You've been having those dreams again.
I don't. I heard some of the men talking about the comet. [looks up at said comet in the sky] They say it's an omen. They say it means Robb will win a great victory in the South.
[Osha unstraps Bran from Hodor's back as they kneel next to a pool in the godswood]
I heard some other fools say it's Lannister red. Means the Lannisters will rule all Seven Kingdoms before long. I heard a stable boy say it's the colour of blood, to mark the death of you father. [places Bran on the ground] The stars don't fall for men. The red comet means one thing, boy: Dragons.
The dragons are all dead. They've been dead for centuries.
[Stannis has Davos' son, Matthos, draft a letter to send across the Seven Kingdoms]
MSMatthos Seaworth
"And I declare upon the honour of my House that my beloved brother Robert le—"
He wasn't my beloved brother. [pause; Matthos looks up] I didn't love him, he didn't love me.
A harmless courtesy, Your Grace.
A lie. [to Matthos] Take it out.
[Matthos scratches off the word "beloved" and continues reading the letter aloud]
MSMatthos Seaworth
"That my brother Robert left no trueborn heirs; the boy Joffrey, the boy Tommen, and the girl Myrcella, being born of incest between Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime Lannister. By right of birth—"
Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. Call him what he is.
[Matthos adds in "the Kingslayer" and continues reading. Davos notices Maester Cressen slip something into his cup of wine]
MSMatthos Seaworth
"And her brother Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. By right of birth and blood, I do this day lay claim—"
Make it Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. Whatever else he is, the man's still a knight.
MSMatthos Seaworth
"Ser Jaime Lannster, the Kingslayer. By right of birth and blood, I do this day lay claim to the Iron Throne of Westeros. [pause; Stannis nods] Let all true men declare their loyalty."
When Eddard Stark learned the truth, he told only me. I'll not make the same mistake. Send copies of that letter to every corner of the Realm, from the Arbor to the Wall. The time has come to choose. Let no man claim ignorance as an excuse.
Your Grace, the Lannisters are the true enemy. If, for the time being, you could make peace with your brother—
I'll not make peace with Renly while he calls himself King.
Well, many have already declared for him; Mace Tyrell, Randyll Tarly...
Stannis does not need to beg this lord or that lord for support. The Lord of Light stands behind him.
And how many ships has the Lord of Light got in his fleet?
He has no need for ships.
I'm sure he doesn't, but we do if we're going to war. [to Stannis] If not Renly, Your Grace, join forces with Robb Stark.
Who would steal the northern half of my kingdom. I've always served thieves according to their desserts–as you well know, Ser Davos. Joffrey, Renly, Robb Stark; they're all thieves. They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them.
MCMaester Cressen
[stands up] I owe you an apology, my King. My duty is to serve. You have chosen the new God over the Old Gods. May the Lord of Light watch over us all. Shall we drink together.
[Cressen picks up the poisoned wine cup and walks over to where Melisandre is sitting]
MCMaester Cressen
A cup of wine to honour the one true God.
[Melisandre gets up while everyone at the table reaches for their own wine cups. Cressen takes a sip of the poisoned wine and offers it to Melisandre. Davos nervously watches her take the cup. Suddenly, Cressen stumbles and begins bleeding from his nose. Melisandre takes a long sip of the poisoned wine. Davos and several others look on in shock as Cressen falls to the floor dead. Melisandre appears to be fine, completely unphased by the poison.]
The night is dark and full of terrors, old man. But the fires burn them all away.
The King in the North. I keep expecting you to leave me in one castle or another for safekeeping, but you drag me along from camp to camp. Have you grown fond of me, Stark? Is that it? I've never seen you with a girl.
If I left you with one of my bannermen, your father would know within a fortnight, and my bannermen would receive a raven with a message: "Release my son and you'll be rich beyond your dreams. Refuse, and your house'll be destroyed, root and stem."
You don't trust the loyalty of the men following you into battle?
Oh, I trust them with my life, just not with yours.
Smart, boy. What's wrong? Don't like being called boy? Insulted?
[Jaime sees Robb's direwolf, Grey Wind, stalking around the cage]
You insult yourself, Kingslayer. You've been defeated by a boy. You're held captive by a boy. Perhaps you'll be killed by a boy.
[Grey Wind enters the cage doorway and stands quietly next to Robb.]
Stannis Baratheon sent ravens to all the High Lords of Westeros. King Joffrey Baratheon is neither a true King, nor a true Baratheon. He's your bastard son.
Well, if that's true, Stannis is the rightful King. How convenient for him.
My father learned the truth. That's why you had him executed.
