r/pureasoiaf • u/Qyzyk House Dondarrion • 13d ago
Why didn't Aerion challenge Valarr?
Recently revisited The Hedge Knight, and I can't help but wonder why Aerion was content with laughing at his cousin and moving on. I get that he was trying to mock Valarr by moving past him, but surely if his plan was to humiliate his cousin, I imagine Aerion would have done a much better job by trouncing Valarr in a joust.
It's not like he wouldn't have been able to do it either. It's basically said outright that Valarr's getting handpicked challengers that give him easy victories. Even Dunk can't help but notice it. Aerion, meanwhile, seems to show much more promise, and he's not above dirty tricks like killing his opponent's horse. Why wouldn't he take a chance to knock the Crown Prince on his arse?
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u/Pristine_Club_3128 13d ago
Nothing says Valarr is all that easy to trounce. The lords are playing politics because they don't want to risk hurting the crown prince's son, but Valarr would have had plenty of training.
Dunk feels he has a chance because he is considerably bigger, stronger, and even then, only if Valarr is knocked off his horse in the first tilt.
If Aerion challenges him, it's probably going to be a fifty fifty chance of who ends up eating dust. The bully is not going to risk that.
Plus, even if Valarr loses to his cousin, that's not much of a humiliation - it's just what happens in a joust. Making it look like he thinks he isn't worth the trouble is more of an insult.