Recaps

Suleiman used a staged rout and a disciplined crossbow defense to drive the Ironborn away from Deddings Castle, earning Lady Roslin’s reward while the enemy escaped by sea. Riverrun’s reinforcements arrived too late and found the camp deserted, unsure where to pursue.

• Patrick Morrison volunteered House Morrison for the vanguard, and the allied army advanced toward the Ironborn camp at daybreak.
• Roderick Greyjoy believed the allied vanguard was weak and led the Ironborn in a charge that routed the vassal forces, including Patrick Morrison’s men.
• Suleiman held his disciplined central force in place, and Bryn ordered the crossbowmen to halt the Ironborn charge with a deadly volley.
• Suleiman withdrew his intact army to Deddings Castle, and Roderick led the Ironborn to leave by ship that night.
• Lady Roslin gave Suleiman five hundred Gold Dragons for driving the Ironborn from her lands.
• Riverrun’s reinforcements arrived at the deserted Ironborn camp and found they had no idea where to pursue the enemy.

Jason Mallister struggled to keep the Riverlords at Seaguard from abandoning their posts as Ironborn raiders drew them inland. Victarion Greyjoy used the resulting weakness to launch a surprise landing, and Jason ordered ravens sent and his children evacuated as Seaguard came under attack.

• Jason Mallister argued with the Riverlords, but they persuaded him to send another four thousand defenders inland to hunt the Ironborn.
• Victarion Greyjoy led the Iron Fleet through dense fog toward Seaguard, crediting Roderick Greyjoy's raids with drawing its defenders away.
• The Ironborn fleet anchored near shore, then surged toward Seaguard after a warning bell rang from the coast.
• Jason Mallister awoke to news of the landing and saw the bay filled with Ironborn ships and warriors.
• Jason Mallister ordered the defenders to prepare for battle, told his guards to send ravens, and commanded them to get his children out.

Suleiman met with Lord Norbert Vance, who asked him to commit his forces to the campaign against the Ironborn. Before Suleiman could answer, alarming news reached Norbert, and Suleiman was summoned back to Deddings Castle for urgent military news from Lady Roslin.

• Riverrun's reinforcements returned to Deddings Castle after failing to find the Ironborn, and Lord Norbert Vance summoned Suleiman to his camp.
• Norbert praised Suleiman and asked how many Ironborn could truly fight; Suleiman estimated that their capable fighters numbered no more than twelve hundred.
• Norbert called on Suleiman to join his army, and Suleiman considered the pressure Lady Roslin would face if he refused.
• A knight bearing House Blackwood's arms delivered a letter, and Norbert's reaction suggested it carried grave news.
• Norbert told Suleiman to consider his proposal and answer by morning, then a knight from House Deddings arrived with Lady Roslin's urgent summons.

Suleiman learned that Seaguard was besieged while Lord Balon was away with four thousand men, then used Norbert Vance’s call to pursue the Ironborn to avoid being forced into the siege. Norbert assigned Suleiman to hunt Ironborn with House Bracken and House Lychester, leaving him free to wait for the campaign’s situation to change.

• Maester Walder read that the Ironborn fleet had surrounded Seaguard, and Lady Roslin fainted before Suleiman reassured her that Lord Balon was away with a four-thousand-man force.
• Suleiman realized Balon might return to relieve Seaguard and considered how to avoid risking his own men without ruining his reputation for loyalty.
• Suleiman told Lady Roslin about Norbert Vance’s summons, and she refused to take responsibility for rejecting it on his behalf.
• Suleiman publicly pledged to answer Riverrun’s call at Norbert Vance’s camp and lead his people in pursuit of the Ironborn.
• Norbert ordered Suleiman to work with House Bracken and House Lychester to hunt Ironborn in the interior, allowing Suleiman to avoid the siege at Seaguard.

Suleiman joined House Bracken and House Lychester’s force, only to discover that its commander, Lymond Lychester, had lost his mind and that the allied army was avoiding action. When Hendry Bracken questioned whether Suleiman would risk his men to retake Lymond’s castle, Suleiman said he would.

