Game of Thrones Chapter 33 Eddard

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Varys has just told the small council that Ser Jorah has informed him Daenerys is pregnant. Robert wants to kill her andViserys now, but Eddard is protesting heatedly. He says there is no threat, as the Dothraki will never cross the sea, but Robert thinks his reign is in danger. Renly says they should have killed Viserys and Daenerys years ago, but Lord Jon always managed to convince Robert not to. Eddard points out how mercy can be useful, reminding Robert that Ser Barristan killed over a dozen men on the Trident yet when he was brought before Robert near death and Roose Bolton urged that his throat be cut, Robert pardoned him instead. Eddard argues well past the point of reason, calling Robert a coward and an ignoble king, but in the end is outvoted, with Renly, Petyr, Varys, and Pycelle voting for and only Barristan joining Eddard in voting against assassination. Renly suggests having Jorah do the deed, but Varys says that will not work, for the Dothraki would kill him, so he will refuse. Varys suggests using the tears of Lys, and Pycelle looks at him suspiciously. Eddard refuses to be party to the murder and resigns his position as Hand of the King. Robert tells him to go back to Winterfell or he will have Eddard’s head. As Eddard leaves, Pycelle brings up hiring the Faceless Men of Braavos, but Petyr complains they are too expensive. Eddard passes Ser Boros on his way out of the council chamber.

Back in his chambers, Eddard summons Vayon and has him prepare for the journey back to Winterfell. He decides he will leave first with his daughters and a few guardsmen and the rest of the household can follow behind. He contemplates going by ship to see Stannis, as he is convinced Stannis knows the secret that Jon died for. He has sent a letter to Dragonstone asking Stannis to return to his council seat but has received no reply. Eddard sends Vayon to look for a ship right before Tomard announces that Petyr is there to see him. Petyr tells Eddard that they have decided not to hire a Faceless Man and will just let it be known that a lordship awaits anyone who kills Daenerys. He then tells Eddard that if he will delay his departure briefly, he will take Eddard to the brothel he has been searching for.

Quotes…

Ned had heard enough. “You send hired knives to kill a fourteen-year-old girl and still quibble about honor?” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Do it yourself, Robert. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. Look her in the eyes before you kill her. See her tears, hear her last words. You owe her that much at least.”

“Out,” he croaked, choking on his rage. “Out, damn you, I’m done with you. What are you waiting for? Go, run back to Winterfell. And make certain I never look on your face again, or I swear, I’ll have your head on a spike!”

by Mel

So, Robert is just CRAZY! His whole council is ridiculous with the exception of Ser Barristan( (I really like him) So the arguement goes like this….

“You talk of murdering a child.”  Robert doesn’t care.
“You will dishonor yourself forever if you do this.”  Robert doesn’t care.
“Mercy is never a mistake.  [Robert] sent his own master to tend Ser Barrista’s wounds.”  Robert blushes but still insists this is different, and the girl must die.
“Have the years so unmanned you that you tremble at the shadow of an unborn child?”  And here, finally, we get it:  Robert purpled.
“Do it yourself, Robert.  The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword.”  Robert can barely contain his fury that, yes, Ned means it.
“I had thought you a better man than this, Robert.  I thought we had made a nobler king.” Robert’s face was purple.

Then we have Littlefingers’ wise council…

“When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, the best thing to do is close your eyes and get on with it,” he declared. “Waiting won’t make the maid any prettier. Kiss her and be done with it.”

So the king tells him to get out and go back to Winterfell! Threatens his head, so Ned makes the proper arrangements to get his daughters out of King’s Landing immediately….phew, now I’m starting to feel a LOT better, get the hell out of King’s Landing!

But first… he decides to go visit a brothel with Littlefinger! Oh Ned!!!

Books to HBO

The council scene plays out very similarly, although the lack of Barristan Selmy at the small council means that Eddard is left without anyone who supports his position whatsoever. Robert’s line about the realm being ruled by “fear and blood” is a new one, and we suspect not quite one that the novel’s Robert would ever think or say. Otherwise, the scene plays out quite similarly.

