Vicki’s Comments (group member since Jul 17, 2015)

Vicki’s comments from the A Song of Ice and Fire - A Chapter a day group.

Yeah, I remember my first reading, and even throughout my second, wondering why no one is paying Rickon any attention. He's only 4!! Maybe Everyone is doing their best to help Bran run the castle, who himself is only 8 but is a lot more mature than a boy his age ought to be. But still, there should be plenty of servants to teach him right from wrong.

And I just can't wait for Winds of Winter!!!

1. Even after a second read I am shocked that Asha doesn’t immediately come out and call Theon “brother.” I get that she wants to see what kind of man he is, but it still seems odd that she plays along for so long. Maybe it’s easier when you haven’t seen your brother in ten years, and only as a child, not an adult.

2. Some ironborn women have been known to crew on deck with men and they have a man’s appetite, so I guess Theon assumes she’d be easy to pick up. Gah! She even gropes him!

3. According to her, she built Theon’s first ship, though I don’t know if this is actually true.

4. I laughed when they named his ship Sea Bitch. :) Their flirting is so funny. That just makes it all the more awkward when we find out she’s his sister! Theon notices she saunters when she walks, suggesting she’s bold. Oh yes she is!

5. Lol, when they pass through Lordsport, all the townsfolk bow in respect. Theon thinks it’s for him, that they finally learned... Oh man... To his credit, he has been away for so long, they can’t blame him for not remembering who everyone is.

6. Theon has been waiting to find out what his father’s plans are. If he doesn’t approve of them it’s implied he’ll betray his father as fast as he betrayed Robb.

7. None of the merchant ships are allowed to leave harbor in case anyone tries to inform the North of their plans to attack. As they pass the ship that brought him to the Iron Islands he sees the captain’s daughter again, lol, begging to speak to him. He keeps ignoring her.

8. Theon got Wex has a squire as part of the price to pay in order to purchase his horse he is very fond of. Wex is mute, which is one thing Theon likes best about him. I smiled when Wex sees “Esgred” and his eyes widen. He knows who she is and can’t talk! Theon loves his big, bold horse whom he calls Smiler. Not too many people on the Iron Islands have horses; they prefer to be on a ship. Yet another thing that makes Theon different from his home country. He tells Esgred he knew a man once who told him he smiled at the wrong things. I wonder who!

9. On the ride to Pike Theon gropes her breasts and she pulls him away. Getting frisky. He tells her about the Whispering Wood, and then disses his father, then his sister, in front of her. Oh man, lol! He says after the wars are over he’ll marry her off to someone who would take her.

10. Apparently in the Iron Islands uncles have been known to dispossess his weak nephew of his rights, including murder. When he mentions his uncle Aeron’s god, Esgred asks his, not yours? Theon corrects himself. Obviously he isn’t very religious. Of Victarion he says he is like a bull but never wins anything; he lacks the wit and ambition to betray. *SPOILER FOR A DANCE WITH DRAGONS* (view spoiler)[What about now that he’s inside Slaver’s Bay, planning to betray Euron? (hide spoiler)]. But Euron is smart and never gave up the Old Way. He’s also not been seen in two years, and Theon hopes he’s dead. Esgred says if he shows up though, the ironborn will never accept him because he’s a stranger to them. Theon notes that he’s a stranger too, lol.

11. Apparently Theon hasn’t spent any time with his mother in Harlaw since he’s been here, even though it’s only a days ride from Pike. His excuse is he’s so busy helping his father, yeah right, lol. The rest of the ride he talks on and on about Winterfell and realizes she’s easy to confide in, as if he’s known her his whole life. ;)

12. As soon as they pass the gates of Pike and dismount all their dogs bound to Esgred like they’re familiar with her. The stablehand is the first to call her Lady Asha, happy to see she’s back. Ha! It takes Theon a while to realize it’s true. She’d been at Great Wyk the entire time he’s been back and only arrived with Lord Goodbrother and his army yesterday. She humiliated him good! Wex smirks and he smacks him on the ear, lol.

13. He skulks about the things he said and did in front of her, and that she groped him, even unlaced his breeches at one point, teasingly. I love this: “He could not possibly have made a more appalling fool of himself.” Yup! That’s what you get for not recognizing your own sister! He blames her for the reason he has no place here. Everyone respects and loves her while no one remembers him. But that’s not her fault!

14. Theon dresses plainly this time and wears no adornments; he hadn’t bought anything with iron. He’s learning! He remembers killing a wildling that had threatened Bran Stark but he had nothing worth taking. I laughed when he tells himself he kills only the poor. :)

15. At the feast Theon sits next to Asha and hisses that she’s sitting in his place. She says she thought his place was at Winterfell, ouch! She tells him Esgred was the name Sigrid named his first ship he made, after his mother. Asha was never married, nor pregnant. Well, she is. Her husband is her battleaxe and her baby is her dirk. Everyone at the feast laughs at him, even heir father’s smiling. Poor Theon. He deserves it at this point, though!

16. Asha says for ten years he was a wolf, but now that he’s come back he expects everyone to obey him. Why should anyone want to fight and die for him? Theon says because he’s their prince! She says by the green law, maybe, but the ironborn make their own laws. Interesting. For ten years he’s dreamed of going home again but now that he’s back all he’s earned was mockery. Awe.

17. Omg, lol, Asha grabs Theon’s cock again under the table, making him jump in surprise. I don’t have a brother, but if I did I would never< do that! Lol, Theon says marriage is not for her; when he rules Pike he’s shipping her off to the Silent Sisters, lol!

18. When Theon enters his father’s council Balon commands Theon to take eight longships and harry the Stony Shore, that’s the western beaches in the North, raiding fishing villages and sink any ships he sees. This may grab the attention of some of the northern lords. His Uncle Aeron and Dagmar Cleftjaw will accompany him. Theon takes this as an insult, but I think this is smart of Balon. Theon has never commanded a ship, let alone a fleet, before. It’ll give him some practice and show his father what he’s capable of. If he does well, I’m sure his father would give him something a bit more challenging. This is his last son! I’m sure he doesn’t want to lose him too, despite the lack of love he shows him. Theon needs to gain his father’s trust, but he is too proud. However, I don’t support this second rebellion Balon is hatching, not unless he intends to take it to King’s Landing!

19. Balon orders Asha to take 30 longships and take over Deepwood Motte. It sounds like they have a good relationship, father and daughter. The Glovers are away, fighting in the south, so it’ll be easy taking it over, securing a base there for the ironborn.

20. To Victarion Balon gives the rest of the fleet. They’ll sail up the Saltspear and take over Moat Cailin. Intersting Balon says the Neck is hte key to the kingdom, unless he means only the North. Plus, it cuts Robb and his army off from getting back home. Balon says it may take a year but eventually Winterfell will fall, and they’ll make all in the North their thralls and salt wives. Very bold, but the North is a great stretch of land and most of it is inland. And if Balon manages to hold the North, will he have enough to defend it from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms? I know Moat Cailin is very difficult to take down, but the other half of the Neck is swamplands. Will Howland Reed stand by and let this happen?

21. Interesting that Aeron proclaims the Drowned God will spread his domain across the greenlands! It seems eerie because it’s raining harder than ever outside.

22. I forgot that Theon stops on the swinging bridge and contemplates the rocks below. Was he really thinking about suicide for a moment there? He slips but Asha picks him up. For hating her so much I’m surprised he lets her carry him back to his chambers. I like how he says he liked her better when she was Esgred. And this made me smile: “That’s fair. I liked you better when you were nine.” :)

23. So they learned last night in Craster’s Keep that Mance Rayder is gathering his people together in the Frostfang Mountains. The Frostfangs are a very dangerous mountain range, “a wilderness of stone and ice.” They can’t long sustain that many people in there. Mormont thinks he’s gathering an army to strike south into the Seven Kingdoms. Though wildlings had invaded the realm before, this time the Night’s Watch is much smaller than it used to be, and Winterfell, who would be there to stop the raiders from going south of the neck, is scattered. Ned Stark is dead and Robb is in the riverlands with all his best fighters. They won’t be able to stop a huge hoard if it gets past the Wall. The wildlings may never get a better chance to succeed. Mormont reminds Jon he knew Mance Rayder. He is an oathbreaker but that doesn’t mean he’s craven. They need to stop him before he gets too powerful. But with only 300 men?

Fin.

Your point 19, yeah, that part does seem pretty vague so far. I was very confused my first read and hoped I'd gain more insight into what's going on with Craster and the Others. So far I'm still quite confused, lol.

1. For the past six days it’s been raining nonstop, which is treacherous up here, where it snows even in summertime. If it gets too cold all that rain will turn to ice, but it also makes all the dirt pathways muddy and slippery, not good if you’re going up and down hills on horses.

2. Luckily Craster’s Keep is not abandoned, after visiting all seven abandoned villages. But Jon’s heard stories of Craster. Now he’ll get to see it for himself. They hope Craster will have some answers about what’s going on.

3. Interesting it’s Thoren Smallwood who swears Craster is a friend to the Watch and not Mormont. That makes sense since Thoren is a ranger and deals with Craster on frequent occasions while ranging.

4. Dywen tells Jon there’s a cold smell to Craster. He is called a kinslayer, liar, raper, and craven, and he traffics with slavers and demons. He marries his daughters and obeys no laws but his own.

5. It’s cute Sam was about to say “bastard” but stops, realizing he’s talking to Jon, but Jon laughs and says it’s okay, he can say it. It’s not like he’s never heard the word before. :)

6. Dywen’s teeth are carved out of wood and he is mentioned quite a bit so far in this chapter. This man also seems to know quite a bit about Craster than most of the others. He warns not to get too close to Craster’s wives.

7. Even after a year the horses are still uneasy around Ghost, interesting. Jon should be nearing 16, then, shouldn’t he? I think he turned 15 a few months after he joined the Wall.

8. Jon was expecting a motte-and-bailey with a wooden tower at Craster’s Keep, but instead it’s a midden heap with a bit of farmland and a daub-and-wattle hall. Scarcely could be called a keep. Animal skulls are perched on polls at the gate. The hall may fit 50 men at best, certainly not all 200 men. The rain made Craster’s yard full of mud, so it’s not going to be fun for the other 150 men who still have to camp outside. Inside the keep smells of dung. Lovely. It’s just one room with a sleeping loft above that can be reached with two ladders. There is only one chair in this keep and that’s Craster’s; all others sit on benches or on the floor.

9. Craster himself wears a bunch of skins and furs, but on one hand he wears a thick gold ring, odd. He looks powerful, but getting old. This is Jon’s first good look at a wildling. Compared to Old Nan’s stories, Craster doesn’t seem too scary. :)

10. Craster says he hasn’t seen Benjen Stark in three years. Mormont says Ben should’ve come this way about a year ago, looking for Ser Waymar Royce, Gared, and Will. Craster remembers those three well. He says Ser Waymar was too proud to sleep in his hall, and mentions he had “black steel.” That sounds like a Valyrian blade! But that can’t be, because when he used it to fight the Other it shattered. Craster says Gared wasn’t so bad, for a crow -- said they were only chasing raiders -- but now he has no head and laughs about that. Hmm... Jon remembers vividly when his father beheaded him, way back at the beginning of GoT, because he was a deserter. That was the same day they found the direwolf pups. But when asked where Ser Waymar and his small crew went Craster evades the question and hints that they should give him some wine and a new axe.

11. I’m surprised Mormont invites Craster and his family to take shelter at the Wall, but Craster laughs and says he’s free folk and serves no man. He takes a wife and tells her to tell Mormont they prefer it here. The girl sounds like a drone, saying it’s better to die free than live a slave. Eerily Mormont’s raven repeats, “slave.” More like they’re Craster’s slaves.

12. Mormont tells him about the abandoned villages and about the two white walkers that attacked Castle Black in the night. Still, Craster won’t leave, though he wants a new axe to defend his family. He also says he’s a godly man, lol. Craster gets heated up when Mance Rayder is mentioned. Seems he’s not fond of the man. Says it’s Mance’s doing why everyone left their villages, and he might be willing to tell them where to find Mance, but hints he’d like that wine. Mormont offers to share some of their food for his hospitality and gifts Craster his own axe, though I think it’s more in “payment” for the directions.

13. Jon volunteers Sam to draw the map. When Craster sees Jon he asks to be introduced; he looks like a Stark. Mormont gives his name and Craster takes note he’s a bastard. He says if a man wants to bed a woman he should marry her first; that’s what he does. Ugh... I don’t think Jon liked being told that. It’s not his fault his parents weren’t married when they made him! And besides, Craster himself is a bastard. That seems unfair of him to say. Jon is stiff and in a hurry to get out of there. Dolorous Edd makes Jon feel better, though. :)

14. Jon is off looking for Sam when a girl screams and he runs to the rescue. Ghost had killed two of her last rabbits and scared her half to death. Jon says he won’t hurt her; he’s just hungry because there’s no game in the woods. The girl is only 15-16 and pregnant. Those were the last two rabbits they had left and she was going to breed them because there’s no more sheep left to eat. Jon feels bad and says the Wall will replace what she lost, though he’s not sure how, since coins are useless out here. She keeps calling him “m’lord” and he corrects her, but two of his brothers show up and tease her, saying yes he is, he’s Lord Snow, and taunts the girl, saying his wolf wants to eat her baby. Jon tells them to stop; they’re scaring her. But before he can talk to her she runs away. He scolds the brothers, one being Chett, who holds a personal grudge against him. Chett says he’s no Lord Commander and he wouldn’t talk so boldly without his direwolf around. Jon refuses to play into his taunts and leaves.

