Recaps

Viserys and Daenerys left Earl Wyman’s feast in White Harbor and discussed Ser Bartimus and House Manderly before preparing to depart at first light. Wyman gave them supplies and sable cloaks for their journey north.

• Earl Wyman ended the feast, and Viserys thanked him for his hospitality before leaving with Daenerys.
• On the terrace, Daenerys and Viserys discussed Ser Bartimus’s position and Wyman’s support for him.
• Viserys warned Daenerys that House Manderly would sooner swear loyalty to House Stark than to the Iron Throne.
• At first light, Wyman and his family saw Viserys and Daenerys off beside their four dragons.
• Wyman presented provisions, water, and two sable cloaks, and Viserys put one cloak on Daenerys and secured the supplies to Viserion’s saddlebags.

Viserys, Daenerys, and their companions flew north along the White Knife River and reached Long Lake after nightfall. As they camped on its eastern shore, Viserys noticed someone emerging from the woods.

• Viserys and Daenerys rode King Ghidorah as four dragons left White Harbor and flew north along the White Knife River.
• The party crossed the barren mountains and followed the river through increasingly green forests and wetlands.
• At dusk, the four dragons landed on the eastern shore of Long Lake.
• Daenerys nearly slipped on the icy shore, but Viserys caught her and explained the waterways around Long Lake and Lonely Mountain.
• Viserys lit a fire and unpacked food and water while Daenerys rested; someone eventually emerged from the woods west of the shore.

Viserys and Daenerys encountered Lorne, a fugitive who had wandered into their camp by the lakeshore. Lorne explained that Winterfell and the Dreadfort wanted him captured or killed, while the chapter left the reason for his escape unstated.

• A man approached Viserys, Daenerys, and their four Dragons in the dark, apparently drawn to them by Viserys's mental influence.
• Viserys asked why the man was alone in the woods, and the stranger introduced himself as Lorne, a fugitive from a castle to the south.
• Lorne recognized Viserys and Daenerys as members of House Targaryen and remarked on their living Dragons.
• Daenerys noted that Lorne seemed more afraid of Winterfell and the Dreadfort than of the Dragons.
• Lorne said the Dreadfort wanted to capture him and Winterfell wanted him dead, and neither would ask why he had run.

Lorne told Viserys and Daenerys why House Bolton had branded him a poacher and fugitive, then described Ramsay Bolton's brutal hunt of captive women. He asked Viserys to clear him of the charges rather than hand him over to the Boltons.

• Lorne explained that the harsh winter had driven him to poach a deer in House Bolton's private hunting grounds to feed his injured father.
• Lorne said he saw Ramsay Bolton and the Bastard's Boys set naked captive women loose in the freezing woods and hunt them with hounds.
• Daenerys asked who the women were, and Lorne said some were local criminals while others were wildlings captured after raiding south of the Wall.
• Lorne recounted that he fled a Bolton patrol, killed one of Ramsay's hounds with an arrow, and became the target of a bounty.
• Lorne told Viserys that Winterfell's soldiers also sought to arrest him and asked Viserys to clear him of the charges.

Jon and Ramsay encountered Val and her group of Free Folk while leading Bolton soldiers toward Winterfell. Ramsay showed interest in exploiting them, while Jon tried to keep the meeting from turning hostile.

• A scout reported that Val was leading hundreds of Free Folk south to Winterfell under the Lord Commander’s orders.
• Ramsay decided to meet the Free Folk, and Jon warned him not to threaten people whose journey had been approved by Viserys and the Night’s Watch.
• Ramsay rode to the Free Folk’s camp with guards, and Jon followed with soldiers.
• Val stepped out to meet the Bolton party and demanded that they dismount if they wanted to talk.
• Ramsay made a derisive remark about the Free Folk and their women, and Jon urged him not to provoke them.

Jon stayed wary of Ramsay Bolton after meeting Val and the Free Folk, and secretly investigated Ramsay’s plans. He overheard Ramsay discussing taking Val by force, but the chapter ended before Ramsay revealed whether his men would act that night.

