The Official Re-Read Project: Book 2: A Clash Of Kings

[benteen]

Yeah, Tyrion really dropped the ball on the Night's Watch situation.  He didn't take it serious and like you said, let his dislike of Thorne color his decision making in this aspect.

 

It is interesting though that as smart as Tyrion is, he's very flawed and occasionally petty and ruthless.  Not the St. Tyrion we get on the show.

 

Tyrion also should have just had Littlefinger hung quickly.  It's interesting to note that this chapter establishes that no one really suspect LF of anything while on the show he is so unsubtle with his scheming that everyone knows he's a schemer. 

Edited December 30, 2015 by benteen

[Lady S.]

Meanwhile, you have a slimy jerk like Pycelle keeping a spare table out of consideration for the common people and Tyrion being resentful over it wondering why Pycelle doesn't at least have butter and honey. Tyrion can be pretty insensitive at times and I felt like I noticed it here.

Wow, another chapter where Pycelle is the only one doing the right thing. This re-read is full of revelations.

I'm most interested in the scene with Littlefinger in this chapter. To me, this is definitely not a time where he comes off as a smooth operator. Not just with his hunger for Harrenhal and lordship over all the riverlands, but his bragging about bedding the Tully sisters. (Before Tyrion said he'd only bragged about Cat, so I assume Petyr didn't mention Lysa while Jon Arryn was still alive.) Isn't it enough that he grew up with the Tully sisters and there's not really anyone else to treat with either of them? And why mention that he'll have to sleep with Lysa again? It's not like he needs Tyrion's permission for that. Also, interesting when Tyrion says he might find Jon Arryn's true killer to get Lysa on his side. Little does he know who he's dealing with, but Tyrion should really trust his instincts better about how dangerous Baelish is.

 

Another thing I wanted to mention about that scene is Tyrion's remark that there might not be any Tullys left at the end of the war. I'm sure D&D think they're making him more likable, but imo it's doing the character a disservice to de-emphasize his loyalty to House Lannister while painting him as a Stark sympathizer. Tyrion would never want anyone to think he wasn't a true Lannister.

 

I like that Varys is ahead of everyone else in terms of 'Let's just go with Tommen.'

Well, yeah, but for Varys that would just make Tommen a placeholder who would eventually have to be killed off too to make way for his real choice.

While Stannis is the experienced general who actually knows what he's doing, I feel like Tyrion and Tywin are too quick to write off Renly and see Stannis as the main threat. Even if Renly only knows politics and nothing much about battle tactics (which I think is true), his huge army should still be able to cause a lot of problems for the Lannisters.

 

I'm on the fence as to how horrible Big Walder is at the end of the day. Is he better at playing the game or is he just not as bad of a person as his cousin? It must be significant that he wasn't as interested in being taken under Ramsay's wing.

I'm with vibeology on this one, the significance is probably just that he's too smart to take after Ramsay, making him more like Roose. He never really shows any moral qualms with his cousin or Ramsay or any other sign that he's one of the "good" Freys. The closest is his expressing shame here after Luwin catches them fighting about Hodor, which I also think is more sign of his cleverness and common sense more than anything.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Lady S.

[benteen]

Did we ever find out who this riverlord was that pledged loyalty to the Crown?

[Lady S.]

Did we ever find out who this riverlord was that pledged loyalty to the Crown?

No, it's never mentioned again. Probably some minor lord closer to the crownlands than the rest of the riverlands.

[Constantinople]

Pycelle is keeping a spare table, but that may be his personal preference or a gastrointestinal requirement dressed up as patriotism.  It costs Pycelle nothing to say he's doing it for the common good. After all, he's not above flaunting wealth, see his maester's chain full of gold, silver and platinum.

 

I'm not convinced that Book Littlefinger is all that smooth.  Whenver we see him in action, he's invariably sarrcastic, boastful, crude or some combination thereof.  Similarly it's hard to believe that LF grew crown revenues 10x, as opposed to cash flow, given that the treasury was allegedly full when Aerys became surplus to requirements.  Book LF's smoothness is, to me, something that's told but never really shown.

 

His plot armor is such that apparently he's the only kid that was fostered by the Lord Paramount of the Trident while the Tully kids were growing up, even though his family is an insignifcant house from the Vale.  It's all just a little much.

[Holmbo]

I'm not convinced that Book Littlefinger is all that smooth. Whenver we see him in action, he's invariably sarrcastic, boastful, crude or some combination thereof. Similarly it's hard to believe that LF grew crown revenues 10x, as opposed to cash flow, given that the treasury was allegedly full when Aerys became surplus to requirements. Book LF's smoothness is, to me, something that's told but never really shown.

I feel like we keep being told that LF is so friendly and everyone likes him and I'm all When? Who?

To me he is just gross and slimy. But maybe the show LF is coloring my perception.

I'm not convinced that Book Littlefinger is all that smooth. Whenver we see him in action, he's invariably sarrcastic, boastful, crude or some combination thereof. Similarly it's hard to believe that LF grew crown revenues 10x, as opposed to cash flow, given that the treasury was allegedly full when Aerys became surplus to requirements. Book LF's smoothness is, to me, something that's told but never really shown.

I feel like we keep being told that LF is so friendly and everyone likes him and I'm all When? Who?

To me he is just gross and slimy. But maybe the show LF is coloring my perception.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Holmbo

[Holmbo]

Sorry for the strange double post. I'm not sure what caused it and my attempts to edit it made no difference.

[WearyTraveler]

I think we're supposed to be seeing only one aspect of LF that is more, let's say intimate, than what others see. Sort of the reverse of Cersei.  In AGOT we see Cersei through the eyes of all the other characters who have POV chapters and, if we read unspoiled, we're supposed to think what the POV characters think: that she's very clever, that she has the situation under control, and that she knows exactly what is going on.  Later we learn just how crazy and blinded by ego/power she really is.

 

So, with LF is the opposite.  We know how devious he is because we have read what he says and does with/to other characters, but whoever is the current POV character doesn't know as much as we do.  Look at him with Cersei, for example.  He is never sarcastic TO her, never disrespects her, never contradicts her.  He seems to act exactly the right way with every person he encounters, with the exception of perhaps Ned, whom he despised way too much to hide it completely.

 

I think what is going in this chapter with Tyrion is that Tyrion recognizes that LF is smart and that he plays a long game, and plays it well.  So, any move Tyrion makes against LF has to be perfectly calculated.  He's no Janos Slynt, and Tyrion knows it.  Tyrion is smart enough to realize that he still doesn't know enough about LF to take him out of the game safely.  The man rose from being the minor lordling of a pile of shit to Master of Coin.  One doesn't do that without acquiring a few powerful friends.

 

Tyrion doesn't know the extent of LF's power yet, plus LF's cavalier attitude must be throwing Tyrion for a loop.  Their unspoken conversation so far has been something like this:

 

T: I know you set me up in that dagger incident with Brandon Stark

LF: I know you know

T: Aren't you shitting your pants that I know?

LF: Not really, I'm good

 

So, Tyrion is wondering "why isn't he afraid of the consequences? I'm a Lannister! Tywin Lannister himself appointed me Hand of the King!".  Tyrion's conclusion then is that LF isn't afraid because he has enough power/allies to survive whatever Tyrion throws at him and then some.  This is exactly the kind of strategy that would keep Tyrion at bay.  It's an intellectual, political problem that stops him from acting until he knows more.  Any other strategy would fail, so LF is actually an ass around Tyrion because it's the best possible strategy he could use.

[nodorothyparker]

There's a lot of table setting going on here.  This chapter also illustrates that while Tyrion isn't a black hat, he's also much more interested in politicking and playing games than he is trying to deal with practicalities like Thorne and the situation at the Wall or the food shortage that he can't easily fix by being witty or clever.  Shrugging off that people are starving and have roasted a baker instead of at least trying to impose some sort of austerity measures on the castle and the nobility makes him seem only slightly less callous than Cersei. 

 

Littlefinger and his apparent success as master of coin get a mention here but we somehow still come nowhere close to an explanation of just how the crown is so deeply in debt as the story progresses.  Revenues are 10 times what they were under his predecessor, but again no specifics on what they're spending so much on except that we're supposed to believe that Robert is quite the spendthrift.  There's something very oily about Littlefinger boasting that he had both Tully sisters.

 

I can't remember, is this the first time we see anyone outright suggesting a subbing of the more pliable Tommen for batshit Joffrey?  It wouldn't have been the longterm solution for Varys, but putting it out there does make it feel like a plausible possible motive for when Joffers is finally taken out.  And of course the show ran with it.

 

I love the dark humor of Joffrey with the rabbits.  Nobody's ever taken the time to teach the kid to do anything but act like a haughty ass.

[Lady S.]

I'm not convinced that Book Littlefinger is all that smooth.  Whenver we see him in action, he's invariably sarrcastic, boastful, crude or some combination thereof.  Similarly it's hard to believe that LF grew crown revenues 10x, as opposed to cash flow, given that the treasury was allegedly full when Aerys became surplus to requirements.  Book LF's smoothness is, to me, something that's told but never really shown.

 

His plot armor is such that apparently he's the only kid that was fostered by the Lord Paramount of the Trident while the Tully kids were growing up, even though his family is an insignifcant house from the Vale.  It's all just a little much.

Yes, exactly my point. There are fans who think Littlefinger really is a perfect game player, a genius who will succeed and survive at the end, but I think that's giving him way too much credit. The show's Littlefinger has become insane mustache-twirler in recent years, so book Baelish is smoother than tv Baelish, but that's not really saying much. There are times when he says and does things that really don't have a calculated political benefit. I think we're supposed to see his usual crude wiseass routine as one of the reasons people don't take seriously as a threat, he's some minor lord they all think is beneath him and his behavior reenforces that he's beneath them and not to be taken seriously. IA with Holmbo that the everybody likes Littlefinger idea is a strange one, they may laugh at some of his jokes and find him useful, but no one around actually considers him their friend or wants to be his friend, with the exception of the Tully sisters who are choosing to see the kid who ate their mud pies instead of the man he became. 