 

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Game of Thrones Chapter 32 Arya

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Arya is chasing an old black tomcat around the Red Keep. Syrio has had her chasing cats night and day, and she has caught every one in the castle save this one. She finally catches the cat when she is startled by the appearance of Prince Tommen and Princess Myrcella accompanied by a septa  and two guards. They mistake her for a boy, and the septa orders one of the guards, Godwyn, to seize her. She darts away and manages to avoid them all, but ends up in an unfamiliar part of the castle. When her eyes adjust to the dark, she discovers she is in a storeroom containing the dragons that used to hang in the throne room. She proceeds down a dark hallway until she hears voices and sees two men coming up steps from below. One is a scarred man who seems strangely familiar and the other is a fat man with a forked yellow beard.  Yellowbeard tells Scarface that he must delay until the khal is ready to stir, which he will not do until his child is born.  Scarface says that Eddard already has the bastard and the book and will soon know the truth.  This combined with the attempt on his son and Catelyn’s seizure of Tyrion means that the Starks and Lannisters will soon be at each other’s throats and that the Tullys will probably be dragged in too. Furthermore, Lysa and Stannis have fled beyond Scarface’s reach and are gathering swords, while Loras is writing his father to bring his sister to court so that Robert can wed and bed her, and Petyr remains unpredictable as always. Yellowbeard suggests killing Eddard, but Scarface says that is untenable. Scarface says they must move now, but Yellowbeard says this is impossible. Scarface ends by asking for fifty more “little birds,” young boys who can read and write but have their tongues removed.  After that, they are out of hearing range, but Arya follows their torch to get out of the passage. She ends up at the mouth of a sewer far from the castle and has to walk back. The guards at the gate almost do not let her in. Finally, Tomard and Harwin march her in to see Eddard. She tries to tell him what she heard, but gets it all mixed up in her head, and he thinks she just saw a mummer’s troupe. Desmond interrupts their conversation to announceYoren, who has just arrived in King’s Landing. Yoren asks to speak to Eddard in private,  and Eddard has Desmond lead Arya away. On the way to her room, she asks Desmond if the guards will be able to protect Eddard. Desmond says yes, each northerner is worth ten southron swords.

Quotes…

“If one Hand can die, why not a second?” replied the man with the accent and the forked yellow beard. “You have danced the dance before, my friend.”

“I’m not a boy,” she spat at them. “I’m Arya Stark of Winterfell, and if you lay a hand on me my lord father will have both your heads on spikes. If you don’t believe me, fetch Jory Cassel or Vayon Poole from the Tower of the Hand.” She put her hands on her hips. “Now are you going to open the gate, or do you need a clout on the ear to help your hearing?”

by Mel…

Oh Ned! Why do you not listen to your daughter! Even if she is talking about monsters and wizards, her words made sense…

1. They said you had a book and a bastard and if one Hand could die, why not a second?

2. “There was a fat one with rings and a forked yellow beard, and another in mail and a steel cap, and the fat one said they had to delay but the other one told him he couldn’t keep juggling and the wolf and the lion were going to eat each other and it was a mummer’s farce.”

3. “The fat one said the princess was with child.”

The first time reading this I had no idea who the 2 men were and even watching the episode with this scene it was very dark, but after re-reading it I recognize Magister Illyrio and the fat man with the yellow forked beard and the other as Varys’ because he was talking about his little birds. But, what is their agenda? Is it all about selfish intents or is there actually a plan in motion. You could definately tell that they were talking about Khal Drogo not coming until the birth of his son, so it has everything to do with the Targaryens.

Arya’s descriptions of the monsters gives you an idea at just how big the dragon bones are, although, maybe I got that from HBO, I can’t recall exactly. And what about everyone mistaking Arya for a boy! That’s got to give her a HUGE complex!

Again, Arya is self-sufficient and kick ass, if only Ned would listen, OH Ned!!!

