Now My Read Begins... (A Song of Ice and Fire Let's Read and Commentary)

[QafianSage]

Content Warning: Mention of assassination, mention of child death

Ned is woken early in the morning when King Robert summons him to attend him. He emerges from his tent to find his horse already saddled, and Robert already waiting. Ned offers for them to meet in his tent, but Robert insists on riding out to "see his land" - but also to escape a camp that's "full of ears". Ned agrees, under some sufferance, and the two make good time - first out along the road, and then off the road across rolling, misty plains until dawn finally breaks as they reach a ridge. Robert is exhilarated, and clearly feels enlivened by the exercise. He starts complaining about how slow the journey south has been, and particularly the troubles with the wheelhouse Cersei rides in.

Robert fantasizes about he and Ned leaving their responsibilities behind; going off and becoming masterless knights roaming here and there. It's a rather naive dream, definitely coming from a place of Robert never really wanting for anything, and it's paired with a kind of sexual fantasy ("maybe a farmer's daughter or a tavern wench to warm our beds tonight") that speaks to Robert's thoughtlessness and lack of care for his 'conquests'. Ned lets him down gently, talking about their duties to the realm, to their spouses and so on. Robert complains that Ned was always so responsible, and starts needling him about Jon's mother, trying to get Ned to talk about her. Ned shuts down the conversation coldly, despite what the king tries; "I dishonored myself and I dishonored Catelyn, in the sight of gods and men." Robert says he's too hard on himself, but Ned changes the subject to their surroundings.

He points out the barrows which fill the land, saying that the land is old, and there are barrows everywhere in the North. Robert brings up the real reason he brought Ned out here: A letter has arrived from his spymaster, the eunuch Lord Varys, detailing Daenerys' marriage with information from Ser Jorah Mormont - an exile who, as Robert puts it, wants to earn a pardon. Ned is disapproving of slavers that become spies, but Robert waves off his concerns about Jorah, and focuses on Daenerys. He's clearly pretty concerned about this, and idly proposes sending an assassin to kill her before she can have children (as Robert puts it, "breeding more dragonspawn to plague me"). Ned recalls Robert's reaction to Tywin Lannister delivering the murdered wife and children of Rhaegar Targaryen to him and, when Ned protested, declaring that "I see no babes. Only dragonspawn." It had taken their mutual grief over Lyanna's death to reconcile them - but not to change Robert.

When Ned says that assassinating a child would be 'unspeakable', Robert blows up at him, throwing in Ned's face Rhaegar's crimes against Lyanna, and saying "I will kill every Targaryen I can get my hands on". Ned doesn't try to directly defy him, but quietly replies that, he can't get his hands on this Targaryen. Robert subsides, complaining that 'Some Pentoshi cheesemonger' (Illyrio) has them walled up in an estate, then handed them over to the Dothraki, so they've missed their chance to do an assassination, largely because Jon Arryn advised against it.

As an aside, it's interesting the two of them are focusing on Daenerys here, rather than her brother - you know, the actual claimant. I'm not sure whether this is meant to be some bizarre gender thing, Robert just being more concerned with the Targaryen directly connected to a warlord, or more of a Doylist thing where Martin knows Dany is the important one long-term and sort of accidentally interpolates that knowledge into his characters' reasoning.

Anyway, Ned tries to reason Robert out of his worry, saying that the Dothraki don't have ships, and even if they did they fear the sea. Robert says he's worried about the marriage, and moreso that those in his own kingdom who still consider him a usurper might rise up against him. Ned brings up the idea of naming a Warden of the East again, but Robert interrupts him and reiterates that he won't name Sweetrobin (Robert Arryn) Warden. Ned suggests instead that the king's brother, Stannis Baratheon, be named Warden instead. The king says nothing, and Ned probes further, eventually uncovering that Robert intended to name Jaime Lannister Warden of the East - a move that would give unprecedented power to the Lannisters, with Jaime as Warden of the East, and his father Tywin as Warden of the West. Robert pushes away his concerns, saying he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it, but Ned pushes further, asking if Robert can trust Jaime. Robert cites his killing of Aerys as a reason to trust him; Ned cites it as a reason not to.

We get a description, part-flashback, part-speech, of the end of Robert's Rebellion, and the sack of King's Landing. It's obvious that this has left a deep impression on Ned - the fact that their struggle was won by treachery on the part of the Lannisters, and the horror of the sack which, as Ned points out, Robert never saw directly. Ned says it was a victory without honor; Robert says the Others take his honor, that the Targaryens knew none, as evidenced by Lyanna's death. Ned says that she was avenged by Robert at the Battle of the Trident - and Robert says that that didn't bring her back, that he prayed for Lyanna, not for a crown. "I ask you, Ned, what good is it to wear a crown? The gods mock the prayers of kings and cowherds alike."

This is where we learn that Ned was the one who actually entered the throne room and saw Jaime sitting on the throne, his sword still covered in the king's blood. The amount of gold on Jaime at the time seems to have made an impression on Ned. Robert laughs off his concerns, saying that Jaime sitting on the throne once is hardly a threat to him (which is interesting seeing as we know that in an earlier draft Jaime was going to end up on the throne for a while - this was probably originally meant as foreshadowing).1 He starts riding off again, over one of the barrows. Ned pauses for a moment, feeling hopeless at the prospect of trying to guide Robert to the right path. He feels inadequate to the task - if their mutual foster-father couldn't manage it, how could he? He feels like he belongs back in Winterfell, with Bran and Catelyn.

But he reflects that he can't be where he belongs, and starts after 'the king'. Not Robert. It doesn't really seem like so much of Ned's old friend is left in this king.

1: I'm adding in a note here thanks to @GardenerBriareus pointing something out about this. Firstly, it's important to note that the Iron Throne in the books is significantly larger and... Frankly more eldritch-looking than in the TV show. This is apparently the image Martin felt best represented his vision:

Spoiler: A Perfectly Normal Chair

Which is worth noting when Ned talks about Jaime sitting up there. It seems to be the case that when Jaime killed Aerys, he basically murdered Rossart (the king's pyromancer) after Aerys ordered him to burn the city, then climbed up those twenty-odd steps, killed the king and let his body tumble down the steps, before seating himself on the throne itself. Which is a rather more striking image than just sitting on a chair. It speaks to the depth of feeling Jaime felt at that moment - and potentially also, in light of this earlier idea of Jaime's arc, of his ambition. In the story as it panned out, this moment reads more as Jaime sitting down to come to terms with the enormity of what he'd just done, but in a story where Jaime is a more unrepentant evildoer it could also speak to his ambition.

