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===Season 6=== After a period of captivity, Margaery is permitted to visit Loras in his cell. She discovers that he is beginning to break under the Faith's questioning, and that the meeting is a ploy to break her too. Jaime Lannister leads the Tyrell army on the Sept of Baelor to secure Margaery's release, but it is revealed that she has been absolved, by convincing Tommen to forge an alliance between the Faith and the Crown. To placate Cersei, Margaery surreptitiously convinces Olenna to return to Highgarden, subtly indicating that she is still loyal to House Tyrell. Margaery persuades the High Sparrow, the leader of the Faith, to release Loras if he surrenders his claim as heir of House Tyrell and joins the Faith. However, when Cersei fails to arrive for her trial Margaery deduces Cersei is plotting something. Panicking, she desperately tries to convince the High Sparrow to evacuate the Sept of Baelor, but the High Sparrow refuses and has the Faith Militant bar the exits. Moments later, wildfire set beneath the Sept by Qyburn, on Cersei's orders explodes. Margaery is killed, along with hundreds of others present. Her death, and those of her brother and father, lead Olenna to accept a proposal by the Sand Snakes (who currently lead the Reach's ancient rival, Dorne) in supporting Daenerys Targaryen's invasion of Westeros.

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===''A Song of Ice and Fire''=== Adam Whitehead of the wertzone feels Margaery's rivalry with Cersei Lannister is a major driving force in ''A Feast for Crows''. Hahn Nguyen of wickedlocal.com feels that Margaery is a background character whose cunning is only addressed subtly. She states that; "In the books, I felt Margaery was just pushed to the background. A pawn," and "Margaery's cunning was hinted at in the books, especially in her lunch with Lady Olenna and Sansa." In a similar vein, Sean T. Collins writing for ''Rolling Stone'' feels that author Martin has been vague about Margaery's ambition and political cunning and describes her as a; "mute mystery whose motives and level of involvement in the game of thrones are unknown by ''A Clash of Kings''" However other writers feel Margaery's political ambition is more obvious. Madeline of Feministing writes; "Margaery is an ambitious politico as well as being a damn good actress – she plays the part of the tragic, virginal twice-widow so well that almost no one suspects that she is dead set on winning the throne. Despite frequently being used as a bartering chip, Margaery uses her womanhood to her advantage, knowing that producing an heir will shoot her to power." Similarly, Danica Liu writing for ''The Duke Chronicle'' describes Margaery as "subtle and graceful" and like most of the women in ''A Song of Ice and Fire,'' deals in the currencies of power.

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===''Game of Thrones''=== Natalie Dormer plays the role of Margaery Tyrell in the television series. David Sims writing for ''The A.V. Club'' enjoyed the introduction of Margaery's character in "What Is Dead May Never Die" commenting; "the fun twist to this plot is that Margaery Tyrell is obviously not the blushing maiden she appears to be, but an operator just like everyone else," and "Margaery could just be a cypher, a mostly silent cog in Renly's plans for dominance, but instead she's going to be a lot more." He uses her character to praise the writing of ''Game of Thrones'', stating that it; "rarely traffics in cliched characterization." Jenna Busch of Zap2it calls Margaery a "power player" who will "do anything to stay on the throne." Writer and editor Silvia Moreno Garcia describes Margaery as "a sleeker, more determined player of this game of thrones" when compared to her book characterization and goes on to comment that she is a "shrewd politician," who might give the other good players a run for their money." She also believes she is "older and worldlier than the one in the books." In "Valar Dohaeris", Diana Huang of UC Riverside's ''Highlander News'' appreciated the development of Margaery's character and called her "self aware and quick-witted" and believes she has the power to wreak havoc in King's Landing. Many commentators notice Margaery's desire and ability to gain the support of the public. Rhiannon of feministfiction writes: "this Margaery is ambitious but kind, clearly sweet and generous, but also a master at working people's emotions in her favor. Graceful, elegant, and aware of how powerful every word can be. She's an expert at the game that Sansa has only just begun, and it is stunning to see her." Tiffany Brown, writing for ''TV After Dark'', states "Margaery has gained the favor and love of the people of King's Landing, and has even garnered the affections of her future king." Natalie Dormer, the actress who plays Margaery, when interviewed by HitFix discussed Margaery's political savviness: Margaery brings this whole new element to the Game that you haven't seen before, which is basically PR. It's quite a modern ethos on PR and courting public affections, hopefully. We've all seen politicians kiss babies. It doesn't mean that she's insincere in her genuine hope to do charitable work and it's just an interesting new comment on how you handle the masses and how you win power that maybe we haven't seen in Westeros before. She also noted that Margaery comes from a matriarchal family and "that she's more cut from the cloth as a protegee of her grandmother, so she knows what it's like for a woman to be in charge." For her performance in the show, Natalie Dormer, along with the rest of the ensemble cast, was nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, and the cast was awarded the Empire Hero Award in 2015 by the British film magazine ''Empire''. For her performance in the third season of the show, Dormer won the Ewwy Award for Best Supporting Actress - Drama.

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'''Brandon Stark''', typically called '''Bran''', is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of Thrones'', Bran is the second son and fourth child of Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn Stark of Winterfell, the ancient capital of the North of the fictional kingdom of Westeros. He subsequently appeared in ''A Clash of Kings'' (1998) and ''A Storm of Swords'' (2000), was one of a few prominent characters that were not included in the fourth novel ''A Feast for Crows'' (2005), but returned in the fifth novel ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011). Bran dreams of becoming a knight since childhood, but is rendered paraplegic by Jaime Lannister early into the first novel after stumbling upon the latter's incestuous affair with twin sister Cersei Lannister. Awaking from a months-long coma, he is subsequently plagued by dreams of a mysterious figure beckoning him to travel north beyond the Wall. Bran's journey alongside a variety companions lead him deeper into the lore and magic of the North, where he begins to discover various mysterious powers and abilities. Martin told ''Rolling Stone'' in 2014 that Bran's momentous chapter with Jaime and Cersei is what "hooked" many readers early in the first novel. Bran is portrayed by English actor Isaac Hempstead Wright in the HBO television adaptation. Bran's characterization in later seasons of the show, including his relationship to the White Walkers and the Night King, have generated many theories in the fandom, as well as significant critical interest.

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== Character overview == The youngest point of view character in the novels, Bran is very first chapter character and was set up by Martin as a young hero of the series. Mikal Gilmore of ''Rolling Stone'' noted in 2014 that the moment in ''A Game of Thrones'' in which Jaime Lannister pushes Bran to his likely death "grabs you by the throat". Martin commented in the interview: In 2000, Martin called Bran the hardest character to write: ''Booklist'' cited Bran as a notable character in 1999, and the ''Publishers Weekly'' review of ''A Game of Thrones'' noted, "It is fascinating to watch Martin's characters mature and grow, particularly Stark's children, who stand at the center of the book." Noting Bran's absence in 2005's ''A Feast for Crows'', James Poniewozik of ''Time'' wrote in his review of ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011):

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===Description=== Bran is seven years old at the beginning of ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996). He is the fourth child and second son of Eddard "Ned" Stark and his wife Lady Catelyn, and has five siblings: an older brother Robb, two older sisters Sansa and Arya, a younger brother Rickon, and an older illegitimate half-brother Jon Snow. Bran is constantly accompanied by his direwolf Summer, the simpleton stableboy Hodor (who carries him around after his crippling), and the Reed siblings Meera and Jojen. Martin describes Bran as favoring his mother in appearance, having the thick auburn hair and deep blue eyes of the Tullys. According to Martin, Bran is a strong willed, but sweet and thoughtful boy, well-loved by everyone at Winterfell. He enjoys climbing and exploring the walls and ramparts of the castle; he is also dutiful and tough-minded. With his dreams of being a knight dashed by the crippling attempt on his life in ''A Game of Thrones'', duty forces Bran to overcome his new limitations and embrace his new abilities. His gradual acceptance of his seemingly-prophetic visions (called the "greensight") and his ability to psychically inhabit his direwolf Summer (which marks him as a type of skinchanger known as a warg) show his growing maturity and his worth beyond the loss of his legs. He also manages to enter Hodor's mind, and later skinchanges into crows and even weirwood trees under the mentorship of the Three-Eyed Crow.

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=== ''A Game of Thrones'' === In ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996), Bran accidentally sees Queen Cersei Lannister and her brother Ser Jaime having sex; whereupon he is pushed from the window by Jaime to keep the incest a secret, but he survives in a coma. While Bran remains unconscious, an attempt is made on his life, and Catelyn delays the assassin long enough for Bran’s direwolf, Summer, to kill him. Senseless, Bran dreams of his falling from the tower and of a three-eyed crow that offers to teach him to fly. With the crow's guidance, Bran wakes; but having been crippled by the fall, he is unable to walk. Thereafter he relies on the giant simpleton Hodor, and a harness designed by Tyrion Lannister, to move. When Robb rides south to relieve Ned's arrest in King's Landing, Bran becomes the acting Lord of Winterfell.

