Chapter Summaries

Gary gave the Night’s Watch ten days to elect a Lord Commander while preparing to secure the giants’ allegiance. Val spoke with Mag the Mighty in the Old Tongue, but her plea for him to submit to Gary ended with her accusing Gary of planning to enslave the giants.

• Davos and Lady Selyse returned to the army camp, while Shireen and Devan stayed at Castle Black as hostages.
• The Night’s Watch commanders asked Maester Aemon to oversee a Lord Commander election, and Gary gave them ten days to choose someone before he would appoint a leader himself.
• Gary confronted Val over rumors about his encounter with Melisandre, then took her to see the captive giant Mag the Mighty.
• Gary ordered Val to persuade Mag the Mighty and the other giants to swear allegiance, warning that refusal meant extinction.
• Val spoke to Mag the Mighty in the Old Tongue and advised him to accept Gary’s protection for now, but she told him Gary would enslave the giants and their descendants.

Gary secured Mag the Mighty's allegiance by promising the Giants land south of the Wall, then set out with Val and Melisandre to meet the Children of the Forest. When Bran's shattered ice core alerted him to danger, Gary reached the Haunted Forest and found Hodor and Meera injured and Jojen carried off by snow bears.

• Val urged Gary to kill Mag the Mighty, but Gary seized her and threatened her for trying to deceive him.
• Mag the Mighty pleaded for Val and swore allegiance to Gary, who named him a landed knight and promised the Giants land in the North.
• Val told Gary that Free Folk skinchangers had once seen the Children of the Forest raising a human child, and Gary said it was time to bring them over too.
• Gary rode beyond the Wall with Melisandre, Val, and Mag the Mighty, then sensed that the ice core he had left with Bran had shattered and turned toward the Haunted Forest.
• Snow bears attacked Bran and his companions, gravely wounded Hodor, knocked Meera and Jojen unconscious, and carried Jojen away.
• Gary healed Hodor and Meera but found no trace of Jojen, and Meera told him the snow bears had taken her brother.

Gary abandoned the search for Jojen and sheltered with his companions during a snowstorm before traveling west to find the giants. He reunited with Mag the Mighty and offered the remaining giants land in exchange for allegiance, but they resisted the idea of obeying him.

• Meera tried to enter the Haunted Forest to find Jojen, but Gary stopped her and persuaded her to return with the others.
• Gary made an ice shelter near the Wall and told Melisandre to escort Bran and the others to Castle Black while he, Val, and Mag the Mighty continued west.
• After reaching the giants’ cavern, Gary discovered that most of the group had gone back Beyond the Wall, leaving only a few dozen behind.
• Mag the Mighty reunited with the remaining giants and introduced Gary as the King in the North, who would grant them land.
• Gary explained that the giants would owe him allegiance and obey his orders, prompting several to complain that this would make them slaves.

Mag the Mighty and forty-six Giants swore allegiance to Gary, who returned with them to Castle Black and spoke with Val about bringing the Free Folk into an alliance against the White Walkers. After reuniting with Bran, Gary heard his suspicions that Skinchangers had controlled the snow bears that took Jojen and wondered if the Three-Eyed Crow was involved.

• Mag the Mighty warned the Giants that their kin beyond the Wall faced the White Walkers, and all forty-six present chose to serve Gary after he promised to let them return north if they wished.
• Val offered to persuade the Free Folk to ally with Gary, who agreed to send the next Lord Commander with her to negotiate.
• Gary returned to Castle Black with the Giants and their Mammoths, arranged their camp and supplies, then joined Jon, Bran, and the others for a reunion meal.
• Bran privately told Gary that the snow bears that attacked him and Meera had seemed strangely purposeful, and suggested Skinchangers might have taken Jojen captive.
• Gary dismissed Bran's theory and urged him to let Meera forget the attack, but afterward wondered whether the Three-Eyed Crow had controlled the snow bears.

Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys led their cavalry to Castle Black, where Davos Seaworth warned them to camp outside and explained that Shireen Baratheon had sworn fealty to Luke. After arriving, they met Melisandre at the gate and were led toward Luke, while Margaery bristled at Melisandre’s welcome.

• Davos Seaworth met Margaery Tyrell and Daenerys on the Kingsroad, and Daenerys prepared to fight after recognizing House Baratheon’s stag banner.
• Davos explained that Shireen Baratheon served Luke and that Castle Black could not accommodate the cavalry, so Margaery agreed to camp outside and asked his men to keep away.
• Margaery and Daenerys found giants building houses near Castle Black and moved their cavalry to an open area by the river before entering with twenty Ice Warriors.
• Gary learned that Margaery and Daenerys had arrived, sent Melisandre to greet them, and went to his study to await them.
• Melisandre introduced herself to Margaery and Daenerys and led them toward Luke, while Margaery reacted jealously and Samwell slipped away to find Jon.