15. Jon finally finds Sam, miserable like the rest of them. He’d stepped in a knee-deep puddle of mud, lol. Jon makes a fire and cooks the second rabbit Ghost had left for him. The other brothers look on in envy. :) After dinner he tells Sam to go to Craster’s Keep and draw the map for Mormont. Sam is afraid of meeting Craster but goes anyway while Jon spoons with Ghost to sleep. :)

16. Jon wakes in the morning to frost and a beautiful scenery. Everything looks like sparkling jewelry and glass, and I like how Jon thinks to himself, “So there is magic beyond the Wall after all.” He’d dreamed of his sisters last night. I like how he pictures Sansa crying with joy, calling it an enchantment, while Arya would laugh and run and shout and touch it all. :) I forget sometimes that Jon doesn’t hate Sansa; he cares enough to dream about her too. :)

17. The girl, Gilly, finds him again. This time she’s wearing Sam’s cloak. I like that he feels guilty for eating the rabbit now, lol. She says Mormont gave her father a crossbow, so that makes up for the lost rabbits. I don’t see how if you’ve got no food left! It’s sweet that she asks if it’s true that he’s brother to a king. He says half-brother, and admits he’s a bastard, then asks why she’s here. She says Sam told her to talk to him. “They say the king gives justice and protects the weak.” Awe. She slips on the ice and Jon catches her. This almost seems romantic, until Jon suddenly tells her to go back to her father’s hall, she shouldn’t be here, harsh change in tone from earlier. Now she begs for him to take her with him; the poor girl even offers to be his wife. Her father has 19 wives; one less won’t hurt him, awe. Jon gives excuses why he can’t. She says she has to protect her baby, though. Lol, I like how Jon tells Gilly her name is pretty, because Sansa told him once to say that to a girl when she tells him her name. This implies Jon doesn’t have much experience talking to girls. :)

18. Jon asks if she’s afraid of her father. She says only if it’s a boy, and one of the girls told her it’s going to be a boy. I forgot Gilly comes right out and tells Jon Craster gives his boys to the “gods.” They’ve been coming more frequently, that’s why there’s no sheep left; Craster’s been offering sheep until he has another boy. Jon asks what gods, remembering there’s no boys at Craster’s Keep. “The cold gods,” she said. “The ones in the night. The White Shadows.” Jon remembers dead Othor. She confirms they have blue eyes. This means Craster lied about not encountering any white walkers. His wives have seen them. Now he tells her they can’t take her with them because they’re not going to the Wall; they’re going to Mance Rayder and these White Shadows. She would not be safe with them. And if they survive and come back this way, they still can’t take her with them. This depresses Gilly and she apologizes for asking, “...they said the king keeps people safe, and I thought...” :( Jon has conflicting emotions. He’s mad at Sam for sending her to him when there’s nothing he can do. I like this: “We’re here to fight wildlings, not save them.” And now the morning’s beauty is already fading as the sun creeps further into the sky.

19. Finally it stops raining, but the compound is still a mess. Jon finds Mormont awake and having breakfast while Craster’s dead asleep. :) I like that Mormont’s raven perches on Jon’s hilt, begging for food even though it just ate. :) Mormont says Craster’s offered some of his food but Jon refuses to eat any of it. Right on! Lol, the bird flies back on Mormont’s shoulder and shits on him. Omg, so funny. “You might have done that that on Snow instead of saving it for me,” the Old Bear grumbled. The raven quorked. I love that bird.

20. As soon as Jon steps out he sees Gilly putting Sam’s cloak back on him, but runs away when she sees Jon. Jon reprimands Sam for giving the girl hope when there is none. They can’t do anything for her. He walks off feeling as confused as he is angry, lol. He knows it’s wrong to steal Gilly away from Craster, even if they survive and come back this way, but he doesn’t understand why he still feels ashamed, awe. Conflicting morals!

21. Once they leave Craster’s Keep Jon quietly tells Mormont what he’s learned about Craster. He says Old Nan would tell stories of wildlings laying with Others to have half-human children. Mormont asks if Craster seems less than human to him and Jon thinks “In half a hundred ways.” Lol! Finally Jon admits Craster gives his sons to the wood. I wonder why he doesn’t say he gives them to the Others? Mormont’s raven repeats “Yes,” a lot. Mormont says all the rangers know, but few talk of it. That’s horrible. Interesting Jon asks if his uncle knew too. Yup, him too. Mormont says if only Craster only wanted to rid himself of some mouths he’d take his sons to grow up as men of the Night’s Watch, but Mormont says they’re his prayer offerings to his gods, that wildlings serve crueler gods than theirs. (No, I’m pretty sure Craster’s alone in that...and I doubt the Others are “gods.”)

22. More wise words from Jeor Mormont! The whole world wants help, but that’s not what the Night’s Watch is here for. They can’t go around saving everybody; that’s not their purpose. They have their own wars to fight: the Others. This is true. However, I also like what Ned said about bad lords: “A bannerman who is brutal or unjust dishonors his liege lord as well as himself.” Some men aren’t worth saving. Mormont says Jon has a noble heart, and I think once again that this is more proof that Jon isn’t meant to be part of the Night’s Watch. He cares too much about people. He wants to help; he wants to set things right.

not enough room...

24. When they reach the top of the tower he gently tells her to see his numbers; there’s at least 80,000 men with him alone, another 10,000 at Highgarden still, and more at Storm’s End, and he seems pretty certain the Dornishmen wil join their fight. He’s basically saying without words that if Robb doesn’t join forces with him, they are no match against him. :( Finally Cat says Stannis has more right to the throne than he does. I wonder why it took her so long? Renly says while many respect his brother, they do not love him, and he would make an appalling king. Renly has a very good point when he asks what right did Robert have to be king? He won it with his warhammer. True! I can’t argue there. “Well, there is my claim, as good as Robert’s ever was.” Plus, I am sure Renly knows Cersei’s children are bastards. However, this is a big “F.U.!” to his brother Stannis! You’d think a good brother would offer his brother support, so he can be a good king; instead he’s stealing his brother’s crown! Just as Robert selfishly stole Rhaegar’s crown (and consequently started all this shit). And anyhow, the honorable thing would have been to punish the Lannisters for murdering little Aegon, the would-have-been heir after Rhaegar, and put Viserys on the throne while giving him as much good council as possible so he wouldn’t turn bat-shit crazy like his father. But Robert stole the crown for himself. I don’t think that was honorable, yet Ned supported Robert. It’s all messed up, lol. Another thing I discerned out of this is that Renly says the Baratheons are loosely related to the Targaryens, which is true. So many different perspectives on who should be king...and why does it always have to be primo-geniture, anyway? I recently read a book about the Scottish kings before England was a country, how after one king dies the crown is passed by law to another family House, but never through father to son, because they felt primo-geniture would make one House much more powerful over the rest. I like that way of thinking, sharing the crown rather than keeping it in the family. It would be fine for Robert and Renly to take the Iron Throne were it not for the fact that their own law states the crown must be passed down from father to son.

25. Renly is not asking for too much from Robb; he even will let him go on calling himself King in the North, since king is only a word, but it’s his loyalty, fealty, he requires. The problem, as I had already mentioned in my note above, is that Robb, and his men who follow him, honor primo-geniture. They will not bend the knee to a supplanter, in their eyes, despite the fact that Robert supplanted the throne 15 years ago... Kind of hypocritical there. Renly even brings up Torrhen Stark, the King who Knelt, wow, lol, that’s a little arrogant! Calling yourself Aegon the Conqueror! He was also missing a kingdom! Dorne.

26. Renly is interrupted by a herald who says his brother Stannis has unexpectedly arrived at Storm’s End, proclaiming to be king, besieging the castle that Renly is lord of.

27. I don’t know, this chapter was particularly intriguing to me, after reading Renly’s side of the story. He is such a likable guy; it is hard not to want to agree with him. I thought he made some pretty valid points, particularly about Robert taking the throne for himself, but I also see Catelyn and Robb’s POV’s as well. I just don’t see how Robert could validate taking the throne when Viserys so clearly wasn’t dead, was running from Robert, even!, and not call himself a usurper. And as I recall, Robert didn’t even want the throne; all he wanted was the girl, whom he lost, so he took the kingdom instead. If primo-geniture was so important to Ned, you’d think he’d try to talk sense into Robert, oh right, he did, and they fought over it. Perhaps Robb should seek out the Targaryen girl, if he’s so dead-set on making sure the right person sits the Iron Throne. This whole situation is so complicated...I think the moral of the story here is that there is no one right way to solve this mess. Also, I am not a political science major, lol.

Fin.

So sorry for being late! I've gotten sick and chores started piling up.

1. Catelyn and twenty other Stark men are making their way down to parlay with King Renly. She didn’t want to go; she barely knows Renly. She wanted to stick by her dying father. But Robb commanded her to go. He needs the Blackfish with him because he’s his eyes and ears, and Edmure must hold Riverrun when they march. It has to be her, apparently. Robb doesn’t want to sit and wait for peace; he knows it’ll make him look weak, and his father even once told him men start to think of hearth and harvest the longer they’ve been away from battle.

2. That is true, “...why should the Lannisters give me anything if all I do is sit here while my army melts away around me swift as summer snow?” It is folly to attack Harrenhal right now, but he isn’t talking about doing that. I wonder how risky it would be to start attacking Casterly Rock? Or at least, make their way toward it.

3. Interesting that if Hoster Tully had been well he would’ve gone in Catelyn’s place to treat with Renly. Unfortunately, when Cat went to say goodbye to him he didn’t even recognize her. :(

4. I like this: “Fate drives me south and south again.” She misses Winterfell and her boys so much; but she seems to keep getting farther away from them. It is good she writes to Bran and Rickon, though.

5. Robb doesn’t even consider Renly a king, so Cat is concerned how she’s going to gain his allegiance. Cat does not have much hope for this meeting. The sooner she talks to him, the sooner she can leave, is how she sees it.

6. Before they even reach Renly’s camp they are surrounded by Renly supporters. Probably the only reason they are not outright slaughtered is because of their Stark banners. Ser Colen of Greenpools tells Catelyn these lands are dangerous to cross. I like how Catelyn refers to Renly as the King in the South. :) Though Ser Colen is courteous, he tells her Renly is king of all seven kingdoms and escorts her to Bitterbridge, where Renly’s camp is currently at. That is apparently only halfway to King’s Landing from Highgarden. Their movement is indeed slow-going. Interesting Cat wonders if it’s an escort or a capture. Those lines are often blurred in this world.

7. Interesting that the name of the great river flowing through the Reach is called Mander. The Manderly’s in White Harbor did in fact used to live in the Reach but some time ago, I don’t remember how long exactly, they were banished and took refuge in the North. Later they became lords of White Harbor and continue to worship the new gods over the old ones. Interesting piece of trivia.

8. Catelyn is overwhelmed by the size of Renly’s army. It is massive! They don’t need to be making enemies with him! When they get closer, Cat notices they’re enjoying a tourney. The combatants are Red Ronnet (whom I suspect is a Connington, from the griffin sigil) and a blue knight with the sun and moon sigil of House Tarth. Catelyn, however, is disgusted by this -- the rest of the country is engaged in a bloody war and engulfed in flames and famine while Renly is down here, playing games. Cat recognizes a lot of these southron Houses since her father treated with a good number of them as she was growing up in Riverrun. That should be helpful.

9. Catelyn refers to Renly as Robert Baratheon’s ghost, since he looks just like his brother when Robert was younger. Spooky how he is called a “ghost.” Catelyn realizes many follow Renly probably because he reminds them of Robert, who was a great war hero. Renly’s wearing lots of green again. That seems to be his favorite color. “...the Baratheon sigil in the colors of Highgarden.” He does the Highgarden family a great honor, especially when he married the lord of Highgarden’s daughter, Margaery. Apparently Margaery is also Robb’s age, which makes sense, I suppose. She is very pretty.

10. Now the knight from Tarth is fighting Loras Tyrell, Margaery’s brother. Most are cheering for him, of course, since he is the famous Knight of Flowers and Lord Commander of Renly’s Rainbow Guard. Surprisingly, it’s the knight from Tarth who wins. As it turns out, the knight of Tarth is actually a woman, which mortifies Catelyn, lol. They call her Brienne the Beauty, mockingly. She’s actually quite ugly, but who cares really? She can fight better than any man! Renly bestows her one wish, if it’s in his power. She asks to be put on his Rainbow Guard to serve him. Renly grants her that wish which shocks a lot of people. I think that’s pretty badass, actually. :)

11. It highly annoyed me when Cat thinks to herself, “Is there any creature on earth as unfortunate as an ugly woman?” Her thoughts are so mainstream, though, even in our own world. But it still bothers me that that’s all a woman is good for, is her beauty. So vain. That’s why I like Arya and Brienne so much, because they break the stigma.

12. Catelyn is introduced to Renly, having to correct Ser Colen when he refers to Robb as Lord of Winterfell. Renly takes this in good stride and welcomes her. Renly vows he’ll avenge Ned Stark’s death with Cersei Lannister’s head, but Catelyn knows this will not bring Ned back. All she wants is justice for what happened.

13. It is funny how Brienne sharply corrects Catelyn when she called Renly a lord by saying, “Your Grace,” when they called Robb a lord only moments ago. I’ll bet Cat did that on purpose, too!

