At the End

The end of today's reading makes me excited for the next book. What will the Night's Watch do to fight against the Others? Will Drogon be tamed? Is Aegon a Targaryen or a Blackfyre and will he succeed in taking the Iron Throne? Jon Stark, or Jon Targaryen? What main character will get their head chopped off next(my moneys on Cersei)? Only time will tell.......

Broken

Reek could hear no more. "Please, m'lord, m'lady, there's been some mistake." He fell to his knees, trembling like a leaf in a winter storm, tears streaming down his ravaged cheeks. "I'm not him, I'm not the turncloak, he died at Winterfell. My name is Reek." He had to remember his name. "It rhymes with freak."
How the mighty have fallen, Theon Greyjoy was taken captive by Ramsay Bolton, formerly Ramsay Snow, and Theon was tortured until his breaking point. Ramsay had even removed Theon's genitals just because he could. Ramsay gave him the name Reek, and told him to only go by that name. Once I hated Theon, he turned on the North and turned Winterfell into ruins, but once I read this passage I couldn't help but feel sad, Theon has been abandoned by everyone around him, I wish they would kill him already for the sake of mercy.

Theon Greyjoy, now turned into Reek, a broken servant

Winds of Winter is Coming...

I suspect that in the upcoming Winds of Winter that we will learn what promise Eddard made to his sister during the rebellion. There are only two who know what promise that was, Eddard, who is dead, and Howland Reed, head of House Reed and one of Eddard's closest friends. During the rebellion Eddard, Howland, and other rebels sacked the Tower of Joy to rescue Lyanna, and only Eddard and Howland survived. My guess is that he will have his own chapter in the book, recounting the day the promise was made, and I say it will prove the R+L=J theory. This theory is that Rhaegar plus Lyanna equals Jon Snow and has strong evidence to back it up, such as Jon having more Targaryen features while his half-siblings have Tully features.I, along with many other readers, agree with this theory and honestly hope that it is true, making a good character that more interesting.

Sh0ckMasteR as....

Jon Snow, I would say I would be Jon Snow. Why would I want to be the Black Bastard of the North(unless the R+L=J theory is true)? Simply put, I want to help defeat the Others, and slaying each with Longclaw until my glorious duel with the Great Other, in which we fight to the death to determine if the fate of Westeros awaits in the Long Night. But all I know is that Winter is Coming.

Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch

Lighbringer

30 days and 30 nights, a sword was forged to bring light to the world, and the sword was shattered. 50 days and 50 nights, a sword was forged to bring light to the world, and the sword was shattered. 100 days and 100 nights, a sword was forged to bring light to the world, and the sword burned bright. Lightbringer is the sword forged by Azor Ahai to defeat the army of the Great Other, the god of darkness, cold, and death. A thousand years later, the Others return to bring darkness to the world, but the world was already dark. Westeros is in turmoil, war erupts, the dragons return, and families of great houses are destroyed. Azor Ahai reborn is here, but no-one knows who, but once revealed, the wielder of the blade will unite a world torn by broken trust, and trust will once again bring light to a dark world.

A Dance with Dragons Questions

Through my reading of the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series, there are a few questions I still have:

Who is Azor Ahai reborn?
It is believed that Stannis Baratheon is Azor Ahai reborn, his sword Lightbringer, Melisandre's claim, and Stannis's dragon blood are his only claims.

Daenerys Targaryen is also a likely possibility. She is of the dragon blood, and is unscathed by fire; Aemon Targaryen believes her to be Azor Ahai reborn, as a dragon has no gender.

Jon Snow is my personal most likely contender. Melisandre has only seen him in her fires, Jon has a dream where he fights the White Walkers with a burning red sword in his hand. There is a theory that Jon is actually the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, and Eddard made a promise to Lyanna that he would raise the boy as his own, this would mean he would have the dragon blood within him. Jon chose his duty to the Night's Watch over his love for Ygritte. He indirectly caused her death by warning Castle Black of the incoming wildling raid. Similar to Azor Ahai sacrificing  Nissa to complete Lightbringer, thus I believe Jon to be Azor Ahai reborn.

Victarion Greyjoy is another possibility. Although he is not of the dragon blood, a ritual was performed at sea, which provided the salt and the smoke. He also beat his previous wife to death, which is a connection to Nissa Nissa.

Azor Ahai completing Lighbringer by sacrificing Nissa Nissa.



