I was surprised when Eddard....(MAJOR SPOILERS!!)

[IlliferThePenniless]

All right, I was chastised for bringing this up in another thread so I figured I should do the right thing and throw out there for everybody.

In the process of confidently asserting that The Wall has got to come down at some point, I felt it would be prudent to remind myself of some of the other places I thought our story was headed only to be proved embarrassingly wrong. In my defense, this stuff all came up as I was tearing through the series for the first time, moving way too fast really think about anything. But I thought it would be fun to go over some of my horribly misguided ideas from the first time through the series.

In no particular:

*Robb and Gendry riding into battle together like their fathers before them, with Sandor close behind striking down Lannisters left and right.
*Nymeria coming out of nowhere to rip out a few throats in defense of Arya at some point when she was riding all around the River Lands. I really thought that Nymeria was going to take a shot at Raff or the tickler and save Arya.
*I really thought we'd see Drogo's khalasar absolutely decimate some poor overconfident Westerosi lord foolish enough to come out from behind his walls and face the Dothraki head on.
*A really kick ass alliance between Stark and Greyjoy that decimated the Lannister's from land and sea. I envisioned some scene where things looked dire for Robb when, out in the distance (probably with the sun rising behind them) came the long ships sailing to the rescue (in my defense, this dream didn't last very long).
*Sansa doing something useful (this could, I suppose, still come to pass).
*A really epic battle between Arys Oakheart and Areo Hotah (should we make anything of the fact that every time a knight has gone up against someone not a knight they've been pretty much embarrased? Syrio, Areo, The Red Viper, Strong Belwas... I think Ser Jorah's just about the only guy who's actually held up against a foreigner when the opportunity presented itself).
*I still have a recurring dream of a massive knight in nondescript armor riding into battle accompanied by a monstrous green eyed wolf and killing everyone in his path, giving no quarter and, just slaughtering every Lannister/Frey/Bolton/Greyjoy in sight. Sadly I don't see anyway for Rickon to get old enough by the end of the to series to really be a player.

I'd love to hear everybody else's misguided notions about where GRRM was taking us.

 

[Boaz]

It was not a chastisement. If I chastised people for going off topic, I'd end up being the king of self-flagellation. It was merely a suggestion.

While I'm on the subject, I'd like to suggest that you change the title of the thread. Yes, I know you named it just like I suggested, but you're the first person in a decade to actually take my advice. The problem with the title (I don't have a problem with it... Caveat Emptor on the Internet, I always say) is that it gives away a major plot development. Yes, it happens two-thirds of the way through the first book of seven, but I think you'll catch more hell than a little bit by posters who want to be kind to newcomers to the Martin forum.

Now, down to business. And let this be fair warning to those of you who've not finished AFFC... proceed at your own risk.

I also believed that Khal Drogo would invade Westeros. I imagined him putting Lord Tywin's head on a spike before handing over the Seven Kingdoms to Dany.

I expected Jaime to remain arrogant and amoral. I thought he'd have a showdown with Eddard.

Speaking of Eddard, I thought he'd ride to King's Landing or someplace (like how he rode to the Tower of Joy) and that he'd face the Kingslayer.

I also felt sure that after Tyrion imprisoned Pycelle, that he'd make a move against Littlefinger.

I really thought a Greyjoy/Bolton alliance was going to happen.

I knew Tyrion would be put on trial a second time... I just thought he'd be captured by Stannis or Renly or Robb, not by Cersei.

 

[Urien]

Oh my god Eddard doesn't die in bed? Ah spoiler in thread title.

Meanwhile, thank goodness we have another thread on GRRM's unfinished masterpiece.

 

[Pyan]

This is the second thread I've had to re-title a thread in GRRM...*grumble, grumble...*

Please, if you're thinking of starting a thread, remember that new readers are coming to ASoIaF all the time, and they may not appreciate thread titles that give away whacking great chunks of plot...

 

[Clansman]

This is the second thread I've had to re-title a thread in GRRM...*grumble, grumble...*

Please, if you're thinking of starting a thread, remember that new readers are coming to ASoIaF all the time, and they may not appreciate thread titles that give away whacking great chunks of plot...

I believe that Boaz predicted this...

 

[Boaz]

That's the only thing I've predicted that's actually come to pass... I'm on the scoreboard!

Pyan, Illifer is new, by the way. I was egging him on, but I did not properly school him in the basics of thread creation... it was my fault entirely. I'll try harder with the next noob.

 

[Boaz]

I also thought Viserys would live long enough to be killed on the shores of Westeros.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

See, I thought that Drogo would sail for Westeros, but that the khalasar would die on the seas or the shores of pestilence. You just know the Westerosi are harboring all sorts of microbes.

 

[Clansman]

I thought that Arya would meet Joffrey somewhere in Kings' Landing and skewer the little *******.

 

[Boaz]

Spoilers...

Clansman, me too. I wanted Joffrey to feel someone spill his blood, but reading about him clawing off his own flesh worked for me.

 

[boudicha]

I thought that Sansa would, at last, make a Good friend with her new husband. Instead she continued to judge him on his appearance rather than his actions. Typical little song bird. Maybe Petyr will teach her how to use her head for more than hair dye?

 

[boudicha]

I did enjoy his "crowning" though. Hah! And I love how danerys still call's it that.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I thought Mirri Maz Duur was going to become a crucial part in Danys' strange entourage. Whenever I think of the shocking moments in ASOIAF I always remember three in particular:
- the killing of Lady;
- Eddard's death; and
- the Red Wedding.
However, Mirri Maz Duur killing Khal Drogo and Rhaego maybe should be a fourth.

 

[Boaz]

Good call, HJ.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

Oh yeah! I had almost forgot about that...

Actually the dragons hatching was so astonishing to me, because prior to that there was like no magic in this world, and all of a sudden there are dragons! It really fit her chapters thematically, though. I always got the feeling her story was happening in a different sort of world, and not just because of the removed setting. She is a like a living embodiment of the Age of Legends. I have a feeling several other characters are soon to become more Legendary as well.

 

[TK-421]

Such as Bran and Arya in particular.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

What do you see for Arya, TK?

 

[Boaz]

He sees Arya as a cute little thing with a death mask... uh, kinda like his avatar.

 

[TK-421]

I fear Arya is getting caught up in something bigger than any of us could imagine, and there may be a point of no return (if she has not already passed that point).

Arya's warging abilities could lead to some connection with Bran (and possibly Rickon) even though they may be seperated by the Narrow Sea.

Not sure if that's enough but it's all I can put down before drinking my second coffee.

 

[Delran Stark]

The only characters with the ability to become "legendary" are Danny, Jon, Bran and Arya.

Rickon is to small and doesn't have a POV. Also we do not know if he has developed any warging abilities.

Sansa has lost her direwolf. "Lady is dead dear, so no warging for you! That should teach you a lesson. Why didn't you remmembered your fathers words when you went to Cersei? <When 'The Winds of Winter' blows, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.>" (This is something I expect to be happening.)

Thoros and Melisandre also have this ability, but they don't have a POV, and, also, they are second rate characters. (I do hope I will see Melisandre dead in one of the next books, preferably ADWD.)