If Starfall is known for its sword and Winterfell is known for its crypts, do the sword and the crypts go together--IE Jon's dream where the kings come out of their tombs?
Did the Daynes know about a potentially ancient connection with the Starks at Harrenhal? Did the Starks know of one?
Did Rhaegar figure out the connection between Dawn and the battle for the Dawn? If so, did he go with them to Starfall? Baelish leaves Dontos (the false knight) behind--well, dead. Did Rhaegar and Whent go with? Or elsewhere?
I will now stop asking questions we can't yet answer.
Is Dawn in the Crypts perhaps enticing Jon in his dreams like a lightsaber??
That'd be awesome, but according to SSM, Dawn is still hanging in the south at Starfall, until the next SotM rises.
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
GRRM IS THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR!! Ran fact checks him, FFS!
Hmm. Not a bad point. Plus, I mean, he could have just said that to throw us off the scent...
Hey, the wolves did that to Theon. Isn't it ironic Theon may have murdered his own bastards and now can't have heirs?
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
Lotta interesting stuff here. First, what if GRRM is using Cersei as an unlikely, accurate narrator, hidden in plain view? I'm a Ned+Ashara=Jon fan, but "Why was that?" indeed? NAJ is not exactly likely (given the "close as brothers" prayer, among other things)... but what if Ashara did kill herself because of the loss of her brother. It has always seemed a bit extreme of a reaction to me. I mean, the guy was a kingsguard knight for a mad man. The job had its perils. Could Ashara have been that heart-stricken over Arthur?
And, I agree with Arya, it seems stupid if she killed herself over Ned. Her child, I can understand a bit more, but even then, it is not like this society is not accustomed to high infant mortality rates. Though, if Ned were stealing her child, rather than it dying, I could see how that would be incredibly taxing on a parent's sanity. But if that were the case, Ned would likely have been the child's father - as Cersei suggests. Would a mother kill herself because the man she loved would be raising their child without her? Possible, but doesn't seem likely.
Another crackpot possibility that arises is a romantic relationship between Arthur and Ashara. This would tie a few loose ends together. First, it would help explain why Ashara was rumored to have had a daughter, and why said daughter might've come to resemble Dany. Dayne+Dayne ancestry would likely promote more Valyrian traits than Dayne genes alone. It would also explain why the daughter did not thrive, as incest often produces nonviable offspring. And lastly, it would explain why Ashara killed herself upon receiving Dawn from Ned, if she actually did, and if she actually loved her brother. Allyria would have been accurate in telling Edric that she died of a broken heart, etc.
Super quick, and then I am getting back to my sorely-neglected Rhaegar's Armor essay, I think there is some really good evidence to point to Ashara having a romantic relationship with a dude, but not Brandon/Ned/Arthur/Moon Boy, etc. I've got a pretty strong suspicion that Ashara had been involved in a cozy little affair with none other than Rhaegar Targaryen. Rhaegar is the man who dishonored her at Harrenhal, Rhaegar is the stupid prince whose death caused her to jump from her stupid tower, and I think Ashara somehow tricked Ned or deceived him in some way and then betrayed him in the end. I also think there's a good chance that she is Dany's mother, and also Aegon's real mother - she was a surrogate for Elia after Rhaenys.
I have something 95% written up on this that I will dump here as soon as I finish cleaning up what was supposed to be a "short recap" of Not-Dead-Rhaegar.
Isn't it ironic Theon may have murdered his own bastards and now can't have heirs?
Never made that connection!
Yes it is! Damn. No wonder Theon's been so screwed.
Woohoo!!! Don't I feel smart this week! I guess my forensic skills are coming back, lol!
Again:
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
I've got a pretty strong suspicion that Ashara had been involved in a cozy little affair with none other than Rhaegar Targaryen.
Well I mean really. You are Rhaegar Targaryen. Your wife just birthed the prince that was promised, and you just need one more kid so that you'll have the 3 heads of the dragon. Are you really going to go across the entire country to impregnate that daughter of Lord Stark and the betrothed of Lord Baratheon, or are you going to fuck that sweet hot single Dornish pussy in the room next door? Like come on.
Your lordship lost a son at the Red Wedding. I lost four upon the Blackwater. And why? Because the Lannisters stole the throne. Go to King’s Landing and look on Tommen with your own eyes, if you doubt me. A blind man could see it. What does Stannis offer you? Vengeance. Vengeance for my sons and yours, for your husbands and your fathers and your brothers. Vengeance for your murdered lord, your murdered king, your butchered princes. Vengeance!
Srsly, right? One that you could make pretty purple-eyed babies with? Can we say "no brainer"?
Really though, I think they were having an actual full-blown paramour affair thing by the time the Rebellion rolled around. I also think that Ashara may have triggered the Rebellion in her own little way.
