Chapter Summaries

Tyrion joined the Night’s Watch under Gryn’s orders to investigate the White Walkers and prevent Stannis from allying with House Stark. Meanwhile, Robb’s forces defeated Lannister mercenaries, and Lady Sybell warned him that House Frey might have secretly sided with the Lannisters.

• Mutton carried Tyrion to Gryn, who told him to pose as a Night’s Watch man and gather intelligence on the White Walkers as the living’s vanguard.
• Tyrion boarded the Night’s Watch ship, met Ser Alliser Thorne, and found Bronn assigned to protect him after Gryn promised Bronn an earldom.
• Greatjon and Dacey led Northern cavalry to rout a mercenary company near Oldstones, and Robb thanked Lady Sybell for providing intelligence that helped secure the victory.
• Lady Sybell sent Rollam away and warned Robb that Walder Frey might have secretly sworn allegiance to the Lannisters.

Robb resolved to act against Walder Frey using Lady Sybell’s letter, while Brynden doubted the plan and ordered her watched. In King’s Landing, Gryn dealt with the political fallout from Tyrion’s disappearance as Tywin’s council confronted the threat posed by Euron Greyjoy.

• Lady Sybell gave Robb a letter and warned him to beware of Walder Frey, and Robb thanked her for helping him.
• Brynden met Robb, questioned whether he trusted Lady Sybell, and warned that Robb’s plan was riskier than the original one.
• Robb ordered Brynden to command most of the army outside Riverrun so Walder Frey would lower his guard, and promised to treat Roslin Frey well.
• Brynden ordered his guards to keep a closer watch on Lady Sybell after leaving Robb’s tent.
• Gryn discussed Tyrion’s disappearance and the unrest over Claw Isle with Leyton, then prepared to attend Tywin’s council meeting.
• Kevan and Pycelle reported that Euron Greyjoy had taken the Seastone Chair and vanished with most of the fleet, prompting Tywin’s council to consider the threat to the Seven Kingdoms.

Lord Tywin agreed that Jaime must bring back the fugitive’s head before becoming heir to Casterly Rock, then planned to keep Lord Mace and Gryn away from the Red Keep. Robb reached the Twins to arrange his wedding to Lady Roslin, while Duke Brynden caught Lady Sybell trying to slip out of camp.

• Gryn challenged Lord Tywin’s punishment of Jaime and persuaded the council to require Jaime to bring back the fugitive’s head before inheriting Casterly Rock.
• Lord Tywin agreed to the proposal and told Ser Kevan that Lord Mace and Gryn must not appear in the Red Keep for some time.
• Robb arrived near the Twins and assured Black Walder that he would honor his betrothal to Lady Roslin, then gave him gifts and a list of wedding guests.
• Duke Brynden and the guards stopped Lady Sybell as she tried to leave the Northern army’s camp at night.

Duke Brynden forced Lady Sybell to confess her Lannister conspiracy and sent her to deceive the Freys into letting Robb’s wedding proceed. Robb arrived at The Twins and apologized to Lord Walder, while the Freys weighed their position and prepared for the marriage.

• Duke Brynden threatened Lady Sybell with the deaths of her husband and children unless she confessed, and she revealed her plans to warn the Freys and her role in drugging Jeyne.
• Duke Brynden ordered Lady Sybell to persuade the Freys that a child of Robb and Roslin would inherit Riverrun, and warned that House Westerling would be pardoned only if she succeeded.
• At The Twins, Old Walder examined the wedding jewels and told Roslin to guard them, while Black Walder reported that Duke Brynden would remain outside the castle.
• Old Walder explained that he wanted to learn what House Frey meant to Robb, and Aenys Frey arrived with Genna Lannister.
• Robb and his northern party reached The Twins, exchanged barbs with Black Walder, and entered the hall to meet Lord Walder.
• Robb apologized to Lord Walder for offending House Frey and asked him to forgive the breach of their agreement.

