Chapter Summaries

After the Mountain crushed Lochy, Oberyn attacked him, but Corleone intervened and fought the transformed Clegane. Corleone exposed the Mountain’s monstrous condition, yet his blade could not stop him, and the chapter ended with the Mountain killing Qyburn.

• The Mountain crushed Lochy’s head, prompting Oberyn to rush at him with his poisoned dagger, but Corleone blocked the attack and warned Oberyn that Clegane had changed.
• The Mountain attacked Corleone with overwhelming speed and strength, while Corleone dodged and countered, discovering that the creature’s body leaked black liquid instead of blood.
• Corleone pierced the Mountain’s eye slit with his sword, but the Mountain snapped the blade, tore off his visor, and revealed his deformed face.
• Qyburn approached the Mountain in excitement, but the creature grabbed him by the throat despite Cersei’s command to stop.
• The Mountain crushed Qyburn’s neck.

After the Mountain killed Qyburn and attacked Corleone, Tywin stopped him and declared that the incident would end with a trial by combat. Corleone arranged for the trial to promote his arena, while Oberyn volunteered to face the Mountain; Tywin ended the chapter considering how Corleone might be killed.

• The Mountain killed Qyburn and relentlessly attacked Corleone until Tywin ordered him to stop.
• Tywin tried to contain the scandal, but Oberyn demanded justice for his sister and her children.
• Corleone proposed a public trial by combat, and the Mountain nodded that he would accept.
• Corleone persuaded Tywin to hold the trial in five days at the Free Fighting Arena in Flea Bottom, but agreed not to fight himself.
• Oberyn volunteered to fight the Mountain, and Tywin confirmed the match before Oberyn left threatening his opponent.
• Corleone asked Tywin for a generous gold gift for the arena opening, and Tywin later thought about how to kill him.

Oliver Chelsted sought Vito Corleone’s help at the House of Order and witnessed Corleone order retaliation against Dickon Bywater for extorting Tobho Mott. Corleone then sent Prince Oberyn a booklet with a warning to study it before his trial by combat against Gregor Clegane.

• Oliver waited in line at the House of Order and learned from Harys Waters that Corleone had promised to recover stolen cargo for a fair fee.
• Corleone welcomed Oliver, shared lunch with him, and ordered Rorge to find out who was extorting Tobho Mott.
• After Rorge identified Dickon Bywater, Corleone declared Mott’s forge under the Black Hand Mafia’s protection and ordered Rorge to bring back Bywater’s left little finger.
• Corleone asked about Prince Oberyn’s preparations and learned that Oberyn was indulging himself instead of training for the trial by combat.
• Corleone gave Rorge a booklet for Oberyn and ordered him to warn the prince to read and memorize it if he wanted to avoid having his head crushed.

Corleone heard Oliver Chelsted’s plea for help after brigands drove his impoverished household from its only reliable source of food. Oliver explained that he could not seek aid from Lord Tywin because his grandfather had once opposed him, leaving Corleone to consider the Chelsteds’ desperate situation.

• Rorge accepted Corleone’s booklet of advice for Prince Oberyn and left to deliver it personally.
• Corleone recalled details of Chelsted Castle and praised Oliver’s grandfather, Qarlton Chelsted, as a forceful Hand, briefly restoring Oliver’s pride.
• Oliver explained that his family survived on meager crops, timber, and hunting outside the Kingswood, but brigands had occupied caves in the hills and attacked his people.
• Oliver revealed that Chelsted Castle had fewer than fifteen capable fighters, only twenty Gold Dragons, and nearly a hundred people at risk of starving through winter.
• Corleone asked why Oliver had not appealed to Lord Tywin, and Oliver explained that Qarlton had joined attacks against Tywin while serving on the Small Council.

Corleone agreed to help Ser Chelsted drive the outlaws from his lands and prepared to ride to Chelsted Castle with Yego and ten elite fighters. In the hills, Andrey threatened Garin over the group’s reckless behavior, and Garin revealed that they were Yronwoods.

• Corleone reasoned that the outlaws near Chelsted Castle might have a purpose beyond ordinary raiding and agreed to investigate in person.
• Oliver said Chelsted Castle could survive the winter if its hunting grounds became accessible again, and Corleone arranged to leave at dawn with Yego and ten armored fighters.
• Andrey sharpened his sword apart from the reveling outlaws and rebuked Garin for treating their mission as entertainment.
• Garin accused Andrey of failing to stop an old man from escaping, and Andrey pressed his blade to Garin’s neck.
• Garin showed Andrey an iron badge bearing a black portcullis and declared that they were Yronwoods.

