Recaps

Cersei manipulated Lancel into poisoning Robert’s wine during the royal hunt, using their affair to bind him to the plot. Robert drank heavily and continued hunting despite a headache, and the scouts found a huge boar.

• Cersei seduced and coerced Lancel into taking a vial and dosing Robert’s wine for House Lannister.
• Robert left for the Kingswood hunt with Renly, nobles, and Kingsguard while Eddard stayed in the city.
• Lancel repeatedly refilled Robert’s cup with wine, and Robert drank heavily at the camp.
• Robert woke with a splitting headache but insisted on hunting a boar.
• Scouts found tracks belonging to a huge male boar with sharp tusks.

Robert was mortally wounded by a boar and named Renly as his heir, warning Eddard about the Lannisters before he died. Eddard tried to persuade Cersei to leave King's Landing peacefully, but she rejected him and claimed the throne for Joffrey.

• Robert's spear missed the charging boar, which gored him before he killed it, and Pycelle later declared his wounds incurable.
• Robert told Eddard that Cersei's children were Jaime's and dictated a testament naming Renly his heir.
• Robert warned Eddard about Cersei, Littlefinger, and Varys, then died with Eddard beside him.
• Eddard hid the testament from Cersei, met Renly secretly, and agreed they must act cautiously against the Lannisters.
• Eddard offered Cersei safe passage to Casterly Rock if she abandoned her claim, but she rejected the offer and insisted King's Landing belonged to the Lannisters.

After Robert's death, Eddard challenged Joffrey's claim to the throne but was betrayed, captured, and imprisoned. Cersei used Sansa to pressure him to confess, but Eddard told his daughter that Joffrey and his siblings were Jaime and Cersei's children, and Sansa refused to believe him.

• Eddard entered the Small Council chamber and declared that Robert had named Renly his heir and that Joffrey's parentage was in question.
• Cersei proclaimed Joffrey king, and the Gold Cloaks turned on Eddard, killing his northern guards and capturing him after Jaime threatened Sansa.
• Janos Slynt reported that House Stark's household and the rebels in the Tower of the Hand had been taken, and Eddard was thrown into the Black Cells.
• Joffrey was crowned at the Great Sept of Baelor, while Eddard was charged with treason and Cersei's agents urged him to confess.
• Sansa visited Eddard and begged him to acknowledge Joffrey as king, but Eddard told her the children were born of incest between Cersei and Jaime, and she called him a liar.

Eddard Stark confessed to treason in exchange for joining the Night’s Watch, but Joffrey changed his mind and executed him in King’s Landing. Arya escaped the crowd and hid, while Jon Snow returned to White Harbor carrying Renly’s secret letter and learned too late that his father was in danger.

• Petyr Baelish urged Eddard Stark to confess and swear fealty to Joffrey in return for being sent to the Wall, and Eddard agreed after dreaming of his family.
• At the public hearing, Eddard confessed to treason, and Joffrey announced that he would be spared and sent to the Night’s Watch.
• Joffrey reversed his decision and ordered Ilyn Payne to execute Eddard with Ice; Sansa screamed, and Arya watched from the crowd before escaping into hiding.
• Petyr smiled fleetingly at Eddard’s death, while Varys left the square and Arya returned to her refuge in the Red Keep’s secret passages.
• Jon Snow arrived at White Harbor with Renly’s secret letter and told Petyr that he needed to return to the Red Keep to warn Eddard, but Petyr warned him that the Lannisters had set a trap.

Jon learned in White Harbor that Eddard Stark had been executed and resolved to return to Winterfell as war began. Varys sent Arya to Braavos for safety, while Sansa remained a hostage in King's Landing.

• Petyr arranged for Jon to sail to White Harbor so he could warn Robb, but Jon heard that Joffrey had executed Eddard Stark.
• Jon vowed to return to Winterfell and help House Stark in the coming war.
• Varys revealed to Arya that he had hidden and fed her, and told her Jon had already sailed north.
• Varys refused to rescue Sansa, explaining that the queen held her as a hostage and guarded her closely.
• Varys sent Arya aboard a merchant ship bound for Braavos, where she resolved to remember the people on her list.

