes/convictions of their own). But presenting him with Blackfyre is probably the best way to convince people that he actually isn't a Targ.

About the book: Sam and Sarella would have snatched it from underneath the nose of Jaqen in my theory. When they travel to Faegons court they will not only meet JonCon and Faegon but also Arianne, who is of course Sarella's niece. Now, Arianne + Faegon is bound to happen. And then when Dany hits the beaches and brings with her not only an army but also 3 humongous dragons, do you think Sarella will say "Fuck Arianne, the b*tch never let me play along in the Watergardens/invited me for a treesome" and keep the book (which is basicly a manual about killing/controlling dragons) away from her kin?

I like your pieces on Jon, Cersei and Margery, tho I disagree that Tarly would take the faiths side unless that was (F)Aegons side as well, part of your Bran and part of your Arya, your Sansa and part of your Jaime/Gendry

Glad you liked some of it :D

You made a valid point about the Faith. I forgot to put that into the theory but seeing that Arianne+Faegon will happen and that Tyene will probably become BFF's with the High Septons + that Margaery is going to lose her trial (after which the Tyrells start killing the forces of the Faith), the Faith will automaticly run to hide behind one of the other pretenders and because Euron=Drowned God, Stannis= Rh'llor and Dany= far away Faegon is the only logical choise to side with.

[Veltigar]

Wow good job Veltigar, I like your theories and thanks for the interesting reading. I agree with some more than others. I find the strongest one is the Blackfish in Greywater Watch one, because a meeting with the crannogmen is beeing set up for 5 books now, some important Northern characters are with him since before the Red Wedding and we have to get there somehow. BF sounds like the ideal candidate, and it would make sense for him as a character to seek them out to hide in their marshes. And it will be fantastic to see a Tully avenge the RW, BF and the Mormont lady are definately badass enough for that. Actually, now that I've read your theory, I will be disappointed if it doesn't turn out like that.

That's is a very nice thing to say. Thanks for the compliment :D

I also agree that the Ironborn will attack (and probably sack) Oldtown. I don't like the maesters ever since Marwyn said they had their own agenda (or something like that), and want to see a reboot of the order, minus the corruption that knowledge and power brings over the years. though I don't like the Ironborn for the reasons you mentioned. And I don't like the Tyrell's either, too haughty and vain, and look at Tarly's treatment of his son and Brienne! What a bigot! Not sure who I want to win this one, I think they will probably weaken each other enough to take themselves out of the game of thrones,

Personally, I prefer the Ironborn above the Tyrells. Yes, The Ironborn are rapist and murders but atleast there open about it. The Tyrells are just hypocrites and backstabbers B)

I like Randyll more then the Tyrells, seeing that he's open about his (bigot) opinions. Anyway, I think we'll see more of Randyll in the books to come. I had this little theory that Dickon is going to die in one of the following books (during the second Dance maybe), robbing Randyll off his treasured heir.

I think the Ironborn are going to pull off a very substantial win. Anything less than the total massacre of the army lead by Willas and Garlan (including its commanders) would put the Ironborn between a rock and a hard place, since the Reach has this giant potential and capable totally loyal Tyrellcommanders to make use of it (if Garlan&co escape).

One of the previous comments made me think about one of those guys in the GC who said that they had more friends in the Reach than the Tyrells knew about.

Considering this phrase I would like to expand my initial theory. After the massive loss to the Ironborn (and later again after the massmurder on members of the Faith after Margaerys trial), I'll suspect that a lot of Reach men would flock to Faegons side, who by then would have married with Arianne to obtain the Dornish army (yet another motive to marry with Arianne). The Reachlords will flock to Faegon, the boy that took Stormsend and who has the might of Dorne and the GC to back him up, because they'll think that he'll be able to protect them from the Ironborn (they might pharaprase that saying about Dagon Greyjoy... That only a dragon could put the Ironborn down).

