A Storm of Swords

The War of the Five Kings presents different styles of rule as the novel asks approach is best. At one point, Martin seemingly provides an answer through Sam’s perspective: “What good is a king who will not defend his realm?” (1049). However, even this ostensibly clear ideal is ambiguous. Does protecting the realm mean defending territory from those perceived to be threats? All of Martin’s kings would argue that they are doing exactly this—saving Westeros from everyone, from the clearly malevolent Others to the potentially dangerous wildlings, to rebels and upstarts like the Starks or the Baratheons. Or does defending the realm mean doing what’s best for its residents? While few of the novel’s aspiring monarchs are interested in pursuing this, several of the novel’s characters use their authority to defend those who have no power, even against the kings they serve.

Daenerys is one of the only pretenders to the Westerosi throne who wants to use her leadership to uplift those who are suffering, primarily through conquest. She is horrified by the repulsive treatment of the Unsullied and the other enslaved people she finds in Slaver’s Bay. Although she initially appears to sell Drogon to acquire the Unsullied, the act of killing Kraznys after the sale in Astapor stresses her commitment to emancipate the enslaved people for their own sake, not her own. With the seeming success of one city’s emancipation, she moves to liberate the rest of Slaver’s Bay. However, her desire to bring change is not sufficient to enact it; with little post-conquest nation-building and in the absence of any new institutions of governance, the cities she seemingly frees revert to the old system as soon as her forces leave. Realizing that ruling is not the same as conquering, she decides to refocus her efforts on reforming each city and eradicating slavery for good.

While Davos sets out to take revenge against Melisandre for her undue influence of Stannis, Davos’s purpose quickly shifts when he realizes that fighting against Stannis’s closest adviser would only undermine Stannis’s trust in him. Instead, Davos decides to work within the system of power that Stannis has established. After Stannis makes Davos his Hand, Davos uses his newfound authority to prevent Melisandre from preying on Stannis’s nephew Edric Storm, who was born out of wedlock and whose status as a hostage on Dragonstone renders him powerless. Instead of trying to kill Melisandre, Davos leads those whose oppose her to protect Edric. By embracing his position—a change of attitude he shows by learning to read—Davos is able to convince Stannis to turn his attention north and defend the Wall.

The Brotherhood Without Banners most explicitly use their collective power to defend civil communities. Although they once served Westerosi lords, they’ve reorganized their company to defend villages ravaged by the War of the Five Kings. Their trials of the powerful rely on the voices of smallfolk who are not heard in any other court. Gendry volunteers to help the Brotherhood because he believes in their principles rather than serve as an armorer for the lords of Riverrun and Winterfell. To Gendry, the Brotherhood is worth fighting for, unlike the profit and legacy of highborn houses like the Starks. However, the Brotherhood’s efforts to empower the vulnerable are also shown to be deeply flawed. Their effort to bring Sandor to justice is dependent not on his guilt, but on his prowess with the sword. Later, their condemnation of the gormless Merrett is equally heavy-handed in the opposite way. While they’ve managed to restore some power to the oppressed, they are not necessarily delivering more justice than the kings they resent.