Recaps

Viserys finalized the realm’s preparations for war against the Others and reassured Daenerys before planning another journey beyond the Wall. Varys sent a royal summons requiring the lords to muster troops and supplies, leaving the kingdom awaiting their response.

• Viserys concluded the council meeting after issuing detailed orders for the coming war against the Others.
• Varys reminded Viserys that Lady Roslin might need his attention, and Viserys acknowledged the advice.
• Daenerys asked to accompany Viserys beyond the Wall, and he agreed while reassuring her that he would be safe.
• Varys sent ravens across the Seven Kingdoms with orders for the lords to provide troops, armor, and provisions and march to the Wall by the deadlines.
• The royal summons promised rewards and compensation for service while placing all incoming forces under the king’s unified command.

Roose Bolton received Robb Stark’s order for northern houses to send troops and provisions to the Wall and asked Jon Snow what he thought of it. Jon remained at the Dreadfort under Roose’s watch, while Robb’s plan to recall him had been blocked by Catelyn; the chapter left Jon yet to answer Roose.

• Roose Bolton read Robb Stark’s conscription order requiring northern houses to muster troops and provisions for the Wall.
• Jon Snow read the letter and furrowed his brow as Roose watched him.
• The chapter recounted how Catelyn had stopped Robb from recalling Jon, and Robb later forgot to raise the matter again.
• Roose told Jon that he was inclined to obey the order, citing the war against the dead and Viserys’s support, then asked for Jon’s opinion.

Jon urged Roose Bolton to support Robb Stark’s call for troops against the Others, and Roose agreed to send two thousand soldiers and supplies to Winterfell within three days. Jon was ordered to lead them with Ramsay, whom he then encountered returning from a bloody hunt.

• Jon told Roose Bolton that Robb had grounds to summon Northern troops and warned that the Others would not wait for the lords to agree.
• Roose questioned how many soldiers and provisions House Bolton should provide, and Jon said Robb’s levy required at least two thousand men.
• Roose agreed to prepare two thousand soldiers and supplies within three days and ordered Jon and Ramsay to lead them to Winterfell.
• Roose warned Jon to keep Ramsay from using his flaying tricks or disrupting the king and Robb’s plans.
• Jon left to pack for Winterfell, then encountered Ramsay Bolton in the courtyard with mud on his shoes and blood on his sword.

Ramsay watched Jon grow close to Roose Bolton and tried to draw the fellow bastard to his side, while his resentment over his father's contempt and Domeric's former place as heir continued to shape him. The chapter left Ramsay greeting Jon after he left Roose's study, with Reek at his side.

• Ramsay saw Jon approaching from Roose Bolton's study, handed his weapons to Reek, and went to meet him.
• Roose Bolton had given Ramsay Reek as a humiliating warning, but Reek became Ramsay's closest and most obedient companion.
• Ramsay secretly poisoned Domeric, and after Domeric died, Roose made Ramsay his fallback heir despite continuing to look down on him.
• Ramsay grew jealous as Roose seemed to favor Jon and began trying to draw Jon to his side.

Jon recognized Ramsay’s attempts to draw him into disgrace as a way to manipulate and isolate him, while Ramsay’s cruelty continued unchecked at the Dreadfort. The chapter ended with Ramsay confronting Jon after another flaying, his bloodied glove on Jon’s shoulder.

• Jon repeatedly rejected Miranda when Ramsay sent her to his room, and Ramsay mocked him for acting like a virtuous gentleman.
• Jon saw through Ramsay’s efforts to win him over and understood that they could estrange him from House Stark and give Ramsay leverage over him.
• The narration explained that Viserys still did not know how he had crossed into this world, while King Ghidorah stayed with him out of curiosity.
• Ramsay came from his father’s study and taunted Jon about receiving an assignment from Roose Bolton.
• Ramsay pressed his blood-smeared glove onto Jon’s shoulder after flaying victims during one of his hunts.

