Potential Spoilers Below
“Shadows from a returned sun
dimmed the cavern mouth around him. Wind tugged at him, his foot warm with his
own blood. I will not walk out of this pit alive, he thought.
He no longer cared. Survival
was not his goal. It had not been for some time.
He did want to do this right.
He had to do this right. Was it the right time? Had he planned well enough?
IT IS TIME. LET THE TASK BE
UNDERTAKEN.
Rand entering the cavern of the Dark One |
This
will be in reverse. The Night King will
walk into the Crypts of Winterfell where Bran has been hiding in plain sight
for all this time. I wrote my theory on
Bran being the Night King because Old Nan gave us the clues in the books. I had believed that Bran had become him in
the past as the 13th Lord Commander.
But after he was touched by the Night King my theory has been modified
to say that he becomes the Night King in the end by warging him after the Night
King destroys Bran’s body the same as he did with the last 3-eyed crow.
Old Nan I believe is telling Bran the very same stories that he told her when she was just a child |
The
actor who plays Bran said the following when asked if he and the Night King
were the same person: "I think it's less that they're the same person and more
that they're two of the ancient beings of Westeros. The Three-Eyed Raven has
been around for God knows how long, and White Walkers have been reported since
the beginning of time,":
My original theory: The Night's King identity?
“Rand stood in a place that
was not.
A place outside of time,
outside of the Pattern itself.
All around him spread a vast
nothingness. Voracious and hungry, it longed to consume. He could actually see
the Pattern. It looked like thousands upon thousands of twisting ribbons of
light; they spun around him, above him, undulating and shimmering, twisting
together. At least, that was how his mind chose to interpret it.
Anyone
who has been keeping up with my theory knows that I believe that the character Rand
al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has been broken up between 3 character in ASOIAF;
Jon Snow, Daenerys and Bran.
Everything that had ever been,
everything that could be, everything that could have been ... it all lay right
there, before him.
Rand could not comprehend it.
The blackness around it sucked on him, pulled him toward it. He reached out to
the Pattern and somehow anchored himself in it, lest he be consumed.”
“Rand faced the emptiness.
“So,” he said into it. “This is where it will really happen. Moridin would have
had me believe that a simple sword fight would decide this all.”
Moridin - shocking blue eyes like the Night King |
When all is said and done I don't believe it will all be about killing the Night King in a sword fight |
HE IS OF ME. BUT HIS EYES ARE
SMALL.
“Yes,” Rand said. “I have
noticed the same.”
SMALL TOOLS CAN BE EFFECTIVE.
THE THINNEST OF KNIVES CAN STOP A HEART. HE HAS BROUGHT YOU HERE, ADVERSARY.
Rand couldn’t gasp, couldn’t
cry out. This attack wasn’t at his body, for he had no true body in this place,
just a memory of one.
Rand held himself together.
With difficulty. In the face of this awesome attack, any notion of defeating
the Dark One—of killing him— vanished. Rand couldn’t defeat anything. He could
barely hold on.
Representation of the Dark One |
He could not have described
the sensation if he’d tried. It was as if the Dark One was shredding him while
at the same time trying to crush him entirely, coming at Rand from infinite
directions, all at once, in a wave.
Rand fell to his knees. It was
a projection of himself that did so, but it felt real to him.
An eternity passed.
Rand suffered it. The crushing
pressure, the noise of destruction. He weathered it on his knees, fingers taut
like claws, sweat streaming from his brow. He suffered it and looked up.
“That is all you have?” Rand
growled.”
The pain Bran experiences while engaged with the COTF will feel worse than this |
“I WILL WIN.
“You made me strong,” Rand
said, voice ragged. “Each time you or your minions tried to destroy me, your
failure was like the blacksmith’s hammer beating against metal. This attempt .
. .” Rand took a deep breath. “This attempt of yours is nothing. I will not break.”
YOU MISTAKE. THIS IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO DESTROY
YOU. THIS IS PREPARATION.
“For what?”
TO SHOW YOU TRUTH.”
Is
this all about preparing Bran to show him a truth?
“What if they Turned him? This
wasn’t real, but it was a version of reality. A mirror world, created by the
Dark One. What would it do to Rand if they Turned him here? Had he been trapped
that easily?
He began to struggle,
panicked, against the bonds of Air. It was useless, of course.”
Bran
will think back to how the Night King was turned and since he knows that what
happens here also happens in the real world he begins to panic. Had he been trapped that easily?
Bran begins to think they will do the same to him |
“The Blight had extended to
every ocean. Seanchan was no more, ruined and scorched until not even rats and
crows could survive there. Anyone who could channel was discovered as a youth
and Turned. The Dark One did not like the risk that someone would bring hope back
to the world.”
The
Lands of Always Winter would extend to every ocean. Valyria was no more, ruined and scorched by
the Fourteen Flames. Everyone who had
the potential to bring hope back to the world was discovered and turned as a
youth. Does that mean that there is
something special about Craster’s sons?
I have never really thought about that until now but it seems that there
is something to this. Could Maester Aemon be his father?