• Val told Ramsay that she and the Free Folk were taking children and pregnant spearwives to Winterfell under the Lord Commander’s orders.
• Ramsay offered to travel alongside the Free Folk, and Val gave no answer beyond acknowledging Jon before returning to her camp.
• Jon grew uneasy when Ramsay summoned the Bastard’s Boys, but Roger Bolton dismissed his concerns.
• Jon ordered trusted soldiers to watch the road and crept toward Ramsay’s tent to listen.
• Jon overheard Ramsay praising Val’s appearance and arguing that Robb would not oppose him if he took her.
• Ramsay’s men asked whether they would make their move that night, but Ramsay only turned a blackstone pebble in his hand.

Jon discovered Ramsay’s plan to abduct Val and followed him with Roger Bolton to stop it. The Wildlings ambushed Ramsay’s force, and the wounded Ramsay retreated to the Dreadfort the next morning.

• Jon overheard Ramsay order his men to kidnap Val from the Wildling camp that night.
• Jon alerted Roger Bolton and followed Ramsay as he led his men toward the Wildlings.
• The Wildlings ambushed Ramsay’s force, and Ramsay was wounded and burned while trying to escape.
• Val warned the Bolton soldiers to withdraw, and Roger led his men to protect Ramsay as the Wildlings returned to camp.
• Roger told Jon that a Wildling warg had used a snow osprey to watch the Bolton camp and warn Val of Ramsay’s attack.
• Ramsay took his remaining men back to the Dreadfort early the next morning to treat his wounds.

After Ramsay fled back to the Dreadfort, Jon considered how Winterfell might win Roger Bolton’s loyalty and imagined how the Iron Throne’s dragons could compel House Bolton to obey. The force continued toward Winterfell under Roger’s command, while Jon concluded that the North needed Targaryen support to resolve its problems.

• Jon woke to find Ramsay and his riders retreating toward the Dreadfort after their ambush and heavy losses.
• Roger ordered his men to carry the dead to a pit and forbade anyone from approaching the Wildlings’ camp without his permission.
• Jon accepted Roger’s authority over the Dreadfort soldiers and considered asking Robb to recruit him once they returned to Winterfell.
• Jon reasoned that Robb lacked the power to force House Bolton to submit, while the Iron Throne’s dragons could change the balance of power in the North.
• Jon recalled the disciplined Westerlands army and Harlon Castle’s defeat by dragonfire, and believed the Dreadfort could not withstand the same attack.

Jon became more confident that Viserys could rule after learning that both Sansa and Arya had chosen to stay in King's Landing. At the Free Folk camp, Roger sought to make peace with Val and promised the remaining Bolton soldiers would not fight them again.

• Jon reflected that Arya and Sansa's approval of Viserys eased his doubts about a Stark-Targaryen alliance.
• Roger told Jon that Ramsay had taken the remaining riders and that he planned to gather at Winterfell rather than fight the Free Folk.
• Roger sent messengers to tell the Free Folk he wished to apologize in person on House Bolton's behalf.
• Val met Roger and Jon between the camps and said she was willing to hear them because Jon had not attacked her camp.
• Roger told Val that Ramsay had acted behind his back, promised to report the events to Roose Bolton and Robb Stark, and swore the remaining Bolton soldiers would not attack the Free Folk.

Jon brought the Free Folk and the Bolton column to Winterfell under Val’s strict conditions, then reported the journey to Robb. Robb warned Jon about Ramsay and appointed him to garrison Long Night Castle.

• Val told Roger Bolton to keep his troops at least half a league behind the Free Folk and warned she would shoot their leaders if they crossed the line.
• Roger and Jon led the Dreadfort column south behind the Free Folk, reaching Winterfell on the second day.
• Jon told Robb what had happened and said he believed Val would keep her people safe within Winterfell’s territory.
• Robb warned Jon that Ramsay might attack the Free Folk again and that Jon could be in danger when he returned to the Dreadfort.
• Robb ordered Jon to take the Dreadfort and Winterfell troops to garrison Long Night Castle and manage the prisoners there.

