Chapter Summaries

After Tywin revealed his hatred and his belief that Tyrion was not his son, Tyrion escaped with Varys and went to his father’s chambers. Tyrion killed Shae and shot Tywin with a crossbow, leaving the bolt for Tysha.

• Tywin told Tyrion he had always suspected he was Aerys’s bastard and wanted him dead to conceal the Lannisters’ scandal.
• Varys freed Tyrion and offered to take him south to serve King Viserys Targaryen.
• Tyrion persuaded Varys to lead him to Tywin’s chambers, then entered alone.
• Tyrion strangled Shae to death and took a crossbow from the room.
• Tyrion shot Tywin in the lower belly and said the bolt was for Tysha.

Tyrion and Sansa escaped Duskendale with help from someone disguised as Varys, while the real Varys was framed, tried, and executed for Tywin's murder. The Reach was reported pacified, but Viserys and a vast Dothraki force landed in the Stormlands, prompting Cersei to send Littlefinger to seek the Vale's support.

• Tyrion killed Tywin in the privy, then escaped Duskendale with Sansa and the disguised Varys through a hidden drainage outlet.
• The real Varys arrived at Tyrion's empty dungeon cell, was captured, and was accused of helping Tyrion murder Tywin and free Sansa.
• Varys accused Littlefinger, but Cersei ordered his execution, and the greatsword killed him before he could prove his claim.
• Pycelle reported that Addam Marbrand and Damion Lannister had conquered the Reach and that Willas Tyrell, Gendry, Randyll Tarly, and rebellious Reach nobles had been killed.
• Pycelle announced that Viserys had landed in the Stormlands with thirty thousand Dothraki, and Cersei ordered Littlefinger to persuade Lysa Tully and the Vale to support the Iron Throne.

Chai Yi reported on Viserys’s new marriage pact with Arianne Martell, Tyrion’s plans for an attack on the Stormlands, and the massacre of Robb Stark and Catelyn at the Twins. Liu Qian approved Chai Yi’s scheme to use Roslin Frey to secure the future of House Tully and went to meet the rescued Sansa Stark.

• Chai Yi told Liu Qian that Viserys had appointed Tyrion Hand of the King after learning Tyrion had killed Tywin, and that Tyrion urged him to ally with Dorne and strike the Stormlands.
• Viserys sent a messenger to Dorne, and Liu Qian ordered Mezzo to publicize the marriage pact so the Dornish would act.
• Chai Yi reported that House Frey, House Bolton, and northern lords had murdered Robb Stark and Catelyn at the Twins, while Edmure Tully remained imprisoned.
• Chai Yi proposed making Roslin Frey bear Liu Qian’s child, so that child could inherit House Tully; Liu Qian approved the plan.
• Chai Yi confirmed that she had rescued Sansa Stark from Duskendale, and Liu Qian went to meet her in the castle.

Liu Qian met Sansa and told her that Robb and Catelyn had been murdered at the Twins. After comforting her, he left Sansa alone to grieve in Conqueror's Holdfast.

• Sansa nervously met Liu Qian, her betrothed, and found him far more handsome and reassuring than the rumors had suggested.
• Liu Qian told Sansa that Robb and Catelyn had been betrayed and murdered at Edmure and Roslin's wedding.
• Sansa broke down in grief as Liu Qian recounted the events at the Twins.
• Liu Qian embraced Sansa, comforted her, and told her she was safe.
• Liu Qian left, and Sansa remained alone, grieving and confused by the warmth of his embrace.

Liu Qian persuaded Roslin Frey that her family’s betrayal had left her facing ruin and that Edmure Tully was likely dead. He urged her to conceive a child with him and pass it off as Edmure’s, and Roslin yielded to his advances.

• Liu Qian visited Roslin Frey in her guest room and asked whether she understood the consequences of House Frey’s slaughter at the wedding feast.
• Roslin learned that Edmure had been left in the Frey dungeon and feared that her father had killed him.
• Liu Qian warned Roslin that House Frey would be destroyed and that she would be left disgraced and vulnerable as Edmure’s widow.
• Liu Qian proposed that Roslin bear a child who could be presented as Edmure’s heir and rule Riverrun one day.
• Roslin accepted Liu Qian’s reasoning, and he began caressing her as they moved toward intimacy.

After the Lannisters massacred House Tyrell and plundered Highgarden, Addam Marbrand and Damion Lannister learned that Tywin had been assassinated and that Viserys Targaryen was preparing to invade, forcing them to withdraw. Reach nobles arrived too late to save Highgarden and began maneuvering over who would inherit it, while Lord Paxter Redwyne called for them to focus on the dead and the Lannisters.