I love Syrio’s wisdom…

Your enemies will give you more than scratches.  A water dancer sees with all her senses.  All halls lead somewhere.  Where there is a way in, there is a way out.  Fear cuts deeper than swords.

And then the almost hypnotic poeticism of her mantra:

Quiet as a shadow.
Light as a feather. 
Quick as a snake.
Calm as still water.
Smooth as summer silk.
Swift as a dear.
Slippery as an eel.
Strong as a bear.
Fierce as a wolverine.
Still as a stone.

Also?  The last line of the chapter is awesome.  “Wizards die the same as other men, once you cut their heads off.”

Books to HBO

There was no scene where she ran from Myracella, Tommen and the Septa. The dragon skull is not black. We’re not sure why, because the dragonbone hilt of the dagger and the daggers Drogo and his bloodrider have are black. But it’s certainly big! The biggest change here is that in the novel, Arya has no idea who these two people are, and so the reader, too, isn’t easily able to identify them. In part, it’s because Varys is a master of disguise, and has disguised himself with a gaoler’s costume and stubble and a different way of speaking… but lagely, it’s just that Arya doesn’t know, and so we can’t easily decipher it. Even today, new readers still show up occasionally wondering. Eventually, Arya does get out of the cellars through a sewer tunnel, and bathes and washes her clothes in the Blackwater before making her way to the castle. I love the look on Eddard’s face when he asks her why she was in the dungeons and she answered, ‘Chasing Cats’ Also it was Rory who led her out and not Desmond.

 

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Game of Thrones Chapter 31 Tyrion

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Tyrion watches Chiggen butcher his horse and endures taunts from Bronn. The horse was a gift from Jaime for his twenty-third birthday. He walks off and thinks back on the events that got him into this predicament. When Catelyn called on the patrons of the inn to arrest Tyrion, Jyck drew his sword, but Tyrion quickly stopped him and realized that he had to surrender to Catelyn to have any chance of survival. Yoren stood aside as Catelyn took him into custody, as the Watch does not involve itself in the quarrels of the realm. Masha begged Catelyn not to kill him in her inn, and Catelyn said she would take him back to Winterfell. Tyrion told the assembled that Lord Tywin will pay handsomely for word of what happened, and he was confident of rescue. Ser Rodrik decreed that they would take Jyck and Morrec too. Catelyn asked for volunteers to guard him, and Ser Willis Wode, Kurleket, Lharys, Mohor, Bronn, and Chiggen stepped forward. Marillion also decided to come along so he could compose a song of the “splendid adventure.” They blindfolded Tyrion and began the journey. When they took off his blindfold at the end of the first day, he realized that they were not going to Winterfell, but were in fact taking the high roadto the Vale of Arryn.

Catelyn has set a relentless pace through the mountains, and they have lost three horses. Ser Rodrik counsels a slower pace, and Tyrion seconds that thought, adding that he may not survive such a rough pace. He once again denies trying to murderBran and tells Catelyn that Lord Petyr is a liar and brags to all and sundry that he took Catelyn’s maidenhead.  Before he can tell more, a group of mountain clansmen approach their position. Tyrion tells Catelyn to arm him and his men, which she does reluctantly. They successfully drive off the clansmen, who leave nine dead on the field. Their losses are only three, Jyck, Kurleket, and Mohor. Ser Rodrik is wounded. As the fight nears its end, Tyrion saves Catelyn’s life. Ser Willis counsels riding on, as the clansmen will certainly be back. Catelyn wants to stay and bury the dead, but she is soon dissuaded from that folly. She allows Tyrion to keep his weapons. As they set out again, Tyrion rides up to Catelyn and continues to tell her why he is innocent. Petyr claimed that Tyrion won the dagger betting against Jaime, but Tyrion never bets against his family.

Quotes…

“This is the high road,” he gasped, looking at Lady Stark with accusation. “The eastern road. You said we were riding for Winterfell!” Catelyn Stark favored him with the faintest of smiles. “Often and loudly,” she agreed. “No doubt your friends will ride that way when they come after us. I wish them good speed.”