 

I think what is going in this chapter with Tyrion is that Tyrion recognizes that LF is smart and that he plays a long game, and plays it well.  So, any move Tyrion makes against LF has to be perfectly calculated.  He's no Janos Slynt, and Tyrion knows it.  Tyrion is smart enough to realize that he still doesn't know enough about LF to take him out of the game safely.  The man rose from being the minor lordling of a pile of shit to Master of Coin.  One doesn't do that without acquiring a few powerful friends.

 

Well, Littlefinger only needed one powerful friend when that friend was married to his liege lord and the King's Hand. Of course, the full extent of the affair with Lysa is the missing piece of the puzzle that Tyrion doesn't have, which is his big problem. 

 

As far as the crown's revenues and debts, I think it might be worth noting that GRRM doesn't appear to have good grasp of basic math sometimes so I doubt he's that well versed in economics, or medieval-style economics specifically. Littlefinger must be up to some serious funny business with the books because none of Robert's expenses were actually over-the-top, regular entertainment and expensive clothes for the royal family would be par for the course unless the king was like Stannis, that kind of pomp is part of the position.  He wasn't building a palace of solid gold or throwing a party every single day or anything else crazy. And Westeros is such a decentralized state that I don't think there would any other kind of expenses, there's no standing army, no public works going on, no government run institutions, nothing like what a modern nation-state would have to take care of. I think it more likely the Lords Paramount handle everyday expenses regarding their own lands and their subjects. Wars would be the main expense, but two relatively short wouldn't be expensive enough to outweigh the years of peace and prosperity, real medieval kings threw money at wars that lasted much longer. 

Edited December 31, 2015 by Lady S.

[Holmbo]

"I think we're supposed to see his usual crude wiseass routine as one of the reasons people don't take seriously as a threat, he's some minor lord they all think is beneath him and his behavior reenforces that he's beneath them and not to be taken seriously."

That is how the character seems to me. Sort of how he handled Ned. He was so crude and unapologetic with him that Ned assumed he was trustworthy. Of course Ned thought everyone was trustworthy.

But I think LF handles everyone the same way. Seeming to be very honest on a joking way. But perhaps I have to read more of him when he's not in the small council meetings. What sort of interactions do we have with him? Cat, Ned, small council, Tyrion, Sansa.

[WearyTraveler]

And Lysa.  And later on, the Lords of the Vale.  When he deals with this last group he's quite polite and respectful (if my memory is working correctly)

 

I agree that many Lords see LF as someone beneath them and thus not take him seriously.

 

My comments were more toward the situation with Tyrion, who has realized that LF is dangerous and not afraid that Tyrion has his number in the whole business with the dagger.  I was also talking about reconciling the crudeness and lack of charm we as readers see of the character when he interacts with Ned and Tyrion vs. what this image that he is a charmer that other characters in the series attribute to him.

 

I remember having a discussion about the finances of KL on this board.  Was it on this thread? I posted a fairly long thing about it, I'll see if I can find it.

 

I think both alternatives (LF is hiding the money vs. the Kingdom is really bankrupt) are possible.  If LF is hiding the money, it wouldn't be for his own use, it would just be to create chaos from which he could benefit.  He's a social climber, for sure, but he always struck me as someone who wants power more than he wants money.  And even though the latter could help him get the former, I think he'd be very careful about anyone tracking it all down back to him.  He is not very ostentatious in his clothing or his lands, so, he's not flaunting any riches, plus he has his prostitution businesses to justify his income.  So, I think if he's responsible for the coffers being empty, then he's not personally taking any of it (or is keeping it hidden until such a time when he can make use of it).

[WearyTraveler]

Found it!  Here are my thoughts on the expenses I think the Crown has, and how it could be possible for it to have been running at a deficit and eventually go bankrupt.

 

I'm trying to think about the costs of running a kingdom such as Westeros and how Robert could have spent the Royal treasure after he  took the throne.  This situation in the books reminds me of those stories about lottery winners who go bankrupt and how many people ask themselves "how in the heck did that person manage to lose XXXX million dollars?"

 

I'm thinking four categories: big ticket items, bad loans, running expenses, indulgence.

 

A) Big ticket items:

 

• I'm going to assume that Robert's rebellion ravaged the country badly, maybe not as badly as the War of the 5 Kings, but seeing how battles, sieges and war play out in this world and how many characters speak about the suffering of the common people while the lords play their "games", it is likely that the countryside was fairly devastated after the rebellion.  It's said in the books that the common folk loved Robert, so, I'm going to assume that the crown helped rebuild the country by providing funds for reconstruction and even improvements on infrastructure like roads, bridges, etc.  Much like a lottery winner goes out and starts buying houses and cars, and other luxury items.
• Balon's rebellion probably didn't cause as much damage, but the crown likely had to reinforce its fleet, and we know that Robert and Cersei each had their Royal boats. So, I'm thinking some more money given to the towns affected by Balon's rebellion and the building/reinforcement of a fairly large fleet for the Royal Navy, which brings me to....

 

B) Bad loans:

 

• I'm not sure how financially sophisticated the Westerosi are, but since we know there are banks and a system to collect taxes and such, I'm going to assume that they understood that it's better to finance the big ticket items, rather than spending all the capital at once, even if you have it.  The problem probably was that the crown accepted unfavorable terms.  Or perhaps the lending system has high interest rates in a place like Westeros, where the risks are high -think of the Castameres that were completely wiped out, if they had any outstanding loans with anybody, who would pay them?
• There's also the possibility that since Arryn trusted LF, he didn't look into the details of the finances.  Another factor is that Tywin could have been charging a very high interest rate to the crown, but they trusted him because why would he want to hurt his own family (Cersei and his grandchildren)? and so, they didn't inspect these loans.  In the Small Council no one asks these questions.  LF says he'll find or has found the money through a loan and not a single person asks about the terms.  I also think that LF made very complicated deals and tried his best to make the books as inscrutable as possible, in order to plant the seeds for chaos.  It seems that these lords don't concern themselves too much with the particulars if the money is coming in.

 

C) Running Expenses:

 

• I'm thinking running KL and Westeros does not come cheap. They have to pay salaries for all the people working in the castle and it sounds like they are a whole army.  They probably also have to pay salaries to the members of the Small Council large enough for them to keep their own servants in the Red Keep, not to mention all the food, drink and cleaning supplies.
• They have to pay the soldiers of the City Watch, including their equipment: armor, weapons, meals, etc.  And this equipment probably needs maintenance and replacements every few months.
• Likewise, they have to pay their Naval officers and soldiers, and keep their ships in good condition.
• It's probably not as much as any of the other Royal Military Forces, but the crown also has to pay for the Kingsguard, their armor, their equipment, their squires, and so on.
• Castle services also include the armory, which has its own forge, the stables and its horses, trainers for new recruits, etc.
• Any trip or mission taken on behalf of the crown would be their financial responsibility too, so, anytime LF went to Braavos to ask for a loan or a group of men were dispatched by the King to attend some matter in Westeros, the crown would have to pay for their carts, horses, equipment, lodging on the road and food.  These would include squires, scribes, cupbearers, ravens and any other servant that they thought they might need.  So, a trip to settle a dispute between two lords could run a few thousand dragons.  
• I don't know how the Faith and the Maesters in Oldtown are financed, but since these two institutions were created by the Targs and they serve all of Westeros, I'm betting that a large chunk of their budget comes from the crown.  And they have hundreds of septons, septas, maesters, teachers, students, servants and infrastructure of their own.

 

D) Indulgence:

 

• Finally, there are all the things that Robert and Cersei buy because they can.  Robert's parties are probably not cheap, and as we know from the Hand Tourney, the crown spends quite a lot of money on these things, giving away grand prizes of thousands of dragons, and paying for all the set up.  Incidentally, if a Kingsguard is participating in one of these, it's likely the crown is financing it.
• Aside from the tourneys there are all the whores, and the wine, and the hunting.
• Then there are Cersei's gowns and her jewelry.  The way these things are described in the books, they sound pretty expensive, and I'm sure Cersei is not paying for these with Lannister money.  She has necklaces of emeralds and rubies, and diamond diadems and crowns, golden rings and so on.  And so do her children.  One piece from her collection is probably worth hundreds of thousands of dragons.

 

If this is so, I can see how the Robert's government had been operating at a deficit (like many of our governments do) for a long time, which eventually bankrupted the crown. 

[Lady S.]

Yes, I was thinking of your earlier post, but the issue here is that Littlefinger increased revenues 10x what they were under Robert's first Master of Coin, that should be enough to pay off any expenditures from the two short wars (especially if Ned was right about Aerys having a full treasury, which Pycelle never contradicted, so I assume he was). All the rest, including the "indulgences" were things every king had to pay for, so they shouldn't bankrupt Robert if they didn't bankrupt the others. Even the wars aren't really out of the ordinary expenses, two such short wars would be nothing in almost-always-warring medieval Europe, not comparable to the wars of 20th/21st century countries. And the Citadel and the Faith were not established by the Targs, the Citadel was set up by the Hightowers before even the Andals came, and the Faith was established by the Andals. The Targs established the new Faith HQ at Baelor's Sept, but all that means is they paid for the building 100 years ago, at this point the throne seems mainly to provide the High Septon's crystal crown and probably some other gifts too. I imagine the Faith also survives on gifts from other noble families, those whose extra kids become septons and septas and those who want a septon and/or septa serving their castle, and that those other donations are the majority of their support, likewise with the maesters. It doesn't make sense that the oftentimes rather primitive monarchy would be responsible for all the Faith and maester services throughout Westeros the way a modern government provides services for its people.

 

Bottom line is, this isn't a real government with real finances in a real and logical place, the crown revenues or lack thereof are whatever GRRM decides they are. Do you really think that GRRM, a guy who is not that concerned with chronology, travel distances, and army sizes, and who has discouraged fans from trying to make sense of these aspects of the story, actually knew enough about economics to write the crown finances in a way that made sense and cared enough to do so? I just can't believe that.

