#davos's conversations with melisandre and stannis

[death-of-cats]

RIP Davos Seaworth, the only emotionally mature adult in Westeros.

[lord-armitage]

How ASOIAF characters spend Christmas

The Stark Family: Disgustingly happy together. Matching Christmas themed pyjamas and jumpers. Catelyn has everything perfectly organised, the tree is perfection, all of the presents are wrapped beautifully beneath it. The only downside is that Arya will break something which whatever Ned gifted her without consulting Cat (a paintball gun, Ned, really?), Rickon will have a tantrum when he's stopped from eating all of the gingerbread, and Sansa will be a bit of a brat if she doesn't get the exact Taylor Swift merch she explicitly asked for. But they all settle down in time to eat Cat's lavish Christmas dinner and then fall asleep on the sofas together.

Dany: Spends Christmas volunteering at a homeless shelter. Yeah, it's fine, she does it every year since she doesn't have a family and no it's not awkward when it comes up in conversation at all and you don't know what to say when she keeps making pointed remarks over how "grateful" everyone should be this time of year.

The Lannister-Baratheon's: Soap opera chaos every damn year. Robert gets everyone wildly inappropriate gifts and Cersei refuses to speak to him for the rest of the day when she opens, in front of the entire family, the lingerie he gifted her. Lancel tries to make everyone accept the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at the dinner table and Tyrion's "girlfriend" is revealed to be an escort. Jamie ditches them all without saying a word. Several people get slapped, there are screaming matches, and Tywin expresses his disappointment in all of them. To crown things off, Renly will be overheard by everyone having an extremely sexual video call to Loras.

Lysa Tully and Sweetrobin: A very weird affair. Lysa buys Robin literally dozens of gifts and has her guests and staff watch and applaud every time he opens one. There is Christmas dinner but Robin won't eat any of the vegetables so half the table is just chicken nuggets. They are pointedly not invited to anyone else's Christmas after several "incidents."

The Wall: Standard military Christmas with their own traditions. No-one remembers how it started, but at midnight everyone has to piss off the side of the wall. And while it started as a joke, Sam reads everyone a Christmas story the night before. If Jon isn't on duty then he'll spend the day at Ygritte's. Free Folk don't celebrate Christmas, but she makes an effort for Jon by ordering a bucket of chicken. And her gift to him is pegging.

Stannis + Co: Stannis hates the entire affair and spends Christmas locked in his study with a glass of scotch. Davos goes all out in a very cheap-and-cheerful manner to ensure that the kids get the Christmas he never had as a child, dressing up as Santa and everything. But he's up against Selyse who believes that because Christmas trees are pagan they're demonic and should be burned. Melisandre does enjoy having the Christmas pudding flamed though.

The Greyjoys: The Iron Islands do not celebrate Christmas as it's a greenland holiday, and Aeron will be leading harassment campaigns against any Iron Islander who puts Christmas lights up in their windows. It is an good reason to go onto the main land and commit a bunch of burglaries though. Asha uses it as excuse to have both Tris and Qarl "gift" her oral. Theon tried to get his family to do it once but everyone just made fun of him for it, but he isn't welcomed back at the Starks for Christmas anymore after that one time he went out drinking on Christmas Eve and threw up on the tree. Instead he now spends the holiday with...

The Boltons: A very subdued and tasteful affair on the surface. Roose gifts Walda some expensive jewellery and a mink coat. Walda gifts Roose that one thing she only does in bed on special occasions. Roose reluctantly invites Ramsay over for dinner (pheasant) and even more reluctantly invites Ramsay's new "boyfriend" who spends the meal shaking like a chihuahua. The atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Roose will bring up Domeric just to spite Ramsay. Everyone sat round the table knows that each party will be having some absolute freaknasty sex in a few hours time, which both Boltons make open illusions too. At least Walda can make sure Theon has a proper meal for once.

[visenyaism]

The committee to restore stannis to the throne (made up solely of davos and melisandre) caught hiding dragonglass candles in the war room at the lannister camp at the inn at the crossroads in an attempt to listen in on their conversations after forgetting to remove the extremely heavy mediaeval doorstop they were using to keep the door unlocked

This is the real history that the maesters don’t want you learning about in school☝️

[melrosing]

Do you have any predictions for TWOW? or even just general directions for POVs.

i have some! there are plotlines who are complete blindspots for me - particularly the Oldtown plotline, if anyone knows what's going on there hmu i guess. anyway here's some notions.

JAIME & BRIENNE: most detail here bc I've thought about them a lot lol. so LSH charges Jaime w his sins and sentences him to die. however: supernatural intervention. I think this will come from Bran - the BWB have been convening beneath a great weirwood iirc??? did I make that up?? but if so, likely place for him to appear. somehow. basically Bran causes some kind of distraction (not necessarily intentionally) and that gives Jaime, Brienne and... maybe Pod but probably not Hyle room to escape.

I think it's entirely possible they end up on the Quiet Isle - it's a good spot for conversation and recalibration, which I think would have to follow any encounter with LSH. it makes sense to me also that Jaime's trial by LSH should follow by a confession where he comes clean on his own terms about the things he actually did (rather than the things Roose Bolton pinned on him lmao), and decide what to do next from there. and, have said before, Sandor is there and he has to reenter the story somehow. Jaime and Brienne are thematically and narratively fitting people for him to meet, given their own hopes of rescuing Sansa + the whole knighthood shit.

not sure exactly where Jaime and Brienne split again, but I think it's most likely that Jaime hears about RW 2.0 and chooses to return south to rescue his son, while Brienne decides to go to the Vale (possibly with Sandor?) in search of Sansa. she'll recognise Shadrich upon arrival, and, knowing the imminent danger Sansa is in, and end up winning her trust. ultimately she'll go north again with Sansa.

DAVOS: yeah we're switching immediately to Davos. so I've been rereading ADWD and I actually never really thought before about how early on Davos' chapters cut off, but it's not even halfway through the book. this would ofc suggest that a lot of time will pass between Davos' last ADWD chapter and his first in TWOW. so, perhaps controversially? (idk I'll be real spend very little time reading Davos meta so perhaps this isn't controversial at all) I think he'll be back in Westeros already with Rickon. we'll get the trip to Skagos in the form of flashbacks, but the first we'll see Davos, he'll have returned to Stannis with Rickon in tow. I wouldn't typically theorise that GRRM means to leave that action offscreen except 1) the time that has plainly elapsed and 2) Stannis means to execute Theon imminently, at least in part bc of his role in the supposed murder of the Stark boys. what would stay Stannis' hand in this except: the return of one of the Stark boys, proving Theon didn't do it? so I think subsequently Rickon replaces Jeyne-as-Arya in the Northern cause, BUT the catch is that he's completely wild, how is a feral kid meant to represent Winterfell etc. idk how but I think this ends in tragedy. btw I have no other real ideas on the northern plotline except yes Stannis burns Shireen

JON: Melisandre brings him back to life and dies in doing so. I can't care about the azor ahai thing but I do believe she's the 'dying red star' of the prophecy. her life will buy Jon's. more on that here.

beyond that, I really am unsure what state Jon is returning in. I do think he'll be reduced emotionally, at least somewhat. but he'll be present enough I think that he figures now he's died once he's served his time in the Watch and he'll fuck off back to the North thank youuu especially now he's heard his brother has returned. I think tragedy will have befallen Rickon before Jon gets home, resulting in him eventually attaining leadership in the North (per Robb's will maybe? idk I am really not an expert on this shit). he then goes about looking to mobilise the north more broadly against the Others.

SANSA: i think the episode with Shadrich and Brienne, plus the impending downfall of Cersei (Aegon has possibly even taken over by this point) will lead to Sansa revealing her true identity. idk whether it's with the support of Sweetrobin, Harry the Heir or LF himself, but she's able to mobilise the Vale for Winterfell and retake her homeland. this could be some variation on the show and the whole 'battle for winterfell' concept (Jon and Ramsay enmity has indeed been established), except it's just that Sansa was not north to begin with - she brings the cavalry herself.

ARYA: Arya starts really losing herself in the role of 'no-one' till I think she sees LSH through Nymeria's eyes once again, and realises her mother is truly 'alive' after all. there's nothing to do but return to Westeros, which she does, and I think it's ultimately Arya who puts her mother to rest - she wasn't at her side the first time she died, but she can bring her peace the final time. even apart from Arya, I think this makes most sense as Catelyn's end, and sets up Arya's return to the North - I think she'll ultimately arrive at Winterfell in ADOS. the preceding chapters will be the many Braavos chapters GRRM's been enjoying writing.

DANY: idk exactly what goes on w the Dothraki but she is named the Stallion Who Mounts the World and they choose to follow her. either she stops at Meereen first or goes straight to Volantis to nip that one in the bud, then returns to Meereen to finish the slavers with fire and blood. she meets Tyrion and Marwyn, who convince her to make her return to Westeros, especially in light of Aegon's appearance on the scene. and so they make a final stop in Pentos, where they wring the truth out of Illyrio. idk what the fuck Victarion is doing in all this. he dies at some point.

TYRION: Tyrion claims Viserion, starts politicking in Meereen, perhaps discovers it's the Shavepate who was truly responsible for the poisoned locusts. and ofc, he meets Dany. I think Tyrion will tell Dany about Aegon, but that he has his suspicions about Aegon's true identity. possibly they even crack the whole Illyrio/Blackfyre thing together. Dany realises Tyrion is the second head of the dragon when he makes Viserion his mount, and resolves they must find the third.

