Arc 12Chapters 276–290

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Chapters 276–290 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 276Tyrion's despair

Young Griff failed to hatch the dragon egg despite sacrificing Edric Storm and mutilating Tyrion, then accepted Ser Harry Strickland’s advice to target Duskendale. Arianne Martell arrived to assess him, became his lover, and sent Prince Doran a letter urging Dorne to support Young Griff.

  • Young Griff burned Edric Storm on a pyre with the dragon egg, but the egg remained lifeless.
  • Young Griff ordered Tyrion’s manhood cut off and burned as another offering, but the egg still did not hatch.
  • Ser Harry Strickland urged Young Griff to attack Duskendale, and Young Griff accepted his advice.
  • Arianne Martell arrived at Storm’s End and spoke with Young Griff about his plans and Dorne’s ties to the Targaryens.
  • Young Griff and Arianne became lovers, and she wrote Prince Doran urging him to send troops in support of Young Griff.

Ch. 277The cruel Ramsay

Roose Bolton prepared to resist Jon Snow’s advance on Winterfell, while Ramsay used a captive girl posing as Arya Stark to torment Jon during the siege. Jon’s army surrounded the castle, but by the fifteenth day Ramsay’s escalating abuse drove Jon to break down.

  • Roose Bolton learned that Jon Snow was marching on Winterfell with a large army and ordered forces led by Robin Flint, Harrion Tallhart, and Arnolf Karstark to attack White Harbor.
  • Ramsay persuaded Roose to let him handle the captive Beth Cassel, whom the Boltons were presenting as Arya Stark.
  • Jon’s army reached Winterfell, and Ser Marlo Manderly warned him that the Boltons’ lack of resistance seemed suspicious.
  • Ramsay displayed the tortured captive on the walls and threatened to kill her unless Jon surrendered, but Jon ordered siege engines built and encircled Winterfell.
  • During the siege, Ramsay repeatedly whipped and abused the captive, culminating in Bolton soldiers raping her publicly on the fifteenth day.
  • Jon finally broke down as he heard the captive’s cries from Winterfell’s walls.

Ch. 278Jon's death

After White Harbor fell and their supplies were cut off, Jon Snow’s besieging army deteriorated while Ramsay Bolton tormented him with a supposed Arya. Jon charged to rescue the girl, but Ramsay’s trap left Jon mortally wounded and his army surrounded, forcing Marlon Manderly to order a retreat.

  • A scout reported that Ser Bartimus had betrayed White Harbor to House Bolton’s allies, prompting Marlon Manderly to urge Jon to retreat toward the east coast.
  • Jon refused to abandon Arya, while dwindling supplies, Dothraki desertions, and Ramsay’s daily torture spectacle wrecked the besieging army’s morale.
  • On the thirtieth day, Jon ordered an assault, but Ramsay pushed the battered girl from Winterfell’s walls, and Jon rushed to her side.
  • Jon realized the girl might not be Arya just as Bolton archers shot him with a hail of arrows.
  • House Flint, House Tallhart, and House Karstark attacked from the flanks and rear as Ramsay led cavalry out of Winterfell, and the Dothraki scattered.
  • With Jon gravely wounded and the army surrounded, Marlon Manderly ordered a breakout south while Ghost howled beside Jon’s body.

Ch. 279Doran went all in!

Prince Doran committed Dorne to supporting Aegon Targaryen, demanding that Arianne become queen and that Oberyn be rescued. He revealed that the young man raised as Quentyn was a substitute, while the real Quentyn was in Norvos preparing to lead its forces into Westeros.

  • Doran decided to send a Dornish army to support Aegon if he married Arianne and promised to rescue Oberyn.
  • Doran ordered Areo Hotah to activate the plan with Norvos and send its forces from Pentos to the Crownlands.
  • Doran summoned the young man raised as Quentyn and told him that Arianne would become queen while Quentyn ruled Dorne.
  • Doran revealed that the real Quentyn had been raised in Norvos and would lead its army, while the young man before him was a servant's son switched in as a decoy.
  • The young man broke down as he understood that he had been used to protect the true heir.

Ch. 280Blackfyre returns

Arianne and Young Griff sealed an alliance between Dorne and the Targaryen claimant, and their combined army marched to the ruins of King's Landing. Young Griff was crowned king beside Arianne, received Blackfyre, and ordered his forces north to continue the conquest.

  • Arianne received Prince Doran's letter agreeing to send troops if she became queen, and Young Griff accepted the terms.
  • The Dornish army joined Young Griff's forces, bringing their combined host to nearly eighty thousand soldiers.
  • At the ruins of King's Landing, Young Griff blamed the Lannisters for destroying the city and called for their deaths.
  • An old septon crowned Young Griff king and Arianne queen among the ruins.
  • Harry Strickland presented Blackfyre to Young Griff, who raised the sword and ordered the army to march north.

Ch. 281The royal wedding

Liu Qian married seven women in a lavish ceremony, making them queens of the Three Daughters Kingdom and the lands of the Narrow Sea. As the wedding ended, Lynesse and Roslin reflected on the inheritances promised to their children.

  • Guests from across the known world gathered at Conqueror's Holdfast to witness Liu Qian's wedding.
  • Liu Qian's seven brides—Baelor Lys, Chai Yi, Ynys, Daenerys, Myrcella, and Sansa—entered the hall and married him in a ceremony without Faith of the Seven rites.
  • The Dragon Spirit Guardians kept the ceremony secure, while Lady Lynesse and Lady Roslin watched from a guarded area.
  • Roslin anticipated her child inheriting Riverrun and hoped her next children might inherit the Twins and Harrenhal.
  • Lynesse, already mother to a boy and pregnant again, felt content with Liu Qian's promise that her children would inherit Highgarden and Bear Island.

Ch. 282Friend, what were you expecting?

At his wedding feast, Liu Qian received lavish gifts and a marriage proposal from Thunder Island’s empress, which he politely declined. An Ibbenese envoy then tried to assassinate him, but Liu Qian effortlessly stopped the attack and the Dragon Spirit Guardians seized the assassin.

  • Merchants and envoys presented Liu Qian and his seven Queens with costly treasures, exotic animals, soldiers, maidservants, and merchant ships.
  • Yidi merchants offered porcelain and congratulations from Tiqu, while Liu Qian suspected they had other motives and welcomed them to the feast.
  • Thunder Island’s envoy invited Liu Qian to visit and proposed that he marry its empress, but he declined because he needed to stabilize his kingdom.
  • An Ibbenese envoy presented a supposed Unicorn’s horn, concealed a dagger inside its box, and lunged at Liu Qian.
  • Liu Qian snapped the dagger with his bare palm, dodged a poisoned needle, and broke a second dagger before kicking the assassin down.
  • The Dragon Spirit Guardians pinned the assassin to the floor.

Ch. 283Sharing One Bed

After surviving an assassination attempt at his wedding feast, Liu Qian identified the killer as a Faceless Man and set plans in motion against Westeros and the Free Cities. He assigned Waymar Royce to help defeat House Bolton, then retired with five of his brides while Sansa and Myrcella went to rest.

  • Liu Qian reassured his seven Queens after the assassin died by biting a poison sac, and told Mezzo that the killer was a Faceless Man from Braavos.
  • Liu Qian ordered Mezzo to have Prince Janyi seize Pentos and to spread news of Young Griff's Blackfyre identity while delivering a prepared gift to Duskendale.
  • Mezzo reported Jon Snow's death and the alliance between Young Griff and Dorne, along with an incoming force from Norvos.
  • Liu Qian ordered Waymar Royce to join House Manderly's remnants against House Bolton before heading south to the Vale, and Waymar accepted.
  • After the feast, Liu Qian sent Sansa and Myrcella to rest and remained with Jelena, Janice, Chai Yi, Daenerys, and Ynys.

Ch. 284A dragon descended on Braavos

Liu Qian rode Blooddance to Braavos as Arya abandoned her assigned target to kill Meryn Trant. After Arya escaped the brothel, Liu Qian ordered Blooddance to descend toward the Isle of the Gods.

  • Liu Qian mounted Blooddance and flew north toward Braavos to vent his fury.
  • Arya spotted Meryn Trant in Braavos and learned he had recruited sellswords for Cersei before staying behind to indulge himself.
  • Arya disguised herself as a prostitute and entered Meryn Trant's room at the Cat House.
  • Arya blinded Meryn Trant and killed him with a poisoned dagger, then escaped through the brothel's back door.
  • Liu Qian arrived over Braavos and directed Blooddance toward the Isle of the Gods.

Ch. 285What Can You Do About It?

Liu Qian attacked the House of Black and White with Blooddance after the Faceless Men tried to assassinate him, while the Faceless Men fled with three Dragon Egg Fossils. He confronted Braavos's representative as the temple burned and challenged him to stop the attack.

  • Braavosi citizens and guards panicked when Liu Qian flew over the city on Blooddance, and Arya recognized the dragon-riding Eastern King.
  • Liu Qian ordered Blooddance to burn the House of Black and White while the Faceless Men discussed Jaqen H'ghar's stolen research on hatching dragons.
  • The Waif warned the Faceless Men that the temple was under attack, and the Kindly Man led them through a secret passage with the three hot Dragon Eggs.
  • The House of Black and White collapsed under Blooddance's fire as Liu Qian declared that he wanted every Faceless Man dead.
  • Tormo Freyga confronted Liu Qian, who blamed the Faceless Men for trying to kill him and challenged Braavos to stop him.

Ch. 286The fall of the Titan of Braavos

Liu Qian fought Braavos’s defenders with Blooddance, then revealed a far larger Golden Great Dragon and destroyed the Titan of Braavos. The city’s defenders watched their symbol of invincibility collapse into the harbor.