I was your prisoner when Ned Stark lost his head.
Your son killed him so the world wouldn't learn who fathered him and you... you pushed my brother from a window because he saw you with the Queen.
You have proof? Or, do you want to trade gossip like a couple of fishwives?
I'm sending one of your cousins down to King's Landing with my peace terms.
You think my father's going to negotiate with you? You don't know him very well.
No, but he's starting to know me.
Three victories don't make you a conqueror.
It's better than three defeats.
I offer your cousins peace, if they meet my terms. First, your family must release my sisters. Second, my father's bones must be returned to us, so that he may rest beside his brother and sister in the crypts beneath Winterfell. And the remains of all those who died in his service must be returned also, that their families can honour them with proper funerals.
ALAlton Lannister
An honourable request, your Grace.
Third, Joffrey and the Queen Regent must renounce all claim to dominion of the North. From this time to the end of time, we are a free and independent kingdom.
NLNorthern Lords
The King in the North!
Neither Joffrey nor any of his men shall ever set foot in our lands again. If he disregards this command, he shall suffer the same fate as my father...only I won't need a servant to do my beheading for me!
ALAlton Lannister
[stammering] Your Grace... these are...
These are my terms! If the Queen Regent and her son meet them, I'll give them peace. If not, I will litter the south with Lannister dead.
ALAlton Lannister
King Joffrey is a Baratheon, Your Grace.
I'm not Ned Stark, I understand the way this game is played.
Ned Stark was a man of honour.
And I am not. Threaten me again and I'll have you thrown into the sea!
[Tyrion goes to leave, but Varys holds the door shut]
You might be disappointed in the results. The storms come and go, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling.
[to Arya] You shouldn't insult people that are bigger than you.
Then I wouldn't get to insult anyone.
Well, I don't care what any of them want. No good's ever come of their questions.
No good's ever come? Who asked questions before?
How can someone so small be such a huge pain in my arse?
The Hand of the King, er... Hands of the King. Lord Arryn came first, a few weeks before he died. And then, Lord Stark came a few weeks before he died.
See? Asking me questions is bad luck. [walks towards the river while Arya follows him] You'll probably be dead soon.
Just my mum. Worked in a tavern, died when I was little.
He could be one of those gold-hatted bastards for all I know. What about you, anyway? You thought they were after you. Why? Did you kill someone, or is it just because you're a girl?
Yes, you are. [starts walking back to the camp fire] You think I'm as stupid as the rest of them?
Stupider. Night's Watch doesn't take girls. everyone knows that.
That's true. You're still a girl.
Well, pull your cock out and take a piss, then.
I don't need to take a piss... Lommy and Hot Pie can't know. No one can know.
My name's not Arry. It's Arya. Of House Stark. Yoren is taking me home to Winterfell.
He was your father. The Hand. The traitor.
He was never a traitor! Joffrey is a liar!
So you're a highborn, then. You're a lady.
No–I mean, yes. My mother was a lady, and my sister—
You were a lord's daughter and you lived in a castle. [brief pause] Look, all that about cocks–I should never have said that. I've been pissing in front of you and everything. I should be calling you, m'lady.
As m'lady commands. [Arya pushes him] Well, that was unladylike.
SSSalladhor Saan
One thing. I want the Queen.
SSSalladhor Saan
Cersei. I want her. I'll sail with your fleet, all thirty of my ships, and if we don't drown at the bottom of Blackwater Bay, I'll fuck this blond queen and I'll fuck her well.
MSMatthos Seaworth
This war isn't about you. We're not attacking King's Landing so that you can rape the Queen!
SSSalladhor Saan
I'm not going to rape her, I'm going to fuck her.
MSMatthos Seaworth
As if she would just let you.
SSSalladhor Saan
You don't know how persuasive I am. I never tried to fuck you.
MSMatthos Seaworth
Stannis is the rightful King and the Lord of Light!
SSSalladhor Saan
I've been all over the world, my boy, and everywhere I go people tell me about the "true god". They all think they found the right one. The one true God is what's between a woman's legs, and better yet a Queen's legs. [Matthos walks away as Salladhor turns to Davos] I never thought you'd have a true believer for a son.
Ah, he's young yet. I promise you the gold. I promise you the glory. I cannot promise you the Queen.
SSSalladhor Saan
You believe your king can win?
He is the one, true king.
SSSalladhor Saan
You Westerosi are funny people. A man chops off your fingers and you fall in love with him! I'll sail with you, Davos Seaworth. You're the most honest smuggler I ever met. Make me rich.
Get me to the gates of King's Landing, and I will.
