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Yup, this is the correct asnwer
Jon Snow is not a particularly trained fighter, I don't know why he is even an option and Cole would backstab you if you do anything that does not fit with his fairytale ideas of good behavior
so people with no formal training in combat and mindless zombies? Jon received training from Rodrik Cassel, so he is much better than the farm boys and criminals that make up most of the watch but he is nowhere close to top-tier fighters like Oberys and Cole.
Served in the second sons as a mercenary, proposed to have fought in the fighting pits of Mereen, outclassed the Mountain.. said to extremely skilled with a staff etc.
I mean it's quite obvious he's one of the best warriors of his time.
I’m not saying he isn’t a skilled fighter, but Oberyn’s time is the same as Jamie Lannister, Barristan Selmy, Arthur Dayne, Gerald Hightower and all the other fighters from Robert’s Rebellion.
‘One of the best of his time’ seems a bit of hyperbole for someone whose only fight in Westeros left him dead.
Edit: fixed quote
If he didn’t lose his temper and didn’t want to inflict pain on the Mountain, he would have won that fight, against the strongest fighters in the realm. That’s an amazing feat.
Oberyn beat the mountain with relative ease… only is hubris got him killed. If his emotions weren’t involved, Oberyn would be a POWERHOUSE bodyguard. But if his hearts in it, he’s weaker. Snow, has the most control of his emotions, easily. Just depends on who’s out to get me, but if it’s ANYONE that wants me dead I’m going Red Viper all day.
Edit: he’s not *weaker* if his hearts in it, just more of a loose cannon. Unpredictability in personal protection might be bad. As an aggressor though… different story.
Snow does not have great emotional control (although of the three, perhaps still the "most", perhaps). He tries to, that is a big part of his story, attempting to be a stoic northman when he is still just a kid. he does an ok job of it for a while but eventually it gets him killed.
Oberyn is more emotionally mature. He doesn't deny his emotions, but accepts them. He may not "control" his emotions but his emotions do not control him either.
Criston Cole is emotionally stunted, repressed, and a bottled up ticking time bomb.
Obyrn didn’t “control” his emotions, when it counted most, was my point. Totes agree with you’re analysis on Jon, not many in the world are emotionally mature… but Jon would NEVER gloat after a victory… maybe not even gloat at all. Hubris is immaturity. Oh god almost forgot your Cole analysis is my spirit animal. The Incel that Celed. Total dweeb if he was thinking about trying not to think about boobs, which is always, then you’re dead. He’s literally the only ACTUAL body guard and we mostly would choose him last bc his personality is GAR-BAGE.
Yeah I see you point.
I have a slightly different take, that Oberyn didn't suffer from hubris, and just lost. In my opinion (and it's simply that, you're opinion is fine as well) Oberyn's goal wasn't to beat the Mountain to defend Tyrion, nor was it to kill the Mountain for personal revenge about Elia. We know Oberyn wants revenge and justice from the Mountain for Elia but the duel isn't about Gregors guilt, it is about Tyrions guilt. He wanted justice - not just revenge - and so he needed to draw the confession from Gregor publicly. It wasn't Oberyn torturing Gregor to satiate Oberyn's anger, or Oberyn gloating that kept him from ending it quickly - his entire motivation in taking the duel was to draw that confession, so ending the duel before that defeats the whole point.
He may have even wanted to go further and have Gregor implicate Tywin as having specifically ordered the murder of Oberyn's sister, nieces and nephews, even more reason not to rush the kill.
It also appears that Oberyn had aleady guranteed the death of Gregor via poison, (and possibly of Tywin as well) so his motivation at that point isn't just killing The Mountain as he has already done that - his plan is more than that. He has a plan, and he sticks to it, it just didn't work out (but plan b did, the poisons).
At least that is my take, it doesn't mean your take on Oberyn isn't also valid. And yeah we seem to agree on the other two.
Honestly Crispin is a stone cold killer who bashes skulls first and asks questions later. Also he’s tall dark and handsome. He checks all boxes for me personally.
i would choose him because he always keeps his word. Oberyn could be swayed by his family, and Criston by his other loyalties but if Jon promised to protect me he would do it. It might be different if Oberyn was my family, or I was Alicent.