After Daenerys reported on the expedition north, Gary discussed Margaery and Daenerys becoming his two queens, and Daenerys agreed to the proposal. He then designed uniforms for the Supreme God Faith's clergy and asked Melisandre to make the clerics' and nuns' clothes.

• Gary thanked Daenerys for her work and said her cavalry would escort the Night's Watch's new Lord Commander to negotiate with the Wildlings.
• Margaery warned Gary that Melisandre was dangerously seductive, and Gary admitted her allure affected him but said he knew her secrets.
• Margaery proposed that Daenerys become Gary's second queen, and Daenerys agreed, though Gary left the proposal pending until their return to Winterfell.
• Margaery took Daenerys to share a room, while Gary sent an Ice Warrior to fetch Samwell and Jon.
• Melisandre asked about standard attire for the Supreme God Faith, and Gary drew designs for its clergy before asking her to sew clerics' and nuns' outfits.

Gary backed Jon Stark’s bid to become Lord Commander and used his influence to pressure Denys Mallister over the election. Samwell proposed a voting strategy that could keep Carter Pyke from winning while improving Denys’s prospects in a later election.

• Jon told Gary that the Night’s Watch commanders were deadlocked, then agreed to run for Lord Commander to prevent either commander from eliminating the other.
• Samwell explained that Jon needed support from both factions to secure the two-thirds vote and began outlining a plan with Gary.
• Gary ordered Denys Mallister to cast the Shadow Tower’s votes for Carter Pyke, but Denys refused and protested that the Night’s Watch owed allegiance to the Iron Throne.
• Gary said Jon Stark would leave the Wall in three or four years and insisted Denys give way so Carter could protect Jon.
• Samwell advised Denys to have the Shadow Tower vote for Jon, arguing that this would block Carter and improve Denys’s chance of becoming Lord Commander in a future election.

Gary welcomed Leaf to Castle Black and tried to persuade her to abandon the Three-Eyed Crow and worship him as the Supreme God. The chapter ended with Leaf sensing the strange mana in Gary’s arm and asking how he had imitated the White Walkers.

• Samwell manipulated Denys Mallister and Carter Pyke into casting their votes for Jon Stark, who was elected Lord Commander.
• Gary celebrated Jon’s election, then supported Jon’s plan to negotiate with the Wildlings and offered cavalry and Val to help him.
• Melisandre reported that Leaf had arrived at Castle Black, and Gary hurried to greet her.
• Leaf told Gary about Bingling’s letter and the Three-Eyed Crow’s condition, then advised him to use the Wall’s defenses against the White Walkers.
• Gary urged Leaf to leave the Three-Eyed Crow, saying he had cut off Bran Stark’s succession and wanted to protect his younger brother.
• Gary asked Leaf to worship him as the Supreme God, and Leaf examined the mana in his arm and asked how he had imitated the White Walkers.

Gary enlisted Leaf’s help in bringing the Children of the Forest to the Wall, while Tysha arranged to send food and two dragons to Winterfell. On Old Wyk, Asha Greyjoy challenged Victarion’s bid for the Seastone Chair by arguing against further attacks on the North.

• Gary connected Leaf’s faith thread to the Primal Stone and asked her to bring the Children of the Forest to meet him.
• Tysha ordered Barristan Selmy to escort Pentos’s grain shipment to Winterfell and told Bingling that Rhaegal and Viserion would go north while Bingling stayed behind.
• After Balon Greyjoy died and Theon was presumed dead, the Ironborn held a kingsmoot to choose their next king.
• Victarion Greyjoy offered costly gifts and gained support from Ironborn leaders at the kingsmoot.
• Asha Greyjoy argued that the Ironborn should stop attacking the North and criticized Victarion’s plan to continue her father’s policy.

Asha proposed peace with the North and an alliance against the Westerlands, but Euron Greyjoy used Dragonbinder, Valyrian treasures, and promises of conquest to win over the Ironborn captains. The Kingsmoot ended with Euron’s overwhelming victory, leaving Asha helpless as the captains hailed him.

• Asha displayed pebbles, pinecones, and turnips as evidence of the North’s meager spoils, then proposed peace and an alliance to attack the Westerlands.
• Asha gained support from neutral captains, and her supporters and Victarion’s began shouting against each other.
• Euron Greyjoy had a mute crewman blow Dragonbinder; the blast left the crewman dead and drew every Ironborn’s attention.
• Euron showed off his Valyrian steel armor, sword, and treasure, then promised to conquer the Seven Kingdoms and claimed Dragonbinder could control the northern dragon.
• Asha challenged Euron’s plan, but he outlined an invasion of the Reach and promised to use the dragon against their enemies.
• The captains rushed to claim Euron’s gold and hailed him as king, while Asha accepted that he had won the Kingsmoot.

