Game of Thrones Chapter a Day Read: All Readers*Mod Note Post#68*

mariebeth

Chapter 12 - Eddard 2

Ned is woken before dawn to find his horse saddled and King Robert waiting. When the king claims to have urgent matters of state to discuss, Ned invites him to come inside. Robert refuses, claiming that the camp is full of ears, so Ned dresses and mounts up.


Robert sets a hard pace and soon, the pair leave the Kingsroad. They do not stop until dawn, miles south of the main party. Robert, exhilarated by the ride, complains of the glacial pace of the queen’s wheelhouse and jokingly suggests that he and Ned run off to live as vagabond knights. Ned laughs and reminds Robert of their duties and that they are no longer the boys they once were. Robert jokes that Ned never was the boy he once was, then tries to recall the name of the woman Ned fathered Jon Snow with. Ned provides the name Wylla, but coldly refuses to say more about her.
Robert finally gets to the business at hand: a message from the eunuch Varys, his master of whisperers in King's Landing. Ned reads the message with some trepidation, thinking of Lysa Arryn and her terrible accusation, but instead finds that it concerns the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen to Khal Drogo. When Robert explains that the information has come from Ser Jorah Mormont, Ned takes offense, recalling Mormont as a fugitive who fled the King’s justice after selling some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver in defiance of the law.


The news of the wedding does not worry Ned, but when Robert angrily suggests an assassination attempt he is not surprised. Since the days of the rebellion, Robert has held a hatred for the Targaryens that seems a madness to Ned. Ned recalls the angry words that passed between Robert and himself when Tywin Lannister presented Robert with the corpses of Rhaegar Targaryen’s wife Elia and children Aegon and Rhaenys as a token of fealty. Ned called it murder but Robert called it war. It took the death of Lyanna to reconcile them again.


This time Ned keeps his temper, telling Robert that he is no Tywin Lannister to slaughter innocents. Robert angrily insists that Daenerys will not remain an innocent forever and will soon breed more “dragonspawn” to plague him. When Ned reiterates that killing a child would be unspeakable, Robert responds that what Aerys did to Ned’s father and brother and what Rhaegar did to Lyanna was unspeakable.


When Robert mentions that Drogo has 100,000 men in his horde, Ned insists that even a million Dothraki are no threat to the realm without ships. Robert replies that ships can be found in the Free Cities and that many in the Seven Kingdoms—particularly in Dorne and the Reach — would not hesitate to join a Targaryen invasion. Despite this, Ned remains convinced that they would be able to drive the Dothraki back, emphasizing the importance of appointing a new Warden of the East. When Robert refuses to appoint Jon Arryn’s son Robert, Ned suggests the King’s own brother, Stannis. When Robert continues to be evasive, Ned quickly deduces that he has already promised the office to Jaime Lannister. Ned reminds Robert that Jaime already stands to succeed Tywin Lannister as Warden of the West and that as Warden of both East and West, Jaime would control half of all the realm’s armies.



Ned asks whether Jaime can be trusted. When Robert asks why he shouldn’t trust Jaime, Ned reminds him that Jaime betrayed and killed the last king he was sworn to protect. To illustrate his point about Jaime Lannister, Ned describes to Robert how, after the Battle of the Trident, he followed Rhaegar's army back to King's Landing to find the city sacked by the Lannisters. Ned goes on to explain that upon entering the throne room, he found King Aerys dead on the floor and Jaime sitting on the Iron Throne. Although Jaime eventually rose to say that he was only keeping the uncomfortable thing warm for Robert, Ned insists that Jaime had no right to sit the throne.



Robert finds this amusing, and does not think 17-year-old Jaime's "great sin" was that bad. He gallops off but Ned pauses, despairing of ever keeping Robert from making mistakes. He still believes he should be in Winterfell with his wife and Bran. Finally, resigned at not being able to be where he belongs, Ned follows the king.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_12

mariebeth

Gbear wrote: »

I just find her reaction to him jarring. She sometimes makes rash decisions but by and large she seems like a reasonable woman. Given how warm her relationship is with her family I can't square the two positions.
It wasn't Jon's fault.

No, it wasn't Jon's fault, and I don't like her reaction to him either. But looking at it from her point of view, he's a bastard, and in the majority of cases, bastards are hidden away and ignored, while Ned treats him as one of his true born sons, which in Catelyn's mind, probably means that Ned loved Jon's mother, possibly even more than he loved Catelyn.

Have just finished today's chapter. The earlier chapters gave us more of a physical introduction to the world of GOT, whereas I think this chapter gives us our first proper introduction to the politics of Westeros.

Robert is determined to rid the world of the last Targaryens, and we find that Ser Jorah Mormont is acting as a spy in Pentos, in the hopes that information he passes on regarding Viserys & Daenarys will aid his return to Westeros. We also learn a bit more of what happened to make Robert the king, and how Jaime Lannister became the Kingslayer.

I feel sorry for Ned at the end of this chapter, I think he's realising that he will be acting on behalf of a king who does not listen to reason when it comes to certain matters.

Rosy Posy

Gbear wrote: »

At the same time, you could argue that for the sake of her own family, she would've treated Jon with a modicum of civility.

We don't get the sense that Cat blindly follows "Family. Duty. Honour."
She seems to believe in them. She doesn't seem like some sort of unfeeling robot who blindly follows the mantra of her house. She doesn't just love her family because she has to.

I can see how there could have been some tension between them, but the extent to which Cat takes her hatred of Jon Snow seems excessive.
She seems like a normal caring mother but turns into a cow when it comes to Jon.

Granted, we don't see much of the interactions, so perhaps she was more reasonable to Jon when she wasn't crazy with grief. That's not really the impression we get from either character though. She also pushes for Jon to leave the house when Ned rides south.

I just find her reaction to him jarring. She sometimes makes rash decisions but by and large she seems like a reasonable woman. Given how warm her relationship is with her family I can't square the two positions.
It wasn't Jon's fault.

