Vicki’s
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(group member since Jul 17, 2015)
Vicki’s
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from the A Song of Ice and Fire - A Chapter a day group.
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Your point 11, you'd think Cersei would be happy she doesn't have to marry Willas, the cripple. But of course she would have to appear offended if she knew. Tywin had hoped to strengthen the two houses, Lannister and Tyrell, even more. Now he has to come up with another plan. Your point 12, I hope he doesn't end up like his father either. It is way too easy to tumble on that slippery slope of assuming your way is always right and become a tyrant, murdering everyone that does something you don't like. That's why there's a council.
1. King’s Landing is healing after the battle. People are already selling their wares where once there was nothing but rubble. These people just hate Tyrion, who saved their fucking lives. I’m wondering how much of it is him they hate verses hating Lannisters period. He’s taking on the task of rebuilding for his Uncle Kevan, who is distraught about his son, Willem’s murder, up in the riverlands. Tyrion’s job is master of coin anyway, so this task makes sense to fall to him. It’s going to be expensive, though.
2. So far Tyrion has not consummated his marriage and somehow the entire castle is aware of this. I’m not sure I want to know how, lol. The only person who doesn’t think it’s funny is Sansa, but I have to say, he risks a lot for her. He thinks she hates him but I don’t think so. She doesn’t trust anyone anymore. Interesting they both have to wear clothes at night. So she doesn’t have to see Tyrion’s hideous body, and so Tyrion can’t be tempted. He is surprised he wants her, and not simply for sex. I like that he wants to comfort her and make her laugh. It makes me like Tyrion all the more. Ugh, Shae doesn’t care that he’s married, of course. She’s a whore. A part of him was hoping she’d be jealous or something, but of course not. Why would she give a damn. She gets paid to fuck unhappy husbands.
3. I like that Tyrion offers coins to the poor. Now that the Tyrells are bringing in food people are desperate for cash to pay for it. Prices are still very high, for some reason.
4. Bronn escorts him to a shady part of town to deal with Symon Silver Tongue. The man used to be frightened of Tyrion but not anymore, it seems. He tells the man to leave the country. He’ll even pay him. Symon sings of him and Shae, basically; he’s too dangerous to keep around. He even threatens to “sing” for his sister and father. Wow, the confidence. Something’s up. The man wants to sing in a tourney at Joff’s wedding feast. If he goes to that he says he will keep quiet. Problem is, there must only be seven singers, so Tyrion’s going to have to find a way to get rid of one of them to squeeze Symon in. Afterward Tyrion more or less tells Bronn to make quick work of Symon Silver Tongue. This conversation reminds me of Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, lol.
5. When he gets back to the castle Lord Tywin wants to see him. He wonders what he’s done now. His father never calls on him simply for company. He walks in on Tywin with an armorer and a newly forged longsword, gilded with rubies and pommel is in the shape of a lion, it has Lannister written all over it. He says it’s a wedding gift for Joffrey. It’s made of Valyrian steel, too. Incredibly rare. The blade shimmers black and red. I like how Tyrion says that’s much too much sword for Joff, lol. There are thousands of Valyrian steel blades left in the world, and only about 200 in the Seven Kingdoms. A long time ago a Lannister king lost their family sword, Brightroar, when he went to Valyria on a fool’s quest and never came back. They say the place is haunted. His name was Tommen, too. How interesting. I forgot Tyrion had an Uncle Gery who went to Valyria eight years ago to recover the sword and never came back either. Tywin has so many siblings... Tywin had been searching for a replacement now for a long time but no one was willing to sell their family sword. Tyrion thinks this sword’s color is strange. It has red in it when Valyrian steel is supposed to be a dark grey. The armorer says Tywin wanted the sword to be red but the Valyrian steel is stubborn so it’s a mixed pattern, not blended.
6. There’s two longswords, actually. Both look the same, one being slightly bigger than Joff’s, with the same weird red and black pattern. Targaryen colors. This one’s hilt is not as ornate as Joff’s but both have lion pommels and studded rubies. Tyrion is impressed. Tywin says this sword is for Jaime. Ha! He has no sword-hand! Tywin must be pretty confident that Jaime won’t die if he had it made for him. The armorer is Master Mott, Gendry’s old master.
7. Tyrion informs his father the things they’ll need to do to get the Blackwater river flowing again, as well as other repairs. I’m surprised Tywin refuses to spend a single penny on any of this with Lannister gold, not even the wedding. Tyrion says the treasury has no money but Tywin says Littlefinger’s accounts say their income is ten times better than it was when Aerys reigned. But at least Aerys had money in the treasury. Tywin refuses to forgive the debt the capital owes House Lannister either, damn. Tyrion suggests they cut costs on the wedding then; he is like-minded as Ned Stark on that matter. But I guess Tywin is more like Cersei and Robert in that extravagance is more important. Gods, Tywin doesn’t want the Tyrells to think the Lannisters are niggardly. Who the fuck cares? You still have people starving outside your walls... Tywin’s response is he’ll find a master of coin who will find the money if Tyrion can’t manage it. Of course he would never take Tyrion’s advice. He never does.
8. Also, Tywin reminds him to consummate his marriage. Tyrion wants to know why he cares so much and says she’s still too young. Tywin just wants Winterfell. I don’t see what the hurry is. The ironborn are still fighting up there.
9. Mace Tyrell actually refused to marry Willas to Cersei. This just got interesting, lol. Tywin says it’s his mother’s fault, the Queen of Thorns. She whispers words into his ears and tells him what to say and do. He commands Tyrion never to speak of the proposed offer. They’re going to have to find Cersei another husband.
10. Pycelle enters and lol, is not pleased that Tyrion is there. He informs them there’s a raven from Castle Black. They report a mass amount of wildlings moving south and Lord Mormont and his men were attacked in the Haunted Forest. Bowen Marsh, the writer, pleads all five kings for more men to stop the wildlings. Of course Tywin is insulted that they recognize five different kings when there should only be Joffrey. Pycelle defends them, saying the Wall is so far up north they are the last to hear anything. Tywin calls the Night’s Watch a bunch of thieves, rapers, and murderers, which is true most are, and Tywin has the audacity to say if they don’t vote in Janos Slynt as their new Lord Commander then they’ll never get another recruit from them. That is completely against the law. It is easy for Tywin not to care because if the Wall ever is breached, King’s Landing will be the last to feel it. Only, it’s not the wildlings they should be worried about. Unfortunately, Tywin won’t be able to make use of Mallister from the Shadow Tower, or an ironborn from Eastwatch. He likes tools such as Slynt who can be bought to do anything he wants, Tywin just pisses me the fuck off. He wouldn’t be nearly as powerful if he wasn’t lord to the richest house in Westeros. It would be deeply satisfying if a white walker stabbed him several times over. He wants Bowen Marsh to get chummy with Janos Slynt, the tool that he is. Tyrion wishes he’d killed Slynt instead of banishing him to the Wall now. Same with Pycelle. At least he “learned his lesson” by ordering Symon Silver Tongue’s death. Sometimes you have to resort to murder in order to get what you want, although I sometimes doubt the wisdom in this, especially if you can’t do it yourself.
