Ah! Eureca! And all this time I was locked into the assumption that Jon is his son, but he was... AH! You know, I must commend you on your keen eye to connect those.. I was quite at a loss in this.

The idea was not mine alone. I think one or two others on this forum first started picking it apart, and those thoughts got me percolating on the issue.

[ 07-25-2005, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

A greater destiny could be at work, then. Fate is putting Targaryens on the Wall - right where they're placed to defend the Seven Kingdoms from the Others. I'm starting to wonder if there's not some 'divine right' for the Targaryens to rule the land and do so? The Others start making their move at a time whe the Targaryens are exiled - coincidence, or..? The whole family have been trying to keep their blood pure - perhaps it's important that it should be. The Targaryens all have an affinity for fire and dragons, which could speak for itself if they're opposed to the Others. Perhaps just as men forgot what the true role of the Wall and the Night's Watch was, so men forgot the role the Targaryens should play.

(As an aside, another character with a curious affinity for dragons and their relics is - curiously enough - Tyrion.)

A further consideration -- Are Roose Bolton and his bastard genius, or just luck bunglers?

Awesome pictures:

http://amoka.net/eng/gal/asoiaf/index.html

If I'm not mistaken, those pictures are from the Game of Thrones: Board Game. I just might buy that once...