SPOILERS BELOW
I thought I'd attempt to lighten the mood as we all wait for ADWD by offering what is maybe the craziest crackpot theory ever posted on this board.
Eddard Stark is not dead.
There, I said it. Now for the flimsy "proof"
The first is execution by omission. By that I mean, Eddard wasn't killed in his own POV. Why wasn't he? GRRM could have provided us with an amazing glimpse into the mind/thoughts of someone who thought he was going to live but then suddenly found out he was going to really be executed. Instead we get to experience the execution, which leads me to my second piece of evidence
Arya sees her father from a distance and if he wasn't to look like Eddard I suspect that Arya may not have even thought it was her father. I propose that someone, probably Varys, convinced someone who looked enough like Eddard to stand in his place, assuring the imposter that he would be sent to the Wall, and would receive a large sum of cash in the process. This is admittedly a bit weak, but it is, after all, part of a crackpot theory.
Later, Joffrey brings Sansa up to see the heads on spikes. Sansa thinks that the one that Joffrey says is Eddard doesn't look like him. We are given the explanation that it's covered with tar, etc, still, is this plausible?
Lastly, when Eddard's bones are returned to her, Cat thinks to herself those aren't the bones of Eddard. Maybe nothing, maybe a giant not so red herring, much like the clues we got before the Red Wedding.
Yes, in order for this to be true there are lots of questions that need answering. Why would Varys want to save Eddard? Does GRRM need Eddard later in the series because he is the only one that knows the truth about Jon's lineage, and that will become important? Where has Eddard been if he's alive? What would Varys gain from doing this?
So, what do you guys think? Does this have any legs at all, or should it die a quick and painless death?
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