The Raven's choice:
Bran makes a different choice in S08EP06.
~~/~~
Barn couldn't see the future, because the future wasn't set, but he could calculate possibilities, he even got glimpses of them sometimes. Arya had always been good with numbers, something that she had inherited from Father. Sansa was better at reading people though, a skill partly learnt from mother, but she'd had far harsher teachers along the way. Bran had inherited a bit of both skills, Bran had caught glimpses of the destruction of King's Landing, he had tried to stop it, but he had miscalculated.
It wasn't the first time that Bran had miscalculated, he glanced at Arya, sitting on his right at the Dragonpit, he had been so sure that she would kill Cersei before returning home… things would have worked out better if she had, but news of Jon had driven her home. That was what had caused Bran to miscalculate the second time: Bran had been confident that Arya would be the first person Jon confided in once he learnt his truth. Maybe if the Night King had taken longer to arrive? Maybe if Jamie had arrived sooner? Maybe if Bran had told Sansa and Arya before Jon had come home? He didn't know… just like he hadn't known if Arya would get to him in time, oh, he'd been sure that she'd get the Night King, he just hadn't known if it would be before, or after , the Night King got him.
Some probabilities were easier to calculate than others, he knew what Tyrion was going to say before he said it, Bran was to be King. It made sense, he didn't want it, but it made sense… He could see the path that it would lead to, so much good could be done, he opened his mouth to reply… but then he saw the truth all too clearly. He might start out as a good King, with good intentions, but his abilities would soon have him meddling in affairs that he shouldn't. Because he could see more than any king should ever see, and because he sometimes didn't see the full picture, like how he had missed Lyanna and Rhaegar's marriage, the decent into tyranny would be inevitable. When would the executions without trials start? Bran would be sure that what he was doing was right, but would it be? When would the pre-emptive actions start, the killing of innocents because of their possibility to do great wrong, whist removing their chances to do great good? If he was honest with himself that had already started, when he had orchestrated the wedge between Jon and Daenerys. Was he as guilty of the destruction of King's Landing as she was?
"No…" He whispered, "I'm not the answer… I would start with good intentions, but over time I would come to believe that I was the only one that knew what was right… haven't we already seen enough of that?" He looked around him, everybody in the Dragonpit knew Aegon Targaryen's truth now, but a kinslayer could not be rewarded with a crown, it was one of the things that most of them had agreed upon. He let his gaze travel over them one by one, searching, looking for answers. The new Prince of Dorne was not as confident as he pretended… Yohn Royce was tired... Gendry…? Sansa only cared about the North, the rest cold burn and she wouldn't bat an eyelid. He looked to his right, Samwell wanted to be a Maester, and Bran would ensure that changes were put into place that allowed Maesters to have families, and that females could study at the Citadel, but Bran didn't need to be King to achieve that. Uncle Edmure was barely fit to rule Riverrun… Arya…? He turned his gaze to his left again, letting it rest on Ser Davos. "What..?" He started slowly. "What if the Seven Kingdoms were ruled by a just woman, and an honourable man for once?" He said slowly.
Ser Davos held his gaze. "I thought I could pick who that was once, but now I'm not so sure."
"Yes you are." Bran said softly. "You've protected the honourable man for years. Westeros needs a Queen, and a King… it needs people who have suffered, who understand the needs of the common people… Born of different Realms…"
"Bran?" Sansa questioned.
Bran turned to look at her. "It needs one who understands what it's like to struggle for every meal…" He turned to his left, his gaze fixing on Arya. "And one that doesn't judge people on who their parents were."
"Bran… no." Arya whispered.
Bran felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "You have rejected the title of Lady for so long, you say you were not born to be a Lady, but who were your heroes, Arya? Do you think Nymeria wanted to be a Queen? Visenya may have, or she may have believed that she was the only one who could check her brother's darker impulses, you remember how she conquered the Vale without bloodshed? Yet Rhaenys rained fire down on Dorne and failed."
Arya nodded. "Yes." She whispered.
