Roose Bolton has left Harrenhal to the Goat, but before marching for the Twins he told Jaime to give his warm regards to his father. Jaime responds, "So long as you give mine to Robb Stark."

Jaime is now traveling for King's Landing under the protection of Steelshanks Walton and a host of Dreadfort men. Qyburn tells him that Lord Selwyn has promised Vargo Hoat 300 gold dragons for the safe return of his daughter, but the goat wants more as he still believes there are sapphires in Evenfall Hall. 

One night, Jaime has a bizarre fever dream that he and Brienne are trapped in the dank caverns beneath Casterly Rock. He sees the shades of the other knights of the Kingsguard as well as Prince Rhaegar, come to judge him for killing Aerys. After the fire of his sword goes out, Brienne’s continues to burn, defending him from the shades.

When Jaime awakens, he commands Walton to return to Harrenhal saying that he "forgot something". Back at Harrenhal, the goat’s men open the gates, and Jaime finds that Brienne has been tossed into the bear pit with only a tourney sword. 

Vargo Hoat, with a bandage around his face from where Brienne bit off his ear, will not pull the woman up. Jaime jumps into the pit to save Brienne, and holds off the bear long enough for Walton’s men to fill it with quarrels. The Mummers are unable to stop them because Steelshanks' escort of 200 men outnumbers them two to one. 

Vargo asks Jaime to tell his father that he had been merciful, and the Kingslayer promises that the goat will receive his ransom. When Brienne asks him why he came back, Jaime responds that he had dreamed of her.

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Gendry mentions that Master Mottconsidered Thoros a false priest, and Thoros agrees. He was sent to the Seven Kingdoms to bring word of R'hllor, but he spent his time eating and whoring. King Robert was fond of him, and many enjoyed the sight of his flaming sword in melees. Lord Bericsilences Thoros by saying, "Fire consumes. It consumes, and when it is done there is nothing left. Nothing." The outlaws reach High Heart again, and the ancient dwarf woman calls Beric the Lord of Corpses, for the stink of the grave is fresh on him. The ghost of High Heart tells them her dreams: the kraken king is dead, and Lord Hoster too; the goat sits alone in the hall of kings in a fever "as the great dog descends on him"; she dreamt of drums and pipes and screams making a great clangor; and "of a maid at a feast with purple serpents in her hair, venom dripping from their fangs. And later I dreamt that maid again, slaying a savage giant in a castle built of snow." Suddenly, she spots Arya, and calls her "blood child" and "dark heart", bidding her to leave. When Beric explains to the old dwarf woman that Arya is being brought to Riverrun, she tells them to seek her mother at the Twins, for there is to be a wedding. She then demands a song as payment for her dreams, the same song she always requests from Tom; Jenny of Oldstones.

Later, Arya speaks with Edric Dayne, who is called Ned like her father. Edric tells her that he saw her father during the Hand's tourney while he squired for Lord Beric. He reveals that Beric was promised to his aunt, “but that was before he died”, Arya thinks to herself. Ned tells her of Wylla, his wet nurse, who he says is the mother of Jon Snow. She has been in the service of the Daynes for years, and Ned is surprised that Arya’s father never spoke of her nor of Ashara, Ned’s aunt. He tells Arya that her father and Ashara fell in love during the tourney at Harrenhal, and that she killed herself after the war because her heart was broken. Arya does not believe the young Lord of Starfall, believing her father only loved her mother. She asks Harwin about it, and he confirms that Eddard and Ashara may have fallen in love at Harrenhal, but at that time his brother Brandon was betrothed to Catelyn. He claims that Ashara killed herself over grief for her brother, and tells Arya "Let it lie, my lady. They’re dead, all of them."

When the outlaws come upon a ruined village, Arya thinks the Lannisters destroyed it, but she is told that the village was destroyed years before by Hoster Tully, because Lord Goodbrook, the lord of the village, had fought for the Targaryens during Robert's Rebellion. Later, Thoros sees in his flames that Riverrun will soon come under attack by the Lannisters again, and he believes the ghost’s dream that Catelyn and Robb are at the Twins. That night, Arya sneaks off while everyone else is asleep, feeling that the outlaws cannot be her pack if they want to ransom her off to her brother, mother, or uncle Brynden. However, she is captured by the Hound while racing through the woods.

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Daenerys and her army of Unsullied reach Yunkai, to find the city guarded by a huge force including two sellsword companies. She knows that open battle will cost her many lives, even though her commanders feel she will win easily. Daenerys tells her men to invite the two sellsword Captains, as well as the Yunkish leader. The first to arrive are the three Captains of the Stormcrows, who spurn her offer to join her, although she notices Daario Naharis smile at her as they leave. The Captain of the Second Sons also laughs at her offer, but does accept a wagonload of wine to bring to his men. The master slaver brings Daenerys chests full of gold hoping she will leave Yunkai alone, but she sends him off with his gold and a warning that she will attack in three days time. 

