Valena says their maester claims that the blood draws them (the krakens) to the surface."

Euron will attract the krakens with the warlocks and Aerion blood,to me he has no skinchanging abilities

And Moqorro confirms everything: Moqorro said. "One most of all. A tall and twisted thing with one black eye and ten long arms, sailing on a sea of blood."

We know Ned fought arthur at the tower of Joy but we don't actually know if he died.

When arya is with Jaqen she thinks that: "Something about the way he talked reminded her of Syrio; it was the same, yet different too"

Syrio was a great sword fighter, just like Arthur Dayne. But wait, there's more.

"All knights must bleed, Jaime. Blood is the seal of our devotion"-Arthur to Jaime

That sounds suspiciously like all men must die. SInce faceless men can change their face, appearance does not matter.

Additionally, we meet Jaqen on a train to the wall which was supposed to have Ned in it. Could this be Arthur exacting revenge for his support of the rebellion?

What if Arthur became a faceless man after Robert's Rebellion to avoid being executed.

I genuinely think this lines up too well to be a coicidence.

1. Since that the company was formed from a collection of disgraced/exiled members of Westerosi houses, are there any former houses that-while extinct/non-existent in Westeros-continue to exist as apart of the Golden Company? If so which ones?

2. Since Joncon thinks FAegon is truly the son of Rhagar but the Golden Company (or at least the companies top brass) thinks he's a Blackfyre, do you think both parties will clash over this?

3. Is there any characters in Westeros (From the Golden Companies first founding and all the way to the current storyline) that you could narratively see joining the Golden Company or that you would like them to as a sort of AU situation?

How do you think Robert's Rebellion is going down? Do you think Cersei and Rhaegar would have children at this point? Cersei would only be about 16, but I imagine Tywin would make it very clear that she had to become pregnant as soon as possible 🤢. I feel like the Lannisters are still killing Aerys though, even if covertly, especially if Cersei had children or was pregnant.

Alternately, what if the STAB alliance still prevails without the Lannisters? What do you think would be Tywin's gameplan, with a daughter widowed by a dead, usurped prince, possibly with children? Do you think he'd flee to Essos with Viserys and Dany, or do you think he'd be too proud to leave Westeros? What about the other Lannisters? I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts, thanks!

In this opportunity i want to know how would you build a port city and a Stronghold in Sea Dragon Point with 10 million golden dragons, a Lordship in the North and an alliance with House Stark and the Ironborn. Let's say that you are a recently named Lord in the North, you are a friend of House Stark and Lord Eddard Stark (In this timeline, Westeros is at peace and there is no War and this is 5 years pre A Game of Thrones) and you managed to make an alliance with the Ironborn (probably giving them gold or using a marriage, to stop their raids in the North). What would you do? You will use your gold to buy ships, resources and qualified manpower? Would you negotiate deals with Houses of the South? Would you start trade businesses? How many time you think that would take to develop a well defended port city and a well defended Stronghold?

Thank you very much.

Who do you think wrote it? Why? Any and all thoughts around The Mystery of the Pink Letter.

So, I was playing the ASOIAF mod for Crusader Kings and started wondering about the minor houses in each region, both talked about and not. Let's you lived in Westeros during the time of the books. Which houses would you belong to in each region? No main houses though, and I mean the main houses as of the beginning of the books. So that means no Stark, Baratheon, Lannister, Martell, Arryn, Tully, Greyjoy, and Tyrell. I wanted to try and highlight the smaller houses and get people's opinions on them. Full disclosure, I know it's not the best criteria to decide with, but house sigils do impact my suggestions. Also, if a house has no listed heads or heirs, that can make it more desirable for my hypothetical character to slot in.

For me:

North: I guess Houses Glover or Cassel. I don't really see myself living in the North, mostly because I don't want to travel through the Neck to get to the other kingdoms. Still, House Glover always stood out as a solid house, and the Cassels always came across as loyal and noble.

Iron Islands: HousesHarlaw. My favorite of the Iron Islands houses,

Riverlands: Houses Mallister, Blackwood, and Ryger. Mallister narrowly beats out Blackwood as my favorite Riverlands house, and I like Ryger having a willow tree as their sigil lol. besides, having no confirmed names heads of house makes it easier to see that house as "mine" Now, how to pronounce Ryger. I see a G, but I've heard it pronounced as a J....

Vale: Houses Redfort and Hunter. I I'm a sucker for archers and I like House Redfort's support of House Stark.

Westerlands: Houses Sarsfield, Lydden, and Prestor. House Sarsfield has mounted archers, a combined First Men and Andal origin, and GRRM created it as a reference to Green Arrow. Lydden and Prestor both seem like solid houses with tough/hardy sigil animals.

Crownlands: Houses Velaryon and Staunton. Velaryon has a storied history, boasting some very notable individuals, and House Staunton is pretty much a blank slate to mold as I see fit.

