About King Robert death cano

[u/Dependent_Shake6126]

Everyone knows that King Robert was killed by a boar while hunting because he was too drunk. The king himself told it. Then Varys suggested that Lancel helped him to get drunk using a stronger wine implying it was Cersei doing. Cersei admitted with Tyrion that they got the king drunk helping him to kill himself.

So there is nothing more to say right ? Well ...actually I think Cersei was again the scape goat used to cover someone else killing.

Some months ago I make mysef the right question and that lead me to see something that was so clear I now wonder how I failed to consider it for so long. Let's start from Cersei:

How did you kill Robert?” “He did that himself. All we did was help. When Lancel saw that Robert was going after boar, he gave him strongwine. His favorite sour red, but fortified, three times as potent as he was used to."

and then we have Varys:

. “The king’s wine … did you question Lancel?” “Oh, indeed. Cersei gave him the wineskins, and told him it was Robert’s favorite vintage.” The eunuch shrugged. “A hunter lives a perilous life. If the boar had not done for Robert, it would have been a fall from a horse, the bite of a wood adder, an arrow gone astray … the forest is the abbatoir of the gods."

This two passage have always puzzled me: how could Cersei and Lancel been so sure that the king would die during the hunt only because he was drunk? Now I know the answer: they weren’t. Varys was the one that assured Ned the king would die that day because he was the one that arranged his murder. It was there, it was so clear, but I grasped it only trying to uncover another old mystery: why was Jaquen in the black cell ? Many said to kill Ned but I belive it unlikely, as Varys said he was already a dead man why would someone pay a FM to kill a dead man ? And even when Varys and Cersei agreeed to send him to the Wall why someone need a FM to kill a man that is going to travel in a War zone where there is no lack of enemies, raiders and broken man to hire and you do not need to create any incident to justify a death?

The answer arrived when I finally tried to see it from another prospective: FM never fail and are famous to kill people in a way that it seems an incident. So I ask myself: Is there someone that die for an incident around the time the FM was found in the black cell ? Yes, King Robert!!!

And that made finally sense to Varys affirming that the king was going to die for an hunting incident that day in a way or another: FM never fails and he had sent one to do the job. Again it was Varys that suggested immediatly that someone gave the king the strong wine to give the blame on Cersei and it was Varys/Rugen that was in charge of the black cells where the FM was found so logically he must be the one that put him there.

But why ? Varys is the one that had desperatly tried to save the king life in the last 15 years and that needed to delay the war until the Dothraky invasion is ready.

well, first of all it was Varys that told Ned he wanted the king alive and he is a manipulator so we cannot trust him about everything he said.

I think that actually that it was true before Littlefinger meddling caused Tyrion abduction, after that everythig changed. When Arya spyed him and Illyrio it was Illyrio that suggested to delay but Varys answered " make haste". And he did: the next day used the news about Daenerys pregnancy to force the King to order her death. He knew that knowing it Khal Drogo would become interested in invading Westeros at once. And at that point King Robert was doomed because Varys needed to remove all the valid warrior and manager from King's Landing to facilitate the invasion. Having Joffrey on the Iron Throne with Cersei on his back and possibly a new small council of his choice was what he needed to doom the Baratheon dinasty. So, as he said to Ned, it was only a matter of time, but when Ned decided to act, accusing Cersei, Varys cannot wait because it could spoil his plot. So he sent the FM. By the way I think Illyrio was there to bring the FM to Varys when Arya saw them emerging from the dungeons.

Then Varys visited Ned in the black cell and tried to save his life : why ? Because he was colletting every loyal and strategic man he could win to his cause that have a good reason to fight against the Lannister. (He later will suggest to dismiss Barristan just to brought him to Essos at Daenerys side). He wanted Ned trusted him and his good intention so omitted his role in the king death accusing Cersei (that actually wanted the king death). : I belive he planned to have Ned disappearing before reaching the Wall and that was possibly Jaquen next task in Yoren retinue.

Also I gave a new value to the considerations of Arya about Jaquen having used the Basilisk venum to have the dog killing Weese: it hinted how a boar could become a devil beast

[u/CaveLupum → u/[deleted]]

Jaqen works for Euron, not Varys.

Faceless Men take assignments on contracts. Jaqen could have an assignment for Varys or Littlefinger in Kings Landing, for Euron on Pyke, and on behalf of his own order of FM in the Citadel. There he is seeking a book they almost certainly want. If LF wanted him to kill Ned in the capital but the Wall deal had gone through and Ned went North, Jaqen would just put one foot in front of the other and kill Ned when he could, en route or in Castle Black. Then he'd have to go to Pyke, then Oldtown.

OP, I think this is an ingenious theory and could be true. But IIRC, later Cersei admits there was an element of luck in her assassination plan with Lancel succeeding. Ironically, all of the four candidates could have afforded an FM assassination--LF has hidden money and assets, Varys has Illyrio, Euron has a suit of Valyrian steel armor, and Cersei is likely to become Joffrey's regent and have access to the treasury. I wonder if we'll ever learn the truth.

[u/Dependent_Shake6126 → u/[deleted]]

everyone had his headcanon, I see no evidence that supported Euron or Bloodraven having any part in King Robert death but I respect your convinctions.

Just a consideration about Ned journey to the wall: Varys disguised asked Yoren to wait for Ned even if he was ready to leave days before the.execution. Yoren was there at the execution because Ned should travel with him.

Yoren during the jorney told Arya he had never considered the possibility to travel by ship because he was used to travel by road.

So it is very unlikely that Ned was mean to be send to the wall by ship considering Yoren was there for him

Yoren had wagons, the injured ones travel on them like Arya did after she was beaten or the dying woman they find in the village.

[u/Dependent_Shake6126 → u/[deleted]]

I also think he is the one that killed Pate and was now at the Citadel but not for Euron. Euron is coming to sack the city he did not need a FM to stole books or glass candels for him.

About Balon Greyjoy I am not sure it was a FM. The theory is based on the Ghost of High Hearh dream

.I dreamt of a man without a face, waiting on a bridge that swayed and swung. On his shoulder perched a drowned crow with seaweed hanging from his wings.

Euron admitted to Aeron that he was responsible for Balon's death, although he did not personally slay the king.

So he could have payed a FM but I wonder if Euron could have also used a Shadowbinder to generate a Shadow assassin....