Can I say something that no one else has said? What narrative is Ashara Dayne "haunting"?
Seriously, who is she haunting? She is mentioned barely eleven times across all the books. First, Catelyn mentions her regarding rumors that she was Jon's mother, but after Ned got angry Catelyn never even thought about her again. Later, Cersei mentions her for the same reason to provoke Ned and never brings her up again. Ned never thought about her. Never. Edric told Arya that Ashara had a romance with Ned, but did Arya ever think about her again? No, she thought about Wylla, Jon's supposed mother. Then Jojen mentions her as the girl who danced with Ned Stark and others, but did Bran think about her later? No. Barristan mentions her only once as the girl he liked and whom he would have named Queen of Love and Beauty and the never again.
How exactly do any of these circumstances "haunt" the narrative? Her absence doesn't impact any of the characters' actions, she is only mentioned in memories and rumors.
I know Ashara's character serves as a red herring to divert attention from Jon Snow's true parents; thatβs why she was cast as a fleeting love interest of Ned Starkβs from Harrenhal. But Ashara isn't simply one of Elia's ladies-in-waiting, the sister of the Sword of the Morning, and a past love of Ned or Barristan, there is another purpose to her character that the author hints at, though the fact remains that even we, as readers, don't know what it is.
But again, just because a character is dead and mentioned a few times doesn't mean they are "haunting" the narrative. Once again, how is her absence affecting anyone's narrative? Please i need to understand from does that come from π
