The Marstons
Given John’s connection with wolves, I felt it fitting to make him a Stark. He does not strike me as a Ned type, but the stubborn and gruff demeanor fits with a Northern house in my opinion. Additionally, there is something to be said about the Starks being the main characters which influenced my choice here.
In this AU, my vision is that John still meets a tragic fate, and Jack will pursue revenge. I still need to figure out the details, but I have chosen to keep the Marstons’ daughter (Clementine) alive, which may actually change the course of Jack’s life after John and Abigail’s deaths.
Abigail’s maiden house is Blackwood because it just felt fitting. I actually chose it before finding out that Cregan Stark marries Alysanne Blackwood in HOTD, but it further solidified this decision in my head.
The Morgans
To be fair, making Arthur a Baratheon stemmed from seeing Lyonel Baratheon’s antlers in AKOTSK. However, Ned and Robert’s friendship in GOT also contributed here.
Arthur’s not a true born; his mother was common, but his father arranged to legitimize him as his heir when his death neared because he did not sire any other children. Because of this, despite being Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, Arthur struggled to find a marital alliance (Mary will be discussed in a later post). Eventually, he married Eliza from house Selmy, a relatively minor house in terms of wealth. I believe their marriage to be of mutual respect and convenience, resulting in Isaac, who is a few years older than Jack.
The Matthews
Hosea being an Arryn fits in my head personality wise and also because of the existence of Jon Arryn in the main GOT story. Just like with Robert and Ned, Hosea acted as a second father to Arthur and John, so this parallel works with the lore of both GOT and RDR2.
I made Bessie a Hersy because the sigil is really pretty (sue me) and because it is a noble house from the Vale sworn to house Arryn. I also found a tidbit about a queen consort from this house to a king of house Arryn, who was described as “an intelligent and bold woman that tried to dissuade her husband in his war making”, which fits nicely with Bessie trying to make Hosea leave the outlaw life behind at some point.
The Van der Lindes
Making Dutch a Blackfyre gives him enough power to be a threat and also enough of a complex to explain his delusions of grandeur. I also like the idea of making him a problem. When I first posted the drawing of him and Molly, someone mentioned that the design reminds them of Bittersteel, so I thought about making his mother a Bracken, but that would make him related to Kieran in my au, so I decided that his mother was from house Mudd of Oldstones instead.
I believe he’d be legitimized (to be a Blackfyre instead of just a Rivers) later on in his life, which would provide a period of time where he might be close to someone like Hosea and Arthur and John as his wards. Blackwater rush (where the Blackfyres were given land before the rebellions) is not that far from the Eyrie, so this is plausible (I hope). Also, during this time, he’d meet Annabelle (of house Sunderland of the Three Sisters). Obviously, given Dutch’s status as a bastard at the time, they could not marry, which would chip at Dutch’s pride and be a factor contributing to his eventual decision to attempt to usurp the throne.
I made Molly a Redwyne because it is said to be one of the wealthiest houses of the Reach (and because they are gingers). Her marriage to Dutch would either stem from her house’s attempt to ally themselves with who they believe will be successful in his taking of the throne or it could be a decision out of Molly’s own volition made under the impression that Dutch is what she desires. The latter is more akin to how she leaves her former life behind for Dutch in the game.
Also here are some family trees:
