u/sixth_order

If he actually has wanted to assassinate Joffrey. With the caveat that he'd do it in a fashion to try and get away with it.

I'm currently rereading the post Dance period in Fire&Blood just as a refresher. The way they describe Aegon and Jaehaera is just heartbreaking.

“Both of them are broken,” Grand Maester Munkun declared in a letter to the Conclave. The girl had witnessed the murder of her twin brother at the hands of Blood and Cheese. The king had lost all four of his own brothers, then watched his uncle feed his mother to a dragon. “These are not normal children,” Munkun wrote. “They have no joy in them; they neither laugh nor play.

Aegon seldom smiles and never laughs, but neither does he display any outward signs of anger or fear, save in regards to dragons, the very mention of which sends him into a rare rage. Orwyle was wont to call His Grace calm and self-possessed; I say the boy is dead inside. He walks the halls of the Red Keep like a ghost. Brothers, I must be frank. I fear for our king, and for the kingdom.”

It also makes me think it's a wonder Sansa didn't lose her mind while she was prisoner at King's Landing. Arya, Bran and Jon also go through a lot of shit, but they're active, moving, doing things. They're not just sitting around hearing about their families being killed. And in Aegon and Jaehaera case, they witnessed one murder of a family member.

And on Aegon, I think it's really sad especially because it feels to me like he's just not able to muster any feelings for anything, but he wants to. I say that because when the sickness was spreading through King's Landing, Aegon took the time to visit the sick, sit with them, listen to them. At least Aegon had Rhaena and Baela around. Jaehaera only had Alicent and she wouldn't see her anymore because Alicent kept telling her to kill Aegon in his sleep.

The part where Egg says Aerys I read about dragons coming back in a prophecy. Where would he have read this? The last dragon died in 153 AC, little over 50 years from the time period in TMK.

The Mystery Knight:

"Your dragon's egg." They put it in his cradle. Dunk was so used to Egg that sometimes he forgot Aegon was a prince. Of course they'd put a dragon egg inside his cradle. "Well, see that you don't go mentioning this egg where anyone is like to hear."

"I'm not stupid, ser." Egg lowered his voice. "Someday the dragons will return. My brother Daeron's dreamed of it, and King Aerys read it in a prophecy. Maybe it will be my egg that hatches. That would be splendid."

"Would it?" Dunk had his doubts.

(And as an aside, I still think it's odd that Daeron told Dunk the thing about Targaryens remaining despite dragons being gone if he dreamed that the dragons would come back)

More land occupied by the crown can only be a good thing for the crown, right? I understand something horrible happened there but it did at Harrenhal too and nobody said let's just leave it as a ruin.

It's a thing that comes up a lot, too. Of what to do with second and third princes. If Summerhall was still a thing, Robert could've given it to Stannis. May be that softens the blow of not getting Storm's End.

In ACOK after a council meeting where they read Stannis' letter, Varys and Tyrion have a talk.

"Robert's bastards? What of them?"

"He fathered eight, to the best of my knowing," Varys said as he wrestled with the saddle. "Their mothers were copper and honey, chestnut and butter, yet the babes were all black as ravens . . . and as ill-omened, it would seem. So when Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen slid out between your sister's thighs, each as golden as the sun, the truth was not hard to glimpse."

Tyrion shook his head. If she had borne only one child for her husband, it would have been enough to disarm suspicion . . . but then she would not have been Cersei.

As an aside, I think it's interesting Varys makes it sound like it was obvious and everyone should've known. Makes me think there might have been more whispers about it all.

But what Tyrion says at the end: if Joffrey was Robert's son, could she have gotten away with Myrcella and Tommen being Jaime's? In theory that could make their bastardy even more obvious if their older brother looks just like Robert.

It's an odd hill to live on. First his war on completion percentage and now this? Some QBs throw more than others, so it basically adjusts for attempts same as like points per 100 possessions does in basketball.

And btw Tom Brady led the league in td percentage 2 of his 3 MVP seasons, Mahomes led in both his MVP seasons and Lamar led it in his first MVP season and in 2024 when he was first team all pro but not MVP. Brock Purdy led in td percentage in 2023 during Lamar's second MVP season and Brock finished 4th in MVP voting that year.