  • Tormo Freyga secretly prepared Braavos’s Scorpions while Liu Qian had Blooddance set the House of Black and White ablaze.
  • A nervous soldier fired a Scorpion bolt at Blooddance, and Liu Qian retaliated by diving toward the ballista positions as Tormo ordered a full attack.
  • Blooddance dodged the incoming bolts and burned the ballista crews, while Liu Qian identified the Titan of Braavos as the greatest threat.
  • Liu Qian climbed into the clouds with Blooddance, then returned as a nearly three-hundred-foot Golden Great Dragon and unleashed golden Dragonfire on Braavos’s defenses.
  • The Golden Dragon’s fire destroyed the Scorpions and engulfed the Titan of Braavos, causing the statue to break apart and collapse into the harbor.

Ch. 287Binding Dany by Contract

Liu Qian destroyed Braavos's Purple Fleet and forced the city to accept immense reparations and a ban on rebuilding its navy. Back at Conqueror's Holdfast, he offered Daenerys dragon blood to make her his Flame Knight.

  • Liu Qian burned Braavos's Purple Fleet and killed many sailors as the ships tried to escape or sank in the flames.
  • Sealord Ferrego Antaryon begged Liu Qian to spare Braavos, and Liu Qian demanded thirty billion Braavosi iron coins and a promise never to rebuild the Purple Fleet.
  • Ferrego accepted Liu Qian's terms, and Liu Qian flew back to Conqueror's Holdfast.
  • Liu Qian visited Daenerys and offered her a drop of dragon blood, explaining that drinking it would make her his Flame Knight.
  • Daenerys realized she had misunderstood Liu Qian's request and, trusting him, prepared to drink the dragon blood.

Ch. 288Two armies face off

Daenerys bonded with a newly hatched dragon she named Grey Smoke while Kevan Lannister and Young Griff prepared their armies for battle near Duskendale. Cersei seized control of Duskendale behind Kevan’s back, as Moqorro joined Young Griff’s camp and proclaimed him the Prince That Was Promised.

  • Liu Qian helped Daenerys adapt to dragon blood, and she chose a grayish-brown dragon egg that hatched five days later as Grey Smoke.
  • Kevan Lannister assigned Jaime to defend Sow's Horn and left to establish defenses at Rosby, warning Ralf Leek to protect the king and watch Cersei.
  • Cersei secretly ordered the Mountain to seize Ralf Leek, who was imprisoned after Kevan departed.
  • Young Griff’s army besieged Sow's Horn and Rosby, with Harry Strickland, Jon Connington, Daemon Sand, and the Sand Snakes directing forces.
  • Moqorro told Young Griff that Volantis had fallen to an eastern power and proclaimed him the Prince That Was Promised; Young Griff allowed the priest to remain in his camp.

Ch. 289Surprise attack on Duskendale, hostages stay their hand

Young Griff’s alliance sent Arianne Martell to join Quentyn’s Norvos army in a surprise attack on Duskendale. Cersei used Oberyn and Ellaria as hostages to halt the Dornish and Norvos assault.

  • Daemon Sand reported that Quentyn had sailed from Norvos with fifteen thousand men, and Young Griff ordered Arianne to meet him with Obara Sand as escort.
  • Cersei learned that Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand had been delivered to Duskendale, and she discovered they had been rendered unable to speak.
  • Cersei received news that Norvos and Dornish forces were landing, and ordered Oberyn and Ellaria taken to the gatehouse.
  • Arianne met Quentyn outside Duskendale, and they agreed to attack the town and seize Cersei and the Lannister king.
  • Cersei held a dagger to Oberyn’s throat from the gatehouse, and the Dornish and Norvos forces stopped their attack.

Ch. 290The rift in the alliance

Cersei’s execution of Oberyn and Ellaria shattered the alliance between Young Griff and the Dornish, and Young Griff’s assault on Duskendale failed to take the city. In the North, Ser Marlo Manderly’s small band of survivors encountered a scarred woman and a bald man carrying a flaming sword.

  • Arianne and Quentyn refused to attack while Oberyn and Ellaria were Cersei’s hostages, and Kevan Lannister broke out of Rosby to reinforce Duskendale.
  • Jaime’s ambush checked Young Griff’s pursuit, but Kevan led more than twenty thousand soldiers into Duskendale before Young Griff arrived.
  • Young Griff argued with Quentyn and Arianne, then ordered an all-out assault on Duskendale despite their objections.
  • Cersei had Oberyn and Ellaria burned alive, driving the Dornish into a furious assault that failed to capture the city.
  • Young Griff halted the costly attack and began a siege, while Ser Marlo Manderly mourned Jon Snow among the North’s scattered survivors.
  • Ser Marlo’s sentries raised an alarm as a scarred woman and a bald man with a flaming longsword approached the valley.
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