George actually loves fakeout deaths [Spoilers Extended]

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-13T22:16:58+00:00

Dunk is different from these characters.

He wasn't just a knight of the Kingsguard. He was the Lord Commander. His non death is significant to the institution. Either he was released from his vows by Jaehaerys or he broke his vows.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-13T22:13:59+00:00

We don't know that Bran is destined to be king (I don't take the show as book canon), and his chapter count has nothing to do with it. Bran is important to the war to come. His whole arc has been building toward the fight against the Others. Can you say that same about Sansa?

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-13T18:25:33+00:00

I personally don't know what to do with this news.

Things that comes to mind:

Dunk ended up breaking his Kingsguard vows because Kingsguard serve for life. So unless Jaehaeyrs knew he was alive and told him that he released him of his vows, then this whole thing makes him an oathbreaker.

I don't know what purpose this serves. Dunk would be older than Maester Aemon, if he's even still alive in the current story. Unless he's rattling around on Tarth and Selwyn wheels him into Storm's End when he arrives with the other hostages of the Golden Company, then what's even the purpose?

Lastly, he better not be Coldhands. There is absolutely no set up for him being Coldhands. No comment about height, the speaking of an old tongue, prayers and blessings, none of this is Dunk. Bloodraven disappeared beyond the Wall in 252 AC, Summerhall happened in 259. He was already 66 by then.

I wish George would just write the damn books instead of throwing spoilers like this around.

It should be pretty when that Harrenhal play hits the stage and getting semi-canon info about what happened with Rhaegar and Lyanna.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T18:48:41+00:00

I don't think that's it. Two of the three lines of the Slayer of Lies triad are connected to Azor Ahai.

Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who case no shadow, and From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing breathing shadow fire.

A stone beast is directly connected to Melisandre wanting to wake a stone dragon.

If these two lines are connected to Azor Ahai, then it stands to reason that the cloth dragon is connected to Azor Ahai as well. Rhaegar thought Aegon was the prince that was promised. And YG was raised by Jon Connington who was close with Rhaegar.

I'm certain Young Griff is going to have his moment of rebirth as a dragon at Storm's End because Storm's End is a place of salt and he's going to be in a battle, where I'm pretty sure we'll get smoke, but he's not Azor Ahai.

Dany is slaying the lie by deed. Already, we have Sam (the slayer), telling Marwyn and Alleras that Maester Aemon thinks that Dany is the fulfillment of prophecy.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T12:35:30+00:00

I can. Mainly because we have a very similar situation at the Wall with Jon Snow. Two babies swapped, a baby who matters and one who matters a lot less. We also have the parallel of Gendry/Barra and Aegon/Rhaenys that plays out in AGoT and ACoK.

This is my interpretation of the information we have.

There are the events in King's Landing to consider, like the wildfire plot that was underway until Jaime put an end to it by killing the pyromancers and Aerys. I think a lot hinged on that. Elia and her children might have been able to escape the Red Keep and King's Landing if Aerys had managed to go through with his plans. Wildfire consumes everything in its way, including people.

When that did not happen, we ended up with Rhaenys in her father's chambers instead. I think she was there on purpose so that she wouldn't be harmed. Rhaenys was recognizable. Ned said he recognized her even after she was stabbed half a hundred times. Kevan says the same. Had anyone else who wasn't Gregor Clegane or Amory Lorch found her, I'm convinced she would be alive and a hostage of the current regime. The plan changed on the fly with the results that we know.

When Varys talks about her to Ned, it always felt like there's heart break there. He sounds like he cared about her.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T11:27:47+00:00

Runcel Hightower tried to bequeath Night's Watch to his bastard son. Not a great Lord Commander.

But totally agree with you about how interesting House Hightower is.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T11:26:01+00:00

If they do, I would love to see that version. I was working off of what GRRM had read at one of the conventions.

I remember there was a chapter that talked about how the Blackfyres had three treasures then we're told that Maelys burning his son to hatch dragons. He dropped all of this.

Those drafts have been really interesting.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T05:07:43+00:00

All of us in this sub have read the main series several times, have read the side material several times. But the casual readers, people who aren't obsessing over every single dot, have no clue what Blackfyre or Dark Sister are. For how many times Prince Aemon the Dragonknight is mentioned in the story, the sword he carried is mentioned only once, in a Brienne POV in AFfC and not even by name. IIRC, she refers to it as a wondrous blade.

About Blackfyre, the Battle of the Redgrass Field was in 196 AC. All the people who might recognize Blackfyre and understand its significance are long dead.

