Post by lynn on Sept 9, 2017 17:59:58 GMT
To go back to the notion of green dreams; I'm of a mind that Ned had more than a little of the wolf blood and we could perhaps interpret his fever dream or portions of it as a green dream. It seems to me that Martin has constructed the dream with elements or memories of real events and then adds foreshadowing as in: a storm of petals, blue as the eyes of death. His memory of Lyanna and the Kingsguard, in particular Arthur Dayne seem to converge for some reason.
The rose petals spilling for Lyanna's hand after Ned gives his word seems to converge with this memory at the ToJ. I won't include the entire quote, but the trigger word is vow changing the character of the dream to something more akin to a green dream.
A Game of Thrones - Eddard X
"We swore a vow," explained old Ser Gerold.
Ned's wraiths moved up beside him, with shadow swords in hand. They were seven against three.
"And now it begins," said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light.
"No," Ned said with sadness in his voice. "Now it ends." As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming. "Eddard!" she called. A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.
What we know from the preceding elements is that the 3 KG took a vow that supercedes all other vows to the king and they are prepared to die for it. This suggests that Ned's vow to Lyanna has the same force; it is essentially an unbreakable vow. Something that he can't tell his king, Robert.
It is also the secret that Ned dies for. When Lyanna dies she drops the rose in her hand releasing a storm of rose petals. Ultimately, it's uncovering Robert's blue-eyed bastards that leads to their deaths and Ned's. It starts with Lyanna who is holding a black rose of her own... someone with black hair and blue eyes.
I'd go so far as to say that the vow Ned made has left a bitter taste in his mouth.
A Game of Thrones - Eddard I
"She should be on a hill somewhere, under a fruit tree, with the sun and clouds above her and the rain to wash her clean."
"I was with her when she died," Ned reminded the king. "She wanted to come home, to rest beside Brandon and Father." He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister's eyes. Ned remembered the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched his as she gave up her hold on life, the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that he remembered nothing. They had found him still holding her body, silent with grief. The little crannogman, Howland Reed, had taken her hand from his. Ned could recall none of it. "I bring her flowers when I can," he said. "Lyanna was … fond of flowers."
"She should be on a hill somewhere, under a fruit tree, with the sun and clouds above her and the rain to wash her clean."
"I was with her when she died," Ned reminded the king. "She wanted to come home, to rest beside Brandon and Father." He could hear her still at times. Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister's eyes. Ned remembered the way she had smiled then, how tightly her fingers had clutched his as she gave up her hold on life, the rose petals spilling from her palm, dead and black. After that he remembered nothing. They had found him still holding her body, silent with grief. The little crannogman, Howland Reed, had taken her hand from his. Ned could recall none of it. "I bring her flowers when I can," he said. "Lyanna was … fond of flowers."
The rose petals spilling for Lyanna's hand after Ned gives his word seems to converge with this memory at the ToJ. I won't include the entire quote, but the trigger word is vow changing the character of the dream to something more akin to a green dream.
A Game of Thrones - Eddard X
"We swore a vow," explained old Ser Gerold.
Ned's wraiths moved up beside him, with shadow swords in hand. They were seven against three.
"And now it begins," said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light.
"No," Ned said with sadness in his voice. "Now it ends." As they came together in a rush of steel and shadow, he could hear Lyanna screaming. "Eddard!" she called. A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.
What we know from the preceding elements is that the 3 KG took a vow that supercedes all other vows to the king and they are prepared to die for it. This suggests that Ned's vow to Lyanna has the same force; it is essentially an unbreakable vow. Something that he can't tell his king, Robert.
It is also the secret that Ned dies for. When Lyanna dies she drops the rose in her hand releasing a storm of rose petals. Ultimately, it's uncovering Robert's blue-eyed bastards that leads to their deaths and Ned's. It starts with Lyanna who is holding a black rose of her own... someone with black hair and blue eyes.
I'd go so far as to say that the vow Ned made has left a bitter taste in his mouth.