Of course it wasn't his fault but he's become the scapegoat for her negative feelings towards Ned for fathering a child outside of wedlock and acknowledging that child, serving as a daily reminder of his infidelity. It makes no logical sense but you see it time and again in cases of infidelity where the cuckhold takes the partner back and vents at the 'other man/woman'. It makes no sense but they love their partner so they shift the blame to the comparatively innocent party. Of course this is far worse because Jon had absolutely no control over his birth or his fathers reception of him. I think she sees Jon as a threat to her family and stability which is why she treats him as she does. I also get the feeling that she doesn't want to feel that way but she can't help herself. Agreed it seems like a long time to hold a grudge.

Rosy Posy

I confess I read on at the weekend- was somewhat...incapacitated...on Sunday so I curled up with the book and many cups of tea. Still I took a glance back over it there.

I think this is a significant chapter in that we see the material difference between Robert and Ned. Robert is passionate about life and is driven by it. His passion for Lyanna fuels his desire for vengeance on all of the Targareon bloodline. On the other hand, Neds driving force is not passion but honour. He sees it as dishonourable to slaughter innocents in the name of revenge, even when his father and siblings died horribly at the hands of the Targareons. In fact he seems to harbour more active loathing towards the Lannisters who are nominally on the same side. He disapproves of their method of taking Kings Landing, even though it served them, because of their neglect of duty and honour. In this way he is the opposite of Machiavellian, while the Lannisters are the embodiment of it.

I think that it's interesting that each of the men perceives a threat- Robert in Daenerys; Ned in the Lannisters- and each man dismisses the other mans concerns. With foresight each would do well to heed the other.

Also noteworthy is the discussion of Jon's mother, Wylla. We learn that as far as Robert knew she was a commoner, but also that he had never met her so we can't be sure. It's also clear that having an affair was not something that Ned would take lightly and so there must have been some real feeling there.

And of course Jorah Mormont is a spy :eek:

Gbear

Every re-read is more frustrating than the last for me.

Overall, it's enjoyable, but it's hard not to feel pissed off with characters for saying the wrong things, trusting the wrong people, etc.

Rosy Posy

Gbear wrote: »

Every re-read is more frustrating than the last for me.

Overall, it's enjoyable, but it's hard not to feel pissed off with characters for saying the wrong things, trusting the wrong people, etc.

Its funny isn't it, I think it says more about us than the book. This is my first reading but I have seen the tv show and when it was coming up to Bran's 'accident' I kept willing him to stay up on the ledge or Jaime to have a decent bone in his body and not do it!

mariebeth

Chapter 13 - Tyrion 2

After a fortnight riding north from Winterfell with Benjen Stark, Jon Snow, and two of his own retainers, Tyrion is amazed by the enormous size of the North. Although he knows the maps of the region as well as anyone, the land itself is quite another thing. It has grown colder, quieter, and far lonelier the farther north they go and the Kingsroad has narrowed to a wild track.
Three days out of Winterfell the farmland has given way to the dense, dark forests of the Wolfswood. There they meet up with Yoren, a brother of the Night's Watch, accompanied by two peasant boys condemned to join the Watch. That night Tyrion notices Jon Snow looking at their new companions with dismay and feels sorry for the boy who has had such a hard life chosen for him. Tyrion feels less sympathy for Benjen Stark, who apparently shares his brother’s distaste for Lannisters and seems intent on making Tyrion’s journey north as uncomfortable as possible. However, Tyrion does take a small bit of revenge when he accepts a tattered old bearskin cloak from Benjen; a gift Tyrion thinks Benjen did not expect him to accept and is probably regretting.



By the eighteenth night of their journey the inns and settlements have long since disappeared, forcing the party to make camp. Being too small to help, Tyrion (as is his custom) goes away from the camp with a book about dragons, one of several brought with him from Winterfell.



Tyrion has always been interested in dragons. He remembers seeking out the dragon skulls in King's Landing the first time he was there. He recalls having a torch with him when he discovered the skulls and having the sensation that they seemed to like it when he put his torch to them. There were three skulls much larger than the others and one of the skulls, Tyrion noted, could have swallowed a mammoth whole. According to the tales, King Loren I, the ancestor of the Lannisters, fought against Aegon I Targaryen and the Targaryen conscript army was about to break and run when the Targaryens unleashed all three of their dragons and made short work of their opponents.
As Tyrion reads he is approached by Jon Snow, who asks why he reads so much. Tyrion explains that because his body is twisted and weak he must rely on his mind and that a mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone. When Jon asks what Tyrion is reading, Tyrion begins to explain about dragons and how he fantasized about them when feeling resentful toward his family.



When Tyrion goes so far as to suggest that Jon must feel resentment towards his own family, Jon protests. However Tyrion continues to push the issue, sarcastically describing how Lady Catelyn treats him as one of her own, how Robb is kind because he is the heir, and how Eddard Stark must have had a good reason to pack Jon off to the Wall. When Jon replies that the Night’s Watch is a noble calling, Tyrion describes the Watch as a midden heap for the realm’s debtors, poachers, rapers, thieves, and bastards, all kept busy watching for imaginary grumpkins and snarks.



When Jon asks him to stop, Tyrion realizes what he has been saying and feels badly. Reaching out to comfort Jon, he is attacked and knocked down by Jon’s direwolf, Ghost. Unable to get up on his own, Tyrion is forced to apologize to Jon before receiving help. When Tyrion questions why the wolf attacked, Jon jokes that Ghost must have mistaken Tyrion for a grumpkin, which amuses them both.



Having calmed down, Jon asks Tyrion if the things he said of the Night’s Watch were true. When Tyrion says yes, Jon accepts the truth grimly. The two share some wine and return to camp for a supper of squirrel stew. Tyrion is the last to retire, and Jon has the first watch.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_13

mariebeth

Gbear wrote: »

Every re-read is more frustrating than the last for me.