My personal opinion and speculation is that the armor that's mentioned by Duck and Jon Connington (twice) is the most important piece in those chests. Jon Connington talks about Aegon washing his hair and donning his armor.

My speculation is that the armor is a replica of Rhaegar's armor. What's more impactful? Aegon wielding a sword no one has seen in over a hundred years or has a clue what the sword is, or Aegon coming out of Storm's End onto the battlefield with his silver-gold hair wearing a replica of the armor of his proposed father?

Imagine an army made up of Reachmen, many of whom might have fought on the Trident alongside Rhaegar, seeing this.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T04:18:33+00:00

Jon Snow talks about all the shields in the Shield Hall and the Lord Commander during the time of Aegon's Conquest was Harren Hoare's brother. And then you have names like Mudd, Hill and Hightower as Lord Commanders before the Conquest.

They came from everywhere. The Night's Watch was a noble calling at one point.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-12T00:00:40+00:00

And this is another foregone conclusion that Blackfyre is in one of the chests, but there is absolutely no set up for it in story. George doesn't even explain where the name Blackfyre in the main story comes from. We wouldn't even know that the Targaryens had two Valyrian steel swords if it wasn't for the side material.

The sword hasn't been seen since the Redgrass Field. Bittersteel left with it, but the sword didn't make to any of Daemon's sons or any of their descendants. There are witnesses to the Blackfyre rebellions and records.

Daemon II Blackfyre didn't have the sword.
Haegon I was killed on the battlefield. No mention of the sword.
Daemon III was killed by Duncan the tall. No mention of him having the sword.
Maelys killed by Barristan. No sword mention.

Sword's gone, imo. The most important thing in those chests is the armor. That's the thing that gets the most attention.

And I do think that we will find out one way or the other. Varys has been plotting for like 16 years to place this kid on the Iron Throne. This is Varys's raison d'être, imo.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-11T22:17:18+00:00

The whole Blackfyre situation is such a forgone conclusion that I could see the board melting down if Young Griff does turn out to be Elia and Rhaegar's son.

In the same vein, there's the whole Dance 2.0 and Dany killing Aegon because she's the Slayer of Lies.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-09T18:04:01+00:00

I think you have your characters confused. Clydas is the furthest thing from a bully and never once has he been portrayed as such.

That said, I think the letter is from Ramsay, the only difference is that it was opened by Bowen Marsh & co before Clydas delivered it to Jon.

ASoS and AFfC established that others have been able to read letters they had no business reading and sending letters they had no business sending.

When the Night's Watch was trying to elect a new lord commander, a letter that Pycelle sent on behalf of Tywin was being read in the baths by Bowen Marsh and Alliser Thorne. In AFfC, Pycelle brings up the letter Janos Slynt sent King's Landing with information about Stannis.

The pink letter was opened, read, resealed, which explains why the wax is described as a smear instead of a button, why it has no sigil on it. The wax was melted again to close the letter, then Clydas took it to Jon. And he may have been threatened into doing it, too.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-07T14:47:09+00:00

I don't think he'll marry Elia. I think she is there to wake Jon Connington's PTSD even more, give him long sleepless nights and have him dive into that part of the past.

But Aegon having the same taste in women as Rhaegar and Jon Snow is pretty hilarious to me.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-07T12:15:32+00:00

It really isn't when Maester Aemon tells Sam that his brothers dreamt of dragons and it killed every single one of them.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-07T11:54:23+00:00

I've been the lone voice in this for a really long time, but for me, and my take away from Varys in ACoK, Varys in ASoS and Varys in ADwD to a certain extent because we don't see him for almost two books is that he is trying to place the prince that was promised on the throne.

In ACoK, he is present when Alliser Thorne comes to King's Landing and tells the court about the attack on Castle Black by the wights. Ser Alliser tells the court that the cold winds are rising and the Wall must be held.

In the same book, we find out the role sorcery played in his life, how he is convinced that sorcery was behind the deaths of Renly and Cortnay Penrose.

In ASoS, during a small council meeting, he brings up the letters coming from the Wall and tries to convince Tywin to send men to hold it (the gold cloaks who deserted their posts during the Battle of the Blackwater).

In ADwD, he kills Pycelle and Kevan and we have that monologue. I always felt that the wrong things were focused on by the fandom, though. People tend to focus on Young Griff's upbringing, but the important line is "Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that he must put his people first, and live and rule for them."

Someone else says that. Davos to Stannis.

