#GRRM's SSMs

[sansastarkmeta]

An early outline of AFFC written around 2003-04 by GRRM was recently shared on r/asoiaf. Read the original post here for more info.

Two entries are notes for Sansa POV chapters:

A)

SANSA DIVIDE CHAPTER – LF: CERSEI HAS OVERREACHED SHE'LL SOON BE DONE

LF of course stands for Littlefinger.

B)

SANSA ?OLD - RESOLVE TO BE SS & TAKE NORTH 1 - TOURNEY OF WINGED KNIGHT 2 - SWEETROBIN [WOOS? WEDS? unclear] 3 - NEWS FROM W.H. KILL THE MOUSE ④

SS very likely stands for Sansa Stark, and W.H. for White Harbor. The mouse of course refers to Ser Shadrich.

The people at r/asoiaf who transcribed GRRM's handwriting favor the reading 2 - Sweetrobin *woos, but *weds is also possible, as well as *wees although less likely.

The circled 4 seems to indicate the then total count of Sansa POV chapters that GRRM had already written drafts of (3) plus one he was planning on writing (already partially written).

As for what can be inferred from all this... The first note almost certainly became AFFC Alayne II. The second one seems to concern an unpublished chapter or chapters that GRRM moved to TWOW. Given it's been twenty years since he wrote this outline, this raises the question: does he still intend to follow this note? Assuming he does, there are some things we can extrapolate and speculate on:

Sansa will not lose herself into the Alayne persona, and is soon heading North to reclaim her identity and Winterfell/the region for House Stark.

The tourney of winged knights is mentioned in the TWOW Alayne I preview from 2015, so this indicates GRRM had the idea for it for at least a decade prior.

Interpretation of the line regarding Robert Arryn is dependant on the reading. If it's *woos it might refer to Robert's infatuation with Alayne, which we've seen in Sansa's last published chapter, AFFC Alayne II, and in the TWOW Alayne I preview from 2015. If it's *weds... the most straightforward reading would be that Robert marries someone, even potentially Alayne/Sansa. Considering Petyr's plans for rulership of the Vale which he reveals in AFFC Alayne II, both scenarios seem surprising.

News from White Harbor most likely refers to news of Ramsay's wedding to Arya Stark. There's no telling whether that includes the crucial detail that the bride is truthfully Jeyne Poole. Another option could be news of the mutiny at Castle Black and some kind of update on Jon, whether that's his death, his speculated resurrection or confusing reports about both and whether he was ever dead at all. Of course, the news could be a mix and match of all of this, too. Any of these options could be the catalyst for Sansa going North.

The strikethrough could indicate these ideas were either moved elsewhere or dropped entirely. Or perhaps GRRM returned to this page a second time and was denotting progress by crossing out passsages he'd since written/included in drafts?

Finally, kill the mouse either indicates that Sansa herself will kill Ser Shadrich or that his death will be featured in a Sansa POV chapter.

I admit I am not super knowledgeable when it comes to GRRM's interviews or any information outside the published novels, so if you're aware of anything that's been revealed in the past that might shed light on this outline, please share.

[sherlokiness]

They don't want Jon to be Sansa's hero so bad they have to counter every post pointing out the Janos incident with an urban legend. Probably deep down they don't want to acknowledge the implications of the princess archetype and the hero having that connection.

[allyriadayne]

will someone explain to me what the deal is with asoiaf lore? i'll see someone talking about something and it will come from martin responding to a fan letter from the 90s? and this is canon?? like who found and compilates all of the stuff he has said besides released books and interviews i guess. i've never been a fan of a series like this, is this common?

this has me genuinely in tears sorry 😭😭😭

okay serious now. i genuinely don't know if this is normal or expected in fantasy book series, at least i don't think it's that common in modern fantasy where the fashion has gone other ways from the expansive sword & sorcery type from the 20th century. i could not tell you if other fantasy authors are as involved as grrm is because i haven't been involved with any other fandom like this either (maybe lotr fans can say something different), but considering the years between publications (let this one be the last 🤞), the massive fanbase and fame of the source material, i think it's normal that his interviews, comments, and fanmail has been archived in the internet.

