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Asha Wrote the Bastard Letter (Theon I, TWOW Spoilers)


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No problem! I was scared of posting ( got less than 20 posts which says a lot) because of the attitude of some people who turns discussion into a trial if you know what I mean. I'm always glad to read other views and have some people debate (nicely) mine, discussing that is. I think Varamyr chapter has a lot to teach us for what i told you and also for Jon, Rickon and Arya. I reckon Shaggydog must be the most difficult direwolf to warg unless Rickon mind becames similar. Changing the subject sorry!


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No problem! I was scared of posting ( got less than 20 posts which says a lot) because of the attitude of some people who turns discussion into a trial if you know what I mean. I'm always glad to read other views and have some people debate (nicely) mine, discussing that is. I think Varamyr chapter has a lot to teach us for what i told you and also for Jon, Rickon and Arya. I reckon Shaggydog must be the most difficult direwolf to warg unless Rickon mind becames similar. Changing the subject sorry!

:agree:

I think Rickon is young and scrappy and the Wolf has sort of inherited that trait. I am not sure if he wargs into him that often or unpurpose :)

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Yep they seem similar. But does Rickon has enough discipline? He's so inattentive and abrasive. Anyway can't wait to read about him and Skaagos in WoW!

Me too hope he is ok. I imgaine the legends of the people and creatures there to be exagerated but with that being said seems like a wild and crazy place.

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Me too hope he is ok. I imgaine the legends of the people and creatures there to be exagerated but with that being said seems like a wild and crazy place.

Yeah totally agree, don't want any unicorns there I hope shaggydog was wrestling something else! Peolpe might hate us for changing the subject, it was nice sharing with you!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm inclined to believe that Asha wrote the letter not necessarily for all the reasons bandied about but addition...

Asha probably has the best mind for strategy as well as tactics...she learned tactics over the shoulder of her father....she learned strategy from her mentor reading at the desk of Roderik Harlaw...she understands the implications of what is in the letter and how it is written and the reaction to it..

Asha is no longer a captive of Stannis but is a confidant...note Stannis calls for the Kraken not bring her...note she is accompanied by her men (Qarl and Tris) not Stannis's men...note when Stannis sends Jeyne away he sends Alysanewith her and specifically denies Massey taking Asha...

Asha has ulterior motives not only the Queensmoot, her mother, her brother, but I think she harbours a fond wish to create her own "realm" on the Stoney Shore and Sea Dragon Point if she is unable to recreate a Queensmoot...

I totally agree with this. Asha has proven to be smart, and would be familiar with the tactics of misinformation especially through writing. It would also retroactively bolster the reasons behind introducing such an out of place character as Rodrik Harlaw - a book obsessed Ironborn, and Asha's closest uncle, the place she spent a lot of her life, the last place in the Iron Islands she stopped....

The fact that she has seen Ramsay's writing, she knows of Ramsay's character (someone who would send a piece of another human in a letter), and the stage is set for her ability to have access to CB trained ravens and the button of pink wax from Ramsay's original letter. And we see that she is playing some kind of odds by trying to move her brother's "execution" to the wierwood.

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Guys, Asha read the letter once then gave it to the Glover maester to share with Sybelle. After that, she made love with Qarl, went to the kitchen while he was sleeping, met Tris, talked about the King's Moot, etc.. and then Stannis attacked, and she and her men fled. She would hardly be thinking of hanging on to the wax through all of that, and it's not likely that she could remember the signature well enough to forge it based on one perusal.


She certainly isn't Stannis' confidante in the Theon chapter... she's obviously either waiting outside to see Stannis with the Northmen, or Horpe does go to get her. Here, Horpe is speaking...


( i tried to put this in spoilers , but it wasn't working for some reason)


If it please Your Grace, though, the men are growing anxious. There are hundreds of them gathered around the tower, wondering what's happened. Talk of treason is on every lip. No one knows who to trust, or who might be arrested next. The northmen especially — "

"I need to talk with them. Is Wull still waiting?"

"Him and Artos Flint. Will you see them?"

"Shortly. The kraken first."

"As you command." The knight took his leave. ... Theon muses on a few topics before she enters , but that can happen quite quickly.


Calling her "the kraken" continues his previous coldness toward her. He wont even do her the courtesy of using her name. And he has already instructed Massey..

Stannis pressed his lips together. "Serve me well in this matter of the sellswords, and you may have what you desire. Until such time, the woman must needs remain my captive." .. Massey had been suggesting Stannis give her to him, in marriage ..and again Stannis merely refers to her as the woman..and his captive.



