[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...
MelisandreStannis 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?
Melisandre
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.]
Melisandre
The night is dark and full of terrors, old man. But the fires burn them all away.
Lady Stark, I had not thought to find you in the Stormlands.
I had not thought to be here, Lord Stannis.
When I saw your standard, I couldn't be sure. Whose banner is that?
I suppose if we use the same one, the battle will be terribly confusing. Why is your stag on fire?
Melisandre
The king has taken for his sigil the fiery heart of the Lord of Light.
Ah, you must be this fire priestess we hear so much about. Ah brother, now I understand why you found religion in your old age!
No, no, I'm relieved. I never really believed you were a fanatic; charmless, rigid, a bore, yes, but not a godly man.
Melisandre
You should kneel before your brother. He is the Lord's Chosen, born amidst salt and smoke.
"Born amidst salt and smoke?" Is he a ham?
That's twice I've warned you.
Listen to yourselves! If you were sons of mine, I would knock your heads together and lock you in a bedchamber together until you remember you're brothers.
It is strange to find you beside my brother, Lady Stark. Your husband was a supporter of my claim; Lord Eddard's integrity cost him his head. And you sit beside this pretender and chastise me?
The Iron Throne is mine by right. All those who deny that are my foes.
The whole realm denies it, from Dorne to the Wall. Old men deny it with their death rattles and unborn children deny it in their mothers' wombs. No one wants you for their king. You never wanted any friends, brother, but a man without friends is a man without power.
For the sake of the mother who bore us, I will give you this one night to reconsider. Strike your banners, come to me before dawn and I will grant you your old seat on the Council. I'll even name you my heir, until a son is born to me. Otherwise I shall destroy you.
Look across those fields, brother. Can you see all those banners?
You think a few bolts of cloth will make you king?
No. The men holding those bolts of cloth will make me king!
We shall see, Renly. Come the dawn, we shall see.
Melisandre
Look to your sins, Lord Renly. The night is dark and full of terrors.
[Renly and Catelyn watch them leave]
Would you believe? I loved him once.
You said you saw my victory in the flames.
Melisandre
I did. I still see it.
The flames lied. And I'm no better than a savage, trusting in a fire god! I fought for your god in Blackwater Bay. I led my men to the gates of the Seventh Hell as their brothers burned alive and for what? An attack from behind by Tywin Lannister and the Tyrells? If you see so much in your flames, why didn't you warn me?
Melisandre
The Lord of Light only allows me glimpses.
You claim to speak for a god!
Melisandre
Will you quit the war just because you've lost a battle?
You talk about war as if you understand it.
Melisandre
I've been fighting far longer than you.
Have you? Show me how you fight! [Stannis seizes Melisandre by the throat and starts throttling her] Show me! Where is your god now? Will he save you? Where is your god?!
Melisandre
Inside you.
Melisandre
We murdered him. Share the weight with me.
Melisandre
This war has just begun. It will last for years. Thousands will die at your command. You will betray the men serving you, you will betray your family, you will betray everything you once held dear...and it will all be worth it, because you are the Son of Fire, you are the Warrior of Light. You will sweep aside this pretender and that one; you will be King.
Melisandre
Lord Commander.
Melisandre
Come with us when we ride south. None of us know the castle as well as you do. Its hidden tunnels, its weaknesses, its people. Winterfell was your home once. Don't you want to chase the rats out of it?
Castle Black is my home now. The Night's Watch take no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms.
Melisandre
There's only one war. Life against death. Come. Let me show you what you're fighting for.
You're gonna show me some visions in the fire. Forgive me my lady, I don't trust in visions.
Melisandre
No visions. No magic. Just life. [she pulls his hand under her robe] Do you feel my heart beating? There's power in you, you resist it and that's your mistake. Embrace it. The Lord of Light made us male and female. Two parts of a greater whole. You're not joining this power. Power to make life, power to make light, and power to cast shadows.
I don't think Stannis would like that very much.
Melisandre
Then we shouldn't tell him.
Melisandre
Why?
I swore a vow. I loved another.
