History Fanfic / ThyGoodNeighbor

* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[spoiler:Utterly fed up with Aerys' FleetingPassionateHobbies and megalomania, as well as House Targaryen's long history of either exploiting or disregarding the North despite their steadfast loyalty, Rickard is laying the ground for a massive rebellion to break away from the Seven Kingdoms with the Riverlands and the Stormlands, by going ahead with the canon matches betweeen Lyanna and Robert Baratheon, Ned and Catelyn Tully and Elbert Arryn and Lysa Tully. He's clearly very affected for having to break the oaths upheld by the Starks for centuries, but finds the idea of keeping the North under Aerys and House Targaryen in general even worse.]]

** Later on, Lord Umber recognizes the obvious falseness of the story Lord Stark presented for the Hunter, and reaches a wordless agreement with Lord Manderly to be pointed to any people who should be killed without the need of involving Rickard.

* TreacheryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[spoiler:Utterly fed up with Aerys' FleetingPassionateHobbies and megalomania, Rickard is laying the ground for a massive rebellion to break away from the Seven Kingdoms with the Riverlands and the Stormlands, by going ahead with the canon matches betweeen Lyanna and Robert Baratheon, Ned and Catelyn Tully and Elbert Arryn and Lysa Tully. He's clearly very affected for having to break the oaths upheld by the Starks for centuries, but finds the idea of keeping the North under Aerys even worse.]]

** Harrenhal is filled with this, [[spoiler:especially in Oberyn Martell's antagonism of the Starks. At first, it starts off as simple rivalry between kingdoms, as Brandon and Ned's martial prowess and achievements see them both compared to [[TheAce Arthur Dayne]], whose reputation as the greatest swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms is a great pride for Dorne. It then escalates after Rhaegar shamelessly visit's Lyanna in her apartment, leading to speculation that Princess Elia Martell and her children may be cast aside, and Dorne's proximity to the Iron Throne will be supplanted by the North. All of this, [[AngerBornOfWorry combined with Oberyn's personal desire to protect his sister and her children]], leads to an intense rivalry between Oberyn and the Starks]].
* {{RedBaron}}: As of Chapter 13, Part 3, Brandon and Ned are now known as the Northern Blade and the Wolf Knight, respectively.

** Harrenhal is filled with this, [[spoiler:especially in Oberyn Martell's antagonism of the Starks. At first, it starts off as simple rivalry between kingdoms, as Bran and Ned's martial prowess and achievements see them both compared to [[TheAce Arthur Dayne]], whose reputation as the greatest swordsman in the Seven Kingdoms is a great pride for Dorne. It then escalates after Rhaegar shamelessly visit's Lyanna in her apartment, leading to speculation that Princess Elia Martell and her children may be cast aside, and Dorne's proximity to the Iron Throne will be supplanted by the North. All of this, [[AngerBornOfWorry combined with Oberyn's personal desire to protect his sister and her children]], leads to an intense rivalry between Oberyn and the Starks]].

* MisplacedRetribution: Oberyn Martel's anger at the Starks, [[spoiler:after Rhaegar visits Lyanna in her apartment]]. He's incredibly frustrated by both Aery's only arranging his sister Elia's marriage to the prince as nothing but a tool to spite Tywin, and [[AngerBornOfWorry then facing the possibility his sister and her children will be cast aside by Rhaegar]]. However, as he's powerless to retaliate against the dragons, he chooses to direct his ire at the Starks as they are the only ones he can target. To his credit, he acknowledges that the Starks are in the same situation, though that makes him even angrier, knowing the only people he can target are also victims.

* MisplacedRetribution: Oberyn Martel's anger at the Starks, [[spoiler:after Rhaegar visits Lyanna in her apartment]]. He's incredibly frustrated by both Aery's only arranging his sister Elia's marriage to the prince as nothing but a tool to spite Tywin, and [[AngerBornOfWorry then facing the possibility his sister and her children will be cast aside by Rhaegar]]. However, as he's powerless to retaliate against the dragons, he chooses to direct his ire at the Starks as they are the only ones he can target.

** In his birthday, Benjen gets a bike.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:While Rhaegar and Lyanna's interactions previous to the books are an unknown, it's fair to say they could not have possibly been as dangerous as early as they are here: Rhaegar, interested in Lyanna, presents himself at the Stark apartments with Kingsguard in tow at the precise moment her family was out, politely but firmly demanding an audience and a demonstration of her musical skills, with the excuse he heard her music and was interested in hearing her variation of his song. To add to the implausibility, she remembers the Royal Family's apartments are in the furthest tower from the Starks'. It is important to note that this means the grown heir of the realm inveigled himself into the rooms of the betrothed teenage daughter of one of the seven Lords Paramount at virtual swordpoint at a moment when he knew her family was not with her with a paper-thin excuse at the moment his wife was supposed to be ''giving birth''.]]