“As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted,” Tyrion began, “there is a serious flaw in Littlefinger’s fable. Whatever you may believe of me, Lady Stark, I promise you this—I never bet against my family.”

by Mel

I had read this part of the book before the HBO episode came out, and I refused to believe that Tyrion would have had anything to do with the attack on Bran. Although, it was fun that when this episode came I played along with my husband that he was the bad guy! ‘Dang, I really liked him!’ he said. I love the fact that when he had a chance to escape or at least let Catelyn be killed that he saved her. Tyrion knows exactly what his brother and sister are capable of and I really think that he suspected them back at Winterfell. He also knows that his worth is not that important to his father but his father cannot let something like this happen to a Lannister. I really feel for the poor guy, at least he’s got a good sense of humor about it all!

Books to HBO

Tyrion does not take up an ax and fight hand-to-hand, probably a change to reflect the fact that Peter Dinklage probably isn’t going to be quite so convincing a fighting man as George has managed to make Tyrion to be (Tyrion’s no great shakes, mind).  Catelyn does not kill one of the clansmen. Some of the sellswords and men-at-arms who are named in the story go nameless here, and Bronn has lost the sellsword who was his companion.

 

 

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Game Of Thrones: Comic-Con Trailer (HBO)

July 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Blog, Game of Thrones, Game of Thrones Extras *Spoilers*

Book Forum

July 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I have started a book forum, the link is on the main bar. Would love to discuss books with all of you! :)

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Finished A Dance With Dragons

July 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Soooo…my recap did not go as planned, because I couldn’t put it down long enough to discuss it! My bad! Although I did take notes of my reactions which consisted mostly of  4 letter words! LOL! So I will now start to recap the book and would love any feedback from it. Try to keeps in mind of any spoilers past the chapter that I am recapping and warn of any spoilers ahead.

Re-Cap will be HERE so that you can comment along with other readers!

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Game of Thrones, Chapter 30, Eddard

July 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Ser Barristan and Eddard converse over the body of Ser Hugh as the silent sisters attend to the corpse. Eddard wonders if he was killed by the Lannisters before he could talk. Barristan says Hugh was Jon’s squire for four years and desperately wanted a knighthood, but he was not ready. The two head to King Robert’s tent, where he is preparing to fight in the melee. His two squires  are trying to get him into his armor, but he is too fat. Eddard points this out, and Robert sends the squires looking for a breastplate stretcher. Eddard is troubled by the fact that the squires are both Lannisters. Ser Barristan tells Robert as a ploy to get him to stand down that if he fights, no one would dare strike him, and Robert throws a breastplate at him in fury and orders him out. He tells Eddard to stay and laments to him about how dead he feels. He only became king instead of Jon or Eddard because his claim was better. He married Cersei to tie Lord Tywin to him, but gets no joy from marriage. He would just leave for the Free Cities and work as a mercenary if he were not so worried about Joffrey taking the throne. He is hopeful that with Eddard at his side he can turn around his admittedly poor reign. He also mentions that Renly told him about Loras’s sister and how beautiful she is. Robert’s melancholy lifts at breakfast, and Eddard becomes confident that once he proves the Lannisters were behind Jon’s death the king will crush them.