CERSEI: wins her trial by combat thanks to Robert Strong. Aegon is closing in. Jaime's betrayal is spelled out by Ronnet, Randyll and Qyburn. Myrcella is killed at some point by the Sand Snakes. all that in the first few chapters. rumours of a Tyrell betrayal in the stormlands?? Cers spirals, concocts the wildfire plot with Qyburn, enacts it - and Tommen is caught in the crossfires - her last kid dead. Aegon reaches KL at the conclusion of TWOW, with Cers still inside the Red Keep. I tend to think Cersei's death will be the first act of ADOS rather than the final act of TWOW, so TWOW ends here for her.

BRAN: I think he'll have to spend the bulk of TWOW training honestly? we've not really seen him do this yet, we really need to understand what his powers are at this point + kid's going to be getting to the bottom of some of the big mysteries of the series w his Visions. I think the loss of Hodor will be the final act of TWOW for Bran, with his return to Winterfell occurring somewhere midway through ADOS.

ARIANNE: Arianne falls for Aegon, is betrothed to him. in her TWOW preview chapters we see her getting pretty suspicious of Dany - she has misconceptions re. Viserys' death, and will hear the wrong story re. what happened to Quentyn. the 'Mad Dany' narrative will serve Aegon's purposes as he'll want the throne for himself + the Dornish will support that narrative, following Arianne's lead. in short, Doran and Arianne will end up having picked the losing side, despite all their deliberations.

. . . .

for anyone who's not outlined here: it's bc I have no fucking idea <3

[jackoshadows]

The Second Battle at Long Lake.

So it's been my theory for a while that there will be a Battle of the Bastards between Jon Snow Vs Ramsay Bolton in the books, just better written than the TV show. As with all such things, IMO, Benioff and Weiss just took outlines, added their own changes and gave us a badly mutilated and mangled plot that has no resemblance to what is happening in the books.

I also believe that Jon Snow and Rickon Stark are the two Stark siblings who unite first and combine forces against the Boltons. What forces, where and how?

So I came across this interesting and well researched theory which proposes that this battle will happen at Long Lake, except they think Manderly and his forces will ride in from the south at the very end - like the Vale army on the show - and rescue Jon and his army of Freefolk. I disagree there because the weather at the end of ADwD/start of TWoW/current timeline has made it almost impossible for a large host to suddenly appear from the south and surprise two fighting armies. And as we see in Melisandre I, ADwD, Long Lake has just started to freeze.

Some folks have also theorized in the comments for this particular speculation that this is why Stannis will burn Shireen - for the weather (Like on the show). Again, IMO it's doubtful that Stannis is involved in this battle between the Starks and the Boltons. I really do feel like it will be the Starks (Jon/Rickon) who will win back Winterfell and not Stannis.

My theory is that Manderly's large host is already at Last Hearth, battle ready, and that House Manderly and House Umber have been colluding on this for a while, from as far back as ACoK.

So how do Rickon Stark and Jon Snow get to Long Lake?

Rickon Stark.

So according to the recently leaked 2003/2004 outline for AFfC, it's clear that both Davos and Rickon's story changed significantly from what it originally was. Davos stayed with Stannis, probably meets Jon Snow at the Wall and is involved in fArya's rescue from Winterfell.

I speculate that in this version the Manderlys already have Rickon Stark. He and Osha were last headed towards White Harbor because Maester Luwin asks them to seek help there and there's some discrepancies in Wex's story. At some point this changed and GRRM introduced frigging unicorns into the picture, sending Rickon to Skagos - this whole new place with a new culture and needing new worldbuilding from where Davos has to go and get Rickon back. IMO, this was an unnecessary side diversion that keeps the story ballooning without an end but, oh well, this is how GRRM writes and why he is unable to finish the story now.

So Rickon is now in Skagos. I think Davos I and II in TWoW will be in Skagos and by Davos III they are back in Westeros in Karhold. We will see through a Davos POV how Sigorn and Alys Karstark meet her people in Karhold and everything is settled there. Alys Karstark will fully support a son of Ned Stark in Rickon Stark, the legal heir, and of course he has his direwolf, Shaggydog which confirms his identity.

From there I am theorizing that Davos, Rickon, Osha, some Skagosi supporting and traveling with Rickon and Thenn warriors representing house Karstark will travel to Last hearth, where there will already be assembled a large Manderly host.

[Note: With the traitor Karstarks detained by Stannis, we would be seeing a total reversal of the show with the Umbers and Karstarks fighting for Rickon Stark against Ramsay Bolton. ]

Now why Last Hearth?

In Jon Snow's conversation with Stannis we find out that no one knows who is in charge of Last Hearth or what is happening there.

It has already been theorized plenty that the Northern houses are playing the long game and have been doing so for a while. In the same vein I think the Umbers and Manderlys have been planning and plotting for a while.

First we know that Manderly has been tasked with building the defenses of White Harbor, which include fortifying their navy, right from AGoT when Ned wanted to prepare for an attack from the South.

"Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal. They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and fortify Moat Cailin. Two hundred determined archers can hold the Neck against an army. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his defenses at White Harbor, and see that they are well manned. - Ned, AGoT

While Bran is ruling the North as Prince of Winterfell, Manderly offers to build Robb Stark a strong navy that can take Dragonstone and King's Landing if he had enough gold. At the same time the Umber brothers Hothor and Crowfood want ships to fight back the Wildling raiders from Eastwatch. Ser Rodrik asks both houses to work together to build these ships.

In addition to a mint, Lord Manderly also proposed to build Robb a warfleet. "We have had no strength at sea for hundreds of years, since Brandon the Burner put the torch to his father's ships. Grant me the gold and within the year I will float you sufficient galleys to take Dragonstone and King's Landing both." - Bran, ACoK

Note also that Manderly wants to build galleys, not longships. These are ships that can carry armies and heavy horses.

Hother wanted ships. "There's wildlings stealing down from the north, more than I've ever seen before. They cross the Bay of Seals in little boats and wash up on our shores. The crows in Eastwatch are too few to stop them, and they go to ground quick as weasels. It's longships we need, aye, and strong men to sail them. The Greatjon took too many. Half our harvest is gone to seed for want of arms to swing the scythes." Ser Rodrik pulled at his whiskers. "You have forests of tall pine and old oak. Lord Manderly has shipwrights and sailors in plenty. Together you ought to be able to float enough longships to guard both your coasts." "Manderly?" Mors Umber snorted. "That great waddling sack of suet? His own people mock him as Lord Lamprey, I've heard. The man can scarce walk. If you stuck a sword in his belly, ten thousand eels would wriggle out." "He is fat," Ser Rodrik admitted, "but he is not stupid. You will work with him, or the king will know the reason why." And to Bran's astonishment, the truculent Umbers agreed to do as he commanded, though not without grumbling. - Bran, ACoK

We see the conclusion of this in ADwD with Davos in White Harbor, where he notices the warships. Yes, Manderly has not been idle and he has been building a lot of ships most probably with all the pine and oak he has been send by the Umbers.

That jetty wall conceals the inner harbor, he realized, as the Merry Midwife was pulling down her sail. The outer harbor was larger, but the inner harbor offered better anchorage, sheltered by the city wall on one side and the looming mass of the Wolf's Den on another, and now by the jetty wall as well. At Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Cotter Pyke told Davos that Lord Wyman was building war galleys. There could have been a score of ships concealed behind those walls, waiting only a command to put to sea. - Davos II, ADwD

From here he could see down into the harbors. Both of them. Behind the jetty wall, the inner harbor was crowded with war galleys. Davos counted twenty-three. Lord Wyman was a fat man, but not an idle one, it seemed. - Davos II, ADwD

The dockside wharves were swarming. A clutter of small boats were tied up along the fish market, off-loading their catches. He saw three river runners too, long lean boats built tough to brave the swift currents and rocky shoots of the White Knife. It was the seagoing vessels that interested him most, however; a pair of carracks as drab and tattered as the Merry Midwife, the trading galley Storm Dancer, the cogs Brave Magister and Horn of Plenty, a galleas from Braavos marked by her purple hull and sails …- Davos II, ADwD

[Note: A Galleass is a warship that combined the sails and armament of a galleon with the maneuverability of the oared galley. Tycho Nestoris also visits the Wall with a Galley, Galleass and cog that Jon ends up borrowing for Hardhome.]

As many ships as Davos sees in the harbor, Manderly tells him there's more hidden in the White Knife. This tells me that the warships with the men and heavy horses have already departed on the White Knife and towards Long Lake.

“I have been building warships for more than a year. Some you saw, but there are as many more hidden up the White Knife. Even with the losses I have suffered, I still command more heavy horse than any other lord north of the Neck. My walls are strong, and my vaults are full of silver. Oldcastle and Widow's Watch will take their lead from me. My bannermen include a dozen petty lords and a hundred landed knights. I can deliver King Stannis the allegiance of all the lands east of the White Knife, from Widow's Watch and Ramsgate to the Sheepshead Hills and the headwaters of the Broken Branch. All this I pledge to do if you will meet my price.” - Davos, ADwD

Keep in mind the timeline. When Davos is at White Harbor, boats and river runners are still moving up and down the White Knife.

That was worse. And now the Bastard of Bolton was riding south with Hother Umber to join them for an attack on Moat Cailin. "The Whoresbane his own self," claimed a riverman who'd just brought a load of hides and timber down the White Knife, "with three hundred spearmen and a hundred archers. Some Hornwood men have joined them, and Cerwyns too." That was worst of all. - Davos, ADwD

A couple of months later, Melisandre sees the beginning of the water turning to ice.

"I saw water. Deep and blue and still, with a thin coat of ice just forming on it. It seemed to go on and on forever." "Long Lake. What else did you see around this girl?" - Melisandre, ADwD

Considering Manderly has already started moving men, machines and heavy horses long before even Davos gets there, I think it's safe to say that the host has assembled at Last Hearth before Long Lake and consequenctly White Knife froze over.

