Recap / Son of the Seven Kingdoms

Season One

Chapter 1: The Black Prince

In the aftermath of Jon Arryn's death, the Royal Family travels to Winterfell so King Robert Baratheon can ask his friend Eddard Stark to become his new Hand of the King. Leading the caravan is Robert's second son, William Baratheon, the Black Prince, who challenges Robert to a race for the last hill before Winterfell. As they wait for the rest of the caravan, William begins to reminisce about the events that have brought him here.

Chapter 2: Forging The Legions

Five years before, William converts to the old faith of the Nine Divines under the aegis of High Priest Rorlund, who welcomes William to the fold. After reminding priestess Colette about his offer for her to become his personal healer, William returns to the Red Keep, where he meets with General Tullius. The two join the Small Council, led by the King, and they present an idea William has been working on for several weeks: a Royal Army, sworn directly to the Crown rather than to the noble families of Westeros. Most everybody agrees it is a good idea, but Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish puts a damper on things by mentioning the Crown is heavily indebted. However, William finds out that Baelish is stealing money from the Crown, and ends up blackmailing him into financing the first few Legions that will form the Royal Army. William then convinces his father to name him Lord of Cloud Ruler Temple, an old ruined fortress in the Riverlands near which the future Legion camp will be installed.

Chapter 3: Reforging The Blades

Queen Cersei thinks about the recent changes, and believes that the Legions will support the Lannisters in future events. Meanwhile, William has arrived to an inn near Cloud Ruler Temple, escorted by Ser Barristan Selmy, who suspects there was more going on than William has explained. After a brief interruption by one of the inn workers, Delphine, William asks Ser Barristan to share what he knows of the Blades, the people that once controlled Cloud Ruler Temple.

Ser Barristan explains that the Blades were originally the descendants of the Akaviri, people from a faraway land that had to leave before they were exterminated by their many enemies, and made their way to Westeros during Aegon's Conquest, settling down near the Trident. Aegon the Conqueror sent an army against them, but surprisingly, the Akaviri managed to defeat the Targaryen army. This prompted Aegon to pact with them, allowing them to lay claim to the land they had settled in in exchange for forming an elite guard that would complement the recently established Kingsguard; thus was born the Dragonguard. A century or so later, though, there was a schism, and the Dragonguard decided to stop serving the Targaryens, becoming instead a sellsword guild called the Order of the Blades, which managed to survive until Aerys the Mad, in a fit of paranoia, decided to have them killed, using wildfire when it became obvious the siege was going to take a very long time.

The following day, William and Ser Barristan arrive at Cloud Ruler, and William begins to explore the place, when he suddenly finds a buried katana, the sword of the Blades, among the rubble. Just as he examines it, Delphine arrives wearing armor and wielding a katana, marking her as a surviving Blade, and she demands to know where he has found that katana. Just then, Ser Barristan arrives, and he duels Delphine in an effort to protect William, only for him to step between them to force them to stop fighting. With both fighters now halted, William offers Delphine the sword he found, only for her to see that it has blood from a cut William got.

Standing down, she confirms she is not only a Blade, but also that Grandmaster Jauffre had her escape Cloud Ruler Temple just before the attack began, and he named her Grandmaster before tasking her with keeping watch on the surviving Blades, with their next leader being the blood of Dragonbane, the sword that Talos, the Ninth Divine, used when he was a mortal - the sword William is carrying. Seeing that Jauffre's prophecy has become true, Delphine swears loyalty to William.

In King's Landing, in the meantime, Littlefinger plots revenge...

Chapter 4: To The North

After a visit of the Royal Family to Highgarden - where William gets a bit of a crush on Margaery Tyrell - and after going to Casterly Rock on Tywin Lannister's petition, William travels to Cloud Ruler Temple in the company of his uncle Tyrion Lannister, his granduncle Kevan Lannister and Delphine, who now acts as his main bodyguard. The Legions are in training, and Cloud Ruler is being expanded to make it even more impregnable than before.

Kevan's presence has an aim: when the group returns to King's Landing, he brings a message where Tywin requests to foster William at Casterly Rock, intending to make him his heir. King Robert calls for William, and tells him he will foster... with Ned Stark, to Cersei's and Kevan's shock, who had thought they had convinced the King to accept Tywin's proposition. Soon, William parts for the North. On the way to Winterfell, he meets Isran, Sorine and Gunmar, who want to restablish an ancient order called the Dawnguard that once aided the Night's Watch, but are unable to because they lack funds - which William decides to provide.

Upon arriving to Winterfell, William meets the Stark family: Eddard, Catelyn, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Brandon and Rickon, as well as their wards Jon Snow and Theon Greyjoy. William soon becomes friends with Robb, Jon and Theon, as well as Arya, who is nothing like the ladies he has seen in the South.

Chapter 5: First Battle, First Test

Four years later, William is still fostering with the Starks, and his bonds to the family have deepened greatly. In these years, not only has he learned of the Dawnguard's true mission, but he has also gained (somewhat unwittingly) the allegiance of the Companions, a group with a great secret: the inner circle can transform itself into large humanoid wolves. However, this allegiance came to be after the loss of Kodlak, the Companions' Harbinger, after William decided to offer mercy to a man that had attacked the Companions.

Ser Barristan makes a surprising visit to Winterfell to check on William, but the happy encounter is cut close too soon when Maester Luwin brings a message from the Night's Watch: an army of about fifty thousand wildlings, led by a man called Madanach, the King in Rags, has managed to cross the Wall and advances south. There is no time to call all the banners to fight this threat off, but fortunately the first two Legions are training close, and they are ready to test their mettle: they, along with what bannermen can join, gather near Long Lake, where they present battle.

The Legions bombard Madanach's followers, the Forsworn, with arrows, forcing them to charge forward. Eager for a fight, the Forsworn obligue them, only to fall into a trap as the Legions surround them and the cavalry charges at their rear, making it impossible for them to win or escape. William is pulled off his horse, Shadow, and while Robb and Theon help each other, Jon saves William from one of Madanach's attacks. William engages in a duel with the King in Rags, and eventually wins. Before being decapitated by William, Madanach mentions someone had promised him immortality if he won.

The Legions and the Northerners celebrate their victory while mourning those who have died, and Jon, Robb, Theon and William - now nicknamed "The Four Brothers of War" - return to Winterfell, where several days later a message arrives, demanding William's return to King's Landing. William follows the orders, but promises to return soon.

North of the Wall, though, the evil creatures that had convinced Madanach to attack plan for the future...

Chapter 6: Returning To The North

Upon arriving at King's Landing, William sees that little has changed, particularly in regards to Joffrey, who is as insufferable as he was before William left, but nonetheless William is glad to be back, as he has missed his family. Things turn strange when Jon Arryn mentions there is a matter of importance he has to discuss with him and King Robert, only for Jon to suddenly die of a strange sickness.

In Winterfell, the Starks welcome the Royal Family, and Robert goes to the crypts to present his respects to Lyanna while William greets his friends and adoptive family.

That night, during the banquet, Jon Snow tells his uncle Benjen Stark he is ready to swear the oath of the Night's Watch, but Benjen replies that he does not know what he is going to lose when he does so. Tyrion gives Jon some pointed advice, and William tells Jon to consider what he is to do before making him rejoin the feast, even though Lady Catelyn dislikes it.

The next morning, while William trains Bran and Tommen in the art of the sword, Eddard and Robert watch them - and discuss potential betrothals. Robert suggests betrothing Joffrey and Sansa, but Eddard rejects the offer, having heard of Joffrey's true nature through William. Eventually, they hit on the idea of betrothing William and Arya, since, as the two are friends already, it would make their marriage a good one.

On the other side of the Narrow Sea, in Pentos, Daenerys Targaryen is about to be married to Khal Drogo, as part of her brother Viserys' plans to gain an army with which to invade the Seven Kingdoms. In the last few days, though, something else has consumed her attention: a book called "Mysteries of the Dovah", which speaks about dragons, of how they once were intelligent creatures with their own language, the Thu'um, which some humans can also use to create many different effects.

In Winterfell, William goes out on a hunt with his father and Eddard, who tell him about his betrothal to Arya. William is shocked, and also worried about what Arya's reaction will be, but is willing to try. Before they can continue the hunt, though, a servant comes with bad news: Bran has fallen from the top of a tower.

Chapter 7: Shouts, Betrothals And Bonding

In the aftermath of her wedding, Daenerys now travels with her husband's khalasar. She has discovered she can use the Thu'um, but so far she has only learned how to do a basic one, Fus, which creates a ball of energy. During one of her secret practices, she realizes that her husband has witnessed her practice, but, much to her relief, he takes this discovery quite well, thinking that, if their son inherits the power, he will become the most powerful Khal ever. During their travel, the khalasar crosses paths with a merchant called Farengar Secret-Fire, who turns out to have written "Mysteries of the Dovah". At Daenerys' request, Farengar joins the khalasar so he can teach her more about the Thu'um.

In Winterfell, Bran's injuries, while severe, are not life-threatening, and in fact he will be able to recover from them thanks to Colette's healing magic, ensuring he will be able to walk again with some training. Another source of trouble appears, though, as Arya and Sansa learn of the former's betrothal to William, with Sansa furious that she won't be marrying Joffrey and Arya angry because she does not want to marry. Eddard manages to soothe Arya's fears, but can do little with Sansa. William announces to his mother, younger siblings and uncle about Bran's good prospects.

Some days later, there are several departures: the Royal Family, along with Eddard (who has accepted the office of Hand of the King), Sansa and Arya leave for the South, while Jon and Tyrion accompany Benjen and the present Dawnguards to the Wall. On the way, Jon speaks with both Benjen and some members of the Dawnguard, including a mysterious woman called Serana Volkihar.

On the way south, William begins to feel depressed, because Arya is avoiding him in the aftermath of the announcement of their betrothal: both Delphine and Aela of the Companions try to talk sense into both of them, which more or less works, but things go pear-shaped when Arya runs away after she fights Joffrey to protect her friend Micah. William looks for her, encountering Nymeria on the way, and eventually she finds her along with his uncle Ser Jaime Lannister, whom he forces to unhand Arya.

Returning to the camp, Cersei forces a sort of trial to demand that Arya be punished and Nymeria killed, as Joffrey has lied and said Arya and Micah attacked him without prompting. With Arya's word against Joffrey, and Sansa unwilling to side with either her sister or the Prince, Robert does not know what to do, but William points out that Joffrey's tale does not fit the proof, seeing that he has no injuries but the bite Nymeria gave him, and later stops Cersei from demanding Lady be killed instead of Nymeria. In order to prevent trouble, William asks Aela to take both Lady and Nymeria back to Winterfell, with Aela killing three Lannister guards that were following her.

Chapter 8: Life Decisions

Finally, the caravan arrives at King's Landing, with Eddard being called to a meeting of the Small Council, formed by Littlefinger, Renly Baratheon, Grandmaester Pycelle and Varys. Soon, he has to face a problem: Robert wants to organize a grand tournament to celebrate William's nameday and Eddard becoming the Hand, but the Crown's Treasury is in great debt. Eddard orders to postpone any plans until he speaks with Robert. When he leaves, he manages to join his daughters and William, whom he asks about the Small Council. William warns him against trusting Littlefinger.

Elsewhere in the Red Keep, Cersei treats Joffrey's injury, and the two speak of how they have been getting information about Arya from Sansa, which Cersei wants to use in order to drive Arya away from William, and Cersei indicates she considers the Starks her enemies.

In Castle Black, at the Wall, Jon gets on the bad side of some of the Night's Watch recruits, only for Serana and Tyrion to interrupt them. Serana and Tyrion point out to Jon that his attitude is not making things easier, and some of her comments indicate Serana may be a lot older than she appears to. Several days later, with Benjen gone on a ranging, Serana surprises Jon on the top of the Wall, and the two have a conversation on the Night's Watch and whether it can become what it once was. In the end, Jon decides to join the Dawnguard, instead of the Night's Watch, but he intends to remain in Castle Black to establish better relationships between both groups.

