Well, Danerys had the ultimate weapons, the most fearsome army in the world, and the love and respect of powerful people around her. She was going to be queen. Jon had a chance to marry her, take a woman he was truly in love with, and together they could have been a great duo. Jon could have reined her in, tempered her anger and arrogance. She wanted desperately the love of the people and saw that the people loved Jon in a way they didn't love her. This is a great bargaining chip in the relationship -- she could follow his example and learn from him and become the kind of leader she so wanted to be. She lost another dragon and then her best friend, and losing Jon as a lover was the thing that pushed her over the top. Imagine if instead Jon said "fuck it I don't care if she's a little more closely related for comfort, I'm going to marry her anyways", it would changed everything. As a duo, fire and ice, they would have a really good shot I think at balancing the whole shebang and becoming something great and worthy of the love of the people. What do you mean by Bran employing strategy across the timeline?
The "woman he was truly in love with" rejected his ways, ratted him out and took part on a murderous raid on his homeland. He tried that alliance thing several seasons ago and and ended up with him ultimately murdered by his own squire. Ygritte was a far gentler human with a whole lot less to lose than Daenerys and he ended up holding her as she bled out, too. She saw that people in WESTEROS loved Jon in a way they didn't love her. She saw what happened in that game in Mireen - she ended up betrayed by her paramour and had to wipe out his entire social class. There's no bargaining here - both parties to your prospective relationship have tried it before and had it end in betrayal, catastrophe and battles that killed thousands. Sure. But over the top she went. The whole of her arc is "how did this person become so mean." She's earned it, no doubt. Ultimately, though, nice people don't march under the banner of the Symbionese Liberation Army. The last three episodes of the series are everyone who knows imagining what would happen if Jon did this. This argument right here is why Tyrion betrayed Varys. It's why Sansa gave up Jon's secret. It's why Tyrion betrayed his queen and freed his brother - half the important players in the game think Daenerys can be reined in, the other half think she's a Targaryen. And even with peace ringing out, even with her enemies defeated, even with everything to gain and nothing to lose, she goes Targaryen in the end. It is not my fault, said the scorpion. It is in my nature. Jon could have reined her in, tempered her anger and arrogance. She wanted desperately the love of the people and saw that the people loved Jon in a way they didn't love her. This is a great bargaining chip in the relationship -- she could follow his example and learn from him and become the kind of leader she so wanted to be.
She wanted desperately the love of the people and saw that the people loved Jon in a way they didn't love her.
She lost another dragon and then her best friend, and losing Jon as a lover was the thing that pushed her over the top.
Imagine if instead Jon said "fuck it I don't care if she's a little more closely related for comfort, I'm going to marry her anyways", it would changed everything.