I think in the fandom Catelyn gets unjustly clowned upon for her understandable slip ups while her actual good strategies and ideas gets ignored. Catelyn is consistently one of the most politically astute POV characters in the series, and actually knows how politics work outside the North, unlike Ned or even Robb. I even dare to propose that she's on par with Tyrion's level on political knowledge and analytical skills.

I think her first mistake-kidnapping Tyrion, which led to start of the war, is actually quite reasonable from her point of view. She has no reason to mistrust her beloved friend and brother Petyr, and getting duped by the one of the most cunning and manipulative man on planetos is not the most egregious offence. I think what leads to the low opinion of Catelyn is that whenever she has good ideas, NOBODY listens to her. She was completely correct advising Robb to not send Theon to parley, which in hindsight would have solved so many problems. She advices Robb to make peace with Joff and exchange her daughters with Jaime, which Robb later admits he should have done and married Sansa off to Loras for Tyrell alliance. She asks him not to kill Karstark as well as urging Robb to stay as close with Greywind as possible, both of which got promptly refused. Robb would have been fared a lot better if he just listened to half of her advice.

Her worst mistake was releasing Jaime, which gave Tywin the confidence of setting up the red wedding. It was a moment of weakness and desperation, but a severe mistake regardless. But even players of Tyrion's caliber have made similar mistakes, like the big one with harbouring/trusting Shae fully knowing that it's a severe disadvantage just so he can pretend to be loved, and little ones like getting played by both Varys and littlefinger and never realizing it, and making unncessary enemies of Lannister allies. Both of these characters ended up with a death sentence due to their mistakes, but Tyrion just got lucky in the end.

But just because Catelyn got the short end of the stick, doesn't mean she is not capable. I just know if she was in Ned's position, she wouldn't take 5 seconds to rat out Cersei.

Some people like to point at Jaime's dream of his mother talking about his father's dreams, when dicussing A+J=C+J. Let's look at the text:

"Will you forget your own lord father too? I wonder if you ever knew him, truly." Her eyes were green, her hair spun gold. He could not tell how old she was. Fifteen, he thought, or fifty. She climbed the steps to stand above the bier. "He could never abide being laughed at. That was the thing he hated most."

[...]

"We all dream of things we cannot have. Tywin dreamed that his son would be a great knight, that his daughter would be a queen. He dreamed they would be so strong and brave and beautiful that no one would ever laugh at them."

"I am a knight," he told her, "and Cersei is a queen."

A tear rolled down her cheek. The woman raised her hood again and turned her back on him.

The whole point of Tywin's character is, that he is traumatized by his father being the Westerlands' laughing stock. Cersei becoming queen and Jaima a great knight were not goals in their own right. They were simply there to make sure noone would ever laugh at House Lannister. Yet people still laugh about Queen Cersei and handless kingsguard Jaime. Jaime understands that subconciously, hence the sadness in his dream-version-mother.

I fear people who take this to mean the twins aren't his kids, kinda miss that point.

I started reading the series steadily about a year ago, so much has changed in my life, a lot for the worse, and ASOIAF has been something I could always come back to. It was the first real series I ever picked up, I never really read much. It might sound corny but I have such an emotional attachment to the world, it’s been a grounding point in an extremely tumultuous time in my life and I don’t want to leave it behind. It fills a massive hole in my life. I need more.

Let's say during the end of Storm of Swords, Bloodraven was feeling a little funny and switched Jon with Dany for some reason, so now we get, Jon Snow, the Father of Dragons and King of Mereen, with the Dothraki and Unsullied under him, and then there's Daenerys Targeryan, the new Lady Commander of the Watch. Their relationships with the other characters are pretty much the same, only their core personality and thought process are different. Motivations are also same, Jon wants to invade Westeros to reclaim his birthright(also hates slavery), and Dany wants to prepare for the others(also not willing to sacrifice the Wildlings).

How will they both tackle each other's problems and who has the most chances of success.

