#Elias being a bastard for over 2000 words

[imalwaysintune]

A Compulsion

So do y’all remember the YouTube video where Ben Meredith reads out stuff in Elias’ voice? yeah this is based on that moment. you know the one

(in case you don’t actually know it’s the ‘read that statement jon… nice and slow’ complete with link!)

Enjoy!

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“Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean even if he were to tell you, I can’t send you in there with a good conscience,” Martin was almost pleading with Jon at this point. He didn’t want to see Jon ruined by Elias, especially considering what they had just learned; exactly the way Gertrude Robinson had died.  

Jon waved off Martin’s concern with a flick of his hand. “I’m not risking anyone else Martin. At least I know he’s not going to kill me.” Jon replied, his tone much more sure than he actually felt.

“Just… please, at any sign of danger, get yourself out of there. The truth isn’t worth anything if it means your life,” Martin said, sadness lacing his voice with every word.

Oh Martin, Jon thought just as sadly, If only you knew.

The trek to Elias’ offices felt like forever. It was at this moment that Jon had a strange thought. He wished to be taller. He was under the average height for a man his age, and was made to feel small by many people in his life. He wanted to be the intimidating one for once, but the thought made him chuckle. 

When he reached Elias’ door, a thick feeling settling in the space in front of the looming door. He’d never felt it before, but it was almost… welcoming. He placed his hand on the knob and turned quickly, knowing Elias would have Seen his coming.

Just as he predicted, Elias was sitting at his desk, fingers laced in an almost ironically villainous way. Jon had the strangest urge to laugh once again, but thought it was best he kept it to himself. Instead, he walked himself over to Elias’ desk and sat down in the chair opposite him.

Elias only smiled. A calm, rational smile that spoke not of what Jon knew. It almost made Jon angry, that someone could be so calm when they’re figured out to be a murderer. But the thick sensation hadn’t lifted, and it felt like all of Jon’s emotions were muted. Instead of waves filling his head, it was syrup, thick and slow.

He began to speak, to tell the story that he had figured out after years of research and failed attempts. How he figured out about Elias’ murder of Gertrude. Of Leitner. Yet he still didn’t seem phased. Jon was pouring his heart out and accusing this vile man pf murder and yet Elias never wiped that smug look of his face.

Soon Jon’s ramble came to a halt, and he was exhausted. His head felt like it was brimming to the edge with a thick sludge and he felt himself losing consciousness. He fought so, so hard against the black on the edges of his vision. He tried to call out to somebody. Anybody. Martin…

But Martin didn’t come. No one did as Jon finally lost the battle and he was consumed by the darkness.

When Jon finally awoke, the first thing he noticed was the pounding in his head. He felt like someone was beating against the inside of his skull. For all he knew, someone was. He couldn’t think straight, couldn’t form a single thought. It was so thick, like he was swimming in a bog and couldn’t get his head above the filth for long enough to catch a breath. Was he in Hell?

Finally, after what felt like hours, he heard a voice speak through the fog in his head, clearer than spring water rolling down the mountains.

“You know, Jon, I quite enjoyed your little power play there. Made me feel more alive than I have felt in… awhile.” He couldn’t see him, but Jon knew he was grinning. The sick bastard.

“I hope you find comfort in the fact that you were entirely correct in your accusations. Yes, I killed Gertrude, and then I killed Leitner a few years later. It happens in my line of work, you see. Sometimes we must put others down for our own ends, Jonathan.” Elias purred, his voice bringing the ground ever closer to Jon’s feet. 

The fog finally, finally, started to clear and Jon could see out of his own eyes once again. He could form coherent thoughts, could feel the surface he was laying on  dig into his back. He blinked rapidly at the space around him. It was somewhere he’d never seen before, though that thought didn’t surprise him.