 

 He is not very ostentatious in his clothing or his lands, so, he's not flaunting any riches, plus he has his prostitution businesses to justify his income.  So, I think if he's responsible for the coffers being empty, then he's not personally taking any of it (or is keeping it hidden until such a time when he can make use of it).

Book Littlefinger does actually wear pretty fine clothes, Tyrion comments on his elegance in this very chapter, but I agree that he's not stealing royal money for his own personal use. I think he's just cooking the books for the sake of weakening the establishment, and that the reason Jon Arryn or anyone else didn't catch on is because Littlefinger has plot armor and GRRM doesn't care about the numbers much more than Robert would.

 

....Anyways, on the subject of Alliser Thorne, I can't help but be reminded of that being still one of the show's most annoying plot holes. How hard would it have been to just give him a namedrop in s2 after setting up his trip in s1? The audience knows Thorne to be a dick so it wouldn't even be a big deal if Tyrion and the council avoided seeing him entirely.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Lady S.

[John Potts]

I figure it's more like Littlefinger is Enron (or its Directors, who I don't remember the names of) - suddenly, money is no object! ....until the crash comes. And expecting a King to NOT spend money when it appears there's no shortage of it is like expecting children (or most people, really) to not overeat when presented with a mound of sugary treats! 

 

Also, Europe wasn't nearly as warlike as it looks: history may focus on the wars because those are the "exciting bits" (at least viewed from the safe distance of a few centuries) - by contrast, the USA has been far more warlike (in the 19th Century, they went to war with the British/Canadians in 1812, the Mexicans in the 1830s, themselves in the 1860s and the Spanish in 1890s, not to mention all the Native Tribes they systematically conquered in that time). Westeros does seem to be more warlike than Europe was (Robert seems to have fought in about three and he's been King less than two decades), by comparison.

[Avaleigh]

Pycelle is keeping a spare table, but that may be his personal preference or a gastrointestinal requirement dressed up as patriotism.  It costs Pycelle nothing to say he's doing it for the common good. After all, he's not above flaunting wealth, see his maester's chain full of gold, silver and platinum.

I can definitely see this being the case but the end result is that he isn't being ostentatious with food the way that so many of the highborn in King's Landing are including Tyrion. 

 

Thinking on this reminds me of how disgusted Pycelle was with Cersei on the show when she instructs him to have all of the wedding food be given to the dogs rather than the people. 

[Avaleigh]

Sansa II

 

Sansa finds a note under her pillow that tells her to come to the godswood that evening if she wants to go home. She reads the note over and over and wonders what she should do. She goes over her options and even considers showing the note to Cersei as a way of proving that she really is being good.

 

Sansa is still being beaten by Joffrey's men. The most recent beating was over her comment that she hopes the Others take Janos Slynt upon finding out that Slynt's been sent to the Wall. Joffrey wasn't happy with Sansa's comment and she begins to suspect that the note asking her to come to the godswood is actually part of some vicious prank of his. She imagines that Ser Ilyn Payne will be waiting for her in the godswood with Ice in his hands.

 

She wonders if there really is a true knight somewhere who is going to save her and starts to go over a list of possible candidates that include Ser Balon Swann and the Redwyne twins.

 

A servant interrupts Sansa's thoughts and asks her if she'd like a bath. Sansa briefly considers that this servant might have slipped her the note but decides that the girl seems too stupid to be capable of anything like that. Apparently Cersei has given orders that Sansa's servants be changed every two weeks so that she doesn't start getting friendly with any of them. Sansa is rude to the girl because she's convinced that all of her servants are there to spy on her.

 

Once she's alone again, she burns the note and crawls back into bed and starts thinking about the people she misses.

 

If only she had someone to tell her what to do. She missed Septa Mordane, and even more Jeyne Poole, her truest friend. The septa had lost her head with the rest, for the crime of serving House Stark. Sansa did not know what had happened to Jeyne, who had disappeared from her rooms afterward, never to be mentioned again. She tried not to think of them too often, yet sometimes the memories came unbidden, and then it was hard to hold back the tears. Once in a while, Sansa even missed her sister. By now Arya was safe back in Winterfell, dancing and sewing, playing with Bran and baby Rickon, even riding through the winter town if she liked. Sansa was allowed to go riding too, but only in the bailey, and it got boring going round in a circle all day.

 

There's suddenly lots of noise and shouting and when Sansa goes to look, she sees that Ser Preston is no longer guarding the drawbridge. She hurries to dress and thinks about how she must be out of her mind for taking such a risk. She brings a knife with her in case it turns out to be a trap and thinks that it will be better to die than allow them to hurt her anymore.

 

In the yard, Sansa sees men getting into their armor and saddling up horses. She's startled for a moment when she sees Joffrey being helped into his armor but thankfully he doesn't notice her.

 

As she tries to move through the castle without being noticed she's startled again when a one eared cat brushes up against her leg. The cat hisses at her and quickly runs away.

 

Once she finally reaches the godswood she thinks that she can feel the old gods watching her. She thinks about how she's always favored her mother's religion in the past. She feels the power of the godswood and prays for a true knight to defend her.

 

Just as she's starting to wonder if she's come too late, she hears a man saying he feared she wouldn't come. Ser Dontos steps out of the shadows and Sansa can immediately smell the alcohol on his breath. She bluntly asks him if he's drunk and Dontos admits that he needed some liquid courage.

 

Sansa draws her knife and wonders what will happen to her if she's caught. She thinks about how Lady would have been able to sense a lie and again finds herself blaming Arya for Lady's death.

 

Dontos asks Sansa if she plans on stabbing him and she insists that she will if he doesn't tell her who sent him. Dontos swears on his honor as a knight that nobody sent him. Sansa remembers that Joffrey stripped Dontos of his knighthood and wonders aloud why the gods would send her a drunken fool when she prayed for a knight.

 

"I deserve that, though . . . I know it's queer, but . . . all those years I was a knight, I was truly a fool, and now that I am a fool I think . . . I think I may find it in me to be a knight again, sweet lady. And all because of you . . . your grace, your courage. You saved me, not only from Joffrey, but from myself." His voice dropped. "The singers say there was another fool once who was the greatest knight of all . . . "

 

Sansa understands that Dontos is talking about Florian from the songs and Dontos goes to his knees and says that he'll be her Florian. Sansa thinks she'd have to be crazy to trust this drunk guy but she's even more afraid that this will be her only chance to try to get away. She asks him how he plans on getting her out. He admits that getting her out of the castle will be the trickiest part but once that's done all they'll need is a ship and some money. He says that he just needs to make the arrangements.

 

Sansa asks if they'll be able to leave immediately but Dontos says that he needs more time to work out a plan. He asks Sansa to lower her knife. She lowers the knife and tells him to rise to his feet. Dontos tells her that her father was a good man and again says that she's helped him remember what it means to be a knight. He swears in front of the old gods that he'll get her home.

 

Sansa agrees to trust Dontos and asks when she'll know it's time to finally leave. Dontos says that there won't be anymore notes and that Sansa will have to start going to the godswood on a regular basis. Dontos insists that the godswood is the only place where they'll be able to speak freely. He asks her to be understanding if he seems rude or indifferent to her when they're in each other's company in front of others and explains that he'll have to continue to play the role of the fool. Dontos counsels her to be brave and patient and Sansa promises that she will.

 

Dontos says it's better if they're never seen together and tells her to leave the godswood first. Sansa turns to leave and then goes back to kiss Dontos on the cheek. She tells him that he's her Florian and says that the gods have heard her prayer.

 

Sansa practically skips back to her rooms and starts thinking about how the Florian and Jonquil songs are among her favorites. As she's thinking about how Florian isn't good looking in the songs either, she runs right into the Hound who catches her before she can fall. She tells him that he's hurting her and tries to free herself from his grip.

 

The Hound demands to know where she has been and Sansa nervously stammers that she was praying for her father and for Joffrey down in the godswood. The Hound says that he isn't drunk enough to believe that. He creepily tells her that she's almost a woman and asks her to sing him a song about knights and fair maids. He asks Sansa if she likes knights and an increasingly scared Sansa replies that she likes true knights. The Hound mocks Sansa and asks her if he needs to beat her to get her to remember that he isn't a knight.

 

The Hound stumbles around a bit and finally seems to realize just how drunk he is. He acknowledges that he's had too much wine and tells Sansa that she needs to get back to her cage. The Hound escorts her back to Maegor's Holdfast where Ser Boros Blount is now on guard duty. Sansa thinks that Blount is the worst of the Kingsguard.

 

Blount can barely inquire as to where Sandor and Sansa are coming from before the Hound basically tells Blount to fuck off. Blount asks Sansa why she isn't in her room at such a late hour and Sansa again lies and says that she was praying for the King. She thinks that her lie sounds more convincing this time. The Hound supports her story somewhat by pointing out that she'd be unlikely to sleep with all of the commotion.

 

Blount explains that word has leaked out about Tyrek Lannister's upcoming wedding feast so there are smallfolk who think that they deserve to be feasted too. He mentions that Joffrey took some men to deal with the problem and the Hound snarks for a moment about what a brave kid Joffrey is. Sansa wants to see how brave Joffrey will be when he faces Robb.

 

As they're heading up the steps Sansa asks the Hound why he's okay with being called a dog and not a knight. Sandor explains that he likes dogs a lot better than he likes knights. The Hound tells Sansa about how his grandfather once saved Lord Tytos from a lion attack with the help of three dogs. His grandfather lost a leg during the incident but Lord Tytos rewarded the man's loyalty with lands and by taking Sandor's father in as a squire. The three dogs who are on the Clegane sigil represent the dogs who died saving Lord Tytos. He says that hounds will die for men and they won't lie to them.

 

The Hound then cups Sansa's face and tells her that he never got his song. Sansa says that she knows a song about Florian and Jonquil but the Hound isn't interested in hearing anything like that. He promises that he'll get a song from Sansa one day whether she wants to or not. Sansa says that she'll gladly sing for him if he really wants her to.