Robb appointed Jon Snow to command Long Night Castle, trusting him to strengthen the Wall’s defenses and keeping him clear of the North’s growing political dangers. Jon accepted the task and looked north toward the perilous new post where he would have to prove himself.

• Robb explained that he chose Jon for his experience with southerners, his loyalty, and his ability to fortify Long Night Castle.
• Jon realized the appointment would both strengthen the Wall and protect him from the conflicts brewing in the North.
• Jon swore to hold Long Night Castle, stop northern threats from crossing the Wall, and keep southern schemes out of the North.
• Robb helped Jon rise and told him that Winterfell would support him, urging him to put survival first.
• Jon left the Council Chamber, reflected on his family and the dangers ahead, and resolved to press north to Long Night Castle.

Viserys confronted Lorne over his crimes and offered him a choice between losing a hand and joining the Night’s Watch. Lorne chose the Wall, while Viserys decided to leave his plans for the Horn of Winter unchanged and considered how Ramsay might be used.

• Viserys questioned Lorne about his crimes and whether he expected to be handed over to the Boltons.
• Viserys offered Lorne a choice between losing a hand and being sent to Winterfell or joining the Night’s Watch at the Wall.
• Lorne chose the Wall, and Viserys promised him provisions before he set out.
• Lorne settled down to rest, while Daenerys stayed silent in Viserys’s embrace.
• Viserys decided not to change his northern plans and considered exploiting Ramsay’s weaknesses for his own purposes.

Viserys sent Lorne north toward Castle Black with provisions and a chance to join the Night's Watch, then continued traveling with Daenerys and the dragons toward the Wall in search of the Horn of Winter. The chapter left them flying over the revived Gift, where Free Folk were settling and farming.

• Viserys told Daenerys he wanted to reorganize the Night's Watch after the war against the Others and stop forcing criminals into exile there.
• Lorne stayed until morning, and Viserys gave him directions, provisions, and instructions to seek the Night's Watch at Castle Black.
• Lorne promised to survive and left north through the snowbound forest.
• Viserys and Daenerys ate breakfast, packed, and took flight with King Ghidorah, Acmot, Viserion, and Vermax.
• The dragons flew over Long Lake toward the Wall, passing the Gift, where Free Folk had revived the fields and begun settling.

Viserys and Daenerys flew on King Ghidorah toward the Wall, discussing the uneasy peace among the Free Folk in the Gift. They reached Castle Black, where the Night’s Watch, southern soldiers, and Free Folk carried on their work as the dragon passed overhead.

• Daenerys recalled how the Gift had fallen into neglect, and Viserys warned that the Free Folk could become a threat if the dragons stopped keeping order.
• Viserys and Daenerys approached the Wall, and he explained its height, length, and construction as Daenerys marveled at its size.
• King Ghidorah brought Castle Black into view, and Viserys told Daenerys that it was the Night’s Watch headquarters where Maester Aemon lived.
• Viserys had King Ghidorah fly over Castle Black instead of landing, while the Night’s Watch looked up respectfully and most captured soldiers remained calm.

Viserys and Daenerys flew beyond the Wall to search the Fist of the First Men for the Horn of Winter. Viserys found a hidden sealed space beneath a crevice that gave off a faint trace of dragonglass.

• Mance Rayder calmed the frightened Free Folk at Castle Black and told them the Dragons belonged to the southern king fighting the Others.
• Viserys and Daenerys flew north past the Wall toward the Fist of the First Men, where Viserys believed the Horn of Winter might be found.
• Daenerys warned Viserys to be careful beyond the Wall, and he promised to keep her safe.
• Viserys landed on the Fist of the First Men and used his mental power to search its ruins and hidden depths.
• Viserys found a narrow crevice on the southern slope that concealed a small sealed space emitting a faint trace of dragonglass.

Viserys found a cache of dragonglass weapons at the Fist of the First Men, but the Horn of Winter was missing. He and Daenerys decided to keep searching and prepare for the possibility that they would not find it.

