SGServing Girl
No, My Lord.
Didn't think so. Too pretty.
[Lord Walder smacks her bottom. The Serving Girl winces.]
Where are my damn moron sons? Black Walder and Lothar promised to be here by mid-day.
SGServing Girl
They're here, My Lord.
Well, what are they doing? Trimming their cunt hairs? Tell them to come here! Now!
SGServing Girl
They're already here, My Lord.
[Lord Walder looks around the empty hall, confused. The Serving Girl points to the slice of meat pie he's been eating.]
SGServing Girl
Here, My Lord.
[Lord Walder lifts up the crust of the pie. Among the filling of chopped meat is obviously a human finger. He gags in disgust.]
SGServing Girl
They weren't easy to carve. Especially Black Walder.
[Lord Walder turns to the Serving Girl...who takes off her face as if it were a mask, revealing her true identity]
My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that. The last thing you're ever going to see is a Stark, smiling down at you, as you die.
[Lord Walder tries to get out of his chair, but Arya grabs him by the hair, pulls him back, and slits his throat.]
You're wondering why I brought you all here. After all, we just had a feast. Since when does old Walder give two feasts in a single fortnight? Well, it's no good being Lord of the Riverlands if you can't celebrate with your family, that's what I say! I've gathered every Frey that means anything so that I can tell you my plans for this Great House, now that winter has come. But first...a toast!
No more of that Dornish horse-piss! This is the finest Arbor Gold. Proper wine for proper heroes!
HFHouse Frey
Stand together!
[They drink, but Walder halts his own cup inches from his lips, watching them. Kitty Frey attempts to take a cup and drink but Walder stops her.]
Not you. I'm not wasting good wine on a damn woman. [To his men] Maybe I'm not the most pleasant man, I'll admit it. But I'm proud of you lot. You're my family. The men who helped me slaughter the Starks at the Red Wedding. [they all start cheering] Yes, yes. Cheer. Brave men, all of you. Butchered a woman, pregnant with her baby. Cut the throat of a mother of five. Slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home.
[Several of the Freys begin to cough]
But... you didn't slaughter every one of the Starks. No, no- that was your mistake. You should've ripped them all out, root and stem!
[The Freys all begin choking, many of them vomiting blood and collapsing]
Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe.
[As the last of the Freys collapse dead on the floor, Walder reaches up and removes his face, revealing that "he" is actually Arya Stark, who turns to a terrified Kitty Frey.]
When people ask you what happened here, tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.
You are my sister, but I am King, now.
Will you start wearing a crown?
When you question my decisions in front of the other Lords and Ladies, you undermine me!
So I can't question your decisions anymore?!
Joffrey never let anyone question his authority. You think he was a good King?
Do you think I'm Joffrey?
You're as far from Joffrey as anyone I've ever met.
You're good at this, you know.
You are! You are. They respect you, they really do, but... [Jon smirks] Why are you laughing?
What did Father use to say? "Everything before the word 'but' is horse-shit."
He never said that to me.
No. No, he never cursed in front of his girls.
Because he was trying to protect us. He never wanted us to see how dirty the world really is, but... Father couldn't protect me, and neither could you. So stop trying.
All right. I'll stop trying to protect you, and you stop trying to undermine me.
I'm not trying to undermine you! You have to be smarter than Father. You need to be smarter than Robb. I loved them, I miss them both, but they made stupid mistakes, and they lost their heads for it!
And how should I be smarter? By listening to you?
Would that be so terrible?
[Maester Wolkan approaches]
MWMaester Wolkan
A raven from King's Landing, Your Grace.
[Wolkan bows and leaves as Jon unrolls the scroll]
"Cersei of House Lannister, First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms..."
"Come to King's Landing. Bend the knee, or suffer the fate of all traitors."
You've been so consumed with the enemy to the north that you've forgotten about the one to the south.
I'm concerned with the Night King because I've seen him. And, believe me, you'd think of little else if you had, too.
We still have a Wall between us and the Night King; there's nothing between us and Cersei.
There's a thousand miles between us and Cersei. Winter is here, the Lannisters are a southern army. They've never ranged this far North.
