#melisandre almost get poisoned the prologue

[allovesthings]

I just realized, every prologues of the books so far has something to do with magic.

AGOT:wrights and Others

ACOK: Melisandre and the poison

ASOS: wrights and Others again

AFFC: faceless men magic

ADWD: warg/skinchanger magic.

I wonder if winds is going to follow up with another magical thing.

I know it's been theorized that the prologue is going to be Lady Stoneheart related and that would fit in with the way the other prologues works.

[allovesthings]

Why should I avenge Eddard Stark ? The man was nothing to me.

I can see two reasons... The man died trying to put you on the throne. Also, if you avenge his death,  you’ll have the army of the biggest kingdom of Westeros because he was the warden of the North and had the loyalty/army of the North and that’s how politics of this world works ?

Fucking Stannis.

(I still think it’s hilarious that everytime he meets a Stark after that, he has to mention how much he disliked Ned even though he is dead and they are in the middle of a diplomatic negociation that could get him the northern army or having a warden of the North loyal to him)

[allovesthings]

Stannis: open his mouth to complain for the first (but not the last) time about dragonstone and how Storm's end belonged to him.

Me:

Listen, my patience for Stannis is just non-existent. I know, I might not be fair here, and objectively he is a good character that is interesting but I just cannot with him. I truly get why people won't follow him in universe. I can't.

Robert meant it as an honor because Dragonstone goes to the heir to the throne.I'm surprised Cersei didn't ask Robert to give it to Joffrey because of the symbolism of Dragonstone, actually.

[allovesthings]

A lonely Citadel in the wet waste surrounded by storm and sand, with smoking shadows of the mountain at its back.

I know Cressen is describing Dragonstone to be this grim place in the middle of nowhere but I’m sorry, it sound really cool and spooky and I’m here for the weird atmosphere. Dragonstone is cool.

Also, I found it interesting that Dragonstone is described for the first time with reference to salt and smoke in it which is adding to the fire of Dany as the prince or princess that was promised.

Honestly, I don’t know who is the the prince/princess that was promised If it’s Jon or Dany, I think based on the prophecy, it could be both of them, I’m just saying that, this right here, would be a point for Dany.

[allovesthings]

D&D's choice to have a white raven coming to Winterfell in season 6 and making it this huge deal is kinda hilarious when you realize they sent them by the beginning of clash (which was season 2) so that people can prepare for winter instead of sending it when it's already snowing which is honestly useless.

Edit: apparently King's Landing got the white raven in the show in season 3.... Did they just decide not to send one to Winterfell ? Wait...why am I still trying to make sense of that show again ?

[allovesthings]

The shadows come to dance, my Lord, dance my Lord, dance my Lord.

Okay this one, I'm pretty confident it is about the Others, right ?

[allovesthings]

Stannis, after making the decision to put the fool’s hat on Cressen’s head, when his wife suggest Cressen should sing: You go too far woman, he is an old man and he served me well.

Because humiliating him in front of his entire court is fine,I guess it’s not too far, but singing is ?

Also, why does this feels out of character for Stannis ? This isn’t a fair punishment, this is just humiliation and as much as I’m tired with him, it just doesn’t feel like Stannis’s style ?

[allovesthings]

I’m trying to be nice because Stannis should not be Jorah or Littlefinger’s level of annoyance when he is on the page, I am fully aware of that. But, holy shit, I do not have the patience and I had to put the book down several times and we are not at the end of the chapter yet.

[allovesthings]

 And the Maesters of his order [knew how to make this poison] as well, though it was not something talked about beyond the walls of the Citadel.

On one hand, knowing poison when you are making medicine and training essentially what we would call doctors is important because medicine can be poison with high enough dosage.

On the other, this sentence just doesn’t help me feels less suspicious of the maesters and the citadel. What else are they hiding from the general public; This feel like something people should know.

[allovesthings]

Cressen about Renly; and would you care if you did ? Is there anyone who cares for him but me ?

There is something just sad about Cressen who seems to see the Baratheons boys for what they are and love them. Like here, I think he knows that by crowning himself king, it means Renly will probably die.

[allovesthings]

Everytime there is weird magic/resurrection thing happening in asoiaf, I'm always wondering about the magic and the religion of it all.

Should we actually see it as different magic from different gods bringing them back to life in different way or should we actually see it as one big magic system and the religions are just the different rationalisation of different people ?

There are a lot of hints that weirwood magic is used in a lot of other magic/religion so I'm wondering.

[allovesthings]

Under the sea, the birds have scales for feathers.

So Patchface is seeing the dragons, right ? I mean, they are just born in the Dothraki sea and definitely have scales instead of feathers.

Also, Shireen having dreams of dragons coming to eat her, what if, since Dragons are fire made flesh, what she is actually seeing is her death through the flames ? We know that Shireen burning is going to be canon in some way (probably in a different way then what was in the show but still) ,

[allovesthings]

The first pages of a prologue are always really fun because they always do several things. It establishes things that are going to come back in this book later on. The prologue for a game of throne actually had the difficult task of having to do that for the whole series.

A clash of Kings prologue establishes the the comet, which, is going to be a through-line for the first chapters of the book, every characters projecting (and maybe foreshadowing) theirs own point of view on it.

For rereaders though, it means the dragons and Dany and with them, more weird magic but it also establishes that it’s not just the magic, it’s how people interpret it (or refuse to see it). We see it with Maester Cressen:  The maester didn’t believe in omen and yet... just to later deny it: Talking gargoyles and prophecies in the sky. I’m an old done man, grown giddy as a child again.

It’s also there to establish Dragonstone which, like the Winterfell crypts, feel weirdly magical and a tiny bit spooky.

[allovesthings]

I'm starting a clash of kings with the prologue...which mean Stannis and it's well-documented that he really isn't my favorite character...

On the bright side of things, i can finally make fun of Stannis for being...well... Stannis (sorry Stannis fans) and also Davos is here, still not paid enough for this shit and he and Ned should start a support group for being the moral backbone of one of the Baratheon brother and trying to stop them from killing innocent children. Also misinterpreted prophecies and weird magic which are always fun.

[allovesthings]

I do think Stannis made a mistake when he didn't declare his intentions at the end of a game of thrones, when Joffrey became king. I do think he might have the North with him at least, if he did.