Chapter Summaries

Liu Qian conquered Myr with Blooddance, killed the city’s governors, and began taking control of its wealth and prisoners. Days later, Mezzo sent news of war in the Riverlands and Eddard Stark’s imprisonment, prompting Liu Qian to send letters to Robert and Tywin.

• Blooddance broke into Myr’s Pearl Hall, where Liu Qian accused the governors of conspiring against him and burned them alive.
• Liu Qian, Jelena, and Janice flew over Myr on their dragons, and the city’s remaining resistance collapsed.
• Liu Qian’s army took control of Myr and counted roughly a million golden dragons’ worth of Myr iron coins, nearly thirty thousand Dothraki screamers, and a hundred thousand warhorses.
• Mezzo reported that Tywin was ravaging the Riverlands after Catelyn captured the Imp, while Eddard Stark was imprisoned for treason and Jon Snow’s identity stirred controversy.
• Liu Qian asked Mezzo to deliver letters to King Robert and Lord Tywin through his informants in Westeros.

Robb Stark read the Iron Throne’s accusations against Eddard Stark and Catelyn’s report of war in the Riverlands to the northern lords, then argued that they should rescue his father. Roose Bolton urged caution and hinted that surrendering Jon Snow could prevent war, but a loud voice cut off the debate.

• Robb Stark read King Robert’s decree accusing Eddard Stark of treason over Jon Snow’s parentage and ordering Winterfell to summon Howland Reed to swear fealty.
• Robb Stark read Catelyn’s report that Tywin Lannister’s forces were ravaging the Riverlands and besieging Riverrun.
• Robb Stark denounced the accusations as a conspiracy and called for his father’s rescue, while Grey Wind growled beside him.
• Rickard Karstark and Dacey Mormont urged war, while Galbart Glover called for caution and Wyman Manderly worried over Jon Snow’s parentage.
• Roose Bolton suggested that surrendering Jon Snow might avert war, prompting murmurs among the lords.
• An impatient voice thundered through the hall and ordered everyone to stop dithering.

At Winterfell, Grey Wind maimed Greatjon Umber after he challenged Robb Stark’s courage and leadership. Robb secured the northern lords’ oaths and ordered their armies to muster against the Iron Throne.

• Jon Umber insulted Robb and questioned his fitness to lead the North, prompting Grey Wind to bite off Jon’s pointing finger.
• Robb confronted the injured Jon and demanded to know whether House Umber would remain loyal to House Stark and follow him south.
• Jon declared House Umber loyal, and the other northern lords swore their allegiance to Robb.
• Roose Bolton was the last to pledge the Dreadfort’s support to Robb.
• Robb ordered the vassals’ armies to muster and rallied the lords with the North’s call to remember.

Robb Stark refused to hand Jon Snow over to the Iron Throne, choosing to prepare for war despite Maester Luwin’s warnings. In a separate meeting, Roose Bolton and several northern lords agreed to send only limited forces, leaving Robb’s campaign weakened.

• Maester Luwin urged Robb Stark to follow Catelyn’s letter and send Jon Snow to King's Landing, but Robb refused because he would not betray his brother.
• Robb declared that he would fight the Iron Throne to free Eddard, while Maester Luwin warned that defying the crown could bring war upon the North.
• Roose Bolton, Lady Flint, Ser Harrion Tallhart, and the Glover brothers discussed refusing to commit their full strength to Robb’s southern campaign.
• Roose Bolton proposed handing Jon Snow over to preserve peace with the Iron Throne, and the other lords agreed to send only limited troops.

Maester Aemon learned that Jon Snow was the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, while the Iron Throne ordered Castle Black to seize him. Lord Commander Mormont announced Jon’s identity and Eddard Stark’s imprisonment, then had Jon taken to a confinement cell to await the Gold Cloaks.

• Clydas read the Iron Throne’s order to Maester Aemon, who realized Jon was his kin and asked to be taken to Lord Commander Jeor Mormont.
• Mormont arrived at supper and told the Night’s Watch that Jon was Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son and that Eddard Stark had been imprisoned for treason.
• Jon was stunned by the revelation and grieved over Eddard’s imprisonment and his parents’ fates.
• Mormont said the Night’s Watch would obey the order to hold Jon until the Gold Cloaks arrived to escort him south.
• Mormont ordered a ranger to take Jon to the confinement cell and bar anyone from approaching him.