Several weeks later, Catelyn arrives in King's Landing with a Valyrian steel dagger and news that Bran was nearly killed by a man carrying the dagger. Littlefinger says that the knife belongs to Tyrion Lannister, who would have presumably paid the killer, but Eddard doubts it, with William's concerns about Littlefinger in mind.

In the Dothraki Sea, Daenerys continues to learn about the Thu'um from Farengar Secret-Fire, when she finds out she is pregnant. Upon learning of the news, Jorah Mormont and Farengar ride to Qohor for some reason.

In King's Landing, Arya receives a surprise: her father has hired Syrio Forel, a Braavosi Water Dancer, to teach her how to fight with a sword. Another surprise is had, this time for Delphine, who knows (and perhaps even more, given that Syrio has an affectionate nickname for her) the Water Dancer. This is put on the backburner, though, as both swordmasters teach Arya and William how to fight.

In the Dothraki Sea, Viserys Targaryen fingers a dark blade while plotting how to kill William.

Chapter 9: Politics, How Tiresome

In Winterfell, Bran has a strange dream where he sees weird people and beings that scare him, but he awakens before anything bad happens. That day, Tyrion arrives at Winterfell, gifting Bran the plans for a saddle he can use to ride a horse while he recovers the use of his legs.

In Castle Black, the Night's Watch recruits are joined by Samwell Tarly a fat, cowardly boy who wants to take the black. Ser Alliser Thorne, Castle Black's master of arms, has the recruits attack Sam so he will defend himself, but Jon steps in, protecting Sam. Jon, with fellow Dawnguard Agmaer's help, prevents the others from attacking Sam until Sorine intervenes. Presenting herself to the boys, she gives Sam a crossbow, with the two immediately bonding over it and their smarts.

Khal Drogo's khalasar arrives to Vaes Dothrak, much to Viserys' anger, as he wants them to go west as soon as possible so he can finally take the Iron Throne. Daenerys is mystified by Viserys' hatred of the Black Prince (even though they have never met), and Farengar tells her that, even though they sound farfetched, some of the tales surrounding William are true.

In King's Landing, Arya and William are still training their swordmanship, and improving, although William is still better than her. William also joins the Small Council as Acting Hand at Eddard's behest, surprising the Small Council. William soon brings in an idea to help reduce the costs for the incoming tourney: making the knights pay an ante to participate. Baelish subtly mocks William over the Crown's debt, but then William says that the best way to reduce trouble would be to close all brothels. When Baelish (who owns pretty much all the brothels) suggests they could compensate with part of the profits, William agrees and sets the rate at half the profits, much to Baelish' chagrin.

In Castle Black, the situation around Sam is slowly getting better, but Ser Alliser is still bent on trying to get Sam beaten. Jon gives a speech to the Night's Watch members, reminding them that the organization once was honorable, and pointing out that it is up to them to prove everyone in the South that they are much better than the Southerners believe them to be. Jon then suggests Sam to join the Dawnguard, and is then shocked when it turns out Sam believes him to be on a relationship with Serana - who tells Jon and Sam to meet her later.

In King's Landing, the Tourney has started. After the Ebony Warrior wins the melée, the joust starts, with William participating. The Ebony Warrior speaks with William about how he met and fought Grandmaster Jauffre many years before, and his current wish to keep fighting until he finds the one who will send him to Sovngarde, the Nine Divines' version of a warrior heaven. William also speaks with Caius, the Blades' spymaster, who reports to him about what he has found of the events surrounding Jon Arryn's death.

Elsewhere in the Red Keep, Arya has been invited by Queen Cersei to have tea. However, it soon becomes obvious that the latter's intentions are malicious, as she begins to tear into Arya, insulting her in an attempt to drive her away from William. Arya runs back to her room, crying.

Chapter 10: Proving One's Feelings

William looks for Arya, only to suddenly cross paths with her after her talk with Cersei. Mystified, he attempts to find out what happened, and tells Arya he loves her when she thinks he is only doing it for pity. Arya then tells him that, if he wants to prove his love for her, he will lose in the tournament.

At the Wall, Jon and Sam meet with Serana and Isran. Isran tells Sam that he is being accepted into the Dawnguard, before he goes to the heart of the matter: the Dawnguard's true purpose is to fight the vampires that live north of the Wall, vampires that once allied with the White Walkers, only to be betrayed by one of their own, stopping their plans. Jon is skeptic about it, but then Serana reveals her secret: she is the vampire that betrayed the others, stealing an Elder Scroll from her father so he could not carry out his plan to follow some mysterious prophecy, and her mother interred her in a sarcophagus in Fort Dawnguard so she could, in the future, aid the Dawnguard when it reformed. She did not awake until Gunmar, Isran and Sorine found her, and she revealed to them her identity and what she was doing. Sam realizes that this must mean the White Walkers have awakened again.

In King's Landing, Eddard is wondering if Arya and William have fought, while Cersei inwardly crows about her success, but so far has not been able to get William to break off from Arya. The joust between Loras Tyrell and Gregor Clegane nearly ends in tragedy when Clegane attacks Loras with his sword, but the intervention of Sandor Clegane and the Companions Farkas and Vilkas stop Gregor's attack. Loras yields to Sandor, allowing him to fight the final joust. William prepares to charge against Jaime, his rival, but he stops himself because he wants to prove to Arya that he means it when he says he loves her. After two jousts, William is still on his horse, but hurt; Robert angrily asks him what the hell is going on, but when William reveals the reason he accepts it. Arya then sends him a message to tell him to win the tourney, much to William's exhasperation. William manages to unhorse Jaime, and then wins against Sandor even though he is heavily hurt from all the hits he has taken to the chest, and crowns Arya as his Queen of Love and Beauty.

Taken to his tent, William is immediately treated by Colette, who orders him to rest. Arya arrives as Delphine leaves the tent to stand guard, and she apologizes for her behaviour. William accepts the apology and brings her into bed with him, where they both reaffirm their intention to marry each other for love and fall asleep. Cersei attempts to get into William's tent in order to keep driving a wedge between him and Arya, but Delphine stops her. After several futile threats, Cersei leaves, thinking that she has to get rid of the Blades. That night, while guarding William and Arya during the resulting feast, Delphine is surprised by Syrio, who dances with her as he tells her he does not blame her for the event that resulted in their previous separation, proclaiming his love for her.

Chapter 11: Rising Tensions

During the feast to celebrate both his nameday and his victory, William enjoys being with Arya, even reassuring her when she has a short bout of nerves, when Cersei comes in, angry that her plan failed. The tension between Arya and Cersei clues William into what caused Arya to cry, reassuring her that he loves her, no matter what his mother says.

Meanwhile, though, Tyrion has been kidnapped by Catelyn under suspicion that he arranged the attack on Bran, and taken to the Vale. Tyrion points out that Catelyn's reasoning is faulty at best, but then they are attacked by tribesmen. Fortunately, the group manages to hold off the attack, with Tyrion saving Catelyn's life, until a group of Legionary rangers arrive to kill the remaining tribesmen. The rangers tell Catelyn that they have sent a message to William, warning him of the events.

In King's Landing, Arya and William learn the language of the Thu'um from Esbern, when they are interrupted by Pycelle. As Arya leaves for her next lesson with Syrio, William threatens Pycelle, telling him that he knows all about his faking senility and his spying for Cersei, and tells him he will kill him if Arya ever suffers from anything that looks even remotely suspect. Caius then begins to tell him about several matters of importance. Meanwhile, Arya, who has chased a cat into the Red Keep's dungeons as part of her lessons, stumbles upon Varys and Illyrio Mopatis talk about the possibility of killing both Eddard and William.

At the Wall, Serana encounters Jon as he ponders her and her mysteries. The two speak of several matters, including the Aedra (the Nine Divines), the Daedra (the beings that oppose the Aedra) and the Elder Scrolls, with Serana revealing that she was turned into a vampire by Molag Bal, Daedric Prince of Domination. Jon makes the mistake of asking her how she became a vampire, and it is made obvious that, whatever happened to her, was bad enough to leave many mental scars.

In King's Landing, Eddard and William find each other, both worried about the trouble caused by Catelyn's kidnapping of Tyrion, but other matters emerge: news of Daenerys' pregnancy has reached King's Landing, and Robert wants her dead so neither she nor her child can threaten to invade in the future. William calls his father out, pointing out that Daenerys has done nothing to him, and Eddard resigns. Before he can start to plan for their leaving, Baelish offers to take him to meet the last person Jon Arryn met with before his death, and Eddard goes. Arya runs to ask William to help her father.

Elsewhere in the Red Keep, Renly and Loras talk about the recent events. Loras tries to convince Renly that he should be the king, but Renly points out that the people love William more than him, and that his support in the Stormlands is not as secure as he thinks. Loras then suggests that perhaps they could try to convince Robert to name William as his heir, and then find a way to break William's betrothal to Arya so Margaery can marry him instead.

In the city, Eddard and his men are ambushed by Jaime and his men. Jaime is angry because of Tyrion's kidnapping and wants to take his anger out on Eddard, but the Blades interrupt. Jaime has his men murder the Stark guards, and he himself kills Jory Cassel before Delphine steps between Jaime and Eddard. Delphine easily defeats Jaime while the other Blades kill Jaime's men. William arrives then, and tells Jaime off for attacking Eddard and his men instead of bringing the matter to him or the King. Jaime runs away from King's Landing.

Chapter 12: Dark Discoveries

Eddard and William speak about matters, with William calling Eddard out for trusting Littlefinger even after his previous warning, and then for ordering Tyrion's kidnapping, but Eddard tells him it was Catelyn's decision. William points out that Tyrion has never had a dagger, but before Eddard can reply, Robert and Cersei enter Eddard's rooms, with the latter demanding punishment for the Blades for attacking the Lannister men, but William fires back by pointing out that it was Jaime and his men that started the fight. Robert makes them shut up, and after signing a letter to order Catelyn to free Tyrion, he forces Eddard to become the Hand again while he goes out on a hunt.

At Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys' control over the Thu'um slowly increases, now being able to create fire. An incident reveals Daenerys is immune to fire, and Farengar tells her it has happened several times in her family. Daenerys asks if it might mean she is the Dovahkiin, a legendary figure that is a human with the soul of a dragon, but Farengar tells her it is very unlikely. To cheer her up, Farengar reveals to her that he can do magic, but internally he worries because he is a Blade and hopes not to be ordered to kill Daenerys.

In Winterfell, Bran is relearning how to ride a horse. Robb and Theon get distracted by a fight, which leads to Bran wandering out of their sight. Bran finds a place that he has seen in his dreams, and then encounters a sphere that prompts a vision from Meridia, Daedric Prince of Light: Meridia gives Bran the task of sending the sphere to the one that is to be her champion in her fight against the undead. Before he can return, Bran is accosted by four wildlings who attempt to steal his horse. Robb appears then, and his revelation that he is one of the Brothers of War scares the wildlings. Robb kills two wildlings and takes the only woman hostage, with the last wildling threatening to kill Bran. Before he can do anything else, Theon fires an arrow and kills the wildling keeping Bran hostage. Robb thanks Theon for saving Bran, and the wildling woman, who reveals her name is Osha, surrenders. Robb decides they might as well bring her to Winterfell.

In King's Landing, Arya is mopey because she thinks she is a burden. William tells her that she was the one that warned him about the threats against her father, and that she's getting better with the sword, before starting to poke her so she will forget her anger at herself. The two of them fight, and William continues to tell her that being angry at herself is worthless, because even the warrior queens Arya worships were once like her.

Tyrion has, in the meantime, been taken to the Eyrie, and when he is brought to "confess" his supposed crimes against Jon Arryn and Bran Stark, proceeds to make an absolute mockery of the event, before demanding a trial by combat to put an end to the idiocy. Just then, a group of Legionary rangers, led by Ulfric Stormcloak, enter the Eyrie with the purpose of taking Tyrion to Cloud Ruler Temple. However, Lysa Arryn puts a stopper to that by taking advantage of the fact that the trial has already started. Tyrion's attempt to name his brother Jaime as his champion fails, so Ulfric volunteers to be Tyrion's champion. After a short fight, Ulfric kills Ser Vardis, Lysa's champion, and leaves the Eyrie with Tyrion.