14. It’s good to know Renly laughs it off, instead of getting angry over it. He says there will be time for “Your Graces” when all the warring is done, true. He makes it sound like they are already allies when he says Robb better leave some Lannisters for him, ha! But Renly is skilled at making people like him; that does not mean he is your friend.

15. Most of Renly’s lords bannermen are dismayed that Robb hasn’t killed Jaime Lannister yet. Don’t they realize he makes an excellent hostage? Even Randyll Tarly says no disrespect, but Robb should’ve come down himself to pay homage to the king, and not killing Jaime was an act of weakness. Yeah...my first impression of Samwell Tarly’s father is certainly an unpleasant one. I can totally see why Sam is afraid of him. He is a dick. It makes me smile when Catelyn viciously counters his argument, lol, and Renly tells Tarly to go softly, he’s overmatched. :) Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn!

16. House Caswell holds the castle at Bitterbridge. It is funny, the lord and Renly’s interraction together, how Renly makes fun of Robert. “What is mine is yours.”

17. Wow, Renly brought the entire castle with him in his pavilion! “Small wonder this host moves so slowly.” Indeed!

18. Lord Mathis Rowan seems genuine when he asks Cat about the health of her father, brother, and children at Lord Cawell’s feast. Poor Brienne sits at the end of the table in her knight’s clothing. She seldom talks except to answer a question and rarely lifts her head to make eye-contact with anyone. She knows she’s out of place, awe. :( This feast is huge, since Highgarden hasn’t seen war yet on its soil.

19. Renly occasionally feeds his wife and plants kisses on her cheek, but most of hte time he’s keeping Ser Loras company. That seems common for a lord/king to do. He laughs often, speaks kindly of everyone, and is not a glutton or drunk yet enjoys the feast. He seems in most ways an excellent king, but he is untested in battle. Sounds like a crazy night! It’s easy to celebrate like so when you haven’t even begun the fighting yet.

20. One part of the feast that caught my eye has a fool pretending to be Jaime Lannister, beating up a dwarf. He calls himself the kinslayer and Renly laughs and corrects him, “It’s kingslayer, fool of a fool!” Wow, so subtle I didn’t even notice this. *SPOILER FOR STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)[It’s ironic because Tyrion eventually becomes a kinslayer in book 3! Also, some are predicting Jaime will be the one to kill Cersei; which also would make him a kinslayer to add to his resume. (hide spoiler)] I like that Lord Rowen doesn’t laugh. He tells Catelyn they’re all so young. I respect this Lord Rowan.

21. I like this: “War will make them old,” Catelyn said, “as it did us.” I like that Lord Rowan says there’s so much merriment going on that there’s going to be many bastards bred tonight. :) He asks why she pities them and she says because it won’t last, very true. “Because they are the knights of summer, and winter is coming.” I love it!

22. Brienne’s response to the above mentioned strikes me odd, and I wonder if she’s truly naive or actually being sardonic when she says “...all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun is always shining.” She must know that isn’t true! She herself is not a beautiful maid, and I’m sure it snows in the Reach during winter years as well. And I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want the sun to always be shining. I like the changing of the seasons, and there’s plenty of good things about winter, too! However, I can see why they might not look forward to several years nonstop of winter, especially if it is extreme, no more than I’d want years nonstop of stifling hot summers.

23. Suddenly Renly wishes to walk with Catelyn about Ser Caswell’s castle. Renly asks if Ser Barristan Selmy by any chance is with Robb, puzzling Cat. He explains what Cersei did to him. He left and is said to have sought out service to the true king -- but he’s not here, obviously. In truth he was hoping to give Ser Barristan Brienne’s spot on the Rainbow Guard. Ugh... When he never showed up he thought he might’ve gone to Riverrun instead... Um, are you forgetting your brother Stannis is also claiming to be king??? I can understand why no one thinks to include Daenerys Targaryen, who is half a world away and a girl besides. He also explains why he ran on the night Robert died and what he said to Ned. He tells Cat that Ned swore to protect Robert’s children. Note he did not say Joffrey, Myrcella, or Tommen. And Robert had a great many children. :) Renly says if he stayed he would’ve soon been targeted by Cersei, but Cat thinks if Renly stayed Ned might still be alive. Maybe! Renly says he liked Ned, but he was too stubborn and would not bend.

not enough room...

Your point 13, yeah that's true. I wish I could learn more about what happened during the Battle for the Dawn that ended the Long Night. George Martin seems very elusive with that legend.

1. I had to look up vair: Vair is a pattern in heraldry. It represents a kind of fur common in the Middle Ages, made from the greyish-blue backs of squirrels sewn together with the animals' white underbellies. Vair is the second-most common fur in heraldry, after ermine.

2. It’s sad Bran knows it’s not really him the northerners cheer for but for Robb’s victories, for the fall feast, and all the other Starks that came before him. :( Still, he walks with pride; that’s good at least! I’m sure many are cheering for him too, for not dying from the fall and for ruling in Robb’s stead the best he can for his age. He is again self-conscious of his “brokenness” when everybody watches as Hodor and Osha help him off his horse and onto the dais. He has to learn to get used to it, not to let it hurt him. Like Tyrion’s advice to Jon: wear it like armor.

3. Rickon’s hair is going past his mantle. He won’t let anyone cut it; he bites the servants that try. What!?! He is as shaggy and wild as his direwolf!

4. The wine Bran drinks is honeyed and has cinnamon and cloves in it -- omg, that sounds so delicious! It’s stronger than what he’s used to, though. I can’t believe they didn’t water it down for him. Now their little prince is going to be drunk, lol.

5. I like that Bran says Arya will never marry a Frey. Ha! He knows his sister!

6. I forgot the part where the lord gives the choicest meals to his other lords on the dais as a gesture of friendship and favor. I laughed when he sent the Walders boiled beats and buttered turnips.

7. I feel bad that Bran still doesn’t feel a part of the celebration; he still feels like he’s looking out his window into the yard below, away from everything and everyone. :(

8. Bran likes Lord Wyman Manderly, despite how fat he is, he is fat and jolly. :) And he feels bad for poor Lady Hornwood, still grieving her losses.

9. The room is getting hot and Bran finds himself in a waking dream, interesting. He thinks about the godswood and yearns for it, and refers to his “brother” who will sing to the moon. :)

10. I like how both Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik tell Bran he will make an especially fine lord one day. It’s almost like they know something no one else does. What castle do they suppose he would be lord of? But Bran still wants to be a knight. :)

11. Bran has a flashback moment of the last night he’d seen his father, their welcoming feast to King Robert and his court. Princess Myrcella stared adoringly at Robb the whole time. Strange how they’re at war with each other now. So sad how Rickon kept asking why Jon wasn’t with them. Bran had to be the one to tell him it’s because he’s a bastard. And now they’re all gone, except Rickon. Even their servants are either dead or at war with Robb. He looks out at his new servants and wonders who will be dead by next year. A depressing notion.

12. Introduction to the Reed children! I really like these two. They are from Greywater Watch, a mysterious castle in the swamplands in the neck of Westeros that is the natural barrier between the North and the southern kingdoms, so it is key. These are smaller statured peoples called crannogmen, and because of their mysterious origins and odd ways they tend to get made fun of. For instance, Little Walder calls them frog-eaters to Big Walder. I like that Ser Rodrik quickly makes room for them up at the dais, where all the other nobles are sitting. They may be odd but they’re still nobility! Obviously Little Walder looks down on them, calling them thieves and cravens. I really do not like Little Walder!

13. Ser Rodrik reminds Bran that these kids are Howland Reed’s children and Howland Reed was a great friend to Lord Eddard. They should be welcomed warmly.

14. Meera dresses oddly from most other girls Bran knows. She wears breeches like a man. She is Robb’s age and has long brown hair tied up behind her head. She is in bronze armor and has a long bronze knife on her person. She carries all the weapons. Jojen, her little brother, carries no weapons. His entire clothing is green and his eyes are the color of moss -- very green. Interesting. Both are scarcely taller than Bran, who is only 8. *SPECULATION ON MEERA REED* (view spoiler)[I think I’ve mentioned this before that there’s a theory going around saying Meera is Jon’s secret twin sister. The basis being that she’s about his age range, she has brown hair and so does Jon, and they are both slender, so they look similar. It’s also mentioned that Meera reminds Bran of Arya and Arya is basically a carbon copy of Lyanna. Also, Howland Reed is the only other person to have survived the fight at the Tower of Joy. If there were twins, it would make sense that Ned took the boy and Howland took the girl to throw off suspicion. Plus if it’s true, then Meera would be an excellent candidate for being the third dragonrider. But that’s about it as far as “proof.” So far I don’t think there’s enough substantial evidence for or against this intriguing theory, but I am going to be paying extra attention to Meera Reed throughout my second reading. :) (hide spoiler)] I wonder what color Meera’s eyes are? Jojen’s are green, but hers is not said.

15. Meera and Jojen kneel before Bran. Meera informs him their father sent them here to swear their fealty to the king in the North, which hasn’t been done in hundreds of years. They both swear their fealty in great formality, making Bran unsure what to say, lol.

“I swear it by earth and water,” said the boy in green.
“I swear it by bronze and iron,” his sister said.
“We swear it by ice and fire,” they finished together.

This seems incredibly significant! Especially since the title of the series is called A Song of Ice and Fire. He has never heard this oath before and doesn’t know how to respond, lol. I laughed at this part: “May your winters be short and your summers bountiful,” he said. That was usually a good thing to say. :)

16. Bran is doing his best to be courteous to his newest guests but hopes he doesn’t have to eat frog to prove his hospitality, lol. I heard frog is delicious, though! I’ve never tried it myself. Interesting he recalls crannogmen to be poor people who fish and hunt frog on floating islands. They fight with poisoned weapons, which to some would call that craven. Yet Howland Reed was one of his father’s staunchest friends throughout Robert’s fight for the crown.

17. I like that the first thing that comes out of Jojen’s mouth is “Where are the direwolves?” Rickon says they’re in the godswood. “Shaggy was bad.” :) I bet Jojen knows why! Bran appreciates that they want to meet the direwolves. Most people don’t, I’m guessing, lol.

18. I also like how Bran logically deduces that the reason the mudmen eat all these weird things is because they don’t have sheep and cattle. :) It would be pretty challenging to raise cattle in a swamp! That, and you have to respect the fact that different cultures do things differently than you or I do. Just because it’s different that doesn’t make it bad. They live in the swamplands; Bran lives in the tundra. There’s going to be differences.

19. I was enjoying reading about the dancing and merriment in the Great Hall until Bran asks Hodor to take him to his room. “...the dancing made him sad. It was something else he could never do.” :(

20. I laughed when Hodor was curious to see Joseth the master of horse engaged in a “different sort of riding,” scaring the girl he’s with. Bran has to tell him to leave them alone. I wonder if Hodor understands what sex is.

21. As Bran readies for bed he remembers a time when he asked his father if the Kingsguard are truly the finest knights in the Seven Kingdoms. I’m surprised Lord Eddard told him, “No longer, but once they were a marvel, a shining lesson to the world.” I wonder what happened? Lord Eddard told him the finest knight he ever met was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star, interesting. He is called the Sword of the Morning and he would have killed Ned if not for Howland Reed. I wonder what Howland did specifically to save him? His father was sad when he told Bran this and would say no more on the matter. This is not the first time we’ve heard about Ser Arthur Dayne, so this guy must be pretty important.

22. Bran dreams his wolf dream again. In wolf form he refers to the heart tree as “the old white one.” :) As a wolf he sees a boy and girl entering the godswood. Instinctively he remembers the girl is Meera. The boy is definitely Jojen. Jojen says of the wolves: “The black one is full of fear and rage, but the grey is strong...stronger than he knows... Can you feel him, sister?” I wonder what makes him think his sister can sense Bran’s presence? Meera says no and warns Jojen to be careful, her hand is on the hilt of her knife. I like how Jojen says so assuredly, “He won’t hurt me. This is not the day I die.” He will say this multiple times throughout the series. :) As soon as Jojen pets him the scene dissolves and Bran is falling again. Even if you haven’t read this before you can probably tell by now that these aren’t merely dreams but actual events that are taking place outside of Bran’s body. Bran is seeing through Summer’s POV. It’s pretty mystical. I remember through my first reading that this is where I started to realize the connection.

That's true, someone should have realized Sansa would make use of the godswood, though it's probably well known she favors the Seven over the old gods. Maybe no one knows she started going to the godswood to pray too?

Your comment on 17, that's true, at least. Even if Sansa can't lie herself it would be good at least for her to learn to see through other people's lies.

Your point 2, you're right, body heat would raise the temperature! I didn't think of that! I thought it said the pot was purposely roughened on the outside so it wouldn't accidentally slip out of your hands?

1. Tyrion takes a visit to the Alchemist’s Guild, deep under Rhaenys’s Hill. It is very chilly down here and Tyrion is told to bundle up. He has come to inspect the wildfire. The pottery jars they’re sealed in are roughened on purpose, so they won’t easily slip from a man’s hands. This stuff is incredibly dangerous!

2. Alchemists have been supplanted by maesters, and only a few of their order remain. They no longer transmute metal, but they can make wildfire. The only way to kill wildfire is to let it burn out, water will not quench it. Very, very dangerous! Even a thin coating of wildfire will burn for an hour. Tyrion recalls Thoros of Myr’s swords, how he always needed a new one after a melee, but Robert was fond of him anyway.

3. King Aerys wanted his wildfire jars in the shape of fruits, lol, wtf... Just last year they discovered 200 jars in a storeroom beneath Baelor’s Sept. I mean, wtf?!? No one knows how they got there but the High Septon was terrified; I would be too!