After learning his true parentage and facing execution, Jon escaped Castle Black with Ser Alliser Thorne. In the forest, Thorne pledged his sword and loyalty to Jon, who accepted his allegiance.

• Alliser Thorne entered Jon's cell and offered to help him escape, revealing that he believed Jon was the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms.
• Thorne gave Jon warm clothes and a sword, then led him through Castle Black as guards raised the alarm.
• Thorne and Jon escaped over a wooden barrier while Lord Commander Mormont and the guards pursued them.
• After fleeing into the forest, Thorne knelt before Jon and pledged his life and loyalty to him.
• Jon accepted Thorne's allegiance.

Tywin Lannister prepared to march on Pinkmaiden despite King Robert's order to halt, but three letters warned that Cersei's children were Jaime's and that the scandal might be exposed. Fearing for House Lannister, Tywin secretly rode for King's Landing with five thousand cavalry, leaving Ser Damion to command the army.

• Tywin rejected King Robert's demand to halt the Riverlands campaign and surrender Gregor Clegane, ordering his army to take Pinkmaiden.
• Tywin read three letters claiming that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were Jaime and Cersei's children, and ordered the attendant to keep the letters secret.
• Tywin weighed the risk of leaving the campaign against the danger to Cersei, Jaime, and House Lannister, then decided to go to King's Landing.
• Tywin appointed Ser Damion to command the remaining troops and secretly departed the camp at night with five thousand elite cavalrymen.

After a bloody confrontation with Cersei, Robert discovered evidence that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were Jaime’s children and ordered their bastardy declared. He legitimized all his own bastards and sent Barristan to find them, beginning with Gendry.

• Robert beat Cersei in his bedchamber while Jaime watched, restrained by Barristan.
• Robert found a sealed parchment inside a dead doe in the Kingswood, read it, and rushed back to King's Landing in fury.
• Robert ordered Meryn Trant to bring Cersei and Jaime to the Throne Room, but Varys helped them escape through a secret passage.
• Robert searched Jon Arryn’s books and found genealogical evidence that the Baratheon-Lannister children should have black hair.
• Robert ordered Pycelle to announce that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were bastards, then legitimized all his bastards and ordered Varys’s list delivered to Barristan.
• Barristan took Gold Cloaks to Tobho Mott’s smithy to find Gendry, the first name on the list.

Ser Barristan abandoned the Red Keep to rescue Gendry as Tywin Lannister’s army seized control of King’s Landing. In the Throne Room, Jaime killed Robert during the fighting, leaving Tywin’s forces victorious and Robert dead.

• Ser Barristan recognized Gendry as Robert’s son and took him out of the smithy to escape the Lannister forces.
• Gold Cloaks found Cersei and Jaime and brought them before Robert in the Throne Room.
• Tywin rode into the Throne Room with his army, and Lannister loyalists attacked Robert’s supporters.
• Jaime stabbed Robert through the heart as the fighting erupted, and Robert’s sword cut Cersei’s face as he fell.
• Tywin’s forces killed or subdued Robert’s loyalists, while Jaime stood over Robert’s body in shock and guilt.

Tywin Lannister arranged for the Small Council to blame Eddard Stark for King Robert’s assassination and planned Joffrey’s coronation while preparing to campaign against the northern and Riverlands forces. He left Cersei fearing for her safety as he ordered Jaime to join him on another front.

• Tywin questioned the Small Council, and Mace Tyrell, Pycelle, Varys, and Petyr Baelish all blamed the imprisoned Eddard Stark for regicide.
• Tywin ordered Pycelle to send letters accusing Eddard of killing Robert, forging earlier letters, and plotting to restore the Targaryens, while announcing Joffrey’s coming coronation.
• Tywin pressured Mace to invite Olenna and the Tyrell family to King's Landing, keeping Mace as a hostage while the Lannisters retaliated against House Tyrell.
• Tywin ordered Varys to monitor the great houses, especially Storm's End, Dragonstone, Winterfell, and Highgarden.
• Tywin said he would lead the campaign against the North and Riverlands and told Jaime he would serve on another front.
• Cersei objected to Tywin and Jaime leaving King's Landing and asked who would protect her and the children.

Tywin secured King's Landing, warned Cersei to obey him, and berated Jaime and Cersei over their relationship and the scandal that nearly ruined House Lannister. He then revealed that he had received three letters warning that Robert would discover their secret, leaving Jaime shocked and questioning what the letters meant.

