"What are you doing here?" "Your father has named Lord Tyrion to serve as Hand in his stead." " You brought this on yourself." " I've done nothing." "Do you understand we're losing the war?" "Does it ever end?" "even the Red Waste." "All the other wildlings for 100 leagues have disappeared." "Craster's still here." "he loses the hand." "He marries his daughters and they give him more daughters." "What happens to the boys?" "What does he do with his sons?" "the boy Joffrey being born of incest between Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime Lannister." "I do this day lay claim to the Iron Throne of Westeros."" "Send copies of that letter to every corner of the realm." "I'm sending one of your cousins down to King's" "Landing with my peace terms." "You think my father's going to negotiate with you?" "You don't know him very well." "We won't beat them until you take King's Landing." "And we can't take King's Landing without ships." "My father has ships and men who know how to sail." "Men who fought my father." "I'm his only living son." "He'll listen to me." "You don't want Balon Greyjoy for an ally." " I need his ships." " He is not trustworthy." "I heard a disgusting lie about Uncle Jaime and you." " Father had other children." " What are you asking?" "How many bastards does he have running around?" "Where is the bastard?" "The Night's Watch!" "Heading north!" "Gotta be ready before nightfall." "keep moving." "Put a watch on the ridge and the tree lines." "Boy." "Lovely boy." "What do you want?" "A man has a thirst." "A man does not drink for a day and a night." "A boy could make a friend." "I have friends." "Give us beer before I skin you." "A man does not choose his companions." "they have no courtesy." "A man must ask forgiveness." "You're called Arry? once of the free city of Lorath." "you little shit." "Get us beer!" "You should have asked nicely." "Aah!" "Come closer and I'll shove that stick up your bunghole and fuck you bloody." "A boy has more courage than sense." "Come here!" "Yoren said none of us were to go near those three." " Come here!" " They don't scare me." "Hmm?" "Then you're stupid." "They scare me." "What are Gold Cloaks doing so far from King's Landing?" " What are you doing?" " They're looking for me." "You in command here?" "You're a long way from home." "I asked you a question." "you did." "You asked without manners and I chose not to answer." "I have a royal warrant for one of these gutter rats you're transporting." "the thing is..." "These gutter rats belong to the Night's Watch." "that puts them beyond the reach of Kings and Queens." "Does it?" "It's a funny thing... people worry so much about their throats that they forget about what's down low." "Now I sharpened this blade before breakfast." "I could shave a spider's arse if I wanted to or I could nick this artery in your leg." "there's no one around here who knows how to unnick it." "We'll just keep that." "Good steel is always needed on the Wall." "Seems you have a choice... or you can go back to your city and tell your Masters you didn't find what you were looking for." "We're looking for a boy named Gendry." "He carries a bull's head helmet." "Anyone turning him over will earn the King's reward." "We'll be back with more men and I'll be taking your head home along with that bastard boy." "My Lord. but your friend keeps me company." "We were just speaking of your bravery in the victory against the Stark auxiliary forces." "It was quite a battle." "I heard you suffered a terrible head wound." "The northerners are such fearsome warriors." "And I tell him the story of how we meet." "To find so lovely a creature working in your father's kitchens... it almost beggars belief." "Strange things do happen." "You should taste her fish pie." "I don't think Lord Varys likes fish pie." " How can you tell?" " I can always tell." "Men like Lord Varys and I can't let our disadvantages get the best of us." "We'll make a fisherman of him yet." "I am glad your new friend was able to accompany you to the capital." "Friends are such an important part of life." "Unfortunate that your father didn't want her to come." "My Lord." "I am very good at keeping secrets for my good friends." "Your discretion is legendary... where your friends are concerned." "How unspeakable of me to go on and on when all you want to do is rest." "I will leave you." "my dear." "This city is made brighter by your presence." "My Lord." "I don't like threats." " Who threatened you?" " I'm not Ned Stark." "I understand the way this game is played." "Ned Stark was a man of honor." "And I am not." "Threaten me again and I'll have you thrown into the sea." "You might be disappointed in the results. and I keep on paddling." "My Lord." "We shouldn't keep the queen waiting." "but a free and independent Kingdom of the North." "I'll give him that." "You've perfected the art of tearing up papers." "We can give him his father's bones back at least as a gesture of good faith." "cousin?" "Your Grace." "Did you see my brother when you were the Starks' guest?" "I did." "Your Grace. tell him he's not been forgotten." "cousin." "You have a deft hand with diplomacy." " If that's everything..." " A... a raven flew in this morning from Castle Black." "Trouble with the wildlings." "That's why they're called "wildlings." "Somewhat less wild these days." "Seems they've stopped killing each other and started following this King-Beyond-the-Wall." "five?" "I've lost count." "The Lord Commander asks that we send more men to man the Wall." "Perhaps he's forgotten we're fighting a war." "We have no men to spare." "The cold winds are rising and the dead rise with them." "The northerners are a superstitious people." "one of these dead men attacked him in his chambers." "Mormont doesn't lie." "How do you kill a dead man?" "Apparently you burn him." "One trip to the Wall and you come back believing in grumpkins and snarks. but here's a fact for you... the Night's Watch is the only thing that separates us from what lies beyond the Wall." "I have every confidence that the brave men of the Night's Watch will protect us all." "they wouldn't make us fart when we died." "We fart when we die?" "My blessed mother..." "I was holding her hand when she left this world." "the whole bed shook." "Seems a bit greedy for one man to have so many wives." "Wouldn't two or three be enough for him?" "We were having a serious discussion." "Would you look at that?" "Nothing like the sight of a woman walking away." "I prefer watching them come towards me." "too." "there was a milkmaid named Violet on the next farm over from where I grew up." "And we were wrestling together from the time we were six years old." "uh... changed." "You were with her?" "How many times?" "as many times as I could." "I wish I grew up on a farm." "We need more potatoes." "Get another sack from the sledge." "too." "no." "No!" "shoo!" "You all right?" " Did he frighten you?" " You... you shouldn't touch me." "right." "I'm sorry." "I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt." "You're very brave." "What are you doing?" "This is Gilly." "She's one of Craster's..." "daughters." "Gilly." "What are you doing?" "Sam said you could help." "but Sam knows we're not supposed..." "She's pregnant." "We have to take her with us when we leave." "What?" " What would that..." " I know it sounds a bit mad." "it's impossible." " The Lord Commander ordered us to..." " We are sworn to protect." "please." "I can still run if I have to." " It's just not possible." " I'm going to have a baby." "If it's a boy... what?" "You want us to risk our lives for you and you won't even tell us why?" " Why'd you do that?" " Do what?" "Ask her a question?" " You were cruel." " Cruel?" "are you in such a hurry to lose a hand?" "you just want to steal her." "What do you think Craster cuts off for that?" "I can't steal her." "not a goat." "We're heading deeper and deeper into wildling territory." "We can't take a girl with us." "Mormont wouldn't have it." "what would we do with her?" "you?" "I could try." "What?" "I've read about it." "A bit." "Sam." "We can't help her." "Khaleesi." " You don't need to see this." " He is blood of my blood." "perhaps." "Khal Jhaqo." "They don't like the idea of a woman leading a Khalasar." "They will like it far less when I am done with them." "My Lord?" "It looks smaller." "Everything looks bigger when you're a child." "I remember my father's cabin felt like a palace when I was little." "Now look at it." "They'll be waiting for me on the docks." "Who will?" "Anyone who matters." "This is a big day for them." "They haven't had much to get excited about since I left." "the Iron Islands." "Always has been." "It's cold and it's wet." "I love the cold and wet." "They say hard places breed hard men." "And hard men rule the world." "Then you'll be king before long." "Try smiling with your lips closed." "Better." "My father doesn't trust you Iron islanders." "I don't blame him." "He says that you're all reavers and rapers you'll never be satis... uh!" "Quit talking about your father." "But he's right about us." "they're for breeding." "That's not enough for us." "That's why we take salt wives... the women we capture." "Capture me." "Take me with you when you go ashore." " Make me your salt wife." " Your place is on this ship." "Not after you leave." "Father will punish me." "He'll call me a whore." "I haven't paid you." "yeah." "I paid good money..." "I'm not going to stand for this." "I barely touched her." "And you charge twice as much as every other brothel and this is what I get... crying." "my friend." "A moment." "Please accept my sincerest apologies." "Aremca will take good care of you." "shh." "Did he hurt you?" "My Lord." "It's Mhaegen." "Who?" "She works for you. yes." "That was... poorly handled." "Sometimes those with the most power have the least grace." "I can't stop thinking about it." "I can't sleep." "That poor little baby. a lovely thing I once acquired from a Lysene pleasure house... like yourself." "But she wasn't happy." "She cried often." "but we didn't have the kind of rapport that you and I have." "it was quite sad. extremely expensive." "And this one wasn't making me any money." "I hate bad investments." "I..." "I do." "They haunt me. no idea how to mitigate my losses." "he offered me a tremendous amount of money sad girl." "To use her in ways that... would never occur to most men." "And you know what occurs to most men. but my losses were definitely mitigated." "Take tonight off to mourn Mhaegen's child." "I'll see you tomorrow." "And you'll be happy?" "That makes me happy." "More wine?" "My Lord." "Podrick." "I believe we know how to pour our own wine." "That's your new squire?" "I could've found you a proper lad." "I prefer the improper ones." "that's a good red." "Dornish?" "My Lord." "That I do." "My Lord." "please. now that you're a lord." "Maybe I'll hire this cook of yours." "Wars have been started for less." "I heard there was some trouble in Littlefinger's brothel the other night." "nasty business." "of course. only I hadn't realized peace depended on killing babies." " Orders are orders." " Quite right." "Especially the queen's orders." "I never said they were the queen's orders." "but who else would want to murder King Robert's bastards?" "She's always been a jealous woman." "You know your sister better than I do." "You've heard the awful rumors about my brother and sister?" "I don't listen to filth." "but you have heard them." "I suppose people who do believe that filth consider Robert's bastards to be better claimants to the throne than Cersei's children." "Joffrey is my king." "The rest doesn't interest me." "I appreciate your loyalty." "when your men slaughtered Ned Stark's men did you give the order?" "I did." "And I would again." "The man was a traitor." "He tried to buy my loyalty." "The fool." "He had no idea you were already bought." "Are you drunk?" "I'll not have my honor questioned by an Imp!" "Lord Janos." "I'm denying its existence." "dwarf." "you should have stopped at Imp. unless you'd like to take it from my friend here." "I intend to serve as Hand of the King until my father returns from the war." "I just wouldn't feel safe with you lurking about." "What are you t..." "My friends at court will not allow this!" " The queen herself has granted..." " The queen regent." "And you're a fool to believe she is your friend." "We shall hear what Joffrey has to say about this." "we shan't." "There's a ship leaving for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea tonight." "From there I'm afraid it's rather a long walk to Castle Black." "I hope you enjoy the Wall." "I found it surprisingly beautiful... horribly uncomfortable sort of way." "The lads will escort you." "My Lord." "These men are under my command!" "I command you to arrest this cutthroat." "His name is Bronn and he is the new commander of the City Watch." "Boys. powerful friends!" "The king himself made me a lord!" "To the new Commander. would you do it without question?" "Without question?" "No." "How much?" "I say we yield." "Gendry's the one they want." "Don't want to get caught in the middle of a battle." "I ain't afraid of no battles." "you'd fill your pants." "I've seen lots of battles." " I saw..." " Liar." "I saw a man kill another man just outside a tavern in Flea Bottom." "Stabbed him right in the neck." "Two men fighting isn't a battle." " They had armor on." " So?" "it's a battle." "it isn't." "What does a dyer's apprentice know about battles anyway?" "Gendry's an armorer's apprentice." "tell Gendry what makes a fight into a battle." "when they've got armor on." "Who told you that?" "A knight." "How'd you know he was a knight?" "it was 'cause he got armor on." "You don't have to be a knight to have armor." "Any idiot can buy armor." "How do you know?" "'Cause I sold armor." "What do the Gold Cloaks want with you?" " No idea." " You're a liar." "you shouldn't insult people that are bigger than you." "Then I wouldn't get to insult anyone." "I don't care what any of them want." "No good's ever come of their questions." "No good's ever come?" "Who asked questions before?" "How can someone so small be such a huge pain in my ass?" "Who asked questions?" "The Hand of the King." "Hands of the King. and then Lord Stark came a few weeks before he died." "Lord Stark?" "See?" "Asking me questions is bad luck." "You'll probably be dead soon." " What did they ask about?" " My mom." " Who's your mom?" " Just my mom... died when I was little." "And who was your father?" "for all I know." "What about you anyway?" "You thought they were after you." "Why?" "Did you kill someone or is it just because you're a girl?" "you are." "Do you think I'm as stupid as the rest of them?" "Stupider." "everyone knows that." "but you're still a girl." "I am not!" "then." "I don't need to take a piss." "Lommy and Hot Pie can't know." "No one can know." "not from me." "My name's not Arry." "It's Arya..." "of House Stark." "Yoren is taking me home to Winterfell." "the traitor." "He was never a traitor." "Joffrey is a liar." "then." "You're a lady." "yes." "My mother was a lady and my sister... but you were a lord's daughter and you lived in a castle and you..." "I should never have said... and I've been pissing in front of you and everything." "I..." "I should be calling you "My Lady." " Do not call me "My Lady."" " As My Lady commands." "that was unladylike." "Oh!" "What's she carrying? wine from the Arbor..." "And the heir to Pyke and the Iron Islands." "The only living son of Balon Greyjoy." "Me." "I don't like wine." "Woman's drink." "I need to get to Pyke." "I'll find you a horse." "I'm heading that way." "I can take you there." "I bet you can." "Have you been at sea long?" "Or were there just no women where you came from?" " None like you." " You don't know what I'm like." "Maybe you don't know what you're like." "Maybe you need someone to teach you." "Do you know who I am? Lord Greyjoy?" "Have my things sent up to the castle." "You should give me the reins." "I'm a better rider than you." "I've been on horseback for the past nine years." "Nine years?" "Do you still know your way around a ship?" "Have these hands ever touched a rope?" "Don't you worry about my hands." "The sea is in my blood." "Your blood will be in the sea if I don't watch where I'm going. and me after him." "You may get to stay in a castle tonight if you're lucky." "Is that an offer from my future king?" "An order from your future king." "You can tell your grandchildren about this night." "I don't imagine it will be a story fit for children." "Father." "is it?" "They took a frightened boy." "What have they given back?" "A man." " Your blood and your heir." " We shall see." "Stark had you longer than I did." "Lord Stark is gone." "And how do you feel about that?" "What's done is done." "I've brought you a proposal from Robb Stark." "Who gave you those clothes?" "Was it Ned Stark's pleasure to make you his daughter?" "I will change them." "You will." "That bauble 'round your neck... did you pay the iron price for it or the gold?" "I asked a question." "Did you pull it from the neck of a corpse you made or did you buy it to match your fine clothes?" "Iron or gold?" "Gold." "I'll not have my son dressed as a whore." "My fears have come true... the Starks have made you theirs." " My blood is salt and iron." " Yet the Stark boy sends you to me like a trained raven clutching his message." "The offer he makes is one I proposed. fought at his side." "He thinks of me as a brother." "not in my hearing. this son of the man who put your true brothers to the sword." "Or have you forgotten your own blood?" "I forget nothing." "I remember my brothers." "And I remember when my father was a king." "I see." "I destroy Robb Stark's enemies for him and he will make me king of the Iron Islands once again." "you will?" "your only living heir." "Who else?" "I told you to wait outside." "How did you get past the guards?" "Anything with a cock is easy to fool." "My dear." "Yara?" "brother." "This is a homecoming I'll tell my grandchildren about." "She can't lead an attack!" " And why not?" " You're a woman!" "boy." "Your sister took over command of your eldest brother's ship after your new father killed him." "What's dead may never die." "The only nights she's spent off these islands have been spent on the sea." "She's commanded men." "She's killed men." "She knows who she is." "No man gives me a crown." "I pay the iron price. for that is who I am." "That is who we have always been." "You won't stand a chance against the Lannisters on your own." "Who said anything about the Lannisters?" "You'll have your gold when we take the treasury at King's Landing. and this Stannis has the smallest army." "Why would I bet on the man with the worst chance?" "Because you're a smart gambler." "Stannis has proved himself in war twice." "His baby brother has never set foot on a battlefield." "Neither has the false King Joffrey." "And yet they both have larger armies." "Stannis has just begun the fight." "His bannermen will rally to his cause." "There's no man in the Seven Kingdoms more honorable than Stannis Baratheon or more worthy of loyalty." "What is the world coming to when smugglers must vouch for the honor of kings?" "pirate." " Matthos." "You think I'm insulted?" "I am a pirate." "I'm an excellent pirate." "I don't sail for promises." "Of course you do." "you're leaving on a promise... somebody's got some gold and you can take it from him." " That's a promise that always comes true." " As is mine." "Salladhor." "And correct me if I'm wrong... most pirates don't grow old." "Only the clever ones." "You want to spend your last few years on the sea stealing from Pentoshi cheesemongers and Meereenese silk merchants?" "Then go." "They're out there waiting for you." "That's easy." "What I'm offering you is hard." "Come with me and plunder the greatest city in Westeros." "You'll be the richest man in Lys and the most famous." "They'll be singing songs about you as long as men have voices to sing." "Salladhor Saan" is a good name for songs." " It is." " One thing..." "I want the queen." " The queen?" " Cersei..." "I want her." "all 30 of my ships." "I will fuck this blonde queen and I'll fuck her well." "This war isn't about you." "We're not attacking King's Landing so that you can rape the queen." "I'm not going to rape her." "I'm going to fuck her." "As if she would just let you." "You don't know how persuasive I am." "I've never tried to fuck you. the one true God-- people tell me about the true Gods." "They all think they found the right one. a queen's legs." "I never thought you'd have a true believer for a son." "he's young yet." "I promise you the gold." "I promise you the glory." "I cannot promise you the queen." "You believe your king can win?" "He is the one true king." "You Westerosi are funny people." "A man chops off your fingers and you fall in love with him." "Davos Seaworth." "You're the most honest smuggler I ever met." "Make me rich." "Get me to the gates of King's Landing and I will." "When will the king have us sail?" "As soon as his God wills it. but you are too blind to see." "you and your mother." "It won't take long." "You already know the letters." "The holy books are much more persuasive than I can be." "truly." "but I've seen men pray to every God there is... pray for home." " None of it works." " But you always came home." "but I was." "I lit a candle and I prayed for you." "You want me to have a God?" "Fine." "King Stannis is my God." "He raised me up and blessed me with his trust." "He gave you a future I could never have imagined." "You know how to read." "You'll be a knight someday." "You think a fire God commanded all that?" "only Stannis." "but he's only a man." "Don't tell him that." "Lord Janos Slynt was commander of the City Watch." "You had no right to exile him." "I have every right." "I am the King's Hand." "You're serving as the King's Hand till father gets here." "I am Queen Regent." "Queen Regent." "You're losing the people." " Do you hear me?" " The people." "You think I care?" "You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead." "Half the city will starve when winter comes." "The other half will plot to overthrow you." "And your gold-plated thugs just gave them their rallying cry..." "The Queen slaughters babies." "You don't even have the decency to deny it." "was it?" "Joffrey didn't even tell you." "Did he tell you?" "I imagine that would be even worse." "He did what needed to be done." "You want to be Hand of the King?" "You want to rule? before they strangle you in your sleep." "but I think there's more to ruling than that." "I don't care what you think!" "You've never taken it seriously." "Jaime hasn't." "It's all fallen on me." "according to Stannis Baratheon." "You're funny." "You've always been funny..." "But none of your jokes will ever match will they?" "You remember?" "Back when you ripped my mother open on your way out of her and she bled to death?" "too." "Mother gone... for the sake of you." "There's no bigger joke in the world than that." " Your Grace." " Your Grace." "How did you fare with your pirate?" "Salladhor Saan will join our fleet... 30 ships." "His men know how to fight." "pirates prefer fighting unarmed men." "It does seem the wiser choice." "There won't be a choice this time." "Do you trust him?" "Salladhor Saan is an old friend." "I've known him 30 years. he never stops." "he'll have his share." "Leave us." "Your Grace." "young warrior." "Come." "What did you say to him?" "I told him death by fire is the purest death." " Why?" " Because it is true." "my king." "Yeah." "These armies are toys for the Lord of Light." "then." "I tell him nothing." "I pray for his commands and I obey. men whose allegiance rightly belongs to me." "You must have faith." "Faith?" "the side with the greater number wins nine times out of 10." "Then we must be the 10th." "I cannot defeat my brother in the field." "And I can't take King's Landing without the men he's stolen." "I have seen the path to victory in the flames." "you must give yourself to the Lord of Light." "damn you." "I burnt the idols." "You must give all of yourself." "I have a wife." "I took a vow." "weak..." "Shut away in a tower." "She disgusts you." "And she's given you nothing... only death." "my king." "A son?"