 

Sandor Clegane snorted. "Pretty thing, and such a bad liar. A dog can smell a lie, you know. Look around you, and take a good whiff. They're all liars here . . . and every one better than you."

 

[Avaleigh]

I find it interesting that even as Sansa is missing Arya she's still wrongly blaming her for Lady's death. Even though she hates Joffrey now she still sees that incident as being Arya's fault. 

 

Sansa's thoughts on Jeyne again make me want her to find out about Littlefinger's role there. 

 

I like Sansa catching Dontos swearing on his honor as a knight since he isn't one anymore. And of course he lies to her right after he swears that he's telling the truth. She also seems to instinctively know that he must be working for somebody else. 

 

I liked the appearance of Rhaenys' cat. I want that cat to meet Dany or Jon because I swear it'll finally start being nice. 

 

Why would Tyrek Lannister have a large wedding feast at a time like this? A wedding is one thing but having a feast seems ridiculous from their perspective given how either of the Baratheons could attack at any moment. Why blow all of that food when they might need it? Why not distribute some of it to the smallfolk? These people seem like they can't get out of their own way.

 

If Sansa thinks that Boros Blount is worse than Trant then Blount must be really bad. 

 

Sansa feeling the power of the godswood reminded me of Jon feeling the power from that weirwood tree. I like how Sansa starts out liking the Faith of the Seven for superficial reasons only to turn more and more to the old gods based on her true feelings. 

 

It's disturbing how turned on the Hound is by an eleven year old. 

[WearyTraveler]

I must admit this is one the few plotlines that actually took me completely by surprise.  I was suspicious of Dontos but never guessed LF was behind it all.  He probably told Dontos exactly what song to use in order to manipulate her and convince her to trust him.  He truly is an evil, evil man, isn't he?

 

I also have to say that one of the things that frustrates me the most about Sansa is that after everything that's already happened to her, she continues to fall for the whole knights and ladies bullshit.  In my country we have a saying that goes "no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver", which translates to: "there's no worse blind man than the one who doesn't want to see".  Sansa always reminds me of that saying and I'm not sure by the end of Dance or even in her leaked WoW chapter she is completely able to "see".

Edited January 5, 2016 by WearyTraveler

[vibeology]

Yas! This is the chapter where I knew that Sansa would be my favourite for all time. I love the small demonstration of courage she made in going to the Godswoods, but wisely with a knife to protect herself. She really took a huge gamble to make her life better and to save herself and I have so much respect for her for it.

 

Some interesting things I notice reading it again include the Tyrek's wedding details getting out probably has to do with Littlefinger creating a diversion for Sansa in the first place. He's have access to that knowledge and with his brothels could easily spread the news.

 

Dontos is a crappy person for lying to Sansa and eventually taking Littlefinger's money, but I do think he's sincere in wanting to get her away from Joffrey. He knows how awful Joffrey can be and has seen the danger and abuse she faces. I believe that he thinks sending her with Littlefinger will be good for her. I also love that Sansa senses that something's up with Dontos but is so eager for escape that she lets herself trust him.

[John Potts]

Dontos is (to me) an entirely believable character: he wants to do the right thing (I think he genuinely wants to alleviate Sansa's suffering) but too weak to actually help her (although I guess, creepy as Littlefinger is, he probably wouldn't get off on having her beaten and does seem to care for her somewhat, so in terms of terrible potential husbands, he's not the worst). Also, funny to think that The Hound is probably the most honest person in Kings Landing!

[SeanC]

I also have to say that one of the things that frustrates me the most about Sansa is that after everything that's already happened to her, she continues to fall for the whole knights and ladies bullshit.  In my country we have a saying that goes "no hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver", which translates to: "there's no worse blind man than the one who doesn't want to see".  Sansa always reminds me of that saying and I'm not sure by the end of Dance or even in her leaked WoW chapter she is completely able to "see".

I don't think Sansa "doesn't want to see".  She does her best to make sense of things, without any help, at a pretty young age; she's a naif at the start, no doubt, but a lot of her hopes after Robert's death I think have to also be understood as a horribly abused kid trying to cling to hope that things might improve.  When she goes to meet Dontos, for instance, she's definitely hoping for a knightly rescuer, which has fairytale overtones, but...wouldn't anyone hope for a competent rescuer?  What else should she want?  Sansa doesn't really have anything to offer anybody in exchange for their aid, so altruism is really all she can bank on.  And she's aware that Dontos is pretty shabby, but there's nobody else offering to help, so she tries to make herself feel as good as possible about the risk she's taking by agreeing.  She often uses her songs she loves to talk herself into going forward.

[benteen]

Yeah, I think Dontos wanted to help to but he was a weak man with his own demons.  When you learn about his family history in A Feast for Crows, you can understand why.

[Lady S.]

Some interesting things I notice reading it again include the Tyrek's wedding details getting out probably has to do with Littlefinger creating a diversion for Sansa in the first place. He's have access to that knowledge and with his brothels could easily spread the news.

I was thinking that too, sure was a lucky coincidence considering she wouldn't have gone to the godswood otherwise.

 

Why would Tyrek Lannister have a large wedding feast at a time like this? A wedding is one thing but having a feast seems ridiculous from their perspective given how either of the Baratheons could attack at any moment. Why blow all of that food when they might need it? Why not distribute some of it to the smallfolk? These people seem like they can't get out of their own way.

I think you answered your own question with that last sentence. Cersei probably finds it unthinkable to have a modest Lannister wedding, and Tyrion is probably trying to choose his battles with her and thinks at least wedding planning would distract her from plotting against him.

 

Sansa feeling the power of the godswood reminded me of Jon feeling the power from that weirwood tree. I like how Sansa starts out liking the Faith of the Seven for superficial reasons only to turn more and more to the old gods based on her true feelings.

Not only that, I think she's feeling Bloodraven watching her. "There was something wild about a godswood; even here, in the heart of the castle at the heart of the city, you could feel the old gods watching with a thousand unseen eyes." Yeah, her count is off by one, but close enough, right? I also found her thought about how Lady would have liked it there very interesting.

[Avaleigh]

Arya V

 

Arya sees smoke coming from several chimneys up ahead and sees that they're finally coming upon a village that is inhabited. She's travelling with Gendry, Lommy, Hot Pie, the crying girl, Cutjack, Kurz, and Tarber. Everything they've seen since they fled the holdfast has been put to the torch by Lannister soldiers. Gendry comments that they would have burned the lake if they could have.

 

When they go back to see if there are any survivors Arya seems to have hope that Yoren managed to make it. She won't believe that he's dead until she's sees the body and when she see it, she insists that they bury his body before they leave. She wonders how many men it took to finally bring down. She thinks about how he promised to take her home to Winterfell; half of her wants to kick him for not following through and the other half of her wants to cry.

 

They're mostly surviving on water and acorns and occasionally berries. Arya is barefoot at this point and she's even eating things like bugs and worms to stave off the hunger pains. 

 

Kurz ends up dying of an arrow wound he received back at the holdfast and it's not long after this that Cutjack and Tarber abandon the others.

 

The rest of the group are deciding how they should proceed since it seems like there are people in the nearby village. Hot Pie and Lommy are only concerned about getting food and seem willing to take their chances, but Gendry is more suspicious and thinks they might end up getting themselves killed.

 

Lommy is doing a lot of complaining. He and Hot Pie are both blaming Yoren for their current situation and think that everything would have been fine if Yoren had simply allowed them to yield. Lommy and Hot Pie both complain about how Gendry won't let them light a fire and Lommy resents how Arya is able to stomach swallowing worms rather than deal with being hungry. She offers to dig some up for him but he rejects the offer and claims that he'd be out hunting boars if it weren't for his leg.

 

Arya knows that Lommy doesn't know what he's talking about and explains to him how boar hunting works. Lommy wonders how she knows so much about it and Gendry asks them both to be quiet. Arya thinks to herself that Gendry looks as though he's in pain every time he tries to think.

 

Gendry thinks that they should try to steal some food once it's dark. Arya offers to be the one to go and tells Gendry that he's too noisy. Lommy thinks that 'Arry' is the better choice because 'Arry' is sneakier but Gendry decides that they should both go. Hot Pie and Lommy are nervous about being left alone and worry that they won't come back. They're worried too about the wolves they've been hearing; Arya has heard the wolves too and they've given her the chills.

 

Gendry seems annoyed at being questioned and insists that they aren't going to leave them to the wolves. Lommy wants some sort of magic potion for his leg so Gendry promises that they'll pick that up too if they can find it. Gendry leaves Hot Pie in charge of guarding the crying girl Weasel.

 

Once Gendry and Arya are away from the others, Gendry confides to Arya that he thinks Lommy is going to die. Arya has had the same thoughts and could smell the rot coming from Lommy's leg. She thinks that a maester might be able to help him but Gendry says that even if they did manage to find a maester it's unlikely that they'd find one who would dirty his hands on some lowborn kid. Arya doesn't believe this and thinks that Maester Luwin would help Lommy if he could.

 

Gendry breaks it down for Arya and says that the others are holding them back. Between Lommy slowing them down and constantly talking about yielding, Hot Pie always being too loud, Weasel being a useless wreck, Gendry says that Arya is the only one who is useful even if she does happen to be a girl.

 

Arya immediately tries to deny that she's a girl but is caught up when Gendry calls her out on the fact that she always goes off by herself to pee. He didn't notice at first when they were in a larger group but now that only a handful of them are left it started to become obvious. He says if she's not a girl then she must be some unfortunate eunuch.

 

Arya tells Gendry that he's the eunuch but soon understands that she's busted. She says that she'll tell Gendry the truth if he tells her why the Queen really wants him, but Gendry swears he has no idea why the Queen is after him. He says he thinks that Yoren probably knew but he never told him.

