GAME OF THRONES SEASON 3 : LINE OF SUCCESSION

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 3 : LINE OF SUCCESSION

Jaime and Brienne continue their trek back to King’s Landing, eventually running into a troop of Bolton men led by the cunning Locke. Locke captures both and savagely slices off Jaime’s sword hand.

Across the Narrow Sea, in Essos, Daenerys continues her own quest for power. After an assassination attempt, she encounters Ser Barristan Selmy, one of the most dangerous and most respected warriors in Westeros. Selmy recently abandoned Joffrey and denounced his rule before heading east to find the lost Targaryens.

Meanwhile, the bastard son of Roose Bolton, Ramsay Snow, has captured, tortured, and maimed (in the most emasculating way) Theon Greyjoy.

Bran meets Jojen Reed, who, along with his sister Meera, decides to accompany Bran on his quest to the source of his dreams, which continue to haunt him.

Arya, Hot Pie, and Genry, having escaped Harrenhal, run into the Brotherhood Without Banners and its leader, Beric Dondarrion. Melisandre shows up and takes Gendry with her, revealing to him that he is, in actuality, the son of Robert Baratheon.

Beric challenges the Hound (also found by the Brotherhood) to a trial by fire. Arya instantly recognises him and calls for his death as retribution for his crimes committed in the name of the Lannisters.

At Craster’s Keep, the men of the Night’s Watch grow weary of their host’s lack of hospitality and begin to voice their disgust at his piggish behavior. A quick fireside exchange quickly turns into a full-on brawl, resulting in the deaths of both Craster and the well-meaning Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. Sam Tarly escapes with Gilly, one of Craster’s young wives, and her newborn baby.

Daenerys needs an army, so she promises the rulers of the city of Astapor one of her dragons if they turn over command of their Unsullied soldiers. They agree, but before the exchange can occur, the determined young queen retracts her promise and has the masters killed by their former slaves. With her dragons careening in the sky above, she marches away with her new army.

Brienne and Jaime are brought to Harrenhal, where they gain a mutual respect for each other. Later, Jaime heads back to King’s Landing while Brienne remains a prisoner of Bolton. He doesn’t get far before turning back and rescuing her from a bear pit, where she’s been put for sport. The two then depart for King’s Landing.

Daenerys meets Daario Naharis, a commander of the Second Sons, who immediately makes his attraction to the young queen known. The other commanders angrily challenge his opinions, but he kills them both before they can even raise their swords to defend themselves.

Sam and Gilly approach the Wall, but are stopped short when a White Walker attacks their camp, presumably to steal Gilly’s baby. An enraged Sam kills the White Walker with his dragonglass dagger, saving Gilly, her baby, and allowing them to continue northward to Castle Black.

Jon Snow and the Wildlings ygritte, Orell, and Tormund scale the Wall as part of their quest to take Castle Black. Jon flees his Wildling captors shortly after fighting and killing Orell and several Wildling soldiers, unaware that Bran, Rickon, Osha, Hodor, as well as Jojen and Meera Reed remain hidden in a nearby tower. As Jon makes off on horseback, ygritte puts an arrow in him, wounding him. Shortly after, Osha takes Rickon away to protect him.

In Essos, Daario Naharis, Jorah Mormont, and the Unsullied captain, Grey Worm, infiltrate yunkai, overpowering the guards and taking the city for their Queen.

Following a falling out with his Karstark allies, Robb finds himself in desperate need of men. He decides to seek the help of Lord Frey, whom he fears may not take kindly to the promise he broke when he married and impregnated Talisa. Robb and his army of Northerners arrive at the Twins, where Lord Walder Frey feigns forgiveness for Robb’s slight against his family. That same night, a wedding ceremony turns sour when Frey men bolt the doors to the dining wall and begin slaughtering Robb’s troops. Robb, Talisa,  and Catelyn are all killed in the fray (sorry, we had to), marking the end of the North’s claim to the Iron Throne.

Arya and Sandor (the Hound) slip into a camp outside the Twins just as the slaughtering begins, having arrived to deliver Arya back to her mother and brother. Arya witnesses her brother’s direwolf, Grey Wind, take several crossbow bolts to the head before being knocked unconscious by Sandor, who then carries her to safety.

In the days following the massacre, Frey soldiers fix Grey Wind’s severed head to Robb’s headless corpse and parade it around their camp. Roose Bolton, who delivered the blow that killed Robb, is handsomely rewarded for his heinous act.

Key Events: The murders of Jeor Mormont and Craster. Sandor Clegane’s trial by fire in the cave. The murders of Robb Stark, Grey Wind, Talisa, and Catelyn Stark. Danaerys’s freeing of the Unsullied. Osha’s departure with Rickon.