strictly speaking, everything outside asoiaf (books 1-5), fire and blood, and the dunk & egg books is not considered canon. BUT if the info comes from people like elio and linda like twoiaf book, or like the calendars, cookbooks, official art etc it's considered semi-canonical, just like anything grrm says /outside/ of the books. famous example, it's like when jk rowling said dumbledore was gay /after/ the books were done. it's semi canonical bc it comes from the author themselves, it doesn't affect the main body of work so it can be taken or discarded.

the thing is, martin has done A LOT of interviews and answered A LOT of fanmail and worked closely in answering doubts from the westeros dot org site for their rpg games set in westeros (girl, the dream) during the more than 30 years since the publication of agot. all this is considered semi canon and this archive is called "so spake martin" (SSM), which i think was started by elio & linda in the 90s and it's still collecting info. if you go to the awoiaf wiki, esp in the main series characters you'll see this citation (from tyrion's page):

most will be things like "martin has said tyrion has similarities to richard iii" (i mean duh) but other will be really neat like saying tyrion has been trained in arms, which while not something new (he does fight more or less ably during the blackwater battle) it's interesting to point out when it's a detail that may be lost in the series. it goes from character trivia to how casterly rock is different from the show. most fans take what he says seriously but i know there are people that only consider what's in the book and that's it, which is fine. in any case, most of these is used to enrich theories or character analysis, it's why you will see trivia from a fanmail from 1996 or whatever. i myself haven't read SSM completely one by one but i do like to peruse the wiki often, even if it's not complete.

i've seen a few blogs on here who also "collect" grrm's words like nobodysuspectsthebutterfly's "so spake martin" tag (mostly analysis but really interesting read if u don't want to go thru the westeros org page) or georgescitadel that has specific info about characters or themes in asoiaf.

[horizon-verizon]

Since TG insist on watching HOTD trough a traditional/medieval lens, let’s remind them that according to GRRM himself and Westeros, Alicent isn’t a child bride:

https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1050

A boy is Westeros is considered to be a “man grown” at sixteen years. The same is true for girls. Sixteen is the age of legal majority, as twenty-one is for us.

However, for girls, the first flowering is also very significant... and in older traditions, a girl who has flowered is a woman, fit for both wedding and bedding.

There’s a reason why Ned and Catelyn have absolutely no problem with Jon Arryn despite him marrying a teenager and Ned still worship him, there’s a reason why TG (who also happen to be Martell stans) support Daeron II selling his 15 years-old sister to an older Maron Martell, and defend Oberyn despite him having sex with a 16 years-old Alayaya.

A running line of hypocrisy...

[goodqueenaly]

@violetshadows1234 replied to your post “@ainedubh reblogged your post “Reading the...”

Btw grrm has said that daeron the young dragon was married and not gay in response to a fan asking questions.

I believe the statement you are referring to is this SSM from 2008:

[Was Daeron I gay?] No, Daeron I was not gay. He was married, but died without issue.

However, note that when TWOIAF was released in 2014, it included a Targaryen family tree which did not show any wife for Daeron I. While I certainly acknowledge this lineage does not have to be the final word on all matters related to the Targaryen dynasty (it obviously did not specify the marital partners of Aegon V's sisters, of course), I think it is fair to say that the most recent canonical dynastic information we have on Daeron I is that he was not married.

[thevelaryons]

we need to discuss thee topic: do you think that baela was alive or dead during the alyn/elaena affair?

For the sake of everyone involved, I hope Baela was dead by the time of that affair.

In A Feast for Crows, Rennifer Longwaters (Alyn/Elaena's descendant) says this about Alyn's love for Elaena:

“She was the fairest treasure of the Maidenvault. Lord Oakenfist the great admiral lost his heart to her, though he was married to another."