After Eddard Stark’s execution, the Seven Kingdoms’ great houses prepared for war, while Arya’s voyage across the Narrow Sea was interrupted by pirates. The chapter left Arya scrambling to protect Varys’s bundle as pirates boarded her ship.

• Robb Stark summoned his bannermen, while Catelyn collapsed after hearing of Eddard’s death.
• Tywin Lannister sent the Mountain and Amory Lorch to raid the Riverlands, where Edmure Tully’s scattered forces suffered heavy losses.
• Stannis Baratheon gathered his fleet despite lacking support, while Melisandre searched Dragonstone for Azor Ahai reborn.
• Renly Baratheon raised his banners with Mace Tyrell, Loras Tyrell, and Randyll Tarly supporting his claim.
• Yohn Royce sealed the Vale and besieged the Eyrie, while Balon Greyjoy ordered the Iron Fleet to muster.
• Arya heard pirates attack her ship and hurried to protect the bundle Varys had given her.

Arya was captured when Salladhor Saan’s pirates raided her ship, and Salladhor suspected she was a noble girl from King’s Landing. He ordered his men to keep her safe as they took her and the ship’s crew aboard, leaving Arya imprisoned and determined to survive and seek revenge.

• Pirates boarded Arya’s ship, searched the cabins, and discovered her hiding with a purse of gold and silver.
• Two pirates captured Arya and brought her to Salladhor Saan, who suspected she was a missing noble girl from King’s Landing.
• Salladhor ordered his men to seize the ship and crew, keep Arya under separate guard, and treat her courteously as a possible gift for His Majesty.
• The pirates locked Arya in a cabin aboard their larger ship, where she silently resolved to stay alive and remember the names of those she would someday avenge herself upon.

Kinvara prophesied that a Stark girl and a kraken’s agents would reach for Viserys’s power, and Margaery considered what the warnings meant. Two weeks later, Salladhor brought Arya Stark to Valyria, where she was cleaned up and taken to meet Viserys.

• Kinvara told Margaery that a lost wolf cub with hatred in her heart would come to Valyria and warned of a greedy kraken seeking power.
• Margaery suspected the wolf cub was Arya Stark and thought the prophecy could give Viserys leverage over the North.
• Two weeks later, Salladhor brought Arya to Valyria’s naval harbor and introduced himself as commander of the Imperial Navy’s Rapid Response Force.
• Salladhor told Arya that he served Viserys Targaryen, the Dragonlord of Valyria.
• The castle’s maids washed Arya and gave her fresh clothes before bringing her to meet Viserys in the Council Hall.

Viserys welcomed Arya Stark to Valyria after revealing the truth about Jon Snow’s parentage and offering her refuge or a path home. Arya chose to stay as his guest, while Viserys and Margaery considered how her presence might affect their conflict with House Lannister.

• Salladhor brought Arya before Viserys and explained that his crew had found her traveling alone from King's Landing.
• Arya first gave the name Nymeria, but Viserys recognized her as Eddard Stark's daughter and told her that Jon Snow was Lyanna and Rhaegar's child.
• Viserys offered Arya safe lodging in Valyria or a ship home if she could persuade her family to surrender, and Arya chose to stay.
• Viserys told Margaery that Arya might become an unlikely ally against House Lannister and asked her to help Arya adjust to life in Valyria.

Euron Greyjoy arrived in Valyria seeking an alliance with Viserys and offered Dragonbinder, but he secretly planned to seize Viserys’s hatchling dragons. When the horn failed to affect them, King Ghidorah descended onto the training ground.

• Euron sent Viserys a proposal to ally with Valyria and help him claim the Iron Islands, and Viserys agreed to meet him.
• Euron arrived in Valyria with a large pirate fleet and presented Dragonbinder, claiming he had found it in the ruins.
• Viserys arranged for Euron to see the hatchling dragons the next morning, while Euron planned to use the horn to take them.
• Euron blew Dragonbinder at the hatchlings, but they were unaffected, and Viserys revealed that the horn could not control his dragons.
• King Ghidorah descended into the training ground as Viserys confronted Euron’s failed attempt.