Next chapter is Tyrion II, in which we get to see more of him interacting with Jon Snow.

 

[BungieONI]

When Ned says that assassinating a child would be 'unspeakable', Robert blows up at him, throwing in Ned's face Rhaegar's crimes against Lyanna, and saying "I will kill every Targaryen I can get my hands on". Ned doesn't try to directly defy him, but quietly replies that, he can't get his hands on this Targaryen. Robert subsides, complaining that 'Some Pentoshi cheesemonger' (Illyrio) has them walled up in an estate, then handed them over to the Dothraki, so they've missed their chance to do an assassination, largely because Jon Arryn advised against it.

As an aside, it's interesting the two of them are focusing on Daenerys here, rather than her brother - you know, the actual claimant. I'm not sure whether this is meant to be some bizarre gender thing, Robert just being more concerned with the Targaryen directly connected to a warlord, or more of a Watsonian thing where Martin knows Dany is the important one long-term and sort of accidentally interpolates that knowledge into his characters' reasoning.

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Might be a Westerosi cultural Thing, as I recall children born out of wedlock would not be considered legitimate or inheritors - so Viserys' hypothetical bastard children aren't a problem to Robert. But it does strike oddly. Something about this scene though that interests me more is how the survival of Dany and Viserys has probably stuck with Robert, for what must have been years given the timeline.

Granted I don't recall if Jorah was a long cultivated spy or someone who spontaneously started informing on Dany.

 

[Ad_astra]

I think the lack of interest in Viserys is Martin showing his hand but also a fair bit of Robert's own issues projecting onto the situation.

Of course he focuses on Drago a succeful warlord he views as a threat to his power and probably reminds himself of what he yearns for than Viserys who he see's as a dragonspawn and is trying to ''steal'' his girl showing how he's become a paranoid tyrant far from the figure he once was.

 

[QafianSage]

Might be a Westerosi cultural Thing, as I recall children born out of wedlock would not be considered legitimate or inheritors - so Viserys' hypothetical bastard children aren't a problem to Robert. But it does strike oddly. Something about this scene though that interests me more is how the survival of Dany and Viserys has probably stuck with Robert, for what must have been years given the timeline.

Granted I don't recall if Jorah was a long cultivated spy or someone who spontaneously started informing on Dany.

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Robert seems to have been vaguely concerned with them for a while, but it's unclear how much effort actually got put into hunting them down - probably not that much at the end of it, seeing as it turns out later on Varys (Robert's spymaster, and the person he gets to do this kind of stuff) is probably working with Illyrio on their own plan.

Jorah ran away about 5 years ago IIRC, but only got in contact with the Targaryens at the party where Dany met Drogo, so he probably hasn't been doing much for a long time.

 

[Book Jockey]

He points out the barrows which fill the land, saying that the land is old, and there are barrows everywhere in the North.

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Hah, was this the chapter where Martin has Robert joke about kings hiding under the snow/Snow? Real subtle there, George

 

[QafianSage]

Hah, was this the chapter where Martin has Robert joke about kings hiding under the snow/Snow? Real subtle there, George

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That was Eddard I actually. Which, even less subtle lol. I mean, look at this:

Robert snorted. "Bogs and forests and fields, and scarcely a decent inn north of the Neck. I've never seen such a vast emptiness. Where are all your people?"

"Likely they were too shy to come out," Ned jested. He could feel the chill coming up the stairs, a cold breath from deep within the earth. "Kings are a rare sight in the north."

Robert snorted. "More likely they were hiding under the snow. Snow, Ned!" The king put one hand on the wall to steady himself as they descended.

"Late summer snows are common enough," Ned said. "I hope they did not trouble you. They are usually mild."

"The Others take your mild snows," Robert swore. "What will this place be like in winter? I shudder to think."

"The winters are hard," Ned admitted. "But the Starks will endure. We always have."

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[Book Jockey]

That was Eddard I actually. Which, even less subtle lol. I mean, look at this:

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Oh my god he even capitalizes "Snow" in the exchange lol

I appreciate how absurd some tinfoil theories are- many theorists should really try their hand at creative writing- but I remain perplexed by R+L=J deniers given how frequently GRRM waves it in your face in the very first book

 

[QafianSage]

Added a bit of an extra note about Jaime and the Iron Throne.

 

[QafianSage]

Content Warnings: Ableism

Tyrion is travelling north to the Wall, along with Benjen Stark and Jon. And he's starting to worry he's miscalculated just how long the trip is going to be. For the first three days, the land was populated, but after that the hills rose higher, the woods got deeper and less populated, and by the fifth day they hills have turned to mountains to the west. As they travel through the Wolfswood, Ghost pricks up his ears at the howling in the night, but never replies. Tyrion is unsettled by Ghost; you definitely get the impression that Tyrion is a man of civilization and cities, rather than one suited to the wild.

There are eight people in the party overall; Jon, Benjen, Tyrion, two of Tyrion's Lannister men, a Night's Watchman they met up with along the way, Yoren, and two 'ragged peasant boys' destined for the wall; rapists according to Yoren. Tyrion is more than a little unflattering in his description of the three (Yoren "had a twisted shoulder and a sour smell, his hair and beard were matted and greasy and full of lice, his clothing old, patched, and seldom washed", while the two peasants "smelled even worse, and seemed as stupid as they were cruel"), and reflects that this might have been a rude awakening for Jon.

As an aside, the Night's Watch isn't exactly a haven for the nicest sort of people, but this is definitely a Choice on Martin's part in terms of representing lower-class people.

Tyrion and Benjen don't seem to get on terribly well; Benjen tried to dissuade Tyrion when he first proposed to go to the wall, and seems to be vaguely offended at the idea of a quasi-royal quasi-tourist coming along to sightsee. On the other hand, he does give Tyrion a big fur cloak to keep him warm along the way; Tyrion thinks this was probably meant as a mocking gift he wasn't meant to actually accept, or another attempt to get him to realize how unpleasant it would be to go to the Wall, but I'm not so sure. Tyrion admits he packed warm clothes, but they weren't nearly warm enough - and I wouldn't be surprised if Benjen saw that and didn't particularly want the queen's brother freezing on his watch. And there might have been some kindness mixed in too. Tyrion has a rather cynical outlook on the people around him.

