hollowaydivision-blog

[hollowaydivision-blog]

Lemongate: An F.A.Q.

What is Lemongate exactly?

Well, first of all, I'd like to thank you for not immediately dismissing the whole post as soon as you see the word 'lemon' separated from the word 'cakes'.

Oh. You don't have to thank me - how could I know whether I should dismiss it until I read the whole post? Speaking of which, can you get on with it? I still don't know what Lemongate is.

Lemongate is a fan term for the ongoing mystery of the House with the Red Door, Daenerys and Viserys' childhood home. Daenerys believes the Red Door is in Braavos, but the most prevalent aspect of her memory is the lemon tree outside her window - and we've been told multiple times, in multiple different ways, in multiple different books, that lemon trees don't grow in Braavos.

So what?

Well, on its own we might suspect author error. After all, the house with the red door memories were introduced in Daenerys I AGOT, and we didn't really get a thorough examination of how completely opposite Braavos is to the memories Dany has of her childhood until AFFC. Yet the lemon hints are present before that; in fact, lemons are the most prominent fruit in our story, having been focused on specifically from the beginning in Sansa and Arya's love of lemoncakes. And furthermore, nothing else about Dany's memories fit with the Braavos we know. She remembers sun, and grass, and hot, sweet smells - but the weather in Braavos is either rain, fog, or freezing rain.

You have the quotes to back all of this up, right? Because I get a sense of where you're going with this and I do not like it sir, not one bit.

Yes, I do, and you can find them elsewhere if you do some googling - but this is a quick FAQ about the lemon trees, not the resulting theories people have made concerning its meaning. To reiterate: this is not a thread debating parentage, or lineage, or major plot points likely to polarize a vast majority of the fan community. I simply want to clear up any misunderstanding regarding George's deliberate insertion of the lemon tree discrepancy.

But the tinfoilers believe that the lack of lemon trees in Braavos is proof Dany didn't grow up there, and thus isn't the son of Aerys and Rhaelle Targaryen - which is clearly true.

Is it? Because a frail woman who's physically abused and has had six miscarriages already seems unlikely to successfully bear a child in the middle of the "greatest storm in living memory." And there are a number of other odd things about a pregnant Rhaelle supposed flight to Dragonstone - for instance, Daenerys and Jaime's recollection of of Rhaelle's flight is wildly different - for instance, Dany believes that Viserys accompanied the pregnant Rhaelle, but we have no idea if this is true.

But as for Dany not being the child of Aerys and Rhaella, why is that such a tough pill to swallow? Our male lead has a secret heritage that will seemingly grant him access to powers and put him in positions to Save The World From The Others - why not our female lead?

Well I have nothing against that per se, but my understanding of the Lemongate theory is that it eventually results in the deeply unsatisfying B+A=J, R+L=D. Is this true?

I'm glad you asked! Absolutely not. This is not necessarily true. Sure, there is a case to be made for it with several convincing points of evidence - for instance, Dany seems to have Lyanna's natural ability to ride a horse, which is a big part of what helped her fit in with the Dothraki. But there are other ways to go with the idea that Dany's past is not all it seems and her parents may not be who she thinks than polluting our savior Jon Snow's Tower of Joy birth and Targaryen lineage. The point is, R=L=D can be reasonably called a "tinfoil" theory but Lemongate is fully confirmed fact.

Note the irony in the name - it's not just a reference to conspiracy theorists - it's a reference to Watergate, where Nixon managed to rule over the people using false and deceptive pretenses. If Dany is someone else and not actually the heir of House Targaryen, and the lemon trees point to her lack of true legitimacy, she would be an apt parallel to Nixon (and Jon and Euron, who also won "fair elections" through magical and political manipulation).

Wait, wait, back up. How is Dany not the true heir of House Targaryen? I thought you said Lemongate didn't necessarily mean R+L=D?

I did indeed. And while R+L=D would make Dany a bastard (even with a heart tree marriage, polygamy is not legitimate) and behind "Aegon" in the line of succession, we should remember why we always call him "Aegon" and not Aegon. Even a bastard inherits before a pretender.