I heard there was some trouble in Littlefinger's brothel the other night.
Nasty business. Had to be done.
Yes, of course. The City Watch must keep the peace. Only, I hadn't realized peace depended on killing babies.
Quite right, especially the Queen's orders.
I never said they were the Queen's orders.
No, but who else would want to murder King Robert's bastards? She's always been a jealous woman.
You know your sister better than I do.
You've heard the awful rumors about my brother and sister.
Well, that's good of you, but you have heard them. I suppose people who do believe that filth consider Robert's bastards to be better claimants to the Throne than Cersei's children.
Joffrey is my King. The rest doesn't interest me.
I appreciate your loyalty. Tell me, when your men slaughtered Ned Stark's men in the throne room, did you give the order?
I did, and I would again. The man was a traitor. He tried to buy my loyalty.
The fool! He had no idea you were already bought.
Are you drunk?! I'll not have my honour questioned by an imp!
I'm not questioning your honour, Lord Janos; I'm denying its existence.
[standing up] If you think I'll stand here and take this from you, dwarf-
"Dwarf"? You should've stopped at "Imp"! And, yes, you will stand here and take it from me, unless you'd like to take it from my friend here!
[Janos looks to his right and sees Bronn standing there]
I intend to serve as Hand of the King until my father returns from the war. And seeing as you betrayed the last Hand of the King, well, I just wouldn't feel safe with you lurking about.
What are you... my friends at court will not allow this! The Queen herself—
The Queen Regent. And you're a fool to believe she is your friend.
We shall hear what Joffrey has to say about this!
No, we shan't. [nods to Bronn, who nods to four Gold Cloaks marching into the room] There's a ship leaving for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea tonight. From there, I'm afraid, it's rather a long walk to Castle Black. I hope you enjoy the Wall. I found it surprisingly beautiful. In a brutal, horribly uncomfortable sort of way.
The lads will escort you. The streets aren't safe at night, my lord.
These men are under my command! I command you to arrest this cutthroat!
His name is Bronn, and he is the new Commander of the City Watch.
[The Gold Cloaks seize Lord Janos and lead him out of the room]
I have friends at court! Powerful friends! The King himself made me a lord!
To the new Commander. [they toast and drink] If I told you to murder an infant girl, say, still at her mother's breast, would you do it, without question?
Without question? No. I'd ask how much.
Lord Janos Slynt was Commander of the City Watch. You had no right to exile him!
I have every right. I am the King's Hand.
You're serving as the King's Hand until Father gets here. I am the Queen Regent.
Listen to me, Queen Regent. You're losing the people. Do you hear me?
The people? You think I care?
You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead. Half this city will starve when winter comes, the other half will plot to overthrow you...and your gold-plated thugs just gave them their rallying cry. "The Queen slaughters babies!" You don't even have the decency to deny it! It wasn't you who gave the order, was it? Joffrey didn't even tell you? Did he tell you? I imagine that would be even worse.
He did what needed to be done. You want to be Hand of the King? You want to rule? This is what ruling is, lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root, one by one, before they strangle you in your sleep.
I'm no king, but I think there's more to ruling than that.
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! You've never taken it seriously. You haven't, Jaime hasn't. It's all fallen on me.
As has Jaime repeatedly, according to Stannis Baratheon.
[chuckles and smirks] You're funny. You've always been funny... but none of your jokes will ever match the first one, will they? Do you remember, back when you ripped my mother open on your way out of her and she bled to death?
Mother gone, for the sake of you. There's no bigger joke in the world than that.
Every night it's the same: I'm walking, running, but I'm not me. I'm running through the Godswood, sniffing the dirt, tasting blood in my mouth when I've made a fresh kill, howling. Old Nan used to tell me stories about magical people who could live inside stags, birds, wolves.
That's exactly what they were, Bran: Stories.
So she was lying? They don't exist?
Well, they may have done, but they're gone from the world along with much else. These are dreams, Bran, nothing more.
No. My dreams are different. Mine are true. I dreamt of my father dying and Rickon had the same dream.
What about all the dreams you had that didn't come true? [removes a link from his chain] This link is made of Valyrian steel. Only one Maester in a hundred wears it on his chain. It signifies that I have studied the higher mysteries, and all who study these mysteries try their hand at spells. I was not different. I was young and what boy doesn't secretly wish for special powers to lift him out of his dull life into a special one, but in the end, for all of my efforts, I got no more out of it than a thousand boys before me. Come on. [tucks Bran back to bed] Maybe magic once was a mighty force in the world, but not anymore. The dragons are gone, the giants are dead, and the children of the forest forgotten.