Eddard joins Sansa to watch the rest of the tournament as Sandor and Jaime take their places. Petyr and Renly make wagers on who will win. Sandor unseats Jaime on the second tilt, and Renly laments Tyrion’s absence, for he would have won twice as much.  As Gregor and Loras take their places for the second match, Eddard contemplates the Mountain That Rides. He is a solitary man who only leaves his lands for wars and tournaments. He will soon be married a third time, and both of his previous wives, as well as his sister and father, died under strange circumstances. The day he inherited his father’s lands, Sandor left to take service with the Lannisters as a sworn sword and never returned. Rumor has it that it was Gregor who killed Rhaegar’s infant son, Aegon, by dashing his head against a wall and that he raped and killed Elia afterward. He also fought inGreyjoy’s Rebellion. Ser Loras unseats Gregor with the aid of a mare in heat that distracts Gregor’s horse. Gregor is furious and calls for his sword, which his squire fetches.  He kills his own horse before knocking Ser Loras from his saddle. Before he can land the killing blow, Sandor is there and stops him. They fight until Robert puts a stop to it. A shaken Loras cedes the final match to Sandor, who wins the champion’s prize. Later, a boy from the Dornish Marches named Anguy wins the archery competition by defeating Ser Balon Swann and Jalabhar Xho in the final round. Finally, in a free-for-all melee of forty men,Thoros of Myr wins the last prize of the day. At the feast that night, Jory brings Arya down fresh from a training session withSyrio Forel and with bruises. Eddard worries that Syrio is pushing her too much. He has her do strange things like walk around blindfolded and catch cats. He asks her if she would like a new tutor, but she says no.

Quotes…

Ned only needed a glance to understand the difficulty. “The boys are not at fault,” he told the king. “You’re too fat for your armor, Robert.”

Robert Baratheon took a long swallow of beer, tossed the empty horn onto his sleeping furs, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said darkly, “Fat? Fat, is it? Is that how you speak to your king?” He let go his laughter, sudden as a storm. “Ah, damn you, Ned, why are you always right?”

“I will not keep you long, my lord. There are things you must know. You are the King’s Hand, and the king is a fool.” The eunuch’s cloying tones were gone; now his voice was thin and sharp as a whip. “Your friend, I know, yet a fool nonetheless … and doomed, unless you save him. Today was a near thing. They had hoped to kill him during the melee.”

He was at the door when Ned called, “Varys,” The eunuch turned back. “How did Jon Arryn die?” “I wondered when you would get around to that.” “Tell me.” “The tears of Lys, they call it. A rare and costly thing, clear and sweet as water, and it leaves no trace. I begged Lord Arryn to use a taster, in this very room I begged him, but he would not hear of it. Only one who was less than a man would even think of such a thing, he told me.”

by Mel

We realize that the knight that the Mountain killed is the squire that was knighted after Jon Arryn died. Second day of the tournament and the Mountain loses to Ser Loras and does not take it very well. He decides to cut his horses head off and then goes to attack Ser Loras. The Hound intercedes and fights with his brother until the king stops it. I was really rooting for the Hound against his brother, but it was not to be. Varys’ let’s Ned know that the Lannister’s are not to be trusted and that Jon Arryn was, in fact poisoned. Most likely be the knight who was killed in the tournament the day before.

Book to HBO

The claim that Ned cut down a dozen great knights is true for the show, but not at all true in the novels—Ned is competent and capable, as trained as any nobleman, and physically brave… but he’s not a great swordsman. Barristan is not present when Ned speaks to Robert, nor is he involved in convincing Robert that he can’t take part. Also, because we didn’t see the feast scene from Sansa II, we don’t realize that Robert was more or less indirectly goaded into committing to the melee (not the joust, as on the show) by Cersei. We do not see Jaime joust against and lose to the Hound (and so do not see Renly’s remark that he’d be even richer if Tyrion had been around, confirming a detail soon to be given), and it’s Sansa—not Barristan—who questions the honor of Ser Loras’s using a mare in heat to gain an advantage. Finally, Renly and Littlefinger make their wager. HBO always makes it very obvious that there is a gay relationship between Renly and Loras, which I totally missed reading the books, and in fact when the scene was on I told my husband, ‘That didn’t happen in the book’ But then looking into it on the forums the author definately states that they are lovers.