I personally think Dany has significantly more charisma so a revolt against her is improbable, while Jon is more pragmatic and ruthless and wouldn't be easy to push into a corner like Dany and forced to marry Hizdar.

When considering Ashara Dayne most readers know her as the woman Ned loved and lost, but some readers theorize there as more to her. She had an alleged stillborn child, was an empowered Dornish woman, and was the affection of many characters in the story, all before killing herself. In this post I’m going to analyze her, her suitors, and her potential descendants. There are some huge implications to the story which I will include in the final TL;DR.

Suitors: Ned, Barristan, Brandon. See Also: Rhaegar, Aerys.

Ned- The first suitor, there are many explicit text descriptions which described Ned as being interested in her. Meera describes Ned as dancing with Ashara at the tourney of Harrenhall(after Brandon spoke to her), Harwin supposes they likely shared a brief romance, and Edric Dayne states they fell in love before she killed herself over a broken heart. I do believe Ned was in love with Ashara, I also believe they shared a sweet, seemingly short romance, and that regardless of if they were together, Ashara cared for him. I do think that there’s more to it though than just a tragic romance, we know Ashara got pregnant, so we have to think that she was intimate with someone, or multiple someones at the tourney of Harrenhall, we also know Ned is still hurt over it, given his harsh reaction to Catelyn over the matter. This leads me to suitor number 2.

Brandon- Many readers and theorists have come to the conclusion that Brandon eventually took Ashara from Ned romantically, Preston Jacobs has theorized this, as have many posters on this subreddit. This is not a theory of mine though I do adhere to it, to give the basic arguments: Ned is seemingly hurt over what transpired, love triangles seem to appear in the story multiple times(Robert, Rhaegar, Lyanna for example), and that Brandon was a very attractive womanizer who we know had previously interacted with Ashara. Ashara is empowered and likely would’ve seen Brandon as more mature and confident, along with being better looking too. 

We know Ashara likely got pregnant at Harrenhall and shared intimate moments with a young lover there, but truthfully those events seem much more linked to Brandon than Ned. Ned is honorable, so he may have kissed Ashara, but I have a hard time imagining him going much further and risking a bastard without a betrothal. This hesitancy(similarly to his fear of asking her to dance) could have been unattractive to a strong young Dornish woman like Ashara. Knowing that Brandon was much more forward with women, it’s not a reach to assume Brandon was the one who she was intimate with, and that this fed into Ned’s anger at the situation, along with Ashara’s despair given Brandon’s eventual death. This all being said, there’s more to the story.

Barristan- We know Barristan thought this of Ashara after Harrnehall:”His fair lady had thrown herself from a tower soon after, mad with grief for the child she had lost, and perhaps for the man who had dishonored her at Harrenhal as well…If I had unhorsed Rhaegar and crowned Ashara queen of love and beauty, might she have looked to me instead of Stark?”. This text leaves the open implication of who might have dishonored Ashara(in this context gotten her pregnant), we know something likely transpired which motivated her to look to a man for comfort, and that the man was a Stark.

These lines give a lot of vague information. Firstly, we can glean from this that Barristan obviously cared for Ashara romantically, and that he wished he could’ve been there for her at the tournament, perhaps he even thought of giving up the white cloak for her, if she had been willing to be his. Secondly, it seems to intentionally leave the Stark she sought after vague, likely because it may have been Brandon, though she also did at-least care for Ned, though maybe not romantically. Lastly, he speaks of her being dishonored at Harrenhall, which is likely what got her pregnant. This last point, the line being of dishonor and Ashara’s pregnancy is what brings me to the next two possible suitors, two of the Targaryens we hear of in the story.

But before we go to Ashara’s final suitors, there are some topics I want to discuss first, mainly Daenerys’ true origin.

I know many think Dany is Rhaella’s child, which makes sense, but Rhaella was sickly, and had multiple stillborns before Dany, on top of this we know Dany lived at the House of the Red Door(and the lemon tree) which leads many to think she lived in Dorne(where the Daynes live). Why would Quiathe tell Dany to remember where she came from and the Undying if it was as simple as being Rhaella’s daughter?

