Quote Originally Posted by Solanine View Post
WARNING (KINDA) SPOILER FOR BOOK ONE- Book 4 OF "A song of ice and fire"
If your still reading and haven't read the first book of "A song of Fire and Ice" I take no responsibility for spoiling your future enjoyment of it.
Its been out almost two decades.

Eddards death kind of threw me in the first book. I didn't realise how much I liked the character until he died.
What saves the books from being annoying is that everything happens for a good reason.
Ned died as part of the character development for Joffrey. Tywin died because he was the glue that kept Tommens backers together.
Without him the other three people claiming a right to the throne have a chance at it.
My question is whether Stannis might actually bend his knee to Deanerys and or Aegon because they have the best claim to the throne.
The thing about Stannis bending the knee to a Targaryen is that wanted them dead just as much as his brother Robert did. Stannis makes a lot of noise about the "right of succession", etc but he had no problem throwing it away when it served him better to ignore it.

All that being said, I stopped being (too) surprised by what Martin does with the characters because, as you said, he is always moving the story forward for good reason with them....