Overall, it's enjoyable, but it's hard not to feel pissed off with characters for saying the wrong things, trusting the wrong people, etc.

It can be frustrating alright, although there are good moments too. Reading a sentence you hadn't spotted before, and realizing that it goes some bit towards validating a theory that you might have makes up for the frustrations!

Rosy Posy wrote: »

Its funny isn't it, I think it says more about us than the book. This is my first reading but I have seen the tv show and when it was coming up to Bran's 'accident' I kept willing him to stay up on the ledge or Jaime to have a decent bone in his body and not do it!

I don't know what it is about these books, but the characters just come alive, and I for one feel like I know them, and that it is really happening.


I don't really have a lot to say about Tyrion's second chapter. I love his directness in dealing with being a dwarf, and in his discussions with Jon about the nights watch, and about being a bastard in both this and the previous chapter.

I did feel like slapping Jon though, when he said to Tyrion 'ask me nicely' in order to help him up. In a way though, it does show that while Jon has had to be more mature for his age due to his status, he still has a level of immaturity that he needs to grow out of.

Rosy Posy

I think that we get a good sense of the vastness of the North in the descriptions of the land.

There must be significance in the excerpt on Dragonbone. I think that Tyrions obsession with dragons and the Targareons shows his openness to appreciating the qualities of other families beyond his own, which is a facet that seems markedly lacking in the other Lannisters.

It's interesting to see the scales fall from Jons eyes regarding the Nights Watch. It doesn't in any way excuse his treatment of Tyrion but I do think it adds depth and credibility to his character. He comes across so self possessed and noble in previous descriptions that its good to see that in some respects he's a normal immature teenager.

mariebeth

Chapter 14 - Catelyn 3

Eight days after Eddard and the others have left Winterfell, Catelyn is still sitting at Bran’s bedside in her fragile mental state. Maester Luwin comes to tell her how much the king’s visit cost them, but Catelyn is not interested in looking at figures. Regardless, the maester continues to speak of replacing provisions. Catelyn insists that the steward can worry about such matters. Maester Luwin reminds her that the steward went south with Lord Eddard and needs to be replaced, along with a number of other positions. Catelyn is outraged that he can think of such trivial things when Bran is dying until Robb arrives to take charge of the appointments.

After the maester leaves, Robb asks Catelyn what she thinks she’s doing, spending all her time with Bran; not even saying farewell to her own family. Catelyn insists she can’t bear to be away from Bran, in case he should die. Robb assures her he is not going to die and reminds her that her other children need her, too. He goes on to explain that Rickon just follows him around all day crying, thinking everyone has abandoned him.

Robb hears a direwolf howling outside and opens the window, explaining that the sound seems to be good for Bran. When the other direwolves join in, Catelyn screams for Robb to make the noise stop and then collapses to the floor. Robb helps her up but she only begins screaming again. Then Robb notices the dogs barking as well and sees the library tower afire.

While Robb rushes off to fight the fire, Catelyn remains behind with Bran. When she turns away from the window, however, she is face-to-face with a filthy man brandishing a knife. The man claims that Catelyn was not supposed to be there and moves towards Bran, claiming that killing him would be a mercy. Catelyn attempts to scream for help, but the man is too quick as he moves to slit her throat. Catelyn manages to grab the blade with her hands and push it away, cutting her fingers badly. She bites the man’s hand and fights her way free. The man is about to attack her again when Bran’s direwolf leaps onto him and rips out his throat. Once the man is dead, the wolf settles down on Bran’s bed.

Catelyn is taken back to her chambers. Old Nan undresses her and helps her into a bath. After the bath, Maester Luwin dresses Catelyn's wounds, her fingers cut almost to the bone, and her scalp where the man had pulled out a handful of hair. The maester gives her milk of the poppy, which puts her to sleep. She wakes up 4 days later. It seems like a nightmare, but the pain in her hands reminds her that it was real. When Catelyn remembers her behavior since Bran’s fall she is ashamed, promising herself that it will not happen again.

Robb, now wearing armour and a sword, comes to see her with Theon Greyjoy, Rodrik Cassel, and Hallis Mollen, the new captain of the guard. Mollen tells her that nobody knows who the man was, but he had likely been lurking in the stables since the king's visit. Where the man had been hiding they found 90 silver stags hidden under the straw. When Robb asks why anybody would want to kill Bran, Catelyn insists that as a Lord he must learn to answer his own questions. Robb guesses that somebody is afraid of what Bran might do or say if he wakes up and so posts a heavy guard on Bran.
Ser Rodrik points out that the dagger used by the assassin, a Valyrian steel blade with a dragonbone handle, is a much finer weapon than anything the low-born man should have possessed; someone had to have given it to him. Catelyn then tells Rodrik, Theon, and Robb in strict confidence of her sister’s suspicions about the death of Jon Arryn. She reminds them that Jaime Lannister did not go hunting with the others the day Bran fell, and that she does not believe that Bran fell, but that he was pushed. The group admits that this is a reasonable conclusion.

However Maester Luwin points out that all they have is conjecture, and that they must have proof or else keep silent. After some deliberation, Catelyn decides that she and Ser Rodrik will go to King's Landing by ship to inform Eddard, hopefully arriving ahead of the king’s party.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_14

mariebeth

Rosy Posy wrote: »

I think that we get a good sense of the vastness of the North in the descriptions of the land.

There must be significance in the excerpt on Dragonbone. I think that Tyrions obsession with dragons and the Targareons shows his openness to appreciating the qualities of other families beyond his own, which is a facet that seems markedly lacking in the other Lannisters.

It's interesting to see the scales fall from Jons eyes regarding the Nights Watch. It doesn't in any way excuse his treatment of Tyrion but I do think it adds depth and credibility to his character. He comes across so self possessed and noble in previous descriptions that its good to see that in some respects he's a normal immature teenager.

