A Game of Thrones

After a fever dream, Daenerys wakes. According to her servants, she has been unconscious for many days. Daenerys wants to be near her dragon eggs. When one is brought to her, she feels “something twist and stretch” inside (741). Jorah arrives, and when Daenerys asks him what the egg feels like to him, he answers: “cold stone” (742). Jorah reveals the difficult nature of her situation: The Dothraki have abandoned her, and two men have declared themselves Khal. Mirri tells Daenerys that her son was stillborn and “scaled like a lizard, blind, with the stub of a tail and small leather wings like the wings of a bat” (743). Mirri blames Daenerys for underestimating the demands of magic. Drogo is still alive, but he does not speak or seemingly think. When Daenerys blames Mirri for casting a vindictive spell, Mirri laughs. She says that Drogo will only return to himself “when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east” (746). She points to the wholesale slaughter of the Lamb Men as justification for her actions. Eventually, Daenerys understands that Drogo is lost to her, so she smothers him with a pillow.

Tyrion ruminates on Jamie’s capture. He is impressed by Robb’s tactical acumen and that Robb has now liberated Riverrun from the siege. A Lannister man suggests that now is the time to “sue for peace” (752), but Tyrion says the execution of Ned Stark makes peace impossible and, besides, Robb is currently “winning” the war. The execution also makes any attempt to negotiate Jaime’s freedom difficult. Tywin has learned that Renly Baratheon has married Margaery Tyrell, uniting the powerful Baratheon and Tyrell houses. As such, Renly has “claimed the crown” (754). Similarly, Stannis Baratheon, who has a more legitimate claim than his younger brother, has a powerful navy close to King’s Landing. The Lannisters face threats from Robb, Renly, and Stannis. Tywin criticizes Cersei and Joffrey as incompetent. Tyrion is surprised when his father asks him to go to King’s Landing and govern on Tywin’s behalf as Hand of the King. The one provision is that Tyrion is not allowed to take Shae with him. Despite the unexpected vote of confidence in Tyrion’s intelligence, Tyrion is horrified that Tywin believes that Jaime is as “good as dead” (575). Later, Tyrion tells Shae that he will take her to King’s Landing with him.

Jon decides to break his vows and ride south to meet Robb. He leaves Castle Black in the middle of the night despite Sam’s protests that he “must not do this” (759). Thinking about his honor, he decides to leave behind the sword given to him by Commander Mormont. He stops briefly to rest and discovers his friends have come after him. They remind him of his duty, convincing him to return to the Wall with his “brothers.” The next day, Jon talks to Commander Mormont. The commander already knows that Jon almost broke his vows, and he understands Jon’s motivations. Mormont returns Longclaw to Jon. He describes his worry about winter, about the dead coming to life, and about Mance Rayder, who is “massing all his people” beyond the Wall (770). Mormont believes Jon and Ghost are fated to be at the Wall. Mormont plans a ranging party to go beyond the Wall to find Benjen Stark and understand what is happening.

With Jaime’s forces defeated, Riverrun free, and Robb victorious, Catelyn is proud of her son but angry with the situation. She visits her dying father, Lord Hoster, and they talk about the Tully family. After, Catelyn searches for Robb and finds him in the Riverrun godswood, “kneeling before the heart tree” with his men (777). The location reminds her of her youth when she played there with Lysa and Littlefinger, practicing kissing. Catelyn complained to Lysa that Littlefinger tried to put his tongue in her mouth, and Lysa told her he did it to her too but that she liked it. Robb tells Catelyn that Renly Baratheon is claiming the crown from his brother Stannis, so they must discuss what comes next. They need to deal with Tywin Lannister but cannot decide which of the current kings—Renly or Joffrey—they should be fighting for. Joffrey killed Ned and holds the Stark girls, but he is the rightful heir as Robert’s son, as far as these men know. Renly, being Robert’s younger brother, has a weak claim to the throne as long as Stannis is alive. Whichever side they fight for, it would be considered treason to the other. Catelyn calls on them to make peace, but Robb’s bannermen do not want to end the war because of all that has been sacrificed already and because they have Jamie Lannister. The Greatjon stands and denounces the southern kings who have been nothing but trouble and claims they should rule themselves. The other houses agree and pledge their fealty. Catelyn watches as Robb is declared the King in the North, an ancient title that predates the Targaryen invasion of Westeros.

Daenerys builds a pyre for Drogo over the corpse of a sacrificed horse. Mirri recognizes what Daenerys is doing and tells her that attempting blood magic without knowing the spells is dangerous. Jorah also tries to stop her, thinking Daenerys intends to die on the pyre with Drogo. She assures him this is not the case. When Jorah calls her princess, she demands that she is the last of House Targaryen and thus his queen. The few people who remain with her include Jorah, her handmaids, her three Dothraki guards, and a few scattered Dothraki and slaves. Daenerys gives the weapons from her bridal gifts to each of her three guards, naming them as her bloodriders, her inner circle. Each one refuses, saying that being a bloodrider to a woman would be shameful. Daenerys ignores their protests and carries on. Jorah is the only man who is willing to offer an oath of loyalty, making him “the first of [her] Queensguard” (787). Overhead, they see “a comet, burning red” (789) as it passes through the sky. She dresses Drogo for his funeral and has Mirri tied to the pyre. She places her dragon eggs on the pyre and sets the fire. As she burns, Mirri sings, and then Daenerys calmly steps into the flames. Daenerys hears three loud cracks as the fire burns, and when it is done, Jorah finds Daenerys in the ashes nursing two baby dragons with a third around her shoulders. The three Dothraki swear they will be her bloodriders, and the rest soon swear allegiance as well. Dragons have returned to the world “for the first time in hundreds of years” (792).