• Lymond Lychester repeatedly changed the army’s direction, and Hendry Bracken told Suleiman that Lymond had been mentally troubled since all his sons died in the War of the Usurper.
• Hendry noticed that Suleiman’s soldiers stayed disciplined and asked how they differed from ordinary Riverlands troops; Suleiman said giving soldiers a future could make them perform well.
• Lymond briefly regained his clarity and agreed with Hendry that the army should follow the Green Fork, but he rejected Suleiman’s suggestion to retake his occupied castle before reinforcements arrived.
• Hendry explained that Norbert Vance did not want to risk losses on a siege outside his mission and asked whether Suleiman would spill his men’s blood for someone else’s castle.
• Suleiman answered that he would, and Hendry choked and spat out his wine in surprise.

Suleiman offered to help Lymond Lychester retake his castle from the Ironborn, despite Hendry Bracken’s objections. He pressured Hendry into staying with the column, though House Bracken refused to join the siege.

• Hendry Bracken warned Suleiman that attacking Lychester Castle with so few men risked needless casualties, but Suleiman argued that lords had a duty to help their allies.
• Suleiman rode beside Lymond Lychester and promised to lead his army in reclaiming the old lord’s home, briefly drawing Lymond out of his apparent madness.
• Hendry arrived and refused to attack the castle, prompting the Lychester, Bracken, and Suleiman’s men to reach for their weapons.
• Suleiman defended the attack as House Tully’s duty to protect its bannermen and challenged Hendry over House Bracken’s honor.
• Hendry said House Bracken would remain with the column but would not take part in the siege, then rode away.

Suleiman’s army reached Lychester territory and found it devastated, then watched House Lychester’s rash assault on its occupied castle fail. After Lymond Lychester offered him a thousand Gold Dragons, Suleiman accepted and promised to reclaim the castle within three days.

• Suleiman’s army rode through burned villages in Lychester territory and found Lychester Castle defended by hundreds of people.
• The enraged Lychester forces attacked the castle despite Suleiman’s advice, suffered heavy losses, and withdrew.
• Lymond Lychester refused to sacrifice Suleiman’s soldiers and ordered his men to begin a siege.
• Lymond offered Suleiman a thousand Gold Dragons as thanks for helping House Lychester.
• After Hendry Bracken challenged the failed pursuit, Suleiman accepted the reward and promised to reclaim the castle within three days.

Suleiman offered Horso Harlaw a chance to abandon Lychester Castle in exchange for its surrender, then withdrew his army three leagues to prove he would keep his word. Convinced he was trapped and that the Riverlands army had destroyed Roderick’s forces, Horso ordered the Ironborn to escape among their Riverlands captives.

• Suleiman rode to Lychester Castle with Bryn and Rosso, showed Horso Harlaw Wicken’s axe and helmet, and claimed Roderick’s army had been wiped out.
• Suleiman offered to let Horso and his men leave the castle that night in exchange for taking it without a siege, while Horso refused to commit and retreated inside.
• Suleiman ordered the allied army to withdraw three leagues, despite Hendry Bracken’s scorn and Lymond Lychester’s concern.
• A scout confirmed that Suleiman’s army had retreated, and Horso concluded that escaping was safer than remaining trapped in the castle.
• Horso ordered the Ironborn to divide the Riverlands captives into eight groups, leave their stolen valuables behind, and flee with them.

Suleiman helped Lymond Lychester reclaim his castle by persuading the Ironborn to flee, then received Lymond’s payment and learned House Lychester would no longer serve House Tully. Lymond refused to join the allied forces again and ended by telling Suleiman he should be his son.

• Lymond Lychester’s knights entered the deserted castle and raised House Lychester’s banner after the Ironborn fled.
• Rosso Brune reported that the Ironborn had scattered among captured refugees, and Suleiman’s men caught only thirteen.
• Lymond sent Suleiman twelve hundred Gold Dragons’ worth of payment, while Hendry Bracken watched in envy.
• A Lychester knight barred Hendry from the castle and declared that House Bracken was no longer welcome on Lychester lands.
• Lymond told Suleiman he would defend his castle alone rather than answer House Tully’s call again.
• Lymond grabbed Suleiman’s hand and told him he should be his son.

Suleiman declined Lymond Lychester’s offer to become his son, but the two were interrupted by news that the Ironborn had captured Seaguard and entered the Trident. As nobles were ordered to hold their castles and House Bracken withdrew, Suleiman faced the coming invasion with calm resolve.