* NothingIsScarier: Robert remembers that soon after returning from their "failed" expedition to Volantis, his father received a note from Aerys. Whatever was in that note so infuriated Steffon Baratheon that he tore and burned it without giving anyone else the chance to read it, and despite considering himself a staunch Targaryen supporter before, he certainly wasn't one afterwards.

* AmbiguousSituation: [[spoiler:While Rhaegar and Lyanna's interactions previous to the books are an unknown, it's fair to say they could not have possibly been as dangerous as early as they are here: Rhaegar, interested in Lyanna, presents himself at the Stark apartments with Kingsguard in tow at the precise moment her family was out, politely but firmly demanding an audience and a demonstration of her musical skills, with the excuse he heard her music and was interested in hearing her variation of his song. To add to the implausibility, she remembers the Royal Family's apartments are in the furthest tower from the Starks'. It is important to note that this means the grown heir of the realm inveigled himself into the rooms of the betrothed daughter of one of the seven Lords Paramount at virtual swordpoint at a moment when he knew her family was not with her with a paper-thin excuse.]]

* LuxuriousLiquor: At Benjen's birthday, Cyril visits Winterfell with a gift of Glenlivet whiskey for Rickard. Seeing he likes it, he keeps up the tradition of regularly sending him some bottles, allowing Rickard to enjoy it often and even share some with Steffon Baratheon.

* WineIsClassy: Related trope - ''Liquor'' is Classy. At Benjen's birthday, Cyril visits Winterfell with a gift of Glenlivet whiskey for Rickard. Seeing he likes it, he keeps up the tradition of regularly sending him some bottles, allowing Rickard to enjoy it often and even share some with Steffon Baratheon.

* NobodyCallsMeChicken: Westeros puts a huge emphasis on being martial, so when Brandon purposelly insults the Hunter to provoke him into a duel, everyone in Winterfell agrees that Lord Fairchild needed to defend his honour.

* CoolSword: Cyril gifts Ned with a silver sword, one meant to be paired with a Kirkhammer. During a training bout, the Hunter effortlessly cuts right through the young scion's mail and gambeson with it. Ned is very, very anguished with the gift, as he isn't sure why a second son was given a blade the Lannisters would willingly part with mountains of gold for, especially given he can tell its make is clearly superior to even Valyrian Steel. [[spoiler:His father's revelations on the same chapter help explain some of it.]] InUniverse, Ned has started wondering what such a sword tells him about the Hunter's foes, [[FridgeHorror that he had the need for it]].

* ThreadOfProphecySevered: [[spoiler:Melisandre visits Winterfell in her quest to go to the Land Beyond the Wall to seek answers about the disappearance of the visions of the fated battle against the Walkers. Her Interlude reveals the Lord of Light's visions have completely faded from all Essosi fire priests. WordOfGod comments the Hunter's arrival accidentally altered the BackgroundMagicalField, and while it did not affect much at the start, by now their abilities to see the future are near-completely gone. It also doesn't help that, per WordOfGod, Cyril's "hunt" for the Others [[ForegoneConclusion will end via "Prey Slaughtered"]].]]

* ThreadOfProphecySevered: [[spoiler:Melisandre visits Winterfell in her quest to go to the Land Beyond the Wall to seek answers about the disappearance of the visions of the fated battle against the Walkers. Her Interlude reveals the Lord of Light's visions have completely faded from all Essosi fire priests. WordOfGod comments the Hunter's arrival accidentally altered the MagicalBackgroundField, and while it did not affect much at the start, by now their abilities to see the future are near-completely gone. It also doesn't help that, per WordOfGod, Cyril's "hunt" for the Others [[ForegoneConclusion will end via "Prey Slaughtered"]].]]

* ThreadOfProphecySevered: [[spoiler:Melisandre visits Winterfell in her quest to go to the Land Beyond the Wall to seek answers about the disappearance of the visions of the fated battle against the Walkers. Her Interlude reveals the Lord of Light's visions have completely faded from all Essosi fire priests. WordOfGod comments the Hunter's arrival accidentally altered the MagicalBackgroundField, and while it did not affect much at the start, by now their abilities to see the future are near-completely gone.]]