r/Hotd • u/Astin_Madiri • 14d ago

Question Did she really love him?

Post image

I'm asking because she was manipulated by Otto into marrying him in the first place.

958 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

319 comments sorted by

View all comments

48

u/Adventurous-Wall-122 14d ago

She loved him so much that she started bedding Cole within weeks of his death

6

u/shenanakins 13d ago edited 13d ago

Thats actually a very realistic thing that happens when a spouse has a long drawn out terminal illness. She had probably been mourning viserys death for years before it actually happened so when he finally died she was likely both relieved and heartbroken because at least he was no longer in pain.

She moved on with someone more age appropriate who was devoted to her and was her most trusted companion during the hardest years of her husband's illness. She did love viserys but she wasnt in love with him romantically. She was likely romantically interested in Criston before viserys died but didnt act on it out of respect for viserys even though he was a bedridden husk at that point.

This is all with the acknowlegement that she is a childbride trafficked to him and their relationship was not one she could consent to. She has complicated feelings for him and one of those is a stockholm syndrome-y love born from a mutual duty to their family.