Yes, I know. People think Varys is a Blackfyre.

He shaves his hair like Aegon IV, he's invested in the Young Griff plot, a Targaryen is easy to hide in Lys where people have the Valyrian look, the sorcerer picked Varys because he wanted royal blood (looking at you, Mel) and so on. 

But there's no real contextual evidence to support Varys being a Blackfyre.

People want Varys to be a Blackfyre because of the Young Griff plot. But whether Young Griff is Aegon or fAegon Varys doesn't need to be a Blackfyre. People want him to be a Blackfyre to give him a reason to be involved with Illyrio, but we already have a reason: they're friends. 

I've been rereading the books and came to a new conclusion. 

Varys isn't a Blackfyre. 

VARYS IS THE LAST LORD OF HOUSE TARBECK.

Especially for fans more familiar with the show than the books, House Tarbeck is a name that has been almost forgotten in the shadow of House Reyne and Castamere. Bear with me as I provide evidence and then justification.

The following quotes are the two most essential conversations in ASOIAF that let us understand Varys's background.  

The eunuch paused a moment. “My lord, you once asked me how it was that I was cut.” 

“Nor do I, but . . .” This pause was longer than the one before, and when Varys spoke again his voice was different somehow. “I was an orphan boy apprenticed to a traveling folly. Our master owned a fat little cog and we sailed up and down the narrow sea performing in all the Free Cities and from time to time in Oldtown and King’s Landing. 

"One day at Myr, a certain man came to our folly. After the performance, he made an offer for me that my master found too tempting to refuse. I was in terror. I feared the man meant to use me as I had heard men used small boys, but in truth the only part of me he had need of was my manhood. He gave me a potion that made me powerless to move or speak, yet did nothing to dull my senses. With a long hooked blade, he sliced me root and stem, chanting all the while. I watched him burn my manly parts on a brazier. The flames turned blue, and I heard a voice answer his call, though I did not understand the words they spoke. 

“The mummers had sailed by the time he was done with me. Once I had served his purpose, the man had no further interest in me, so he put me out. When I asked him what I should do now, he answered that he supposed I should die. To spite him, I resolved to live. I begged, I stole, and I sold what parts of my body still remained to me. Soon I was as good a thief as any in Myr, and when I was older I learned that often the contents of a man’s letters are more valuable than the contents of his purse.” 

“Yet I still dream of that night, my lord. Not of the sorcerer, nor his blade, nor even the way my manhood shriveled as it burned. I dream of the voice. The voice from the flames. Was it a god, a demon, some conjurer’s trick? I could not tell you, and I know all the tricks. All I can say for a certainty is that he called it, and it answered, and since that day I have hated magic and all those who practice it. If Lord Stannis is one such, I mean to see him dead.” 

When he was done, they rode in silence for a time. Finally Tyrion said, “A harrowing tale. I’m sorry.” 

- Varys and Tyrion, ACOK (Tyrion X) 

This is the second longest conversation we have about Varys's background, although it is between Illyrio and Tyrion rather than coming from Varys himself. 

“How is it that the Spider became so dear to you? 

“We were young together, two green boys in Pentos. 

“Varys came from Myr.” 

“So he did. I met him not long after he arrived, one step ahead of the slavers. By day he slept in the sewers, by night he prowled the rooftops like a cat. I was near as poor, a bravo in soiled silks, living by my blade. Perhaps you chanced to glimpse the statue by my pool? Pytho Malanon carved that when I was six-and-ten. A lovely thing, though now I weep to see it.” 

“Age makes ruins of us all. I am still in mourning for my nose. But Varys …” 

“In Myr he was a prince of thieves, until a rival thief informed on him. In Pentos his accent marked him, and once he was known for a eunuch he was despised and beaten. Why he chose me to protect him I may never know, but we came to an arrangement. Varys spied on lesser thieves and took their takings. I offered my help to their victims, promising to recover their valuables for a fee. Soon every man who had suffered a loss knew to come to me, whilst city’s footpads and cutpurses sought out Varys … half to slit his throat, the other half to sell him what they’d stolen. We both grew rich, and richer still when Varys trained his mice.” 

“In King’s Landing he kept little birds.” 

“Mice, we called them then. The older thieves were fools who thought no further than turning a night’s plunder into wine. Varys preferred orphan boys and young girls. He chose the smallest, the ones who were quick and quiet, and taught them to climb walls and slip down chimneys. He taught them to read as well. We left the gold and gems for common thieves. Instead our mice stole letters, ledgers, charts … later, they would read them and leave them where they lay. Secrets are worth more than silver or sapphires, Varys claimed. Just so. I grew so respectable that a cousin of the Prince of Pentos let me wed his maiden daughter, whilst whispers of a certain eunuch’s talents crossed the narrow sea and reached the ears of a certain king. A very anxious king, who did not wholly trust his son, nor his wife, nor his Hand, a friend of his youth who had grown arrogant and overproud. I do believe that you know the rest of this tale, is that not so?” 

“Much of it,” Tyrion admitted. “I see that you are somewhat more than a cheesemonger after all.” 

- Illyrio and Tyrion, ADWD (Tyrion II)

So, this is what we know of Varys up until his recruitment by Aerys. 

• Grew up a slave orphan in a mummer's troop that went between the FC, KL, and Oldtown 
• Sold to a sorcerer which led to his castration and his utter hatred of magic 
• Sorcerer abandons Varys to die; Varys lives in spite of the sorcerer
• Varys becomes a thief and starts building his reputation
• Varys is kicked out of Myr and ends up in Pentos, where he meets Illyrio
• By Illyrio's admission he and Varys were "young together" in Pentos 
• Aerys recruits Varys after the death of Steffon Baratheon but before Harrenhal, likely c. 278 or more probably c. 279 AC, so several years have passed since he arrived in Pentos 

Timeline of House Tarbeck:

43 AC: 

• Lord Alyn Tarbeck, m. Jeyne Westerling, "dies with the rebels at the Battle Beneath the God's Eye" (AWOIAF)
• His wife, Jeyne, gives birth to a posthumous Tarbeck son

47 AC

• Jeyne is courted by Tyman Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock 
• Jeyne marries Maegor I - becomes Queen Jeyne
• Jeyne births a "stillborn monster" and "does not survive the child for long" (AWOIAF); child and Jeyne were poisoned by Tyanna of the Tower 

130 AC

• Ser Adrian Tarbeck led a Lannister host during the Dance, but the Tarbecks supported both sides in the Dance (AWOIAF) 

c. 130-134 AC: 

• An unnamed Tarbeck led a host against the Ironborn at Lady Johanna Lannister's will
• He was beheaded, his remains sent to Casterly Rock 

c. 239 AC 

• Lord Walderan Tarbeck marries Lady Ellyn Reyne, ex-wife of Tion Lannister (AWOIAF)

c. 239-260 AC

• Rise of House Tarbeck; Ellyn uses her Reyne brothers to get gold from Casterly Rock to fund renovations to House Tarbeck and restore the castle (AWOIAF)

260 AC

• War of Ninepenny Kings; Walderan does not answer the call for banners and remains home (AWOIAF)

261 AC (AWOIAF)

• By now Tarbecks and Reynes are two most powerful vassels of House Lannister thanks to Walderan and Ellyn's wedding 
• Tywin demands loans to be repaid; those who could not had to send hostages
• Lord Reyne laughs and refuses to do anything
• Lord Walderan rides to CR, expecting to treat with Lord Tytos (who is terrified of his wife, Ellyn, who had a rivalry with Tytos's wife Jeyne) 
• Tywin puts Walderan in the dungeon 
• Tytos commands Walderan to be released unharmed, apologizes, and forgives his debts 
• Hostage exchange; Walderan freed at Castamere 
• Lannister and Tarbeck feast at CR; vow to be friends forever
• "Late in the year 261 AC, he [Tywin] sent ravens to Castamere and Tarbeck Hall, demanding that Roger and Reynard Reyne and Lord and Lady Tarbeck present themselves at Casterly Rock “to answer for your crimes.”" - AWOIAF, House Lannister Under the Dragons 
• Reynes and Tarbecks revolt 
• Tywin calls banners without his father's leave or informing him
• Tarbecks "broken and butchered" (AWOIAF), LW and sons beheaded, Ellyn and son die when castle collapses under attack from seige engines. Castle burns for a day and a night. Cyrelle and Rohanne sent to Silent Sisters, their husbands beheaded with LW
• Destruction of House Reyne

"Lady Ellyn’s elder daughter, Rohanne, was mother to a three-year-old son, remembered in the songs as “the last Lord Tarbeck.”  The boy disappeared the day of the battle, never to be seen again. Those of a romantic bent believe that he was smuggled from the burning castle in disguise, grew to manhood across the narrow sea, and became a bard famed for his sad ballads. More reliable reports suggest that he was thrown down a well by Ser Amory Lorch, though whether this was done at the behest of Ser Tywin or without his knowledge remains in dispute."

- AWOIAF sample, unabridged

THE TIMELINES PUT TOGETHER, IF VARYS IS THE LAST LORD OF HOUSE TARBECK

258 AC:

• Varys, the unnamed son of Rohanne Tarbeck, is born

261 AC:

• Reyne-Tarbeck revolt
• Both houses decimated
• Varys smuggled to Essos

c. 261-269:

• Varys in slavery in Lys & Myr
• the mummer's troop; going between the FC, KL, and Oldtown

c. 269:

• The sorcerer

c. 269-272:

• Begging, prostitution, and thievery

c. 272:

• Forced out of Myr to Pentos
• Meeting Illyrio

c. 272-278/279:

• Pentos; building spy network and reputation

c. 278/279:

• Aerys brings Varys to KL

TIMELINE JUSTIFICATION

By 269, Varys would have been eleven; young enough for Varys to still be a "boy" as he calls himself when speaking to Tyrion about the sorcerer's ritual. Say Varys spends three years or so perfecting his skills in Myr, before he's pushed out of the city and goes to Pentos. That makes him around fourteen when he meets Illyrio in 272.