Lol, only in ASOIAF do I feel comfortable enough to suggest a 16 year old boy has a crush on an 11 year old girl. And that I ship certain sibling marriages.
Your point 11, I agree, Jaime changes a lot when he loses his sword hand. I still can't believe George Martin was able to get me to go from absolutely hating one character in one book to loving him in another. He changes so much. 1. So now we find out the Bloody Mummers cut off Jaime’s right hand. I’ve heard of phantom pain before but I can’t imagine how horrible and unsanitary it must be for him. He’s lucky he didn’t die of infection. And all the mummers can do is laugh at Jaime, who is reduced to crying because it hurts so much. I like how he now knows how Tyrion feels whenever people laugh at him. They even tied it around his neck. Gross.
2. They mock Jaime and Brienne, calling them lovers. They make him drink horse piss and have Brienne clean up his vomit and bowels. Lovely. She’s got to be feeling bad for him, even if he is the kingslayer, that is just cruel and unusual punishment. She begs him to fight to live. Don’t die; don’t be a craven. The word mulls over in Jaime’s mind. He wonders if all he ever was was a sword-hand and nothing more. Jaime wants to live, for his family if nothing else. Interesting it says Tyrion loved him for a lie. *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler) He vows he will recover and take revenge. A Lannister always pays his debts.
3. Jaime feels he is nothing without his sword-hand. He was never any good with his left hand. Well, it’s the only hand he has left now. He laughs when he realizes they’re going to Harrenhal, the place they made him a member of the kingsguard. How ironic. One of the mummers whips him in the face for laughing, wtf dude. I forgot Aerys never let Jaime joust in the tourney; he was only 15 at the time, and he sent him away. I forgot why.
4. I guess they don’t care after all if Brienne is spoiled. They want to rape her anyway. Jaime tells her to go to her happy place when they do it but Brienne says they’ll get no pleasure from her, looking resolved. Jaime thinks she’s a brave, stupid bitch. Instead, he makes a scene and Rorge kicks him in the stump, making him faint. When he wakes up Vargo Hoat tells them not to harm her. That’s good. At least Vargo believes the sapphire story. Later Brienne thanks him. :) He says he owed her for what she did on the river with the boulders. I think their relationship is taking a turn for the better!
5. They parade Jaime and Brienne inside Harrenhal by making them walk the last mile. I like that he fuels his rage by telling himself he’s a Lannister and will pay this debt back with interest, lol. Jaime doesn’t know a whole lot about the Boltons except they are northmen who flay their enemies. Interesting he promises himself he will not die before Cersei. *SPECULATION ON JAIME AND CERSEI* (view spoiler)
6. So this is where all the Freys went after they abandoned Riverrun. I keep forgetting Jaime is related to some of them through marriage. Jaime says Urswyck stole Ser Cleos Frey’s goods and left him for the wolves, even though that’s exactly what he would have done had the Bloody Mummers not shown up when they did, and Brienne begs them to listen to her. The Freys state they are here because the Young Wolf betrayed them. Jaime thinks things just got interesting, lol. She explains what Lady Catelyn did and why. Some Freys want to ransom Jaime for themselves, others want to kill him, when Roose steps in. He is so calm and soft-spoken it scares Jaime more than Vargo Hoat’s threats. Right immediately he doesn’t like this guy. Bolton flings his hand on the ground and tells them to take it away; it offends him. What a thing to say in that situation!
7. Urg, Vargo wants to ransom him for 100,000 gold dragons from Tywin and instead give him to Lord Karstark so he can have his daughter. His goonies laugh but Bolton informs them that Robb killed Lord Rickard Karstark for treason so his daughter is off limits. He also informs them that Joffrey will soon wed the daughter of Highgarden, no longer Winterfell. Lol, Bolton insinuates he knows Joff is Jaime’s get.
8. Right now Bolton is coming across as their savior. He says he’s displeased they tried to rape Brienne and for what they did to Jaime’s sword-hand. Brienne is taken for a bath and some new clothes, without weapons, while Jaime is taken to the maester to see to his injuries. I get a bad feeling about Brienne being without any weapons.
9. Here we meet Qyburn, a “fatherly” man. He wants to cut Jaime’s whole arm off just in case the infection spread but Jaime makes him clean the wound and let him take his chances. He also doesn’t want to be sleeping during this for fear he’ll wake up without an arm; he’d rather go through terrible pain. Uck, the stench must be horrible. The pain is so bad he passes out, so it really didn’t matter about the milk of the poppy anyway.
10. When he wakes he sees Qyburn did a good job mending it. He says Vargo Hoat’s always cutting off limbs so he has plenty experience, gods. Jaime thinks Qyburn doesn’t look like a monster and asks why he helps the Brave Companions. Qyburn explains he was excommunicated from the Citadel; they removed him from his maester duties, so he serves here instead, people who will let him continue his services even without his chain.
11. It is very interesting how Jaime has seen the dream of wildfire before when Qyburn explains the Imp set the Blackwater on fire. I wonder if he gets any prophetic dreams about this. Cersei is frequently associated with the color green and of wildfire.
12. I really like how Jaime tells Qyburn to see to Brienne’s injuries as well, and that she is his protector. :) He keeps helping her when he doesn’t need to.
13. There is something creepy about Bolton and his leeches. It’s a popular medieval medical treatment procedure, but for him it’s an obsession.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure she doesn't know about her. Otherwise, she'd be dogging after Daenerys instead, lol.
Oh sorry, I won't spoil the show for you then. :) I'm just glad I'm not the only one, lol.
Your point 7, I'd like to learn more about how it was made too. I think The World of Ice and Fire goes into some detail but not a whole lot. It's said Bran the Builder built it with the help of the children of the forest and giants, which would make sense how they maneuvered huge chunks of ice back then. And I recall there IS magic imbued into it. What exactly that does, I don't know, but I don't think the Wall just wants to keep out wildlings, lol. For me, it's strange how Ygritte feels the Wall hates her, almost. 1. Ghost ran off and Jon hopes he understood him about Castle Black. I’m pretty sure he did. Direwolves are smart. I wonder if the Sword of the Morning is the same constellation as the Ice Dragon. Looks like they’ve finally made it to the Wall.
2. The Thenns scout out with warhorns in case they find any rangers. The rest follow Jarl’s lead. The Wall is about 700-800 feet tall. All along the west, where there’s mountains, the Wall curves with the land. They choose a particularly tall hill to mount the ice a third of the way in. Smart. The forest helps hide them. The Thenns have never seen the Wall before and are scared of it. I like how the Wall is also the end of the world for them. “It was all in where you stood.”
3. Jon struggles with what to do about Ygritte. He wants to take her with him back to Castle Black but that wouldn’t go over well with the brothers. If he leaves her the Magnar may kill her. He briefly considers going back to the caves, awe.
4. Their tools are mostly made of antlers and animal bone. Jarl promises they’ll come back with castle-forged steel, right...when they take Castle Black from behind. According to Jon’s memory, patrols stumble across two or three raiders a year. Though Jon likes Jarl, he does not want them to succeed in this raiding. He particularly hopes Styr will die. Jon realizes the forest really needs to be cut back. There are three teams of four, Jarl leading.