The Reach: Houses Rowan and Fossoway. Mathis is described as a competent and respected leader (basically the opposite of Mace Tyrell). I lean more towards the Cider Hall Fossoways mostly because I prefer red apples. Also, I don't think the red apple Fossoways are still the "evil" branch of the house. House Hightower was a strong contender, but it's pretty far south, and I don't really like hot climates lol.

Stormlands: Houses Selmy and Morrigen. Belonging to a house that includes Ser Berriston the Bold? Check. House Morrigen falls into the category of houses without a distinct line of succession. However, they also lost their castle to Young Griff, so it's not all good.

Dorne: Houses Dayne and Toland. House Dayne for obvious reasons, and House Toland basically used their sigil to give the middle finger to the Targaryons. That's just hilarious!

Well, those are mine. What are yours?

In Asoiaf cannibalism is associated with being pork multiple times already. The two clear instances are:

ADWD -Bran and the gang eating the meat Cold Hands brought back, 0% chance he’s finding any meat other than human at a time like that.

-Wyman Manderly and the Frey Pies. The way this chapter is written heavily implies the “pork” pies are the 3 missing Frey’s. I think the only way George could have made it more obvious is if we got a scene with Wyman literally telling us what they are.

But in Arya II AFFC it feels a bit less clear, to me at least. Arya suddenly freaks out a bit believing the meat she’s eating is human flesh, only for the Kindly man to say “It’s just pork child, ordinary pork”.

Is this another instance of human flesh being masked as pork? What way would feeding dead people to its members & trainees serve the House of Black & White?

Bear with me here.

Bronn always stood out to me. He’s a deadly and brutal fighter, he’s well spoken and seems to have an instinct for politics that a common-born sell sword just wouldn’t. He sort of fell into the clutches of the Lannisters after the Blackwater, but then not only outsmarted Cersei but has used their maneuvering to apparently take control of the two most vital land holdings around the capital. If you back up and look at him from afar, he looks like a rather ingenious man who’s hiding his true motives and most of what he actually knows while working toward some secret larger goal.

At first I thought he was just a complex character, but then I noticed something. Howland Reed is set up as perhaps Ned Stark’s best friend (besides Robert and in the North). At the very least, Ned seemed to really trust and respect him due to things he’d seen Howland do. Ned tells Bran outright that Reed saved him from Arthur Dayne, and if I had to bet in anything in the show being taken directly from Martin’s plans for the unpublished books it’d be Howland Reed stabbing Ser Arthur in the back to save Ned. Reed and his Crannogmen are described as hard-living people who prefer to kill from afar and are extremely stealthy and cunning. I envision Reed as the shrewd but loyal friend who would’ve pushed Ned to be more strategic and less forgiving.

When the northern lords gather in ACOK, Howland Reed’s children arrive and basically take up station guarding Bran and protecting him while he pursues his destiny beyond the wall. Given that Ned was so close to Reed, you’d think that Reed would’ve made an appearance at Winterfell or, better, joined Rob on the march. We’re only told that Howland hasn’t left Greywater Watch since he and Ned returned from Dorne, which is extremely strange in itself. Note that this means that none of the main characters knows what he now looks like in the timeline of the books.

I didn’t think of it at first, but George’s hints tend to be kind of in-your-face, hidden in plane sight. Bronn is a gifted archer (Crannogmen are deadly with poisoned arrows) who is dubbed Bronn of the Blackwater. Dark water is the hallmark of the Neck and of Crannogmen culture. Since Bronn arrived in King’s Landing, he’s exercised the good sense to play all corners against the middle and has swiftly gained control of a position that could easily allow him to decide who sits the Iron Throne in the end. I can’t buy a man with Bronn’s sense and personality being simply a sell sword whose world revolves around a “Me want castle and pretty noble wench!” mentality. Sure, he could just be a singularly smart and well-travelled guy, but that wouldn’t groove with his wanting to rise so swiftly into tedious politics.

On the other hand, if we imagine that he might be Ned Stark’s loyal friend who’s come in disguise to avenge Ned and save the realm by playing the game that Ned wouldn’t play, it all makes a lot more sense. Howland may have calculated that Rob wouldn’t be able to outmaneuver the Lannisters in the end. Since no one knew his face, he could’ve dispatched his kids to protect the Stark family as best as they could while he went south to assess the situation. His arc began with him escorting Ned’s wife to safety, once she was in the Veil he used Tyrion as a means of ducking into the Lannisters’ employ and then becoming a leading figure in the capital. Now, he has Cersei and Tommen at the point of his sword and could throw the doors of the realm open to anyone. Notice that his kids also went north with Bran, making it possible that they could rendezvous with Jon Snow. If Jon is Rhaegar and Leanna’s son, Howland Reed is the only one who knows it.

I always felt they Ned and possibly others had a long-term plan for Jon and were waiting to get certain things in place. Maybe Howland Reed has arranged to have control of the capital to make way for Aunt Daenarys and her dragons to slay the usurpers so that he can reveal her nephew and the two could marry and rule as the Targaeryans reborn?

Thoughts?

I found a nice post on Tumblr which critisizes the Madonna/whore the fandom has regarding Jaime and Cersei's relationship, how they blame Cersei for all the bad things Jaime does, how the fandom thinks Jaime deserves so much sympathy while having none for Cersei even though she has suffered much more than Jaime, etc.

You can read that post here

I will also copy and paste the post here:

Jaime/Cersei isn’t a well liked ship, not because it’s toxic to both Cersei and Jaime but because people think Jaime could do better. Jaime Lannister is not a good person at all but he got his POV chapters before Cersei and they made him sympathetic. The problem is that people latched onto his character and then they essentially erased his flaws and blamed his mistakes on Cersei. They decided he’s on a redemption arc and the only way to close it is to sever ties with Cersei completely (usually by murdering her). Cersei is seen as basically the devil on his shoulder so Jaime apparently needs an angel on his other shoulder to counter her influence and because he and Cersei are romantic partners, the angel is going to be another woman who he falls in love with.

Madonna-whore complex is basically good woman versus bad woman. The good woman is a virgin, innocent, flawless (sometimes in canon, sometimes only in fanon), a healer, patient, morally upright, etc. She’s there to fix Jaime, make him a better person heaven forbid he does it himself. She has some mild negative traits but is otherwise accommodating to all of Jaime’s needs after initially giving him a hard time to get him to shape up. Most importantly she’s understanding of all the terrible things Jaime did because it’s not really his fault is it? All these traits are meant to contrast Cersei’s canon characteristics and make the good woman come out looking perfect. This applies heavily to Brienne who is a virgin, a good person, to some level of flawless (bad things happen to Brienne but they’re never self inflicted). Brienne fans like to credit her for Jaime’s ‘redemption’ arc even though it doesn’t exist (it’s an identity arc y’all). She’s essentially the angel on his shoulder. She’s not the only female character that they put in this category. There’s Sansa, Lyanna, Catelyn, etc.

Cersei on the other hand is seen as an especially promiscuous woman for sleeping with multiple men (a handful, nothing like Robert or Tyrion). She’s very flawed, cruel, vindictive, impatient and unwilling to essentially roll the carpet out for Jaime every time he does the bare minimum. On top of her canon nastiness,  Cersei’s the reason Jaime does terrible things apparently as if he wasn’t an adult capable of making his own decisions. Even situations like Jaime trying to kill Bran, which he did on his own accord, the blame rarely given to Jaime and when it is people expect Bran will forgive him because Jaime’s a good guy, he’s no longer with Cersei! Every mistake Jaime ever made is laid on her feet, each and every mistake. I’ve seen people blaming her for the whole ‘let’s trebuchet a baby.’ 

There’s rarely any understanding for Cersei’s actions which are often fueled by trauma and mental illness. She’s blamed for all the toxicity of the relationship. In fact whenever Jaime has a harsh or violent thought towards Cersei, it’s celebrated but if Cersei sees Jaime as a liability because he doesn’t believe her assertions that they are surrounded by enemies, she’s called abusive. Only Jaime is allowed to be dissatisfied with his partner and only Jaime is allowed to abandon his partner. Before Cersei was made to go through the horrific Walk of Shame, she begged Jaime for help and he burnt the letter. If it was the other way around, if Jaime was caught by Brynden Tully and he begged Cersei for help and she refused to help him, she’d be crucified even more than she is now.

I’m not saying Cersei’s a good person, I’m saying neither is Jaime. They have a very unhealthy codependent relationship where they hurt each other. Demonising Cersei and declaring she’s not good enough for Jaime but Brienne or Sansa both are is sexist for several reasons. It’s not upto women to fix men, being a virgin does not mean you’re a good person, men have responsibility for their actions, redemption arcs that end with the murder of woman are misogynistic and support domestic abuse. We have an interesting dynamic between two interesting characters but you’d rather villainise one to an extreme and make the other a saint. The fact is people are far more comfortable supporting the madonna-whore complex because otherwise they would have to deal with the fact that they’re shipping good people with someone who’s basically a villain.

Do you agree with this post or not?

so I'm reading the chapters of sansa in the vale again and I can't stop myself from the irony that sana and her cousin have, basically robert arryn is a male sansa with all that selfishness and being fund of stories and all of that. the thing that sansa is irritated by her cousin so much brings me joy, because she's finally dealing with someone much like her.

sorry for bad English.