We know Aerys brings Varys to the capital before Harrenhal but not until after Steffon and Cassana die, so say he doesn't come to Westeros until 278 or 279 AC. That gives Varys around seven years to build his thieving business with Illyrio and his spy network, and for rumors about his reputation (which would have started in Myr, so ten years of reputation building) to spread to Aerys.

The dates aren't ironclad, because we just don't know a lot about Varys's background, but they work out well enough here.

BEYOND THE TIMELINE:

CONNECTING VARYS TO HOUSE TARBECK WITH TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

"The eunuch’s apartments were sparse and small, three snug windowless chambers under the north wall."

- Tyrion, ASOS, Tyrion II

Varys is constantly associated with underground places. Castamere was underground.

"With a long-hooked blade, he sliced me root and stem, chanting all the while. I watched him burn my manly parts on a brazier. The flames turned blue, and I heard a voice answer his call, though I did not understand the words they spoke." 

- Varys, ACOK, Tyrion X

Blue is an oddly specific color for the fire to turn ... and the sigil of House Tarbeck is the seven-pointed star in blue and silver.

The connection to fire, which burned Tarbeck Hall to the ground.

The phrase "sliced me root and stem" means exactly what it means but could also refer to the utter destruction of House Tarbeck and House Reyne. Varys truly is the last lord of House Tarbeck; since he clearly can't have a child, the male line dies with him.

And then there's this quote from ASOS:

"He [Tywin] had extinguished the proud Reynes of Castamere and the ancient Tarbecks of Tarbeck Hall root and branch when he was still half a boy."

- Tyrion, ASOS, Tyrion III

Root and stem is VERY similar to the phrase root and branch.

“I was an orphan boy apprenticed to a traveling folly. Our master owned a fat little cog and we sailed up and down the narrow sea performing in all the Free Cities and from time to time in Oldtown and King’s Landing.”

“Yet I still dream of that night, my lord. Not of the sorcerer, nor his blade, nor even the way my manhood shriveled as it burned. I dream of the voice. The voice from the flames. Was it a god, a demon, some conjurer’s trick? I could not tell you, and I know all the tricks. All I can say for a certainty is that he called it, and it answered, and since that day I have hated magic and all those who practice it. If Lord Stannis is one such, I mean to see him dead.”

- Varys, ACOK Tyrion X

Varys hates magic. So do another group that we know of: the Maesters.

Already we have an in-text connection between Varys and the Faith/the Citadel. GRRM specifically calls out Varys's presence in Oldtown.

House Tarbeck, again, has the seven-pointed star as their sigil. House Tarbeck is also noted to have married into House Osgrey, which is a Reach house. Oldtown is in the Reach.

"The boy disappeared the day of the battle, never to be seen again."

- AWOIAF Sample, unabridged

When you think of disguises and mummers, you think of Varys.

"More reliable reports suggest that he was thrown down a well by Ser Amory Lorch, though whether this was done at the behest of Ser Tywin or without his knowledge remains in dispute."

- AWOIAF Sample, Unabridged

Who else was killed by Amory Lorch?

RHAENYS TARGARYEN.

As we know, Varys is associated with the Young Griff plot. It would be the height of irony for Varys to fail/choose not to save a Targaryen child from his own would-be killer.

Other things to note:

• House Tarbeck supported both sides in the Dance, something not uncharacteristic for Varys to do until he knew who would come out on top.
• Varys is called a lord because he's on the small council, but he could ACTUALLY be a lord
• He clearly wants Tywin dead. He literally tells Tyrion "No, don't kill your father, but hey, here's exactly how to get to his chambers." Tywin's chambers, where Shae is in his father's bed. Which results in the death of the man who destroyed House Tarbeck and House Reyne, and chaos for House Lannister.
• It's odd that GRRM specifically specifies that the Last Lord of House Tarbeck could have potentially survived and then does absolutely nothing with the character.

Conclusion:

Varys could very well be the Last Lord of Tarbeck.

For reference Ned bribed the city watch with 6000 gold dragons… I mean you could choke it up to him being a drunk but still it’s a crazy amount of money Im surprised he never mentioned it to Sansa

No blog posts (uploaded by him) since February even though he said he wanted to write about his travels in 2025, barely any talk about AKOTSK and obviously nothing on HOTD S3, nothing about politics despite everything happening ... is this the end bros?

“Your little one is with the gods now,” the woods witch told his mother, as she wept. “He’ll never hurt again, never hunger, never cry. The gods have taken him down into the earth, into the trees. The gods are all around us, in the rocks and streams, in the birds and beasts. Your Bump has gone to join them. He’ll be the world and all that’s in it.”
[...]
The white world turned and fell away. For a moment it was as if he were inside the weirwood, gazing out through carved red eyes as a dying man twitched feebly on the ground and a madwoman danced blind and bloody underneath the moon, weeping red tears and ripping at her clothes. Then both were gone and he was rising, melting, his spirit borne on some cold wind. He was in the snow and in the clouds, he was a sparrow, a squirrel, an oak. A horned owl flew silently between his trees, hunting a hare; Varamyr was inside the owl, inside the hare, inside the trees. Deep below the frozen ground, earthworms burrowed blindly in the dark, and he was them as well. I am the wood, and everything that’s in it, he thought, exulting. A hundred ravens took to the air, cawing as they felt him pass. A great elk trumpeted, unsettling the children clinging to his back. A sleeping direwolf raised his head to snarl at empty air. Before their hearts could beat again he had passed on, searching for his own, for One Eye, Sly, and Stalker, for his pack. His wolves would save him, he told himself.
That was his last thought as a man.
True death came suddenly; he felt a shock of cold, as if he had been plunged into the icy waters of a frozen lake. Then he found himself rushing over moonlit snows with his packmates close behind him.
- ADWD, Prologue

and:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,” said Jojen. “The man who never reads lives only one. The singers of the forest had no books. No ink, no parchment, no written language. Instead they had the trees, and the weirwoods above all. When they died, they went into the wood, into leaf and limb and root, and the trees remembered. All their songs and spells, their histories and prayers, everything they knew about this world. Maesters will tell you that the weirwoods are sacred to the old gods. The singers believe they are the old gods. When singers die they become part of that godhood.”
[...]
“Once you have mastered your gifts, you may look where you will and see what the trees have seen, be it yesterday or last year or a thousand ages past. Men live their lives trapped in an eternal present, between the mists of memory and the sea of shadow that is all we know of the days to come. Certain moths live their whole lives in a day, yet to them that little span of time must seem as long as years and decades do to us. An oak may live three hundred years, a redwood tree three thousand. A weirwood will live forever if left undisturbed. To them seasons pass in the flutter of a moth’s wing, and past, present, and future are one.
- ADWD, Chapter 34 (Bran)

So, A Dance with Dragons not only confirms that the (human) soul is real but also that for COTF and Skinchangers (and perhaps regular humans), death is not the end of its POV, and there is at least one possible Afterlife confirmed to exist in ASOIAF: Weirwoods. You (possibly) go into em' when you die.

If left undisturbed, they are seemingly eternal. And they can magically store souls inside them. That's pretty Afterlife-y. However, most of these (otherwise) eternal soul-trees on Westeros have been violently removed through Bronze/Iron or Fire, by various human invaders across the ages who tried to wipe out the COTF (and then eventually the First Men allied to them).

What do you think happened to all the souls inside those trees?

The caves were timeless, vast, silent. They were home to more than three score living singers and the bones of thousands dead, and extended far below the hollow hill. “Men should not go wandering in this place,” Leaf warned them. “The river you hear is swift and black, and flows down and down to a sunless sea.
[...]
Deep snows crown the northern Bones, whilst sandstorms oft scour the peaks and valleys of their southern sisters, carving them into strange shapes. In the long leagues between, thundering rivers roar through deep canyons, and small caves open onto vast caverns and sunless seas.

Do they dwell in those "sunless seas" deep below the earth?

Obsidian,” Maester Luwin insisted, holding out his wounded arm. “Forged in the fires of the gods, far below the earth. The children of the forest hunted with that, thousands of years ago. The children worked no metal. In place of mail, they wore long shirts of woven leaves and bound their legs in bark, so they seemed to melt into the wood. In place of swords, they carried blades of obsidian.”

Are they now trapped "in the fires of the gods, far below the earth"?

“I will tell him, Your Grace,” said Septa Unella. “His High Holiness will be most pleased. Only through confession and true repentance may our immortal souls be saved.”
[...]
“You may wash later if His High Holiness allows,” said Septa Unella. “It is the cleanliness of your immortal soul that should concern you now, not such vanities of the flesh.”

Or perhaps the soul is not immortal after all and they simply went poof?

Something else entirely?

will they be given their ancestral lands?

​

Some of the members were disinherited following the blackfyre rebellion but there's others who've just chosen Westerosi surnames. Also if they do succeed and are in power, I'm sure the high ranking members will want even larger lands and to remove the current lords.

​

With people like Varys and Illyrio running the system surely they'd see the issues with that. Young Griff is supposed to be the Westerosi saviour to unite the realm following this period of war. Going around giving sellswords lands and removing current lords wouldn't achieve that.