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=== ''A Clash of Kings'' === 1998's ''A Clash of Kings'' finds Robb named King in the North, and Bran, as Robb's heir, rules the castle in his brother's absence. When Theon Greyjoy betrays the Starks and captures Winterfell, Bran and Rickon escape, aided by the wildling Osha. To hide his failure, Theon has two other children murdered and proclaims them to be Bran and Rickon. Theon himself is betrayed by Ramsay Snow, the bastard son of Roose Bolton. Having been hiding in the crypts of Winterfell, Bran and his companions emerge to find the castle in ruins. They come upon a mortally wounded Maester Luwin, who advises their traveling party to split. Osha takes Rickon in the direction of White Harbor, while Bran, Hodor, Meera, and Jojen Reed set off north to seek the three-eyed raven. Meanwhile, Bran has slowly accepted the veracity of his dreams, and his ability to psychically inhabit Summer, which makes him a type of skin-changer known as a warg.

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=== ''A Storm of Swords'' === Bran, Hodor, Meera and Jojen travel north to the Wall in search of the three-eyed crow in ''A Storm of Swords'' (2000).

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=== ''A Dance with Dragons'' === In ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011), Bran, Hodor, Meera and Jojen are joined by the mysterious Coldhands, and a Child of the Forest named Leaf takes them to the three-eyed crow (actually a human telepath), who in turn offers to train Bran in clairvoyance.

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== TV adaptation == Isaac Hempstead Wright plays the role of Bran Stark in the television series. Bran Stark is played by Isaac Hempstead Wright in the television adaption of the series of books.

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===Storylines=== Brandon "Bran" Stark is the second son and fourth child of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. He was named after his deceased uncle, Brandon.

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====Season 1==== Bran receives one of a litter of recovered direwolves given to the Stark children and names him Summer. During the King's visit to Winterfell, Bran accidentally interrupts the Queen, Cersei, having sex with her brother, Jaime, who shoves him from the window. While he is unconscious and recovering from his injuries, Summer kills an assassin sent to murder Bran. When he awakens Bran cannot recall the events before his fall and finds that he is crippled from the waist down, forced to be carried everywhere by the stableboy Hodor. Slowly, he realizes that he has gained the ability to assume Summer's consciousness, making him a warg or a skinchanger. After his older brother, Robb, is crowned King in the North, Bran becomes Robb's heir and the Lord of Winterfell.

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====Season 2==== After Theon Greyjoy captures Winterfell, Osha helps Bran and his younger brother Rickon go into hiding. To cement his claim on Winterfell, Theon has two orphan boys killed and their bodies burned, and passes their charred bodies corpses off as Bran and Rickon. After Theon's men betray him and Winterfell is sacked, Bran, Rickon, Hodor, Osha and their direwolves head north to find his older brother Jon Snow for safety.

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====Season 3==== Bran and his group encounter Jojen and Meera Reed, two siblings who aid them in their quest. Jojen shares Bran's "greensight" and tutors him in his prophetic visions. After coming close to the Wall, Osha departs with Rickon for Last Hearth (to keep him safe) while Bran insists on following his visions beyond the Wall. Bran and his group encounter Sam and Gilly, who try to persuade Bran not to venture beyond the Wall, but Bran claims it is his destiny and leaves through the gate with Hodor and the Reeds.

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====Season 4==== During their travels beyond the Wall, Bran and his group stumble across Craster's Keep, where they are captured and held by Night's Watch mutineers, led by Karl Tanner. Night's Watchmen led by Jon eventually converge on Craster's Keep, but Locke, an agent of Roose Bolton, pretending to be a new Watch recruit, finds Bran first and takes him hostage. Bran wargs into Hodor and snaps Locke's neck. The group then continues on without telling Jon, who Jojen claims would stop them. Bran eventually reaches the heart tree but are set upon by wights outside the entrance. Jojen is killed in the attack, but the Children of the Forest lead Bran and his company safely into a magic cave, to meet the Three-Eyed Raven. The Three-Eyed Raven declares that Bran will not walk again but will fly, instead.

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====Season 6==== As part of his training, Bran is shown several visions of the past, including Ned Stark and Howland Reed confronting Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Gerold Hightower at the Tower of Joy, and sees how the Children of the Forest injected one of the First Men with dragonglass in a ritual to create the Night King, the first White Walker, as a defense against the other First Men. However, the Three-Eyed Raven is always quick to withdraw Bran from the visions, warning that he may become trapped in them if he stays too long. Growing bored with his slow progress, Bran enters a vision on his own and witnesses the Night King in the present day, who sees Bran and marks him, making the Three-Eyed Raven's cave vulnerable to the White Walkers' magic. The Three-Eyed Raven enters Bran into another vision of Winterfell's past to impart all his knowledge, but before the transfer is completed the White Walkers attack the cave, killing the Three-Eyed Raven, Summer, and the Children of the Forest. Bran, still caught in the vision, wargs into Hodor through the latter's younger self (named Wylis), and he and Meera flee as Hodor carries Bran's unconscious body out of the cave. Meera carries Bran into the forest, while Hodor gives his life to hold back the cave door against the army of wights until they overwhelm him. Bran witnesses how his warging accidentally linked Hodor's past and present mind, inducing a brain damaging seizure in young Wylis and causing him to repeat Meera's command to "hold the door" over and over, until he can only slur the word "Hodor". After the wight army catches up to them again, Bran and Meera are rescued by Bran's uncle Benjen Stark, who had been killed by the White Walkers several years prior but was revived by the Children. Benjen whisks the duo to safety and advises that Bran is now the '''Three-Eyed Raven''' and must learn to control his powers before the Night King attacks the Seven Kingdoms. Benjen leaves Bran and Meera at the weirwood in the Haunted Forest, as the Wall's magic prevents the dead (and therefore, Benjen) from passing it. Bran touches the weirwood and witnesses the rest of the vision of Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy. He discovers that Lyanna Stark died giving birth to Rhaegar Targaryen's son Aegon, whom Ned found and raised as Jon Snow at Lyanna's dying request.

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====Season 7==== Bran returns to Winterfell, which has been rebuilt and reoccupied by the remaining Starks. Jon Snow has traveled to Dragonstone to meet with Daenerys Targaryen, after which he is finally reunited at Winterfell with Sansa and Arya, who are both concerned by Bran's knowledge about their tribulations following Ned's execution. Littlefinger gives Bran a Valyrian steel dagger (the one used by Bran's would-be assassin in season one), which Bran passes to Arya. Meera leaves Winterfell to return to Greywater Watch; Bran's indifference to her departure makes her realize that Bran "died" in the Three-Eyed Raven's cave. For that reason, Bran remains aloof to his siblings as well. He uses his greenseeing abilities to discover Littlefinger's betrayal of Ned. When Sansa confronts Littlefinger about his treason towards House Stark, Bran corroborates the accusations leveled against him, and Arya executes Littlefinger at Sansa's command. Samwell Tarly arrives in Winterfell and comes to visit Bran. Bran tells Sam his discovery that Jon is the bastard son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, but Sam mentions a former High Septon's record of annulling Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell so that he could marry Lyanna. Bran uses greenseeing to confirm that the marriage took place, and then revisits the vision of the Tower of Joy, discovering that's Jon's real name is Aegon Targaryen. Bran declares that Jon is therefore the heir to the Iron Throne.

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====Season 8==== Bran is reunited with Jon when he returns to Winterfell with Daenerys Targaryen and her forces. Bran reveals to them that the Night King has reanimated Daenerys' dragon Viserion and used it to breach the Wall. Bran urges Sam to tell Jon the truth of his parentage, upon which Jon abdicates his claim in favour of Daenerys'. Jaime later arrives at Winterfell to aid in the fight against the dead, but Bran does not reveal Jaime's role in crippling him. At the war council before the battle against the dead, Bran explains that the Night King desires to create an endless winter and will try to kill him during the battle, due to his ability to hold humanity's collective memories. He convinces the council to let him wait in the Godswood as bait for the Night King. Theon, who has returned to Winterfell to fight the dead with his men, offers to defend Bran, and Jon and Daenerys plan to hide in wait to attack the Night King when he emerges. The Night King eventually breaches the castle and approaches Bran, killing Theon in the process. He is about to kill Bran, but Arya intervenes and manages to stab the Night King with the Valyrian steel dagger, eliminating the Night King as well as all the other White Walkers and undead he resurrected. Westeros is left without a ruler when, after Daenerys successfully wrests King's Landing from Cersei Lannister, she proceeds to burn the surrendered populace of the city, during which Cersei is also killed. Jon fails to dissuade Daenerys from further destruction and ultimately assassinates her. He is arrested. Weeks later, Tyrion Lannister proposes choosing Bran as the new king before a council of the lords and ladies of Westeros. He reasons that it would make a good story to unite the people, suggesting that future kings be elected by the lords of Westeros rather than inheriting the crown. When Tyrion asks Bran if he is willing to be king, Bran replies, "Why do you think I came all this way?" The council holds a vote and all agree except for Sansa, who instead requests the North's independence. Bran agrees, being stylized as Bran the Broken, King of the Six Kingdoms. He appoints Tyrion as his Hand of the King. Later, Brienne, Bronn, Davos, and Sam form Bran's Small Council. It is revealed Bran has decided to exile Jon to the Night's Watch for killing Daenerys as a compromise. As Jon leaves, he apologizes to Bran for not being there for him, but Bran responds, "You were exactly where you were supposed to be." Bran tasks himself with finding Drogon.

