I vote for “Other”.
I want a vengeful Stark children reunion. They are all sort of in training to someday assemble to be a ruling force. Jon lives, and is a warrior king utilizing all of his Wall experience. Bran’s his pope of the old gods. Sansa is their Littlefinger seeing as how she’s getting puppet/whisper master training first hand. Arya is the chief assassin.
Yeah that’d be a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Any more books like the last two and I’ll be rooting for the zombies.
Seriously, I’m not sure how Martin will get to an ending from here.
Despite all the prophecies, I think it will be Dany alone. I’m really exhausted with her, but in all the interviews I’ve read/heard with Martin, it seems like she’s the character he really loves.
I’d love it if there was some way that Barristan the Bold would be forced into breaking his vows and taking the Iron Throne. Dany would have to be dead or make him do it, obviously, but he’s one of the “pure” characters.
I do like the Jaime/Brienne angle.
I’d say throw Zombie Robb in there for shits & giggles (complete with Grey Wolf head!). And what of wee Rickon? I love the idea of a second grader with a vicious wolf the size of a pony being his Lassie.
I’m still holding out for Jenny Poole.
Jeyne Poole, and she’s a broken wreck of a human being at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. Not that it wouldn’t be nice to let her have a moment on the throne just to enjoy watching her have Ramsay thrown down an oubliette or something…
I just finished ADWD this week. They kept talking about the three leaders in whatever city it was where Tyrion and and Jorah met up with Penny. I’m wondering if that was potentially foreshadowing. Maybe Dany will realize that ruling alone creates issues, like how her new husband took over when she had her dance with the dragon, Aerys being crazy, Joffrey being vile, etc. Having checks and balances might be something that would work to unite Westeros. I mean, the three dragons could be symbolic of three rulers.
And if that were the case, I vote Dany, Tyrion, and Jon.