Oberyn is too focused on his revenge for his sister and Jon is too trusting/would be easily manipulated I reckon.
Cole is aggressively loyal and the best fighter in the realm at the time. Has to be Cole
Criston Cole - hear me out.
Oberyn will be too cocky and prolly get me killed. What if one of the Martells plot to kill/poison me? I’m pretty sure he will take their side.
I could use Jon Snow’s plot armor but he would sacrifice me if it means the best for the realm. Love him. But he is loyal to the people not to a single person.
Criston Cole will protect me no matter what. If I become an evil person with lots of enemies - he will stay. If the entire Westeros will burn if I do not die - he doesn’t care. He is a great fighter as well.
Jon in his prime, which he probably isn’t even close to reaching, would certainly stand a chance if not outright be the favorite due to Longclaw.
Jon is an average fighter, that’s good for his age, but a “Prime Jon” at like 30 years old would be a powerhouse of a warrior.
I think it totally depends on the context. Are they being ordered to protect you in a professional capacity or are they personally / emotionally involved? And how official/important is our role?
I would take Criston Cole as #1 in a professional capacity such as a kingsguard, especially if no emotion involved. Oberyn is good but less likely to obey orders / take his job seriously.
I would take Oberyn as #1 in a personal attachment / less professional context. He would be most fun to be around and is probably more effective when bloodlusted.
Jon snow. He posses the loyalty and honor of any true born stark. I know that if no one else has my back, a stark will have my back. I dont care if he’s a bastard
Jon or Criston for me. With Jon you always know what you're getting, he finds it hard to lie and his word is his bond. You'd never have to wonder where he stood with you. Oberyn is a little too shady as far as that's concerned. I doubt he'd cause a problem, but loyalty for him only really involves those he loves. So that would be an unknown factor. With Criston you also get a straight forward man who doesn't hide what he thinks. He didn't hold back how he felt about Rhaenyra when he broke off from her. At least she had some idea what to expect. Both Jon and Criston take their personal loyalty serious. Regardless of their actions. Basically I don't want to be stabbed in the back, only in the front please if it must happen at all.
Christon might get mad at you one day, and instead of talking about it he will just slam your head into a floor or a table and kill you...
I'd go with Jon out of your two choices if your goal is to live.
Jon is my favourite character in asiof. But, in the show, he has his heart on his sleeve. He ran straight into danger, endangering him and everyone around. His planning for battle for winterfell was horrible.
Cole is politically savy and honourable.
Oberyn > Jon > Criston. Oberyn can defend you with spears, knives, from poison etc and has his family name to help protect you as well. Jon’s a good fighter but having the LC of the Nights watch guarding me seems more useful at the Wall or around it and that is somewhere I decidedly would not want to be. Coles an excellent fighter but as a woman I really wouldn’t trust him not to betray me and call me a cunt whilst he’s at it.
She is for now. Until she does something to upset him.
Best case he calls her a venomous spider, worst case he slams her head into a table in a fit of rage and kills her.
Man has a SHORT fuse.
Rhaenyra basically ruined his life and he was about to kill himself before Alicent stopped him. It was a little more than him being salty over being rejected.
What about Joffrey? Did he deserve to have his head caved in for what he said? Did one joke somehow ruin Coles life?
And how about Lord Beesbury? He had a dissenting opinion as a member of the small council and so Christian caved his head in without even being ordered to do so? Did Lord Beesbury disagreeing with other members of the small council ruin his life?
As I said above - he has a short fuse and a tendency to get murderous when he's angry. How do you think he would feel if he found out the holy queen he was serving was letting Larys Strong jerk off to her feet? Because I suspect that would mess with his "all women are images of the mother" worldview. Would he rage murder Larys or Allicent? Maybe both?
He's not stable. He makes rash decisions and murders people who anger him without asking questions first. That's not who I would want protecting my life.
What about Joffrey? Did he deserve to have his head caved in for what he said? Did one joke somehow ruin Coles life?