He searched the room for Elias slowly, and found him at the opposite end, leaning lazily along the wall. He was staring at Jon with this look of amusement that enraged Jon, and he tried to stand. But only resistance met him as his wrists and ankles were held by strong rope. He realized that he’d been strapped to a couch, and the rope binding him was tied tightly. He wasn’t going to be able to get them off himself.

“Are you planning to kill me?” Jon tried to speak evenly, but even he could hear the horrible shaking of his voice. It was audible as he spoke the words, and even as he tried to draw air back into his lungs. But the sludge was back, and it was surging throughout his entire body.

“Silly Archivist,” Elias spoke. “I do not wish to kill you, and I don’t want you thinking you’re a martyr. You were simply a fool to try and confront me yourself. Now no one knows you’re here, and they’re freaking out looking for you.”

“Am I still in the Archives?” Jon asked, cursing himself for sounding so scared.

Elias quickly pushed off from the wall and walked with purpose towards Jon. He hated the way his body involuntarily whimpered, fear grabbing hold of his heart and lungs and constricting him. Weirdly enough, Jon welcomed the sensation as it cleared the sludge in his body enough to see Elias. To really see Elias.

He was wearing something completely different than what he had been wearing before Jon had passed out. In fact, they were more unique than any clothes Jon had seen the man in before. He was wearing what at first looked like a butler’s costume. He was wearing a full green piece suit, topped with a waistcoat that made him look like an 1800′s steampunk professor.

Jon was shocked, but his neck was hurting to the point he was seeing stars. His head slammed back down onto the couch and it felt so heavy. Soon Elias’ choice of outfit seemed the least of his concerns. He felt the urge to scream as his body betrayed him. After a few minutes of Jon mentally beating himself up, certainly not for the first time in his life, Elias spoke and brought him out of it.

“No, Jon, you’re not in the Archives anymore. You’ve been out for a week, actually. I thought you might not actually pull through after all, but alas, here you are. Alive and well. Well, maybe not well, but certainly alive.” Was Elias rambling?

“What could you possibly want with me, Elias. I didn’t even have a plan after I told you what I knew. I just wanted to let you know that I found out everything,” Jon stared up at the ceiling as he said this, but soon felt a weight sink into the couch next to him. Elias’ face appeared in his vision.

“Little Archivist,” Elias cooed. “You really have no idea about any of this, do you? I thought you’d be a little further along in this process, but I guess I was wrong. For how much better of an actual archivist you are, you certainly aren’t up to par with learning as quickly as Gertrude.

“You see, I’m hungry, Jon. I feed my patron as it feeds me, but it hasn’t nearly been enough. So you will be my food, and I will force you to satisfy me in any way I choose. Just remember that it could be worse. I could eat you whole.”

Elias said the last word with such conviction that it rattled Jon to his bones. He could do nothing but stare at Elias as pure shock captured his body. What did he mean, what was he talking about. He didn’t get those answers as Elias loosened the ropes on Jon’s wrists and sat him upright on the couch.

Jon’s bones ached, and he heard multiple pops as he was dragged upwards. He almost cried out as the pain in his head became unbearable, but he managed to bite his tongue before he gave Elias the satisfaction. When the pain finally subdued enough that he could open his eyes, he looked at Elias in bafflement. 

He looked tired, could see circles under his eyes that he has not seen just moments before. Or maybe it was because he hadn’t thought to look for them, so his brain failed to relay the message. In all honesty, Elias looked horrible. More horrible than me, Jon thought.

Elias reached under the couch for something that Jon couldn’t see, but it seemed heavy from the way he was struggling. When the box finally came into Jon’s view, it looked normal, harmless. Elias quietly removed the box after a seconds consideration and sighed, as if it was a great pain for him to do so.

The box was filled with papers, the type of paper that the Archives have to take down statements. Even in Jon’s muddled state, he could tell the statements were powerful, though he didn’t exactly know how. All he knew was that the waves that had become almost familiar were washing the sludge away and he could fully think again. 

