Recaps

The Riverlands, House Lannister, and the Vale reacted to Emre the Druid’s growing influence with concern, political maneuvering, and religious opposition. The chapter ended with Vale knights spying on Emre as he preached beneath a weirwood.

• Lord Hoster Tully, Ser Edmure Tully, and Maester Vyman discussed how Emre’s power to improve fertility could weaken the Riverlands’ grain trade, and Edmure proposed sending an envoy north.
• Tywin Lannister ordered spies to investigate Emre, sent ravens to influential houses, and tasked Kevan with secretly meeting the High Septon.
• Lord Yohn Royce urged caution at a Vale council and suggested Hugh Pryor speak with Emre, but Hugh rejected the idea and demanded that Emre’s teachings be stopped.
• Emre preached the Old Gods beneath a weirwood to a gathering that included Robin Flint.
• Ser Harlan and Ser Martyn watched Emre’s gathering, and Harlan accused him of trying to destroy their faith.

Aermir, disguised as Emre the Druid, staged a display of the Old Gods’ power that killed Ser Harlan and Ser Martin and won the crowd’s reverence. He flew away pleased with his performance, intending to use stories of divine punishment to strengthen the Old Gods’ influence and pressure House Manderly and other followers of the Faith of the Seven in the North.

• Ser Harlan and Ser Martin condemned Emre’s reverence for the Old Gods, while Aermir encouraged their anger without directly insulting the Seven.
• Emre summoned mist and roots to demonstrate the Old Gods’ power, but the knights refused his invitation to embrace the ancient faith.
• Emre called upon the Old Gods to judge the knights, and lightning struck and charred Ser Harlan and Ser Martin.
• Robin Flint and the gathered witnesses were awed by the display, and many began to revere Emre and the Old Gods.
• Aermir transformed into an eagle and flew away, reflecting that divine-punishment stories would help his plan against House Manderly and other northern followers of the Faith of the Seven.

Lord Yohn Royce warned King Robert Baratheon and the Small Council that Emre the Druid’s growing power and influence in the North threatened the realm. The council split over whether to ally with Emre or oppose him, while Robert remained unconcerned as long as Emre stayed in the North.

• Lord Yohn Royce told King Robert Baratheon that Emre had forced Northerners to convert and executed Ser Harlan and Ser Martin after they challenged him.
• Varys confirmed that Emre had called up roots to bind the knights and lightning to kill them, but Robert dismissed the danger.
• Lord Yohn Arryn convened the Small Council, where Grand Maester Pycelle urged caution and Petyr Baelish suggested allying with Emre or bringing about his downfall.
• Renly Baratheon warned that Emre’s influence over people and prosperity could shift loyalties, while Stannis Baratheon stressed the need to protect the realm’s stability.
• Robert recalled seeing Emre kill Mandon Ser Moore during the Greyjoy Rebellion and said he would not oppose Emre as long as he stayed in the North.

The High Septon condemned Emre the Druid as a threat to the Faith and called on septons and northern houses to oppose his influence. Wyman Manderly rejected the Faith’s request for support and chose to remain neutral, following Lord Stark’s advice.

• The High Septon denounced Emre the Druid in the Great Sept of Baelor and urged the faithful to resist his teachings.
• Septon leaders discussed organizing patrols and seeking support from northern houses, while one elderly septon warned against reviving the Faith Militant.
• The High Septon sent ravens across Westeros and ordered envoys to appeal to House Manderly, House Locke, and House Hornwood.
• A month later, Wyman Manderly considered the Faith’s request and recalled his son Wendel Manderly’s account of the Druid’s power.
• Wyman refused to denounce Emre or openly reject the Faith, choosing instead to remain neutral and heed Lord Stark’s advice.

Aermir rebuked noble trainee Jorah Glover for looking down on commoners, insisting that all magically gifted priests and priestesses were equal in the eyes of the Old Gods. Over the following months, the temple’s Wargs, Skinchangers, knights, paladins, and spies grew into a united force preparing to protect the North.

