In the book series, it’s theorized that Alys might be hundreds of years old, something that Rankin seemed to be hinting at in her talk with Vulture. “She’s kind of like the First Lady of Harrenhal if there was a government,” she said. “She knows all the really wonderful spots to go swimming and do fun, pleasurable things. She’s spent a lot of time figuring out how to be by herself, but that’s like a blessing and a curse after 400 years.” This would make her centuries old, not unlike the “Game of Thrones” character Melisandre aka the Red Witch, who had attempted to help Stannis Baratheon take over the Iron Throne before eventually pivoting to backing Jon Snow.
When Simon Strong tells Daemon that Alys has left to assist with the possible healing of Grover Tully before his inevitable passing, it confirms that she is more than likely the cause of all of Daemon’s hallucinations, and not another result of them. It still seems odd that no one in Harrenhal has ever directly interacted with her (that we’ve been privy to as an audience) up until that point, but when we think about how this world usually treats witchy characters like this, it does make sense. Women like Alys are typically feared by those around them and only called upon when their powers are of use to more “important” figures. Melisandre wasn’t treated very well by folks in “Game of Thrones” either, unless they felt they could use her powers for their own gain (or were terrified of her retaliation).
Witchy magic is nothing new. We saw Jon Snow and the Mountain’s resurrections in “Game of Thrones” and, in another universe, the TV series would have actually shown the resurrection of Catelyn Stark as Lady Stoneheart. There’s also Maggy the Frog, a Woods witch who used blood magic to help Cersei Lannister.
Chances are, Alys is so mysterious because she’s a witch … or perhaps a Greenseer.
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