Jon faced Ramsay at the Dreadfort, where Ramsay described torturing and killing a runaway servant and a kitchen girl to provoke him. Jon suppressed his rage and fear, then told Ramsay to stop blocking his way, leaving their hostility unresolved.

• Jon told Ramsay that Robb had ordered the northern houses to send troops to reinforce the Wall.
• Ramsay questioned Jon's loyalty to Robb and suggested that Robb had abandoned him, but Jon refused to reveal anything.
• Ramsay bragged that he had hunted down a runaway servant and a kitchen girl and let his hounds attack them before he flayed the girl.
• Jon restrained his anger despite Ramsay's taunts, then told Ramsay to step aside because they would never be the same kind of person.

Jon confronted Ramsay at the Dreadfort and recognized Reek’s envy as a desire to drag him into the same degradation. Roose then ordered Ramsay and Jon to lead two thousand Bolton men to join the Northern forces against the Others, but Ramsay dismissed the warning as a Stark lie.

• Ramsay taunted Jon over his bastard status and threatened to flay him, while Jon warned that he would cut out Ramsay’s tongue.
• Reek followed Ramsay from the corridor, casting Jon a vicious, envious glance.
• Jon reflected that Reek wanted to destroy his dignity and make him suffer the same humiliation Reek had endured.
• Roose told Ramsay that reports from Winterfell said the Others were gathering beyond the Wall and ordered him and Jon to muster two thousand Bolton men.
• Ramsay said his people had heard nothing of the Others and accused House Stark of inventing the warning.

Roose Bolton believed the Others were real and decided House Bolton would obey Robb’s order to march to the Wall, while Ramsay opposed serving the Starks. The chapter ended with Ramsay plotting something as he smiled cruelly.

• Ramsay argued that the stories of the Others were a Stark pretext to weaken other houses, but Roose said the Others were real.
• Roose recalled House Bolton’s records of the Others and the Night’s King, which had survived in the Dreadfort’s underground library.
• Roose reasoned that the Wildlings had fled south because they were escaping the Others and that the Wall had been built to defend against the dead.
• Roose said he would follow Robb’s levy order because a Bolton serving in the Night’s Watch had sent reliable information from the Wall.
• Ramsay objected that the Boltons should not risk their lives obeying Robb, then smiled cruelly as an idea came to him.

Roose Bolton planned to send Ramsay and Jon to the Wall while keeping Bolton soldiers behind Stark forces, hoping the Starks would be weakened by the Others. Ramsay tried to win Jon’s trust, then paid Dreadfort steward Edgar to copy letters from Winterfell.

• Roose told Ramsay that House Bolton should join the expedition to the Wall, conceal its ambitions, and let Stark forces bear the brunt of any fighting.
• Roose ordered Ramsay to travel with Jon, who would serve as his squire, and warned him not to let his cruelty endanger House Bolton.
• In the days before departure, Ramsay repeatedly approached Jon with excuses and gifts, but Jon stayed wary and continued sending intelligence to Winterfell.
• After Jon rebuffed him, Ramsay bribed Edgar to send him copies of every letter arriving from Winterfell without telling anyone else.

Edgar brought Ramsay a raven letter from Robb to Jon, and Ramsay secretly read its contents before sending it on unchanged. Jon took comfort in Robb’s affectionate message, unaware that the Dreadfort had intercepted it.

• Edgar received a raven letter from Winterfell for Jon and brought it to Ramsay first.
• Ramsay held the sealed letter up to a candle and read its faintly visible contents.
• Ramsay returned the letter to Edgar and ordered him to deliver it to Jon as though nothing had happened.
• Jon read Robb’s greeting, felt reassured that his family remembered him, and placed the letter beneath his documents.

Ramsay secretly sent Robb an anonymous accusation that Jon was colluding with House Bolton, but Roose discovered the letter and rebuked Ramsay for acting carelessly. Robb trusted Jon and sent him a warning, though the reply could not reach him before Jon and Ramsay marched from the Dreadfort with Bolton troops.