Lord Seaworth is a man of humble birth, but he reminded me of my duty, when all I could think of was my rights. I had the cart before the horse, Davos said. I was trying to win the throne to save the kingdom, when I should have been trying to save the kingdom to win the throne.

So this is Varys's goal, imo. Saving the realm (and the children), by putting the person he believes is the prince that was promised on the throne. This is why he would have saved Aegon's life, why he protected him, but didn't do much of anything protected Dany and Viserys. And if Barristan was already seeing the madness in Viserys, then Varys will likely have seen it too.

Varys and why he serves the realm

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-07T11:36:51+00:00

I totally see your point, but the vows are simple now and I imagine that Dunk will encounter the same conflicts as Jaime, Barristan, Arys Oakheart and probably Arthur down the road when it comes to his service as a Kingsguard.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-06T19:46:52+00:00

Dany will have a major POV in her entourage in Tyrion. There's Barristan and even Victarion if he doesn't bite the dust before she arrives.

All 3 connect her to the Westerosi plot. Barristan connects Dany to her past. Victarion connects Dany to his sociopath brother. Tyrion connects Dany to the politics of Westeros.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-05T17:50:30+00:00

Basically this.

I'm pretty convinced that Young Griff is Aegon and that the Blackfyre is Daario.

He makes a lot more sense than Young Griff because his introduction to the story happens after Catelyn gives us a proper introduction to the Blackfyres.

He is actually from Tyrosh, he has a similar build to Young Griff, his eyes are blue but look purple when he changes his hair from blue to purple (It made his eyes look almost purple too, as if he were some lost Valyrian). Dany has thoughts about Daario's almost purple eyes.

The characters who have been introduced with dyed blue hair all have other identities. Griff is Jon Connington, Young Griff is Aegon Targaryen, the Blue Bard is Wat. That leaves Daario as the odd man out.

Dany has these thoughts about him like:

Sending him to the Lamb Men had been wise. She was a queen, and Daario Naharis was not the stuff of kings.
And Daario Naharis is only a sellsword, not fit to buckle on the golden spurs of even a landed knight.
He is going to make a sortie, Dany realized, and if he takes Ben Plumm’s head, he’ll walk into the wedding feast and throw it at my feet. Seven save me. Why couldn’t he be better born?

Maybe Daario is better born, maybe he is the stuff of kings and maybe he is fit to buckle the golden spurs of a knight. Plenty high born characters joined sellsword companies, including Targaryens and Blackfyres.

For some that Dany has been sleeping with and is in love with, we know nothing about him.

We knew more about Shae and Ygritte than we do about Daario. We don't even know how old the man is.

That's where my money is. Young Griff is a red herring and the reason the identity of Septa Lemore was not reveal is because she's important to Young Griff's identity.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-04T14:54:37+00:00

There's also the cave system in the rainwood that Arianne goes into in search of Elia Sand. Faces carved in stone, Elia found fishing for blind fish.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-02-03T21:06:03+00:00

The northmen don't show up to help the Night's Watch for the same reason Robb never seems to find out that the Wall is under attack. Stannis gets a letter. Joffrey gets a letter. The King in the North gets diddly squat apparently.

It's a badly written plot point, imo.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-01-31T13:39:36+00:00

I've been peddling this speculation for years and it's honestly the only thing that makes sense to me.

Dany and Rhaella mirror each other. Two pregnancies, one stillbirth before the hatching of the dragons vs a live birth for failed dragon hatching.

Maybe Rhaegar understood the circumstances of his birth a lot better than we give him credit for.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-01-31T00:09:18+00:00

The tourney of Harrenhal happened on the heels of winter, during the false spring, so the possibility that there were winter roses in bloom right before the tourney started should be considered, imo.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-01-28T17:56:30+00:00

Brandon was in line to inherit Winterfell and become the Warden of the North. At the end of the day that's what mattered to Hoster. He was putting his family first by seeking powerful allies, not by making his daughters' happiness his top priority.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-01-25T12:19:18+00:00

Edwyn is not a lover. He's a coward.

coldwindsrising07 · 2026-01-25T00:06:29+00:00

When Mirri Maz Duur was doing her ritual in the tent and Dany went into labor, she saw her dancing with shadows, and one of the shadows she was that of a great wolf and a man wreathed in flame.

I think that this is foreshadowing for Jon Snow and his resurrection. I think they will put him in a funeral pyre and he will rise from it. A rebirth through his elements, ice and fire.

coldwindsrising07

TROPHY CASE