In ACoK, Theon speaks of Manderly sending siege machines up river. And yet we never see this? Where have these siege machines disappeared?

She knows more than I do, Theon realized. That only made him angrier. "The victory has given Leobald Tallhart the courage to come out from behind his walls and join Ser Rodrik. And I've had reports that Lord Manderly has sent a dozen barges upriver packed with knights, warhorses, and siege engines. The Umbers are gathering beyond the Last River as well. I'll have an army at my gates before the moon turns, and you bring me only ten men?" - Theon V, ACoK

And yet in Theon VI,

Theon studied there banners through Maester Luwin’s Myrish lens tube. The Cerwyn battle-axe flapped bravely wherever he looked, and there were Talhart trees as well, and mermen from White Harbor. Less common were the sigils of Flint and Karstark. Here and there he even saw the bull moose of the Hornwoods. But no Glovers, Asha saw to them, no Bolton’s from the Dreadfort, no Umbers come down from the shadow of the wall. They’d brought catapults and scorpions. He saw no siege engines rumbling up the kingsroad - Theon VI, ACoK

Where are all those Manderly knights, warhorses, siege engines and the Umber army? Even now Manderly beats the Boltons in terms of wealth and men, which is why Roose is so nervous about him in particular. Manderly's knights use plate armor while Bolton's use chain mail. As Manderly tells Davos he can get the men from all the nearby regions. With Ned's instruction to house Manderly to fortify White Harbor, it's a certainty that Manderly held back in the 2000 men he send Robb and now has around 7000 men.

We also know that the Cerwyns are staunchly loyal to the Starks, their house being on the Western branch of the White Knife.

"Night work is not knight's work," Lady Dustin said. "And Lord Wyman is not the only man who lost kin at your Red Wedding, Frey. Do you imagine Whoresbane loves you any better? If you did not hold the Greatjon, he would pull out your entrails and make you eat them, as Lady Hornwood ate her fingers. Flints, Cerwyns, Tallharts, Slates … they all had men with the Young Wolf." - The Ghost in Winterfell, ADwD

If there is anyone who can help with the movement of armies and siege machines across the White Knife it is the Cerwyns.

Both Manderly and Whoresbane Umber are also currently in Winterfell attending the marriage of Ramsay and Arya and the celebration feast. We see Lords like Stout talking quietly to Umber and Roose knows that Manderly is clever and possibly plotting against him and that the Umbers are cunning.

The castle was too crowded to withstand a long siege, and too many of the lords here were of uncertain loyalty. Fat Wyman Manderly, Whoresbane Umber, the men of House Hornwood and House Tallhart, the Lockes and Flints and Ryswells, all of them were northmen, sworn to House Stark for generations beyond count. It was the girl who held them here, Lord Eddard's blood, but the girl was just a mummer's ploy, a lamb in a direwolf's skin. So why not send the northmen forth to battle Stannis before the farce unraveled? Slaughter in the snow. And every man who falls is one less foe for the Dreadfort. - Ghost in Winterfell, ADwD

On the dais, Lord Wyman Manderly sat between a pair of his White Harbor knights, spooning porridge into his fat face. He did not seem to be enjoying it near as much as he had the pork pies at the wedding. Elsewhere one-armed Harwood Stout talked quietly with the cadaverous Whoresbane Umber. - The Turncloak, ADwD

"He should be. Fear is what keeps a man alive in this world of treachery and deceit. Even here in Barrowton the crows are circling, waiting to feast upon our flesh. The Cerwyns and the Tallharts are not to be relied on, my fat friend Lord Wyman plots betrayal, and Whoresbane … the Umbers may seem simple, but they are not without a certain low cunning. Ramsay should fear them all, as I do. The next time you see him, tell him that." - Reek, ADwD

Look at that foreshadowing from Roose Bolton, who is quite cunning and strategic himself. He specifically mentions Manderly and Umber as houses Ramsay should fear. I believe he is correct as these two houses will be Ramsay's doom. They have already assembled a huge host at Last Hearth and are just waiting for Rickon Stark to get there, for them to rally behind the Stark sigil and the son of Ned Stark to take on the Boltons. Again, considering the timeline and Davos being behind the Wall POV by a couple of months, I think Rickon will be at Last Hearth in time for the next participant to get there.

And who is the next participant?

Jon Snow

The theory post I linked to at the start has already laid out pretty clearly the link between the previous battle at Long Lake and the possible new one. This is how GRRM writes and he loves a replaying of historical asoiaf events but with a new twist. We had a Dance of Dragons previously and we will get a new Dance of Dragons. The Wildfire was a threat previously? The Wildfire will be a threat again with Cersei Lannister possibly mirroring the Mad King. Bael the Bard stealing a Stark Maiden successfully to Abel the Bard getting caught attempting to do the same.

Now the Battle at Long Lake is only mentioned in the Jon Snow POV chapters - another clue - and is a cautionary tale about Sleepy Jack, the Lord Commander who is taken by surprise when Wildlings cross over and attack south of the Wall. It takes the Starks in Winterfell, Willam and his younger brother Artos, and Harmond Umber to fight back and repel the Wildling attack, defeat and kill Raymun Redbeard - the last legitimate threat from the Freefolk before Mance Raydar assembled his host.

That was how Raymun Redbeard had done it, Raymun who had been King-Beyond-the-Wall in the days of his grandfather's grandfather. Jack Musgood had been the lord commander in those days. Jolly Jack, he was called before Redbeard came down upon the north; Sleepy Jack, forever after. Raymun's host had met a bloody end on the shores of Long Lake, caught between Lord Willam of Winterfell and the Drunken Giant, Harmond Umber. Redbeard had been slain by Artos the Implacable, Lord Willam's younger brother. The Watch arrived too late to fight the wildlings, but in time to bury them, the task that Artos Stark assigned them in his wroth as he grieved above the headless corpse of his fallen brother. Jon did not intend to be remembered as Sleepy Jon Snow. - Jon II, ADwD

Keep in mind that it's the Freefolk who are now gradually taking over and commanding several posts at the Wall and becoming part of the Night's Watch and the current warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell are the Boltons, not the Starks.

The castle Jon returned to was far different from the one he'd left that morning. For as long as he had known it, Castle Black had been a place of silence and shadows, where a meagre company of men in black moved like ghosts amongst the ruins of a fortress that had once housed ten times their numbers. All that had changed. Lights now shone through windows where Jon Snow had never seen lights shine before. Strange voices echoed down the yards, and free folk were coming and going along icy paths that had only known the black boots of crows for years. Outside the old Flint Barracks, he came across a dozen men pelting one another with snow. Playing, Jon thought in astonishment, grown men playing like children, throwing snowballs the way Bran and Arya once did, and Robb and me before them - Jon, ADwD

So the previous Battle at Long Lake involved the Freefolk under Redbeard Vs the Starks and Umbers. The new Battle at Long Lake in TWoW will involve the Stark come down from the Wall with his army of Freefolk Vs Ramsay Bolton, Lord of Winterfell.

Now, I am not tackling the how and in what form Jon Snow will be resurrected. I am just starting here on the assumption that he will be resurrected and eager to attack the bastard of Bolton and end the Bolton threat to the North once and for all.

I also speculate that the Night's Watch as we know it is over as of the last ADwD chapter with flagrant breaking of oaths and neutrality, assassination, mutiny, the large group of angry Freefolk and dwindling number of crows. It's possible Jon Snow hears that Arya has been send on to Braavos (Which is for the good!) and that Stannis has failed to capture Winterfell and the North (Which is bad!) and then decides to attack Ramsay Bolton at Long Lake. I am also not speculating here on how Stannis fails and where, how and why the whole burning his daughter Shireen happens. I just think that Stannis is done with by the time Jon and Rickon face Ramsay Bolton.

It's very possible that Stannis takes down Roose Bolton with him. Two smart tacticians who are big players in the game and for as big a secondary character Stannis is, he deserves to go out in a big way and I think taking down Roose will give him that. Which leaves Ramsay Bolton to the Starks.

This is where I bring in GRRM's notes when writing season 4 of the TV show.

Speaking of which: Martin leaves a little note for the producers when writing about Ramsay’s flesh-eating hounds, whom we see hunting down a girl for sport.

[N.B. A note for future reference. A season or two down the line Ramsay’s pack of wolfhounds are going to be sent against the Stark direwolves, so we should build up the dogs as much as possible in this and subsequent episodes.]

Note that he is talking 'Direwolves' - plural. Summer is too far North beyond the Wall and Nymeria is too far south in the Riverlands (Assuming here that they don't get to Long Lake in the ensuing three/four months) and so I am going to speculate this is Shaggydog and Ghost. The black and white direwolves belonging to the oldest and youngest Stark.

Now keeping mind the winter weather, there could be a scenario where we get Jon Vs Ramsay, the Freefolk are not winning and then the Manderly host from Last Hearth charges in under a Stark banner turning the tide and beating the Boltons? It's possible. Unlike the badly written nonsense we got on the show, as outlined above, GRRM has painstakingly build up the Manderlys and Umbers secretly getting this big host up North. Them seeing the battle and then stepping in to finish off the Boltons is very possible. Especially as there will be Skagosi with Rickon and the Thenns representing Karstark are already amongst them, making them not as averse to helping out an army of Freefolk. We start getting the integration of the Freefolk into the North and it starts with Umber acceptance of the Wildlings.

It's also possible that Jon Snow becomes aware of this large Manderly host at Last Hearth as he marches towards Long Lake and vice versa, they combine forces, there is no surprise rescue just an all out battle which ends with House Bolton defeated and done with and The Winds of Winter ends with the Starks back in Winterfell and Rickon Stark named Lord of Winterfell.

