Recaps

Robb explained that he had warned Rhaenys about the danger in Winterfell’s Crypt so she and Meleys could help if the threat emerged. Viserys remained silent as Rhaenys arrived on Meleys, and Robb noticed King Ghidorah in a nearby courtyard.

• Robb told Viserys that he had sent Caste to warn Rhaenys of the danger in the Crypt.
• Robb admitted that he had involved Rhaenys without Viserys’s approval and that Winterfell needed her Dragon to face the threat.
• Viserys silently considered Robb’s actions and thought about replacing him as ruler of the North.
• Robb told Viserys that Rhaenys should arrive soon, but Viserys gave no clear response.
• Rhaenys flew into the courtyard on Meleys, and Robb spotted King Ghidorah nearby.

Robb noticed King Ghidorah waiting beside Viserys and questioned how she had arrived there. Viserys withheld the truth about their mental bond and continued watching Meleys descend, leaving Robb's questions unanswered.

• Robb spotted King Ghidorah resting in the courtyard and realized she was feigning sleep, ready to strike.
• Robb asked Viserys whether King Ghidorah had been guarding the place, and Viserys said she had already been there when he opened the door.
• Robb recalled accounts of dragonriders sensing their Dragons across great distances and wondered whether Viserys could direct King Ghidorah from afar.
• Viserys kept secret that he and King Ghidorah shared perceptions and thoughts, and that she had come to Winterfell after sensing the danger to him.
• Viserys ignored Robb and kept his attention on Meleys as she descended.

Rhaenys arrived at the Stark Crypt after hearing that Viserys was in danger and rushed into his arms, relieved to find him unharmed. Viserys reassured her that everyone had made it out safely.

• Robb resolved to investigate old records for clues about Viserys's bond with King Ghidorah.
• Meleys landed in the courtyard, and Rhaenys leaped down and hurried to Viserys.
• Rhaenys embraced Viserys and trembled with worry until he comforted her.
• Rhaenys explained that Robb had told her Benjen had become one of the Others and that Viserys and Ygritte were trapped deep in the Crypt.
• Viserys assured Rhaenys that everyone had come out and was safe.

After sealing the ancient being in Winterfell’s Crypt, Viserys reassured Rhaenys and ordered Robb to secure the entrance and keep the discovery secret. Back in his room, he began telling Rhaenys and Ygritte what he had found, while preparing to leave for King’s Landing within days.

• Rhaenys reunited with Viserys and asked what had happened in the Crypt; he told her he had sealed the ancient being away for now.
• Viserys ordered Robb to tend to his wound, reseal the Crypt, reinforce its door with dragonglass, and keep the soldiers silent about what lay below.
• Viserys told Robb that he, Rhaenys, and Ygritte would leave for King’s Landing within the next day or two.
• Jeyne welcomed Viserys and the others at the Main Keep, gave Rhaenys a fur cloak, and prepared to travel with them.
• Back in his room, Viserys recounted the runed Ironwood Door, the coffin, Lyanna the Winter Queen, her words about the cold god and Stark blood, and the Others sleeping beneath the Crypt.

Viserys explained Lyanna’s fragile control over the Cold God and weighed keeping her alive against the danger she posed. He planned to gather knowledge and supplies while returning to King's Landing before Lyanna lost control.

• Rhaenys asked whether Lyanna should be treated as an enemy or a potential ally, and Viserys explained that the Cold God might overwhelm her again.
• Viserys said Lyanna had asked him to end her while she remained lucid, but killing her could forfeit valuable knowledge and draw the Cold God’s attention.
• Viserys planned to send a raven to Dragonstone, have Duke William bring dragonglass, prisoners of war, and smiths, and have Robb seal the Crypt.
• Viserys said he would consult ancient records and possibly visit Oldtown to learn more about the Winter Queen.
• Viserys decided they would return to King's Landing first, postponing his search for the Horn of Winter at the Fist of the First Men.

Viserys told Rhaenys that he planned to find the Horn of Winter before the Others could obtain it, after securing the realm’s preparations against the dead. He intended to command every lord to send troops and provisions north, and warned that he would use force against anyone who disobeyed.

