Recaps

Lynn arrived at Winterfell with an army of wights and revealed that he controlled them, then delivered food to fulfill his promise to the North. He told the stunned lords that he would distribute supplies according to each domain’s population before discussing the North’s future.

• The North’s lords gathered at Winterfell and debated whether Lynn could provide enough food for the long winter.
• The Army of the Dead appeared outside Winterfell, and the lords rushed to the walls in fear.
• Lynn arrived at the head of the wights, stopped them with a gesture, and made them kneel before him.
• Lynn ordered giant wights to carry sealed jars of food into Winterfell, and Ned ordered the gates opened.
• Lynn showed the lords jars containing preserved meat, potatoes, turnips, and salted fish, and promised to calculate and deliver supplies for each domain.
• Lynn said the food would last one year and announced that it was time to discuss the North’s future.

Lynn won the Northern lords’ loyalty by promising food and offering his undead as tireless laborers, assigning thousands to each castle. Ned worried that distributing the dead was dangerous, but Lynn said the arrangement served his plans and that he would retain control.

• Greatjon Umber and the Northern lords knelt before Lynn and pledged their loyalty.
• Lynn promised to double commoners’ rations and proposed using the undead to strengthen castles, repair roads, and mine ore.
• Wyman Manderly and Greatjon supported the plan, and the other lords eagerly agreed to accept undead laborers.
• Lynn assigned ten thousand undead to small castles, fifty thousand to Last Hearth, and one hundred thousand to Winterfell, with his people coordinating them.
• Ned warned Lynn that spreading the undead among the houses was dangerous, but Lynn said he wanted to prevent plots and divided loyalties like those of House Bolton.

Lynn spread his undead laborers across the North, binding its lords and people to a new order as they rebuilt castles and towns. After Miranda reported the North’s rapid progress and Joffrey’s plans for Liana, Lynn received an invitation to become Hand of the King.

• Lynn explained to Ned that distributing undead laborers would make the North dependent on him and unite it under his power.
• Ten thousand undead laborers arrived at Earl Hornwood’s castle, repaired its western wall in ten days, and began clearing woodland and gathering firewood.
• Across the North, the laborers transformed castles and villages, and people gradually came to regard them as helpers.
• A month later, Miranda reported that the lords were rebuilding and expanding their lands, while the Tyrells had submitted to Joffrey and Tywin had retreated to Casterly Rock.
• Miranda told Lynn that Sansa had persuaded Joffrey to marry Liana, and a raven delivered Joffrey’s invitation for Lynn to come to King’s Landing as Hand of the King.

Lynn accepted Joffrey’s invitation to become Hand of the King and prepared to leave Winterfell for King’s Landing. He entrusted the North to Ned and asked the women to learn governance; Myrcella chose to stay, and Lynn departed on Winter.

• Lynn accepted Joffrey’s invitation to serve as Hand of the King, believing he posed the greater danger in King’s Landing.
• Lynn told Arya, Ygritte, Miranda, and Myrcella that they would remain in Winterfell and learn to govern under Ned’s oversight.
• Myrcella declined Lynn’s offer to take her to Cersei, choosing instead to stay and learn to share Lynn’s burdens.
• Ned promised to oversee the North, and Lynn left Winterfell on Winter as Arya, Ygritte, Miranda, and Myrcella watched.

Lynn arrived at the Red Keep on Winter, and Joffrey eagerly welcomed him as the new Hand of the King while trying to claim the dragon for the crown. Joffrey also ordered a grand tournament in Lynn’s honor, leaving Ser Barristan Selmy worried that King's Landing was about to change.

• Winter’s arrival over King’s Landing sparked panic, but Joffrey shoved past Ser Barristan Selmy to welcome Lynn in the Red Keep courtyard.
• Joffrey demanded that Lynn leave Winter in King's Landing, and Lynn agreed on the condition that no one disturb the dragon.
• Lynn told Joffrey that Daenerys Targaryen had hatched a dragon in Essos, and Joffrey ordered Lynn to bring it to King's Landing.
• Joffrey announced a grand tournament for Lynn and ordered invitations sent to every lord in the Seven Kingdoms.
• Liana watched Lynn and Joffrey with a gentle smile, while Ser Barristan Selmy felt uneasy about the changes ahead.