Her men had to agree to fight for Stannis as part of their ransom. Stannis has already refused her offer to fight for him.


Stannis has been interrogating Theon,Tycho, and taking in the news in Jon's letter, probably not having a tete a tete with Asha ..but who she would have had time to have a confidential discussion with, is Alysanne and perhaps some Northmen... and so be informed that Theon's best chance for survival , or at least a quick death would be to be taken before the Weirwood. She's not being warged.


But Stannis has Maester Tybald at his disposal . Tybald probably would be able to forge Ramsay's signature, and probably has pink wax about him, and 2 ravens ... and Stannis has him so scared he can't control his bladder.(I think he might be quite compliant) I don't think there's any question that Stannis has more of the wherewithal available to write the letter.

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Could Stannis and Asha being working together secretly? Maybe the idea was Asha's, as a way to get Stannis as an ally, and he decided to take the risk to get Jon to bring NW as backup but doesn't want anyone suspecting he might be working with Asha untill/unless the plan actually works out?



Wouldn't be the first time Stannis agreed to a crazy plan at the urge of a pretty lady. :-P


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If Asha wrote it, then why mention Val,Selyse,Shireen,and Mel?

I think that's the only part she wrote. Slayer of Lies said:

“The serjeant was the clever one,” Asha said to Aly Mormont. “He goaded Suggs into killing him.” She wondered if the same trick might work twice, should her own turn come.

From this prior recollection, Asha now begins to see that she can use all the information at her disposal to achieve her goal. That is, if she can write the Letter to anger the recipient, she may convince them to forget their vows and duties due to their rage and desire for vengeance.

I think there will be a chapter where Stannis's army engages the Boltons and Asha sneaks into Stannis's tent with the Ravens and finds a letter from Ramsey which says:

Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.

Your false king's friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-The-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me. I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell.

This is why Stannis made sure to warn everyone not to believe that he was dead because Ramsey is already boasting about it. Asha doesn't think Stannis's army will be defeated there because of Stannis's confidence but taking Winterfell is another matter. So she uses all the gossip she's heard during her long terrible march. She listened to all the stories about wildling princesses and a girl with greyscale. So she adds a few lines throwing in all these people she's heard about.

I want my bride back. I want the false king's queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want this wildling princess. I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard's heart and eat it.

Jon's duties were keeping him at the wall. But now the letter isn't Ramsey boasting anymore. Jon is being told to give up women and children to be flayed. And Jon grew up hearing about what happened to Brandon Stark. Now Asha may not freeze outside Winterfell.

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Well, it's a nice theory but i can't quite agree. You mentioned Occam's razor but i personally find your theory not to be the simplest at all...


Moreover the letter itself is mysterious, and i tend to believe that it's not the "original" letter as the wording is not logical, and here is why:


The author of the letter identifies two personas in the letter (beside himself, whom he calls Ramsay Bolton):


1. The false king (Stannis, although he never names him outright)


2. The King Beyond The Wall (whom he names, Mance Rayder)


So after telling us that the false king (presumably Stannis) is dead, and that he has Mance Rayder in a cage he goes on and asks for some people to be brought to him, along with his bride and his Reek.


"Bastard

Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red whore.


Your false king’s friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. You told the world you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.


I will have my bride back. If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell." - this is all about Mance.


So in the 1st row and first half of the 2nd row, the subject is the false king. "He/Him" - we know precisely whom he is referring to, up until he changes the subject (and does it specifically).


In the second half of the 2nd row and in the 3rd row to subject is Mance Rayder. "Him" precisely designates Mance thought this portion of the letter. But in the following part things start to get messy...


"I want my bride back. I want the false king’s queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want his wildling princess.

I want his little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek.


Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it.


Ramsay Bolton,

Trueborn Lord of Winterfell."


So he starts by enumerating the false king's Queen, daughter and then... his(?!?) wildling princess, his (?!?) little prince? Ok, maybe you could call Val his wildling princess but it goes on... his(?!?) little prince, the wildling babe. This one has no meaning, as the wildling babe is not Stanis' but Mance Rayder's. So although he shows a thorough and precise logical composition in the first half, he stops using it in the second half. It would have been logical to use the following:


"I want my bride back. I want the false king’s queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want Mance Rayder's/the King-Beyond-The-Wall's wildling princess. I want Mance Rayder's/the King-Beyond-The-Wall's (or his again if he would changes the persona beforehand) little prince, the wildling babe. And I want my Reek.


Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it.

Ramsay Bolton,

Trueborn Lord of Winterfell."


Maybe i'm nitpicking here, but it still is at the very least weird wording. It's like the author is mangling the two persons (Stannis and Mance) into one.


ETA: argumentation for "not the simplest at all" - why would Asha want Jon to come to anywhere near Theon? If anything Jon would want his head on a spike, even if Theon would admit to not killing Jon's brothers.

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Since putting this OP together some 18 months ago, FWIW, I'm now firmly back to the position I was in after finishing ADWD the first time - that Mance wrote the letter.



Occam's Razor, if anything, suggests to me that the name 'Mance Rayder' as the only actual name mentioned in the letter, and the colors black and red being the only colors to appear (Mance's cloak), ought to translate to the fact that Mance wrote the letter over any other candidate, IMO.



From there, I think the matter of debate becomes whether Mance wrote it as 'code' for Jon to interpret, or GRRM wrote it as 'code' for us to... Methinks the latter, but it's all still on the table until George tell us otherwise.



And I still think this is a fun theory, true or no. :pimp:


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Guys, the WOIAF App explicity states that Ramsay wrote the letter. There are no vague references or omissions like on other cases, nor does it only say that "a letter is sent to the Wall". It states that:



Ramsay sends a letter to the Wall not long after, addressed to the "Bastard", Jon Snow. In it, he claims that Stannis has died in battle, that he has the sword Stannis called Lightbringer, and that he has captured Mance Rayder and placed him in a cage. He demands the return of his wife and Reek, and that Jon send him Queen Selyse, Princess Shireen, Melisandre, and Mance's son. Otherwise, he will march on Castle Black.


There is no speculative aspect to this; it makes clear that Ramsay sent the letter.


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In regards to the theory of Asha being the author... the one thing that doesn't make much sense is Asha's motive to entice Jon to aid Stannis.



Castle Black is a month's ride from Winterfell in good weather in a small group - an entire army in the snow would take probably twice as long or more. An army from Castle Black couldn't leave immediately either. They would need at least a week's preparation to establish the necessary logistics to support a large army in the field. Asha would theoretically learn all the information to author the letter just days before the Battle of Winterfell.



Jon would never arrive in time to make any kind of difference - Asha has to know this. Thus, there really is no point in her sending this letter.


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cealicu_ca .... I have a similar take on the letter. Here's a breakdown I posted somewhere on another thread :



I think Stannis wrote the original letter and has three main pieces of information he wants to get to Jon:


1. Arya and Reek have been sent to Jon.

2. Mance and the spearwives have been captured.

3. And most importantly , to Stannis' mind, Ramsay is also on his way, wanting his bride and his Reek back at any cost.


He's not asking for reinforcements, or for Jon to come to Winterfell. He just wants Jon to defend CB (and his heir) against Ramsay. ...In his letter from Deepwood, he told Jon , " You and your brothers must hold the Wall until I can return." ...and I don't think he would have changed his mind on that. "Must" is his imperative to Jon (if one was needed). Jon must hold the wall against all comers , wildlings , Others or Ramsay. Stannis set his own imperative as .. "He (Roose) must not be allowed to restore the castle to its former strength.We march against him."


Reading the Theon chapter convinces me that Stannis has the information and the means to attempt to send the letter. Reading the letter tells me that although Stannis is convinced the letter could get to Jon ( convinced enough to be worth a try ), there's still a chance it could go to WF .. hence the need for disguise...


In the Theon chapter , it's hinted that Stannis intends to fake his death in some sort of Trojan horse move to get his forces inside WF. He accepts Theon's assessment that Ramsay will be joining the battle... and I think anyone - Stannis, Roose , we readers - would predict that if Ramsay got to the battlefield to find Stannis dead , but "Arya" and Reek on their way to Jon , he wouldn't go back to WF first , but carry on after his quarry ( to preserve the Bolton subterfuge and satisfy his own sadistic urges). But he would notify Roose of the situation by raven, if one was available, or tell Maester Tybald to do it. If Roose recieved a second raven, this time addressed to Jon, he would just assume it was a mistake , or that it was intended to be relayed to Jon from WF (which he probably would not have done)... But because Roose might receive the letter, Stannis needs to include the claim of his own death. It's unfortunate for those at CB , but wouldn't change Jon's need to mount a defence, and would be cleared up later (or through Mel's visions)... And as Stannis tells Massey.. "It may even be true".


