Game of Thrones, Book 2
The first Game of Thrones book ended with (ex)
King Robert Baratheon’s born-of-incest-between-the-Queen-and-her-brother “son”,
Joffrey on the throne. In the second book, we see that the “boy king” is too
young to maintain alliances (let alone rule), a psycho who alienates his
subjects by his wanton cruelty, and a moron who won’t listen to his top
advisors. Perhaps such folly is only to be expected in a teenaged king, as
Theon Greyjoy wonders:
“Boys believe nothing can hurt them… Grown
men know better.”
But grown men
cannot let a lunatic, even if he is the King, destroy everything. Which is why
Bronn wonders if Joffrey should be assassinated and replaced by his younger
brother:
“Seems like he’d do whatever he was told,
as a good king should.”
Others like Lord
Varys intend to survive regardless of what happens:
“The storms come and go, the waves crash
overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling.”
Given that Joffrey
was not even Robert’s son (see first para) and thus his claim to the throne legally invalid, uncle Stannis Baratheon
believes he is the “lawful heir”. But Stannis’ younger brother, Renly,
disagrees:
“Why the oldest son, and not the best
fitted?... I have it in me to be a great king, strong yet generous, clever,
just, diligent, loyal to my friends and terrible to my enemies, yet capable of
forgiveness, patient…”
Stannis is a
by-the-rules man, and so as is the curse of all such men, never loved by
anyone. His advisor Cressen laments:
“No. Nor will they ever. He is strong,
able, just… aye, just past the point of wisdom… yet it is not enough. It has
never been enough.”
Remember the
eternal Machiavelli question: Is it better to be loved or to be feared? Stannis
knows he is not loved, and so he is only left with the option that he be feared
instead.
Robb Stark, on the
other hand, rises against Joffrey for revenge. And breaks away from the realm
declaring himself the “King of the North”. Something that enrages both Joffrey
and Stannis. “Another false king”, fumes Stannis.
Inevitably, some
of the claimants to the throne try to enlist religion on their side (“There is
but one true king, and one true god.”). To which came the retort:
“Are we here to dispute theology, my lord?
Had I known, I would have bought a septon (priest).”
Aha, but religion
is just a tool, as Stannis admits:
“A sorceress who can inspire such dread in
grown men is not to be despised. A frightened man is a beaten man.”
On the other hand,
losers too resort to magic and religion, as Tyrion says:
“Sorcery is the sauce fools spoon over
failure to hide the flavor of their own incompetence.”
Sound complicated?
Tyrion thinks the same:
“Nothing was simple and little was true.”
From beyond the
kingdom’s boundaries, (King beyond the Wall) Mance Rayder plans his assault on
the kingdom. And so, the Old Bear warns what awaits the winner of this “clash
of kings”:
“All of them (kings). The true and false
alike. If they would claim the realm, let them defend it.”
And yet, even as
self-proclaimed kings sprout everywhere, Varys tells Tyrion:
“All depends on the man with the sword… If
it is the swordsmen who rule us in truth, why do we pretend our kings hold the
power?... Power resides where men believe it resides… A very small man can cast
a very large shadow.”
Tyrion, Varys and
Queen Cersai are players who don’t wield the sword, but can play the game as
well as anyone, and more importantly, know how to rule during peacetime. Because while the war is ongoing with its sieges,
food shortages and looting, as Arstan told Daenerys:
“There were four kings in the land, and no
justice to be had.”
Which is why
Tyrion knew what the common man was thinking:
“King Joffrey and King Robb and King
Stannis were forgotten, and King Bread ruled alone.”
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