Chapter Summaries

Ser Brynden advised Robb on how to limit the damage from House Frey's anger over his broken betrothal and marriage to Jeyne Westerling. Robb postponed the wedding and prepared to leave the Westerlands, where his army defeated Kevan Lannister's forces and captured Martyn Lannister.

• Ser Brynden warned Robb that House Frey could abandon him and urged him to prepare for the loss of their troops.
• Ser Brynden proposed that Edmure Tully marry into House Frey and that Robb postpone his wedding to Jeyne until the arrangement was settled.
• Robb agreed to convene a war council and postpone the wedding, prompting the Freys to restrain Black Walder.
• Kevan Lannister raised more than five thousand soldiers to delay Robb's retreat from the Westerlands.
• Northern cavalry ambushed and defeated Kevan's army near Sarsfield, captured Martyn Lannister, and cleared the way for Robb's army to return to the Riverlands.

Daenerys and Ser Mason defended Mermaid Harbor against Stannis’s defeated fleet, capturing much of its ships and men while the survivors fled toward Dragonstone. Meanwhile, Gryn Crabb reviewed the Vale nobles being sent to King's Landing as spoils of war.

• Daenerys learned that Stannis’s fleet had arrived at Mermaid Harbor and ordered Crabb to honor its neutrality agreement unless Stannis’s men violated it first.
• Ser Mason proposed luring the enemy ashore into prepared killing zones, while Samwell suggested capturing ships to outweigh the cost of harbor damage.
• The Mermaid Harbor soldiers fired ballistas as a warning, and the Crabbs ambushed more than six hundred of Stannis’s men who landed.
• Fory led the Blue Cloaks in capturing eight one-hundred-oared warships and several hundred sailors, while the remaining ships retreated toward Dragonstone.
• Gryn Crabb examined the list of Vale nobles who were to be escorted to King's Landing as spoils of war.

Grimm assessed Stannis’s defeat and planned to strengthen his rule in the Vale by recruiting future knights through a tournament. He left Baron Griven warned to enforce his decrees, while hinting that House Hersy could rise in status if it served him well.

• Grimm told Brienne that Stannis had lost most of his forces and would likely flee Dragonstone, perhaps toward the Wall, and asked her to become his Knight of the Bloody Gate; she refused to leave his guard.
• Grimm reassured Brienne that he would appoint someone else to the Bloody Gate post and told her she could obtain better equipment from his stores.
• Grimm told Brienne he had three dragons in mind for the Eyrie, then received Baron Griven to discuss Vale tax exemptions and a tournament at the Gates of the Moon.
• Grimm explained that the tournament would give talented people who lacked money the equipment and status of squires, creating a new force loyal to House Crabb.
• Baron Griven warned that Vale loyalists might resist Grimm’s plans, and Grimm threatened to unleash the Mountain Clan tribes if his decrees were sabotaged.
• Grimm urged Griven to prove House Hersy’s loyalty and suggested that Griven could earn the title of Count Hersy.

Gryn consolidated House Crabb’s control in the Vale while neutralizing the remaining Vale knights and deciding how to handle captives and resettlement. He told Maester Colemon that Duke Arryn had one month to travel to King’s Landing, though Colemon feared the duke could not endure the journey.

• Gryn confronted Baron Gerwin about House Hersy’s former lowly status, then reassured him and assigned him to monitor the new vassals’ pre-Tournament assessments.
• Maester Erlin sent pleas for aid to northern Vale houses, but Crabb ambushes captured successive groups of their cavalry.
• Gryn ordered most of nearly two thousand captives stripped of their surnames and sent to Crackclaw Point’s farmsteads, while selecting just over a hundred to be sent away.
• Gryn considered Crackclaw Point’s shortage of men as he planned to expand its population and reserve soldiers.
• Maester Colemon told Gryn that Duke Arryn’s health had improved, but Gryn said King Joffrey expected the duke in King’s Landing within a month and allowed Colemon to accompany him.