Asha fled the Iron Islands after Euron took the throne, while Gary and his companions traveled beyond the Wall to seek the Three-Eyed Crow. At the cave, they learned that the Greenseer had fallen into a deep sleep, and Leaf went to see him while Gary stayed behind.

• Asha escaped the Iron Islands with a little over a hundred followers and four warships, while Euron suppressed dissent, sent Victarion north with Dragonbinder, and sailed south toward the Shield Islands.
• Jon and Davos led a thousand cavalry beyond the Wall to negotiate with the Wildlings, while Val accompanied them with five hundred White Harbor cavalry; Gary, Leaf, Daenerys, and Margaery rode toward the Three-Eyed Crow's cave with Drogon.
• Wights surrounded Gary and his companions, and Daenerys burned them with her flaming Dark Sister while Gary trapped them in ice.
• Gary and his companions entered the cave and reunited with the Children of the Forest, who told him how much he had changed and asked about the world beyond the Wall.
• A Child of the Forest told Leaf that the Greenseer had been asleep since the White Walkers occupied the plains, so Leaf went into the cave to see him while Gary stayed behind.

Gary tried to persuade the Children of the Forest to leave the Three-Eyed Crow and help defend the Wall, presenting himself as the Supreme God's avatar. The Children of the Forest hesitated until Little Deer accepted his blessing and demonstrated the power of a Skinchanger.

• Margaery and Daenerys joined Gary as he met the Children of the Forest, who crowded around the women to smell their perfume.
• Gary asked the Children of the Forest to come south and help humans defend the Wall, but they refused because protecting the Three-Eyed Crow was their sacred mission.
• Gary showed his White Walker arm and demonstrated ice, fire, and healing magic to convince the Children of the Forest that he served the Supreme God.
• Little Deer took Gary's hand, accepted the Supreme God, and received a blessing through her Faith Thread.
• Little Deer transformed her hands into deer hooves, astonishing the Children of the Forest and declaring the Supreme God's magic more powerful than the Heart Tree's.

Little Deer demonstrated her new transformation ability, convincing the Children of the Forest that Gary had told the truth about the Supreme God. Wind Spirit, Green Grass, and Leaf chose to remain with the Three-Eyed Crow, but Leaf promised Gary she would leave if the Night's King discovered the prophet.

• Little Deer changed her hands back and transformed her ears and nose, proving she had gained skinchanging magic.
• Wind Spirit and Green Grass consulted the other Children of the Forest, then asked Gary whether humans south of the Wall would accept them.
• Gary pointed to Margaery and Daenerys as friendly human royals and promised his kingdom would not allow the Children of the Forest to be bullied.
• Wind Spirit and Green Grass decided to stay and defend the Three-Eyed Crow and the Wall, despite Gary warning that the next Greenseer would not arrive.
• Leaf also chose to stay, but promised to go south with Wind Spirit and Green Grass if the Night's King found the prophet.
• Leaf told Gary she was staying because he mattered to her, leaving him confused.

Gary and his companions left the cave with five Children of the Forest and hurried south toward Castle Black. Near the Milkwater, a huge horde of wights attacked, forcing Gary to stay behind as the others fled, and he called Drogon to unleash dragonfire.

• Gary gave Leaf and the other two Children of the Forest Ice Cores and left the cave without resting.
• Gary, Margaery, Daenerys, and five Children of the Forest traveled south, reaching the Milkwater near the Fist of the First Men.
• Gary heard a sound from the northwest, and tens of thousands of wights poured from Wind Sound Gorge after a young wildling on a reindeer.
• Gary ordered Daenerys, Margaery, and the Children of the Forest to flee while he stayed behind to cover their retreat.
• The young wildling passed Gary, said he had brought gifts, and turned northeast toward the Antler River; Gary fought off wights with ice spikes and called Drogon for dragonfire.

Gary faced the Night's King and discovered the Other God was using him while pursuing a tree near the Antler River. After the White Walkers left, Gary reunited with Daenerys, Margaery, and Jon, then returned to Castle Black with them.

• The Night's King pierced Drogon's heart with an Ice Spear, but Gary used Healing Magic to repair it and sent the wounded dragon flying south to Castle Black.
• Gary saw the Other God emerge as a black, maggot-headed form above the Night's King; it said it could not devour Gary now that he had become a sun, and vowed to return after devouring a tree.
• The Night's King and the White Walkers marched northeast toward the Antler River, and Gary suspected the Other God was targeting the Heart Tree through a possessed Wildling.
• A night later, Gary met Jon, Margaery, and Daenerys, who had brought cavalry and Wildlings to rescue him; Daenerys embraced him before Margaery reminded them to mind their bearing as queens.
• Gary told Jon and the Wildling chiefs that Wights feared fire, withheld what he knew about the White Walkers, and returned to Castle Black with the group.