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Game of Thrones, Chapter 29, Sansa

July 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sansa goes to the Hand’s tournament with Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole. Participants in the tournament include all sevenKingsguard;  Ser Gregor Clegane, called the Mountain That Rides; Lord Yohn Royce, whose armor is thousands of years old and covered in runes that supposedly protect him from harm; his sons Ser Andar and Ser Robar; Lord Jason Mallister, who slew three of Prince Rhaegar’s bannermen on the Trident; his son Patrek; Thoros of Myr, who wields a flaming sword and scaled the walls of Pyke during Greyjoy’s Rebellion; Ser Balon Swann; Lord Bryce Caron; the twins Ser Hobber and SerHoras Redwyne; six Freys, Ser Jared, Ser Emmon, Ser Hosteen, Ser Danwell, Ser Perwyn, and Ser Theo;  Martyn Rivers;Jalabhar Xho, an exiled prince from the Summer Isles; Lord Beric Dondarrion; Sandor Clegane; Lord Renly Baratheon;Jory Cassel; Harwin; Alyn; Lothor Brune; Ser Aron Santagar; and Ser Loras Tyrell.

Sansa thoroughly enjoys the whole affair, and her enthusiasm is not dimmed even when Gregor’s lance spears one of his challengers in the neck, killing him.  By the end of the day, only four riders remain, Sandor, Gregor, Jaime, and Loras. Loras has been giving a woman in the crowd a white rose after every victory. After his final victory, he rides up to Sansa and gives her a red rose, leaving her speechless.  Afterward, Lord Petyr talks to her and touches her briefly before turning away. That night, there is a feast at which Sansa is seated next to Joffrey, whom she has not spoken too since the incident on theTrident, but he is polite and disarming. She is lost in the magical evening as multiple food courses go by and singers and Moon Boy perform.

During the evening, King Robert gets increasingly more drunk and ever louder until he finally interrupts the whole banquet by telling Cersei that he will fight in the melee whether she likes it or not. Cersei leaves in a huff, and Robert shoves Jaime aside when the knight tries to reason with him. Joffrey asks Sansa if she would like an escort back to the castle. When she says yes, he summons Sandor to take her. She tries complimenting him on his riding and addresses him as a knight, but both acts anger him. He is disdainful of knights and their vows. He is drunk and mocks her and says that Gregor killed the knight earlier in the day on purpose. He makes Sansa look at his hideous face and tells her that Gregor burned it in a brazier when they were younger because Sandor had taken a toy knight of his and was playing with it. Four years later, Prince Rhaegar made Gregor a knight. When they get back to Sansa’s rooms, he tells her that if she ever tells anyone what he just told her, he will kill her.

Quotes…

To the other maidens he had given white roses, but the one he plucked for her was red. “Sweet lady,” he said, “no victory is half so beautiful as you.” Sansa took the flower timidly, struck dumb by his gallantry. His hair was a mass of lazy brown curls, his eyes like liquid gold. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of the rose and sat clutching it long after Ser Loras had ridden off.

“You must be one of her daughters,” he said to her. He had grey-green eyes that did not smile when his mouth did. “You have the Tully look.”

“I’m Sansa Stark,” she said, ill at ease. The man wore a heavy cloak with a fur collar, fastened with a silver mockingbird, and he had the effortless manner of a high lord, but she did not know him. “I have not had the honor, my lord.”

Septa Mordane quickly took a hand. “Sweet child, this is Lord Petyr Baelish, of the king’s small council.”

“Your mother was my queen of beauty once,” the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. “You have her hair.” His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Quite abruptly he turned and walked away.

by Mel

We have quite the exciting joust going on and Sansa is loving it. She’s not even effected when one of the jousters is killed by a lance through his neck. We also learn more about the Hound, Sandor and his brother Gregor, whom they call the Mountain. Poor little Hound, playing with his older brother’s GI Joe toy and here comes Gregor and pushes his face into the fire leaving him scarred for the rest of his life. In this day and age, I’m pretty sure a councelor would tell his parents that he has violent tendencies. Sandor confides this story to Sansa but then threatens her that he will kill her if she tells anyone. Also, Littlefinger is a little creepy brushing Sansa’s cheek and telling her how much she looked like her mother and that she was his queen of beauty once. King’s Landing is just not a good place to take a child, I’m thinking.