But let's say R+L=D isn't true. Then we have to look around for a new set of parents. There's an ample supply of Dead Ladies for potential moms - with the leading candidates being Lyanna, Ashara, and Wylla (not dead but I can't imagine anyone getting to interview her anytime soon), and the Fisherman's daughter (Godric Borrel's story about Mama Snow has Ned impregnating a fisherman's daughter and leaving her with a sack of silver and a bastard - a story I believe to be a complete falsification designed to trick Davos and through him eventually trick Jon). There's also an equally ample supply of randy gentlemen with important bloodlines - though Brandon, Ned, Aerys, and Rhaegar seem like the clear front-runners as potential fathers for our two leads.

You're losing me fast, Holloway. Daenerys is clearly a Targaryen. She hatched fucking dragons.

You're right, she did. And hatching dragons is something the Targaryens haven't been able to do for hundreds of years. Incredible luck that Dany was the first one to pull it off. Incredible luck - or the "blood of the dragon" had gone dormant in House Targaryen, but could exist in another house. Because Daenerys is not definitely a Targaryen. She's definitely a Valyrian. We know this ipso facto from her silver hair and purple eyes. But do you know what other house has silver hair and purple eyes? House Dayne, a house so ancient and revered that the legend of Starfall goes back to the Dawn of Days. If there is "blood of the dragon", as the nobles of the Freehold believed, House Dayne is one of only four ancient Westerosi families besides the Targaryens with Valyrian features consistently present in their bloodline.

Wait, so you're saying Dany is the daughter of Ashara?

Well, it offers an explanation of why Ned tried to hard to protect Daenerys in AGOT and felt so guilty when he thought he had failed - he was in love with Ashara at one point, and if he knows Ashara is Daenerys' true mother, he may have felt an obligation to protect her - even at the risk of the realm. I'm sure we can all think of an ex we're not really over and would do stupid, irrational things for. And furthermore, Brandon and Ashara were together in King's Landing approximately nine months before Jon Snow and Dany enter the story, and Ashara is said to have "lost" a daughter in childbirth. And there is a straight up statement that she looks like Ashara’s daughter.

Even after all these years, Ser Barristan could still recall... those haunting purple eyes. Daenerys has the same eyes. Sometimes when the queen looked at him, he felt as if he were looking at Ashara’s daughter ...

..But again, this thread is not to push any particular parentage theory. It's simply to point out that without a doubt, Lemongate - the Braavosi weather issue - is real.

You keep saying "Lemongate is real, Lemongate is real." I think it's time we saw some quotes.

Fine. We first hear all about Dany's Lemon Tree in the first two books - it even appears on-page in her temptation in the House of the Undying. I'll spare you those quotes, but books 1 and 2 establish the template in Dany's memory, the reliability of which books 3, 4, 5, and 6 promptly and enthusiastically undermine. Basically, we're hammered over the head with two facts: Lemons DON'T grow in Braavos, but Dorne is FAMOUS for them.

For instance, Sharna the innkeep is requested to roast a duck with lemons, as a Dornish girl once did.

"Lemons. And where would we get lemons? Does this look like Dorne to you, you freckled fool? Why don't you hop out back to the lemon trees and pick us a bushel, and some nice olives and pomegranates too." She shook a finger at him.

And on the opposite side of the spectrum, we visit Braavos, we see the climate is completely unsuitable. And just in case we didn't (or chose not to) recognize it, GRRM has two guards have a half-page conversation about it in a TWOW sample chapter.

"Seven hells, this place is damp," she heard her guard complain. "I'm chilled to the bones. Where are the bloody orange trees? I always heard there were orange trees in the Free Cities. Lemons and limes. Pomegranates. Hot peppers, warm nights, girls with bare bellies. Where are the bare-bellied girls, I ask you?"

"Down in Lys, and Myr, and Old Volantis," the other guard replied. He was an older man, big-bellied and grizzled. "I went to Lys with Lord Tywin once, when he was Hand to Aerys. Braavos is north of King's Landing, fool. Can't you read a bloody map?"

And just to double down because he can, GRRM includes another reference in another TWOW chapter, where Arya's sister and dramatic counterpart makes the opposite observation.