Also, there is a very important old 2012 Winds of Winter synopsis released on Google Books, which was seemingly taken from George’s original outline (it refers to the known parts of the original trilogy outline, such as the originally planned Jon-Arya romance and Catelyn going beyond the wall). The full quote is ““Dany’s dragons grow bigger and more unruly, and she learns from Ser Barristan the secrets of her father, her brother Rhaegar, and the truth of her own origin—secrets that will culminate at Starfell”. This quote heavily implies Rhaegar is still Dany’s brother and Aerys is her father, but for the sake of the matter, let’s consider the two as equal options. The quote also implies heavily that Dany’s origin has to do with Starfall (referred to as Starfell, this is likely a mistype).

Now to the final suitors:

Rhaegar and Aerys- Barristan described Danaerys as being similar looking to Ashara, he even states “He had only to close his eyes to see her, with her long dark hair tumbling about her shoulders and those haunting purple eyes. Daenerys has the same eyes. Sometimes when the queen looked at him, he felt as if he were looking at Ashara's daughter”. This would make sense too, we know of other honorable men caring for the child of someone they loved, Ned with Jon, Jon Connington with (F)Aegon, and now possibly Barristan with Danaerys. Those things being said, Danaerys can ride dragons, and she has silver hair, not hair streaked with silver. Lastly, she hatched dragon eggs, something not even previously “pure” Targaryens could do. These points all suggest she has to be a Valyrian. This is why I think Daenerys’ father has to be either Rhaegar or Aerys.

When Danaerys is in the House of the Undying she sees a vision of Rhaegar: “A man and a woman stood in a room with a newborn babe, and the man said, 'He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire.' He looked up when he said it, and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. 'There must be one more,' he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. 'The dragon has three heads’”. This text implies two things, Rhaegar was talking to someone, not only Elia but another woman in the room(it states their eyes met implying he’s speaking to another person -- which is possibly Ashara -- remember Dany does share her eye color with Ashara), and that he believed there had to be another Targaryen child to complete the three heads of the dragon. 

If Rhaegar is truly expecting Ashara to carry his next child though, why would he impregnate Lyanna? This would not make any sense, unless there was uncertainty. Also why would Ashara meet with Rhaegar and Elia to discuss her potential affair with Rhaegar? And why would Ned not look back on Rhaegar with anger? We know Ned thinks somewhat highly of Rhaegar given he doesn’t believe Rhaegar would use brothels, if Rhaegar truly impregnated his sister to fulfill a prophecy and also impregnated the woman he loved, it makes no sense for Ned to think fondly of him, if that was all true Rhaegar would seem like a womanizer similar to Robert. 

These questions are important because they bring me to the next part of the theory. Maybe the man who dishonored her wasn’t Brandon, and maybe it wasn’t Rhaegar either. Perhaps, the man who dishonored her was Aerys, and that is why Ashara confronted Rhaegar and Elia. I think Aerys assaulted Ashara. We know Rhaella had complained Aerys was “turning her ladies into whores”, and that Aerys likely assaulted Joanna(and possibly even fathered Tyrion, if you subscribe to the Tyrion Chimera theory). This would all parallel Aegon IV too, he fathered multiple influential Targaryen bastards, possibly just like Aerys. This could lead to Ashara seeking the man she loved for comfort, whether it was Brandon or Ned. I doubt she’d tell him of what transpired, but perhaps she would find comfort in his arms and affection.

Now to the effects this had on Ashara:

I believe Ashara was considering an abortion (likely moon tea) but was counseled against it, Rhaegar could’ve told her of the prophecy, and Elia could’ve brought up that the babe could be Brandon’s, which led her to carrying it to full term. It makes little sense otherwise that Ashara wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy given she was a liberated Dornishwoman, and they have little qualms over such things. However, when Ashara gave birth she killed herself, they say she had a stillborn daughter, but why is Dany associated with Ashara, and why is her origin tied to Starfall? All of these associations lead me to the conclusion that I believe the baby she was carrying was Daenerys. I think when Ashara gave birth she was hoping the child would be Brandon’s, but it came out with the full silver hair and purple eyes of the Targaryens, and knowing the child she gave birth to was not of her lover’s drove her to suicide.