His words seem to imply Alyn was married at the time of the affair, but it's possible that because he is Alyn/Elaena's descendant, he has a more biased view and therefore believes Alyn favored Elaena over Baela.

GRRM said this about Elaena's love life in an SSM:

The great love of her life was her cousin, Alyn Velaryon, the seafarer and admiral known as Oakenfist, to whom she bore a bastard son and daughter, Jon and Jeyne Waters. She married thrice in later years, twice at a king's behest and once for passion. She gave birth to seven children, then declared that if seven was sufficient for the gods it would do for her as well.

This is what's said about her in The World of Ice and Fire:

Elaena outlived her siblings and led a tumultuous life once freed from the Maidenvault. Following in Daena’s footsteps, she bore the bastard twins Jon and Jeyne Waters to Alyn Velaryon, Lord Oakenfist. She hoped to wed him, it is written, but a year after his disappearance at sea, she gave up hope and agreed to marry elsewhere.

It's written in historical record that Elaena wanted to marry Alyn. So based off that assertion, I do lean towards the idea that Alyn must've been a widower at the time. Polygamy would not have been an option. The only other scenario is that Elaena wanted Alyn to set aside his marriage to Baela for her sake. With the information we know about Elaena and Alyn's personalities, it just seems very ooc for them to do such a thing. Also, it would be too cruel to Baela who would've been Alyn's wife for ~30+ years at the time of the affair. So I personally favor the widower idea.

[jackoshadows]

What do you think will be the political ramifications of Jon's death? I think the free folk won't have it. It will be really chaotic.

The Freefolk are most definitely not having it. At this point Jon Snow is more or less their King Beyond the Wall. They are ready to fight for him. The last Jon chapter makes that clear.

“The Night’s Watch will make for Hardhome. I ride to Winterfell alone, unless …” Jon paused. “… is there any man here who will come stand with me?”

The roar was all he could have hoped for, the tumult so loud that the two old shields tumbled from the walls. Soren Shieldbreaker was on his feet, the Wanderer as well. Toregg the Tall, Brogg, Harle the Huntsman and Harle the Handsome both, Ygon Oldfather, Blind Doss, even the Great Walrus. I have my swords, thought Jon Snow, and we are coming for you, Bastard. - Jon, ADwD

Jon has not only let the Freefolk this side of the Wall, he has also let them keep their Gods (Unlike Stannis), not asked them to bend the knee and given them charge of some of the castles on the Wall and leadership positions at Castle Black. When the assassination happens, Jon hears the Freefolk leaving the Shieldhall behind him:

Men poured from the surrounding keeps and towers. Northmen, free folk, queen’s men - Jon, ADwD

Jon has given Oakenshield and Queensgate - the two castles on either side of Castle Black - to Tormund Giantsbane and Morna White Mask. Tormund and his men are already there when the mutiny happens. Morna and her spearwives are on their way and are most probably already there when everything goes south. So are Iron Emmett and his spearwives. Add Borroq and his giant boar and Wun Wun to the mix and the mutineers don’t stand a chance in the immediate aftermath.

The only obstacle I can see to the Freefolk going berserk is an obstacle that Jon Snow himself created - the child hostages. These children have been send to Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. With Cotter Pyke at Hardhome, it’s now Ser Glendon Hewett who holds Eastwatch.

Though the last part troubles me. Glendon Hewett was a seasoned man and a strong one, a sensible choice to command in Cotter Pyke’s absence. But he was also as much a friend as Alliser Thorne could boast, and a crony of sorts with Janos Slynt, however briefly. Jon could still recall how Hewett had dragged him from his bed, and the feel of his boot slamming into his ribs. Not the man I would have chosen - Jon, ADwD

I am not sure which way the Queensmen will move. On the one hand Wun Wun ripping apart Ser Patrek. On the other hand, the current Lord of Winterfell is threatening Queen Selyse, Shireen and Melisandre and the Lord Commander was actively helping their king and protecting their queen, going against his NW oaths for which he just got murdered.