Melisandre
The dead don't need lovers. Only the living.
I know. But I still love her.
Melisandre
[Goes to the door before she turns back to Jon] "You know nothing, Jon Snow."
I assume you know why I'm here.
Melisandre
I will when you tell me.
It's about the Lord Commander.
Melisandre
The former Lord Commander.
Melisandre
What are you asking?
Do you know of any magic that could help him? Bring him back.
Melisandre
If you want to help him, leave him be.
Melisandre
There are some with this power.
Melisandre
I don't know.
Melisandre
I met a man who came back from the dead, but the priest who did it...it shouldn't have been possible.
But it was. It could be, now.
Melisandre
Not for me.
Not for you? I saw you drink poison that should've killed you. I saw you give birth to a demon, made of shadows.
Melisandre
Everything I believed, the great victory I saw in the flames, all of it was a lie. You were right all along. The Lord never spoke to me.
Fuck him, then. Fuck all of them. I'm not a devout man, obviously. Seven gods, drowned gods, tree gods, it's all the same. I'm not asking the Lord of Light for help. I'm asking the woman who showed me that miracles exist.
Melisandre
I never had this gift.
[Davos finds Jon, resurrected by Melisandre's spells]
[Melisandre enters the room and stares at Jon, shocked]
They stabbed me. Olly... he put a knife in my heart. I shouldn't be here.
The Lady brought you back.
Melisandre
Afterwards... after they stabbed you, after you died. Where did you go? What did you see?
Nothing. There was nothing at all.
Melisandre
The Lord let you come back for a reason. Stannis was not the Prince who was Promised, but someone has to be.
Could you give us a moment? [Melisandre leaves] You were dead...and now you're not. And it's completely fucking mad, seems to me. I can only imagine how it seems to you.
I did what I thought was right. And I got murdered for it. Now I'm back. Why?
I don't know. Maybe we'll never know. What does it matter? You go on. You fight as long as you can, you clean up as much of the shit as you can.
I don't know how to do that. I thought I did, but... I failed.
Good. Now, go fail again.
[Davos storms into the great hall of Winterfell and throws Shireen's burnt stag figurine to Melisandre]
Tell him! Tell him who it belonged to.
Melisandre
The Princess Shireen.
Tell him what you did to her! TELL HIM!
Melisandre
We burnt her at the stake.
[Jon looks horrified]
Melisandre
The army was trapped, the horses were dying! It was the only way.
You burned a little girl alive!
Melisandre
I only do what my Lord commands me!
If he commands you to burn children, your Lord is evil!
Melisandre
We are standing here because of him. Jon Snow is alive because the Lord willed it.
I loved that girl! Like she was my own! She was good, she was kind and you killed her!
Melisandre
So did her father. So did her mother. Her own blood knew it was the only way!
The only way for what?! They all died anyway! You told everyone Stannis was the one, you had him believing it, all of them fooled, and you lied!
Melisandre
I didn't lie! I was wrong.
Aye. You were wrong. How many died because you were wrong? [to Jon] I ask your leave to execute this woman for murder. She admits to the crime.
Do you have anything to say for yourself?
Melisandre
I've been ready to die for many years. If the Lord was done with me, so be it, but he's not. You've seen the Night King, Jon Snow. You know the great war is still to come. You know the army of the dead will be upon us soon. And you know I can help you win that war.
[stares at Melisandre for a moment] Ride south today. If you return to the North, I'll have you hanged as a murderer.
If you ever come back this way, I'll execute you myself!
[As Beric Dondarrion lays dying next to Arya]
Melisandre
The Lord brought him back for a purpose. Now that purpose has been served.
Melisandre
And I know you.
You said we'd meet again.
Melisandre
And here we are, at the end of the world.
You said I'd shut many eyes forever. You were right about that too.
Melisandre
Brown eyes, green eyes, [Arya nods] and blue eyes. [Arya looks up at her in realization]
[The noise of the swarm of wights outside intensifies]
Melisandre
What do we say to the God of Death?
...Not today. [Exchanges a look with Melisandre, then leaves]
Game of Thrones · 356 quotes