[Veltigar]

I like the idea of Tyrion siding with Victarion's fleet, I really think it's past time the Yunkai'i were defeated, they are really pathetic as enemies, it's only due to Daenerys' incompetence that they lasted this long (sorry, I think she's very silly, but that she will grow up and come to her own eventually).But I doubt the meeting of the parties afterward is going to be as friendly as you say. Also, death to opportunist, sexist, arrogant Daario and his bloody golden tooth.

:bowdown: :cheers: :bowdown: They say great minds think a like and I couldn't agree with you more (Daario is the only character I truelly despise)

However I must disagree about Dany's incompetence being the reason why this siege dragged out to long. Personally, I believe it was her 'misguided' compassion with her own people. She indeed has the makings of a great leader, but she needs to understand that you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. I'm not suggesting she should go Tywin Lannister on her people, but I think she could learn a bit from Jon, who obviously took the words of Maester Aemon to heart and killed the boy. Jon is able to make tough choices, not just about himself, but about others (Dany is capable of making hard choises about herself e.g. marrying Hizdahr, but she still wants to save every single one of her people). I think that she'll finally come to this understanding on the Dothraki Sea travelling with the Khalesar (That's another reason why I think she isn't coming back with dragon speed, she needs time to muse and think about her life and choises).

[i still cherish the idea of an eventual Jon+Dany being similar to the paring between Jaehaerys I, the Conciliator and the Good Queen Alysanne (not likely to happen with the bittersweet ending and all that)]

About the meeting of the parties after the battle. I'm not saying they'll be BFF's, but I don't think they'll start killing each other right away. They'll be tired, they'll need to think about the Harpy and the Volantine fleet + I think a victory party in a city filled with former bedslaves will take up much off the attention of the warriors. :P

One theory I find weaker is the one about Arya (she's my absolute favourite please don't judge). I agree that some event will make her want to take her identity back, but I find the idea of Syrio Forel seeking the gift so out of character it's funny. He would never die any other way but at the point of a sword. And he would never commit suicide. I would love it if he were alive and met Arya one last time though. Please, George?*puppy eyes*. I think Arya will somehow meet Justin Massey and fake Arya, learn that Jeyne Poole passes off as her nowadays and get angry. So angry she attackes them, and somehow finds herself in a position where she can no longer be a FM and has no other choice but to be Arya and return to Westeros.

Arya is awesome B)

I wouldn't say it's that much out of character. I mean Syrio seems like a guy who wants to pick his own ending, when and where he wants (But I must admit that that notion probably wormed it's way in my head thanks to Show Syrio and his one liner "Not today"; after seeing Show Syrio book Syrio was never quite the same for me).

Anyways that was just scenario A). I also had a B ) Syrio being the bodyguard to a target that Arya has to take out and c) Arya finding out that Syrio is a target to the FM and running off to warn him but failing to save him. (for the fleshed out part look at my first post).

I think those two are still beter then news about Farya, don't you think?

I won't even go into Aegon, fAegon territory, I'm scared of you guys, and I haven't formed an opinion, only that Blackfyre makes more sense than Targaryen, because why else would the Golden Company agree to get him to the throne?

As for Jon, I believe he won't die, and that he won't warg as Ghost permanently. I still think it's likely Mel will bring him back, with Jon sustaining burns just like Victarion, but I can't speculate further.

You are well on your way to grandness :D The bold part is basicly all we want to hear.

I think Jon is going to die, and spent some time in Ghost (not permanently). He'll be resurrected, but I'm the first to admit that I don't know how. I just hope it won't be Mell (or better Mell alone) who revives him, but needless to say that I don't have any say in the mather :D

[not in the face]

Veltigar I have always also thought that Daario and Victarion would end up fighting each other. I think they fight each other over Dany though with Vic killing Daario.

I am pro Stannis as well and I share your notion that he would bend the knee to Jon since he struggled so much with the decision to support his brother against Aerys.

I will disagree with you on Oldtown though. You seem to ignore the fact that Leyton Hightower is building his forces and has been locked away studying who knows what in his tower for 10 years. He is up to something big. I personaly think he is in league with the Citadel and on his way to betray Aegon and kill all the dragons once and for all.