and later Jaime, both

For Jaime to come around like he does, was an incredible development in his character I thought. It's really easy to hate him at first, but he is actually a really admirable character, because even coming from the family he does, and knowing what's expected of him, he realizes he can do better than that and can be a better person. Really interested to see what becomes of him when the series continues/finishes.

Hope they keep the suspense up with the whole 'killing Bran/Ricken' thing. With other people having died, I didn't know what was going to happen to them. Just heard the 'news' across the continent that they had been killed and their heads were on spikes outside the wall, so I was like FUCK NO. Then later when you find out they pulled a fast one, was all YESSSSSS.

Can't fucking wait to see how Arya becomes one of the Faceless Men. She is one of my favorite characters because of just how much shit she goes through. She goes through more hardship than virtually any other character I think, and it's made worse because she's so young IMO. She didn't want to be a lady, and she got her wish. But it turned out to be far different than she imagined it probably. Life is fucking rough.

Also, hope the show doesn't shy away from the whole mysticism/magic bit with Beric Dondarrion. They probably won't be able to properly delve into the details as much, but dying 7 times is a pretty major plot point in his character.

The storyline for Cersei is basically a long tale of being fucked over simply for being a woman, which explains why she is so bitter by the time we get to A Feast For Crows (which I'm near the end of now). There's the fact she was told she would be promised to Rhaegar, who everyone loved, but ended up getting married to Robert. She was separated from Jaime at a young age (because they were boning each other obviously).

When she does marry Robert, she is happy for all of a day when he drunkenly refers to her by a dead girl's name on their wedding night. It also emerges that Robert not only beat her from time to time, but regularly raped her when drunk. She loves her kids and is devastated when Myrcella is taken away and when Joffery dies and sees Tyrion as a threat to her children. This is all in addition to what I discussed before, with her being a woman and thus forced to use cunning rather than brutality. She's also well aware that whoever takes the throne will slaughter her family, as Robert had the Targaraeyn offspring killed when he gained power.

In hindsight as the story progresses it's obvious why she is so bitter. She's an interesting character.

As nice a guy as Robb is, he completely fucks over everyone who followed him into the war.

The main theory I've heard is that Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. A result of when she was taken.

Now, at first I thought ehhhh maybe. However it wouldn't be unheard of for the hair color to come out different. Think about it. Targaryens always have blonde children, but they also marry their siblings. Dany and Viserys were the result of a sibling marriage. The Baratheon's are also a line from Aegon V and an 'unknown Baratheon'.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php...aryen_tree_now

So if all Targaryens are supposed to have had fair colored hair, this could be a result of always marrying siblings. The Baratheon's had different color hair. Their genes almost always result in black hair. So what's to say Rhaegar and Lyanna wouldn't have had a dark haired child? Rhaegar has a child with a woman who isn't a Targaryen, and her gene takes over, resulting in Jon's black hair.

It's also said the dragon has three heads. We know of Dany, Aegon (the youngest, traveling with the Gold Company). Who is the third? And who better to ride a dragon, than a skinwalker named Jon Snow? (Or Jon Targaryen, as it were).

At the end of the last book, Jon Snow was stabbed. However, we were also shown how a skinwalker was trapped in his animal. So, perhaps Jon travels into Ghost's body (aptly named Wolf, ne?). Melisandre, could then bring him back to life. We've seen what R'hllor can do with people. Beric and Catlyn for instance.

In the dungeon with Eddard Stark, it was mentioned in the books (dont remember if it did in the show) that there was so much he wished he could tell Jon. He felt a sense of shame about him. And it's never revealed who his mother is. Eddard took that to his grave.

So, could we be in for a surprise? Could Jon Targaryen end up as King of Westeros with Daenerys as his Queen?

we know Ned has been set against Robert killing all the Targaryen offspring, so it would be natural that he may claim Rhaegar and Lyanna's bastard as his own to stop the child being murdered by Robert. Jon Snow's resemblance to Ned and "Northern" looks are emphasised early on, as he and Arya are the only children who look like true Starks. Ned's other kids look more Tully than Stark. Barriston Selmy alludes to it all, however, and also gives support to the idea that on Snow is the bastard of Ashara Dayne and Ned.

Most of the Stark kids have shown a connection with their respective direwolves. The common thing is they all had Ned Stark as father. Honestly I would be a bit pissed if Jon Snow turned out to be Targaryen.

So he's a bastard. So? Cersei was scared shitless of Robert's bastards because she was afraid one of them might seek a claim to the throne one day. Being a bastard means very little except that people typically take a lot of shit for being one. The author has also made a somewhat big deal out of Gendry, Robert's last male bastard, still being alive. Her own children are technically bastards as well. People that don't even have a claim to the throne can come in and claim it. That's what Robert did. He took it from the Targaryens. Being King in Westeros isn't always some noble birthright that was passed down to someone. However, if Jon Snow WAS Rhaegar's son, then he would have almost the same claim to the throne as Aegon does, them being half brothers. Aegon being first of course.

Lyanna was Eddard's sister. She is a Stark. With the whole 'other blood overriding Targaryen blood' as was proved by the Baratheon line, Lyanna Stark's dominant genes passing on to Jon Snow would certainly give him a resemblance to the Stark family. I believe the 'warg' ability to be a Stark trait that has simply manifested itself in this generation of Starks. There's no reason to believe it would be unique to Ned Stark. Arya had dreams, we know Brann is a warg. Jon saw from the eyes of his wolf that night he came across the wildlings I believe. Why does it have to be only from Ned Stark? The Starks are descended from a long line of Northerners. It's very likely that there were wargs in the family in the past.

