Through Lancel, Tyrion learns that Cersei is massing her own force of mercenaries to counter Tyrion’s. There is no word of Littlefinger’s success with the Tyrells, so Tyrion waits, anticipating failure.

Myrcella is sent away to Dorne with an escort of ships. The royal court bids her farewell from the quay, and during their procession back to the Red Keep, a woman holds a dead child up for Joffrey’s attention. Cersei tells Joffrey to ignore the woman, which provokes the woman into yelling about Cersei’s incestuous relationship with Jaime. Someone in the crowd flings excrement at Joffrey. Joffrey orders Sandor to apprehend the person, and the crowd turns into an angry mob, chanting for bread.

Tyrion orders an immediate return to the Red Keep. When they arrive, Tyrion slaps Joffrey for sending his knight against the common folk. Sansa is initially missing from the group, but Sandor soon arrives with Sansa in tow.

Riots continue throughout the city, causing a fire in the Flea Bottom district. Tyrion commands the City Watch to prevent the fire from reaching the wildfire storage. He also institutes a curfew, and when Cersei’s knights defy him, Cersei personally orders them to obey his commands. Fearing for Shae’s life, Tyrion dispatches his men to look after her.

Bywater, a member of the City Watch, explains that the common folk dislike Tyrion, believing that his political maneuvers have all been self-serving. They blame him for the recent hard times. This disappoints Tyrion and fills him with self-loathing. Later, Bronn insinuates that it would be better for Tommen to rule, as he would be easier to control. This upsets Tyrion further.

Stannis is haunted by Renly’s death, making it necessary for Melisandre to accompany him at his pavilion every night during the siege. Two weeks later, Davos and Stannis meet with Ser Cortnay Penrose to negotiate control of Storm’s End. Stannis once again demands the surrender of the castle and Edric Storm. Penrose refuses, insults Renly’s former bannermen who have sworn themselves to Stannis, and challenges Stannis to a duel.

Stannis consults Davos, who similarly distrusts the new bannermen for their fickle loyalty. He advises Stannis to focus on overthrowing the Lannisters in King’s Landing. Stannis disagrees, believing it will make him look weak to abandon Storm’s End. He decides to assassinate Penrose so that the keep can pass to a younger knight more likely to accept Stannis’s terms. He guarantees Penrose’s death within the day, according to the visions in Melisandre’s flames.

Stannis orders Davos to smuggle Melisandre into the castle by boat. As they enter Storm’s End, Davos deduces that Stannis used Melisandre to kill Renly as well. When they are inside the castle walls, Melisandre disrobes, revealing her pregnancy. She gives birth to a shadow that Davos immediately recognizes as Stannis.

Jon fashions the daggers that he found into knives for himself, Grenn, and Jeor to protect them from wights and mutineers—they are made of dragonglass, obsidian that destroys wights and White Walkers.

Qhorin Halfhand and his band arrive from the Shadow Tower, though they were delayed by a battle with a wildling scout company. Qhorin believes the wildlings will try to break the Wall instead of crossing over or under it. He suspects this is one of the reasons Mance Rayder is mustering his army far from the Wall; the other reason involves his search for an unspecified object of power.

Qhorin suggests sending scouts to spy on the wildlings. Jeor reluctantly agrees to spare men, and Qhorin chooses Jon to join their party.

Lancel informs Tyrion that Cersei is plotting to remove Tommen from King’s Landing for his safety. In exchange for the information, Lancel asks to lead a battle company, and Tyrion agrees. Tyrion sends Bywater to bolster Tommen’s escort.

Tyrion visits Shae, who is entertaining a bard at her manse. Tyrion sends the bard away and threatens him not to reveal their identities to anyone else. Later, Varys visits Tyrion and Shae. He informs Tyrion that Storm’s End has been surrendered to Stannis, making King’s Landing his next target. Tyrion decides to move Shae to the castle for her safety, planning to let her work in the kitchens as a scullion. When she mocks him over the idea, he slaps her and then apologizes.

Tyrion cannot bring Shae to the court as his lover because of past events. When he was younger, he impetuously married a crofter’s daughter named Tysha, having no idea that the woman was a sex worker hired by Jaime to take Tyrion’s virginity. When Tywin found out about the marriage, he forced Tyrion to watch all of his guards rape her. He then ordered Tyrion to have sex with her before the marriage was annulled. The story earns Shae’s sympathy, and she agrees to his plan.

Tyrion asks for Varys’s help, and Varys suggests that instead of the kitchens, Shae should work as a maidservant in Cersei’s court. He shifts the topic to the death of Penrose, whom he believes was killed by an act of magic. Varys also shares that when he was a boy, he was sold by his master to a man who castrated him and burned his genitals as part of a religious rite.

Edmure Tully marches against Tywin. Catelyn prays to allay her fears and doubts. Brienne grows restless, wishing she could join a battle. Catelyn reminds her of the battles that mothers must fight each day and affirms Brienne’s vow to protect her.

The Tully soldiers fight a series of skirmishes with Lannister men passing through Riverrun. Catelyn interrogates Cleos Frey and ultimately decides that everything that Tyrion told Cleos about her daughters was a lie.

At supper, Brienne is charmed by the singer who performs for them. Catelyn asks if she ever sang for her father or Renly, but the idea of it embarrasses Brienne enough to excuse herself.

