u/Taha231

This is a serious question. Why do the Targaryens, as the rulers of Westeros, call themselves kings? Shouldn't they be called emperors instead? They seem to possess every requirement necessary to declare themselves emperors and their realm an empire.

If you were the producer of HOTD instead of Condal, what would you have done? The only rule is that you have to take the story in a different direction from the book.

This is entirely speculative, but if we think about it logically, Braavos and the North should have had very deep-rooted ties.

Consider this: Braavos was founded by slaves who escaped from Valyria, and for a very long time they kept themselves hidden. During that period, they were also growing wealthy through trade. But who were they trading with? It is true that they traded with the other Valyrian cities, but they had to conceal themselves very carefully while doing so. Taking all the factors into account, the nearest port where they could trade without constantly fearing exposure, and from which they could obtain the raw materials needed to build their city, was White Harbor.

Again, I am speaking purely from a logical perspective, but Braavos, especially in its early years, should have conducted most of its trade with the North. In fact, Lord Manderly and the Stark King may have known of Braavos's existence long before the other Valyrian cities did.

Considering all these factors, I believe Braavos and the North should have had remarkably deep-rooted relations. Yes, this is not how it is presented in the books, but if you ask me, this is how it should have been.

In this post, I’m going to bring up some common opinions about the book series and the lore. In the comments, you can answer with a simple yes or no. If you want, you can also elaborate on your answer.

1. If Maegor Targaryen had not existed, the Targaryen dynasty would have lost the throne before reaching its 50th year.
2. Ned Stark is a fool.
3. Rhaegar Targaryen would have been a good king.
4. The reason Aegon the Conqueror invaded Westeros was because he received a prophetic vision about the Long Night.
5. The Targaryens have genetic madness in their blood.
6. Daenerys Targaryen is the Song of Ice and Fire; she is the Prince That Was Promised mentioned in the books.
7. Tywin Lannister played the game of thrones the way it was meant to be played.
8. Rhaenyra Targaryen is the rightful queen. (The historical records only refer to her as a princess. The Dance of the Dragons is recorded as events that took place during the reign of Aegon II.)
9. In the upcoming books, we will see a second Dance of the Dragons. This time Jon will be on the Green side and Daenerys on the Black side.
10. The author will never finish writing TWOW.

Yes, an alliance with Khal Drogo would give the Targaryens an army of 70,000 horsemen that would be nearly unbeatable on open plains. However, this alliance seems to have far more disadvantages than benefits. The Dothraki commit massacres and rape on a scale that would make even the Lannisters look tame. Every soldier in their army seems to share the same mindset as Gregor Clegane, and they also practice slavery extensively. If the Targaryens—or even fAegon—were to invade Westeros with such an army, they would become a symbol of hatred across the entire continent. Almost nobody would obey them out of genuine loyalty. The few lords who bent the knee would do so out of fear and would stab them in the back at the first opportunity.

Furthermore, while the Dothraki are extremely effective on open ground, they are notoriously poor at siege warfare and castle assaults, and Westeros is filled with powerful castles.

I'm curious about what Varys was thinking when he sought a Dothraki alliance, because such an alliance seems to reduce the Targaryens' chances of taking the Iron Throne to almost zero and practically guarantees that they would never find reliable allies for any future attempts either.

As you know, during the rebellion the Reach lords chose to besiege Storm's End rather than fully commit themselves against the rebel armies. However, no matter how we look at it, this was a questionable decision. Storm's End was certainly an important castle, but it did not require the entire Reach host to maintain the siege. Mace Tyrell could have sent at least half of his army to assist Rhaegar.

The siege of Storm's End was probably a way of avoiding deeper involvement, as the Reach lords did not truly want to fight for the Targaryens. Aerys was no longer a trustworthy figure; he had burned even a Lord Paramount through a sham trial. Rhaegar, meanwhile, had carried off Lyanna, and in the eyes of some lords this may have been viewed as rape, since it is known that Rhaegar never publicly explained his actions regarding Lyanna.

We know that there were not many Reach soldiers fighting on Rhaegar's side at the Battle of the Trident. When the war ended, the Reach lords did not hesitate for even a moment to bend the knee before Robert, despite Viserys still being alive. Likewise, no meaningful support was ever given to the exiled Targaryens. It is probably fair to say that even the Blackfyre sympathizers within the Reach outnumbered the genuine Targaryen loyalists.

Overall, although the Reach lords raised their banners for the Targaryens during Robert's Rebellion, I believe they did so very reluctantly and deliberately held themselves back as much as possible. They may even have secretly celebrated when they learned that Robert had won the war.

The general shift in the ASOIAF fandom has really caught my attention. During the show's peak years, there was a dominant pro-Targaryen fanbase, and it was often claimed that Rhaegar was the true main character of the books. Now, when I look around, the situation seems to have changed dramatically. The fandom as a whole appears far more critical of the Targaryens, and people who defend Rhaegar are often dismissed as uninformed.

I'm not entirely sure why this shift happened, but it may have something to do with the release of Fire & Blood and the fact that we now have a much more detailed understanding of Targaryen history.