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'''Varys''' is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of Thrones'', Varys is a former slave eunuch from the fictional city of Lys and the master of whisperers in King's Landing. He subsequently appeared in Martin's books ''A Clash of Kings'' (1998), ''A Storm of Swords'' (2000), and ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011). He proves to be a key ally to Ned Stark and Tyrion Lannister at court, but his true motives remain shrouded in mystery to those who employ his services. Varys is portrayed by Conleth Hill in the HBO television adaptation.

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==Character overview== Varys is not a point of view character in the novels, so his actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other people, such as Ned Stark, Tyrion and Cersei Lannister.

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===Background=== Varys was born as a slave in the Free City of Lys and joined a travelling acting troupe. While the troupe was performing in Myr, a sorcerer bought the young Varys from the troupe's leader, drugged Varys before removing his genitals and burning them in a brazier in a blood magic ritual, and afterwards cast him into the streets. Varys turned to begging, prostitution, and ultimately theft to survive, but soon became known in Myr and fled to Pentos. There he befriended a poor sellsword, Illyrio Mopatis, with whom he teamed up to steal valuables from other thieves and return them to their owners for a fee. Varys eventually realised that there was more to gain from stealing secrets instead of valuables and trained his spies to copy information from the wealthy and powerful. Varys and Illyrio became rich, and Varys' reputation reached the ears of the King of Westeros, Aerys II Targaryen, who appointed Varys as his Master of Whisperers. Jaime claims that Aerys saw traitors everywhere, and Varys was quick to point out any he missed. Apparently, when Rhaegar Targaryen intended to use a Tourney at Harrenhal to call a Great Council to deal with his father's instability, and possibly dethrone him, Varys warned Aerys, and they attended the tourney. Sometime prior to the Sack of King's Landing, Varys had Rhaegar's infant son Aegon swapped with a lowborn baby and smuggled to Essos to be raised in hiding by Rhaegar's friend Jon Connington, who was exiled by the Mad King for failing to defeat Robert. Varys remains Master of Whisperers after Robert Baratheon seizes the Iron Throne but secretly remains loyal to House Targaryen.

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===Description=== Varys, also called the Spider, is a eunuch and courtier who serves as Master of Whisperers, the spymaster for the king of the Seven Kingdoms at the royal court in King's Landing. As Master of Whisperers he is on the privy council. He is feared by nobles and common people alike. He knows all of the secret passages in the royal castle, and his spies are found everywhere. He is a skilled manipulator and commands a network of informants across two continents. He often puts on the public persona of being nothing more than a bald, pudgy man well suited to the pleasantries of court life; humble, obsequious, fawning, and a little effeminate. This is simply a facade that Varys has developed, which often leads those who do not know him well to underestimate him as a cheerful and vapid flatterer. In reality he is a cunning and ruthless manipulator of court politics, on par with Master of Coin, Petyr Baelish ("Littlefinger"), with whom he frequently spars. Unlike Littlefinger, Varys insists that his goals are to achieve what he honestly feels is best for the realm.

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====''A Game of Thrones''==== Soon after Eddard Stark's arrival in King's Landing, Varys warns him that Robert's wife Cersei Lannister intends to kill Robert and offers his help to Eddard in investigating the Lannisters. He later meets in secret with Illyrio to discuss stalling a war between Houses Stark and Lannister until the right moment; this is overheard by Arya Stark, but she is unable to identify the men. When Robert is ultimately killed, Varys remains spymaster for his heir Joffrey and suggests that Ser Barristan Selmy be blamed for Robert's death. Selmy is removed from the Kingsguard and ultimately defects to Daenerys Targaryen, which may have been Varys' plan all along. Varys visits Eddard in captivity and convinces him to plead guilty to treason and join the Night's Watch in order to save the life of his daughters Sansa and Arya, which would also avert war between the Starks and Lannisters, and Ned eventually agrees. Varys is horrified, however, when Joffrey has Ned executed anyway and tries in vain to dissuade the King whilst Littlefinger smugly looks on. In the aftermath, Varys arranges for Robert's bastard Gendry to join the Night's Watch, to avoid being killed by Cersei.

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====''A Clash of Kings''==== Varys is the first to learn that Tyrion Lannister has brought his mistress Shae with him to King's Landing, and tells Tyrion of a route that he can use to visit her. He forms an uneasy alliance with Tyrion to share the information gathered by his spy network.

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====''A Storm of Swords''==== Varys continues to facilitate Tyrion and Shae's trysts, but testifies against Tyrion when Tyrion is tried for Joffrey's murder. After Tyrion is sentenced to death, Jaime Lannister forces Varys to help Tyrion escape. As Varys and Tyrion escape through the secret passages of the Red Keep, Tyrion decides to seek out his father Tywin's chambers. Varys protests but gives Tyrion the exact directions to Tywin's room. It is likely Varys took advantage of the situation to have Tywin killed, weakening a chief rival of House Targaryen's.

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====''A Feast for Crows''==== After helping Tyrion escape, Varys disappears. A Red Keep turnkey, Rugen, disappears at the same time, and a Tyrell coin is found in his chambers. This cements Cersei's distrust of House Tyrell, although she is unaware Rugen is merely a disguise of Varys'.

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====''A Dance with Dragons''==== Varys sneaks into the Red Keep to kill Grand Maester Pycelle. He also lures Lord Regent Kevan Lannister into Pycelle's chambers and mortally wounds him. As Kevan dies, Varys explains that his death was necessary to destabilise the Seven Kingdoms in preparation for Aegon Targaryen's invasion, before ordering his little birds to finish Kevan off.

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===In the show=== Conleth Hill plays the role of Varys in the television series Coat of arms of House Targaryen

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==== Season 1 & 2 ==== Varys' storyline remains, for the most part, identical between the first two seasons of the show and the books.

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====Season 3==== After Littlefinger's confidante Ros is severely beaten by Joffrey's guards and Littlefinger fails to intervene, Varys takes Ros into his service as a spy. Littlefinger finds out and sells her to the sadist Joffrey, taunting the eunuch that Varys could not protect her. Varys affirms his course as a means to prevent chaos befalling the realm, claiming that Littlefinger "would see the Seven Kingdoms burn, if he could be king over the ashes."

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====Season 4==== Varys informs Tyrion that Cersei has discovered his relationship with Shae. Although Varys claims he will not lie for him, he implores Tyrion to send Shae away for her own safety. Varys later testifies against Tyrion at his trial for murdering Joffrey, but when Tyrion is convicted, Jaime enlists Varys' help in smuggling Tyrion out of King's Landing to Essos. As Varys prepares to return to the Red Keep, he hears the tolling bells, making him realise that Tyrion's escape has been discovered (along with his murder of Tywin), and he joins Tyrion on the voyage to Essos

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====Season 5==== Varys and Tyrion arrive in Pentos, where Varys reveals his allegiance to House Targaryen and convinces Tyrion to travel with him to Meereen and aid Daenerys Targaryen in retaking the Iron Throne. While in Volantis, Tyrion is kidnapped by Daenerys' former advisor Jorah Mormont. Varys journeys on to Meereen, where he arrives to discover Tyrion in control of the city in Daenerys' absence. He offers Tyrion the use of his spy network to maintain order in the city.

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====Season 6==== Varys discovers that the Meereenese insurgency, the Sons of the Harpy, are funded by the masters of Yunkai and Astapor and the slavers of Volantis, and brokers a meeting between Tyrion and representatives of those cities. The slavers agree to a truce with Tyrion, and Meereen begins to prosper. Varys departs for the Seven Kingdoms, telling Tyrion that he will seek out allies for Daenerys. His ultimate destination is Dorne, where Ellaria Sand has killed Doran Martell in anger at his inaction against the Lannisters and seized power. There he meets and forms alliances with Ellaria and Olenna Tyrell, who also seeks vengeance against Cersei, as Cersei's machinations have caused the death of all the other Tyrells. Varys returns to Meereen with ships from Dorne and the Reach, and sets sail for Westeros with Daenerys and her army.

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====Season 7==== Varys, along with Daenerys and her entire army, reaches Dragonstone. While in Dragonstone, Varys helps in planning the attack against Cersei. Daenerys thanks him for getting the support of The Reach and Dorne, but confronts Varys for his past allegiances. Varys defends himself by saying that he doesn't serve any King/Queen but serves the people. Daenerys forgives him but warns Varys not to betray her, or else she would burn him alive. Varys then tells Daenerys of Euron Greyjoy's attack as well as defeat of Highgarden against the Lannister army. While talking with Tyrion, Varys criticizes Daenerys for burning Randyll and Dickon Tarly alive. He also reads the raven sent from Winterfell before informing Jon Snow. Varys accompanies Daenerys, Jon, and others to King's Landing to discuss a truce with Cersei.

