Quote from: Shasvre on Aug 19, 2014, 01:26:44 PM
If only...
Well, he didn't. 
If only Ned had been smarter.
Well, he wasn't.
Sorry to necro this post, but I'm kinda' sick of this clumsy opinion.
Eddard's stupid is he?
I doubt it. Eddard was going to leave until Littlefinger brought his stay to be longer by a about a day.
Eddard wasn't dumb, he was gentle, and in the ruthless environment people mistake that for being dumb. Eddard was present at the last time war brewed around Kings Landing and the last time it happened children wrapped in Lannister cloaks were dumped in the throne room to
King's approval. It was this that disgusted Ned to the point of leaving and destroying his lifelong friendship with Robert that only Lynna's death slightly fixed.
On trusting Littlefinger...at that point in time and because Ned didn't have a TV to watch the parts of the show he couldn't see, he honestly can't be blamed for trusting his wife's childhood best friend who seems like a worthy ally.
Considering Eddard had
his own daughters in Kings Landing, starting another war or act of treason didn't seem to be a good idea considering what happen to the last set of children on the opposing side of royalty. On top of all that, I personally believe after he was imprisoned Ned knew what was going to happen to him, or at least the show adaptation did.
Everyone says Ned
can't play the Game of Thrones, it's quite obvious looking at his character he doesn't want to knowing what it results in.
Similarly Robb's mistakes are blown out of proportion by people who think they're the first person on earth to notice them.
Sending Theon away is reasonable. Come on, you wouldn't trust your best childhood friend?
And it was lose Karstark or lose support from the rest of his bannermen, Karstark was the lesser evil.
None of it matters anyway though. There was no doubt Tywin would have pulled something like the RW, marriage or no marriage.