Book to HBO

The tourney is much sketchier than in the novel, alas. The feast is gone entirely, as is Sansa being lead away by the Hound, and hearing his story and his threats directly from him. It is Littlefinger that tells her the story.

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Game of Thrones, Chapter 28, Catelyn

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Catelyn and Ser Rodrik are on the road back to Winterfell. It is raining heavily, and they decide to stay at an inn for the night. It is an inn Catelyn stayed at many times in her youth, run by a fat woman named Masha Heddle. Lord Jason Mallister, his sonPatrek, and a contingent of knights pass them on the road. Lord Jason is a bannerman to Catelyn’s father, but he does not recognize her because she is so disheveled. They take rooms at the inn. Once in her room, Catelyn glances out at the crossroads and ponders what to do next. If she turns west, she can be at Riverrun quickly to warn Lord Hoster of the coming danger. She would take that course of action, except Hoster has been bedridden for two years. To the east, the road passes through the Mountains of the Moon to the Vale of Arryn and the Eyrie, where Lysa may have proof that could bring downHouse Lannister. That route is extremely dangerous, with both predators and hostile mountain clans blocking the way, and only well-armed parties have a chance of making the journey safely. Catelyn decides she must wait until she is back in theNorth and then send riders. She thinks of her father’s bannermen, House Blackwood and House Bracken constantly in feud, Lady Shella Whent of Harrenhal, the last of her line, and Lord Walder Frey, who has outlived seven wives. She wonders how many are truly loyal to Riverrun, as when Lord Hoster called the banners during Robert’s Rebellion, House Darry, House Ryger, and House Mooton fought for House Targaryen and Lord Walder held back his strength until after the decisive battle on theTrident, leading Hoster to label him the Late Lord Frey.

Catelyn and Ser Rodrik return to the common room for dinner and decide to masquerade as father and daughter. A singer named Marillion strikes up a conversation with them. He asks who the greatest singer they know is, and when Rodrik answersAlia of Braavos, he claims he is far better. Just then, Tyrion enters with Jyck, Morrec, and Yoren and asks for rooms. He is not glancing in Catelyn’s direction, but Marillion leaps up to get his attention, and Tyrion sees her and calls her by name. Catelyn gets up and turns to an older man in the service of House Whent  and asks if he is loyal to Riverrun. He replies in the affirmative. Next, she turns to three men-at-arms of House Bracken  and courts their loyalty as well. Finally she turns to a group of Frey men-at-arms and asks the same. When all is settled, she formally accuses Tyrion of conspiring to murder Bran and orders him seized in the name of King Robert.

Quotes…

“This man came a guest into my house, and there conspired to murder my son, a boy of seven,” she proclaimed to the room at large, pointing. Ser Rodrik moved to her side, his sword in hand. “In the name of King Robert and the good lords you serve, I call upon you to seize him and help me return him to Winterfell to await the king’s justice.” She did not know what was more satisfying: the sound of a dozen swords drawn as one or the look on Tyrion Lannister’s face.

by Mel

I hated this part in the book, but I really didn’t like it in the HBO series. Poor Tyrion has no idea what is going on but there he has the whole Inn pointing swords at him. I’m sure he can guess that either his brother or sister is to blame for this.

Book to HBO

It plays out much the same as in the novel. The most notable changes are having Bronn be the sellsword who gives up his place to Tyrion, and the fact that it seems that the Frey man-at-arms drew his sword on Catelyn’s behalf, when in the novel the Frey captain keeps his men seated and uninvolved.

