#empressyerdua

[joannalannister]

You're the expert on the Lannisters: what do you think Tyrion will do w/ his dragon before he uses it to fight the Others? Will he use it destructively in the Westerlands, or Lannisport, or anywhere else?

I’m not an expert, but you’re very kind! I only speculate that Tyrion will get to fly on a dragon, and if -- if -- he does, I don’t know when that happens, what his mindset will be, where we’ll be in the story, etc, so I really can’t say!

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

It's almost certain that neither Sweetrobin nor Harry will survive the series. In that case, who will rule the Vale?

There’s lots of other Arryns not in the direct line, including the wealthy Arryns of Gulltown. Probably one of them, or someone from another Vale family more closely related to the direct line. (Someone descended from one of Jon Arryn’s possible aunts or uncles, rather than his sister as Harry is.) I’m sure the nobility of the Vale know what the succession is, they’re invested in that sort of thing. If it’s relevant, we’ll find out too.

@somedudewithacatidk replied:

Ever hear the Timmett theory?                    

I know about the Timett theory, it’s silly. Even if the Waynwood daughter who was kidnapped by Burned Men is the mother of Timett son of Timett, the idea that the Vale lords would acclaim a wildling barbarian as their lord is ridiculous. Nobility doesn’t work that way. Even if Timett knew of or pressed his claim, nobody would follow him. The proud lords of the Vale would have him killed before he ever got near the Arryn throne.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

If Bran becomes KitN at the end of the series, do you think his kingdom will include the Riverlands too, because the Riverlords acclaimed Robb king? If not, who will rule the Riverlands?

Whoever rules the North at the end of the series, I doubt their kingdom will include the Riverlands. The Riverlords’ support was limited and temporary and has almost entirely gone except for a few holdouts. Not to mention that the extremely different culture and history and geography of the Riverlands would not stand up well with the North in a fractured Westeros. Also, if the somewhat far-out theory that there will be a literal fractured Westeros is true – that another Hammer of the Waters will hit the Neck again and separate the North from the rest of Westeros for good this time – then there really won’t be a reason for the kingdom of the North to include the Riverlands.

Who is to rule? Edmure Tully, very probably.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Do you think Sansa will actually marry Harry, or will he be killed before it can happen?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Could go one way or the other at this point.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Do you think Davos will return w/ Rickon in time for Stannis or the northern lords to proclaim him Lord of Winterfell/KitN? Bran's whereabouts are unknown and he is unlikely to return before Rickon, so Rickon as Ned's putative last trueborn son comes ahead of his sisters and bastard brother, none of whom are likely to challenge his claim. What do you think?

I think it’s possible Rickon could return to the North in time for a(n ultimately pointless) Stark succession conflict. But the trip to and back from Skagos is going to be very difficult (GRRM didn’t mention “dead things in the water” for nothing), and Skagos itself is not going to be any picnic either. So, it could happen, but it might not.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

If KL & the IT are destoyed and Westeros breaks up into separate kingdoms again, who will the Iron Bank expect to pay the Iron Throne's debts?

Whoever controls the Crownlands maybe? Though currently the Iron Bank is dunning Stannis Baratheon, so maybe whoever his heir would be, whoever controls the Stormlands? Or maybe the Iron Bank will just write it off as a loss? But I think you’d probably be better off asking @racefortheironthrone how historical banks handled loans to dead kings, all that sort of thing.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Do you think Sam will be Lord of Horn Hill at the end, or will Dickon? Or something else?

Probably Dickon will rule Horn Hill after his father, unless he dies during the various endgame wars. In which case it’ll probably be Sam’s next oldest sister. (He has 3 of them; one’s named Talla and we don’t know the names of the other two.) Unless something terrible happens to all of Sam’s immediate family, in which case Horn Hill would likely go to some Tarly cousin we don’t know about yet. (Reachmen tend to have large families, it seems.)

But short of some severely radical changes to Westeros and/or Sam’s storyline, I don’t see Sam ever inheriting Horn Hill. Nor Aemon Steelsong (as Sam’s claimed bastard with Gilly, even though he’s actually Mance’s son), unless, again, severely radical changes. For now I’d probably bet on Sam’s sister, but Dickon might pull through, never know. (He’s only 12, and younger characters are probably more likely to make it than older, considering.)

[joannalannister]

Do you think that Gerold really killed Cerelle?

Tybolt succeeded him as Lord of Casterly Rock, only to perish himself two years later under suspicious circumstances. A young man in his prime, Lord Tybolt left no heir of the body save for a daughter, Cerelle, three years of age, whose reign as Lady of Casterly Rock proved cruelly short. In less than a year, she too was dead, whereupon the Rock and the westerlands and all the wealth and power of House Lannister passed to her uncle, Gerold, the late Lord Tybolt’s younger brother.

A genial man, known to be exceedingly clever, Gerold had served as regent for his young niece, but the suddenness of her death at such a tender age set tongues to wagging, and it was whispered widely in the west that both Lady Cerelle and Tybolt had died at his hands.

No man now living can say with certainly whether there was any truth to these whispers, for Gerold Lannister soon proved himself to be an exceptionally shrewd, able, and fair-minded lord, greatly increasing the wealth of House Lannister, the power of Casterly Rock, and the trade at Lannisport.

It’s possible he killed her, but my immediate reaction is no. He already had all the power as her regent, and if he really wanted to become Lord of Casterly Rock, there was a legal way to do that without kinslaying. Uncle/niece marriages aren’t strictly prohibited by the Faith, though consummation would have to wait at least 10-15 years. 

I tend to think we’re meant to draw a parallel with Tyrion here, who was also wrongfully blamed for the death of his brother’s child. (“I overheard some, m'lord,” said Shae, “[…] That was when he told me how he meant to be king.”) Gerold also liked books and didn’t get along with Tywin. 

I also don’t think Rohanne would fall in love with a baby-killer, but that’s just my interpretation.