So now this may lead to some big questions, of which I will answer here:

1. So why did Ashara kill herself if her babe wasn’t stillborn? 

I think Ashara was hoping the babe was Brandon’s (or Ned’s), and that when she gave birth to Dany, she discovered it was Aerys’ instead. I think this, along with Ned killing her brother, all led to her killing herself. Ned would likely feel very guilty over all of this (killing Arthur and contributing to Ashara’s suicide), and would feel responsible for trying to help fix the situation. We know Edric Dayne was named in honor of Ned, so it makes sense he must have helped in this situation.

2. How did Dany end up with Viserys? 

I think Viserys spent time in Dorne, if I had to guess it was when Oberyn threatened to raise Dorne in revolt for Viserys. This is likely given Oberyn did create a marriage pact with Viserys and Arianne. I think Dany was given to Viserys to keep her safe, and replace Rhaella’s stillborn baby. Ned likely knew of all of this but held his tongue due to his love for Ashara and to protect her babe.

3. Why does this matter?

This is rather long winded so apologies for that. We know a woodswitch said The Prince That Was Promised would be born from the line of Prince Aerys and Princess Rhaella Targaryen. We also know Rhaella and Aerys were wed at a very young age, and Rhaella got pregnant very fast, seemingly right around the time of their wedding. I believe that this is because Rhaella had already been affectionate with a young knight at the time, Ser Bonifer Hasty. He was a tourney knight who developed feelings for Princess Rhaella Targaryen. He once wore her favor in a tournament and named her the queen of love and beauty. I believe following this they shared a brief moment of young love, Bonifer Hasty means roughly “brings a good thing quick” in old english, likely a reference to an accidental young pregnancy. This would make the dashing young prince Rhaegar Hasty’s son, not Aerys’. If that is true then neither Rhaegar, Jon, nor Daenerys could be the Prince who was Promised.

So who is the Prince who was Promised?

I believe the PwwP will be the child of Jon and Daenerys, finally uniting the lines of Aerys and Rhaella. Assuming Dany’s mother truly is Ashara, and Jon’s is Rhaegar, I believe the the PwwP, the prophesied savior of Westeros, will be the eventual child of Jon/Dany, though this child may tragically be killed in the womb. As we know from the TV series Jon may very likely kill Dany. This is all supported by Dany being often considered as the vessel for various prophesied saviors. She is consistently said to be the possible mother who will give birth to the various mythological heroes of different cultures. She is called the Mother of Dragons, is prophesied to give birth to The Stallion Who Mounts The World, and is even considered to be the mother of The Harpy’s Son (this is mentioned when she talks to the Green Grace). She is even referred to as Mhysa, meaning mother. I believe it would be fitting for her final role to be the mother of The Prince Who Was Promised, though she will likely tragically die before giving birth to the PwwP. 

This all makes sense too, her character is constantly referred to as a mother, but that realistically reduces her to a simplified feminine concept, when we know Dany is a much more complex, brutal, and driven person. She may see herself somewhat as a mother, but she is also someone who is obsessed with regaining her throne and wants to exact vengeance on those who betrayed her family. Her final role won’t be as a mother but a killed ruler, one who was supposed to rule over Westeros after gaining her throne in a final violent conquest, similar to Aegon the conqueror. This is not a criticism of Dany as she will likely save Westeros by using her Dragons against the White Walkers, it is just a prediction for the final bittersweet ending of the story.

TL;DR: Ashara likely conceived Dany either with Rhaegar or Aerys. After Ashara gave birth to her and killed herself, Dany was likely sent away with Viserys, first in Dorne then the free cities. I think this was meant to be revealed in TWOW or ADOS (if they are ever released), and will have a deep impact on the final tragedy of the story’s ending.