5. Styr is ignorant of the fact that this climbing is very dangerous work. Jon can’t help but admire them for being so brave. Jon hopes a patrol will see this and do something. His father once said a wall is only as strong as the men who defend it, and unfortunately for the Night’s Watch there are just not enough men. Four patrols alone can take down 120 wildling raiders on the Wall.
6. The first time I read that Jarl plummeted to his death I didn’t care much, but now I feel bad. He was a pretty cool guy, but he got too cocky I guess. The other two teams make it to the top, though. They toss down five hempen rope ladders for the others to climb. Sounds terrifying.
7. I like how Ygritte says the Wall isn’t made of ice, it’s made of blood. By the time Jon and Ygritte reach the top it’s midnight; they’d spent all day climbing. Ygritte really hates this Wall. Jon tries to comfort her but she punches him, wtf woman... Finally she tells Jon something important: they’d been unearthing a bunch of graves in their search for the Horn of Joramun but they never found it. Instead, they let loose “all those shades” into the world. They were hoping to use the horn to bring the Wall down. I’m betting that horn in the cache Jon found in CoK is it. I wonder what shades she means. Ghosts? I hope not the white walkers.
Your point 5, I think girls become women definitely by age 16, and at the time Lysa would have been pregnant it was during or before Robb was born, I think. It would be nice to know her age, and if she's important to the storyline at all.Your point 6, you know what, I haven't even thought of that! I am thinking you're right. Or it could be a multitude of things.
1. I forgot Stoney Sept is a town. I can’t remember a lot of the things Arya did in the riverlands, actually. Apparently Ned won a famous battle here. He and her grandfather fought Lord Connington (probably Jon Connington’s father) who was Hand at that time and looking to kill Robert Baratheon before he could join forces with Ned. This was when Aerys still sat the throne. It was a fierce battle. Robert slew six men, one of them being Myles Mooton, a famous knight who’d been Rhaegar’s squire once. Oh I see, it was her grandfather Tully who fought beside Ned. Lord Connington escaped. They call it the Battle of the Bells because the whole time the septons rang the bells to warn the smallfolk to lock their doors. I like that Robert always said Ned won that battle. I forgot all about this incident in history.
2. Stoney Sept allows them through the gates now, being Lord Beric’s men. They talk about the kingslayer, wondering if he’ll take the Blackwater down to King’s Landing. They’re searching for him all around the river; Stoney Sept is located where the Blackwater river begins. It’s a good thing they didn’t go that way then. This man named the Huntsman in particular wants to catch him, then kill him. Lem is very against murdering him, though. He’s worth a huge ransom; you’d be a fool to kill him.
3. They go further into town when they see men dying in crow’s cages. Lem is also against this. He says they should just hang them, none of this prolonged torture madness. The townsfolk call it justice. They are apparently Robb’s men; the Huntsman caught them. Arya of course doesn’t like that. Some of the men are dead but some are still alive. They want water. Arya takes pity on them. Sounds like they were Karstark men, searching for the kingslayer and decided to kill, rape, and plunder on their way. When she hears this she’s ashamed to call them her pack. Still, she gives them water despite the townsfolk telling her to move on. It’s nice that Lem and Harwin help her. They say this isn’t Lord Beric’s way. Of course Gendry would help too. Anguy shoots prisoners from inside the cages, ending their misery. Even though Arya doesn’t know what it means, she thinks valar morghulis, which is very appropriate here.
4. Aha! I knew there was some tavern wench in the riverlands named Tansy! She is described several times as having red hair, like Tully. I’ll bet anything she’s Lysa’s bastard. She certainly knows how to chastise the men. She makes Gendry blush, which I smiled at. I guess this inn is also a brothel. Both Gendry and Arya are uncomfortable here, lol. It’s even called “the Peach.” I can’t believe Tom and them would let Arya stay here. Lol, some girl called Bella wants to ring Gendry’s bells. Gendry is hotly against it, though. Interesting.
5. Good lord, Tansy and the others exchange rumors about her mother, Jaime, and Brienne. That Catelyn set him loose because she loved him. Arya hopes it’s not true. It must hurt her to imagine her mom moving on from her father’s death. Not to mention the scandal if it were true, which of course it is not, but these people don’t know.
6. Suddenly a perverted old man mistakes Arya for a prostitute and Gendry has to rescue her out of that situation. They get in an argument over why he said he’s her brother; too bloody lowborn. Gendry is quite pissed off, and I wonder why. Maybe it has something to do with his mom being a whore; I think he mentioned it in GoT or CoK once. Now he wants Arya to leave him alone. Interesting. Seems like someone’s going through manstruation. The only other reason I can think of is Gendry secretly likes Arya and struggles with that fact: she’s highborn and not even a woman yet.
7. The next morning the Huntsman is back with a shit ton of hunting dogs and a dozen men. They’re putting a Lannister prisoner in one of the crow’s cages. At first they think it’s Jaime but Arya recognizes the man’s face. *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)
Hmm, well, I don't have too many friends who've read this far yet. And in the show it does look like they love each other. Like, doesn't Jon actually say it in the show? They overplayed Ygritte, I think. It's HBO, of course. Yet with all the queerly added sex scenes you'd think they'd have played it up more for them. I was never much of a fan of Ygritte, to be honest. Her accent in the books annoyed me, lol. I think she spoke less in the books and was more pathetic than in the show that made her much more annoying with all her talk of sex and crap. I mean, it was funny, making Jon uncomfortable, but it was more than that, I think. And even if Ygritte did have better chemistry with him they are still starcrossed lovers that would never have made it together in the end.
Lol, glad that brightened your day! Seriously though, if Melisandre saw those dragons she'd freak out with joy. Thing is, Daenerys would most likely hate this woman (with all her blood magic reminding her of Miri Maz Duur) and therefore the dragons would too. It would be such justice if the dragons burned her up in flames.
My point 8, I think that's what it was. They probably don't know about any promises Ned made to Lyanna, or that Ned refused to talk about her much. That moment leading up to Lyanna's abduction probably upset him greatly.
Your point 2, now that I'm reading your notes, it occurs to me how hypocritical Cersei is being. When her father tells her she will marry she goes postal, but now she's telling Sansa to suck it up. And I think Sansa handled it better than Cersei did. Maybe it's because she hasn't already gone through it before like Cersei has. Your point 5, true, but I don't think she made it any easier on him. She unknowingly fed into Joffrey's cynical humor. I'm glad she quickly realized her folly, that she was punishing the wrong person by her reluctance.
Your point 11, yeah, there's something up with his eyes. I wonder what it means.
1. Sansa is fitting into her new gown and loves it. Then Cersei gives her a maiden’s cloak, which she did not expect. Cersei tells her she’s going to marry Tyrion, like right now, lol. How horrible for Sansa. Her silly hopes and dreams smashed yet again by the Lannisters. Lol, Cersei says she understands her reluctance and would feel the same if she were her. Cersei says she will marry either gracefully or kicking and screaming. Surprisingly Ser Osmund Kettleblack is gentle with Sansa, unlike Meryn Trant. He reminds her to be brave; she’s a Stark. She realizes Tyrion is not so bad as the other Lannisters and agrees to go.