You're the military man but I know her. If you're her enemy, she'll never stop until she's destroyed you. Everyone who's ever crossed her, she's found a way to murder.
You almost sound as if you admire her.
I learned a great deal from her.
[Cersei and Jaime watch a fleet bearing the Greyjoy sigil approach King's Landing]
You invited the Greyjoys to King's Landing?
Well it looks like all of them.
I invited Euron Greyjoy, the new King of the Iron Islands. You said yourself we need stronger, better allies. There you are.
How are they better allies? How are they different from the Freys? They both broke their promises and murdered their former friends as soon as it suited them.
So does everyone, when it suits them. Unlike the Freys, they have ships, and they're good at killing.
They're not good at anything. I know the Ironborn. They're bitter, angry little people. All they know how to do is steal the things they can't build or grow themselves.
Euron Greyjoy didn't come here for that.
What did he come here for, then?
The moment I was chosen Lord of the Iron Islands, they turned on me, their own uncle! They stole my best ships and ran, sailed them right across the world and gave them to the Dragon Queen, so she could bring her armies here to attack you. It's nothing compared to the treason you've suffered at the hands of a family member, from what I hear, but still, it bothers me. Murdering them would make me feel a lot better...and since it appears that all our treasonous family members are fighting for the same side, I thought we rightful monarchs could murder them together!
You're not a rightful monarch though, are you? The Greyjoys rebelled against the throne for the right to be monarchs, but as I recall, you were soundly defeated. Come to think of it, weren't you the one who started that rebellion by sailing to Casterly Rock and burning the Lannister fleet? You certainly caught us there. Very smart move on your part. Of course, we all made it to the Iron Islands anyway. I was there.
I remember very well; I saw you. I heard so much talk: 'The best in the world, no one can stop him'. I didn't believe it to be honest, but I must say, when you rushed through the breach and started cutting people down, it was glorious! Like a dance.
[repulsed] The people I was cutting down were your own kin!
[ambivalent] Place was getting crowded. I enjoyed watching it, I truly did.
And I enjoyed killing Greyjoys.
A good thing for me. If you hadn't crushed us, I wouldn't have gone into exile, and if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be the greatest captain on the fourteen seas!
You're not humble. [Cersei inclines her head, conceding the point] You're the Queen of a great nation. You don't care about the Iron Islands. There are nothing but rocks and bird shit there and a lot of very unattractive people. The Iron Fleet, on the other hand...that's something else entirely. It's the greatest armada Westeros has ever seen; with the Iron Fleet, you own the seas! You can defeat the invaders in the east and the pretenders in the north and south.
What do you want in return?
Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to grow up and marry the most beautiful woman in the world. So here I am, with a thousand ships...and two good hands!
You're not trustworthy. You've broken promises to allies before and murdered them at the nearest opportunity. You murdered your own brother.
You should try it. It feels wonderful! I don't expect you to trust me outright. You need proof of my honest intentions. In my experience, the surest way to a woman's heart is with a gift, a priceless gift. I won't return to King's Landing until I have that for you.
You served my father, didn't you, Lord Varys?
And then you served the man who overthrew him?
I had a choice, Your Grace. Serve Robert Baratheon, or face the headsman's ax.
But you didn't serve him long. You turned against him.
Robert was an improvement on your father, to be sure. There have been few rulers in history as cruel as the Mad King. Robert was neither mad nor cruel; he simply had no interest in being King.
So, you took it upon yourself to find a better one?
Your Grace, when I was ready to drink myself into a small coffin, Lord Varys told me about a queen in the East...
Before I came to power, you favored my brother. All your spies, your little birds, did they tell you Viserys was cruel, stupid and weak? Would those qualities have made for a good King, in your learned opinion?
Until your marriage to Khal Drogo, Your Grace, I knew nothing about you, save your existence and that you were said to be beautiful.
So, you and your friends traded me, like a prize horse, to the Dothraki?
Which you turned to your advantage.
Who gave the order to kill me?
Who hired the assassins? Who sent word to Essos to murder Daenerys Targaryen?
