[Bran Stark — Characters]
Jon tries but is unable to dissuade Daenerys from her path of destruction and reluctantly assassinates her, upon which he is imprisoned. Weeks later, Tyrion is tried in the Dragonpit by all the Lords of the Seven Kingdoms . Tyrion convinces Grey Worm to let the new King of the Seven Kingdoms punish Jon, after the lords of Westeros oppose the Unsullied's desires to punish him. He then asks the gathering that they should choose the new monarch of the Seven Kingdoms and end the war once and for all. After some rejected ideas, he suggests Bran Stark to be named the new king, because he is the living memory of the world and it is stories that unite people.
The next morning, Eddard and Robert go hunting, leaving the castle largely empty. Cersei and Jaime liaise in derelict tower. Bran Stark climbs the tower and finds them engaged in sexual intercourse. He is caught watching by Cersei, and Jaime grabs him. Whilst Cersei immediately becomes worried that their secret will be exposed, Jaime feigns Bran with a sense of safety. He asks how old Bran is. When Bran replies "ten", Jaime sighs and pushes him out of the window, musing, "The things I do for love."
Samwell walks in on a meeting of the Conclave , the collective Archmaesters , and overhears them discussing a raven sent by Bran Stark about the army of the dead . They are in disbelief over the matter, but Samwell attempts to warn them that the wight army is real. He tells the gathered Archmaesters that he let Bran beyond the Wall and says he is credible for he has survived the perils beyond the Wall whereas many Night's Watch rangers and wildlings have not. Even so, the Archmaesters continue to question the credibility of Bran Stark and the validity of the contents of the letter. Archmaester Ebrose promises to find the truth of this and will send a raven back to Winterfell asking Maester Wolkan for confirmation. As Samwell leaves, he hears the Archmaesters laughing over the matter, comparing it to past times where they received similar ravens.
Outside, Sam sees Bran Stark and asks why he's in the courtyard. Bran states he's "waiting for an old friend " and reminds him it is time to tell Jon the truth about his parents. He then says that Sam must be the one to tell Jon, because Jon trusts him more than anyone.
His plan is successful and Theon has his men seize the poorly defended Winterfell. He forces Bran Stark to yield to him by threatening his people. His men capture Ser Rodrik Cassel coming back from Torrhen's Square, and Rodrik is openly defiant, calling Theon a traitor. Ser Rodrik regrets that he gave him weapon training and even spits in Theon's face. Dagmer insists that Rodrik must be killed to maintain the respect of the men. Rodrik baits Theon into performing the execution himself. Theon botches the beheading, taking three swings and a vicious kick to accomplish it, to the horror of Bran and the watching crowd.
Sansa and Petyr learn from Maester Wolkan that they have about 4,000 bushels of wheat. Sansa realizes that they don't have enough food for the coming winter. She advocates building granaries to stockpile for a famine and orders leather to be placed on the armoury. While walking, Baelish and Sansa talk about the threat of Cersei. Petyr urges her to fight every battle and to look for threats in every corner. They are then interupted by a guard who tells Lady Stark that she has received a visitor at the gates, who turns out to be her younger brother Bran Stark .
Following Cersei's walk of penance, Qyburn introduces her to Ser Robert Strong , a man clad from head to toe in white armor (no part of him is visible) and matching Gregor's physique. According to Qyburn, Strong has taken a holy vow of silence until all of King Tommen's enemies are defeated. According to Meryn Trant , Strong never removes his helmet and is never seen to eat or drink, while Boros Blount claims Strong never uses the privy, which leads many people, including Kevan and Pycelle, to theorize that Robert Strong is actually Gregor, or maybe even a Frankenstein's monster assembled from the Mountain's body as well as other bodies. In the first novel (chapter 17), Bran Stark has a vision of a stone giant, apparently Ser Robert, and when his visor lifts, there is only darkness and black blood, leaving it ambiguous as to whether or not Strong even has a head.