Chapter Summaries

After killing Tywin, Joffrey hid in the King's Bedchamber and arranged for Ser Mandon and the Gold Cloaks to protect him while he awaited Cersei. Joffrey was drowned in his bath, and the chapter ended with Cersei waking from a nightmare at the Great Sept of Baelor as someone urgently knocked at her door.

• Joffrey fled the Throne Room after killing Tywin and ordered Boros Blount to secretly fetch Ser Mandon.
• Joffrey told Ser Mandon to bring Cersei and arrange protection from Vardis Egen, then ordered Boros to prepare a bath and Summer Wine.
• Joffrey drank wine and fantasized about punishing his enemies while the maidservants filled his bathtub.
• Several people forced Joffrey underwater and drowned him while Boros stood guard outside.
• Cersei woke from a nightmare at the Great Sept of Baelor, spoke with Lady Taena Merryweather, and heard urgent knocking at her door.

Cersei learned that Joffrey had killed Tywin, then found Joffrey dead and suspected the Tyrells after Qyburn showed her a Goldenhand Coin. At Mermaid Harbor, Gryn refused to let Kevan take Myrcella to Dorne and revealed that Cersei had ordered him to lead troops against Sunspear and bring her daughter back.

• Ser Mandon told Cersei that Joffrey had killed Tywin, and Cersei hurried back to the Red Keep to protect her son.
• Cersei found Tywin dead beneath the Iron Throne and ordered his body prepared for a grand funeral.
• Cersei discovered Joffrey dead in his bathtub and ordered the Kettleblack brothers to investigate the two missing maidservants.
• Qyburn showed Cersei a Goldenhand Coin found beneath the bathtub, and she accused the Tyrells of killing Joffrey.
• At Mermaid Harbor, Gryn challenged Kevan for taking Myrcella without Cersei's permission and refused to let her leave for Dorne.
• Gryn told Myrcella and Kevan that Cersei had ordered him to take troops to Sunspear and bring Myrcella back.

Gryn and Kevan discussed Cersei’s response to the proposed marriage alliance for Myrcella, then Kevan received devastating news from the Red Keep. On Dragonstone, Davos secretly sent Edric Storm away before confronting Stannis and Melisandre, who insisted that three people must die although Stannis said there were only two.

• Gryn told Kevan he would wait for Cersei’s reply about Myrcella, while arguing that sending her to Dorne could inflame Dornish hatred of the Lannisters.
• Kevan asked whether Gryn loved Cersei, then assured him that the Lannisters could remain his friends as he prepared to rule the Seven Kingdoms.
• After the banquet, Kevan received a message from the Red Keep and was left grief-stricken, while Gryn withdrew from his room.
• Davos told Maester Pylos to keep the letter’s contents secret, then took Edric from Dragonstone and arranged for him to flee by ship.
• Davos entered the Painted Table Chamber, where he heard Stannis say there were two, not three, and Melisandre insist that three deaths were required.

Stannis learned that Joffrey and Tywin Lannister had died, while Davos revealed he had sent Edric Storm away to protect him from Melisandre’s sacrifice. Melisandre’s vision brought Stannis and Davos to meet the Iron Bank, whose representatives questioned Stannis’s claim to the throne and his motives.

• Davos told Stannis that Joffrey and Tywin Lannister had died, and Melisandre urged Stannis to sacrifice Edric Storm to awaken a dragon from stone.
• Davos revealed that he had sent Edric Storm away aboard a Lysene ship, and defended his actions as loyalty to the king’s duty to protect his people.
• Stannis prepared to execute Davos, but Melisandre saw a vision of an Iron Bank ship arriving at Dragonstone and persuaded Stannis to wait.
• Stannis and Davos boarded the Iron Bank ship the next day and met its representatives, including Tycho Nestoris.
• Stannis asserted that Tommen was an illegitimate usurper, while Tycho replied that the Bank had also heard claims that Stannis sought to steal the throne from his nephews.