Tyrion hasn't been much help in making or breaking camp, owing both to his condition and his general lack of woodsmanship, so it's become his custom to go off by himself to read with a wineskin and his big fur. In this particular instance, he's reading a book borrowed from Winterfell about the history and properties of dragons, and specifically on dragonbone:

Dragonbone is black because of its high iron content, the book told him. It is strong as steel, yet lighter and far more flexible, and of course utterly impervious to fire. Dragonbone bows are greatly prized by the Dothraki, and small wonder. An archer so armed can outrange any wooden bow.

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Tyrion seems to have an affinity for dragons; he reflects on the way he'd hunted down the dragon skulls in the cellars of the Red Keep in King's Landing - and hadn't expected to find them beautiful; "black as onyx, polished smooth ... The teeth were long, curving knives of black diamond". And there was an element of animacy to them: "When he had moved away, Tyrion could have sworn that the beast's empty eye sockets had watched him go." We get some exposition on the history of dragons in Westeros - probably our most overt dose of magic (albeit historical) since the prologue. Tyrion thinks about the nineteen dragon skulls in the crypt, ranging from the enormous dragons of Aegon the Conqueror, named for gods, down to the "matched pair no bigger than mastiff's skulls, and oddly misshapen" that mark the last dragons. He remembers his history lessons of the Field of Fire, the only time all three of Aegon's dragons were unleashed together - and which destroyed an army of one of his own ancestors.

Jon turns up to interrupt him, asking why Tyrion reads so much.

By way of answer, Tyrion asks Jon what he sees when he looks at him. Jon, suspicious of a trick, says he sees Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion comments that Jon is remarkably polite, but that what he sees is a dwarf. He then elaborates on this in a rather lengthy, but also rather eloquent section I feel deserves being quoted:

"Fourteen, and you're taller than I will ever be. My legs are short and twisted, and I walk with difficulty. I require a special saddle to keep from falling off my horse. A saddle of my own design, you may be interested to know. It was either that or ride a pony. My arms are strong enough, but again, too short. I will never make a swordsman. Had I been born a peasant, they might have left me out to die, or sold me to some slaver's grotesquerie. Alas, I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock, and the grotesqueries are all the poorer. Things are expected of me. My father was the Hand of the King for twenty years. My brother later killed that very same king, as it turns out, but life is full of these little ironies. My sister married the new king and my repulsive nephew will be king after him. I must do my part for the honor of my House, wouldn't you agree? Yet how? Well, my legs may be too small for my body, but my head is too large, although I prefer to think it is just large enough for my mind. I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind … and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." Tyrion tapped the leather cover of the book. "That's why I read so much, Jon Snow."

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You kind of get the feeling he's had this speech prepared in his head for a while.

In any case, it's a very frank discussion of the difficulties Tyrion has faced, or could potentially have faced, in his life, as well as a look into the (SFW) means he uses to cope with those difficulties. He's a man whose body is not considered attractive and is not capable of performing feats of athleticism, horsemanship and violence by which a person of his class and in his society is expected to perform and claim masculinity and agency. Thus, he has turned to his mind, and to learning, to claim agency instead. Honestly, there's a certain part of me which wonders why he never chose - or was made by his father - to become a Maester; it would seem to be an arena to which he. Maybe Tywin just doesn't believe in such things, or maybe Tyrion felt too attached to his sexual identity to swear the required vows of chastity.

Jon takes this in quietly, and eventually asks Tyrion what he's reading about then, when Tyrion answers, asks what the point is in reading about dragons when there aren't any left. Tyrion says it's a shame, and that he wished to have a dragon when he was little - imagining that from a dragon's back he could look down on the world, rather than up at it, and that when he was a child he started fires down in the passages under Casterly Rock pretended they were dragonfire.1 He also imagined those members of his family who mistreated him (his father, his sister) burning, and laughs at Jon's horrified expression, saying he must have dreamed the same kind of dreams. Jon protests, and Tyrion needles him about his status as a bastard: Lady Stark must have treated you as one of her own. Robb has always been kind because why not; he'll get Winterfell in the end. And Eddard must have a reason for packing Jon off to the Watch...

Jon protests angrily that the Night's Watch is a noble calling, and Tyrion laughs in his face, saying that the Watch is a penal colony put on a wall to watch for 'grumkins and snarks'; that his new brothers are criminals. Jon screams at him to stop it, and almost strikes him. Tyrion feels bad and steps forward to offer an apology (needling people beyond the point he intended is something of a bad habit of his, which will come back to bite him in future) - only for Ghost ro come chargin in, throwing Tyrion to the ground. When Tyrion comes to his senses and asks Jon for a hand up, the wolf is between them, threatening (though not growling). Jon says to ask him nicely.

Tyrion is pissed off at this, but pushes down his anger. "It was not the first time in his life he had been humiliated, and it would not be the last. Perhaps he even deserved this." He asks nicely, and Jon gets Ghost to calm down, before helping Tyrion to his feet, and giving him his book back. They share a bit of a laugh (self-deprecating on Tyrion's part) over the incident, and Tyrion offers Jon a mouthful of his wine. Jon takes it, before asking (rather more vulnerably) if what he said about the Night's Watch is true. Tyrion affirms what he said, and Jon takes it better: "If that's what it is, that's what it is."

The two return to camp together, Jon offering to help Tyrion along the way, but Tyrion refuses him out of a bit of pride. The camp is set up by a long-abandoned holdfast, and stew is on the fire. Benjen comes out to greet them, saying he's glad they're back. Tyrion shares his wine around the fire as they eat, and the group head to sleep - except for Jon, on the first watch, who stays up staring into the fire.

1: This, Tyrion's affinity for fire and dragons, as well as his extremely pale hair and a number of historical factors, has been the foundation of a somewhat-fringe tinfoil theory that Tyrion isn't actually Tywin's son, but rather the result of an affair between King Aerys II and Tywin's late wife, Joanna (if we can call it that, seeing as what we know suggests Joanna wouldn't be particularly interested in the idea). I believe the timelines on this do somewhat match up (Aerys was said to 'make free' with the handmaids of his wife Rhaella, of which Joanna was one, and after incidents along these lines Joanna returned to Casterly Rock rather than stay at King's Landing), and another point which gets raised in favour of this is the idea that Tyrion's condition is the result of Targaryen incest, but ultimately I don't think there's really that much solid support for this idea, and another secret Targaryen is quite a lot.