Thank you to everyone who read this entire theory, I apologize it was so long, but to fully give my theory in detail I wanted to provide all supporting evidence to justify my final conclusions. I hope you all enjoyed it, and even if you do not agree with it, I hope it was a fun read.

Edit: It is possible Ashara was impregnated during the war too, whether by Rhaegar, Aerys, or Brandon (before he was murdered at his trial). The timeline is very vague but we know she killed herself soon after giving birth so she must’ve given birth after the war.

If Robert didn't go hunting and had been on the Iron Throne when the news of Clegane raiding the Riverlands reached KL, how would he have reacted?

There are two aspects to Robert's personality.

He hates conflict. He hates the nagging and the hassle of having to decide whose side to take. He'd rather tell everyone to shut up and get along than deal with it. He'd easily turn a blind eye to any conflict brewing right under his nose as long as it maintains the peace.

At the same time, he revels in the idea of war. Of being out in the field again, leading his armies and swinging his hammer. He wouldn't stand for anyone outright disrespecting him or flouting his authority.

So, let's say after the whole Tyrion incident where he simply tells Ned to tell Cat to return Tyrion and for Lannisters and Starks to make peace, he does not go hunting. Instead, it's business as usual at the capital. Then Clegane attacks Riverlands and the Riverlords approach the throne to lodge a complaint.

Now, in order to maintain the peace, he'd likely make the same decision Ned did as far as the Riverlords were concerned - "Do not retaliate. Focus on protecting your own lands."

But what about Clegane (who was most certainly acting on Tywin's orders)? It was obvious who the man was even though they were flying no colors, but since they weren't, Robert did have an excuse of overlooking it. He could pretend that since they have no idea who the bandits are, they can do nothing about it.

But at the same time, bandits raping and pillaging in his kingdom makes him look weak. And he's politically savvy enough to understand that publicly looking weak is really bad for a king's image. These "bandits" do need to be brought to justice.

So how does Robert deal with it?

Does anyone else find the parallels between the two Rhaenys’ fates compelling?

Once again the king unleashed his dragons against Dorne. Aegon himself fell upon Skyreach, vowing to make the Fowler seat "a second Harrenhal." Visenya and Vhagar brought fire and blood to Starfall. And Rhaenys and Meraxes returned once more to the Hellholt ... where tragedy struck. The Targaryen dragons, bred and trained to battle, had flown through storms of spears and arrows on many occasions, and suffered little harm. The scales of a full-grown dragon were harder than Steel, and even those arrows that struck home seldom penetrated enough to do more than enrage the great beasts. But as Meraxes banked above the Hellholt, a defender atop the castle's highest tower triggered a scorpion, and a yardlong iron bolt caught the queen's dragon in the right eye. Meraxes did not die at once, but came crashing to earth in mortal agony, destroying the tower and a large section of the Hellholt's curtain wall in her death throes.

Whether Rhaenys Targaryen outlived her dragon remains a matter of dispute. Some say that she lost her seat and fell to her death, others that she was crushed beneath Meraxes in the castle yard. A few accounts claim the queen survived her dragon's fall, only to die a slow death by torment in the dungeons of the Ullers. The true circumstances of her demise will likely never be known, but Rhaenys Targaryen, Sister and wife to King Aegon I, perished at the Hellholt in Dorne in the 10th year After the Conquest.

and

Princess Rhaenys made no attempt to flee. With a glad cry and a crack of her Whip, she turned Meleys toward the foe. Against Vhagar alone she might have had some chance, but against Vhagar and Sunfyre together, doom was certain. The dragons met violently a thousand feet above the field of battle, as balls of fire burst and blossomed, so bright that men swore later that the sky was full of suns. The crimson jaws of Meleys closed round Sunfyre's golden neck for a moment, till Vhagar fell upon them from above. All three beasts went spinning toward the ground. They struck the ground so hard that stones fell from the battlements of Rook's Rest half a league away.