Even though a part of Jon wanted to fight, wanted to push and shove his way out of whatever situation he had gotten himself into, a larger part of him wanted to know what was about to happen. He craved the Knowledge of whatever was in the box Elias held, and he wasn’t keen on ruining the chance that had been handed, well, pounded into him. 

His eyes were locked on the box, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Elias smirking. He made a mental note to curse himself later after this was all over for giving Elias exactly what he wanted.

Elias grabbed a statement from the top of the box and held it out to Jon, gesturing that he should take it. But he hesitated. He didn’t know what he was getting into, and he wanted Elias to explain beforehand. At least, until Elias spoke.

“Read that statement, Jon. I know you want to,” Elias spoke quietly, his voice low and throaty. 

The rope around Jon’s wrists barely had the slack to allow him to grab the paper. Jon felt tired. So tired and he just wanted to curl into a ball and be held. By whom, he didn’t know. A name floated at the edge of his consciousness but he couldn’t concentrate on anything else but the paper in his hands to remember what it was. 

And he began to read. Losing himself in the statement, barely registering as Elias… drank up every word that Jon was saying.

And he didn’t read just one. They sat there for hours as Elias made Jon read every single statement. He felt the energy being poured from him and flowing into Elias, but he was helpless to stop it. The statements were too powerful, his physical form too weak right now. 

When the box was finally empty, Elias spoke for the first time in hours. 

“Just like that, my little Archivist,” Elias cooed once more, before Jon’s body finally granted him comfort and threw himself into a fitful sleep. 

Jon woke up to the sound of a steady beeping and snoring. He jerked up, panicking while checking his wrists for rope he knew wasn’t there. The snoring figure in the corner sat up with a jolt and rushed over to Jon’s side.

“Jon! Oh thank goodness, you’re okay,” Martin said, grabbing Jon’s hand with a strength he could barely handle but was grateful for.  It grounded him.

“Martin, what happened? Where am I?” The voice that left Jon’s throat didn’t sound like his own, breathy and weak.

“Jon, you’re in the hospital. You went missing for a week before we found you in the tunnels under the Archives. You’ve been in a coma for three weeks,” Martin sounded like he was on the verge of tears as he explained everything to Jon. “Where were you, Jon. You couldn’t have been in the tunnels for the entire week.”

Jon tried to explain, but when he tried to cast his memory back, the last thing he remembered was talking to Martin about what he’d found out. He no longer held the memory of Elias or the statements. He looked Martin in the eye and shook his head. “I have no idea, I’m sorry Martin,” He said quietly.

“No, Jon, don’t you apologize to me. Everyone is guessing it’s Elias, but I was too worried about you to care about him. I’ve been here everyday with you since you were admitted. I’m almost starting to like the hospital coffee,” At this, Jon smiled. “Almost.”

“Thank you, Martin. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I don’t know either, Jon. Let’s get you out of here.”

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This one was honestly very hard to write as it was literally based on a joke premise. But i got inspired and so here we are. 

Please feel free to shoot me an ask with any requests or anything!

Thank you so much for reading this and i’ll see you on the next one!

(Also! I wrote an nsfw version: link!)

[a-secret-bolton-vampire]

Young Griff, Part 1: The Pisswater Prince

So, I know I haven't done a super deep dive in a while. I kinda got stuck, then binged Sense8, The OA, The Americans, and Dark. It just got hard to write, and I feel into a bit of depression. But I finally managed to complete this, something I've wanted to write about for a very long time. This is part of the Daenerys essays, but the main focus is not on her, but rather the enigmatic Young Griff who appears in ADWD. As he was never seen on the TV show, we have little to no idea of what his future holds. Personally, of all the characters cut from the show, I most wish they kept Young Griff, because his presence is quite interesting. The fandom (and the in-world characters) are highly skeptical of his identity, and think he is destined for major things in the future of the story.