Lands of Always Winter |
Night King turning one of Craster's sons |
“Rand drew breath, deeply,
through his teeth and looked up at the darkness beyond the threads. “I will not
sit passively and suffer it this time, Shaitan. I will not be captive to your
nightmares. I have become something greater than I once was.”
Bran
who is something greater than he once was because he has had multiple lifetimes
to do so; he begins to fight back.
Bran the Builder crippled like Bran - coincidence? |
“The Aiel did what they did
best: kill. So long as those armies held the pathway to Rand al’Thor, perhaps
that would be enough. Perhaps . . .”
Aiel warriors |
The
Dothraki did what they did best: kill.
So long as their armies hold the way to Bran in the Crypts, perhaps that
will be enough. Perhaps …
Dothraki killing |
“I WILL WIN EVENTUALLY.
Rand stood before the blowing
winds, stood strong, though his eyes watered as he stared into the darkness.
How long had he been in this place? A thousand years? Ten thousand?
Time
within the cave will take on a different time than outside in the real world. It will basically slow to a crawl.
For the moment, he concerned
himself only with defiance. He would not bend before this wind.
He could not give in for a
fraction of a heartbeat.
THE TIME HAS COME, FINALLY.
“Time is nothing to you,” Rand
said.
It was true, and it was not.
Rand could see the threads swirling around him, forming the Pattern. As it
formed, he saw the battlefields below him. Those he loved fighting for their
lives. These were not possibilities; this was the truth, what was actually
happening.
The Dark One wrapped around
the Pattern, unable to take it and destroy it, but able to touch it. Tendrils
of darkness, spines, touched the world at points all along its length. The Dark
One lay like shadow upon the Pattern.
When the Dark One touched the
Pattern, time existed for him. And so, while time was nothing to the Dark One,
he—or it, as the Dark One had no gender—could only work within its bounds. Like
. . . like a sculptor who had marvelous visions and dreams but was still bound
by the reality of the materials he worked with.
Is
this where Bran gets a clue as to how to defeat the Children of the Forest
(COTF)? They have extremely long lives
which is probably extended even more being tied to this place. Beat them at
their own game; TIME.
Children of the Forest |
Rand stared at the Pattern,
resisting the Dark Ones attack. He did not move or breathe. Breath wasn’t
needed here.
People died below. Rand heard
their screams. So many fell.
I WILL WIN EVENTUALLY,
ADVERSARY. WATCH THEM SCREAM. WATCH THEM DIE.
THE DEAD ARE MINE.
“Lies,” Rand said.
NO. I WILL SHOW YOU.
The Dark One spun possibility
again, gathering up what could be, and thrust Rand into another vision.”
Bran
will also see how people were actually dying while he was tied up with the COTF and the
Night King at his doorstep.
“Rand folded his arms,
noticing with displeasure that the fireplace in the room contained a
nothingness beyond it. “What have you done to them?” Rand demanded.
I LET THEM THINK THEY WON.
“Why?”
MANY WHO FOLLOW ME DO NOT
UNDERSTAND TYRANNY.”
“MEN WHO THINK THEY ARE OPPRESSED WILL SOMEDAY
FIGHT. I WILL REMOVE FROM THEM NOT JUST THEIR WILL TO RESIST, BUT THE VERY
SUSPICION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.
“So you leave them without
compassion?” Rand demanded, looking into Gill’s eyes. The man seemed terrified
that Rand would kill him, as did the three thugs. No remorse. Not a bit of it.
COMPASSION IS NOT NEEDED.
Rand felt deathly cold. “This
is different from the world you showed me before.”
WHAT I SHOWED BEFORE IS WHAT
MEN EXPECT. IT IS THE EVIL THEY THINK THEY FIGHT. BUT I WILL MAKE A WORLD WHERE
THERE IS NOT GOOD OR EVIL.
THERE IS ONLY ME.”
Will
the COTF present a world to Bran that is similar? A world where they think they have beaten the
White Walkers only to be controlled in essence in a world where men are
basically sheep and the COTF the shepherds.
“What have you done here?” he
shouted into the sky. “Shai’tan! Answer me!”
Elayne cocked her head. She
wasn’t afraid. Fear did not exist in this place. “Shai’tan? I swear I remember
that name. It has been so long. I get forgetful sometimes.”
“SHAITAN!” Rand bellowed.
I HAVE DONE NOTHING, ADVERSARY. The voice was distant. THIS IS YOUR CREATION.
“Nonsense!” Rand said. “You’ve
changed her! You’ve changed them all!”
DID YOU THINK THAT REMOVING ME FROM THEIR LIVES
WOULD LEAVE THEM UNALTERED?
The words thundered through
Rand. Aghast, he stepped away as Elayne rose, obviously concerned for him. Yes,
he saw it now, the thing behind her eyes. She was not herself. . . because Rand
had taken from her the ability to be herself.
I TURN MEN TO ME, Shaitan
said. IT IS TRUE. THEY CANNOT CHOOSE GOOD ONCE I HAVE MADE THEM MINE IN THAT
WAY. HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT, ADVERSARY?