• Ramsay asked Edgar to send Winterfell an unsigned letter accusing Jon of shifting loyalties, then sealed it with a Stark Direwolf stamp.
• Roose confronted Ramsay with the letter, warned that it could expose House Bolton's plans, and criticized his hasty methods.
• Maester Luwin delivered Ramsay's accusation to Robb, who dismissed it and continued organizing Winterfell's forces.
• Robb sent Jon a letter expressing his trust and warning him that someone was trying to harm him.
• Jon and Ramsay left the Dreadfort with two thousand Bolton soldiers before Robb's reply could reach them.

Jon and Ramsay left the Dreadfort before Robb's reply arrived, while Roose Bolton considered a letter from Walda Frey and recalled the marriage pacts that linked their houses. The chapter left Roose with Walda's invitation and her letter unburned for the first time.

• Robb trusted Jon's account of the letter and replied without investigating, but Jon, Ramsay, and their men had already departed the Dreadfort.
• Jon personally oversaw preparations for the troops, both to support Winterfell's march north and to learn House Bolton's strength.
• Roose read a letter from Walda Frey saying that Walder Frey was ill and inviting Roose to visit the Twins.
• Roose recalled how Walder Frey had opened the Twins to Robb's army in exchange for a marriage pact, and how Roose had chosen Walda as his own bride.
• After Robb broke his pact with House Frey, Walder withdrew his support for the North, while Roose never brought Walda to the Dreadfort despite leaving their own pact intact.
• Roose set Walda's letter aside instead of burning it and took a sip of wine.

Roose Bolton decided to seek another heir with Walda while keeping any son beyond Ramsay’s reach, and he sent Ramsay and Jon north with an army to answer Robb’s call. As the force approached Winterfell, Jon remained wary of Ramsay and looked for a way to warn Robb.

• Roose remembered Domeric’s suspicious death and weighed Ramsay’s threat against House Bolton’s need for an heir.
• Roose decided that if Walda bore him a son, the child would be raised at the Twins, and he would kill Ramsay if Ramsay threatened the boy while Roose lived.
• Two thousand Bolton soldiers, led by Ramsay with Jon accompanying him, marched from the Dreadfort toward the Wall with a detour to Winterfell.
• Ramsay acted warmly toward Jon on the march, calling him brother, while Jon kept his distance and sought an opportunity to alert Winterfell.
• Ramsay told Jon he planned to explain to Robb how much House Bolton had spent answering the call, and Jon said returning home felt strange.

Viserys and Rhaenys lingered in bed in the Red Keep until Daenerys arrived with news from the Reach. Rhaenys delayed getting up, uneasy about Viserys’s closeness with Daenerys.

• Viserys woke beside Rhaenys and reflected on the old Targaryen carvings in the king’s bedchamber.
• Rhaenys told Viserys she wanted others to recognize her as his queen and their future children as the lawful heirs.
• Daenerys knocked at the door and said Varys had sent a letter with news from the Reach.
• Viserys answered Daenerys, but Rhaenys clung to him and made her wait, revealing her unease about his preference for Daenerys.

Viserys comforted Rhaenys and realized he truly belonged in this world and loved her. Meanwhile, Ser Oliver Redwyne led a heavily laden Arbor Fleet squadron through foggy waters as unfamiliar fishing boats appeared ahead.

• Rhaenys admitted to Viserys that she wanted him to give her more attention, even though she did not wish to compete with Daenerys.
• Viserys held Rhaenys and apologized, telling her that what she wanted from him should have been hers all along.
• Viserys let go of his sense of being an outsider and recognized himself as truly Viserys Targaryen, living a real life with Rhaenys.
• Ser Oliver Redwyne led twenty-eight Arbor Fleet warships carrying plunder from the Iron Islands through fog near the Westerlands.
• A lookout reported five Reach fishing boats ahead, and Oliver ordered the squadron to hold course while gripping his sword.

Asha Greyjoy led the remnants of her fleet through Reach waters after the destruction of the Iron Islands, grieving her dead kin and companions while refusing to surrender. As Oliver’s Arbor Fleet spotted suspicious vessels nearby, Asha remained determined to reclaim Pyke and avenge the Ironborn.