There is no doubt his existence is tied heavily to Daenerys's storyline, although perhaps not the way that is often recognized. This was originally going to just be one long essay, but I uncovered more and more that I found compelling enough to write, and so it became split into two parts. The first part will be about Aegon's role in the story; his identity, what he represents, why he is here. The second part will be about Aegon's future; his next moves in the Stormlands, possible allies, and how he might meet his end.

The Dubious Prince

What's curious is that apparently, Aegon's return has been considered by GRRM for quite a while. A mere 2 days before the publishing of ASOS, in 2000, GRRM was asked a question by a fan:

Fan: I was wondering if you could answer (or take the "fifth") one teeny little question I've been dying to ask for the past year: Are Aegon and Rhaenys, Elia's children, well and truly dead? GRRM: All I have to say is that there is absolutely no doubt that little Princess Rhaenys was dragged from beneath her father's bed and slain.

And then when ADWD is published in 2011, it is revealed that in fact, Aegon isn't dead, but secretly alive. This is something that was actually rumoured in Westeros, according to this entry of Aegon VI in A World of Ice and Fire app:

Rumors persist, however, that it was not truly Aegon who was killed, but some other infant, and that Aegon has been taken away to safety.

Aegon literally tells Tyrion the story of how he was whisked away to safety:

"That was not me. I told you. That was some tanner's son from Pisswater Bend whose mother died birthing him. His father sold him to Lord Varys for a jug of Arbor gold. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. Varys gave the Pisswater boy to my lady mother and carried me away."

It's certainly a great story, that Aegon return from the dead, living in Essos waiting for the chance to take back his birthright. The fact Aegon is still alive is truly a miracle... but is he? Is this young boy who purports to be Aegon really Prince Aegon, son of Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia? One of the most pervasive fan theories is that Aegon isn't a Targaryen at all, but secretly a Blackfyre, descended from the Targaryen bastard Daemon Blackfyre who rebelled and tried to become king (the Blackfyres are still Targaryens but don't tell them that).

It's such a popular theory that it is considered all but canon, as much as R+L=J is. Now, time for me to commit heresy: I do not buy this theory at all.

For those not in the know, some have pointed out potential circumstantial evidence of Aegon being a Blackfyre; he's supported by the Golden Company, a sellsword company that was made for the Blackfyres and ruled by them until Maelys died on the Stepstones. Dany sees a vision of a cloth dragon swaying on a pole in the House of the Undying, as the Undying call her the "slayer of lies". There is mention of Maelys being the end of male line of House Blackfyre, but no mention of what happened to the female line. There is a story about an inn that had a black dragon made of iron symbolizing the Blackfyres, and after Lord Darry (a Targaryen supporter in the Blackfyre rebellions) took it off, cut it apart, and threw it into the river, one piece showed up years later on the Quiet Isle, having reddened with rust (potentially symbolizing a Blackfyre returning disguised as a Targaryen). Illyrio is oddly emotional when talking about Aegon. Plus the entirety of the Pisswater Prince story sounds really out there and unlikely.

At first glance, I found this theory really compelling. There is all this subtext and reading behind the lines that you didn't see before, and on some level it makes some sense. Why introduce another secret Targaryen in book 5 out of 7 (8)? It also fits neatly with another theory I will talk about more in depth later. However, while it isn't a theory I think is necessarily 100% inaccurate and completely out there, I think it doesn't account for alternatives, and ultimately is an unnecessary plot twist.

The support of the Golden Company isn't all that suspect when you consider just what's been happening since Maelys died. The male line of House Blackfyre is over (who knows what happened to the female line), the Blackfyres no longer rule the Golden Company, they are gone. The Golden Company was also founded by Westerosi exiles who fled Westeros and supported the Blackfyres. The fact the Golden Company broke its contract with Myr and that "some contracts are writ in blood" more has to do with the fact that these people are mostly descendants of Westerosi exiles and want to return home. The idea of the Golden Company wasn't really to be a permanent thing, it was meant to be a means through which the Blackfyres had support when they invaded again, and when the Blackfyres were installed, those exiled lords would get their lost lands back.