I agree on all of the above points, particularly in relation to the description of the North, it really is a huge area. It's as large as the other six kingdoms combined.


I think today's chapter (Catelyn 3) is the beginning of Robb's ascent into adulthood, and his future role. His mother is incapacitated, mentally & emotionally at first, then physically, and he has to step up to his role of future lord of Winterfell, and make decisions regarding who he puts in various roles.

It also highlights Catelyn's biggest strength, and also biggest weakness. She loves her children, and would kill and die for them. She makes decisions based on them, and sometimes they will be the right decisions, whereas other times they are the wrong ones to make. But it's her children that come first and she really is a mother wolf. It is the one thing that she does have in common with Cersei Lannister.

mariebeth

mariebeth wrote: »

I agree on all of the above points, particularly in relation to the description of the North, it really is a huge area. It's as large as the other six kingdoms combined.


I think today's chapter (Catelyn 3) is the beginning of Robb's ascent into adulthood, and his future role. His mother is incapacitated, mentally & emotionally at first, then physically, and he has to step up to his role of future lord of Winterfell, and make decisions regarding who he puts in various roles.

It also highlights Catelyn's biggest strength, and also biggest weakness. She loves her children, and would kill and die for them. She makes decisions based on them, and sometimes they will be the right decisions, whereas other times they are the wrong ones to make. But it's her children that come first and she really is a mother wolf. It is the one thing that she does have in common with Cersei Lannister.

Yep when Robb says he will look after the appointments you sense that he has become a man with his responsibilities. You also get a sense of how close a bond the children have with their wolves as summer saves Bran's life.

mariebeth

Chapter 15 - Sansa 1

Sansa is having breakfast near an inn by the Trident with Septa Mordane. When Sansa feeds her direwolf Lady under the table, the Septa says that, though she is a good girl, when it comes to Lady, Sansa is as willful as her sister Arya.



The Septa also informs Sansa that they have been invited to ride in the wheelhouse with Queen Cersei and Princess Myrcella. Sansa has been looking forward to this for a week, hoping for a chance to be with Prince Joffrey. Joffrey is everything she wanted her prince to be like: tall and strong and handsome. The one thing Sansa is afraid of is that Arya will ruin everything for her. The Septa wants Sansa and Arya to dress well for the event and Sansa has already decided on a fine silk dress. She does not expect Arya to wear anything appropriate. Sansa begs to be excused so she can look for Arya.



She finds Arya on the banks of the Trident, trying to comb the mud out of her direwolf Nymeria’s fur. Arya is not interested in riding in the wheelhouse, and intends to go riding with Mycah to look for rubies in the river. Sansa insists that there is no fun in riding, because there is nothing to see, but Arya is fascinated by all the new flowers and landmarks and people they are seeing along the way. Sansa informs Arya that she has to come, asking why anyone would want to ride a stinky horse when they could ride in the wheelhouse on pillows while eating lemon cakes and keeping company with the queen. Arya replies that she does not even like the queen and still intends to go riding. Sansa, giving up, leaves and Arya yells after her that Lady will not be allowed in the wheelhouse, which leaves Sansa speechless.
When she nears the camp, Sansa sees a crowd gathered around the wheelhouse; the council has sent an honour guard from King's Landing to accompany them the rest of the way. The party includes two knights in fine armour: one a strong old man in white armour, the other a beautiful young man in green armour. There is also a gaunt, grim man that Sansa finds so terrifying that she backs right into Sandor Clegane. She kneels and hugs Lady and, next thing Sansa knows, the two new arrivals are standing above her. Joffrey explains that the terrifying man is Ser Ilyn Payne, the King’s Justice (the royal executioner).



The white knight then introduces himself as Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but the green knight insists that she guess. Based on his age and his antlered helm, Sansa correctly deduces him to be the king’s youngest brother, Renly Baratheon. Feeling more comfortable, Sansa apologizes to Ser Ilyn Payne, but the man does not speak. Once he has left, Joffrey explains that his tongue was ripped out by Mad King Aerys.
The Queen says that she must speak with the councilors, and therefore must postpone the day with Myrcella. Instead, she asks Joffrey to entertain their guests—Sansa is overjoyed with the idea of a whole day with Joffrey. Sansa offers to do whatever the prince wants, and when Joffrey suggest they go riding, Sansa gushes that she loves riding. Joffrey then suggests that it would be best to leave Lady and his dog, Sandor Clegane, behind. When Sansa questions leaving Clegane behind Joffrey brandishes his sword, Lion's Tooth.



They ride along the river, exploring the countryside until they draw near to the battlefield where King Robert defeated Rhaegar Targaryen when they hear an odd sound, like wooden clattering, coming from nearby. In a nearby clearing, they find a boy and a girl play-fighting with sticks. The boy, taller and older than the girl, is winning. When the girl is disarmed by a smack on the hand, Sansa recognizes her sister Arya. Joffrey laughs and the boy, a butcher’s boy named Mycah, drops his stick. Joffrey begins to taunt Mycah and challenges him to a fight, sword against stick. Mycah insists that Arya asked him to fight her, which Sansa quickly realizes is the truth. Joffrey remains oblivious however, and goes so far as to prick the boy’s cheek with his sword. Arya picks up her stick and tells Joffrey to leave Mycah alone. Joffrey insists that he will not hurt Mycah, much.



Without warning, Arya breaks her stick over the back of Joffrey’s head. Mycah runs away while an enraged Joffrey staggers but manages to catch a second blow from Arya on his sword, knocking the splintered stick from her hand. Ignoring Sansa’s screams for them to stop, Arya throws a rock, hitting Joffrey’s horse and driving it away. Joffrey chases Arya with his sword, backing her up against a tree. Suddenly Nymeria appears, savaging Joffrey’s sword arm, forcing the prince to drop his sword. Arya calls Nymeria off and picks up Lion’s Tooth while Joffrey lies whimpering on the ground. The prince pleads to Arya not to hurt him. Arya throws the sword into the river before running off with Nymeria.