Andrey left his camp after ordering his companions to withdraw, while Corleone discovered a Yronwood sigil among the remains of a slaughtered group in the Kingswood and suspected the men were pursuing Oberyn. Corleone rode toward King's Landing as Daemon Sand arrived at Oberyn's brothel suite, where a booklet about Gregor Clegane lay abandoned in the corridor.

• Andrey sheathed his sword, told Garin and the others to clean up and follow their original plan, then left for a boat at the Blackwater Rush.
• Corleone and Ser Oliver found the bandits' abandoned camp, where Yego uncovered eight brutally murdered men and a Black Gate sigil.
• Corleone recognized the sigil as House Yronwood's and suspected the group might be seeking revenge on Oberyn, though he questioned why they would act in King's Landing.
• Corleone ordered Oliver to seal Chelsted Castle, then rode with Yego and ten others to pursue the group while he returned to King's Landing.
• At the Hummingbird brothel, Caron and Marlos guarded Oberyn's suite while Corleone's wine-stained booklet about Gregor Clegane lay discarded nearby.
• Daemon Sand arrived with an armored knight and asked Caron and Marlos whether Oberyn was still enjoying himself.

Daemon brought Andrey Dalt, disguised as Ser Denzel, to Oberyn with a claim of urgent military business. While Daemon spoke privately with Oberyn, Andrey killed the two guards outside the prince’s room after they casually disparaged him.

• Daemon introduced the armored Andrey Dalt as Ser Denzel and persuaded Caron to let him report an urgent matter to Oberyn.
• Daemon entered Oberyn’s room alone, leaving Andrey waiting in the corridor with Caron and Marlos.
• Caron and Marlos tried to make conversation with Andrey and criticized his brother’s withdrawn nature.
• Andrey drew his sword, cut Marlos’s throat, and seized Caron by the throat.
• Andrey stabbed Caron through the heart and repeated Daemon’s warning not to casually judge others.

Daemon betrayed Oberyn Martell and joined Andrey Dalt in an ambush arranged by House Yronwood, leaving Oberyn wounded and outnumbered. Oberyn learned Daemon had turned against him to marry Ynys Yronwood, who was Daemon's father's wife.

• Daemon warned Oberyn that Anders Yronwood was plotting revenge and had allies in King's Landing, then seized Oberyn's spear as Andrey Dalt charged into the room.
• Oberyn evaded Andrey's attack, armed himself with a curved sword, and fought back while Daemon blocked Ellaria's escape.
• Oberyn attacked Daemon and disarmed him, but Andrey forced him to retreat, and Daemon retrieved the spear to join the fight.
• Andrey and Daemon cornered Oberyn, and Andrey badly wounded his shoulder while Oberyn demanded to know why Daemon had betrayed him.
• Daemon said he had been promised marriage to Anders's eldest daughter, Ynys Yronwood, and Oberyn realized she was Daemon's father's wife.

Oberyn escaped Daemon and Andrey after Ellaria sacrificed herself to save him, but he was ambushed repeatedly while gravely wounded. As Garin stabbed him in the chest, Oberyn fought back until a scarred stranger seized Garin, leaving Oberyn’s fate uncertain.

• Oberyn broke through the Hummingbird’s window, but jumped only after Ellaria threw herself onto Daemon’s spear to help him escape.
• Oberyn landed injured and fled into the streets, while Daemon and Andrey abandoned the pursuit and left King's Landing.
• Five of Daemon’s men disguised as peddlers ambushed Oberyn in an alley, and he killed them despite his wounds.
• Garin approached Oberyn pretending to help, then stabbed him in the chest and mocked him.
• Oberyn grappled with Garin until a scarred stranger grabbed Garin by the head and threatened him.

Sandor Clegane defeated Garin and the assassins who ambushed him and Oberyn Martell, but the Gold Cloaks mistook him for Oberyn’s attacker and recognized him as a wanted fugitive. Vito Corleone arrived, took control of the scene, and was greeted by the Hound, who told him he had come too late.

• Garin tried to bribe the burn-scarred man with money, then attacked him with a dagger, but the man broke his wrist and beat him down.
• Garin’s four companions attacked the man, but he killed them all, leaving Garin alive and Oberyn gravely wounded.
• The Gold Cloaks arrived and accused the Hound of attacking Oberyn, then recognized him as Sandor Clegane, a fugitive wanted for insulting King Joffrey.
• The Gold Cloak captain secured the scene and waited for help rather than arresting the Hound.
• Vito Corleone arrived with his men, paid off the Gold Cloaks, and took charge of the wounded Oberyn and Garin.
• The Hound greeted Corleone and said, “You’re late, Vito Corleone.”