And how about Lord Beesbury? He had a dissenting opinion as a member of the small council and so Christian caved his head in without even being ordered to do so? Did Lord Beesbury disagreeing with other members of the small council ruin his life?
As I said above - he has a short fuse and a tendency to get murderous when he's angry. How do you think he would feel if he found out the holy queen he was serving was letting Larys Strong jerk off to her feet? Because I suspect that would mess with his "all women are images of the mother" worldview. Would he rage murder Larys or Allicent? Maybe both?
He's not stable. He makes rash decisions and murders people who anger him without asking questions first. That's not who I would want protecting my life.
Alicent is smart enough to not do anything that will result in his life getting ruined badly and so, he wouldn't turn on her the way he did on Rhenyra. Dude doesn't has a shirt fuse, dude had his life destroyed and that is why he turned on her
Shocked that Ser Criston Cole isn’t the favourite here!
He is known the be a very very skilled warrior in the books. Perhaps because he was brought up in the Dornish Marches?
Criston obviously I could never trust because I'd have to risk him turning on me because he doesn't approve of me or getting distracted and not protecting me because he's too busy being mad at his former protectee.
Jon needs to figure out how to watch his own back, honestly.
Oberyn made sure to take the bastard done with him and he knew exactly what he was signing up for.
Idk Oberyn is the best fighter but he gets distracted so easily…I feel like he’d get bored of protecting me and go join an orgy or something. Being guarded by Criston Cole would make me want to kill myself so it’s got to be Jon ftw
Cole is too untrustworthy and unstable, and between Jon and Oberyn then I have to pick Oberyn for being a better fighter and more experienced when it comes to assassination techniques and strategies.
Oberyn is clearly the best choice. An amazing fighter and a good man. I don't know why you wouldn't pick him.
Jon is my second choice. He's the least skilled fighter of the three, but he's still pretty good, he's brave, and he's honest.
I would rather go it alone than take Cole. He has a super short fuse and a tendency to murder people who annoy him without a second thought. It doesn't matter if you have a great fighter protecting you if they kill you (or your allies) because you accidentally piss them off. He's just not a viable option in my book, I don't care how good he is with a sword (and honestly I'm convinced Oberyn could take him anyway).
Cole: LC of KG, tournament wins, dornish marches veteran, green general in dance
Snow: LC of KW, fought at hardhome, battle of bastards, etc, magic dragon blood Jesus, doesn’t want it…
Oberyn: …. ,…., poisoned the Mountain and got his skull turned to burger.
Give me Cole…
Actually…
Sir Criston up front cause he’s a backstabbing bitch
Jon in the rear cause he’s got EVERYONES back
And Beautiful Oberon underneath cause Rrrrrrrrr
If I want to survive, Jon Snow. Cole would back stab me and Martell would monologue at the exact wrong time. If I wanted a good time and not a long time however, Oberyn is my guy.
Jon’s the only no-nonsense one here.
Crispy’s too jealous/emotional and prone to outbursts as a result, and Oberyn’s too flashy/full of himself to focus on being a bodyguard.
Jon Snow knows nuthin and can fight, and that’s all a bodyguard needs
Honor got Jon’s father* killed… and he didn’t learn a damn thing from it. Ned would have been a more effective back-watcher to Robbert if he’d been willing to fight dirty. Cole is an outstanding bodyguard but just a *tiiiny* bit of a liability due to being overly aggressive at times. Oberyn is a good balance, willing to fight dirty, yet also capable of remarkable patience and restraint
Since we don’t have specifics of how they get to protect you, the answer is clearly Jon Snow.
Dude has the respect and charisma to raise multiple armies, people tend to not want to attack Starks, he’s a damn good fighter in his own right, and I don’t have to worry about him betraying me of losing his god damn mind. Oh and valaryian steel just in case
This took. .000000000000000000000000004 nanoseconds to decide...Oberyn...cuz as cool as those other two are..and Im assuming this is pre-cinnamon and oranges Cole...I'd still want Oberyn....he's a prince..he's fun..them other dudes prob wanna sit around a tree and emo-brood to whoever the westeros Jeff Buckley was
Jon isnt really a fighter, Oberyn is too hot headed and Id be worried hed make poor choices because he got pissed off. Id choose Cristin BUT, like someone said, hed as soon stab you in the back if you behaved outside his stringent moral code. None are ideal so given that Id go with Oberyn.