• Lymond Lychester asked Suleiman to become his son and proposed combining their family names, but Suleiman redirected their discussion to whether Lymond would send troops.
• A messenger reported that Victarion Greyjoy’s fleet had captured Seaguard and that at least twelve thousand Ironborn had entered the Trident.
• The messenger delivered Lord Hoster’s order for nobles to hold their castles and await the king’s reinforcements, threatening punishment for unauthorized flight.
• Rosso Brune told Suleiman that House Bracken’s troops had left to defend Stone Hedge.
• Lymond urged Suleiman to return to his castle, while Suleiman calmly considered the devastation ahead and declared that the rehearsal of iron and blood was about to begin.

After Seaguard fell to the Ironborn, Suleiman saw a chance to gain House Lychester’s name and power by leading an East Riverlands coalition. Lymond agreed to adopt Suleiman as his heir and began writing a document granting him first claim to the family’s lands and titles.

• After hearing that Seaguard had fallen, Suleiman decided to gamble on becoming Lymond Lychester’s adopted heir and raising House Lychester’s power.
• Suleiman persuaded Lymond that the Ironborn’s forces would be stretched thin across the Riverlands and that the crisis could let House Lychester unite the East Riverlands’ weaker lords.
• Suleiman proposed forming an East Riverlands Coalition with House Deddings, House Darry, and the landed knights, independent of House Tully and the stronger rival houses.
• Lymond initially said he was too old and that his sons were dead, but then agreed to take the gamble if Suleiman became his son and heir.
• Suleiman said words alone were not enough, so Lymond began drafting a document naming him his adopted son and giving him first claim to House Lychester’s lands, property, and titles.

Suleiman reached Deddings Castle after Seaguard fell and learned that Lord Balon and Lord Tytos Blackwood were missing after their defeat. He left Lushen to defend Lion's Den, then promised Lady Roslin he would lead an army west to find and bring back her husband.

• Suleiman sent Lushen back to Lion's Den with orders to strengthen its defenses and evacuate the plainsfolk into the mountains.
• Lady Roslin told Suleiman that Seaguard had fallen, Lord Jason Mallister and Lord Clement Piper had died, and Lord Balon and Lord Tytos Blackwood were missing after their defeat.
• Suleiman ordered his soldiers to camp outside Deddings Castle and told Lymond Lychester he would head west to gather fleeing soldiers and search for Lord Balon.
• Suleiman urged Lady Roslin to summon House Deddings' remaining fighters and promised to find Lord Balon, while she offered ten Silver Stags for every Ironborn head taken.

Suleiman met Norbert Vance with Lymond Lychester and declared that he would not abandon his missing liege’s family, despite Vance’s advice to return to his own lands. The chapter ended with Suleiman refusing to go home, leaving Vance stunned.

• Suleiman and Lymond Lychester rode into Norbert Vance’s camp as the battered allied army returned with fewer than two thousand men.
• Norbert Vance greeted Lymond warmly, but Lymond ignored him and muttered to himself.
• Vance asked why Suleiman had not returned to his own lands, and Suleiman said he would stay to protect Lady Roslin and her children while Lord Balon Deddings remained missing.
• Vance explained that Seagard had fallen, the pursuit force had scattered, and he planned to return to Wayfarer's Rest and strengthen its defenses.
• Vance advised Suleiman to return home, but Suleiman refused, leaving Vance stunned.

Suleiman secured two hundred soldiers from Norbert Vance for his mission to the front, then gained Lady Roslin’s authority to deal with House Deddings’ disobedient vassals. He promised to bring Balon Deddings back safely.

• Suleiman and Lymond Lychester announced they would head west to gather the scattered army and search for their liege.
• Norbert Vance, worried about his reputation, gave Lymond two hundred soldiers, equipment, and provisions for the mission.
• Lady Roslin told Suleiman that most House Deddings vassals had refused her summons, while House Morrison agreed to send troops.
• Suleiman asked Lady Roslin to let him handle the disobedient vassals with House Deddings’ full authority.
• Lady Roslin granted Suleiman authority to act in House Deddings’ name if he brought Balon Deddings safely home.
• Suleiman promised to return Balon safely to Deddings Castle.

Suleiman explained to Lymond Lychester that the great houses’ monopoly on land, wealth, and power had made commoners, landless knights, and petty lords potential allies. He called for winning their support by promising land and advancement, while threatening the great lords who resisted with extinction.