Lord Gryn maneuvered to strengthen his rule in the Vale and exploit rivalries among Joffrey, Tywin, the Tyrells, and Cersei, while preparing a campaign in the northern Vale and against Maidenpool. At Dragonstone, Davos faced Ser Yacel’s demand to become Hand as Stannis asked what punishment treason deserved and heard Yacel plead for a chance to prove himself.

• Lord Gryn welcomed more impoverished Vale families, accepted their oaths, and rewarded them at a feast.
• After receiving Joffrey’s demand for the Vale prisoners and Pycelle’s news about court appointments and Margaery’s betrothal, Gryn gave Colemon two more months to treat Lord Arryn and drafted mobilization orders.
• Gryn wrote letters to Tywin, Mace, and Cersei, including praise of Joffrey for Tywin, an offer of troops to Mace, and an assurance of service to Cersei; he arranged for Petyr’s head and the letter to Tywin to reach Joffrey first.
• At Dragonstone, Ser Yacel blocked Davos and urged him to persuade Stannis to appoint Yacel Hand, offering him a ship and threatening him if he refused.
• Stannis asked Davos the punishment for treason and accused a Florent of advising him to surrender his claim and marry his daughter to Joffrey; Davos defended Lord Florent as a counselor, and Yacel asked Stannis for a chance to prove himself.

Davos challenged Ser Axell’s plan to raid Claw Isle, arguing that the Celtigar household should not be punished for Lord Celtigar’s surrender. Stannis ordered justice for the unauthorized attack on Mermaid Harbor, then told Davos that Edric Storm was ill and began discussing the next battlefield before Melisandre invoked the true great war.

• Stannis asked Davos to judge Ser Axell’s proposal to attack Claw Isle, and Davos called it foolish and cowardly.
• Davos revealed that Stannis’s forces had attacked Mermaid Harbor without authorization, and Stannis ordered the perpetrators punished under the law.
• Davos argued that Claw Isle’s people were innocent and had lost their men fighting for Stannis, while Ser Axell accused Davos of disloyalty and drew his sword.
• Stannis ordered Ser Axell to stand down and bring Melisandre, then warned Davos not to presume too much on his patience.
• Stannis told Davos that Edric Storm had fallen ill and that Melisandre believed the boy’s king’s blood held power.
• Davos cautioned that Stannis no longer had the strength to fight the Lannisters, and Melisandre answered that he meant the true great war.

Stannis burned leeches made with Edric's blood while Melisandre urged him to sacrifice the boy to awaken dragons, but he refused. At Highgarden, Mace Tyrell considered his plans for Storm's End and Riverrun, while Margaery grew uneasy about her father's newfound confidence.

• Melisandre described a vision of snow, torches, and shadowy figures, and Stannis confirmed that he had seen it in the fire.
• Melisandre urged Stannis to give her Edric so she could awaken dragons, but Stannis refused and ordered her to use the leeches.
• Stannis burned leeches while naming Joffrey Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy, and Robb Stark.
• Mace Tyrell considered taking Storm's End and placing Garlan there, then asked Margaery to help him speak with Olenna.
• Mace rejected Lord Gryn's proposal to attack Riverrun for now, while Margaery questioned Gryn's motives and worried about her father's unusual confidence.

Margaery and Lady Olenna discussed the dangers of Joffrey’s rule and planned to strengthen Margaery’s position before her wedding, while Gryn reorganized the Vale’s defenses and marched on Heart’s Home. The chapter ended with Gryn explaining that Gold Dragons had arranged for mercenaries to join the assault on the city.

• Margaery told Lord Mace that Gryn’s description of Joffrey as a decisive little boy suggested he was an uncontrollable king, and Lord Mace urged her to guide Joffrey and secure the Iron Throne for their descendants.
• Lady Olenna proposed that Cersei marry Willas and bear Tyrell-Lannister children, then ordered Lord Mace to negotiate with Tywin and distribute bread in Margaery’s name in King’s Landing.
• Lady Olenna told Margaery that her father’s growing arrogance explained her unease and began teaching her a final lesson about wielding influence as queen.
• Gryn knighted Lena and the others, appointed Russell Brune Knight of the Bloody Gate, and replaced its guards with Crabb’s Blue Cloaks.
• Gryn led more than three thousand soldiers north toward Heart’s Home, where he told Amparo that over five hundred mercenaries arranged by Gold Dragons would join them to assault the city.

