Recaps

Chief Woer watched the Druid cure the settlement’s fever victims and learned that only thirteen people had died, but worried that the survivors would be difficult to feed. The protagonist offered a human sacrifice to speed crop growth, and after Woer agreed, the ritual produced a wheat harvest within ten hours.

• Woer observed the Druid for three days, saw bark moving like skin beneath his clothing, and agreed to spread the word that a true Druid never accepted payment or donations.
• Woer explained that the unexpectedly high number of survivors left the settlement short of food, and the protagonist proposed a human sacrifice to accelerate plant growth.
• The protagonist examined three prisoners awaiting execution and found that only one had knowingly killed an innocent person.
• Woer agreed to the ritual, and the protagonist carved runes into a stone pillar before the settlement scattered grain seeds over the snowy fields.
• The protagonist sacrificed the stained-soul prisoner, and green energy melted the snow and thawed the soil across a two-kilometer area.
• The fields produced golden wheat ears about ten hours after the ritual, while the sacrificed man’s body crumbled into dust.

Chief Woer learned that Emre’s ritual used the life energy of those who had knowingly murdered innocents, and Emre left the mountain tribes after helping them survive disease and famine. In 285 AC, Emre reached a town near Last Hearth and confronted a fraud posing as him, whose apparent healing and acceptance of payment put Emre’s warning to the test.

• Chief Woer thanked Emre for saving his people from starvation, and Emre explained the difference between order magic and dark magic and how druids reclaimed the life energy of those who knowingly killed innocents.
• Emre visited the other five mountain tribes, treating illness and performing a growth ritual for a tribe suffering food shortages; the journey lasted four months, and he turned eleven in 285 AC.
• Emre traveled east toward Last Hearth, where his bond with Lika gave him a powerful sense of smell, one point of speed, and fifteen points of mana.
• At a town inn, Emre heard people discussing the legend of Emre the Druid and learned that someone claiming to be him had arrived in the town square.
• Emre watched the impostor perform a supposed healing ritual and accept money, then called him a fake, citing the warning that the real druid never accepted payment.

Emre traveled through the North as a healer and rescuer, then used his magic to enter a fever-stricken town near the Dreadfort and treat its people. When Lord Bolton’s soldiers tried to take him away, Emre escaped, leaving Bolton furious and facing the townspeople’s anger.

• Emre left Last Hearth after sparring with Greatjon Umber and continued rescuing smallfolk as Aermir while healing them as Emre the Druid.
• Emre used Earth Impact and Burning Hands to drive away Bolton soldiers who barred him from entering a town suffering from a fever.
• Emre performed rituals for six days, healing three hundred people while twenty-seven died.
• Ser Clay arrived with a hundred soldiers to take Emre to Lord Bolton, but Emre refused and warned the townspeople that Bolton had blocked their path to healing.
• Emre transformed into a dog and escaped through the crowd and alleys before the soldiers could seize him.
• Lord Bolton blamed Ser Clay for provoking Emre and took him to the dungeons for a private talk.

After training his familiars near Hornwood, Aermir rushed to rescue a caravan attacked by bandits. He killed many of the attackers, drove the rest to flee, and ordered his familiars to hunt them down.

• Aermir and his familiars trained in the Training Space, where he learned that people were fighting about two kilometers away.
• Aermir used Promodynes (Find Animal) and discovered that bandits had attacked a caravan, so he hurried to the scene to improve Squire Aermir's reputation.
• Aermir found civilians defending themselves with farm tools and clubs, then killed ten bandits with arrows before joining the fight.
• Aermir used knives, sword strikes, Mold Earth (Formotegon), and Trap (Letagon) to kill more bandits while helping the villagers.
• Aermir killed the remaining bandits who attacked him, causing those fighting the villagers to flee; he ordered his familiars to kill the fugitives once they were out of sight of the villagers.

Aermir escorted the surviving villagers to Barrowton and met the twin brothers Harik and Caygan, who had been orphaned by the red fever. He offered them work as soldiers, then sent them ahead to Winterfell while he planned to return in a year.

• Aermir learned that the villagers had fled their homes after red fever killed most of their community, and he agreed to escort them to the nearest town.
• While helping bury the dead, Aermir discovered that the large man Harik was thirteen and Caygan was his twin brother.
• Aermir helped feed the refugees on the road and trained Harik and Caygan during their journey to Barrowton.
• At Barrowton, Aermir offered the twins work as soldiers, but told them to travel to Winterfell and wait for him.
• Aermir arranged for Harik and Caygan to join a merchant caravan and gave its leader Lord Stark's pass to help ensure their safe arrival.