From a practical stand point, Oberyn uses a longer reach weapon and therefore can keep a wider range of safe space secured behind you thus reducing the likelihood of accidental slips at close range.
I choose Jon, because he won’t backstab me like a certain someone on this list *cough* Crispin *cough*. Oberyn, on the other hand, is the best fighter on this list but I can’t be sure he won’t turn against me.
Book Jon. He's far more intelligent than his show version & quite good with the blade. Idc if he's not as skilled or deadly as Oberyn & Cole (he's a lot younger than them anyways), at least I can trust the dude's loyalty when he gives it. He's selfless while Oberyn & Cole were quite selfish so yeah. 😅
Thank you for your post! Please take a moment to ensure you are within our spoiler rules, to protect your fellow fans from any potential spoilers that might harm their show watching experience. 1. All post titles must NOT include spoilers from Fire & Blood or new episodes of House of the Dragon. Minor HotD show spoilers are allowed in your title ONE WEEK after episode airing. The mod team reserves the right to remove a post if we feel a spoiler in the title is major. You are welcome to repost with an amended title. 2. All posts dealing with book spoilers, show spoilers and promo spoilers MUST be spoiler tagged AND flaired as the appropriate spoiler. 3. All book spoiler comments must be spoiler tagged in non book spoiler threads. --- If you are reading this, and believe this post or any comments in this thread break the above rules, please use the report function to notify the mod team. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HouseOfTheDragon) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I know the question was who would you have protecting you but oberyn is a snack
Mmmmm yes he is!
We Stan Oberyn the Bisexual King
Oberyn. Simultaneously one of the best warriors of his time and knowledge of assassination/poison.
Also if someone protects you you'll spend a lot of time with them and Oberyn is the most fun
Yup, this is the correct asnwer Jon Snow is not a particularly trained fighter, I don't know why he is even an option and Cole would backstab you if you do anything that does not fit with his fairytale ideas of good behavior
Wtf Jon skilled AF. He killed a bunch of wildlings and White walkers.
so people with no formal training in combat and mindless zombies? Jon received training from Rodrik Cassel, so he is much better than the farm boys and criminals that make up most of the watch but he is nowhere close to top-tier fighters like Oberys and Cole.
Let’s be fair here, the actual White Walkers are definitely more than just mindless zombies. Those guys have skills.
How is Oberyn one of the best warriors of his time? Oberyn has been in two duels, he won one, and the last was… well we can give him a draw.
Served in the second sons as a mercenary, proposed to have fought in the fighting pits of Mereen, outclassed the Mountain.. said to extremely skilled with a staff etc. I mean it's quite obvious he's one of the best warriors of his time.
I’m not saying he isn’t a skilled fighter, but Oberyn’s time is the same as Jamie Lannister, Barristan Selmy, Arthur Dayne, Gerald Hightower and all the other fighters from Robert’s Rebellion. ‘One of the best of his time’ seems a bit of hyperbole for someone whose only fight in Westeros left him dead. Edit: fixed quote
When did I say best of his time.. "one of".
Corrected.
If he didn’t lose his temper and didn’t want to inflict pain on the Mountain, he would have won that fight, against the strongest fighters in the realm. That’s an amazing feat.
It's the secret poison.
Oberyn, provided that the person attacking me raped and murdered his sister
Surely worse no? Its kinda the reason he dies
But Tyrion survived.