• Aermir restrained Jorah with vines and declared that nobles and commoners chosen by the Old Gods were equals within the temple.
• The trainees built friendships across class lines as Wargs such as Athos Tallhart and Isira developed brief bonds with animal companions, while Dacey excelled at Skinchanging.
• Aermir’s followers trained to protect the sacred domain of the Old Gods and became increasingly devoted to his teachings.
• Harrick trained temple knights and paladins, while recruits from across the kingdom joined their growing disciplined force.
• Caygan gathered intelligence across the North, Riverlands, and Vale, and trained the Crow Guard in assassination with help from Essosi professionals.
• Aermir ordered the newly trained assassins to kill their former instructors to keep the Crow Guard’s secrets, beginning a cycle in which they would train their successors.

Olenna Tyrell discussed the rising Druid and the young Lord of Moat Cailin with Willas and Margaery, deciding House Tyrell should cultivate ties and gather intelligence. As the Faith’s crusade against Emre intensified, she arranged for the Tyrells to publicly support it while keeping their options open.

• Olenna told Willas that reports described a rising power in the North called the Druid, whom she viewed as a potential asset.
• Olenna told Margaery that House Tyrell would quietly foster ties with the Druid to learn his intentions.
• Olenna pointed out the achievements of the eighteen-year-old Lord of Moat Cailin, and Willas and Margaery agreed that his influence and popular support warranted attention.
• After hearing of the High Septon’s sermons against Emre the Druid, Olenna concluded that someone was manipulating the High Septon.
• Olenna instructed Margaery to let the Faith wage its crusade while House Tyrell publicly supported it and remained ready to abandon it if it became a liability.

Aermir planned to develop Moat Cailin’s wetlands through aquaculture and edible plants while the search for rice continued. Rumors of Roose Bolton’s growing ties to Emre the Druid unsettled northern lords and widened a disagreement between Catelyn and Eddard Stark.

• Aermir told Athos Snow, Maester Torrhen Reed, and Eddard Snow to explore fisheries and cultivate cattails in Moat Cailin’s wetlands while they searched for rice.
• Roose Bolton sent envoys to Emre the Druid, and rumors that House Bolton had gained the druid’s favor spread among northern lords.
• Lord Greatjon questioned whether the North should submit to Emre and warned his advisers against powers outside House Stark’s banners.
• Jorah Mormont and Maege Mormont discussed Bolton’s possible ambitions, and Maege agreed to send a raven to Dacey for information about the druid.
• Catelyn urged Eddard Stark to distrust Bolton’s dealings with Emre, but Eddard defended their alliances and ended the argument by insisting his decision was final.

At Moat Cailin, Aermir restrained his advisers from retaliating against House Bolton and chose to answer Roose Bolton’s rumors with a counter-rumor campaign. He continued training Dacey Mormont, whose skinchanging had greatly increased her strength and speed, and returned to sparring as Caygan prepared to spread the story.

• Athos told Aermir that House Bolton had spread rumors using his name, prompting Harrick and Jorah to urge an attack on the Dreadfort.
• Aermir rejected an impulsive assault, telling Harrick and Jorah that he would handle House Bolton strategically.
• Aermir sparred with Dacey Mormont, whose skinchanging enhanced her strength and speed, and subdued her in a neck hold.
• Aermir praised Dacey’s potential and said she could eventually defeat the Mountain.
• Aermir ordered Caygan to have the Crow Guard spread a rumor that Roose Bolton had sought Emre the Druid’s favor and been humiliated.
• Aermir resumed training and effortlessly tossed his wargs and skinchangers around without using magic or buffs.

Aermir pursued experiments in his hidden laboratory, developing hardier crop seeds and a spell to alter his facial appearance. After more than a year, he created a cure for Red Fever and planned to make it into affordable pills.

• Rumors of Roose Bolton's humiliation spread across the North, and the gossip deepened divisions among its lords.
• Aermir experimented with mutations and developed seeds that could withstand the North's harsh climate.
• Aermir created a spell that let him subtly change his facial features without altering his bone structure, hair, or eyes.
• Driven by memories of his mother, Aermir spent more than a year studying plants and animals to find a cure for Red Fever.
• Aermir completed a vial of medicine that cured Red Fever and planned to produce it as affordable pills for commoners.

Aemir disguised himself as a shipwrecked traveler and then a wandering bard to spread fear of Emre the Druid and the Old Gods among the people of the Three Sisters. He left Lord Borrell and his knights wary of Emre and inclined to defend the Faith of the Seven.