Once Arya is gone, Sansa goes to help Joffrey tenderly, but he snarls at her to leave and not touch him and Sansa can see the contempt in his eyes.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_15

Gbear

mariebeth wrote: »

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_15

I sat down to read this chapter 3 or 4 times but just couldn't face it. It makes me sad.

You really want to strangle Sansa.
She's her father's daughter - she's probably heard about what the mad king did to her forebears - she should've been able to to see the warning signs with Joffrey tormenting Mycah, screaming like a bitch and generally being a spoilt little sociopath.

We see more of Arya - she shoots from the hip and seems to have a good gut instinct about people.

Would've been interesting if Arya was the eldest daughter betrothed to Joffrey.
She would've probably flat out murdered him before he had a chance to ascend the throne.

Sansa's a bit of a strange one. She's just completely out of kilter with the Starks and the North. She's so soft and meek - the stereotypical "summer child". Why did Ned let that happen?
It's not like it's a Tulley trait either - although Cat briefly has a break down she's had to deal with war in her lifetime, maybe losing a husband. She's pretty tough.

mariebeth

Sansa, unfortunately, is a tough girl to like. She's the typical kind of girl who's been brought up on the Westeros equivalent of Disney romance. She's grown up listening to stories of princes/knights being good, kind and brave, and she expects her prince to be the same. She admits herself that she doesn't even know him yet, but she's already 'in love' with him, when really she's in love with the idea of what he should be and having led a sheltered castle life, in a place where the people genuinely seem to care about the Starks, she hasn't experienced people like Joffrey and the Lannisters, and truly doesn't know what to do. In a way she's like an ostrich sticking her head in the sand until she can't ignore it anymore.

It's genuinely hard to believe that Sansa and Arya are sisters. They are so different, Sansa is quite complacent, and accepts her role in life as a woman, whereas Arya is so very strong willed, and again it comes across in this chapter as though Sansa just doesn't know what to do with Arya because she doesn't mould herself to the role she is expected to play in life.

Gbear

mariebeth wrote: »

Sansa, unfortunately, is a tough girl to like. She's the typical kind of girl who's been brought up on the Westeros equivalent of Disney romance. She's grown up listening to stories of princes/knights being good, kind and brave, and she expects her prince to be the same.

She needed a bit less Lord Stark and a bit more Lord Buzzkillington.

Rosy Posy

I think that the key to understanding Sansa's character is in Septa Mordane. Sansa is a pleaser and Septa Mordane embodies the kind of education a girl of Sansa and Arya's stature is supposed to have. If anything Sansa is a bit wet and bland and impressionable- a product of her education and the paragon of highborn womanhood. The fact that this leaves her ill equipped to deal with anything that the real world throws at her is a testimony to the chauvinism of Westerosi society. She is expected to sit about and sew until the men in her life make the important decisions about her destiny. When you contrast her with Arya, you see how such an education is intended to suppress (oppress?) women's natural feistiness but since there is precious little in Sansa to begin with she comes out pathetic and naieve.

I think that the fact that she is wilful when it comes to Lady shows both her love for the wolf and the potency of the direwolves draw on the Stark children.

This is an excellent chapter- the shyt really hits the fan. We get a sense of what an utter cnut Joffery is, and of Arya's mettle as well as a lot of plot advancement. I think that the final scene in this chapter is instrumental in Joffery's desire to punish and torture Sansa.

mariebeth

Chapter 16 - Eddard 3

After four days of searching, Vayon Poole comes to Ned with news that Arya has been found unharmed. Ned is relieved that it was Jory Cassel who found her rather than the the Queen’s men. Unfortunately, the Lannister guards at the gate informed the Queen, who had Arya brought directly before King Robert.



Ned rushes to the audience chamber of nearby Castle Darry, which has been hosting the king’s party during the search. He is dismayed to find the chamber full of people, preventing a private and amicable solution. Ned also notes that very few in the crowd are likely to be sympathetic to the Starks (most present are either Lannister men or loyal to Raymun Darry, the local lord and a prominent Targaryen loyalist who lost family and fortune at the Trident), although he is relieved that neither Jaime Lannister nor Sandor Clegane are present.



Arya apologizes to Ned profusely as she cries. Ned turns angrily to the king, demanding to know why Arya was not brought to him first. Queen Cersei bristles at his tone, but Robert apologizes, explaining that he only wanted to finish the business quickly. Cersei then accuses Arya and Mycah of ambushing Joffrey with clubs while setting Nymeria to tear off his arm. When Joffrey affirms this, Arya calls him a liar. After the king has listened to Arya’s side of the story, Lord Renly begins snickering and asks Joffrey how a skinny nine-year-old girl managed to disarm him with a broom handle. When Joffrey recounts a very different story, King Robert is exasperated.



Ned reminds the king that Sansa was also present and has Sansa brought in to testify. However, Sansa—torn between her love for Joffrey and her family—claims she doesn’t remember. This infuriates Arya, who lunges at Sansa. Cersei uses this as an example of how wild Arya is, and insists she wants Arya punished. The king, even more exasperated, orders Ned to discipline Arya while he will discipline Joffrey. Unsatisfied, Cersei demands that Nymeria be killed and offers 100 gold dragons for her pelt. However, since Nymeria has disappeared, Cersei demands the skin of the other direwolf. When Ned protests, Robert only responds that a direwolf is not a pet and that the girl would be happier with a dog.



Sansa finally realizes that they are talking about her direwolf, and goes crying to Ned. In a final attempt to save the direwolf, Ned insists that the king execute the wolf himself, Robert only walks away. Ned refuses to let Ilyn Payne do the task. When Cersei—suspicious of Ned’s intentions—ask why, Ned replies that the direwolf is from the North and deserves better than a butcher.