Gary returned to Castle Black with the Wildling army and reunited with Arya, who had come looking for him. He told Jon the White Walkers were still two to three years away, then warned that taking in more Wildlings could worsen the North’s food shortages.

• Arya rushed into the tunnel to greet Gary, who lifted her onto his horse and scolded her for traveling to Castle Black.
• Gary told Arya to stay at Castle Black and said she and Bran would return to Winterfell with him in a few days.
• Davos, Tormund, and the others led the Wildling army through Castle Black to its camp outside.
• Jon told Gary that he had persuaded ten thousand of the twenty thousand Wildlings in the Haunted Forest to accept an alliance.
• Gary revealed that the Night’s King and White Walkers were in the Haunted Forest but said they were still two to three years from reaching the Wall.
• Gary advised Jon not to recruit the Wildlings at Hardhome because the North could not feed many more people.

Gary and Jon arranged the defense of Castle Black and planned their campaign to reclaim northern strongholds. Gary prepared to leave for Deepwood Motte while Davos was sent to find Rickon and besiege the Dreadfort, then Melisandre privately showed Gary the religious garments she had made from his designs.

• Jon accepted Gary's offer to take the Wildlings' blood money to Winterfell, while Jon and Val would keep the tribes in line with hostages and surrendered valuables.
• Gary told Jon he would leave for Winterfell the next day to address the Karstarks, the Ironborn, the Riverlands, and his missing family members.
• Gary assigned Melisandre to stay at Castle Black and help Jon face the White Walkers, and sent Davos with fifteen hundred cavalrymen to find Rickon on Skagos before besieging the Dreadfort.
• Gary explained that he would lead Highgarden cavalrymen, Giants, and Dragons to retake Deepwood Motte, then reinforce Davos at the Dreadfort and target Karhold.
• After the meeting, Melisandre showed Gary the priestly and clerical garments she had sewn from his drawings and offered them as models for Winterfell's tailors.

Gary warned Melisandre about a new priest of the Lord of Light and agreed to respect the Children of the Forest’s choice to remain at Castle Black. He then set out for Deepwood Motte with a plan to gather the giants, while Victarion Greyjoy marched there to seek Asha’s support.

• Melisandre warned Gary that the Lord of Light’s temple would send a more powerful priest to Westeros, then asked him to let the Children of the Forest stay at Castle Black and study magic with her.
• Victarion Greyjoy landed the Iron Fleet at Sea Dragon Point and led over a thousand men toward Deepwood Motte, hoping to recruit Asha Greyjoy and use Dragonbinder to claim a dragon against Euron.
• Gary left Castle Black with Margaery and the others, and the Children of the Forest chose to stay after receiving Melisandre’s perfume.
• Gary split the travelers into two groups and took Arya, the other young Starks, Shireen, and Devan to find the giants.
• Gary reached Mag the Mighty’s camp, confirmed that he had come to take the giants south, and told Mag to prepare his people to leave.

Lady Olenna revealed to Sansa that House Tyrell had allied with the North and planned to help her escape King's Landing. Tywin tried to force House Tyrell to proceed with Joffrey's wedding, then placed Olenna under house arrest, unaware that the bride was an impostor.

• Tyrion agreed to let Sansa attend Lady Olenna's Flower-Viewing Feast in the Tyrell courtyard.
• Lady Olenna privately told Sansa that House Tyrell was allied with the North and would secretly help her leave King's Landing.
• Olenna revealed that the woman posing as Margaery was not her granddaughter and said Luke Stark had two dragons.
• Tywin summoned Olenna and insisted Joffrey's wedding to Lady Margaery would proceed, while Olenna rejected the betrothal.
• Tywin ordered the Gold Cloaks to keep Olenna confined in the Red Keep, and Olenna remained confident the false bride made the wedding meaningless.

Gary agreed to seek the Mountain Clans’ support and chose Arya to approach them, relying on her Stark ties and Sandor’s protection. He also offered Sandor knighthood in exchange for fealty, but Sandor said he had already sworn to Arya.

• Margaery urged Gary to recruit the Mountain Clans, and he agreed but worried that no one would be trusted to approach them.
• Bran and Arya told Gary that the Mountain Clans were loyal to House Stark and would respond best to a Stark representative.
• Bran and Arya both volunteered to go, but Gary chose Arya and gave her an Ice Core for emergencies.
• Gary found Sandor and offered to restore his noble status and make him a knight if he swore fealty.
• Sandor declined knighthood and said he had already sworn fealty to Arya Stark.