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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Hoster Tully has finally passed away, and his family and bannermen are gathered for the funeral. Lame Lothar Frey and Walder Rivers have come to Riverrun to negotiate a meeting between Robb and Lord Walder Frey that will hopefully restore the alliance. The Lord of Riverrun is placed on a funeral pyre boat launched by Robb, Tytos Blackwood, Jonos Bracken, Jason Mallister, Marq Piper, Karyl Vance and Lothar Frey. Lothar is invited to take the place that would be Desmond Grell's as a gesture of goodwill towards House Frey, as an effort from Robb to apologize for his failure to keep his vow of marrying a Frey. Edmure tries to launch a fire arrow at the ship to light it but he misses three times. He gives the bow to Brynden Tully, who hits the boat, causing it to catch fire.

Later, Robb is devastated by the news from Duskendale, shocked that Robett Glover and Helman Tallhart took it upon themselves to attack such an insignificant castle, losing nearly a third of Robb’s infantry; he later states his intention to exchange Robett for their captive Martyn Lannister. The king tells Catelyn of Sansa’s marriage to the Imp. Catelyn begs him to bend the knee and make peace with the Lannisters, but Robb will not hear it. At dinner, Lothar tells them that his father received word from Little Walder and Big Walder at the Dreadfort, that Winterfell had been burned and Rodrik Cassel killed. Lothar remarks that the Bastard of Bolton rescued the survivors from Winterfell, to Catelyn’s disbelief. Lothar brings his father’s terms that Robb appear in person to offer apology, and that Edmure marry Roslin Frey immediately. Robb dismisses Lothar and Bastard Walder, and when Edmure balks at not being able to choose his wife, the Blackfish reminds him that he must make amends for his blunder with the Battle of the Fords.

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