In King's Landing, Eddard receives several smallfolk of the Riverlands, the survivors of a brutal attack carried out by Gregor Clegane on their lands. Eddard, under William's counsel, decides to send several Legionary cavalrymen, along with Ser Beric Dondarrion and some of the Companions, to find out what has happened and attempt to arrest the Mountain, while sending a message to Tywin Lannister so he will either answer for Clegane's actions - since everyone knows Clegane would not have acted without Tywin's leave - or be branded traitor to the Realm.

In order to protect his family, Eddard orders his daughters to prepare her things, as he intends to send them north, away from King's Landing. Sansa and Arya argue loudly when Sansa mocks Arya's claims that she is in love with William, and something Sansa says makes Eddard realize what secret Jon Arryn had been investigating: Joffrey's, Myrcella's and Tommen's hair is blond, something that has never happened in centuries of Baratheons, even those who had a Lannister parent - which means they are probably bastard children, and thus William is Robert's only true son.

In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys is enjoying a party her husband is throwing when Viserys appears, clearly drunk and furious, and he threatens to cut out Daenerys' unborn child unless Drogo gives him the army he was promised. Angry, Daenerys uses a Thu'um to burn him, and she has Drogo kick Viserys out of Vaes Dothrak instead of killing him. While Viserys shouts, threatening both his sister and the Black Prince, a golden-skinned man with pointy ears called Mankar Camoran presents himself and offers his help and that of his group, the Mythic Dawn, to work together with Viserys so they can both achieve their objectives.

Chapter 13: The Spark Is Lit

Five years before the current events, William visited Casterly Rock at Tywin Lannister's behest, as the elder Lord wanted to meet him. Their conversation on what William had been doing led Tywin to request William's fostering in Casterly Rock, as he felt he was his best chance at having a worthy heir, only for his ambitions to be left unsolved after William was sent to Winterfell.

In the now, Jaime is reading the message Eddard sent to demand his presence. Tywin demands to know why he did not kill Eddard, and Jaime mentions Delphine's intervention, which prompts Tywin to point out that his time in the Kingsguard has weakened him, before telling him he is to lead half their forces against Riverrun. When he retires, though, Jaime's thoughts are still in his fight against Delphine, which makes him wish he could speak with Ser Barristan.

In King's Landing, Eddard meets with Cersei in the gardens, and tells her he knows the truth about her children, only for Cersei to up the ante and reveal their father is Jaime, her brother; William was an accident, but nonetheless she still loves him. When Ned asks her why she won't support William even though he is technically Robert's heir, she claims it is because she believes Joffrey will be a great king, and that she fears William will end up becoming like Robert. Eddard urges her to escape King's Landing with her bastard children before Robert comes back, but Cersei fires back with a threat of her own.

At the Wall, Jon apologizes to Serana for his previous comments, which Serana accepts, and Sam brings him a message sent by Bran: the sphere he found. When Jon touches the sphere, he, Sam and Serana are surrounded by light, and Meridia names Jon her champion, charging him with the task of cleansing her temple of the undead that now populate it, promising her aid against his enemies and those of the Dawnguard. As the light vanishes, Jon and Serana discuss the offer before Jon sees a horse approaching the Wall. It's Benjen's horse, but the man is nowhere to be found. Mormont and Isran organize a ranging to find Benjen, and Isran tells Jon to stay behind.

In King's Landing, Robert is back from his hunt - after suffering a deadly injury from a boar. Robert apologizes to his children for not being as good a father as he should have been, before ordering everyone but Eddard out of the room. Robert has Eddard write his last will: to Eddard's surprise, he names William as the heir to the Iron Throne, and Eddard as his Regent. Eddard makes a copy, and Robert, after signing and sealing both, tells his friend to give the copy and his ring to William and to put a stopper on Daenerys' assassination. Finding a moment to be alone with him, Eddard tells William his father's will.

In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys, Farengar and Jorah speak on the nature of power, with Farengar mentioning how the Dovahkiin were granted their powers by Akatosh, the First Divine, so they would use them to rule responsibly. While at the market, Jorah and Farengar excuse themselves, the latter following the former cautiously, to see Jorah receive a message that makes him smile. When the two find Daenerys again, they do it in front of a wine seller who tries to give her a cup of wine, but his attitude makes Farengar and Jorah suspect something is wrong. When the seller realizes he's been caught, for he is trying to kill Daenerys, he tries to run away, but Farengar shoots a fireball at the would-be killer's back to stop him.

In King's Landing, Renly talks with Eddard, and tells him that, no matter what Robert has willed, Cersei will put Joffrey on the throne, causing a war. He suggests the possibility of an alliance between the North, the Legions, the Riverlands, the Stormlands and the Reach that would be stronger than the Westerlands and force Cersei to give up, but the price he names is too high: break the betrothal between William and Arya so he will marry Margaery. Eddard tells him that he won't be the one to break William and Arya apart, and Renly leaves. Baelish arrives, and offers Eddard the support of the Goldcloaks, which he controls, but in exchange demands Harrenhal.

In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys and Jorah are convinced that the assassin was sent by Robert, but Farengar counsels caution, as they do not know whether that's true. Drogo arrives, and after ensuring Daenerys is unhurt and rewarding Farengar and Jorah with horses, promises to take his khalasar to Westeros and tear his way through the Seven Kingdoms to then give them to Daenerys and their son, much to Farengar's anger.

In King's Landing, William wonders if he can truly be a king, when Arya comes and tells him she trusts him and that she will stay by his side no matter what he does, when a servant comes bearing news: King Robert has died. Arriving at the room, William prays for the Nine Divines to watch over his father's spirit, before Joffrey attempts to convince him to swear loyalty to him. However, William can tell that his brother is false, and leaves the room. Cersei runs after him, trying to convince him to accept Joffrey as King, but William fires back by asking whether she had anything to do with Robert's death, which she cannot deny. Leaving, William sends Delphine to get the Starks out of the Red Keep while he rallies the Blades and the Legionaries in King's Landing. However, while Cersei sends men to arrest Delphine, Joffrey has sent orders to attack the Legion's headquarters in the city and put his brother in chains.

At Mummer's Ford, the group Eddard sent to arrest the Mountain is ambushed by Lannister men. The fight is brutal, with many dead on both sides, and in the end the Legionaries and Companions are forced to retreat.

In King's Landing, Eddard enters the throne room accompanied by his men and the Goldcloaks, to see Joffrey sitting on the throne and demanding his crowning. Eddard hands Robert's will to Ser Barristan, who reads it aloud. Cersei takes it and rips it to pieces, and when Eddard orders the Goldcloaks to arrest Cersei and Joffrey, they turn on him and kill all of his men, with Baelish putting a blade on his throat. Cersei mocks Eddard, who replies that William has a copy of the will and the king's signet ring, so he knows what the will says.

In an unknown location, Mankar Camoran tells Viserys his plan: he seeks the Elder Scroll hidden under Cloud Ruler Temple, so as to open a large Gate between the real world and the realm of Mehrunes Dagon, Daedric Prince of Destruction. He also reveals that he has a prisoner, a Dunmer follower of Azura, Daedric Prince of Dawn and Dusk called Aranea, who has the power of prophecy. Viserys demands her to give him a prophecy. Aranea initially mocks him, but then Azura herself tells Aranea to give him a prophecy: the Dragon's three heads will all clash with the Black Stag; one will hurt him, another will challenge him and the third will try to "melt the Snow". Viserys takes the first part to mean that he will kill the Black Prince with Mehrunes' Razor, the dark blade he found months before, and he ignores Mankar's counsel that he should not be so fast at interpreting a prophecy.

Chapter 14: And The War Begins

In the Red Keep, Sansa is walking with Septa Mordane, confused because the Queen and Joffrey (who had ensured her they were trying to break Arya's betrothal with William so as to engage Joffrey and her) have been ignoring her in the last days, when fighting begins to be heard, and the Septa orders Sansa to hide in her rooms. Meanwhile, Arya is training with Syrio when Ser Meryn Trant comes with several Lannister guards, claiming William has sent for her, only for Arya to point out that William would have sent one of the Blades. Trant sends his men to take Arya, but before they act Delphine arrives, and between her and Syrio they kill the Lannister guards and force Trant to run away. As the three of them, Caius (who tells them Lord Stark and Sansa have been captured) and Shadow escape the Red Keep, an old friend of Caius meets them.

In the Legion barracks, the Legionaries close the gates to the building with chains to prevent the Goldcloaks from entering and go inside to warn William and the others. The Legionaries have William and the Blades sneak away through the manor's backdoor while they attack the Goldcloaks, easily pummeling through them but ultimately succumbing to superior numbers. William and the Blades meet Karliah, the Nightingale of the Thieves' Guild and one of William's allies, who guides them to a place nearby where Brynjolf, Caius' old friend, is waiting with Arya, Delphine and the others, and the group leaves King's Landing, collecting Gendry on the way.

In the Black Cells, Varys tells Eddard that William and Arya have managed to escape, much to his relief, and Varys gently chides him for what he did.

Several days later, the group finally arrives at Cloud Ruler Temple, where the Legions immediately swear loyalty to William as their King. William can tell Arya feels bad about killing a man, and he makes a suggestion to her. Elsewhere in Cloud Ruler, Gendry, who has been sent reeling from learning his father was the King, goes to the fortress' forge at William's suggestion. The Blades' Forgemaster, Fultheim, is surprised to learn Gendry was Tobho Mott's apprentice, and agrees to take him in as his own apprentice.

In Winterfell, Robb, having received letters from both Cloud Ruler Temple and King's Landing, decides to call the banners in support of William.

In Castle Black, the ranging in search of Benjen has returned without result, beyond a couple of corpses that Isran burns, shocking almost everyone when the corpses suddenly come to life and let out unearthly screams: they were wights, sent by the White Walkers to infiltrate Castle Black. A message arrives telling of the events going on in the South, and Jon nearly leaves, but Isran stops him, pointing out that they are going to need every possible man at hand to protect the Wall.

In Cloud Ruler, Tyrion swears allegiance to William and chooses to act as a mole in his father's army, garnering more supporters for William.

In King's Landing, Joffrey has a tantrum after learning the Legions have sworn loyalty to William, and demands the formation of a new Royal Army with troops of the Crownlands. Only Cersei's intervention prevents him from deciding to go into the field and fighting William, as she knows he will lose if he does so.

In a Lhazareen village, Daenerys is left shocked at the destruction caused by her husband's men, and Farengar bitterly tells her that this is what is going to happen to Westeros when Drogo leads his people there. Daenerys has Jorah stop several Dothraki from raping the local women, and when one of the men complains, she tells her husband she is claiming them as her daughters. Before things go further, the Ebony Warrior arrives in order to challenge Khal Drogo to a fight, killing the complaining man before he can try to attack Drogo. Drogo and the Ebony Warrior fight, leaving each other bruised, and in the end the Ebony Warrior is left victorious, with Khal Drogo handing him his braid.

In an unknown location, Viserys learns about the civil war, and Mankar tells him it is better to wait until both sides have weakened each other before attacking them. In the meantime, Mankar and his children, Raven and Ruma, will attack the Dothraki camp to kill the Dothraki, and Viserys tells them to give Daenerys his regards before killing her.

In Winterfell, the Lords are meeting for the muster to go south, along with the Companions that remain in the North and the Fifth and Sixth Legions. However, the Sixth is staying in the North, finishing a project designed by Theon: a new fleet, formed of three-oared galleys called Triremes, which can be used to defend the western coast and, if need be, attack the Lannisters in their land. The army then leaves Winterfell, with Robb placing Bran as the Stark in Winterfell.

In the Temple of Kynareth in the North, Danica Pure-Springs tells her apprentice that a war has started in the South.