"You weren't born to be a Lady, Arya, you were born to be a Queen." He took both Arya and Sansa's hands in his own. "Sansa, trust me, the North would be safe with Arya on the throne, and Gendry would give her balance."
"I don't want it." Arya said softly.
"Neither do I." Bran replied. "You defeated the Night King, you saved us all, now we need you to save us all again. Besides, Tyrion is wrong, the story of the Golden Stag turned Black, and the She-Wolf of House Stark, is far more interesting than my story." He could see that Arya was lost, she didn't believe that she deserved it, she saw herself as only a killer now, but she was wrong, oh so wrong, he knew her capacity to love better than almost anybody. "Besides… you have a promise to keep, the one you made in that cave when you were trying to convince him to go North with you instead of joining the brotherhood."
"You can't hold her to that." Gendry whispered. "She doesn't want it, let her be."
Bran turned his gaze to Gendry. "No, you're wrong, losing you was what broke her, that, then the Red Wedding. She thinks she's broken beyond repair, she doesn't fear death, she doesn't fear much at all these days, but she fears letting you in. Arya has the strength to rebuild Westeros, and you have the compassion and humility to balance out her harsher impulses."
Gendry shook his head again. "No." He whispered. "Storm's End is already more than enough, I don't want it. Besides, she'd be a better ruler than me, I won't accept the title of King."
"Queen's consort does sound much better." Ser Davos muttered. "The firstborn, girl or boy, could take the Stark name, and be the heir, the second born could take the Baratheon name, and be the heir to Storm's End… surely Drone would appreciate that?"
The Prince of Dorne cleared his throat. "That is an interesting proposal." He agreed. "But I like the sound of 'Stark-Baratheon' and, where titles, such as 'Lord of Storms End' or 'Prince of Dragonstone' are concerned the less relevant name gets dropped. Dorne could support that."
Gendry pushed himself to his feet. "Stop! She doesn't want it, we are not debating this!"
"Spoken like a King." Tyrion muttered.
Brienne of Tarth added the weight of her voice to the comments. "Agreed, I'd give an 'aye' for King Gendry Baratheon."
"An 'Aye' from me." Yohn Royce seconded.
"I don't know if I get a vote," She Davos muttered. "But if I do, it's 'aye'."
They went around every noble sitting there until the only one that hadn't answered was Sansa. Gendry was still standing, looking around at each of the Lords and Ladies in growing shock. "I'm sorry," Sansa said. "The North has lost tens of thousands of men in the past few years to war, they have suffered so much, they will not kneel again. The North will remain an independent state."
Gendry nodded, Tyrion listed of Gendry's new title, King of the six kingdoms, blah, blah, blah, and all the noble's there approved. Arya remained silent, gripping Bran's hand tightly. Tyrion's fate was discussed next, and Bran suggested that he become Gendry's hand, that he would spend the rest of his life repairing his mistakes. Greyworm didn't like it, but eventually it was agreed, then Jon's fate was discussed. Arya and Sansa wanted Jon released, but Greyworm would not have it, he wanted Jon's head. A compromise was met, Jon would take the black, it was a lie, the Night's Watch was gone, but none other than the Northerners knew that, in truth Jon was being sent to Tormund Giantsbane, to go North, to the Lands of always Winter. The meeting drew to an end, and Arya quietly wheeled Bran's chair out of the Dragonpit whilst Gendry was too swamped in people to try and stop her. The next few hours seemed to happen quickly, Gendry was crowned King, a Small Council was formed, Bran elected to stay and be Master of Whisperers, Jon was sent North, Arya announced her intent to sail West and Sansa prepared to return home.
Arya hugged Bran tightly as she said goodbye. "I'll be here when you come back." Bran replied. "And so will he, when you're ready, he'll be waiting for you. He'll wait years if he has to, he loves you."
Arya gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "I'm not coming back." She replied.
"Perhaps," Bran consented. "But I'll be here all the same." He could calculate possibilities, he even got glimpses sometimes, but he wasn't always right.
~~/FIN?/~~