Your Grace, I did what had to be done...
Lord Varys has proven himself a loyal servant.
"Proven himself loyal?" Quite the opposite. If he dislikes one monarch, he conspires to crown the next one. What kind of a servant is that?
The kind the Realm needs. Incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty. As long as I have my eyes, I'll use them. I wasn't born into a Great House. I came from nothing. I was sold as a slave, and carved up as an offering. When I was a child I lived in alleys, gutters, abandoned houses. You wish to know where my loyalties lie? Not with any King or Queen, but with the people. The people who suffer under despots and prosper under just rule. The people whose hearts you aim to win! If you demand blind allegiance... I respect your wishes. Grey Worm can behead me, or your dragons can devour me. But if you let me live, I will serve you well; I will dedicate myself to seeing you on the Iron Throne, because I choose you. Because I know that the people have no better chance than you.
Swear this to me, Varys. If you ever think I'm failing the people, you won't conspire behind my back. You'll look me in the eye, as you have done today, and you'll tell me how I am failing them.
And I swear this: if you ever betray me, I'll burn you alive.
[smiles] I would expect nothing less from the Mother of Dragons.
Thank you for coming. The other lords of the Reach look to you for guidance now more than ever; they might not have come if you hadn't.
If my queen summons me, I answer the call. And I've heard what she does to those who defy her.
You ride for Horn Hill today?
I have an army to mobilize. Won't be long before the fighting starts.
And which side will you be fighting for? You were the only man to defeat Robert Baratheon in battle. Not even Rhaegar Targaryen could...
It is a long ride back to the Reach, Ser Jaime. How may I serve?
I want you to be my ranking general in the wars to come. I want you to swear allegiance to Cersei, and I want you to help me destroy her enemies. All her enemies.
Including Olenna Tyrell? I'm a Tarly. That name means something. We're not oathbreakers, we're not schemers. We don't stab our rivals in the back or cut their throats at weddings. I swore an oath to House Tyrell.
You swore an oath to the Crown as well, Lord Tarly.
I've known Olenna since I was a child.
She was a great woman once. Now, she's broken. She wants revenge so badly, she brought the Dothraki to our shores. The Dothraki. In Westeros, for the first time in history. I know you don't like my sister, but you have to make a choice. Do you fight with us, or with the foreign savages and eunuchs? When the war is won, the Queen will need a new Warden of the South. I can think of no better man than Randyll Tarly.
If you want the Iron Throne, take it. We have an army, a fleet and three dragons. We should hit King's Landing now, hard, with everything we have. The city will fall within a day.
If we turn the dragons loose, tens of thousands will die in the firestorms.
It's called war. You don't have the stomach for it, scurry back into hiding.
I know how you wage war. We don't poison little girls here. Myrcella was innocent.
She was a Lannister. There are no innocent Lannisters. My greatest regret is that Oberyn died fighting for you.
That's enough! Lord Tyrion is Hand of the Queen; you will treat him with respect. I am not here to be queen of the ashes.
That's very nice to hear. Of course, I can't remember a queen who was better loved than my granddaughter. The common people loved her; the nobles loved her. And what is left of her now? Ashes. Commoners, nobles, they're all just children, really. They won't obey you unless they fear you.
I realize you're here out of hatred for Cersei, and not love for me. But I swear to you, she will pay for what she's done. And we will bring peace back to Westeros.
Peace. Do you think that's what we had under your father? Or his father, or his? Peace never lasts, my dear. Will you take a bit of advice from an old woman? [Daenerys nods] He's a clever man, your Hand. I've known a great many clever men. I've outlived them all. You know why? I ignored them. The Lords of Westeros are sheep. Are you a sheep? [Daenerys shakes her head.] No, you're a dragon. Be a dragon.
You all crowned me your King. I never wanted it. I never asked for it. But I accepted it because the North is my home! It's part of me, and I will never stop fighting for it, no matter the odds! But the odds are against us. None of you have seen the Army of the Dead. None of you. We can never hope to defeat them alone. We need allies. Powerful allies. I know it's a risk, but I know I have to take it.
Then send an emmissary! Don't go yourself!