Viserys defeated Euron when the pirate tried to take him hostage, then ordered the capture of Euron’s ship and prepared to attack his fleet. Rhaenys joined the mission on Meleys, while Daenerys stayed behind because her dragons were too young to carry her.

• Euron tried to stab Viserys and seize him as a hostage, but Viserys broke his wrist, struck him down, and left him dying.
• Viserys ordered a messenger to have the harbor seize the Silence and kill anyone who resisted.
• Viserys decided to attack Euron’s fleet and give the hatchling dragons their first experience fighting humans.
• Viserys summoned Rhaenys and warned her that the mission would involve blood and death; she agreed to go with him.
• Ashara questioned whether Rhaenys was ready for battle, but Viserys said she needed to learn to command Meleys in combat.
• Viserys told Daenerys to remain at the castle because her dragons were too young to carry a rider, and Daenerys accepted.

Viserys led the dragons and the Imperial Navy in an assault on the pirate fleet, while Rhaenys joined her first battle on Meleys. The dragons devastated the pirates’ ships and weapons, leaving the surviving crews trying to flee.

• King Ghidorah led Viserys, Rhaenys on Meleys, and the other dragons toward the Imperial Navy fleet surrounding the pirates.
• King Ghidorah destroyed the pirates’ heavy crossbows and froze and burned several ships, while Blackflame blew apart another vessel with a blast of fire.
• Viserys ordered Rhaenys to attack, and Meleys burned two ships as Rhaenys struggled with the sight of the dying pirates before continuing the assault.
• Viserys sent Balerion and Vhagar against the fleet’s left flank while Meraxes attacked from the right, setting more ships ablaze and hastening their sinking.
• The pirates fired arrows at the dragons, but the shots failed to pierce their scales as the remaining crews tried to escape.

The Dragon Horde destroyed the Pirate Fleet, and the Empire celebrated its victory at Dragonwing Castle. Rhaenys struggled with the deaths she had witnessed, while Arya Stark and Margaery Tyrell each considered what Viserys's dragon power meant for their own aims.

• Viserys ordered the Dragon Horde to return after Meleys burned the last pirate ship, leaving the Empire's Navy Fleet to clear the battlefield.
• At the victory feast, Viserys praised Rhaenys and the hatchling dragons, then announced plans for more live combat exercises.
• Rhaenys left the feast, admitted to Viserys that the battle's images troubled her, and found comfort in his reassurance and embrace.
• Arya Stark watched Viserys and Rhaenys together and considered whether dragon power could help her avenge her father and House Stark.
• Margaery Tyrell offered Viserys news of Renly Baratheon's army at Bitterbridge and suggested the Reach could aid his plans, but Viserys gave her no firm promise.

Viserys considered the conflicts spreading across Westeros and chose to let his enemies weaken each other before the dragons crossed the sea. Outside his study, Kinvara hesitated over a prophecy and remembered the night she had yielded to her attraction to him.

• Viserys reviewed reports of Tywin's siege of Riverrun, Robb Stark's advance, the standoff between Renly and Stannis, and Balon's raids.
• Viserys decided to wait until the rival forces were exhausted before bringing the dragons across the sea.
• Kinvara stood outside Viserys's study, troubled by a prophecy and by her feelings for him.
• Kinvara recalled how a private conversation with Viserys about faith and the gods had turned intimate.
• Viserys kissed Kinvara, and she responded before he led her beside the altar.

Kinvara told Viserys that the flames had revealed the Others and the coming Long Night. Viserys acknowledged the threat but said he would first reunite Westeros and reclaim the Iron Throne.

• Kinvara remembered the night she had fled the temple after her encounter with Viserys, ashamed of what she had done before the holy fire.
• Kinvara saw a prophecy of the Others advancing across the snow, the Wall collapsing, and the dead consuming the living.
• Kinvara went to Viserys’s study and warned him that the Long Night was approaching and could end all life.
• Viserys considered whether the Others had begun stirring early, then told Kinvara that divided Westeros could not face the threat.
• Viserys promised to hasten his efforts to reclaim the Iron Throne and consolidate his forces, easing Kinvara’s worry somewhat.