Lynn settled into his role as Hand of the King and received Liana, who continued using a drug to manipulate Joffrey. Cersei then pleaded for his support, but Lynn rejected her and warned her to tell Tywin that his patience was running out.

• Lynn took charge of the Tower of the Hand after Joffrey appointed him Hand of the King.
• Liana visited Lynn and reported that the drug was making Joffrey believe they had been intimate; Lynn gave her another vial and told her to remain beside the king.
• Lynn considered the shifting powers in King's Landing and wondered why Tywin had vanished into Casterly Rock.
• Cersei came to Lynn and offered Lannister gold and armies in exchange for his help regaining power.
• Lynn rejected Cersei, ordered her out, and warned her to tell Tywin that he might give the Westerlands a different ruling family.

Joffrey appointed Lynn as Hand of the King, but Grand Maester Pycelle challenged Lynn’s qualifications, prompting Joffrey to punish him. The chapter ended with Pycelle stripped of his maester’s chain while Lynn watched.

• Joffrey appointed Lynn as the new Hand of the King before the Small Council.
• Grand Maester Pycelle questioned Lynn’s experience and noble birth, urging Joffrey to reconsider.
• Joffrey seized Pycelle by the beard and berated him until Lynn intervened, suggesting that Tywin Lannister could serve as Hand instead.
• Joffrey interpreted Lynn’s words as proof that Pycelle was supporting Tywin and ordered the Kingsguard to tear off Pycelle’s maester’s chain.
• The Kingsguard broke Pycelle’s chain, and Pycelle collapsed beside its scattered links.

Lynn provoked Joffrey into suspecting that Pycelle and Tywin had murdered Robert, and Joffrey brutally attacked the Grand Maester in the Council Chamber. Joffrey continued demanding to know who had ordered his father’s death.

• Cersei tried to stop Joffrey from destroying Pycelle’s chain, warning that Pycelle was a valuable Lannister agent.
• Lynn defended Pycelle at first, then hinted that he had helped cause Robert’s death through the wine he served and the treatment of the king’s wound.
• Joffrey became convinced that Pycelle and Tywin had conspired to murder Robert and attacked Pycelle.
• Cersei tried to pull Joffrey away, but he shoved her aside and continued beating Pycelle.
• Joffrey threatened Ser Barristan Selmy and demanded that Pycelle reveal who had ordered Robert’s death.

Lynn exposed Pycelle’s role in Tywin’s plots to poison and murder Robert, driving Joffrey into grief and rage. Joffrey then turned on Cersei and demanded that Pycelle tell him whether she had been involved.

• Joffrey beat Pycelle and demanded to know who had plotted against Robert.
• Lynn prompted Pycelle to confess that Tywin had twice tried to kill Robert: first by poisoning his wine to cloud his judgment, then by ensuring his hunting wound became fatal.
• Pycelle admitted that he had used boar dung and milk of the poppy to help kill Robert after the hunting accident.
• Joffrey collapsed after learning that Tywin and Pycelle had murdered his father, then awakened and accused Cersei of involvement.
• Joffrey picked up his longsword, pointed it at Pycelle’s neck, and demanded to know whether Cersei had been involved.

Joffrey learned from Pycelle that Cersei had known King Robert would be targeted and had let it happen, then tortured Pycelle to death. He confronted his mother and demanded to know why she had killed his father.

• Joffrey forced Pycelle to reveal that Cersei knew of the plan against King Robert and did nothing to stop it.
• Joffrey tortured Pycelle with his sword until the old man died, while Cersei and the assembled nobles watched.
• Joffrey ordered everyone to leave the Council Chamber, and the nobles, Varys, and Barristan Selmy departed.
• Joffrey cleaned his hands, approached Cersei, and asked why she had killed his father.

