The theory in short is this: BookDaenerys will marry Willas Tyrell, and the blue flower in ice wall vision she received in Quarth will be a part of her motivation.
“Then phantoms shivered through the murk, images in indigo. Viserys screamed as the molten gold ran down his cheeks and filled his mouth. A tall lord with copper skin and silver-gold hair stood beneath the banner of a fiery stallion, a burning city behind him. Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman’s name. . . . mother of dragons, daughter of death . . . Glowing like sunset, a red sword was raised in the hand of a blue-eyed king who cast no shadow. A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. . . . mother of dragons, slayer of lies . . . Her silver was trotting through the grass, to a darkling stream beneath a sea of stars. A corpse stood at the prow of a ship, eyes bright in his dead face, grey lips smiling sadly. A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness. . . . mother of dragons, bride of fire . . .” -ACOK Daenerys IV
This vision has often been analyzed and discussed in the fan forums. And whenever the readers of ASoIaF debate this subject, it is often assumed that this a hint of a future relationship with Jon Snow. There are several reasons he is associated with this image.
- Lyanna’s crown of blue roses: a hint at the relationship and potential secret marriage between Lyanna and Rhaegar, that may have resulted in the birth of Jon Snow. It could imply his legitimacy.
- The tale of Bael the Bard: a wildling tale wherein a stolen Stark daughter is replaced with a blue rose and later gives birth to a son. The son is adopted and raised as heir to his grandfather. Thus, the blue rose is connected to stolen Stark maidens and their children.
- The wall: it just so happens to be that Jon Snow is a member of the Night’s Watch and therefore associated with that giant block of ice.
These are often considered to be allusions to Jon Snow and his secret parenthood. And I agree with that. But the real question is –how would Dany ever know any of this. She hasn’t read the books. We often see her ponder the visions she received. Her actions and reactions are guided by them as well.
“A dead man in the prow of a ship, a blue rose, a banquet of blood . . . what does any of it mean, Khaleesi? A mummer’s dragon, you said. What is a mummer’s dragon, pray?” –ACOK Daenerys V
“Daenerys. Remember the Undying. Remember who you are.”
“The blood of the dragon.” But my dragons are roaring in the darkness. “I remember the Undying. Child of three, they called me. Three mounts they promised me, three fires, and three treasons. One for blood and one for gold and one for …”
“Your Grace?” Missandei stood in the door of the queen’s bedchamber, a lantern in her hand. “Who are you talking to?” -ADWD Daenerys II
“No. Hear me, Daenerys Targaryen. The glass candles are burning. Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun’s son and the mummer’s dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal.”
“Reznak? Why should I fear him?” Dany rose from the pool. Water trickled down her legs, and gooseflesh covered her arms in the cool night air. “If you have some warning for me, speak plainly. What do you want of me, Quaithe?” -ADWD Daenerys II
“Ser Jorah urged her to go, but Dany remembered a dream she had dreamed in the House of the Undying. “They will not hurt me,” she told him. “They are my children, Jorah.” She laughed, put her heels into her horse, and rode to them, the bells in her hair ringing sweet victory. She trotted, then cantered, then broke into a gallop, her braid streaming behind. The freed slaves parted before her. “Mother,” they called from a hundred throats, a thousand, ten thousand. “Mother,” they sang, their fingers brushing her legs as she flew by. “Mother, Mother, Mother!” – AsoS Daenerys IV
When Reznak and Skahaz appeared, she found herself looking at them askance, mindful of the three treasons. Beware the perfumed seneschal. She sniffed suspiciously at Reznak mo Reznak. I could command the Shavepate to arrest him and put him to the question. Would that forestall the prophecy? Or would some other betrayer take his place? Prophecies are treacherous, she reminded herself, and Reznak may be no more than he appears. -AdwD Daenerys II
She is looking for some form of guidance or direction, and desperately hopes to find it in the vague words and images she has received. An unwise choice as we’re told repeatedly that prophecies mislead those that heed them.
“Not that I would trust it. Gorghan of Old Ghis once wrote that a prophecy is like a treacherous woman. She takes your member in her mouth, and you moan with the pleasure of it and think, how sweet, how fine, how good this is . . . and then her teeth snap shut and your moans turn to screams. That is the nature of prophecy, said Gorghan. Prophecy will bite your prick off every time.” He chewed a bit. “Still . . .” –AFfC Samwell V
“Prophecy is like a half-trained mule,” he complained to Jorah Mormont. “It looks as though it might be useful, but the moment you trust in it, it kicks you in the head. That bloody widow knew the ship would never reach her destination, she warned us of that, said Benerro saw it in his fires, only I took that to mean … well, what does it matter?” –ADWD Tyrion IX
The point I’m trying to make is that Dany does not have access to the same information that the audience has, and that the likelihood of her receiving this info upon or before her arrival at Dragonstone is pretty low. She will look for hints and signs all around her, then.
