Maester Aemon

Using flame is exactly what they did in the battle beneath the wall, and John standing alone, abandoned by his Night's Watch brothers, is probably how he feels at the time of the dream.

He has sent his only real friends at the wall, Sam, Gilly and Maester Aemon, away, and other allies are either dead or questioning John's leadership.

In fact, if the dream ended here, we would probably just mark it down as an anxiety dream.

He is doing his job in the dream, protecting the wall, but there was no one there beside him.

The only way

around it is you play Night's Watch and then you can hear to serve Aemon.

You have to hear to serve Aemon.

It's the only time that works.

No,

Something that TV show fans don't know is that in the books, other characters have mentioned the prince.

One is Maester Aemon.

Hopefully, if you're listening to this podcast, you will recall who Maester Aemon is.

But if it's been too long since you watched Game of Thrones, he is the old blind maester at the wall when Jon Snow arrives in Season 1.

Eamon appears to be familiar with this prophecy.

The only thing missing is Lightbringer, which would be interesting to see if that ever comes up in the sixth novel George has been working on since 2011.

Some people might argue about how the prophecy is for the prince who was promised, as in a male figure.

Maester Aemon brings this up in his conversation with Samwell Tarly.

Unlike other people she has killed or been involved with killing or wanted dead, Dareon has not...

He's committed very passive violence because I think what he did that is unforgivable is not betraying Jon or Sam 'cause they can take care of themselves, but abandoning Gilly and the baby and Maester Aemon-

Mm-hmm

...

Um, so for that, that reason, uh, he is condemned, but that is a very passive form of violence compared to, like, Gregor or, you know, the other people that Arya wants dead.

This is a little different, and she's doing it actively herself.

So there is ambiguity here that there wasn't with some of her previous murders, and, uh, what she, the reason, and the reason she really does it is not because he abandoned Gilly and Maester Aemon.

It's 'cause he violated his vows.

So she clearly knows what to look for when it comes to Azor Ahai Reborn.

From what she's said, and confirmed by people like Maester Aemon...

This includes someone born amidst salt and smoke, someone whose coming is heralded by a red comet blazing across the sky, or in a slightly longer version, they will come after a long summer, when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world.

Someone associated with bringing a stone dragon or dragons to life, someone who will wield the fiery sword Lightbringer.

Several other people have come to the same conclusion.

When Rhaegar thought his son Aegon would be the prince that was promised, it was partly because he was born at Dragonstone.

Later, Maester Aemon thinks that it is evidence that Daenerys is the prince that was promised because she was born there, and Benerro, the High Priest of R'hllor in Volantis, thinks the same.

At which point we should probably clarify that Melisandre thinking these clues lead to Stannis happens before Dany and Jon are on anyone's radar.

Like...

Varys is it's called out that Varys smells different in this chapter right like he smells like sour wine and garlic not like lavender because he's misleading people who not who don't only see with their eyes right like Maester Aemon tells us and Johnny's like I don't know that like that light bringer is a real deal because it didn't have any heat so how could it have actually been a flame I couldn't feel it but And Stannis, like, he can plainly see that Cersei's children are bastards, yet he's the one who cannot see that the sword is not real.

Not because he expects it to be, but because he wants to believe that he is important in the same way that Tyrion wants to be loved, right? And Varys is doing the same thing with John Connington.

It's not that John's like, I don't know.

Beyond the gate, Ned is led into the stone and firelight, where a brazier hisses and steam curls from a bowl of broth.

Maester Aemon's fingers are thin but needle-precise.

His blind eyes point past Ned and never miss him.

Hold.

a team's call yeah

They're on Zoom, and he is in a room with Stannis, Melisandre, and everyone currently running for Lord Commander, and then Maester Aemon.

And they are basically getting a little dressing down, because Stannis is not in the mood.

He's like, y'all, you need to pick.

And so he wants to make the Nightfort his new seat so that he can kind of like command the defense of Westeros from there.

And he wants Sam to show him the Black Gate.

And then Maester Aemon shows that he knows what's up.

Because he's like, oh, are you guys talking about the War for the Dawn? And Melisandre's like, a girlie? A girlie who knows the lore? Are you serious? And...

Her dragons are small, but they soon learn to spit fire, which the one-armed man uses to great effect to keep his furnace working.

But while she is there, she also meets with a surprising figure, Maester Aemon.

The old man breaks down sobbing when he feels Daenerys in his arms.

He welcomes her home and touches his forehead against hers.

And you took an oath.

But oaths can be overturned by queens.

I can come to some arrangement with Maester Aemon.

I did think about leaving before, when this war began.