• Viserys followed the dragonglass he sensed to a fissure, where he uncovered a bundle of obsidian weapons and a rusty iron sword.
• Viserys explained to Daenerys that dragonglass could kill Others and could be used to equip armies.
• Daenerys admitted she had not inspected the obsidian weapons sent to King's Landing, and Viserys advised her to make important decisions herself.
• Viserys searched the bundle for the Horn of Winter but found no horn or trace of magic.
• Viserys concluded that someone else might have taken the horn or that it was not the true Horn of Winter, and he and Daenerys agreed to keep looking.

Viserys and Daenerys found the dragonglass at the Fist of the First Men but no Horn of Winter, and Viserys suspected the Greenseer had taken it. After fighting a wight, they flew to Caste's Castle for the night, where the Night's Watch rushed out to meet them.

• Viserys found that the dragonglass remained at the Fist of the First Men but the horn was missing, and suspected the Greenseer possessed it.
• Daenerys spotted a group of wights approaching, and Viserys killed one with Blackfyre as it climbed the slope.
• Viserys told Daenerys the wights would keep multiplying when the Others moved south and decided to seek out the Greenseer the next day.
• Viserys and Daenerys flew to Caste's Castle with the dragons to shelter for the night.
• The Night's Watch Rangers emerged from the castle carrying weapons fitted with dragonglass when the dragons landed.

Viserys and Daenerys met with Davy Waters and the Rangers stationed at Caste's Castle to learn about the rising wight threat and their search for the Horn. Viserys concluded that the Greenseer's whereabouts were crucial and said the Others were hunting him Beyond the Wall.

• Davy Waters welcomed Viserys and Daenerys to Caste's Castle and reported that thirty Rangers were stationed there to patrol Beyond the Wall.
• Davy told Viserys that a group of fifty or sixty wights had gathered near the Fist of the First Men and attacked Rangers who approached, but returned to wandering when they retreated.
• Viserys suspected the wights were blocking access to the Haunted Forest and considered whether the Greenseer had joined forces with the Cold God.
• Davy said the Rangers had found no trace of the Horn in three months of searching around Caste's Castle and the Fist of the First Men.
• Davy asked whether Viserys was searching for the Three-Eyed Crow, and Viserys said the Greenseer was real and was hiding from the Others.

Viserys and Daenerys prepared to search the Haunted Forest for the Greenseer and confirm whether he knew where the Horn of Winter was. They spent the night at Caste's Castle, planning to leave at dawn with a map while keeping their plans secret.

• Daenerys worried that seeking the Greenseer might lead them into a trap, but Viserys said he needed to find the horn and believed the Greenseer would bargain to survive.
• Davy reported that wights had organized to kill wildlings near the Haunted Forest and dragged their bodies into its depths.
• Viserys asked Davy for a detailed map of the wights' activity, danger zones, and possible routes through the forest, and refused to take guides.
• Viserys told Daenerys that extra companions would slow them down and that he wanted to keep their plans for the Greenseer secret.
• Viserys and Daenerys settled into a private room at Caste's Castle, where Viserys warned that the Others were already preparing and told Daenerys to sleep before their journey.

Viserys reviewed the Night’s Watch Rangers’ reports on Wight activity and learned of Bloodraven’s expedition to Whispering Gorge. After breakfast, he and Daenerys left Caste's Castle to continue their journey Beyond the Wall.

• Davy showed Viserys a map of Wight sightings and reported that a horde of about seventy or eighty Wights had stayed near the southern Haunted Forest.
• Davy told Viserys that Rangers who ventured into the Haunted Forest heard strange sounds, and only one survivor returned from a patrol that lost its members.
• Davy explained that Bloodraven’s expedition had reached Whispering Gorge before a blizzard struck and Bloodraven disappeared.
• Viserys considered searching Whispering Gorge for the Greenseer and dismissed Davy and the other Rangers to rest.
• Viserys and Daenerys ate breakfast, said farewell to the Night’s Watch Rangers, and left Caste's Castle.