• Addam Marbrand and Damion Lannister learned that Tyrion had killed Tywin and that Viserys Targaryen was preparing to land in the Stormlands with Dorne as an ally.
• Addam Marbrand ordered the Lannister army to abandon Highgarden and return to Duskendale, leaving the city burned and its dead behind.
• Ser Baelor Hightower, Lord Paxter Redwyne, and other Reach nobles arrived at Highgarden and found its gates, halls, and gardens filled with corpses and destruction.
• Ser Jon Fossoway raised the question of who would inherit Highgarden, prompting Baelor, Paxter, and Victaria Tyrell to consider their own claims.
• Lord Tommen Cuy suspected the great nobles had delayed their relief efforts in hopes of taking Highgarden, while Lord Paxter urged them to care for survivors and take vengeance on the Lannisters.

Ser Baelor persuaded the battered Reach lords to delay vengeance against the Lannisters and let Viserys Targaryen weaken them while the Reach recovered. The nobles agreed to seek Samwell Tarly’s release from the Night’s Watch and send Viserys an envoy offering goodwill without swearing fealty.

• Ser Baelor cited the Reach’s devastated lands and depleted forces to argue that it could not afford to fight the Lannisters.
• Ser Baelor said Viserys Targaryen would invade the Stormlands with Dothraki forces and had a marriage pact with Arianne Martell, and urged the Reach to stay neutral while the Targaryens fought the Lannisters.
• Lord Paxter and the other nobles accepted Ser Baelor’s argument that the Reach needed time to recover, then disputed House Hightower’s proposal to administer Horn Hill.
• Ser Jon Fossoway pointed out that Samwell Tarly still lived, and Lord Paxter argued that the Night’s Watch vows no longer deserved to bar him from inheriting after the Lannisters’ atrocities.
• Ser Baelor proposed sending a guarded party to the Wall to exchange condemned prisoners for Samwell’s freedom and tell him his family had died, and the nobles agreed to contact him.
• Ser Baelor proposed sending Viserys an envoy to express goodwill and offer limited support without swearing fealty, and the nobles approved.

Viserys tried to command the Dothraki to attack Storm's End, but Jhaqo rejected him, seized control of the host, and led the warriors inland to plunder the Stormlands. Bound alongside Viserys, Tyrion feared the invasion would devastate the region and destroy House Targaryen's hopes of restoration.

• Viserys ordered the Dothraki to march on Storm's End and kill the Baratheon bastard there.
• Tyrion warned Viserys that the Dothraki would not besiege castles and urged him to seek support from Stormlands lords and wait for Dorne.
• Viserys threatened Jhaqo with execution unless he attacked Storm's End, prompting the Dothraki to draw their weapons.
• Jhaqo's warriors disarmed and bound Viserys, Tyrion, and the interpreter, then Jhaqo took Viserys's sword and claimed the black dragon banner.
• Jhaqo led more than thirty thousand Dothraki toward inland villages to plunder them, while bound on horseback, Tyrion cursed Viserys and feared for the Stormlands and House Targaryen.

Cortnay Penrose ordered the Stormlands to use a scorched-earth defense against the invading Dothraki, while Liu Qian sent orders to search for Jon Snow and Alliser Thorne beyond the Wall. The chapter ended with Melisandre escaping Liu Qian’s dungeon, leaving him to wonder whom she would seek next.

• Messengers reported that Dothraki raiders flying Targaryen banners had massacred villagers and burned settlements across the Stormlands.
• Cortnay Penrose warned the Stormlands lords that their depleted forces could not face thirty thousand Dothraki in open battle and ordered them to evacuate people, fortify castles, and destroy supplies the raiders could use.
• Liu Qian sent letters to Jorah Mormont and Ramsay Snow, instructing Mezzo to deliver Ramsay’s letter directly to him.
• After hearing that Jon Snow and Alliser Thorne had vanished, Liu Qian ordered Sasman and Morio to send disguised ships to search for them beyond the Wall, especially Jon Snow.
• A guard reported that Melisandre had escaped her dungeon, and Liu Qian wondered whether she was seeking Stannis Baratheon or another target from her visions.

Stannis accepted Melisandre’s promise of power and ordered Dragonstone’s forces to sail for the Stormlands to save his people and reclaim his lands. Beyond the Wall, Jon Snow, Alliser Thorne, and their captive guide Ygritte continued through the Haunted Forest, where Ygritte teased Jon about watching her.