Even as an impersonation of Ramsay, I don't think the letter Jon received was entirely as Stannis sent it. .. E.g. Stannis would not have addressed it "Bastard"... the 7 days of battle is some sort of timing clue and though unbelievable at face value, could pass for a boast... Probably the best way to explain is to reproduce the letter showing what I think Stannis would have written in black and marking the conspirator's (Thorne's) changes and additions in red. There's also the odd change to where the paragraph breaks fall and insertions marked (ch).


"Bastard"


Your false king is dead, bastard. He and all his host were smashed in seven days of battle. I have his magic sword. Tell his red witch whore.


Your false king’s friends are dead. Their heads upon the walls of Winterfell. Come see them, bastard. Your false king lied, and so did you. He You told the world he you burned the King-Beyond-the-Wall. Instead he you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me.


I will have my bride back. (ch)


If you want Mance Rayder back, come and get him. I have Mance Rayder him in a cage for all the north to see, proof of your lies. The cage is cold, but I have made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell. (Theon would believe this is what probably happened)


I want the false king’s queen. I want his daughter and his red witch. I want his wildling princess.I want his little prince, the wildling babe. (ch)


I want my bride back (ch) and I want my Reek. Send them to me, bastard, and I will not trouble you or your black crows. Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it.



Theon tells Stannis , "He wants his bride back. He wants his Reek." It looks to me like that's what Stannis wrote, changing "he" to "I" - and the conspirators inserted all the other hostages in the middle. To the conspirators, they are all associated with Stannis, since Val and the baby are his captives.


"Your false King's friends are dead" ...added by conspirators, no doubt refers to the clansmen Jon told Stannis to approach. They would hope this would discredit Jon with Flint and Norrey who appear to still be at CB.... "Keep them from me, and I will cut out your bastard’s heart and eat it." ... This last one might go either way.. It contains the kind of commonplace threat and hyperbole we've seen from various characters (see Cotter Pyke after Jon's election). As such, Stannis might have used it. ..and maybe , he might have used another "bastard" , somewhere (Send them to me bastard ?) ... But really , there are no less than five uses of bastard in the letter and to me, that says Thorne. There's no doubt he would revel in that last "heart eating" threat , so it might be his as well.


I don't think that Stannis would implicate Jon at all in sparing Mance, and would be willing to take credit / blame for the "Arya" mission, in the hope of preventing problems for Jon with the NW (problems for Jon mean problems for his people and holding the wall as well). As a King, he's much better situated to take any backlash - which is why Jon thought Stannis could spare Mance in the first place. .. And I don't think he'd use "red whore", because he always wants to contain gossip (especially if it's damaging to his kingliness). But we know it's widely believed/known that Stannis sleeps with Mel, so the conspirators would use it. ...Wildling use of "black crow" would be familiar to Stannis after all his discussions with wildlings, and it would be familiar to the conspirators as well.


From the conspirator's perspective , if Jon can be goaded into going south, that would cancel Hardhome, sparing them a dangerous mission beyond the wall and would make their "treason" claim seem more credible to other NW members, which would be their immediate concern. They'd naturally expect Jon to plan to take NW men, which they hope they'd be able to use as an excuse for the planned assassination.


Given their disdain for the wildlings, I don't think they comprehend the amount of real support Jon has already built among the wildlings, even before the letter. I don't think they would have imagined that he'd read the letter aloud... The pattern we've seen is - the LC receives the communication and then passes on the information to whomever he deems appropriate... But of course, with the well established rumour mill at CB, word of Mance would leak out, and I think they'd expect a mass defection by the wildlings, either to try to rescue Mance, or just move south raiding or taking over where they could.

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  • 1 month later...

Apologies, I know I am late to this thread, plus I haven’t been able to read all posts here as I am at work (plus I only stumbled on this thread whilst looking for why Theon was instantly familiar with Stannis’ voice in Theon I, but that is now a question for another day) but could someone spell out - preferably in short, easy to understand words - why Stannis is considered such a rank outsider for being the author of The Pink Letter?