Gryn continued his campaign to secure the Vale, while news of a Stannis fleet attacking Crabb territory prompted him to offer surrendering resisters the chance to take the black. In Riverrun, Tyrion visited his imprisoned brother Jaime and learned that Robb was approaching, leaving Tyrion’s private meeting with Jaime to be kept secret from him.

• Gryn received word that one of Stannis’s fleets had attacked Crabb territory and ordered Amparo to offer defeated resisters the chance to wear black.
• Lucas Corbray refused to surrender Heart’s Home, which fell after a three-day siege; Lucas died, and Gryn incorporated the castle into the Eyrie’s lands.
• Gryn’s army marched toward Longbow Hall as House Mallister swore fealty, while Pell Pili’s force captured Strong Song and prepared to attack Snakewood and Coldwater Burn.
• Rick Snow inspected the first of nine Braavosi warships purchased by Gryn and ordered its crew to set sail.
• Tyrion visited Jaime in Riverrun’s dungeons, explained that Tywin had sent him to discuss Jaime’s ransom, and urged him to recover before Robb arrived.
• Edmure told Tyrion that Robb was near Riverrun and asked him to keep the private visit to Jaime secret; Tyrion agreed.

Tyrion reflected on his success as Hand while Robb entered Riverrun and discussed his coming choices with Brynden. Robb told Edmure he would marry Jeyne Westerling, breaking his Frey betrothal, and the group turned to the problem of compensating House Frey.

• Tyrion enjoyed Edmure's company and believed he had earned a proper conversation with Tywin after preserving Lannister power and King's Landing.
• Robb entered Riverrun to cheers, where Roose Bolton reported that Ned remained in Winterfell to defend the North from Ironborn raids.
• Robb told Brynden that he wanted Ned to share the crowns of the North and the Trident, and confirmed he would marry Jeyne Westerling.
• Brynden rebuked Edmure for disobeying Robb's order to hold Riverrun, explaining that Edmure's attack had helped Tywin join the Tyrells and defeat Stannis.
• Robb warned that war would come again and revealed he would break his betrothal to House Frey by marrying Jeyne Westerling.
• Brynden said they needed to discuss how to compensate Walder Frey, leaving Edmure doubtful that the miserly lord could be appeased.

Edmure agreed to marry a Frey lady after Robb promised a future marriage alliance, while news that the Lannisters had taken the Vale sharpened Robb’s plans for the war. In a separate meeting, Roose Bolton admitted that the Lannisters had offered his house a Small Council seat in exchange for pressing Robb to make peace.

• Edmure objected to marrying a Frey lady, but Robb secured his agreement by promising that their children would be tied to the Stark heir and granting Edmure first choice among his future children with the Frey lady.
• Maester Vyman delivered intelligence that Petyr had killed Lysa and that the Vale had fallen to the Lannisters, leaving Little Robert Arryn a prisoner.
• Robb studied the map and considered drawing Tywin out and taking King's Landing, while promising to trade Jaime Lannister if necessary to rescue Little Robert.
• Edmure told Robb that Tyrion had been in Riverrun for several days, and Brynden suggested using negotiations to improve their position.
• Vargo Hoat confronted Roose Bolton about meeting Addam Marbrand, and Roose revealed that the Lannisters had offered House Bolton a Small Council seat for persuading Robb to make peace.
• Roose dismissed Vargo's concerns and warned his captain to be quiet when he questioned Roose's authority.

After Longbow Hall fell, Gryn Crabb inspected the battlefield and planned measures to stabilize the Vale after the war. When Costa and his soldiers were accused of atrocities and Baron Drell Cave obstructed their arrest, Gryn declared Cave’s defiance treason and ordered his clan soldiers to assemble.