• Rhaenys asked Viserys about the Horn of Winter, and he explained that it could destroy the Wall’s magic and that the Night’s King might already be searching for it.
• Viserys said he would return north to search for the Horn after settling matters in King’s Landing and organizing the realm’s forces and supplies.
• Rhaenys questioned whether the southern lords would answer a summons to fight legendary monsters, and Viserys declared that the Iron Throne’s command would require them to provide troops and provisions.
• Viserys warned that he would burn the castles of lords who refused or delayed, citing King Ghidorah’s dragonfire and the Iron Islands as examples.

Viserys assigned Rhaenys to maintain stability in King's Landing while he prepared to face the threat of the Others in the North. The group planned to leave Winterfell the next day, while Ygritte and Jeyne awkwardly followed Viserys toward the baths.

• Rhaenys asked Viserys to take Daenerys north with him and offered to remain in King's Landing to manage the court.
• Viserys promised Rhaenys that Daenerys would accompany him on his next northern journey and asked Rhaenys to help secure their rule.
• Rhaenys accepted her assignment, and Viserys announced they would leave for King's Landing at noon the next day while House Tully and the Riverlands nobles guarded the North and increased supplies.
• Ygritte, Rhaenys, and Jeyne discussed Viserys's plans after he left the room.
• Jeyne went after Viserys to attend him at the baths, and Ygritte followed while debating whether to join them.

Rhaenys saw a vision of the Night's King leading the dead south and feared that the future would bring her into conflict with a greater power threatening Viserys. She resolved to protect her brother and kept the prophecy to herself, while Winterfell held a farewell banquet for Viserys and his companions.

• Rhaenys saw the Night's King point toward her in a vision, then watched the dead begin marching south.
• Rhaenys wondered whether the vision foretold a confrontation with the Cold God and feared that Viserys might be in danger.
• Rhaenys decided not to tell Viserys about the vision and vowed to stand between him and the threat.
• Rhaenys drank the cold wine Viserys had left and returned to bed, prepared to face the future.
• After Viserys washed, Robb learned that he would leave the next day, and Winterfell arranged a farewell banquet.

At a late-night feast in Winterfell, Jeyne Westerling, Ser Rodrik, and the others gathered around the recovering Robb Stark while Ygritte adjusted to her new clothes and the scrutiny of the northern nobles. Jeyne eagerly attended to Viserys as she prepared to leave the North the next day, with her packed bundle and her mother’s letter waiting in her room.

• Ser Rodrik sat near the foot of the table and drank quietly, his gaze repeatedly straying to Robb’s wounded shoulder.
• Jeyne sat beside Ser Rodrik rather than Maester Luwin, who stayed near Robb to tend to his injury.
• Bran avoided the feast partly because he feared being alone with Viserys, while Rickon slept after eating supper early.
• Ygritte wore the dark red dress Lady Catelyn had found for her, endured the nobles’ scrutiny, and tried to feel at ease beside Viserys.
• Jeyne cheerfully poured wine and brought dishes to Viserys, having packed her belongings and her mother’s letter before the feast.

Viserys prepared to leave Winterfell after warning Robb to ready House Stark for the coming war and arranging for Sansa and Arya to return north once matters were settled. He departed with Rhaenys, Ygritte, and Jeyne, while Robb secured the Crypt and Catelyn offered them warm shawls.

• Robb toasted Viserys for helping the North and promised to be ready to fight when the time came.
• Catelyn asked Viserys to send Sansa and Arya home if they were unhappy in King's Landing, and he said they would return to Winterfell after northern matters were settled.
• Viserys and his companions left the great hall after the feast and prepared to depart Winterfell at noon.
• Robb told Viserys that he had sealed the Crypt and reinforced the Ironwood Door, and Viserys instructed him to add dragonglass barriers when it arrived.
• Catelyn gave Viserys wool shawls for the journey, and Viserys told Ygritte and Jeyne to ride Blackflame as the group headed south.