• Littlefinger told Cersei that Janos Slynt and the City Watch had pledged loyalty to Tywin, who also left two thousand Westerlands soldiers in King's Landing under the Queen's command.
• Tywin warned Cersei not to act foolishly and said he would send someone to govern the city in his stead.
• Tywin promised rewards to Littlefinger and Janos Slynt for helping secure King's Landing, and the Small Council members withdrew.
• Tywin angrily confronted Cersei and Jaime, while Jaime defended their love and insisted he had done nothing wrong by protecting Cersei and King's Landing.
• Tywin revealed that he had received three letters warning that Robert was about to discover Jaime and Cersei's secret, and Jaime reacted with shock.

Tywin, Jaime, and Cersei suspected that hidden enemies had engineered Robert’s death and the crisis in King’s Landing, while Varys and Illyrio discussed using the resulting war to prepare Young Griff’s return. They also considered how to respond to the Easterner with multiple dragons, deciding to wait until he threatened Westeros directly.

• Tywin concluded that three letters had been designed to draw him to King’s Landing and provoke war, and ordered Cersei to watch the Small Council while he and Jaime left for the Riverlands.
• Tywin dismissed Joffrey’s coronation as unimportant compared with winning the war, and Jaime agreed to depart with him.
• In a secret passage, Varys told Illyrio that Robert had legitimized his bastards and that he had exposed Cersei’s secret to intensify the conflict after Tywin’s army secured the city.
• Varys suspected Littlefinger had helped cause the crisis by financing Janos Slynt and noted his earlier exchange with Renly, but he admitted he could not determine Littlefinger’s goal.
• Illyrio warned that an Easterner had defeated Khal Drogo and possessed at least four dragons, and Varys recommended waiting to hire the best assassin until the man threatened Westeros and married the princess.

After hearing that Robert was dead and that his bastards had been legitimized, Renly sought the Reach’s support and marched to Highgarden. Lady Olenna welcomed him, and the two sides prepared to discuss the kingdom’s future.

• Renly received word that Eddard Stark had supposedly murdered Robert and that Tywin had saved the royal family, but he dismissed the account as Lannister lies.
• Renly ordered the maester to seek an alliance with Lady Olenna, confine Edric Storm, and summon the Stormlands’ lords and armies.
• Half a month later, Renly rode with part of the Stormlands’ forces to Highgarden, where cheering crowds hailed him as king.
• Lady Olenna and Willas Tyrell greeted Renly at Highgarden, and Olenna invited him inside to discuss the kingdom’s future.

Renly secured the support of the Reach and Stormlands, declared his claim to the Iron Throne, and was crowned and married to Margaery at Highgarden. After the celebrations, Olenna warned Willas that Margaery needed to conceive quickly to quiet rumors about Renly and Loras.

• At a feast in Highgarden, Olenna told Renly that Tywin had urged the Tyrells to attend Joffrey's coronation and pledged Highgarden's support despite Mace's captivity.
• Renly denounced the Lannisters, declared his claim to the Iron Throne, and received the vows of the gathered Stormlands and Reach nobles.
• The next morning, Renly was crowned and married Margaery in Highgarden's Great Sept.
• During the celebration, Olenna told Willas that Margaery needed to conceive quickly to silence rumors about Renly and Loras.

At Highgarden, news of the Easterner’s dragons reached the Tyrells as Renly spent his wedding night with Margaery. On Dragonstone, Stannis faced a lack of money and ships, but rejected the possibility of seeking help from the Easterner, leaving his kingdom’s future uncertain.

• Garlan Tyrell told Willas Tyrell and Lady Olenna that Myr had fallen to the Easterner, who commanded three dragons, and Lady Olenna said the Tyrells would focus on the Lannisters.
• Renly entered Margaery Tyrell’s bridal chamber, and Tanya Merryweather concluded that rumors about Renly’s disinterest in women were false.
• Davos told Stannis Baratheon that the Iron Bank had refused his loan request, while Earl Celtigar warned that the Royal Fleet had too few seaworthy ships.
• Monford Velaryon suggested borrowing ships or money from the Easterner, who had taken Myr and possessed a large fleet.
• Stannis rejected Monford’s suggestion, calling the Easterner an enemy, while Davos withheld his support and Stannis remained without money or ships.