I have been long wondering where the Jon Vs Ramsay confrontation will happen and now (thanks to that reddit post) I think it will happen at Long Lake with support from the Manderly/Umber host at Last Hearth.

[asongoficeandthrones]

A Clash of Kings First Read - Chapter 42

(POV: Davos II.)

Setting: Near/under Storm's End.

Favorite character: Davos. Definitely. I really like how honest he is with his king, despite the fact that he's definitely not of the same opinion as him. And then there's the fact that he admits both to his crimes and his good deeds, that he is, in Melisandre's words, "a grey man." Plus, there's the fact that he doesn't keep faith with his king's new religion, which I think is rather good, since this faith has just gotten two men murdered, one of whom we've barely seen but whom I really liked: Ser Cortnay Penrose (who might have been my favorite if Davos wasn't).

MVP: Definitely Melisandre. God, the scene where she gives birth to the shadow is creepy as all hell, but it's also... Well, she's incredibly powerful. That worries me greatly, though, because Stannis definitely said Robb would be next if he didn't bend the knee, and Cat is definitely right to be anxious about that then (and me too, since Robb's the one I'm rooting for in all this mess)!

Things I loved/liked:

And Ser Cortnay Penrose takes the crown, with his entirely reasonable remarks and his really sarcastic comments, such as this one (when he describes the party coming to meet him), where you can just feel the disdain dripping from the words: "This is a notable company. The great lords Estermont, Errol, and Varner. Ser Jon of the green-apple Fossoways and Ser Bryan of the red. Lord Caron and Ser Guyard of King Renly's Rainbow Guard... and the puissant Lord Alester Florent of Brightwater, to be sure. Is that your Onion Knight I spy to the rear? Well met, Ser Davos." And also, the fact that he doesn't let himself be discouraged from his loyalty to Renly by the turncloaks' words: "If that is so, why is the Knight of Flowers not among you? And where is Mathis Rowan? Randyll Tarly? Lady Oakheart? Why are they not here in your company, they who loved Renly best? Where is Brienne of Tarth, I ask you?" And also, and mainly, the fact that he refuses to believe Brienne murdered Renly.

Stannis. I know, he probably ordered his brother's murder and has just ordered another man to be killed as well, but it almost looks like he regrets it (for Renly, at least). And when he describes his nightmare about Renly's death... It brought tears to my eyes as well: "I dream of it sometimes. Of Renly's dying. A green tent, candles, a woman screaming. And blood." Stannis looked down at his hands. "I was still abed when he died. Your Devan will tell you. He tried to wake me. Dawn was nigh and my lords were waiting, fretting. I should have been ahorse, armored. I knew Renly would attack at break of day. Devan says I thrashed and cried out, but what does it matter? It was a dream. I was in my tent when Renly died, and when I woke my hands were clean."

And actually, the whole relationship between Davos and Stannis. It seems both men care about each other, and Stannis even says, "Davos, I have missed you sorely," which coming from him is like a declaration of love, I take it. And also, Davos is able to make him laugh and smile (even if it's bitter) and always speaks his mind in Stannis's presence, even when they disagree, which is actually a good thing.

Davos and Melisandre's conversation on the boat. I really liked how torn Davos was over his own actions, but I also really liked some of Melisandre's cryptic words, like, "There are no shadows in the dark. Shadows are the servants of light, the children of fire. The brightest flame casts the darkest shadows." (And technically speaking, even if she's using that to spread her belief in her god, it is true.)

Stannis's sass: "One day I may make you a lord, smuggler. If only to irk Celtigar and Florent. You will not thank me, though. It will mean you must suffer through these councils, and feign interest in the braying of mules," and of course the continuation of it: "The mules love the sound of their own braying, why else? And I need them to haul my cart. Oh, to be sure, once in a great while some useful notion is put forth. But not today, I think [...]".

Things I disliked/hated:

I completely agree with Ser Cortnay Penrose, and Davos, and Stannis: the knights of Renly's Rainbow Guard and Renly's former lords are turncloaks and frankly, I'm relieved that Stannis can see it and has "Forgiven. But not forgotten." Because gosh, they're now swearing that they're loyal to Stannis when just days prior they'd supposedly been loyal to Renly, which is just nasty.

Melisandre giving birth to the shadow. First, because it's obviously out to kill Ser Cortnay Penrose, and as you can see above, I really liked him. Then, because it's just so well-written that it becomes creepy as hell. I mean: Panting, she squatted and spread her legs. Blood ran down her thighs, black as ink. Her cry might have been agony or ecstasy or both. And Davos saw the crown of the child's head push its way out of her. Two arms wriggled free, grasping, black fingers coiling around Melisandre's straining thighs, pushing, until the whole of the shadow slid out into the world and rose taller than Davos, tall as the tunnel, towering above the boat. That's just, for fear of repeating myself... creepy.

Following the previous point, but Davos thinking, He knew that shadow. As he knew the man who'd cast it. Because is that man Stannis? I'm thinking, with Stannis's nightmare about Renly's death and how he talked about it, that it's definitely him. So that means he's ready to go to any length, even use (dark) magic, to attain his goal.

And also, the fact that Ser Cortnay Penrose (almost my fave character in this chapter) is almost surely dead. And the fact that now the boy he was protecting will almost certainly be given over to Stannis. Which I'm thinking is bad. Really bad.

Quotes: Davos's "It seems to me that most men are grey" (meaning both good and evil). Because I'd like to believe it's true, even if we have proof in, for example, Joffrey, that it's not, and some men are just plain evil. But I'm kinda idealistic like Davos, so. Also, Stannis's "A good act does not wash out the bad, nor a bad act the good." Because that's entirely true (even if Stannis takes it to an extreme that I really don't like).

Thoughts overall: Funny, depressing and wowing all at once.

[windriverdelta]

Shireen's greyscale...

...is probably not going to become relevant to the main plot.

Why? First, there isn't really much space in the narrative for a plague, at least in the North - they have already to deal with war, famine, winter and the Others. A plague on top of that would be overloading the storyline.

Second, Stannis is going to burn Shireen alive - Martin has in an interview that this moment from Game of Thrones happens in the books as well, albeit in a different context most likely. Davos' ASOS chapters explain why: In order to create a Lightbringer that can defeat the Others, Stannis will sacrifice the one he loves the most akin to Azor Ahai sacrificing Nissa Nissa. And it will fail to work, because he isn't Azor Ahai (see Jon's and Aemon's discussions with Melisandre, the HOTU "slayer of lies" prophecy) and, quoth Davos:

The king moved, so his shadow fell upon King's Landing. "If Joffrey should die . . . what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom?""Everything," said Davos, softly.

Stannis (and come to think of it Melisandre) does not have the implicit right to sacrifice someone else for his objectives, even if the objectives are morally defensible.

In contrast, if Shireen's greyscale were to reawaken at some point before the sacrifice, the question would be whether the sacrifice failed because of thr greyscale, or whether it was necessary to stop the plague/Stannis waited too long. And we know the latter point would come up as the wildling Val explicitly says that Shireen should have been killed already, as is apparently custom among the Wildlings to kill greyscale-affected children. The thematic points about sacrifices would be largely lost and we'd end up with a lot of questions.

The only plot point that comes to mind where her greyscale may matter without turning the themes into nonsense is if Stannis, as I expect, survives the series and joins the Night's Watch. Kinslaying is taboo in Westeros but Val's comments imply that the Free Folk don't consider killing greyscale-affected children as improper. So they might not object to the sacrifice as much, potentially impacting the plot.

(In this context it's also worth noting that greyscale does not seem to have a lot of epidemic potential - from the way it is discussed, both explicitly by Jon Snow in his conversation with Val, and implicitly during other mentions of greyscale, isolated cases vastly outnumber outbreaks, and its ability to spread is very hit-and-miss. Now there are hints [Garin's legend] that greyscale is magic-adjacent and with the return of magic may behave more aggressively, but that doesn't mend the narrative problems above)

[gothicprep]

still reading "the hedge knight". in the meantime, i'm hoping book davos is handled better than tv davos is when i get to "a clash of kings"

his tv arc is set up as a pretty straightforward crisis of faith. he believes in stannis as a king, but this belief is in direct tension with melisandre's bullshit that gets both his son and daughter figure killed. he makes a sarcastic comment at tyrion, tells melisandre that he wants her dead, and that's pretty much it. he retreats on everything that's happened to him during a conversation about how jon snow isn't a king Like That, ackshullay

i feel blue balled, even though i possess no balls. god damn it.

[shireentheunburnt]

Ceryse listened in concerned silence, thankful that she had cautioned the younger girl against disclosing anything further. She had been raised in the Faith of the Seven, and knew little of the gods kept beyond the Narrow Sea, but even she had read stories about this so-called ‘Lord of Light’ and his followers. If even half of what had been written was true…

An involuntary chill ran down her spine.

Rather than speaking frankly of the dread that such news brought, she forced herself to laugh. A hollow, humourless thing, but undoubtedly better than openly shuddering. “Well, I daresay that makes more sense than Lord Stannis suddenly turning to a life of piety. That would truly be a cause for alarm.”

There was no mistaking the quiet pride in Shireen’s voice as the young girl spoke of her efforts to educate the people of Dragonstone, though her lowered gaze and soft tone spoke of someone who had long been taught to feel shame for such feelings.

Well, that just wouldn’t do.

“That is a most impressive endeavour, dear cousin. You must take pride in such achievements, no matter what your mother or anyone else tells you. I cannot say I have been so pro-active, but I have often wondered at the possibility of instituting some form of educational program for the people of our city - surely such a thing could only be to the benefit of the realm, regardless of what my dear lady mother believes.”

