A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

by George R.R. Martin

why any healthy boy would fill his hand with a harp when he might have had a sword. “Your grandfather has a sour nature,” Marillion said to Catelyn. “I meant to do you honor. An homage to your beauty. In truth, I was made to sing for kings and high

Some said it had been Gregor who’d dashed the skull of the infant prince Aegon Targaryen against a wall, and whispered that afterward he had raped the mother, the Dornish princess Elia, before putting her to the sword.

“That’s the real king of this castle right there,” one of the gold cloaks had told her. “Older than sin and twice as mean. One time, the king was feasting the queen’s father, and that black bastard hopped up on the table and snatched a roast quail right out of Lord Tywin’s fingers. Robert laughed so-hard he like to burst. You stay away from that one, child.”

might win them free, but it seemed to Eddard Stark that they had a surer, safer tactic. “Kill me,” he warned the Kingslayer, “and Catelyn will most certainly slay Tyrion.” Jaime Lannister poked at Ned’s chest with the gilded

king’s love for his sister. If Cersei kept her wits about her, she would insist the king sit in judgment of Tyrion himself. Even Ned Stark could scarcely object to that, not without impugning the honor of the king. And Tyrion would be only too glad to take his chances in a trial. Whatever murders they might lay at his door, the Starks had no proof of anything so far as

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”

It fell away slowly beneath them as they rode past smoky peat fires, lines of horses,

Ned remembered the moment when all the smiles died, when Prince Rhaegar Targaryen urged his horse past his own wife, the Dornish princess Elia Martell, to lay the queen of beauty’s laurel in Lyanna’s lap.

In Dorne, the Martells still brood on the murder of Princess Elia and her babes. And now your son marches down the Neck with a northern host at his back.”

“Rhaenys was a child too. Prince Rhaegar’s daughter. A precious little thing, younger than your girls. She had a small black kitten she called Balerion, did you know? I always wondered what happened to him. Rhaenys liked to pretend he was the true Balerion, the Black Dread of old, but I imagine the Lannisters taught her the difference between a kitten and a dragon quick enough, the day they broke down her door.”

We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.

us the time we need to deal with Robert’s brothers. Dead …” His hand curled into a fist. “Madness. Rank madness.” “Joff’s only a boy,” Tyrion pointed out. “At his age, I committed a few follies of my own.”

to horseflesh, and the mare bolted for the door. For an instant Sam stood his ground, his face as round and pale as the moon behind him, his mouth a widening O of surprise.

sword, even a sword as fine as Longclaw, did not make him a Mormont. Nor was he Aemon Targaryen. Three times the old man had chosen, and three times he had chosen honor, but that was him. Even now, Jon could not decide whether the maester had stayed because he was weak and craven, or because he was strong and true. Yet he understood what the old man had meant, about the pain of choosing; he understood that all too

mother of dragons, don’t you see? Don’t you SEE? With a belch of flame and smoke that reached thirty feet

HOUSE BARATHEON

HOUSE STARK

HOUSE LANNISTER

HOUSE ARRYN

HOUSE TULLY

HOUSE TYRELL

HOUSE GREYJOY

HOUSE MARTELL

The Old Dynasty HOUSE TARGARYEN

THE TARGARYEN SUCCESSION dated by years after Aegon’s Landing 1–37 Aegon I Aegon the Conquerer, Aegon the Dragon, 37–42 Aenys I son of Aegon and Rhaenys, 42–48 Maegor I Maegor the Cruel, son of Aegon and Visenya, 48–103 Jaehaerys I the Old King, the Conciliator, Aenys’ son, 103–129 Viserys I grandson to Jaehaerys, 129–131 Aegon II eldest son of Viserys, [Aegon II’s ascent was disputed by his sister Rhaenyra, a year his elder. Both perished in the war between them, called by singers the Dance of the Dragons.] 131–157 Aegon III the Dragonbane, Rhaenyra’s son, [The last of the Targaryen dragons died during the reign of Aegon III.] 157–161 Daeron I the Young Dragon, the Boy King, eldest son of Aegon III, [Daeron conquered Dorne, but was unable to hold it, and died young.] 161–171 Baelor I the Beloved, the Blessed, septon and king, second son of Aegon III, 171–172 Viserys II younger brother of Aegon III, 172–184 Aegon IV the Unworthy, eldest son of Viserys, [His younger brother, Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, was champion and some say lover to Queen Naerys.] 184–209 Daeron II Queen Naerys’ son, by Aegon or Aemon, [Daeron brought Dorne into the realm by wedding the Dornish princess Mariah.] 209–221 Aerys I second son to Daeron II (left no issue), 221–233 Maekar I fourth son of Daeron II, 233–259 Aegon V the Unlikely, Maekar’s fourth son, 259–262 Jaehaerys II second son of Aegon the Unlikely, 262–283 Aerys II the Mad King, only son to Jaehaerys,

THE LAST TARGARYENS {KING AERYS TARGARYEN}, the Second of His Name, slain by Jaime Lannister during the Sack of King’s Landing, — his sister and wife, {QUEEN RHAELLA} of House Targaryen, died in childbed on Dragonstone, — their children: — {PRINCE RHAEGAR}, heir to the Iron Throne, slain by Robert Baratheon on the Trident, — his wife, {PRINCESS ELIA} of House Martell, slain during the Sack of King’s Landing, — their children: — {PRINCESS RHAENYS}, a young girl, slain during the Sack of King’s Landing, — {PRINCE AEGON}, a babe, slain during the Sack of King’s Landing, — PRINCE VISERYS, styling himself Viserys, the Third of His Name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, called the Beggar King, — PRINCESS DAENERYS, called Daenerys Stormborn, a maid of thirteen years.