• Aemir pretended to have washed ashore on Sweetsister and questioned villagers about the island’s people and tensions.
• Aemir told tavern patrons that Emre was undermining the Seven and using magic to turn people from their faith, stirring their fears.
• Aemir repeated his warnings in other towns while changing disguises and steering conversations against Emre.
• Disguised as a bard, Aemir sang Lord Borrell and his knights a ballad portraying Emre as a threat to the Faith of the Seven.
• Aemir claimed that Emre had shown extraordinary powers during the Greyjoy Rebellion, and Lord Borrell and the knights agreed to remain vigilant.

Aermir sent Wannian to spy on Lord Sunderland while he flew to Moat Cailin, where he discussed expanding the production of enchanted weapons and armor with Tobho Mott. The chapter left Aermir planning to spend oath points on more smiths and a concealed underground forge.

• Aermir summoned Wannian from Sunderland Island and ordered him to monitor Lord Sunderland, forbidding him from accessing Aermir’s past-life memories.
• Wannian infiltrated Lord Sunderland’s castle with ninety rats to collect information about the lord’s plans and conversations.
• Aermir flew to Moat Cailin and surveyed the renovated fortress before meeting Tobho Mott in the forge.
• Aermir and Tobho discussed the enchanted weapons and armor, including the five hundred weapons already produced and the limits on their production.
• Aermir proposed hiring fifty more smiths with fifty oath points and expanding the underground forge to equip his soldiers.

The Stark children planned a grand feast for Rickon's Name Day, with Sansa using memories of Aermir to inspire the gathering. Eddard agreed to invite the northern lords, leaving Winterfell eagerly anticipating the celebration and a chance to reunite with Aermir.

• Jon, Robb, Arya, Bran, and Sansa discussed Aermir's absence and agreed to make Rickon's Name Day feast unforgettable.
• The Stark siblings traded playful jabs as they planned the guest list, food, accommodations, and entertainment.
• Sansa recalled how Robb, Jon, and Aermir had drenched minor nobles with water and flour, then endured days of punishment from Eddard.
• Sansa guided her siblings toward holding a feast, and Jon and Robb recognized that the idea had come from her.
• Sansa persuaded Eddard to send formal invitations to the northern lords, and the family looked forward to the feast.

Aermir discussed the cost, labor, and timeline for linking the Sunset Sea and the Bite with a passage fed by the Fever River, then continued digging despite the Night King's curse. He traveled to Winterfell for Rickon's eighth Name Day feast, hoping to reconnect with the Stark children while Rickon remained uneasy around him.

• Aermir and his advisers reviewed the Fever River connection, the excavation challenges, and plans to use a few thousand workers to dig from the Bite.
• Maester Torrhen Reed argued that hiring workers would cost about one million gold dragons, but Aermir said their labor would free him to pursue more valuable work.
• Aermir continued excavating and had carved a ninety-kilometer trench after nearly a year, though the Night King's curse slowed his progress.
• Aermir left his usual duties and traveled to Winterfell for Rickon's eighth Name Day feast.
• Aermir looked forward to seeing Jon, Robb, Arya, and Bran again, while Rickon remained uneasy around him.

Aermir arrived at Winterfell with two hundred knights and reunited with Robb, Jon, and the Stark children. He left the procession to join the feast, sharing familiar teasing and affection with his old friends.

• Aermir rode into Winterfell on Sith at the head of two hundred knights, while the knights divided between the great hall and the courtyard feast.
• Robb and Jon greeted Aermir and joked with him about his title, strength, and prospects as a bachelor.
• Arya and Bran jumped onto Aermir, and Arya claimed their habit of climbing onto his back was a cherished tradition.
• Sansa scolded Arya and worried that Aermir was encouraging childish behavior, while Jon and Robb joined the teasing.
• Aermir laughed with the Stark siblings and felt nostalgic for the friendship and playful chaos he had missed.

At Rickon's gift-giving celebration in Winterfell, Aermir shared sugarcane candies with the Stark children and guests. The festivities turned tense when Theon insulted Aermir, who publicly threatened him until Lord Stark had soldiers escort Theon out.

• Aermir gave Rickon candy during the gift-giving ceremony, and the boy thanked him despite remaining wary.
• Aermir's sweets drew mixed reactions from the nobles, while Sansa praised his contribution to the celebration.
• Aermir spent the evening reminiscing with Robb and Jon, leaving Theon Greyjoy on the edge of their conversation.
• Theon insulted Aermir and called him a common wildling, prompting Aermir to remind him that he was a hostage and threaten him.
• Lord Stark ordered soldiers to escort Theon from the hall, and the nobles soon returned to their celebration.