Viserys departed Winterfell aboard Blackflame with Rhaenys, Ygritte, and Jeyne as the dragon horde took flight. Robb and Catelyn watched them go, and Robb revealed that he had summoned the northern houses to defend the Wall.

• Viserys helped Jeyne climb onto Blackflame, and Ygritte pulled her into place beside her.
• Rhaenys chose to ride with Viserys on Blackflame, while Meleys prepared to follow the dragon horde.
• Blackflame carried Viserys and the three women into the air as King Ghidorah, Meleys, and the other dragons joined the flight.
• Robb told Catelyn that he had ordered the northern houses, including House Bolton, to muster fighters and take positions along the Wall.
• Long horn blasts sounded across Winterfell to summon the northern lords.

Catelyn watched Robb return to Winterfell, then met Bran outside as he spoke of the growing cold beyond the Wall and the warmth of Viserys's dragons. Bran believed Robb would keep Winterfell safe and that House Stark would have to face the consequences of its own actions before spring returned.

• Robb bowed to Catelyn and walked back toward the castle after the dragons had departed.
• Catelyn reflected on House Stark's losses and resolved to help Robb protect the North while waiting for Viserys to return with reinforcements.
• Bran arrived in his wheelchair with his direwolf Winter and told Catelyn that the cold was strengthening beyond the Wall.
• Bran said Viserys's dragonfire could bring warmth to Winterfell, and Catelyn hoped it would end the North's troubles.
• Bran said House Stark must settle the consequences of its actions and that Robb had to keep Winterfell safe until spring returned.

Bran returned to Winterfell’s great hall with Catelyn and Winter while Viserys and the others flew south on dragons toward King’s Landing. After a tiring day in the air, they landed in the Vale to camp for the night, leaving Viserys’s party rested before the final leg of their journey.

• Catelyn pushed Bran back toward Winterfell’s great hall, and Winter followed alongside his wheelchair.
• Viserys, Rhaenys, Ygritte, and Jeyne flew south on Blackflame with the Dragon Horde, while Jeyne admired the North from above.
• By evening, the dragons reached the Mountains of the Moon, and Viserys decided they should land and rest.
• The dragons settled on a flat mountain clearing, and King Ghidorah watched over the surrounding valleys.
• Viserys caught Jeyne as she slid from Blackflame, and the group dismounted and shared the provisions Jeyne had brought.
• Viserys said they would leave in the morning and reach King’s Landing by afternoon, while Ygritte sat beside him to eat.

Viserys took King Ghidorah out to hunt for dinner and detected a Mountain Clan camp in the Mountains of the Moon. Among the camp’s people, he sensed a familiar presence and decided to investigate who it might be.

• Jeyne and Ygritte joined Viserys by the fire as the group ate hard flatbread.
• Viserys set out on King Ghidorah to hunt, while Ygritte offered to accompany him and he told everyone to stay behind.
• Viserys used his probing magic to locate rabbits and a wild boar in the mountains.
• Viserys sensed a settled Mountain Clan camp but initially decided not to interfere with its inhabitants.
• Viserys detected a familiar presence among the clanspeople and grew curious about the person’s identity.

Viserys and King Ghidorah discovered a Mountain Clan camp in the Mountains of the Moon, and the enormous beast’s appearance terrified its people. As the camp’s young leader prepared to resist, an old woman knelt and prayed to King Ghidorah.

• Viserys had King Ghidorah fly toward a camp he had sensed in the mountains.
• Viserys identified the camp’s inhabitants as Mountain Clans and watched them unaware from above.
• King Ghidorah’s shadow alerted the sentries, and the gathered Wildlings looked up and saw her.
• Viserys had King Ghidorah hover over the camp, where her wings overturned tents and frightened the people.
• The camp’s young leader raised his bow toward King Ghidorah despite his fear.
• An old woman stopped the young leader, knelt before King Ghidorah, and began reciting a prayer.

Viserys and King Ghidorah confronted the Painted Dog Tribe, and the Hound asked to speak with the king. As the tribe cowered before the Dragon, its Priestess recalled the tribe’s history with Nettles and her Dragon.