So it's well indicative of an excellent season.

Once Ned is captured and in the dungeons, Varys comes to Ned and says he must confess his treasons otherwise, Cersei will have him killed. Except that was never true. Before Joffrey went full Joffrey, the plan of the Lannisters was to keep Ned as a captive.

Varys also says they may kill Sansa, but again that's not true either. Cersei still fully intended for Sansa to marry Joffrey at that point. And in any case, Sansa is way too valuable to kill, since they could just marry her to someone else if not Joffrey, which is exactly what ends up happening with Tyrion.

Joffrey had already made up his mind he'd kill Ned, so let's put him aside a second. If Ned had refused to 'confess' Cersei wouldn't kill him, right? Even she isn't that crazy. Especially since the starks already had Jaime captive by then. If they kill Sansa and Ned, there's no reason for Robb not to kill Jaime too. Sending him to the wall also wouldn't that smart.

And knowing his Young Griff agenda, it just seems like Varys wanted Ned out of the way, the north cowed so Young Griff could come in as Rhaegar's lost trueborn son taking down Joffrey the Illborn. That last speech of Varys about how the High Septon told him as we sin so do we suffer etc. is one of my favorite in the series. And it feels like one of the few genuine things Varys has ever said. But everything around it feels phony in retrospect.

What an amazing ending to a novel. I was trotting along reading, then near the end hit 'The Bloody Nine' chapter. Wow. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

Jezal is like over the top pompous rich guy and he spends half the book fantasizing about his friend's sister, but I'm reserving judgement. I'm guessing there'll be more to explore there with him.

Glokta: well done, always entertaining, fantastic inner monologues.

I also like Brother Longfoot. Seems like an okay guy

Looking back on the first Blackfyre rebellion, I feel like they were just fighting a losing battle. If you only have minor houses to support you, I don't think success was ever actually possible.

Daemon himself was already married, but he had at least 9 children. Calla was betrothed to Bittersteel but the others could/should have been used as incentive for potential future marriages. The lords already in power are always incentivized to favor the status quo unless you can convince them backing you will improve their position.

I also think the claim that dornish influence at court was so resented is very exaggerated, since we know no great house chose to oppose Daeron II.

When Oberyn sticks the spear in Gregor's chest, Tyrion thinks he's won. And then we know what happens right after. However, if Oberyn took care of business like he should have, I just don't even know what happens to Tyrion.

Everyone in KL still thought he was guilty of Joffrey's murder. And most importantly, Cersei believed he was guilty. Tyrion couldn't just go back to his life like nothing happened. Kevan told him most likely he'd be killed by a mob if he wandered in the streets. And in the Red Keep, Cersei is around. Not sure which one is scarier.

Tyrion being sentenced to die (even though I'm still not sure if Tywin would've gone through with it) made it so Jaime makes Varys take him far away from King's Landing. And westeros in general. That's what was best for Tyrion's lifespan

By the end of his POV in ADWD, Theon remembers his name. That's really good. However, for obvious reasons, he really doesn't care if he lives or dies.

A Ghost in Winterfell:

"I told you. I want to touch you, turncloak." Holly smiled. In her hand a blade appeared.

I could scream, Theon thought. Someone will hear. The castle is full of armed men. He would be dead before help reached him, to be sure, his blood soaking into the ground to feed the heart tree. And what would be so wrong with that? "Touch me," he said. "Kill me." There was more despair than defiance in his voice. "Go on. Do me, the way you did the others. Yellow Dick and the rest. It was you."

TWOW sample chapter:

"As you served Roose Bolton and Robb Stark?” Stannis snorted. “I think not. We have a warmer end in mind for you, turncloak. But not until we’re done with you.”

He means to kill me. The thought was queerly comforting. Death did not frighten Theon Greyjoy. Death would mean an end to pain. “Be done with me, then,” he urged the king. “Take off my head off and stick it on a spear. I slew Lord Eddard’s sons, I ought to die. But do it quick. He is coming.”