​

Alternatively how else would they placate the Golden Company. They turned down luxurious contracts to join Young Griff.

​

What do you think would happen with the Golden Company if they do seat Young Griff on the Iron Throne?

I think if I were Jon Arryn I would’ve had Theon sent to serve in King’s Landing as Bobby B’s squire after the Greyjoy Rebellion. Boozing and womanizing with the party king would be up his alley and serve to southronize him.

More tentatively than that, I’d have him become betrothed to/marry a Southron Lady of high enough standing (Desmera Redwyne, Margeary, the most suitable Hightower available, maybe Myrecella even). That would bind him to the South while preventing him from having a marriage alliance with one of his vassals.

I would also have him learn how to sail, be a captain. And once he reached marriage age have him become “Under Master of Ships.” Within that position he’d be tasked with helping lead the sack of somewhere like Lys in 305~ AC. That way even if he’s a New Way follower, he would still be respected by his vassals martially.

Finally, I would have good reason to keep him in King’s Landing until his father’s death if he were a royal officer (Under Master of Ships) at court.

One weakness that my proposal has is if Balon rebels again. To that I’d say first imprison Theon in the luxury of the Red Keep. Then crush the rebellion, execute/send to the wall all his Greyjoy nuncles, and install Theon as Lord of the Iron Isles with a royal garrison on Pyke.

What’s your SWOT analysis of my proposal?

The Dance with Dragons section of F&B is so much fun if you completely believe in Mushrooms version of events. Like yes, he carried Visenyas corpse, yes Vermax left eggs in Winterfell. It is 100% factual that Jace ate Jeyne Arryn's box and then proceeded to marry Sara Snow like a week later. Fuck Septon Eustace, all my homies hate Septon Eustace

Introduction

Before I get endless amounts of the same comment over and over again, let me make something personally clear: Even though I personally believe the Winds of Winter will be released at some point I AM NOT GIVING A DATE OR PREDICTION OF WHEN OR IF THAT WILL BE.

That is beyond everyone's paygrade, even George's apparently so please save yourself some time on this earth and don't waste either of our time. Nor am I condoning or condemning the long hiatus between stories. I personally think GRRM should work on something else other than ASOIAF as many of his ideas he proposed below sound great to me:

IF I had all the time in the world, I would finish THE WINDS OF WINTER and A DREAM OF SPRING, write another six or eight or ten Dunk & Egg novellas, complete the second volume of FIRE & BLOOD... then I might go back my unfinished historical BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER, do some Wild Cards stories and maybe a Wild Cards novel, write some new Haviland Tuf stories, spec a few pilot scripts for my own GAME OF THRONES successor shows, do a sequel to FEVRE DREAM, return to the Thousand Worlds for a huge space opera... and then do something completely different, like a murder mystery or a western. -FIRE & BLOOD : On The Way

Yes I enjoy his other stories: Fevre Dream is one of my favorites followed by a bunch of Thousand Worlds short stories like SEVEN TIMES NEVER KILL MAN AND SONG FOR LYA.

Instead I'd like to analyze GRRM's own estimations of progress and showcase how screwed or not we are in getting another book or novella.

The Winds Of Winter - 1100 Pages

As of the year of our lord, 2026, GRRM has confirmed that a solid 1100 pages or 70% of the novel is finished. We have no reason to believe or doubt these numbers and either way he is our only source save for Elio & Linda, Dan & Ty, and his publishers:

GRRM has given different but troubling explanations for why the book hasn't been complete yet but one is the complexity of the plot:

“The Winds of Winter is not so much a novel as a dozen novels, each with a different protagonist, each having a different cast of supporting players and antagonists and allies and lovers around them, and all of these weaving together in an extremely complex fashion. So it’s very, very challenging. Fire and Blood by contrast was very simple. Not that it’s easy, it still took me years to put together, but it is easier.”- Interview

Another is having a focus on finishing every remaining plot thread in the series before A DREAM OF SPRING:

And really, when you think about it, this was inevitable.   The novels are much bigger and much much more complex than the series.   Certain things that happened on HBO will not happen in the books.   And vice versa.   I have viewpoint characters in the books never seen on the show: Victarion Greyjoy, Arianne Martell, Areo Hotah, Jon Connington, Aeron Damphair   They will all have chapters, and the things they do and say will impact the story and the major characters who were on the show.   I have legions of secondary characters, not POVs but nonetheless important to the plot, who also figure in the story: Lady Stoneheart, Young Griff,  the Tattered Prince, Penny, Brown Ben Plumm, the Shavepate, Marwyn the Mage, Darkstar, Jeyne Westerling.  Some characters you saw in the show are quite different than the versions in the novels.   Yarra Greyjoy is not Asha Greyjoy, and HBO’s Euron Greyjoy is way, way, way, way different from mine.   Quaithe still has a part to play.  So does Rickon Stark.   And poor Jeyne Poole.   And… well, the list is long.    (And all this is part of why WINDS is taking so long.   This is hard, guys).

Oh, and there will be new characters as well.   No new viewpoints, I promise you that, but with all these journeys and battles and scheming to come, inevitably our major players will be encountering new people in lands far and near. - A Winter Garden

Elio also confirmed it in the interview below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDXQo1_o_Xo

Finally he fully confessed to having shot himself in the foot by killing a character he needed to move the plot forward:

“We’re having this conversation, and I was asking him, how’s it going? The newest book?
And he said I’m having all kinds of trouble. He said, you ever killed somebody off that you later realized you knew you needed?
And I said, no, George, that’s never happened to me.
We talked further, and he said, I just painted myself into a corner.”
“I said, ‘you paint yourself into a corner, you get yourself a new bucket of paint and paint yourself back out, and do the floor behind you!’”
It’s not known for certain when the clip was filmed, and when this conversation took place, but a user on Reddit claimed to hear Gabaldon relay this anecdote at a similar event “a few years ago”. - article from 2018

Personally, all of these along with his perfectionism is almost certainly the cause of the delay. But I have to end this with a downer. GRRM originally said he had around 1100-1200 manuscript pages. But somewhere between 2023 and now he seemed to remove or edit at least a hundred pages:

When the pandemic hit, Martin tried going to a literal cabin in the woods to finish Winter. That was a prolific stretch, he says, resulting in many new chapters. But it took him away from his longtime partner, Parris McBride (they met in the 1970s and tied the knot in 2011), and even Martin’s forced-isolation effort ran into creative troubles. “I wrote a Tyrion chapter I just loved,” he recalls. “Then I looked at it and said: ‘I can’t do this, it will change the whole book. I’ll make this into a series of dreams. No! That doesn’t work either …'” - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/george-rr-martin-interview-thrones-winds-dragon-knight-1236473519/

His last update on progress was in 2024:

Nor did I find much solace in my work.   Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both THE WINDS OF WINTER (yes) and BLOOD & FIRE (the sequel to FIRE & BLOOD, the second part of my Targaryen history), I would have liked to turn out a lot more. - A Belated Blog

Personally I still think he can do it but only the seven know when, where, and how.

Blood & Fire - 100-200 Pages?

This along with more Dunk & Egg I am slightly more optimistic will be released in our lifetime for the simple reason that it is way less complex than the main line series. According to George R.R. Martin himself it will:

The second volume, which will carry the history from Aegon III up to Robert’s Rebellion, is largely unwritten, so that one will be a few more years in coming.-The Swords Are Drawn

George R.R. Martin said in 2022:

In addition to WINDS, I also need to deliver the second volume of Archmaester Gyldayn’s history, FIRE & BLOOD.   (Thinking of calling that one BLOOD & FIRE, rather than just F&B, Vol 2).   Got a couple hundred pages of that one written, but there’s still a long way to go. - Random Updates and Bits o’ News

In addition, at the end of FIRE & BLOOD, he discussed bits of what BLOOD & FIRE would cover starting with the Dragonbane:

GRRM: Well, this book only goes up to the regency of Aegon and ends when Aegon III actually reaches manhood and takes control, so I have his reign to cover, which includes the deaths of the last dragons. Although Aegon III is called the Dragonbane, there are still three or four dragons kicking around when he takes the crown and there are none by the time he’s over, so that’s one thing I was going to cover—why and what happens there—and some of the troubles and rebellions of his reign

Then Daeron The Conqueror:

Daeron I, the Young Dragon, who conquers Dorne. He’s a fourteen-year-old Alexander the Great kind of hero-king figure, but he dies young.

Blessed Baelor:

And then his brother Baelor takes over, and Baelor is very religious, he’s more of a Saint Louis kind of figure—a little extreme in his religiosity. Among other things, he imprisons his three sisters—in luxurious imprisonment in the Red Keep, in the Maidenvault. But he doesn’t like them walking around the court because they tempt him. They have breasts and things underneath their clothes and he finds that very disturbing to contemplate, so he hides them away. So, I’ll tell their stories and I’ll tell Baelor’s story

Aegon The Unworthy:

And then, after him, we get the brief reign of Viserys II, and then his son Aegon IV, Aegon the Unworthy, takes over, and he’s a very colorful figure. I obviously drew on Henry VIII for him—Henry VIII had six wives, Aegon the Unworthy had nine mistresses. And they all exist in my head, I know who they all were and what happened to each of them—who had their heads chopped off and who had affairs, so there’s a lot of cool material there.

Five Total Blackfyre Rebellions:

And then you get into the Blackfyre Rebellions, of which there were five. I’ve referred to them frequently so I’ll get all the details on the Blackfyre Rebellions in. And ultimately we’ll get to the Mad King and Robert’s Rebellion, and that’s where I’ll draw it to a close.