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====Season 8==== During the White Walkers' attack on Winterfell, Varys shelters in the crypts with the other non-combatants, and survives the Night King's reanimation of those buried in the crypts. In the aftermath of the battle, Varys observes Daenerys' dismay at not being lauded by the Northerners. He accompanies her court back to Dragonstone to prepare to attack King's Landing, and is told by Tyrion that Jon Snow is secretly Rhaegar's son and thus the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. The fleet is ambushed by Euron Greyjoy's Iron Fleet and Missandei is captured and executed. After failing to convince Tyrion to help him install Jon as king, or (it is implied) to poison Daenerys, Varys openly approaches Jon and suggests that he become king. Jon rebuffs him, and Tyrion reveals Varys' betrayal to Daenerys. Daenerys has Varys brought before her and has Drogon burn him alive.

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==TV adaptation== Varys is played by the Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill in the television adaption of the series of books. Author George R. R. Martin wrote about the casting of Hill as Varys, "Hill, like Varys, is quite a chameleon, an actor who truly disappears inside the characters he portrays, more than capable not only of bringing the slimy, simpering eunuch to life."

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===Recognition and awards=== Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

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'''Oberyn Nymeros Martell''', nicknamed '''the Red Viper''', is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 2000's ''A Storm of Swords'', Oberyn is the younger brother of Doran Martell, from the desert kingdom of Dorne. Unlike his sickly and pensive brother, Oberyn is notorious both for his dangerous and unpredictable nature as well as his affinity for poisons, for which he earned his nickname. He is subsequently sporadically mentioned in ''A Feast for Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons''. As his brother is sickly, he travels to King's Landing in order to claim the Dornish seat on the small council, as well as to seek vengeance for his sister Elia Martell's death at the hands of Ser Gregor Clegane, whom he suspects acted directly on orders from Tywin Lannister. Oberyn is portrayed by Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal in the HBO television adaptation.

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== Character description == Oberyn Martell is the youngest brother of Prince Doran Martell, the ruler of the southern principality of Dorne. He is a hot-headed, forceful, and lustful man with a quick wit and a barbed tongue. He is a formidable fighter, and is nicknamed "the Red Viper" due to his preference for red clothing, as well as the rumor of him using poisoned weapons in duels. He has travelled the world, served in the famous mercenary company Second Sons before founding a company of his own, and briefly studied poisons and dark arts as a novice at the Citadel, managing to obtain six links of the maester's chain before quitting due to boredom. He is bisexual and has eight illegitimate daughters, collectively known as the "Sand Snakes". He was very close to his older sister Elia, and seeks revenge for her death. Oberyn Martell is not a point of view character in the novels. His actions are directly witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of Tyrion Lannister, and is later mentioned via the chapters of his niece Arianne Martell and Areo Hotah, the bodyguard of his brother Doran.

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== Storylines == In ''A Storm of Swords'', Oberyn leads a Dornish envoy to King's Landing to claim the seat on the small council on Prince Doran Martell's behalf and obtain justice for his sister Elia Martell's murderer, as was agreed with the acting Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister. When Tyrion is accused of murdering King Joffrey Baratheon, Oberyn volunteers to champion for Tyrion in the trial by combat, so he can fight and seek revenge from the rival champion, Ser Gregor Clegane, who is Elia's murderer. Though Oberyn manages to gain the upper hand in the duel and impale Clegane to the ground with his spear, Clegane manages to surprise him by foot sweeping him to the ground and bear-hugging him, then gouging his eyes, and finally killing him by repeatedly smashing his face with a mailed fist. However, it is later revealed that Oberyn has coated his spear in manticore venom to ensure that Clegane will die a slow and agonizing death. In ''A Feast for Crows'', Doran Martell reveals to his daughter Arianne that Oberyn has actually been acting as Doran's enforcer to carry out his secret plan for House Lannister's downfall. Three of Oberyn's bastard daughters, known as the Sand Snakes, are assigned missions to infiltrate the Iron Throne as sleeper agents.

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== TV adaptation == Pedro Pascal plays the role of Oberyn Martell in the television series. Oberyn Martell is played by Pedro Pascal in the television adaption of the series of books.

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=== Season 4 === Oberyn arrives in King's Landing with his paramour, Ellaria Sand, to attend Joffrey's wedding in his brother's stead, and his meeting with Tyrion makes it clear that he has actually come to take revenge against the Lannisters for their role in the deaths of his sister, nephew and niece. At the wedding, Joffrey dies after being poisoned, and Tywin initially suspects Oberyn of having a hand in the murder since Oberyn has a past with poison chemistry, while Oberyn denies involvement and accuses Tywin of ordering Gregor Clegane to rape and murder Elia. The two reach a settlement when Tywin promises Oberyn a meeting with Clegane in exchange for Oberyn serving as one of the three judges at Tyrion's trial. At the trial, Oberyn implies that he is not convinced of Tyrion's guilt, and openly questions Cersei's testimony and asks Shae why Tyrion would tell her about all of his plans to murder Joffrey if he was the perpetrator. When Tyrion demands a trial by combat and Gregor Clegane is chosen as Cersei's champion, Oberyn volunteers to fight for Tyrion, proclaiming that he will exact his vengeance, starting with Ser Gregor. Martell valiantly fights Clegane, his superior speed making up for Clegane's size, and manages to wound him in the shoulder and the leg, flooring him. Refusing to kill him immediately, Oberyn furiously demands that Clegane admit to raping and killing Elia and her children, and that the order came from Tywin himself. Distracted for a moment, Oberyn is floored by Clegane, who – in a manner self-admittedly paraphrasing the murder of Elia – knocks out his teeth, straddles him and slowly gouges out his eyes, admitting to the rape and murder of Elia before crushing his skull. Tyrion is subsequently sentenced to death, but Oberyn's objective of vengeance was not in vain, since his spear is revealed to have been laced with the deadly venom of the manticore, which is slowly killing Clegane.

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=== Reception === The Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal has garnered positive reviews for his role as Oberyn Martell in the television show. For his performance, Pascal was awarded the Ewwy Award for Best Guest Actor – Drama, and was nominated for the NewNowNext Award for Best New Television Actor, and, as part of the ensemble cast, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

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"'''The Last of the Starks'''" is the fourth episode of the eighth season of HBO's fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', and the 71st overall. It was written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter. It aired on May 5, 2019. "The Last of the Starks" shows the aftermath of the battle against the Army of the Dead while setting the stage for the final confrontation, with Daenerys, Jon, and their remaining forces going towards King's Landing to confront Cersei and demand her surrender. The episode received mixed reviews. Critics praised its return to the political intrigue of earlier ''Game of Thrones'' episodes, but criticized the episode's writing. It received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and was picked by Emilia Clarke to support her nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This episode marks the final appearance of Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei), and Hannah Murray (Gilly), as well as the final appearances of six actors whose characters died in the previous episode, but were seen as corpses: Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy), Iain Glen (Ser Jorah Mormont), Bella Ramsey (Lyanna Mormont), Richard Dormer (Beric Dondarrion), Ben Crompton (Eddison Tollett), and Staz Nair (Qhono).

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===At Winterfell=== Jon leads a mass funeral cremation for the dead. At a feast, Daenerys legitimizes Gendry as a Baratheon and makes him Lord of Storm's End, the ancestral home of House Baratheon. Gendry proposes to Arya, but she declines. Brienne leaves a drinking game in discomfort when Tyrion guesses she is a virgin. Jaime goes to Brienne's room and they have sex. Daenerys is uncomfortable at the acclaim the wildlings give Jon and, in private, begs him to never reveal his true parentage. Jon reassures Daenerys that he's renounced his claim for hers but insists he must tell Arya and Sansa the truth. Daenerys plans to immediately storm King's Landing, but Sansa argues the soldiers need rest. Ultimately, they agree Jon will lead the army on foot while Daenerys and her fleet will sail to Dragonstone. Afterwards, Arya and Sansa tell Jon that they distrust Daenerys but Jon defends her. After swearing Sansa and Arya to secrecy, Jon has Bran tell Arya and Sansa of his true parentage. Bronn arrives to kill Jaime and Tyrion, but accepts their offer of Highgarden in exchange for their lives. Arya and Sandor Clegane ride for King's Landing. Sansa reveals Jon's parentage to Tyrion, who then tells Varys. Jon gives Ghost to Tormund, who plans to return north of the Wall with the wildlings; Tormund suggests that Jon join them. Jon also bids farewell to Sam and a pregnant Gilly. After learning of Cersei's capture of Missandei and Sansa suggesting Daenerys will execute Cersei for this, Jaime leaves for King's Landing during the night in hopes of saving her, despite Brienne's tearful plea that he stay with her.

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===At Dragonstone=== Euron's Iron Fleet ambushes Daenerys's fleet and kills Rhaegal. Missandei is captured. Daenerys is convinced to talk to Cersei first instead of attacking King's Landing. Varys fears for Daenerys' mental stability and tells Tyrion he believes Jon would be a better ruler, but Tyrion stands by her.

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===At King's Landing=== Euron reports his success to Cersei, who claims to be pregnant with his child. She orders the gates of the Red Keep remain open, making her subjects human shields to deter an all-out assault on the city. Daenerys and her army arrive at the walls of King's Landing. Cersei and Daenerys demand each other's surrender, with Cersei threatening to kill Missandei. Tyrion attempts to appeal to Cersei's humanity to get her to surrender. Cersei refuses and has Gregor Clegane behead Missandei, horrifying and enraging Grey Worm and Daenerys.