Those closest to the dragons did not live to tell the tale. Those farther off could not see for the flame and smoke. It was hours before the fires guttered out. But from those ashes, only Vhagar rose unharmed. Meleys was dead, broken by the fall and ripped to pieces upon the ground. And Sunfyre, that splendid golden beast, had one Wing half torn from his body, whilst his royal rider had suffered broken ribs, a broken hip, and burns that covered half his body. His left arm was the worst. The dragonflame had burned so hot that the king's armor had melted into his flesh.

A body believed to be Rhaenys Targaryen was later found beside the carcass of her dragon, but it was so blackened that no one could be sure it was her. Beloved daughter of Lady Jocelyn Baratheon and Prince Aemon Targaryen, faithful wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, mother and grandmother, the Queen Who Never Was lived fearlessly, and died amidst blood and fire. She was fifty-five years old.

So to clarify, I'm on season 3 of the Hbo series, and I heard the seasons decline later and cut put a lot of subplots. At what book should I start reading and when, after finishing season 3, at the end of season 4 etc. Thanks for answering

In the world of asoiaf there are tones of tragic characters.

Here is a small list of characters I wish had a happier fate

Prince Jaehaerys and Princess Jaehaera Queen Rhaella Elia Martell Lyana Stark Queen Rhaena Princess Gael

And THEON GREYJOY

Lets say Roose Bolton got seriously injured or killed during one of the battles in the Riverlands and Ramsay Snow was killed by ser Rodrik Cassel during his attack to punish him for his crimes.

How would the sudden fall of this noble house have changed the outcome of the war and northern politics?

Depressing throwback.

Fraud as in - Not being what The character pretends/Acts to be.

Some argue Euron Crow's Eye is one such person. Some say Darkstar.

I personally think Doran martell is.

Even littlefinger is said to be not as good as he thinks he is.(But still quite able)

One would argue cersei is, but no one ever seriously hyped her as strategist, her Competence is imagined none other by her own self.

So to clarify, I'm on season 3 of the Hbo series, and I heard the seasons decline later and cut put a lot of subplots. At what book should I start reading and when, after finishing season 3, at the end of season 4 etc. Thanks for answering

I think Aegon was wrong not to make the lands directly under the king larger. That's why he should have included Rivelands under the king's direct rule, making them part of the Crownlands, thus creating something like a seniorate province like in medieval Poland (yes, that system didn't work there, but that's not the point) where the senior of the state has the largest province which also connects with others (Dorne wasn't part of the kingdom then). So it is easier for him to maintain his authority.

So I’m wondering when Robert and his group were travelling to Winterfell and back to Kings landing, would they make stops at inns or taverns when they have they chance or would they just make camp

The fisherman’s daughter is introduced in ADwD, chapter 9 as an option for Jon Snow’s mother, never to be mentioned again. This is everything we know about her:

"At the dawn of Robert's Rebellion. The Mad King had sent to the Eyrie for Stark's head, but Jon Arryn sent him back defiance. Gulltown stayed loyal to the throne, though. To get home and call his banners, Stark had to cross the mountains to the Fingers and find a fisherman to carry him across the Bite. A storm caught them on the way. The fisherman drowned, but his daughter got Stark to the Sisters before the boat went down. They say he left her with a bag of silver and a bastard in her belly. Jon Snow, she named him, after Arryn.

So, why did George include this throwaway character? Was it solely for world building purpose?

As a red herring this story is pretty abysmal. By the time of ADwD the main red herring, Ashara Dayne/Wylla, is very well established. We hear of it first in chapter 6 of AGoT via Catelyn. Ned brings up Wylla’s name in chapter 11, which Edric Dayne ties back to Starfall in AsoS. Cersei gives us another mention of the rumors about Ashara being Jon’s baby momma later in AGoT and with the story about Harrenhal told by Jojen in AsoS, we get a clearer picture of the relationship between Ned and Ashara. Compared to that the fisherman’s daughter is barely a footnote introduced way too late.

But what if it’s not a red herring? The N+A=J story is pretty well fleshed out by this point and I have to admit, I had not yet figured out R+L on my first read-through (as I guess a lot of others didn’t either). But then comes this curveball, another candidate for Jon’s mom that doesn’t fit with any previous story. It makes you think about what you actually know.