The tale of Bael the Bard is wildling lore, and Jon Snow first hears of it when he’s north of the wall. It’s logical to assume that neither the northmen nor the southrons have ever heard of it. The only way Daenerys will hear this story is either by meeting a lot of wildlings, or by somehow being told about it by Jon Snow. It is widely known that Rhaegar crowned Lyanna, and not his wife. But who will remember what flower that crown was made of?
So, the hints of Jon Snow secret parentage and his blue rose association are not common knowledge in Westeros, and the only way Daenerys will ever hear any of this is if GRRM goes out of his way and places the few right sources of information on Dragonstone upon her arrival. And when we consider how misleading prophecies are meant to be, that may be exactly what he won’t do, at least not until it is too late.
The next question is how will Daenerys interpret the blue Rose vision in absence of any hints about Jon Snow. Well, she might ask around a bit, and what is the first thing any southron would mention when asked about roses – House Tyrell. Of course, the Tyrell rose is not blue – but winter roses are, and as it will be winter then, she may simply interpret it as a reference to the season. I could also state that the show Tyrells seem to be wearing blue an awful lot. And then there is Loras first appearance:
“When the Knight of Flowers made his entrance, a murmur ran through the crowd, and he heard Sansa’s fervent whisper, “Oh, he’s so beautiful.” Ser Loras Tyrell was slender as a reed, dressed in a suit of fabulous silver armor polished to a blinding sheen and filigreed with twining black vines and tiny blue forget-me-nots. The commons realized in the same instant as Ned that the blue of the flowers came from sapphires; a gasp went up from a thousand throats. Across the boy’s shoulders his cloak hung heavy. It was woven of forget-me-nots, real ones, hundreds of fresh blooms sewn to a heavy woolen cape. -GoT Eddard VII
Willas Tyrell could very well follow this trend and show up in all blue garments.
The last part of the vision is the wall of ice but Dany needn’t interpret that as hint at a person, she could instead consider it a location she has to go to with Willas Tyrell.
Of course, it’s another question whether and when he’ll show up at Dany’s court. But I’d argue that he may be one of the first Westerosi to seek an alliance with her. If the show (or bookCerseis issues) is any indication the Tyrell-Lannister alliance is unlikely to last much longer, and the breakup may very well result in the death of Margaery and Loras. Aegon might be considered the next best candidate, but it is unlikely that he’ll be willing to become the fourth husband to Margaery (if she is still alive by then). His advisors will be set against that. And the Tyrells have been aiming for a crown all throughout the story. Another point is Mace Tyrell, who is marching against Aegon and JonCon at Storm’s End. I have seen a number of theories that suggest he might die there, or at least be captured or humiliated. If so, there will be bad blood between the Tyrells and Aegon.
House Tyrell may be desperate for allies by the time Dany arrives, and they’ll almost certainly suggest a marriage. As Daenerys considers the Tyrells to be one of the few houses that maintained their loyalty to her father, she may be willing to indulge them. It doesn’t hurt that they are also one of the (food) richest houses of Westeros. Objectively Willas Tyrell will be one of the best candidates for a marriage alliance, especially when compared to someone like Jon Snow the bastard, oath breaker, and ruler of a poor, endangered and starving land.
It’s also worth mentioning that no marriage between Daenerys and Jon Snow ever happened in the show, for the dumbest and most absurd of reasons. If we assume that bookDany was already married to someone else, this makes a bit more sense. Of course, it’s also possible that ShowJon was merged with Aegon and so on. The show isn’t the most reliable source of information here.
So yes, I think that Daenerys will fall into the prophecy trap and marry a Tyrell. Don’t forget that house Tyrell was founded by a steward, and due to the flowery scent of roses, they can also be considered as perfumed.
Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal. – Daenerys II ADwD
Garth the Gross, a steward of house Tyrell, who sort of creates his own scent, may even be a perfumed seneschal twice over. And Jon Snow may also qualify. He is often associated with the blue rose and was a steward of the Nights watch, obviously. And then there is the entire crew of the stinky steward, including Tyrion and Jorah.
The perfumed seneschal could very well refer to a theme rather than an individual. All her Westerosi allies may be problematic. Going to Westeros really would be a bad idea for her then.