 

Feeling as though she basically has nothing to lose, Arya tells Gendry who she really is but says that Lommy and Hot Pie can't be trusted to know. Gendry is shocked when he realizes that Arya is actually a highborn girl who grew up in a castle and all the rest of it. Suddenly he feels awkward around her and is embarrassed about a bunch of things he's said. Arya, if possible, is even more embarrassed and feels like Gendry is making fun of her.

 

Gendry insists that he knows how to properly speak to a lady and starts addressing her more formally. Arya knows that Lommy and Hot Pie are going to notice if he starts acting this way around her, so she starts hitting him on the chest to snap him out of it. Gendry laughs and wonders what sort of highborn girl Arya is.

 

As they continue walking, the air starts smelling foul and when they get closer to the village they decide it's better if they split up. The closer Arya gets the worst the smell is and she soon realizes that it's the smell of decaying bodies that have been left hanging. Arya forces herself to look at the bodies and tells herself that she's as hard as stone. The bodies are so picked clean by crows and other animals that they hardly look like they were ever human.

 

As Arya is reminding herself of what Syrio taught her, there's a shout in the darkness, and she soon sees that Gendry has been captured. She wishes that she could kick him for being stupid enough to get caught.

 

The guards question Gendry, rough him up a bit, then shut him inside of a nearby storehouse. Arya sees the Lannister banner and another banner with three dogs on a yellow field that she knows is familiar but can't quite place. She wonders if the men are aware that the Queen is after Gendry.

 

The only thing that matters to Arya right now is rescuing Gendry. She watches for a long time and waits for an opportunity to materialize, but the guards never leave their posts. Eventually, she returns to Hot Pie, Lommy, and Weasel. Lommy and Hot Pie were sure that Arya and Gendry had abandoned them and ask after Gendry. Arya tells them what happened and tells Hot Pie that she needs his help in getting Gendry out.

 

Hot Pie seems like he's going to cry at the prospect of fighting and Lommy thinks they should just go over and yield. He says they should leave Gendry and says that it isn't their fault Gendry got himself captured. Arya is furious with Lommy and tells him how stupid he's being. She asks him who's going to be able to carry him without Gendry's help since Gendry is the strong one among them. Arya again asks Hot Pie for his help and Hot Pie reluctantly agrees to go with her.

 

Lommy is scared and asks Arya what he should do if the wolves come. Arya suggests that he yield. Lommy holds on to Weasel.

 

It takes Arya and Hot Pie a long time to get to the village and the closer they get, the more Hot Pie starts to freak out. When a crow lands on his back, he can't help but exclaim in fear, and when a guard calls out after hearing the noise, Hot Pie immediately yields and gives himself up. 

 

Their cover is blown and the soldiers are on them instantly. Arya tries to fight but is easily disarmed. When she bites one of them men she ends up being punched in the face. They take Needle away from her and Arya feels like this is even worse than the considerable pain. She thinks about how Jon got her Needle and how Syrio taught her to use it.

 

Arya and Hot Pie are down on their knees in front of Gregor Clegane and she finally realizes that she first saw Clegane at the tourney that was held in honor of her father. She remembers Sansa saying that Clegane is even bigger than Hodor. Clegane demands that Arya and Hot Pie take them back to the others who are in their group.

 

Arya is still dazed and is only half aware of what's going on around her. Hot Pie is babbling about yielding and is telling anyone who'll listen how good he is at baking.

 

They find Lommy where they left him but see that Weasel has run off. Arya hopes that Weasel runs and runs and never looks back.

 

Lommy immediately raises his hands and tells the men that he yields. One of the soldiers asks Lommy if he knows where they can find Beric Dondarrion. Lommy doesn't know who they're talking about and another soldier talks about how it was a waste of time asking these kids anything as they don't know anything more than the people in the villages that they've been terrorizing.

 

One of the spearmen goes over to Lommy and asks him if he can walk. The spearman sounds concerned and Lommy tells the guy that he'll need to be carried. The man uses his spear to open Lommy's throat and chuckles over the idea that Lommy actually thought that they would carry him.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Avaleigh

[Lady S.]

They're mostly surviving on water and acorns and occasionally berries. Arya is barefoot at this point and she's even eating things like bugs and worms to stave off the hunger pains.

This was mostly bleak and depressing, but I thought it was cute that Arya remembered eating bugs before just to gross out Sansa.

 

Septa Mordane said boar hunting was not for ladies, and Mother only promised that when she was older she might have her own hawk.

I think this is the only time one of the Starklings remember something their mother told them, compared to countless memorable Ned quotes. 

I wonder if Yoren's fatal axe-wound came from the axe Arya gave to Rorge. Sure, there could have been plenty of axes wielded but Lorch's men, but the possibility is there, isn't it? Arya wanting to bury Yoren reminded me of Catelyn wanting to bury the men killed by the mountain clansmen and Brienne wanting to bury Nimble Dick.

Avaleigh, I trust you're eating your words about Arya and the crying girl aka Weasel? ;)

[SeanC]

I think this is the only time one of the Starklings remember something their mother told them, compared to countless memorable Ned quotes. 

I've wondered about that before.  Ned is, I guess, mainly remembered by the boys when talking about leadership or combat stuff; Arya also thinks about his ideas about justice.  I guess there's probably not much Catelyn would have been telling them that's relevant to their experiences (and, in Jon's case, she obviously wasn't giving him advice at all).  Sansa never thinks of any advice from either Ned or Cat, presumably because the premise of her character arc is that neither of them taught her anything relevant to politics or the real world.

[Avaleigh]

Avaleigh, I trust you're eating your words about Arya and the crying girl aka Weasel? ;)

I am, you're right Lady S. Not only does Arya defend Weasel to Hot Pie (or maybe it was Lommy) but Weasel clearly seems to prefer Arya over the others. I can't help but think that her fate was grim but I hope it worked out. Arya's definitely more understanding of how traumatized the kid must be than I remember her being. 

 

I like how Arya feels the power of the weirwood's in the God's Eye. 

 

I can't imagine walking all of that way in bare feet. Arya is made of sterner stuff than most adults let alone kids. 

 

Lommy wanting to ditch Gendry made it harder to feel sorry for him but I still did. Gendry so wanted to ditch the other three. I laughed when Arya thinks that Gendry looks like he struggles when he thinks because it made me think of how Robert didn't really like to spend time thinking. I wonder what Ned would make of Gendry being Arya's new best friend. 

 

I thought the moment of Hot Pie begging not to be hurt and telling them what a good baker he is was funny. 

 

Tyrion is up next.  

[Lady S.]

I am, you're right Lady S. Not only does Arya defend Weasel to Hot Pie (or maybe it was Lommy) but Weasel clearly seems to prefer Arya over the others. I can't help but think that her fate was grim but I hope it worked out. Arya's definitely more understanding of how traumatized the kid must be than I remember her being.

I don't like to think of Weasel's fate either, the same way I don't want to ponder Beth Cassel's fate after Ramsay took Winterfell. It's bad when you have to think that being killed quickly might be the best case scenario for a child surrounded by Dreadfort men led by Ramsay, or in this girl's case, in territory swarming with Lannister soldiers and the Bloody Mummers. And I apologize for making anyone else think about poor Beth.

[benteen]

I forgot that Gendry learns after the battle at Castle Darry that Arya is really a girl.

 

I don't like thinking about Weasel's fate either.  This is Game of Thrones so you know she wasn't found and taken in by a nice, loving couple. 

 

Agreed about poor Beth and it was mentioned that Old Nan was also taken to the Dreadfort.  I would have hoped for her sake that her heart had given up long before then.

[Constantinople]

Perhaps it's a coincidence that the dyer's apprentice dies at the end of the chapter, but I think GRRM is a little twisted.

 

Speaking of Lommy Greenhands, I'm not saying he's a long lost descendant of Garth Greenhand, or that Garth Greenhand was in fact a dyer, but there's a conspiracy theory about everything else in GoT, most of which involve secret identities, so there may as well be one about this.

 

I blame Tywin Lannister for inflicting this living hell on everyone.

[John Potts]

Avaleigh Lommy immediately raises his hands and tells the men that he yields.

 

I love the inclusion of this detail because it reminds us that Sansa isn't the only one who believes in the nobility of Knights: even seeing the slaughter around them, he believes Gregor & co will still act according to the chivalric code. Obviously, he was quickly disabused of the notion, but even without Sansa's relatively privelidged upbringing, there are others around who think "Knight = Honourable" (you can understand why Sandor is so vehement against becoming a knight - he prefers to be an honest killer than a hypocritical "honourable" knight).

[Lady S.]

I think that's the reason I find Lommy's murder more poignant on the page, having him talk more about yielding and blaming Yoren comes off as annoying but it all really establishes how innocent and naive he was. I also found it interesting that maesters were brough up so that Gendry could say they wouldn't treat peasants. Maybe Arya was right about Maester Luwin but, for the most part, the smallfolk bear the costs of war without the privilege of medical help.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Lady S.

[Holmbo]

I think that's the reason I find Lommy's murder more poignant on the page, having him talk more about yielding and blaming Yoren comes off as annoying but it all really establishes how innocent and naive he was. I also found it interesting that maesters were brough up so that Gendry could say they wouldn't treat peasants. Maybe Arya was right about Maester Luwin but, for the most part, the smallfolk bear the costs of war without the privilege of medical help.

I think Luwin would help a peasant if he came across one but I don't know that he'd be making house calls around the Winterfell village or that people would be allowed into the castle for him to treat them. But I don't know for sure. Maybe the Starks were generous with their maester.

[Lady S.]

I think Luwin would help a peasant if he came across one but I don't know that he'd be making house calls around the Winterfell village or that people would be allowed into the castle for him to treat them. But I don't know for sure. Maybe the Starks were generous with their maester.

IA, he'd probably help a peasant if Arya was there to ask, but otherwise he'd only be occupied with the Starks and their Winterfell servants.

[vibeology]

Maybe because this reread has really made me love Luwin, but I bet if he knew about a serious illness or injury he'd be there to help a peasant. I don't really have any direct text to back that up, but the way Luwin defends Hodor, for example, and the words he says to the Walders make me want to believe in his willingness to help out those in need who aren't important noble people.