With Sansa’s cries in his ears, Ned goes to Lady. As he sits beside the wolf waiting for his sword, Ned considers the names his children chose for their wolves and finds that Sansa chose a good name for her well-behaved wolf. After the deed is done, Ned commands four guardsmen to return Lady’s body to Winterfell for burial, insisting that Cersei will never have her skin.
As he is returning, Sandor Clegane and his riders come back from the hunt. Clegane states that while they didn’t find Arya they did find her pet and drops a corpse at Ned’s feet. As he bends to uncover the corpse, Ned wonders what he will tell Arya. However, rather than Nymeria, the body turns out to be Arya’s friend Mycah, cut down from horseback. When Ned states that Clegane ran the boy down, the burned man responds, “He ran. But not very fast.”

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_16

Rosy Posy

The rift between the Starks and the Lannisters grows with Robert stuck in the middle. It's telling that the first thing that Ned asks when he hears Arya is found is who's men have found her.

Roberts ineptitude as a king is in evidence in his inability to make a firm and fair decision in this essentially trivial matter- what should have been a child's squabble is elevated because of the Lannisters pride and Cersei's control over Robert. It's really setting the reader up to loathe Cersei and Joffery.

Sansa's naievity is highlighted by her not realising for so long that they are discussing Lady being sacrificed. Ned shows them all up by doing the deed himself.

So sad when Myca is killed, and the casual way that the Hound does it shows his coldness and invites Arya's hatred.

mariebeth

For the first time reading the chapter, I actually teared up. Reading it slowly and taking it in more is really making the story come even more alive for me.

Sansa's naivety and realisation that it is Lady to be executed in place of Nymeria tugged on my heart this time round, it's probably the first really bad thing that has happened to her.

I think Ned is realising that he will have to deal with Cersei more than Robert as Hand to the King, that Cersei knows how to manipulate her husband to get what she wants.

mariebeth

Chapter 17 - Bran 3

Bran is dreaming of falling; it seems that he has been falling for years. “But I never fall,” he remembers as he falls. As the ground gets closer, Bran believes that he will wake up in the instant before he hits the ground, like he always has before. “And if you don’t?” asks a voice.



A crow is with him and is telling him to fly. Bran insists that he does not know how to fly. The crow asks him if he has ever tried. Bran then asks the crow if he is really a crow and the crow asks Bran if he is really falling. Bran begins to cry, but the crow insists the answer is flying not crying and insists that flying is easy. When Bran mentions that the crow has wings the crow tells Bran maybe he does, too. When Bran searches himself for wings the crow tells him there are different kinds of wings. Bran asks the crow what he is doing and the crow responds that he is teaching Bran to fly.



When Bran looks down again he can see the whole realm and everything in it. In Winterfell he sees the inhabitants going about their work and sees the heart tree in the godswood looking back at him. Bran sees his mother contemplating a blood-stained knife aboard a ship sailing on the Narrow Sea, and his father pleading with the King near the Trident. He sees Sansa crying herself to sleep and Arya holding her secrets in her heart.



All around his family Bran sees shadows: One as dark as ash with terrible face of a hound and another in armour as golden and beautiful as the sun. Over them all looms a giant armoured in stone, but with only darkness and black blood behind its visor.



In the far east, Bran sees dragons stirring in the fabled Shadow Lands. Bran turns North to the Wall, where he sees Jon sleeping alone and growing cold and hard. Then Bran looks beyond the Wall, and beyond the curtain of light at the edge of the world, into what he calls the very heart of winter. What he sees there makes him cry. The crow tells Bran that now he knows why he must live: because Winter is coming.



Bran can see spires of ice rising up to impale him and the bodies of a thousand dreamers before him. The crow tells Bran that he must choose: fly or die. Bran spreads his arms and flies. The crow reacts by pecking at Bran’s face between his eyes, blinding him.



Suddenly the crow dissolves into a serving woman with long black hair. Bran realizes he is in Winterfell. The serving woman drops her basin and runs down the steps shouting, “He is awake.” Bran touches the burning space between his eyes where he was pecked but cannot feel a thing.
Bran’s direwolf jumps up onto his legs, but Bran cannot feel it. When his brother Robb arrives, Bran looks up calmly and says, “His name is Summer."

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_17

One of my favourite chapters in the book. You almost feel you are Bran seeing all these places throughout Westeros. It's so well written.

Gbear

Deleted User wrote: »

One of my favourite chapters in the book. You almost feel you are Bran seeing all these places throughout Westeros. It's so well written.

When he's not getting lost in boiled leather and greasy capons Martin is a wonderful writer.

mariebeth

Deleted User wrote: »

One of my favourite chapters in the book. You almost feel you are Bran seeing all these places throughout Westeros. It's so well written.

It's so descriptive, GRRM at his best.

For the first time I realised, this chapter is the first instance of warging in the books, I don't know why I hadn't come to that conclusion before.

mariebeth

Chapter 18 - Catelyn 4

As their ship, the 60-oar Storm Dancer, prepares to dock in King's Landing, Catelyn is joined on deck by Ser Rodrik Cassel. Catelyn notes that Ser Rodrik looks much better than he has for days. Throughout the voyage Ser Rodrik had been chronically seasick, forcing him to shave his befouled cheek whiskers.



After the captain, Moreo Tumitis, leaves them Catelyn and Ser Rodrik discuss how to go about their investigation of the dagger. Catelyn suggests speaking to the king’s master-at-arms, Ser Aron Santagar, who may recognize the weapon. Ser Rodrik reminds Catelyn that they must be careful she is not recognized. This brings Lord Petyr Baelish, the king’s Master of Coin, to Catelyn’s mind. Baelish—still known by the nickname “Littlefinger” given to him by her brother—was raised with her at Riverrun as her father’s ward. They had been close until Petyr had challenged Catelyn’s betrothed, Brandon Stark, for her hand. Brandon had only spared Petyr because Catelyn had pleaded for his life. After his recovery Petyr had been sent away and Catelyn has not seen him since. Ser Rodrik proposes that he go to the Red Keep alone because, without his whiskers, he is unrecognizable even to the few who might know him.