After Lynn left the Council Chamber, Cersei revealed to Joffrey that Robert was not his father and that Jaime was. Joffrey decided to protect his claim to the throne by killing everyone who knew the secret, and began strangling Cersei.

• Cersei asked Lynn to leave so she could speak to Joffrey alone, and Lynn stepped outside.
• Cersei told Joffrey that she had hated Robert and had welcomed Tywin's plan to move against him.
• Cersei revealed that Jaime, not Robert, was Joffrey's father, and Joffrey realized his claim to the throne rested on a lie.
• Joffrey asked who else knew the secret, and Cersei named Tywin and Jaime.
• Joffrey decided Cersei was a threat and lunged at her, strangling her in the Council Chamber.

Lynn stopped Joffrey from strangling Cersei and used his knowledge of Joffrey’s secret to secure the king’s obedience. Joffrey agreed to send Cersei away, and Lynn took her from the Red Keep while ordering Joffrey to conceal Pycelle’s death.

• Lynn returned to the Council Chamber and interrupted Joffrey as he tried to kill Cersei.
• Lynn warned Joffrey that killing his mother would turn the realm against him and revealed that he knew Joffrey’s secret.
• Joffrey fell to his knees and begged Lynn to keep the secret, offering him power in exchange.
• Lynn promised to remain silent on the condition that Cersei leave the Red Keep, and Joffrey agreed.
• Lynn led Cersei away to live at his place and ordered Joffrey to report Pycelle’s death as a sudden illness.
• Joffrey stayed behind with Pycelle’s corpse, realizing that he was now Lynn’s obedient subordinate.

Liana persuaded Joffrey that Lynn had acted to protect him, while Lynn confined Cersei to the Tower of the Hand and used Myrcella to make her obey. Cersei, devastated by Joffrey’s betrayal, clung to the hope that Lynn would keep her daughter safe.

• Joffrey lamented being humiliated by Lynn until Liana convinced him that Lynn had supported and protected him.
• Joffrey accepted Liana’s interpretation, decided to make use of Lynn’s strength, and ordered the Council Chamber cleaned.
• Lynn brought Cersei to the Tower of the Hand and forbade her from leaving without his permission.
• Lynn reminded Cersei that she had lost Joffrey and the protection of the Lannister name, then told her Myrcella was his woman.
• Cersei feared for Myrcella, but Lynn promised her daughter would be treated well if Cersei behaved, and Cersei sank into despair.

Lynn persuaded the captive Cersei that Joffrey was doomed and proposed that Myrcella’s future child with him could inherit the Iron Throne. Cersei began weighing betrayal of Joffrey against the chance to become the future king’s grandmother, then asked Lynn what she would gain by helping him.

• Lynn told Cersei that Joffrey was mad, viewed her as a threat, and would eventually ruin House Lannister.
• Lynn presented Myrcella as an alternative to Joffrey and revealed that she would bear his child.
• Cersei realized Lynn might place their child on the Iron Throne and preserve Lannister rule.
• Lynn offered Cersei a choice between clinging to Joffrey and helping secure a future through Myrcella’s child.
• Cersei asked Lynn what she would get if she helped him.

Lynn convinced Cersei that House Lannister had abandoned her and made her submit to him in exchange for a chance at revenge and protection. Cersei agreed to return to the Red Keep the next morning and pretend to be a powerless, remorseful mother so she could remain near Joffrey and carry out Lynn’s plans.

• Lynn challenged Cersei to consider what she could offer him and reminded her that Tywin and Joffrey had treated her as expendable.
• Cersei chose to submit to Lynn, deciding to rely on him for revenge against those who had abandoned her.
• Afterward, Cersei addressed Lynn as “Master” and asked what she should do.
• Lynn told Cersei to return to the Red Keep and act meek and powerless so Joffrey would no longer see her as a threat.
• Lynn said Liana would persuade Joffrey to accept Cersei’s return, and Cersei agreed to go back the next morning.