At the wedding feast at The Twins, Robb and Roslin were carried off for bedding while Dacey and the Northerners began their planned attack on House Frey. The chapter ended with the Freys being slaughtered and Mormont killing Old Walder.

• Old Walder questioned Robb about his plans, and Robb told him he intended to strike at Golden Tooth before introducing him to Roslin and the Frey women.
• Robb and Roslin wed and attended the feast, where Roslin offered him honeyed milk and he promised to treat her well.
• The guests carried Robb and Roslin away for bedding, while Dacey prepared the signal for the Northerners to attack.
• When the song The Direwolf of the Night began, Dacey killed Black Walder with a beef leg bone and the Northerners drew their swords.
• Greatjon led the Northerners in a slaughter of the Freys, Dacey killed Ser Lyman and Edwyn, and Mormont stabbed Old Walder through the heart.

After the Freys were executed at the Twins, Robb and Brynden defended the attack to the northern lords and discussed the future of the house and Roslin. Robb tried to reassure his terrified bride, but after midnight Roslin jumped into the Green Fork while Robb lay bound and dead in a pool of blood.

• Roose Bolton confronted Brynden about Robb's attack on the Freys, then left camp when Brynden said the attack had succeeded.
• Robb showed the northern lords the letter proving the Freys had colluded with the Lannisters, and Brynden publicly took responsibility for the decision.
• Robb told Brynden he planned to make Perwyn Frey Marquis of the Twins and intended to protect Roslin as his innocent wife.
• Robb freed Roslin from her bindings and promised to respect and protect her, while she remained frightened and asked to stay in his room.
• After midnight, Roslin jumped from a windowsill into the Green Fork, while Robb was found bound in an X-shape and dead in a pool of blood.

After the Red Wedding, Tywin moved to claim the Riverlands and secure Lannister rule while Cersei pursued false leads about Tyrion’s whereabouts. Gryn discussed Cersei’s efforts to free Joffrey from Tywin’s restrictions and suggested a scheme, but rejected using Pycelle to fake the king’s illness.

• Tywin ordered Kevan to condemn the Tullys and Starks for violating Guest Right, strip House Tully of its lands, and secure Harrenhal and the Riverlands for the Lannisters.
• Tywin named Kevan Earl of Harrenhal and governor of the Trident basin, and directed him to arrange Lancel’s marriage to Arlie Frey.
• Cersei rejected two supposed heads of Tyrion and ordered Ser Meryn to cut off a Tyroshi dwarf’s nose after he presented a false one.
• Cersei heard three conflicting reports of Tyrion’s whereabouts and warned the informants that false intelligence would cost them their tongues.
• Gryn learned from Mila that Cersei had been having nightmares since Jaime left King’s Landing, then met Cersei and discussed Jaime, Tyrion, and Claw Isle.
• Cersei said she wanted to negotiate with Tywin to free Joffrey, and Gryn suggested the king could feign illness before dismissing Pycelle as too timid to help.

Cersei learned that Robb Stark had died and celebrated with Gryn, while Gryn and Lord Mace discussed Tywin’s plans for the Riverlands and the war’s likely consequences. The chapter ended with Kevan inviting Gryn and Lord Mace to Tywin’s feast in the Tower of the Hand.

• Cersei agreed to summon Qyburn into her service and asked Gryn how long it would take to capture Dragonstone.
• Ser Osney announced that Robb Stark had died in Luan River City, and Cersei celebrated the news with Gryn.
• Gryn warned Ser Osney not to interrupt them again, while Cersei told him to keep watching the Rose.
• Lord Mace showed Gryn Tywin’s letter and discussed the Lannisters’ plans to claim the Riverlands and isolate Brynden Tully.
• Lord Mace offered the Redwyne Fleet’s help in Gryn’s campaign against Dragonstone, and they discussed whether the Tullys might submit to the Iron Throne.
• Kevan Lannister invited Gryn and Lord Mace to attend a feast in the Tower of the Hand on Tywin’s behalf.