• Lymond Lychester warned Suleiman against punishing House Deddings’ vassals too harshly, fearing the nobility would shun them.
• Suleiman asked Lymond to distinguish their friends and allies from their enemies, then argued that commoners had no path to rise in Westeros.
• Suleiman compared commoners with landless knights and petty lords, arguing that all were blocked from advancement by the great houses.
• Suleiman told Lymond that House Lychester and his own House were outsiders excluded from the center of power.
• Suleiman proposed winning commoners, landless knights, and petty lords by promising land and advancement, and threatened the great lords who refused to share power with extinction.

Suleiman set out west with the fledgling East Riverlands Alliance after Lymond Lychester accepted his offer to join his cause. Patrick Morrison brought more than a hundred soldiers and joined Suleiman’s ranks to search for his missing father and brothers, while reinforcements from House Deddings arrived.

• Lymond Lychester agreed to join Suleiman’s game and called him his son.
• Suleiman led a force of more than twenty-three hundred men west, leaving Lady Lorna’s four hundred soldiers at Deddings Castle.
• Patrick Morrison caught up with the army and told Suleiman that his father and elder brothers were missing near Seaguard.
• Suleiman allowed Patrick to join the march, folded his soldiers into the army, and appointed Patrick as his personal guard.
• Couriers told Suleiman that soldiers sent by House Deddings’ other vassals had arrived.

Suleiman confronted the lords’ messengers over their failure to send troops and punished House Pyle for withholding its army. He offered House Pyle’s lands to landless knights who would seize its castle, and the beaten House Pyle representative asked to join them.

• Suleiman questioned the messengers about their absent armies and challenged House Pyle’s representative over Monte Pyle’s refusal to send troops.
• Bryn punched the House Pyle representative off his horse after he claimed his house had fulfilled its duty.
• Suleiman declared Monte Pyle a traitor and revoked House Pyle’s lands and titles in the name of House Deddings.
• Suleiman ordered the landless knights to seize House Pyle’s castle and promised to recommend them to divide its lands.
• The landless knights pledged themselves to Suleiman, and the House Pyle representative asked to be included.

Suleiman’s threat to strip House Pyle of its lands frightened the vassal envoys into promising to seek military aid. Lymond warned that House Deddings might spare the Pyles, but Suleiman revealed that the knights understood this and would likely kill them to secure their reward, leaving him to bear the blame.

• The envoys of the vassal houses asked to return home and deliver Suleiman’s demands, then hurried away to seek troops.
• Lymond warned Suleiman that House Deddings might release Monte Pyle and his family, undermining Suleiman’s promise and his credibility with the knights.
• Suleiman explained that the knights knew House Deddings would show mercy and asked what they would do to ensure they received House Pyle’s lands.
• Lymond realized the knights would arrange for Monte Pyle and his family to die during the attack, making it impossible for House Deddings to spare them.
• Suleiman confirmed that the knights would secure the lands while making him, as the one who ordered the assault, take the blame.

Suleiman bound House Deddings' landless knights to his cause by promising them lands, then accepted their false account that House Pyle had died resisting capture. He promised to bear the blame and petition for their rewards, and the knights swore their service to him.

• Suleiman explained to Lymond Lychester that the knights would fight to protect him because their promised lands depended on his survival and influence.
• Ser Lopin and the landless knights captured Monte Pyle and his family after a defector tricked the castle into opening its gates.
• Ser Lopin persuaded the knights that House Deddings would free the Pyles and deny them their lands if they delivered the family alive.
• Ser Lopin told Suleiman that Monte Pyle and his family had died resisting capture, concealing that the knights had killed them.
• Suleiman promised to take responsibility and petition Lady Roslin and Lord Balon Deddings for the knights' lands, and they pledged their service to him.

After witnessing Suleiman’s ruthless strategy at House Pyle, Lymond Lychester abandoned his old principles and promised his soldiers rewards for military service. At Drywater Ford, Suleiman’s three-thousand-man army prepared to cross into Ironborn territory, and he declared that the dice had been cast.