2. Ugh, Joffrey is to give her away to Tyrion; he is loving this. What a horrible little twit. Tyrion, once again, saves Sansa from having to deal with Joffrey. He apologizes for all of this. He’d have come to her sooner about it if he knew. Neither of them want this. I forgot Sansa has the opportunity to reject Tyrion and marry Lancel instead. I wonder why she doesn’t. Either way, Tywin will marry her to a Lannister. Sansa knows he just wants Winterfell. Tyrion tells her he knows he’s not the ideal person she’d like to marry but he’s not like Joffrey either, that’s sweet. She acknowledges he was always kind to her.
3. They go together to the sept. Sansa realizes none of the Tyrells are here. They did this without them knowing. She cries silently throughout the sermon. She hates that Joffrey is taking the place of her father. He gives her a feelski as he takes her cloak off, as is tradition, perv. Tyrion is supposed to wrap his cloak over her, but no one gave him a stool so Sansa needs to kneel for him to reach. Out of anger, she stubbornly refuses to kneel, one of the few times I dislike Sansa in the series. It’s not his fault, and you’re embarrassing him. Everyone laughs, especially Joffrey. He makes fun of his uncle by calling for Ser Dontos to be his stool; a fool for a stool. :( When she turns to see his face she is suddenly ashamed. Now she kneels so he can kiss her. She thinks he’s uglier than the Hound.
4. I find it interesting how the septon says “...cursed be the one who comes between them.” *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)
5. The feast holds about only 50 people, a very small wedding. The Tyrells make it to this, at least. Margaery looks so sad, awe. Her friends now pretend not to know her, treacherous bitches. Tyrion keeps drinking and also looks miserable. Sansa dreads what will happen after the party: the bedding. Tyrion’s naked body is bad enough without men throwing her clothes off as they take her to the bedchamber, making rude jokes along the way. How awkward, even if it IS with the man you want to marry. And what woman would want to take off Tyrion’s clothes, other than Shae.
6. Everyone is dancing except the newlywed couple. Cersei charms them all with her dancing and grace, but Sansa hates her. Ser Garlan dances with Sansa. I forgot Willas named Ser Garlan the Gallant. Back when he was a kid he was apparently ugly. He manages to get her to laugh. The Tyrells seem like good people. He quietly says she seems unhappy about the marriage; she looked like she was crying earlier. “Tears of joy, ser.” Strangely, Ser Garlan tells Sansa that Tyrion will make a much better husband to her than Ser Loras, interesting he didn’t say Willas. He says Tyrion is bigger than he seems. He is now the second person to say that. Maester Aemon said the same thing in GoT.
7. Funny Tommen should say he wants to be married too. ;) Oh gods, she has to dance with Joffrey next. Of course he says he’s still going to have her. He boasts Tyrion himself will be the one to bring her to him, or he’ll have his head, ugh. After the dance Joff is way too eager to start the bedding but Tyrion blessedly calls off the bedding tradition. When Joff commands it, Tyrion threatens to cut off his prick, lol. No one thinks that’s funny though. Thankfully, Tywin does damage control, saying Tyrion didn’t mean it, it was a joke, right Tyrion? He’s drunk. Tyrion reluctantly goes along with it. Lol, “Come, wife, time to smash your portcullis. I want to come-into-your-castle.” Poor Sansa is so embarrassed right now.
8. No one follows them to the bedchamber. Inside, Tyrion and Sansa both want to get very drunk, lol. Tyrion drunkenly talks about his wedding with Tysha, charming. Sansa didn’t know he was married before. Sansa will be 13 in a month. Tyrion is disgusted by this fact. He’s not down with fucking children, and Sansa’s empty courtesies only anger him.
9. She takes her own clothes off while he watches. Despite himself, Tyrion does want her, even though she’s just a child. He says he’s ugly but in the dark he’s as good as any other man, lol. He keeps talking about how good he is as a person and she realizes he’s as nervous as she is. I forgot he actually touches a breast. Though he’s hard, he says he can’t do it. I respect him so much for saying they need to wait first and get to know each other before getting physical. I also like that Septon Mordane once said all men are beautiful. She tries to see past his ugliness now. He vows he won’t touch her until she wants him to. Sansa asks what if she never wants him to, and Tyrion says that’s what whores are for, lol, awe. Poor guy. At least she’s being honest with him now. I really hope they learn to love each other!
Your point 8, I want to know why Quaithe is helping her too. Maybe she thinks Dany is Azor Ahai. She seems like a good red priest. Melisandre hasn't met her yet. I'm sure Mel would cream her pants if she saw those dragons, lol. 1. Daenerys wants to buy all of the Unsullied. She bargains with the slavers about it while wearing a Qartheen dress. I wonder what the Astapori thought of that. These men smell like fruit, lol. She wants all the ones still in training as well. This is a lot for them, and tempting, but they are concerned how they will fill future orders, since it takes about ten years to train a boy from scratch. Others want the gold now. The city has a hundred slave traders, but she’s dealing with the eight greatest. Kraznys is one of them; he approves of this if she can show them the gold to pay. Dany says she needs the partially trained as well, to pick up the swords the others have dropped as replacements on the battlefield. She will buy the untrained ones at the same price as a trained one. Double, even. They are perplexed. Kraznys says they should offer her ten times the amount if she is as great a fool as she sounds.
2. A man named Grazdan the Great founded Old Ghis in the dawn of days, so a lot of the men are named after him. The oldest Grazdan seems to be the leader.
3. With all the wealth on the ships she only has enough gold to buy 500 Unsullied. Dany refuses to sell her crown or her people, though she does offer the ships. This is odd, since she named them after Aegon the Conqueror’s dragons. You’d think she’d care more about them. In total that gets her 2,000, still not 8,000. Dany surprised me when she offers one of her dragons the first time I read this. I think her plan is clever, if not grossly deceitful, but we are talking about human lives here.
4. Arstan and the others are shocked. He blatantly disagrees with the decision. He tells her to win her throne with dragons, not slaves. Dany is so final she has Ser Jorah escort Arstan out. Jorah seems to be part of the plan since he doesn’t spaz out on her. She knows she has these men in the palm of her hands. They are very greedy; she’s counting on it to her advantage. The Ghiscari have always wanted their own dragons since the days they fought with the Valyrians. Valyria has always had dragons and the Ghiscari none. This would please them to pieces if they had one now. The oldest says they want the black one, Drogon. It is agreed upon by everyone.
5. I forgot they would need an interpreter for the Unsullied since they don’t speak Common Tongue. Kraznys gives the 10-year-old as a gift to Dany. :)
6. Dany can’t blame Arstan for being angry with her for selling her strongest child. She agrees it is retched. She tells him she appreciates his honest council but to never question her again in front of strangers. Wise words. He begrudgingly acquiesces, but says even queens can err. He says the Astapori cheated her. A dragon is worth more than any army; Aegon proved that on the Field of Fire. Interesting she says she means to prove a few things of her own. Yes she certainly will...
7. Ha! The slave girl realizes Daenerys speaks fluent High Valyrian and is shocked. Her name is Missandei and Dany frees her. She wishes the girl to become one of her handmaids. The girl is beyond astounded at her great luck. Dany warns she can’t promise her safety, however. There is that phrase again: “valar morghulis,” it is High Valyrian. Dany translates it to mean “all men must die.”