With the Blackfyre cause gone, the only thing left for the Golden Company is home. And that's exactly what Aegon is giving them, regardless of him being Targaryen. The slayer of lies visions are implying Daenerys is going to be confronting people who are in some way not true. Stannis (who is the first vision) is not Azor Ahai. This probably means that the cloth dragon represents a fake Targaryen, and in comes Aegon, out of nowhere! The first issue I have is that the vision has to be literal. Prophecies are very tricky, and the House of the Undying prophecies are extremely finicky. What does slayer of lies mean? Does it mean she literally kills the lies? Is it more metaphorical that she exposes people to the truth? And if Aegon really is a true Targaryen, then why is he the mummer's dragon and considered a lie to slay?

Disregarding the fact Varys was a mummer and he is working for Aegon, even if Aegon is a Targaryen, it's very obvious that they need to do a lot to convince people he is one. He has to play the part of Rhaegar's son, because everyone thinks he is dead. Meanwhile, Daenerys has to do literally nothing of the sort, because she has dragons. She embodies what it means to be a Targaryen, she is about to embrace her house words. As Illyrio tells Tyrion, Daenerys is a true Targaryen. But Aegon doesn't have dragons, so he needs to play up his Targness in some other way. Rhaegar was called the Last Dragon. Viserys called himself a Dragon. Aegon is about to try to take Rhaegar's place. But neither Rhaegar, Viserys, or Aegon are the Last Dragon; Daenerys is, and the lie is that he is the last dragon, and that Dany's existence itself is the way she slays the lie. As Dany thinks to herself after Viserys dies, "fire cannot kill a dragon".

Look at Aegon being someone piggybacking off words and looks for his claims. Meanwhile, Daenerys has all the proof one needs. I think the vision is much more esoteric than literal. While Varys's story is suspect and even Tyrion finds it unbelievable, it's not entirely impossible. Hell, Mance Rayder climbed the Wall and went to Winterfell in disguise as a bard twice. It makes sense for Varys to take away Aegon and replace him with another child during Robert's rebellion, when things were going badly for the Targaryens and plans had to be made in case the worst came to worst.

Another popular interpretation is that Illyrio and his wife Serra are Aegon's real son, but I find this to be incredibly flawed. Not only does Serra not really look much like a Targaryen (blue eyes instead of purple), but Illyrio's somewhat emotional confession that he can't see Aegon before he drops Tyrion off doesn't mean he is the boys father. The idea that you need to be someones parent in order to have a strong connection completely holds disregard for other kinds of relationships. Aegon is implied to have been raised for at least a bit in Pentos. Illyrio probably felt some affection for him and genuinely enjoyed his company.

To me, however, it's not really the alternative explanations for the evidence of a Blackfyre conspiracy that convince me Aegon is in fact Rhaegar's son. It's rather simple; what's the point of yet another secret identity plot twist? Consider how we meet Aegon. We meet him through Tyrion's POV in his third chapter, under the guise of the son of a sellsword named Griff, called Young Griff, his hair dyed blue in honour of his dead Tyroshi mother. Tyrion is immediately suspicious, but he's not entirely sure what's going on. We then get two more chapters of him aboard the Shy Maid, and during that time we are meant to be a little confused and unsure what is going on. It's a mystery of why Tyrion is on this boat and who these people are.

By the third chapter of Tyrion on the Shy Maid, the mystery is finally lifted, and all is revealed; Griff isn't Griff, he's Jon Connington, an exiled lord thought to have drunken himself to death. And Young Griff isn't his son; he's Prince Rhaegar's son Aegon, who was thought to have been killed by the Mountain in Robert's Rebellion. I think it's important to remember that it isn't just Aegon who is thought to be dead. JonCon is considered dead too! Two dead people aboard a boat plotting to retake Westeros. We already had a mystery handed to us, and the plot twist was already revealed. Another thing to consider is how thematically and symbolically important the journey down the Rhoyne is for Aegon. To me I think it makes a lot of sense for Rhaegar and Elia's son to be on the Rhoyne, especially since there is a lot of evidence that he and Dorne will eventually ally.