4. As the substance gets older it gets more fickle, this stuff, and any change in temperature can set them off. That’s probably why it’s so cold down here, to keep them from exploding.

5. Currently they have 7,840 jars. Four thousand are from King Aerys’s day. I mean, wtf??? This is incredibly unsafe! Cersei has an order for 10,000 to be made. I wonder what she planned on doing with them?

6. Apparently sand will smother the flames; a protective spell will go off and sand will fall from a false-ceiling to smother the wildfire if any of it leaks onto the floor. Interesting Tyrion is curious to inspect these false-ceilings but he has no time.

7. Hallyne boasts wildfire flows in his veins, psh, and in the heart of every pyromancer. I wonder how that’s possible.

8. Tyrion asks for a few thousand empty jars so he can send them to his captains on the City Gates; he doesn’t tell Hallyne why. Interesting.

9. Hallyne says it’s been a long time since the King’s Hand visited the pyromancers, not since King Aerys. “King Aerys took a great interest in our work.” I’m sure he did... Aerys used wildfire to torture his enemies, because he was crazy! Tyrion remembers to keep Joffrey well away from these pyromancers, ha! Good idea. Hallyne seems very interested in showing the king their work. Fat chance. “Wildfire is but one of the dread secrets of our ancient order. Many and wondrous are the things we might show you.” Hmm... I wonder if this comes into play again, later on?

10. Omg, another fight broke out at the gates of the Red Keep, people begging for food. Joffrey had several of them shot with arrows and gave them leave to eat their dead. Asshole!

11. Tyrion goes to visit Ser Jacelyn Bywater first, Cersei later. When Bronn says his sister will be angry at this Tyrion says, “I much prefer angry and stupid to composed and cunning.” :)

12. Bywater informs Tyrion his cousin, Ser Cleos Frey, is here to speak peace terms from Robb Stark. Tyrion reads the letter and his cousin frets, saying the Queen was supposed to read it. Tyrion assures him he’ll show it to his sister. According to Cleos, the riverlords are burning their own crops in order to starve them out. I don’t know if I believe that... He does add that Lannister foragers are torching every village and killing every smallfolk they can find. It is indeed bad. Tyrion seems to accept that this is the way of war. The smallfolk are slaughtered and the highborn are ransomed. Ser Cleos says wolves in mail attacked them twise, even with a peace banner, odd. He says they have no banners. They’ll attack anyone weaker than themselves.

13. Interesting that Cleos asks if Tyrion will at least consent to trade Stark’s sisters for Tion and Willem, their cousins, if nothing else. Tyrion gently says no, but he’ll come up with their own exchange of terms. This doesn’t please Cleos, and he adds it’s not Robb Stark who wants this peace; it’s his mother. “Lady Catelyn wants her daughters.” Says Tyrion. Right on.

14. All these refugees in King’s Landing are eager to join the City Watch for food and a bed with straw. :( Interesting Tyrion does not want Robb Stark to know how bad conditions are in King’s Landing. Tyrion also advises Ser Jacelyn Bywater to fill a large supply of pots with green paint and have his recruits practice firing at them. All those who’ve mastered not splattering paint everywhere gets to practice with lamp oil. Those who master this is ready for wildfire. Smart. Bywater says it’s wise, but he hates this stuff. Tyrion agrees, but he has to work with what he’s got. True.

15. :( Tyrion plans to distract Robb with terms of peace to give his cousin Ser Stafford time to raise an army to smash the Tullys and Starks while they wait in the middle. As his litter carries him back to the castle he hears a begging brother preach it to the crowd about how corrupt things have gotten and to cleanse yourselves or be cleansed by fire! He points at the comet, strategically located so that it looks like it’s heading for the Red Keep. Tyrion is glad to hear many more jeers and derision, drowning the preacher out.

16. Right on cue, Cersei yells at him for ignoring her summons, lol. She also yells at him for selling Myrcella like a bag of oats -- jack pot! Tyrion says that’s what Myrcella was born to do, be given away in a political marriage. “Or did you plan to marry her to Tommen?” Ha! Cersei hits him and says she won’t have her daughter shipped off to a Dornishman like she was shipped off to Robert Baratheon.

17. Though the Martells are angry with the Lannisters, that goes back only one generation. Their hatred for Storm’s End and Highgarden go back thousands of years. They have every reason to take Myrcella as their princess and unite against Renly. Cersei says they’ll treat her like a hostage, but Tyrion sys an honored guest, “...and I suspect Martell will treat Myrcella more kindly than Joffrey has treated Sansa Stark.” Ha!

18. Tyrion adds the other terms he had made in the letter to Doran Martell but Cersei says it’s too much. He disagrees; any less and it’s an insult to the Prince of Dorne. He goes too far and asks if she’d offer herself instead. He gets slapped for that; he promises that’s the last time she’ll ever hit him. Things are heating up! Somehow Tyrion manages to stay calm and says if Myrcella stays here and Stannis and Renly win, they’ll kill her for sure. This makes Cersei cry. Tyrion was not expecting this, since the last time he ever saw her cry was when they were children. I don’t care; I still don’t like her.

19. Of course Cersei yells at him when he tries to comfort her, bitch. It hurts Tyrion more than any slap, awe. He really is a good brother. She says she should have been born a man; then she wouldn’t need any of them. Ugh, then you’d be a tyrant, like Joffrey. Cersei has no patience, like her brother Jaime. She thinks it’s pointless to sit around, doing nothing, like she thinks their father is doing at Harrenhal. I can’t believe Tyrion is consoling her. She doesn’t deserve it.

20. Lol Cersei asks how Tyrion knows what their father will do, and is suspicious he told him and not her, but Tyrion says he only glanced at a map. He is smart; he doesn’t need to be told battle tactics.

21. Now Tyrion shows her Robb Stark’s terms of peace. She is snappy with him and says this should’ve come straight to her, not him. “What else is a Hand for, if not to hand you things?” lol

22. Tyrion seems pretty sure Cersei will consent to sending Myrcella to Dorne, and now he knows who told on him... Pycelle!

Basically all three of your comments, sorry, I don't have a lot of time online.

Your point 15, I think all the Stark children take vows seriously, well, besides Rickon, who's probably too young to know what a vow is.

Your point 19, I assumed he was caught because he's big and loud when he walks. He's not very stealthy.

1. Arya, Gendry, Hot Pie, and Lommy are on their own, following the shore of the God’s Eye, finding lots of burned towns, but this one’s occupied. I like this: “If it could burn, the Lannisters had burned it; if it could die, they’d killed it... They would have burned the lake if they could have.” I mean, seriously! Is that necessary?

2. Amory Lorch and his men didn’t stay long after burning the town they were in. Why would they? Only Arya and Gendry went back to see who and what they could salvage. Wow, Ser Amory didn’t even bury his own dead let alone theirs. Dick. They find Yoren with his head split open. :( Nice of them to bury him at least.

3. So apparently there were three more men at the towerhouse who survived, Cutjack and Kurz are two of them. They say it’d be better to keep going north. I forgot there were more in the party.

4. They must’ve gone west of the lake because the lake is to their east. There are no boats in this little village either, but people are here.

5. That sucks her shoes broke apart, but she enjoys walking in the mud along the God’s Eye shore. :)

6. Poor kids have to eat acorn paste and bugs, either that or starve. She wishes the poacher hadn’t died, awe.

7. That really sucks Tarbor and Cutjack abandoned them; they took the weapons too. :( Kurz dies not long after, probably from an infection.

8. Lol they’d named the crying girl Weasel once she finally stops crying. :)

9. Lommy’s not doing so good. His injured calf keeps him from walking and now he can’t even hop. They have to drag him along on a makeshift litter. The going is slow. Lommy says Yoren should’ve yielded. Hot Pie agrees. Well, it’s in the past now, so stop bitching! I’m glad Gendry basically tells them they don’t care if people like them yield; they’re not knights and lordlings so they have no worth. That’s true! Yoren probably knew that.

10. Girls don’t hunt, so no one ever taught Arya, though her mom did tell her once that when she’s older she could have a hawk. That’s cool.

11. Lol Gendry looks in pain anytime he thinks. :) He decides he and Arry will go scout out the place, promising they’ll be right back. Lommy and Hot Pie are afraid of wolves. They seem to be following them. Gendry dons his helm for this.

12. Gendry is five years older than Arya, so...14-15 years. Yeah, Robb and Jon’s age. :) That’s not too old. Arya should be between 9 and 10, so in five years she’ll be about 15 and Gendry 20. That sounds about right in this world.

13. Gendry knows Lommy is going to die eventually and he’s slowing them down. He says they should leave him, that’s what he’d do if they were in his shoes. :( Wow, he takes it out on Weasel, too. Arya defends the girl now. :) All of a sudden Gendry tells her he knows she’s a girl, and the only one who is useful in his party. He challenges her to take her cock out and prove she’s a boy when she denies it. When he says he has nothing to hide she tells him he won’t say why the Gold Cloaks want him. His response is he doesn’t know either. I forgot Gendry thinks Yoren knew but wouldn’t tell him, interesting. Now he asks why she thought they wanted her. Arya realizes Gendry’s running from the Queen too so he’s not likely to sell her out, because he’ll get caught too, so she finally tells him. :)

14. I love how Gendry teases her about being a lady! She beats him up, so cute!

15. I also like her response when he says if she needs help, bark like a dog. “That’s stupid. If I need help, I’ll shout help!” Haha! And: “He’s probably thinking that he shouldn’t be letting m’lady go stealing food.” :)

16. Arya smells something nasty in the village, rotting corpses! She sees some dead corpses hanging on a gibbet, brutally butchered and stripped of clothes. They don’t even look like people. She turns and sees two men with spears chatting, and two banners are flying: one red, most certainly for Lannister, and a paler one, white or yellow. I don’t remember which one that is, Lorch?

17. Gendry gets caught, of course. They beat him, take his helm, and throw him in a storehouse where probably all the villagers are being held. Arya hears a horrible shriek coming from inside. That’s not good!

18. Oh I see, the other flag is yellow with three dogs: Clegane. Well this keeps getting worse and worse! She wonders if they know the Queen wants Gendry. Probably not...nor would they care.

19. They cook venison in front of her, oh the torture! Always there are two guards at the storehouse gate. That poses a challenge! Arya runs back to inform Lommy and Hot Pie. She asks Hot Pie to help her break Gendry out but of course he’s afraid of fighting 20 men, lol, I would too! Lommy still wants to yield. What a broken record! When Arya asks if Hot Pie is coming he chooses Arry over Lommy, albeit reluctantly. Even he knows Lommy’s useless. Ha! Love this: “What if the wolves come?” “Yield.”

20. Omg... As soon as a guard asks who’s there Hot Pie yells, “I yield!” and drops his sword. Now they’re surrounded. I don’t know what she was thinking getting Hot Pie to help. They take her sword and knock her on the ground, calling her a fierce one for viciously fighting back. :) She is ashamed of losing Needle. :( It hurts worse than the pain.

21. The Mountain towers over her. Hot Pie leads them to the rest of their party, which is only Lommy at this point. Luckily the little girl had run off when she heard them coming. That’s good. They ask where Dondarrion and his crew are and of course he doesn’t know who they’re talking about.

22. The ending to this chapter is sad, but Lommy would’ve died soon anyways. In a way, a spear to the throat was a mercy kill, to me, compared to all the other ways you could die.

Your point 10, I believe it says that before she left her room she picked up a dinner knife they'd let her keep to eat with.

Your point 13, yeah I thought that was interesting too. I guess they don't post any guards in the godswood because nobody goes there to pray?

1. Sansa finds a letter under her pillows that tells her to go to the godswood tonight if she wants to go home, but has no idea who it’s from.

2. Sansa was beaten pretty badly when she heard that Tyroin had sent Janos Slynt to the Wall and said she hopes the Others get him in front of Joffrey. She feels she deserves it because she wasn’t careful what she says in front of him. :( I don’t care; that’s still no excuse to hit a girl! Ser Meryn is a jerk.

3. Poor Sansa doesn’t know if she can trust this letter, whether the gods had heard her prayers or if Joffrey is pranking her. :(

4. Cersei frequently changes Sansa’s servants so none would befriend her. :(

5. Sansa burns the letter so no one else can discover it, smart. Cersei has spies everywhere. She misses her friend Jeyne Poole, and sometimes even Arya. Awe! I wonder what makes Sansa think Arya is safely back at Winterfell?

6. Sansa had it in her mind not to go, too afraid she’d get caught, but in the middle of the night a commotion is heard and her guard at the window goes off to investigate; the coast is clear. Sansa hurries to put her cloak on and grabs a knife before heading out. “If it is some trap, better that I die than let them hurt me more, she told herself.” Awe. On her way she sees Joffrey in armor, sitting his horse, and shouting at his men. Luckily he doesn’t see her running towards the godswood!

7. Once in the godswood the noises are fainter and she feels safer. She thinks Lady would have liked this place, even this one feels wild, and she can feel the old gods watching, interesting. Sansa favors her mother’s gods, but she can’t deny the power of her father’s, too. Especially at night. That’s interesting. She prays to the old gods now, moving from tree to tree.

8. She finds Ser Dontos in the godswood, waiting for her. :) Awe, she is heartbroken it is only him and not some other knight in shining armor to come rescue her. If I were her, I wouldn’t be choosy who my saviors are. Ser Dontos tells her he’d sent the letter and wants to help her as she helped him. :) He admits he’s drunk a cup of wine, but says he only did it for courage because he knows that if he gets caught they’ll trip the skin off his back. I can’t believe she pulls the knife on him, afraid what might happen to her if she gets caught.