Corleone operated on Oberyn Martell and kept him alive, then offered to repair the Hound’s burned face, which the Hound refused. News spread that House Yronwood had plotted against Oberyn, while Oberyn’s injuries threatened to ruin the opening match at Corleone’s Free Fighting Arena.

• Corleone spent three hours operating on Oberyn Martell, and the Hound watched as he repaired Oberyn’s wounds and finished the stitches.
• Corleone offered to restore much of the Hound’s face for ten thousand gold dragons or another favor, but the Hound refused because he valued the honest reactions his scars provoked.
• The Hound complained that Arya Stark had stolen his money and dagger, then admitted he had searched for her for half a month before giving up.
• Rorge reported that rumors accused House Yronwood of plotting Oberyn’s assassination and warned that Dorne was nearing internal strife.
• Corleone realized Oberyn’s injuries could cancel the arena’s advertised bout against Gregor Clegane and inflict major financial and reputational damage.

Corleone recruited the Hound to replace the injured Oberyn and fight the Mountain, offering him a share of the arena wagers and a chance at revenge. After the Hound accepted, he overpowered Rorge in the corridor, prompting Rorge to seek out the best instructors and become stronger.

• Corleone offered the Hound five percent of the Free Fighting Arena's wagers to fight the Mountain in Oberyn's place, and Rorge revealed the wagers had reached 247,852 Gold Dragons.
• The Hound accepted the fight, choosing the dangerous chance for revenge and money over a safe job at the House of Order.
• Rorge confronted the Hound in the corridor over his disrespectful speech, but the Hound twisted his wrist and choked him until he let go.
• After the Hound left, Rorge admitted his weakness and decided to find expert instructors to train him in combat.

On the opening day of Corleone's Ring of Order, King's Landing gathered to watch the Hound fight the Mountain as gamblers wagered vast sums. Earl Ralf Leek introduced his heir Herb Lake to Tommen and revealed that his eldest son Aemon Lake had renounced his inheritance to travel across the Narrow Sea, a choice that left Tommen envious and Margaery suspicious.

• Corleone's Ring of Order opened to a packed crowd, with heavy betting on the Hound's fight against the Mountain.
• Corleone's campaign recast the fight as a battle of brothers, and wagers at the arena's betting office exceeded three hundred thousand Gold Dragons.
• Tommen sat with Cersei and Tywin at the royal seats, uneasy as nobles fawned over his grandfather and paid him little attention.
• Ralf Leek entered the VIP section with his son Herb Lake and paid his respects directly to Tommen instead of approaching Tywin.
• Ralf introduced Herb as his heir and told Tommen that his eldest son, Aemon Lake, had renounced his inheritance to become a wandering knight across the Narrow Sea.
• Tommen envied Aemon's freedom, while Margaery wondered why the story sounded familiar.

Ryfrey's boast about Herb courting Myrcella prompted Cersei to demand that Herb defeat Trystane in a duel, but Tyrion and Bronn interrupted the confrontation. Bronn rejected Cersei's claim that he owed her loyalty, and someone behind him challenged him over whether he wanted them dead.

• Ryfrey praised Herb to Tommen and said he would have had Herb court Myrcella if she were not betrothed to Trystane.
• Cersei ordered Herb to challenge Trystane in Dorne and said she would agree to the marriage if Herb won.
• Tyrion arrived with Bronn, showed that he was legally free to move around King's Landing, and claimed he was Bronn's squire.
• Cersei tried to expel Tyrion from the nobles' section and accused Bronn of bringing her son's murderer before her.
• Bronn said he had fulfilled his paid agreement with Cersei and owed her nothing, then explained that waiting to inherit Stokeworth could take decades.
• An unseen speaker behind Bronn asked whether he was so eager for them to die.

Bronn confronted Falyse over Stokeworth’s inheritance, and Cersei intervened before Falyse and the Queen Mother exchanged increasingly personal insults in front of the assembled nobles. As the crowd egged them on and Tywin prepared to step in, rhythmic tapping came from behind the crowd, and people parted to let someone approach.

• Falyse challenged Bronn for joking about how long she and Balman would live, and Bronn bluntly admitted he wanted Stokeworth and suggested their deaths could leave it to him.
• Balman tried to defend his marriage and criticize Bronn, but Cersei rebuked him and defended her decision to arrange Bronn’s marriage to Lollys.
• Cersei insulted Bronn for associating with Tyrion, then Falyse accused Cersei of bringing about the deaths of Robert and Joffrey.
• Cersei and Falyse traded insults about their marriages, children, age, and inheritance while the nobles cheered them on.
• Tywin prepared to silence the women, but rhythmic tapping sounded behind the crowd, which parted as someone approached.