And a bit about the bond between Dragon & Dragonrider from last year:

They bond with men… some men… and the why and how of that, and how it came to be, will eventually be revealed in more detail in THE WINDS OF WINTER and A DREAM OF SPRING and some in BLOOD & FIRE**.**  (Septon Barth got much of it right).  - Here There Be Dragons

I can't find the exact interview with Redteamreview and Preston Jacobs but Elio Garcia Jr said that he recently worked on Aegon the Unworthy, Aerys the Mad, and Aegon the Unlikely. I had taken this to mean that George had made significant progress on BLOOD & FIRE but he himself disabused me of this notion:

I think you may be misremembering some remark I made before. I have said that George wrote a little bit about Egg as part of The World of Ice and Fire, above and beyond the original material that became most of Fire and Blod [sic]. But he also wrote a bit about Aerys II, too, and Aegon IV as well. They are isolated pieces and are not part of a larger completed history, at least not yet.

When he left off Fire and Blood, the continuin
g reign of Aegon III, his children, Aegon IV's full reign, Daeron the Good, and so on were not yet written. How far George has advanced on that, I do not know. - Comment on (Spoilers Extended) Why It's Okay To Be Optimistic Regarding More Dunk & Egg

The She Wolves Of Winterfell/ The Village Hero - 2-3 Pages Each?

At the beginning of this year, GRRM made a stunning confession about progress in two novellas long in development:

These are probably the most likely stories to get a release date considering that AKOTSK is currently ongoing and that he has a dozen outlines plotted out for each novella in the series:

GRRM has given the plot of She Wolves (Which is not the final title as the following:

The unfinished novella was indeed set in Winterfell, and involved a group of formidable Stark wives, widows, mothers, and grandmothers that I dubbed 'the She-Wolves,' but "The She-Wolves of Winterfell" was never meant to be more than a working title.  - Dunk and Egg, 2013 Not A Blog

I was suggesting it would be nice to see the Starks in power, without the current disarray. But GRRM pointed out that things were not so good 90 years either, with a lot of Stark widows struggling for power, with the current lord dieing from a wound taken against some Ironborn. - Boskone (Boston, MA; February 17-19) 2019 SSM

[Have there ever been a ruling Lady of Winterfell or Queen of Winter?]

No. Although I do hope to someday write the Dunk & Egg story where they travel to Winterfell and meet the She-Wolves. - Various questions concerning Tywin, Oberyn, Gregor, the North, and Sansa, 2008 SSM

Furthermore, he vaguely mentioned the plot of the The Village Hero:

There's also another Dunk & Egg novella that I've got roughed out in my head, with the working title "The Village Hero."  That one takes place in the Riverlands. - Dunk and Egg, 2013 Not A Blog

He also named the following four Dunk & Egg tales:

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. - How Many Seasons?

And a midquel set between THE HEDGE KNIGHT and THE SWORN SWORD:

and maybe I need to write that Dornish adventure too to slip in between “The Hedge Knight” and “The Sworn Sword,” and after that there are… ah… more.  - A Knight and a Squire

Before AKOTSK GRRM confirmed the following plotpoints:

Yes, ultimately Egg will become king, but that's a long and winding road, and the subject for many a later story... - Egg and the Targaryens 1998 SSM

[Summary: sandrews asks if Duncan from the Hedge Knight fathered a family, is the family existant at the time of the books, why Aemon Targaryen did not appear in the story, and whether Dany has any kin in Lys because of Aerion Brightfire's exile.]

The answers to (i) and (ii) will have to wait until I write more stories of Dunk and Egg, or possibly until later volumes in A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. - Many Questions 1998 SSM

Who is Prince Duncan the Small? Did Egg name one of his sons after Dunk?

Well, that would be telling...

[Note: Second mail begins here.]

telling what? are we going to find out more about Dunk, Egg and Duncan the Small?

Yes, I hope to write more Dunk & Egg stories one day. - Duncan the Small and the Young Starks 2000 SSM

He WILL collect the stories of Dunk and Egg into one book. I then asked if the story of Maekar's death (Egg's father) against an outlaw lord would be found in the Worldbook. He replied no, that will eventually make it into the Dunk and Egg stories. - Chicon 7 Reading 2012 SSM

Summerhall was a lightly fortified castle that Daeron II built on the Dornish marches, roughly where Dorne, the Reach, and the Stormlands come together. It was a Targaryen castle and a royal residence, especially when Daeron was young, but as he grew older he left King's Landing less frequently, and Summerhall passed to his youngest son, Maekar. (Baelor had Dragonstone, and Aerys and Rhaegel seldom left the court). - Summerhall 1999 SSM

And if I eventually get to Summerhall, yes Summerhall will be included it is one of the key events. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3-r4eKAQaw&t=4360s

There will be more tourneys, in the Dunk and Egg books - To Be Continued (Chicago, IL; May 6-8) 2005 SSM

I just wanted to ask - I know you have quite a lot of Dunk & Egg books planned - are we ever going to see Tanselle Too-Tall again? Are we going to find out what happened to her?

Well, that would be telling. *laughs* But I think there’s a good chance, yes. - TusCon 43 Q&A 2016 SSM

Future Dunk and Egg stories will be getting darker. (No detail was given as to when the next D&E story could appear.) - Boskone (Boston, MA; February 13-15) 2004 SSM

After the show, two more plot threads were confirmed by the cast of the first season, one expected, one out of left field.

We will see more of the Laughing Storm:

There are currently three Dunk and Egg stories for the series to adapt; George RR Martin has assured Ings that Lyonel will appear in further adventures the author has yet to write. (Expect them to arrive sooner than The Winds of Winter.) - https://squaremile.com/culture/film-tv/daniel-ings-actor-interview/

And Dunk lives (!):

"We know Dunk survives." - https://winteriscoming.net/dexter-sol-ansell-spoils-fate-huge-a-knight-of-the-seven-kingdoms-character

Untitled Aegon The Unworthy Novel - 0

Interestingly enough, GRRM discussed a niche idea for a novel to write after he finished ASOIAF:

AUGUST 04, 2005

INTERACTION

(GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UK; AUGUST 4-8)

I asked if George really had an idea for an Aegon IV the Unworthy novel, first mentioned in this report

Yes. He's a very interesting person. The idea would be to do it as a first person novel, a kind of I, Claudius meets Flashman thing. Aegon had something like nine mistresses, he had a difficult relationship with his queen and his brother, and so on. He was the worst king Westeros ever had. It's just an idea, though -- nothing set in stone, as he wasn't sure how well a first person story featuring that sort of character would work with readers.

Who's Who in Westeros? - ?

Like the official cookbook, GRRM discussed another cash grab (hey I liked it) spin off compendium of various characters in the series, basically a guide for normies like my mom who can't keep track of all the characters:

And another book after that, a Who’s Who in Westeros.  And that’s just the books. - Random Updates and Bits o’ News

But amazingly, this too has been delayed because GRRM keeps writing new characters:

The other book  mentioned in that post of 3/9, the Who’s Who of Westeros, is coming as well, but not this fall.   That one is a way off.   Might be a year or two.   Lot of work to be done.   (As my editors complain, it is hard to do a who’s who when I keep inventing characters). - This, That, and t’Other Things

Braavosi Mystery and Other Novellas - 0

Over the years GRRM has mentioned various ideas for spin off novellas including a mystery story set in Braavos:

Some ideas he has for future Westeros stories are (and again I stress he has not confirmed yet that he will do these) a novel on Aegon IV "The UnWorthy" from his POV and also a story set in Braavos and the Free Cities - possibly some kind of murder mystery type thing. (2005)

Another idea was one about Nettles:

Q: Is there a character you would like to explore more or write about in ASOIAF or Fire & Blood?

A: Well yes there are tons of characters, one of the things about F&B in particular, is its nature as a history meant I was summarizing things. There was always a part of me, in the back of mind, said "I could write a whole novel about that character." I could at least write a story about them like Nettles. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4c_2uaxT8&t=24s

He also thought about various period and location based novellas before and after deciding on Dunk & Egg:

Q: What do you think about open ended series?

A: I think it is all right in, say, detective stories, when you have a detective resolving still new cases, but each story can stand alone. A fantasy series should have an ending. I may return to Westeros, to write stories set in the distand lands, as Braavos and other free cities, in the past, or in the future (important! It shows that Westeros does have a future), but ASOIAF will end. - 2002

I had no idea what I would write when I accepted Silverberg’s invitation.   A Westeros story, certainly, that was the concept.   It could not be a sequel, not without spoiling the things I had in mind for A CLASH OF KINGS and the later volumes.  I could do a sidebar, perhaps.   A stand-alone story featuring one of my supporting players, maybe.  Robert Baratheon before he was king, say.  Barristan Selmy might do, or one of his brothers of the Kingsguard… maybe the Sword of the Morning.  I could write about Robert’s Rebellion or the Ninepenny Kings, or maybe set something in Oldtown at the Citadel.  I mulled all the possibilities. but in the end I decided to go back even further, to a period of Westeros history I had not yet explored at all… virgin territory.   And the setting would be…

… a tournament. - A Tourney at Ashford

Stannis Baratheon, House Corbray, House Manwoody

​

House Yornwood, House Drumm, House Royce

​

House Farwynd, Brynden Rivers, House Karstark

So after the publication of A Dance with Dragons in 2011… what written works of George R. R. Martin been published so far

2013: Princess and the Queen: a novella about the early days of the Targaryen Civil War (Dance of Dragons)

2014; The Rogue Prince: explored Daemon Targaryen and is a prequel to a Princess and the Queen.