Viserys announced that he would travel to the Wall to seek Dark Sister, meet Maester Aemon, and warn the Night's Watch about the coming winter. He left his officials and family with instructions to defend Valyria and Dragonwing Castle while he was away, and prepared to depart the next day with King Ghidorah.

• Viserys told Kinvara to watch the flames for new prophecies and to rest after she described unclear images of dragons.
• Viserys told Duke William, Earl Jon, Earl Alliser, Ashara, Rhaenys, and Daenerys that he would journey to the Wall for Dark Sister, Maester Aemon, and the Night's Watch.
• Viserys ordered Alliser to send letters to Arthur and Clinton, William to expand the navy, and Jon to defend Valyria while he was gone.
• Viserys assigned Rhaenys to oversee Dragonwing Castle with Ashara's help and told Daenerys to care for her young dragons.
• Rhaenys asked to accompany Viserys but agreed to stay and protect Ashara and Daenerys, and Viserys said they would all sleep together before his departure.

Viserys rode King Ghidorah from Dragonwing Castle to the North, passing White Harbor, Winterfell, and the ruined settlement of Queenscrown on his way to the Wall. As the Wall came into view, something unexpected happened in a clearing below.

• Viserys said farewell to Ashara, Rhaenys, Daenerys, Margaery, Arya, and Kinvara, then flew northwest on King Ghidorah.
• Viserys guided King Ghidorah past White Harbor and continued north toward Winterfell.
• Viserys saw Catelyn and children in Winterfell’s courtyard, then ordered King Ghidorah onward as guards spotted them.
• Viserys and King Ghidorah passed the burned ruins of Queenscrown and crossed the more fertile Gift.
• Something unexpected happened in a clearing near the forest as the Wall came into view.

Qhorin Halfhand’s Rangers warned Castle Black as King Ghidorah flew toward the Wall with Viserys Targaryen riding him. Viserys landed outside the castle and introduced himself to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, asking to discuss a matter.

• Qhorin ordered his Rangers to sound three blasts after they spotted King Ghidorah, then led them toward Castle Black.
• The Night’s Watch at Castle Black scrambled to prepare as the dragon approached, and Viserys circled overhead to show he did not intend to attack.
• Jeor Mormont recognized Viserys Targaryen and ordered the Watch not to attack without his command.
• King Ghidorah landed outside Castle Black, and Viserys announced his name, titles, and wish to speak with Mormont.

Viserys arrived at Castle Black to meet Maester Aemon and warn the Night’s Watch about the Others. The brothers learned Aemon was his great-granduncle, while Benjen Stark confronted Viserys over past Targaryen crimes and the chapter ended with Viserys announcing that the Long Night was coming.

• Jeor Mormont hesitated to admit Viserys, but Maester Aemon told the Night’s Watch to let him in after hearing the dragon.
• Viserys greeted Aemon as his great-granduncle and identified himself as the son of Aerys, revealing Aemon’s Targaryen heritage to the brothers.
• Benjen Stark accused Viserys’s family of abducting Lyanna and killing his father and brother, and Viserys insisted Lyanna had left willingly with Rhaegar.
• Viserys warned the Night’s Watch that an army of the dead was gathering beyond the Wall and declared that the Long Night was coming.

Viserys challenged Benjen to a trial by combat to prove his warning about the Others and secure help retrieving Dark Sister. After defeating Benjen with a training sword, Viserys won the Night's Watch's respect, and Mormont invited him to discuss what came next.

• Viserys proposed a trial by combat, wagering that Benjen would believe his warning and help retrieve Dark Sister if Viserys won.
• Benjen accepted the challenge and drew his longsword while the Night's Watch gathered around them.
• Viserys borrowed a training sword and calmly countered Benjen's attacks, keeping him on the defensive.
• Viserys struck Benjen's wrist and disarmed him, then told him that hatred had clouded his swordsmanship.
• Mormont invited Viserys to the Main Keep to discuss what came next.

