#jonos arryn

[julio-claudian-saberface]

Jonos Arryn yeeting Ronnel out the Moon Door: Did anyone ask ME if I wanted a ride on the dragon? No! No they did not!

[asoiafandotherbooks]

TWOIAF/Fire & Blood: Thoughts on Rebellions

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

In the previous two posts of a World of Ice And Fire, I recapped the rebellions Aenys faced in his first year as king. The second post was long so I’ll share my thoughts of the events in this post.

Aenys was weak and indecisive. How he can be so surprised over these rebellions? It has been less than forty years since the Targaryens conquered Westeros. A conquest that caused tens of thousands of deaths. There are still survivors of the Conquest alive during Aenys’ reign. We have countries in the real world that were conquered/colonized centuries ago, and there is still much resentment, anger, and bitterness over it. Forty years is nothing in comparison.

Aenys was told to use Quicksilver at Harrenhal and he declined. Dragons are the only deterring force the Targaryens have – if they aren’t going to be used to put down rebellions, what do the opposing forces have to fear? Minus the dragons, the Targaryens are just another Westerosi lord.

Aenys’ sole contribution to resolving these disputes was to send Lord Alyn Stokeworth. Even that decision was multiple choice: sail to the Vale, stay in King’s Landing, pursue Harren the Red.

The Rise of the Dragons mentions Aenys’ resentment of Visenya but he should thank the Old Gods and the New that he had her. Visenya was the one to take decisive action to end these rebellions. Visenya had to be seething at Aenys’ weakness and indecisiveness. Aenys should also be grateful that various lords stayed loyal and took their own initiative to resolve these conflicts.

As to why the four rebellions erupted at that time – I understand why the rebels sensed a weakness – Aegon the Conqueror is dead, Balerion unclaimed, Rhaenys and Meraxes are dead, Aenys is unfit for the throne…but Visenya, Vhagar, and Orys Baratheon are still alive. All three are battle-hardened and took active parts in the conquest. Maegor has shown to be an individual who is not be messed with. Did the rebels assume Aenys wouldn’t allow Visenya to take charge? Does Visenya seem like someone who can be put in the corner. Or did they pull a D&D and simply forget about Visenya, Vhagar, Orys, and Maegor? Visenya and Orys lost a sister to the Conquest, Orys lost his hand in the war with Dorne – there was no way they were going to stand aside and let their dynasty be overthrown.

As for the individual rebellions, I wrote most of my thoughts on Harren the Red post, but I would love to know more about him: actual descendant of Harren the Black, descendant of a survivor of the original Harrenhal staff, a Joker-type spreading anarchy in the Riverlands for fun?

The Vale – Jonos had to seriously resent Ronnel to not only overthrow him but also to murder him. Kinslaying is such a taboo in Westeros that Roose Bolton and Tywin Lannister refuse to commit the crime. Jonos threw Ronnel out the Moon Door without a second thought. Would the Crown have intervened if Jonos simply proclaimed himself the new Lord of the Vale as opposed to the “King of the Mountain and Vale”? Jonos was stupid to rely on the natural defenses of the Eyrie to protect himself as Visenya had already proven that strategy to be useless during the Conquest. Jonos and fellow conspirators must have peed themselves when Maegor and Balerion (!) showed up on their doorstep. I wish we had been told Visenya’s thoughts on the death of Ronnel – the one moment of softness she receives in the entire story is when she takes Ronnel on a dragon ride after securing the Vale’s submission. Sending Maegor and Balerion, along with the execution of the conspirators even after their surrender – could be an indication of Visenya’s anger over the situation.

The Iron Islands – Goren Greyjoy was an intelligent man. He knew he couldn’t battle dragons, but he could put down a crazy drowned priest. In a decisive moment, he ended Lodos Reborn’s rebellion, preventing an invasion from mainland forces, and was able to secure a boon from the Iron Throne. Said boon enabled Goren to expel all Septas and Septons from the Iron Islands. Goren is now vastly elevated in his fellow Ironborns’ esteem as he has now eliminated the hated Faith of the Seven from the Iron Islands. Take that, Lodos!