• Viserys recognized Sandor Clegane, the Hound, among the Mountain Clans, and the Hound called up to ask to speak with him.
• Viserys ordered King Ghidorah to unleash dragonfire, killing wildlings who had been hiding to attack him and setting the camp ablaze.
• The Hound escaped the flames by rolling into a crevice, while King Ghidorah landed and Viserys descended from his back.
• The Painted Dog Tribe recognized Viserys as the Targaryen king and trembled before King Ghidorah.
• The Priestess recalled that the Painted Dog Tribe had once sought Nettles and her Dragon, but Nettles had avenged a branch of the tribe and disappeared.

Viserys questioned the Hound after encountering him with a Painted Dog Tribe party in the Mountains of the Moon, while dismissing the old priestess’s fears that he had come to avenge Nettles. The Hound began recounting how he escaped King’s Landing and became separated from his men.

• The old priestess begged Viserys to punish her instead of the innocent members of her tribe for the Painted Dog Tribe’s past conflict with Nettles.
• Viserys said he had no interest in settling old grievances and had found no trace of dragon-related magic in the Mountains of the Moon.
• Viserys recognized Sandor Clegane and asked why he had fled north instead of joining Tywin or escaping Westeros.
• The Hound said he had escaped King’s Landing through a secret passage after Cersei chose to remain behind.
• The Hound explained that his group had planned to travel to the Vale, but the route was closed, so they turned toward Harrenhal and were scattered by bandits.

The Hound told Viserys how he fled north after Cersei’s capture and ended up living with the Painted Dog Tribe in the Mountains of the Moon. He said mountain life suited him better than King's Landing, though he did not say whether he would leave.

• The Hound explained that he and a few men headed for the Vale after abandoning the Lannister forces, but the Vale’s garrison barred their way.
• After their provisions ran out, The Hound’s party entered the Mountains of the Moon and was ambushed by the Howling Mountain Tribe.
• The Painted Dog Tribe rescued The Hound, and he later helped them fight their rivals and taught them forest combat tactics.
• The Hound asked Viserys whether he had come to kill him, and Viserys said he had only been passing through.
• The Hound said he preferred the simpler mountain life, where people judged him by his ability to kill rather than his face.

Viserys recruited The Hound to fight the Others and urged him to gather fighters from the Mountains of the Moon. The Hound agreed to leave with Viserys after saying goodbye to the Painted Dog tribe, though the story left his ability to lead them and survive the coming war unresolved.

• The Hound explained that he had nowhere else to go and asked Viserys to spare the Painted Dog tribe if he intended to punish him for serving the Lannisters.
• Viserys told The Hound that the Others were real and asked him to join the war against the dead.
• The Hound agreed to go to war but said he first needed to say goodbye to the tribal elder who had helped him.
• Viserys suggested that The Hound gather fighters from the Mountains of the Moon and lead them to King's Landing along the Kingsroad.
• The Hound accepted Viserys's orders, and Viserys departed on King Ghidorah.

Viserys recruited the Hound to fight the Others, and the Hound decided to bring every capable fighter from the Painted Dog Tribe. Viserys hunted a young deer and returned to camp, where Rhaenys, Ygritte, and Jeyne helped prepare it.

• The Hound decided to take every man from the Painted Dog Tribe who could wield a blade and follow Viserys against the Others.
• Viserys returned to the ravine on King Ghidorah, found a young deer, and killed it with a stone and his sword.
• King Ghidorah caught up with Viserys, and he rode her back to camp with the deer.
• Rhaenys checked that Viserys was unharmed and asked why he had been gone so long.
• Viserys dressed the deer while Ygritte, Jeyne, and Rhaenys helped prepare the meat for their meal.

Viserys and his companions shared a meal in the Mountains of the Moon, where he explained that he had encountered Sandor Clegane and planned to let him prove his worth. The next morning, the group resumed its journey toward King's Landing, with Rhaenys riding Meleys in the middle of the dragon formation.