• Lymond Lychester realized Suleiman had turned minor knights’ ambition into a force and resolved to follow his example.
• Lymond Lychester summoned his soldiers and promised them land or Silver Stags for taking Ironborn heads.
• The forces of House Deddings and its vassals joined Suleiman and Lymond Lychester, bringing their army to three thousand.
• Lymond Lychester warned Suleiman that they could face overwhelming Ironborn forces beyond the Green Fork.
• Suleiman drew his sword toward the far bank and declared, “The dice have been cast.”

Suleiman led the allied army across the Green Fork and inland toward the collapsing western front, gathering refugees and scattered soldiers along the way. A House Blackwood knight reported that Tytos Blackwood had vanished during a failed attack on the Ironborn at Seaguard, leaving the fate of the other lords uncertain.

• Suleiman rode into the Green Fork, and Bryn, Rosso, Brune, Lymond Lychester, and the allied troops followed him across.
• Suleiman ordered the army inland along muddy tracks, where fleeing refugees watched them pass.
• Suleiman questioned stragglers from House Vypren and learned that Ironborn surrounded Rushmarsh after burning nearby villages.
• Suleiman gave the Vypren soldiers food and water, then had them follow the army as he collected more scattered survivors.
• A House Blackwood knight told Suleiman that Tytos Blackwood and fewer than three thousand men had been defeated by at least ten thousand Ironborn outside Seaguard, and that Tytos had disappeared in the fighting.

Suleiman and Lymond Lychester met William Mooton while leading their forces west into Ironborn-held territory to find Balon Deddings. After Mooton refused to join them, Lymond asked how Suleiman planned to find and safely recover the scattered men of House Blackwood.

• A scout reported that about three hundred men of House Mooton had appeared ahead, and Suleiman incorporated the House Blackwood men-at-arms into his ranks.
• William Mooton warned Lymond Lychester and Suleiman that Fairmarket had been burned and the Ironborn were advancing along both forks of the Green Fork.
• Suleiman told William Mooton that his force was seeking its liege lord, Balon Deddings.
• Lymond invited William Mooton to join them, but Mooton refused and rode east toward Maidenpool with his men.
• Lymond asked Suleiman how they would find House Blackwood's scattered men and get them safely through Ironborn territory.

Amek and Harren Botley’s Ironborn raiding party looted the Riverlands, then crossed into Vicon Gorge to challenge its lord, Suleiman, the Black Lion. The farmers fled at the sight of them, leaving the raiders laughing as they entered his lands.

• Amek celebrated the Ironborn’s plunder and abuse of captives while observing that Harren Botley resented being assigned to raid villages instead of leading an assault.
• Harren kicked Amek aside, gathered his men, and declared that Heron Beach had been stripped bare.
• Harren proposed raiding Vicon Gorge and testing the reputation of its lord, Suleiman, known as the Black Lion.
• The Ironborn cheered and followed Harren across the border into Vicon Gorge.
• Farmers in the fields dropped their tools and fled when they saw the raiders, prompting the Ironborn to laugh.

Amek and Harren Botley led the Ironborn into a trap, where the people they mocked as farmers overwhelmed them with ferocious attacks. Amek survived by hiding in an irrigation ditch and fled after dark.

• Amek realized the people watching from the fields were putting on armor and gathering to encircle the Ironborn.
• Harren Botley rallied the Ironborn to charge, but the farmers fought without fear and killed their attackers with ruthless teamwork.
• The farmers swarmed Harren Botley, and an old farmer struck him down and took his head.
• More farmers joined the battle, killing the Ironborn even after some surrendered, while Amek hid in an irrigation ditch.
• After night fell, Amek climbed out of the ditch and fled.

Suleiman led a night assault on Rushmarsh after learning that only a small Ironborn force remained there, hoping to find a way to reach Raymun Darry. His professional troops captured the outer castle, and he ordered the inner keep set ablaze with the Ironborn trapped inside.

• A retainer reported that the main Ironborn force had left Rushmarsh, leaving about fifty guards behind.
• Suleiman ordered Ser Lopin to gather House Deddings' soldiers for a night attack, then warned the vassal commanders that his troops would block any retreat.
• The Deddings alliance's peasant soldiers faltered under fire, while Bryn's House Vance professionals stormed the western wall and broke through the Ironborn defenses.
• Suleiman's forces took the outer castle after fighting through the night, but the remaining Ironborn barricaded themselves inside the inner keep.
• Suleiman ordered his soldiers to pile flammable materials around the keep and set it on fire.