Stannis secured a 300,000 Gold Dragons loan from the Iron Bank after Davos negotiated on his behalf, then exiled Davos for his past smuggling. Davos prepared Salladhor Saan to sail with Stannis, while Gryn entrusted Mutton with a Valyrian Steel Axe at Mermaid Harbor.

• Tycho Nestoris questioned Stannis and Davos about their forces, then offered 50,000 Gold Dragons; Davos bargained until the Iron Bank agreed to lend 300,000.
• Stannis praised Davos for negotiating, then ordered him to kneel and exiled him while allowing him to keep his lands, castle, and title.
• Davos gave Salladhor Saan money for his family and told him to sail in three days, explaining that Stannis had exiled him to Dragonstone.
• At Mermaid Harbor, Gryn reviewed the spoils from Claw Isle and assigned Herschel to manage the follow-up and expand the storehouses.
• Gryn gave Mutton the Valyrian Steel Axe to keep until Gryn found a suitable candidate.

Gryn celebrated Crabb Territory’s first Trierarch Feast while preparing to march into the Riverlands, and Ser Mason warned him about the army’s limited provisions. In King’s Landing, Jaime kept vigil over Tywin’s body and rejected Cersei’s plea to avenge Joffrey, leaving their alliance strained as she urged him to take up their father’s responsibilities.

• Gryn addressed the Crabb warriors at the Trierarch Feast, and they pledged their loyalty to him.
• Gryn told Ser Mason that he would gather another year of provisions from the Vale before campaigning in the Riverlands.
• Gryn learned that about half the warriors at the feast would march with him and invited Ser Mason to walk with him.
• Jaime kept vigil beside Tywin’s coffin and blamed himself for the deaths of his father and his first child, Joffrey.
• Cersei asked Jaime to help avenge Joffrey, but Jaime called Joffrey a monster and refused to believe her claim that someone else was responsible.
• Cersei urged Jaime to set aside his grief and shoulder the responsibilities Tywin had left behind.

Jaime rejected Cersei’s demand that he become Hand of the King and insisted on leaving the Kingsguard to fulfill his promise to Tywin. On Dragonstone, Gryn met Davos and unexpectedly knighted his eldest son, Dale.

• Cersei urged Jaime to become Hand of the King and claimed she would rule until Tommen came of age, but Jaime recommended Kevan instead.
• Cersei tried to reconcile with Jaime, but he said he would take off his white cloak and go to Golden Tooth after returning Tywin’s body to Casterly Rock.
• Cersei forbade Jaime from leaving the Kingsguard, but Jaime insisted he would go to the battlefield; after she left, he recalled guarding Queen Rhaella with Jon Darry.
• Gryn arrived at Dragonstone and reassured Davos that Stannis had not left him there because he believed Davos had betrayed him.
• Gryn knighted Dale Seaworth for his bravery and virtuous conduct during the Battle of the Blackwater Rush.

Gryn took control of Dragonstone, warned Davos about the coming war in the Stormlands, and persuaded him to serve as commander of a new fleet and acting governor. After discovering that Dragonstone held abundant obsidian, Gryn revealed its importance against White Walkers and began organizing mining and weapon production.

• Gryn warned Davos that Tyrell and Martell forces could devastate the Stormlands and endanger Davos's family in the Rainwood.
• Gryn offered to protect House Seaworth if Davos pledged his loyalty, while promising he would not have to fight Stannis if they met on a battlefield.
• Gryn appointed Davos acting governor of Dragonstone and ordered fleets from Mermaid Harbor and Gulltown to assemble as the Dragonstone Fleet under Davos's command.
• Davos showed Gryn Dragonstone's abundant obsidian, and Gryn explained that obsidian weapons could kill White Walkers while Wights had returned at the Wall.
• Gryn ordered the Crabb Trading Company to recruit miners and workers, then planned to make obsidian daggers, spearheads, and arrowheads using craftsmen from The Whispers.