For me, Alayne thought, as they wheeled it out. Sweetrobin loved lemon cakes too, but only after she told him that they were her favorites. The cake had required every lemon in the Vale, but Petyr had promised that he would send to Dorne for more.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was following /westerosmeteorology.tumblr.com

You're the one who asked for quotes. But yes, let's move on. I won't bombard you with all the other asynchronous Essentially what we have are two mysterious Valyrian mothers (Rhaelle and Ashara), two mysterious Valyrian fathers (Aerys and Rhaegar) and two mysterious "half-a-horse" Starks (Brandon and Ashara).

But wait! What about the courts and the gardens-

-of the mighty, yes yes. Here's the quote:

"There's no more wood." Dareon had paid the innkeep double for a room with a hearth, but none of them had realized that wood would be so costly here. Trees did not grow on Braavos, save in the courts and gardens of the mighty.

The contention of Lemongate deniers is that of course Dany could've been raised in Braavos - in one of those courts or gardens of the mighty. Hence, the lemon tree. There are two problems with this. First of all, let's address the Sealord's Palace and why it doesn't fit: Daenerys associates the House with the Red Door with a peaceful, isolated, happy life. In other words, the last Targaryens were trying to keep a very low profile. Being kept as a political capital by the Sealord in a magnificent palace with hundreds of rooms and a friggin' zoo is something Dany would remember. Second, just because the "mighty" can afford trees doesn't mean they can magically create a climate in which citrus trees can grow. After all, I think Dany would also remember if her treasured house of childhood innocence was encased in a giant Myrish greenhouse.

Okay, admittedly the difference in climates and the association of lemons with Dorne is pretty glaring. But I can't help but feel whatever this is leading to is inextricably linked to parentage, and I'm afraid the result might infringe on the one absolute certainty about the books to come: Rhaegar + Lyanna = Jon. After all, it has been literally confirmed by the show.

As GRRM would say, "the show is not the books." Yet I do feel that some discussion of the show is relevant here. Let's compare to another big book-only twist. In the books, Mance is swapped out for Rattleshirt, who burns in his place. The Rattleshirt we meet later is Mance in disguise. In the show, Mance is burned, plain and simple - but seemingly just to poke fun/clarify for book readers, the showrunners went to the effort of recasting and reintroducing Rattleshirt just so Tormund could beat him to death moments after running into him.

In other words, that's Dan and Dave saying "We're not doing this plot, guys."

Now compare to this scene in the show, where Arya, chased through Braavos by the Waif, literally slams into hundreds of citrus fruit being peddled by Braavosi merchants, scattering them all over the screen.

There's even a gratuitous closeup of an orange - a reference to the Godfather, a traditional symbol of impending death in cinema and literature, a way to add color - but maybe also a way of saying, "We're not doing this plot, guys."

Okay, okay, okay. Talk about weather and ambigious shots of lemons and random mentions of the lack of trees in Braavos all you want - it doesn't come close to confirming that Dany's red door memories are significant. Short of author confirmation, I'm sticking with Occam's Razor.

Once again - NOT arguing R+L does or does not equal J or D. I personally hate arguing about secret lineage. I am just pleading with the community to accept that George has included the lemon tree discrepancy on purpose and it is significant.

Fortunately, you don't have to take my word for that. I do actually have author confirmation. GRRM was asked this on Livejournal:

Dany remembers a lemon tree outside the house with the red door in Braavos, but citrus trees shouldn't really grow in Braavos's cold, foggy climate. Is this discrepancy significant? Does it point to future revelations about Dany's past? Thank you so much.

And in a very uncharacteristic fashion, he responded not with "keep reading," but with an outright confirmation of its importance. I hope you'll forgive me for putting this in big bold letters.

“Very perceptive of you.

Yes, it does point to . . . well, that would be telling.”

Source from Livejournal

Instead of acknowledging author error - which he does when applicable - or give his usual cryptic response, he straight up said "Yes, it is important" and implied that the questioner was perceptive for questioning Dany's past.

He really said that?

Yes. He did.

Wow... but why would Viserys agree to protect to Dany? Especially if her claim to the throne is better than his own?