“You are my cousin,” Ceryse responded firmly to Shireen’s gratitude for her supposed kindness. “And the king’s niece besides - that places you above almost the entirety of the realm. Courtesy is the very least of what you should demand for yourself.”

It was hardly difficult to be good to a child as sweet as Shireen ; if only the rest of the world could see that. “They may not ever treat you as they would without your scarring, but you must not accept being degraded because of it.”

***

Shireen knew that laugh; she had made it herself in her own head on more than one occasion. It was the sound she heard echoing when she did not wish to cry, when she put on a smile so as to hide the pain of another barb to her heart. Devoid of all that truly made a laugh what it should be, a happy thing, it was more a farce than anything else. Still, she knew better than to comment upon it, as she wouldn't wish anyone else to point out her own mask when she hid behind it...

A small giggle at Ceryse's choice of wording, which swiftly tapered off. "I do not believe father has much belief in anything, not for a very long time." Likely before his daughter's own birth, Shireen would wager having heard tales of what had happened to Stannis when he was a much younger man. "I think... it is more that he has found something of a kindred spirit with the red woman. They share goals far more than any sort of faith." Shireen just hoped that her father kept his close alliance with Ser Davos, and held it above that which he shared with Melisandre. With luck, that would stop things getting out of hand.

Shireen could see the potential for truly terrible things happening if the priestess was given free reign to do as she pleased.

"Mother shares the faith with her. She has all but... been made a member of out family now." Up to and including being invited to sit at their family table for meals at times when Shireen herself had been forbidden to by her mother. The girl did not say it out loud, but her tone indicated an unease about that fact that she could not quite dismiss nor hide. A brief hesitation, the girl mindful of Ceryse's earlier warning about watching her words, before she leaned in close as though giving her cousin a sudden, jubilant embrace at their meeting- a child's overexcitement- and whispered just for the other lady's ears, "Please... be careful of her. She's dangerous."

Leaning back, she resumed their conversation as though she hadn't spoken as best as she could. "Thank you. i would be happy to support you in such an endeavour if you wished. It would be quite the project to undertake." A positive one, of which there were far too few across Westeros... "And I think the people would value it greatly if put in place." Which was the important thing; in becoming literate, they could have richer and more fulfilling lives.

The girl smiled and, had she not just hugged Ceryse moments ago, she would have done so again. Instead... "We are family," she agreed brightly, hoping they could be friends too. A blush rose up through her cheeks. "I... Thank you, cousin. I will strive to be heard and for others to treat me well. I... I really enjoy your company, Ceryse. Speaking with you is like walking out into the warm morning sunshine after a long and difficult night in the cold and dark."

"welcome to King's Landing, cousin. I hope your journey wasn't difficult?" - fatescrosscd

“Hello,” Shireen curtseyed in greeting. “It was… quiet, thank you. Please, could someone look after my mother? She has been unwell the last few days and needs somewhere to rest…”

@fatescrosscd

[agentrouka-blog]

Correct me if I am wrong buy I never find instance where Stannis is having warm conversation with his daughter in books. Even Davos never describe his relationship with Shireen. As you mention that he respect her as his heir but where is the emotional warmth.

 As if he would ever deny her. She had been denied too often in her time. Her name was Shireen. She would be ten on her next name day, and she was the saddest child that Maester Cressen had ever known. Her sadness is my shame, the old man thought, another mark of my failure.  (......)   There was no affection [for Selyse] in his tone. Stannis had always been uncomfortable around women, even his own wife. When he had gone to King's Landing to sit on Robert's council, he had left Selyse on Dragonstone with their daughter. His letters had been few, his visits fewer; he did his duty in the marriage bed once or twice a year, but took no joy in it, and the sons he had once hoped for had never come. (ACOK, Prologue)

There is no emotional warmth. Stannis doesn't have much of am emotional relationship with his daughter at all, nor his wife, nor his brothers. (Outside being resentful of Robert.) Not even Cressen, who loved Stannis far more than he deserved, has an emotional hold on Stannis that would make him warm or protective toward him.

Emotional intimacy isn't something that Stannis is either good at or particularly interested in. That's just his nature. His closest relationship (outside that opaque arrangement with Melisandre) is with Davos, whose position as a Loyal Servant is both predictable and neatly categorized and unthreatening for Stannis, because Davos can make no socially acceptable emotional demands of him.

Selyse may be somewhat warmer, but we aren't shown those moments. She is prone to scolding her child and a bit of a cold and even cruel person in general, so that is definitely a chilly household for Shireen to grow up in.

It obviously left its mark, and set the tone for her ending, as well.

"I had bad dreams," Shireen told him. "About the dragons. They were coming to eat me." The child had been plagued by nightmares as far back as Maester Cressen could recall. 

[makerkenzie]

What happens to Myrcella if Stannis Baratheon wins at the Blackwater, in your opinion? What’s Doran Martell’s response when the command comes down to Sunspear, from Kings Landing? What do you think Oakheart would do?

That's a good question. Keep in mind that at the time of the Blackwater battle, Myrcella hadn't been at Sunspear for long. She may have bonded a little with Trystane, Arianne, and some of the younger Sand Snakes. With the adults? Eh.

If Stannis wins, then the Lannister regime is no more, and so Myrcella's betrothal to Trystane is...pointless, is how I'd describe it? There's no benefit to the Martells in having Myrcella married to Trystane. It was an advantageous match for as long as the Lannisters were in power, and for as long as Myrcella was recognized as a Baratheon.

Whereas if Stannis wins and says "That's not my niece, that's an abomination born of incest and treason," then she doesn't count as a Baratheon anymore. She's not a member of the royal family anymore. She's a fugitive from the royal family.

And that brings us to Arys Oakheart. His brief as a Kingsguard knight is to protect the king and his family. If Stannis wins, then...Myrcella is not under his protection anymore. Oakheart can either come back to the Red Keep with Myrcella in chains, or he can refuse, in which case he's effectively deserting the Kingsguard.

The only way out of the Kingsguard that doesn't mean death, or going into hiding, is the Night's Watch. I think Oakheart would go there. He'd say goodbye to his little princess and he'd head for the Wall.

So that leaves Myrcella with the Martells, and...I mean, I just explained how the Martells' interest in Myrcella becomes null and void, but that doesn't mean they'd just toss her into the fire. The Martells aren't really here for the Stannis regime; they want the dragons. From that angle, they're not invested in holding onto Myrcella but they're not really motivated to give Stannis what he wants, either. Doran can see Trystane cares about the girl and it would be very distressing for him if they handed her to an executioner. Additionally, Stannis wanting to execute Cersei's innocent children may remind the Martells a bit too much of his brother receiving the bodies of Elia and her babies just after his own victory. They don't want to enable that. They might even want to keep Myrcella under their protection just to show the new king what they think of him.

But the big question here is: does anyone really want to keep Myrcella for their own?

The best chance for Myrcella to stay alive is for the remaining House Lannister to cozy up to the Martells. That'll be quite an interesting conversation, yes? That's an opportunity for Oberyn to demand answers about what happened in the Sack of King's Landing. Tywin having been killed in battle or executed means they've lost the chance to hold him accountable for giving the orders, but it's not too late for the Martells to demand some sort of closure for the injury done to their family. That's still assuming House Lannister even cares about having Tywin's granddaughter in their care, and do they really need her? Actually: Aunt Genna would want her (and Tommen, if possible) alive and safe at Casterly Rock.

Stannis is notoriously unyielding, but I think he's also pragmatic enough to recognize that he won't be the king of all that much if Casterly Rock refuses to bend the knee and Sunspear turns against him right away. Davos would convince him to let the children live, provided they have no access to power. It's not like there's any use in letting Melisandre burn them, as the children have no royal blood, right? So Davos would get Stannis to make this arrangement: the children are delegitimized, declared bastards named Waters, but outside of their having no connection to House Baratheon, there's no official statement on their paternity. They were Cersei's kids, and that's enough. They keep Tommen at the Red Keep as a hostage to keep the Lannisters in line. The Lannisters are allowed to make a deal with the Martells about Myrcella.

[warsofasoiaf]

If Hoster was healthy and like you said there’s no king of the north declaration and they vote for stannis. Would stannis still have the lord of light as his faith? Surely he understands the faith will oppose him

I’d argue that a great deal of Stannis’s ‘conversion,’ as he mentions to Davos, is largely pragmatic. Stannis sees Melisandre’s powers as something that can get him to his desired ends. The rising of a large army for Stannis would be a different vector for him, especially if the rising of Stannis as a credible candidate causes Renly’s bandwagon effect to fall apart. Whether or not he’d convert would depend more upon Melisandre’s actions and prophecies.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[nightqueendany]

Original Final Season 7 - Episode 3: The Last of the Dragons

It’s Tuesday. You guys know what that means...