Daenerys is a Queen. Only a King can convince her to help us. It has to be me.
You're abandoning your people! You're abandoning your home.
I'm leaving both in good hands.
Yours. You're my sister, you're the only Stark in Winterfell. Until I return, the North is yours.
And Sansa? I hear she's alive and well.
Does she miss me, terribly? [Jon scowls at him] A sham marriage... and unconsummated.
Well, it was. Wasn't. Anyway, she's much smarter than she lets on.
She's starting to let on.
Good. At some point, I want to hear how a Night's Watch recruit became King in the North.
As long as you tell me how a Lannister became Hand to Daenerys Targaryen.
A long and bloody tale. To be honest, I was drunk for most of it.
My bannermen think I'm a fool for coming here.
Of course they do. If I was your Hand, I would've advised against it. General rule of thumb: Stark men don't fare well when they travel South.
True... but I'm not a Stark.
[Suddenly Drogon swoops right over their heads, roaring; Jon, Davos and the Northmen drop to the ground, staring up at him]
[helps Jon back to his feet] I'd say you get used to them... but, you never really do. Come. Their mother is waiting for you.
[Cersei has a bound and gagged Ellaria and Tyene Sand captive in the dungeons of the Red Keep]
I want you to know I understand. Even though we're enemies, you and I, I understand the fury that drives you. I was there that day when Ser Gregor crushed your lover's head. I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of Oberyn's skull breaking, the sound of your scream. I never heard a sound like that; I thought "That's true love". Oberyn looked beautiful that day, he really did. No one moved like him, no one had such skill with the spear, even Ser Gregor couldn't stop him. If only he hadn't taunted him: he could have walked away and left poor Ser Gregor to die. But that wasn't your lover's way, was it? Now he's buried somewhere, and here's Ser Gregor, stronger than ever. That must be difficult for you. When my daughter was taken from me, my only daughter...well, you can't imagine how that feels unless you've lost a child. I fed her at my own breast even though they told me to give her to the wet nurse; I couldn't bear to see her in another woman's arms. I never got to have a mother, but Myrcella did. [her voice breaks in anger] She was mine and you took her from me! Why did you do that?!
[Ellaria gives her a defiant, mocking grin in response]
Doesn't matter now. Your daughter's a beauty too. Those brown eyes, those lips, perfect Dornish beauty. I imagine she's your favourite. I know, I know we're not supposed to have favourites, but still, we're only human. We love whom we love. [Ellaria makes muffled pleading sounds through her gag] I'm sorry, I can't understand you. The gag makes it impossible to understand what you're saying. Must be frustrating. We all make our choices. You chose to murder my daughter; you must have felt powerful when you made that choice. Do you feel powerful now? I don't sleep very well, not at all really. I lie in bed and I stare at the canopy and imagine ways of killing my enemies. How to destroy Ellaria Sand, the woman who murdered my only daughter?! I thought about having Ser Gregor crush your skull the way he did Oberyn's. It would be poetic, I suppose, but fast, too fast. [removing Tyene's gag] I thought about having him crush your daughter's skull. She's so beautiful. [caresses Tyene's face] The thought of this lovely face cracking open like a duck egg...no it's just not right!
[Cersei kisses Tyene full on the lips. Ellaria's eyes widen with horror as it dawns on her exactly what Cersei is doing]
Qyburn here is the cleverest man I know. Clever enough to learn what poison you used to murder Myrcella. The Long Goodbye, was that it?
That's the one. How long does the poison take?
Difficult to say. Hours, days, it depends on the subject's constitution.
Oh yes, Your Grace. Quite certain.
[crouching down so she can look Ellaria in the eye] Your daughter will die here, in this cell and you'll be here watching when she does. You'll be here the rest of your days. If you refuse to eat, we'll force food down your throat. You will live to watch your daughter rot, to watch that beautiful face collapse to bone and dust, all the while contemplating the choices you've made. [addressing Qyburn, but without breaking eye contact with Ellaria] Make sure the guards change the torches every few hours. I don't want her to miss a thing.