• Melisandre told Stannis that he was Azor Ahai reborn and urged him to invade the Stormlands, while Cressen and Davos warned him against trusting her and argued that an invasion would be suicide.
• Stannis condemned their calls to wait, declaring that he would save his kingdom before pursuing the Iron Throne, and demanded to know whether Melisandre could help him defeat his enemies.
• Melisandre promised that R'hllor’s power would strengthen Stannis and his soldiers, frighten their enemies, and guide him to power in the Stormlands.
• Stannis ordered every ship and soldier on Dragonstone to prepare to sail for the Stormlands.
• Jon Snow and Alliser Thorne marched through the Haunted Forest with Ygritte, whom Alliser had captured after killing two other wildlings.
• Ygritte noticed Jon watching her and teasingly asked whether he wanted to sleep with her.

Jon and Alliser struggled over whether to kill Ygritte after she tried to escape, but an Other appeared on the snowy slope before they could decide. The three and Ghost faced the mysterious creature in the Haunted Forest.

• Ygritte taunted Jon, and Alliser slapped her and ordered Jon to kill her once they found a boat.
• Ygritte wore through her bindings and attacked Alliser, then tried to seize Jon's sword.
• Jon struck Ygritte, and Ghost pinned her in the snow while Alliser demanded that Jon kill her.
• Jon hesitated to kill Ygritte, arguing they still needed her as a guide.
• An Other appeared beside a snow-covered boulder, freezing the group with its presence.

Ser Alliser Thorne sacrificed himself to hold off an Other so Jon, Ygritte, and Ghost could escape. After failing to stop the creature with a falling tree, Alliser died by its sword, and the Other pursued Jon and Ygritte into the forest.

• Alliser ordered Jon and Ygritte to flee while he faced the approaching Other, declaring Jon the rightful king and his own death a chance for Jon to live.
• Jon dragged Ygritte into the woods and called Ghost to guard them as they escaped.
• The Other struck Alliser through the left arm, but he leaped away and used his sword to bring a snow-laden sentinel tree crashing down.
• The Other emerged unharmed, and Alliser stood to face it, shouting for House Targaryen and the true dragon.
• The Other beheaded Alliser and then headed into the forest after Jon and Ygritte.

Prince Doran learned that Viserys had announced Arianne’s betrothal and was leading a Dothraki army into the Stormlands, risking Dorne’s safety. He sent Quentyn to gather ten thousand men and observe the conflict, ordering him to support Viserys only if it became advantageous or bring him back alive if his forces were defeated.

• Prince Doran read Viserys’s letter announcing Arianne’s betrothal and asking Dorne to send troops to support his campaign in the Stormlands.
• Quentyn urged Prince Doran to send soldiers to restrain Viserys’s Dothraki, while Arianne imagined her future as queen.
• Prince Doran warned that the Dothraki could devastate the Stormlands and suspected that the Easterners had learned of the marriage pact through Oberyn.
• Prince Doran ordered Quentyn to gather ten thousand men and advance through the Prince’s Pass to observe Viserys’s army, joining him only if he gained the upper hand.
• Prince Doran told Quentyn to bring Viserys back to Dorne alive if the Dothraki were surrounded and defeated, and Quentyn left to carry out his orders.

Liu Qian offered Waymar Royce support in exchange for House Royce’s future allegiance and revealed a scandal about Robert Arryn’s parentage. Waymar left to consider the offer and carry the revelation back to the Vale.

• Liu Qian welcomed Waymar Royce and learned that House Royce wanted to ransom its captured soldiers to strengthen its position against Lysa Tully and Petyr Baelish.
• Waymar explained that Yohn Royce led the Lords Declarant, Andar Royce was held at the Eyrie, and Robar Royce had died in King's Landing.
• Liu Qian urged Waymar to consider inheriting Runestone and offered support and the prisoners’ release in exchange for his sworn allegiance when Liu Qian landed in Westeros.
• Liu Qian claimed Robert Arryn was the bastard son of Petyr Baelish and Lysa Tully, and explained how spreading the news could undermine Lysa’s rule.
• Waymar agreed to take the parentage claim back to the Vale but said he needed time to consider Liu Qian’s terms.

Stannis confronted the Stormlands nobles outside Storm's End and urged them to defend their people from the Dothraki. Earl Wheldon and Earl Sebastian opened the castle gates for him, and Stannis took command as he prepared to gather the Stormlands’ forces.

• Stannis accused Cortnay Penrose and the Stormlands nobles of abandoning their people to Dothraki raids, and called on them to help drive the invaders out.
• Cortnay returned to Storm's End without answering, while the other nobles rode back, visibly conflicted.
• Melisandre offered to help Stannis take Storm's End and began seducing him, but Davos interrupted to report that the gates had opened.
• Earl Wheldon and Earl Sebastian bound Cortnay and opened Storm's End to Stannis, who ordered his soldiers to secure the castle and find Edric Storm.
• Stannis ordered Cortnay imprisoned and summoned the Stormlands lords to muster their armies and drive the Dothraki and their Dragon Banner into the sea.