Jon’s death is going to further complicate Northern politics. We know there are Northern houses who are aware of Robb’s decree and see Jon Stark as the next King in the North. As GRRM says in this SSM,

Q: I have a question, since Robb actually  legitimized Jon and named him his heir for Winterfell and the North  before the Red Wedding (granted no one knows about this and is still  alive or free, the Greatjon knows as does Edmure, but I dont see them  getting out of the Twins any time soon and Catelyn would probably die  before telling anyone) does this make Jon’s rejection of Stannis’ offer  moot?

A: Edmure and the Greatjon are prisoners, true… but you are forgetting  the envoys that Robb sent to Howland Reed… Galbart Glover, Maege  Mormont, Jason Mallister… they are all alive and free…

There’s House Thenn, newly created because of the marriage brokering Jon Snow did and the Freefolk holding land this side of the Wall. Alys was aided by Jon Snow and her uncle is still imprisoned at the Wall.

It’s possible Edmure Tully and other prisoners are getting freed in the next book by the brotherhood without banner and Edmure is a witness and signatory to Robb’s decree that legitimizes Jon Snow and names him Lord of Winterfell.

We know of two possible ‘envoys’ from Riverrun send by the Blackfish to the Wall - Robin Ryger, former Captain of the Guards and Desmond Grell, former Master at Arms. Both experienced men who chose to take the black after Jaime ends the siege of Riverrun and ask to be send to the Wall. Raff is supposed to have escorted them to Maidenpool, from where they travel to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Considering that TWoW has Raff in Braavos, it could very well be that these two gents have reached Eastwatch. How are they going to react?

Then there’s Justin Massey with Jeyne Poole who will pass through Castle Black on his way to Eastwatch and Braavos. What is he going to do with what happened? Will word get back to Stannis? However, according to the Pink Letter, Stannis has apparently lost to the Boltons. The time lines are a mess.

The main thing is that the famed neutrality of the NW has shattered, and there’s going to be infighting amongst crows, wildlings, queensmen and northmen. There will most definitely be political ramifications in terms of who it is that will end up holding the North by the end of TWoW.

[racefortheironthrone]

Also GRRM said the woman in the vision was Elia, it's in one of the SSMs.

Well yes, but I wanted to show my workings.

[aegor-bamfsteel]

I never understood the hype of Jahaerys and Alysanne as power couple. What's irritating that people compared them with Ned Cat.

I sort of understood it pre-F&B when pretty much all we knew about them was that they had a 54 year long marriage during what’s considered the high point of the Targ dynasty. From the main books Alyson did some important things like financing Deep Lake and outlawing First Night (not that the concept was ever used irl), same with JHarry and the New Gift plus disarming the faith. That’s a big step up from most of the Queens Consort being nonentities or most of the kings known for awful things (Maegor’s Holdfast, the Maidenvault) GRRM in his SSM about Alyson seemed to point to her being a lot closer to J1 than he wrote her in F&B, saying she was his “right hand” and “most trusted advisor” rather than her weakly going back to him despite his refusal to compromise and living on Dragonstone her last years. In a series where “power couples” are rare—often the mothers are dead and the fathers evil or incompetent—it makes some sense since J&A were held up as the best ruling couple that they’d be compared to NedCat.

However, just like most of the relationships in F&B, J&A is devoid of reasons why we should care for them. They defied their guardians to marry despite a rebellion happening over their siblings’ wedding and it’s supposed to be true love and it was only due to plot convenience it was allowed to stand They had 13 children together sure, but horrible family mismanagement led to the deaths/estrangement of most, and J1 kept forcing kids on her despite her wishes. NedCat has more substance because they weren’t this “destined soulmates” couple, but two people wed for a marriage alliance who came to love each other and form one of the healthiest families in Westeros. Ned doesn’t think of Catelyn often, but his affection is intense (also repressing emotions is a key coping mechanism so him saying thinking of her was painful is significant); Cat thinks of him often after his passing, noting his kindness, wanting to be with him. Yet they’re not treated in-universe as an idealized couple, and we see how Jon is forever a sore point between them. Meanwhile we’re told all about how great J&A were for each other, but in F&B J1 makes his wife’s passing all about himself and how people didn’t like him as much. There’s a lot of emotional depth lacking in the supplemental book’s relationships and that we have to be told how the two feel for each other rather being shown it in how they act is just another example of how weak the F&B writing is compared to the main series.

