Post by stdaga on May 11, 2019 19:14:26 GMT
Maybe we should start a support group. Troubles of Ice and Fire.
A 12-step program that hopefully also helps us come to terms with things we cannot change, like whether we get any more books or not...
He's messed with my sensibility to incest... I found myself profoundly outraged that Daemon THE ROGUE PRINCE Targaryen didn't get a Targaryen bride, not even a Velaryon one! I mean, how could Alysanne do that to him! Shame! Shame! Shame!
Hahaha! Yes, that is what happened to me. I got so numb to it, and now it just seems almost normal!
Well, he would have proven himself quite quickly in the rebellion, so I'm not that sure there were any big troubles after he returned.
He really had to hope when he called the Stark banners that they would even come and fight for him? There was no guarantee and House Stark was vulnerable at this time. Rickard and Brandon dead, Lyanna missing, Ned is young and raised in the Vale, and Benjen is even younger. That might have been a great time for Roose Bolton (or Wyman Manderly) to give a big FU to the Starks. I am sure that winning the war helped Ned's image of power, but I was thinking of before the war was won.
Doesn't this discussion come up even when Robb calls the banners, the idea of which houses might come to the call and which might not, and if not, why? It was testing Robb as acting lord, even though Ned was still alive at this time.
And later, we know Ned wasn't lazy and just sat in Winterfell. He made journey's all over the north, letting himself be seen and known. I am sure not all of those little areas fell in line without a bit of work or display of strength from Ned, depending on what might be needed.
So, if Rickard expected to be treated fairly he might not have been that antagonistic toward Aerys, or maybe the Targaryens in general. However, if Ned really was a hostage, whose hostage was he? Aerys's hostage, or Jon Arryn's...? Could Arryn have had a hold on Rickard and the so called Southron Ambitions (if there were any)?
It's an interesting idea that Jon held Ned for himself, but if that was so, what right does Aerys have to demand that Jon Arryn execute Ned for Aerys? Of course, it could just come down Aerys being "mad".
Do we know of any hostages held outside of their home region except Theon (and Ned, as my theory is trying to determine?) Doran allows Quentyn to go to Yronwood to make up for the mess that Oberyn made, but that's all within the same region. I guess later in the story, we have the idea that Big and Little Walder are the Dreadfort, which seems like a veiled threat to Walder Frey, so that might be an example of a hostage held as a "ward" outside of their home region. And this would also mirror Theon a bit, as he is treated like ward, but knows he cannot leave. Of course, that's the parallel I see in Ned, but I need to think on the two Walder's for a bit.
If there are any other's, I would love it if someone jolted my memory! It might tell us something.