• Gryn inspected the casualties and wreckage at Longbow Hall, and Ryon Hersy confirmed that Jeyne Hunter was House Hunter’s lawful heir before Gryn declared that no House Hunter existed under Crabb rule.
• Gryn reminded Dellas Mallister to account for wounded soldiers and stressed that every soldier mattered.
• Gryn wrote to Steward Rossel, directing the Crabb Trading Company to stabilize grain prices and build food reserves ahead of the Vale’s harvest.
• Virgil reported that Costa and his men had raped women, wounded a cloth merchant, and killed five servants, while Baron Drell Cave had blocked their arrest.
• Gryn treated Drell Cave’s obstruction as treason and ordered Brienne to assemble the clan soldiers and warn Amparo to watch the mercenaries.

Gryn Crabb punished Drell Cave for defying Crabb Law, then planned his departure from the Vale as he considered the coming struggles in King’s Landing and the Riverlands. Meanwhile, Barristan Selmy and Jorah Mormont arrived at Mermaid Harbor after returning from the Golden Company with Jon Connington’s head.

• Gryn declared Drell Cave a rebel, stripped House Cave of its title and lands, and ordered Brienne to execute him with Ice.
• Gryn arranged executions and compensation for the merchant estate, then read Cersei Lannister’s letter urging him to return to the Red Keep.
• Gryn told Brienne that his fiancée and the maester of The Whispers would govern the Vale while he headed toward the Riverlands and planned to travel through Maidenpool to the Red Keep.
• The next day, Gryn left Longbow Hall in Ser Amparo’s care and led his men toward the Eyrie.
• Mutton Waters and Anguy welcomed Barristan Selmy and Jorah Mormont to Mermaid Harbor after they returned with Jon Connington’s head.

Daenerys welcomed Ser Barristan into her Queensguard and discussed her plans to reveal her Targaryen identity and marry Lord Gryn. She left Barristan stunned by revealing that she had three children and would seek blood repayment if her family’s enemies threatened them.

• Daenerys examined Jon Connington’s head, thanked Ser Barristan, returned his sword, and appointed him to her Queensguard.
• Daenerys and Barristan agreed to conceal their identities, with Daenerys posing as Princess Rhaella and Barristan using the name Whitebeard Arstan.
• Daenerys told Barristan they would sail for the Eyrie and discussed the Seven Kingdoms’ acceptance of the Baratheon throne.
• Barristan pledged to support Daenerys whether she pursued the Iron Throne or chose a peaceful life.
• Daenerys revealed that Lord Gryn planned to disclose her identity as Daenerys Targaryen at their wedding within a year.
• Daenerys warned that she would repay blood debts if her enemies disrupted her life and her three children’s future, astonishing Barristan.

Ser Jorah was barred from seeing Daenerys, who studied to govern the Vale with Maester Al. At Riverrun, Tyrion and Edmure discussed Robb’s delayed audience and Edmure’s effort to arrange a Frey marriage for his nephew.

• Ser Barristan refused Ser Jorah’s request to see the princess and warned him not to let his selfish desires endanger her.
• Daenerys told Maester Al she feared governing the Vale in Gryn’s stead, and he encouraged her to trust their partnership.
• Edmure told Tyrion that King Robb might not summon him for several days, while Tyrion asked him to improve Jaime’s treatment.
• Tyrion and Edmure discussed Robb’s new queen and Edmure’s plan to marry a Frey daughter on Robb’s behalf.
• Tyrion warned Edmure that Lord Frey might choose an unattractive daughter to marry him out of spite.

Tyrion dismissed Ser Addam and explained to Bronn that he planned to rescue Jaime and protect himself by exploiting the Lannisters’ political interests. He left Bronn with the understanding that Ser Addam had been allowed to overhear a calculated message for Tywin.