[ghostofashina]

not #that person bothering your properly tagged anti targaryen post because how come the "GRRM's elves" being blond purists makes them naz*-coded and blabla. meanwhile, grrm:

(https://href.li/?https://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/2777)

[Are the children of the forest like elves, and are there other races besides them?]

No, no elves. The children are... well, the children.

Westeros has its giants too, so there are other races in my world. But no elves. Elves have been done to death.

It was a matter of time, we knew it. And the fact they can't even read to what it was related to and keep coming with whataboustim all the time. "bUt wHaT aBoUt tHe StArKs" yeah, what about it.

Funny thing you mentioned elves, because GRRM really doesn't consider elves nor nothing like that, but Linda literally ignored his statement and decided to justify that eugeny with comparing the blondies to elves (when we know there's nothing that recquires elves to be white and blonde)

I think it's funny to think their fandom like to say they are the elves of westeros when a person like this thinks the same.

[queenaryastark]

HODOR AND THE CRYPTS After rereading both AGOT and ACOK I was wondering about one question: Why was Hodor not afraid of the crypts under Winterfell at the end of ACOK? In AGOT Hodor was very afraid of the crypts, he wouldn't take Bran down there, but in ACOK he stayed with Bran and Rickon in the crypt for quite a while, how did he stay there if he was so afraid? GRRM: Hodor was only afraid of the crypts at that specific time. Not before and not after.

JANUARY 03, 1999, SSM

I had this exact question while rereading Bran’s chapters and I’m glad there’s an answer that goes beyond it just being a continuity error or a plot convenience to have Osha and Luwin take Bran down to the crypts instead of Hodor. But the fact that GRRM intentionally had Hodor afraid of the crypt during only that moment is interesting. I wonder if it has something to do with the book version of the “hold the door” moment, which should be something that impacts Hodor from at least two different points in time at once. Or it could have something to do with Eddard actually being down there the way both Bran and Rickon insist that he is. There just seems to be some death magic connected to the Starks and their crypts with their tombs open and ready for them and the swords that are meant to keep their spirits in place ... which are rusting away.

[thecatsaesthetics]

Interestingly enough, there was another SSM where someone asked him if there were other Targ polygamous marriages that occurred outside of Aegon and Maegor and GRRM said something like 'There might have been I have to check my notes...' Which is interesting.

But yeah IDK I think Jon is meant to be legitimate but the world building to get him there and the set up is bad lol, but narrative will out over logic I fear.

I don’t think it’s set up bad, I think we haven’t been given all the information yet. These books aren’t finished yet.

I think Martin wants to really double down on Jon being the “true” heir.

[sherlokiness]

I have a hard time beliveing polygamous marriage can still be in effect. They haven't been practiced in 100 years.

Hi, anon. Thanks for the ask!

Not being practiced is not the same as being illegal. The First Night for example is a thing that's been explicitly outlawed despite having precedents. That is not the case for polygamy. There's an even older ssm where the author said there were other cases of polygamy after Aegon and Maegor before F&B was released.

Here are two SSMs concrning polygamy.

Maegor the Cruel has multiple wives, from lines outside his own, so there was and is precedent. However, the extent to which the Targaryen kings could defy convention, the Faith, and the opinions of the other lords decreased markedly after they no longer had dragons. If you have a dragon, you can have as many wives as you want, and people are less likely to object

It seems like the reason Targ could do whatever they wanted was because they had dragons. Where does it say Targs couldn't have multiple wives? The one where they couldn't marry their sister? Oh wait.