[Holmbo]

If I may, I'll jump back for a comment which I didn't have time to make, on the earlier Sansa chapter. I think Sansa and Bran's arcs in the first three books would have worked much better if they were one book, as first intended. The plot point of Dontos taking her away is introduced here and there's no pay off for the entire book.

[Lady S.]

If I may, I'll jump back for a comment which I didn't have time to make, on the earlier Sansa chapter. I think Sansa and Bran's arcs in the first three books would have worked much better if they were one book, as first intended. The plot point of Dontos taking her away is introduced here and there's no pay off for the entire book.

Yes, and I can understand why they didn't do it like that on the show, especially since they had to split up Storm, introducing Dontos as a helper in early s2 when that help wouldn't actually pay off until s4 would just give the general audience a different reason to be annoyed with Sansa's plot. Which isn't to say what the show did was always an improvement, and at the very least I wish they'd included Sansa pulling a knife on Dontos in the godswood, since D&D bizarrely chose to direct that little chase sequence like something out of a horror movie.  

[Holmbo]

Maybe I'll give this a try.

 

Tyrion V

 

Tyrion is lead into a tunnel under the hill of Rhaenys by the pyromancer Hallyne. Tyrion is thinking about how he's not impressed with the pyromancers overall, that they try to make themselves seem important even though their guild has almost no influence anymore. The one skill they still claim is making wildfire.

 

“Water will not quench it, I am told.”

“That is so. Once it takes fire, the substance will burn fiercely until it is no more. More, it will seep into cloth, wood, leather, even steel, so they take fire as well." 

Tyrion asks why the wildfire doesn't seep into the clay of the pots it's stored in and is told that it does and that older pots from the days of king Aerys are stored farther below.

“We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. ”

 

Tyrion asks if the old jars are usable and is told that they are but also warned that they could erupt easily, even by just being placed in direct sunlight. Hallyne informs him that the pyromancers have 7 840 jars so far and expect to have the 10 000 requested by Cersei ready in time for the battle. Tyrion jokes about the safety of rushing production and is assured that the safety measures are ample, with a spell on the floor to make them collapse in case of fire. Hallyne warns him that soldiers will not be as careful. Before he leaves Tyrion asks for a few thousand empty jars and a puzzled Hallyne agrees. On the way out Hallyne complains of how no one has shown any interest in their craft since the days of king Aerys. He tries to arrange to meet the king but Tyrion answers non noncommittally, thinking it would not be a good idea to introduce wildfire to Joffrey.

 

Once outside again Tyrion reflects over the situation in the city. People are starving and Joffrey has not helped the situation by having ordered arrows to be loosened into a starving mob outside the castle and shouting to them that they had his leave to eat the dead. Bronn is at his litter, telling him that both Cersei and Ironhand wants to see him. He decides to let Cersei wait since that will make her angry and therefore easier to manipulate. Ironhand meets him at the gates of the keep and tells him that Cleos Frey has arrived with peace terms from Robb Stark.

 

Tyrion meets with Cleos who tells him conditions in the riverlands are bad with crops and villages being burned, peasants slaughtered and deserted soldiers praying on everyone. Tyrion thinks that is the way of war and feels thankful he's not a peasant. He reads the letter with Robbs terms and tell Cleos right away they are not acceptable. Cleos asks him to trade the Stark girls for Tion and Willem but Tyrion has other trades in mind. He tells Cleos he'll consult with Cersei and give him their peace terms to take back to Robb.

 

On his way back to the keep Tyrion instructs Jacelyn Bywater on how to use the clay jars to drill the soldiers in how to handle the wildfire. He also tells him to make sure Cleos's escort are cared for, but not let into the city, since he doesn't want them to see how bad conditions are. In his litter he thinks about how he can slow Robb down by trading peace terms with him while the Lannisters prepare more troops. On his way back through the city they pass a begging brother who preaches that the comet is a warning from the gods because of the depravity in the city and the corruption and incest of the rulers.
 

Cersei waits for him in the tower of the hand and Tyrion soon realizes that she's learned of the Pycelle version of his plans for Myrcella, to betroth her to Trystane Martell and send her to Dorne. Cersei is furious about Myrcella being sent of and of Tyrion making plans behind her back. They argue about it and Tyrion tries to convince Cersei by telling her why the Martell's have no reason to break the agreement by hurting Myrcella. Cersei is not appeased so he points out that Myrcella is in no way safe in Kingslanding. That her head will be mounted on a spike next to Cersei's if the city falls.

 

And Cersei began to cry. Tyrion Lannister could not have been more astonished if Aegon the Conqueror himself had burst into the room, riding on a dragon and juggling lemon pies. He had not seen his sister weep since they were children together at Casterly Rock. Awkwardly, he took a step toward her. When your sister cries, you were supposed to comfort her … but this was Cersei! He reached a tentative hand for her shoulder. “Don’t touch me,” she said, wrenching away. It should not have hurt, yet it did, more than any slap. Red-faced, as angry as she was grief-stricken, Cersei struggled for breath. “Don’t look at me, not … not like this … not you .”

Tyrion tries to reasure Cersei by explaining that Tywin knows what he's doing by staying at Harrenhal and that he'll be able to protect them. He also shows her the letter from Robb and argues that if Robb was winning he'd not be sending them peace terms. As he hands it to her he sense that she'll agree to the betrothal of Myrcella.

 

[WearyTraveler]

Good job, Holmbo!

 

Oh, Tyrion, Tyrion, Tyrion!  First, we probably saved a few dozens lives by keeping Joffrey away from wildfire and the next second he's goes on to state how happy he is that he's not a peasant...

[Avaleigh]

Thank you for posting, Holmbo! Let me know if you want to do anymore and my apologies for the delay. I'm going to post mine too just because I already did it. ;p

Tyrion V

 

Somewhere under the hill of Rhaenys behind the Guildhall of the Alchemists, Tyrion and Hallyne the pyromancer inspect some jars of wildfire. The alchemists used to have a powerful guild but the maesters of the Citadel have supplanted them in most respects save the ability to create wildfire.

Wildfire is green substance that will burn through almost anything once it takes fire. The substance isn't quenched by water and once it takes fire it will burn until it is no more. Tyrion thinks about How Thoros of Myr would use a flaming sword and how even a thin coating of wildfire will burn for at least an hour.

 

Tyrion asks the Hallyne why the wildfire doesn't seep into the clay of the pots that hold it.

 

 

"Oh, but it does," said Hallyne. "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved.

Tyrion doesn't care how the wildfire was moved and asks if the they'll be able to use the wildfire that was Aerys's. Hallyne says that it can be used but tells Tyrion that they'll have to be very careful because the substance becomes stronger as it ages. The slightest spark could make the entire supply blow up if all of the wildfire is kept together. Hallyne cautions Tyrion from leaving the substance out in the sun and says that even a short time in the sun could prove to be too much.

 

The official count is 7,840 jars of wildfire including four thousand jars from King Aerys's day. The pyromancers think they should be able to meet the ten thousand jars that they've promised Cersei. Tyrion is surprised that the pyromancers seem like they're going to be able to deliver on their promise of ten thousand jars and isn't quite sure if he should be delighted or terrified. He warns Hallyne that he's not going to be happy if the wildfire turns out to be defective.

 

Hallyne explains that the substance is the real deal and talks about the preventative measures that are taken to ensure that fires don't break out during the process of making it. The pyromancer again cautions Tyrion about the danger of wildfire and says that it can be incredibly dangerous in the hands of a common soldier who doesn't understand the power of the substance.

 

Tyrion asks Hallyne to provide him with a few thousand empty clay jars and then asks to be escorted back to his litter. Hallyne obliges and tells Tyrion that it's been too long since they've had a visit from the Hand of the King. Last time they had a visit from the Hand was back in King Aerys's day and the Hand, Lord Rossart, was a member of the guild. Hallyne says that King Aerys took great interest in the work of the pyromancers and Tyrion responds that Joffrey is likely to be interested as well. He thinks to himself that he'll have to keep his nephew far away from Hallyne.

 

Hallyne has already talked to Cersei about getting Joffrey down to the Guildhall for a feast but Tyrion says that the King isn't going to be doing any feasting until the war is won. Tyrion claims that Joffrey doesn't like the idea of feasting when the common people are starving, so Hallyne suggests that a few pyromancers could pay a private visit to the Red Keep where they would "distract" His Grace for an evening by demonstrating their powers. Tyrion says he'll talk to Cersei about it.

 

They walk through the Gallery of Iron Torches and they're all lit with wildfire. The effect is impressive but Tyrion knows that the torches have only been lit because of his visit and knows that they'll be extinguished the moment that the doors close behind him.

 

Timett is waiting for Tyrion with an escort of Burned Men and Tyrion is glad of this because he knows that the Burned Men are intimidating to the common people. Tyrion thinks about how just three nights ago a mob of people went to the gates of the Red Keep demanding food. Joffrey's response was to shoot arrows down into the crowd. Four people were killed and Joffrey tells the survivors that they have his leave to eat their dead.

 

Tyrion is surprised to see that Bronn is with his escort as well. Bronn tells Tyrion that he's there to deliver messages. Ironhand wants to see him at the Gates of the God and Cersei is commanding to have his presence in her chambers. Tyrion decides to see Ser Jacelyn Bywater first and tells Bronn to let Cersei know that he'll see her upon his return. Bronn warns Tyrion that Cersei won't like that at all and Tyrion says that an angry Cersei is a stupid Cersei so he'd rather deal with stupid-angry!Cersei if possible.  

 

Inside the Gate of the God, Tyrion meets with Ser Jacelyn to tell him that Cleos Frey is there to bring him a letter from Robb Stark. Cleos tells Tyrion that he is a welcome sight and asks if Cersei is with him. Cleos says that he was instructed to bring Robb's offer to the Queen.