9. I also can’t believe she still thinks it’s Arya’s fault that Lady died! OMG! “I prayed to the gods for a knight to come save me,” she said. “I prayed and prayed. Why would they send me a drunken old fool?” But I suppose it’s right of her to be suspicious of anything and anyone in King’s Landing.

10. Poor Ser Dontos. Even though he was stripped of his knighthood, he says she made him better. When he was a knight he acted the fool. But now that he is a fool he wants to act the knight. He brings up that Florian was a fool who was the greatest knight of all. I don’t remember much about this Florian. Dontos tells her he will be her Florian and kneels before her. How sweet. :) She lowers the knife.

11. He tells her he’s here to rescue her, but it will not be easy, or quick. They watch him closely as well, and he needs the coin and to make arrangements, but he will find a way. She just has o be patient.

12. I think it is so sweet how Sansa has helped him remember what it means to be a knight again. When Ned was murdered he did nothing, but when he faced death she spoke up. Sansa has spent years pondering over the life of a true knight; maybe now she’s going to inspire one to be that true knight. *SPOILER FOR A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)[And Petyr Baelish is a total ass for killing him! Even if he was getting paid, Littlefinger buys people all the time and gets rid of them when he no longer needs them; take Lysa for example. Plus, he is a masterful liar; who’s to say he didn’t lie to Sansa about Dontos only doing it for the money? Dontos could not have said all this right now if he was being bought by Littlefinger...Littlefinger must have come later, perhaps when Dontos asks for help. (hide spoiler)] Dontos vows to send her home in front of her father’s gods, right in front of the heart tree; that’s a big deal! He says they can only talk freely in the godswood, nowhere else, and to forgive him if he is ever rude to her; he’s only keeping up appearance. I’m glad she understands.

13. Now she kisses his cheek and calls him her Florian. :) “The gods have heard my prayer.”

14. She runs back to the castle before she gets caught being out of bed but runs into the Hound. He demands to know where she’s been and she admits the godswood, praying. He doesn’t believe she was praying that Joffrey doesn’t get hurt, though, lol. He is drunk off his ass and says some unsettling things, but he gently ushers her back to her room. I wonder if he only said those things because he knew they might be overheard? He has to come across as an asshole so Joffrey would allow him near her.

15. Sansa thinks Ser Boros Blount is the worst of the Kingsguard. But the Hound says not to fear him. “Paint stripes on a toad, he does not become a tiger.” A man hitting an unarmed girl does not make him powerful, only a coward.

16. Ser Boros says some fools were at the gates, some skirmish about a wedding feast. He keeps calling Sandor a dog. After he lets them through, Sansa asks why he lets everyone call him a dog but never a knight. The Hound says he likes dogs better than knights. I forgot his father’s father was a kennelmaster at Casterly Rock. His grandfather saved Lord Tytos’s life when a lioness attacked him and Clegane lost a leg for it. Lord Tytos Lord Tytos rewarded him with lands and a towerhouse and took his son as a squire. The three dogs on their banner are for the three dogs that died protecting their lord. “A hound will die for you, but never lie to you.” :) I’d forgotten about this!

17. When the Hound tells her to sing a song for him she says she knows one about Florian and Jonquil, but Sandor calls them the fool and his cunt. :( He says spare it, but he will one day get a song from her, whether she wills it or no. I wonder what he means? It’s kind of creepy! When she says she’ll sing it gladly he says she’s lying; everyone in King’s Landing lies better than her. :( But I wonder, is that such a bad thing?

Oh right, that makes a lot of sense!

1. Tyrion is having a chat with Grand Maester Pycelle, who says he doesn't sleep as much as he used to. Interesting Pycelle has a "girl" to help him in his rookery, not a "servant", though that's what she is. It's weird they call her girl, like she doesn't even have a name. Tyrion notes Pycelle's chain seems to have far more gold, silver, and platinum links than baser metals. I thought they can only have one of each type of metal? Is Pycelle adorning his chain?

2. Tyrion has Pycelle send a letter to Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne, right away. As he waits for the Grand Maester to return from sending the letter off he notices Pycelle's medicine bottles, all aligned neatly in order. There are a lot of things he finds interesting for a Grand Maester to have, including the tears of Lys. One mysterious bottle Tyrion slips in his pocket. I wonder what it is?

3. Castle Stokeworth lies north of the capital and is untouched by war; that's where the Red Keep is getting its food supplies while the rest of the capital starves.

4. Interesting Tyrion knows most men squirm at the sight of his mismatched green and black eyes and he knows how to use them to his advantage. He is being secretive with Pycelle, peaking his interest. Tyrion says this business with Doran Martell, whatever it is, must not be shared with Cersei, because it's a heavy burden to bear, even for a Queen Regent. Pycelle seems vexed about it but agrees with Tyrion that her sex is frail. I love this: "Oh, yes, she's a frail dove, just ask Eddard Stark." Ha! He reminds Pycelle to inform only him when they get a reply back from Dorne.

5. Tyrion meets up with Bronn, who is starting to look more presentable at court, brushed hair, washed, freshly shaved, and wearing the black breastplate of the City Watch and the cloak of Lannister with gold hands Tyrion had made for him. :) Hard to imagine Bronn like this!

6. I think it's cute how desperate Lady Tanda is to marry off her daughter, Lollys, and now she's a shade shy of harassing Tyrion about it, offering food galore. The girl's still a virgin at 33 and is dim-witted and large.

7. A moneylender from Braavos wants to talk with the king on a payment of a loan. Ha! Tyrion always thrusts money problems onto Littlefinger, though it makes sense; he is master of coin. You'd think, since the Lannisters are the richest House in Westeros, they'd help pay on this loan...

8. Tywin has another pet hellhound, other than Gregor Clegane, the Qohorik. I don't recall this. A riverlord was harassed by one of Tywin's dogs and begs for recompense, swearing he's loyal to Joffrey. I can't recall who this would be.

9. The mob in King's Landing is growing, Gold Cloaks included. Food prices are outrageous; everyone's starving. Tyrion half wants to whip them for begging but he dares not, afraid if Stannis or Renly attack they'll eagerly switch sides. They just don't have enough food for everyone.

10. Also, Ser Alliser Thorne has finally made it to King's Landing with the hand in the jar. Tyrion remembers of all the men on the Wall he liked Ser Alliser the least, so he puts off seeing him. :( That sucks! Bet Jeor Mormont didn't think of that!

11. What's up with Cersei always being associated with green? There she is with some of the Kingsguard and Hallayne the Pyromancer, and her newest favorite: Lancel Lannister, their cousin, lol. He upjumped to knighthood at her insistence. Of course he would! Cersei says they've been inspecting the defenses around King's Landing, unlike Tyrion, who doesn't care, according to her.

12. Apparently Renly spends every night at a different castle, feasting and taking his time getting to King's Landing. He has all the might of Storm's End and Highgarden. The only House not traveling with them from the Reach is Redwyne, because of their twin hostages. I believe they have a large naval fleet. Tyrion thinks Renly is watching and waiting, to see his enemies fight it out with each other, and then he'll attack the winner.

13. Ugh, Cersei is insufferable! She keeps demanding the impossible and tells Tyrion how worse than useless he is. Urg!!!

14. Renly doesn't frighten Tyrion as much as Stannis does, hmm. Renly is beloved by many, but he's never led a host into battle before. All their spies that were sent to Dragonstone are mysteriously silent. Probably Melisandre's work. He has no idea when Stannis will strike.

15. Lol about Pod talking to Tyrion's codpiece. :) When Tyrion says Pod makes Littlefinger sound a crowd and Pod hunches down as if struck, Tyrion feels absurdly guilty. Awe! The boy is related to Ser Ilyn Payne; his family is probably brutal. The boy probably expects to be hit every time he does something wrong. :(

16. Gods...Joffrey is trying to shoot at rabbits and keeps missing. Littlefinger always makes a joke about everything.

17. Tyrion hints about Littlefinger's knife, which Littlefinger finds amusing. He offers it to Tyrion, hinting he knows Tyrion knows, and that Tyrion can't touch him. Tyrion knows Littlefinger has a gift for rubbing two gold dragons to produce a third. If ever a man was armored in gold, it's Petyr, thinks Tyrion. He rose high in King's Landing for this gift ten years ago. Though their debts kept growing, their revenue also improved. What, is he taking out loans? "He paid the king's debts in promises, and put the king's gold to work." "He bought grain when it was plentiful and sold bread when it was scarce." Sounds like Petyr knows how to swindle. He also owns all three mints. Nine of ten merchants belong to Littlefinger. No one fears him so they all approach him. Tyrion calls him a traitor in his head. Sounds like a cheat, an embezzler of money. Not a good guy at all.

18. Wow...when Tyrion asks Littlefinger how close he was to the Tully girls he is shocked how nonchalant Littlefinger is about taking both their maidenhoods, a lie. That is sick! I am almost 100% positive Catelyn would never have slept with him! Lysa on the other hand... Tyrion is surprised how well Littlefinger's lies sound like truth, and even considers Catelyn may have been the liar in the Vale.

19. Tyrion tells Petyr that Lysa hates him, so it'll be better coming through Petyr to suggest helping fight against Renly and Stannis; in return he'll give her Jon Arryn's true killer and Myrcella's hand in marriage to Robert Arryn. Oh this is rich. Love this: "He had the pleasure of seeing a look of genuine surprise in Petyr Baelish's grey-green eyes." :) Littlefinger laughs when he finds out Cersei's not aware of this plan. I also like that Tyrion knows Littlefinger can't abide a long silence. :) It is fun tricking Littlefinger! Tyrion says Littlefinger gets Harrenhal if he does this for him. Petyr's father owned the smallest of castles on stony land; Harrenhal by comparison is the ultimate "F.U.!" in Hoster Tully's face. He sees the hunger in Littlefinger's eyes. To top it off, Tyrion says he'll make him liege lord of the Riverlands. Littlefinger says he may need to bed with Lysa again to get her to consent. I'm sure this won't be the second time he's ever done this...

20. I like how Tyrion's counting, one for Pycelle, two for Littlefinger, and three for Varys.

21. In his bed chambers he meets with Varys next, who says he knows the secret of the letter Tyrion sent out to Doran Martell. We learn what Varys knows of Doran Martell: he hates the Lannisters, and though he called his bannermen, he hasn't made a move yet. Varys says Tyrion hopes to dissuade Martell from joining Renly and side with Joffrey instead, if they offer him a spot on the small council at King's Landing to replace Janos Slynt, and his sister's murderer, Gregor Clegane (one rabid dog is worth 50,000 Dornishmen). And Tommen as well, because Varys cheated and heard about Lysa Arryn and Doran Martell.

22. I think he fooled Varys, too, in the show, didn't he? Because in the book Varys seems to understand Tyrion's hidden motive: find out who will tell on Tyrion to Cersei, therefore finding out who is Tyrion's enemy at council.

25. Now come the Tallharts from Torrhen’s Square. I’d forgotten Leobald’s nephew raised up a bunch of young warriors who gallop around, calling themselves the Wild Hares when Leobald called them young rabbits for being inexperienced. :) Bran thinks this is grand. There’s so much I’d forgotten in this chapter! It was so boring the first time I read it, lol. Not so anymore. But Ser Rodrik is displeased, commanding his nephew to return to Torrhen’s Square like his father told him to. Lol, and Leobald remembers to ask for Lady Hornwood’s hand in marriage, too. Poor woman! But before Ser Rodrik can speak, Bran tells Leobald thanks for the notion and he’ll speak with his brother Robb and Lady Hornwood about it. This surprises the Tallhart, ha! Bran is fitting in as lord quite nicely. :) Though he hates how Leobald looks at him in pity. Urg... For a moment Ser Rodrik and Maester Luwin discuss Leobald’s nephew, who is Hornwood on his mother’s side, and could possibly inherit his uncle’s lands...but he is still too young.

26. Maester Luwin also brings up the fact that Robb’s kingdom includes the riverlands, perhaps any one of those lords could marry Lady Hornwood instead, simply to protect her lands from the Boltons. When he names a Blackwood or a Frey, perhaps, Bran blurts out she can marry both Walders if she likes. Ser Rodrik says that wasn’t kind. Bran thinks neither are the Walders. :(

27. The bastard of Bolton wrote to tell them he’s not coming to the harvest feast, and the Mormonts and Karstarks are all south with Robb so they can’t go either. Others have valid excuses. The only vassal of the Starks they haven’t heard back from yet is Howland Reed the crannogman.

28. The Cerwyns are the closest vassals to Winterfell, only a half a day’s ride. Clay Cerwyn had always been a friend to Bran and his brothers, so he’s a welcome sight. His father is one of those the Lannisters captured. It’s Cley who tells Bran about Stannis’s letter, proclaiming to be the true king and that Joffrey is a bastard born of incest. The Cerwyns definitely oppose incest; they say the gods hate it, “Look how they brought down the Targaryens.” :( As soon as this is mentioned, Bran has a frightening flashback of falling. A part of him remembers Jaime and Cersei! Cley Cerwyn asks if he’s okay and says it’s only another king. Bran says, “Robb will beat him too.” It is so sad that none of the Starks know their father supported Stannis as king.

29. That night Bran has the worst nightmare yet, worse “...than any wolf dream.” I thought he secretly loved the wolf dreams? In this nightmare, bits and pieces of what really happened the day he fell come back to him, but only after the three-eyed-raven pecks out his eyes and brains until he can see clearly again. So intense!