• Viserys told Rhaenys, Jeyne, and Ygritte that he had met Sandor Clegane, who had fled King's Landing and stayed with the Painted Dog Tribe.
• Rhaenys asked whether Viserys would kill Sandor, and Viserys said he would let him travel to King's Landing and serve in the fight against the Others if he proved useful.
• Rhaenys asked to join Viserys on his next hunt, then rested against him by the campfire while King Ghidorah kept watch.
• After breakfast, Viserys told the others they could reach King's Landing before dark if they pressed on.
• Rhaenys mounted Meleys, and the dragons flew south with Blackflame leading and King Ghidorah bringing up the rear.

Viserys returned to King's Landing with Rhaenys and Ygritte, and Ygritte marveled at the warm southern lands and the capital. After Clinton briefed him on Daenerys and urgent reports from across the realm, Viserys headed for the King's Tower, where Daenerys hurried to meet him.

• Viserys and Ygritte flew over the Crownlands, and Ygritte admired the green fields, Blackwater Bay, and King's Landing.
• Viserys, Rhaenys, and their companions landed their dragons in the Red Keep's courtyard, where Rhaenys told Viserys they were home.
• Clinton greeted Viserys and reported that Daenerys was studying royal documents and that envoys and letters had arrived from across the realm.
• Viserys told Clinton to arrange food and organize the reports, then led Rhaenys and the others toward the King's Tower.
• Daenerys hurried down a corridor to meet Viserys.

Viserys returned to King's Landing, where Daenerys welcomed him and told him that a backlog of letters awaited his attention. At dinner in the Red Keep, the women who had stayed in the city gathered around him, while Roslin anxiously watched him from across the table.

• Daenerys greeted Viserys, confirmed he was unharmed, and told him that ravens had brought many matters needing his decision.
• Daenerys and Rhaenys briefly spoke as the group made their way through the Red Keep toward dinner.
• Viserys, Daenerys, Rhaenys, Ygritte, Jeyne, Sansa, Arya, and Roslin attended a small dinner in the Red Keep.
• Sansa reacted with mixed feelings when she saw Jeyne at the table, while Arya remained focused on Viserys and the North.
• Roslin nervously stole glances at Viserys, fearing that he might forget her during his absence.

Viserys confirmed that the Others were nearing the Wall and prepared to demand troops and provisions from the southern lords. The meeting ended with reports of Dorne’s promised soldiers and Jaime Lannister’s likely location, while Viserys had yet to decide whether to send an army after him.

• Sansa comforted Roslin and reflected that Roslin had been forced to come to King's Landing by House Frey.
• Daenerys briefed Viserys on the situation in King's Landing and delivered Margaery’s request for a firm promise of tax relief in exchange for the Reach’s provisions.
• Viserys agreed to grant the Reach a thirty-percent tax exemption for three years if House Tyrell supplied the requested provisions, and said he would write to every lord the next morning.
• Viserys told the Small Council that he had seen a newly transformed Other at Winterfell and that an army of wights might march toward the Wall within months.
• Viserys ordered the southern houses to send at least half their forces to defend the Wall and warned that resisting houses would be treated as traitors.
• Varys reported that Prince Doran had promised twelve thousand spearmen and that Jaime Lannister was likely gathering remnants near the Golden Tooth, then asked whether Viserys would send an army against them.

Viserys ordered Duke Arthur to lead the Knight Company to the Golden Tooth and capture Jaime Lannister, while preparations for the war against the Others continued. Arthur prepared to depart, and Viserys ordered catapults and dragonglass weapons sent north to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea as soon as they were ready.

• Viserys ordered Duke Arthur to take five hundred men to the Golden Tooth and bring Jaime Lannister back alive if he surrendered.
• Varys warned Arthur that former Lannister retainers were helping the rebels at the Golden Tooth.
• Viserys told Arthur to eliminate resistance but preserve Jaime if possible so he could ask whether Jaime killed Aerys to prevent the use of wildfire.
• Clinton questioned whether sending Arthur would delay the troops' march north, and Viserys said removing the rebels would prevent unrest among the lords.
• Varys reported that half of the two hundred collapsible catapults were complete, and Viserys ordered more made and shipped to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea as they were finished.
• Viserys ordered newly mined dragonglass forged into weapons and sent in batches to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea for the coming fight against the dead.