After he leaves, Daenerys tells her commanders that they will attack that night, since none of Yunkai’s defenders will be expecting it. Soon after, Daario returns with the heads of the other two Stormcrow Captains, and swears the service of his company. Jorah warns her not to trust the Tyroshi, yet she commands the battle to commence as planned. During the fight, she asks Arstanto tell her more of her brother Rhaegar. Whitebeard explains that the Prince was always melancholy, and a sense of doom hung over him. "He was born in grief, and that shadow hung over him all his days." Daenerys knows that it was the shadow of Summerhall that Arstan was referring to. Word arrives that her army won the battle easily during the night, with the help of the Stormcrows, and all the Second Sons too drunk to fight. Daenerys commands her men to spare any who threw down their swords, and promised to free any slaves. Once again, Daenerys’ army swells to even greater size. Daenerys rides on her white mare past all the newly freed people who call out to her as "Mother!"

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Jon is with the Magnar’s men nearing a village alongside a lake. He realizes that he must somehow escape and reach Castle Black before the raiders do, in order to warn them. The Thenns captured an old man camped in one of the ruined houses, and Styr commands Jon to kill the man. Jon balks, but Ygritte slits the man’s throat with her dagger. As Styr begins to command his men in the Old Tongue, a crash of thunder sounds, and suddenly a direwolf is attacking the Thenns. Jon mistakes the wolf for Ghost or Grey Wind for a moment, wondering if Robb returned to the North, but he never realizes that it is Summer. The direwolf slaughters several wildlings, and in the confusion, Jon mounts the old man’s horse and begins to flee. He is hit with an arrow in the calf, believing the shot was fired by Ygritte. Jon gets away, forcing the horse to gallop for hours without rest, heading for Castle Black.

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Bran and the others reach a small, deserted village on a lake. There is a holdfast tower on an island in the middle of the lake, and Bran tells them that Good Queen Alysanne once stayed there. Brandon's Gift is a strip of land south of the Wall to a distance of 25 leagues which was once given to the Night's Watch to support them. The New Gift, given to the Watch by Queen Alysanne and her husband King Jaehaerys I, doubled that distance. Bran tells them there is a secret walkway just beneath the lake’s surface that will allow them to reach the tower. 

They stay in the tower that night during a terrible thunderstorm, and Bran tells them that all the gates through the Wall were sealed when each of the castles had to be abandoned, leaving only three gates open at each of the manned castles. When Hodor starts to scream in fear of the thunder, Bran reaches out to him the way he does to Summer, and calms the big man. Jojen spots men on the shore in the village, and Bran enters Summer to investigate.

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Arya Stark watches as Lord Beric Dondarrion and Thoros of Myr seem to be everywhere at once, both with flaming swords in hand. After the battle, the brotherhood hang several Mummers, including Septon Utt, for their crimes. Arya is upset that Beric let Sandor Clegane free after taking all his gold. 

That night at the septry's brewhouse, Beric speaks with Arya and asks Thoros, "How many times have you brought me back now?" Thoros claims it is R'hllor who has restored his life six times, but the seventh may be the end of both of them. Beric reveals that he has trouble remembering his past, and would be unable to even find his ancestral home. Thoros believes that the Lord of Light is not done with Beric yet, and that is why the red god has raised him from the dead so many times. The outlaws plan to ransom Arya back to her mother or brother. 

Later, Gendry joins the outlaws as a blacksmith and is knighted by Lord Beric. Soon after, Sandor returns, claiming he killed the sentries. He demands his gold back, but is rebuffed by Thoros and commanded to leave. The Hound leaves realizing he cannot do anything, and they then discover that the sentries were only asleep. When some complain that the Hound will follow and murder them in their sleep, Beric states, "Sandor Clegane would kill us all gladly, but not in our sleep."

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Tyrion has been sent to greet the three hundred Dornishmen with a small retinue. However, he is shocked when he finds that the Dornishmen are being led by Prince Oberyn Martell and not his brother, Prince Doran. The Red Viper of Dorne has an infamous reputation for using poisoned weapons in battle. The man fought in the Free Cities and even formed his own sellsword company, he studied at the Citadel for a time, and most importantly, he crippled Willas Tyrell in a tourney. Though this was years ago, it has never been forgotten by the Tyrells, who will not be happy that this man is attending the marriage of one of them. 

The Red Viper tells Tyrion the story of how he and Elia traveled to Casterly Rock when Tyrion was an infant. It was just after the death of Joanna Lannister. Tywin Lannister was in mourning and ignored the Martells. Oberyn and Elia were disappointed to find out that Tyrion was only a dwarf, after the stories they had heard about him being Tywin’s monster son. The Red Viper then gets down to the point, asking Tyrion, "when will justice be served?" He warns Tyrion that he does not mean to stop after killing Gregor Clegane: "Before he dies, the Enormity that Rides will tell me whence came his orders, please assure your lord father of that." But Tyrion has a more subtle warning: The Lannisters have tens of thousands of Tyrell men present as allies. And the Tyrells hate the Dornish, and especially Prince Oberyn for what he did to Willas.