1. Winterfell has guests arriving for the harvest feast because it’s fall season. Sounds like there will be some friendly jousting for entertainment as well. Once this would excite Bran, but not anymore now that he broke his legs. Kind of hard to participate in those things.

2. Now that Robb is King of the North this makes Bran his heir, at least until Robb has kids, and Bran must play a prince’s role in front of their guests. Bran wanted to be a knight, not a prince. Now he has to listen to old men speak of things he only half understands, lol, awe. He is reminded Robb had to do this when their father was Lord of Winterfell.

3. Lord Wyman Manderly is so fat he can’t ride a horse so he arrives in a litter, followed by his retainers from White Harbor. Ser Rodrik explains men don’t travel all this way just to eat; they only visit because they have important matters to discuss. Fun fun! Bran pulls through only because he knows it’s his duty.

4. I like that Bran tells Hodor he’d have made a great knight if the gods hadn’t taken his wits. :) For he’s kind, loyal, strong, and gentle. Wow, Hodor is 7 feet tall! Though he gets plenty of stares on Hodor’s shoulders, he can at least see over everyone else.

5. Interesting Big and Little Walder’s shields are decorated differently. Little Walder quarters his shield with the Twins sigil on one side and the plowman for Darry on his mother’s side and the brindled boar of his grandmother. Big Walder quarters his with the Twins, and the Blackwood sigil and the twining snakes of the Paeges. I knew I liked Big Walder better! I really like this: “They must be hungry for honor, Bran thought as he watched them take up their lances. A Stark needs only the direwolf.” Ha!

6. :( Little Walder calls Hodor an ugly horse, indicating he’s Bran’s mount. That’s not nice! Big Walder joins in, saying he’s certainly not as smart as a horse, and the White Harbor lads laugh. :( Little Walder starts pushing Hodor around, wtf! This time Big Walder warns him the direwolves will attack if he doesn’t stop it. This one has more sense, but Little Walder’s response is he’ll enjoy a wolfskin cloak. Boastful idiot...

7. I’m glad Maester Luwin is there to stop the pending fight between them. I’m surprised Little Walder talks back and gives the maester a sullen glare. When Luwin demands to know who started it Big Walder confesses and apologizes before having to be told. He even looks ashamed. Little Walder apologizes too, but you can tell his heart isn’t in it. Maester Luwin chastises them saying Hodor is a good-hearted lad and he won’t be the butt of cruel japes, and no threatening the direwolves either, glaring at Little Walder. Ha! I also like that the maester says good lords comfort and protect the weak and helpless. Maester Luwin is pissed! He usually is so self-composed. Odd for him to get so worked up.

8. Wow, Luwin says Bran should not have been outside; they were all waiting for him at breakfast and he wasn’t there. Must he always fetch him like one fetches a child? That’s harsh. At least he calms down when he sees how much Bran didn’t mean to be a pain. He’s just an 8-year-old, after all, and maimed. He is commanded not to speak during Wyman Manderly’s audience unless asked by Lord Manderly or Ser Rodrik.

9. I love how Lord Manderly tells Bran a prince is never late; all who come before him are simply early. :) I like this lord of White Harbor. He is fat and jolly. Lord Manderly says Robb Stark needs his own coinage so his lords can start giving him taxes, instead of King’s Landing. He suggests White Harbor can mint new coins for the North. Lord Manderly also proposes to build Robb a war fleet. Apparently the North has had no fleet since Brandon the Burner torched his own father’s ships. Sounds like that was a very long time ago. Bran likes the idea of having a war fleet. Instead of saying yes, though, Ser Rodrik says he’ll send the proposal to Robb for consideration. Robb’s the king, after all. It should be approved through him.

10. As they’re eating, Lord Manderly offers to marry Lady Hornwood, whose husband died in the war, since he’s a widower too, even though she’s his cousin. Marrying cousins is okay in medieval times, I have to remember this. And if she doesn’t want him she can take his son, Wendel, also unmarried, upon return from protecting Lady Stark. Poor Bran doesn’t care a thing about marriages. :) We also find out Tywin Lannister has Lord Manderly’s other son, Wylis, as hostage from the Green Fork and offers to give him back if he promises to withdraw his troops and fight no more. Lord Manderly assures them he will not, though; he’s loyal to Robb, but he feels bad for Wylis being imprisoned at Harrenhal, a cursed place. He points out Janos Slynt for an example; raised up to Lord of Harrenhal by the Queen only to fall by the Hand and get shipped off to the Wall, even though he was never AT Harrenhal...

11. Their next guest is Lady Hornwood herself, very mopey. Her husband was killed at the Battle on the Green Fork and their only son killed in the Whispering Wood, of course she’s upset. They discuss putting away proportions of their harvests for the winter to come, Maester Luwin suggesting she increase her proportions, hinting it’s going to be a long winter.

12. Here they discuss Roose Bolton’s bastard, who’s taken it upon himself to behave like a trueborn son, which is not appropriate. The bastard moved into the Dreadfort two years ago, after Bolton’s son died, leaving him with no heir. Suspicious! Lady Hornwood calls him sly and he has a creepy servant he calls Reek, and they hunt together, but not for deer. She’s heard chilling tales, even for a Bolton. She says now that her husband and son are gone he wants her lands. Ser Rodrik says basically to ignore him, and they’ll punish him if he ever tries to take her lands from her. He reminds her she may want to wed again but she says she’s past her child-bearing years, yet more men are seeking to marry her now than when she was younger, ironic. She’ll marry if Robb commands her to, but she doesn’t sound interested. She basically calls Lord Manderly too fat to marry, awe, lol.

13. I love this: “Bran knew that men slept on top of women when they shared a bed.” :)

14. I think Lady Hornwood was flirting with Ser Rodrik! He seems uncomfortable when Maester Luwin suggests it. Ser Rodrik reminds them Lady Hornwood’s lands are coveted by many important Houses in the North, and the Dreadfort shares its borders, “...and Roose Bolton is not one to overlook such a chance.” Oh dear. In such cases her liege lord must find her a suitable match, or there could be violent disputes. He explains to Bran he can’t marry her because first of all he’s a knight, and he’s too old besides; when he dies she’ll be back in teh same situation she is now, and then his daughter Beth will get caught in it, too. I hadn’t thought of that.

15. I love how Bran asks why can’t Lord Hornwood’s bastard son be the heir, thinking of Jon Snow. :) Ser Rodrik explains though it’ll please the Glovers, who I suspect his mother is one, and maybe Lord Hornwood’s “shade” (spirit), Lady Hornwood would not be pleased since he’s not her son. “Still,” said Maester Luwin, “it must be considered.” I’m glad Luwin agrees with Bran on something. :) Bran’s not half bad at this! (I like that, in extreme cases, bastards do have a chance to become lord one day). Even Ser Rodrik says Bran did well.

16. Bran thinks being a lord isn’t so tedious as he first thought and is happy that Lady Hornwood’s business was much briefer than Lord Manderly’s, so he gets to spend more time playing with Summer. :)

17. Strange that Shaggydog was hiding when he saw Bran enter the godswood. When Bran calls out to him his brother’s wolf vanishes. What an unfriendly creature!

18. Osha scares Summer and Hodor when she comes up out of the lake by the heart tree and says she likes the cold. She is buck naked, how awkward in front of an 8-year-old boy. She says she wanted to see if she could touch the bottom, and I assume she couldn’t find it. Bran says he never knew there was a bottom. I wonder how far down it goes? Bran’s seen naked women before but is too young to be interested, though he notices her body is lean and sharp and has lots of scars. “Every one hard earned.” She says. Bran asks where she got them and she says mostly crows, Night’s Watch men. :( She even killed one once, sounding proud.

19. I like that Osha says it’s a mad world when a cripple has to defend a giant. Bran says Hodor never gets into fights. He is a gentle spirit. :) Osha says to beware of that Walder, “The big one they call little, it comes to me he’s well named. Big outside, little inside, and mean down to the bones.” So it’s not just me. I think she means he’s big physically, small mentally, and an overall brute, like Joffrey.

20. Interesting Bran doesn’t like to talk about his wolf dreams, not even to Osha, who I think would never make him feel bad. *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A CLASH OF KINGS* (view spoiler)[Or maybe a part of him suspects he’s a warg and is too afraid to admit it (hide spoiler)].

21. At night Bran has dreams of the weirwood face calling to him, and the three-eyed-raven pecks at his face and cries his name.

22. The Umbers arrive next, in the middle of the night. Two of them hold audience, they are Greatjon’s uncles. Mors has dragonglass in place of a missing eye when a crow pecked it out. Ew! In response, he grabbed the bird and bit its head off. Now he’s named Crowfood. His brother, Hothor, is called Whoresbane, and Bran is spared that story, lol. Basically, the Umbers are fierce and live closer to the Wall than the other northern lords. Of course they want to marry Lady Hornwood too...and are rather crass about it. They come to complain that they’ve never seen so many wildling raids before, and there are far too few men at Eastwatch to stop them from sailing past the Wall. They demand more ships to protect from raids. Ser Rodrik suggests they team up with the Manderlys to build boats for a fleet. Mors Umber makes fun of Manderly for being too fat, but Ser Rodrik commands them to work with him or Robb will find out why. Bran is surprised these brutish men agreed to it, albeit grumbling. Their bark is worse than their bite, it seems.

23. Next are the Glovers from Deepwood Motte, though only the steward comes for an audience. Lady Glover has lots of kids so she couldn’t travel. Ser Rodrik asks how Larence Snow is doing, Lord Hornwood’s bastard. He is only 12 but the steward says he’s smart and courageous. Maester Luwin seems to think Larence Snow has merit to one day rule his father’s castle.

24. Maester Luwin tells Bran he will be a good lord for Winterfell one day, but Bran says he won’t, not if Robb has sons. They will be lords of Winterfell before Bran. Ser Rodrik tells his story; basically anything can happen. Robb may never have sons, or he does but they all die. “When we speak of the morrow nothing is ever certain.” That’s true! Even Ned Stark wasn’t supposed to inherit Winterfell, until his brother died.

...

1. So Cersei is furious with all the letters Stannis had sent out, even to remote castles such as Stokeworth, wherever that is. She wants them all burned; she doesn’t want Joffrey to know about the contents, or her father, ha! Yeah, because it’s the truth! She calls Stannis more than a traitor, but a villain. Tyrion says there’s no point in burning them all; everyone who has read them will talk about it. The damage has already been done, and it’s not a huge deal. It is for her, though. If it is proven, Joffrey will no longer be king, and he most likely dies.

2. I love this: “It was astonishing to see how angry Cersei could wax over accusations she knew perfectly well to be true.”

3. I’m assuming the only reason Tyrion tells Cersei Stannis is lying is because he has no proof, and it’ll also affect Myrcella and Tommen, whom are both good kids.

4. Also love this: “I will not suffer to be called a whore!”

Why, sister, he never claims Jaime paid you.

-Hahaha!

5. Tyrion reads the letter for himself and remarks about “Done in the Light of the Lord” is a queer choice of words. I wonder if he’s ever heard of R’hllor. I bet he would have; Tyrion is scholarly. But if not, Pycelle explains it. Littlefinger says they’ve heard news Lady Selyse has taken up with a red priest, so it would seem her husband has too. Interesting to know what these people think of that faith. Tyrion states they can use that god to disqualify Stannis by having the High Septon announce Stannis turned against the gods as well as his rightful king.

6. OMG Cersei! You tyrant! “Any man heard speaking of incest or calling Joff a bastard should lose his tongue for it.” Pycelle agrees by nodding, ugh... I’m glad Tyrion argues against it. He makes a good point, tearing out a man’s tongue only proves you fear what he might say. It won’t help her. Instead, he says let them talk; they’ll bore of it eventually, and Stannis has no proof. It only makes him look like an ass who’s trying to steal his nephew’s throne by making up lies.

7. Weird of Littlefinger to agree with Tyrion. Oh dear, he says to fight fire with fire. This makes Cersei curious, of course it would. Littlefinger says to come up with a story of her own of Stannis; the man never sleeps with his wife and that Shireen could very well be a bastard, not Stannis’s. I think that’s stupid. But of course Cersei likes it. Weird that Tyrion thinks it has promise. Why would anyone believe Stannis would accuse Joffrey of being a bastard born of incest if his own daughter was a bastard born of incest, fathered by her uncle, Ser Axell Florent? Maybe I’m not getting the logic. I think it makes both parties look petty. I can’t see how it would help.

8. I really hate how mean Littlefinger is about Shireen, being mistaken for gargoyles... That poor girl! She does sound ugly, but that’s not her fault! She is such a sweet child, whereas Joffrey may be handsome but his personality is rotten to the core. Littlefinger says to go even more outrageous and name Patchface the father. Wtf... Even Pycelle is aghast. Littlefinger says why not? You’d have to be a fool to want to sleep with Selyse. :( And Patchface dotes on Shireen; they even look similar, the “patchy” face. Ugh, you fucking prick! Can I shove him out the Moon Door, please? I’m glad Pycelle at least has the dignity to be against this. He even says her condition is from the greyscale that nearly killed her as a babe, “poor thing.”

9. Cersei gives Petyr the sort of smile she reserves only for Jaime, how odd. She approves, but Tyrion isn’t impressed with him, except for how dangerous Littlefinger is. Tyrion does admit to him that he’s an accomplished liar, and Littlefinger’s response is, “We all have our gifts, my lord.” Not even going to deny it, okay. Now we definitely know to beware of him.