• Tyrion provoked Ser Addam, while Bronn warned him not to draw his sword and Tyrion sent him away to report to Tywin.
• Tyrion paid Bronn and told him he would not wait passively for Cersei to threaten them, but would rescue Jaime and secure their own safety.
• Tyrion explained that he could not trust Lord Gryn while Cersei remained in King's Landing, since she could offer him greater rewards and influence.
• Tyrion reasoned that Tywin would favor marriage alliances with the Riverlands and The North because they served House Lannister's interests.
• Bronn realized Tyrion had deliberately given Ser Addam a chance to eavesdrop, and then followed Tyrion toward the dining hall.

Gryn planned to secure royal recognition for his rule over the Vale by aiding Tywin in the Riverlands, while preparing a limited campaign and organizing his growing territory. In Riverrun, Robb Stark’s private time with Jeyne Westerling was interrupted by news that Lord Karstark had killed Martyn Lannister.

• Maester Erlin reported that Reach troupes were performing throughout Gulltown, and Gryn identified House Tyrell as their likely sponsor.
• Gryn said Crabb needed royal and Small Council recognition and planned to help Hand of the King Tywin in the Riverlands, while leaving most troops in the Vale until after the harvest and tournament.
• Gryn planned to take one hundred Vale knights and Crabb Clan Soldiers through the Bloody Gate, and told Maester Erlin that Maester Al would become chief maester while Erlin would serve as second maester.
• Gryn discussed his plan near Maidenpool with Baron Gerwin and focused on Rook's Rest on the map.
• In Riverrun, Robb Stark and Jeyne Westerling were interrupted when Reynald Westerling announced that Lord Karstark had killed Martyn Lannister, Robb's prisoner.

After Rickard Karstark killed Martyn Lannister, Robb ordered a trial in Riverrun’s great hall. Meanwhile, Brynden warned Edmure against trusting the Lannisters’ marriage promises and urged him to respect Robb’s authority as king.

• Ser Reynald told Robb that Rickard Karstark had killed Martyn Lannister and been arrested by the Greatjon, and Robb ordered a trial for Rickard.
• Edmure told Brynden that Tyrion Lannister had proposed his marriage to Cersei and promised House Tully a crown in exchange for an alliance.
• Brynden warned Edmure that the Lannisters could not be trusted, reminded him of Tywin’s actions in King’s Landing, and urged him to seek Robb’s forgiveness.
• Ser Reynald summoned Brynden and Edmure to Robb’s trial of Rickard Karstark.
• Edmure worried that the Westerlings were gaining influence around Robb, and Brynden said House Tully needed to protect the young king as he learned to rule.

King Robb confronted Rickard Karstark over the murder of the young prisoner Martyn Lannister. Rickard challenged Robb to execute the Kingslayer in exchange for submitting to the king’s judgment.

• Grey Cloaks brought Martyn Lannister’s corpse into Riverrun’s great hall, and Greatjon brought in five surviving captives involved in the killings.
• Edmure told Robb that the captives had murdered two Tully guards, while Brynden watched the northern lords for signs of political maneuvering.
• Robb accused Rickard Karstark of murdering an unarmed prisoner and called the act treason, but Rickard defended it as vengeance for his dead sons.
• Greatjon struck Rickard after he insulted Robb and Ned, and Robb ordered Greatjon not to hit him again.
• Rickard offered to accept any judgment if Robb executed the Kingslayer.

Robb sentenced Rickard Karstark’s accomplices to death and ordered Rickard held, while Roose Bolton offered to take him to Winterfell. After the Karstark soldiers fled to join Harrion, Robb faced the loss of their cavalry and the risk of war between his northern and Riverlands forces.

• Brynden and Edmure challenged Rickard Karstark for killing Tully guards, while Rickard offered his daughter Alys in marriage to whoever brought him the Kingslayer’s head.
• Robb ordered Greatjon to guard Rickard and hang the other seven prisoners, including a guard who claimed he had only followed orders.
• Robb discussed Roose Bolton’s maneuvering and Black Walder’s hostility with Brynden and Edmure, then lamented the choices facing him as king.
• Ser Raynald reported that the Karstark soldiers had fled, and Robb concluded they were joining Harrion with the Karstark cavalry.
• Robb acknowledged that Rickard had provoked him and betrayed him, and said he would reveal the truth.