IF YOU DO THIS, WE ARE ONE.
“No!” Rand screamed, holding
his head in his hand, falling to his knees. “No! The world would be perfect without
you!”
PERFECT. UNCHANGING. RUINED.
DO THIS, IF YOU WISH, ADVERSARY. IN KILLING ME, I WOULD WIN.
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I WILL WIN.
Rand screamed, curling up as
the Dark One’s next attack washed over him. The nightmare Rand had created
exploded outward, ribbons of light spraying away like streaks of smoke. The darkness around him shook
and trembled.
YOU CANNOT SAVE THEM.”
“The Pattern—glowing,
vibrant—wrapped around Rand again. The real Pattern. The truth of what was
happening. In creating his vision of a world without the Dark One, he had
created something horrible. Something awful. Something worse than would have
been before.
The Dark One attacked again.”
Does
Bran go about creating a world where the COTF never existed? Will what he envisions turn out to be similar
to the world that Rand creates? I
believe he will and that like Rand he will abandon that world as it would be no
different than the world the COTF wish to create.
“So many. So very many.
YOU ARE LOSING.
Rand huddled down further.
What could he do? His dream of stopping the Dark One ... he would create a
nightmare if he did that. His own intentions betrayed him.
GIVE IN, ADVERSARY. WHY KEEP FIGHTING? STOP
FIGHTING AND REST.
He was tempted. Oh, how he was
tempted. Light. What would Nynaeve think? He could see her, fighting to save
Alanna. How ashamed would she and Moiraine be if they knew that in that moment,
Rand wanted to just let go?
Pain washed across him, and he
screamed again.
“Please, let it end!”
IT CAN.
Rand huddled down, writhing,
trembling. But still, their screams assaulted him. Death upon death. He held
on, barely. “No,” he whispered.
VERY WELL, the Dark One said. I HAVE ONE MORE
THING TO SHOW YOU. ONE MORE PROMISE OF WHAT CAN BE . . .
The Dark One spun threads of
possibility one last time.
All became darkness.”
“Nothing.
Rand turned. He tried to turn.
He had no form or shape.
Nothing.
He tried to speak, but he had
no mouth. Finally, he managed to think the words and make them manifest.
SHAI’TAN, Rand projected, WHAT IS THIS?
OUR COVENANT, the Dark One replied. OUR ACCOMMODATION.
OUR ACCOMMODATION IS NOTHING? Rand demanded.
YES.
He understood. The Dark One
was offering a deal. Rand could accept this ... He could accept nothingness.
The two of them dueled for the fate of the world. Rand pushed for peace, glory,
love. The Dark One sought the opposite. Pain. Suffering.
This was, in a way, a balance
between the two. The Dark One would agree not to re-forge the Wheel to suit his
grim desires. There would be no enslaving of mankind, no world without love.
There would be no world at all.
The Wheel of Time |
IT IS WHAT YOU PROMISED ELAN, Rand
said. YOU
PROMISED HIM AN END TO EXISTENCE.
I OFFER IT TO YOU, TOO, the Dark One
replied. AND TO ALL MEN. YOU WANTED PEACE. I GIVE IT TO YOU. THE PEACE OF THE
VOID THAT YOU SO OFTEN SEEK. I GIVE YOU NOTHING AND EVERYTHING.”
“Rand did not reject the offer
immediately. He grasped the offer and cradled it in his mind. No more pain. No
more suffering. No more burdens.
An ending. Was that not what
he had desired? A way to end the cycles finally?
NO, Rand said. AN END TO EXISTENCE IS NOT PEACE. I MADE THIS
CHOICE BEFORE. WE WILL CONTINUE.
The Dark Ones pressure began
to surround him again, threatening to rip him apart.
I WILL NOT OFFER AGAIN, the Dark One
said.
“I would not expect you to,” Rand said as his body returned and the threads of
possibility faded.
Then the true pain began.”
This
is where the 180-degree flip comes in.
In TWOT Moridin wanted an end to existence. I believe the Night King wants just the
opposite – IMMORTALITY. Bran utters the
words that he knows to be true, “Valar Morghulis”.
Does the Night King believe something similar? |
“Egwene died.
Egwene |
Rand screamed in denial, in
rage, in sorrow.
“Not her! NOT HER!”
THE DEAD ARE MINE.
“Shaitan!” Rand yelled. “Not her!”
I WILL KILL THEM ALL, ADVERSARY.
Rand bent over, squeezing his
eyes shut. I will protect you, he thought. Whatever else happens, I will see
you safe, I swear it. I swear it.. .
Oh, Light. Egwene’s name
joined the list of the dead. That list continued to grow, thundering in his
mind. His failures. So many failures.
He should have been able to save
them.
The Dark One’s attacks
persisted, trying to rip Rand apart and crush him all at once.
Oh, Light. Not Egwene.
Rand closed his eyes and collapsed, barely
holding back the next attack.
Darkness enclosed him.”