Vito Corleone entered the Ring of Order and received an enthusiastic welcome from the commoners and nobles whose lives he had helped improve. After King Tommen publicly praised him, Corleone settled the dispute between Cersei and Falyse, then warned everyone that he would hold them responsible for any future disruption.

• Corleone walked through the crowd as grateful residents of Flea Bottom recalled how he had helped their families and neighborhoods.
• Earl Lych told Herb that Corleone’s influence among the people made him a second king in King’s Landing.
• Corleone ignored Balman Byrch’s attempt to explain himself, then knelt before Tommen and spoke respectfully to the young king.
• Tommen helped Corleone rise and declared him a true knight, prompting the entire arena to cheer; Tywin remembered a similar scene from his past and reacted with restrained anger.
• Corleone admonished Cersei and Falyse, gave Falyse a VIP card, and offered to send one to Myrcella in Dorne on Cersei’s behalf.
• Corleone declared that he would not pursue the day’s quarrel, but warned Cersei, Falyse, Balman, and Bronn that he would hold everyone present responsible if anyone disrupted order at the Ring of Order again.

At the Ring of Order’s opening, Corleone declared that anyone could compete there and change their fortunes, winning the devotion of the crowd and drawing Tywin Lannister’s wary attention. The celebration ended when an unfamiliar knight challenged Corleone, and Tywin reacted with knowing amusement.

• Corleone silenced the Ring of Order and said he would hold everyone present responsible, prompting Cersei and Falyse to back down while Tommen remained unafraid beside him.
• Corleone told the crowd that anyone, noble or commoner, could enter the arena and earn honor, gold, and status through victory.
• The crowd cheered Corleone’s promise that people could shape their own futures, while Tywin recognized him as a genuine threat and privately anticipated his downfall.
• An unfamiliar knight in the VIP seats interrupted the celebration to mock and challenge Corleone, and Tywin’s fingers twitched with apparent amusement.

Tywin Lannister arranged a public challenge to damage Vito Corleone’s prestige, but Corleone calmly defended the Ring of Order and declared everyone present trash at swordsmanship. The challenger drew a distinctive black sword and revealed himself as Lyn Corbray, leaving Corleone poised to accept an exceptional match.

• Tywin Lannister planned to use a public defeat to undermine Corleone’s reputation and believed he had found a swordsman capable of beating him.
• A man accused Corleone of exploiting the poor, and Corleone admitted that the Ring of Order belonged to him while explaining that its rules offered a fair exchange and required fighters to earn points.
• Corleone invited the man to qualify through matches, then declared that everyone at the Ring of Order was trash at swordsmanship.
• The man drew a dark, rippling-patterned sword and challenged Corleone, but Rorge pointed out that he lacked the points to face the champion.
• Corleone offered an exception for a renowned knight, and the challenger identified himself as Lyn Corbray, the finest swordsman in the Vale.

Lyn Corbray challenged Corleone with Lady Forlorn, the Valyrian steel sword of House Corbray. Corleone refused to back down and challenged Lyn to wager the sword and everything else on the fight, leaving Lyn to answer whether he dared.

• Lyn Corbray announced himself in the Ring of Order, and the nobles recognized him as a celebrated knight from the War of the Usurper.
• Corleone recalled Lyn’s battlefield history and recognized the Valyrian steel sword Lady Forlorn in his hand.
• Lyn threatened to use Lady Forlorn to kill Corleone, while Corleone calmly admired the sword.
• Corleone asked whether Lady Forlorn was for sale, provoking laughter and enraging Lyn.
• Corleone challenged Lyn to stake his honor, renown, and Lady Forlorn on their fight, then asked whether he dared.

The Hound prepared to face the Mountain, but learned that Vito Corleone had accepted Lyn Corbray’s challenge and rushed to watch their duel. Lyn wagered Lady Forlorn against a hundred thousand Gold Dragons, and Corleone declared that the man, not the sword, determined the contest.

• The Hound polished his sword and prepared for his long-awaited duel with the Mountain, hoping to earn money and revenge.
• The Hound learned that Lyn Corbray had challenged Vito Corleone and that they were already about to fight in the arena.
• Worried that Corleone’s defeat could ruin the Ring of Order and his own duel, the Hound went to watch the contest.
• Lyn stood on the sand with Lady Forlorn, wagering the Valyrian steel sword and House Corbray’s honor against Corleone’s hundred thousand Gold Dragons.
• Lyn argued that his Valyrian steel gave Corleone no chance, but Corleone answered that the man wielding the sword mattered more than the sword.