In Cloud Ruler, messages are received: Robb and Stannis have proclaimed their loyalty, Dorne, the Ironborn and the Vale have proclaimed their neutrality, and Renly is gathering men of the Stormlands and the Reach in Bitterbridge, but has yet to side with either Joffrey or William or crown himself king. In the Riverlands, meanwhile, the Lannisters have divided their sixty thousand troops into three groups: Jaime is besieging Riverrun with fifteen thousand, Tywin holds the Crossroads with thirty thousand, and another fifteen thousand, led by Ser Tytos Brax are sitting between Jaime and Tywin to help whoever needs it. As the Legions' leaders discuss strategy, Tywin arrives for parley. Tywin urges William to surrender, but William fires back by telling Tywin to surrender instead.

The following day, Arya's thirteenth nameday, Tywin sends his men against Cloud Ruler. The Legions easily force them away, but William notes that Tywin just sent a small force as a test.

Chapter 15: Victory And Loss

In King's Landing, the Thieves' Guild tries to plan how to rescue both Lord Stark and Sansa, a daunting prospect, given that the former is in the Black Cells and the latter remains under constant watch, so their best bet is to wait until Lord Stark is taken to his execution and then spring an ambush.

In the Red Keep, Cersei is anguished at the fact her children are fighting a war against each other, and also at the look of hatred William threw at her when he realized she had organized Robert's death. Myrcella and Tommen find her, and tell her Robert told them he named William as his heir, but Cersei lies to them and sends them to bed before going to see Joffrey, who is commissioning an armor made of a glass-like metal. Cersei implores him to have mercy on his brother, but Joffrey intends to have William executed when he can.

William meets with the Northern lords and the Fifth Legion near the Twins, with Robb being forced to agree to marry one of Walder Frey's daughters in order to be able to cross. William offers Robb his support should he want to back out of the wedding. With the knowledge of the disposition of the Lannister troops, William comes up with a plan to deal with the new situation, one that requires the aid of the Companions.

In Lhazar, Farengar tells Daenerys she is being naïve if she thinks that what she has done has changed anything: the Dothraki are too set in their ways to become anything like the Westerosi, and what little she has managed is because Drogo just wants to please her. He also tells her to consider her actions carefully, because few will like to see her leading Dothrakis to pillage and plunder the land. In one of the hills nearby, the Mythic Dawn plots its attack.

Tyrion contemplates his new role as a spy and seeker of supporters for William, as his father and his officers discuss the war strategy. After the meal, Tywin orders Tyrion to stay behind, and bluntly tells him he knows Tyrion does not agree with the decision of supporting Joffrey, with Tyrion realizing his father agrees that William would indeed be the best king, but he supports Joffrey because of Cersei's actions and because only a Joffrey victory would secure House Lannister's power and prestige. Tyrion returns to his tent and has Bronn deliver a letter to a Legionary Ranger awaiting nearby.

In the North, Danica Pure-Springs heads back to Winterfell, leaving her apprentice in charge of Kynareth's Temple.

In the Dothraki camp, Daenerys is met by one of the women she saved, Mirri Maz Duur, who thanks her for stopping the rapers. It is this moment when Mankar opens an Oblivion Gate in the middle of the camp, causing great chaos among the surprised Dothraki. Drogo and his Bloodriders prepare for battle, but Drogo is separated from the others by Raven, who summons two beings called Dremora Lords to kill Drogo. Mirri Maz Duur pulls Daenerys into a tent where she claims she will be safe, only for Ruma to appear and use a spell on Daenerys that has been developed to kill a person in the slowest, most painful possible way. Daenerys attempts to throw a Fire Thu'um at her, but Ruma easily blocks it with a ward. Farengar appears then and fights Ruma, surprising her with his power, so much that she is forced to run away. When she meets with her father, she angrily demands Viserys to tell her why he never mentioned the mage. Between her description and Viserys' half-remembered name, Mankar recognizes him as a very dangerous opponent from his past, one his children would not be able to defeat. Raven reports on Drogo's dying state, and Ruma mentions her spell.

In the middle of the chaos, Farengar has Jorah take Daenerys to his cart, where he mixes up a potion he gives to Daenerys. Daenerys' last thought is a prayer for her child.

In the Whispering Woods, Jaime is thrown off his horse before he can try to attack Robb and his companions, and the Blades force him to surrender. Taken prisoner, he is brought before Catelyn and then taken away.

At the same time, Tytos Brax, commanding the Lannisters' army at Stone Hedge, is waiting for orders when arrows and Legionaries attack it, only for them to vanish back into the nearby forests, confusing Tytos. A message comes from Tywin, with orders to join him at the crossroads, but at the same time one scout returns with news that they are being surrounded by thousands of Legionary troops. Tytos orders his men to settle for a defensive strategy while sending the scout again to find out more about the enemy - but actually the scout is one of the Companions, and there's no more than a thousand men nearby, all of them part of a strategy to keep Tytos where he is.

In the Crossroads, Tywin divides his army in two to cover the two bridges William's troops could use to cross the Trident. Kevan's army in the eastern bridge is forced to move away from the bridge under an arrow onslaught covering the Second Legion's crossing, with William leading half the Legion across a secret ford downriver to catch Kevan between two forces. Tywin's army is attacked by Northeners, who manage to cross the bridge but retreat when resistance gets too high. In the heat of battle, the Lannister knights charge at the Northerners against Tywin's orders, making them fall into a trap at the hands of the First Legion, who then cross the bridge and contest with the Lannisters, who are forced to retreat when the Fifth Legion arrives to the battlefield unmolested.

The North and the Legions cheer on their victory, but for William and Arya the joy is short lived: Caius brings news that Eddard's execution is set to happen in a few days. William immediately sets out for King's Landing with the Blades and Arya in order to rescue Eddard and Sansa.

Eddard is brought in front of Baelor's Sept in King's Landing so he may confess his guilt, as they are threatening Sansa's life should he not state he forged Robert's will. However, Eddard decides to reveal the truth to everyone, and Joffrey orders Eddard's head to be cut off, but then the Thieves' Guild and William's group intervene, preventing the beheading, but William arrives too late to stop Ilyn Payne from stabbing Eddard with a spear. The group manages to escape King's Landing, but it is too late for Eddard, who shares a secret with William and wishes Arya and William the best in their marriage before expiring.

Chapter 16: End and Begin Anew

The joy among the Northerners and Riverlanders after their victory over the Lannisters turns into ash after the news of Eddard's death arrive. William apologizes to Robb for not being able to bring Eddard back alive, but Robb reassures him by saying that, at least, he was able to bring him back. The same news arrives at Winterfell, where Bran is having strange dreams of all sorts.

At King's Landing, Joffrey cruelly taunts Sansa by showing her the heads of all of her father's men, killed during the fight in the Red Keep. After Joffrey has Trant strike her, Sansa nearly pushes Joffrey into the moat, but Sandor halts her before she gets herself killed. Sansa resolves never to give into what Joffrey wants, no matter the pain she brings on herself.

At the Legions' camp, the mood is subdued, with William requesting Tullius for a night of mourning before returning to make strategies for the war. Arya comes in, and William shows her the letter mentioning the White Walker threat coming from Beyond the Wall, which means more reasons to end the war as soon as possible. A mysterious man comes in, and reveals himself to be Ser Barristan, who has just been expelled from the Kingsguard by Joffrey, and is now requesting to join the Blades to atone for not helping Eddard when he needed it. William welcomes him.

Gendry has been accepted by Fultheim as his apprentice, and also shows a rare talent for blacksmithing that makes Fultheim all the more happy for being able to teach him how to make the Blades' weapons.

Things at Tywin's camp are not much better: they have lost nearly half of their troops, their control over the Riverlands has been crippled and, most important for Tywin, William holds Jaime as prisoner. Tywin considers Tytos responsible for all the problems and sends him back to the West. During a private chat with Tyrion, Tywin tells him he was right, and that he should have sought peace terms, but Eddard Stark's death makes it almost impossible to do that now, not without losing a lot of standing among the Great Houses. Tywin decides to send Tyrion to King's Landing, so he will be the Acting Hand of the King and keep both Joffrey and Cersei under control. Before leaving for the capital, though, Tyrion has a talk with Tytos and brings him to his side of thinking.

In the ruins of the Dothraki camp, a weakened Daenerys wakes up. She recovers consciousness with the aid of Jorah and Farengar, who tell her that her child died because of the spell Ruma Camoran used. Farengar reveals the attackers' identities as the Mythic Dawn, realizing from Daenerys' comments that Viserys has joined them. That is not all the bad news: half the Dothraki khalasar was killed by the monsters coming out of the Oblivion Gate, and most of the rest broke off when it became obvious that Drogo was going to die. Drogo does, however, manage to hold on until he sees Daenerys is safe, dying almost in the moment.

In Castle Black, Jon tries to sneak out so he can join his brother and William in the war against Joffrey, but Sam and Serana stop him, with Serana revealing that she does not know where her mother, who was supposed to meet her once she was awakened, is. Jon breaks down crying in Serana's arms.

At Bitterbridge, the Tyrells discuss the changing situation. Olenna directs Loras to get Renly to write a letter to William in order to request a meeting, and tells Margaery she is sure they should be able to break William away from Arya so Margaery can marry him.

In Castle Black, Isran and Commander Mormont prepare a Great Ranging, with the double aim of finding Benjen Stark and getting proof of wights and vampires so as to gain more support from the South.

At the Dothraki camp, Daenerys prepares Drogo's funeral pyre, with Mirri Maz Duur tied up to burn alive, as well as her three dragon eggs. Setting the pyre on fire, she walks into it. The next morning, the pyre has burned down, and Daenerys is still alive, accompanied by three small dragons. She requests Farengar to teach her how to fight.

At William's camp, the Northern and River Lords discuss strategy, but the discussion turns to the war in general, with the lords and Legionaries present cheering on William. That night, William has a strange dream of a man that calls him William Baratheon Septim, and who also tells him of the threat from the North, and teaches him how to do a full Thu'um that tears a cart apart when he does it while asleep. William wonders about this, and realizes the man in his dream was Talos.

Beyond the Wall, the Night King talks with a massive figure in a cave, who proclaims his plan to destroy the world: Alduin, the World Eater.

Season Two

Chapter 17: The Next Stage

William and Arya train, with Barristan, Delphine and Syrio commenting on the styles the two are developing, when Arya asks him to show her something again, and William acquiesces: the Unrelenting Force Shout. The fact that William knows how to use the Thu'um, as well as a group known as the Greybeards managing to make a great Shout calling for the Dovahkiin, has made the Legionaries think that William may be said being.

Sansa is already heavily regretting doing what she did, as Joffrey spends his Nameday cheering as people get brutally killed in duels. She manages to do something by saving Ser Dontos Hollard's life, when Tyrion arrives, mocking Joffrey before entering the Small Council chambers to take over as Acting Hand, telling Cersei he will do whatever he can to keep the Kingdoms intact - while hiding that he is planning to do so for William's benefit.

In the West, Tytos returns home. He has been thinking it over, and has decided to change sides in the war, even if some members of his family disagree.

At Winterfell, Bran keeps having strange dreams, and Danica mentions a prophecy of old times that mentions that the red comet currently crossing the skies above Westeros is a sign of the return of dragons.

In the Red Wastes, Daenerys takes care of her three dragons - black Drogon, green Rhaegal and cream Rhaella - and learns how to fight using a weapon called a naginata, while Farengar also teaches her about dragons while her small khalasar makes its way to Qarth.

North of the Wall, the Great Ranging has found its way to Craster's Keep, where Craster mentions that Mance Rayder is building an army of wildlings around himself with the aim of leading them south of the Wall.

In the Red Wastes, Ser Jorah tells Farengar he knows he is part of the Blades, but Farengar fires back by pointing out that he knows Jorah has been spying on Daenerys on Varys' behalf and mentioning that he has been tasked with keeping Daenerys alive. Farengar proposes an alliance between them, because Qarth represents a great potential danger for Daenerys, particularly if/when the Mythic Dawn finds out Daenerys is still alive.