After months traveling through The North, Aermir discovered Ironborn ships cutting down timber along the coast and suspected betrayal among House Ryswell's vassals. He abandoned his journey to return to Winterfell, dispatching familiars to watch the sea and search for new kin.

• Aermir sent Caygan and his twin to Winterfell with a letter for Ser Rodrik Cassel, telling them not to swear allegiance to House Stark.
• Aermir learned water-walking and earth-merging spells while traveling through Torrhen's Square and The Rills, healing locals and destroying bandit hideouts along the way.
• Bo spotted Ironborn from Houses Drumm, Blacktyde, and Orkwood cutting down timber and loading it onto ships along the coast.
• Aermir suspected the Ironborn were stealing timber and that a traitor among House Ryswell's vassals might be helping them, so he decided to return to Winterfell.
• Aermir ordered Bo and Erebus to expand their raven flocks and patrol the sea, sent Lika and Berus to find kin in the Wolfswood, and took Sith with him toward the northern mountains.

Aermir warned Eddard Stark that the Ironborn were secretly harvesting timber to build ships for a rebellion. He urged Eddard to prepare the North before alerting the crown, leaving Eddard to weigh his duty to the realm against protecting his people.

• Rodrik Cassel greeted Aermir at Winterfell and heard him dismiss his nickname and confirm that Emre the Druid had supernatural powers.
• Aermir warned Rodrik that he suspected a war was coming and hurried to tell Eddard Stark.
• Aermir told Eddard that the Ironborn had stolen timber along the northern coast, and he explained that villagers were watching for their ships.
• Eddard and Rodrik considered whether House Ryswell had betrayed the North, but Aermir argued that sending them a warning could alert the Ironborn.
• Aermir reasoned that the Ironborn needed timber to build ships for a rebellion and said the crown's weakness made the timing plausible.
• Aermir urged Eddard to prepare the North before informing the king, arguing that the North should put its own people first.

Aermir failed to persuade Eddard Stark to act before scouts confirmed his warning, then clashed with Catelyn after she insulted him and Jon for being a commoner and a bastard. As Catelyn ordered him whipped, Aermir appealed to Northern beliefs and customs, and Eddard and Rodrik arrived to find the yard in an uproar.

• Eddard ordered Rodrik to send scouts to investigate Blazewater Bay and the Stony Shore, choosing to wait for their report before taking action.
• Aermir sparred with Robb and Jon, then traded a joking insult with Robb before Catelyn confronted them.
• Catelyn insulted Jon and Aermir, ordered guards to seize Aermir, and accused his father of having impure blood.
• Aermir's mana-infused shout froze Catelyn and the guards, and he warned Catelyn not to dishonor his father.
• Catelyn authorized a whipping, but Aermir addressed the crowd and argued that the Old Gods did not condemn bastards or distinguish between highborn and lowborn.
• Rodrik and Eddard arrived in the training yard and demanded to know what was happening.

Aermir Drasil denounced Septa Mordane and the Seven before Winterfell’s gathered nobles and soldiers, turning them against the septa and winning Eddard Stark’s support. Eddard banished the septons from Winterfell, allowed Arya and Sansa to pursue martial skills, and refused to whip Aermir, leaving his punishment for later.

• Aermir reminded Sansa that Septa Mordane had insulted the Old Gods and the warrior women of the North, and Sansa confirmed she remembered the septa’s words.
• Aermir condemned the Seven and their servants, arguing that he had protected the North without asking for payment, while the crowd cheered for the Old Gods.
• Eddard asked Sansa whether Aermir’s claims were true, and she confirmed them and recounted more of Septa Mordane’s insults toward Northerners.
• Eddard ordered Septa Mordane lashed and banished to the South, banished every other septon in Winterfell, and assigned Lady Elara Cassel and Maester Luwin to educate the girls.
• Eddard agreed that Rodrik would oversee Arya’s training until winter ended and allowed Sansa to learn archery, then told Catelyn he would not whip Aermir.

After Aermir insisted on receiving the flogging he had promised to accept, he endured twenty lashes before rallying Winterfell’s soldiers and knights to cheer for the Old Gods and the North. He woke in the infirmary celebrated as a northern hero, then secretly healed his wounds with magic.