Arianne Martell resented her father’s plans for her and wanted Dorne to seize the chance created by the kingdom’s chaos. Gerold Dayne persuaded her to find Jon Snow and crown him king, and she agreed to the plan.

• Arianne complained to Daemon Sand that her father favored Quentyn and would marry her off, while Daemon urged her not to let anger cloud her judgment.
• Arianne told Daemon that Robert was dead and the Seven Kingdoms were in chaos, and she declared that Dorne should pursue vengeance against the Lannisters.
• Gerold Dayne visited Arianne and proposed bringing Jon Snow to Dorne and crowning him as the rightful heir to the Iron Throne.
• Arianne hesitated because Rhaegar’s marriage to Lyanna had harmed her aunt Elia and left Dorne in a difficult position.
• Gerold urged Arianne not to miss the opportunity, and she agreed to find Jon Snow and crown him king.

Cletus Yronwood seduced Arianne Martell to uncover her plan to travel north and bring Jon back, then joined her party. At Planky Town, Areo Hotah and the Sand Snakes ambushed the group; Gerold Dayne escaped into the Greenblood, while Arianne and Cletus were captured aboard the ship.

• Cletus visited Arianne in Sunspear and used their affair to draw out details of her plan to bring Jon back from the north.
• Cletus joined Arianne's party, and Gerold Dayne arrived in secret but was shocked to learn Cletus had become her lover.
• At Planky Town, Areo Hotah, Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, and Tyene Sand confronted the party as it prepared to board a ship.
• Gerold Dayne escaped capture by diving into the Greenblood.
• Hotah and Obara burst into the ship's cabin, where soldiers seized Arianne and bound Cletus.

At the Water Gardens, Prince Doran confronted Arianne Martell about her failed plot and revealed that he had secretly planned to marry her to Viserys Targaryen. He sent her back to Sunspear for three months of confinement, while he remained alone by the fountain.

• Arianne accused Prince Doran of welcoming her home with a staged dockside brawl, and he condemned her for trying to drag Dorne into war by kidnapping Jon Snow.
• Prince Doran revealed that Cletus Yronwood had been reporting Arianne's plans to Anders Yronwood and said Gerold Dayne had also sought to use her.
• Prince Doran told Arianne that Oberyn had gone to Tyrosh to seek the return of the captive Viserys Targaryen.
• Prince Doran revealed that he had intended Arianne to marry Viserys and become queen after the Targaryan restoration.
• Prince Doran ordered Arianne to spend three months confined in the Tower of the Spear, and guards escorted her away as he remained beside the fountain.

Oberyn traveled to Crown Town to negotiate with Liu Qian on Doran Martell’s orders and was stunned by the thriving settlement, its formidable castle, and a crimson dragon. He offered Dorne’s money in exchange for Viserys and Daenerys, leaving Liu Qian to respond to the bargain.

• Oberyn and Ellaria arrived in Crown Town after learning Liu Qian lived at Conqueror's Holdfast, and Oberyn was astonished by the town’s scale and its many pregnant Lys women.
• Oberyn’s carriage entered Conqueror's Holdfast, where he saw its defenses, soldiers, and training grounds.
• A crimson Great Dragon swept over the stairway, knocking Oberyn and his companions down before circling the castle.
• Oberyn entered the castle’s main hall and faced Liu Qian, who asked why he had come.
• Oberyn said Doran Martell had sent him to negotiate and offered Dorne’s money for the release of Viserys and Daenerys.

Oberyn tried to poison Liu Qian during a diplomatic visit, but Liu Qian survived and exposed his plan to use the Targaryen siblings and dragons for revenge on the Lannisters. Liu Qian had Oberyn, Ellaria, and their party imprisoned, then received word that an envoy from Yronwood sought an audience.

• Oberyn offered Liu Qian a hundred thousand Golden Dragons for the Targaryen siblings, then presented Dornish Summer Red as a gift.
• Liu Qian invited Oberyn and Ellaria to dine, and they watched eagerly as he considered drinking the wine.
• Liu Qian accused Oberyn of poisoning the wine and drank it unharmed because his True Dragon bloodline eliminated the poison.
• Oberyn attacked Liu Qian with a poisoned dagger, but Liu Qian flipped the dining table into him and Ellaria, and guards seized them.
• Liu Qian identified Oberyn's plan to use the Targaryen siblings and dragons for revenge on the Lannisters, then ordered the Dornish party imprisoned.
• An envoy from Yronwood requested an audience with Liu Qian.