After they disembark Catelyn and Ser Rodrik move into a modest old inn suggested by Moreo Tumitis. After Ser Rodrik leaves Catelyn tries to get some sleep but is woken by the City Watch of King's Landing. They show her a seal of a mockingbird in grey wax—the sigil of Petyr Baelish. As she prepares to accompany the soldiers (who do not recognize who she is) Catelyn wonders how Petyr knew she was in King’s Landing and settles on Storm Dancer’s captain as the culprit.



Catelyn is escorted to a tower room occupied by Petyr. When Catelyn asks how he knew she was in the city, Petyr replies that Varys knows everything that happens in the city. He does admit, however, that Varys does not know the reason for Catelyn’s visit. Catelyn lies that she merely yearned to see her husband and daughters. Petyr does not believe this for a moment and asks Catelyn to let him help.



Before Catelyn can answer they are joined by Varys, who—after profuse courtesies concerning Catelyn and her family—asks to see the dagger. Catelyn, astounded by Varys’ knowledge of things no one could possibly know about, then shows them the dagger. Upon examining the weapon, Petyr reveals that it once belonged to him, until he lost it betting on Ser Jaime Lannister in a tourney. When Jaime was unhorsed by Ser Loras Tyrell, Petyr’s dagger was won by Tyrion Lannister.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_18

mariebeth

Back with chapter 19, thought yesterday might be a good day to take a break

Chapter 19 - Jon 3

Jon is training with the other recruits under Castle Black’s master-at-arms, Ser Alliser Thorne. Jon is by far the most skilled swordsman and during a sparring match he accidentally injures Grenn. Disgusted with the recruits, Thorne calls an end to training for the day. Jon knows that Thorne dislikes him, but that he dislikes the other boys more. Thorne mercilessly berates them all and has given Jon the moniker “Lord Snow” in mockery of Jon’s bastard status, which Jon hates. To Jon’s annoyance, everyone has taken it up using the name.



Jon has found Castle Black cold and the people colder. He has no friends among the 20 recruits and finds that he despises them more as time goes by. Jon resents that nobody but Tyrion told him that the Wall would be like this. That fact that his father never told him makes it hurt all the worse.
Even Jon’s uncle, Benjen, seems to have abandoned him—becoming a very different man who spends all his time among the high officers. Three days after arriving at the Wall, Jon had pleaded to be allowed to come on a ranging with his uncle. Benjen had told him that he was just a boy who had yet to earn the right to go and that, while he loved his family, the men of the Night's Watch are his true brothers. The next morning, Benjen had had smiles, but not for Jon, telling him that they would speak when he returns.
Jon goes to his sleeping cell to be with Ghost thinking of how he misses his family. His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Grenn, Toad, and two other recruits. All of them are brutes and bullies sent to the Wall for crimes. After Grenn insults Jon’s mother, a short fight soon has Jon on the ground but before the boys can hurt him Donal Noye the smith intervenes.
After the others leave, Noye tells Jon that the Night’s Watch has need of every man and that there is no honour in killing boys like Grenn. When Jon insists that they insulted his mother, Noye points out that them saying it doesn’t make it true. When Noye reminds Jon that he is in the Watch for life, Jon thinks angrily of the fact that Donal Noye had a life before taking the black. He feasted and wenched and fought in battles, only taking the black after losing an arm during the siege of Pyke.



When Jon claims that the others hate him because he is better than them, Noye insists that they hate him because he thinks he is better. Noye then calls Jon a bastard and a bully. Being called a bully surprises Jon because his attackers were all older and bigger than him. Noye explains that Jon has humiliated and shamed the other recruits, who have had no formal training in swordsmanship, whereas Jon was trained by an anointed knight. Jon starts to feel ashamed but is still angry. Noye tells him to accept his life on the Wall and reconsider how he treats his companions or else to sleep with a dagger by his bed.



As he leaves, Jon looks up a the Wall, a massive blue-white cliff of ice that fills up half the sky that dwarfs Castle Black beneath it. The largest structure built by men according to Benjen and the most useless according to Tyrion. Older than the Seven Kingdoms, to Jon the Wall seems to represent the edge of the world.



Tyrion interrupts Jon’s look up at the wall by commenting that it makes you wonder about what lies beyond. Jon has seen little of Tyrion since arriving as Tyrion has been treated as an honoured guest among the high officers. When Tyrion asks Jon if he is curious about beyond the Wall Jon replies that there is nothing special but inside he thinks of how he wishes he could have ridden with his uncle Benjen on a ranging.



When Tyrion calls him “Lord Snow” by mistake, Jon objects but Tyrion asks him if he would prefer to be called “the Imp” and reminds Jon to make his weakness his strength by accepting it.



Tyrion asks about Ghost, and Jon tells him that he chains him in the old stables during training but the rest of the time he stays with Jon in his sleeping area in Harden’s Tower. When Tyrion says he though those buildings were abandoned, Jon responds that most of the undermanned castle is abandoned, so nobody cares where a person sleeps. He continues on to tell Tyrion that he sleeps alone because the others are afraid of Ghost. Tyrion declares the others wise, then mentions that Benjen Stark is late returning from his ranging. Jon recalls that his uncle was supposed to be back by his nameday, which is now a fortnight past. Tyrion says that he has heard that a great number of rangers have disappeared recently.