The number one reason is he needed a relative to marry off for alliances - how else to secure any sort of decent army? But let's not forget that Aerys made Viserys his heir, disinheriting Rhaegar and all his kids. So whoever Dany was, Viserys was undeniably the true king. But yes, if Viserys has spent his life lying to Dany, it's possible Viserys had a lot of resentment over this, and that contributed to his eventual pattern of sadism toward Dany. He was a very complicated character with relatively little impact on the story. Then again, Viserys was six at the time they fled, and we don't know if he even accompanied Rhaelle to Dragonstone. If she had a stillbirth and Daenerys Doe was swapped in, perhaps Viserys never knew. Then again again, he's old enough to know they definitely didn't grow in Braavos.

I really don't like abandoning my preconceptions for the series, especially on such fundamental points as Jon Snow's parentage.

Again, I am not arguing for you to do that. Yes it is a coincidence that Dany seems to have been born in Dorne and born toward the end of the war, just like Jon. But there are many ways that R+L=J is compatible with Lemongate. I just wanted to get the facts of the Lemongate situation straight so we can jump into what it may really mean - because it is there for a reason.

Is this just you and some other crazy fans? Or is there anyone in the story who actually brings this up, and tells Dany that the House with the Red Door is anything more than a pleasant memory?

Yes. Quaithe. Quaithe all the time. Quaithe tries to get Dany to “remember who she is” and “go back” every chance she gets.

Well, if Lemongate not in there for some lame parentage reveal, then what?

Well, in my opinion Jon is Ned's son through his upbringing, through and through, and I don't know how not-lame any parentage reveal would be, R+L=J included. But beyond that, I don't know what Lemongate really means. Here's some thoughts:

Why did Oberyn try to raise Dorne for Viserys? Did he and Doran have Viserys in his possession - perhaps in Lemonwood?

Why has GRRM written the Sealord of Braavos as a man on his deathbed, so he will never be able to confirm the supposed marriage pact or any sheltering of Daenerys?

Why did Leyton Hightower freak out the same year Dany and Viserys were kicked out of the House with the Red Door? Was that the year he learned about Aegon, and suddenly realized he'd been sheltering the wrong Targaryen the entire time?

Anyway, these are obviously all frequently asked questions whenever this subject comes up, but the instant rejection it’s met with (even more than Tyrion Targaryen) usually prevents clarifications being made for people. I really, really would appreciate it if we could just accept the Lemongate/Braavosi climate contradiction, and extrapolate from there. All theories, and any other questions you may have, are welcome! I hope this post was at the very least informative, and hopefully minimally offensive. Thank you for reading!

TL;DR: Lemongate is the simple, irrefutable fact that Dany's House with the Red Door was not in Braavos. This does NOT mean R+L=D, and it does NOT disqualify R+L=J. However, it IS a clue of some importance, as confirmed by George himself. Let's start by accepting that, and work from there. What other twists could Dany's false childhood be leading up to?

#daenerys targaryen #daenerys stormborn #rhaella targaryen #aerys targaryen #dorne #braavos #lemon tree #lemons #red door #viserys targaryen #quaithe #george r.r. martin #lemongate #asoiaf #lyanna stark #brandon stark #ned stark #wylla #dragonstone #doran martell #oberyn martell #sealord #rhaegar targaryen #jon snow #illyrio mopatis #asoiafmeta

[hollowaydivision-blog]

The Lords of the Four Shields

In a game of chess, the opening move locks the players into a certain pattern of engagement. This is so called "the first-move advantage", and many chess theorists argue to this day that given perfect play by both sides, White can force a win just through the choice of first move.

In ASOIAF, chess became Cyvasse. And Cyvasse is the harmless cousin of the game of thrones. But nothing about the concept of first-move advantage has changed.

The Taking of the Shields

Euron's opening move in his attack on the entirity of Westeros was a seemingly insignificant target, in the grand scheme of things. How many times had the Shields been mentioned in the series? What was there to care about? Cersei pretty much has the same reaction.

"Why then, your brave brothers had best roust them off these rocks."

"Rocks?" gasped Margaery. "Did your grace say rocks?"

But no matter how humble the conquest, Euron has given the Ironborn, who have historically been victimized and belittled and looked down upon by the prosperous greenlands, real conquest.

Euron had seduced them with his glib tongue and smiling eye and bound them to his cause with the plunder of half a hundred distant lands; gold and silver, ornate armor, curved swords with gilded pommels, daggers of Valyrian steel, striped tiger pelts and the skins of spotted cats... and yet all that was little and less, compared to this. Now he has given them conquest, and they are his for good and all, the captain thought.