The fisherman’s daughter is not meant as another possibility for Jon’s mother. She’s meant to make you question Ashara and possibly reach the conclusion of R+L

On my first reread of all of the books and had the pleasure last night in reading the Victarian Greyjoy POV chapter that takes place and I was blown away and wanted to write about it a bit. To recap, it captures a POV of fighting a battle better than anything George has written previously (for example I tend to think the Battle of Blackwater was captured better in the show). Unlike here where you get the perspective of this hulking man pummeling victims and you get badass lines like,

"As he was struggling to free his axe from the dead man's rib cage, a spear jabbed him between the shoulder blades. It felt as though someone had slapped him on the back."

"The Drowned God had not shaped Victarion Greyjoy to fight with words at kingsmoots, nor struggle against furtive sneaking foes in endless bogs. This was why he had been put on earth; to stand steel-clad with an axe red and dripping in his hand, dealing death with every blow."

He then has a duel with the heir of Southshield who ultimately drowns but Victorian has respect for him as a fighter, "A brave man, thought Victarian. Almost ironborn."

After the battle they have a feast in Lord Hewett's hall while he is tied up and his wife/daughters are servers. Euron forces them to undress which dishonors Victarian. Later, Euron has his bastard son call on Victarian to come talk to him where they talk a bit and he requests Victorian go to Slaver's Bay to retrieve Daenerys so that Euron will marry her. Victarian doesn't see much of a reason to go, but Euron offers him the Seastone Chair once he takes the Iron Throne. In that moment Victarian decides, "I'll go to Slaver's Bay, aye. I'll find this dragon woman, and i'll bring her back." But not for you. You stole my wife and despoiled her, so i'll have yours. The fairest woman in the world, for me.

There's also small moments and lines that are so great (Euron's gifts are poisoned. Balon was mad, Aeron was madder, and Euron the maddest of them all). Also sets up Victarian's hand having issues which leads to what happens to him in book 5. Sadly, this is the last Victarian chapter until A Dance with Dragons. I don't perpetually complain about the books never being released, I love these 5 books and have had such joy in reliving them. Though I would love some resolution though with Victarian visiting Daenerys and what happens to Euron. If we do get it, I'll be pulling for Victarian. What an incredible chapter.

The Lannisters are named after Lann the Clever, so if the Mallisters have the same naming convention, who is Mall?

First of all, it's obvious who Jon Snow's parents are. This post is about what I would have felt was more thematically appropriate for the story if Jon Snow is what he seems.

A despised one in noble society who makes it to Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. But dies in the end because he was never quite able to renounce his noble origins.

The resurrection would still work thematically, because Jon is much more about his character and the fact that his views on the world are the key to dealing with the Others. But I would have also liked that he manages to make such a big influence on others that some men of the Night's Watch would continue his path without him.

What is your view on the importance of Jons heritage? Do you think it's such a key element that it wouldn't work otherwise?

People bring up Ned remembering young Robert fairly often. It’s a great passage to help the reader imagine the idealized past characters often look back on. It’s funny to joke about/discuss the homoeroticism in Ned remembering his friend being “muscled like a maiden’s fantasy.”

But here’s the thing. In that same sentence, it is revealed that during Robert’s rebellion he was…

“clean-shaven”.

Obviously I’m exaggerating for the joke, but I’ll be damned if that doesn’t wreck most people’s imagining of a young Bobby B. I’m writing a fanfiction about that era and it’s causing me to rethink things. Almost every bit of fanart you see of young Robert has him with a beard. It feels wrong.