• Eddard Stark agreed to punish Aermir after Aermir insisted on keeping his word and asked to be flogged on the training ground.
• Aermir urged Ser Rodrik to strike him with full force and endured all twenty lashes.
• Despite nearing unconsciousness, Aermir raised his hands and led the crowd in shouting, “For the Old Gods and the North!” before passing out.
• Aermir woke in the infirmary, where Maester Luwin questioned his defiance of Lady Stark, while Aermir reflected on how the punishment had made him a champion of the Old Gods.
• After Aunt Brice left, Aermir blocked his door and used Abra Ruklo (Lifebloom) to close his wounds.

The narrator checked on his familiars and went to meet Robb and Jon, while Sansa argued with Catelyn about wanting to learn archery and live more freely. Robb showed the narrator five direwolf pups and introduced his own pup, Grey Wind.

• The narrator learned that his familiars had expanded their animal groups and developed new abilities, then left his room for the kennels.
• Sansa confronted Catelyn about her wish to learn archery and live according to her own choices until her duties required her to marry.
• Robb and Jon greeted the narrator at the kennels, and Robb apologized for Catelyn's treatment of him.
• Robb led the narrator behind the kennels and revealed five direwolf pups found during a patrol.
• Robb picked up the gray-and-white pup and named him Grey Wind.

Aermir discovered that the Stark children were wargs after meeting their direwolf pups, then Lord Stark summoned him to answer for his recent conduct. Aermir explained that he had drawn Lady Stark’s anger onto himself to protect Jon, leaving Lord Stark questioning his claims about Jon’s treatment.

• Robb told Aermir that he, Lord Stark, and Jon had found five direwolf pups after their mother died while hunting.
• Aermir tried to bond with Grey Wind and the other pups, then sensed that Robb had 25 mana and Jon had 56, concluding that the Stark children were wargs and the pups were bonded to them.
• Aermir envied Robb for having Grey Wind, and the two began wrestling until a soldier summoned Aermir to Lord Stark’s solar.
• Lord Stark reprimanded Aermir for his recent foolish behavior and said he had planned to name him a knight, but now considered him unworthy.
• Aermir said he had deliberately drawn Lady Stark’s anger to protect Jon, and claimed she kept Jon from sword practice by making him do chores while Lord Stark was away.
• Lord Stark challenged Aermir’s claims, while Aermir insisted that Lady Stark was hurting Jon and that he wanted to protect those around him.

Aermir confronted Eddard Stark over his distrust and refusal to act on warnings about the Ironborn, then urged him to delay contacting King Robert until the danger was confirmed. Seven months later, scouts returned with evidence of Ironborn activity, and Aermir prepared to present his plan at a meeting.

• Eddard Stark reprimanded Aermir and withheld his decision about the Ironborn, prompting Aermir to insist he deserved respect and could make his own way as a knight or noble.
• Aermir released a surge of mana that overwhelmed Eddard, then accused him of treating him as an ordinary commoner and being responsible for his absent father.
• Eddard stood his ground and warned Aermir that he would take his head if he repeated the display.
• Aermir criticized Eddard for refusing to call banners without King Robert's command and asked him to wait for the scouts before sending a raven.
• Aermir warned that King Robert would muster an army too slowly to protect the coastline, while Eddard said he could not break his oaths.
• Seven months later, scouts returned with news confirming Aermir's suspicions, and he prepared to explain his plan at a meeting in the lord's solar.

Aermir persuaded Lord Stark to summon King Robert to Winterfell for a tourney, allowing the North to prepare for a possible Ironborn rebellion. After Robert arrived, Eddard Stark warned him that the Ironborn were building longships, but Robert decided to wait for stronger evidence before attacking.

• Aermir convinced Lord Stark to invite King Robert to his son’s Name Day tourney instead of sending a raven about the suspected rebellion.
• Two months later, the northern lords, Jon Arryn, and Hoster Tully gathered at Winterfell, while the Reach and Westerlands sent only gifts.
• King Robert arrived with his family and greeted Ned Stark warmly.
• Cersei complained about staying in the North, but Robert told her they would remain until the tourney ended.
• Eddard Stark privately told Robert that the Ironborn were stealing timber to build longships.
• Robert said they could not attack without stronger evidence and urged Eddard to enjoy the tourney while they waited.

Aermir realized Robert wanted a full war with the Ironborn, while Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn persuaded him to warn the Westerlands and the Reach. As the tournament began, Aermir prepared to compete and reflected on his growing abilities and newly gained magic.