Dorne – Not surprising that Dorne had the largest rebellion. The Dornish War was less than thirty years ago, and massive atrocities were committed by both sides. The Targaryens must take most of the blame since they started the confrontation with Dorne. Hatred runs deep between the sides. It’s noted that few Dornish lords participated in the rebellion so most of the Vulture Kings’s forces could have been survivors/descendants of the survivors of the Dragon’s Wroth. I imagine if you aren’t a rich Dornish lord, and your home/land/family destroyed by fire-breathing dragons, and you don’t have the resources to rebuild – well, joining a rebellion against the dragon overlords might seem like a great idea.

Was Deria Martell aiding the Vulture King? After all, it was Deria’s father that made peace with Aegon Targaryen, not Deria. Does Deria have more of her grandmother in her than her father? Deria’s grandmother, the Yellow Toad (sorry, I’m blanking on her first name) was defiant to the end. Deria may wish to war against the Targaryens but knows it’s a battle she can’t win, so as the Vulture King rampages, she throws her hands up and says “so sorry, Vulture King bad, wish he would stop” while doing nothing to stop his rebellion?

Orys Baratheon died happily while avenging his most humiliating defeat. Orys’ death left Visenya truly alone – she is now the last of her generation of Targaryens. We don’t receive any details of Orys’ relationship with his sisters, only that he was very close to Aegon. Argella Durrandon Baratheon – did she mourn? Was she relieved to be a widow? Was she still alive at this point?

So many fun characters involved in the Vulture Hunt – “Savage” Sam Tarly, Ellyn “Lady Nightsong” Caron, Harmon “No-Nose” Dondarrion! Would love to know more about these characters. Don’t mess with marcher lords or ladies, they’re crazy!

Up next, the one-close bond between the brothers dissolves.

[arharmon]

asoiaf meme: (8/9) great houses of westeros.

“The Arryns are direct descendants of Andal invaders, who sailed across the Narrow Sea and came ashore at the Fingers.”

[laannie0803]

Lady Sharra Arryn fue la Reina Regente del Reino de Montaña y el Valle, gobernando en nombre de su hijo, el rey Ronnel Arryn, hasta la invasión de Poniente por Aegon I Targaryen.

Sharra era considerada una de las mujeres más bellas de Poniente, llamada por ello la Flor de la Montaña. Era diez años mayor que Aegon I.

Después de que Aegon lanzase su ataque e hiciera conocer sus intenciones a los gobernantes de los Siete Reinos independientes de Poniente, Sharra le envió un retrato de sí misma y le ofreció su mano en matrimonio con la condición de que Aegon hiciera a su hijo su heredero. Aegon se negó. El Valle se anotó una victoria contra los invasores en la Batalla de Puerto Gaviota, aunque la flota Arryn fue reducida a las cenizas por Visenya Targaryen. Con la flota de Arryn destruida, las Tres Hermanas se rebelaron contra el Nido de Águilas.

Mientras Aegon iba acumulando regiones de Poniente, Sharra acumulaba el ejército del Valle en la Puerta de la Sangre. Sin embargo, Aegon envió a Visenya al Nido de Águilas montando su dragón Vhagar. Mientras la Reina Regente estaba fuera vigilando las fortificaciones de las puertas de Piedra, Nieve y Cielo, Visenya aterrizó sobre Vhagar en el patio de Nido de Águilas. Sharra volvió a la sala del trono para descubrir a su hijo sentado sobre las rodillas de la reina. Él preguntó: "Madre, ¿puedo ir a volar con esta dama?"

Ninguna otra amenaza fue dicha o sugerida. Sharra Arryn reunió las tres coronas, la pequeña de su hijo, la de su marido muerto y la suya propia, y se las dio a la reina Visenya. Después de ésto Sharra dobló la rodilla jurando lealtad, los Arryn fueron declarados Guardianes del Oriente y Defensores del Valle.

Lady Sharra Arryn was the Queen Regent of the Mountain and Valley Kingdom, ruling on behalf of her son, King Ronnel Arryn, until the invasion of Westeros by Aegon I Targaryen.

Sharra was considered one of the most beautiful women in Westeros, called for this the Flower of the Mountain. She was ten years older than Aegon I.