• Oliver suspected the calm sea concealed a trap and ordered patrol ships to investigate the approaching fishing boats while his men prepared to fight.
• Asha sailed aboard the Daughter of the Sea Monster with sixty-three longships and about twelve hundred Ironborn after the Arbor Fleet’s pursuit scattered her forces.
• Asha learned that Viserys Targaryen’s dragons had destroyed the Iron Islands, killing Balon and many other Ironborn, while surviving captains abandoned her to become pirates.
• Tristifer Botley had sent Asha away aboard the Daughter of the Sea Monster so she could escape the Arbor Fleet, then stayed behind to cover her retreat.
• Asha vowed to return to the Iron Islands, raise the Greyjoy Sea Monster Banner over Pyke, and avenge those who had betrayed the Ironborn.

Asha learned that a Redwyne fleet was carrying plunder from the Iron Islands toward King's Landing, where it would be offered to the Targaryen ruler. Cole reported that the fleet had few warships escorting it, leaving Asha with a possible target.

• Cole joined Asha and reported that lookouts had spotted about twenty-five to thirty Redwyne ships nearby.
• Cole said the fleet's ships rode low in the water, suggesting they carried treasure and supplies looted from the Iron Islands.
• Asha suspected the Redwynes planned to take the plunder to King's Landing as an offering to the Targaryen Dragonlord.
• Cole estimated that fewer than ten warships escorted the cargo fleet and said the Redwynes likely thought all the Ironborn were dead.

Asha ordered the Ironborn fleet to attack the Arbor Fleet, accepting the risk of open war with Viserys because she wanted revenge and a chance to strengthen resistance to the Iron Throne. Cole obeyed, while resolving to find a way to save her if the battle went badly.

• Asha told Cole to surround the Arbor Fleet, block its escape routes, ram its formation, and leave no survivors.
• Cole warned Asha that attacking would expose the Ironborn to Viserys and risk their remaining ships and warriors.
• Asha said Viserys had already destroyed her family and argued that capturing the fleet could restore the Greyjoys’ reputation and rally other enemies of the Iron Throne.
• Cole accepted Asha’s orders and went to relay them to the fleet.
• Cole recalled Asha’s peaceful days on the Arbor and resolved to protect her if he could.

Asha declared herself the new head of House Greyjoy and High King of the Iron Islands, then led the Iron Fleet to attack the Arbor Fleet. She positioned her ships behind reefs while disguised fishing boats distracted the Arbor sailors, leaving the fleet’s vigilance weakened.

• Asha looked toward the burning Iron Islands and resolved to claim kingship as House Greyjoy’s sole surviving member.
• Asha ordered the Ironborn to raise their black sails and attack the Arbor Fleet.
• The Iron Fleet set out under Asha’s command while she waited for the Sea Dog and Iron Oar squadrons to cut off the Arbor Fleet’s retreat.
• Asha watched from behind coastal reefs as disguised fishing boats drew the Arbor Fleet’s attention and its lookouts grew careless.

Asha Greyjoy spotted the Arbor Fleet and assessed its commander, Oliver Redwyne, as a serious threat. She rejected Halag's call to avoid battle and planned a flank attack to seize the fleet's supplies and kill Oliver.

• Asha identified the Arbor Fleet as twenty-eight ships, including ten large galleys, and suspected Oliver Redwyne commanded it from the Greenstone.
• Halag argued that the Ironborn should avoid a direct fight and raid weaker ships to preserve their remaining forces and supplies.
• Asha studied the fleet and found its cargo ships separated from the main warships, with smaller escorts at the front and rear.
• Asha proposed concentrating the Ironborn's fast ships on a flank to capture the isolated vessels and cut off the fleet's vanguard.
• Asha rallied the captains to attack the Arbor Fleet for its supplies and take Oliver's head.

Asha divided the Iron Fleet to encircle Oliver’s Arbor Fleet and drive it toward the Sunset Sea. When Ironborn ships attacked from multiple directions, Oliver ordered a breakout toward the Shield Islands.