It's also important to remember that apart from a very few sly people, Aegon being secretly alive wasn't even a possibility on most peoples radar. It truly was something that came out of nowhere. While that can be used as a marker against him being Rhaegar's son, with the complaints of such a large character being revealed so late with seemingly no forewarning, I think that's honestly sort of the point.

Aegon's existence is already so large of a twist that it feels awkward to then put in another plot twist that he's actually a Blackfyre, something that really only has significance to the people who have read the Dunk & Egg novellas and know the history of Westeros very well. Although not entirely the same, it reminds me of "the Others are actually morally grey/the good guys" theories, which are in a similar vein of "George is always subversive and this is classic George". However, while the text does sort of lend credence to this theory being at the very most plausible, I feel it's ultimately an unnecessary plot twist built upon another seemingly unnecessary plot twist to try to justify his late entry and/or his significance (as can be noted, I detest calling him fAegon). The plot for Aegon isn't to be uncovered as this secret conspiracy of another ultra-double secret identity, it's about what his existence does to change the story.

Young Griff, Daenerys Stormborn, and Jon Snow

A large part of why the Blackfyre conspiracy theory is so popular is that it actually does have a compelling narrative link to the series. It's a simple progression; there are hints at a second Dance of the Dragons, vision of a mummer's dragon, a fake Targaryen, boom, Dany and Aegon fight. Dany thinks her claim is the best, but then someone appears who has an even better claim, and she fights thinking there's no possible way he could be real. It's an easy to follow trajectory. As always, people are welcome to disagree with my interpretation, but I think there is a far better reason for Aegon's role in the story; he's more foreshadowing for R+L=J.

For certain, there's more to him than just that, but I think this is something that simply cannot be ignored. He's another Targaryen. Yeah, it's kind of a meme to say X is a secret Targaryen, but I actually see the logic in why GRRM did this. Jon Snow is the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, and most likely is a trueborn prince. He is the one destined to have an extremely significant relationship with Daenerys. I plan to eventually write an essay on how R+L=J effects the characters and story by itself, but for preface; I don't buy that R+L=J is there just to make Jon have an identity crisis. Something as significant as that is going to have a lot of consequences and reasons to be around, some more than others. I do think there will be people who will learn the truth and at the very least, some people will believe it.

This is where Aegon's appearance becomes more significant. Here is a Targaryen people had no idea even existed, let alone was still alive. It kinda opens the floodgates for the world to question what is known about Robert's Rebellion. It also serves as precedent for the reveal that Jon Snow reveal. One Targaryen we didn't know existed is suddenly here. Is there another nearby? You can't simplify such a complex plot quite that easily of course, but I think it's significant to think about how the Young Griff twist applies to the story as a whole, and specifically RLJ. George maybe thought of this as the initial purpose for Young Griff, but as per usual, he definitely has other reasons to exist.

In fact, Aegon is a perfect foil for Jon Snow. Both are the son of Rhaegar, both are disguised as someone else, both are thrusted into a leadership position at a young age. However, Jon is unaware of his true parentage, while Aegon is. Jon is reluctant to embrace his identity in general (especially as lord commander) while Aegon is embracing his identity to his fullest extent. In a way, Aegon represents what Jon's life could have become in a parallel world. Instead of being taken as Ned's bastard to Winterfell, he is educated and taught his role and origin in Essos as plotting begins for retaking Westeros. Aegon is literally parallel universe Jon Snow.