Next chapter is Catelyn III, which I've been looking forward to for the sake of discussing the theme of nature/violence vs civilization/decadence.

 

[Ad_astra]

An interesting chapter, overall think Tyrion and Jon while may have some affection for each other certainly think overtime they would have become enemies if they stayed together given events went.

I admit I'm not the best at drawing observations from chapters but one thing about the night watch I think Tyrion's cynicism for the group while not wrong is drawn from his own painful experience in that the worst of criminals in Westeros are not sent to a penal colony but protected by the system.

 

[WestOrEast]

1: This, Tyrion's affinity for fire and dragons, as well as his extremely pale hair and a number of historical factors, has been the foundation of a somewhat-fringe tinfoil theory that Tyrion isn't actually Tywin's son, but rather the result of an affair between King Aerys II and Tywin's late wife, Joanna (if we can call it that, seeing as what we know suggests Joanna wouldn't be particularly interested in the idea). I believe the timelines on this do somewhat match up (Aerys was said to 'make free' with the handmaids of his wife Rhaella, of which Joanna was one, and after incidents along these lines Joanna returned to Casterly Rock rather than stay at King's Landing), and another point which gets raised in favour of this is the idea that Tyrion's condition is the result of Targaryen incest, but ultimately I don't think there's really that much solid support for this idea, and another secret Targaryen is quite a lot.

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It doesn't not make sense but Tyrion's own self-analysis that he's attracted to dragons because of the size and strength he'll never have rings completely true even without the question of heredity.

 

[BungieONI]

1: This, Tyrion's affinity for fire and dragons, as well as his extremely pale hair and a number of historical factors, has been the foundation of a somewhat-fringe tinfoil theory that Tyrion isn't actually Tywin's son, but rather the result of an affair between King Aerys II and Tywin's late wife, Joanna (if we can call it that, seeing as what we know suggests Joanna wouldn't be particularly interested in the idea). I believe the timelines on this do somewhat match up (Aerys was said to 'make free' with the handmaids of his wife Rhaella, of which Joanna was one, and after incidents along these lines Joanna returned to Casterly Rock rather than stay at King's Landing), and another point which gets raised in favour of this is the idea that Tyrion's condition is the result of Targaryen incest, but ultimately I don't think there's really that much solid support for this idea, and another secret Targaryen is quite a lot.

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I absolutely love all of these GoT theories you're introducing to me, this stuff is great.

Next chapter is Catelyn III, which I've been looking forward to for the sake of discussing the theme of nature/violence vs civilization/decadence.

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Now I'm also curious how Catelyn III's content ties back into stuff here, because this chapter is also somewhat exploring conflict with nature.

As to Tyrion and Jon, I think their relationship is good for highlighting Tyrion's issues but I'm not sure they'd really end up being good friends. Honestly, it seems to me like Tyrion sees a lot of himself in Jon, including things that aren't actually in Jon in the way he expects. Which ties into some of his future problems - projecting things within himself into others or onto them. This is just based on your readthrough and analysis though, since I haven't read the books.

 

[Kuja]

The two return to camp together, Jon offering to help Tyrion along the way, but Tyrion refuses him out of a bit of pride.

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An interesting chapter, overall think Tyrion and Jon while may have some affection for each other certainly think overtime they would have become enemies if they stayed together given events went.

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Shame, that. Some real Master Blaster type energy happening this chapter.

 

[hellgodsrus]

The problem with Tyrion Targ as a theory imo is it makes Tywin right. If Tyrion isn't actually his son, all of Tywin's shitty parenting and abuse is (by the morals of Westeros) justified, whereas if Tyrion is a Lannister, then Tywin becomes what he should be - a man who mistakes cruelty for strength and intelligence.

Also the timing doesn't actually work that well, but Glidus has gone over why Tyrion Targ sucks in more detail, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[QafianSage]

Content Warnings: Violence, attempted assassination of a child

We begin with Catelyn, just where she was last we saw her: In Bran's sickroom. It's been eight days since the royal procession has gone south, and Maester Luwin has arrived to ask her to go over the household accounts with him. Catelyn refuses, saying she already knows what the visit cost them - which is all very dramatic, but Luwin points out that they need to deal with the practical realities of getting food before (he's cut off, but presumably winter). Catelyn says to have the steward take care of it, and Luwin says that Ned took the steward (Vayon Poole) with him to help establish his household in King's Landing. Catelyn isn't really listening; she's concentrated on how pale Bran looks, and if the bed could be moved to the window.

Luwin insists on staying, bringing up the idea of replacements for other positions in the household which have gone away to the south, and Catelyn gets angry, biting back at him that her son is dying and she couldn't care less about appointing a new master of horse. Then Robb arrives, saying that he'll make the appointments, and Catelyn feels ashamed - she wonders what's happening to her, why she's so tired and has a constant headache. (Mood) Luwin offers Robb a list of names, which he glances over before saying they'll talk about them tomorrow. Luwin takes the dismissal and leaves, leaving Robb and his mother alone together.

Robb confronts his mother over what she's doing. She says she's taking care of Bran - but Robb points out that she's neglecting everyone else in her life as well; she didn't come to see her daughters off when they left, possibly for a long time. Catelyn says that she said goobye to them in the sickroom, and watched them go from the window - but that she can't leave Bran for even a minute, in case he dies (though she can't bring herself to say the words). Robb reminds her that Bran's condition is stable, and when Catelyn protests that Bran might need her, that her other son Rickon needs her - and so does Robb. His noble facade breaks downa little here, his voice breaking, and Catelyn remembers how young he is - but Bran's hand is still holding hers, so she feels she can't go to him. Symbolic much?

I'm going to take a short moment here to discuss what this might look like from a medieval perspective, and how it ties into themes that turn up later. We're obviously very sympathetic to Catelyn's grief here, but she's abrogating her responsibilities as the lady of the castle, to see to and administer its people - she's invested with the authority to make certain important choices (like how to fill various important positions while their normal occupants are away) and by not doing that she's causing serious disruption to people's lives. Thematically, this also relates to an idea that becomes important in Jon's storyline: Conflicts between love and one's personal attachments, and one's duties to others and one's social station. Catelyn here is choosing her love for her son which, sadly, won't really benefit anyone and is sort of clouding her judgement, over her duty to the people relying on her, which is causing them trouble - she's even neglecting the vital business of ensuring Winterfell has enough food for the winter.