Gryn prepared for the coming war against the dead and departed Dragonstone, while Daenerys managed the Vale and experienced a terrifying vision of an ice-eyed shadow. In King's Landing, Cersei attended Tywin's funeral with Tommen and Myrcella, wary of hidden enemies and learning that Gryn had captured Dragonstone.

• Gryn planned additional obsidian weapons in case the White Walkers armored their wights, then left Dragonstone aboard the Black Pearl.
• Daenerys arranged a banquet for Vale noblewomen and continued organizing the Gates of the Moon Tournament as Maester Al taught her about Dorne.
• Daenerys saw an ice-eyed shadow in a frozen vision, and Rhaego, Viserion, and Jons escaped the secret Dragonpit and cried toward the north.
• Cersei took Tommen and Myrcella to Tywin's funeral, where she urged Tommen to act like a king and protect him from his enemies.
• Tommen told Cersei that Gryn had captured Dragonstone and Stannis had fled, prompting Cersei to mock Stannis.

After Lord Tywin’s death, Cersei asserted herself as his heir while navigating Tyrell pressure over Tommen’s marriage and the Small Council. As Tywin’s funeral procession left King’s Landing, Jaime mourned beside Gryn and explained that Cersei had ordered him to wear his white cloak again.

• Cersei watched Lord Tywin’s funeral rites and resolved to find her son’s murderer and take control of his legacy.
• Margaery comforted Tommen and ordered Mego to prepare his favorite toys while privately remaining focused on securing the crown for House Tyrell.
• Cersei rejected Lord Mace’s bid for influence, then promised Lady Olenna that Lannister would honor the marriage pact after Tywin’s funeral.
• On the eighth day, most mourners attended Joffrey’s burial and Tommen’s impending coronation while a small group saw Tywin’s funeral procession depart for Casterly Rock.
• Gryn joined Jaime at the procession, offered him wine, and learned that Queen Regent Cersei had ordered Jaime to wear his white cloak.

Gryn and Jaime discussed Jaime’s plan to restore the Kingsguard and Gryn’s impending departure from King’s Landing. Meanwhile, Cersei asked Kevan to become Hand, but he agreed only if he could serve as regent and Hand while she returned to Casterly Rock.

• Jaime told Gryn he planned to remove unworthy members from the Kingsguard, and Gryn recommended Vardis Egen as a candidate.
• Gryn said he intended to leave King’s Landing, and Jaime agreed to explain his departure to Cersei.
• Gryn asked Kevan whether he would become Hand, but Kevan said he did not yet know and seemed concerned about Cersei.
• Cersei examined an old coin linked to House Gardener and warned Pycelle to keep their discussion secret.
• Cersei asked Kevan to take over Tywin’s office as Hand, but Kevan demanded the regency and Handship on the condition that Cersei return to Casterly Rock.

Cersei clashed with Kevan over the regency, rejected his counsel, and appointed the Kettleblack brothers to command the Gold Cloaks while stripping Kevan of authority. At Crabb Manor, Gryn told Arianne that Tywin and Joffrey were dead, and she began drawing close to him after learning she and her sisters might otherwise have been blamed for the king’s murder.

• Cersei demanded Kevan serve her, but Kevan urged her to return to Casterly Rock and proposed Count Mathis Rowan as Hand instead of Lord Gryn.
• Kevan revealed he knew Tommen’s true father, then left after warning Cersei not to make him her enemy.
• Cersei appointed Osfryd Kettleblack commander of the Gold Cloaks and Osney his deputy, then named Daven Warden of the West and Damion acting lord of Casterly Rock while assigning Kevan to Harrenhal.
• At Crabb Manor, Arianne challenged Gryn about whether she and her sisters could leave, and he told her Tywin and Joffrey had died.
• Gryn recounted that Joffrey killed Tywin and later died in his bathtub, and he suggested the Lannisters might have blamed Arianne and her sisters for the king’s death.
• Arianne asked Gryn whether Joffrey had been murdered, then leaned on his arm and said she had no way to repay him.