In Dragonstone, Melisandre burns the statues of the Seven for her ceremony, but it turns out Stannis Baratheon has converted to the Nine Divines out of loyalty to William, whom he considers the true king. He also has Matthos, son of Davos Seaworth, write a letter so all of Westeros will learn about the true parentage of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen so people will support William.

In the Eyrie, the Lords of the Vale demand that Lysa gives them leave to join forces with William, but Lysa denies their requests, claiming that she needs them to protect her son Robert "Robin" Arryn, but in truth she is hiding something else - which Mya Stone, the eldest bastard daughter of Robert Baratheon and part of Caius' spy network, picks up on.

William visits Jaime in his cell at the Legions' camp, and asks Jaime to confirm whether Stannis' letter's contents are true. He also tells him that he knows why he killed Aerys the Mad and that many of his troubles could have been solved if he had just mentioned what would have happened if he had not killed Aerys.

In the Red Keep, Myrcella overhears several servants mentioning Stannis' letter, and she runs in tears to Tyrion, who comforts her by reminding her that William will not care about that, only that she is happy.

At the Legions' camp, William is told the silver mines running near Cloud Ruler are even bigger than was thought, Arya converts to the Nine Divines, and a new strategy is planned: while the Companions and eight-hundred cavalry men go after the Mountain and his men, the Northerners will invade the Westerlands and the Legions will besiege Tywin and his troops in Harrenhal. Catelyn decides to travel south to ascertain the situation with Renly and the Tyrells. Theon suggests an alliance to his father, in order to make their attack on the West an easier task, and William offers to make Theon the Legate of the Sixth Legion.

In King's Landing, Cersei slaps Joffrey after he begins mocking her for Robert's adulterous ways. Joffrey threatens to kill her if she does it again.

At the Temple of the Divines in King's Landing, Rorlund watches as his flock prays to the Nine, which includes prostitute Mhaegen, mother of Robert's youngest bastard child, Barra. When news come in that the Goldcloaks are murdering all of Robert's potential bastard children, Rorlund and Freir hide Mhaegen and Barra in their hall of the dead, and then send both of them to Cloud Ruler so they will be safe.

Chapter 18: Warm Welcome?

The Mountain's men attack the holdfast of Pennytree, only to find out that it is completely devoid of any loot or people. All of a sudden, they are ambushed by the men sent by William to put an end to their predations. The Mountain barely manages to escape, but his raiding force is completely destroyed, forcing him to return to Harrenhal.

In the Legions' camp outside of Harrenhal, Arya misses William, who has gone south to deal with Renly and the Tyrells. While she is alone, she practices her use of a Frost Breath Shout.

In Oxcross, Tytos, now fully in William's camp, is met by Lord Gawen Westerling and his heir Ser Raynald, who infer they are also willing to swear loyalty to William.

In Harrenhal, Tywin internally thunders over the massacre of Robert's bastards, and concerns himself with the problems of how he is surrounded in Harrenhal while Robb marches against the Westerlands, and the possibility of the Tyrells joining William.

On the deck of a ship going to Dragonstone, William practices combining his Shouts and swordmanship, with good ability but still needing work. Arriving at the island, he is welcomed by his uncle Stannis, Ser Davos and Melisandre, who gets into a sniping battle with Colette over magic and their different religions, with William forced to put a stop to the insults. William chides Stannis for publicly revealing the truth about his siblings, and orders that Myrcella and Tommen be kept safe.

In King's Landing, Tyrion and Varys trade barbs and subtle threats. Later in the evening, he meets with some members of the Thieves' Guild to find some information on the Small Council members.

Serana teases Jon during a conversation that is interrupted when Sam brings Gilly to them, saying they need to get her away before she gives birth, although Gilly won't say why. Serana points out that the mystery of what happens to Craster's boys is strange, to say the least.

Arriving at Qarth, Daenerys is forced to remain outside the walls for several days before the Thirteen, the rulers of the city, deign to meet with her - and, much to her suspicion, already know about her. Most of the Thirteen tell her they will not allow her into the city, but Xaro Xhoan Daxos decides to vouch for her.

In an unknown location, Viserys and Ruma are surprised to learn Daenerys is still alive and that she has three dragons with her. Raven suggests using the allies they have in Qarth to deal with Daenerys and Farengar, while the rest of Mythic Dawn goes west to either kill the Black Prince and the Baratheons or prevent the Tyrells' alliance with William.

In King's Landing, Tyrion arranges Janos Slynt's arrest and replacement with Bronn as the City Watch Commander, while starting to plan how to deal with the other members of the Small Council.

Theon arrives at the island of Pyke to present William's offer for Balon Greyjoy, only to be caught unaware when his father chooses to reject the proposal, as well as finding out the woman who brought him to Castle Pyke on her horse is actually his sister Yara Greyjoy.

In Dragonstone, William negotiates with sellsail Salladhor Saan so he will join the war on his side. Even though he is told he will not be allowed to plunder, and that he cannot rape the Queen as is his wish, Saan agrees to fight.

Later in the day, William visits his cousin Shireen Baratheon, who is glad to see him, but their encounter is cut short when Melisandre makes her appearance. Melisandre tries her usual spiel about converting to her god, R'hollor, but William tricks her into revealing that, against what she initially claims, the Thu'um have nothing to do with R'hollor.

In Craster's Keep, Jon is keeping watch on the Dawnguard's camp when he sees Craster sneaking out of his house with a baby in his arms. Running after him, he is shocked when he sees Craster leaving the baby in the middle of a clearing, only for a huge non-human figure to pick the babe up. But before he can do anything, he is attacked by several vampires. Fortunately, Serana arrives just in time to help him kill the vampires, but by then the baby and the figure have disappeared.

Chapter 19: Choices And Consequences

On Dragonstone, William's training continues, although the latest Thu'um he tries causes him great pain due to how it affects his body. While Colette heals him, Melisandre makes an unwelcome appearance, which prompts William to ask Colette how she met Melisandre: basically, she was traveling across the Seven Kingdoms and found her in the Stormlands, where Melisandre pretty much mocked the healing magic Colette could do. Colette leaves, and William turns to a hidden Caius, who reports about the recent events in the Vale and the Iron Islands.

Jon and Serana return to Craster's Keep, where they inform Isran and Mormont about what they saw - prompting Isran to throttle Craster. After getting him to stop trying to kill the wildling, Mormont points out that they need more information about their enemy, and Jon mentions how Meridia has offered her help in exchange of him cleansing her temple. Isran tells him to do so.

In Qarth, Daenerys teaches her children how to use the Fire Shout to breathe fire. While Daenerys prepares herself for a party hosted by Xaro, Jorah and Farengar discuss the possibility that someone in Daenerys' khalasar is a spy. At the party, she encounters Pyat Pree, one of the Undying, who shows Daenerys a trick he does, creating a double of himself with magic.

In Winterfell, Danica begins to teach Bran how to use magic, which then derives into a conversation on the old Septim Empire that once ruled Westeros, ending with the death of Martin Septim, the last known member of the Septim bloodline - although Danica mentions there's a chance someone living now could be an unknown descendant of Tiber Septim.

In Bitterbridge, Catelyn observes as Brienne of Tarth defeats Loras in a fight and requests the honor to be Renly's bodyguard. When they speak, Loras makes a snipe against William for not being there in person, but Catelyn successfully rebukes him by pointing out that William is actually doing something worth the time. Renly floats his previous suggestion of marrying Margaery to William, but Catelyn tells him William will not agree with the idea.

In Qarth, the party continues, and Xaro makes Daenerys an offer: if she marries him, he will use all of his wealth to finance an army large enough to retake the Iron Throne, bringing her news of the civil war that has recently started.

On Pyke, Theon argues with Yara over the way she lied to him when they met days earlier, but then Balon comes and tells them his plan: they are going to take advantage of the situation by attacking the North. Both Balon and Yara heavily underestimate the Legions' ability to fight, particularly mocking Theon when he reveals he designed their new warships. Theon calls Balon out on his hypocrisy and his jerkassery.

On Dragonstone, William receives the news that Renly has agreed to meet him at Storm's End, and he makes plans for the eventuality that the negotiation will not go well. The moment he is alone, Melisandre appears and tries again to convert him, even throwing him an attempt at seduction, but William brushes her off - literally - and leaves to continue preparing.

In the Red Keep, Tyrion calls Myrcella and tells her what he plans to do: he hopes to arrange a potential marriage between her and Trystane Martell, officially to bring the Martells into an alliance with the Lannisters, but with the actual purpose of getting them to cast their lot with William, as well as get an excuse to send Pycelle to prison by showing him to be Cersei's spy.

Back at Qarth, Farengar dampens Daenerys' initial enthusiasm by remarking that Xaro's plan is not only somewhat unfeasible, but that perhaps he may not even be able to actually carry it out. He suggests Daenerys that they visit a friend of his that lives in Qarth, who may be able to help them.

On Pyke, Theon writes a letter to William, to warn him of what is going to happen. He reminisces about how, when they met, William tricked him into joining him, Jon and Robb in a practice fight, and made the effort to make friends with him. Theon decides to burn the letter. Elsewhere in the castle, Balon discusses his actual plans with his brother Victarion: while most of what he told Theon and Yara is true, Victarion is actually intended to take the Iron Fleet to attack King's Landing when the Black Prince launches his attack on the capital.

In the Red Keep, Cersei shouts at Tyrion for arranging Myrcella's leaving King's Landing for Dorne. Tyrion tells her that, while Dorne was not his first choice, it is far away enough from the fighting that Myrcella would not run risks, and that Dorne knows better than to try and harm her. Tyrion later receives the visit of Baelish, whom he had also tricked as part of his plan to get Pycelle to reveal himself as Cersei's spy, and tells him he had hoped to send him to meet with Catelyn Stark, ostensibly to find a way to free Jaime, but actually hoping William will capture the man and deal with him permanently.

On Pyke, Theon has made his choice: he's going to return to the mainland to warn his friends about his father's plans personally. Before he can get his horse on the boat he has hired, he is met by Yara, who tries to convince him not to leave, only for Theon to throw her previous attitude and mockery back at her face, proudly claiming he's going to aid his friends. In the ensuing fight, Theon kills both of Yara's men and knocks her out. In the boat, the sailor tells Theon that he is the main Ironborn agent of the Blades, and tells him his main purpose should be to warn the Sixth Legion.

East of Harrenhal, Arya has sneaked out of the Legions' camp with only Gendry as a bodyguard. However, this leads to her and Gendry getting captured by Lannister soldiers, although Arya at least makes sure that the Lannisters won't recognize her by cutting her hair. The Legionaries arrive too late to rescue her before she is brought into Harrenhal.

In Dragonstone, William watches a rainstorm and appears to summon thunder when he utters another Thu'um.

Chapter 20: Negotiations And Temptations

At the Legions' camp, the leaders discuss how to get Arya out of Harrenhal before the Lannisters find out who she is. Aela decides to sneak into the place. Tullius decides not to inform William of the situation.

William keeps learning new Thu'um, this time thanks to Esbern, although, as he tells Barristan, William barely needs aid for that - lending weight to the idea that he may be Dovahkiin. Before they left, Shireen asked if she could join William when he returned to Cloud Ruler, which he stated he would answer to when he returned from Storm's End, and he also told Melisandre that she was to stay behind since he could not trust her. However, with the aid of Matthos Seaworth, Melisandre has been able to stow away in one of the ships, and she plots something to break William from Arya.

On Pyke, Yara regrets how her actions drove her brother away, but Balon tells her to forget him - not that she's likely to do it any time soon, even more as she begins to have doubts over the Ironborn's chances. Balon sends Victarion on his mission to attack King's Landing.

Farengar guides Daenerys' to his friend Arcadia's alchemy shop. Initially, Arcadia is angry because Farengar used the ingredients she had requested, but her attitude changes when she learns Farengar used them to heal Daenerys, which appears to be a breakthrough in the use of alchemy. Daenerys asks her if she can find the ships she needs to travel to Westeros, and Arcadia promises to do what she can, as long as she can come along. Farengar stays back for a while, and it turns out that Arcadia is another Blade, who nearly attacks Farengar until he reveals his mission. The reveal that the Mythic Dawn has resurfaced scares her.