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=== Filming === The episode was directed by David Nutter. This was his final episode of the series overall. During filming of the banquet scenes, a disposable coffee cup was accidentally left on the set; it was briefly visible in the original broadcast of the episode, but was digitally erased two days later. Actress Nathalie Emmanuel was digitally inserted into the long shots of her own death scene, because filming took place at a great physical height and was exposed to photographers. To keep the plot secret, Emmanuel did not participate in those takes, while her close-ups were shot separately on a sound stage.

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=== Ratings === The episode was viewed by 11.8 million viewers on its initial live broadcast on HBO. An additional 5.4 million viewers watched on streaming platforms, for a total of 17.2 million viewers.

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=== Critical response === The episode received mixed to negative reviews; on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 58%, based on 107 reviews and an average rating of 7.01/10, with the critics consensus stating: "'The Last of the Starks' strains to set the board for ''Game of Thrones'' conclusion, but serves up enough political intrigue and touching character interactions to satisfy". Among the positive reviews, Spencer Kornhaber of ''The Atlantic'' wrote, "despite all of the logical head-smack moments ... I'm not brimming with complaints. The episode recaptured some classic ''Thrones'' qualities, really." Chris Barton of ''Los Angeles Times'' praised the storytelling and the interaction between characters and believed that "the bulk of this episode was filled with the sort of palace intrigue and character dynamics that made the show more than the sum of its dragons." Sean T. Collins of ''Rolling Stone'' believed that the episode did a good job of showing the conflicts between humans and wrote, "It hasn't missed a step thematically, moving from humanity's need to stop killing itself and face a common threat to its compulsion to annihilation even after seeing what it can accomplish as a united front." Sarah Hughes of ''The Guardian'' wrote in her review that the pace of the episode was just right and added, "Where a lesser show would have hurried the action, moving us swiftly on to the battle with Cersei, The Last of the Starks took time to show what the true cost of the Battle of Winterfell was." Among the negative reviews, Shirley Li of ''The Atlantic'' wrote that she wasn't impressed by "The Last of the Starks" and criticized the "nonsensical storytelling" in this episode. David Malitz of ''The Washington Post'' also questioned the logic in this episode, and, referring to the confrontation between Daenerys and Euron, wrote, "Maybe it was just good luck on those initial kill shots, though, because the next few dozen arrows that fly toward Daenerys and Drogon all miss their mark. Every single one of them. Yep." Steve Johnson of ''Chicago Tribune'' believed that the show had lost its exciting storyline and, referring to the downfall of the Night King in the last episode, wrote, "How are we supposed to get thrilled about fighting mere Cersei again when we've already bested the greatest enemy of all time?" Alan Sepinwall of ''Rolling Stone'' labeled the episode as a "structural oddity", and wrote, "It never feels solid enough. The script races through the transition, piling one personality-altering event on top of the next so that none of them gets to breathe." Longtime ''Game of Thrones'' reviewer, Erik Kain of ''Forbes'', stated that "so much happened and so little of it felt right, that today I'm left feeling letdown more than anything, and dreading the next two episodes instead of eagerly awaiting them." On the "Inside the Episode" featurette for "The Last of the Starks", showrunner David Benioff explained that Daenerys lost Rhaegal and her fleet because "Dany kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet and Euron's forces". Amy Jones of ''The Daily Telegraph'' described the explanation as "so stupid", while fans ridiculed Benioff by turning the statement into a meme.

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=== Awards and nominations === Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

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== External links == * "The Last of the Starks" at HBO.com

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'''''Game of Thrones''''' is an episodic graphic adventure video game based on the TV series of the same name, which in turn, is based on George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' fantasy series, released in December 2014 for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game was developed by Telltale Games and follows the episodic format found in other Telltale titles, such as ''The Walking Dead'', ''The Wolf Among Us'' and ''Tales from the Borderlands'', where player choices and actions influence later events across the six-episode arc. The story revolves around the northern House Forrester, rulers of Ironrath, whose members, including the five playable characters, attempt to save their family and themselves after ending up on the losing side of the War of the Five Kings. The game includes settings, characters, and voice actors from the novels and TV series. A second season had been planned but was placed on hold in 2017, amid restructuring issues at Telltale Games, and ultimately was cancelled following Telltale's majority studio closure in September 2018.

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==Development== Martin's personal assistant, acted as a story consultant for the game After previous video games based on his works received negative or mediocre critical responses, George R. R. Martin opined that he wanted "a Game of Thrones game to be made by a studio that knows how to create a thrilling and interesting story". Telltale Games has found critical success in several licensed adventure games, including their ''The Wolf Among Us'' and ''The Walking Dead'' episodic video game series. ''Game of Thrones'' arose from internal discussions within Telltale of what other popular franchises they wanted to write games around, with much support given for ''Game of Thrones'', considering its emotional equivalence to ''The Walking Dead''. They approached HBO with the concept, and after a year of negotiations, were able to secure the license. In December 2013, Telltale announced ''Game of Thrones'' at the 2013 Spike VGX video game awards program. George R. R. Martin stated that his personal assistant, Ty Corey Franck, is working with Telltale Games as a "story consultant". Telltale's CEO Dan Connors explained that the game will not be a prequel to the television series, that the established world and timeline of ''Game of Thrones'' is allowing Telltale to explore fixed stories in more depth, to appeal to players.

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==Gameplay== ''Game of Thrones'' is an episodic point-and-click graphic adventure fantasy drama video game, released as 6 episodes following the model of Telltale's previous adventure games. The player is able to move their character around some scenes, interacting with objects and initiating conversation trees with non-player characters. Choices made by the player influence events in future episodes. The game switches between the viewpoints of five different characters. Each episode contains five points where the player must make a significant decision, choosing from one of two available options. Through Telltale's servers, the game tracks how many players selected which option and lets the player compare their choices to the rest of the player base. The game can be completed regardless of what choices are made in these situations; the main events of the story, as described below, continue regardless of what choices are made, but the presence and behavior of the non-player characters in later scenes is affected by the choices. The game allows the player to make multiple saves, and includes a "rewind" feature where the player can back up and alter a previous decision, thus facilitating the exploration of alternative choices. Some scenes are more action-oriented, requiring the player to respond to a series of quick time events. Failure to do these correctly may end the scene with the death of the playable character or another character, but the game will restart at a checkpoint just before that scene to allow the player to try again. In some instances, failure at particular quick time events results in minor game decisions.

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==Synopsis== Promotion at IgroMir 2016, featuring a cosplayer dressed as Margaery Tyrell.

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===Setting=== The game takes place concurrently with the television series, from the end of the third season until just prior to the start of the fifth season. The story focuses on House Forrester, a family not yet introduced in the television series, but mentioned briefly in the novel ''A Dance with Dragons''. House Forrester hails from Ironrath, a fortress within the Wolfswood forest in the North of Westeros, where they control the valuable Ironwood groves, coveted by many because of the wood's military importance. The game primarily takes place near Ironrath, but also in other locations on the continents of Westeros and Essos.

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===Characters=== Throughout the game, the player controls one of 5 family members or servants of the Forresters, with decisions made by one character affecting the others, and the ultimate fate of the house. Thirteen original playable and non-playable characters were created for the game.

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===Playable characters=== * Rodrik Forrester (Russ Bain), the first-born son of the House and its heir, with a prominent military background. * Asher Forrester (Alex Jordan), the second-born son of the House who has been exiled to Essos, now working as a mercenary. * Mira Forrester (Martha Mackintosh), the eldest daughter of the House, who serves as a handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell. * Ethan Forrester (Christopher Nelson), the third-born son and a scholarly boy serving as the incumbent Lord of Ironrath. * Gared Tuttle (Daniel Kendrick), squire to Lord Forrester and nephew to Duncan, exiled to serve in the Night's Watch as a ranger.