Aegon is also a foil for Daenerys (who in turn is a parallel to Jon Snow). Daenerys grew up poor, constantly visiting nobles in the Free Cities but never getting anything in return. She was sold as a marital slave to Drogo. Her brother resented and abused her, and anything she learned she learned from Viserys, who was very unreliable. Yet she climbs up and becomes an incredibly powerful figure, and is now one of the most powerful people in the world. In contrast, Aegon was always protected, given safety, care, education, train at arms. In fact, it might be accurate to say that Aegon is actually spoiled. His interaction with Tyrion while playing cyvasse is a good indication of this. After Tyrion defeats Aegon when he follows the bad advice he gave him (making a point to not always trust people), this happens;

Young Griff jerked to his feet and kicked over the board. Cyvasse pieces flew in all directions, bouncing and rolling across the deck of the Shy Maid. "Pick those up," the boy commanded.

This is quite an extreme reaction. It even reminds Tyrion of Joffrey, and I have to agree this is a very petulant, Joffrey-like outburst. I don't believe Aegon is really anything like Joffrey, but both kids were pretty spoiled and given so much safety and care that when things don't go their way they get upset. Aegon is used to having everything given to him, and Tyrion is the first to show that he won't always win. In contrast, Daenerys has suffered some pretty severe losses; Rhaego, Drogo's khalasar, Drogo, Jorah's betrayal, etc. I have a hard time seeing Daenerys react so badly to this the way Aegon did. It also casts doubt on the speech Varys gave to Kevan as he dies that Aegon was molded to be this perfect king. He may have been raised to be that way, but the opposite might be true instead.

In fact, this might really be the true crux and core of Aegon's storyline. He's touted as the rightful king, this perfect prince who has been taught everything he needs, ready to be this hero who returns to Westeros to reclaim the throne. But Aegon is a deconstruction of that trope. He seems to have everything going for him, and is touted as this great king, but the truth is he remains relatively untested. All the privilege he has been given has only made him spoiled. The game of cyvasse he and Tyrion play is a lot more significant than I think it is given credit for, but that will be saved for part two when I go in depth about his future.

Of course, there has been a lot of pushback against the idea that Aegon is spoiled and that he's no different from Jon and Dany and that it should be expected he react like that to losing cyvasse at his age. While the cyvasse outburst doesn't mean he is going to be evil or anything, I think the context about this is important, and there is a lot more stuff I think hints that Aegon is not really the prince Varys believes him to be. Again, this will be saved for part two.

The Dragons Will Dance Again

In 2003, a fan asked George:

Hi, short question. Will we find out more about the Dance of the Dragons in future books? GRRM: The first dance or the second? The second will be the subject of a book. The first will be mentioned from time to time, I'm sure.

This is further supported by a quote by Teora Toland in the first Arianne sample chapter for TWOW:

"It is dragons." "Dragons?" said her mother. "Teora, don't be mad." "I'm not. They're coming." "How could you possibly know that?" her sister asked, with a note of scorn in her voice. "One of your little dreams?" Teora gave a tiny nod, chin trembling. "They were dancing. In my dream. And everywhere the dragons danced the people died."

The use of the language of dragons dancing is very noteworthy, and when connected with the SSM show in-text hints that a second Dance is indeed going to happen. Various theories include that this refers to Jon vs. Dany, Dany vs. Euron, Dany vs. Aegon, or Jon vs. Aegon. The most common theory in the fandom is Dany vs. Aegon, with Dany believing Aegon to be a fake Targaryen and refusing to acknowledge his claim to the throne. Instead of facing Cersei as in the show, Daenerys will face Aegon.

The extension of this theory is that Dorne will ally with Aegon, with an ambitious Arianne marrying Aegon, and a burnt toast Quentyn showing Daenerys's rejection, turning Dorne against Daenerys. When Daenerys invades Westeros, Aegon is to be the perfect prince while Dany plays the role of the evil Mad King's daughter. In retaliation of Dorne siding with a false Targaryen instead of a true Targaryen, Dany will burn the Water Gardens. On a narrative level it kinda does make a lot of sense. In the first Areo chapter, Doran mentions that the blood oranges are well past ripe. He has waited for his vengeance for 17 years, because he's so careful about the cost, but in the end all that waiting will do him in and the second Daenerys will burn the Water Gardens that were built for the first Daenerys.

