A Storm of Swords

Catelyn Stark, mother of King-in-the-North Robb Stark, frees the captured Ser Jaime Lannister, father and uncle to King Joffrey Baratheon. Catelyn hopes to prompt the safe release of her daughters, Sansa and Arya, in return. Jaime sails out of Riverrun with his cousin, Ser Cleos Frey, and Catelyn’s sworn sword, Brienne of Tarth. Jaime and Brienne antagonize each other, bickering over Brienne’s identity as a female knight and Jaime’s lack of honor.

A galley sent from Riverrun intercepts the group and attempts to capture them. Jaime insists on being given a weapon to help defend. Instead, Brienne throws a rock from a nearby cliff to sink the galley. She insists on keeping her vow to protect Jaime.

As a result of freeing Jaime, a valuable prisoner, Catelyn is confined to the chambers of her father, Lord Hoster Tully, to await her brother Edmure’s judgment. Hoster calls for “Tansy” to forgive him for the miscarriage of her child, which was conceived out of wedlock. Catelyn is unsure who Tansy is, though she speculates it is a nickname for her sister, Lysa, who experienced several miscarriages.

Catelyn learns that Robb is recovering from wounds sustained in a recent battle. When Edmure returns from conducting skirmishes against the Lannisters, he scolds Catelyn for releasing a hostage like Jaime without considering the disadvantage to their side. Edmure does not believe that the Lannisters will agree to release Catelyn’s daughters. His intent to recapture Jaime upsets Catelyn.

After escaping the dreaded castle Harrenhal, Arya Stark, Gendry, and Hot Pie ride for Riverrun. They stay off the road to avoid any pursuers that Harrenhal’s lord, Roose Bolton, may have sent to recapture them.

Arya does not want to explain her plan to seek Robb’s protection because she wants to keep her true identity as a Stark secret from her companions. Although she is unsure of their location, Arya insists they keep moving to avoid getting caught. When Arya is exhausted, Gendry forces the group to rest. Arya dreams of being a wolf and hunting mercenaries down.

Tyrion Lannister, the former Hand of King Joffrey, recovers from the injuries he sustained in the Battle of Blackwater Bay. He is visited by his recently knighted enforcer Bronn, who reports that Tyrion lost the bulk of his allies in the battle. King’s Landing, on the other hand, is abuzz with anticipation for King Joffrey’s wedding to Margaery Tyrell.

Tyrion visits his father, Tywin, the new Hand of the King who is busy managing the affairs of the city. Tyrion argues that, for his efforts, he should be rewarded lordship of Casterly Rock, the Lannisters’ ancestral domain. Tywin refuses: He still resents Tyrion because Tywin’s wife died giving birth to him, because Tyrion is a little person. Tywin believes that Tyrion’s lordship over Casterly Rock would sully its reputation; he insultingly tells Tyrion that the castle would be considered a brothel under Tyrion’s control. Wounded by the veiled reference to his past relationship with Tysha, Tyrion worries that Tywin will discover his current relationship with sex worker, Shae.

It becomes clear to Tyrion that Cersei has told Tywin about the feud between them. Tyrion assures Tywin that he has no intention to harm any of Cersei’s children. Tywin does not believe him.

After surviving the Battle of Blackwater Bay which killed most of his sons, Ser Davos Seaworth—a former pirate granted knighthood by Stannis Baratheon for feats of bravery—is marooned on a small island. Left without food, he considers death by suicide.

Spotting a nearby ship, Davos tries swimming for help. The tide throws him back to the island. Davos believes that the battle marked the end of his luck and that now he is cursed by the Seven-Faced God for his complicity in Stannis’s sacrilege—fratricide. As a last resort, Davos calls to the ship for help. The ship recovers him and reveals it is loyal to Stannis.

Sansa, Joffrey’s former fiancée, is invited to supper with Margaery Tyrell, his new intended. She is escorted by Margaery’s brother, Ser Loras, whom Sansa has a crush on. Stunned by the knight’s beauty, Sansa awkwardly compliments his jousting skills, but when she mentions Renly Baratheon, Loras turns bitter, which takes Sansa aback.

Sansa is greeted by Margaery and Margaery’s grandmother, Lady Olenna. While Margaery is gracious toward Sansa, Olenna is prickly. Sansa is disarmed when Olenna asks her to confirm the rumors of Joffrey’s cruelty. Sansa reluctantly discloses the truth and soon worries that the Tyrells will call off the wedding. Olenna assures Sansa that Margaery’s father, Mace, intends to see it through.

Margaery and Olenna offer to bring Sansa to Highgarden to marry Margaery’s eldest brother, Willas. Sansa is crestfallen that it isn’t Loras, but acts gracious to maintain their approval.

A wildling group led by Rattleshirt and Ygritte brings Night’s Watch ranger Jon Snow to Mance Rayder’s camp. Mance recognizes Jon as Ned Stark’s son and introduces the members of his entourage, including Styr, Jarl, and Tormund Giantsbane.

Mance explains that he first saw Jon when he visited Winterfell as a Night’s Watch ranger. The second time Mance saw him was more recent: the day King Robert Baratheon visited Ned to make him his Hand. Mance disguised himself as a member of Robert’s company to infiltrate the Stark castle. He assures Jon that he will protect Jon as his guest.

Jon offers to exchange desertion stories. Mance explains that he left the Night’s Watch because he was ordered to discard a beautiful cloak he owned, which had been mended by a woman using rare red silks from Essos. The story Jon shares is simpler: He reminds Mance where he had been seated during Robert’s visit. While all of the other Stark children were given seats of honor, Jon was sequestered because he is Ned’s son born out of wedlock. Mance accepts him.

Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen and her khalasar, or band of horse-riding warriors, sail for Pentos, a city in Essos. The old squire Arstan Whitebeard comments on the growth of her dragons, recalling what he knows about Targaryen family history. Daenerys takes this opportunity to learn more about her father, King Aerys, and her eldest brother, Prince Rhaegar.

Daenerys’s protector, Ser Jorah Mormont, cautions Daenerys against trusting Arstan, who may not be a squire. Jorah theorizes that Daenerys’s new benefactors—the Pentos merchant Illyrio Mopatis and Illyrio’s men Strong Belwas and Arstan—may betray her, fulfilling the prophecy she was given in Qarth of three betrayals.

Jorah suggests diverting the ships to Slaver’s Bay to avoid whatever plan Illyrio may have. There, Daenerys can recruit an army of enslaved soldiers called the Unsullied to strengthen her guard. The Unsullied have a reputation for being fierce warriors who can overcome greater numbers than their own. Moreover, the defiance of Illyrio’s original orders will provoke Belwas and Arstan to reveal their ulterior motives. Daenerys agrees to the suggestion. She is surprised when Jorah kisses her. Daenerys declines Jorah’s advances because she does not think it appropriate. Nonetheless, Jorah proposes to marry her and serve as one of her dragon riders.

While dreaming, Bran Stark, the second youngest Stark son, magically puts himself in the mind of his dire wolf, Summer. His friend Jojen Reed has been instructing Bran to hone his gifts as a warg, a being who can enter the minds of others and control them.

Jojen declares that they need to keep moving to evade the Greyjoys and Roose Bolton’s son, Ramsay Snow. Bran suggests traveling south to reunite with his family in Riverrun. Neither Jojen nor his sister, Meera, agree with Bran’s suggestion. Instead, Jojen convinces Bran to search for the three-eyed crow, a magical figure who lives beyond the Wall and can teach Bran more about his powers.