Gryn discussed the coming Small Council meeting and Cersei’s struggle with the Tyrells with Arianne, then returned to King’s Landing after Garlan Tyrell summoned him. Lady Olenna met Gryn privately and asked whether he recognized the danger Cersei posed.

• Gryn told Arianne that Mace Tyrell would likely seek the Hand of the King position and explained that he wanted to keep House Crabb out of the Lannister-Tyrell conflict.
• Arianne connected House Martell’s position to Crabb’s and said Martell lacked the strength to challenge the Lannisters.
• Ser Garlan met Gryn outside King’s Gate and said Mace had important intelligence about the next day’s Small Council meeting.
• Gryn entered King’s Landing through the gates Ser Luthor had opened and rode with Garlan to Tyrell Mansion.
• Lady Olenna told Gryn that Cersei and Kevan had quarreled and that Mace underestimated Cersei’s resolve.
• Lady Olenna asked Gryn whether he had also seen the danger of Cersei, and Gryn urged her to forgive the grieving queen.

At breakfast, Gryn warned Cersei that a violent clash with the Tyrells could cost her the support of King's Landing, then offered to help her outmaneuver them. Jaime confronted Cersei over the pyromancers and her plan to destroy the Tower of the Hand, leaving for the Small Council meeting after driving them away.

• At breakfast, Tommen asked to go riding, but Cersei rejected his plans with his friends and sent him to wait for his first Small Council meeting.
• Gryn cautioned Cersei that angering the people of King's Landing could undermine the Iron Throne, and he proposed arranging a fair contest against the Tyrells.
• Jaime burst into the dining hall and demanded to know why Cersei had brought pyromancers to the Tower of the Hand.
• Cersei said she planned to sacrifice the ruined tower, but Jaime argued against destroying it and criticized her idea of moving the court to the Westerlands.
• Jaime revealed that he had already driven away the pyromancers, then left as Cersei cursed him.
• Gryn explained that the tower's destruction could give Cersei time to choose a Hand who suited her, and promised not to let her lose at the Small Council meeting.

Cersei appointed Qyburn Master of Whisperers and presided over the first Small Council meeting after King Tommen’s coronation. Lady Olenna challenged Cersei over the Tyrell-Lannister alliance, leaving the Queen Regent to decide whether to honor the oath or let it go.

• Cersei introduced Qyburn as the new Master of Whisperers, and Pycelle protested his appointment before Cersei silenced him.
• Jaime and Gryn discussed Jaime’s future and the Pyromancers, while Ser Harys Swyft sought Gryn’s support for a council position.
• Cersei welcomed the Tyrell delegation, and Lady Olenna and Lord Mace rebuked her for making them wait; Gryn ordered Ser Osfryd to investigate the delay.
• Cersei led a lengthy council meeting, heard reports on the treasury, the Maester’s Tower, and the Royal Fleet, and recommended High Septon Ollidor for the vacant position.
• Lady Olenna urged Cersei to end the delay over the alliance oath, saying she would leave King’s Landing if the Queen Regent no longer wanted the Tyrell-Lannister agreement.

Gryn helped defuse a confrontation between Cersei and Olenna by proposing that Tommen and Margaery hold a grand betrothal ceremony instead of marrying immediately. After the ceremony, Gryn and Mace planned to leave for the Riverlands and Stormlands, while Kevan told Gryn there had been progress in locating Asha Greyjoy.

• Cersei challenged House Tyrell over its support and the marriage pact, while Olenna questioned whether Cersei would honor her promises.
• Gryn offered aid for King's Landing's refugees and the Riverlands, pledged two hundred thousand Gold Dragons for grain, and asked the Small Council to order Daven Lannister to take Riverrun.
• Cersei demanded that Mace lead the Tyrell army to Storm's End, and Olenna confronted her over Tommen's betrothal to Margaery.
• Cersei lost her temper, but Gryn and Jaime intervened before she could act against Olenna.
• Gryn proposed changing Tommen and Margaery's wedding into a betrothal ceremony, and Cersei and Mace agreed.
• Four days later, Tommen and Margaery received guests at their betrothal ceremony, where Margaery embraced Cersei and Kevan told Gryn that there had been progress in finding Asha Greyjoy.