There is just a slight problem... someone talked about the theory that Daenerys will burn the Water Gardens in the comment section of a NotABlog post, and GRRM very quickly shut it down by saying "the Water Gardens bit... uh no". Not that we needed GRRM to debunk this tired theory, it didn't make much sense in the first place since the Water Gardens hold no strategic value and burning it would mean Daenerys has to do it for no reason other than needless cruelty.

The bigger issue I have is that of Dany and Aegon even fighting in the first place. Despite everything, what a "second Dance of the Dragons" even means is incredibly vague. A Targaryen succession crisis? A Targ succession crisis leading to war? A Targaryen man fighting a Targaryen woman? Does it need to be on the same scale as the original Dance? We have no context other than this and it could mean literally anything. What's more, there is a very often overlooked SSM that kinda puts the dampers on this theory a bit;

The second Dance of Dragons does not have to mean Dany's invasion. Geroge stopped himself short and said he shouldn't say anymore. The response came because of my question of whether the dance would take place in ADWD because AFFC and ADWD parallel.

We will definitely see more of Aegon in TWOW, and we'll probably get to know him better. I'm not going to argue that Aegon appearing in book 5 of 7 is bad writing, because I don't think it necessarily is. Perhaps he won't be as major a character as the fandom believes him to be. However, if Daenerys and Aegon are going to clash, there needs to be time for the characters to interact and establish any sort of relationship. I think the idea that Dany hears of Aegon's existence and immediately thinks he is a fake and goes to war with him completely disregards both Dany's character and how you establish a tragic event like this.

The first Dance of the Dragons was not something that happened on a whim. It was the result of decades of hatred built towards two factions. They weren't always antagonistic to each other, but as the years passed, the blacks and the greens grew to hate each other more and more and more until it took the death of the king that kept them at bay to start a devastating war. Dany declaring Aegon a fake without ever having met him and going to war with him is incredibly simplistic. Also, think about it from Dany's perspective.

Viserys was an abusive asshole to her, yet she still thinks about him and even feels lonely. It's natural to want to have a family and someone to feel close with. Dany is warned about the mummer's dragon, yes, but she is also lonely and thinks all her family is dead, that she is alone in the world. So what would really happen if she learned Aegon existed? For sure there would be intense skepticism, but I think there is a part of her that will at the very least want to believe it to be true. Daenerys is very ambitious yes, but I don't think she would simply refuse to believe someone is her nephew because that means he has a better claim to the throne.

Besides, kinslaying is a huge taboo, and killing someone who claims to be her nephew without being sure is definitely going to not be the best option in her mind. And also, Aegon hasn't done anything yet to earn Dany's resentment, unlike Viserys. There might be some anger at Illyrio, some serious shock, denial even, but at the end of the day, this is one more family member she didn't know she even had. The show portrayed Jon's parentage as being a bad thing for her since he would have a better claim, but I doubt that will be the first thing on Dany's mind. In fact, she thinks to herself what would happen if Aegon was alive:

Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper's dogs had murdered her brother's son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him.

There is a good chance that the emotions she feels when learning about Aegon will be a precursor to the R+L=J reveal with Jon Snow. Just more reason Aegon is a big step towards R+L=J being confirmed.

Although Daenerys is quite ready to leave Slaver's Bay for Westeros at the end of ADWD, Aegon's existence might motivate her to leave even more quickly and solidify her goal to get the Iron Throne. However, I don't think that Aegon is going to become a new main character. His appearance and his actions I feel are more important than his actual character. And hey, maybe the second Dance will involved Daenerys and Aegon, but I think there is enough reason to doubt it.

Next up; the Golden Company landing, Dorne, and Aegon's game of cyvasse, detailed.