What would you change and add

Don’t know if this is a commonly asked question but I think it’s interesting. Jaime’s character development throughout seems to build him up as a loyal and noble man who cares for the common people his family controls. The only reason he consistently makes choices we see as poor is because of his love for Cersei and on occasion because of his father’s influence. So my question is, if Cersei was not in the picture or at least not an object of Jaime’s affection, would Jaime have made choices that are more aligned with the characters we see as being ‘good’ for the realm as a whole?

So, I've been under a rock for the last 10 years and just watched GOT with my wife this last month and I'm enamored with the world and characters therein. I attempted to start the audiobook on audible and the narrator (Roy Dotrice) is not for me the pacing is weird and he doesn't even attempt to change his tone from character to character. Are there others available that are better or should I just read the physical books?

What I disliked the most about Show Dany was that her main goal was to win the Iron Throne. For Book Dany the Iron Throne is a consolation prize. What she really wants is to have a family and find a place to feel home. She is the last Targaryen. Winning the Iron Throne would make justice to her family and it is her duty to her ancesters. Dany wants to replace the House with the red door with the Westeros, but she will not be accepted by the people, smallfolk or highborn. If Dany gets darker the main reason will be her dissapointing of not finding a home in Westeros, not the fact that Jon or Aegon could have a better claim to the Iron Throne.

From the perspective of the War of the 5 kings what would be the best use of 3 magic leaches, and 2 Shadow baby Assassins. Stannis uses the 2 Shadows to kill Renly, and Penrose, in order to take his men and Storms End. He also uses the 3 leaches to kill Robb Stark, Joffery Baratheon, and Balon Greyjoy. Despite taking out 4 of the 5 kings, it doesn't actually get him much closer to the throne. He lost most of Renly's men during the Battle of Blackwater and is currently in the north looking for more men.

How would you use the blood magic to win the war?

Here is a link to the Tumblr blog I mentioned: https://agentrouka-blog.tumblr.com/post/637277648734863360/what-would-be-the-most-overrated-and-underrated

So, do you agree with this opinion that the most overrated characters are Tyrion, Jon, Daenerys, Arya, Ned, Tywin, Euron, Renly and Jaime while the most underrated characters are Stannis, Catelyn, Sansa, Cersei and Melisandre?

This post is made asuming that R+L=J Many fans believe that Jon would be very disappointed that Ned was not his true father. Why would he be?

Ned sacrificed his honor to protect Jon, which is morally better than cheating on his wife. A secret kept for 16 years doesn't erase Ned' s love, mentorship and protection.In his thoughts Jon never believes that Ned loved him less than he loved his true bornchildren.

What Jon might regret is that he believed all his life that his mother didn't love him. In fact, that is one of the mistakes Ned made regarding Jon. He could have told him the basics: Jon's mother knew that Jon will have a good life in her father's home and she was special to him.

Another thing that I believe is that Jon would not thing the worse about Rhaegar, at least in what concerns him. Robert had many bastards he didn't care about. Rhaegar didn't leave Jon, he sent his friends to protect Lyanna and her unborn children instead of taking them in the battle.

Jon could find a balance between his Stark and Targaryen heritage.

In Sansa's last AFFC chapter, Littlefinger predicts that Westeros will soon enter a conflict between three queens. Here's the full quote of what he says to Sansa:

“You would not believe half of what is happening in King’s Landing, sweetling. Cersei stumbles from one idiocy to the next, helped along by her council of the deaf, the dim, and the blind. I always anticipated that she would beggar the realm and destroy herself, but I never expected she would do it quite so fast. It is quite vexing. I had hoped to have four or five quiet years to plant some seeds and allow some fruits to ripen, but now … it is a good thing that I thrive on chaos. What little peace and order the five kings left us will not long survive the three queens, I fear.”

This prediction has stayed with me because (1) Littlefinger is an astute player of the game of thrones, so he has a better chance than most of making accurate guesses about the future, and (2) there are way more than three queenly women who may play significant roles in conflicts in TWOW. So, in this post, I want to try to figure out who Littlefinger is talking about.

There's a TL;DR at the bottom, but my money is on Cersei Lannister, Margaery Tyrell, and Jeyne Westerling.

Interpretation of Wording

Before I start looking at candidates, I want to examine Littlefinger's wording. The fact that he calls attention to three queens intrigues me, because it suggests that these three queens will either be fighting for their claims outright or will be the figurehead for their respective causes. By contrast, even though Jeyne, Alannys, Margaery, Selyse, and Cersei were technically queens or queens regent during the War of the Five Kings, the war wasn't named after them, because it wasn't about them.

So, to qualify as one of Littlefinger's three queens, I'm going to say that each woman should actually be the person whose cause is motivating the war, or at least she needs to be the key figurehead for the armies on her side. This is more specific than saying that she simply needs to be a wartime queen.