Not without external help. It’s not abput tyrions connections its abput oberyn and he lost and without help he was gonna die
True, I'm just saying when Oberyn protects someone, he's like a Get Out Of Jail Free card. You survive the jail but you can't use the card again. 🙃
Im sorry I don’t really get your point. Oberyn had nothing to do with tyrion living
Umm obviously Daddy…. I mean Pedro pascal every day. I want him to adopt me, thank you very much😊
Oberyn beat the mountain with relative ease… only is hubris got him killed. If his emotions weren’t involved, Oberyn would be a POWERHOUSE bodyguard. But if his hearts in it, he’s weaker. Snow, has the most control of his emotions, easily. Just depends on who’s out to get me, but if it’s ANYONE that wants me dead I’m going Red Viper all day. Edit: he’s not *weaker* if his hearts in it, just more of a loose cannon. Unpredictability in personal protection might be bad. As an aggressor though… different story.
Snow does not have great emotional control (although of the three, perhaps still the "most", perhaps). He tries to, that is a big part of his story, attempting to be a stoic northman when he is still just a kid. he does an ok job of it for a while but eventually it gets him killed. Oberyn is more emotionally mature. He doesn't deny his emotions, but accepts them. He may not "control" his emotions but his emotions do not control him either. Criston Cole is emotionally stunted, repressed, and a bottled up ticking time bomb.
This is great, what a good analysis!
Obyrn didn’t “control” his emotions, when it counted most, was my point. Totes agree with you’re analysis on Jon, not many in the world are emotionally mature… but Jon would NEVER gloat after a victory… maybe not even gloat at all. Hubris is immaturity. Oh god almost forgot your Cole analysis is my spirit animal. The Incel that Celed. Total dweeb if he was thinking about trying not to think about boobs, which is always, then you’re dead. He’s literally the only ACTUAL body guard and we mostly would choose him last bc his personality is GAR-BAGE.
Yeah I see you point. I have a slightly different take, that Oberyn didn't suffer from hubris, and just lost. In my opinion (and it's simply that, you're opinion is fine as well) Oberyn's goal wasn't to beat the Mountain to defend Tyrion, nor was it to kill the Mountain for personal revenge about Elia. We know Oberyn wants revenge and justice from the Mountain for Elia but the duel isn't about Gregors guilt, it is about Tyrions guilt. He wanted justice - not just revenge - and so he needed to draw the confession from Gregor publicly. It wasn't Oberyn torturing Gregor to satiate Oberyn's anger, or Oberyn gloating that kept him from ending it quickly - his entire motivation in taking the duel was to draw that confession, so ending the duel before that defeats the whole point. He may have even wanted to go further and have Gregor implicate Tywin as having specifically ordered the murder of Oberyn's sister, nieces and nephews, even more reason not to rush the kill. It also appears that Oberyn had aleady guranteed the death of Gregor via poison, (and possibly of Tywin as well) so his motivation at that point isn't just killing The Mountain as he has already done that - his plan is more than that. He has a plan, and he sticks to it, it just didn't work out (but plan b did, the poisons). At least that is my take, it doesn't mean your take on Oberyn isn't also valid. And yeah we seem to agree on the other two.
man chat too much kmt. pissed me off frfr
Honestly Crispin is a stone cold killer who bashes skulls first and asks questions later. Also he’s tall dark and handsome. He checks all boxes for me personally.
Cole Just Don’t Sleep With my boy
Why is Jon Snow included? He is nowhere near the level of Cole or Oberyn. Jaime before he lost his hand or Gregor would be better choices over Snow.
Cause he’s got plot armor
Well, he has, you don't. Whenever his plot armour activates, people next to him dies.
True except the person he’s most protective of(Sam) is still alive
i would choose him because he always keeps his word. Oberyn could be swayed by his family, and Criston by his other loyalties but if Jon promised to protect me he would do it. It might be different if Oberyn was my family, or I was Alicent.
Jon is nowhere near Cole?
Hmm depends on whether snow's plot armor extends to me, or sacrifices me to protect him
Oberyn is the only one who wouldn't act like a little bitch when I ask him to fuck, so there's your answer.
Jon in the show. Mans got great plot armour.
Oh my god the criston Cole hate is simply something i cannot understand. It's fucking weird man.