A wolf howls outside, which Robb recognises as Bran's - still-unnamed, so far. Robb opens the window, against Catelyn's protests that Bran needs to stay warm - Robb says he needs to hear the wolves. The cold, the howling and the grief is getting to Catelyn, though, and she begins to sob. She begs Robb to silence the wolves, and collapses. Robb manages to catch her, and helps her to a small bed in the sickroom. He asks her to get some sleep, saying she's barely slept since Bran's fall. She says she can't sleep in case Bran dies while she's sleeping, and begs Robb to close the window. He agrees, if she'll sleep - but notices that all the dogs are barking as well, before realizing the cause. He calls fire, and Catelyn momentarily panics and asks him to help her move Bran, before he clarifies that the library tower on the other side of the castle is on fire. Robb leaves to go help, while Catelyn remains, and closes the shutters, thinking sadly of all the books the Starks have collected over time.

When she turns around, there's another man in the room; small, dirty, smelling of horses, and with a dagger in his hand. Catelyn thinks she knows everyone who works in the stables, and this isn't one of them. He says she wasn't supposed to be there; she realizes Bran's his target, and begs him not to. He says it'd be a mercy; she refuses, moving back towards the window to scream for help, but he catches her and covers her mouth, bringing the knife up to her neck.

Catelyn grabs the dagger with her hands, pulling it away - and injuring herself in the process. She bites the hand over her mouth, with which he tries to suffocate her. He lets go, after having a chunk taken out of him, and she screams for help. He grabs her and pulls her down, and is standing over her with the knife, saying "You weren't s'posed to be here", when one of the wolves slips in the door, leaps for him, and tears out his throat. In the aftermath, Catelyn realises it's Bran's wolf, and thanks it. It licks the blood off her hand, then climbs up onto Bran's bed to lay down beside him.

Catelyn is laughing hysterically when they find her; the maester treats her hand, she's given a warm bath and blankets, and laid to sleep back in her own chambers. When she wakes again, it's four days later, and it feels to her like a nightmare - the nightmare of Bran's fall and the grief since - has passed over. She orders bread and honey to be brought, and for Luwin to change her bandages. She resolves herself to not let down her family and people again.

Going to do another little aside here to discuss the theme I referenced in the ending to the last chapter. Catelyn III depicts a little mini-arc for her; she starts out desperate, grieving and irresponsible, literally enclosing Bran within the trappings of 'civilization' and shutting out the wildness which, we've been told before, actually helps him (contact with his wolf), because she's afraid of it. Then, Catelyn both suffers and inflicts personal violence, before being saved by the wolf, accepting it, and purging her maladaptive feelings and resolving to do better. There's a somewhat-uncomfortable narrative here, in the idea that violence is a kind of purgative force, parallelling the 'purifying' aspect of nature and connection to primal life compared to shutting yourself away from all that - it's similar to the idea that the North is more honorable, straightforward and 'good' than the South, in part because of the struggle they face against winter. It's a very Conan-ey sort of idea; a more 'barbaric' upbringing making people less treacherous or 'decadent'.

Anyway, back to the story again. Robb arrives with the food, along with the master-of-arms, Theon Greyjoy, and Hallis Mollen, the new captain of the guard. Robb is dressed martially. Catelyn asks who the man was; Mollen says that no-one knows who he was; he wasn't a man of Winterfell, but has been seen around the castle the last few weeks. They deduce that he must have been part of the king's party, and that he wasn't noticed in the stables (where his payment was found) because all the horses taken by Eddard south and north to the Watch have left the stalls half-empty (and there was no master of horse to check, sort of implying that this is halfway the fault of Catelyn's negligence, though this isn't directly stated), and Catelyn supplies the important information that he was trying to assassinate Bran rather than Catelyn. Catelyn challenges Robb to work out why, while she eats - and he concludes that someone is afraid of what Bran might say. Mollen asks what should be done with the guard, and Catelyn deliberately defers the decision to Robb.

After Mollen leaves, Ser Rodrik points out that the weapon used by the assassin had a Valyrian steel blade, and a dragonbone hilt - it was very valuable, and not the kind of thing a man like that would have ordinarily. Catelyn says to close the door, then explains the letter from Lysa: That she and her sister think the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn. She adds that Jaime Lannister didn't join the hunt on the day Bran fell, and puts together a kind of generalised assuption of Lannister guilt with that to say that Bran might have been thrown, rather than fell, from the tower. Luwin points out how sure-handed Bran had been in the past. Robb, incensed, pulls his sword out and swears vengeance - whereupon Ser Rodrik tells him off for drawing a sword without meaning to use it; you get the vibe very much of a firing instructor saying 'Don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to kill'.

Catelyn comments on Robb wearing live steel, and Rodrik says he thought it was time. Robb reflects that swords will be needed soon, and Theon swears his own to their service, talking about his House owing the Starks a great debt (which is honestly weird, as he's literally a hostage against the Greyjoys, after the Starks and Baratheons smashed them in battle, but it speaks to Theon's lack of perspective and variable identity).

Luwin points out that they only have conjecture, and propose to accuse the queen's brother. Rodrik says that the dagger will be good proof, given its rarity and notability - and Catelyn says that someone must go to King's Landing to get to the bottom of this. Robb offers to go, but Catrelyn says he needs to stay and take care of Winterfell - and after considering who's most likely to be believed, and has the most standing, she decides to go herself. Luwin asks whether she won't draw suspicion from the Lannisters, and Robb protests that Bran needs her, but their positions are reversed from earlier in the chapter as Catelyn says she's done all she can for Bran, and she needs to think of her other children. Next, they propose sending a squad of guardsman with her, but she denys that - it would attract too much attention. Finally, she proposes to go with Ser Rodrik; two riders can go faster than a whole party. They will ride down to the port at White Harbour, and arrive before Ned and the Lannisters in King's landing.

And then, she thought, we shall see what we shall see.

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Next chapter, we have Sansa I, in which things start going wrong on the journey south.

 

[Ad_astra]

On the cocept of Northern superiority it's imporant to remember the series orignally was much shorter and whatever extent it still exists is much reduced.

That and a bit of inherent contradiction given most of the Night Watch, the protectors of the supposedly pure North are from other regions of Westeros.

Good chapter Qafiansage.

 

[GardenerBriareus]

Spoiler: Spelling/Grammar

Honestly, there's a certain part of me which wonders why he never chose - or was made by his father - to become a Maester; it would seem to be an arena to which he.