Viserys urged the Night's Watch to prepare for the Others and discussed seeking allies among the Wildlings and recovering Dark Sister. He agreed to go Beyond the Wall with Benjen and later visited the top of the Wall.

• Viserys warned Mormont that the Others and the Long Night threatened all of Westeros, and said he would go Beyond the Wall to find evidence.
• Benjen agreed to accompany Viserys, honoring his promise after losing their duel.
• Viserys urged Mormont to consider negotiating with the Wildlings and asked Maester Aemon about Dark Sister, which Brynden had taken Beyond the Wall.
• Mormont agreed to share where Brynden was last seen, while warning that the Night's Watch had searched without finding him or the sword.
• Viserys and Benjen rode the lift to the top of the Wall, where Viserys surveyed the lands Beyond it and relieved himself over the edge.

Viserys spoke with Maester Aemon about House Targaryen's tragedies, Aemon's regrets, and the prophecies surrounding dragons. Aemon revealed his recurring visions of the Others and the weirwoods, and began to believe that the dangers beyond the Wall and Rhaegar's prophecies were real.

• Viserys told Aemon about his dragons, including King Ghidorah and Blackflame, and the hatchlings belonging to his family.
• Aemon recalled giving up the Iron Throne, the deaths of Aegon and Rhaegar, and his decision to remain with the Night's Watch during the rebellion.
• Viserys reassured Aemon that history's tragedies were not his fault, though Aemon admitted that reason did not ease his guilt.
• Aemon described recurring dreams of icy-eyed figures and bleeding weirwoods, and said he believed Viserys's account of magic and prophecy.
• Aemon suggested that Rhaegar's prophecy of a dragon with three heads might refer to King Ghidorah, while Viserys chose not to correct him.

Viserys said goodbye to Maester Aemon and agreed to meet the Three-Eyed Crow at the Fist of the First Men, where the Children of the Forest would bring him the family sword. He flew Beyond the Wall ahead of Benjen Stark’s Rangers and spotted a Wildling camp near the meeting place.

• Viserys promised Aemon he would return to see him before leaving the Wall, and Aemon urged him to retrieve the sword and reclaim the Iron Throne.
• Brynden tried to enter Viserys’s mind, but Viserys resisted and King Ghidorah disrupted the Greenseer’s interference.
• The Three-Eyed Crow asked Viserys to meet at the Fist of the First Men, promising that the Children of the Forest would bring the sword.
• Three days later, Benjen Stark assembled fifteen Rangers to search the Haunted Forest for signs of the Others, carrying dragonglass weapons.
• Viserys flew ahead on King Ghidorah and found several Wildlings camped near the Fist of the First Men.

Viserys confronted a Wildling camp at the Fist of the First Men and forced Ygritte to accompany him in exchange for sparing the others. Guided by a three-eyed crow, Viserys and Ygritte entered a forest of weirwoods, where their destination remained ahead.

• Viserys landed King Ghidorah near the Wildling camp and told the gathered Free Folk he had not come to fight.
• Ygritte translated Viserys's words, introduced herself, and learned that he was King Viserys Targaryen.
• Viserys demanded that Ygritte come with him, threatening the others if she refused or they attacked.
• Rattleshirt led the Wildlings away, and Ygritte reluctantly agreed to go with Viserys.
• Viserys followed a three-eyed crow into the forest with Ygritte, and they reached a grove of weirwoods.

Viserys and Ygritte reached the Greenseer’s cave, where Viserys reclaimed Dark Sister and heard warnings about the Others, the Horn of Winter, and the coming Long Night. He left without agreeing to the Greenseer’s request to fight at the Wall, taking Ygritte with him.

• Viserys walked the final stretch with Ygritte while King Ghidorah flew overhead, and they entered the Children of the Forest’s cave.
• The Greenseer greeted Viserys and said he had found a new successor and wanted to cooperate.
• A Child of the Forest handed Viserys Dark Sister, the Valyrian steel sword of House Targaryen.
• The Greenseer warned Viserys that the Others were gathering wights and searching for the Horn of Winter, and said the Long Night was approaching.
• The Greenseer asked Viserys and his dragon to fight at the Wall, but Viserys declined to answer and left with Ygritte.