Would polygamous marriages be accepted in Westeros today, especially if Targaryens were involved?

If you have some huge fire-breathing dragons, you can get people to accept a lot of things that they might otherwise have problems with.

So it's the dragons and GRRM himself didn't say it's impossible. In F&B, there is no quote directly stating that polygamy has been abolished. The Faith could not make it so. We know the Faith considered incest and polygamy as sins and Jaehaerys I compromised with the Faith using the Doctrine of Exceptionalism. He picked incest over polygamy but nowhere in the text does it say it's been made illegal. He just picked his battle with the Faith at that time cause he was in love with Alysanne.

One might say Maegor's marriages weren't real but the fact is those women were acknowledged as his wives by the people. The stain of polygamy is largely bc of Maegor but that hasn't stopped other Targs from contemplating of doing it.

“Ser Jorah would be angry, she knew, but he was the one who'd said she had to take two husbands. Perhaps I should marry them both and be done with it.”

Dany obviously is open to polyandry and its possibility. Polygamy is a thing that will make Jon legitimate not because I want him to but because GRRM has set the precedents for it. It wasn't put there just as a thing of the past. I guess this is all kinda moot because might makes right in the end. RL marriage will be legitimate depending on whose agenda. I think the North would support it so as to not make Lyanna some girl Rhaegar has gotten a bastard with.

He is not my father. The thought leapt unbidden to Jon's mind. Lord Eddard Stark is my father. I will not forget him, no matter how many swords they give me.

They will give him many swords which could mean the IT(made up of a thousand swords) and the allegiance of Houses(my sword is yours). Also if Jon is a bastard, he's not worthy enough to marry the first born daughter of Ned Stark.

[bestofgrrm]

Grrm, SSM Archive, February 28 2002

[kellyvela]

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?""Will you make a song for him?" the woman asked. "He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings. Sweet sadness filled the room as man and wife and babe faded like the morning mist, only the music lingering behind to speed her on her way. —A Clash of Kings - Daenerys IV

[Ants:] Ran, are you sure it's Elia in Dany's vision? I haven't got my book around, but I always thought it was Lyanna, and the reason the child was prophesized was that it had Stark (Ice) and Taergayen (Fire) blood in it, it being Jon.

[Ran:] It's Elia with Aegon. GRRM's confirmed that. It's not part of the SSM collection as I could never get a hold of the folk who found that out to get a copy, but the people who said it are trustworthy. Someone else learned from GRRM that the child in the scene is definently dead. (sic)

[Source 1]

I asked GRRM today about that, he said that the child from the scene is dead. I also asked whether The Song of Ice and Fire are the song of someone particular, he said that the phrase could be used in many contexts....obviously, he is hiding something :)

[Source 2]

If the baby in Dany's vision is dead, does that mean young Griff is not Rhaegar's son??? 🤔

Well, it's not 100% confirmed....

Decided to drop by. Nice research, Schmedricko, digging up the old EEsite archive. Just as an added note, the Revanshe mentioned by me in the above quoted post was the founder of the EEsite and EzBoard forums that were both direct predecessors to this one. She also co-ran one of the first ASoIaF fan sites. She in turn was, I believe, forwarding a statement from Rania, another long-ago member of the forum who actually occasionally chatted with GRRM via AIM chat. So their report of GRRM replying to her that it was Rhaegar and Elia I take as absolutely true.

However, the "child is dead"... I dug around a bit and I was reminded that the person who reported this, who went by the handle Monte Cristo, never provided an email for that statement. I ended up tracking them down and talking to them about it, asking them to recall it to the best of their ability, and in the end they admitted that they couldn't 100% vouch that they remembered the exact wording and so couldn't 100% vouch that George's statement about the death of the child was unequivocal.

So, grain of salt on that one.