[Jaime Lannister confronts Olenna Tyrell in the aftermath of Highgarden's conquest]
"And now the rains weep o'er our halls." Did we fight well?
As well as could be expected.
It was never really our forte. Golden roses, indeed! Your brother and his new queen thought you would be defending Casterly Rock.
The truth is Casterly Rock isn't worth much any more. Well, it is to me, but my fond childhood memories won't keep Cersei on the Iron Throne.
So you just let them take it?
For now. They won't be able to hold it. Euron Greyjoy's navy burnt their ships, we emptied the larders before we left. Eventually, they'll be forced to abandon their position and march all the way across Westeros.
And you took your army, your real army and went where they weren't.
As Robb Stark did to me at Whispering Wood. There are always lessons in failure.
Yes. You must be very wise by now.
My father always said I was a slow learner.
If he was so clever, why didn't he take Highgarden the moment your gold mines ran dry? I suppose I'll be able to ask him myself soon enough. No more learning from my mistakes, eh? How will you do it? With that sword? That was Joffrey's, wasn't it? Not that he ever used it. What did he call it?
He really was a cunt, wasn't he? I did unspeakable things to protect my family, or watched them being done on my orders. I never lost a night's sleep over them; they were necessary and whatever I imagined necessary for the safety of House Tyrell, I did. But your sister has done things I wasn't capable of imagining. That was my prize mistake; a failure of imagination. She's a monster. You do know that?
To you, I'm sure. To others as well. But after we've won, and there's no one left to oppose us, when people are living peacefully in the world she built, do you really think they'll wring their hands over the way she built it?
You love her. You really do love her. You poor fool. She'll be the end of you.
Possibly. Not much to be gained from discussing it with you, is there?
What better person to discuss it with? What better guarantee do you have that the things you say will never leave this room? But perhaps you're right. If she's driven you this far, then it's gone beyond your control.
She's a disease. I regret my role in spreading it. You will too.
Cersei had several ideas. Whipping you through the streets and beheading you in front of the Red Keep. Flaying you alive and hanging you from the walls of King's Landing. I talked her out of those. [Jaime pours a vial of poison into a wine glass]
That's good. [she drinks the poison] I'd hate to die like your son. Clawing at my neck, foam and bile spilling from my mouth, eyes blood-red, skin purple. Must have been horrible for you, as a Kingsguard, as a father. It was horrible enough for me, a shocking scene. Not at all what I intended. You see, I'd never seen the poison work before. Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me.
[Arya and Sansa meet at their father's tomb]
Do I have to call you "Lady Stark" now?
Yes. You shouldn't have run from the guards.
I didn't run. You need better guards. It suits you: Lady Stark. Jon left you in charge?
He did. I hope he comes back soon. I remember how happy he was to see me. When he sees you, his heart will probably stop.
[They gaze at the statue of Ned Stark]
It doesn't look like him. Should've been carved by someone who knew his face.
Everyone who knew his face is dead.
We're not. They say you killed Joffrey. Did you?
Me, too. I was angry when I heard someone else had done it. However long my list got, he was always first.
Of people I'm going to kill.
[Sansa stares at her for a moment, then they both laugh]
How did you get back to Winterfell?
It's a long story. I imagine yours is, too.
Yes. And not a very pleasant one.
Mine, neither. But our stories aren't over yet.
[Jon and Daenerys explore a cave beneath Dragonstone. By torchlight, he shows her a series of cave paintings]
The Children of the Forest made these.
They were right here, standing right where we're standing, before there were Targaryens or Starks or Lannisters. Maybe even before there were men.
No. They were here together. The Children and the First Men.
Doing what? Fighting each other?
[shows her a cave painting depicting humans and White Walkers] They fought together, against their common enemy, despite their differences, despite their suspicions...together. We need to do the same if we're going to survive, 'cause the enemy is real. It's always been real.
And you say you can't defeat them without my armies and my dragons?
I will fight for you. I will fight for the North...when you bend the knee.
My people won't accept a southern ruler, not after everything they've suffered.
They will if their King does. They chose you to lead them, they chose you to protect them. Isn't their survival more important than your pride?