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imagining that from a dragon's back he could look down on the world, rather than up at it, and that when he was a child he started fires down in the passages under Casterly Rock pretended they were dragonfire.1

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only for Ghost ro come chargin in, throwing Tyrion to the ground.

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1: This, Tyrion's affinity for fire and dragons, as well as his extremely pale hair and a number of historical factors, has been the foundation of a somewhat-fringe tinfoil theory that Tyrion isn't actually Tywin's son, but rather the result of an affair between King Aerys II and Tywin's late wife, Joanna (if we can call it that, seeing as what we know suggests Joanna wouldn't be particularly interested in the idea). I believe the timelines on this do somewhat match up (Aerys was said to 'make free' with the handmaids of his wife Rhaella, of which Joanna was one, and after incidents along these lines Joanna returned to Casterly Rock rather than stay at King's Landing), and another point which gets raised in favour of this is the idea that Tyrion's condition is the result of Targaryen incest, but ultimately I don't think there's really that much solid support for this idea, and another secret Targaryen is quite a lot.

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Depending on how the family trees shake out, it might be more plausible to theorize that Tyrion's dwarfism is the result of Targaryen blood mingling with the Lannisters', then being expressed in a warped, malfunctioning form many generations onward.

The Valyrians were famous for their mages' accomplishments in twisting and transforming living flesh. Could not 'blessings' provided for the Valyrian aristocracy through such means eventually fade, but have the magic of them linger on - until a one-in-billions accident of conception allowed those lingering fumes of potential to express in a warped, uncontrolled manner?

 

[GardenerBriareus]

Spoiler: Spelling/Grammar

His noble facade breaks downa little here

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a kind of generalised assuption of Lannister guilt

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Next, they propose sending a squad of guardsman with her, but she denys that

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After Mollen leaves, Ser Rodrik points out that the weapon used by the assassin had a Valyrian steel blade, and a dragonbone hilt - it was very valuable, and not the kind of thing a man like that would have ordinarily.

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In a grand irony, it almost seems like it would have to be the assassin's personal property - because the Lannisters placing such a treasure in the hands of some disposable hired killer would be insane.

It reeks of either something won in a game of chance, or something gifted to the man's great-great-great-grandfather on a whim by a Targaryen, back in the good old days when the dagger would have been valuable, but not an irreplaceable relic.

talking about his House owing the Starks a great debt (which is honestly weird, as he's literally a hostage against the Greyjoys, after the Starks and Baratheons smashed them in battle, but it speaks to Theon's lack of perspective and variable identity).

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I would also wonder if he means that HE owes them a great debt, because being a hostage of the Starks is infinitely preferable to being trapped on the Iron Isles - but he hasn't quite got the courage to say something that could be seen as showing vulnerability.

 

[QafianSage]

In a grand irony, it almost seems like it would have to be the assassin's personal property - because the Lannisters placing such a treasure in the hands of some disposable hired killer would be insane.

It reeks of either something won in a game of chance, or something gifted to the man's great-great-great-grandfather on a whim by a Targaryen, back in the good old days when the dagger would have been valuable, but not an irreplaceable relic.

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So, it seems to be the case in the books (though this takes until A Storm of Swords to come out fully) that

Spoiler

Petyr Baelish originally had the dagger, but lost it to King Robert in a bet at Joffrey's birthday tournament some time ago. The dagger then ended up in Joffrey's hands (Tyrion thinks he took the fairly-plain-looking thing from Robert's baggage train during the trip) and gave it to the assassin in what Jaime later deduces was some kind of misguided attempt to impress Robert.

Which tbh I think is a bit of a weaksauce explanation for the thing, but I think Martin was kind of trying to tie up the loose end at that point, several years after starting the whole plot - and when the book series had grown far beyond what he originally intended for it.

 

[QafianSage]

Content Warnings: Injury to children, mention of mutilation

We begin at breakfast with Sansa and Septa Mordane, with the Septa lightly rebuking Sansa for feeding her direwolf at the table. She compares Sansa's actions with the wolf to Arya's wilfulness, then asks where Arya is. Sansa says she wasn't hungry, and the Septa says to remind Arya to dress nicely today because all three were invited to ride with the queen and the princess in the wheelhouse. Sansa has been looking forward to today for the better part of a week and is already prepared, and goes on a bit of a flight of fancy about how handsome and tall and strong and gallant Joffrey is - she clearly has rather a crush on him.

Sansa is excused from breakfast, and goes to find Arya - which she does on the bank of the Trident river, brushing mud out of Nymeria's fur. She's still dressed in the same riding leathers as yesterday, and Sansa tells her to dress prettily. Arya refuses, and says her and Mycah (a butcher's son she's made friends with) are going to go explore the river to try and find the rubies thrown from Prince Rhaegar's breastplate when Robert killed him. Sansa gets annoyed at Arya turning up the chance to ride with the queen and princess, and insults her, saying that there's nothing around to see. Arya shoots back about the flowers and 'lizard-lions' (not entirely clear what these are; they seem to be similar to, though not quite the same thing as, alligators), while Sansa remembers the swampy region they passed through, the Neck, as just uncomfortable and disturbing - Arya even brought back poisonous flowers, but laughed about the rashes they gave her and took the advice of her friend Mycah to calm the itching "like an ignorant bog-woman", in Sansa's words. There's definitely some classism going on there. Sansa has also noticed bruises on Arya's arms and shoulders.

Speaking of which, Arya is carrying on about the places they've explored, despite Sansa saying she wasn't to leave the column, and starts talking about the people she's met as well: "squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody." Classism here again, and Sansa's particularly disturbed by her friendship with Mycah, who's thirteen and smells like, well, a butcher's boy. Sansa tries one last time to persuade Arya to come and join them in the wheelhouse, but Arya says she doesn't like the queen, that Myrcella is "a little baby" for being afraid of Nymeria, and that she doesn't care what Sansa says; she's going out riding. Sansa insults her by calling her a child, and goes off in a huff, but not before Arya says they won't let her bring her direwolf Lady, either. A symbolic little note there.

Sansa is quite upset by all this; she just wants everything to be nice and pretty and noble, and doesn't like it when people deviate from that. She half-wonders if Arya was actually her full-sister, rather than a half-sibling like Jon (an interesting parallel to Arya's own musings on the subject) - but quickly forgets it when she gets back to the camp proper, and finds that riders have been sent out from King's Landing to escort the party in. She goes to look at them, excited by the idea of seeing more knights, and sees three greeting the queen: One older man of the Kingsguard, one younger man with an antlered helm, and a third grim one standing off to one side. Sansa is scared by him, and suddenly someone puts a hand on her shoulder; she turns and finds Sandor Clegane there. Sansa pulls away from him, and Lady growls at him, creating a minor scene as the stranger knights draw their swords.