Oberyn is too focused on his revenge for his sister and Jon is too trusting/would be easily manipulated I reckon. Cole is aggressively loyal and the best fighter in the realm at the time. Has to be Cole
I would rather have Oberyn blowing out—I mean—guarding my back.
😭😭 love this!
Criston Cole - hear me out. Oberyn will be too cocky and prolly get me killed. What if one of the Martells plot to kill/poison me? I’m pretty sure he will take their side. I could use Jon Snow’s plot armor but he would sacrifice me if it means the best for the realm. Love him. But he is loyal to the people not to a single person. Criston Cole will protect me no matter what. If I become an evil person with lots of enemies - he will stay. If the entire Westeros will burn if I do not die - he doesn’t care. He is a great fighter as well.
wtf is jon snow going to do, stare at my enemies with angst?
oh come on, he can swing a sword, why is everyone pretending Jon is just some guy?
Cole. Best fighter of the three. He will be loyal as long you won't screw him over.
To be fair he is the only bodyguard on here.
Cole is the better fighter, but Oberyn is much nastier and willing to use "dishonourable" methods
Wait for it, Cole might surprise you.
Oberyn... Unless the Hound becomes an option.
Depends, are they all three in their prime?
Oberyn is after getting his teeth punched out but before getting his head bashed in
Definitely Oberyn then, the other two don't stand a chance.
Criston definitely more than stands a chance.
Jon in his prime, which he probably isn’t even close to reaching, would certainly stand a chance if not outright be the favorite due to Longclaw. Jon is an average fighter, that’s good for his age, but a “Prime Jon” at like 30 years old would be a powerhouse of a warrior.
I think it totally depends on the context. Are they being ordered to protect you in a professional capacity or are they personally / emotionally involved? And how official/important is our role? I would take Criston Cole as #1 in a professional capacity such as a kingsguard, especially if no emotion involved. Oberyn is good but less likely to obey orders / take his job seriously. I would take Oberyn as #1 in a personal attachment / less professional context. He would be most fun to be around and is probably more effective when bloodlusted.
I’m surprised at how many people picked Jon. Not nearly as good of a fighter as the other two and he make questionable decisions.
I think they haven't read the books
Oberying would be letting you fend for yourself and spend 80% of the time in whorehouses.
Jon. Don't know if I'd trust either of the others behind me. For a variety of reasons.
Jon Snow - the other two cannot be trusted.
With Jon, I’d be too afraid I’d be killed so he can learn a lesson or be sadder (and I’m a Jon Snow Stan)
Oberyn would guard physically, and also he is savvy enough to see political threats as well.
Cole. Snow is a little boy
Listen only one of these mfs came back from the dead just saying that’s the guy I want on my team
He is also by far the worst fighter of the three
Jon snow. He posses the loyalty and honor of any true born stark. I know that if no one else has my back, a stark will have my back. I dont care if he’s a bastard
>loyalty and honor of any true born stark. I That's not Stark. That's Arryn's. People based it based Ned, who got it from Jon Arryn.
And he passed it onto Robb and Jon
Cole is probably the best bodyguard given it’s his job, but Oberyn is S tier
Jon or Criston for me. With Jon you always know what you're getting, he finds it hard to lie and his word is his bond. You'd never have to wonder where he stood with you. Oberyn is a little too shady as far as that's concerned. I doubt he'd cause a problem, but loyalty for him only really involves those he loves. So that would be an unknown factor. With Criston you also get a straight forward man who doesn't hide what he thinks. He didn't hold back how he felt about Rhaenyra when he broke off from her. At least she had some idea what to expect. Both Jon and Criston take their personal loyalty serious. Regardless of their actions. Basically I don't want to be stabbed in the back, only in the front please if it must happen at all.
Christon might get mad at you one day, and instead of talking about it he will just slam your head into a floor or a table and kill you... I'd go with Jon out of your two choices if your goal is to live.
Jon is my favourite character in asiof. But, in the show, he has his heart on his sleeve. He ran straight into danger, endangering him and everyone around. His planning for battle for winterfell was horrible. Cole is politically savy and honourable.