[Source 3]

[goodqueenaly]

The other day I was goofing around on the Internet and I stumbled across a SSM that I don't think I had ever paid much attention to before:

1. Well, okay. Before the unification of Dorne with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, what did they do for a High Septon? Was there an Antipope-type of rival supported by the Martells? An Archsepton of Sunspear? Or did Dorne accept the High Septon, despite being based in King's Landing and beholden to the Targaryens?

The Faith is not limited to the Seven Kingdoms proper, any more than the medieval Church was limited to Italy. So no, no Dornish antipopes. And the High Septon was not especially "beholden" to the Targaryens. In fact, he was a dangerous rival... well, until the reign of Maegor the Cruel, at least. (x)

It's been stuck in my mind ever since, because to me this answer is reflective of the (in my opinion) annoying lack of attention GRRM often gives to the history of the Faith in Westeros. Despite existing for the better part of six thousand years and being practiced in a number of kingdoms which were constantly engaged in a Great Game struggle for politico-military dominance over those millennia, there is not only no history of doctrinal disputes, schisms, or major religious wars between or among those kingdoms, but virtually no history of conflict between the Faith and the leaders of those kingdoms. Precisely because "[t]he Faith is not limited to the Seven Kingdoms proper", you would think this would be an institution subject to the contemporary political disputes of the kingdoms who followed its tenets - and yet that's really not the case, at least from the information provided so far.

More to the point, in the context of this ask, I feel like GRRM is sort of brushing over the core idea here. The Martells and the rest of Dorne might be Faith followers as much as the Tyrells or Lannisters or Targaryens, but that itself doesn't mean they would have necessarily been happy with the relationship between the Targaryens and the Faith, especially after the eventual defeat and termination of the Faith Militant. How would the Faithful of Dorne have felt about the Doctrine of Exceptionalism (directly created and propagated by Jaehaerys I himself), that quite literally stated that the Targaryens were a race above other men and not subject to the Faith's tenets - how would they have squared their firm resistance to Targaryen invasion and conquest with their own religion putting the Targaryens on a pedestal (and specifically because the Targaryens rode the same dragons which had caused so much destruction in Dorne)? How would they have felt about Jaehaerys and Alysanne subtly directing the election of Septon Alfyn, not even a member of the Most Devout but a fervent proponent of the Doctrine of Exceptionalism, as the new High Septon? What was the reaction to that in Dorne - "the Targaryens aren't just going to put themselves doctrinally above the rest of the Faithful, but now they're going to use the presence of their dragons to have their guy elected? What's the point of having a High Septon election if the Targaryens can just pick and choose whoever they want to enforce their own supremacy?" (In fact, I wonder how many members of the Most Devout at any given time between the Targaryen Conquest and the unification with Dorne were themselves Dornish.)

And indeed, this sort of uneasiness among Dornish Faithful may have only gotten worse during the reign of Baelor I. King Baelor directly ordered that two different individuals become High Septon; these people were not only not from the Most Devout, but were commoners with no religious vocation whatsoever, simply people Baelor hand-picked out of his personal belief in their divine inspiration. The Most Devout apparently complied with both requests, but that is not to say that either any Dornish Most Devout or the Faithful in Dorne were particularly happy with this development. The precedent of a Targaryen king explicitly choosing any random individual he liked to be High Septon might easily, so the Faithful of Dorne might have thought, translate to dire consequences for Dorne. Sure, Baelor himself was not interested in continuing war against Dorne - but his late brother had actively tried to conquer the state, as had Targaryen rulers of the past. What was to stop a Targaryen king in the future saying "King Baelor set the precedent that the Targaryens can choose the High Septon, so I choose this person" - a person who would, say, put Dorne under the Faith's equivalent of an interdict, or call for a crusade against the "heretics" of Dorne? I'm not saying it had to go quite so far as a Dornish antipope at any given time - although the unorthodox nature of the elections of Baelor's High Septons may have been sufficient grounds for any Dornish Most Devout to challenge the legitimacy of these officeholders - but I think there could have been much more than the simple brushing off GRRM gave as an answer here.