Bran
will experience the same when Meera dies; he will remember being Bran again. He will remember how he felt about her and
everything he said to her in the end.
“The girl caught him staring at her and smiled.
Bran blushed and looked away.”
“Meera
began to cry.
Bran
hated being crippled then. “Don’t cry,” he said. He wanted to put his arms around her, hold her
tight the way his mother used to hold him back at Winterfell when he’d hurt
himself. She was right there, only a few feet from him, but so far out of reach
it might have been a hundred leagues. To touch her he would need to pull himself along the
ground with his hands, dragging his legs behind him. The floor was rough and
uneven, and it would be slow going, full of scrapes and bumps. I could put on
Hodor’s skin, he thought. Hodor could hold her and pat her on the back. The thought made
Bran feel strange, but he was still
thinking it when Meera bolted from the fire, back out into the darkness of the
tunnels. He heard her steps recede until there was nothing but the voices of
the singers.”
“The Pattern spun around Rand, forcing him to watch. He
looked through eyes streaming with tears. He saw the people struggle. He saw
them fall. He saw Elayne, captive and alone, a Dreadlord preparing to rip their
children from her womb. He saw Rhuarc, his mind forfeit, now a pawn of one of
the Forsaken.
Rhuarc |
The Forsaken |
Bran will see this happening
to Danerys as Rand saw it happening to Elayne:
Ilyena was last. We are
reborn, Rand thought, so we can do better the next time.
So do better.
He opened his eyes and placed
his hand before him, palm against blackness that felt solid. His self that had
fuzzed, becoming indistinct as the Dark One ripped at it, pulled together. He
placed his other arm down, then heaved himself to his knees.
And then, Rand al’Thor—the
Dragon Reborn—stood up once again to face the Shadow.”
Bran
will come to terms with Meera dying and he will get to his feet and stand to
face the COTF.
“Rand faced the Dark One in
that place that was not, surrounded by all time and nothing at the same time.
His body still stood in the cave of Shayol Ghul, locked into that moment of
battle against Moridin, but his soul was here.
He existed in this place that
was not, this place outside of the Pattern, this place where evil was born. He
looked into it, and he knew it. The Dark One was not a being, but a force—an
essence as wide as the universe itself, which Rand could now see in complete
detail. Planets, stars in their multitudes, like the motes above a bonfire.
Could the cave drawing actually be a depiction of Bran seeing the universe like Rand? |
The Dark One still strove to
destroy him. Rand felt strong despite the attacks. Relaxed, complete. With his
burdens gone, he could fight again. He held himself together. It was difficult,
but he was victorious.
Rand stepped forward.
The Darkness shuddered. It
quivered, vibrated, as if disbelieving.
I DESTROY THEM.
The Dark One was not a being.
It was the darkness between. Between lights, between moments, between eye
blinks.
ALL IS MINE THIS TIME. IT WAS
EVER MEANT TO BE. IT WILL EVER BE.
Rand saluted those who died.
The blood running across rocks. The weeping of those who witnessed others fall.
The Shadow threw all of it at Rand, intent on Rand's destruction. But it did
not destroy him.
“We will never give in,” Rand
whispered. “I will never give in.”
The vast Shadow thundered and
shook. It sent jolts through and across the world. The ground rent, the laws of
nature fractured. Swords turned against their owners, food spoiled, rock turned
to mud.
It came upon Rand again, the
force of nothingness itself trying to pull him apart. The strength of the
attack did not lessen. And yet, suddenly, it felt like an idle buzzing.
They would not give up. It
wasn’t just about Rand. All of them would keep fighting. The Dark One’s attacks
lost meaning. If they could not make him yield, if they could not make him
relent, then what were they?
Within the tempest, Rand
sought the void as Tam had taught him. All emotion, all worry, all pain. He
took it and fed it into the flame of a single candle.
Tam finding Rand in the snow; metaphorically the same as Ned find Jon at the Tower of Joy |
He felt peace. The peace of a
single drop of water hitting a pond. The peace of moments, the peace between
eye blinks, the peace of the void.
“I will not give up,” he
repeated, and the words seemed a wonder to him.
I CONTROL THEM ALL. I BREAK
THEM BEFORE ME. YOU HAVE LOST, CHILD OF HUMANKIND.”
“If you think that,” Rand
whispered into the darkness, “then it is because you cannot see.”
Bran
will come to realize the truth of what is really happening. He will see the Night King about to strike
his body as if frozen in time. He will
feel the fear that now exists in the COTF.
They will also make boasts of being able to kill everyone that he loves
and cares about. Bran will become
himself again and feel for those who have fallen and those weeping for those
who have died. The attack of the COTF
will lessen. A calm settles over Bran…
“YOU CANNOT FATHOM IT, CAN
YOU? Rand demanded of the darkness. IT IS BEYOND YOU. YOU BREAK US, AND STILL
WE FIGHT! WHY? HAVEN’T YOU KILLED US? HAVEN’T YOU RUINED US?
YOU, the Dark One replied. I
HAVE YOU.