I feel like this is probably the most controversial assertion in this post and will probably be the thing that rules out most of the candidates. So, feel free to disagree! I just think there should be something special, politically, about the queens Littlefinger is referencing, because otherwise he could have said "the two queens and the miraculous returned-from-the-dead Targ king" or whatever.

The Candidate List

Here are all the women whom I think could be one of Littlefinger's three queens:

• Cersei Lannister
• Margaery Tyrell
• Olenna Tyrell
• Selyse Baratheon
• Sansa Stark
• Asha Greyjoy
• Arya Stark
• Jeyne Poole
• Myrcella Baratheon
• Arianne Martell
• Jeyne Westerling
• Daenerys Targaryen

I'm going to go through them one by one.

Cersei

He's definitely talking about Cersei. She's a queen (regent) and Littlefinger himself says that her choices are catapulting the realm towards war. Littlefinger makes his "three queens" pronouncement just after speaking with Oswell Kettleblack, so he probably got some updates on King's Landing directly before making this comment. It seems very, very likely that Cersei is Queen #1.

Margaery Tyrell and Olenna Tyrell

Cersei and Margaery are already feuding, so Margaery being Queen #2 seems reasonable. I suppose it's plausible for Littlefinger to see Olenna (the Queen of Thorns) as the person in charge of the Tyrells, so Olenna is also a contender. In any case, though, the Tyrell-Lannister alliance may be about to fracture because of Cersei's beef with Margaery, and that could easily send the realm into war, so it seems reasonable for either Margaery or Olenna to be Queen #2. Personally, my money is on Margaery, because justice for Margaery is likely to be how the Tyrells persuade others to fight on their side.

Selyse Baratheon

Selyse Baratheon is also a queen, and Cersei is notably very paranoid about Stannis throughout AFFC. It also seems likely that Stannis would exploit a fractured Tyrell-Lannister alliance to try to invade King's Landing once more. However, my issue with Selyse is that she's not the one calling the shots on Stannis's side -- that's really Stannis himself, while taking advice from Melisandre and Davos. I think that, in order to qualify as one of Littlefinger's "three queens," the queen in question needs to be the person for whom her side is fighting. Selyse does have her own men, so she isn't entirely without influence, but no one would describe the Baratheon faction as "Selyse's side" rather than "Stannis's side."

Sansa Stark

I don't think it's Sansa, in spite of her being a very good contender, because Sansa is currently Littlefinger's pawn. Littlefinger never fights directly in wars; he just lurks in the sidelines, carefully maneuvering all the while so that he ends up with much more power by the end of the war than he had at the start. I do think Littlefinger plans for Sansa to be a queen, but I don't think that he would put her so directly in harm's way as to be one of the three queens. At the start of ADWD, Illyrio and Tyrion even talk about how crowning Myrcella is tantamount to killing her. Littlefinger does not have good intentions toward Sansa, but his obsession with her also means that he simply would not risk her life in that way.

To me at least, it feels far more likely that Littlefinger intends for Sansa to remain low-profile until the war of the three queens is finished, and for her to inherit what remains after the war. So I'm ruling Sansa out, on the basis that direct warfare is not really Littlefinger's MO.

Asha Greyjoy

Asha seems like a wildcard to me. I am tentatively ruling her out because she doesn't seem to have enough of a following to inspire a whole army to fight for her at this point in the story, and in any case, in the short term she has to escape Stannis and overthrow Euron before she can attempt to invade Westeros. And she doesn't even want to be queen of all Westeros. On the other hand, anti-Euron forces could coalesce around Asha. Asha's not impossible, but I think it probably is not Asha.

Arya Stark and/or Jeyne Poole (or the Waif)

Arya's also a wildcard. Littlefinger makes his "three queens" pronouncement just after receiving news from the Merling King, which is a Braavosi ship. It's very plausible that someone on the ship saw Arya in Braavos, especially since she was hanging around the docks a lot in AFFC. Others have theorized that the Faceless Men and Iron Bank are working together, and that Tycho Nestoris's visit to Stannis is related to Arya. It is possible that either Arya herself, or more likely an Arya impersonator, is going to be propped up by Stannis in order to try to wrest the North from the Boltons, and it is possible that Littlefinger has guessed that this might happen.

Another point in Jeyne's/Arya's favor is that Littlefinger deliberately seems to keep Sansa in the dark about his plans. When Sansa asks for clarification about the three queens, Littlefinger demurs. This is interesting, considering that throughout AFFC, Littlefinger gave Sansa a surprising amount of information about what he was up to. I wonder if part of his motivation for concealing the truth about the three queens is that Sansa herself might have very strong feelings about at least one of the queens, which would make her less pliant to Littlefinger's machinations.