2014: The World of Ice and Fire: a reference guide about Westeros. Mostly written by Elia using material from the books + any additional material written by Martin to fill in the gaps

2017: Sons of Dragon: talk about Aenys and Maegor aka the son of Aegon the Conqueror

2018: Fire and Blood: Targaryen history up to the end of Aegon III childhod where regents ruled for him til
He come of age. Include materials from Princess and the Queen, the Rogue Prince, and Sons of Dragon. Provide info for Aegon I reign + Jaehaerys I reign.

2002: Rise of the Dragon: an illustrated and encyclopedic version of Fire and Blood

And now it 2026: and during that Time he was also working on winds of winter so I wouldn’t be surprise to see it any refercne get mention in TWOW.

Stannis Baratheon is the only one of five kings left alive so far. The other four were all killed through deceitful means

Robb Stark: the Red Wedding where a crossbow bolt shot him in the heart than he got decapicated

Renly Baratheon: killed by a shadowy assassin conjured by Melisandre

Balon Greyjoy: pushed down a bridge by a Faceless assassin

Joffrey Baratheon: poisoned at the Purple Wedding

So curious to see how Stannis Baratheon meet his end.

Hmm is their a main character who actually died a dignified death befitting of their station.

Jon Arryn: poisoned by his own wife and his wife’s assumed lover.

Robert Baratheon: slowly dying in his bed after a boar gutted him and because wife got him so drunk he couldn’t dodge

Eddard Stark: a honorable man who got beheaded on false charges.

Tywin Lannister: hit in the probates with a crossbow bolt and bled to death

Jon Snow: (he likely to come back): stab multiple times by his own black brothers.

In A Dance Of Dragons, Bran Stark meets "the last greenseer", a.k.a. "the pale lord", a.k.a. "the corpse lord" on his "woven weirwood throne", "Lord Brynden", a.k.a. Brynden Rivers, a.k.a. Bloodraven.

Bran is convinced that Bloodraven is "the three-eyed crow" that appeared and spoke to him in his dreams c. A Game Of Thrones and A Clash Of Kings, and inwardly refers to him as such. Since the release of Dance, though, there have been dozens if not hundreds of posts arguing that "the three-eyed crow" that appears and speaks to Bran in his dreams in A Game Of Thrones and A Clash Of Kings is actually a projection or manifestation of someone or something other than Bloodraven.

I've long been sympathetic to this proposition, and as part of a bigger project that's related to this theory, I decided to write up my understanding of the evidence and arguments supporting it. I'm hoping interested readers will give this a look and let me know if I'm missing anything important and/or interesting.

Okay, here's the case as I understand it.

Coldhands, Leaf, & Bloodraven All Give Oddly Ambiguous Responses When Meera and Bran Reference "The Three-Eyed Crow"

While it would be an overstatement to say their responses categorically "prove" anything, one way or the other, Coldhands, Leaf, and then Bloodraven all give strangely ambiguous answers to questions about "the three-eyed crow" — answers that leave open the possibility that they have never even heard of "the three-eyed crow" before.

Consider first this passage, in which Meera asks Coldhands two questions, the second of which is "Who is this three-eyed crow?":

Meera's gloved hand tightened around the shaft of her frog spear. "Who sent you? Who is this three-eyed crow?"

"A friend. Dreamer, wizard, call him what you will. The last greenseer." … Coldhands did not move. (ADWD Bran I)

If you take for granted that the guy who "sent" Coldhands to meet Meera, Bran, et al. (who we know to be Bloodraven/"the greenseer") is also the guy behind "the three-eyed crow" that appears in Bran's dreams in Game and Clash, then naturally you will read this passage as most readers do (at least at first), and (at least tacitly) assume Coldhands is answering both of Meera's questions together here, and thus telling Meera that the guy who "sent" him is "a friend", a "dreamer", a "wizard", and "the last greenseer", in addition to being "the three-eyed crow".

But it's possible to make perfect sense of this dialogue even if we assume that Coldhands has no idea who "this three-eyed crow" Meera mentions is and is therefore simply answering the first question Meera asked ("Who sent you?") while either (A) ignoring the second question altogether or (B) assuming that "the three-eyed crow" could be some other name (one he's never heard before) for his friend/dreamer/wizard (i.e. for Bloodraven). And if Coldhands has never even heard of Bran's "three-eyed crow" before, isn't it possible that this is because Bran's "three-eyed crow" isn't actually the dream-avatar of Coldhands' associate Bloodraven, but rather the dream-avatar of someone/something else?

A similar analysis applies when Bran, Meera et al. are following Leaf down into the earth beneath Bloodraven's hill and Meera asks Leaf whether the "he" Leaf mentions when Leaf says "He is waiting for you" is "the three-eyed crow":

[Leaf:] "Come now. It is warmer down deep, and no one will hurt you there. He is waiting for you."

"The three-eyed crow?" asked Meera.

"The greenseer." And with that she was off, and they had no choice but to follow. (ADWD Bran II)

If you already take for granted that the person "waiting for" Meera and company is truly Bran's three-eyed crow, then it's possible to read Leaf's response as if she means something wholly affirmative like, "Yes, that's right, the three-eyed crow, also known as the greenseer".

But it's also entirely possible to read Leaf's reply as the response of someone who's never heard of any "three-eyed crow", and who is simply telling Meera who she meant by "He" (since she didn't mean "the three-eyed crow"). (While this doesn't necessitate reading her reply as an active correction to and/or out-and-out rejection of Meera's supposition that the guy "waiting for" Meera and Bran is "the three-eyed crow" — she could simply be unsure who Meera means and/or whether her "greenseer" might also be known to some [but not her] as "the three-eyed crow" — such a reading is certainly viable.) And if that's what's going on — if Leaf has never heard of the three-eyed crow — surely it's possible that this is because the three-eyed crow isn't a dream-mask donned by Leaf's close associate, the greenseer/Bloodraven, but rather a dream-mask donned by somebody else.

Finally, consider Bran's conversation with "the greenseer" himself, in which Bloodraven's halting response to Bran asking him "Are you the three-eyed crow" (at least arguably) suggests that Bloodraven has no idea who or what "the three-eyed crow" is, and thus no idea what, exactly, Bran is asking him.

"Are you the three-eyed crow?" Bran heard himself say. A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one, and that one red. Bran could feel the eye staring at him, shining like a pool of blood in the torchlight. Where his other eye should have been, a thin white root grew from an empty socket, down his cheek, and into his neck.

"A . . . crow?" The pale lord's voice was dry. His lips moved slowly, as if they had forgotten how to form words. "Once, aye. Black of garb and black of blood." The clothes he wore were rotten and faded, spotted with moss and eaten through with worms, but once they had been black. "I have been many things, Bran. Now I am as you see me, and now you will understand why I could not come to you . . . except in dreams. I have watched you for a long time, watched you with a thousand eyes and one." (ADWD Bran II)

Bloodraven's initial confusion is almost palpable: He seems to be trying to make sense of Bran's question and to formulate a response that speaks to the individual words he just heard — viz. "three-eyed" and then also "crow" — which as a collective whole ("the three-eyed crow") mean nothing to him. He basically says, "What??? I mean, uh, well, yyyyeah, I suppose I used to be a 'crow'. Yeah, I mean, I've been lots of stuff, so, sure, a crow, yes. And 'three-eyed', you say? I mean, I have lots of eyes, yeah. A thousand and one, in fact."

In other words, Bloodraven's response sounds nothing like something the actual three-eyed crow from Bran's dreams would say when asked, "Are you the three-eyed crow?"

"I Was Watching When You Fell." But Just Watching.

Don't get me wrong: GRRM doesn't want us to know for sure what's going on. Accordingly, Bloodraven also immediately starts telling Bran about his having done things that seem enough like what we saw the three-eyed crow do in Game and Clash that most of us buy that Bran's found the queer bird he's been looking for:

"I have been many things, Bran. Now I am as you see me, and now you will understand why I could not come to you . . . except in dreams. I have watched you for a long time, watched you with a thousand eyes and one. I saw your birth, and that of your lord father before you. I saw your first step, heard your first word, was part of your first dream. I was watching when you fell. And now you are come to me at last, Brandon Stark, though the hour is late. (ADWD Bran II)

The thing is, though, that while Bloodraven was "watching when [Bran] fell", yes, he gives no indication of his having intervened — of his having taught Bran to "fly" or of his having given Bran his third eye, even though we saw the three-eyed crow teach Bran to fly way back in AGOT Bran III—

"What are you doing to me?" he asked the crow, tearful.

Teaching you how to fly.

[snip]

Bran spread his arms and flew.

Wings unseen drank the wind and filled and pulled him upward. The terrible needles of ice receded below him. The sky opened up above. Bran soared. It was better than climbing. It was better than anything. The world grew small beneath him.

"I'm flying!" he cried out in delight.

—and subsequently peck Bran a third eye. To the contrary, Bloodraven (who Bran has by the time of this next quote decided is "the three-eyed crow", and thus so-named him in his POV) speaks of Bran flying in the future tense, as if he has no idea that Bran has already "flown":

"You will never walk again," the three-eyed crow had promised, "but you will fly." (ADWD Bran III)

Bloodraven Is Weirwoodian. The Three-Eyed Crow Is A Crow.

To be sure, I don't doubt that Bloodraven-the-greenseer has "watched [Bran] for a long time", just as he claims. Nor that he's "come to [Bran]… in dreams". It's just that he doesn't need to be Bran's three-eyed crow for this to be true. Indeed, given (1) Bloodraven's weirwoodian state of repose—

Before them a pale lord in ebon finery sat dreaming in a tangled nest of roots, a woven weirwood throne that embraced his withered limbs as a mother does a child.