After Aegon launched his attack and made his intentions known to the rulers of the Seven Independent Kingdoms of Westeros, Sharra sent him a portrait of herself and offered him her hand in marriage on the condition that Aegon make his son his heir. . Aegon refused. The Valley scored a victory against the invaders at the Battle of Seagull Harbor, though the Arryn fleet was reduced to ashes by Visenya Targaryen. With Arryn's fleet destroyed, the Three Sisters rebelled against the Nest of Eagles.

As Aegon accumulated regions of Westeros, Sharra accumulated the army of the Valley at the Gate of Blood. However, Aegon sent Visenya to the Eagles' Nest riding his dragon Vhagar. While the Queen Regent was out guarding the fortifications of the Stone, Snow and Sky gates, Visenya landed on Vhagar in the courtyard of Eagles Nest. Sharra returned to the throne room to discover her son sitting on the queen's knees. He asked: "Mother, can I go fly with this lady?"

No other threats were said or suggested. Sharra Arryn collected all three crowns, her son's little one, her dead husband's, and her own, and gave them to Queen Visenya. After this Sharra bent the knee swearing fealty, the Arryns were declared Guardians of the East and Defenders of the Vale.

[bitchfromtheseventhhell]

“he drove me to this, mother.  he was weak, can’t you see?”

“jonos, what have you done?”

sharra had climbed from the bed, her old bones creaking.  she had moved slowly.  how quickly she had run into the godswood when she’d heard the flapping of dragon’s wings, how quickly because that was where her ronnel was, her sweet boy, her sweetest...

“ronnel’s gone flying again, mother.”

ronnel had always loved to speak of the time queen visenya had taken him on dragonback.  nothing would ever be so exhilarating, he had told his brother for years.  jonos had been too small, hardly more than a babe in arms.  as if ronnel had been more than a brave child.  

and now he was gone.

“you swore not to hurt him.  swore not to hurt any of them.”

there had been anger in her voice.  alyssa arryn had not wept for the deaths of her husband, brothers, and children, but sharra had found herself screaming at her second son.  oathbreaker.  kinslayer.  curse of my blood.

“and when father died, he became king.  he forsook his oath to the vale.  it’s a wonder that his line was allowed to live so long.”

then she had seen the blood on his sword.

“even the children, jonos?”

“they were weak too, mother.”

“they were your nephews!  the blood of the kings of mountain and vale and the kings of winter!”

“no.  the blood of the lord of the mountain of the vale.  i am king.  i can deal with stark if he comes calling.”

she had thrown herself at him, beating her fists against his chest, trying to slap his face, trying not to think of little artys, who fancied himself the falcon knight come again, or little aemma who had taken to climbing everything.  she did not let herself think of lysara, whose blood undoubtedly mixed with her children’s on sharra’s son’s sword, and the vertigo she had suffered from whenever she had to go up or down the mountain.  “starks were not meant for mountains,” she had japed every time.  there had been tears on her face, and rage in her heart and her son had held her.

“come, mother.  in time you’ll see why i did it.  when you’ve had your time to grieve.  this is for the better.”

“ronnel at five had more wisdom about dragons than you do as a man.”

sharra looked at jonos’ face.  it was purple, and swollen alongside the men he’d used to take the eyrie and slay his kin.  how long they’d leave him in the noose, she did not know.

she leaned on a walking stick and looked across the courtyard of the bloody gate, feeling all of her seventy-five years in the weight of her necklace.  she saw king maegor standing there, arms crossed.  he nodded to her.  he is a fearsome man.

but his mother was kind to my ronnel.

she dipped into a creaky curtsey.

hubert, her husband’s nephew, was a good man.  he had kind sons.  he would make a strong lord of the vale.  

but he was not a child of her flesh. 

he’d never ridden a dragon.

[westerosims]

Maegor flies to the Eyrie on Balerion to deal with the kinslayer, Jonos Arryn.

[westerosims]

beautiful and resilient sharra arryn meets her tragic end at home in the vale. she leaves the kingdom to her eldest son, ronnel arryn.

[westerosims]

Jonos Arryn sequesters his brother and his brother’s wife in the High Hall. When House Royce begins amassing followers to deal with Jonos, he pushes Ronnel from the Moon Door. Ronnel’s wife, the daughter of Torrhen Stark, perishes in the uprising as well.