Viserys and Daenerys searched the Haunted Forest, where King Ghidorah destroyed a group of wights and Viserys detected the Other commanding them. They flew toward the Other, which emerged from behind a tree and looked up at the dragons.

• Viserys and Daenerys flew with their dragons over the Haunted Forest while Viserys searched for wights.
• Viserys found a clearing surrounded by wights, and King Ghidorah destroyed them with her Golden Ray and dragonfire.
• Viserys sensed an Other and discovered it standing near a thousand motionless wights and several other groups.
• Viserys told Daenerys about the Other, then directed King Ghidorah toward its location.
• The Other sensed the dragons, stepped from behind a tree, and slowly looked up as King Ghidorah flew past.

Viserys pursued a powerful Other into the Haunted Forest after it used wights and ice magic to cover its retreat. He and Daenerys continued north on King Ghidorah, entering a region of unnatural cold and oppressive darkness where Daenerys felt watched.

• The Other raised its Ice Sword, then summoned a white mist and sent more than a thousand wights to block King Ghidorah while it retreated.
• Viserys ordered King Ghidorah to ignore the wights and attack the fleeing Other, and its Golden Ray struck the ground near the Other without killing it.
• Viserys realized the Other was stronger than those he had met before and suspected the wights were bait or part of a trap.
• Viserys told King Ghidorah to keep flying north after the Other into the Haunted Forest.
• Daenerys told Viserys that the darkness and cold felt wrong and that she sensed something watching them.

Viserys and Daenerys followed the Other to ancient ruins in the forest, where a mysterious voice called Viserys “one who does not exist.” As the dragons stood guard, King Ghidorah considered humanity’s unusual nature and her curiosity about Viserys’s arrival from another world.

• Viserys sensed that ice magic was spreading through the forest and warned Daenerys that the Other had led them toward something dangerous.
• King Ghidorah and the other dragons reacted to immense, ancient energies awakening beneath the forest, and Viserys ordered them to hover above a mist-covered clearing.
• Viserys recognized the ruins as a Children of the Forest altar where the Night’s King had been created, and he told Daenerys they predated the First Men.
• A disembodied voice addressed Viserys as “one who does not exist,” alarming him and frightening Daenerys.
• Viserys warned the dragons to remain ready while King Ghidorah reflected on humanity’s unusual potential and her interest in observing him.

Viserys explored the ruins beneath the altar and learned that they held the remnants of Old Gods defeated by the Cold God and the Night's King. He discovered that the Greenseer had guided the voice that contacted him, and received a sealed fragment of memory.

• Daenerys told Viserys that the voice in her head had gone silent, and he warned her it had only retreated into the shadows.
• Viserys explored the ruins with his mental power and saw how the Children of the Forest had created the first Other and how the Cold God's power had joined with their Root Magic.
• Viserys learned that the Old Gods had been defeated and sealed beneath the land, surviving through remnants of their worshippers' faith.
• Viserys suspected the Cold God, the Night's King, the Greenseer, or the Lord of Light had revealed his identity to the voice.
• Viserys saw the Greenseer's white glow within a weirwood's roots and received a memory fragment showing the Greenseer touching an agonized human face in the roots.

Viserys learned that the Old Gods saw him as a being who could help restore balance, then negotiated with their trapped consciousnesses for knowledge in exchange for a chance at freedom and revenge. As they began showing him the Cold God's and the Night's King's weaknesses, he saw an ice throne in an eternal blizzard.

• Viserys received the Greenseer's edited memory explaining the Cold God, the Lord of Light, and his role in restoring the cycle.
• Viserys reassured Daenerys and proposed bargaining with the trapped beings for knowledge of the Cold God and Westeros's magical past.
• Viserys privately planned to weaken the Old Gods after defeating the Cold God and bring the North to worship the Lord of Light.
• Viserys demanded information about the hearts and vulnerabilities of the Cold God and the Night's King, and the beings warned him about curses and the hatred their escape could unleash.
• The beings sent Viserys a vision of an ice field beneath an eternal blizzard, where an ice throne stood.