At Tywin Lannister’s banquet, Gryn spoke with Lady Olenna and Margaery before recounting the bloody wedding at Riverrun to Myrcella and Tommen. The nobles discussed Robb Stark’s death until Tywin arrived, leaving the banquet’s purpose still unknown.

• Lady Olenna teased Gryn about his descendants and criticized Lord Mace, then asked why Tywin had summoned the nobles and thanked Gryn for supporting Margaery.
• Cersei arrived with Myrcella and Tommen, and Gryn wondered whether Joffrey had chosen to miss the banquet or had been forbidden to attend.
• Tommen asked Gryn about the bloody wedding at Riverrun, and Gryn told him and Myrcella what had happened there.
• Tommen said he would have attacked Luan River City directly if he had been Robb Stark, while Myrcella expressed sorrow for the people there.
• Count Mathis and Ser Garlan discussed Robb Stark’s death with Gryn, and the Master of Household announced Tywin’s arrival.

At the Tower of the Hand banquet, Gryn discussed the missing Ironborn fleet with Kevan and suggested Euron had vanished to spread panic. The chapter ended with Tywin telling Mace and Gryn that Prince Doran had given the Red Keep one month to appease Dorne or face war.

• Tywin toasted the Seven Kingdoms, and Cersei invited him to dance while Margaery danced with Mace.
• Gryn danced with Alerie Hightower, who invited him to visit Oldtown.
• Gryn congratulated Kevan on Harrenhal and asked about reports of Euron's fleet.
• Gryn suggested Euron had disappeared deliberately to stir panic and that the Greyjoys might imitate Quellon Greyjoy.
• Tywin told Mace and Gryn that Prince Doran demanded an answer within a month or Dorne would choose war.

Tywin, Gryn, and Mace agreed to send Kevan to Sunspear with Blackhaven and a Small Council seat as offers to resolve the conflict with Dorne. Joffrey raged over being excluded from the celebration of Robb Stark’s death and sought a secret meeting with Gryn, while Davos reflected on his role as Hand at Dragonstone.

• Tywin granted Saltpans to Crabb and Stoney Sept to Tyrell, then set a one-month deadline to address Dornish anger over Oberyn’s death.
• Gryn proposed Kevan as envoy to Sunspear, and Tywin offered Blackhaven and a Small Council seat as gifts to Prince Doran.
• Joffrey learned that Tywin’s feast celebrated Robb Stark’s death, grew furious at being excluded, and ordered Mandon to summon Tywin.
• Joffrey demanded that Mandon arrange a secret meeting with Gryn as soon as possible.
• Davos explored Dragonstone and told Maester Pylos that he felt better suited to being a captain than the Hand.

Davos began learning to read with Maester Pylos and discovered that a neglected Night’s Watch letter warned of a King-Beyond-the-Wall marching south. Stannis then showed Davos the green wildfire connected to Lord Gryn’s gift, while Gryn privately confronted Joffrey in the Red Keep.

• Maester Pylos encouraged Davos to learn to read, and Davos joined Devan Seaworth, Edric Storm, and Princess Shireen Baratheon for a lesson about King Daeron I and their fathers’ exploits.
• Davos practiced reading with a Night’s Watch letter that warned a King-Beyond-the-Wall was leading a massive Wildling army south; Maester Pylos said Alester Florent had kept it from Stannis and Melisandre.
• Davos warned Pylos not to take the letter to Stannis, then worried that Edric Storm might have to die if Stannis were Azor Ahai reborn.
• Stannis summoned Davos to a secluded beach, where Melisandre ignited green wildfire from jars and identified it as Lord Gryn’s gift.
• Gryn visited Joffrey privately at the Iron Throne, ignored the king’s angry question about Tywin, and asked whether Joffrey understood the risk Gryn had taken.

Gryn confronted Joffrey about Tywin’s growing power and refused to kill him, warning Joffrey to keep himself safe while Gryn prepared to leave for Dragonstone. He then reassured Cersei that Joffrey would be a good king and urged her to choose a new queen for him, leaving her pleased with his advice.