Joffrey struggled with his humiliation over Cersei and Lynn, then mistook Cersei’s feigned submission for genuine worship and banished her to the Abandoned Lonely Tower. Lynn arrived as the guards were taking her away and questioned how she had sneaked out.

• Joffrey woke furious and distressed over Cersei being in Lynn’s power, while Liana urged him to act like a generous king.
• A guard reported that Cersei had returned, and Joffrey mocked her appearance and threatened to cast her out.
• Cersei knelt before Joffrey, praised his kingship, and begged to remain near him as a humble mother.
• Joffrey allowed Cersei to stay in the Red Keep but stripped her of her servants, jewels, and power, ordering her taken to the Abandoned Lonely Tower.
• Lynn stopped the Gold Cloaks and asked Cersei how she had sneaked out.

Lynn took Cersei from Joffrey and staged an intimate encounter where Joffrey could spy on them. Joffrey misread Cersei’s actions as a sacrifice to secure Lynn’s loyalty, leaving him resolved to use Lynn against their enemies.

• Lynn stopped the Gold Cloaks from taking Cersei and announced he was taking her with him.
• Liana gave Joffrey an excuse to let Lynn take Cersei, and Joffrey pretended the decision served official business.
• Lynn led Cersei to the Tower of the Hand and said they would wait for Joffrey to spy on them.
• Joffrey secretly followed them and watched their silhouettes together through a window.
• Joffrey convinced himself Cersei was sacrificing herself for his rule and resolved to make use of Lynn.

Cersei returned to the Red Keep after Lynn claimed her as his private slave, only to learn that Joffrey had deliberately arranged her submission to keep Lynn loyal. Over the following days, Lynn openly visited Cersei’s chambers while Joffrey watched from afar, convinced his scheme secured his throne.

• Lynn told Cersei to return to the Red Keep and remember that she belonged to him, and she obeyed.
• Joffrey welcomed Cersei back to her former chambers and told her to keep Lynn satisfied so he would remain tethered to the Crown.
• Cersei realized Joffrey had treated her as a tool to protect his rule, suppressed her hatred, and pledged obedience.
• Lynn began openly visiting Cersei’s bedchamber, and the Red Keep’s servants and guards avoided the corridor.
• Joffrey listened to the sounds from Cersei’s chambers and called the sacrifices necessary for a great king.

Joffrey ordered Tommen’s murder to protect his claim to the throne, but Lynn secretly replaced Tommen with a masked corpse. After revealing the rescue to Cersei, Lynn won her loyalty and sent her to stoke Joffrey into conflict with Stannis and Renly.

• Joffrey feared Tommen could threaten his succession and ordered Marrey to make the boy’s death look like an accident.
• The Red Keep announced that Tommen had died, and Cersei collapsed from grief while Lynn arranged for Joffrey to visit her.
• Cersei blamed Joffrey for Tommen’s death and vowed revenge, but Lynn revealed that Tommen was alive and hidden somewhere safe.
• Cersei pledged herself and her loyalty to Lynn, who instructed her to support Joffrey’s plans against Stannis and Renly and inflame conflict between them and Tywin.
• Cersei left to carry out Lynn’s plan, while Lynn anticipated the turmoil it would bring Joffrey.

Cersei convinced Joffrey that Stannis and Renly had killed Tommen, prompting him to order an army against them. When Liana’s drugged wine made her hallucinate about Lynn, Joffrey realized she had been drugging him and suspected Lynn was behind her; he ended the chapter vowing to play along with Lynn’s schemes.

• Cersei knelt before Joffrey and persuaded him that Stannis and Renly had murdered Tommen to threaten his throne.
• Joffrey ordered his guards to summon the vassals and prepare an army to crush Storm’s End within three months.
• Joffrey grew suspicious of Liana’s wine and forced her to drink it before she could refuse.
• Under the drug’s influence, Liana hallucinated Lynn and called his name, revealing her desire for him to Joffrey.
• Grand Maester Galler identified the wine as a hallucinogen, and Joffrey concluded that Liana had been drugging him and might be Lynn’s pawn.
• Joffrey wondered whether Lynn had provoked his war with Stannis and Renly, then vowed to play along and defeat him.