Arya and Gendry, along with several recruits for the Night's Watch, are taken to Harrenhal and put into a pen, where there's also a woman calling for the Dark Brotherhood, an assassin's guild, to heed her call. The Tickler, one of the torturers in Harrenhal, interrogates Gendry, and nearly tortures him, but Tywin Lannister's sudden arrival stops the interrogation; he has the prisoners put to work and snags Arya as his new cup bearer. In the evening, a Dark Brotherhood assassin visits the woman, who asks the assassin to kill the Tickler.

In Qarth, Daenerys visits Arcadia again, who has good and bad news: the good is that she has found the ships Daenerys needs, but the bad is that Xaro Xhoan Daxos bought them before she could do it. Daenerys resolves to demand why he did it.

Oxcross, in the Westerlands, becomes the site of a brutal battle when Robb launches a surprise attack on Stafford Lannister's troops, taking advantage of their overconfidence, becoming even worse as the Brax and Westerling houses choose this moment to publicly proclaim their support for William. In the aftermath, Robb meets Jeyne Westerling, daughter of Lord Gawen, and Talisa, both of them acting as healers.

The news of this victory reaches Harrenhal, leaving Tywin in a bad mood. Tywin realizes Arya is a girl from the North. While sent on an errand, Arya is met with Jaqen H'ghar, one of the men she had freed from a jail before being captured. Jaqen tells her he will pay her back for her mercy by killing three people she names; Arya decides to ask him to kill the Tickler. Instants later, Aela catches her and attempts to get her outside, but Arya successfully argues that she can help William from within Harrenhal.

At Storm's End, William and his advisors develop campaign plans when the news come about the Ironborn's rebellion - with William glad that Theon has chosen to side with him. Catelyn arrives, bringing a surprise guest with her: Margaery Tyrell. Much to his regret, William forces himself to spend time with her. Margaery tries to convince him to marry her, citing her training and her smarts. However, William, while acknowledging her good traits, is not interested. That night, Arya appears to visit him while he is sleeping, but when she calls him "William" instead of "Will", he realizes she is an impostor. It turns out to be Melisandre, who warns William to forget Arya, or she will become a danger to him.

Jon, Serana, Sam, Agmaer and Black Brother Grenn arrive to Meridia's temple. While Serana remains outside (not wanting to risk Meridia's wrath) the others enter the building, killing all the wight-like Draugr in their path.

In the aftermath of a passionate orgy, Oberyn Martell tells his paramour Ellaria Sand about the events of the war. Ellaria asks him about how he was defeated by a Blade, and Oberyn mentions how he tried to seduce Delphine by defeating her lover, Syrio Forel, only for her to handily beat him. Oberyn muses whether his eldest daughters want to meet the Black Prince so they can test their mettle against Delphine's student.

Joffrey brings Sansa to court so she can answer for Robb's latest "treason", only for her to subtly insult Joffrey for believing the fantastical tale the Lannisters have spun up to justify their defeat; Joffrey has Trant cut off one of her fingers. Tyrion arrives just before Trant attempts to strike Sansa. Tyrion calls Joffrey out on his outright idiocy before taking Sansa so a healer can treat her.

Jon, Sam, Agmaer and Grenn reach the last room in Meridia's temple, only for them to find themselves facing a Deathlord, a more powerful kind of Draugr who can use some Shouts. The four boys fight desperately for their lives, covering each other so the Deathlord cannot try to kill any of them. One of the Deathlord's Shouts sends Jon flying against a pedestal, losing his sword. With no other resource in hand, he grabs a sword on the pedestal, which burns the Deathlord, killing him; the sword is Dawnbreaker, a magical weapon that causes great damage to the undead. Meridia warns Jon that, while as her champion he is to kill every undead he can find, the true enemy is for someone else to deal with.

Renly and the Tyrells arrive to Storm's End to begin their negotiations. However, things go pear-shaped, as the Tyrells make several demands William is unwilling to accept, most important of which is that of him marrying Margaery, which appears to be a deal-breaker for the Tyrells. Margaery manages to calm everyone, reminding them that they can attempt to negotiate their deal later, with cooler heads. Not far away, the Mythic Dawn prepares to attack the meeting.

In Qarth, Farengar asks something of Irri while Xaro proclaims his innocence. When they enter Xaro's house, they are shocked to see all the guards have been killed, but the worse is yet to come: Doreah is gone, and so are Daenerys' dragons.

At Harrenhal, the Tickler is suddenly found dead, apparently from a fall, but Arya realizes this is the first kill Jaqen has promised her. Another person is watching: the Dark Brotherhood assassin, who immediately recognizes Arya and leaves a ominous note under her blankets.

Chapter 21: Darkness Strikes

At Storm's End, William, Stannis and Catelyn discuss the Tyrells' rejection of William's terms. Catelyn floats the option of breaking the betrothal, but William tells her how he does not want to spend the rest of his life without Arya. Catelyn decides to go to Renly's camp, and William finds Margaery in his tent.

At Renly's camp, Loras and Renly discuss William's rejection of their demand that he marry Margaery, when Catelyn arrives, offering Sansa's hand in marriage for Willas, and she calls Renly and Loras out for their obvious disrespect for William's decisions.

Between the camps, Mankar wonders if the Black Prince might be a Dragonborn because of the possibility that he is a descendant of Tiber Septim, before sending the Mythic Dawn against the camps.

Margaery attempts to seduce William, only for him to ignore it and begin to send her back to her camp. However, the Mythic Dawn chooses that moment to attack, accompanied by several Dremora Lords. While the Blades fight for their lives, William is attacked by Viserys Targaryen. Stannis calls the Legionaries to arms.

At Renly's camp, a messenger comes bearing news of the attack when a Dremora Lord appears. Loras and Brienne manage to kill the demon, but the messenger - Ruma in disguise - kills Renly before leaving.

William, unarmed and unarmored, nonetheless fights Viserys off while grabbing a coat and Dragonbane, which he uses to parry a Dremora Lord's greatsword - cutting an inch into the weapon, which clues the Dremora as to the identity of the sword. Forcing both the Dremora and Viserys out of the tent, William joins the melée outside his tent, using his Shouts to great effect while cutting through cultist and Dremora alike with Dragonbane, making them run away. William sends Margaery back to her camp with an escort, and thanks the others for helping to protect him.

Upon arriving to Renly's camp, Margaery is shocked to learn of Renly's death and that her family intends to leave. Margaery tries to push them to continue negotiating, but Olenna tells her that Baelish has brought a better offer.

Arya is kidnapped by the Dark Brotherhood assassin, Astrid, who tells her that having Jaqen kill the Tickler might cause a war between the Dark Brotherhood and the Faceless Men, but Arya has the key to preventing it: tell Astrid which of three prisoners she has ought to be killed. When Arya makes her choice, Astrid tries to make her do the killing, but Arya points out that their deal only required her to choose who should die. Astrid congratulates her on her sharp mind and allows her to leave.

In the Mythic Dawn headquarters, Viserys thunders about being defeated by the Black Prince, but Mankar considers their attack a net win, as the Black Prince has not established his alliance with the Tyrells.

In Qarth, two Mythic Dawn members attack Arcadia in her shop, and apparently kill her, as evidenced when Daenerys, Farengar and Jorah arrive.

Theon, newly proclaimed Legate of the Sixth Legion, asks Captain Adventus the men's opinion about him. They are ambivalent, but if he proves himself to them they will trust in him. A message arrives: the Ironborn are sailing for Moat Cailin and Torrhen's Lake.

News of Baelish's presence in the Tyrell camp and the latter leaving for Bitterbridge make it clear to William and his advisors that they are planning to join Joffrey's side. William modifies their war plans to take this change into account. Joffrey sends William a box containing Sansa's finger, threatening to do more if he does not surrender: this only tells William that he needs to put an end to the war (and/or rescue Sansa) as soon as possible.

The Sixth Legion's twenty-five triremes face off against seventy Ironborn longships. Much to the latter's shock, the triremes are more than capable of destroying them by ramming. The morale shock for both sides gives the Legionaries strength to overcome the odds, destroying nearly three-quarters of their numbers in exchange of just a couple of dozens lost sailors.

Jon and the others reach the Fist of the First Men, showing Dawnbreaker to Isran and Jeor Mormont. Serana takes advantage of the moment to tell them what she knows about Draugrs and White Walkers.

The Thirteen meet at Xaro's house to answer to Daenerys for the disappearance of her dragons, only for Pyat Pree to reveal he is the one that took them - and then he uses his magic to kill all of the Thirteen but for Xaro. After Farengar uses magic to counter Pyat Pree's spells, the sorcerer tells Daenerys the dragons are in the House of the Undying before leaving.

In the Red Keep, Myrcella speaks with Sansa and offers her condolences, before asking her to take care of Tommen after she leaves for Dorne. Elsewhere, Tyrion argues with Cersei, who tries to cast any blame for Joffrey's lunacy elsewhere, but Tyrion points out that not keeping a constant eye on Joffrey is risky at best. When she mentions that Joffrey is taking charge of the efforts to defend the city, Tyrion immediately makes plans to use the Thieves' Guild to find out what those efforts are: the Alchemist Guild's growing supply of wildfire.

In the Fist of the First Men, the Night's Watch and the Dawnguard discuss what to do with the nearby wildlings. Qhorin Half-hand argues that they ought to kill Mance Rayder to make the wildlings disperse, but Jon suggests trying to make a deal with Mance, using their common enemy as the means to make peace between both sides.

At Harrenhal, Arya continues her work as Tywin's cupbearer when Baelish arrives with news of the events at Storm's End. Baelish, after offering his aid in convincing the Tyrells and the Vale to side with Joffrey, reveals Arya's true identity to Tywin. Arya attempts to escape, using her Frost Breath Shout on Baelish and the Mountain, but the Lannister soldiers knock her out and catch her.

At Storm's End, William realizes something wrong has happened to Arya.

Chapter 22: Secret Of Fire

Theon receives reports of the after battle and, after discussing it with Adventus, decides to have the Sixth Legion go to Deepwood Motte to deal with Yara.

In Qarth, Daenerys approaches the House of the Undying, where she is surprised to see Arcadia is still alive, having faked her death at her shop. Daenerys finds her way inside the House, and after seeing a strange number of visions that may or may not be the future or the past, a mysterious dragon-eyed woman helps her reach the room where her dragons are kept - only to be chained to a wall by two copies of Pyat Pree, who turns out to have allied with the Mythic Dawn, represented by Raven. Farengar follows her inside and makes short work of the Undying and Mythic Dawn he finds on his path, reaching the room where Daenerys' is. Farengar fights both Raven and Pyat Pree's copies off, destroying the latter to allow Daenerys to use her full-powered Fire Breath Shot on the original Pyat Pree while Farengar kills Raven. Daenerys, her dragons and Farengar leave the House of the Undying, unmolested.

At Harrenhal, Jaime watches as the Blades train from his cell - and four Blades who voluntarily turned themselves into other cells. Conversing with Captain Steffen, he learns of the Akaviri tradition of seppuku, or ritual suicide, and how the aforementioned Blades may have to do so for losing sight of Arya, before being gifted a book written by the man who turned the Dragonguard into the Blades.

At Robb's camp in the Westerlands, the Westerlings celebrate that the Black Prince has granted them the lands they had lost in the past. News arrives of the Ironborn's attack on the North, with Roose Bolton suggesting that his bastard son can aid in freeing Moat Cailin. As Bolton leaves, Robb stays to talk to Jeyne, noting she's beautiful.

Yara, now at the recently taken Deepwood Motte, receives the message about the defeat suffered at Torrhen's Lake. She decides to send a message to her father, so he may block the Saltspear River and send her reinforcements.

