The Bruins Biggest Bear

If the Stark children were to be married to Stark banner men (like many Stark did before) who do you think they would marry (I hope you understand the question!) :)

Even in a world where the plot of ASOIAF never happens, I don’t think the Stark children ever would have all married northern bannermen. I mean, look at the Stark family tree – even in generations where boys were marrying daughters of bannermen, girls were being sent to the Vale and Stormlands. And Blackwood brides went north more than once, a Royce too. In this generation, particularly with Catelyn’s southern connections, Sansa almost certainly would have gone south (to the Riverlands or Vale if not further), and probably Bran too (especially with his dreams of knighthood). You can see some ideas along those lines here and here.

But let’s assume for some reason Ned Stark is in a super-isolationist mode, and prefers to neither import nor export brides. So let’s look at the eligible young people of the North, see who’s out there. I’m going to use how old they’d be in 300AC as a baseline because it’s easiest for math, although even Robb and Jon and Sansa would very probably marry after that date (yes, Robb and Jon would be 17, but boys usually marry later, and Sansa’s only 14 and girls normally marry after adulthood at 16, not immediately after menarche). Also since the plot doesn’t happen, anyone who died past the start of AGOT is still alive in this AU.

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Say The War of Five Kings never breaks out (Jon Aryan is still alive in this scenario), who do you think Ned would marry his kids to? Maybe Robb to Desmera Redwyne? Mace might also be open to the idea of Sansa marrying Willas Tyrell, seeing as he wanted his family to no longer seen as upstarts and the Starks are one of the oldest families and are of royal blood (the Starks also have ties to the Riverlands, with whom mace shares a border), and I think Arya could marry Harrion Karstark.

I think the trauma of losing his family and fear of losing the rest of them would actually make him want to keep his family close. Old friend Robert Baratheon (plus the whispers of conspiracy and that Eddard sincerely believes he has to do what he can to stop it) can get him to break out of that, but just politicking as normal? He’ll probably want to keep up north.

Thanks for the question, Bruin.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

After the finale episode, there's a debate going on about who started the war. Many are saying it was Rhaegar and Lyanna, some are saying it was Robert. Lyanna was the beginning of everything, yes that's true but I believe it was the mad king who started the war. What do you think?

Aerys II. It was Aerys who crossed the definitive line of feudal obligation by having Brandon’s companions and their fathers executed for no crime and murdering Rickard and Brandon in a gross mockery of justice, and Aerys who ramped up the tyranny by demanding the heads of Jon Arryn’s wards, again for no crime. The king’s demand was the spur for Jon Arryn to call his banners and truly begin the war. Robert became the namesake of the war through his military leadership, his acclamation as king on the eve of the Trident, and (of course) his eventual victory, but his reputation was yet to be made when Aerys called for his head and Jon gathered his banners; he and Eddard were at that point only wronged parties in a larger feudal conflict.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to absolve Rhaegar of blame. Even if he did not know that Brandon would ride for the capital or that Aerys would take the extraordinary step of murdering Lord Stark and his heir, Rhaegar completely failed to account either for hotheaded Brandon’s reaction to his sister’s disappearance (which he might have guessed, having witnessed Brandon having to be restrained from confronting him at Harrenhal) or his violently paranoid father’s response (especially since the Defiance of Duskendale was only five years or so in the past, and Aerys had only grown worse since). More troublingly, when Rhaegar finally did emerge from the Red Mountains, he refused an opportunity to seek peace - by denouncing his father’s illegal executions and trying to make a settlement with the rebels - and instead took up arms for the crown, essentially saying that Rhaegar condoned what the king had done. That move ensured that the rebels would think Rhaegar just as guilty of tyranny as his father, and forever destroyed any hope that the rebels could lay down their arms and accept Rhaegar as king if his father were removed from power (and, perhaps, set the death knell for House Targaryen as a ruling institution). But if you’re asking who started the war, that’s very clearly Aerys.

What happens if the Battle of the Trident is indecisive, and neither Rhaegar nor Robert die?

The two sides jockey for position and try to force battle on ground that suits their strategic interest in the hopes of forcing a decisive defeat. Neither Tywin nor the Greyjoys are moving.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King