Myrcella Baratheon

Myrcella seems like a really, really good contender, because everyone, including Tyrion, immediately lands on her as a possible catalyst to start a war between the Martells and the Lannisters. The only thing that gives me pause is that Arianne is currently on her way to meet Young Griff. If Dorne were to unite behind someone to challenge the Lannisters for the Iron Throne, the alleged son of Elia Martell seems like a much more attractive champion than Myrcella Baratheon. Of course, Myrcella might wind up married to Young Griff, but even if that is the case, the war would still be fought primarily for Young Griff's claim rather than for Myrcella's. I think poor Myrcella just isn't that likely to have a major faction fighting for her specifically to be their queen, so I am tentatively ruling her out.

Arianne Martell

Arianne has a lot going for her as a candidate. She is ambitious and influential, and Littlefinger must have noticed that Doran was trying not to get her married. I would think that both Varys and Littlefinger would have put two and two together after observing the string of nonsensical marriage proposals. And then there's the fact that Arianne has already shown herself willing to start a war.

I think the only con here is (again) whether it makes sense to put Arianne at the head of her faction. Currently, it's accurate to put Doran at the head of Dorne. If the thinking is that Arianne will be a queen through marriage to Young Griff, then the war would primarily be fought for Young Griff's claim, and it would make more sense for Littlefinger to describe the war as being with "two queens and a dragon king." So I'm undecided on Arianne. I think that she, like Myrcella, is a good candidate but suffers because Young Griff just seems more likely to take over as the dominant (in-universe, if not out-of-universe) political figurehead in that plotline.

Jeyne Westerling

Jaime mentions that Jeyne Westerling is incredibly dangerous (more so than the Blackfish) multiple times in AFFC. As many fans have noted, Jeyne does not give a straight answer in response to his question about whether she's pregnant. If she is, and given the Blackfish's escape and the presence of the Brotherhood Without Banners throughout the Riverlands, there could potentially be a lot of people willing to fight for her. I just don't know if Littlefinger knows Jeyne is pregnant, or how he would know this. Both Tywin and Sybelle are very secretive, but then again, it is Littlefinger.

In Jeyne's favor, I think that we've been seeing a lot of build-up already to a renewed conflict in the Riverlands, so that blowing up as a major plot point in TWOW would feel like reasonable set-up-and-payoff. GRRM has even said that Jeyne will appear (without being the POV) of the prologue in TWOW, so I think it makes sense to expect that Jeyne's role in the story will grow. I also have always felt that there needed to be some pay-off to the fact that in front of the readers and Catelyn, Jeyne begged Robb to attend the Red Wedding, more than once. It felt like that plot detail was placed in front of us (and especially in front of Catelyn) with emphasis, as if to prove Jeyne's innocence for some future purpose. Maybe that purpose will come to pass in TWOW.

And finally, Jeyne Westerling is someone whom Sansa would get very emotional about. Just like with "Arya", Littlefinger's concealing his guesses about about his three queens from Sansa could make a lot of sense if one of them was Jeyne Westerling.

Daenerys Targaryen

I'm closing out with a controversial take about the strongest contender of all. Littlefinger probably has heard about Daenerys through the crewmembers of the Merling King, not to mention various rumors that reached Westeros but that Varys deliberately downplayed in the small council. It all depends on how much Littlefinger knows, but if he knows even a reasonable amount about Dany, then I think he would have been planning for her arrival (a) pretty seriously, but also (b) assuming he has a bit of time to wait for the dragons to grow.

So here's the thing that makes me unsure if Daenerys is one of the three queens. Littlefinger's phrasing in what he says to Sansa makes it sound like the war of the three queens is imminent, unlooked-for, and will be driven in no small part by Cersei's own actions. Again, here's what he says:

“I had hoped to have four or five quiet years to plant some seeds and allow some fruits to ripen, but now … it is a good thing that I thrive on chaos. What little peace and order the five kings left us will not long survive the three queens, I fear.”

This is a cute nod to the scrapped five-year-gap, but also: why is Littlefinger hoping for four to five quiet years, specifically? Why that many, and what does he think will happen at the end of them? I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, Dany is the thing that Littlefinger is planning for in the four-to-five year time frame.

Which in turn makes me think that Littlefinger's Queen #3 is not Daenerys, but rather someone who is disrupting his attempts to plan for Daenerys. Someone whose faction, in the very near-term, has suddenly been given a renewed chance at life because of the disintegrating Lannister-Tyrell alliance. Which ... turns me back to one of the two Jeynes.

To be clear, I still think Daenerys is the biggest threat to Cersei, and I do think that she's going to come to Westeros earlier than Littlefinger thinks. I just don't think she's one of the three queens whom Littlefinger is discussing in this conversation.