What is "Griff's Motivation?
Griff's identity is actually Jon Connington, a personal friend of Rhaegar Targaryen, who is believed to gave drank himself to death. Instead he has raised Rhaegar's surviving son Aegon so he could one day take the Iron Throne, but why is Jon doing this? It was implied that Jon actually fell in love with Rhaegar, as Jon often refers to Rhaegar as his "silver prince," this is strengthened by his disdain for Elia Martell, Rhaegar's wife. It is stated that Griff has failed the father, but he will not fail the son, but I believe there is something more going on, but I don't know what.

How did Maegor the Cruel die?
Although this is before the book's time, one question I often wonder is how Maegor I Targaryen died. Maegor was the son of Aegon the Conqueror by Visenya and was the third Targaryen king to sit on the Iron Throne. He was one of the greater Targaryen warriors, he was even larger than his father at a young age, but his rule was not peaceful. He had many polygamous marriages, and sired many still-born monsters, and he often executed those who defied him. After rebellion started and many of his supporters left him, he was left a broken man. He was left alone to brood on the Iron Throne, but the next morning they found him dead with his wrists slit. Some say he was killed by one of his kingsguard, most say the Throne itself killed him, as the throne is made of swords. It is most likely that he had killed himself by slitting his own wrists on the blades of the throne and left himself to bleed out, but it is still unknown how he was killed.

Maegor I Targaryen, third King of Westeros, often called "Maegor the Cruel."

Savage Messiah explains A Dance with Dragons

1. Insurrection Rising:
Never mind the black horizon
Never mind the approaching storm
No regard for losing pace
No sympathy this time

Fight!
Unite!
Unmitigated fury
Rise!
Despise!
Vindication as the insurrection rise

• The black horizon describes the Drogon, the black dragon that blocks out the sky. The approaching storm refers to the ironborn capturing the north. No regard for losing pace refers to Daenerys Targaryen staying in Meereen. Fight, unite, unmigated fury refers to the rebellion against House Baratheon whose saying is Ours is the Fury.

2. Corruption X:
You swear your life upon the cross
False idols, you would believe
Defiler of the truth
Come forth to me

• This entire verse refers to how many use the gods for their own personal gain.

3. In Absence Of Liberty:
A world held hostage to its god
Ever searching for reprieve
Expendable to the machine
Trapped completely cannot leave

• This verse explains that once in the game of thrones, you cannot quit the game.

4. The Serpent Tongue of Divinity:
 Wrath and perdition directed by wisdom
Now forced to your knees to reap basic needs
What’s right or wrong? It’s just a vision
Mankind created just like your prison cell

• I believe this refers to Stannis Baratheon believing himself to be Azor Ahai reborn.

5. Vigil of the Navigator:
 To see the damned returning and face the disconcerting
Reveals within
The key to self-destruction born out of blind instruction
Distorting true

• This refers to the White Walker hordes fighting against the Night's Watch.

6. Enemy Image (Dehumanization):
 Masters of elimination
Killers of control
They’re bred in violence
Death in their soul and with its instigation
Propaganda’s heart
Strength born from severance
Now fear dehumanize

• The Unsullied soldiers are perfectly explained in this verse, they are the best soldiers in all of the world.

7. Silent Empire:
To build a silent empire
Mired by disgrace
The vacant shadows raise your throne
To mitigate your soul

They scream my name over again
They are invisible and ingrained

• This describes the burden of Daenerys building her own army and gaining the trust of the people of Meereen.

8. The Nihilist Machine:
Rising through the land of the blind
To serve the one-eyed king
Subordination of your subconsciousness
Enslaved by culture and pursuit of success

Wreathed in sadness soulless prevail
Wisdom conceived in lies

• If one is not loyal to the king Baratheon, even if he speaks falsely, they will be punished.

9. He who Laughs Last:
Fight!
Into eternity fall
Fight!
Obscured delusion contorts

Forsaking final agony
To remove total disparity

Into new seclusion
Born out of resurrection
To smote my only enemy
And so he who laughs last
Becomes the vindicated
Eradicates the fallacy

• War never ends in their world, The Stranger is the only one laughing.

10. Zero Hour:
The day has come, The lies are gone
The weakness cries, The sky undone
And all abound, To which lay waste
As reasons lost and in their place

Memories are tainted
The lines that crack the sky
The march to depravation
Assuring no one with their

Words of solace
Cast to the fire
All is lost
With words untrue
They wait in line for the

ZERO HOUR
ZERO HOUR - They wait in line for the
ZERO HOUR
ZERO HOUR - They wait in line for the
ZERO HOUR

• I believe this explains that all the conflicts in the story will bring the world to an end, no more lies, dragons tear the sky apart, armies slaying each other, and the coming of Azor Ahai reborn(which I believe to be Jon Snow.)