Rand stepped forward. In this
place of nothing, the Pattern seemed to swirl around him like a tapestry. HERE
IS YOUR FLAW, SHAITAN— LORD OF THE DARK, LORD OF ENVY! LORD OF NOTHING! HERE IS
WHY YOU FAIL! IT WAS NOT ABOUT ME. IT’S NEVER BEEN ABOUT ME!
Bran
will come to the same conclusion as Rand.
He will finally see that the Lord of Light aka the Children of the
Forest (COTF) IMO could have killed any of them at any moment but, why hadn’t they?
The Night King had Jon and crew trapped why not just kill them? |
It was about a woman, torn and
beaten down, cast from her throne and made a puppet—a woman who had crawled
when she had to. That woman still fought. – In TWOT this was Morgase Trakand. The Queen of Andor who lost
everything that made her queen, who was presumed dead, but yet she still
fought.
In
ASOIAF I believe this will be Margaery Tyrell.
I never believed her to be dead in the TV show either but that wasn’t
the case. In the books, I believe that
she will make herself known again in the dragonpit meeting. For more details see: Is there a small chance Margaery could have survived?
From Queen... |
To this |
It was about a man that love
repeatedly forsook, a man who found relevance in a world that others would have
let pass them by. A man who remembered stories, and who took fool boys under
his wing when the smarter move would have been to keep on walking. That man
still fought. – In TWOT this was Thom Merrilin.
In
ASOIAF this will be none other than Davos.
He took both Gendry and Jon Snow under his wing when he knew that
getting himself involved with these two would most likely get him killed. I believe that he will disregard his own
advice and get himself killed as a result of it.
Davos |
Gendry |
It was about a woman with a
secret, a hope for the future. A woman who had hunted the truth before others
could. A woman who had given her life, then had it returned. That woman still
fought. – In TWOT this was Moiraine Damodred.
In
ASOIAF this will be Melisandre. Like
Moiraine who spent her life searching for the prophesied savior she did the
same with “The Prince That Was Promised”.
In TWOT Moiraine lived but since I believe that she will willingly give
her life and trigger the prophecy that makes Jon Snow Azor Ahai; her life will
not be returned. The only way it could
is if Beric gives her the kiss of life at the expense of his own.
It was about a man whose
family was taken from him, but who stood tall in his sorrow and protected those
he could. – In TWOT this was Perrin Aybara.
In
ASOIAF this will be Jon Snow. Jon’s
entire life was taken from him but when it came down to it, despite it all, he
fought and protected all that he could.
It was about a woman who
refused to believe that she could not help, could not Heal those who had been
harmed. – In TWOT this was Nynaeve al’Meara.
In
ASOIAF this will be Daenerys. I believe
that she and Jon will have a falling out over how the war should be run and
most flock to his side. I don’t know if
she will go completely to the dark side but if she does Bran will still
remember her fight to do what she thought was right to help others.
It was about a hero who
insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero. – In TWOT this was
Mat Cauthon.
In
ASOIAF it will be his counterpart Tyrion.
Tyrion the unlikeliest of heroes will risk everything to save them all.
Tyrion will once more do something heroic but he won't die |
It was about a woman who would
not bend her back while she was beaten, and who shone with the Light for all
who watched. Including Rand. – In TWOT this was Egwene al’Vere.
In
ASOIAF this will be her counterpart Sansa.
Sansa was beaten and mistreated at the hands of Joffrey, in the TV show
by Ramsay, but she didn’t break. She
will shine when the moment comes and in the end, she will become the next Queen with the Hound at her side as long as the monarchy still remains. When all is said and done I believe there will
be a new form of government in place.
Sansa beaten |
But she never broke |
It was about them all.
He saw this, over and over, in
the Pattern arrayed about him. Rand walked through eons and ages, his hand
passing through ribbons of the Patterns light.
HERE IS THE TRUTH, SHAITAN,
Rand said, taking another step forward, arms out, woven Pattern spreading
around them. YOU CANNOT WIN UNLESS WE GIVE UP. THAT’S IT, ISN’T IT? THIS FIGHT
ISN’T ABOUT A VICTORY IN BATTLE. TAKING ME . . . IT WAS NEVER ABOUT BEATING ME.
IT WAS ABOUT BREAKING ME.
THAT’S WHAT YOU’VE TRIED TO DO
WITH ALL OF US. IT’S WHY AT TIMES YOU TRIED TO HAVE US KILLED, WHILE OTHER
TIMES YOU DIDN’T SEEM TO CARE. YOU WIN WHEN YOU BREAK US. BUT YOU HAVEN’T. YOU
CAN’T.
The darkness trembled. The
nothingness shook, as if the arches of the heavens themselves were cracking.
The Dark One’s shout was defiant.”
“Within the void, Rand continued
forward, and the darkness trembled.
I CAN STILL KILL, the Dark One
bellowed. I CAN STILL TAKE THEM ALL! I AM LORD OF THE GRAVE. THE BATTLE LORD,
HE IS MINE. ALL ARE MINE EVENTUALLY!