• Gryn slapped Joffrey when he threatened him and explained that Tywin had become the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms after Robb Stark’s death.
• Gryn rejected Joffrey’s pleas to kill Tywin and Lancel, advised him to claim illness for safety, and said he would support him if he later defeated Tywin.
• Joffrey ordered Ser Mandon to find out when Kevan would leave for Dorne after hearing Gryn’s message that Cersei had never served anyone.
• Gryn told Cersei that Joffrey might need Qyburn and advised her to let Joffrey remain quiet while she considered a new queen for him.
• Cersei agreed to choose a suitable wife for Joffrey and asked Gryn how she should reward him.

Gryn left Cersei after discussing Taena Merryweather and the coming royal wedding, while Cersei confronted Taena about serving Margaery and her past. Later, Gryn encountered Margaery in the Red Keep’s Godswood at night.

• Gryn and Cersei flirted in the bath, and Gryn said he would wait for Cersei to find a new queen candidate before helping delay the wedding by keeping the sick king from holding it on schedule.
• Cersei told Gryn that Taena Merryweather was Margaery’s informant, but she intended to win Taena’s loyalty by offering her influence and learning what Taena knew about the Tyrells.
• After Gryn left, Cersei recalled her unhappy marriage to Robert and her loneliness since Jaime’s departure, then warned Taena against betraying her.
• Cersei questioned Taena about Margaery’s request for information and Taena’s first love; Taena admitted agreeing to share Cersei’s whereabouts but insisted she would remain loyal to Cersei.
• Gryn met Margaery in the Godswood, where she said his Gold Cloak uniform had drawn her out to admire the Red Keep at night.

Margaery pressed Gryn for information about the Lannisters’ plans, and he hinted at an upheaval that would benefit the Tyrells and House Crabb before they kissed and parted. The next day, Kevan assigned Addam to protect Tywin while Kevan traveled to Sunspear.

• Margaery asked Gryn whether her wedding to Joffrey would be delayed, and he said it would not take place as scheduled.
• Gryn told Margaery that a small upheaval might occur, that the Tyrells and House Crabb would benefit, and suggested she take Tommen out in the Red Keep the next day or the day after.
• Gryn asked Anguy to investigate whether the popular brothel featuring the “Lys Lioness” and “Lys Little Lioness” had ties to Dorne.
• Kevan told Addam Marbrand that he would travel to Sunspear and appointed Addam to oversee Tywin’s protection while he was away.
• Kevan instructed Addam to prioritize Tywin’s safety and disregard Joffrey’s unreasonable demands.

Kevan assigned Ser Addam to protect Tywin and discussed Dorne’s likely demands for peace, while Anguy encountered Arianne Martell during a covert meeting at a brothel. After learning that Arianne and the Sand Snakes wanted to meet him, Gryn wondered why Tywin had arranged for Cersei to leave the Red Keep and Myrcella’s role in the plan.

• Kevan placed the Lannister Red Cloaks under Ser Addam’s command to protect Tywin and warned him to stay vigilant.
• Kevan told Tywin that Prince Doran might seek a marriage alliance as part of peace negotiations with Dorne, then asked to add someone to the diplomatic delegation.
• Anguy entered a brothel in disguise and met Arianne Martell, who revealed that her cousin was speaking with Leyton and said Martell and Crabb were not enemies.
• Gryn read that Cersei would lead noble ladies in seven days of prayer at the Great Sept of Baelor, and wondered whether Tywin was using Myrcella as bait or a bargaining chip.
• Leyton told Gryn that Arianne and the Sand Snakes wanted to see him at the brothel, and Gryn reacted with surprise that it was another brothel.

Gryn met Princess Arianne and the Sand Snakes in King's Landing, where they asked him to support arresting Jaime Lannister for Prince Oberyn's murder. Their meeting ended amid distrust and Gryn's warning about their small escort; the next day, Joffrey reacted furiously to Margaery currying favor with Tommen.