Aermir reconciled with Robb after Sansa and Arya exposed Theon’s behavior, then navigated a tense contest between Sansa and Dacey over dancing with him. He left the dance floor after Arya secured a dance and realized he was still a virgin at twenty.

• Robb defended Theon, but Sansa and Arya told him how Theon had mistreated Jon and spread rumors about Aermir, leading Robb to regret trusting him.
• Aermir and Robb shared a toast to true friendship as the evening’s tension faded.
• Dacey invited Aermir to dance, and she and Sansa argued over who would claim the dance.
• Aermir bargained with Sith to let Arya play with her for half an hour, and Arya announced that Aermir had promised to dance with her.
• Aermir danced, then claimed he was drunk and tired to leave without openly rejecting Sansa or Dacey.
• As he left the dance floor, Aermir reflected that he was a twenty-year-old virgin.

Dacey Mormont and Sansa Stark's archery-range rivalry escalated when Lady reacted to Dacey's axe throw, prompting Dacey to transform into a half-bear. Aermir Drasil stopped the confrontation, while Arya noticed the two women's hidden feelings for him.

• Dacey challenged Sansa to throw axes, and Sansa knocked Dacey's axe off course with an arrow.
• Dacey threw an axe toward Sansa, and Lady roared at the perceived threat.
• Dacey transformed into a half-bear while Arya blocked Nymeria from joining the fight.
• Aermir arrived and calmed Lady and Dacey, ending the confrontation.
• Arya noticed Sansa and Dacey's interest in Aermir and grinned at the prospect of romance.

Dacey and Sansa openly acknowledged their rivalry for Aermir’s affection, while Aermir began to recognize their feelings for him. In Winterfell’s crypts, he followed Rickon and tried to learn why the boy had grown distant, but Shaggydog attacked; Aermir subdued the Direwolf and prepared to speak with Rickon.

• Dacey and Sansa challenged each other over who understood Aermir and declared their intentions to win his affection.
• Aermir realized that Sansa and Dacey both loved him and began to see them as women with desires of their own.
• Aermir followed Rickon into the crypts and found him playing with Shaggydog and an ancient sword.
• Aermir asked Rickon why their relationship had changed, but Rickon hesitated and tried to retreat.
• Shaggydog attacked Aermir, who used his Bark Armor, earth magic, and a domination spell to stop the Direwolf.

Aermir reassured Rickon after Shaggydog attacked him, then learned Rickon feared him because he could see Aermir’s blue magical aura and believed he was the Druid, not Aermir. After proving their shared memories and binding Rickon to secrecy with Oath Magic, Aermir discovered Rickon could see mana and distinguish magical auras, then began explaining the truth about Emre the Druid.

• Aermir calmed Rickon and explained that Shaggydog was asleep, then spoke with him about Lika and the pain of losing someone loved.
• Rickon told Aermir he believed he was the Druid because he saw a powerful blue light around him instead of the green light he associated with his family.
• Aermir realized Rickon could see mana and recalled that Rickon had only gained this sight after Aermir left Winterfell under his own identity.
• Aermir reminded Rickon of their shared memories, then made him swear secrecy through Oath Magic before revealing a secret.
• Aermir tested Rickon’s sight with an unformed Fireball Spell, but Rickon recoiled from its dangerous aura, so Aermir dispelled it and apologized.
• Rickon identified Bo’s aura as blue and Erebus’s as green, and Aermir began explaining the truth about Emre the Druid.

Aermir asked Catelyn Stark to let him become Rickon’s guardian, and she agreed to consider it if Rickon consented and Ned approved. He then turned to investigating the magical presence in Winterfell’s crypts, hoping it might lead him to the sacred sites tied to the Order God.

• Aermir decided to seek Catelyn’s permission to become Rickon’s guardian, while preparing to take Rickon away if she refused.
• Aermir told Catelyn that he wanted to guide and protect Rickon, and she agreed to consider the arrangement if Rickon agreed and Ned approved.
• Aermir resolved to gather talented allies to help him find the sacred sites mentioned by the Order God.
• Aermir suspected Winterfell’s crypts might be connected to the sacred sites and went below to investigate their magical presence.
• Aermir used the incantation "Tegon Modocalcinum" to summon a humanoid earth elemental in the crypts.