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Jaime and Brienne are in the bathhouse in Harrenhal, washing themselves before meeting Roose Bolton. Jaime feels dizzy in the hot bath, and begins to tell Brienne his story despite his own misgivings about revealing the tale. Jaime says, "Aerys would have bathed in wildfire if he’d dared. The Targaryens were all mad for fire." After the Battle of the Bells, Aerys realized that Robert Baratheon was no mere outlaw, and that the Targaryens faced their greatest threat since the Blackfyre Pretenders. He began to disperse his Kingsguard to take command of the army, recalled Rhaegar from the south, and sent letters to Casterly Rock. But when Tywin Lannister never responded, Aerys commanded his pyromancers Rossart, Garigus and Belis “to place caches of wildfire throughout King's Landing.” Lord Chelsted, the current Hand, found out what was going on and tried to stop Aerys from continuing along his mad course, but Aerys had him killed and named the pyromancer Rossart, the man who had burned Rickard Stark alive, his Hand.

All this time, Jaime remained in the throne room guarding the king and his secrets. After the Trident, Aerys sent his wife and Prince Viserys to Dragonstone, but kept Elia and her children in the Red Keep because he thought that Prince Lewyn Martell had betrayed Rhaegar during the battle, and thus needed Elia and the children as hostages to ensure Dorne's loyalty. With the wildfire in place, Aerys told Rossart, "The traitors want my city, but I’ll give them naught but ashes. Let Robert be king over charred bones and cooked meat." Aerys may have thought that the great fire would kill everyone, but transform him into a dragon, much as Aerion Brightflame had thought. When the Lannisters appeared before King's Landing Varys advised to keep the gates closed. But on the advice of Pycelle, Aerys let in the Lannisters, who proceeded to sack King's Landing. 

Jaime felt he had to act after the Mad King commanded him to bring him his father’s head. He killed Rossart, then returned to the Throne room and killed King Aerys. Days later he hunted down and killed the remaining two of Aerys’ pyromancers, Garigus and Belis, so that their secret would die with them. When Brienne asks why no one else knows this tale, Jaime tells her that the Kingsguard are sworn to protect the king’s secrets, and that Eddard would never have believed his tale. Jaime then nearly passes out from the heat, and Brienne calls out for Qyburn. 

They are brought before Roose Bolton, who tells them he chose to wed Walda Frey because Lord Walder Frey offered him his bride’s weight in silver. When Brienne inquires after Arya, Bolton mysteriously states that she was lost for a time, but she has been found and is to be returned safely to the north. Bolton tells them he awarded Harrenhal to Vargo Hoat because the goat was a stranger to the Seven Kingdoms and did not know ‘the prize was poisoned’. He means the curse of Lord Tywin, for Hoat was not aware of what Tywin does to traitors such as the Tarbecks and the Reynes. Bolton explains that he has a small problem, because the goat wishes to return Jaime to Rickard Karstark to claim the Lord’s reward of his daughter’s hand in marriage. Vargo had Jaime’s hand chopped off to send as a grisly token to Lord Tywin, feeling he would be well safe in Karhold. What he doesn’t know is that Robb has beheaded Lord Karstark, and the goat is now doomed. But since Vargo is in Bolton’s employ, Tywin might feel that Bolton was responsible for the maiming as well. Jaime agrees to carry word to his father absolving Bolton of all blame. But as for Brienne, Bolton tells her, "It would be unconscionable of me to deprive Lord Vargo of both his prizes."

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Axell Florent brings Davos Seaworth before King Stannis Baratheon, taking the torch with him to leave his brother Alester alone in the darkness of the cells. Axell tells Davos in private that he has seen Stannis's victory in the flames, and if Davos does not help him become Hand, he will see the Onion Knight killed. Stannis proclaims that Alester will die for treason, and he has Axell tell Davos of his plan to invade Claw Isle. Davos calls the plan a folly, and Stannis dismisses the enraged Axell. Stannis mentions that Barristan Selmy once told him that "the rot in King Aerys's reign began with Varys", and that Robert should have killed the eunuch, and sent Jaime Lannister to the Wall as Lord Eddard Starkhad suggested, but Robert listened to Jon Arryn instead.

Stannis then raises Davos to Lord of the Rainwood, Admiral of the Narrow Sea, and his new Hand of the King. When Stannis mentions battle, Davos mistakes him to mean the continuance of the war, but Melisandre has entered the room and calls it "the great battle… Soon comes the cold, and the night that never ends". Stannis has also seen a vision in the flames, of men in black with torches on a high hill in the forest during snow, while all around them shapes were moving. Melisandre proclaims that Westeros must unite under King Stannis in order to defeat the one whose name must not be spoken. Stannis takes three leeches fat with the blood of Edric Storm. Melisandre tells him that this is not the best way, for it both will and will not work. The better way is to sacrifice Edric to the flames, for there is power in a king's blood: Melisandre believes that his death will wake the stone dragon, as prophesied, and the sacrifice of one life to save thousands of others is warranted, but Stannis will not hear of it. Stannis tosses the leeches one at a time into a brazier, naming each of the false kings: Joffrey Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy, and Robb Stark.

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