I think it's hilarious how some fans seem to think Braavos only has one citizen, and that's Jaqen. Yes, yes, we all love him but damn.
Personally I think he went straight to the Citadel after leaving Arya. Balon was likely killed by another faceless man, and there is simply no way Jaqen could be the Braavosi
Spoiler
banker that appears in Stannis' preview chapter for TWoW.
He was at the Citadel at the end of AFfC and seemed like he had no intention of leaving. By extention, he's still there at the end of ADwD. How could he be in Stannis' camp at the beginning of TWoW, when GRRM even said that what we see in the preview chapter has likely happened before the ending of ADwD. (see Stannis and Ramsay's letter)
Rhaegar, despite wounding Robert, was struck down with a massive blow from Robert's warhammer, which scattered the rubies encrusted in Rhaegar's armor under the water. Rhaegar died with Lyanna Stark's name on his lips.
I completely agree about Jaqen not being there to do a killing job. It wouldn't make sense for him to linger so much. The only point where we disagree is that you think he might be after the same Valyrian scrolls that Rhaegar read, and I think he's after the book that Tyrion mentions in AdwD, On the Death of Dragons I think it was called. I have no other evidence but for the way that paragraph is phrased. Tyrions gives three examples of books he might need on dragons, and this is the third. By the way that part was phrased, it seemed to me like GRRM emphasized this one particularly, and Tyrion think it must be kept at the Citadel. Also, there are other references to books that might hold information on how to kill a dragon. For instance, Sam mentions he found a book in the Castle Black library called Dragonkin, Being a History of House Targaryen from Exile to Apotheosis, with a Consideration of the Life and Death of Dragons written by Maester Thomax. (wheow, that was hard to find).
And now to your theory: Jaqen is after the same scrolls as Rhaegar. My questions are these: 1. If Jaqen = Rhaegar, why would he need them again, he's already read them. (I won't debate the rest of your theory, I'm focusing just on this part regarding the scrolls). 2. Do we know those scrolls are at the Citadel? 3. Pate mentions some valyrian scrolls BUT there are hundreds of valyrian scrolls, I'm sure a civilization as advanced as that produced many written works.
You've played you're little trick, Macha. You can only play it once lol.
If Jaqen is Rhaegar, he might be at the Citadel to learn several things that he would need to learn for what's about to come. Even if he read certain scrolls before, as you said there were plenty of written works of Valyria so he might need all the info that he can get. And just the simple fact that Pate mentions the scrolls in the prologue of AFFC is enough for me. He could have mentioned any of the many written works that the Citadel has but I'm sure that he mentioned those scrolls for a specific reason. I'm so happy that sites like these exist haha.
Jaqen is not Rhaegar, nor DB. Just a Faceless Man. That is all. It is known. Pretty much.
-- Edited by MrsHghar on Monday 24th of September 2012 12:37:36 AM
, what she says.
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Rhaegar, despite wounding Robert, was struck down with a massive blow from Robert's warhammer, which scattered the rubies encrusted in Rhaegar's armor under the water. Rhaegar died with Lyanna Stark's name on his lips.
I am trying (without success) to find the actual book references relating to the description of the iron coin that Jaqen gives to Arya. I have a hard time skimming the books to find references like that since the POV careens so wildly, and there are no page headers.
My recollection is that there are two spots. (maybe more?). One of course is the point at which Arya receives the coin from Jaqen... I think there is a little description there. But I think there is more detail at the point where she hands it to the Braavosi ship captain.
Anybody have that info close to hand? It would be much appreciated. I can only pay in Westerosi coin.
Thanks
Tom
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Tom Maringer Fantasy Coins
http://www.shirepost.com/wp/
ACoK: She still had the stupid coin he’d given her, a piece of iron no larger than a penny and rusted along the rim. One side had writing on it, queer words she could not read. The other showed a man’s head, but so worn that all his features had rubbed off.
ASoS: "She pressed it into his hand, the small black iron coin that Jaqen H’ghar had given her, so worn the man whose head it bore had no features."
, what she says.