ON DRAGONSTONE

As in show canon 7x03, Jon Snow arrives on Dragonstone, finally meets with Daenerys Targaryen and immediately informs her and her allies about the Army of the Dead. Everyone is in shock, this is not where this meeting was supposed to go, they’re all a bit at a loss for what to do, the meeting is adjourned abruptly

Though it’s been brought up by both their councils (separately, in private), neither Jon nor Dany mention a marriage alliance in public to each other

When Davos questions him about it later, Jon tells him he wants to see whether Dany would be a worthy Queen first (though that’s not the entire truth), and Dany is too overwhelmed by Jon’s news of the Night King to make such a proposal just yet (and too attracted to Jon to make a well informed decision about something as serious as marriage, but she only tells this to Missandei ;)

Jon and Theon privately discuss Sansa, Jon tells Theon, “What you did for her is the only reason I’m not killing you”, Theon apologizes to Jon for betraying House Stark and tells him that he always wanted to be a Stark, always thought he had to choose between the two, this impossible choice - Greyjoy or Stark - but Sansa made him realize he never had to choose, he could be both

The conversation leaves Jon dazed and we know he’s taking Theon’s words and thinking about how he’s both Stark and Targaryen

Baelish immediately gets to work on Dragonstone, reuniting with Varys and Tyrion, trying to get as much info out of everyone as possible, he knows Jon and Howland talked privately at Greywater Watch but doesn’t know what about, Davos doesn’t know either

Baelish keeps on Jon’s case about his meeting with Howland but Jon deflects, saying they just discussed “his father”, Baelish switches tactics, brings up the potential marriage alliance with Daenerys again, Jon is still sorting through his feelings about being a Targaryen period and doesn’t want to talk about it, furthering Baelish’s suspicions, their relationship is a little reminiscent of Season 1 Ned/Baelish but Jon is much more aware than Ned was and much less trusting

IN KING’S LANDING

Cersei continues to enjoy the attention from Euron, he’s not honorable like Jaime and encourages her to do her worst to those who speak against her, starts to become the devil on her shoulder

Cersei is executing “enemies” left and right, anyone who’s been found by Qyburn’s little birds speaking against her, they’re brought to court, given a “trial”, and then are given some grisly punishment (reminiscent of Joffrey - “Which do you favor, your fingers or your tongue?”)

After watching an “enemy” die in a particularly gruesome fashion, Cersei excitedly, finally, takes Euron to bed because Jaime isn’t in the mood when she wants him

IN OLDTOWN

Sam and Gilly pour heavily into the books he stole from the Restricted Section, Sam comes across a book on the Children of the Forest, their worship of the weirwoods, their culture, the symbols they’ve left behind in certain areas and what they possibly mean

IN WINTERFELL

On Jon’s instructions, Sansa attempts to organize troops/supplies to be sent to the Wall to reinforce it but Bran advises her against it, telling her he doesn’t know why, but it doesn’t feel right, he’s still having tremendous difficulty controlling his visions

Sansa and Arya discuss being “home” and how it doesn’t really feel like home even with the three Stark kids all there together again, Sansa says she hasn’t felt at home since they first left Winterfell but Arya disagrees, says there was once when she felt at home after they had left, Sansa asks her when/where, Arya explains it wasn’t a place, but a person who came to feel like family, she asks Sansa if she ever had anyone like that in her life, Sansa thinks on it and replies yes, she had a person like that - neither of them says the names

As Jon had required it of everyone 12-60 to train daily to prepare for the fight against the dead, Sansa insists she train as well, is inspired by watching Arya and Brienne fight, and Arya begins to train Sansa, her first lesson: stick ‘em with the pointy end.

Arya and Bran reminisce and grow closer, he tries to explain to her what the 3ER is, etc. She asks him if he can see anything, he tells her he can if he focuses and knows where to look and asks if she wants him to try to find anything or anyone in particular, Arya hesitates

BACK ON DRAGONSTONE 

Dany is wary/cautious of Jon, discusses him with a small portion of her council - Theon, Tyrion, and Melisandre (the ones who know him best), when Theon and Tyrion leave, Melisandre mentions that both Jon and Dany are “magic” and that this is why she believes they’re both TPTWP, she tells Dany about how she brought Jon back to life, that that is what Davos meant when he said Jon “took a knife in the heart for his people”, this revelation obviously shakes Dany

Jon and Tyrion talk about the dragonglass, Tyrion mediates between him and Dany on this point, arranges another meeting between them

When Jon asks Dany about the dragonglass, she confronts him about Melisandre’s words, he reluctantly tells her it’s true that he died and came back, things are a little awkward, he asks her about when she hatched her dragons, she tells him the story, says that now they’re the last of their kind, as is she, “the last of the dragons” which, like his conversation with Theon, leaves Jon reeling as he’s continually confronted with the fact that he’s half-Targaryen

Varys and Melisandre watch Jon and Dany interact from a clifftop, they discuss how she “brought ice and fire together”, it’s “the Lord’s will,” Varys calls into question her “magic” and sacrifices, brings up the sorcerer who cut him, Mel echoes Kinvara’s words “If you are [Daenerys’] true servant, you have nothing to fear from me” which freaks Varys out

The title is in reference to Dany’s line to Jon about she and Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon being “The last of the dragons,” unknowingly also speaking it to the only other remaining “dragon” as Jon is a Targaryen and when she says this to him, Jon knows he is also a “last dragon.” (Also, this is my cheeky self stealing from Season 8′s “The Last of the Starks” because fuck you D&D. I mean, they stole it from themselves first anyway because S7 Dany says, “I am the last Targaryen, Jon Snow,” - the last Targaryen, the last of the Targaryens, the last of the Starks, the last of the dragons - meh, same thing, so really, I’m just stealing it back).

Episode 3 Inside the Episode: The Last of the Dragons

1) Sam and Gilly finding things in relation to the COTF:

This one is pretty obvious. We’ve been hearing about the COTF for seasons, Sam informing Stannis back in S5 that they used to hunt with dragonglass, etc. Even though they’re apparently all dead now, we still need to know more about their connection to the Army of the Dead.

And seriously, what the fuck else were Gilly and Sam supposed to find in those damn books Sam stole from the Restricted Section? This was made out to be such a big deal but even the “important” piece of information from show canon Season 7 - Jon’s parentage - wasn’t from the Restricted Section books, it was from the books Sam was tasked with transcribing as punishment for curing Jorah! 

So having Sam and Gilly actually find some useful information from those books just makes sense and is a payoff for so many scenes and a plot that was NEVER paid off in canon.

2) Melisandre’s convo with Dany about Jon being “magic”:

This was DEFINITELY hinted at in the S7 outline leaks! Dany and Jon’s “cliff” conversation in 7x05 originally was supposed to be them talking about how they’re both “magic”, Dany already knowing about Jon’s death. This was also the scene where he calls her “Dany” for the first time. In the context of show canon and the Aired Episode, this dialogue would have been clunky and awkward, but framed the way I’ve outlined above, would actually make it make sense.

3) Varys and Mel’s face off:

This has been hinted at since Season 6 with Varys’ confrontation with Kinvara. Varys is very anti-red priests and we were owed a showdown between him and them. The Red Priests and Varys should have had a much more involved conflict because of what material we got from prior seasons so Mel staying on Dragonstone to advise Daenerys (which is what she will be doing in this version of the story), finally delivers on something that has been set up for a while. 

4) Mel staying to advise Dany?

Yes, Mel is staying to advise Dany. Honestly, Mel’s story in show canon Seasons 7 and 8 is the biggest hint of a retcon because they kind of just threw her around and inserted her in places as if to let the audience know that they hadn’t forgotten about her, but she didn’t really have anything to do. 

Many of Mel’s lines from show canon also hint at a previous plot because so much of what she says and does just doesn’t make sense and is never paid off. “I’ve brought Ice and Fire together.” That was pointless. “Where will you go?” “Volantis.” That was pointless. “I have to die in this strange country.” That was pointless. 

All of these seem like really significant lines but nothing ever came of them. Like, what was the purpose of Mel going to Volantis? Just to hang out before the Long Night so she could come to Westeros to die after the dead were defeated?? Many of us thought she was going to come bringing the Fiery Hand with her but nope, nothing said about why she was there, we were just supposed to accept it. 

My guess is that D&D just liked some of Mel’s original dialogue so much “I’ve brought Ice and Fire together,” “I have to die in this strange country, just like you,” that they kept this all in their scripts but when they decided to go with the Mad!Dany storyline instead, Mel didn’t really serve a purpose there and so D&D could never pay off these lines that they set up. 

So Melisandre staying and advising Dany makes a lot of sense. She was at Jon’s side throughout Season 6, it follows that she would then want to be at Dany’s side through Season 7. So far as her relationship with Jon, well, they’re not in the North and Mel is a guest of Dany’s on Dragonstone, as is Jon, so he and Davos really can’t do much about it. 

5) Arya asking Bran about...:

I know this storyline I’m setting up will seem a little odd to some people. But bear with me! In show canon, Arya didn’t have much to do (and neither did Sansa) once Jon went to Dragonstone, so that’s how the Starkbowl of Winterfell came about - it just gave those two something to do to fill screen time. Which was incredibly obvious and really idiotic and way out of character for both Sansa and Arya. 

Here, in getting back home and Jon immediately leaving, this would leave Arya feeling lonely and isolated. She came home for Jon and then he just left. It would make sense that she would try to reconnect with her remaining siblings - hence her teaching Sansa to fight and trying to understand Bran’s 3ERness. 

In being away for so long, Arya really would have come to appreciate the meaning of family, and when she gets to Winterfell, she realizes there are people missing. It’s not enough. She wants more of that human connection back, that feeling of family. So she’s going to go looking for it, with Bran’s help.

Aaaaand that’s it for Episode 3. You guys can comment on these and tell me what you think, as questions etc. It’s allowed. Don’t be shy. (cough-please comment and tell me what you guys thing-cough).

Original Final Season 7: Preface Post

Season 7 Episode 1: Family, Duty, Honor

Season 7 Episode 2: Greywater Watch 

Season 7 Episode 3: The Last of the Dragons (Current episode)

Season 7 Episode 4: Dragonglass

Season 7 Episode 5: The Storm

Season 7 Episode 6: Summerhall 

Season 7 Episode 7: A City Fit For A King

Season 7 Episode 8: Protectors of the Realm

Season 7 Episode 9: The Battle For The Dawn

Season 7 Episode 10: ?

[wonwoosthetic]

Escapees || Gendry Baratheon

MASTERLIST is in my bio!