• Aermir asked Lord Stark why the king had not acted against the Ironborn and concluded that Robert wanted a prolonged war rather than a swift suppression.
• Eddard Stark told Jon Arryn about Aermir's suspicion, and they confronted Robert, who argued that the Ironborn had to be weakened so they could never rebel again.
• Jon Arryn persuaded Robert to send ravens warning the Westerlands and the Reach to prepare for an Ironborn attack.
• Aermir entered the northern tournament's melee with Lord Stark's permission and described the region's events and traditions.
• Aermir noted his growth, improved physical abilities, and new spells, including an oath ritual that only worked on sincere supporters and a purification ritual that killed living things in its area.

Aermir entered the tourney, passed the qualifiers without a fight, and defeated Hugo Moss in the first round. He then faced the knight Wayland Flint in the second round.

• Robb and Jon questioned Aermir’s decision to enter, and he encouraged Robb to focus on ruling and Jon to improve his swordsmanship and scouting.
• Aermir challenged the qualifiers, but no one dared fight him after a squire identified him as “Calamity,” so he qualified automatically.
• Aermir used armor and protective magic to charge Hugo Moss, knock him down, and throw him into the arena wall.
• The crowd cheered Aermir’s victory, and King Robert laughed approvingly.
• Aermir faced Wayland Flint in the second round.

The narrator defeated Wayland with a display of superior footwork, then faced Smalljon Umber and overcame his strength through speed and prediction. The narrator left Smalljon disarmed and at swordpoint, having won without relying on magic or stamina.

• The narrator asked Wayland whether he wanted a dignified fight or to see his full strength, and Wayland chose to face the gap between them.
• The narrator defeated Wayland with precise footwork and a relentless attack, then helped him up and bowed respectfully.
• The narrator fought two ordinary knights before facing Smalljon Umber, whose greatsword and strength made a direct clash too risky.
• The narrator dodged Smalljon’s attacks and struck the back of his knee, exploiting his predictable swings as he tired.
• Smalljon tried to trap the narrator with a shoulder charge, but the narrator avoided it, kicked his knee, disarmed him, and held a sword to his neck.

After Aermir Drasil won the melee, King Robert offered to knight him, but Aermir refused because he would not become a knight of the Seven. Lord Stark knighted him before a weirwood tree, and Aermir looked toward gaining noble status and land by becoming a hero in the coming war.

• Aermir received 1,000 gold dragons from Lord Stark as the melee’s victor, and the king learned that he was only thirteen and still a squire.
• Ser Selmy told King Robert about Aermir’s reputation for fighting bandits, while Jaime Lannister objected when Aermir refused the king’s offer of knighthood.
• Aermir explained that he would not accept knighthood from a follower of the Seven because the faith had burned weirwood trees.
• King Robert asked Lord Stark to knight Aermir, and Lord Stark led the ceremony before a weirwood tree in the Godswood.
• Aermir swore his oath before the Old Gods, and Lord Stark named him the Green Knight.

Tywin Lannister received a vague warning about a possible Ironborn attack and ordered patrols while he investigated. Ser Drashir spotted a fleet approaching the North and warned Lord Stark, who began gathering the household guards.

• Tywin Lannister read the king's disorganized raven about a likely Ironborn attack and summoned Gerion.
• When Gerion was away in Lannisport, Tywin wrote to him and ordered part of the Lannister fleet to patrol.
• Bo told Ser Drashir that fifty-two Ironborn ships were approaching, and Drashir saw seven turn toward Flint Cliffs while forty-five headed north.
• Ser Drashir reached Lord Stark's solar and reported that forty-five longships would pass Cape Kraken in about two days.
• Lord Stark questioned Drashir's certainty, then ordered a steward to gather the household guards.

At Winterfell, Drasil advised Lord Stark on how to counter the Ironborn’s coming attack, despite Osric Moss challenging his authority. After the council approved his plan, Drasil asked to operate independently and revealed that he could scout through nonhuman companions.

• Lord Stark told the captains that the Ironborn would reach Flint's Finger in two days and that the North had limited forces available before the full muster.
• Drasil predicted the Ironborn might target Flint's Finger, Barrowton, Deepwood Motte, and Bear Island, and proposed dividing 1,500 soldiers among Barrowton, Deepwood Motte, and Bear Island.
• Osric Moss objected to Drasil’s advice and accused him of leaving commoners undefended, but Drasil challenged him to offer a better plan.
• Lord Stark approved Drasil’s strategy until the other 15,000 soldiers assembled, and the captains left to lead their troops.
• Drasil asked Lord Stark to let him operate independently and explained that he could keep pace with the Ironborn and scout using nonhuman companions.
• Drasil told Lord Stark he could protect the coast from small raiding parties but would not risk his life against larger forces.