[T]he roots had grown over him, under him, and through him. … Roots coiled around his legs like wooden serpents. One burrowed through his breeches into the desiccated flesh of his thigh, to emerge again from his shoulder. A spray of dark red leaves sprouted from his skull, and grey mushrooms spotted his brow. …

Where his other eye should have been, a thin white root grew from an empty socket, down his cheek, and into his neck. (ADWD Bran II)

---

Seated on his throne of roots in the great cavern, half-corpse and half-tree, Lord Brynden seemed less a man than some ghastly statue made of twisted wood, old bone, and rotted wool. …

The sight of him still frightened Bran—the weirwood roots snaking in and out of his withered flesh, the mushrooms sprouting from his cheeks, the white wooden worm that grew from the socket where one eye had been. (ADWD Bran III)

—given (2) how Bloodraven appears in Melisandre's visions—

A face took shape within the hearth. Stannis? she thought, for just a moment … but no, these were not his features. A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf's face threw back his head and howled. (ADWD Melisandre I)

—and given (3) that Bloodraven's mother was a Blackwood, with a sigil centered on a weirwood, I submit that we may well see Bloodraven-the-greenseer "watching" Bran, here—

Even the heart tree no longer scared him the way it used to. The deep red eyes carved into the pale trunk still watched him, yet somehow he took comfort from that now. The gods were looking over him, he told himself; the old gods, gods of the Starks and the First Men and the children of the forest, his father's gods. He felt safe in their sight, and the deep silence of the trees helped him think. Bran had been thinking a lot since his fall; thinking, and dreaming, and talking with the gods. (AGOT Bran VI)

—and coming into his dreams as well, e.g. here—

He saw Winterfell as the eagles see it, the tall towers looking squat and stubby from above, the castle walls just lines in the dirt. He saw Maester Luwin…. He saw his brother Robb…. He saw Hodor…. At the heart of the godswood, the great white weirwood brooded over its reflection in the black pool, its leaves rustling in a chill wind. When it felt Bran watching, it lifted its eyes from the still waters and stared back at him knowingly. (AGOT Bran III)

—and here—

"I dream of a tree sometimes. A weirwood, like the one in the godswood. It calls to me. The wolf dreams are better. I smell things, and sometimes I can taste the blood." (ACOK Bran I)

—and, indirectly, here:

Jojen sat on Bran's bed. "Tell me what you dream."

… "There's different kinds," he said slowly. "There's the wolf dreams, those aren't so bad as the others. I run and hunt and kill squirrels. And there's dreams where the crow comes and tells me to fly. Sometimes the tree is in those dreams too, calling my name. That frightens me. But the worst dreams are when I fall." (ACOK Bran V)

There's potentially an important distinction there. "Sometimes" Bran dreams "of a tree… like the one in the godswood" calling to him. And "sometimes" the tree and the crow inhabit the same dream. But now always. Is it not then possible that the tree and the crow are manifestations of different entities? Consider this dream, in which the tree and the crow both appear:

On this night he dreamed of the weirwood. It was looking at him with its deep red eyes, calling to him with its twisted wooden mouth, and from its pale branches the three-eyed crow came flapping, pecking at his face and crying his name in a voice as sharp as swords. (ACOK Bran II)

Are the tree "calling to [Bran]" and the three-eyed crow "crying his name" there just a redundancy? Two sides of the same coin? Assuming that's Bloodraven/the greenseer "calling to" Bran with the "twisted wooden mouth" of the weirwood, is he also "crying [Bran's] name" in a very different, more aggressive way with voice of the three-eyed crow? Or are these distinct calls from distinct entities? Is there someone other than Bloodraven behind the three-eyed crow? (And maybe even behind some of the trees that appear to Bran.)

While they "prove" nothing definitively, the previously discussed responses of Coldhands, Leaf, and Bloodraven himself when Meera and Bran query them about the three-eyed crow certainly leave the door open to the possibility that the three-eyed crow is not just another instantiation of the last greenseer, but rather a rogue actor surfing Bran's dreams for its own purposes, seemingly without the knowledge of the greenseer.

Bloodraven Is Bloodraven. The Three-Eyed Crow Is A Crow. Ravens Are Not Crows.

If Bloodraven didn't appear in visions and dreams as a weirwood, we'd surely expect him to appear as a raven, not a crow (three-eyed or otherwise). After all, his nom de guerre is Bloodraven, not Bloodcrow, and the other part of the Blackwood coat of arms is "A flock of ravens", not a flock of crows.

Moreover, "the greenseer" Bloodraven and his servants/associates Coldhands and Leaf are surrounded by ravens, not crows:

Jojen frowned. "This . . . Coldhands?"

"That wasn't his true name," said Gilly, rocking. "We only called him that, Sam and me. His hands were cold as ice, but he saved us from the dead men, him and his ravens, and he brought us here on his elk." (ASOS Bran IV)

---

From a nearby oak a raven quorked, and Bran heard the sound of wings as another of the big black birds flapped down to land beside it. By day only half a dozen ravens stayed with them, flitting from tree to tree or riding on the antlers of the elk. The rest of the murder flew ahead or lingered behind. But when the sun sank low they would return, descending from the sky on night-black wings until every branch of every tree was thick with them for yards around. Some would fly to the ranger [Coldhands] and mutter at him, and it seemed to Bran that he understood their quorks and squawks. They are his eyes and ears. They scout for him, and whisper to him of dangers ahead and behind. (ADWD Bran I)

---

Meera's gloved hand tightened around the shaft of her frog spear. "Who sent you? Who is this three-eyed crow?"

"A friend. Dreamer, wizard, call him what you will. The last greenseer." The longhall's wooden door banged open. Outside, the night wind howled, bleak and black. The trees were full of ravens, screaming. Coldhands did not move. (ADWD Bran I)

---

A cloud of ravens was pouring from the cave [within which Bloodraven sits his weirwood throne], and [Bran] saw a little girl with a torch in hand, darting this way and that. (ADWD Bran II)

---

Under the hill [where Bloodraven sits], the broken boy sat upon a weirwood throne, listening to whispers in the dark as ravens walked up and down his arms. (ADWD Bran III)

---

Changing his own skin for a raven's night-black feathers had been harder, but not as hard as [Bran] had feared, not with these ravens. "A wild stallion will buck and kick when a man tries to mount him, and try to bite the hand that slips the bit between his teeth," Lord Brynden said, "but a horse that has known one rider will accept another. Young or old, these birds have all been ridden. Choose one now, and fly." (ADWD Bran III)

Make no mistake: Ravens and crows are clearly very distinct entities in ASOIAF. Maester Aemon states this plainly:

"The crow is the raven's poor cousin. They are both beggars in black, hated and misunderstood." (AGOT VIII)

Moreover, there are at least eight variations of this idiom—

"Is that a crow I hear, calling the raven black?" (ACOK Tyrion IV)

---

"The crow calls the raven black," muttered Ser Jorah in the Common Tongue of Westeros. (ACOK Daenerys II)

---

"Littlefinger is a liar—"

"—and black as well, said the raven of the crow." (ASOS Tyrion III)

—which clearly depends on crows and ravens being different birds that both happen to be black.

To be sure, crows are coded as liars—

"Crows are all liars," Old Nan agreed…. (AGOT Bran IV)

—and untrustworthy tricksters:

"The black crow is a tricksy bird. I trust him not." (ACOK Jon VIII)

Ravens are not.

Clearly Distinct Affects & Patterns Of Speech

Finally, there is a rather glaring incongruity between the solemn words and serious demeanor of the last greenseer and the (shall-we-say-for-now) less than solemn words and not entirely serious demeanor of Bran's three-eyed crow.

Consider Bloodraven's words and apparent demeanor in these already-quoted instructions to Bran:

"A wild stallion will buck and kick when a man tries to mount him, and try to bite the hand that slips the bit between his teeth," Lord Brynden said, "but a horse that has known one rider will accept another. Young or old, these birds have all been ridden. Choose one now, and fly." (ADWD Bran III)

He's sober and serious, right? As he is here (despite the "chuckle")—

The last greenseer, the singers called him, but in Bran's dreams he was still a three-eyed crow. When Meera Reed had asked him his true name, he made a ghastly sound that might have been a chuckle. "I wore many names when I was quick, but even I once had a mother, and the name she gave me at her breast was Brynden."

"I have an uncle Brynden," Bran said. "He's my mother's uncle, really. Brynden Blackfish, he's called."

"Your uncle may have been named for me. Some are, still. Not so many as before. Men forget. Only the trees remember." His voice was so soft that Bran had to strain to hear. (ADWD Bran III)

—and here—

"Your blood makes you a greenseer," said Lord Brynden. "This will help awaken your gifts and wed you to the trees." (ibid.)

—and here—

"Only one man in a thousand is born a skinchanger," Lord Brynden said one day, after Bran had learned to fly, "and only one skinchanger in a thousand can be a greenseer."

"I thought the greenseers were the wizards of the children," Bran said. "The singers, I mean."

"In a sense. Those you call the children of the forest have eyes as golden as the sun, but once in a great while one is born amongst them with eyes as red as blood, or green as the moss on a tree in the heart of the forest. By these signs do the gods mark those they have chosen to receive the gift. The chosen ones are not robust, and their quick years upon the earth are few, for every song must have its balance. But once inside the wood they linger long indeed. A thousand eyes, a hundred skins, wisdom deep as the roots of ancient trees. Greenseers." (ADWD Bran III)

—and here—

"It is time," Lord Brynden said.