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===Non-playable characters=== * Lord Gregor Forrester (Robin Atkin Downes), the head of House Forrester and loyal to the Starks. * Lady Elissa Forrester (Lara Pulver), the matriarch of House Forrester that vows to prevent the destruction of her family as had fallen to her birth family, House Branfield. * Talia Forrester (Molly Stone), Ethan's twin, the second-eldest daughter, who is gifted with a talented voice. * Ryon Forrester (Louis Suc), the youngest son of the House. * Maester Ortengryn (David Franklin), a Maester of the Citadel serving House Forrester. * Ser Royland Degore (Brian George), an experienced military leader that serves as the master-at-arms for the House. * Lord Ludd Whitehill (Geoff Leesley), the Lord of Highpoint and longtime rival of House Forrester. * Gryff Whitehill (Sacha Dhawan), the cruel youngest son of Ludd Whitehill. * Duncan Tuttle (Robin Atkin Downes), a good friend of Lord Forrester whom he now serves as castellan. * Malcolm Branfield (JB Blanc), brother of Elissa and, with her, the only surviving members of House Branfield. * Elaena Glenmore (Amy Pemberton), a maiden of Rillwater Crossing and Rodrik's betrothed. * Sera Flowers (Natasha Loring), handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell and a close friend to Mira. * Beskha (Toks Olagundoye), a sellsword from Meereen and associate of Asher. * Croft (Adam Leadbeater), a member of the Second Sons and Asher's friend * Cotter (Joseph Baiderrema), a Wildling posing as a ranger for the Night's Watch and Gared's friend. * Finn (Yuri Lowenthal), a ranger of the Night's Watch and Gared's friend. * Frostfinger (Jeremy Crutchley), a grizzled mentor of the Night's Watch. * Britt Warrick (Alistar James), a mercenary working for House Whitehill. * Gwyn Whitehill (Laura Bailey), a maiden of Highpoint and Asher's former lover. * Tom (Yuri Lowenthal), a coalboy working in King's Landing and friend of Mira Forrester. * Rickard Morgryn (Nick Afka Thomas), a merchant operating from King's Landing and confident of Lord Whitehill. * Arthur "Quiver" Glenmore (Matt Littler), Elaena's brother and a skilled archer. * Andros (Robin Atkin Downes), a merchant and Morgryn's rival. * Tazal (Brian George), leader of the Lost Legion and Asher's enemy

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===Series reprisals=== * Jon Snow (Kit Harington), a member of the Night's Watch and bastard son of Ned Stark. * Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), the Queen Regent of the Seven Kingdoms serving in King's Landing and mother to King Joffrey Baratheon. * Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), the Master of Coin serving in King's Landing and Queen Cersei's brother. * Ramsay Snow (Iwan Rheon), a sadistic and ruthless bastard son of Roose Bolton, the Warden of the North. * Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), the Mother of Dragons and the potential future queen of the Seven Kingdoms, operating in Meereen. * Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer), a lady of Highgarden, betrothed to King Joffrey (who is not seen in the game, but is mentioned frequently).

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==Episodes== The game is separated into six episodes, released in intervals.

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==Reception== ''Game of Thrones'' received mixed reviews from critics praising the narrative, choice driven gameplay, and faithfulness to the source material while criticism was directed towards the graphical glitches and the lack of context for players unfamiliar with the ''Game of Thrones'' franchise.

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===Episode One – Iron from Ice=== ''Episode One – Iron from Ice'' received "generally positive" reviews. Aggregating review website Metacritic gave and the Microsoft Windows version 75/100 based on 44 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 77/100 based on 18 reviews, and the Xbox One version 80/100 based on 14 reviews.

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===Episode Two – The Lost Lords=== ''Episode Two – The Lost Lords'' received "mixed or average" reviews. Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 73/100 based on 35 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 69/100 based on 16 reviews, and the Xbox One version 76/100 based on 11 reviews. Gamezebo's reviewer noted that Episode 2, in particular, exhibited poor performance on iOS devices, with glitches and stuttering affecting the player's ability to succeed at timed events.

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===Episode Three – The Sword in the Darkness=== ''Episode Three – The Sword in the Darkness'' received "generally positive" reviews. Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 77/100 based on 30 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 70/100 based on 16 reviews, and the Xbox One version 80/100 based on 9 reviews.

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===Episode Four – Sons of Winter=== ''Episode Four – Sons of Winter'' received "generally positive" reviews. Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 77/100 based on 27 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 73/100 based on 15 reviews, and the Xbox One version 80/100 based on 8 reviews.

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===Episode Five – A Nest of Vipers=== ''Episode Five – A Nest of Vipers'' received "mixed or average" reviews. Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 74/100 based on 25 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 77/100 based on 11 reviews, and the Xbox One version 72/100 based on 10 reviews.

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===Episode Six – The Ice Dragon=== ''Episode Six – The Ice Dragon'' received "generally positive" reviews. Metacritic gave the Microsoft Windows version 70/100 based on 24 reviews, the PlayStation 4 version 75/100 based on 13 reviews, and the Xbox One version 80/100 based on 7 reviews.

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==Cancelled sequel== The first series proved successful, leading Telltale to begin development of a second episodic season. In November 2015, Telltale's Kevin Bruner affirmed that a second season was currently in development. Telltale's Job Stauffer said in an August 2017 interview that while they were still planning on Season 2, the series was on hold as focus on their other current projects for release in 2017 and 2018, as well as to see the direction the current television show (at the time, nearing the end of its run) goes. However, on September 21, 2018, the studio had a majority studio closure, laying off most of its staff and cancelling its in-development projects, including the second season of ''Game of Thrones''.

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'''Ygritte''' is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1998's ''A Clash of Kings'', she subsequently appeared in Martin's ''A Storm of Swords''. She is a wildling from the lands beyond the great Wall on the continent Westeros. Her kind are called "Wildlings" because they are outside the feudal order of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall; she calls them "Free Folk". Ygritte is portrayed by the Scottish actress Rose Leslie in the HBO television adaptation.

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== Character description == Ygritte is a wildling woman known for her red hair. She is fierce and headstrong. In wildling culture she is known as a spearwife: a woman who is also a warrior. Ygritte is not a point of view character in the novels, so her actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other people, such as Jon Snow.

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== Novel storylines == Ygritte first encounters Jon in ''A Clash of Kings'', when she and her band of wildlings are surprised by a group of rangers led by Qhorin Halfhand. Most of her band is killed, but Jon refrains from killing Ygritte because of her gender and later lets her go free. She rejoins the wildlings, and is present when Rattleshirt traps Qhorin and Jon. Ygritte speaks up for Jon when he, following Qhorin's orders, changes sides, and again when Mance Rayder doubts Jon's loyalty since he did not inform the wildlings of Lord Commander Mormont's ranging. Jon and Ygritte begin a sexual relationship and cross the Wall with Styr together, on Mance's orders to attack Castle Black from the rear. Ygritte continues to defend Jon, but when Jon changes sides again to return to the Night's Watch, she shoots Jon in the calf with an arrow. Ygritte later attacks Castle Black together with Styr's band, and is killed in the ensuing battle.

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== TV adaptation == Jon Snow, and Tormund Giantsbane in the show Ygritte is portrayed by Scottish actress Rose Leslie in the television adaption of the book series. Leslie said about her final scene as Ygritte, "I feel like she could have killed him – she could have shot Jon in the heart in one fell swoop. But when it finally came to that moment, she couldn't actually kill him. Even when she's expected to. Even when she wants to." She is a wildling girl with red hair ("kissed by fire", a sign of luck among the wildlings) and a follower of Mance Rayder's.

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===Season 2=== Ygritte first appears when she is captured in the Skirling Pass by Jon Snow and Qhorin Halfhand during a skirmish, when her fellow wildings are killed by the Night's Watch. She manages to escape but is recaptured by Jon, whose pursuit of her separates him from his brothers. Later she leads him into Rattleshirt's ambush, and Jon is captured by the wildings.

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===Season 3=== The wildings lead Jon to Mance Rayder's wildling camp, where Jon pretends to defect to the wildlings to discover their plans. Ygritte seduces him and later travels with Jon and the wildings to the Wall. However, when confronted with killing an innocent horse farmer, Jon escapes the angry wildlings' clutches and rides towards the Wall on horseback. Ygritte manages to catch up with Jon at his first rest stop. He confesses his love for her and points out she loves him, too, but he must leave her, so, although blinded by tears, Ygritte shoots Jon with three arrows as he, bound by duty, gallops away back to the Wall.

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===Season 4=== Ygritte starts raiding villages south of the wall with her group, clearly thirsting for vengeance against Jon, although Tormund, who knows Ygritte is an expert archer, suspects she let Jon go. When the wildlings attack Mole's Town, Ygritte slaughters all the women present, but notices Gilly hiding with her baby son and spares their lives. When the wildlings finally reach Castle Black and attack, Ygritte kills many Night's Watch brothers with her archery skills, among them Pyp. When she encounters Jon, however, she hesitates to shoot him and is shot in the back by Olly, a boy whose father Ygritte previously killed. Ygritte subsequently dies in Jon's arms, and he later burns her body himself, north of the Wall.

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'''''The Winds of Winter''''' is the planned sixth novel in the epic fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' by American writer George R. R. Martin. Martin believes the last two volumes of the series will total over 3,000 manuscript pages. They will take readers farther north than any of the previous books, and the first of the two will feature the Others. Martin has refrained from making hard estimates for the final release date of the novel.

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== Plot == ''The Winds of Winter'' will take readers farther north than any of the previous books, and the Others will appear in the book. The previous installment, ''A Dance with Dragons'', covered less story than Martin intended, excluding at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliffhangers. Martin intends to resolve these storylines "very early" in ''The Winds of Winter'', saying "I'm going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle at Meereen — the battle of Slaver's Bay. And then take it from there." A Victarion Greyjoy chapter will begin five minutes after the end of ''A Dance with Dragons'', taking place on the eve of the Ironborn's arrival in Slaver's Bay. Arianne Martell sample chapters that Martin released on his Web site showed her heading for Griffin's Roost to see the young man who is calling himself Aegon VI Targaryen. At Guadalajara International Book Fair 2016, Martin gave some clues about the dark nature of ''The Winds of Winter'': ... "I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming. Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world, so this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for. Some of the characters are in very dark places. .... Things get worse before they get better, so things are getting worse for a lot of people."