TL;DR

So here's the list again, with my personal likelihood ratings:

• Cersei Lannister (99.99999% likely)
• Margaery and/or Olenna Tyrell (very likely)
• Selyse Baratheon (she's not the one whose claim Team Stannis is fighting for)
• Sansa Stark (because LF prefers to lurk in the background and collect on what remains after the war, and I assume he would also apply this MO to his plans for Sansa)
• Asha Greyjoy (because the Ironborn seem to be Team Euron, at least for the time being)
• Arya Stark, the Waif, and/or Jeyne Poole (reasonably likely)
• Myrcella Baratheon (because the Dornish would fight primarily for YG, not for Myrcella)
• Arianne Martell (because, even if she were a queen, her claim again would go through YG)
• Jeyne Westerling (very likely)
• Daenerys Targaryen (tentatively ruling out for timing reasons)

I guess the main takeaway from this post is that when we make theories about the three queens, I think we shouldn't discount either Jeyne Westerling or Jeyne Poole.

(Also, in case I am misconstrued, I am not trying to claim that Arianne, Myrcella, Sansa, and Asha will play no role or minimal roles going forward. I think they will have very big roles, just different roles from the very specific one that I, at least, think Littlefinger is talking about here.)

I've been planning to write this post for a long time.The recent threads I've read on the sub in the last week or so has finally motivated me to do it.

We all love A Song of Ice and Fire. We've been captivated by its intricate plots, complex characters, and the rich tapestry of Westeros. We've debated theories, mourned fallen favorites, and celebrated hard-won victories. But let's be honest, the wait for The Winds of Winter (and eventually A Dream of Spring) has stretched on for far too long. And with that wait, a certain... unease... has settled over the fandom. It's a mix of frustration, disappointment, and even a touch of despair, an lots of hopelessness. All understandable. I get it. I feel it too.

But I want to talk about something important: our own expectations and behavior. We've poured so much of ourselves into this fictional world, and it's easy to feel like we're owed something. We're not. George R.R. Martin created this world, and he has the right to tell its story at his own pace. While we may crave resolution, demanding it or feeling entitled to it is, frankly, a little childish. We are, after all, adults with lives, responsibilities, and a world beyond Westeros.

And speaking of our lives beyond Westeros, I have to ask: at what point does our engagement with fiction cross the line into something unhealthy? Crucifying a large portion of our lives – time that could be used for personal growth, for building relationships, for experiencing the real world – on the altar of speculation and debate about a fictional story just doesn't make sense anymore. Yes, it was fun and engaging in the first couple of years after A Dance with Dragons, but fourteen years later? It's time to re-evaluate. Fighting over what a fictional character said here, or what another character should have done there... it's not healthy.

More importantly, I don't get the obsession some have with simplifying their view of fictional characters by judging them from some moral high ground. It always irks me. Authors develop complex characters to be studied, not to be simped over or antagonized. These characters are flawed, contradictory, and often deeply troubled. They're meant to make us think, to challenge our own moral compass, and to explore the gray areas of human nature. Reducing them to simple labels of "good" or "evil" misses the point entirely.

Think about the characters we admire (or love to hate) within ASOIAF. They face setbacks, disappointments, and even crushing defeats. Yet, the best of them find ways to adapt, to learn, to persevere. Jon Snow's resilience, Arya Stark's determination, even Tyrion's cynical pragmatism – these qualities resonate with us because they reflect the challenges we face in our own lives. They teach us valuable lessons about acceptance, patience, and the importance of moving forward, even when the path ahead is uncertain.

And that's where we, as fans, need to take a page from their book. We've gotten so much joy, so much intellectual stimulation, and so much community from ASOIAF. We've explored ethical dilemmas, debated political strategies, and even learned a little bit about history along the way. We've experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat vicariously through these characters. Isn't that enough? I know, I know. We want closure. We want to know how it all ends. But what if we don't get it? What if, for whatever reason, the series remains unfinished? It's a possibility we have to face. George R.R. Martin is a man, not a machine. He's 76 years old, and his health is a factor. While we hope for the best, we must also prepare for the possibility that the ending we crave might never materialize.

And here's the hard truth: accepting this possibility is not just the logical option, it's the only option. We cannot control the future. We cannot force an author to write faster. All we can control is our own reactions. We can choose to remain invested and hopeful, or we can choose to move on with our lives, cherishing the journey we've already taken. Think of ASOIAF like any other great work of art. Some of the most profound and impactful stories are the ones that leave us with questions, that make us think and speculate long after we've finished them. Perhaps, in the end, the true beauty of ASOIAF lies not in a neatly tied conclusion, but in the rich tapestry of its world, the complexity of its characters, and the enduring power of its themes.

So, my fellow fans, let's be pragmatic. Let's appreciate what we have, let go of unrealistic expectations, and make peace with the uncertainty of the future. Let's remember the lessons we've learned from the characters we love, and let's apply those lessons to our own lives. Westeros will always be there, waiting for us to return. But in the meantime, life goes on. And so should we.