The Old Way is back, baby. Euron has time to do some PR with the Ironborn, and he takes advantage of it.

On the dais, Euron pushed aside his slattern and climbed upon the table. The captains began to bang their cups and stamp their feet upon the floor. “EURON!” they shouted. “EURON! EURON! EURON!” It was kingsmoot come again.

“I swore to give you Westeros,” the Crow’s Eye said when the tumult died away, “and here is your first taste. A morsel, nothing more... but we shall feast before the fall of night!”

So Euron doubles down on the Kingsmoot pitch. Like the coke dealer who will offer high-quality product on the first purchase to get a customer hooked - except instead of coke, Euron’s dealing conquest.

(Side note: Euron's “slattern” is Falia Flowers, the girl who will be impregnated by Euron before having her tongue cut out and being bound to the prow of the Silence as a "gift for Aeron)

But as an aspect of Euron’s first-move advantage, there is a bigger advantage to the taking of the Shields - the holding of the Shields.

The Death Trap Islands

As its new ruler, Euron gets to name four lords of the Shield Islands. Since this is the very first conquest by Euron, no sane Ironborn would refuse. Lands and lordship are lands and lordship, and someone from the small, shitty Iron Islands would recognize the insanity of refusing Euron's gift. Even Victarion thinks this... and figures it out.

Victarion had expected the Crow’s Eye to give the lordships to his own creatures, Stonehand and the Red Oarsman and Left-Hand Lucas Codd. A king must needs be open-handed, he tried to tell himself, but another voice whispered, Euron’s gifts are poisoned. When he turned it over in his head, he saw it plain. The Knight was the Reader’s chosen heir, and Andrik the Unsmiling the strong right arm of Dunstan Drumm. Volmark is a callow boy, but he has Black Harren’s blood in him through his mother. And the Barber...

Victarion grabbed him by the forearm. “Refuse him!”

Victarion's reasoning here, I think, shows he's not as "dumb" as most people think. Despite a life of obedience and the conditions of the Iron Isles, he figured out Euron's plan immediately. That puts him on par with the one of the only other Ironborn certified to have a brain, Rodrik the Reader - who told Nute the Barber the actual situation with the Shields earlier that chapter. But Nute does not listen.

Nute the Barber gave a hoot at the sight of them. “Reader,” he called out, “why is your face so long? Your misgivings were for nought. The day is ours, and ours the prize!”

Lord Rodrik’s mouth puckered. “These rocks, you mean? All four together wouldn’t make Harlaw. We have won some stones and trees and trinkets, and the enmity of House Tyrell.”

“The roses?” Nute laughed. “What rose can harm the krakens of the deep? We have taken their shields from them, and smashed them all to pieces. Who will protect them now?”

“Highgarden,” replied the Reader. “Soon enough all the power of the Reach will be marshaled against us, Barber, and then you may learn that some roses have steel thorns.”

This foreshadows Nute being unable to realize Euron's trap, and understandably unwilling to listen to Victarion's warning (the Iron Isles are really shitty).

And the Barber...

Victarion grabbed him by the forearm. “Refuse him!”

Nute looked at him as if he had gone mad. “Refuse him? Lands and lordship? Will you make me a lord?” He wrenched his arm away and stood, basking in the cheers.

And now he steals my men away, Victarion thought.

So Euron used the first conquest to give out four lordships to the most threatening people on the Iron Isles who he could be reasonably sure would accept the lordship. Hence, no Victarion, no Rodrik the Reader - but Victarion's right hand man, and Rodrik's right-hand man are named lords.

Of course the answer is given to us in The Forsaken: Euron is not naming his political opponents as lords of the Shields to be actual lords. He's doing it to kill them.

"Your victories are hollow. You cannot hold the Shields."

"Why should I want to hold them?" His brother's smiling eye glittered in the lantern light, blue and bold and full of malice. "The Shields have served my purpose. I took them with one hand, and gave them away with the other. A great king is open-handed, brother. It is up to the new lords to hold them now. The glory of winning those rocks will be mine forever. When they are lost, the defeat will belong to the four fools who so eagerly accepted my gifts."

And who did Euron leave behind to help hold the Shields?