News arrives that Edmure has struck a critical blow to Tywin’s war forces, forcing a retreat. All of Riverrun celebrates, but Catelyn remains anxious.

Ser Rodrik leaves Winterfell to defend Torren’s Square from Dagmer Cleftjaw. Dreaming as Summer, Bran senses a disturbance in the wood. He tries to reenter Winterfell to investigate but falls off a tree, sending him back into his own body.

Bran believes that Jojen’s dream is coming true. He calls his friends to his room but is found by Theon. Theon, who now styles himself as a prince, claims to have conquered Winterfell.

In the Great Hall, Theon takes the seat reserved for the lord. Maester Luwin introduces the wards, guests, and prisoners to Theon. On Luwin’s advice, Bran yields Winterfell to Theon to protect his people. Those who refute Theon’s claim are quickly killed. Reek swears fealty to Theon, followed by Osha. This disappoints Bran.

A mercenary company working for the Lannisters, the Bloody Mummers, arrives at Harrenhal with prisoners sworn to Roose Bolton. Arya asks Gendry for help in liberating the prisoners. Gendry is reluctant to help, so Arya promises him that he can join her at Winterfell. Gendry argues that his life will be the same regardless of whether he works as an armorer at Harrenhal or Winterfell.

Arya is praying in the godswood when Jaqen suddenly appears. She asks for his help in liberating the northmen, but Jaqen reminds her that he only owes her one more death. After clarifying that she can name anyone, she gives Jaqen his own name. Jaqen urges her to give another name, so she manipulates him into helping her free the prisoners. Jaqen executes a plan where the two of them, along with Rorge and Biter, free the northern commander, Robett Glover, who gathers his men to launch an assault on Harrenhal.

Arya takes back Jaqen’s name, causing Jaqen to declare the debt repaid with all the prison guards dead. To Arya’s shock, Jaqen suddenly transforms his face. Arya wants to learn how to do the same, so Jaqen invites her to join him in Essos. Arya declines because she wants to return to Winterfell. Jaqen gives her a coin that will allow her to find him again in Braavos, provided that she says the words, “Valar morghulis.” Jaqen leaves.

Harrenhal is taken by Glover’s men. However, it is revealed that Glover’s imprisonment was a ruse staged in collaboration with the Bloody Mummers, who were working with Roose Bolton. That evening, Roose Bolton becomes the new lord of Harrenhal. Arya is introduced as one of Glover’s liberators, but when Bolton asks for her real name, she gives the name “Nymeria.” Bolton assigns her to be his cupbearer. Ser Amory Lorch is killed in a bear pit.

Daenerys arrives at the House of the Undying Ones, which frightens her men. They offer to accompany her, but Daenerys and Pyat Pree insist that she must walk alone. Her largest dragon, Drogon, is the only one permitted to join her.

Each room in the house has four doors. Pyat Pree instructs her to always take the first door to the right, even when she is leaving the house. He adds that she will experience visions, but she must not stay in any room until she reaches the audience chamber. Finally, he makes her drink a glass of blue liquid that will open her senses to the truth.

In the first rooms of the house, Daenerys begins seeing the visions she was warned about, including corpses lorded over by a dead king with a wolf’s head. At one point, she sees her older brother, Rhaegar, attending to a woman and her newborn child. Rhaegar names the child Aegon and declares, “He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire” (701). He looks up at Daenerys and says there is “one more,” alluding to the three-headed dragon in the Targaryen house sigil.

Daenerys grows increasingly frustrated with the endlessness of the house. After hours, she finally reaches the audience chamber, where elegant wizards offer to share their wisdom with her. She doubts their appearance and passes through yet another door. In the next room, a blue heart floats over a table of blue shadows. She asks them about the visions she saw. They affirm that the number three will recur throughout her life, from the three-headed dragon to the three fires and three mounts that she will ride. Finally, she will experience three betrayals.

She is shown phantoms of death and destruction from her past and future. Drogon beats his wings, dissolving the visions. Daenerys sees that the Undying are about to ravage her. Drogon breathes fire, killing them all. Daenerys and Drogon escape the House of the Undying Ones as it burns. Pyat Pree tries to kill Daenerys, but he is stopped by Drogon and Daenerys’s men.

Tyrion mobilizes his forces for the impending battle with Stannis. He promises knighthoods to Bronn and his mercenaries, though Bronn is skeptical that they will remain loyal when faced with death.

Tyrion orders the fortification of the Mud Gate, the riverside entrance to King’s Landing. He returns to the Red Keep for the installation of Joffrey’s new Kingsguard knights. After the ceremony, Tyrion confers with the new High Septon, spreading the rumor that Stannis plans to destroy the religious structures in King’s Landing as an offering to his new god.

A letter arrives from Pyke, inviting Joffrey to form an alliance with Balon Greyjoy. Tyrion considers the offer, then meets with Hallyne the Pyromancer about the invoice from the Alchemists’ Guild. The invoice includes a newly discovered cache of wildfire jars. Hallyne argues that the guild’s production spells have improved, which he attributes to the existence of new dragons. Tyrion does not believe this explanation but nevertheless accepts the invoice.

Tyrion meets with Bywater, now elevated to the status of lord, about Tommen’s well-being. Bywater reports that secret protocols are in place to move Tommen in case Stannis takes King’s Landing. Next, Tyrion meets with Varys, who hands him a list of local rich men who have declared their loyalty to Stannis. Tyrion orders their arrest.