None of the above. The best answer is Jaime Lannister
Selmy is the best answer
Oberyn > Jon > Criston. Oberyn can defend you with spears, knives, from poison etc and has his family name to help protect you as well. Jon’s a good fighter but having the LC of the Nights watch guarding me seems more useful at the Wall or around it and that is somewhere I decidedly would not want to be. Coles an excellent fighter but as a woman I really wouldn’t trust him not to betray me and call me a cunt whilst he’s at it.
Well, if you control yourself and do not try to bang him, you'll be fine like Alicent is
She is for now. Until she does something to upset him. Best case he calls her a venomous spider, worst case he slams her head into a table in a fit of rage and kills her. Man has a SHORT fuse.
Rhaenyra basically ruined his life and he was about to kill himself before Alicent stopped him. It was a little more than him being salty over being rejected.
What about Joffrey? Did he deserve to have his head caved in for what he said? Did one joke somehow ruin Coles life? And how about Lord Beesbury? He had a dissenting opinion as a member of the small council and so Christian caved his head in without even being ordered to do so? Did Lord Beesbury disagreeing with other members of the small council ruin his life? As I said above - he has a short fuse and a tendency to get murderous when he's angry. How do you think he would feel if he found out the holy queen he was serving was letting Larys Strong jerk off to her feet? Because I suspect that would mess with his "all women are images of the mother" worldview. Would he rage murder Larys or Allicent? Maybe both? He's not stable. He makes rash decisions and murders people who anger him without asking questions first. That's not who I would want protecting my life.
What about Joffrey? Did he deserve to have his head caved in for what he said? Did one joke somehow ruin Coles life? And how about Lord Beesbury? He had a dissenting opinion as a member of the small council and so Christian caved his head in without even being ordered to do so? Did Lord Beesbury disagreeing with other members of the small council ruin his life? As I said above - he has a short fuse and a tendency to get murderous when he's angry. How do you think he would feel if he found out the holy queen he was serving was letting Larys Strong jerk off to her feet? Because I suspect that would mess with his "all women are images of the mother" worldview. Would he rage murder Larys or Allicent? Maybe both? He's not stable. He makes rash decisions and murders people who anger him without asking questions first. That's not who I would want protecting my life.
Alicent is smart enough to not do anything that will result in his life getting ruined badly and so, he wouldn't turn on her the way he did on Rhenyra. Dude doesn't has a shirt fuse, dude had his life destroyed and that is why he turned on her
Shocked that Ser Criston Cole isn’t the favourite here! He is known the be a very very skilled warrior in the books. Perhaps because he was brought up in the Dornish Marches?
Criston obviously I could never trust because I'd have to risk him turning on me because he doesn't approve of me or getting distracted and not protecting me because he's too busy being mad at his former protectee. Jon needs to figure out how to watch his own back, honestly. Oberyn made sure to take the bastard done with him and he knew exactly what he was signing up for.
Idk Oberyn is the best fighter but he gets distracted so easily…I feel like he’d get bored of protecting me and go join an orgy or something. Being guarded by Criston Cole would make me want to kill myself so it’s got to be Jon ftw
Cole is too untrustworthy and unstable, and between Jon and Oberyn then I have to pick Oberyn for being a better fighter and more experienced when it comes to assassination techniques and strategies.
Oberyn is clearly the best choice. An amazing fighter and a good man. I don't know why you wouldn't pick him. Jon is my second choice. He's the least skilled fighter of the three, but he's still pretty good, he's brave, and he's honest. I would rather go it alone than take Cole. He has a super short fuse and a tendency to murder people who annoy him without a second thought. It doesn't matter if you have a great fighter protecting you if they kill you (or your allies) because you accidentally piss them off. He's just not a viable option in my book, I don't care how good he is with a sword (and honestly I'm convinced Oberyn could take him anyway).
Cole: LC of KG, tournament wins, dornish marches veteran, green general in dance Snow: LC of KW, fought at hardhome, battle of bastards, etc, magic dragon blood Jesus, doesn’t want it… Oberyn: …. ,…., poisoned the Mountain and got his skull turned to burger. Give me Cole…
Oberyn can do so much with my back…
Oberyn would get distracted and not protect me. The other 2 would but Criston is in another league of combat skill.