• Gryn ordered Little Steward to gather clan soldiers and Gold Cloaks near the brothel, then sent Brienne to arrange for Ser Mason to leave for Mermaid Harbor.
• Princess Arianne welcomed Gryn at the brothel and explained that she had brought her cousins because she feared for their safety in King's Landing.
• Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, and Tyene Sand accused the Lannisters of concealing Prince Oberyn's murder and asked Gryn to support arresting Jaime Lannister.
• Gryn warned the Sand Snakes that they had no evidence and told Arianne that Kevan Lannister would soon travel to Sunspear to discuss peace with Prince Doran.
• Leyton and Anguy entered, and Gryn learned that Arianne and her cousins had only seven female guards before he urged them not to reject his goodwill.
• The next day, Joffrey threw a wine cup and shouted that Margaery had begun currying favor with Tommen.

Joffrey grew fearful as he learned that the people he relied on were absent, but Qyburn calmed him with Wine of Courage and gained his favor. Meanwhile, Mandon and Vardis advanced their ties to Lord Gryn, Margaery prepared for her role with Olenna, and Tywin learned Joffrey was ill just as Cersei forced her way toward him.

• Qyburn and Mandon told Joffrey that the Tyrells sought the Queen's crown, while Cersei, Gryn, Jaime, and Sandor were unavailable to protect or advise him.
• Qyburn gave Joffrey Wine of Courage, and Joffrey made him the king's physician and adviser before asking whether he could be made ill.
• Mandon met Vardis in a garden, confirmed his task was nearly complete, and discussed House Egen's loyalty to Lord Gryn.
• Olenna urged Margaery to prepare for the Golden Rose's future, and Margaery assured her grandmother that she accepted what she had to do.
• Three days later, Ser Addam told Tywin that Joffrey had a fever and wanted him to visit, but Tywin refused; Cersei then slapped a guard and pushed into the Hand's Study.

Cersei confronted Tywin over Myrcella’s dangerous mission to Dorne and was forcibly sent back to the Great Sept under guard. Tywin then learned that Joffrey had been tormenting Lancel and went to the Throne Room to confront him.

• Cersei tried to enter Tywin’s study, but Ser Addam blocked her until Tywin allowed her in.
• Cersei demanded Myrcella’s return and learned that Tywin planned to use her as bait in negotiations with the Martells, though he said guards would protect her.
• When Cersei threatened war unless Tywin guaranteed Myrcella’s safety, he ordered Ser Addam to escort her to the Great Sept and then send her to Casterly Rock.
• Grand Maester Pycelle told Tywin that Joffrey had forced Lancel to play a dangerous crossbow game, and Tywin ordered Pycelle watched while he went to intervene.
• Tywin entered the Throne Room, had Ser Addam’s men take the wounded Lancel away, and confronted Joffrey as the king protested that his game was not over.

Ser Addam disarmed Joffrey and cleared the Throne Room so Tywin could confront him about rejecting the Tyrell betrothal. After Tywin threatened to send Cersei away and warned Joffrey to obey, Joffrey stabbed him in the back, and Tywin fell down the Iron Throne’s steps.

• Ser Addam took Joffrey’s crossbow and sword, while the Red Cloaks removed weapons and blocked the Kingsguard from intervening.
• Tywin questioned Joffrey about rejecting the Tyrell marriage, and Joffrey claimed the Tyrell girl had betrayed him by tempting Tommen.
• Tywin warned Joffrey about the consequences of abandoning House Tyrell and ordered that Cersei be sent to Casterly Rock.
• Joffrey reluctantly agreed to behave, while Tywin warned him that Tommen would be raised by Jaime.
• Joffrey grabbed Lion’s Tooth and stabbed Tywin in the back as Tywin left the throne room.
• Tywin collapsed and rolled down the steps beneath the Iron Throne.