Seems to me the results of sending the letter give Stannis just what he wants:

Jon near Winterfell and on a family vengeance tip:

Stannis has been pushing Snow to be Lord of WF since he first arrived up North. After spanking the Boltons, Jon would be a hair's breadth away from the WF seat and much more likely to seize that prize than he would at The Wall with all those pesky oaths ringing in his ears

The wall without its LC and ripe for commandeering by Stannis'/Queen’s men:

Stannis clearly sees the wall as a power base for himself and a launchpad for his new career as AA. Old Grumpuss Snow, whilst admittedly assisting here some of the way (within the narrow confines of what he thinks matches his duties) does not have the requisite deference for royals that some of his Crowy colleagues do and would never willingly hand the wall over on a plate.

Potential reinforcements:

Stannis knows that Snow won't jump on a garron on his own and pop down from The Wall for a look-see. He'll come in force, ready to merk the Bastard of Bolton. This can only help his own dire situation - especially as he knows the Kartsarks are planning to turn cloak and, at the very least, are unlikely to swell his numbers.

Supplies:

Same as the previous point, but with sandwich ingredients

Melisandre wants Jon alive:

Although this element seems to have failed, Mel has expressed a desire to get Jon away from the 'daggers in the night'. I'd be surprised if she didn't have some sort of comms channel open with Stannis, or some fancy way of influencing him in this. (This is my ONLY point that *relies* on magic, GRRM seems to steer clear of the old “erm, this is complex - do magic” type fix for stuff). With this in mind the reference to the 'red whore' in his letter could have been a pre-arranged code. Mel likes to plan ahead with her flame-based knowledge and could have set this up beforehand. This would also play into the whole 'you may hear rumours of my death' piece.

Additionally:

Stannis was a member of the small council for time, he'll have had previous exposure to the Boltons. Combine this with having Asha in tow (and by the by, what *did* she do with her copy of Bolton's first letter anyways? I would assume if it was still on her person it would have been confiscated along with all her other goodies) so mimicking Ramsay's writing style would not have been hard for Old King Jaw Clench.

Stannis *may* even be across the numbers of Spearwives and the whole Mance/Rattleshirt switcharoo – enabling him to pen those elements accurately - but I know this is a point that is the subject of much debate.

Stannis would also be aware of how touchy Jon is about the term 'Bastard' having spent a fair amount of time in his, and his men's, presence.

Finally, it is well worth noting that Stannis does have a history of writing letters to get his way, and his willingness to utilise the dark magic provided by Mel indicates that his unshakeably straight-as-a-die approach is not necessarily as unshakeable as is suggested. These two make his willingness to take this approach that much more realistic.

All comments/criticisms welcome.

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  • 2 weeks later...

First of all, I suppose I should say "Hello" or something. First post and all that, so feel free to sniff my arse and bear your teeth and all of that stuff that forumgoers (and quite possibly Starks) do to newfolk. I'll warn you, I tend to be long-winded, as ideas branch from other ideas, and, to steal a thought from GRRM (who stole it from Tolkein in the first place) "the post grows in the posting".

Anyway, for everyone saying "Why can't it just be that Ramsay wrote the letter?", I'd like to ask a handfull -- okay, a lot -- of questions, simply because I find it odd that these theories get so many sideways looks when literally everyone is a secret Targ/Blackfyre, Benjen, a Faceless Man, Azor Ahai/TPTWP, The Night's King, Tormund's member, and Moon Boy, for all, I know in some theory or another and some of these get considerably less scrutiny.

First: What about the letter itself seems so fishy? Well, from first impressions alone, it's simply too much like Ramsay as someone would know him through personal interactions and rather less the way Ramsay actually writes letters. His letter to the Greyjoys was coldly threatening, but not outright inflammatory like this one. What purpose does he have for the disparity in tone? Martin is a very methodical man. Every little precedent means something; you can see this in how he speaks of Sansa's misremembering of her last encounter with the Hound, for instance. The overall attitude of the two letters is very different, despite the fact that they overall have the same purpose (declaration of victory, demands) The attitude throughout the letter seems more a charicature of Ramsay than the act of Ramsay himself, similarly to how feigning an expression of shock tends to widen their eyes too much, for too long. Keep in mind that Jon's never seen Ramsay's penmanship, so he has nothing to compare it to (so no need to imitate the real deal), and even the handwriting is described as "spiky", which is exactly how someone who knows Ramsay would expect it to be. To summarize, the mannerisms here are all very "try-hard", which makes it difficult to believe, more closely resembling the words and style of a ham-fisted copycat than Ramsay himself.