8. Dany doesn’t know what to do with 8,000 Unsullied after the war is over. They have no other life. Missandei says they also make great guards and watchmen. Sounds like they’d be perfect for the Night’s Watch, lol. Even Missandei says Unsullied are not men. The girl does not like the idea of the Unsullied killing themselves if their master commands it because three of them were her brothers.
9. Captain Groleo argues with her about selling the ships. He says they belong to Magister Illyrio, but Dany says he’s not here to tell her no. Only Ser Jorah and her bloodriders she truly trusts. She tells Ser Jorah true kings and queens protect their people. At night she dreams she’s Rhaegar again, riding a dragon to the Trident. The enemy is armored in ice and she destroys them all. Seems very prophetic. I wonder if she knows about the Others.
10. She is wakened by Quaithe, who mysteriously hovers over her in the dark. She tells another cryptic prophesy: “To go north, you must journey south. To reach the west, you must go east. To go forward you must go back, and to touch the light you must pass beneath the shadow.” How mysterious! I wonder what the shadow is she must pass beneath? But when Dany opens the door to let the light in the woman is gone.
11. She dresses like a Dothraki and rides her silver to the slavers who are waiting for their gold and dragon. She takes all three dragons with them in the procession. The two smaller ones are angry and can sense something’s not right and Drogon is coiled into a ball, awe. All of her people follow behind them. Well they can’t be on their ships anymore if she’s going to sell them, too. They must look pretty pathetic to the Astapori, but the dragons are the real stars.
12. They meet on the Plaza of Pride, but the Unsullied are at the Plaza of Punishment, what a name, because there’s too many to fit in the former. It’s close to the city’s main gate. The Plaza of Punishment is where they punish rebellious slaves. Dany is disgusted. In total there are 8,600 Unsullied and some 5,000 partially trained right behind them.
13. The slavers are living the life right now, being catered to. They receive Dany’s trade goods on the ships. Kraznys says he’s looking forward to buying the slaves off Dany when she sacks cities on her way to Pentos. All shall prosper...except the slaves, of course. Dany personally hands Drogon’s chain leash to Kraznys. In return he gives her the whip, a symbol she now owns the slaves. When Kraznys pulls the chain Dany wonders if this is what Rhaegar would’ve done. Dany turns and shouts it’s done, in Valyrian. Ha! The old one is shocked, but the others are too busy with Drogon who will not budge. I like how Dany parallels this moment in history to Rhaegar on the Trident, even though Rhaegar lost. Dany says Drogon won’t come because dragons are not slaves. She slashes Kraznys in the face with the whip, fucking his face up with the “harpy’s fingers.” She turns to Drogon and says, “dracarys” and we know what that means. Drogon’s fire is so intense it melts the man’s head right off, nice. They release the other two who join in, eating the eight slavers and their guards. Old Grazdan shouts for the Unsullied to help but they belong to Dany now. Dany shouts at them they are free and commands them to kill the masters, but no one innocent, and free the other slaves. They’re all coming with her. It is epic.
The woman in me totally geeked out in this chapter, lol. Your point 1, you know, you're right. I hadn't thought of it that way; what Jon does know about warging he learned all on his own. He doesn't have Jojen or the three-eyed-raven to help him.
Your point 8, I really would like to know how much time has passed as well. I'm assuming at least 2 weeks, but I don't know. They had to travel quite a distance through the mountains to get to the Wall so I'm assuming it took at least a little while. And I'm so glad I'm not the only one who doesn't think they actually loved each other. I agree I think they had a crush on each other, but there was no love. If he loved her, he'd put her first and abandon his duty. Or if he did love her, he loved his duty to the Wall and his country more. I see this scene as necessary because it teaches Jon what the men of the Night's Watch, the kingsguard, and all them, are giving up when they vow to be celibate. Also, I like to believe one day he'll get married and have a wife/sweetheart that's right for him, so Ygritte serves as his "teacher."
1. I don’t remember hearing about the twelve houses of heaven, maybe thats this world’s version of the zodiac? I’d love to learn more about it! The Sword of the Morning is also a constellation, didn’t know that.
2. I like how Jon now says he never meant to steal her. He misses Arya and sometimes doesn’t feel like part of the family anymore. Awe. Jon’s names for Ghost’s constellations are so cute, lol. Interesting the “bird” marked both of them. I wonder if this has any correlation at all to the three-eyed-raven poking at Bran’s third eye? He tells Ghost that when they go over the Wall they’re going to have to leave him behind, since there’s no way to hoist the direwolf up with them. Jon knows he’s a warg but makes a pretty poor one, he thinks. Awe. Interesting he only had that one wolf dream. Both Bran and Arya get them a lot. He tells Ghost to go to Castle Black. In addition to feeling like a poor warg he also feels like he makes a poor sworn brother and a spy. This boy is a humble one.
3. They’d been taking the longer, slower route to the Wall, but it’s easier to conceal yourself in the mountains. He thinks they’re somewhere near the Shadow Tower. Jon struggles with what he should really be doing, rather than this.
4. Instead, he gets laid. A lot. That must have been so terrible for him...lol. He keeps trying to remind himself it’s only an act, but we know it’s not. Not this, anyway. All 16-year-old boys want to get laid. He has Ygritte teaching him how to wield a different sword, lol. He reminds himself that even the great Lord Eddard Stark broke a vow once, to father him. They mate like jackrabbits. How embarrassing it must’ve been for them to get caught that morning, and lol at being threatened in doused ice water if they don’t hurry up.
5. The Magnar wants Jon so he follows the messenger into a cave. One cavern is as large as Winterfell’s Great Hall, wow. Apparently Styr and Jarl don’t get along well. Styr doesn’t like having to share command but Jarl is the most experienced with scaling the Wall. Styr wants to know the patrol patterns on the Wall from Jon. Jon tells the truth, knowing if he’s caught in a lie Styr will not hesitate to kill him and Ygritte both. Jon finds out they’re between Stonedoor and Greyguard, two of sixteen abandoned forts on the Wall. Jon does not like Styr. If all wildlings were like him he’d have no trouble betraying them.
6. The Thenns behave differently from other wildlings. The Magnar demands total obedience from his men, and he is like a god to them. They boast they are the last of the First Men. They are fierce and have more discipline.
7. Jon follows Ygritte into a secluded cave with running water. It is very dark in here without a torchlight. She says the cave system is vast down here, and there is one cave that even goes beneath the Wall. It’s called Gorne’s Way. Gorne and Gendel, 3,000 years ago, apparently led a host of free folk through there and made it to the other side only to be cut down by Starks. Supposedly Gendel retreated back into the caves but got lost. It’s said his descendants can be heard in the caves at night, still looking for a way out. It’s said Gendel’s children eat wanderers who get lost in these caves. There’s nothing else to eat.
8. Now she strips for him. Gods that’s got to be freaking cold! She keeps saying he knows nothing. This is the first time he’s actually seen her naked, though they’ve done it enough times before. He says all the things he loves about her, physical stuff, but notice he never says he loves her. Then they get intimate. Lol at Ygritte, “Is it what lords do to their ladies, down in the south?” I like how she calls him a maid. I’m surprised it took her so long to find out he was a virgin. She was no maid, though. He’s glad she never slept with Longspear; he likes him. She says incest is an abomination to the gods, that Craster is more his kind than theirs. “Craster’s blood is black, and he bears a heavy curse.” *SPECULATION ON A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE* (view spoiler)
9. We find out she told Jon the Bael the Bard story earlier hoping he’d get the hint that he should fuck her, but he didn’t get it. She says he knows nothing, but maybe he’s learning some. :) Lol she calls it the lord’s kiss. Jon wonders why it’s so wrong if the gods made it feel so good. It’s so cute how they horseplay in the water, and how “...turned out they were not finished after all.”
10. Afterward, Ygritte wants to stay in the cave and live with him with Gendel’s children. :) A sweet sentiment, but they both know they’ll need to go back.
Your point 7, yeah, I kind of agree with you. Stannis is being too strict. This is the best he can get, better than where he was at before, but Melisandre is speaking poison in his ears. That woman doesn't care about men. She cares about her god, a true zealot, which is very dangerous. 1. So Davos is in prison at Dragonstone for conspiring to kill Melisandre. It is a warm dungeon, getting warmer the further down you go. It doesn’t help he’s sick with fever, but Maester Pylos fixes him up. He also gets to eat well, though there’s no sunlight down here. He keeps track of time by the meals they give him. The gaolers won’t tell him anything, but he’s pretty sure that if they wanted him dead they’d have done it by now. It must get pretty boring talking to yourself for days on end.
2. Melisandre, of all people, comes to visit him. She threatens to snuff out the torchlight, leaving him in total darkness, and he is reduced to pleading with her not to do that, ugh, this woman. She wants him to accept R’hllor and of course Davos cannot lie, he still doesn’t believe in this god. He calls her the mother of darkness; she gave birth to a shadow. Zomg! She boldly says Stannis’ fire is getting too low and she could use Davos’ life-fire if he comes to her bedchamber. She could pleasure him there...creepy fertility rituals, much? She says there are only two gods in this world: R’hhlor and the Great Other whose name must not be spoken. One of his titles is Soul of Ice; I find it funny because the Stark great sword is called Ice. This woman does not believe in greys. She respects him at least for being honest with her. She says the Other’s servants often hide their black hearts in gaudy light, “so R’hllor gives his priests the power to see through falsehoods.” Seems like she’s talking about herself. She says the battle on the Blackwater failed because she wasn’t there. Right, because Azor Ahai needs her to win his battles for him...
3. Davos doesn’t deny her power. According to her, nobody betrayed him; she saw his intentions to kill her in the flames. He’s glad Salladhor Saan did not betray him. I never thought he would.
4. Three days later they throw another man in prison with him. He swears he’s no traitor. It’s Alester Florent, who was Stannis’ Hand. I guess he’s not anymore, lol. Now both Hands are locked up. Alester believes in the Lord of Light yet they still threw him in prison. I guess since this man was supposed to command the naval battle and lost, that’s his crime here? Oh, he apparently said Stannis would never sit the Iron Throne. It’s treason to say that here. Lord Alester tells Davos Lord Celtigar bent the knee to Joffrey and Lord Velaryon died with his ship. She burned Lord Sunglass... Stannis only has House Florent on his side now. He was only trying to restore peace, according to Lord Alester.
5. So we find out who Lord Tywin was writing to, Lord Alester, for a possible peace treaty. I guess Stannis and Melisadnre didn’t like that. He even proposed they wed Shireen to Prince Tommen. They’ve been talking about waking a great stone dragon and Lord Alester thinks it’s pure madness (every time I look at that I think of the movie Mulan, lol). I guess not all the Florents are that gullible. Davos says small wonder Stannis refused to go through with this. He will not drop his honor to Tywin, especially when he believes in his cause. He’d rather die a king than bend the knee as a lord. Davos says he is still the king’s man; he will make no peace without Stannis’ leave
1. They have left the wolfswood and are climbing through the flint hills of the north. The ice dragon constellation is mentioned again. It helps them decipher which way is north. It is slow going and the food is scarcer up here. 2. I love the part where Meera explains to Bran that you can feel two opposing feelings at the same time. For example, she both hates and loves these mountains. They are beautiful and they are monotonous.
3. The folk who live up here seem different from the rest of society. The Wulls, Flints, Knotts, and Norreys, Eddard Stark called them lords but their own people don’t call them that, according to Bran. Maybe they share some of the wildling sense of freedom. However, they still come down to swear fealty to Winterfell. Jojen doesn’t like that they’re being watched but Bran says no one will bother them as long as they don’t try to steal anything.
4. During a rainstorm they are forced to take shelter in a cave occupied by a Liddle. He seems very hospitable. They share his food but none give their names. The man says it’s gotten much more dangerous on the kingsroad since Bolton’s Bastard took over. He misses the days the Starks were still lords of Winterfell. He also knows Lord Commander Mormont took the majority of his rangers into the haunted woods and only their ravens came back. The next morning he is gone but had left them some food for the trip. Uncannily nice of him. Bran tells himself when he gets back to Winterfell he’ll repay the Liddle’s a hundredfold. :)
5. Interesting they see an eagle flying overhead and Bran tries to reach it with his third eye like he can with Summer, but he can’t. Greenseers can access any animal, I guess. I’m wondering if it’s the same eagle that attacked Jon. I doubt it, but who knows.
6. Very interesting they never found Old Nan’s body in Winterfell. He hopes the ironmen didn’t hurt her. Meera reminds Bran it wasn’t the ironmen who did the killing; it was the Boltons. Speaking of Old Nan and her stories, Bran asks the Reeds if they know of any. They say there’s lots. Telling stories will help pass the time along.
7. Meera tells the story of the Knight of the Laughing Tree during the year of the False Spring. They are surprised Bran has never heard of it. A crannog boy goes on an adventure to the Isle of Faces. On his way back he partakes in the tourney at Harrenhal. Interesting she says it’s not her story to tell about what happened that winter he was on the island. I’m pretty certain this crannog boy is their father, Howland Reed. This man must know quite a lot about what’s going on with the white walkers. Anyway, she relates in story form what happened at the tourney. Everyone was there except the “great lion of the rock,” which would be Tywin. The crannog boy was bullied by three squires when a she-wolf interceded for him, Lyanna! She introduces him to the Starks. A girl with purple eyes, Ashara Dayne, danced with several boys including Ned, the quiet wolf, but only after Brandon told her to, lol. It does not specifically say he had feelings for her, though, just that he was shy. The crannog boy partakes in the tourney as a mystery knight, kicking ass and telling the bullies to be better behaved, basically. He was known as the Knight of the Laughing Tree because of the laughing weirwood sigil he wore. He left on the last day before he could snag the victory for himself. Rhaegar won the championship in the end. Lyanna was crowned queen of love and beauty, “but that’s a sadder story,” according to Meera. Hmm...seems like the catalyst to this entire series.
8. Jojen is very surprised Bran never heard this tale before. I wonder what makes him think Ned would have told his children this story. And why didn’t he?
My point 2, it's mentioned in The World of Ice and Fire. :)
1. Daenerys arrives in Astapor in Slaver’s bay. She sees a huge fountain statue of a harpy, the sigil for Old Ghis, the “Old Empire;” it is a bird-like figure with a scorpion tail. Five thousand years ago Old Ghis was destroyed by the Valyrians. Today, most people speak High Valyrian here, not Ghiscari, and Ser Jorah calls them mongrels. The harpy holds an enormous chain with two open manacles, symbolizing Astapor’s greatest trade good: slaves. 2. Kraznys mo Nakloz is a piece of work. He is a slaver who treats everyone like shit, including Daenerys. He doesn’t know Dany understands High Valyrian so he talks shit on her, using a sweet little slave girl to translate into kinder words in the Common Tongue. Dany pretends not to understand him in order to find out what else he’s not telling her, which I thought was smart. It was Jorah’s idea. It is pretty funny the things he says. The poor slave girl has her work cut out for her, but she translates very well, and quickly. She is talented. She’s from a place called Naath, “the peaceful people,” they are called. They apparently make the best slaves.
3. Dany learns from Kraznys, more or less, about the Unsullied before she decides to buy them. They are chosen young and begin training at about the age of 5. The training is so rigorous that only 1 in 3 boys survive it. They are mindless tanks that follow their master’s orders, basically. Ha! Kraznys calls them courageous, but Arstan calls it madness.
4. Arstan didn’t want to go to Astapor, nor does he want to buy any slaves. Right now he’s helping council Dany while Ser Jorah’s protecting the ships. Kraznys calls them obedient but Arstan says sheep are obedient. Kraznys says they are more like dogs than sheep. These harpy’s sons, the ancient folk of Ghis call themselves this, are about as savage as the Dothraki; they sell even their own kind.
5. Of the slave-soldiers, their age and races vary greatly, but they are all fearsome. They are also eunuchs, which surprises me a man with no balls can be fiercer than a man with ample testosterone. Kraznys admits they will never be as strong as a whole man, but they have excellent discipline, even better than a knight. To prove it, Kraznys whips an Unsullied and draws blood, but the soldier doesn’t move. He cuts a nipple off another one. Like wtf dude... I think they get it. Kraznys explains they feel no pain because they drink something called “wine of courage,” though it’s not wine. It has deadly nightshade in it they drink since they are children that dulls their senses over time. With no pain they understandably are fearless in battle, nor can they be tortured. They lose all of their male genitalia in Astapor, so they can’t engage in certain activities that would distract a normal man. He compares the Unsullied to men like the Night’s Watch; without a penis they can’t be tempted and are married to their swords. The Unsullied are neither interested in rape or plunder, as they have never owned anything to know what greed is. They don’t even have names. Every day they are given a new name so they form no special sense of identity. They must have an excellent memory, then. Their names are vermin, such as black rat and brown flea. I wonder why they bother if they aren’t even human. Why not simply call them “hey you!”?
6. One part of their training is that they have to kill an infant in front of its mother in order to graduate their training. They make them do this to prove they are not weak. Dany can barely keep from showing her disgust. Another test is they own a puppy since they begin training, and after a year he has to strangle it. If the boy can’t do it he is killed and fed to the dogs. This frees them of attachment. Both Dany and Arstan can barely stomach this.
7. Currently Kraznys has 8,000 Unsullied available to sell, sold in units of 100 or 1,000. They don’t do less because they found the fewer Unsullied there are in a group, the more likely they are to assimilate into other slaves and forget they are Unsullied. They don’t make good officers because they are trained to obey, not think. They come with weapons, shields, and a tunic, and their spiked cap, of course.
8. Dany asks what Arstan thinks and he says no. According to him, the Seven Kingdoms outlawed slavery thousands of years ago. No one in Westeros will be impressed with Dany if she arrives with a bunch of slave-soldiers to help win back her throne. Many will oppose her simply because of that. It’s a bad idea. Dany says she needs an army, though. Arstan promises half of Westeros are still loyal to House Targaryen and will fight for her. Many remember valiant Rhaegar. Illyrio Mopatis will send letters in advance to all the lords in Westeros to announce her arrival and to call their banners to her cause. Also, when they see real life, living and breathing dragons, they will surely come running to her aid, not wanting to get scorched I’ll bet, lol.
9. Kraznys tells them to consider quickly because a pirate earlier saw the Unsullied and is considering buying a hundred but tells the girl to tell Dany he’s planning to buy them all, hmm... Dany tells the girl to tell him who she is, but this doesn’t impress Kraznys. He says Old Ghis was an empire when the Valyrians were still fucking sheep. This totally reminds me of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Kraznys growls he’s a son of the harpy and offers to show her around Astapor as she decides, albeit crassly. :) It’s too funny.
10. One of the wonders of Astapor are its pyramids. They are breathtaking when lit up at night. They are also famous for their fighting pits, which sound a lot like the Roman Colosseum.
11. They get a tour of the city on their way back to port. The city is full of red brick buildings and roads and it is blazing hot out. Fine red dust is everywhere, it blows in the wind. Astapori women wear veils to keep the dust out of their faces. She reflects it’s an old city but not nearly as populated as Qarth. Arstan says bricks and blood built Astapor. He says the bricks are red because of the blood of the slaves that made them. Dany says Ser Jorah recommends she buy the Unsullied but Arstan says Ser Jorah used to be a slaver himself; it’s why he was banished from Westeros. Arstan says she’d do better to hire sellswords. At least they aren’t slaves. Dany says she knows what it’s like to be sold. Her brother sold her to Khal Drogo. I like that Dany says only lies offend her, never honest counsel, and, “I have a dragon’s temper, that’s all. You must not let it frighten you.” :) Dany doesn’t understand why Ser Jorah distrusts Arstan. He seems a good man. And Ser Jorah was inappropriate when he kissed her on the ship the last time she was alone with him. Since then she’s never alone with him. Ser Jorah is stuck in the friend zone, lol.
12. Dany’s been craving male companionship since the kiss, though. At night she closes her eyes and tries to imagine her ideal lover. He is never Jorah; he’s younger and comely, but his face is a “shifting shadow.” *SPOILER FOR A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE* (view spoiler) It gets really weird in the next paragraph, with Dany masturbating and Irri performing lesbian sex on her. Very interesting, though, how Dany screams, “Or perhaps that was Drogon.” Sometimes I wonder if she’s a warg. Dany misses Drogo still, and she doesn’t want Irri, certainly not Jorah.
13. The brick pyramids line the shore, the largest is 400 ft high. Gardens surround them and it sounds beautiful. Strong Belwas is eating dog, I guess it’s a delicacy here. When Dany sees Jorah, who is eager to know how many slaves they can purchase, Dany is cold and sarcastic with him, which he probably deserves. He still is a slaver at heart and doesn’t truly understand that Daenerys felt like a slave when she was sold to the Dothraki, so of course she feels bad for the slaves in Astapor. She is so angry she cries and slaps him, wow. At this point she is pretty resentful of him for convincing her to come here, and of kissing her.
14. Dany visits her dragons that have been cooped up in cages the whole time they are at port, in case anyone tries to kill or steal them. They bring a smile to her. I like that Viserion still wants to cuddle up on her shoulder even though he’s too big for that now. Irri says they were wild since she was away. Drogon bit her while trying to escape. Dany apologizes and says so herself that dragons are not meant to be locked up in cages. Irri wants to pleasure her khaleesi again but Dany tells her she doesn’t want that (she doesn’t swing that way, lol) and tells her to go.
15. At night Dany looks out on the city and realizes it is beautiful, the way the pyramids light up. Jorah meets her on deck. He says King Aegon the Conqueror did not win his kingdom simply by sailing to Westeros, he took it with steel and dragonfire, like she must do. She says the Unsullied are innocent people, but Jorah says knights in King’s Landing are just as cruel there as men are here. Westerosi soldiers have been known to butcher babes right out of their mother’s arms and are not above raping and plundering sacked cities. He says there’s a savage beast in all of us, which is true. He says he’s never heard of Unsullied raping, putting cities to the sword, or plundering, at least not without their master’s command. He says they may be just bricks but they will only kill when she commands them.
16. Dany asks why haven’t any khalasars sacked this city yet. It is crumbling and not well guarded. Jorah says they know the Unsullied will protect the city if the slavers command it. Also there aren’t many enemies around to challenge them. They also pay off the khals, for the slaves they train. Dany says Viserys would without a doubt have bought the Unsullied, but Jorah said once she was more like Rhaegar. Prince Rhaegar was a true knight. He led men into battle, not slaves or sellswords, but real men who believed in him. Now Jorah tells her a hard truth. Though Rhaegar fought bravely, nobly, honorably...he still lost. Very interesting points they each make.
1. They visit a partially broken down castle where the maester there tells Arya and the others Lord Beric supposedly was hanged by Lannisters, but Lem says Thoros cut him loose before he could die and says he’s a tough one to kill, Lord Beric. This man is such a legend. They stopped to ask if he’s seen him lately but the maester says no but try asking the Lady of the Leaves. Arya asks who the Lady of the Leaves is, Anguy says she’ll find out eventually.2. At another village they find out northerners are prowling the riverlands, looking for the kingslayer. They looted the poor sept in the process. The septon calls them savages who worship trees. This gets Arya’s attention but she doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t like the concerned look Gendry gives her either. I like that Anguy lets Arya practice with his bow and offers to make her one of her own. They aren’t bad people. The group certainly likes to joke and talk a lot.
3. Harwin tells Arya they may need to ransom her in order to get gold to buy the supplies they need to rebuild and protect the land. She won’t be the first highborn they’ve ransomed or the last for this cause. Definitely Chaotic Good characters. Poor Arya isn’t even sure her family wants her back, awe.
4. They reach a place called High Hart, a lofty hill beside a once circle of 31 large weirwoods, all stumps now. Impressive. This place was sacred to the children of the forest. Supposedly it’s still full of magic and the smallfolk avoid the place, though it’s said you cannot be harmed if you sleep here. Long time ago, an Andal king named Erreg the Kinslayer cut down their grove and supposedly ghosts roam here to this day, according to Tom. At night the Lady of the Leaves speaks to Tom, Lem, and Greenbeard. She is a tiny old woman, most likely a child of the forest, or closely related somehow. She sounds like an albino, with white hair and red eyes. The lady tells them certain dreams she’s had, prophetic ones. One dream she saw a shadow with a burning heart butcher a golden stag. That would be Stannis killing Renly. A man with no face waits on a swinging bridge, on his shoulder is a drowned crow, *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler). She also dreamed of a roaring river and a dead fish-woman floating down it, but when her eyes opened it woke the lady in terror. *SPOILER FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS IN A STORM OF SWORDS* (view spoiler)
5. Apparently the old woman gets paid for her dreams. Lem doesn’t believe in this crap but Tom plays her a song instead of paying with coin. The song reminds Arya of Sansa. The next morning the mysterious lady is gone and Arya asks if she was a ghost, she thought the children of the forest were all dead. Tom says she’s no child of the forest, just an old dwarf woman, queer and evil-eyed, but she’s prophetic. Apparently she likes when Tom plays her the same song every time he visits her for her dreams. I wonder which song it was; Arya couldn’t remember the song but knew it was familiar. Apparently the lady had told them the approximate location of Lord Beric, though. They have his “scent” now.
6. Tom says Lord Beric is so secretive about where he goes to even his own men so he can’t be betrayed. It’s better they roam in small bands so they don’t eat up the land, and so they can strike their enemies in more than one spot. True. And if one of them gets caught and is questioned they won’t know where Beric is to rat him out. Arya tells Tom about the Tickler, Polliver, and Raff the Sweetling, how they torture people for information on the whereabouts of Lord Beric. It chills her to remember it, and Harwin says no child should have to suffer through that. He says the Mountain’s men were cut in half at Stone Mill and he hopes they all died. If not, then they’ll get what’s coming to them.
7. They keep going south to Acorn Hill. Apparently Tom is an old friend to the lady of this castle, lol. Anguy says they were lovers once, which doesn’t surprise me. This Tom sounds like a lady’s man. Lady Smallwood is very accommodating and seems to dote on Arya. She cleans her up in no time, trying to make her look highborn again, awe. Arya hates it, lol. The lady has a daughter of her own whom she’d sent to Oldtown to escape the war, so I guess Arya reminds her of her daughter, whom she must miss like mad. Lady Smallwood doesn’t know who she is specifically, they never gave her name away, but she says it’s for the best. In case an enemy catches her she won’t be able to rat her out, most like.
8. Lol at Gendry laughing at Arya when he sees her in a dress. Omg, I just love these two together!
9. After dinner, Lady Smallwood tells Greenbeard Lord Beric’s band stopped by not a fortnight ago. She says they were headed to Stoney Sept to feed the smallfolk who’ve gone hungry there. They apparently gave her three sheep to spare in thanks for her hospitality. They talk about Tom impregnating women again. I guess tansy tea is a type of birth control in this world. She warns she also had a group of northerners visit her not long ago, looking for Jaime Lannister. Arya asks what kind of banners they wore and Lady Smallwood describes them as Karstark. Arya secretly plans to escape and find them. Oh I hope not! She doesn’t know. Lady Smallwood says it’s rumored Catelyn Stark set Jaime free, which she doesn’t believe. Suddenly Harwin tells Arya to leave the conversation, before she gives away who she is with her prying, awe.
10. Outside, Gendry chats with Arya about Thoros. He visited the forge Gendry apprenticed at often in King’s Landing, always looking to buy replacement swords; he always destroys them with wildfire. They agree he isn’t very priestly, lol. He could outdrink King Robert, which is impressive. They were close friends. I keep forgetting that. I’m surprised Arya tells Gendry he shouldn’t call the king a sot. He was a drunk, but he was also her father’s friend. :) The last thing Gendry was working on before Yoren came and took him was his first longsword. Arya says he can be a blacksmith for Robb at Riverrun. They horse around with each other again, which is so cute. She tears the dress in the process, though. The others laugh at them. Afterward, Lady Smallwood makes Arya take another bath and gives her another dress to wear. When Arya finds out Lady Smallwood had lost a 7-year-old son she feels bad for putting this woman through all this trouble to take care of her. She thanks her for her hospitality and apologizes for being a pain. That is surprisingly nice of her. :)