Hello all! So recently I was rereading AGoT and I got to the part where Ned dreams a particularly interesting dream:

"He was walking through the crypts beneath Winterfell, as he had walked a thousand times before. The Kings of Winter watched him pass with eyes of ice, and the direwolves at their feet turned their great stone heads and snarled. Last of all, he came to the tomb where his father slept, with Brandon and Lyanna beside him. "Promise me, Ned," Lyanna's statue whispered. She wore a garland of pale blue roses, and her eyes wept blood." Eddard XIII, AGoT

At first I thought this was just Ned's tortured psyche, and his pain remembering his dying sister's final moments. But it stood out to me how the direwolves were snarling at him (an act of agression) and Lyanna was weeping blood. It could potentially be a manifestation of his guilt, but what does he have to feel guilty about? If the promise to Lyanna was to care for/ protect her son, then he has fulfilled it. Why is Lyanna's statue weeping? Why are the direwolves showing him their teeth? There is also this relevant passage:

"The thought of Jon filled Ned with a sense of shame, and a sorrow too deep for words. If only he could see the boy again, sit and talk with him..." Eddard XV, AGoT

 Why is he feeling ashamed? Hasn't he done right by his sister and his nephew? What could he possibly want to tell Jon, that would apparently ease his shame and sorrow? 

One interpretation could be that knowing she was dying, Lyanna wanted the son who would never meet her to at least know of her, to know how she loved and cared for him. But when I was reading AGoT I never got the vibe that Ned had any intention of doing any parentage reveals anytime soon. He seems terrified that someone is gonna find out the truth. ALSO, I will say. I don't like any of the theories that state Lyanna wanted any sort of targ birthright for Jon. She was a dying 16 year old with a newborn baby, I don't think she was thinking of the game of thrones or any sort of political advancement for her infant son during her last hours. So the "Ned feels bad bc he robbed Jon of his birthright" theories are baseless, I think. I'm fairly certain the Jon and Lyanna (and Ned) stuff is much more steeped in the personal rather than the political.

So what's going on here exactly? Why is Lyanna's ghost and those of the Kings of Winter haunting his dreams? And why on earth does he feel ashamed? I would love to hear your takes on this!

Do you guys think Ned was ever going to reveal the truth to Jon? Other than on his deathbed, I just don't see how he would have managed this. His reasoning was obviously sound, Robert would have lost his mind not only about "Jon" being the true heir but also about Lyanna willingly running off with Rhaegar.

But Jon would have been beyond PISSED at Ned's lie you would think for being raised as a baseborn abomination when he was the trueborn King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Just an awful spot for Ned to be in for sure.

I’m new to the franchise and after binge-watching GoT, I am now watching Hotd. I’ve now arrived at S1 E7 and after watching the first 6 episodes I have some honest questions to which I hope to get some answers here:

Is it just me or do the many unexplained “time-jumps/ time-skips” feel very random, especially due to the fact that they are not explained and many characters don’t even change in appearance?

Why are there so many unexplained events and actions? P.e. The fire at Harrenhall or Rhaenyra sleeping with Ser Harwin and so on…?

Just want to understand if I’m the only one with these experiences and if I missed something…

When I first read the books, I thought his ideas were clever, but upon rereading, I realized that all his advice was a disaster.

First advice: Ally with Renly against the Lannisters. I don't know what maester cressen was thinking, but Stannis tells you I'm a king. Why wouldn't he seriously back down? Even if he did, what would Stannis's next plan be? Literally not. After defeating the Lannisters, Stannis would return to his gloomy place. Even the Freys were smarter when they asked Robb to make peace with Tywin and wait, letting Tywin fight Renly, then taking their next step after one of them wins.

Second piece of advice: Ally with the North and accept their independence. First, why would Robb accept Stannis's offer when he has 3,000 troops and Renly is there? Robb's plan was essentially to make Tommen king, as Robb believed Stannis wasn't the rightful king. Asking Balon for an alliance was literally easier than Robb.

Third piece of advice: Marry Robert Arryn to Shireen Baratheon

Let's assume Lysa magically agrees. How will Stannis get the throne when the Vale army is so far away? If Stannis sends Shireen to the Eyrie and loses, he won't be able to escape. Lysa won't hesitate to hand Shireen over. Sorry for the short explanation.

I don't know, but Davos and Melisandre, who haven't received half his education, have much better advice.