Game Of Thrones: 10 Stupidly Easy Decisions That Would've Solved Everything

3. Robb Keeps Theon

Despite Robb's practical inexperience and lack of exposure to life outside of the North, his military campaign south actually started out strongly. Defeating the Lannister forces on dual fronts and taking Ser Jaime captive just confirmed to his men that their decision to crown him was a good one. Unfortunately, Robb's subsequent confidence as well as the sense of honor that he inherited from his father served to push him into making one of his first - and gravest - mistakes: returning Theon to the Iron Islands. In theory, Robb's plan to reach out to Balon Greyjoy wasn't all that bad. He would need a fleet of ships to take King's Landing, and the Ironborn were infamous for their reaving. As it happened, however, there was a nasty bit of history that left Balon disinclined to acquiesce to any Stark requests. The deaths of two heirs and the abduction of the third held the slight possibility of souring any negotiations. So, naturally, Robb decides that the best course of action would be to send the long-absent Theon as an envoy to his father. Theon had fought at Robb's side since the beginning of the war; for what conceivable reason should he not be trusted as a messenger? Well, Catelyn could think of a few. Theon may have sworn his allegiance to the Stark cause and declared Robb his brother, but Theon was still a Greyjoy of the Iron Islands who had been held in the North as a hostage against his father for half of his life. His eagerness to prove himself as part of Robb's war effort could easily be transferred to one of Balon's. Robb remains steadfast in his faith, and he would ultimately pay for his trust in Theon with the deaths of his "brothers" and the sack of Winterfell.