In the Common Hall, Jon gets food and chooses a spot away from the other recruits and Tyrion sits opposite him. Ser Alliser interrupts Jon’s conversation to tell him that the Lord Commander wants to speak with him about a message concerning his half-brother. Tyrion suspects the worst and gives Jon his sympathy. Jon races to the Commander’s Keep where Lord Commander Jeor Mormont gives him a message from Robb at Winterfell. The message explains that Bran has woken up, but is now a paraplegic.
Jon, overjoyed that Bran will live, rushes back to tell Tyrion. In his joy, Jon also apologizes to Grenn and offers to show him how to defend against the move that injured him. Ser Allister sarcastically remarks that he would have an easier time teaching a wolf to juggle than training Grenn to fight. Jon replies that he will take the wager; he would love to see Ghost juggle. All the men in the hall, including Grenn, begin to laugh. As Ser Alliser storms from the hall in anger, Jon realizes that he has made himself a life-long enemy.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Game_of_Thrones-Chapter_19

Tom.D.BJJ

Gentle bump.

If Marie hasn't added it by the time I finished work ill lash up the next chapter, she's probably enjoying the sun

Chapter 20 Eddard IV

Chapter 20 Eddard IV

Ned arrives in King's Landing tired and ready for a meal and a hot bath. Instead, he is immediately informed by the royal steward that there is an urgent meeting of the Small Council that he must attend. After momentarily losing his temper, Ned decides it is best not to offend the Small Council on his first day in the capital. Therefore, he tasks his own steward to see that his daughters are guided to their rooms and that Arya is not allowed to go exploring.

In borrowed clothes (his are all still packed), Ned arrives to find four members of the council waiting for him: Littlefinger the Master of Coin, Varys the Master of Whisperers, Renly Baratheon the Master of Laws, and Grand Maester Pycelle.

Varys immediately expresses sorrow over the troubles on the road and assures Ned they all are praying for the prince’s recovery. Ned coldly informs him that the prince grows stronger every day.

When he sees Renly, Ned is struck by how much he looks like a young Robert. Littlefinger immediately quips that Renly is much better dressed, having spent more on clothes than many ladies of the court.

Upon introducing himself to Ned for the first time, Littlefinger mentions that Catelyn has most likely mentioned him before. Ned responds that Littlefinger also knew his brother, Brandon, adding that his brother mentioned him often and with some heat. Littlefinger responds that he would have thought heat did not suit the Starks, who are rumoured to be made of ice and to melt south of the Neck. Ned replies that he does not plan on melting anytime soon.

After a short greeting to Grand Maester Pycelle, Ned asks after the other members of the council and is told that Stannis Baratheon left for Dragonstone shortly after the king went north and that both Ser Barristan and King Robert are still riding through the city. When Ned suggests they wait, Renly explains that Robert finds the details of coin and crops boring and rarely attends. Then Renly says that the king sent him ahead to convene the council to handle an urgent matter and Littlefinger produces a sealed letter for Ned.

The king’s letter contains an order that a tourney be held in honour of Ned’s appointment as Hand. Ned is incredulous and not particularly happy with this extravagance being held in his name; the prizes total 90,000 gold dragons and the costs are sure to run high as well. When Ned questions whether the treasury will bear the expense, Littlefinger reveals that the crown is already over six million gold pieces in debt, half of which is to the Lannisters. Ned is shocked; the Targaryens left a treasury overflowing with gold. He cannot believe that Jon Arryn allowed Robert to beggar the realm, but the council explain that while Lord Arryn was a prudent man, Robert did not always listen. Ned insists that this tournament is something the realm cannot afford and declares that they will consider it later, then leaves abruptly.

As Ned proceeds toward the Tower of the Hand, reflecting on the miseries of the last fortnight of the journey south, he is intercepted by Littlefinger, who tells him he is going the wrong way. After a long journey through the castle, Ned eventually realizes that Littlefinger is not leading him to the Tower. Littlefinger explains that he is leading Ned to his wife but Ned does not believe him. Eventually, Littlefinger brings him to the foot of a bluff outside the castle, where they mount onto waiting horses and ride into the city.

Littlefinger leads Ned to a brothel he owns and tells him his wife is waiting inside. Ned is furious at being taken all this way to a brothel and holds a knife to Littlefinger’s throat, claiming his brother was too kind. He is interrupted by a man he eventually recognizes as Ser Rodrik Cassel, disarming his suspicions. Littlefinger leads Ned upstairs to meet with Catelyn, explaining that a brothel is such a good hiding place because it is so unlikely.

After embracing and exchanging news with Catelyn, Ned sees the scars on her hands and she places the dagger used against Bran in his hands. However, Ned cannot understand why Tyrion Lannister would have attempted to murder Bran. Littlefinger states that the reason is obvious, and that Tyrion would have never acted alone. Ned tries to assure himself that Robert could have never been involved in this, but remembers all the horrid things the king has either supported or ignored. Queen Cersei, on the other hand, Ned has no trouble believing to be responsible. Littlefinger reminds him that to accuse either is treason, but that if they can find proof of Cersei’s involvement, it is possible the king will listen.

Ned feels that he should take his case and the dagger directly to the King, but Littlefinger reminds him that there is no solid proof that Tyrion was involved. Then Catelyn explains that she has told Littlefinger about their suspicions concerning Jon Arryn’s death, and that Littlefinger has promised to help them learn the truth. When Ned asks how much Varys knows about all of this, he is told that Varys has not been told, but Catelyn warns that the man knows things no normal man has any way of knowing.

Ned then asks Littlefinger to give him time alone with his wife. Littlefinger asks if they want time in a bed chamber but Ned tells him that would not be necessary; he just needs a little time. Catelyn goes to Littlefinger and tells him that she appreciates his efforts, and has found a brother that she thought that she had lost. Ned is not so confident that Littlefinger can be trusted, but says nothing. After Littlefinger leaves, Ned gives Catelyn instructions for his bannermen to fortify Moat Cailin and to keep a careful watch over Theon Greyjoy in case his father’s fleets are needed. He hopes it will not come to war and that Robert will believe him when he finds out what happened.