Further, why even make a big deal out of not knowing who Jon's mother is if she is just some wildling woman? Why the big secret (in the writing, not necessarily in the world of the characters) It's alluded to because that's the story everyone there knows. Of course Ned isn't going to tell someone who Jon's real parents are. Even Ned, when talking with Robert, never admits the name of the woman. He deflected and changed the subject and they moved on and never came back to it. The more I think about it, the more it begins to make sense.

Ned Stark was willing to die for his honor. Why would a man who is willing to die for honor, cheat on his wife and have a child with another woman, and then even bring him back to parade his broken honor around Winterfell for the next 15 years?

Of course it matters that he is a bastard. Aegon takes precedence because he is trueborn, Dany would also be ahead of Jon if such a scenario is true. The importance of Gendry was as evidence that Robert's actual offspring have his features and that the Lannister offspring are undeniably Lannisters. It's actually a flakey sort of evidence but it works in the logic of the story. The reason Robert's bastards are being murdered is not because they have any claim to the throne whatsoever, it's because they are evidence of Cersei and Jaime's incest. Cersei is only afraid of being usurped by a younger, more beautiful queen, who she believes to be Margary Tyrell but is more likely to be Dany.

Stannis retained one of Robert's bastards so he could either present him as evidence or burn him for having King's blood, however, Stannis is next in line and after Stannis is his daughter, now that Renly is dead. A bastard has no claim to his father's inheritance unless he is legitimised by Royal decree, as Bolton's bastard is. He is literally the only bastard in the book who stands to inherit his father's power and is raised to lordship. Jon Snow is offered the chance by Stannis but refuses it.

The reason Ned may keep Jon's mother's identity a secret is possibly because he is Rhaegar and Lyanna's bastard for the reasons I discussed above (and you've strangely taken as an argument against the theory), however, equally it could be to protect the name of Ashara Dayne (not a wildling, not sure where you've conjured that one up from as I never mentioned it) and over Ned's shame at her killing herself when he left. Equally taking Jon Snow under his care would be a sense of responsibility for the boy following his mother's death.

Ya, I was wondering where you got the "Ashara Dayne is a wildling" part.

I can see where Stark blood overpowering Targaryen blood comes in to retain Jon Snow's warg abilities though.

The more I think about it now, it could well be the reason George Martin had Jon Snow decline Stannis' offer to be declared a legal Stark and be Keeper of Winterfell was to have a potentially dying Stannis (who is currently King after having beater the Lannisters and Boltons but defeated by Aegon) declaring Jon Snow a true Targaryen. Jon Snow and Daenerys could then team up against Aegon and win. Lots of if's and but's here but I guess I changed my mind.

Huh? Nah, I agree with the points you brought up there. Some of that was me restating a few things for VSG's argument. Don't think I said anything that conflicts with what you said. Your point was definitely spot on, I just thought I needed to expand on it because I was thinking about it more. The bit about Ned's honor and Stark family lines and all.

It wasn't anything you said, but I thought it was assumed from the books that Ashara Dayne was a wildling woman? I could be wrong about that. In fact, I probably am. That was something that was in the back of my mind that sounded correct at the time.

Also, one of the other theories floating around the internet is that Tyrion is actually the son of Aerys (the mad king) and Joanna, Tywin's wife. That this is where the bad blood came from. http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2010/...nes/index.html They present a pretty solid argument actually, although I'm less convinced of this as I am of the theory about Jon Snow. There are a few things that just don't make sense to me - such as why Tywin would keep Tyrion alive if he knew.

Although it still has its merits. His obsession with dragons, his mismatched eyes and the description of his hair, possibly denoting mixed lineage. Tyrion spoke of how he dreamed of flying on a dragon. Either the musings of a dreamer, or foreshadowing. Tywin's last words to him - "You...you are no...no son of mine." - which could be seen as spite, which is how Tyrion took them, or they could be the last words of one of the most calculating men in Westeros. He also told Tyrion that he would NEVER be the lord of Casterly Rock. Does he hate him that much, or does he suspect or possibly know more? Keeping Tyrion alive would be a much more humbling character trait if Tywin DID know, but it would also go hand in hand with his cruelty toward Tyrion over the years. Maybe he kept him alive for Joanna's sake? Maybe it wasn't her fault that Aerys took her? He was The Mad King after all.

The 2nd and 3rd theories on the page have less merit, but the first about Tyrion seems plausible.

The main problem I have with this is that the dragon is supposed to have 3 heads. Dany, Aegon, aaand? The Jon Snow theory sounds more plausible to me. If he is the third head, then it wouldn't make sense for Tyrion to also be a Targaryen.

In the event that something happens to Aegon (seeing as he is not really a POV character in the books, and I'm sure more people are going to die in the next 2 books) then that would leave open the possibilities of Tyrion and Jon being the 2nd and 3rd heads of the dragon.

Dunno. Up until a couple days ago, I hadn't even thought of the possibility of an established character being someone other than who we think they are. But some of these theories actually have parts which seem plausible.

Ashara Dayne was a noble lady, the younger sister of Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, who is considered a fucking legend by everyone.

Not sure if this has come up previously, but Melisandre said that Azor Ahai would be reborn 'amidst salt and smoke'. Many readers seem to have taken to the idea that this person will have had at some point lived on Dragonstone.

However, At Jon's 'Death' it is said that his wound is 'smoking' and also notes that Bowen marsh was crying during the attack (salt in his tears).

Could Jon Snow be Azor Ahai reborn? I cannot see him being killed off at this point so have to assume that Melisandre will either 'raise him' or will have foreseen the attack and sent another man dressed in a 'glamour' of Jon Snow.

Robb is like 15 or 16 when he is proclaimed King of the North and starts commanding troops and kicking Tywin's ass.

Slaver's Bay, and hopefully The Unsullied

Interesting that they have cast the Reed children even though they were not present when Bran and Rikkon left Winterfell.