Request: hello! i was wondering if i could have a gendry imagine. could you do something where the reader is davos seaworths (idk if i even spelt that right) daughter and she kind of keeps him company while he’s the red woman’s prisoner and then later helps him escape with davos. i’m sorry if that’s a really shitty idea

This is absolutely not a shitty idea, I loved writing this so much!! Thank you for the request, I hope you and everyone else enjoys it! :) <3

Characters: Gendry Baratheon (Waters) x Reader, Davos Seaworth, King Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre of Asshai (mentioned), Ramsay Bolton (mentioned)

Season: 3

Warnings: none (besides of a couple curse words)

Words: 3,593

Escapees

You had been sitting in your cell for longer than you would have wanted, looking at the brick walls, leaning on one of them while sitting on the cold floor. Your thoughts drifted to how your life has changed within a few weeks. After being captured by severs of the House Baratheon of Dragonstone your faith had been destined. King Stannis Baratheon had been keeping your father, Davos Seaworth, and you separated from each other ever since your arrival, you were only allowed to see him every third day.  You guess, you could say, that you got lucky in the sense that you had not been killed yet... under one condition: you are going to marry Ramsay Snow. Ramsay Snow, a high born bastard. 

With this, Lord Baratheon is hoping to come to terms with the House Bolton, only to take it over once "peace" settled over them. Your arranged marriage had made it possible for your father to stay alive as well but from what you had heard of the guards' conversations, King Baratheon was considering your father for the position of Hand of the King. Which would mean freedom for him... and possibly for you too.

Nights and days went by before you were allowed to see your father again, more than usual, or so it felt. One day you were awoken by two guards dragging you out of your cell. Confused and scarred for your life, you tried freeing yourself out of their tight grip around your arms - while you were screaming and kicking, the man holding you did not flinch once. The light of the day hit you, making you squint your eyes as you entered one of the many rooms in the castle, where your father and King Baratheon were already waiting for you. After standing on your own feet again with no one's hands on you, you ran across the room into your father's arms, hugging him as tightly as possible.

"Thank the gods. I thought I was never going to see you again", you mumbled into his chest. "It has been very stressful for the last days. I wanted to make some arrangements", he answered, taking your face in his hands, looking at you, like you were the last close family member he had because... you were. You scrunched your eyebrows when he said "arrangments" and tilted your head but before you were able to ask your question, Lord Baratheon took the word, "So, Ser Davos and I have been talking", your head spun to your dad as you heard "Ser" and you proudly smiled at him "(Y/N), after your father is now Hand of the King, you shall too receive something. I am going to give you a bed to sleep in one of our chambers. You cannot look like this when you are supposed to marry Ramsay Snow." Your eyes fell down as soon as the Lord finished his announcement, still feeling ashamed of what was awaiting you in a near future. But quickly, you rose your head again and looked him in the eyes, "Thank you, King Baratheon, I will stay forever thankful." He just gave you a nod and did not mention it again, "One of the guards will guide you and your father to the chamber, so he knows where to find you." "Thank you", your father and you nodded and exited the room, following a guard to the room, which you would be able to call your own.

In the chambers, you were left alone with your father to talk and catch up on news from outside of the cells. "So, you're a Ser now?", you asked with a grin of pride on your face. Your father chuckled and looked at the ground, "Yes, I suppose I am", then his eyes drifted towards you, "I'm deeply sorry." With a confused look, you got closer to him, "What for?", "That I wasn't able to call the marriage off", you nodded and looked away while he continued, "I don't want you to marry that Snow lad and I will find a way out of this." "Father", you tried calming him down by your hands on top of his, giving them a squeeze, "you do not have to be sorry. It's not your fault nor has it ever been. I will find happiness eventually - I'm sure." You always tried to find the positive side of conflicts, it was the last thing you could do.

He gave you a tight smile, not wanting to believe your words because you deserve better than to be married to a monster like Ramsay Snow. "But enough of me. What about you? What are you doing all day long?", you tried getting his thoughts off you, being more worried about him. "A little bit of everything right now...", you could tell his mind wandered off to something else. "There's something else you're not telling me", you claimed, taking a step back, "We never have secrets in front one another." "A boy... Gendry. Gendry... Baratheon", he started but you cut him off, "Lord Baratheon has a living son?" "No, Gendry is his nephew... but the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon. They're keeping him down in a cell", the look on his face was pure sadness. "Why ar- what are they planning on doing with him?", you wondered. To which he answered, "They wanted to take his blood to kill King Joffrey, King Robb Stark, and King Balon Greyjoy, which they did... and now... I think they're planning on killing him." He knew they wanted to kill him. "But he's family. He doesn't know anything about this here", you were waving your hands around in anger, "he's an innocent man, they cannot kill him." "They can and they will", he admitted. "You can't let this happen, father, you're better than them", you couldn't believe your ears that your father, who was once the kindest, most loving human being you had ever known, would let an innocent man get killed. "I suppose, I am not", with his head down, ashamed of himself about what he said to his daughter, his own flesh and blood, he left your chamber and made his way to the King's room.

It was late at night, everyone had gone to sleep, you had been giving better clothes earlier during the day, and were laying in your bed, unable to sleep. You had never met the boy who was being kept in a cell with the name of Gendry, yet you felt very deeply for him and those thoughts kept you awake - you made a decision. Carefully, you got out of the bed and made your way to the door. As silently as possible, you opened it, immediately looking for guards who would not let you get out. As there was no one in sight, you quickly ran across the hall, to the staircase that would lead you downstairs. The stones were cold and you regretted not putting on shoes. As you reached the basement, you noticed how dark it was and that a few halls weren't even lit up by torches. One was right next to you, so you took it from its holders on the wall and carried on walking towards where you thought to remember the cells to be.

After a couple of wrong turns but more right ones, you reached the cell blocks and noticed, not a single guard to be there. Discreetly, you inspected each and every cell, trying to find the King's nephew. Then, to your right, you found a cell a little bit further in the back, like yours used to be. You made your way down that hall and actually came to sight with a young man sitting on the ground, his back leaning on the steel cell door.

He heard your footsteps and turned around to look at you - he immediately sat up straight. You put the torcher in a free holder on the wall near the cell to give you at least a little bit of light. "How are you?", you started the conversation. "Great. Never been better", he sarcastically stated, making you chuckle, which made him grin. You sat down, leaning on the steel just like him, so you were able to look at him. "Who are you? I've never seen you down here", he wanted to know. "(Y/N) Seaworth. You're Gendry, right? Gendry Baratheon.", your answer made him turn around properly. "Words spread fast", he chuckled, "Seaworth like Ser Davon Seaworth?" "Yes, he is my father." "Kind man", he nodded, "he's been down here a couple of times, never mentioned you though." "He doesn't like to talk about his children much." "Children? You have siblings?" His question made your eyes water slightly, "Had." And guilt filled him, "I-I-I'm sorry, I didn-", but you cut him off kindly, "Don't worry, it's... fine." "May I ask how it happened?" he tried keeping up the conversation but didn't want to go too deep, since this was the first time he had ever met you. "When we fled our home, King Baratheon's men captured us and... put a sword through his heart as he tried to free himself", you told the story with your head down, not wanting to remember it too much. "Where was your home?" "Flea Bottom. A beautiful, litt-", " Sure, you were. I'm from Flea Bottom." You turned towards him with a smile, "I am, truly. I lived below the Street of Flour." His eyes looked directly into yours, "How far below?" "Well, to quote my father, The shit that poured from their privy pipes flowed down the side of Aegon's Hill along Tanner's Row and right in front of our front door on Gin Alley", you immitated your father, making you both chuckle, "it wasn't much that we had but it was enough for me to be happy." "You live in a castle with your father and a king, you're not happy?", Gendry was oblivious about your faith. "How can someone be happy when one is being told to marry Ramsay Snow to keep her and her father alive", you confessed. "I'm sorry", "Me too."

Your conversation went on for a bit longer than you had expected - you got on better than with any other person you had ever met. Later, or rather early in the morning, you decided to go back upstairs into your chambers to not get caught. Therefore, you stood up and made your way back. You were not able to see any guards but you also didn't exactly look for them as you were deep in thoughts about the young man you had just spent hours with. Suddenly, strong arms grabbed you, hold you tight and didn't let go. You started screaming and kicking while being dragged into the King's room you had been in once before. "What is all this screaming about?", the King asked. The guard set you down, "I found her down by the cells, she was talking to Gendry, my king." "So so, (Y/N)", his creepy voice made you look up from your sitting position on the floor, "I negotiate with your father and you go behind my back. I do not recall allowing you to go there." You stood up, straightening out your nightgown, "I'm truly sorry, King Baratheon", and bowed. "King Stannis, I ask you to forgive her for what she did", your father spoke from the other side of the room. You hadn't even noticed him, yet. "Well, Ser Seaworth, I don't know what to do now", Stannis Baratheon spoke. "I... I would ask you to let her go to the cells. Gendry should be allowed to talk to one his age... He's going to go soon anyway, I plead you to let them at least have this little amount of communication", your father tried negotiating more. The other older man started thinking about it. "I suppose we can give him at least this as his satisfaction. Well then, (Y/N), you will be allowed down to the cells. I do not want to find you anywhere else in this castle or your old cell will become your home again and the floor your bed." "Thank you, King Baratheon", with a head bow you left the room once again.

Back in your chamber, you had to catch your breath. You thought that he was going to kill you, there in this room and Gendry right after. A knock on the door made you jump. It opened and your father walked in. "It was very risky what you did", he stated sternly. "I know father, I'm sorry. I just... I want to help him." "Well", he took a deep breath, "you get to keep him at least a bit of company now. Do not misuse his act of kindness." "I won't, I promise."

A couple of days later

"Your father is a funny man", Gendry laughed. You had just told an amusing story from your childhood, making the both of you laugh out loud - something you had thought you would never be able to do again. Over the last few days, each night, you had come down to talk to the young man. He truly had become one of your closest friends and he was very thankful for you.