Aermir explored Winterfell's crypts with earth magic and found a massive carved door that held the source of the pulsing magic, but he lacked the mana to reach it. He kept the discovery from Lord Stark and decided to excavate toward the door alone, slowly and cautiously, while balancing his other responsibilities.

• Aermir used Elemental Vision to survey the collapsed crypts and found that they extended deep beneath Winterfell.
• Aermir descended through the earth with Air Bubble and Merge with the Earth, but his mana dwindled as he followed the growing magical presence.
• Aermir found a huge metal door carved with dragons and a direwolf holding a crystal, then turned back because he lacked the mana to reach it safely.
• Aermir decided not to tell Lord Stark about the door or risk a large excavation that could destabilize the ground beneath Winterfell.
• Aermir chose to excavate alone and reinforce the soil as he worked, expecting the task to take more than two years alongside his other duties.

Aermir asked Eddard Stark to let him foster Rickon at Moat Cailin and train him in magic and swordsmanship. After Eddard learned that his wife had approved, Aermir encouraged Rickon's dream of becoming a Druid and taming a dragon, leaving the boy eager to begin an adventure.

• Aermir told Eddard that Rickon could see fluctuations in magic and explained how he had discovered the boy's talent in Winterfell's crypts.
• Aermir asked Eddard to let him foster Rickon at Moat Cailin, promising to teach him magic and swordsmanship.
• Eddard hesitated over Aermir's age and warned that his wife would oppose the request, but Aermir said she had already given her blessing.
• Aermir and Eddard spoke with Rickon, who eagerly imagined becoming a powerful Druid and knight like his brothers.
• Rickon asked whether becoming a Druid would let him tame a dragon, and Aermir replied that they would first have to find one and then could try.

Aermir went hunting with Robb, Jon, Bran, and Rickon on his last day in Winterfell, while Theon was left behind after Aermir refused to go with him. Around the campfire, Bran tried ale to prove he was grown, but spat it out and was laughed at by his brothers.

• Theon apologized to Robb and asked to join the hunt, but Aermir refused to go if Theon came, so the Stark siblings chose to leave Theon behind.
• Aermir secretly used Dominate Animal to calm the horses around Sith, and Bran eagerly asked how he had done it and whether he could learn.
• Rickon hid his knowledge of Aermir's identity as Emre the Druid by pretending he was laughing about Shaggydog.
• After the hunt, Bran tried to drink ale, but Robb caught him and allowed him only one sip after Aermir signaled that he should.
• Bran spat out the ale and asked why anyone drank it, prompting Robb, Jon, and Aermir to laugh at his attempt to prove he was grown.

Aermir and the Stark brothers shared a playful wrestling match after Jon explained that he had already sworn to join the Night's Watch. Later, Aermir searched Winterfell’s library for clues about the Night's King and the Others, hoping to prepare for the coming threat while remaining bound to the Wall.

• Jon told Aermir that he had dreamed of joining the Night's Watch since childhood and had already sworn his vows.
• Aermir teased Jon about dying a virgin, and Jon lunged at him; Robb, Rickon, and Bran joined the ensuing wrestling match.
• Aermir studied Winterfell’s books and scrolls for information about the Others and the Night's King.
• Aermir feared that his earth magic had connected the Night's King to the land and that the curse might let him cross the Wall.
• Aermir found conflicting legends about the Night's King’s history, powers, and the Others’ possible weaknesses, but could not tell which accounts were true.

Aermir expanded Moat Cailin’s agriculture, trade, weapons production, and magical research while developing a new port and outfitting the Crow Guard. The chapter ended with him wearing an enchanted feather cloak that raised his speed and strength to match Harrick’s.

• Aermir improved Northern farming with canals, irrigation, aquaculture ponds, and potatoes, and worked with Tobho Mott to produce Damascus steel weapons and composite bows.
• Aermir continued experimenting on imprisoned murderers to create a Magic Heart or permanent bodily magic, while his efforts to make vodka and clear glass remained unsuccessful despite spending 110,000 gold coins.
• Aermir completed Moon drift port, prompting House Manderly and Lord Manderly to protest the new port and stirring regional tensions.
• Aermir crafted enchanted feather cloaks for the Crow Guard, carving runes into feathers shed by Bo and Erebus to grant wearers greater strength, speed, and concealment at night.
• Aermir finished a cloak for himself and found that his speed reached 19 and his strength reached 18, matching Harrick.