10. Tyrion says they cannot be the ones to say this, as it’ll be seen as a self-serving lie. “Which it is, to be sure.” Exactly. People are truly stupid if they believe this shit.

11. Now Littlefinger says he owns a brothel, or three, and whores make excellent gossips, so they can start there. He volunteers Varys to spread the rumor further in alehouses and pot-shops. Suddenly Cersei realizes Varys isn’t even there...wow. Pycelle says he mistrusts Varys for being a Spider, whisperer of secrets. That’s true; it’s probably safe not to trust him, just as it seems very unwise to trust anyone here at King’s Landing...particularly the self-confessed liar, Petyr Baelish!

12. Tyrion tries to excuse himself for other business matters but this causes Cersei to be suspicious. To placate this, Tyrion admits it’s about a special chain he’s making for Joffrey. Cersei doesn’t get it, and of course I didn’t either my first read, but now I clearly know what he means. I thought it was so clever.

13. I laughed when Tyrion compliments Bronn on waiting on him so well, and says soon he’ll have him kneeling, “on his pleasure,” I took this to mean sexually, and Bronn says, “Fuck you, Dwarf.” Only Bronn can get away with calling him dwarf, it seems. :)

14. Podrick Payne is still his squire in King’s Landing, and I forgot the boy is only 12! He is described as shy and furtive, but I don’t understand why Tyrion thinks his father gave him to Tyrion as a joke? I thought he was also an awkward klutz and terrible at squiring, but that may have come from the show, not the books.

15. So Tyrion holds a private council in the Hand’s audience chamber, full of smiths, armorers, and ironmongers, and they all fall to their knees upon sight of the Hand. Tyrion likes this. :) He instructs all of them to make a lot of immense steel links to form a “mighty” chain. He wants this to be the sole project of every forge in King’s Landing; nothing else is to be made. Everyone is to put their backs into making them. It’s incredibly important. One says the queen commanded them to make lots of armor and weapons for the battle, but Tyrion says all that can wait. The chain is more important. OMG! Cersei told them if they didn’t meet her numbers their hands would be crushed by their own anvils. What a bitch...lol, “Sweet Cersei, always striving to make the smallfolk love us.” Tyrion promises no one will have their hands crushed.

16. One master armorer, who calls himself Salloreon, says he’d be most honored to make Joffrey the most beautifully made armor instead of these dull huge chains, but Tyrion reminds him it’s chainse he needs, not armor. I like this: “You will make chains, or you will wear them.” (Notice he’s not threatening to cut out tongues or crush hands like his sister.)

17. I really like that Tyrion did all he could to feed the people of King’s Landing by building more fishing boats instead of catapults and opening up the kingswood for all who want to hunt.

18. All Tyrion cares about is thatStannis named himself king from the letter. This means he will make his move soon.

19. I like how Tyrion makes it a game to look into the streets and try to guess which ones are the little informers. He figures the ones who look suspicious are probably innocent, and vice versa. “It’s the ones who look innocent I need to beware.” Hmm...

20. Tyrion goes to the same brothel Robert would go to, and that Ned Stark visited. This one has the most expensive whores, though there are lots of cheaper brothels up and down this same road. Lol, Tyrion gives Bronn and his guards permission to have fun while he’s inside and the Black Ears are all grins. :) I don’t remember if we met Chataya in GoT, but we do now. She is dark skinned and has a beautiful accent. Tyrion admires her establishment, cozy, like the Summer Isles. Tyrion is turned on by these beautiful creatures; I wonder if Ned also felt a stirring in his breeches. He remembers Tysha, who had dark hair and blue eyes. Almost sounds like a Baratheon! But I don’t think the ages and years match.

21. Chataya even has a daughter who works here as a whore. When she sees this shocks Tyrion she adds it’s no shame to be a whore in the Summer Isles. They take great pride specializing in giving pleasure. This is interesting: “Many highborn youths and maidens serve for a few years after their flowerings, to honor the gods.” That’s neat. “And [the gods] give us desire, so we might mate and worship them in that way.” I like looking at it that way. And I laughed when Tyrion says, “If I could pray with my cock, I’d be much more religious.” Ha!

22. Chataya’s daughter is named Alayaya, a tongue twister, for me. She escorts Tyrion all the way to the top of the tower, and through a wardrobe, the backing had no back but there was a metal ladder for him to climb down, interesting. Tyrion is well below street level when he reaches the ground and finds Varys waiting for him with a candle for light. Varys is incognito; he can’t be seen leaving the Red Keep or people at court will be suspicious of him.

23. Apparently Varys trusts Chataya because she has no reason to love Cersei. Who does? She’s thankful Tyrion got rid of Allar Deem for her. :) Some of Cersei’s spies are actually Varys’s, so he knows what she knows without her knowing. :) I like this: “I should hate to think they had grown so sloppy as to be seen.” True! All of Cersei’s spies know he went into a brothel, but they don’t know about any secret tunnel and hidden entrance. A Hand in the past built this so he could go visit whores without anyone literally seeing him go inside, ruining his honor. Chataya closely guards its existence. At the end of the tunnel they ride horses, easily disguised as a man and his son, Tyrion’s dwarf size, to ride about the city. People see what they expect to see.

24. Now he finds out someone told Stannis that Cersei’s children are really Jaime’s. Tyrion first asks if it’s Varys. He says no, but he’s known the secret for a long time and the evidence is plain to see. He is only aware of eight of Robert’s bastards. I thought there was a total of 16? He only knows of half? And what’s this mean: “Besides, the bastards were there for all to see.”? Not true of Gendry! He was successfully hidden for a long time!

25. I think it’s interesting Tyrion thinks if Cersei just had one kid from Robert this whole thing could’ve been discounted, “...but then she would not have been Cersei.” True... Tyrion’s next guess is Littlefinger, but Varys only says “some traitor, doubtless,” and he names no names. I’m surprised Tyrion hasn’t figured it out yet that it was Ned Stark, the famous “traitor” from King’s Landing.

26. I really like that Tyrion says sometimes he feels Varys is his best friend, and other times his worst enemy. And Varys says, “How odd. I think quite the same of you.” Ha!

27. I wonder if Littlefinger knows how to get in this way also? I think Littlefinger took Ned a different way in GoT, but I’m not sure.

1. Eww, they find a dead body up stream. They’re trying to find a safe place to cross the river. This river flows south from the God’s Eye and meets up with the Blackwater Rush that flows into Blackwater Bay. Yoren must never come this way because he didn’t anticipate being unable to continue going clockwise around the God’s Eye. It’s probably better this way anyway, so they don’t run into more war on the west side of the lake. If they go east they go back to the kingsroad. Apparently there’s a small town where this river meets the lake and Yoren plans to buy a series of boats to sail up to Harrentown. :( They don’t know that Tywin Lannister is in Harrnehal. Yoren still thinks Lady Whent holds this place. Uh oh!

2. Old Nan told stories of Harrenhal, that fire spirits still haunt the place. Arya doesn’t believe in ghost stories. She believes knights will escort her home once she tells Lady Whent who she is, because that’s what knights do. :( She’s starting to sound like Sansa there!

3. They get to the little town and there’s nobody here, anywhere. Not even any bodies. Must’ve all ran south. The place is not burned down, yet. Odd. Yoren doesn’t like it. It frightens Arya as much as the burned down town they got the crying girl from. Why would so many people drop everything and run?

4. They check out God’s Eye, the largest lake Arya has ever seen. She can’t even see land on the other side. There aren’t even any boats to use, except a rotting one that’s no good. “They took the boats.” Very strange. Maybe they all swam to Harrenhal on the boats? Arya drinks of the freshwater lake and it tastes good.

5. Lol, wtf Lommy? He keeps insisting on staying at the inn. Yoren says he’d rather they stay in the small holdfast. He likes stone walls about him as he sleeps. But Arya blurts she doesn’t think they should stay there -- no one in this town did. There’s probably a reason why. Yoren says they were in the midst of war; they had enemies to run from. They, however, are Night’s Watch. They take no part and have no enemy. Psh...what about those gold cloaks? “And no man’s our friend, she thought, but this time she held her tongue.” :(

6. The holdfast is sturdier than most, and they even found a trapdoor in the barn that leads to a tunnel out by the lake. They put the wagon over it to discourage any attackers from coming in that way.

7. Arya sharpens Needle and Hot Pie asks how she got it, defensively saying he didn’t mean to accuse her of stealing it. She admits her brother gave it to her. I’m surprised she’s opening up to him. :) She knows she really shouldn’t, Yoren told her not to tell any of them. Any one of htem could sell her out to the queen. She tells him she has lots of brothers, “...and they showed me how to kill people who bother me.” Ha! That gets the point across and he leaves her alone. (Of all the Stark siblings, these two have the strongest bond throughout the entire series so far.)

8. I forgot Arya had a dream a wolf howled so loud it woke her, minutes before they are attacked. Arya insists everyone get up, though they don’t see why. Seconds later their watchman sounds his horn and now everyone is getting up. Danger!

9. Interesting Jaqen H’ghar keeps calling to her, saying he can help fight. :) But she ignores him.

10. There are a group of men with torches, burning the town to the ground, of course. Now Gendry wears his helm. It seems he will only wear his helm in battle. They count at least 100 men, but they’re riding fast at them it’s hard to tell just how many. One with a banner gets close and she thinks it’s red, Lannister, but it’s hard to tell at night with all this fire -- everything’s red, orange, or black.

11. When one of the knights shouts, “Open, in the name of the king!” one of the recruits says, “Aye, and which king is that?” I smiled.

12. The knight asks if they’re Lord Beric’s men and taunts Thoros of Myr if he’s in there, asking how he likes these fires. Yoren says they’re just recruits for the Night’s Watch and have no part in their war. When he shows them his black cloak they say or he could be black for House Dondarrion, a purple lightning bolt on black. She vaguely remembers Beric Dondarrion from the tourney at King’s Landing, and her father sent him to track down and kill the Mountain. Now Arya can tell their banner is Lannister. :(

13. They’re in a bit of a pickle here. The Lannister army demands they open the gates or they’ll assume they’re enemies, but if they do open the gates they’ll catch Arya and Gendry. Yoren asks who commands this and a man introduces himself as Ser Amory Lorch, bannerman to Lord Tywin Lannister. His sigil is a manticore.

14. Yoren tells them to leave them be; they’re no foes, not going to hurt them, they’re just Night’s Watch. Arya whispers can’t they see they’re no lords or knights and Gendry hits the nail on the head: “I don’t think they care, Arry.” :(

15. “The crow gives us his word.” Says a knight. Whoa! I thought only wildlings call Night’s Watch crows! It proves they must believe they’re only Night’s Watch, but Ser Amory Lorch doesn’t care, he commands they open the door. Overstepping his boundaries, I think! He says it’s just to prove their loyalty to King Joffrey, but I think it’s a power play. I think everyone has forgotten the Night’s Watch serves no king. Yoren swears they’re not hiding anyone, and they won’t hurt anyone either, but the word of a Night’s Watch is not good enough anymore. This is a powerplay, and Yoren is about to lose. :( No one takes hte Night’s Watch seriously anymore. Lorch says he proclaims them rebels, black cloaks or no. Wth... “Young boys and old men die the same.” You know they are no threat to you, yet you will kill them anyway, just because they don’t have to answer to your king. Gendry is right, they don’t care. Ser Amory boredly tells his men to storm the walls and kill them all. Ugh, asshole.

16. Arya is scared but she slashes at a man trying to storm the castle, even screaming, “Winterfell!” which probably won’t help hide her true identity, but right now no one has time to process this. I laughed when Hot Pie screams, “Hot Pie!” as he’s fighting.

17. It’s just not enough, though, and the holdfast is sieged. She runs into Yoren who yells at her to grab Gendry and as many boys as possible and escape through the trap door. It’s over; they’ve lost. :( They find Hot Pie and Lommy, who is injured in the calf, and the screaming little girl and head for the barn but it’s on fire, shit.

18. I think that Arya forces the little girl along, dragging and slapping, and freeing hte prisoners in the wagon shows Arya’s true nature. Even though these people annoy the hell out of her, she won’t let them burn to death or get killed by the enemy. And it’s very brave. Especially the little girl, who can’t help herself she’s freaking out, I don’t know but I would’ve left her there to save myself, lol. But Arya is braver than me. I really love that Gendry came back for her at least, grabbing the girl for Arya.

19. All the animals in the barn are going to burn to death and Arya feels bad for them; I do too, but humans are a little more important, to me. Jaqen H’ghar keeps calling them good and kind boys, awe. :) I can only imagine how frightened they are of being burned alive, chained up. Ha! Jaqen sweettalks them whereas Rorge swears at them, screaming his head off.

20. Gendry can tell Arya wants to save the men in the wagons and he says he’d rather save the donkeys first, awe. Two out of the three aren’t really worth saving, but Jaqen had been nothing but polite. Arya bravely goes back for an axe to chop open their wagon and chains so they can also escape. It sounds so frightening having to go back in that blazing inferno, but it’s either that or die. Arya finds the wagon and chucks the axe toward them. Rorge takes it and frees them, okay. Arya dives into the tunnel hole for safety, because the whole place is caving in. Animals are on fire...so much smoke...so when Arya makes it she tastes mud and water and worms and life and loves the taste. :)

21. Again Arya cries when she hears a boom up above the tunnel but she doesn’t know who for. I think it’s for all the shit that just went wrong. This obviously wasn’t supposed to happen. She even warned Yoren not to spend the night in that small town with no name, not even on the map. But at least a few of them got out alive.

