(Spoilers Extended) The Flying Bran Should Be Perched On Proper Context

"You will never walk again, Bran," the pale lips promised, "but you will fly."

Lots of people interpret above line as Bran’s destiny to ride a dragon. However, this is disregarding everything established about flying in Bran’s chapters starting from AGoT. Therefore, we have to decipher what “flying” is about in Bran’s story and put it in proper context.

Bran looked down. He could see mountains now, their peaks white with snow, and the silver thread of rivers in dark woods. He closed his eyes and began to cry.

That won’t do any good, the crow said. I told you, the answer is flying, not crying. How hard can it be? I’m doing it. The crow took to the air and flapped around Bran’s hand.

“You have wings,” Bran pointed out.

Maybe you do too.

Bran felt along his shoulders, groping for feathers.

There are different kinds of wings, the crow said.

…

Bran looked at the crow on his shoulder, and the crow looked back. It had three eyes, and the third eye was full of a terrible knowledge.

…

It took to the air, flapping its wings in his face, slowing him, blinding him. He faltered in the air as its pinions beat against his cheeks. Its beak stabbed at him fiercely, and Bran felt a sudden blinding pain in the middle of his forehead, between his eyes.

…

Bran touched his forehead, between his eyes. The place where the crow had pecked him was still burning, but there was nothing there, no blood, no wound.

Bran was falling in his coma dream and the only way to avoid certain death was to fly. He agreed to do what the crow said and soared. Then the crow pecked his forehead and opened his third eye. The third eye is always about arcane and occult knowledge. In the story, it is related to greensight. The three eyed crow wanted Bran to let go his dreams of walking again or becoming a knight and embrace his true destiny. This is why Jojen was sent to Bran.

"I dreamed of a winged wolf bound to earth with grey stone chains," he said. "It was a green dream, so I knew it was true. A crow was trying to peck through the chains, but the stone was too hard and his beak could only chip at them."

…

"You are the winged wolf, Bran," said Jojen. "I wasn't sure when we first came, but now I am. The crow sent us here to break your chains."

…

"A knight is what you want. A warg is what you are. You can't change that, Bran, you can't deny it or push it away. You are the winged wolf, but you will never fly." Jojen got up and walked to the window. "Unless you open your eye." He put two fingers together and poked Bran in the forehead, hard.

…

Jojen gave a solemn nod. "I dreamed of a winged wolf bound to earth by chains of stone, and came to Winterfell to free him. The chains are off you now, yet still you do not fly."

"Then you teach me." Bran still feared the three-eyed crow who haunted his dreams sometimes, pecking endlessly at the skin between his eyes and telling him to fly.

…

"To me the gods gave the green dreams, and to you … you could be more than me, Bran. You are the winged wolf, and there is no saying how far and high you might fly … if you had someone to teach you."

Bran is the winged wolf tethered to the ground and unable to fly. In ACoK, Bran’s third eye was open. The stone chains were gone. But Bran was still emotionally attached to Winterfell and his family. In order to realize his full potential, Bran had to go to the three eyed crow and learn from him. Again we see that flying is about opening the third eye and embracing his gift of greensight. ACoK finishes with Bran leaving the sacked Winterfell to seek the three eyed crow. Once in the cave, we see that Bran was properly initiated to his gift under Bloodraven’s tutelage. He was fed with that strange drink to “wed him to the trees”.

As a result, “flying” in Bran’s story was always about greensight and embracing his destiny. As of the end of his final ADwD chapter, Bran truly started “flying” across space and time.