... Littlefinger hired Ser Shadrich, Ser Byron, and Ser Morgarth in Sansa's last chapter of AFFC.

Littlefinger doesn't really explain why he hired them to Sansa, and immediately pivots to talking about the three queens, so I always assumed that the new hires were related to keeping the Vale safe from the three queens conflict. It did always feel odd to me, though, that Littlefinger hires only three hedge knights.

But it just occurred to me that Brynden Tully (1) spent a lot of time in the Vale and knows his way around, (2) has few relatives left alive, and one of them is the very vulnerable Sweetrobin, who (3) is currently in the custody of Littlefinger, whom Hoster once expelled from Riverrun.

I don't know if the Blackfish will actually go to the Vale, but I do think that it makes sense for Littlefinger to make contingency plans in case he does. Brynden may or may not recognize Sansa, but even aside from that, he would 100% become a problem to Littlefinger's plans for Sweetrobin.

Jaime regrets that he failed to protect Rhaegar's children. Finding out that Jon is Rhaegar's son could be a chance for him to redeem himself. The Lannisters are the enemies of House Stark and Jaime betrayed House Targaryen. Could Jon ever trust Jaime?

In his letter to the editors George Martin wrote about Jon and Arya falling in love and struggling with this until the secret of Jon's true parentage is finally revealed.

Now that's break it down. The only thing we know for sure about Jon's parentage is that he is half Stark, because he is a warg and has the Stark look.

There were 3 Starks during Robert's rebellion: Ned, Lyanna and Brandon.

Jon and Arya believe they are halfbrothers and struggle with this. After Jon's true parentage is revealed Jon and Arya's relationship is less incestuos only if Jon is not Ned's son. Which leaves us with Lyanna or Brandon as one of his parents.

The other thing that prooves that Ned is not the father is this: Jon's true parentage will be reaveled. Jon's official parentage is Ned + unknown woman = Jon. If this is not his true parenrage this means that Ned is not the father or that Jon's mother was not a woman (an Other maybe?)

I believe from the letter that Ned is 0% Jon's father, Lyanna is 50% Jon's mother and Brandon is 50% Jon's father. What do you think?

If the Dance of Dragons didn't result in the way that it did, what dragons (current or made up) would the Great Bastards have? Would the Blackfyres have a better chance of winning if they had dragons?

Maegor’s death? Who do you think it was? I think it would be poetic justice if it was queen Rhaena who did it and got away with it

This looks like a serious hole in the plot. Tyrion offers her as a bride not for Quentyn the eldest son, who himself is not even the first in line to inherit according to Dornish custom because he has an older sister, but to Trystane Martell, who is not just a second son but also third in line to inherit.

-ACOK Tyrion V

quoted text"The Martells have every cause to hate us. Nonetheless, I expect them to agree. Prince Doran's grievance against House Lannister goes back only a generation, but the Dornishmen have warred against Storm's End and Highgarden for a thousand years, and Renly has taken Dorne's allegiance for granted. Myrcella is nine, Trystane Martell eleven. I have proposed they wed when she reaches her fourteenth year. Until such time, she would be an honored guest at Sunspear, under Prince Doran's protection."

Realistically she shouldn't have been offered as a bride for Trystane but to Quentyn, who is the eldest son and second in line to inherit and only a few years older than Trystane... and you know what? This is exactly what happens a book later when Tywin considers a marriage for Cersei. Granted she can't exactly be offered to Trystane even if they wanted now that he is already betrothed to Myrcella, but this is what would happen even if Trystane wasn't betrothed

-ASOS Tyrion III

quoted text"I object to wedding any—"

"I have considered the Redwyne twins, Theon Greyjoy, Quentyn Martell, and a number of others. But our alliance with Highgarden was the sword that broke Stannis. It should be tempered and made stronger. Ser Loras has taken the white and Ser Garlan is wed to one of the Fossoways, but there remains the eldest son, the boy they scheme to wed to Sansa Stark."

I really don’t understand why everyone but the north just doesn’t give 2 fucks about the wall and what’s beyond it for so long, like I get it all sounds a bit made up with the grumkins n shit but who in there right mind would make a wall that big at the end of the world for no reason but to stop the end of the world.

Hi, possible spoiler for fire&blood but I just got finished reading it and I was really looking forward to discovering all of the targaryen lineage, especially Aegon the 3rd and his children w/ Daenera, but the book kinda just.. ends.. without explaining the rest of his reign. I haven’t read the complete asoiaf book series yet (only just finished f&b and a knight of the seven kingdoms) so I’m wondering if I’m really silly and didn’t read the book properly enough to see if Aegon had kids, or if it’s mentioned in another novel. (Ps. I’m sorry if this is a silly question TwT)