Filed Under: Blog, Game of Thrones Tagged With: ,

Game of Thrones, Chapter 27, Eddard

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Janos Slynt, Commander of the City Watch, makes a report to the small council on the state of the city. With all the knightscoming to take part in the tournament, the city is full of crime and unrest. He specifically mentions a woman’s head found in the rainbow pool at the Great Sept, causing Varys to shudder. Eddard orders the hiring of fifty new watchmen and loans the watch twenty of his own men. After Janos takes his leave, Eddard once again vents his disgust at the tournament. Pycellereplies that the realm benefits by giving the great a chance for glory and the lowborn a respite from their woes. Petyr adds that the inns and whorehouses also prosper, causing Renly to bring up the time Stannis tried to outlaw brothels. He further wonders how Stannis ever conceived his ugly daughter,  as he approaches his marriage bed as if he were going into battle.

After the meeting, Eddard returns to his chambers and tells Harwin to fetch Jory. As he waits, he peruses the tome that Jon was reading when he died, The Lineages and Histories of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms by Grand Maester Malleon. The book is over a century old, and Eddard has trouble seeing how it can be important. He turns to the section onHouse Lannister, which traces its lineage back to Lann the Clever, a legendary trickster from the Age of Heroes who supposedly tricked House Casterly into giving him Casterly Rock and stole gold from the sun to brighten his curly hair. When Jory arrives, Eddard tells him to pick the men for the city watch and give Alyn the command. Jory has been questioning Jon’s servants that are still in the city. Ser Hugh was arrogant and refused to answer questions for a captain of the guard, the serving girl said nothing of interest, the potboy mentioned that Jon had gone to see an armorer with Stannis, and the stableboy talked of Jon and Stannis visiting a brothel together. Eddard is curious as to why Jon and Stannis spent so much time together, as they were not friends. He also wonders why Stannis remains at Dragonstone and what could frighten a man who once held Storm’s End for a year against the might of House Tyrell and House Redwyne while forced to subsist on rats and shoe leather. Eddard is also uneasy about Renly. Several days before, Renly showed him a picture of Margaery Tyrell and asked if she looked like Lyanna. He seemed disappointed when Eddard said no.

Eddard has decided to visit the armorer that Jon and Stannis visited, as he had never known Jon to be interested in fancy armor. He has Jory begin searching brothels to discover which one Jon and Stannis visited. He rides with Varly and Jacks. Earlier that morning, he had sent Desmond and Tomard to scout his route and make sure he is not followed. As they pass the River Gate, they see Lord Beric Dondarrion arriving to take part in the tournament. They arrive at the house of the armorer,Tobho Mott, and Eddard proceeds to question him about Jon’s visit. He learns that Jon and Stannis came to see a boy, and he asks to see him as well. The boy is named Gendry. Gendry is carrying a bull’s head helmet that Eddard offers to buy, but he says he made it for himself and it is not for sale. Tobho prepares to punish him for insolence, but Eddard moves on, asking what he talked about with Jon. Jon asked about his mother, a worker in an alehouse. Stannis watched everything, but said nothing. Eddard dismisses Gendry and then asks Mott who paid Gendry’s apprentice fee. Mott at first tries to deny that anyone did, but finally admits it was a short, stout lord with a brown beard that kept his face hidden. Eddard takes his leave, wondering why Jon had taken an interest in one of the king’s bastards.

 Quotes…
“They asked to see the boy,” the armorer said, “so I took them back to the forge.”

“The boy,” Ned echoed. He had no notion who the boy might be. “I should like to see the boy as well.”

“This is Lord Stark, the new Hand of the King,” he told him as the boy looked at Ned through sullen blue eyes and pushed back sweat-soaked hair with his fingers. Thick hair, shaggy and unkempt and black as ink. The shadow of a new beard darkened his jaw. “This is Gendry. Strong for his age, and he works hard. Show the Hand that helmet you made, lad.”

by Mel

Very curious. We are introduced to Gendry, who has been working as an apprentice that Ned recognizes as one of  Robert’s bastartds. The question is, why did Jon Arryn and Stannis find him interesting also.

Book to HBO

Notably, Tobho Mott doesn’t seem to know anything about Gendry’s identity in this section, whereas it’s clear in the novel that he at least suspected.

Filed Under: Blog, Game of Thrones Tagged With: ,
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