I largely agree with the article, but I am always confused on why people say "GRRM likes killing people, look he killed Ned!." Yes that is true, but Ned Stark d

I largely agree with the article, but I am always confused on why people say "GRRM likes killing people, look he killed Ned!." Yes that is true, but Ned Stark dying was probably the most traditional deaths the story. The beloved father figure guides children/pupils giving them material and immaterial gifts for their journey, and then gets of the way. Bonus points if it can also be motivation. Darth Vader killed Obi Won in one of the most traditional stories of our era. Ned dying gave his children a multifaceted reason for their struggles. It does also that this is not a story about honor and chivalry, it's one about intrigue and subterfuge, illustrating the sociological not psychological reasoning. But even in a story with gallant knights, Ned would have died either way.