Rand stepped forward, hand
stretched out. In his palm sat the world, and upon that world a continent, and
upon that continent a battlefield, and upon that battlefield two bodies on the
ground.”
I
believe that they want to break Bran not only because he is stronger than they
are but they want to turn him over to their way of thinking and make him one of
them.
“THE SON OF BATTLES. I WILL
TAKE HIM. I WILL TAKE THEM ALL, ADVERSARY. AS I TOOK THE KING OF NOTHING.”
“Rand stood above the Pattern
and looked down at the fallen men in a land where hope seemed to have died. “You
have not been watching closely enough. About one thing, you are wrong. So very
wrong . . .”
Cornered and alone, a boy
huddled in a cleft in the rock. Horrors with knives and fangs—the Shadow itself
made flesh—dug at his hiding place, reaching with nails like knives and ripping
his skin.
Terrified, crying, bloodied,
the boy raised a golden horn to his lips.”
Horn of Valere |
Unknown
to the COTF Sam has rediscovered the greatest secret that history had long
forgotten. The Horn of Winter will sound
and the “Old Kings of Winter” will be summoned along with the hero’s that it has
claimed over the ages.
Horn of Winter |
“Tuon frowned. The explosions reflected in her dark eyes.
“I’m with child,” she said. “The Doomseer has confirmed it.”
Mat felt a jolt, as sure as if a firework had gone off
inside of his stomach. An heir. A son, no doubt! What odds that it was a boy?
Mat forced a grin. “Well, I guess I’m off the hook, now. You have an heir.”
“I have an heir,” Tuon said, “but I am the one off that hook.
Now I can kill you, if I want.”
Mat felt his grin widen. “Well, we’ll have to see what we
can work out. Tell me, do you ever play dice?”
I believe Dany will get
pregnant in the books by Tyrion and in the end where Tuon was joking with Mat; Prior
to watching season 7 I thought it would be Tyrion who would kill Daenerys. But I have adopted my theory to fit the
current facts of the TV show. For more
details see: Daenerys Targaryen
and Tyrion Lannister; the ties that bind
“Mellar knelt beside Elayne, pressing the medallion
against her head to stop her from channeling. This could have gone in a very
different way, my Queen,” he said. “You should have been more accommodating.”
Light. That leer was an awful thing. He had gagged her,
of course, but she did not give him the satisfaction of crying.
She would find a way to escape this. She had to shake
free of the medallion. Of course, if she did, there was still the channeler.
But if she could evade the medallion, then strike quickly . . .
Pity that your little Captain-General isn’t alive to
watch,” Mellar said. “Fool that she was, I really do think she believed that
she was Birgitte from the legends.” Elayne heard a soft sound in the distance.
The ground vibrated. An earthquake.
She tried to concentrate, but she could only think that
Birgitte had been right all along. It was fully possible for the babes to be
safe, as Min had foretold, while Elayne herself was left dead.
White mist climbed up from the ground around them, like
the souls of the dead, curling. Mellar stiffened, suddenly.
Elayne blinked, looking up at him. Something silvery
jutted from the front of Mellar’s chest. It looked like ... an arrowhead.
Mellar turned, knife dropping from his fingers. Behind
him, Birgitte Silverbow stood over her corpse, one foot to either side of the
headless body. She raised a bow, bright as newly polished silver, and released
another arrow, which seemed to trail light as it struck Mellar in the head and
pitched him to the ground. Her next shot took Mellar’s channeler, killing the
Dreadlord with a silver arrow before the man could respond.
All around them, Mellar’s men stood as if paralyzed,
gaping at Birgitte. The clothing she now wore seemed to glow. A short white
coat, a voluminous pair of pale yellow trousers and a dark cloak. Her long
golden hair hung in an intricate braid, down to her waist.
“I am Birgitte Silverbow,” Birgitte announced, as if to
dispel doubt. “The Horn of Valere has sounded, calling all to the Last Battle.
The heroes have returned!”
What happens to Elayne will
happen to Daenerys. Cersei takes the
place of the Black Ajah and Euron becomes Mellar. He will attempt to take control of the future
heir to the Iron Throne and make himself regent or “Protector of the Realm” to
seize power for himself. The Horn of
Winter will be blown and those tied to it will return to fight. Among them will be Ygritte who will take the
place of Birgitte. She will kill Euron
and save the baby but Daenerys will not make it. In the TV show it will probably be Theon that
gets to shoot the arrow that kills his uncle Euron completing his redemption. For more details see: Why "There
must always be a Stark in Winterfell" and why "Winter is Coming"
Cersei |
Euron |
Ygritte |
Theon in killing Euron, in a similar fashion as he saved Bran, will complete his redemption arc |
“YOU THINK I WILL RETREAT? the
Dark One asked.
The thing that spoke those
words was something that Rand could never truly comprehend. Even seeing the
universe in its entirety did not allow him to understand Evil itself.
I NEVER EXPECT YOU TO RETREAT,
Rand said.”
“I BELIEVE YOU INCAPABLE OF
IT. I WISH YOU COULD SEE, COULD KNOW, WHY IT IS YOU CONTINUE TO LOSE.