 

Tyrion tells Cleos to relax for a bit and comments on how haggard in general he looks. Cleos sits and starts telling Tyrion how bad the situation in the Riverlands is and says that it's especially bad around the God's Eye and kingsroad. Tyrion hears about how his father has been having his men torch all of the villages and Tyrion thinks about how thankful he is that he's a Lannister.

 

Tyrion asks for news of Robb Stark as he looks over Robb's terms. Cleos tells Tyrion that Robb is staying put at Riverrun and suggests that Robb fears facing Tywin since he's losing more men each day.

 

Tyrion tells Cleos that Robb's terms are unacceptable. Cleos asks if Tyrion will consent to the prisoner exchange of the Stark girls for Tion and Willem but Tyrion refuses. He says that they'll propose a different exchange of prisoners and that Cleos will go back to Riverrun to deliver the terms. Cleos isn't happy to hear this and advises Tyrion that Robb won't bend easily and that it's really Catelyn who is interested in peace.

 

Tyrion puts Ser Jacelyn in charge of Cleos's escort and gives instructions that Robb's men not be let into the city so that they don't see what bad shape King's Landing is in. He also gives instructions about the clay pots that will be coming from the alchemists explaining that they are to be used by the men for practice. Ser Jacelyn isn't crazy about wildfire but he agrees.

 

Back in his litter, Tyrion sees a prophet ranting about the corruption in King's Landing.

 

"Corruption!" the man cried shrilly. "There is the warning! Behold the Father's scourge!" He pointed at the fuzzy red wound in the sky. From this vantage, the distant castle on Aegon's High Hill was directly behind him, with the comet hanging forebodingly over its towers. A clever choice of stage, Tyrion reflected. "We have become swollen, bloated, foul. Brother couples with sister in the bed of kings, and the fruit of their incest capers in his palace to the piping of a twisted little monkey demon. Highborn ladies fornicate with fools and give birth to monsters! Even the High Septon has forgotten the gods! He bathes in scented waters and grows fat on lark and lamprey while his people starve! Pride comes before prayer, maggots rule our castles, and gold is all . . . but no more! The Rotten Summer is at an end, and the Whoremonger King is brought low! When the boar did open him, a great stench rose to heaven and a thousand snakes slid forth from his belly, hissing and biting!" He jabbed his bony finger back at comet and castle. "There comes the Harbinger! Cleanse yourselves, the gods cry out, lest ye be cleansed! Bathe in the wine of righteousness, or you shall be bathed in fire! Fire!"

 

Once he's back at the Red Keep, he heads up to his solar to find Cersei inside waiting for him. She bitches him out for ignoring her summons and Tyrion explains that he was just about to go and see her. Cersei doesn't believe her brother and says that she has good reason not to trust him.

 

Cersei asks Tyrion if he really thought that she'd just let him get away with selling Myrcella. Tyrion says that Myrcella is being treated as a princess and says that she'll basically be doing what she was born to do unless Cersei plans on having Myrcella and Tommen marry each other.

 

Cersei knocks Tyrion's wine out of his hand and tells him that she'll have his tongue out for that comment. She insists that she won't have Myrcella treated the way that she was treated when she was forced to marry Robert.

 

Tyrion argues that Myrcella will be safer in Dorne and Cersei brings up the small matter of how the Martells despise their family. Tyrion explains his plan and says that Myrcella is likely to be well treated and certainly won't be treated the way that Joffrey treats Sansa. He suggests sending Ser Arys Oakheart as Myrcella's sworn shield. He also insists that Doran Martell isn't the sort of man who would stoop to murdering a nine year old girl.

 

Cersei insists that Tyrion is offering too much after Tyrion elaborates on everything that he plans on offering and Tyrion replies that if he'd offered any less to the Prince of Dorne that Doran would easily reject the offer. When Tyrion asks his sister if she plans on offering Doran 'the hole between her legs' instead, Cersei full on slaps Tyrion in the face. He swears to her that this is the last time she'll ever hit him. Cersei laughs in his face and asks him if he thinks he'll be protected by their father's letter. She reminds him that Ned Stark had a letter of protection too.

 

When Tyrion points out that Myrcella isn't going to be safe if the Baratheons attack them, Cersei begins to cry. Tyrion is shocked and puts his hand on her shoulder but she yells at him not to touch her. Tyrion can't understand why but he feels hurt by this rejection from his sister.

 

Tyrion promises that Myrcella won't be hurt but Cersei doesn't believe him. She mentions that Tyrion promised they'd get Jaime back and Jaime is still captured. She wonders how Jaime could have allowed himself to be caught by a boy like Robb. She spends some time criticizing Tywin too and says that it seems like he's hiding in Harrenhal. She says that Jaime wouldn't have stood by if Tywin had been captured and not the other way around.

 

Cersei starts worrying about Renly next and frets that he could be there any day now. Tyrion says that Harrenhal is close enough where their father's host would be able to join them and they'd be able to hammer Renly's army on both sides.

 

Tyrion spends more time comforting Cersei and assures her that if they weren't winning then Robb wouldn't be trying to sue for peace. He offers to show her his terms and Cersei snaps back into Queen mode. She wonders why the terms were sent to Tyrion rather than her.

 

As Cersei looks over Robb's letter, Tyrion's cheek still burns from the slap, but he thinks the price was worth it now that he knows who ended up informing Cersei.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Avaleigh

[Avaleigh]

One thing that stood out to me in this chapter was the wildfire. If they're able to easily extinguish torches and can stop a disaster with sand then doesn't that sound like it goes against the idea that nothing will quench wildfire? 

 

Cersei crying in front of Tyrion just shows how helpless she feels. Even though Margaery hasn't entered the picture she's still trying to get people to respect the idea that she's Queen but it doesn't really mean anything to anyone with real power.

 

I'd be curious to know what sort of tricks the pyromancers would show Joffrey. It's funny that there are already so many comparisons to Joffrey and Aerys. 

 

Jacelyn Bywater is a character I hardly remember but I like him so I feel certain that he must not survive the Blackwater or something. 

 

Stannis wasn't one of Cersei's worries but Tyrion and Twyin both think at separate points that Stannis is the bigger threat. Cersei is always on the wrong page.

[Lady S.]

Stannis wasn't one of Cersei's worries but Tyrion and Twyin both think at separate points that Stannis is the bigger threat. Cersei is always on the wrong page.

Cersei may be forgetting Stannis, but I think Tyrion and Tywin are underestimating Renly. Even if Tywin gets there from Harrenhal to take Renly in the rear (not a sexual reference, I swear), his army would still only be a quarter or so the size of Renly's, which would seem to be worse odds than at the actual Battle of the Blackwater, where Tywin had the Tyrells on his side instead to give him the numerical advantage. And they both assume Stannis would ignore Renly and sail straight for KL (as Salla wanted), which was not the case. It's not like anyone could have predicted Stannis would come out on top against Renly the way that he did.

 

One thing I wonder about the wildfire now is how Varys didn't know about it. Even if Aerys' original plot really was that secret (and it appears secret enough that Hallyne doesn't know about it), they've now discovered the caches under the Dragonpit and Baelor's Sept, which Varys should have heard about. Not to mention Varys and his little birds know the tunnels in the Red Keep better than anyone, yet Jaime said there's wildfire hidden under the Red Keep itself. Are Varys and Jaime equally ill-informed about the dangers of wildfire or does Varys not care if KL blows up if Aegon VI can build a new capitol?

 

Cersei crying in front of Tyrion and then freaking out when he tried to offer a comforting touch reminded me of that notorious Catelyn/Jon scene and her saying "I don't need your absolution, bastard". (Although I'd be the first to say that the relationships are not the same.) Interesting that Tyrion thinks at the end that Cersei will agree to the match after he's explained everything and reassured her about Tywin, which actually makes Cersei more cooperative than she was on the show. So, despite her saying she has reason to distrust him, it really doesn't feel like she fears Tyrion as the valonqar.  

Edited January 21, 2016 by Lady S.

[benteen]

It's interesting how hurt Tyrion is when Cersei recoils from him.  She could have had a devoted ally if she had just treated him better and shown him some love (though not the Jaime kind).

 

Ser Jacelyn, yeah, he does kind of get forgotten.  Especially since his role was given to Bronn on the show.  That change was a no-brainer that D and D were 100% correct about.

Edited January 21, 2016 by benteen

[Avaleigh]

It's interesting how hurt Tyrion is when Cersei recoils from him.  She could have had a devoted ally if she had just treated him better and shown him some love (though not the Jaime kind).

Tyrion would have been okay with the Jaime kind too. ;p

[Lady S.]

Tyrion would have been okay with the Jaime kind too. ;p

Would Jaime, though? Or you suggesting his love for both of them would make him willing to share and...I need to stop my mind going down this path now. 

 

Maybe a little too late on the no more royal feasting idea if starving townspeple are still showing up at the castle gates and Joffrey's now telling them to eat their own dead.

[Holmbo]

Thank you for posting, Holmbo! Let me know if you want to do anymore and my apologies for the delay. I'm going to post mine too just because I already did it. ;p

Let's do two for each chapter! Just kidding. I don't think I'll have time to post any faster than you. Also yours is more complete. Though you didn't include the quote about Aegon juggling lemon pies. That one is so strange :D

 

One thing that stood out to me in this chapter was the wildfire. If they're able to easily extinguish torches and can stop a disaster with sand then doesn't that sound like it goes against the idea that nothing will quench wildfire? 

I agree. I could see the sand kind of helping if one put burst into flames and they wanted to isolate it from affecting other. Not necessarily extinguish it. The braziers are less explenational to me. Maybe they pour it back into the pots??

 

Cersei crying in front of Tyrion and then freaking out when he tried to offer a comforting touch reminded me of that notorious Catelyn/Jon scene and her saying "I don't need your absolution, bastard". (Although I'd be the first to say that the relationships are not the same.) Interesting that Tyrion thinks at the end that Cersei will agree to the match after he's explained everything and reassured her about Tywin, which actually makes Cersei more cooperative than she was on the show. So, despite her saying she has reason to distrust him, it really doesn't feel like she fears Tyrion as the valonqar.  

