2. The Existence Of Talisa Maegyr
In The Books As Robb Stark is not a point-of-view character in A Clash Of Kings, his actions predominantly go unseen, being either recited by other characters or seen through the eyes of his mother Catelyn, who spends much of the book away from him. Following an assault on a castle called The Crag; Robb is wounded and tended to by Jeyne Westerling, the daughter of the conquered castles lord. Upon learning that his former friend Theon Greyjoy has captured his home of Winterfell in the name of Balon Greyjoy and killed his brothers Bran and Rickon in the process, he grieves by accepting the comfort of his new female companion, marrying her afterwards to preserve her honour. This goes against an agreement that he had formulated with House Frey, which he had promised to marry into in order to secure their support for his campaign against the Lannisters and facilitate his passage across their river crossing. Because of this, the house withdraws their assistance, and Lord Walder Frey is not a man who takes being slighted lightly
In The Series The understandable decision was made to feature Robb (Richard Madden) as a primary character in the shows second season, meaning that his actions had to be shown rather than described second-hand by others. As a result, he is shown to meet a field nurse in the aftermath of one of the battles he is involved in, who claims to be a woman named Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin) from the city of Volantis, a long way from the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Throughout the rest of the season, a mutual attraction develops between the two. Robb learns that Winterfell has been captured by Theon (Alfie Allen), but not that his brothers have allegedly been killed in the process. He confesses to Talisa that he doesnt want to marry into House Frey, wanting to be with her instead, a feeling that she reciprocates. The two then have sex and are married by a septon shortly after, despite the warnings of his mother Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) concerning the likely Frey response, which has yet to be shown.
Reaction This is one change that fans of the books are never going to forget, as although a degree of change is acceptable and can enhance the story (as the above two entries serve to show), this is considered to be pushing it too far. In the books, Robb reneges on his promise to the Freys in order to preserve Jeynes honour, whilst in the series, he has set himself up for potentially harrowing consequences for no reason other than to please himself. Throughout the second season, it was hinted that Talisa might in fact be Jeyne, merely pretending to be from Volantis due to her familys Lannister affiliation. This never transpired, however, and it has now been confirmed that the character is an original replacement. On a footnote, if Robb is from the North, where the Old Gods are worshipped, and Talisa is actually from Volantis, then why do the two marry under the Seven, a religion that neither of them belongs to? If theres anything that will always be a blemish on the series, its this.