1. Whitetree definitely sounds like it was named after the weirwood. It’s not much of a village, just four abandoned one-room homes, an empty sheepfold, and a well. The heart tree is the largest tree Jon’s ever seen. The trunk is 8 feet wide, wow! The face on it has a hollowed out mouth so large it could swallow a sheep. Jon can feel its power. A very old and powerful tree, mysterious!

2. Thoren Smallwood for some reason wants to chop the thing down. Wtf... Jon says his father believed you couldn’t lie in front of a heart tree; the gods knew when men were lying. :)

3. “A bastard sword for a bastard, the men joked.” I absolutely love this!

4. Creepy! Inside the hollow mouth of the tree are two skulls. The mouth was blackened by fire, very interesting. The tree didn’t burn down when they used it as a hearth? They find two skulls inside the mouth among ashes with bits of bone, a funeral cremation, then. One skull is smaller than the other. Was one just a child? :( Lord Mormont says it’s no secret the wildlings burn their dead, pity there aren’t any around to explain why, but I think they all know, not just Jon.

5. Mormont says it’s said the children of hte forest could speak to the dead; wish I knew if that were true.

6. Didn’t remember Dolorous Edd’s real name is Eddison Tollett. I smiled when he wonders out loud what the dead complain about. Funny.

7. When Jon remarks how dismal these homes are, Dolorous Edd tells him he used to live in a home like this, and that was the best time of his life. Jon asks if he calls a pile of straw a bed and Edd says it is if it’s softer than the ground and has a roof over it. :) Seems Jon was spoiled growing up. Most people don’t get to live in fine castles.

8. Apparently Whitetree is the fourth empty village they’ve come across. There’s nothing in any of them. There are no signs of being attacked. Everyone and everything just took off and disappeared. Creepy.

9. Mormont’s raven says “Gone,” without being prompted. Hmm...

10. Thoren says wildlings were living here last year, so it hasn’t been abandoned too long ago. Ugh, Thoren’s wearing Ser Jaremy Rykkar’s old cloak. The Night’s Watch wastes nothing, bu of all people...this man looks and wants to be Lord Commander.

11. A scout sees a lake north of them so they head up there to make camp. When they left they were in good spirits, but the longer they’re in the forest the more somber they’re getting. Hmm... With no wildlings about and this being called the Haunted Forest, makes everyone uneasy. Even the game is scarce.

12. Jon airs out his burnt fingers and suddenly thinks of Arya and how he used to muss up her hair. :) Interesting how they both keep thinking about each other. :)

13. Jon comes up to talk to Sam and the birds freak out when they see him. Some sound suspiciously like words. What words? Sam has been teaching them how to say “Snow.” :)

14. Interesting how the farther Sam goes north of the Wall the less scared he gets, the completely opposite from the rest of the men. I like how Jon jokes saying they’ll make a ranger out of Sam yet and Sam says, “Don’t you dare!” Ha!

15. Ha! When Jon reaches Mormont again, after telling him Sam sent the latest news to Maester Aemon, he says he’s been teaching the birds to talk. I love how Mormont snorts and says he’ll regret that. “Damned things make a lot of noise, but they never say a thing worth hearing.” Or do they?

16. Mormont knows that Benjen Stark would have made it his business to find out why these villages are all empty, so they must keep searching, maybe they’ll find him on the way. They’re also going to team up soon with another 100 rangers led by Qhorin Halfhand, famed commander of the Shadow Tower.

Your point 18, *SPECULATION ON THE END TIMES* (view spoiler)[I am kind of hoping Dany can take Vaes Tolorro and its smaller cities as her own kingdom after saving the day, where she can rule the way she wants, without slavery, and leave Westeros to the people who've lived there their whole lives. (hide spoiler)]

1. The Dothraki call the red comet the “Bleeding Star” and cal it an ill omen, but Daenerys thinks it’s a good omen, for the herald of her coming. That’s interesting the Dothraki don’t like it, since so many think it’s a good thing. Hmm... She believes it’s sent from the gods to show her the way, which is to go east, however that’s conveniently the only way she can go since there are enemies north, south, and west of them, so they have nowhere else to go but to cross the rest waste.

2. The red waste is a desolate desert. Many who try to cross it don’t live.

3. South of them is Slaver’s Bay, and they can’t go south there because Khal Pono rode that way. I forgot these cities are named so early on in the book series. There is so much I’d forgotten!

4. Jorah reminds her that her dragons are priceless, there are only three in the world, or are there? Everyone will want to get their hands on them so she must be careful.

5. Dany believes they are born from the deaths of her husband, her unborn son, and Mirri Maz Duur. I still think it’s weird they drank milk from her breasts. I didn’t take dragons to be mammals.

6. I forgot her hair had all burnt off in the fire so she has a naked scalp. She wears the cloak made from the white lion her husband had killed. I think it’s cute Viserion sinks his claws into it like a cat and curls up on her shoulders around her head. :) You would think her black one would do that, or perhaps she doesn’t play favorites yet.

7. Dany is called “The Unburnt” and “Mother of Dragons.” “Her word was their law.” :)

8. It is horrible that so many die on their way across the red waste. Her khalasar wasn’t big to begin with, and most are women and children, cripples and elderly. She has to be strong for her people. “If ever she had truly been a girl, that time was done.” Such a hard life to live! She’s only 14!

9. Of everyone who’s dying of thirst, hunger, and exhaustion, she fears most for her dragons. The gods took away all of her family; they will not take her dragons, too.

10. The dragons sound beautiful! Especially when they stretch out their wings. Interesting they will only eat cooked meat, and right now they can’t breathe fire yet.

11. I like how Dany describes Aegon the Conqueror and his sister’s three great dragons. Aegon had Balerion; his fire was black and he was the largest. Vhagar was Visenya’s, who breathed the hottest flames. And Meraxes was Rhaenys’s, who could eat a whole horse in its mouth. I don’t know if Vhagar and Rhaenys’s colors are ever described, but I’m assuming Vhagar was the white one and Meraxes the green one. The names are also somewhat similar, though Dany says she named hers after those she loved. Her white one is Viserion, named after Viserys, which surprises me at first but I really like how she says, “His dragon will do what he could not.” This shows she is very forgiving, I think, and honorable. He was her king, after all. It makes sense she’d want him to get a second chance. Viserys, Viserion, Vhagar, and Visenya...they all sound about the same, and I recall the first shell that cracked out of the fire was white. Visenya was also the oldest of the three siblings. Daenerys calls her green one Rhaegal, after Rhaegar, her gallant brother who most likely was named after Rhaenys because the three sound the same. Rhaegar also died on the green banks of the Trident. And her black one she names Drogon, after Drogo, obviously. Aegon rode Balerion, and he was king. *SPECULATION ON WHO RIDES THE DRAGONS* (view spoiler)[Right now I’m favoring Jon to ride Viserionbecause he seems to favor white animals, and Viserion’s second color is gold, a kingly color. Rhaegal is green and bronze, so I figure someone who’s possibly related to the children or at least associated with it, like Bran, will ride that one. Then he can fly and be a hero! Also, it’s fitting that the hottest dragon belongs to Azor Ahai, whom may be Jon, aka the “last hero” or “the prince that was promised.” Lots of speculation; so little facts to go by... (hide spoiler)]

12. Among those who died in that desert is Doreah, the servant girl who taught Dany the arts of lovemaking. Sad.

13. Eventually the Dothraki whisper fears that the comet had led them to some kind of hell, awe. Jorah says they may die if they press on, but they will die for a certainty if they try to go back. They apparently lost a third of their number, and I believe she had about 100, so her khalasar is tiny at this point. Thankfully they find a city. I don’t know what would’ve happened if they hadn’t come by it, and it almost seems too good to be true. Jorah has never traveled this far east before.

14. They enter this abandoned city of pale whiteness among a barren red waste. Very strange, to me. It doesn’t even have a name; it is godless and abandoned. The gates were broken when they found it. Spooky. Her bloodriders say when the gods are gone evil takes over and advises her not to stay. It appears the city might have been abandoned for a long time because the walls are cracked and crumbling. Very interesting: “Everything was white, as if the people who lived here had known nothing of color.” Spooky! The city sounds large, as if it once was a metropolis. The place looks like it has also been raided at least once, since a marble column is missing. Dothraki stole it, probably. But would any khalasars have traveled this far? Viserion hisses on her shoulder. Awe! I wonder what he’s frightened of?

15. At least this ghost city has fruit that’s safe to eat! And working wells, too! It’s a godsend! But there’s dead bones everywhere, too, creepy! No one thought to bury their dead? Did these people not have time before they suddenly had to leave? Her people are spooked and say there are ghosts here.

16. Dany’s hair is already starting to grow back and she considers letting it grow out to show how long she has never lost a battle, like Drogo had done.

17. So cute, Rhaegal seems to be trying to fly but he’s too little right now. He seems frustrated. :) His tail lashes back and forth in fury. She tries to imagine what it would feel like riding dragonback one day. I think it would feel like ultimate freedom!

18. All of the fruit sounds healthy and edible, but small. I wonder why.

19. Jorah thinks they should rest here for a while and get strong again, and says there are ghosts everywhere; they follow us wherever we go. True. Perhaps they shouldn’t question a good thing.

20. Now we learn Ser Jorah had a wife who died, and seems pained to speak of it, but he tells his story because Dany asks. Apparently Lynesse was a Hightower from Oldtown, very beautiful. The Hightower family is very old and very proud. Dany adds loyal, too; she heard they stayed true to her father. Sounds like Jorah used to be a lady’s man -- had his fair share of women before and after his two wives. His first wife was a Glover from Deepwood Motte, forgotten that. They were married for ten years, she was plain and he came to love her eventually, but only out of duty, and she kept having miscarriages, died on the fourth one. Sad. When she died his father had already joined the black so Jorah was lord of Bear Island. Before he could marry again the Greyjoy Rebellion happened and he earned his knighthood there for his valor. Apparently a priest from Myr stormed Pyke first. ;) During a tourney celebrating their victory he met Lynesse and fell head over heels in love with her. Ser Jorah kicked ass at jousting and won the championship, impressing Lynesse, and they quickly got married with her father’s approval (now I’m wondering why he approved, lol). But when they got back to Bear Island Lynesse was disappointed with how humble it was, wtf... sounds like she was a snotty golddigger, never pleased with anything. She sucked him of all his gold and put him in debt. “The rest...I did things it shames me to speak of. For gold.” So that’s why he tried to sell poachers into slavery, for gold. I remember now. The man was desperate to buy her love, but it was never enough. By the time Ned Stark was coming to pass judgment on him, he ran away with his wife into exile, bet she loved that! Soon he lost all his gold in Lys and had to take service as a sellsword. He was fighting Braavosi in the Rhoyne river, wow, totally forgot that! His wife left him to become a chief concubine to a merchant prince named Tregar Ormollen. How horrible! I wonder what her father thought of that! lol. Stupid little slut... He loved her but he hated her also. Of course she looked like Daenerys, that must have felt awkward for her! She realizes now that Jorah doesn’t love her like a knight loves his queen but as a man loves a woman. I’m surprised she goes through the trouble of imagining what it would be like to make love to him. All she can think about is Drogo, though. She’s not over him yet, of course. It will take some time. Jorah can never have her, but one day she can give him back Bear Island, at least, his honor too. :) I don’t know, an old man lusting after me would make me feel terrible awkward, lol.

21. The next day she commands three of her bloodriders to scout out and search for whatever they can find and come back to her. She does not want to strike out blind again, smart.

22. They’ve named this place Vaes Tolorro, city of bones. *SPOILER FOR STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)[This would be the perfect place for her to rule, instead of Slaver’s Bay! (hide spoiler)]As they wait for her bloodriders to come back they explore the place and recuperate. Interesting they find old bronze coins, bits of purple glass, and stone flagons with handles carved like snakes. So the place isn’t all white then. I wonder how many other ghost towns like this are there.

23. Rakharo, who had gone straight south, found only barren desert until he reaches the poison water, which would be an ocean. He swears he saw the bones of a huge dragon on his travels, so big he rode his horse through its jaws. Wow! She commands him and others to pull up the plaza to let more grass grow. They have no lack of water, so I think she means to irrigate some. I wonder how they found water in a barren waste? Is it situated near an oasis or something?

24. Aggo, who went southwest, says he saw two other cities smaller than this one, but also the same: abandoned. One is warded by a ring of skulls mounted on rusted iron spears so he dared not go in. I wonder what he might have seen if he did? The other city had an iron bracelet with an uncut fire opal the size of her thumb. There were scrolls there as well, but they crumbled when he touched them so he left them there. Interesting. Who the hell lived in these mysterious cities??? She has him repair the gates in case more enemies think to return.

25. Jhogo was gone for so long Dany feared him lost, but he returns from the southeast, with guests. Jhogo says he found Qarth and three who are anxious to meet her. One man has blue lips and tells her in thick Dothraki that he is Pyat Pree, the great warlock. A bald man with jewels tells her in High Valyrian he’s Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a merchant prince of Qarth. And a woman hidden behind a wooden mask says in Common Tongue that she’s Quaithe of the Shadow, uh oh, lol. They all want to see her dragons. :) Interesting they each speak a different language. I am really looking forward to reading more about these people a second time around, because the first time I’d gotten everyone confused because there were so many new names to people and places. It gets hard sometimes to keep track of everybody and every event, lol.