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== Viewpoint characters == Martin has confirmed that the following characters have point-of-view chapters in ''The Winds of Winter'': * Sansa Stark: One chapter was removed from ''A Dance with Dragons'' in June 2010, and one sample chapter titled ''Alayne'' appeared on Martin's website in April 2015. * Arya Stark: One chapter was removed from ''A Dance with Dragons'' in June 2010, and one sample chapter titled ''Mercy'' appeared on Martin's website in March 2014. * Arianne Martell: Two chapters were removed from ''A Dance with Dragons'' in June 2010. One sample chapter appeared on Martin's website in January 2013, and was read at Harbour Front Literaturfestival in June 2015. Martin read from both chapters at MystiCon in February 2016. In May 2016, Martin replaced the sample Sansa Stark chapter titled ''Alayne'' on his website from 2015 with the first Arianne Martell chapter he has read from at MystiCon. * Aeron Greyjoy: One chapter was removed from ''A Dance with Dragons'' in July 2010. A chapter titled ''The Forsaken'' was read in May 2016 at Balticon. It was written in, or before, 2011 but there was no confirmation that this was the chapter removed from ''A Dance with Dragons''. * Theon Greyjoy: One sample chapter appeared on Martin's website in December 2011. It also appears as a teaser chapter at the end of the UK paperback edition of ''A Dance with Dragons'' (part two). * Victarion Greyjoy: Portions of one chapter were first read at TIFF Bell Lightbox in March 2012. * Tyrion Lannister: One chapter was read at Eastercon in April 2012, and another one at Worldcon in August 2013, the second of which was later published in the official iOS app on March 20, 2014. * Barristan Selmy: One chapter was released as a teaser at the end of the 2013 U.S. paperback edition of ''A Dance with Dragons''. In 2013 Martin read from a second chapter at Boskone. Martin confirmed that there are no new viewpoint characters intended for ''The Winds of Winter''. Martin confirmed that Areo Hotah and Melisandre will return as viewpoints but did not state which novel their chapters will appear in, and that Bran Stark will appear in the novel, but did not elaborate if as a viewpoint. In addition, he teased at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con that Jeyne Westerling, Robb Stark's widow, will appear in the prologue chapter, but did not reveal who will be the POV character.

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=== Chapters === ''The Winds of Winter'' was originally intended, in the very early stages of the series, to be the final installment of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' (then conceived as a trilogy). Following his expansion of the series, Martin eventually concluded it would be succeeded by one final novel, ''A Dream of Spring''. By June 2010, Martin had finished four chapters for ''The Winds of Winter'' from the viewpoints of Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, and Arianne Martell. In July 2010, he added an Aeron Greyjoy chapter that had been moved from ''A Dance with Dragons'' to ''The Winds of Winter'', accumulating around 100 completed manuscript pages. Following the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons'' in the summer of 2011, Martin announced his return to writing the series in January 2012, having spent the intervening time on his U.S. and overseas book publicity tours and attending various conventions. He continued to work, with his two co-authors Elio García and Linda Antonsson, on the illustrated series companion guide ''The World of Ice & Fire'' concordance and Westeros history. He also worked on a Westeros story, the fourth ''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' novella. In December 2011, Martin posted a Theon Greyjoy viewpoint chapter from ''The Winds of Winter''; he also announced that another sample chapter would be included at the end of the North American paperback version of ''A Dance with Dragons'', which was originally expected to be released in summer 2012, but was released on October 29, 2013. (International paperback editions of ''A Dance with Dragons'' published a year earlier did not include a new, as yet unpublished sample chapter.) In the first quarter of 2012, Martin read new chapters of other characters at public events, including the chapters of Victarion Greyjoy and Tyrion Lannister. Martin continued work editing anthologies and completing a large, highly detailed series atlas ''The Lands of Ice and Fire'', which was published in October 2012. Martin published another sample chapter from Arianne Martell's POV on his website in January 2013. On March 27, ten days before the ''Game of Thrones'' season four premiere, Martin posted a chapter on his website, titled ''Mercy''. Martin said the new chapter is actually an old one, though never published nor publicly read. In April 2015, Martin posted a Sansa Stark viewpoint chapter from ''The Winds of Winter'' titled ''Alayne''. In May 2016, Martin replaced this chapter with an Arianne Martell chapter he had read from at Mysticon, and an Aeron Greyjoy chapter that was removed from ''A Dance with Dragons'' was read at Balticon. As of June 2016, a total of 11 chapters from ''The Winds of Winter'' have been either read publicly or published as a sample chapter. The point of view characters with released material are Victarion, Aeron, Tyrion, Barristan, Arianne, Theon, Mercy (Arya), and Alayne (Sansa). Several websites, including Goodreads, have dedicated entire discussion panels to any material that has been released from ''The Winds of Winter'', including plot twists, theories, and speculations. In 2018, Martin indicated he would not release any more sample chapters.

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=== Publication history === Martin believes the last two volumes of the series will be massive works of 1,500+ manuscript pages each. He does not intend to separate characters by geography again, as he was forced to do because of the unpublishable length of ''A Feast for Crows'' original manuscript. But, as Martin stated in a 2011 interview, "Three years from now when I'm sitting on 1,800 pages of manuscript with no end in sight, who the hell knows". In 2018, he revealed that some of his publishers had suggested splitting ''The Winds of Winter'' into two books but that he was against it. In April 2011, shortly before the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons'' which took him six years to write, Martin hoped that "the last two books will go a little quicker than this one has" and estimated that it would take "three years to finish the next one at a good pace". By October 2012, 400 pages of the sixth novel had been written, although Martin considered only the first 200 as "really finished", the rest still needing revisions. In April 2013, Martin estimated that he had a quarter of the book. In the past, Martin has angered some of his fan base for repeatedly estimating his publication dates too optimistically; therefore, he has refrained from making hard estimates for ''The Winds of Winter'' final release date. In 2014, Martin's UK publisher, Jane Johnson, stated that the book would not be published before, or in, 2015. In April 2015, Martin commented along the same lines but he also said he would like to have it published before the sixth season of the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (which would cover material from the book) aired in 2016. In Autumn 2015, statements made by the Spanish editor and the Polish translator of the novel indicated that it was expected to be published in 2016. In early January 2016, Martin confirmed that he had not met an end-of-year deadline that he had established with his publisher for release of the book before the sixth season of the HBO show. He added that there was "a lot still left to write" and that completion of the book was "months away still... if the writing goes well". Martin also revealed there had been a previous deadline of October 2015 that he had considered achievable in May 2015, and that in September 2015 he had still considered the end-of-year deadline achievable. He further confirmed that some of the plot of the book might be revealed in the upcoming season of ''Game of Thrones'' but one of the showrunners, David Benioff, claimed that while certain key elements would be the same, the show would diverge from the book in many respects. In February 2016, Martin stated that he had dropped all his editing projects except for ''Wild Cards'', and that he would not be writing any teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions or forewords before delivering ''The Winds of Winter''. In 2017, Martin believed that ''The Winds of Winter'' would be released that same year. However, he also noted that he had believed the same thing would occur the previous year, and later that year he confirmed he was "still months away" from finishing the book, indicating it may not be published until 2018 or later, with ''Fire & Blood'', the book on the history of House Targaryen, possibly preceding it. In April 2018, Martin confirmed that ''Fire & Blood'' would be published November 20, 2018, and ''The Winds of Winter'' would not be published in 2018; he indicated that ''Fire & Blood'' was the book his publisher wanted next. Since then, he has confirmed at least four times that he is continuing work on ''The Winds of Winter''. In April 2019, Martin commented in an interview that the writing "has been going very well lately", and in May he told his blog readers that if he did not have a copy of ''The Winds of Winter'' in hand for 2020 Worldcon New Zealand, Air New Zealand has his permission to imprison him on New Zealand's White Island until he finishes it, which some media interpreted as a joke. In October 2019, after a ''Game of Thrones'' prequel, ''House of the Dragon'', of which Martin is one of the executive producers, was announced, Martin stated that there was a lot of work to be done on the series but that he would not write any scripts for the series before finishing ''The Winds of Winter''.

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== External links == * of author George R. R. Martin

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"'''Mhysa'''" is the third season finale of the American medieval epic fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', and its 30th episode overall. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by David Nutter, it originally aired on on HBO in the United States. The episode revolves on the aftermath of the events instigated by "The Red Wedding", in which Tywin Lannister is revealed to be the mastermind behind the massacre — with Walder Frey and Roose Bolton having conspired with the Lannisters against the Starks. As a result, House Frey receives the Seat of Riverrun and Roose Bolton is appointed the new "Warden of the North". Elsewhere, House Greyjoy begins a new military campaign. In the North, Maester Aemon sends out ravens to alert the whole of Westeros about the arrival of the White Walkers. And across the narrow sea, the freed slaves of Yunkai hail Daenerys as their "mhysa", the Ghiscari language's word for "mother". According to Nielsen Media Research, "Mhysa" was seen by 5.4 million household viewers in the United States, a twenty-eight percent increase compared to the second season finale, "Valar Morghulis". After its broadcast, the episode received generally positive reviews from television critics, with some of them addressing its anti-climactic closure of the series' third season, and its establishment of potential storylines for the fourth season, such as through the final scene's "glimmer of hope". The episode received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

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===In King's Landing=== Tyrion learns of the deaths of Robb and Catelyn during the Red Wedding. Tyrion tells Tywin that northerners will never forget the role the Lannisters played in the Red Wedding. Varys gives Shae a sack of diamonds to sail for Essos, but she refuses. Jaime, Brienne, and Qyburn arrive in King's Landing.