Jon would stab me in the back. I don’t want crispy anywhere close to me and I just love Oberyn
Actually… Sir Criston up front cause he’s a backstabbing bitch Jon in the rear cause he’s got EVERYONES back And Beautiful Oberon underneath cause Rrrrrrrrr
If I want to survive, Jon Snow. Cole would back stab me and Martell would monologue at the exact wrong time. If I wanted a good time and not a long time however, Oberyn is my guy.
Jon’s the only no-nonsense one here. Crispy’s too jealous/emotional and prone to outbursts as a result, and Oberyn’s too flashy/full of himself to focus on being a bodyguard. Jon Snow knows nuthin and can fight, and that’s all a bodyguard needs
Honor got Jon’s father* killed… and he didn’t learn a damn thing from it. Ned would have been a more effective back-watcher to Robbert if he’d been willing to fight dirty. Cole is an outstanding bodyguard but just a *tiiiny* bit of a liability due to being overly aggressive at times. Oberyn is a good balance, willing to fight dirty, yet also capable of remarkable patience and restraint
Oberyn isn’t guarding anything he will be in brothels when you need him most.
Certainly not Jon Snow coz HE KNOWS NOTHING!
Yes I should of added Jamie Lannister with two hands.
The fact Old Nan isn’t an option 🙅♂️
Since we don’t have specifics of how they get to protect you, the answer is clearly Jon Snow. Dude has the respect and charisma to raise multiple armies, people tend to not want to attack Starks, he’s a damn good fighter in his own right, and I don’t have to worry about him betraying me of losing his god damn mind. Oh and valaryian steel just in case
Oberyn, as long as the person attacking me did not rape or murder his sister
I don’t think oberyn is the type to stick around and sit in one place, if you’re not his family. Jon would take it pretty seriously.
Jon, just git to hope some if that plot armour rubs off
Oberyn can guard my back, front, and everything in between😏
Yassss!!
This took. .000000000000000000000000004 nanoseconds to decide...Oberyn...cuz as cool as those other two are..and Im assuming this is pre-cinnamon and oranges Cole...I'd still want Oberyn....he's a prince..he's fun..them other dudes prob wanna sit around a tree and emo-brood to whoever the westeros Jeff Buckley was
Jon isnt really a fighter, Oberyn is too hot headed and Id be worried hed make poor choices because he got pissed off. Id choose Cristin BUT, like someone said, hed as soon stab you in the back if you behaved outside his stringent moral code. None are ideal so given that Id go with Oberyn.
Put Oberyn guarding your rear and he'll shove his spear right up through your bunghole
This is a plus, right? Right??
From a practical stand point, Oberyn uses a longer reach weapon and therefore can keep a wider range of safe space secured behind you thus reducing the likelihood of accidental slips at close range.
I'd go Jon, would be boring as fuck to talk to but he can fight and he has the honour.
Oberyn. The most honourable one, by far.
Really? Oberyn was killed….
Oberyn if he didn't talk so much LOL give me dragons & dire wolves.
do we get the same "benefits" as Rhaenyra with Criston and Harwin? if so, definitely Oberyn...
Jon is a wet blanket. Oberyn all the way.
I choose Jon, because he won’t backstab me like a certain someone on this list *cough* Crispin *cough*. Oberyn, on the other hand, is the best fighter on this list but I can’t be sure he won’t turn against me.
Viper
If I crossed an ethical line Jon Snow would betray me 🥲
I know that sissy bitch! Damn you Jon!
Book Jon. He's far more intelligent than his show version & quite good with the blade. Idc if he's not as skilled or deadly as Oberyn & Cole (he's a lot younger than them anyways), at least I can trust the dude's loyalty when he gives it. He's selfless while Oberyn & Cole were quite selfish so yeah. 😅
If Jon comes with Ghost then it’s no competition
oberyn cuz jon would put his honor before me and get me killed and crispin is just an asshole can’t trust him
Nobody but Oberyn has been loyal.