Eddard Stark learned that Aermir Drasil used magic and agreed to test Aermir’s Unbreakable Vow. After they swore not to reveal Aermir’s powers, Eddard experienced the vow’s punishment when he tried to write about the secret.

• Aermir admitted that he used magic to enhance his strength and enlarge his smoke bombs, while crediting his archery for defeating Eddard’s knights.
• Aermir proposed a mutual Unbreakable Vow to protect his secret, and Eddard asked him to demonstrate how it worked.
• Aermir created a magic circle, and Eddard vowed not to reveal Aermir’s powers in exchange for ten truthful answers, with paralysis and death as punishments for breaking the vow.
• Eddard tried to write about Aermir’s secret and became completely unable to move until he gave up the attempt.

Drashir tested Caygan and Harick’s loyalty with Oath Magic, then rode to the Stony Shore to confront the Ironborn. He ambushed a raiding party near a village and left only seven of its hundred men alive.

• Drashir warned Caygan and Harick that swearing allegiance would bind them to him, and both accepted his oath.
• Drashir sent Caygan and Harick to gather fifty men for Deepwood Motte, then rode Sith to Blazewater Bay.
• Drashir found the Ironborn fleet split into forces attacking Flint's Finger and the northern coast, where he had already hidden arrows near settlements.
• Drashir rang a village bell with arrows to alert the villagers as an Ironborn ship approached, and they fled toward the hills.
• Drashir used arrows and Warding Wind while escaping on Sith, killing most of the hundred Ironborn raiders and allowing only seven to reach their ship.

Aermir defended several villages from Ironborn raids with Sith, Lika, her wolves, and Im, killing hundreds of raiders before the Ironborn advanced toward Deepwood Motte. He learned that Saltspear had fallen and that reinforcements would arrive too late, leaving him to race toward Deepwood Motte ahead of the enemy.

• Aermir left the first rescued village and ran north with Lika while Sith rested.
• Aermir warned a village of the approaching Ironborn, then fought alongside Lika, her pack, and Im to kill the raiders and heal Lika's wounds.
• Aermir ambushed Ironborn forces three more times at Sea Dragon Point and lost nearly all his wolves while fighting two hundred men.
• Aermir killed about a hundred and seventy raiders with mounted archery, prompting the Ironborn to continue toward Deepwood Motte without attacking two nearby fishing villages.
• Aermir learned that the Ironborn had defeated the Flints and raided Saltspear, while Stark and Glover reinforcements would arrive too late to prevent the attack on Deepwood Motte.

Aermir arrived at Deepwood Motte and discovered that Lord Glover had gathered more soldiers than expected, then confronted Glover over the defenses and his disrespect. The chapter ended with Aermir knocking Broddin Hall unconscious and warning Glover not to draw his sword.

• Aermir learned that Lika and the others had developed the ability to shrink, with Bo able to become as small as a raven.
• Jory explained that Lord Stark had ordered Hallis Moran to reinforce Deepwood Motte after Lord Glover warned that Bear Island could not be held.
• Aermir told Lord Glover that only about 2,500 Ironborn could attack and that he had killed as many as 600 raiders along the coast.
• Lord Glover called Aermir 'boy,' and Aermir challenged his competence and demanded respect.
• Broddin Hall attacked Aermir, who struck him down and warned Lord Glover not to draw his sword.

The narrator challenged Glover’s request for more soldiers and argued that the Stark forces should act to protect Bear Island rather than wait behind Deepwood Motte’s walls. Glover reluctantly accepted the narrator’s plan, and the group assigned troops to him as they headed back to camp to prepare.

• Jory defended Ser Drasil and explained that Lord Stark’s orders gave him authority to question Glover during wartime.
• The narrator challenged Glover’s demand for five hundred additional men and warned that the Ironborn could isolate and attack Bear Island.
• The narrator urged the others to take action against the Ironborn, then explained a plan that did not require Glover’s troops.
• Glover reluctantly agreed, while Hallis assigned the narrator a hundred men and Jory assigned him a hundred and fifty.
• Jory scolded the narrator for provoking Glover, but the narrator and Hallis agreed that Glover’s incompetence could cause trouble during the battle.