I can trust you, Pycelle. Can I not?
Why yes, of course, my lord.
These are perilous times. And the Crown must forge new alliances. And these alliances must often be sealed in matrimony.
I'm trusting the council with these plans, but the Queen mustn't know. We can't have her meddling in affairs that could determine the future of the Realm. There's too much at stake.
Oh, yes, yes. Indeed, yes. I shall be silent as the grave.
[Tyrion walks over to pour two cups of wine]
I'm brokering an alliance with House Martell of Dorne. Princess Myrcella will wed their youngest son when she comes of age, ensuring their loyalty and their army, should we need it.
Myrcella sent away to Dorne?
[Tyrion returns to the chairs with a cup of wine in each hand]
But remember, the Queen mustn't know.
[Varys is revealed to be occupying the seat Pycelle was sitting in earlier]
Ooh, "The Queen mustn't know." I love conversations that begin this way.
I plan to marry Princess Myrcella off to Theon Greyjoy.
Theon Greyjoy? Forgive me, my lord, but how? He grew up in Winterfell. He fights for Robb Stark.
Precisely. [turns and slowly walks away from Varys] Theon's father loathes the Starks and will convince the boy to come to our side. Greyjoy can destroy the Northern army from within and we can have his father's ships. But remember, you must tell no one.
[Tyrion turns around to face Littlefinger, who is now sitting where Varys sat]
I plan to wed Princess Myrcella to Robin Arryn of the Vale. Lysa is not fond of me. But perhaps the promise of a royal match will convince her to let bygones be bygones.
She imprisoned you. She tried to execute you, and you offer her son a princess?
For men in our position, holding grudges can be an encumbrance, don't you think?
And I suppose you want me to broker this agreement?
[starts pacing around the desk] Yes, I could sing this song to Lysa, if I cared to. What's in it for me?
The gratitude of the people of Westeros for helping to end this war, the adoration of the King for bringing the Vale back into the fold... and Harrenhal.
Never took you for a superstitious man. By all means, tear it down and rebuild. You'll be able to afford it. I plan to make you Lord of the Riverlands.
With a single stroke, you'd make me one of the greatest lords in the Realm.
You served my family well in the matter of the succession.
So did Janos Slynt, and he was given Harrenhal, too. Until you snatched it away.
I need you to deliver Lysa Arryn. I didn't need Janos Slynt. It's settled, then? [pause; Littlefinger nods] Good. Oh, and remember—
[Tyrion smirks, drinks the rest of his wine and leaves his chambers]
[Cersei confronts Tyrion about the marriage pact he made for Myrcella behind her back]
You monster! Myrcella is my only daughter! Do you really think I will let you sell her like a common whore?!
Myrcella is a princess. Some would say she was born for this.
I will not let you ship her off to Dorne as I was shipped off to Robert Baratheon!
Dorne is the safest place for her.
Are you mad? The Martells loathe us.
That's why we need to seduce them. We're going to need their support in the war your son started.
You won't get away with this. You think the piece of paper father gave you keeps you safe? Ned Stark had a piece of paper, too.
Just how safe do you think Myrcella is if the city falls? Do you want to see her raped and butchered like the Targaryen children? Make no mistake, they will mount her pretty little head on a spike right beside yours.
Get out! [pushes Tyrion back onto the stairs] Get out!
Power is a curious thing, my lord. Are you fond of riddles?
Why, am I about to hear one?
Three great men sit in a room; a king, a priest and a rich man. Between them stands a common sellsword. Each great man bids the sellsword kill the other two. Who lives, who dies?
Depends on the sellsword.
Does it? He has neither crown, nor gold, nor the favour of the gods.
He has a sword, the power of life and death.
But if it's swordsmen who rule, why do we pretend kings hold all the power? When Ned Stark lost his head, who was truly responsible? Joffrey? The executioner? Or something else?
I've decided I don't like riddles.
Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick, a shadow on the wall. And a very small man can cast a very large shadow.
Five Lannisters dead, for every one of ours. We've nowhere to keep these prisoners. We have barely enough food to feed our own.
We're not executing prisoners, Lord Bolton.
Of course, Your Grace. The officers will be useful. Some of them may be privy to Tywin Lannister's plans.
Well, we'll learn soon enough. In my family, we say: "A naked man has few secrets, a flayed man none."
My father outlawed flaying in the North.
We're not in the North...
We're not torturing them!
The high road's very pretty, but you'll have a'hard time marching your army down it.
The Lannisters hold prisoners of their own. I won't give them an excuse to abuse my sisters.