“On the morrow we prepare once more to sail,” the king was saying. “Fill our casks anew with spring water, take every sack of grain and cask of beef, and as many sheep and goats as we can carry. The wounded who are still hale enough to pull an oar will row. The rest shall remain here, to help hold these isles for their new lords.

So the lords of the Shields have as their garrisons the wounded Ironborn who can't even pull an oar. And considering the Shield were taken very quickly and easily, there probably weren't many wounded in the first place. When Garlan and the Tyrells come to reclaim the Shields, Euron is doing all he can to make sure the Shields are death trap for their four "lords".

So let's look at the lords, and figure out why they're such a threat to Euron that he sets up an elaborate trap to kill them?

(By the way, we're not going to talk about Nute. We covered him already, and he's there to serve as our "control" for the motivations of the other three.)

The Lords of the Four Shields

The torches along the walls were burning bright, and so was he, blue lips, blue eye, and all. “What the kraken grasps it does not lose. These isles were once ours, and now they are again... but we need strong men to hold them."

Number One: Ser Harras Harlaw, Rodrik the Reader's chosen heir

"So rise, Ser Harras Harlaw, Lord of Greyshield.” The Knight stood, one hand upon Nightfall’s moonstone pommel.

Number Two: Andrik the Unsmiling, champion of Dustan Drumm

“Rise, Andrik the Unsmiling, Lord of Southshield.” Andrik shoved away his women and lurched to his feet, like a mountain rising sudden from the sea.

Number Three: Maron Volmark, minor lord on Harlaw and the true heir of Harren the Black

“Rise, Maron Volmark, Lord of Greenshield.” A beardless boy of six-and-ten years, Volmark stood hesitantly, looking like the lord of rabbits.

Number Four: Nute the Barber, Victarion's right-hand man

“And rise, Nute the Barber, Lord of Oakenshield.”

So the question is, why these four men? Let's quickly through them, one by one.

Ser Harras Harlaw, Lord of Greyshield

I did an extended writeup on the Knight in Harras the Heir: Bend Beneath the Scythe so I refer you to that for the purposes of saving space. But the bottom line is that Harras is the Reader's heir, so he definitely recognized Euron's trap too. The point being, it's not certain that the logic going on in Nute's head ("Lands and lordship? Wowee!") is why the other three accepted their islands.

One thing I didn't mention, is that Harras is the first of four attempts to weaken other Kingsmoot claimants, his chief rivals for power. Harras was appointed by Rodrik the Reader as Asha's protector, but Asha fled the isles - Euron must know she intends to try to challenge his rule at some point, so Euron is taking the opportunity to eliminate her protector Harras before he rallies House Harlaw beind Asha's claim. After all, Rodrik is an old man Euron can kill anytime he wants, but Harras is perhaps the second most formidable fighter on the Isles; only by putting him in an situation where survival is impossible can Euron be certain to win. Oh, and speaking of formidable fighters, let's talk about #1.

Andrik the Unsmiling, Lord of Southshield.

First, let's look at how he accepts his lordship. While it was an extremely happy moment for Nute,

He wrenched his arm away and stood, basking in the cheers.

Andrik the Unsmiling is true to his name. After all, we saw him supposedly celebrating, but with a blank look on his face.

Andrik the Unsmiling staggered by with a woman under each arm; though he remained unsmiling.

And when he's named a lord he simply clumsily lurches to his feet. No basking in cheers, but no signs of suspicion. He just gets up.

Andrik shoved away his women and lurched to his feet, like a mountain rising sudden from the sea.

Well, who is Andrik? He has a curious distinction. Three of the four lords of the Shields joined the Ironborn cast of characters in A Feast for Crows, when we got all the new POVs and the Ironborn story absolutely exploded. But Andrik is the only one who goes all the way back to 1998, when A Clash of Kings was published.

Here is Theon, trying to flatter Dagmer Cleftjaw into helping him to take Winterfell:

“You are my father’s man.”

“His best man, and always have been.”

Pride, Theon thought. He is proud, I must use that, his pride will be the key. “There is no man in the Iron Islands half so skilled with spear or sword.”

“You have been too long away, boy. When you left, it was as you say, but I am grown old in Lord Greyjoy’s service. The singers call Andrik best now. Andrik the Unsmiling, they name him. A giant of a man. He serves Lord Drumm of Old Wyk.