Cersei defuses the situation, though, sending Joffrey over to Sansa, and Sansa feels much better as he tells everyone the wolf is her pet, and goes to send away Sandor. Sansa explains it wasn't Sandor who scared her, but the grim man - who the knights introduce as Ser Illyn Payne, and comfort Sansa a little that, yes, he's kind of an intimidating figure; which is kind of the point, seeing as he's the King's Justice (i.e. the headsman). Sansa finally comes back to herself, deflating the remaining tension with a small joke, and the knights are introduced as Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard, and Renly Baratheon, King Robert's younger brother (Sansa works out who he is by his sigil, showing off her education a little). She tries to apologise for offending Ser Illyn, but he doesn't answer and she's afraid she's done somthing wrong before it's explained that Ser Illyn lost his tongue to Aerys' torturers some fourteen years ago.

With Renly, Barristan and Illyn here, Cersei postpones the time together with the Stark girls, and instead sends Joffrey to spend time with Sansa - which she's delighted by, especially given his 'rescue' of her from Ser Illyn and the Hound. Joffrey proposes they go riding, and Sansa's all about this suddenly (despite having been shitting on it when Arya was doing it). Joffrey says they should leave the wolf and the Hound behind and go off alone together, and boasts he'll defend her with his own sword, 'Lion's Tooth'. And yes, he sounds exactly like any other kid boasting about a cool sword.

They have what is, to Sansa, a rather magical day. They ride through the woods, they explore shallow caves down by the river, and they stop at a small castle where Joffrey demands food and drink for the two of them (and Sansa gets a bit buzzed on wine, as they ignore the normal rules her father sets about how much she can drink, with Joffrey's encouragement). As they head back, Joffrey diverts them back towards where the Battle of the Trident took place, and as they approach they hear the sound of sticks slapping together. Sansa is nervous, and Joffrey draws his sword and acts all tough and macho - but when they come out of the trees they find a boy and a girl fighting with broom handles - quickly recognised as Arya and her friend Mycah.

Joffrey steps forward, imperiously commanding Mycah to tell who he is, and then to pick up his 'sword' against Joffrey's own - so, a stick against live steel. Joffrey tries to take the moral high ground, talking about Mycah 'only fighting little girls' - but it's pretty obvious that he's really just spoiling for a fight and someone to bully, and Sansa thinks 'the wine has made him wild'. Mycah doesn't pick up the stick (he knows that won't end well), and Joffrey puts his sword to his cheek.

Arya yells to stop it, grabs her stick, and smacks Joffrey across the back of his head. Mycah runs (clever boy), and Joffrey reels around. Arya swings for him again, but he cuts her stick in the air. Sansa yells at both of them, trying to get them to calm down, but it doesn't do any good. Arya throws a stone at him, but misses and hits his horse instead, sending it galloping off after Mycah. Joffrey slashes at Arya with his sword, cursing (Sansa is mortified at the curses), and Arya retreats until she's backed up against a tree - then Nymeria appears, putting her jaws around Joffrey's sword arm. He drops the sword and goes down, shouting in pain.

Arya calls Nymeria off him, saying she didn't hurt him much. She picks up Joffrey's sword and holds it over him, and he begs her not to hurt him or he'll tell his mother. Sansa screams at Arya to leave him alone. Arya throws the sword into the river, before running off to her horse.

Sansa runs down to Joffrey, trying to comfort him, and saying she'll go to the holdfast they got lunch at and bring someone to help. He glares at her with "nothing but loathing ... the vilest contempt" and tells to her "Go ... And don't touch me."

So, yeah, that's the chapter. It's mostly setup and inciting incidents for the next chapter, Eddard III, where the consequences land, but it also serves to further clarify the dynamic between Sansa and Arya, and Sansa's own outlook on the world. She basically wants things to be a sort of storybook, where people do what they're meant to do and everything ends up alright. Internally, she doesn't really seem to speak to people she's mythologized in this way directly, so much as to the sort of narrative simulacrum she has of them in her head - particularly Joffrey at this point, because of her massive crush on him, though that image gains the start of a crack with the last lines of the chapter. Joffrey, meanwhile, comes across as... Well, fundamentally a bit of a pathetic bully, but one capable of acting 'gallant' in non-serious situations. He's fairly shallow as a character, as far as I can see.

 

[GardenerBriareus]

There is something interesting in how Sansa's enchanted evening with Joffrey isn't that far away from what Arya did with her new friend; they both just kind of wandered around sightseeing and having a little adventure by themselves.

 

[BungieONI]

Internally, she doesn't really seem to speak to people she's mythologized in this way directly, so much as to the sort of narrative simulacrum she has of them in her head

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This bit right here is really really interesting to me, because it resonates with some of my own thoughts on 'people speaking on automatic' without really addressing the person in front of them.

Another thing that stands out to me in this analysis is the impression I take away that Sansa wants things to be in like a storybook, and also a storybook she knows the plot of and can control or expect. And she is very attached to and hung up in 'expectations'.

 

[QafianSage]

There is something interesting in how Sansa's enchanted evening with Joffrey isn't that far away from what Arya did with her new friend; they both just kind of wandered around sightseeing and having a little adventure by themselves.

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Agreed. I think it speaks to the idea that, at the end of it, they're all just kids - even if Joffrey is a kid who's been given way too much power and it's done him no good psychologically.

EDIT: It's also worth noting, because I personally find it funny, that for all Joffrey talks about his 'Lion's Tooth' it's explicitly mentioned that it's a longsword shrunk to a 12-year-old's proportions. It's literally a kid's sword - it's just that the Lannisters were weird enough to let him have live steel.

 

[QafianSage]

Content Warnings: Dog death, child death

We begin this chapter at Castle Darry, where the King's party has been staying for the last three days - rather uncomfortably, as the Lord Darry's brothers died in the Battle of the Trident, fighting against Robert. The company has been using the base to range out to search for Arya, who has been missing since the altercation by the Trident in the last chapter.

As we begin, Eddard receives the news that Arya he been found, and that she's not harmed. He's relieved, of course - but then hears that although it was his men who found Arya, Lannister men at the gate told Cersei, and Arya is being brought directly before the king.