Another peculiar thing is the motive for some of these demands. Fair enough, he's asking for Reek, fArya, and Stannis's family. The motives here are obvious. But what does he care of the wildlings? Really, why does Melisandre even matter? Without Stannis, she is powerless to harm the Boltons, and unlike his relatives, she has nothing to do with the throne. Furthermore, while Ramsay isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he's not a complete moron. I don't buy that he's stupid enough to think that saying these things to Jon will do anything but piss him off, and upon Jon being pissed off, the possibilities are that he honours his vows and does nothing, or he decides to put a boot up some Bolton bum and comes down with a host. The one thing Jon would not do is give in to Ramsay's demands, and even blind Maester Aemon could see that. Literally the worst way to get fArya back is to ask for her, so why would Ramsay want to provoke Jon? It just seems reckless and stupid, even for Ramsay. Remember, this is the same Ramsay who posed as his dead sidekick to take Winterfell. Brute force threats to someone who can hurt him back aren't really his style, especially not against the Night's Watch. There are plenty of other ways he could retrieve fArya that have a higher likelihood of success, such as sending men to pose as new recruits or wildlings. He's no stranger to subterfuge, and it would be the wiser plan. I think one thing we can surely all agree on here is that the purpose of this letter simply can not be for Ramsay to get his grubby little hands on fArya, Reek, and the Baratheon family. The letter appears to have been written to upset as many people as possible.

There is an intimate knowledge in the letter of the situation at the Wall. Sure, he could have tortured it out of Mance & co. but would they necessarily have given him the truth? We've seen through recent events in the KL storyline that torture doesn't always yield correct answers. If tortured, Mance could have said he was anyone. After all, saying "Well, I'm King-Beyond-the-bloody-Wall!" sounds a bit ridiculous. Just as well say "I'm just another poor bastard sent to the NW. Snow sent me to take his sister back, said he'd cut me head off if he didn't!" and it would be probably more believable, especially since Mance is supposedly dead. But then, how does Ramsay even know Mance is supposed to be dead? That strikes me as information that wouldn't have strayed south of the Wall, and I don't see it coming up in interrogation. That brings up more questions, like would Ramsay even ask the kinds of questions that this vast knowledge answers? Does Ramsay give a Rat Cook's arse about Mance having a son, or there being a wildling princess at the wall? These things aren't relevant to fArya, Stannis, or Ramsay at all. Why would he even ask? We often forget that the characters involved don't know everything we know. Ramsay couldn't know these things unless he asked, and I see no reason for him to ask.

Equally as interesting are the things the author of the pink letter doesn't seem to know, things that Ramsay would know. The most obvious, and one I think I've seen people post here before in my lurking, is that Jon hasn't the slightest idea who or what a Reek is. Why would he ask for him by that name if he actually wanted him back, knowing that Jon's been living under a rock (or, rather, a wall of ice) for the last several years and is likely to have never heard the name "Reek"? Also, Ramsay knows Arya's a fake. He knows that, upon seeing her, Jon will know too. With this knowledge, Jon is a huge threat. Would Ramsay be threatening Jon if he knew that Jon could, with a few words in the right ears, completely ruin the Bolton marriage ploy because he knows the bride is really just a steward's girl? Surely the Boltons would be able to figure out that Theon escaped with the "washerwomen", so if Ramsay killed them, wouldn't he know that Theon and Jeyne aren't at the Wall? To the people who say Ramsay is simply lying, wouldn't he be able to piece it together that, in the weather they're experiencing, the odds of a couple of torture victims making it to the Wall are slim to none? So why even ask? And wouldn't he know that Jon may very well kill Theon on sight?

Phew. I believe that accounts for the bulk of my questions. In closing, as was hopefully made clear by this essay, the letter seems so questionable that I think it would be a plot twist for Ramsay to be the legitimate author; it would not be acceptable without some very thorough, very clever explanation. As to who the true author is if not Ramsay, I'm not sure enough to point to any one person. In fact, I my best guess is that it's most likely a joint effort, rather than the actions of a lone individual, as the knowledge smells like Stannis but most of the potential motives smell like northmen. What I can confidently say is that I do not believe Jon is being lured for emergency reinforcements for Stannis, Asha, or whomever. With the harsh conditions battering the region, a host will be hard-pressed to move with any speed, and it would most likely be too late by the time Jon arrives. The writer would know that. It must be something else, like Robb's will, the ousting of (f)Arya as a fake by someone who knows her and is trustworthy, or, knowing GRRM, some reason we've yet to even consider.

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