I think the valonqar was not something GRRM planned from the start. If he did there would be some kind of hint to it.

To defend it I'll say that perhaps Cersei didn't think about the prophecy at all at this point and it wasn't until Joffrey died that she started to worry about it. You'd think though that since she hates Tyrion she'd at least have the part about the younger brother in her mind.

 

Tyrion would have been okay with the Jaime kind too. ;p

I was thinking the same :D

Not that I think he wants it. There is many instances when he admires Cersei's beauty but I think it's just because Martin wanted the pov to describe it. Same as when Jon describes Satin's good looks.

But I think he would have been up for any kind of affection.

[Avaleigh]

Bran III

 

Bran rides his horse Dancer through the Great Hall so that he can take his place on the High Seat and kick off the Harvest Feast. He knows the people aren't really shouting for him but he feels proud all the same until he has to come down from his horse and be carried to his seat.

 

Ser Rodrik and his daughter Beth are seated at Bran's left and Rickon is on the right. Bran notices how long Rickon's hair is and notes that it hasn't been cut since their mother left. Rickon is annoyed that he didn't get to ride into the hall the way Bran did. He tells Bran that he's a better rider and Bran responds by telling him to be quiet.

 

Bran welcomes everyone to the feast in the name of the King in the North and raises a goblet in toast that there will be "a hundred more". He drinks some wine and his head instantly feels like it's swimming.

 

Ser Rodrik tells Bran that he's doing well and that Ned would have been proud of him. Maester Luwin concurs and they all settle in and start eating. Lord Wyman has supplied a lot of the food and he's even brought musicians in to entertain everyone. The guests are are soon talking and laughing so loudly that the music is mostly drowned out and only Hodor still seems to be listening.

 

Bran didn't want the two Walders to be at the high table with them but Maester Luwin tells Bran that he's going to have learn to deal with the Walders since they'll be family before long. Robb will be marrying one of their aunts and Arya is going to marry one of their uncles. Bran is certain there is no way that Arya would ever do that.

 

The servants bring every dish to Bran first and once he gets full he starts sending over dishes to all of the VIPs and people he likes. He sends the sweets to Old Nan and Hodor because he loves them. When Ser Rodrik reminds Bran that he should have something sent over to the two Walders he makes sure that they only get the beets and the turnips.

 

Bran surveys the scene and watches Osha serving ale in between the tables. Some guy decides to put his hands up her skirts so she ends up smashing a flagon over his head and makes everyone laugh. 

 

They've had to build a special chair for Lord Wyman because he's so fat, but he's a good humored man and Bran seems to like him. While Wyman is in high spirits, Lady Hornwood looks worried and preoccupied.

 

The Great Hall is hot, crowded, and noisy and everyone is getting drunk. Bran wishes he could be anywhere else and starts thinking about the godswood. Ser Rodrik notices that Bran isn't eating and tries to encourage him by saying that he'll make a good lord one day. Bran thinks about how he still wants to be a knight.

 

As Bran takes another sip of wine he thinks about the last time he saw his father drink from the very same goblet, the night of the welcoming feast for King Robert.

 

It had been the night of the welcoming feast, when King Robert had brought his court to Winterfell. Summer still reigned then. His parents had shared the dais with Robert and his queen, with her brothers beside her. Uncle Benjen had been there too, all in black. Bran and his brothers and sisters sat with the king's children, Joffrey and Tommen and Princess Myrcella, who'd spent the whole meal gazing at Robb with adoring eyes. Arya made faces across the table when no one was looking; Sansa listened raptly while the king's high harper sang songs of chivalry, and Rickon kept asking why Jon wasn't with them. "Because he's a bastard," Bran finally had to whisper to him.

 

Bran thinks about how everyone is gone now and starts thinking about all of the people who have died or are missing since that feast. He misses his old friends and thinks about all of the people who rode south with his father never to return. He wonders who all will be missing in a year's time.

 

The doors to the hall open and the presence of Meera and Jojen Reed of Greywater Watch is announced. Everyone looks up to stare at the new arrivals and Bran hears Little Walder call them "frog eaters" under his breath.

 

Rickon wonders who the new arrivals are and Little Walder says that they're "Mudmen" who have green teeth from eating frogs. Maester Luwin instructs Bran to greet the Reeds warmly and Bran recognizes that they're Crannogmen from the Neck. Ser Rodrik mentions that Howland Reed was a great friend to Ned.

 

Bran is surprised to see that Meera is a girl because of the way she's dressed. He observes that of the two siblings, Meera is the one carrying the weapons while her younger brother Jojen is completely unarmed. Bran notes that both siblings have white teeth.

 

The Reeds kneel in front of Bran and swear their fealty to the King in the North. The oath the Reeds swear is different than those of the other houses and Bran is unsure of how to respond at first. He settles on saying that he hopes they have a short winter and a bountiful summer.

 

Bran introduces himself and Meera tells Bran that they've brought gifts of food. Bran briefly wonders if he'll have to choke down a frog in order to be nice. He offers the Reeds the hospitality of Winterfell and starts to think about what he knows of the Crannogmen. He thinks about how Howland Reed was one of his father's closest companions.

 

Jojen looks around the hall and wonders where the direwolves are. Rickon says that the direwolves are in the godswood because of Shaggy being bad, and Meera says that Jojen would like to go and see them. Little Walder warns that the direwolves like to bite people but Bran says that the wolves won't bite anyone if he's present.

 

Bran is curious about the Reeds and thinks about how Ned would correspond with Howland over the years but how Crannogmen would never actually visit Winterfell. He asks Ser Rodrik if Crannogmen really eat frogs and Ser Rodrik confirms that they do.

 

Bran has some of the servants start getting food for the Reeds and once the siblings start eating Bran finds himself staring at Meera. She notices Bran watching her and when he realizes that he's been caught he blushes and looks away.

 

The dancing has started and the music becomes more wild. A song is played called "The Night that Ended" that talks about the Night's Watch riding out to fight the Others in The Battle for the Dawn.

 

Hodor is happily dancing by himself and Lord Wyman is dancing with little Beth Cassel. Ser Rodrik tries to get Lady Hornwood to dance but she excuses herself and leaves. Bran starts to feel sad as he watches everyone have fun dancing and thinks about how this is one more thing he'll never be able to do.

 

As Bran is lifted into the basket on Hodor's back, he can feel all of the people staring at him as they leave the hall. They go through the castle and run into Joseth the master of horse and some woman having sex. The woman freaks out for a moment when Hodor starts staring, so Bran has to tell him to leave the couple alone.

 

Once Bran is back in his room and in bed he tells Hodor he may return to the feast but instructs him not go bothering Joseth and that woman. Hodor gives his word.

 

As Bran is lying in the darkness he thinks about how he once asked his father if the Knights of the Kingsguard are truly the greatest knights in the realm. Ned says that the Knights of the Kingsguard are no longer the best but acknowledges that they definitely were at one point.

 

Was there one who was best of all?"

 

"The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star. They called him the Sword of the Morning, and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed." Father had gotten sad then, and he would say no more. Bran wished he had asked him what he meant.

 

Bran falls asleep thinking about knights and starts having a wolf dream where he's in the godswood while the feast is still going on. In the dream he hears the rattling sound of iron and soon sees Jojen and Meera inside of the godswood.

 

Meera asks Jojen if he knew that the direwolves would be so big and Jojen confirms that the direwolves will get even bigger before they're completely grown. Jojen says that the black direwolf is full of fear and rage but that the grey direwolf is strong, stronger than he realizes. Jojen wonders if Meera can feel it, but Meera says that she can't. She warns Jojen to be careful.

 

Jojen is certain that today isn't the day he's going to die and reaches out to pet Summer. The moment Jojen touches Summer, Bran seems like he's falling out of the dream and is no longer in Summer's skin.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Avaleigh

[Avaleigh]

This is one of those chapters where all I think about is how everything is on the verge of hitting the fan. I was so ready for something bad to happen that towards the end I wondered for a moment if we were already at the point of Theon's arrival.

Manderly is morbidly obese but he's a graceful dancer? Okay. I sort of felt sorry for Beth Cassel there.

Bran made me laugh sending the two Walders those vegetables he knew they probably wouldn't care much for.

I'm annoyed with Lady Hornwood for giving Ser Rodrik the brush off. What might have been.

I wonder what the significance is of Jojen not really being interested in Shaggydog. Saying that Shaggydog is all full of fear and everything makes me think of Yoda harping on how young Anakin had too much fear in him to be a Jedi.

I liked hearing the ancient vow of the Reeds. I also liked all of the mentions of Howland Reed. Ned doesn't strike me as much of a letter writer. I wonder what they'd talk about.

Little Walder side eyeing Jojen for wanting to see the direwolves made me laugh out loud.

Rodrik and Luwin certainly do everything they can to praise and encourage Bran. It's nice to see.

Not sure what to make of Hodor gaping at the couple or Bran feeling that he needed to make sure to keep Hodor in check. Meanwhile, these people are having sex in public and the lady starts screaming because castle residents are walking through common areas?

Rickon always seems older than he actually is.

[nodorothyparker]

The Tyrion chapter is interesting to me for how much it supports and lays the groundwork for the big Jaime confession we know is coming in the next book.  There's all this unstable wildfire sitting around from the time of Aerys, another big cache was discovered under Baelor's Sept just in the last year, and oh yeah, most of the people who would have known what to properly do with all this were slain during the sack of Kings Landing but no details on that.  I do kind of love that it doesn't seem to be a great secret that some of Aerys's stash went missing but no one's been all that concerned about looking for it first under Robert and now under Joffrey.  It would seem to give credence to all the theories out there that Kings Landing will come burning down before this all over with.

 

I don't buy that fear of the valonqar prophecy was on George's radar at this stage of the writing either.  I'm sure an argument can be made that Cersei was just playing it very close to the vest but I just don't think so.  She's too openly antagonistic toward the brother she's supposed to believe will kill her someday.