Especially in this chapter, Theon makes it a point to tell Stannis to call him by his name, not turncloak. And at the end Theon smiles because of all the ravens who keep repeating his name

I personally don't think this is where Theon dies, if he does. And if I'm right, I just wonder if being something other than a prisoner could somewhat reinvigorate him.

For the show onlys among us, one of the future/potential/theoretical Dunk and Egg stories is called The Sellsword. Quote by GRRM below:

*But I do have notes and fairly specific ideas for a number of them. There's the one set in the north that people have been calling "The She-Wolves of Winterfell," though that will not actually be the title. After that -- or maybe before, if I jump around in time -- there will be "The Village Hero," "The Sellsword," "The Champion," "The Kingsguard," "The Lord Commander," and several more in between.*

The sellsword one is the one I think about the most because there are so many potential variants of how this slice of Dunk and Egg's adventures can go. For context, The Hedge Knight takes place during the year 209. The Golden Company was founded in 212. At that same time, Aerion was also a member of the second sons. Could there have been a reunion between our beloved duo and Egg's evil older brother? Egg and Dunk did go to Essos at some point iirc, so that could've been it.

When Dunk becomes a Kingsguard way into the future, he kills the third Daemon Blackfyre during the fourth Blackfyre rebellion. There could have been a meeting between the two during this? I just think it opens so many different avenues for Dunk to stumble into.

Aegon and company really didn't have that many men, but they had 3 dragons which is an unfair advantage. I was thinking about how Mance united all the wildling clans under himself and began to think: could someone have been able to subdue all those kings and rulers prior to the conquest, similar to Mance but on a larger scale?

Robert was able to ally a large chunk of the kingdoms behind him, but that was 200+ years into westeros having a king, so the notion of it was not just palatable to Jon Arryn, Ned and Hoster, it's what they thought of as normal. So different circumstances there.

Harren the Black was king of the iron islands and the riverlands prior to Aegon making his move. Maybe if he tried, he could've grown his territory? But Harren was also pretty old back then already.

When Theon is talking to Dagmer in Theon II ACOK, he says this:

“You take this business too hard, boy. It is only that your lord father does not know you. With your brothers dead and you taken by the wolves, your sister was his solace. He learned to rely on her, and she has never failed him.”

“Nor have I. The Starks knew my worth. I was one of Brynden Blackfish’s picked scouts, and I charged with the first wave in the Whispering Wood. I was that close to crossing swords with the Kingslayer himself.” Theon held his hands two feet apart. “Daryn Hornwood came between us, and died for it.”

“Why do you tell me this?” Dagmer asked. “It was me who put your first sword in your hand. I know you are no craven.”

Later on, when Jaime is talking to Blackfish, Blackfish says this:

"I will permit you to take the black. Ned Stark's bastard is the Lord Commander on the Wall."

The Blackfish narrowed his eyes. "Did your father arrange for that as well? Catelyn never trusted the boy, as I recall, no more than she ever trusted Theon Greyjoy. It would seem she was right about them both. No, ser, I think not. I'll die warm, if you please, with a sword in hand running red with lion blood."

Theon being a hot head who wants glory probably wasn't much of a secret. So did Brynden kinda hope Jaime would kill Theon? Catelyn did in the aftermath, maybe even in the moment?

On the night of the Whispering Wood, Ned was still alive in his cell beneath Aegon's High Hill, Bran and Rickon were safe behind the walls of Winterfell. And Theon Greyjoy fought at Robb's side, and boasted of how he had almost crossed swords with the Kingslayer. Would that he had. If Theon had died in place of Lord Karstark's sons, how much ill would have been undone?

If you were a lord or a lady and you had a daughter, which would be more politically advantageous: marrying her to a prince that is not in line to inherit or to one of the 7 great lords?

As an example, prior to the war of the five kings breaking out, between Edmure and Renly, who would seem like the better match? In a world where the war never happened, Renly would most likely never come close to the throne.

Edit: I had forgotten that Renly was technically also lord of Storm's End. My bad on that. As another example, before the dance, we could use Cregan Stark vs Aemond or Daeron the Daring. There are other examples we can use throughout history as well.