Kevan learned that Asha Greyjoy was near Ten Towers, then clashed with Cersei over Gryn, Margaery, and the Hand of the King. He left for Harrenhal despite Jaime’s efforts to make him stay, and on the Kingsroad he met a lively golden-haired girl who reminded him of Cersei as a child.

• Kevan told Gryn that Asha Greyjoy’s ship had been spotted near Ten Towers and asked him to be patient with Cersei and keep her safe.
• At the feast, Tommen choked on his wine, prompting Cersei to panic and then retreat to a corridor to cry alone.
• Kevan challenged Cersei over Gryn’s refusal of the Hand’s position and warned her against underestimating the Tyrells, but Cersei threatened him with the Black Cells.
• Jaime tried to persuade Kevan to remain at the Red Keep or take command near Riverrun, but Kevan left for Harrenhal and told Cersei his conditions remained unchanged.
• At Barlis's Tavern, Kevan gave money to a golden-haired girl and listened as she described her family’s inn, while he thought of Cersei’s childhood.

Kevan Lannister reflected on House Lannister’s future before the Sand Snakes attacked and killed him in revenge for their family. In King’s Landing, Jaime reorganized the Kingsguard and heard Sandor ask to leave just as Duke Gryn arrived.

• Kevan gave the tavern girl Lia seven Gold Dragons and planned to travel to Harrenhal to manage the Riverlands and secure grain.
• The Sand Snakes burst into Kevan’s room, killed his guards, and stabbed him repeatedly in revenge for Oberyn, Elia, Aegon, and Rhaenys.
• Jaime ordered Kingsguard members to lead troops against Riverlands bandits and announced that he would arrange monthly challenges for them.
• Sandor told Jaime that he wanted to leave the Kingsguard because King Joffrey was dead, and Jaime urged him not to blame himself.
• Duke Gryn appeared at the council chamber doors as Sandor was about to leave.

Gryn punished Osmund Kettleblack for allegedly sleeping with Cersei, leaving Jaime to decide how to handle the disgraced Kingsguard. After learning Kevan had been murdered, Jaime met with Cersei, who blamed House Martell and demanded that the Lannisters retaliate.

• Gryn dismissed the other Kingsguard and Blue Cloaks, then accused Osmund Kettleblack of sleeping with Cersei.
• Gryn castrated Osmund in the White Sword Tower and left Jaime to deal with him; Jaime summoned Qyburn to treat the wounds.
• Ser Geoffrey told Gryn that Kevan had been stabbed dozens of times and his body had been found.
• Jaime met Cersei in the White Sword Tower that night and told her Gryn had punished Osmund.
• Cersei accused House Martell of murdering Kevan and insisted that the Lannisters strike back.

Cersei tried to draw Jaime back into their former relationship, but he rejected her and reaffirmed his resolve to leave their past behind. In the morning, Olenna prepared Margaery to gain influence over Tommen before leaving King's Landing, while Arya continued training with Syrio at Winterfell.

• Cersei proposed using Kevan Lannister's murder to pressure Prince Doran, and Jaime challenged her plan and accused her of using Osmund Kettleblack.
• Cersei tried to seduce Jaime, but he pushed her away and said he wanted to salvage what remained of his life; she left after insulting him.
• Margaery asked Olenna whether she could use the intelligence about Cersei, and Olenna left the decision to her while urging her to shape Tommen's loyalties.
• Olenna told Margaery that Garlan would leave with her and that Lord Mathis, Lord Paxter, and the Green Cloaks would help protect Margaery.
• Arya sparred with Syrio Forel at Winterfell, and he told her she was becoming faster but still needed to overcome her shorter reach.