Lynn entered Joffrey’s bedchamber and used his power to take control of Joffrey’s body, leaving the king terrified and humiliated. Lynn carried Liana away and ordered Joffrey to announce preparations for war against Stannis and Renly the next morning.

• Lynn ignored Joffrey’s protests and declared that he had come to take back what belonged to him.
• Lynn reminded Joffrey that he had dragons and knew the secret that could cost Joffrey his head.
• Lynn seized control of Joffrey’s body and forced him to slap himself repeatedly while explaining that he would keep him alive as a puppet and blood bag.
• Lynn stopped the forced slapping, ordered Joffrey to stand, and carried the delirious Liana out of the room.
• Lynn commanded Joffrey to tend to his injuries and announce preparations for war against Stannis and Renly in the King’s name.
• After Lynn left, Joffrey saw his swollen face in a mirror, slapped himself again, and realized he had lost control of his life and throne.

Lynn controlled Joffrey and forced him to listen as Liana cried out for Lynn in the room next door, using the humiliation to break Joffrey’s will. He returned Joffrey to his bedchamber and ordered him to bathe and prepare to preside over the Small Council.

• Joffrey tried to kill himself with a decorative sword, but Lynn seized control of his body and stopped him.
• Lynn forced Joffrey to kneel outside Liana’s room and listen to her call out for Lynn.
• Joffrey begged Lynn to spare him, but Lynn made him listen until Liana’s cries fell silent.
• Lynn returned Joffrey to his bedchamber, made him look at his reflection, and ordered him to bathe and change for the Small Council.

Joffrey accused Stannis and Renly of murdering Tommen and ordered them to face judgment in King's Landing. At Dragonstone, Stannis weighed his choices as Melisandre offered a prophecy that promised him the crown in exchange for a shadow.

• Joffrey appeared before the Small Council with Lynn and Cersei, then declared Tommen had been murdered by Stannis and Renly.
• Joffrey ordered his uncles to come to King's Landing and submit to his judgment, threatening anyone who challenged his decision.
• Stannis learned of Joffrey's decree and rejected Renly's offer that he swear allegiance in exchange for titles and a council seat.
• Stannis asked Davos what he should do, but Melisandre arrived and offered to show him the future.
• Melisandre told Stannis that his enemies would die and he would be crowned king if he gave up one little shadow.

Stannis agreed to Melisandre’s fire ritual, but Lynn intercepted her prayer and falsely claimed Stannis was not the prophesied prince, directing her toward Lynn in King's Landing. Melisandre hid the revelation from Stannis and promised to use a shadow to kill his enemies while preparing to seek the true king.

• Stannis overcame his distrust of magic and agreed to follow Melisandre’s ritual before the flames.
• While playing cards with Cersei and Liana in King's Landing, Lynn felt Melisandre’s prayer and found himself appearing to her as the Lord of Light.
• Lynn told Melisandre that Stannis was not the prophesied prince and hinted that the true king was in King's Landing, had come through winter, and had a dragon.
• Lynn ended the connection, and Melisandre told Stannis that he would defeat Renly and Joffrey while concealing the rest of the revelation.
• Melisandre decided to go to King's Landing to find the true king and asked Stannis to let a shadow eliminate his enemies.

Melisandre demanded a sacrifice of Stannis’s child, Shireen, to gain the Lord of Light’s power. Stannis agreed despite Davos’s protests, and as Melisandre began the ritual, she said the Lord of Light needed flames.

• Melisandre told Stannis that royal blood was needed for a sacrifice and named Shireen.
• Davos begged Stannis to spare Shireen, but Stannis kicked him aside and agreed to Melisandre’s demand.
• Stannis ordered Selyse to bring Shireen, and Selyse laid the sleeping child on a bed.
• Melisandre lit Black Candles, scattered strange powder, and chanted around Shireen as Stannis watched and Davos knelt in despair.
• Melisandre stopped chanting, approached Stannis, and said the Lord of Light needed flames.