All of a sudden, Gendry got more serious, "I have sinned." "And I'm not a priest, so confessing to me will not free you", your comment made him chuckle. "It will free me because I feel like I have betrayed people and I have to tell somebody", he admitted. "Alright,  what happened?" "I trusted her." You scrunched your eyebrows, "Who?" "The Red Woman", Gendry stated, making you turn around quickly, looking straight at him with your face right in front of the steel door. "Wh- what? I thought you didn't like fancy people." "I don't trust them." "If you mistrust fance people so much, why were you in such a hurry to trust her then?", you started getting slightly pissed off, not exactly sure why. He turned around to look at you, sitting in the same position as you - yet, he didn't dare to look at you... he couldn't. At first, he hesitated to answer, "... Never been with a woman. Never talked to a woman, really. Now you, of course, but before...", the young man took a deep breath, "And then she comes at you -  big words, no clothes. What would any other man have done?" "That I don't know...", instead of being mad at him, you decided to lighten up the mood, "What I do know is, that she does know her way around a man's head, I'll give her that." Making you both chuckle. "Why are you telling me this?", you wanted to know since you had no relation to the story whatsoever. With that, his  eyes drifted up, looking into yours deeply, "Because you're one of the most important people on my life right now - I don't have many." His comment made you blush slightly and your heart jump, a feeling you had never felt before but surely enjoyed when you were in his company. "I really enjoy our late night talks, you know", you said with a smile on your face. "Yeah", he chuckled, "I do too." After a couple of seconds in complete silence, he took the word again, "What would the perfect life look like for (Y/N) Seaworth?" You smiled, "Well, I would get out of this hell hole here, to marry the man that I choose to be my betrothed. I... I would live somewhere quiet. Somewhere in the forest maybe. Have a little cottage... a garden with loads of vegetables, fruits, and flowers that I've seeded myself. I would want to be happy." Gendry listened closely and carefully to every single one of your words - his eyes never drifted anywhere else apart from you. "How many children do you want?", his question got you thinking but also look at him with nothing but adoration. "You're quite nosy", the both of you smile at each other, "Three", you answered calmly, "maybe four", and with a shrug.

This was the last night you spend together divided by a cell wall.

You were quietly sleeping in your bed when the door to your chamber was ripped wide open, awakening you from your slumber. "(Y/N), love, you need to wake up, come on", you heard the voice of your father speaking. Slowly you rose your head from your pillow, "What? Father, what are you doing?" He was going around the room, looking for possibly important things to take with you. "You need to get up, you're going." "What?", you took the duvet off you and got up, putting on the shoes you had right next to the bed. "No questions, we need to be quick", he hastily hushed you out of the room. "I'm still in my nightgown." "It doesn't matter. You can get new clothes." Confused, you let yourself be dragged downstairs to the cells. Panic started to rise inside of you, and you tried to free yourself from your father's grip. "Wait! No! Where are you taking me?!", you shouted. Slightly too strong, he pulled you closer to him, coming to a stop, "Shh! You're going to wake everyone up. I'm bringing you away from here, you deserve better than this. Trust me." With a nod, you continued your walk to the cells, until you reached Gendry's. Your father loosened his grip on you and started opening the young man's cell. "What are you doing?", he asked, shocked at what was happening. "You're leaving", your father answered. "Is this some kind of trick?" "Yes, but not on you." As soon as he walked out of the cell, he saw you standing there, "What are you doing here?", he asked you, then turned to the older man, "What is she doing here?" "You're leaving together", he simply stated.

Outside, you got dragged towards the sea, through the sand, where a small boat was waiting for you. "Aim for that star. Don't stop", your father started explaining, handing you a bag, "There's bread and water. Go slow with it. If you finish it off, no matter how thirsty you get, don't drink seawater." Gendry interrupted him, "I know not to drink seawater", but the other man continued, looking at you both, "Row for a full day and night and you'll reach Rook's Rest. You'll want to stop there", he kept on pushing the boat into the water while Gendry put the things into it - you just kept on standing there, stunned by what was happening. After pushing your thoughts to the side, you focused on the two men in front of you again, "You ever been in a boat before?" "No." "You know how to swim?" "No." "Don't fall out. Go on", he pushed him slightly, then turned around to you, "go on, love." "No", you answered, "wh-what is going on? I can't just leave." "Yes, you can. This is your only chance. I promised you, I'd find another way, this is it. This is your only chance of being happy. I want you to be happy." "I am happy. Here, where you are too", you argued. "No, no, you are not. You deserve so much better than this", he took your face in his hands, "I love you, princess. And I trust you to be happy with him", he nodded towards Gendry, "you are going to be doing so many great things. But not here, I won't let this happen." He started pushing you towards the boat and you let him. "But about you? I can't leave you here, he will kill you!" Shortly before reaching the sea, you stopped. "I will find a way and one day... I will find you again", tears were running down his face, as well as down yours. You put your foreheads against each other, enjoying this last moment together. Then, you got in the boat. "Why are you doing this?", Gendry asked. "Because it's right, And because I'm a slow learner", he pushed the boat away, "when you get to Flea Bottom, have a bowl of brown for me! I trust you Gendry!" Those were the last words you heard from your father. You turned towards the young man you were from now on going to share your life with. "I will protect you. I will keep you safe, away from all the evil", he started, trying to calm you down, making your tears stop, while paddling, "I will find the prettiest cottage in the woods of Flea Bottom. With a garden where you can plant flowers, and vegetables, and fruits." You started calming down, smiling at his words. "I will marry you, one day", his words made your head shot up, looking at him, "Of course, I'm going to ask you properly. I will make you happy. I promise all of that." You smiled now at him, widely, "Thank you." His eyes drifted to look over the sea, "And who knows... possibly three kids", then he shrugged, "maybe four", making you smile even wider, even laugh. Standing up, you tried balancing your weight carefully, making him worry - he thought you were going to jump off the boat - you came closer to him and sat down right next to him, taking one of the paddles and started helping him getting further out into the ocean - further towards home.

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Uuuuuuh, I loved writing this SO MUCH! I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much :) <3

Thank you once more for the request! Sorry for any grammar and or spelling mistakes.

Hope you all have a great day/night, wherever you are! :) <3

[janiedean]

everyone knows + cursed, stannis x davos

okay sooo modern au, they work in the same office tho in wildly different roles ie stannis is some kinda head of department davos is the elevators guy or smth and they keep on making each other eyes All The Time. the employees know, shireen knows and knowingly sighs whenever she visits her dad, davos’s ex and sons know, like the entire fucking building is aware they Want To Kiss but nothing happens because stannis is stannis and davos is like NAH SURELY THE BOSS GUY WON’T EVER LOOK AT ME COME ON

enter melisandre the secretary who dabbles in like practical magic and everyone thinks she’s weird and that she’s wasting her time with this bullshit like we all know magic isn’t real come on, and she lets people buy that because whatever it’s not worth making a case out of it, but then she’s like hmmmm what if I can help them so she curses stannis to being unable to leave the office - like if he tries to get through the door he can’t while everyone else can, which means he’s stuck there until someone figures out how to help out and since davos is A Saint he volunteers to like bring him lunch and keep him company while he does extra time and stuff so they get closer and at some point stannis is like WHAT IF I’M STUCK HERE FOREVER and it turns into an angstier conversation that he’d have liked until davos can’t anymore at stannis’s self-deprecating spiel and kisses him and both of them lose their balance and end up crashing on the ground outside the office and realize the curse is broken and date happily ever after

ofc no one finds out it’s mel but hey she just paid everyone a favor ;

[asongoficeandthrones]

A Clash of Kings First Read - Chapter 10

(POV: Davos I.)

Setting: Dragonstone (Stannis Baratheon et al).

Favorite character: Davos. I'd already liked him in the prologue, but he was kind of superficial there, very minor, so to get his POV was a big change, and a pleasant surprise. I loved it. You can see how torn he is between his duty to his king and his lack of faith in his new god (or any god, from what I understood).

MVP: Melisandre? I mean, it seems like Stannis is going along with what she's saying and what she wants, for now. He's just changed the very religion on his island. And it looks like she really does derive some power from her god (even though maybe the sword thing was a trick? Maybe that's what Salladhor Saan means with his tale of Azor Ahai reborn?).

Things I loved/liked:

The conversation between Ser Davos and Salladhor Saan. I like Salladhor's character. He seems like kind of a jerk, but also brave in that he's unwilling to really bow to Stannis? That's how I interprete the whole not-changing-the-way-he-is-or-behaves-or-dresses-for-him thing. And, the conversation itself brought news from King's Landing. Not any new news, but at least now they know what's happening beyond the island.

Stannis's sarcasm: "Celtigar pronounced [the letter] admirable. If I showed him the contents of my privy, he would declare that admirable as well," and his no-nonsense attitude. Also, the way Davos actually feels safe (is that the right word?) enough to actually say what he thinks. So their whole conversation goes in the things I liked, I guess? But part of it bored me. And I think the letter could have both great and dire consequences, so...

The descriptions when the burning of the gods happened.

Things I disliked/hated:

Kind of contradictory, but the burning of the gods. More the concept of it this time, though. Stannis was very dictatorian right there. And they actually imprisoned (or killed!) those brave enough to oppose it (not really surprising, but still).

Quotes: Melisandre's prayer: R'hllor, come to us in our darkness. Lord of Light, we offer you these false gods, these seven who are one, and him the enemy. Take them and cast your light upon us, for the night is dark and full of terrors. Notice the repetition of the sentence, "the night is dark and full of terrors," which was already said in the prologue. It sounds pretty important to me.

Thoughts overall: Interesting but boring all at once?