And we see the design again; the Drumm made a claim at the Kingsmoot too, and this is Euron's attempt to undermine him. And Andrik featured prominently in what made the Drumm's claim convincing (that and his Valyrian Steel sword).

The Drumm came next, another old man, though not so old as Erik. He climbed the hill on his own two legs, and on his hip rode Red Rain, his famous sword, forged of Valyrian steel in the days before the Doom. His champions were men of note: his sons Denys and Donnel, both stout fighters, and between them Andrik the Unsmiling, a giant of a man with arms as thick as trees. It spoke well of the Drumm that such a man would stand for him.

Andrik is the best fighter on the Iron Isles, a giant of a man, unstoppable in battle. And yet he seems to be simply an emotionless, completely bodyguard for Lord Drumm - hence his nickname, Unsmiling.

Remember, right before this feast we saw Rodrik the Reader conspiring with the factional heads of two other Kingsmoot claimaints: Victarion's faction and the Drumms.

In the yard Victarion came on Gorold Goodbrother and old Drumm, speaking quietly with Rodrik Harlaw.

If you remember back to the Prophet, Gorold Goodbrother is the head of the biggest House on the Isles, an ironmongerer, and the main superdelegate for the election of Victarion. Goodbrother talking in low voices with Rodrik Harlaw, the symmetrical head of the other huge house and the main superdelegate of Asha, is like if the head of the Republican Party and the head of the Democratic Party were seen chatting in low voices in a side room in the Capital building. And in on the private chat is the only independent candidate who seems to actually matter: Dustan Drumm, the Drumm, the Bone Hand, Lord of Old Wyk and of Nagga's Ribs.

The confrontation with Nute, as discussed above, has Rodrik immediately mentioning, in front of the other lords, that the Shields are clearly a trap - Euron let the ravens fly. He's using them as bait, and anyone who tries to hold it in Euron's name are going to get sliced up by Garlan the Gallant very quickly. The Drumm knows this just as much as Rodrik, yet his champion accepts anyway.

The question of why the Drumms are a threat while Euron seems to ignore the Farwynds remains open. Again, they're equally unlikely to accomplish anything. Both fielded unpopular candidates who were only supported by their own houses, and both failed pretty quickly. But Euron feels the need to cripple House Drumm, and not House Farwynd.

Perhaps it has to do with the Drumms' history of black magic, and the fact that the most magical place on the Isles, Nagga's Ribs and the bones of the Grey King's Hall, are on their land. Andrik does have a near-exact resemblance to another emotionless bodyguard with limbs as thick as trees...

No. Her savior was real. Eight feet tall or maybe taller, with legs as thick around as trees, he had a chest worthy of a plow horse and shoulders that would not disgrace an ox.

Andrik the Unsmiling, a giant of a man with arms as thick as trees.

It seems like that one Sand Snake was wrong when she said “there was not another like Gregor Clegane in all the Seven Kingdoms.” The Drumms are known for necromancy... and besides the identical physical description, George does all he can to make Andrik seem like an Ironborn Gregor Clegane: Andrik even gets up out of his chair

like a mountain rising sudden from the sea.

Now, whether Andrik will attempt to hold his castle, or whether he will join Harras in (what I think) will be a coming defection to the Tyrells remains to be seen. Sure, he's the stereotype of a dumb, blindly obedient brute - but if Dunstan and Rodrik were conspiring together, perhaps Andrik and Harras have been given orders to work together as well.

Maron Volmark, Lord of Greenshield

And now we arrive at what seems like the least important appointment - the others are all legendary fighters and connected to great lords, but Maron Volmark is minor lord of almost nothing and a sixteen-year-old.

“Rise, Maron Volmark, Lord of Greenshield.” A beardless boy of six-and-ten years, Volmark stood hesitantly, looking like the lord of rabbits.

And we don't hear of him doing anything impressive in the battle. There is no reason to name him lord. But this might actually be a serious clue to Euron's endgame and the purpose of his invasion of Westeros.

Volmark stood hesitantly, looking like the lord of rabbits.

Maron, like Victarion, is suspicious as hell when he's named a lord - because there's no reason he should be honored. House Volmark were Victarion supporters at the Kingsmoot, and Maron lives at Volmark the Isle of Harlaw.