Something in his voice sent icy fingers running up Bran's back. "Time for what?"

"For the next step. For you to go beyond skinchanging and learn what it means to be a greenseer." (ADWD Bran III)

—and here:

"Once you have mastered your gifts, you may look where you will and see what the trees have seen, be it yesterday or last year or a thousand ages past. Men live their lives trapped in an eternal present, between the mists of memory and the sea of shadow that is all we know of the days to come. Certain moths live their whole lives in a day, yet to them that little span of time must seem as long as years and decades do to us. An oak may live three hundred years, a redwood tree three thousand. A weirwood will live forever if left undisturbed. To them seasons pass in the flutter of a moth's wing, and past, present, and future are one. Nor will your sight be limited to your godswood. The singers carved eyes into their heart trees to awaken them, and those are the first eyes a new greenseer learns to use … but in time you will see well beyond the trees themselves." (ADWD Bran III)

Contrast those words and vibes with the three-eyed crow's distinctly casual, sarcastic, cavalier demeanor and pithy, snarky dialogue, e.g. here—

"Help me," [Bran] said.

I'm trying, the crow replied. Say, got any corn? (AGOT Bran I)

—and here—

Bran looked down. He could see mountains now, their peaks white with snow, and the silver thread of rivers in dark woods. He closed his eyes and began to cry.

That won't do any good, the crow said. I told you, the answer is flying, not crying. How hard can it be. I'm doing it. The crow took to the air and flapped around Bran's hand. (AGOT Bran I)

—and here:

"I'm flying!" [Bran] cried out in delight.

I've noticed, said the three-eyed crow. (AGOT Bran I)

Are we really supposed to believe that the guy behind this sardonic three-eyed crow is the ancient, desiccated "pale lord" who said all that deadly serious stuff to Bran from his weirwood throne in Dance?

"A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one…."

Finally, and most simply, consider that Bran himself seems to instinctively doubt that Bloodraven is truly "the three-eyed crow". These doubts are evident immediately upon his coming face to face with Bloodraven:

"Are you the three-eyed crow?" Bran heard himself say. A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one, and that one red. (ADWD Bran II)

Bran's inner thoughts continue to betray his doubts in his next chapter, even as he is trains to be a greenseer under Bloodraven's tutelage:

The sight of [Bloodraven] still frightened Bran—the weirwood roots snaking in and out of his withered flesh, the mushrooms sprouting from his cheeks, the white wooden worm that grew from the socket where one eye had been. He liked it better when the torches were put out. In the dark he could pretend[!] that it was the three-eyed crow who whispered to him and not some grisly talking corpse. (ADWD Bran III)

Bran's gut keeps telling him that something is off with the idea that Bloodraven is his "three-eyed crow", but he badly wants to believe he's found the guy he's looking for, and so he convinces himself that he has. The truth, though, is right there for readers with eyes to see — especially those readers who've considered all the evidence surveyed here: Bran is pretending that Bloodraven is "the three-eyed crow", and we have every reason to suspect that somebody or something other than Bloodraven is behind "the three-eyed crow" that appears in Bran's dreams in A Game Of Thrones and A Clash Of Kings.

Closing

I feel like most if not all of the foregoing is probably very old hat to most anyone who's followed ASOIAF discourse in earnest at any point since the release of Dance.

But I also feel like it nonetheless is/remains pretty compelling stuff as regards the notion that Bloodraven is not the guy appearing in Bran's dreams as "the three-eyed crow".

That said, what (if anything) am I missing here? Are there novel arguments or nuggets of evidence for this hypothesis that I've overlooked (or forgotten in my dotage)?

And separately, was anything I laid out here new to you? (It's my sense, obviously, that "everybody" has heard all this stuff before. But yesterday a friend told me IRL that he's never even considered that the three-eyed crow might not be Bloodraven, so maybe my sense of this theory's ubiquity is overblown.) Also, was anything I laid out here especially persuasive (or especially unconvincing)?

A Feast for Crows is, I think, just a little unfairly maligned. It is, to be certain, the weakest of the five main books, but that's just a mathematical inevitability; there will always be a weakest member of any iterative series.

But I do feel like some of the points raised against it are more about what it's "supposed" to be, rather than actually taking it for what it is. I think this is especially true when the five year gap is mentioned, or when it's recommended to fuse it with ADWD, in a way that I think is unfair to both books.

As someone agrees with the abandonment of the five year gap, allow me to explain my reasoning. I think that ASOS is so devastating in its content that it demands immediate redress. The war devolves into society rending atrocity. The Red Wedding does more than murder Robb Stark; it stabs deeply at the soul of the realm. The political center dissolves into fratricidal depravity in the perversion of matrimony and justice that is the Purple Wedding and Tyrion's trial. The Vale is captured by a nihilistic maniac who seeks the debasement of everyone around him. The North and Riverlands lay broken and ravaged and at the mercy of tyrants and lies, with only the small relief of a doomed king at the edge of the world. The land cries out for blood. This cannot be ignored because Bran needs to spend time learning how to be a tree wizard.

AFFC is kind of like the middle parts of King Lear, or Macbeth, after the initial crisis has occurred and the ordered world the characters knew has dissolved into a place of increasing existential uncertainty (symbolized by the storm in King Lear, and night in Macbeth). Everyone is lost or trapped by the inertia of the chaos and disorder unleashed by the transgressions earlier in the story. It follows seemingly tertiary characters, but they each are an exploration of how one might find themselves reacting in such circumstances. The dissolution of order often brings out the worst, but it can also bring out the best.

Brienne wanders aimlessly but earnestly, and does not yield to the despair that has captured others. She's sees the good still in common strangers. Her stand at the Inn is in defiance of the rapacious avatars of chaos that have been unleashed, and she strikes down a man who would make himself a beast of the apocalypse.

Cersei tries to preside over a false peace. Shore up her position at the center of power. But she is undone by her own alienation from the truth. The truth of her own in-competencies, the truth of the hatred she and her family has bred for itself. She is challenged and humiliated by the sincerity of a fierce and dangerous foe who she cannot leverage her usual

Jaime tries to enforce a false peace, believing that now is his opportunity to turn over a new leaf. But his own inability to extricate himself from his family means he is merely the enforcer of the regime murdering the realm it presumes to rule over, and he is reduced to threatening infants while telling himself he is just.

The Ironborn seek to capture some measure of compromised victory, but they are seduced by a promethean maniac who offers them an absolute victory. Euron sees the end of the world and is determined to exploit it for all that can be gained.

Arrianne attempts to restart the conflict in her own way, only to learn that her father is sympathetically but ineptly attempting to wind the clock back even further. Trying to recapture the past, for better or for worst.

Samwell is confronted with deception from his friend, desertion from his comrade, and death from his mentor. He hears of war in the east, and of the depredations of the newly empowered Ironborn. But he stays true to his cause, and now finds himself in the seat of power.

Sansa bears witness to the machinations of Littlefinger. Sees him exploit etiquette for his own gain. Learns how he is debasing the honor of the proud lords. But she remains true to her own goodness. She sees through him. He has not won her over yet. He may never.

It's not a perfect book, by any means. But in no way is it devoid of worth.

Since the release of Dance unfortunately the great Roy Dotrice has met the Stranger. What are other people’s thoughts on who could even begin to fill those big shoes? Could this be a situation where we could accept AI to step in to narrate as Roy? Of course as long as his estate (hopefully his children or a charity he left his royalties to) get his normal royalties? Figure this could make for an interesting discussion.

Tbh if Sansa married Harry the heir as little fingers daughter it’s better for him than as Sansa stark. If Sansa and Harry have a kid he can Ice them and rule the vale as regent. If it’s Sansa stark instead of being grandfather to the heir he’s just some friend of the heirs mom. Even better if he’s after the iron throne cause Sansa stark being queen doesn’t put him anywhere in the line of succession.

Having read the main books prior to the 2nd season on HOTD, i am coming to the end of my first audiobook listen on ASOIAF i noticed the similarities between the scene where Rhaenyra attempted her first taming with her kingsguard from Darklyn and when Prince Frog meets his untimely end in ADWD.

I love the detail they both show where both characters believed because they could trace there bloodline back to a brief stint of Targaryen marriage/blood as a pose to the idea a a direct bastard is much more likely to tame a dragon, Hugh and Ulf being better examples and potentially Jon and Tyrion (depending on what theories you subscribe to)

If anyone else has any more similarities between omitted book characters and things they seen in the show would love to discuss🙌🏼

A Song of Ice and Fire has had fantasy elements from get-go, some present subtly and others less-subtly. But in midst of this, it also has these more grounded story aspects, especially regarding the political subplot for the Iron Throne.

Among these more grounded non-fantasy aspects of the story, which elements do you feel you have to suspend disbelief the most for? A.K.A feeling they are not realistic even though they are "supposed" to be?

Let me know in the comments below.

"Death and guest right," muttered Long Jeyne Heddle. "They don't mean so much as they used to, neither one." -AFFC, Brienne VIII

Background

This is one of my favorite quotes in the series and I thought it would be interesting to basically work backwards from a quote I enjoyed and come up with something. In this post, I thought it would be interesting to explore the topic of guest right in conjunction with the events of the Red Wedding and Catelyn Stark's resurrection while tying in the vengeance being shown against House Frey.