Beneath them, on the
battlefield, the Trollocs had fallen, beaten by a young gambler from the Two
Rivers. The Shadow shouldn’t have lost. It made no sense. The Trollocs had the
greater force.
However, Trollocs fought only
because the Myrddraal forced them—on its own, a Trolloc would no more fight
something stronger than a fox would attempt to kill a lion.
It was one of the most basic
rules among predators. Eat that which was weaker than you. Flee from that
stronger than you.
The Dark One seethed with a
boiling anger that Rand felt in this place as a physical force.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED,
Rand said. WHEN HAVE YOU EVER INSPIRED THE BEST IN MEN? YOU CANNOT. IT IS
OUTSIDE YOUR POWER, SHAITAN. YOUR MINIONS WILL NEVER FIGHT ON WHEN HOPE IS
LOST. THEY WILL NEVER STAND BECAUSE DOING SO IS RIGHT. IT IS NOT STRENGTH THAT
BEATS YOU. IT IS NOBILITY.
I WILL DESTROY! I WILL REND AND BURN! I WILL
BRING DARKNESS TO ALL, AND DEATH WILL BE THE TRUMPET I SOUND BEFORE MY ARRIVAL!
AND YOU, ADVERSARY . . . OTHERS MAY ESCAPE, BUT YOU WILL DIE. YOU
MUST KNOW THIS.
OH, I DO, SHAITAN, Rand said softly. I EMBRACE
IT, FOR DEATH IS—AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN—LIGHTER THAN A FEATHER. DEATH ARRIVES IN A
HEARTBEAT, NO MORE TANGIBLE THAN A FLICKER OF LIGHT. IT HAS NO WEIGHT, NO
SUBSTANCE____
Rand strode forward, speaking
louder. DEATH
CANNOT KEEP ME AT BAY, AND IT CANNOT RULE ME. IT COMES DOWN TO THIS,
FATHER OF LIES. WHEN HAVE YOU INSPIRED A PERSON TO GIVE THEIR LIFE FOR YOU? NOT
FOR THE PROMISES YOU GIVE, NOT FOR THE RICHES THEY SEEK OR THE POSITIONS THEY
WOULD HOLD, BUT FOR YOU. HAS IT EVER HAPPENED?
The darkness grew still.
BRING MY DEATH, SHAI’TAN, Rand
growled, throwing himself into the blackness. FOR I BRING YOURS!”
Bran
realizes he is about to die but in that instant he sends an image to the Heroes
of the Horn. He shows them where they
COTF exist in the real world.
“As Hodor he explored the caves. He found
chambers full of bones, shafts that plunged deep into the earth, a place where
the skeletons of gigantic bats hung upside down from the ceiling. He even
crossed the slender stone bridge that arched over the abyss and discovered more
passages and chambers on the far side. One was full of singers, enthroned like
Brynden in nests of weirwood roots that wove under and through and around their
bodies. Most of them looked dead to him, but as he crossed in front of them
their eyes would open and follow the light of his torch, and one of them opened
and closed a wrinkled mouth as if he were trying to speak. “Hodor,” Bran said
to him, and he felt the real Hodor stir down in his pit.”
Brynden Rivers |
Bran
sees the destruction of the COTF hiding in their caves by the Heroes of the
Horn and then he does what comes to him as easily as breathing. He reached out with his mind and wargs the
thing closest to him; THE NIGHT KING.
Bran’s body dies as the Night King slashes it with a fatal blow but the
following is the story that explains this story: What it means that Bran was touched by the Night King
“On the other wall, the windows looked at the great
cities of the world. Rand passed Tear, where the Stone was now a museum to the
days of the Third Age, with the Defenders as its curators. None of this
generation had ever carried a weapon, and were baffled by the stories of their
grandparents having fought. Another showed the Seven Towers of Malkier, built
strong again—but as a monument, not a fortification. The Blight had vanished
upon the Dark One’s death, and the Shadowspawn had fallen dead immediately. As
if the Dark One had been linked to them all, like a Fade leading a fist of
Trollocs.”
The Stone of Tear |
Fade leading a fist of Trollocs |
The series ends showing a
book called “A Song of Ice and Fire” in a museum that used to be the Castle Black. It will switch to the merchant
handing the book to a child mentioning that this is the most popular book in
the history of their world. It pans to
the cover and shows the words written by Samwell Tarly. Imagine his father never thought he would
amount to anything:
Castle Black |
Comments encouraged. Love to hear the
ideas of others. Most believe that since I present my idea’s as “fact
like” I’m not open to change my viewpoints which is far from the truth. I
simply look at the information presented and go from there. If you can
shine a light on another way of thinking that opens the door to debate.
I didn't put in the main body of this post but could it be that Daenerys gets pregnant with twins like Elayne in TWOT?
ReplyDeleteI LET THEM THINK THEY WON.
ReplyDelete“Why?”
MANY WHO FOLLOW ME DO NOT UNDERSTAND TYRANNY.”
“MEN WHO THINK THEY ARE OPPRESSED WILL SOMEDAY FIGHT. I WILL REMOVE FROM THEM NOT JUST THEIR WILL TO RESIST, BUT THE VERY SUSPICION THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.
WHAT I SHOWED BEFORE IS WHAT MEN EXPECT. IT IS THE EVIL THEY THINK THEY FIGHT. BUT I WILL MAKE A WORLD WHERE THERE IS NOT GOOD OR EVIL.
THERE IS ONLY ME.”
What if the COTF let us think we won all those thousand of years ago and it is just them that are herding men like sheep. They revive the White Walkers every few thousand years to give us something to fight against to keep our numbers in check.
Part 1:
ReplyDeleteThe death of Brandon Stark (Ned's Brother) and father IMO is what brought the White Walkers out of hibernation and in symmetrical fashion the death of Bran (Brandon Stark) will end the White Walker advance as well.
I believe that everything that Rhaegar did was the result of the prophecy he read that changed his life. I believe that the Benjen Stark also read a prophecy that caused him to join the Nights Watch and do everything that he did. So where did these prophecies come from? I believe that they were from the book Signs and Portents a book of visions written by Daenys Targaryen prior to the Doom of Valyria. These prophecies IMHO were given to her by a greenseer most likely Bran himself.
I believe that the scroll that Rhaegar read was left where it was for him to find at the moment he needed to find it. It most likely told him of future events to come. It most likely told him of things about himself that no one would have known to let him know that it was legitimate to start with. From that moment on he was basically a victim of circumstance. It described to him the events of Roberts Rebellion but laid out the facts that all of it was necessary. Look at it this way what would you do if you got a few pages from a book that knew your deepest thoughts and desires; something that only you knew what would you do if it then proceeded to tell you that unless you became this person the world as you know it was doomed? I think the same thing happened with Benjen. He read a scroll that told him something about himself that only he himself knew and then proceeded to tell him that he had to take the Black when say after his Father and brother were killed and it laid out the circumstances. He sees that played out and knew it to be real. It then tells him to take the Horn of Winter with him. The horn which seems to have escaped notice in the TV show as it is shown only once. I believe that also tells him that he is to take this horn with him ranging when his nephew takes the black. He is lost but not before that occurs he buries the horn with dragonglass and wraps it in the cloak of man of the Nights Watch per the instructions. We know that Jon finds this bundle via help from what I believe was his direwolf Ghost who had been warged to lead him to it.
So why is the horn important? I believe that this horn played a vital role in taking own the Night's King, the thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch; even though the details seem to be lost to time. I believe that the Stark in Winterfell was entrusted with the secret of the Horn and it was passed from father to son but with the death of both Lord Rickard Stark and his heir Brandon Stark the secret of the horn was lost and that IMHO was what brought the White Walkers back to begin with. They or at least the Night King being a greenseer knew that the one thing that stopped their powerplay the last time was taken off the board. So now they begin rebuilding their forces with the help of Craster. If you are a book reader you know the horn still has a large role to play because after Jon found it and thought it broken because he couldn't get it to sound he gave it to Sam as a souvenir of his time ranging beyond the Wall. As scared as Sam was when the Walkers and Wights attacked, after losing his sword and forgetting to attach the notes to the ravens, he somehow doesn't lose something as useless as a broken horn. It makes its way back to the Wall and then with him all the way to his journey to the Citadel. I would say that horn is important!
A lot of people think that Rhaegar was going to overthrow his father after the war was over but I don't think so. I think that he was going to say he didn't even want to be in the line of succession anymore. Below are his last words before he marched off to battle:
Part 2:
ReplyDelete“The day had been windy when he said farewell to Rhaegar, in the yard of the Red Keep. The prince had donned his night-black armor, with the three-headed dragon picked out in rubies on his breastplate. “Your Grace,” Jaime had pleaded, “let Darry stay to guard the king this once, or Ser Barristan. Their cloaks are as white as mine.”
Prince Rhaegar shook his head. “My royal sire fears your father more than he does our cousin Robert. He wants you close, so Lord Tywin cannot harm him. I dare not take that crutch away from him at such an hour.”
Jaime’s anger had risen up in his throat. “I am not a crutch. I am a knight of the Kingsguard.”
“Then guard the king,” Ser Jon Darry snapped at him. “When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey.”
Rhaegar had put his hand on Jaime’s shoulder. “When this battle’s done I mean to call a council. Changes will be made. I meant to do it long ago, but . . . well, it does no good to speak of roads not taken. We shall talk when I return.”
I think the prophecies that he read only went that far. After that I believe he thought his part was over and that he wanted to be free to live his own life as so much of what made him him was taken as a result of the prophecy.
It's funny but people don't get upset when I lay a theory out like this but the minute I tell them where it truly comes from all hell breaks loose and they start downvoting my posts because it doesn't fit nicely in their view of GRRM. All this comes from The Wheel of Time and most of the major story arcs that are playing themselves out in ASOIAF can be found in TWOT.