Jon and Serana go out to meet with the Wildlings, while Qhorin and some of his men await nearby in case there's trouble. While they wait, Serana reminisces about her conversation with Meridia while Jon and the others cleaned out the temple: how Meridia told her she knew what happened to her in the ritual that turned her into a vampire, how she compared Meridia to Molag Bal and how Meridia nearly killed her for the insult. Jon manages to convey the Night's Watch and Dawnguard's willingness to negotiate with Mance Rayder, but then vampires attack the gathering. When they see Serana, though, they step back, as neither them nor her father seem to know about the role she played in stopping his plans. Thanks to Serana, Jon manages to avoid being attacked, but he is forced to accompany Serana to her father's fortress.

William arrives to Dragonstone on his way back to Harrenhal, impulsed by the dream he had several days before. Met at the docks by his aunt Selyse Baratheon, the woman is shocked when she learns that Melisandre has been imprisoned, and tries to argue in her favor, but William is having none of this and ignores her before going to meet Shireen to bring her to Cloud Ruler.

At Harrenhal, Arya has been placed in a cell she knows she is not going to leave any time soon, when Jaqen H'ghar approaches her cell window, along with Gendry. Arya decides to use her remaining two kills so Jaqen can get Gendry out of Harrenhal and bring a warning to the Legions about Baelish's plans - and a private message for William. Elsewhere in the castle, Tywin realizes he will have to change all of his plans - and wonders if his only chance to gain anything in the war lies with Arya.

Myrcella is sent to Dorne so she can meet her betrothed Trystane Martell, secretly carrying a message to entice the Martells to ally with William. Tensions are clear between the High Septon and High Priest Rorlund, as well as between Cersei and Tyrion. As the group returns to the Red Keep, the people begin to shout against Joffrey. Tyrion rapidly sends Sansa and Tommen on a different path, along with Sandor, before the crowd begins to riot after Joffrey orders the death of several of them. The ensuing riots kill many people, including the High Septon.

In Qarth, Daenerys finds Xaro and Doreah sharing a bed; it turns out that Doreah was a spy for the Mythic Dawn in the khalasar, and was the one that took Daenerys' dragons. To punish them, Daenerys has them both locked in Xaro's empty vault. During their exploration of Xaro's palace, Arcadia finds the deeds to the ships she had planned to buy, allowing Daenerys to travel faster.

Chapter 23: The Lion Still Has Claws

In the Iron Islands, Balon rumiates about the defeat the Ironborn have suffered at the Sixth Legion's hands, and decides to send the reinforcements requested by Yara.

Ruma demands revenge on Farengar for killing her brother, but Viserys mocks the deceased Raven. Only Mankar's rapid interruption prevents a fight between the two of them, planning to give the Black Prince and his rivals a "special gift".

Qhorin manages to return to the Fist of the First Men and reports what has happened. No one knows what's happened to the wildlings or to Jon and Serana, but they are hopeful they are alright.

Not much, though, for they are being taken to Castle Volkihar. Before they enter, Serana tells Jon that, if he finds a chance to leave, he has to, even if it means leaving her behind, which he reluctantly agrees to. They are met within by Harkon Volkihar, who, after welcoming his daughter, asks about the Elder Scroll she stole from him - revealing he killed her mother for her actions, not knowing Serana was involved in it. Harkon offers Jon the possibility of becoming a vampire, but Jon refuses, so Harkon allows him to leave unharmed, but not before dropping a surprise: Benjen Stark is in his dungeon. Jon is thrown out of the castle, and promises to return.

In Harrenhal, Arya has been invited by Tywin to dine with him, as he wants to meet the girl his grandson chose instead of an army that would have granted him victory. Arya's replies make him note how similar the two are to him and his deceased wife, Joanna, as he tries to convince himself that everything he is doing is for the good of the family.

At the Legion's camp, Barristan Selmy is officially welcomed as a member of the Blades, and William learns about Arya being captured. Just then, the Lannisters launch an attack against the forts, but when Tullius mentions the Fourth Legion is approaching, William realizes that the attack is a distraction so Tywin can escape for King's Landing and attack the Fourth Legion while it is relatively defenseless. The Fourth Legion takes a heavy beating, but William and his cavalry manage to reach them in time - with William using his Unrelenting Force Shout - to avoid a complete massacre. William promises to rescue Arya no matter what.

On the way from Qarth to Astapor, Daenerys speaks with Farengar about the visions she had in the House of the Undying. Farengar tells her not to take them too literally, because they are just potential futures. As for the mysterious woman, Farengar can't tell who it might be. When they arrive at Astapor, they find that the harbor is occupied by a large war fleet; apparently, the Astapor slavers are selling both an army of Unsullied and several ships, and there's someone from another Free City willing to buy it all. Daenerys decides to tell the slave masters that she intends to make an offer for both, too.

Jeyne shows Robb that she can do magic, which, much to her happiness, he has no problem with. Catelyn arrives, and Jeyne leaves them. Catelyn, noting Robb's obvious infatuation, reminds him that he is promised to one of the Frey women, but Robb points out that the Freys haven't been exactly keeping up with their part of the deal. Roose Bolton reports on the events in the North, and brings a message from William about Arya's capture.

The Sixth Legion approaches Deepwood Motte by sea, and rapidly force the Ironborn at the beach to retreat. The Legions begin to build a fort while they wait for their reinforcements to arrive.

Myrcella arrives at Sunspear, where she is welcomed by Arianne Nymeros Martell and her cousins Obara, Nymeria and Tyene Sand, the Sand Snakes. When she meets Doran Nymeros Martell and his brother Oberyn Nymeros Martell, she gives them Tyrion's letter. Doran assigns one of her servants, Sara, as Myrcella's personal attendant - who is also one of the Blades.

Chapter 24: Intensity Rising

In the aftermath of being forced to leave Castle Volkihar, Jon tries to reach the Fist of the First Men, but he's found by a bunch of wildlings, led by Ygritte, who he had met during the talk before the vampires attacked. Ygritte decides to take Jon to meet Mance Rayder.

At Tywin's camp, Tywin spends some of his time giving a sullen Arya lessons on the Seven Kingdoms and rulership. As he points out to her when she asks why, if in the end William wins the war and she marries him, she will be Queen, and Tywin would rather make sure that she can put her mind to good use when the time comes. However, he does not believe him when she tells him about Joffrey's rotten behavior.

At William's camp, William feels depressed because he could have prevented Arya's capture if he had brought her with him. Syrio approaches him and tells him of how he once made a mistake that led to him facing Delphine in combat. He allowed her to kill him, but she just injured him, pointing out that Arya also took a big risk out of her love for him. William decides to send the Blades that had been protecting Arya to get her out of King's Landing, and Barristan goes with them.

At Theon's camp, Theon reminisces about how he came up with the trireme ship as he awaits for the Ironborn reinforcements to come. In order to make it harder for Yara to reach their current position, he decides to send the Rangers to attack her on the way. Reaching a shrine dedicated to Kynareth, Divine of the Heavens and the Winds, he makes a prayer to her. Something guides him to a nearby cave, which contains the tomb of Haknir Deathbrand, purported to be an ancestor of the Greyjoys. Haknir's ghost appears and challenges Theon to a fight, which the latter wins, allowing Theon to lay claim to Haknir's scimitars, Bloodscythe and Soulrender.

In Astapor, after a training session, Daenerys goes to meet the slavers for negotiations. The other mysterious buyer is represented by Ancano, a High Elf who immediately gets on Daenerys' nerves with his casually racist attitude. After being presented to the Unsullied and told of the war fleet, the bidding commences. Ancano offers several coffers full of gold, but Daenerys offers something even bigger - two of her dragons. The slavers, after discussing it, accept the offer, and even allow Daenerys to claim translator Missandei as a token of the bargain. Farengar and Jorah are worried, but Daenerys tells them she has a plan.

At the Water Gardens of Dorne, Doran invites Myrcella and his son Trystane Martell to watch a duel between Oberyn and the Ebony Warrior, who has come to challenge him. Much to the Sand Snakes' surprise, Oberyn loses to the dark-skinned warrior, which he takes quite well, inviting the victor to share a drink with him.

At Robb's camp, he and Jeyne speak about the North and Eddard, with Robb telling her about his reaction in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Long Lake. Later, Roose tells him he has noticed about his growing closeness with Jeyne, and suggests that he could try to manufacture a way to free himself of the vow he made by using the Freys' attitude in his favor, which he is reluctant to do.

In the Narrow Sea, Stannis, newly minted Lord of Storm's End by William, leads his fleet towards King's Landing. Stannis feels doubts, but Davos reassures him that he won't fail William.

In Astapor, Daenerys meets the slavers to carry out the exchange of her dragons for the Unsullied and the fleet. After making the exchange, Daenerys tests the Unsullied's obedience before killing the slaver she has been dealing with and ordering the Unsullied to go into the city and kill every slaver and soldier they can find, while freeing every other slave. After they do so, Daenerys frees them and gives them leave to do what they want - and they join her of their own free will. After Farengar and Jorah apologize for their doubts, Ancano congratulates Daenerys for her cunning, and tells her she is welcome to meet with his master in Volantis - someone that can, apparently, speak with the voice of dragons.

On the other side of the world, Arya is furious that she's back again in King's Landing - and even more that she is forced to wear a dress and be at court. When Tywin presents her, Joffrey attempts to force her to kneel, but Arya attacks Trant when she tries to grab at her, and then slaps Joffrey when he threatens to rape her. Tywin has her taken to her guarded room, appalled at Joffrey's idiocy, while Sansa wishes to fix things with her sister.

Close to Theon's camp, Yara and her men are having trouble trying to get through the forest, courtesy of the Legion's Rangers, while the Ironborn reinforcements arrive. The Legionaries battle in good order, causing many casualties to their enemy, but they are forced to fall back to their fort, where they make good use of their ability and defenses to make piecemeal out of the Ironborn. Yara meets Theon in combat, and Theon surprises her when he reveals the scimitars he is using. While they fight, the Legion's reinforcements and Northern troops arrive, routing or killing all of the Ironborn. Theon decides to let Yara go.

At Moat Cailin, one Ironborn survivor is tortured by Ramsay Snow - who kills him using the Mace of Molag Bal, whom he worships.

Chapter 25: The Storm

Yara arrives at Pyke after her defeat in Deepwood Motte. Her father is not in a welcoming mood, deciding that she is of no use to him after losing to her brother, and tells her to get out of his sight.

Tywin continues with her lessons for Arya while fishing, but Arya seems more interested in needling the man at every turn, much to his exasperation. Pycelle arrives, and Tywin sends Arya back to her rooms. Pycelle complains over the way Tyrion treated him, but Tywin says that he sees nothing wrong with it, and tells him to stop his acting. Pycelle mentions that his act is all about surviving by appearing to be weaker than he actually is, and reassures Tywin that his loyalty is still to him and House Lannister. Tywin does not seem to be very impressed with this, and sends him to the castle with his catch of the day, when news comes about the Tyrells coming to the Red Keep. Before receiving them, Joffrey makes it clear that he's completely unsuited for the throne as Tywin educates Joffrey about several matters.

In the Water Gardens, Myrcella feels a bit nervous because of the difference between King's Landing and Dorne, and also about the feud between the Lannisters and the Martells. To ease her up, Sara offers to teach her how to defend herself, using techniques based on pressure points and needles - which, to Sara's surprise, she seems quite interested in.

Arya is forced to attend court, knowing she cannot escape, but at least she meets with Sansa, who apologizes for her mistakes, and Arya forgives her, telling her she has an escape plan. Just then, Willas Tyrell, Olenna and Margaery enter the throne room. Joffrey nearly causes an incident because Willas cannot kneel well, but Tywin prevents it. Willas offers her sister's hand to Joffrey as part of their alliance, and Joffrey accepts, but Margaery feels like she is making a mistake. After Joffrey retires to discuss the defense of the city, as the Legions are close, the Tyrells move to speak with Sansa and Arya. After a few words are exchanged, Arya proceeds to make her feelings on Margaery known by punching her out and telling her she will do worse if she ever tries to take William from her again.

At Robb's camp, Jeyne is preparing her things for the arrival of wounded men after a battle, when Greatjon comes, bringing an injured Robb in arms. Jeyne becomes frantic before Robb calms her down. They speak, and after they confess their feelings for each other, they kiss.