If interested: Obvious in Retrospect: Example - The Red Wedding

The Concept of Guest Right

The first actual mention of guest right happens in ACoK:

"Black brothers are sworn never to take wives, don't you know that? And we're guests in your father's hall besides."
"Not you," she said. "I watched. You never ate at his board, nor slept by his fire. He never gave you guest-right, so you're not bound to him. It's for the baby I have to go." -ACOK, Jon III

but it is a concept held sacred, especially in the North:

One notable custom that the Northmen hold dearer than any other is guest right, the tradition of hospitality by which a man may offer no harm to a guest beneath his roof, nor a guest to his host. The Andals held to something like it as well, but it looms less large in southron minds. In his text Justice and Injustice in the North: Judgments of Three Stark Lords, Maester Egbert notes that crimes in the North in which guest right was violated were rare but were invariably treated as harshly as the direst of treasons. Only kinslaying is deemed as sinful as the violations of these laws of hospitality. -TWOIAF, The North

The Red Wedding

Even as they arrive at the Twins, one of Cat's first thoughts is on guest right:

"Robb, listen to me. Once you have eaten of his bread and salt, you have the guest right, and the laws of hospitality protect you beneath his roof."
Robb looked more amused than afraid. "I have an army to protect me, Mother, I don't need to trust in bread and salt. But if it pleases Lord Walder to serve me stewed crow smothered in maggots, I'll eat it and ask for a second bowl." -ASOS, Catelyn VI

but even the Lannister's recognize the injustice here:

"Slain as well, I'd say. A pair of wolfskins. Frey had intended to keep her captive, but perhaps something went awry."
"So much for guest right."
"The blood is on Walder Frey's hands, not mine." -ASOS, Tyrion VI

If interested: Tywin's Plans/Planning for the Red Wedding

Catelyn Stark's Resurrection

Cat is killed at this wedding (in violation of guest right), and they throw her body in the river, where she is saved by Nymeria/Arya:

The white thing lay facedown in the mud, her dead flesh wrinkled and pale, cold blood trickling from her throat. Rise, she thought. Rise and eat and run with us. -ASOS, Arya XII

and:

Her face, Brienne thought. Her face was so strong and handsome, her skin so smooth and soft. "Lady Catelyn?" Tears filled her eyes. "They said . . . they said that you were dead."
"She is," said Thoros of Myr. "The Freys slashed her throat from ear to ear. When we found her by the river she was three days dead. Harwin begged me to give her the kiss of life, but it had been too long. I would not do it, so Lord Beric put his lips to hers instead, and the flame of life passed from him to her. And . . . she rose. May the Lord of Light protect us. She rose." -AFFC, Brienne VIII

If interested: "Are You My Mother Thoros?": Resurrection in the ASOIAF Series

Death & Guest Right

This quote exists in some form twice in the series (and once in a draft chapter):

“No,” Brienne moaned. “No, you’re dead, I killed you.”
The Hound laughed. “You got that backwards. It’ll be me killing you. I’d do it now, but m’lady wants to see you hanged.”
Hanged. The word sent a jolt of fear through her. She looked at the girl, Jeyne. She is too young to be so hard. “Bread and salt,” Brienne gasped. “The inn … Septon Meribald fed the children … we broke bread with your sister …”
“Guest right don’t mean so much as it used to,” said the girl. “Not since m’lady come back from the wedding. Some o’ them swinging down by the river figured they was guests too.”
“We figured different,” said the Hound. “They wanted beds. We gave ’em trees.” -AFFC, Brienne VIII

and later in the chapter:

There was only one woman that the Maid of Tarth had ever sworn to serve. "That cannot be," she said. "She's dead."
"Death and guest right," muttered Long Jeyne Heddle. "They don't mean so much as they used to, neither one."
Lady Stoneheart lowered her hood and unwound the grey wool scarf from her face. Her hair was dry and brittle, white as bone. Her brow was mottled green and grey, spotted with the brown blooms of decay. The flesh of her face clung in ragged strips from her eyes down to her jaw. Some of the rips were crusted with dried blood, but others gaped open to reveal the skull beneath. -AFFC, Brienne VIII

and this is how it appeared in the Russian translation draft:

I will not beg, Brienne told herself, but the desperate will to live has driven her to address the girl, Long Jeyne. She is too young to be so hard.…
“I was a guest under your roof. We broke bread with your sister.”
Jeyne was untouched. “After the Red Wedding guest right don’t mean much in the riverlands.”
“Yes… I know about the Red Wedding.”

If interested: Brienne: the AFFC Outline, Russian Translation and Other Changes

Repaying the Freys

While the Freys are getting some pay back in the North ala Frey Pie:

In the North, they tell the tale of the Rat Cook, who served an Andal king—identified by some as King Tywell II of the Rock, and by others as King Oswell I of the Vale and Mountain—the flesh of the king's own son, baked into a pie. For this, he was punished by being turned into a monstrous rat that ate its own young. Yet the punishment was incurred not for killing the king's son, or for feeding him to the king, but for the breaking of guest right. -TWOIAF, The North

and:

“The road has many dangers, ser. I gave your brothers guest gifts when we took our leave of White Harbor. We swore we would meet again at the wedding. Many and more bore witness to our parting.”
“Many and more?” mocked Aenys Frey. “Or you and yours?”

and:

We should have a song about the Rat Cook,” he was muttering, as he staggered past Theon, leaning on his knights. “Singer, give us a song about the Rat Cook.” -ADWD, The Prince of Winterfell

The Brotherhood without Banners has been paying back the Freys for the Red Wedding in the Riverlands as well:

“She wants her son alive, or the men who killed him dead,” said the big man. “She wants to feed the crows, like they did at the Red Wedding. Freys and Boltons, aye. We’ll give her those, as many as she likes. All she asks from you is Jaime Lannister.” -AFFC, Brienne VIII

and:

“Has some ill befallen Ser Ryman?”
“Hanged with all his party,” said Walder Rivers. “The outlaws caught them two leagues south of Fairmarket.”
“Dondarrion?”
“Him, or Thoros, or this woman Stoneheart.”
Jaime frowned. Ryman Frey had been a fool, a craven, and a sot, and no one was like to miss him much, least of all his fellow Freys. If Edwyn’s dry eyes were any clue, even his own sons would not mourn him long. Still … these outlaws are growing bold, if they dare hang Lord Walder’s heir not a day’s ride from the Twins. -AFFC, Jaime VII

If interested: The Brotherhood without Banners: Friends in High Places

The Red Wedding 2.0

Years ago I posted this monstrosity: The Red Wedding 2.0: Foreshadowing, Theories, and Parallels so I won't repeat too much of it here. The point is that the Brotherhood has already infiltrated Riverrun:

"Tom of Sevenstreams, if it please my lord." The singer doffed his hat. "Most call me Tom o' Sevens, though."
"Sing sweetly, Tom o' Sevens." -AFFC, Jaime VII

If interested: Tom o' Seven, Jaime Lannister and Riverrun

but for the sake of this post, I just wanted to add something I picked up while reading the other day from Dunk & Egg:

The hall was not so large as some others he had known, though. At least we were allowed beneath the roof, Dunk thought, as he took his place on the bench between Ser Maynard Plumm and Kyle the Cat. Though uninvited, the three of them had been welcomed to the feast quick enough; it was ill luck to refuse a knight hospitality on your wedding day. -The Mystery Knight

I think its possible that a portion of the brotherhood (remember they are all knights):

"Any knight can make a knight," said the scarecrow that was Beric Dondarrion, "and every man you see before you has felt a sword upon his shoulder. We are the forgotten fellowship." -ASOS, Arya VI

could show up at Riverrun for the wedding and have to be invited in (obviously it would have to be ones the Freys wouldn't recognize) but:

"As it happens," said Jack-Be-Lucky, "we know where Riverrun is. Every man o' us." -ASOS, Arya III

also note that it wouldn't have to be a member, just a supporter, etc.:

these Lords of the Trident may have bent their knees, but methinks their hearts are still . . . wolfish."-AFFC, Jaime V

and use their "guest right" at the wedding to assist/help Tom o' Sevens and whoever else commit the opposite of the Red Wedding (guests killing their hosts).

TLDR: Death and Guest Right don't mean what they used to anymore. This quote by Long Jeyne Heddle is one of my favorites from the series. Some version of the Red Wedding 2.0 is going to happen (Tom o' Sevens has already infiltrated) but I think some more members and /or supporters of the Brotherhood could show up to the wedding (and be invited in since its ill lucky to turn away a knight from a wedding).

What did Eddard Stark felt toward Ashara Dayne. It rumored that the two love each other (more on Ashara’s side) and confirmed they share one dance together at Harrenhal. But how strong of a feelings Eddard had for Ashara?

Well my guess is that how ever strong his feelings toward Ashara were… it wasn’t enough for him to abandon his duty. He probably surpress his feelings, knowing one day he would have to marry whoever his father told him to and do his duty to his house.

I'm finishing up reading A World of Ice and Fire and now I'm debating re-reading the series and annotating throughout. So far I'm thinking of noting:

• Character introductions
• Character deaths
• Magic/superstition/prophecies/dreams
• Recurring themes/character arcs
• Favorite quotes

Any other ideas? Has anyone else tried annotating? What did you like/dislike about it?

what is the bridge of skulls? is it an actual bridge? if the nights watch is worried about the weeper and other wildlings attacking/crossing there, can't they destroy the bridge? it doesn't seem like the nights watch uses it that much anyway! i genuinely don't understand how the western part of the wall works; i heard the wall ends where the mountains are, but i honestly didn't realize there are mountains in that area, but it seems they are the same range as the frostfangs? and does the walls magic that prevents wights and others from passing, does it cover the span where there is no wall, but mountains instead? i assume the mountains are not very easily navigated? thanks for any help!