Ser Addam Marbrand led the Westerlands cavalry toward Ashford while Jon Fossoway’s larger Reach army pursued them. As Addam’s men attacked House Cuy’s defended bridge, a horn sounded from Cuy Woods behind them.

• Addam and Damion Lannister split their forces after leaving Highgarden, with Addam drawing the Reach’s attention while Damion took the wagons north.
• Jon Fossoway gathered about fifteen thousand Reachmen and pursued Addam, intending to drive him from the Reach without engaging in battle.
• Addam reached Ashford’s bridge and demanded that House Cuy’s defenders let his army pass.
• The Cuy knight refused, so Addam ordered his soldiers to form a shield wall and take the bridge.
• As the Westerlands shield formation neared the barricades, a horn sounded from Cuy Woods behind Addam’s army.

Addam Marbrand’s Westerlands cavalry clashed with Jon Fossoway’s Reach army after the Reachmen’s anger broke their formation, giving the Westerlands the advantage. The battle was interrupted by the arrival of tens of thousands of Dothraki Screamers beneath a three-headed dragon banner.

• Jon Fossoway’s army blocked Addam Marbrand’s route west and offered him safe passage east through the Stormlands, but Addam refused.
• A Reach soldier’s arrow sparked a charge by enraged farmers and survivors, and Steffon Swyft killed Richard Cray in the confusion.
• Addam ordered seven thousand Westerlands cavalrymen to charge the disorganized Reach infantry.
• The Westerlands cavalry shattered the Reach attack, while Earl Cuy’s attempt to strike their flank failed.
• Tens of thousands of Dothraki Screamers appeared from the southeast beneath a banner bearing a three-headed red dragon.

Jhaqo Khal’s Dothraki devastated the Reach and Westerlands armies at Ashford, and Prince Quentyn Martell joined the battle against them. As the battlefield descended into further chaos, Tyrion freed himself and Viserys, but the Dornish attack drew the Dothraki’s attention.

• Jhaqo Khal led more than thirty thousand Dothraki into the battle, routing Reach infantry and breaking the Westerlands cavalry’s formation.
• Addam Marbrand ordered a southeast breakout and led a dwindling band of knights through the Dothraki, while Steffon Swyft’s counterattack was overwhelmed.
• Prince Quentyn Martell chose to join Viserys’s side, and the Dornish army charged the fleeing Reach and Westerlands troops with poisoned spears.
• Viserys panicked while bound to a packhorse, but Tyrion persuaded a Dothraki warrior to cut them loose and give them arakhs.
• Quentyn’s coordinated, poison-tipped spear attack deepened the slaughter and drew the Dothraki’s attention.

Khal Jhaqo mistook Quentyn Martell’s arriving Dornish army for an enemy and sent the Dothraki to attack it, leaving the Dornish forces shattered and struggling to reach Viserys. As the exhausted armies continued fighting at Ashford, Stannis Baratheon’s army appeared behind the Dornish at sunset.

• Khal Jhaqo ordered his Dothraki riders to charge Quentyn’s Dornish army, believing it had come to attack him.
• Daemon Sand and Obara Sand organized a shield-and-spear defense, but the Dothraki surrounded the Dornish, attacked them with arrows, and broke their formations.
• Quentyn demanded to know why Viserys was attacking the Dornish, and Daemon Sand warned that Viserys had either betrayed them or could not control the Dothraki.
• Quentyn ordered the surviving Dornish soldiers to gather around the Martell banners and search for Viserys while the Dothraki continued their assault.
• Addam Marbrand and Jon Fossoway saw the Dornish fighting the Dothraki and briefly hoped it might help them.
• Stannis Baratheon’s army appeared behind the Dornish beneath the blood-red sunset, bearing its crowned stag banner.

Stannis and Melisandre reached the battlefield at Ashford, where Khal Jhaqo’s horsemen ravaged four exhausted armies. Melisandre gave birth to a shadow assassin resembling Stannis, and it rose as the battle continued.

• Stannis surveyed the battle and realized Jhaqo, not Viserys Targaryen, controlled the horsemen.
• Melisandre urged Stannis to use the shadow born from the fire within him to kill Jhaqo and turn the battle.
• Stannis agreed, remembering the suffering in the Stormlands and the life force the magic was consuming.
• Melisandre dismounted, removed her robe, and chanted as her swollen belly writhed.
• A living shadow emerged from Melisandre and took Stannis's likeness before rising to its feet.