Super quick, and then I am getting back to my sorely-neglected Rhaegar's Armor essay, I think there is some really good evidence to point to Ashara having a romantic relationship with a dude, but not Brandon/Ned/Arthur/Moon Boy, etc. I've got a pretty strong suspicion that Ashara had been involved in a cozy little affair with none other than Rhaegar Targaryen. Rhaegar is the man who dishonored her at Harrenhal, Rhaegar is the stupid prince whose death caused her to jump from her stupid tower, and I think Ashara somehow tricked Ned or deceived him in some way and then betrayed him in the end. I also think there's a good chance that she is Dany's mother, and also Aegon's real mother - she was a surrogate for Elia after Rhaenys.
I have something 95% written up on this that I will dump here as soon as I finish cleaning up what was supposed to be a "short recap" of Not-Dead-Rhaegar.
Dany makes a lot more sense than Jon for Rhaegar+Ashara, I do admit. Jon is a weirwood direwolf, so there's a Stark parent one way or another.
But, for Dany, it almost seems impossible she's not Ashara's daughter when you stop and think about it. Why?
Well aside from Braavosi lemon trees, there is her profound beauty. In all the series, we are really only ever told of three women whose beauty is staggeringly greater than others: Cersei, Ashara, and Dany. These are the Helens of Troy in this universe.
Where are the stories of Rhaella's legendary beauty? Targaryens, in their appearance, are instantly recognizable for their silver-gold hair and purple eyes. They appear regal. Blood of the dragon.
But are they spoken of as famous beauties that inspire awe and desire? Not so much. Although there have been two notable exceptions: Dany and Rhaegar.
Dany...aka "The most beautiful woman in the world." Rhaegar... "Had a man ever been so beautiful?"
And, for all intents and purposes, Dany acts a lot like Rhaegar. She came reluctantly to military service. She is prone to mystical reasoning. She is beloved by her people. And, if this theory be true, she - like her father - is married to a darky for political gain, while sharing the bed of a beautiful person with Valyrian features (Daario lol).
As I think the various Willem Darry examinations have shown, there's something up. And one of the biggest problems IMO is trying to reconcile, not only the differing accounts of Viserys and Jaime, but Ned's account in the TOJ dream as well. Ned says that Darry fled with Rhaella and Viserys to Dragonstone... yet Viserys never mentions that Darry fled with him, and Jaime never remembers Darry fleeing with Rhaella either. Nobody mentions Darry except Ned. So who told Ned that Darry fled with them? Who told Ned that they all 3 fled together at all? Ned, if anything, seems to know the least... or at least knows the most fabricated version of it.
Ned telling Cersei to flee to Essos then, does bear resemblance to what Darry did. Or at least what Ned thinks Darry did. As while's there's no doubt that Dany and Viserys end up in Essos, I really don't think they, or at least Dany, started there. Various people were sent in different directions, just like Robb does with Catelyn and Jeyne, as sending everybody to the same place just means that they're easier to capture. Ned, and the rest of Westoros, heard one story so that everybody would only know that one story and would only look in that one place.
Your lordship lost a son at the Red Wedding. I lost four upon the Blackwater. And why? Because the Lannisters stole the throne. Go to King’s Landing and look on Tommen with your own eyes, if you doubt me. A blind man could see it. What does Stannis offer you? Vengeance. Vengeance for my sons and yours, for your husbands and your fathers and your brothers. Vengeance for your murdered lord, your murdered king, your butchered princes. Vengeance!
And, for all intents and purposes, Dany acts a lot like Rhaegar. She came reluctantly to military service. She is prone to mystical reasoning. She is beloved by her people. And, if this theory be true, she - like her father - is married to a darky for political gain, while sharing the bed of a beautiful person with Valyrian features (Daario lol).
I'm reminded of Sansa's observations of Joffrey that made the lightbulb go on in Ned's head. Joffrey was nothing like his father, Robert. Dany is nothing like her father, Aerys.
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
Nobody mentions Darry except Ned. So who told Ned that Darry fled with them? Who told Ned that they all 3 fled together at all? Ned, if anything, seems to know the least... or at least knows the most fabricated version of it.
Ned telling Cersei to flee to Essos then, does bear resemblance to what Darry did. Or at least what Ned thinks Darry did. As while's there's no doubt that Dany and Viserys end up in Essos, I really don't think they, or at least Dany, started there.
Ah yes. My mistake. I somehow forgot that Darry died in the house with the red door. Was getting my wires crossed...
"I can see it. You have more of the north in you than your brothers."
I've got a pretty strong suspicion that Ashara had been involved in a cozy little affair with none other than Rhaegar Targaryen.
Well I mean really. You are Rhaegar Targaryen. Your wife just birthed the prince that was promised, and you just need one more kid so that you'll have the 3 heads of the dragon. Are you really going to go across the entire country to impregnate that daughter of Lord Stark and the betrothed of Lord Baratheon, or are you going to fuck that sweet hot single Dornish pussy in the room next door? Like come on.
Wasn't she also his wife's handmaiden?
lololol Mark! Never heard you be so expressive before. Even I haven't been that bad yet!
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones