"Brother?" "Did you send the ravens?" "Tarly, look at me." "Did you send the ravens?" "That was your job." "Your only job." "We need to get back to the Wall." "It's a long march." "We know what's out there, but we have to make it, have to warn them or before winter's done, everyone you've ever known will be dead." "First time you've seen a giant, Jon Snow?" "Well, don't stare too long." "They're shy." "When they stop being shy, they get angry." "And when they're angry," "I've seen them pound a man straight into the ground like a hammer on a nail." " Crow!" " Crow!" " Look over there!" " Crow!" "Crow!" "Look over here!" "Look!" "Ah, look, crow coming!" "Crow!" "You're wearing the wrong color." "Mance was a ranger." "In your hearts, all you crows want to fly free." "When I'm free, will I be free to go?" " Crow!" " Crow!" "Sure, you will." "Oh!" "And I'll be free to kill you." "Got no respect, this lot." "Got no fathers to slap 'em when they're foul." "What happened to their fathers?" "Some of them were killed by crows like you." "Don't look so grim, Jon Snow." "If Mance Rayder likes you, you'll live another day." "And if he don't..." "I smell a crow." "We killed his friends." "Thought you'd want to question this one." "What do we want with a baby crow?" "This baby killed Qhorin Halfhand." "He wants to be one of us." "That half-handed cunt killed friends of mine." "Friends twice your size." "My father told me big men fall just as quick as little ones if you put a sword through their hearts." "Plenty of little men tried to put their swords through my heart." "And there's plenty of little skeletons buried in the woods." " What's your name, boy?" " Jon Snow." "Your Grace." "Your Grace?" "Did you hear that?" "From now on, you'd better kneel every time I fart." "Stand, boy." "We don't kneel for anyone beyond the Wall." "So, you're Ned Stark's bastard." "Thank you for the gift, Lord of Bones." "You can leave us." "The girl likes you." "You like her back, Snow?" "That why you want to join us?" "Don't panic, boy." "This isn't the damned Night's Watch where we make you swear off girls." "This chicken eater you thought was king is Tormund Giantsbane." "Can't believe this pup killed the Halfhand." "He was our enemy and I'm glad he's dead." "He was my brother once." "Back when he had a whole hand." "What were you doing with him?" "The Lord Commander sent me to the Halfhand for seasoning." "Why?" "He wants me to lead one day." "But here you are, a traitor kneeling before the King-beyond-the-Wall." "If I'm a traitor, then you are, too." "Why do you want to join us, Jon Snow?" "I want to be free." "No, I don't think so." "I think what you want most of all is to be a hero." "I'll ask you one last time-- why do you want to join us?" "We stopped at Craster's Keep on the way north." "I saw..." "You saw what?" "I saw Craster take his own baby boy and leave it in the woods." "I saw what took it." "You're telling me you saw one of them?" "And why would that make you desert your brothers?" "Because when I told the Lord Commander, he already knew." "Thousands of years ago, the First Men battled the White Walkers and defeated them." "I want to fight for the side that fights for the living." "Did I come to the right place?" "We'll need to find you a new cloak." "What if you took off that bit there?" "Don't you want to leave something to the imagination?" "Trouble is, I've never had much imagination." "I want you to take it off." "Mouth." "Ser Bronn." "Ser Bronn." "I didn't hear that." " Apologies, ser." " Back away." "Keep backing away till you're outside this establishment." " Then back away some more." " Lord Tyrion sent me." "I will murder you, boy." "He said it was a matter of life and death." " Pod?" " It's your sister." "The queen." "What are they doing here?" "Protecting me, I assume." "Will you let me in?" "No, I don't think so." "If I wanted to kill you, do you think" "I'd let a wooden door stop me?" "They stay outside." "I'm not afraid of you, little brother." " Why are you here?" " I wanted to see your face." "They said you'd lost your nose, but it's not as gruesome as all that." "The man who cut me lost more than his nose." "I should hope so." "The rebels came for Joffrey's head, they lost their own." "Thanks to Father." "Thanks to Father." "Of course, it wasn't a rebel who tried to kill me." "No?" "Curious." "Bit of a comedown from chamber of the Hand." "But then I don't suppose you need much room." "Grand Maester Pycelle made the same joke." "You must be proud to be as funny as a man whose balls brush his knees." "You're meeting Father today?" "How do you know that?" "Because I have hundreds of spies in my employ." "The Master of Whisperers owes me a favor or two." "Father told me." "What do you want from him?" "What do I want from him?" "He's my father." "Do I need to want something?" "I'm sure he loves me dearly, as any father loves his child, his baby boy." "Yet he hasn't come to visit once since arriving in King's Landing." "I lay here, my face split in half, but Father never came." "You're going to make me cry." "Why do you care what I want from him?" "Because you've slandered me to Father before." "Slandered?" "When?" "You told him I had my guards beat that servant girl at Casterly Rock." "You did have your guards beat her." "A girl of nine, I believe." "I was nine, too." "She lost an eye, if I remember correctly." "If I remember correctly, she never stole a necklace again." "It's not slander if it's true." "And what's this truth you plan on telling him today?" "Why are you so nervous about what I'm going to say to Father?" "Because you're a liar." "I expect you'll tell lies about me, about Joffrey." "Any lies in particular?" "You're a clever man, but you're not half as clever as you think you are." "Still makes me more clever than you." "Oh, look at these two shining warriors." "Ser Taryn Mant and..." "Ser Whosit of Whocares." "Ser Meryn Trant." "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater." " You're no knight." " Pod." "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater was anointed by the king himself." "You're an up-jumped cutthroat, nothing more." "That's exactly who I am." "And you're a grub in fancy armor who's better at beating little girls than fighting men." "Now, I have an appointment with Lord Tyrion." "You put your hand on that door, you lose the hand." "As much as I appreciate a walk in the sunshine, your lordship," "I am wondering why you sent for me." "A number of people in this city want to kill me." "You're here to protect me." "I've been doing that for a while now." "Do you grow bored protecting me?" "I grow poor protecting you." "Poor?" "Poor?" "Under my patronage you've become a knight, you've served as Commander of the City Watch." " Briefly." " I'm sure you filled your pockets." "And now my pockets are empty." "You've given me a taste for the finer things." "And if you want me to carry on protecting you, you'll need to pay more." " I thought we were friends." " We are." "But I'm a sellsword." "I sell my sword." "I don't loan it out to friends as a favor." " How much?" " Double." " Double?" " I'm a knight now." "Knights are worth double." "I don't even know how much I'm paying you now." "Which means you can afford it." "Here." "Here!" "Help me!" "Who are you?" "I was in the battle at Blackwater." "I was a captain and a knight." "Aye, ser, and serving which king?" "The one true king of Westeros" "Stannis Baratheon." "I thought you were dead." "Everyone thought you were dead." "And your son?" "He may have swam ashore as you did." "No, the wildfire took him." "I saw it." "I'm so sorry, my friend." "I, too, have lost a son." "There is nothing worse in this world." "But, Davos, you were a good father." "If I was a good father, he'd still be here." "Stannis lives?" "He licks his wounds at Dragonstone." "Will you take me there?" "There is nothing for me at Dragonstone." "This war is not over." "Not for you, maybe." "But for Salladhor Saan, the war is over." "We're both sworn to King Stannis." "I am sworn to no man." "I promised you 30 ships and you promised me riches and glory." "I delivered the ships." "Stannis never gives up." "Never." " Now he will regroup" " He's a broken man." "His fleet lies at the bottom of Blackwater Bay." "They say he sees no one-- not his generals, not even his wife." "Only the Red Woman whispering in his ear, telling him what she sees in the flames and burning men alive." "What?" "They built a great fire when Stannis returned." "All those who spoke against her she called servants of darkness." "They say she sang to them as they burned." "I'm a pirate." "You're a smuggler." "Servants of darkness." "I'm thinking Dragonstone is a good place for us to avoid." "Take me back there, please." "You cannot turn Stannis against her." "Maybe not, but I could carve her heart out." "You could try." "If you fail, they will burn you." "If you succeed, they'll burn you." "And you've only just come back to life." "Stay alive a little longer, my friend." "You call me friend." "You drank with me on my wedding day." "And you drank with me on four of my wedding days, but I don't ask you for favors." "I have to stop her." "Please, do this for me." "When you are dead," "I will gather your bones in a little sack and let your widow wear them around her neck." "We should set the siege lines 1,000 yards from Harrenhal." "There won't be a siege." "The Mountain can't defend a ruin." "I imagine the Mountain will defend whatever Tywin Lannister tells him to defend." "The Lannisters have been running from us since Oxcross." "I'd love a fight." "The men would love a fight." "I don't think we're going to get one." "200 Northmen slaughtered like sheep." "The debt will be repaid, my friend." "For them and for your sons." "Will it?" "They rot in the ground while their killer runs free." "The Kingslayer won't remain free for long." "My best hunters are after him." " A Mallister?" " Ser Jeremy." "My father's bannerman." "Find her a chamber that will serve as a cell." "She's your mother." "She freed Jaime Lannister." "The Lannisters robbed them of their sons and she robbed them of their justice." "Water." "Water." "This needs to be cleaned and closed." "What's your name, friend?" "Qyburn." "You're lucky to be alive." "Lucky?" "The badge looks good on you." "Almost as good as it looked on me." "Are you enjoying your new position?" "Am I enjoying it?" "I was very happy as Hand of the King." "Yes." "I heard how happy you were." "You brought a whore into my bed." "It wasn't your bed at the time." "I sent you here to advise the king." "I gave you real power and authority." "You chose to spend your days as you always have, bedding harlots and drinking with thieves." "Occasionally I drank with the harlots." "What do you want, Tyrion?" "Why does everyone assume I want something?" "Can't I simply visit with my beloved father?" "My beloved father who somehow forgot to visit his wounded son after he fell on the battlefield." "Maester Pycelle assured me your wounds were not fatal." "I organized the defense of this city while you held court in the ruins of Harrenhal." "I led the foray when the enemies were at the gate while your grandson, the king, quivered in fear behind the walls." "I bled in the mud for our family." "And as my reward," "I was trundled off to some dark little cell." "But what do I want?" "A little bloody gratitude would be a start." "Jugglers and singers require applause." "You are a Lannister." "Do you think I demanded a garland of roses every time I suffered a wound on a battlefield?" "Hmm?" "Now, I have seven kingdoms to look after and three of them are in open rebellion." "So tell me what you want." "I want what is mine by right." "Jaime is your eldest son, heir to your lands and titles." "But he is a Kingsguard, forbidden from marriage or inheritance." "The day Jaime put on the white cloak, he gave up his claim to Casterly Rock." "I am your son and lawful heir." "You want Casterly Rock?" "It is mine by right." "We'll find you accommodations more suited to your name and as a reward for your accomplishments during the battle of Blackwater Bay." "And when the time is right, you will be given a position fit for your talents so that you can serve your family and protect our legacy." "And if you serve faithfully, you will be rewarded with a suitable wife." "And I would let myself be consumed by maggots before mocking the family name and making you heir to Casterly Rock." " Why?" " Why?" "You ask that?" "You, who killed your mother to come into the world?" "You are an ill-made, spiteful little creature full of envy, lust, and low cunning." "Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colors since I cannot prove that you are not mine." "And to teach me humility, the gods have condemned me to watch you waddle about wearing that proud lion that was my father's sigil and his father's before him." "But neither gods nor men will ever compel me to let you turn Casterly Rock into your whorehouse." "Go, now." "Speak no more of your rights to Casterly Rock." "Go." "Oh, one more thing." "The next whore I catch in your bed I'll hang." "Dorne." "It's going to Dorne." " Why Dorne?" " It's carrying silk and it's supposed to bring back wine in exchange." "But it's not coming back." "The captain's tired of risking his life so King's Landing lords and ladies can get drunk on better wine than they deserve." "He's going to stay in Dorne." "Wait out the winter where it's beautiful and warm." "I met some people in Dorne who weren't so beautiful and warm." "Don't ruin the game." "I told you, I don't want to play." "What about that one there?" "That one?" "It's going to Volantis." "Why?" "Because when I got on a ship in Volantis, it looked like that one." "That's not how the game works." "You're not supposed to just blurt out the right answer." "You've got to invent a story about where the ship is going and why." "Why should I make up a story when I know the truth?" "Because the truth is always either terrible or boring." "Lovely day for it." "Watching the ships." "Lord Baelish." "Might I speak with Lady Sansa alone for a moment?" "I saw your mother not long ago." "She's very eager to see you." "And your sister." "Arya's alive?" "You said you'd take me home." "You said King's Landing was your home." "You are the property of the crown." "Stealing you would be treason." "If you were to tell just one person" " I won't tell anyone." " How do I know?" "Because I'm a terrible liar." "You said so yourself." "Please, Lord Baelish." "Tell me what to do." "Tell me when." "I'm waiting for word on an assignment that will take me far away from the capital." "When I set sail," "I might be able to take you with me." "But you'll need to be ready to leave on a moment's notice." "You're her handmaiden?" "Yes." "And you're his...?" "I help manage his affairs." " He's an important person." " So is she." "I grew up in the shadow of her father's castle." "The day she was born, they rang the bells from sunrise till sunset." "We've both done rather well, you and I." "Yes." "Given where we started." "And where is that?" "It's not easy for girls like us to dig our way out." "Watch out for her." "I always do." "Watch out for her with him." "They're growing fast." "Not fast enough." "I can't wait that long." "I need an army." "We'll be in Astapor by nightfall." "Some say the Unsullied are the greatest soldiers in the world." "The greatest slave-soldiers in the world." "The distinction means a good deal to some people." "Do those people have any better ideas about how to put you on the Iron Throne?" "It's too beautiful a day to argue." "You're right." "Another lovely day on the high seas." "Don't mock them." "They're the first Dothraki who have ever been on a ship." "They followed me across the poison water." "If they'll do it, others will." "And with a true khalasar" "The Dothraki follow strength above all, khaleesi." "You'll have a true khalasar when you prove yourself strong." "And not before." "Your Grace." "I heard you were dead." "Not yet." "I had hoped to speak to you alone, Your Grace." "We are alone." "Your Grace, you are the rightful king." "Not only by blood." "You're an honorable man, a just man." "And there is still a war to fight." "I am fighting." "By burning prisoners alive?" "How would you punish the infidels, Ser Davos?" "I do not judge people for the gods they worship." "If I did, I'd have thrown you in the sea before you ever set foot on Dragonstone." " I'm not your enemy." " You are my enemy." "Was it me you fought on Blackwater Bay?" "Did I set your ships ablaze?" "I wasn't there when the wildfire killed our men by the thousands." "I could have saved those men." "You would have taken the city," "Stannis would now sit upon his rightful throne, and you would stand beside him." "But I wasn't there because you convinced your king to leave me behind." "Do you hear them screaming?" "All those burning men in the water crying for their mothers, for their gods for help?" "Until the moment the Blackwater swallowed them." "Don't despair, Ser Davos." "What I told your son is true." "Death by fire is the purest death." "This woman is evil!" "She's the mother of demons." "Take him to the dungeon and lock him in a cell." " Your Grace!" " Come on." "You've chosen the darkness, Ser Davos." " She will destroy us all!" " I will pray for you." "Your Grace!" "Halt." "Down." "Halt." "Down." "Why have we stopped?" "It's Lady Margaery, Your Grace." "What is she doing?" "Who gave her permission?" "My lady." "We should have guards, my lady." "Why?" "Pardon me." "Stop, my lady." "You'll ruin your dress." "I have others." "Would you like to speak with her, Your Grace?" "No." "He was a soldier." "He went to fight on the walls when the ships came into Blackwater Bay." "He never came back." "And your mother?" "She died when she had me." "Bad men wanted to come into this city and do terrible things, but your father stopped them." "Whenever you look at this knight," "I want you to remember your father." "He wasn't a knight." "He was just a soldier." "And what do knights swear to do?" "Protect the weak and uphold the good." "Your father did that." "Be proud of him." "Was your father a soldier, too?" "You should be proud, too." "Under King Joffrey's leadership, your fathers saved the city." "They saved us all." "From now on, we're going to take care of you." "All of you." "Come to me for whatever you need to feed them, clothe them, or house them." "Directly to me." " Your Grace." " Your Grace." "Please, sit." "Sit." "I do apologize, my lady." "Small council meetings." "At what point does it become treason to waste the king's time?" "That's a lovely gown, my lady." "Yes, it suits you perfectly." "I imagine you might be rather cold." "The climate is a bit more forgiving back in Highgarden, Your Grace." "Shall I have them bring you a shawl, my lady?" "I am touched by your concern, Your Grace." "Luckily for us Tyrells, our blood runs quite warm." " Doesn't it, Loras?" " Yes." "Loras, isn't the queen's gown magnificent?" "The fabric, the embroidery, the metalwork." "I've never seen anything like it." "You might find a bit of armor quite useful once you become queen." "Perhaps before." "Joffrey tells me you stopped your carriage at Flea Bottom on your way back from the sept this morning." "Yes." "I paid a visit to an orphanage the High Septon told me about." "Margaery does a great deal of work with the poor back in Highgarden." "The lowest among us are no different from the highest if you give them a chance and approach them with an open heart." "An open heart is what you'll get in Flea Bottom if you're not careful, my dear." "Not long ago, we were attacked by a mob there." "We had a full complement of guards that didn't stop them." "The king barely escaped with his life." "My mother's always had a penchant for drama." "Facts become less and less important to her as she grows older." "Our lives were never truly in danger." "You're right, of course." "But you are your father's son." "We can't all have a king's bravery." "Hunger turns men into beasts." "I'm glad House Tyrell has been able to help in this regard." "They tell me 100 wagons arrive daily now from the Reach." "Wheat, barley, apples." "We've had a blessed harvest." "And, of course, it's our duty to assist the capital in time of need." "Well, as Ser Loras said," "Lady Margaery has done this sort of... charitable work before." "I'm sure she knows what she's doing." "I'm sure she does." "The Unsullied have stood here for a day and a night with no food or water." "They will stand until they drop." "Such is their obedience." "They may suit my needs." "Tell me of their training." "_" "_" "_" "_" "_" "_" "They begin their training at five." "Every day they drill from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the shortsword, the shield, and the three spears." "Only one boy in four survives this rigorous training." "Their discipline and loyalty are absolute." "They fear nothing." "Even the bravest men fear death." "_" "_" "_" "_" "My master says the Unsullied are not men." "Death means nothing to them." "_" "_" "He begs you attend to this carefully, Your Grace." "Tell the good master there is no need." "_" "_" "_" "My master points out that men don't need nipples." "_" "_" "To win his shield, an Unsullied must go to the slave marts with a silver mark, find a newborn and kill it before its mother's eyes." "This way, my master says, we make certain there is no weakness left in them." "You take a babe from its mother's arms, kill it as she watches, and pay for her pain with a silver coin?" "_" "_" "_" "My master would like you to know that the silver is paid to the baby's owner, not the mother." "How many do you have to sell?" "8,000." "_" "Master Kraznys asks that you please hurry." "Many other buyers are interested." "8,000 dead babies." "The Unsullied are a means to an end." "Once I own them, these men" "They're not men." "Not anymore." "Once I own an army of slaves, what will I be?" "Do you think these slaves will have better lives serving Kraznys and men like him or serving you?" "You'll be fair to them." "You won't mutilate them to make a point." "You won't order them to murder babies." "You'll see they're properly fed and sheltered." "A great injustice has been done to them." "Closing your eyes will not undo it." "The warlocks." "I owe you my life, ser." "The honor is mine, my queen." "You know this man?" "I know him as one of the greatest fighters the Seven Kingdoms has ever seen and as the Lord Commander of Robert Baratheon's Kingsguard." "King Robert is dead." "I have been searching for you, Daenerys Stormborn, to ask your forgiveness." "I was sworn to protect your family." "I failed them." "I am Barristan Selmy," "Kingsguard to your father." "Allow me to join your Queensguard and I will not fail you again."