Furious, Eddard orders Sansa be brought, before heading across the castle to the great hall, where he finds Robert sitting in judgement, Queen Cersei standing to one side with Joffrey, and Arya alone in the middle of the hall, along with a crowd of others looking on - something Eddard regrets bitterly, as he'd hoped that he might be able to work this out in private with Robert. Which is kinda funny, because he's mentally framing it as friends doing work together, when from another perspective you're just call that backroom dealing.

In any case, Eddard immediately goes to comfort Arya, kneeling down and taking her in his arms while she sobs and tells him she's sorry. He asks if she's hurt, and she says she's not, but she is hungry; she only ate berries after she ran away. Eddard promises she'll be fed soon, then stands up and challenges the room, and Robert in particular, asking why he wasn't told about his daughter being found, why she wasn't brought straight to him.

Cersei strikes back, asking how he dares to speak to the king like this, but Robert silences her and apologises to Ned, saying he didn't mean to frighten Arya, but thought it best to 'get the business done with quickly'. Eddard asks what 'business' he means, and Cersei answers:

You know full well, Stark. This girl of yours attacked my son. Her and her butcher's boy. That animal of hers tried to tear his arm off."

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Arya protests that this isn't true, that the wolf just bit Joffrey a little, and that he was hurting Mycah. Cersei counters, saying that Joffrey told them that Arya and the butcher's boy beat Joffrey with clubs while Arya set her wolf on him. Arya protests, Joffrey yells that they all attacked him and Arya threw his sword in the river, Arya calls him a liar, and Robert breaks it all up, shouting for silence and ordering Arya to tell him what happened, and Joffrey to keep silent until he's asked to speak.

Each of them tell their own sides of the story - we already know Arya's side (with one slight disruption, as Renly laughs at Joffrey being disarmed and having his sword thrown away, and is told to leave the room by Robert), and Joffrey's has been told above. Robert's inexperience in judgement shows here to some extent, as he bemoans the two having conflicting stories. Ned calls Sansa forward to give her own testimony. Sansa looks between Arya and Joffrey, and tearfully says she doesn't know, she doesn't remember, everything happened so fast, she didn't see.

Arya, infuriated, flies at Sansa, screaming she's a liar. Jory (one of Ned's men) has to pull her off her sister, and Ned checks to see whether Sansa is hurt. Cersei says that Ayra is 'as wild as that filthy animal of hers' and should be punished - and Robert says they're children, children fight, no lasting harm was done. Cersei protests that Joffrey will be scarred for life, to which Robert retorts maybe a scar will teach him a lesson, and tells Ned that if he'll discipline his daughter, Robert will discipline his son. Here we get another reason why Joffrey might be so messed up; quite apart from having the power of a prince from birth, his parents have totally different styles of raising him, as Cersei spoils him and always takes his part, while Robert doesn't really seem to care that much about him one way or the other.

Cersei doesn't seem willing to challenge Robert on that, but instead calls for him to do something about the direwolf. Jory says they've found no trace of the wolf, and the queen offers a bounty for its skin. Robert complains, but says if she pays for it herself he wants no part of it. She attacks his sense of self and masculinity, saying that "The king I'd thought to wed would have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down." When Robert angrily says there's no wolf, Cersei points out there is still a wolf within reach. The king shrugs irritably and says, whatever, have the headsman see to it. Ned protests, but Robert ignores him, saying it would have turned on Sansa at some point and she should get a dog instead. Sansa finally seems to realize what they're talking about and begs that Lady not be hurt - and Arya joins her, angrily saying that Lady didn't do anything wrong. Ned adds his own voice to the two, asking Robert to rescind his words, "For the love you bear me. For the love you bore my sister."

Which is probably a bit of a misstep there, to be honest, seeing as the woman Robert ended up marrying is right there in front of him.

Robert looks between Ned, Cersei, curses her, and goes to leave. Ned stands and says that if Robert is going to demand this, he should at least have the courage to do it himself - asking that Robert fulfil his northern traditions, pretty much. Robert just leaves.

Cersei calls for the direwolf to be brought, and Barristan reluctantly says Lady is chained up by the gatehouse. Cersei says to send for Ser Illyn, but Ned says for Jory to take the girls back to their rooms, and to bring him Ice - his executioner's sword. If it's going to be done, he'll do it. Cersei thinks this is a trick at first, but Ned says that Lady deserves better than a butcher.

Ned leaves the room, Sansa's cries in his ears, and goes to Lady. We quickly learn that he considers the name appropriate; "She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting." The symbolism (and probably magic) attaching the wolves to their owners isn't exactly subtle. Ice arrives, and "when it was over", Ned orders that four men take Lady's body north to be buried at Winterfell, so that "The Lannister woman shall never have this skin."

On the way back to his tower, Ned sees Sandor Clegane and his hunters come back to the castle. There's something wrapped in a cloak on the back of his horse. Definitely a callback to how the children of Rhaegar and his wife were presented to Robert back at the end of the Rebellion; wrapped in bloodied cloaks. Sandor gloats a bit about having caught Ned's daughter's "little pet". Ned dreads that they've caught Nymeria, and he's going to have to bring that news to Arya, but when the bundle is dumped on the ground and Ned pulls the cloak aside, he sees Mycah, almost cut in two vertically. "You rode him down", Ned says. The Hound laughs, and says that Mycah ran, but not fast enough.

So, yeah, a pretty grim chapter - and it's pretty much a microcosm of Robert as a king. Having to choose between two stories, he just kind of abrogates responsibility while appeasing his backers (and hating it), without regard for justice or truth, while the Lannisters do what they want and brutalize the little people, Renly laughs it off and the dutiful (Ned and Barristan) stand by and abet all this all, however reluctantly, whether they act or merely stand by. It's pretty clear as well that by the point Cersei is calling for a completely unrelated wolf to be killed, she's not really doing it out of concern for her son, or justice or anything - it's an attack on the Starks; a kind of vengeance on them. She doesn't want to make things better, or even to punish wrongdoers; she just wants them to hurt at this point.

Next chapter, Bran III, is a short one, but it's the first proper trippy magic dream we've had, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about.

 

[Mechasaurian]

Robert's inexperience in judgement shows here to some extent, as he bemoans the two having conflicting stories.

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He's been king for...checks wiki...15 years at this point.

I had forgotten how complicit Robert was in Lady's death. Christ.