In the Eyrie, Lysa hurries to find her son, who has been attacked - as part of Baelish's plan to frame William so the Vale lords will decide to join Joffrey's side. When she arrives, though, the would-be killer is dead himself at the hands of Mya, and it turns out he is carrying a letter which states the dead assassin had been sent by the Mythic Dawn in order to sow chaos. However, unknown to Lysa, Mya and a member of the Thieves' Guild have been working together to foil Baelish's plot.

An easterly wind pushing her ships towards Westeros, Daenerys meets with her main advisors about her future actions, namely her going to Volantis - to which each offer their point of view, save for Farengar. The mage tells Daenerys that she does not have much of a chance at winning, as the Seven Kingdoms outnumber her and her armies, and her dragons are not old enough to fight. When they later speak in private, he points out that he knows she would not be suited to the role, and that the Black Prince outmatches her, so she ought to make peace with him. In the end, he ends up revealing he is a member of the Blades, assigned to observe and protect her from potential threats, a revelation Daenerys does not take well.

The Legions arrive to King's Landing's outskirts and begin preparing for battle. In their camp is Jaime, who, although a prisoner, has been allowed to train with the other Blades. William ensures the Legions' "hidden aces" are prepared, and Brynden "Blackfish" Tully prepares to reenter the battlefield at the head of the Riverlands army William has brought with him.

Tywin observes the Legions' preparations as he considers the latest war council, where he was witness to the idiocy of his daughter and eldest grandson, who believe that wildfire could be easily used in battle.

From Blackwater Bay, Stannis prepares the Royal Fleet for transport of supplies and men while Davos takes care of the fighting. In the outskirts of King's Landing, the Legions begin their assault of King's Landing.

Arya and Sansa are ushered into a room with Cersei and the Tyrell women. Arya, after engaging in some mockery of Margaery, proceeds to engage into a discussion with Cersei over her (lack of) knowledge about William, which she proves when she's unable to answer several questions about him correctly. Arya uses the distraction to take a knife without being noticed.

In the Blackwater Rush, the Thieves' Guild has packed nearly all of the wildfire made by the alchemists into one of Joffrey's fleet's ships, making it blow up to take out many of Joffrey's ships, freeing the way for Stannis and Davos. At the Red Keep, Bronn, Tyrion and Varys observe the explosion unconcerned, before the former two leave to open a door for the Blades to come through. Tywin, meanwhile, wonders why William's forces have not attacked en masse yet, when the Tyrell army is about to arrive.

At the Dragon Gate, the Third Legion and the Riverlands army assault the wall using siege ramps, crushing all they encounter on the way. Ser Addam Marbrand tries to send troops to take them on the back, but the understrength Fourth Legion counter-attacks and defeats them without suffering casualties. At the River Gate, in the meantime, Stannis' men begin to pile up so as to bring the gate down with a ram, while Joffrey gets overwhelmed by the situation, and the Second Legion faces the Tyrells in battle. However, a nasty surprise comes when the Iron Fleet chooses this moment to attack.

William immediately receives news about the Tyrell army approaching and about the Iron Fleet, an event he had not considered would happen. Risking a lot, he decides to reach the coast and send his most powerful Shout out: Storm Call. Much to his luck, the storm he produces ends up destroying most of the Iron Fleet, and the intensity is such that the entire fighting stops - and the guards keeping an eye on Arya and Sansa are just as stunned by the sight. Arya takes advantage of this by stabbing one of the guards with her knife, stealing their sword and then using her improved Frost Breath Shout to incapacitate the guards that come in at Cersei's warning.

On her fleet, Daenerys suffers from a combination of despair and paranoia, brought on by Farengar's revelation, and she suddenly feels the need to be alone. Seeing a small island nearby, she has the fleet halt and has two Unsullied bring her to the island. As she walks aimlessly across the island, she finds a large tower, on top of which is a secret gate with the symbol for "fire" in the language of dragons written on it. After she opens it, she finds a diamond-shaped red jewel in a gold clasp - the Amulet of Kings, which is said the Dovahkiin can wear. Daenerys tries to put it on, but the Amulet falls to the ground when she does so, causing her to drop to her knees in pure despair.

Chapter 26: Darkness On The Horizon

Several weeks before the battle of King's Landing, Jaime, while training with the Blades, found out that the Blades respected his killing of Aerys, as Aerys forgot his duty as King, and then Captain Steffen told him the history of how the Dragonguard stopped serving the Targaryens: Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra Targaryen's husband, had an enmity with one of the Dragonguard, poisoning the relationship between Rhaenyra and the Dragonguard, to the point that, when Aegon II claimed the throne, the Grandmaster at the time, Musashi, decided the Dragonguard would serve neither of them, turning the Dragonguard into the Blades.

The battle continues raging on, with the Legions making good use of their training to defeat both Joffrey's army and the Lannister men, while the Tyrells wonder where their second army is (as they are being delayed by the Stormlands' army). Meanwhile, William is almost unconscious, but still capable of making plans. Tywin, very reluctantly, decides to sally out with his army in order to meet the Legions in battle and support the Tyrells. Stannis leads his men away from the River Gate to attack the Tyrells in the back.

Daenerys awakens in a place she knows not, only to find a crazy man that answers to Sheogorath, Daedric Prince of Madness, who tells her she's in his domain, the Realm of Madness. Sheogorath decides to show her how madness runs in her family, by making her see things from the perpective of three ancestors of hers (Rhaena, daughter of Aenys I, who was forced to marry Maegor the Cruel; Elaena, daughter of Aegon III, who was all but imprisoned by her brother Baelor the Blessed (who was incidentally the cause of the decline of worship for the Nine Divines) and Aegon V, bullied and threatened by his eldest brother Aerion) crowning it with showing her how her father brutally executed Rickard and Brandon Stark, the event that ensured Robert's Rebellion would happen. The mysterious woman from earlier comes to stop Sheogorath's torment of Daenerys, and brings her to the beach Daenerys saw in the House of the Undying.

In the Red Keep, Arya and Sansa attempt to make their escape, but they are trapped between several Kingsguards and Lannister men. Suddenly, a group of people attack Trant and the men with him: they are the Blades, come to rescue Arya and Sansa. A fight ensues, in which the Blades win handily - the only loss being Arya's Needle - and the group makes their escape. On the way out, when Arya complains about Captain Renault's attitude, Renault fires back by pointing out how she spat on her honor and that of the other Blades with her reckless attitude. Arya accepts the rebuke, admitting that Renault is right.

In the battlefield, the Tyrells and the Lannisters prepare to attack the Legions, while Stannis attacks the Lannisters as well. Seeing that the situation in the right flank is critical, William, tired as he is, decides to lead the Blades into the fight. Garlan Tyrell tries to challenge William, but Delphine tells him and his brother Loras that, if they want a fight, she can provide it. It is then that William's trap is sprung, and the newly minted Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Legions join the fray, in such a way that the Lannister-Tyrell armies will be overwhelmed. However, before a decision can be made, Mankar opens an Oblivion Gate in the middle of the battlefield.

Daenerys runs after the mysterious woman, who guides her to a castle. After they both settle down, the woman explains she is Valeria Targaryen, Daenerys' ancestor, servant of Akatosh, and incidentally the one who gave name to Valyria and the Freehold. She also admit that, much to her regret, some of the actions she undertook to secure her family's survival are the reason madness runs in the Targaryen's blood, but also points out that any Targaryen with sufficient strength of will can resist it. She also reveals that the Doom of Valyria happened because the Valyrians - save for the Targaryens - attempted to harness the power of the Amulet of Kings, and were punished by Akatosh, and warns her about the World Eater before taking a dragon form and leaving. Daenerys awakens back in the place where she found the Amulet of Kings.

In the outskirts of King's Landing, the lines reform to meet the threat of the Oblivion Gate. Once enemies in the battlefield, the Legions, the Lannisters and the Tyrells must now work together to ensure their survival. Jaime swears to Steffen that, if they go out to meet the new threat, he will return as his prisoner instead of running away. However it is not enough: they need to close the Gate, and the only ways to do that are to either find the mage keeping it open or go inside and destroy the anchor on the other side. William decides to ride for the Oblivion Gate in order to cross it, with first the Blades and then the Knights of the Reach following him.

William, the Blades and the Knights find their path pretty much free of obstacles, which William realizes is because the dremora were waiting for them. The group moves to the tower that holds the anchor, when several dremora appear. Garlan tells William to move forward while he and the Knights hold the dremora off. In the real world, Ruma and Mankar observe the fight, as does Tywin, who becomes shocked when he sees another group of Blades charging at the Gate - one of whom he knows quite well.

William and the Blades in the tower rapidly walk up the stairs in order to reach the anchor, while at the entrance Jaime Lannister and the Blades come to save the Knights of the Reach, and then help kill all the Dremora in the tower. William takes advantage of the dremora being distracted with the Blades to reach the top floor and the anchor stone, but he is then attacked by Viserys Targaryen. While in normal circumstances William would have won, he is very tired, and soon drops to his knees. Viserys decides to gloat, and William takes advantage of his distraction by using the Unrelenting Force Shout to throw him against the wall, but now William falls lying on the floor, unable to move. Fortunately, Jaime appears right then and removes the anchor stone from its place, breaking the connection.

The Gate falls, much to the cheer of the fighting armies, but the men and women who crossed it now lack the means to return. As they ascertain what to do, Mehrunes Dagon makes his appearance, but then Valeria appears in her dragon form and transports everyone to the place where the Gate once stood. Tywin and Tullius agree to a truce, and Jaime, instead of returning to his father when he has the chance, decides to remain a prisoner, as per his vow.

In William's camp, William is tackled by Arya, who proceeds to give him his first kiss as a reward for closing the Gate. After she is duly told off by Aela for what she did, William and Arya fall asleep in a cot.

Back with her fleet, Daenerys shows everyone the Amulet of Kings, and tells them of what happened to her while in the tower. Farengar and Arcadia surmise that Valeria may actually be the Messenger of Akatosh. When they are alone, Jorah decides to confess her how he, too, was a spy for Varys, but that he remains out of his loyalty to her. Daenerys, while not ready to forget, decides to forgive him.

In Robb's camp, Robb asks Lord Gawen for permission to marry Jeyne, as the two are in love. Lord Gawen knows the Freys will not like this, but between the three of them they think a possible way to redress the loss. That same night, Robb and Jeyne marry, with only Catelyn, Brienne, Gawen and Reynald as witnesses.

In William's camp, Arya and William make out - to compensate for all the lost time - before William lets her in on his plans: instead of continuing the siege, he's going to send most of the Legions to Highgarden, while he, the Riverlanders and two Legions move for Harrenhal, and Stannis remains close with the Stormlanders. This, William expects, will drive a wedge between the Lannisters and the Tyrells, particularly as both Highgarden and Casterly Rock are poised to fall.

Two days later, early in the morning, Tywin's council of war awakens to the news that the Legions have up and left in the middle of the night, causing a fight as Joffrey demands an attack against William while the Tyrells want to run to protect Highgarden.

In the Narrow Sea, near Dorne, the Iron Fleet survivors' morale has been broken by the utter disaster they have barely escaped from. Victarion Greyjoy wonders how badly his brother will take the news.

In Dorne, Sara uses her acupunture and massaging ability to help Doran relax for a while. After the session, Doran meets with Oberyn, and the two discuss the recent events, including the Battle of King's Landing, the Oblivion Gate and William possibly being the Dragonborn. Doran decides to change his plans, and sends Oberyn to King's Landing to assess the situation and meet with Tyrion Lannister.

North of the Wall, the wildlings escort Jon towards their camp, with Jon defending Serana when Ygritte casts aspersions upon her.

In the Fist of the First Men, Mormont and Isran debate what to do when Serana suddenly arrives, carrying Benjen with her after escaping from Castle Volkihar. Before she can tell them where Castle Volkihar is, the White Walkers and the vampires attack. Harkon appears and fights Serana, but is forced to run away as Serana, along with Isran and Sam, injure him. Things get worse as the White Walkers appear - and so does Alduin, who launches a rain of meteorites towards the Fist.