The true reason Euron wants to eliminate this boy is revealed by none other than Tarle the Thrice-Drowned, the second best Drowned Priest on the Islands, who crowned Balon during his first rebellion.

“Long enough to see that Uncle Damphair has woken more than he intended. The Drumm means to make a claim, and Tarle the Thrice-Drowned was heard to say that Maron Volmark is the true heir of the black line.”

Victarion deduces this as well.

Volmark is a callow boy, but he has Black Harren’s blood in him through his mother.

And we learn the origins of this in TWOAIF:

Qhorin Volmark, a minor lord on Harlaw, was the first man to claim the kingship. His grandmother had been a younger sister of Harwyn Hardhand. On the basis of that tie, Volmark declared himself the rightful heir of “the black line.”

Even their heraldry proclaims this: a black leviathan on grey.

Yet when making fun of Samwell, Leo Tyrell tells us some leviathan facts:

"...and now a black-clad whale. And here I thought leviathans were grey."

So House Volmark took the grey leviathan and turned it black, signifying their connection to the line of Harren the Black.

But why does it matter? The Black Line died out hundreds of years ago. Why would Euron care whether the "true heir of Harren the Black" is hanging around in his army, especially when he's just a boy of sixteen with almost no lands or longships who poses no threat at all? The only solution is something magical. In TWOIAF learn that the Black Line was

“black of hair, black of eye, and black of heart.”

And this describes Euron perfectly.

Black of hair:

His hair was still black as a midnight sea, with never a whitecap to be seen.

Black of eye:

He wore a stained white leather eye patch that reminded Theon of his uncle Euron. He'd wanted to rip it off Umber's face, to make certain that underneath was only an empty socket, not a black eye shining with malice.

And black of heart:

"Euron. Crow's Eye, they call him, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail."

From this, and his opposition of Maron Volmark, we can conclude that Euron has inherited some of the Black Blood. Oh, and did I mention the Kings of the Black Line were godless, and opponents of the Drowned Priests?

True ironborn had salt water in their veins, the priests of the Drowned God proclaimed; the black-blooded Hoares were false kings, ungodly usurpers who must be cast down.

So right off the bat it's astoundingly odd that Tarle the Thrice-Drowned called to revive a line who the Drowned Priests worked their saltwater-soaked butts off trying to depose for godlessness. Since Tarle is the only Drowned Priest not tortured after Aeron disappears and since Tarle is Aeron's chief rival on the Iron Islands (Tarle was once thought so holy he could crown a king, but Aeron is better at drowning, more charismatic for the lowborn, and more influential among the lords), this is more evidence that Tarle betrayed Aeron and is working for Euron. But that's neither here nor there.

The important part is that Maron Volmark represents no real political threat but Euron is killing him anyway, seemingly out of fear of his status as heir of Harren the Black. And if he's not doing it for a political purpose, Euron is eliminating other heirs of Harren the Black for a magical purpose. Which means at some point in his conquest he intends to walk in Harren the Black's footsteps and claim Harrenhal - but with dragons on the Ironborn side this time.

So look out, Harrenhal. Euron has divine ambitions.

"A new god shall be born from the graves and charnel pits."

And look out, Isle of Faces. Euron wants to be a new god, and he has a new god's eye to go with it.

He showed the world his blood eye now, dark and terrible. Clad head to heel in scale as dark as onyx, he sat upon a mound of blackened skulls as dwarfs capered round his feet and a forest burned behind him.

It's time for the new god to get started.

TL;DR: Euron's opening move in his Feast for Crows is to weaken or eliminate four potential rivals: Rodrik the Reader, Victarion, Dunstan Drumm, and Maron Volmark. Victarion and the Drumm each were major Kingsmoot opponents, and Rodrik was the reason Asha had the support she did. Maron Volmark is the true heir of Harren the Black, and Euron wants him dead because Euron has Black Harren's blood as well... and has endgame designs on Harrenhal.

#asoiaf meta #twow spoilers #euron greyjoy #rodrik the reader #victarion greyjoy #drumm #andrik the unsmiling #maron volmark #harras harlaw #garlan tyrell #shield islands #ironborn #iron islands #the forsaken #the reaver