• Asha assigned Halag fifteen ships to attack from the east while she led the assault from the front and the Sea Dog attacked from the north.
• Halag secretly planned to hold his men back until the fighting had weakened both sides, then join in to claim the spoils.
• Smoke and spreading fog signaled that the Ironborn were ready, and their longships emerged from the reefs to surround the Arbor Fleet.
• A lookout warned Oliver that ships were approaching from the east and south, but arrows killed him before the fleet could react.
• Oliver saw the encirclement closing and ordered his ships to turn southeast and race for the Shield Islands to seek reinforcements.

Asha Greyjoy led the Ironborn assault into the Arbor Fleet, while Oliver Redwyne tried to rally his ships after being wounded. Asha’s flagship broke through the attempted flank and continued deeper into the fleet.

• Oliver ordered the cargo-laden ships to turn, but their slow maneuvers left them exposed as Ironborn archers attacked and wounded him.
• An Ironborn longship rammed the Oak Rose, shattering its hull, while Asha directed the Daughter of the Sea Monster toward the center of the Arbor Fleet.
• Asha’s flagship smashed through a supply ship and opened a gap in the Arbor formation, allowing Ironborn longships to penetrate its center.
• Oliver ordered his archers to defend the fleet and sent the Iron Grape and Green Vine to flank Asha’s flagship.
• Asha veered sharply to starboard and slipped the Daughter of the Sea Monster through the closing gap, scraping along the Iron Grape.

Asha’s maneuver threw Oliver’s fleet into disorder, allowing Halag the Bonebreaker’s Ironborn to board and overwhelm several Arbor ships. As Oliver watched his fleet break apart, he ordered the surviving vessels to gather and escape southeast toward the Shield Islands, despite protests that men were still trapped aboard the Iron Fist and the Sea Bass.

• Asha avoided a head-on clash and disrupted Oliver’s formation, leaving his cargo ships exposed to the Ironborn.
• Ironborn longships grappled the Iron Fist, killed its young captain, and routed the Arbor soldiers aboard.
• Ironborn boarded the Sea Bass, killed its helmsman, and broke its tiller, sending the ship spinning into nearby vessels.
• Oliver recognized Halag the Bonebreaker and ordered movable ships to regroup and break out southeast toward the Shield Islands.
• Oliver’s adjutant protested that men aboard the Iron Fist and the Sea Bass were still in danger.

Oliver ordered the Arbor Fleet to break through the Ironborn blockade toward the Shield Islands instead of fleeing into the dangerous Sunset Sea. Asha led the Daughter of the Sea Monster into a boarding attack on an Arbor galley, where Lora’s reckless charge sparked a fierce deck battle.

• Oliver rejected the western escape route and ordered the fleet to concentrate its strength against the southeastern blockade.
• Asha maneuvered the Daughter of the Sea Monster around two ramming ships and ordered her crew to board an Arbor galley.
• The ships collided, and Ironborn hooks and ropes fastened them together as both crews prepared to fight.
• Lora leaped onto the Arbor galley and killed a soldier, then became trapped among the defenders’ spears.
• More Ironborn rushed in to protect Lora, and they slipped through gaps in the Arbor soldiers’ shield wall.

Asha led the Ironborn through the Arbor Fleet, taking one ship before pressing toward Oliver's flagship, the Greenstone. With the fleet boxed in and its command disrupted, Asha boarded the Greenstone and began fighting its defenders.

• Lora fought off two Arbor Spearmen as Asha led Ironborn reinforcements onto the galleass.
• Asha ordered her crew to leave men behind to clear the captured ship and push toward the Greenstone.
• Asha told Cole to have the Sea Dog and the northern ships block the Arbor Fleet's escape routes and prevent it from regrouping.
• Asha brought the Daughter of the Sea Monster alongside the Greenstone and boarded with her battle axe, Husband Lord.
• Cole followed Asha aboard the Greenstone and killed an Arbor Soldier attacking her from the flank.