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===At the Twins=== Sandor and Arya find a group of Frey men. Arya kills one, who claimed to have desecrated Robb's body and Sandor kills others. Walder and Bolton discuss the escape of Brynden and their new oppositions as Lord of Riverrun and Warden of the North.

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===In the North=== Bran and his group arrive at the Nightfort and meet Sam and Gilly. Sam realizes that Bran is Jon's brother. Bran asks Sam to take them north of the Wall. He takes them through the passage and gives them his dragonglass weapons. Sam and Gilly arrive at Castle Black and meet Aemon, who, after hearing of White Walkers, sends all ravens with messages warning the return of White Walkers. Ygritte finds Jon, but before he escapes, Ygritte shoots three arrows into him. Jon arrives at Castle Black, where his wounds are treated. At the Dreadfort, Theon's torturer, revealed to be Bolton's bastard Ramsay Snow, nicknames Theon Reek.

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===On the Iron Islands=== Balon reads letter from Ramsay, demanding to have the Ironborn soldiers withdraw from the North. Balon allows Theon's torture to continue, but Yara takes 50 best Ironborn men to attack the Dreadfort.

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===At Dragonstone=== Stannis informs Davos of Robb's death and Melisandre plans to sacrifice Gendry to the Lord of Light. Davos gives Gendry a boat to escape Dragonstone. Stannis orders Davos’ execution, but after he shows Stannis a letter from the Wall, Melisandre tells Stannis that only he can save the North from the White Walkers and that he will need Davos' help, preventing his execution.

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===Outside Yunkai=== Daenerys frees slaves from Yunkai, who begin to shout mhysa, which Missandei tells Daenerys is Ghiscari for mother.

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==Production== The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

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===Writing=== "Mhysa" was written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based on George R. R. Martin's original work from his novel ''A Storm of Swords''. Chapters adapted from ''A Storm of Swords'' to the episode were chapters 43, 49, 53 to 55, 57, 63, and 64 (Daenerys IV, Jon VI, Arya XI, Tyrion VI, Davos V, Bran IV, Jaime VII, Davos VI).

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===Casting=== After being absent for the entire second season, Peter Vaughan returns as Maester Aemon and Josef Altin returns as Pypar. This episode also marks the return, after a long absence, of Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy and Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy.

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===Ratings=== In its original American broadcast in HBO, "Mhysa" was seen by an estimated 5.4 million household viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It marked a year-to-year increase in viewership of 28 percent compared to the second season finale, "Valar Morghulis", which was seen by 4.2 million. The second broadcast of the "Mhysa" during the night was viewed by 900,000 viewers, bringing its total viewership for to 6.30 million. According to analysts, the success of the episode significantly helped ''Game of Thrones'' to surpass ''True Blood'' as the second most-watched series on HBO, after ''The Sopranos''. In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.154 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.110 million timeshift viewers.

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===Critical reception=== "Mhysa" received generally positive reviews from television critics, with some of them addressing the finale's anti-climactic closure of the third season and for establishing new storylines for the fourth. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes surveyed 20 reviews of the episode and deemed 100% of them to be positive with an average score of 8.5 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "'Mhysa' wraps up several of season 3's lingering storylines while subtly setting the table for season 4." James Poniewozik of ''Time'' wrote in his review, "The end of season 3, then, spent some time among the winners and losers in post-Red-Wedding Westeros, giving the audience a chance to soak in the shock, seethe at the winners' glee, and get a reminder of the larger forces – White Walkers, dragons – well beyond the war between the Lannisters and the Starks. If the Red Wedding seemed to kill hope, 'Mhysa' made clear that it didn't end anything. And it weaved together the many, many threads of ''GoTs'' tapestry by returning to a recurring theme: that ''Game of Thrones'' is ultimately about family." Matt Fowler of IGN described that the finale had "nicely set up a lot of cool stuff for Season 4, but it was also lacking some of the power and majesty of previous finales. Especially the ending with Dany, who herself had a better ending back in 'And Now His Watch is Ended' when her dragons torched Astapor and she left with a full army." He also praised the scene where Arya killed a Frey soldier. Writing for ''Today'', Drusilla Moorhouse remarked that "After last week's shocking massacre, most fans braced for more tragic deaths in season three's finale. Instead, the blow was softened with poignant reunions and surprising saves, setting the stage for an explosive fourth season." In her review for Zap2it, Terri Schwartz wrote that "Nothing can ever quite redeem the deaths of Robb and Catelyn Stark, but at least larger forces are taking shape that are propelling this series into Season 4. Daenerys is as powerful as she's ever been, Jon Snow returns to the Wall while Bran heads north of it and the Greyjoys ready an assault to finally save Theon from his captor. Then there's the fact that Stannis decides to sail north to the Wall to aid the Night's Watch in their fight against the White Walkers, which seems like it's going to end up being the greater, global conflict in the future of 'Game of Thrones'." Writing for ''The A.V. Club'', David Sims gave "Mhysa" an "A-" rating, while Emily VanDerWerff gave it a "B+". Sims, writing for audiences who have not read the novels, described the episode as lacking "a lot of serious plot movement or major twists and may have fans gnashing their teeth a little bit as they wait nine months for season four. The previous season finales have also had that quality, but they each ended on a barnstorming note. 'Mhysa', not quite so much." VanDerWerff, writing for audiences who have read the novels, wrote that "On a plot level, not a lot happens in 'Mhysa'", but praised the episode in addressing the series' "value of one human life is in the face of a kingdom." He also mildly criticized the series' template of when "something terrible happens in Westeros, Dany offers a glimmer of hope over in her story line", referring to it as its "Achilles' heel". Kevin Fitzpatrick of ScreenCrush wrote in his review, "All in all, the air (or blood) of the season had mostly been let out by 'The Rains of Castamere', as even a returning Jaime’s most interesting moments arrived much earlier in the season, but 'Mhysa' gave us a good course-heading for season 4, with some much-needed catharsis along the way." The episode's final scene, in which Daenerys, "the blondest possible savior figure", appears with "uncharacterized brown people" as "being lifted up as their messiah and praising her for saving them from bondage", was criticized by at least four commentators as having colonialist or even racist undertones. They asked why the series chose to portray the Yunkish as nearly uniformly dark-skinned, rather than as ethnically diverse as in the source novels, to which George R. R. Martin replied that this was because the scene was shot in Morocco with local extras. Commentators also criticized, more broadly, that the series's inclusion of people of color was limited to only a small number of characters.

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"'''Valar Dohaeris'''" is the third season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones''. Written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, it aired on March 31, 2013. The premiere continued where the second season left off, with the Lannisters consolidating their power at King's Landing in the aftermath of the Battle of the Blackwater. Meanwhile, Jon Snow meets the "King beyond the Wall," and Daenerys leaves Qarth for Slaver's Bay. The episode's title translates to "all men must serve" in the High Valyrian language in George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels, which the series adapts. The title mirrors that of season 2's finale, "Valar Morghulis" – "all men must die." The episode received mostly positive reviews, set a new ratings record for the series, and was one of the most torrented episodes for an HBO series.

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===Beyond the Wall=== The White Walkers’ attack leaves few Night's Watch survivors. Samwell Tarly is saved by the direwolf Ghost and Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, who reprimands Sam for failing to warn of the approaching army and orders the survivors back to the Wall. At the wildling camp, Jon Snow mistakes Tormund Giantsbane for the King-beyond-the-Wall, but Mance Rayder reveals himself and questions Jon's motives for deserting the Night's Watch. Jon earns Mance's approval, declaring that he wants "to fight for the side that fights for the living".

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===In King's Landing=== Newly knighted Ser Bronn returns to the service of Tyrion Lannister, whose father Tywin, new Hand of the King, agrees to recognize Tyrion's accomplishments during the Battle of Blackwater but refuses to name him heir to Casterly Rock and viciously insults him. Petyr Baelish offers to smuggle Sansa Stark out of King's Landing. Ros tells Shae to look out for Sansa, especially when dealing with Baelish. King Joffrey Baratheon and his betrothed Lady Margaery Tyrell travel through Flea Bottom, when Margaery exits her litter to visit an orphanage as Joffrey hides. At dinner, Joffrey trades insults with his mother, in contrast to the harmonious Tyrells.

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===In Blackwater Bay=== Stranded Davos Seaworth is rescued by the pirate Salladhor Saan, and recounts seeing his son Matthos die. Salladhor reveals he is leaving the service of Stannis, who is in seclusion at Dragonstone and will only speak with Melisandre, who is burning people alive. Davos, intending to kill Melisandre, persuades Salladhor to bring him to Stannis.

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