Only One Chapter Makes a Winds of Winter Delay Worth It: The Man Who Bankrupted Westeros

Look, we all know The Winds of Winter is taking forever. I get the frustration. But if George R.R. Martin wants to win back a little goodwill, there is one deep-cut character he could bring roaring back: Aurane Waters, the pretty-boy bastard who pulled off one of the coldest heists in King's Landing.

Who Aurane Waters actually is (and why he matters)

Aurane is a Velaryon bastard, half-brother to Monford Velaryon, who was Lord of the Tides and head of House Velaryon. Back in A Clash of Kings, the Velaryons backed Stannis Baratheon. After Monford died at the Battle of the Blackwater, Aurane switched gears and bent the knee to King Joffrey to survive the new order.

Cersei's crush, a promotion, and a very expensive mistake

In A Feast for Crows, Cersei Lannister made Aurane her grand admiral. She liked that he seemed to admire her, and he reminded her of Rhaegar Targaryen, which did not hurt his job prospects. As grand admiral, Aurane pitched building ten new dromonds to replace the royal fleet that went up in flames, even suggesting they staff the oars with poachers and thieves. He also brought news of dragons stirring in the east. Grand Maester Pycelle argued against the whole "rookie crews" idea and pushed for seasoned sailors instead.

When Margaery Tyrell got arrested and King's Landing started wobbling, Aurane told Cersei he would launch the new dromonds on the Blackwater Rush to keep order and deter Lord Mace Tyrell from trying a rescue. Then Cersei got tossed in a cell by the Faith... and Aurane vanished to sea with the brand-new fleet.

We haven't heard a peep about him since. The crown lost a fortune in ships, and the guy who stole them slipped out of the narrative like smoke. It's a dangling thread begging for a payoff.

Is he back in The Winds of Winter?

There's a strong hint, tucked into Martin's preview chapters. In Arianne I, someone drops this line:

"A new pirate king has set up on Torturer's Deep. The Lord of the Waters, he styles himself. This one has real warships, three-deckers, monstrous large."

"Lord of the Waters" is the title Aurane took for himself after Cersei elevated him, and "real warships" sounds exactly like those freshly built dromonds. If that isn't Aurane, I'll eat a lemon cake. Of course, nothing is official until the actual book lands — which Martin has been working on since 2011 — but the breadcrumb is not subtle.

Give us an Aurane POV, George

After that A Feast for Crows stunt, the least we deserve is one chapter from Aurane's perspective in The Winds of Winter. Where did he go? What happened to the fleet? Is he running the Stepstones like a naval crime boss? Even a single viewpoint could tie off years of speculation.

• House Velaryon backs Stannis in A Clash of Kings; Monford Velaryon dies at the Blackwater.
• Aurane pivots and swears to King Joffrey.
• In A Feast for Crows, Cersei makes him grand admiral; she's charmed, and he reminds her of Rhaegar.
• He proposes ten new dromonds and wants poachers and thieves on the oars; he reports dragon sightings in the east.
• Pycelle argues against crewing the ships with green hands.
• Amid Margaery's arrest chaos, Aurane says he'll launch the fleet on the Blackwater to keep the peace and head off Mace Tyrell.
• While Cersei is imprisoned by the Faith, Aurane bolts with the new ships and disappears.
• In the Winds preview chapter Arianne I, a "Lord of the Waters" rules as a pirate king on Torturer's Deep with massive three-deckers — almost certainly Aurane.

Where we are with the books

For context, A Game of Thrones came out in 1996, A Clash of Kings in 1998, A Storm of Swords in 2000, A Feast for Crows in 2005, and A Dance with Dragons in 2011. The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring are still TBA.

Do you think Martin will bring back Aurane Waters in The Winds of Winter? Drop your theories below — I want to hear how you think this slippery admiral's story ends.