Plot

Some of the Night's Watchmen, including Tarly and Mormont, survive the White Walkers' attack and pledge to return to the Wall to warn the Seven Kingdoms. Snow is brought before Rayder, the "King beyond the Wall", and pledges his loyalty to the Wildlings. A scarred Tyrion tries to get Casterly Rock from Tywin, who promises other things instead. Margaery engages in charity work with the orphans of King's Landing. Baelish offers to help Sansa escape King's Landing. Ros advises Shae not to trust him. Davos is rescued by Saan, who does not want any more connections with Stannis, and returns to Dragonstone, where he unsuccessfully tries to kill Melisandre, who blames him for convincing Stannis not to let her join the battle, and is imprisoned. In Essos, Daenerys arrives in the city of Astapor to buy an army of brutally-trained slave soldiers, the "Unsullied". The warlocks of Qarth attempt to assassinate her, but she is saved by Selmy, the former Kingsguard commander, who pledges his loyalty.

Plot

Brienne continues escorting Jaime across the Riverlands to King's Landing. He engages her in a fight, which is interrupted by Bolton soldiers. After receiving the news of the sack of Winterfell and the disappearance of Bran and Rickon, Robb diverts his attentions from the war against the Lannisters to attend Catelyn's father's funeral in Riverrun, angering Karstark, who seeks vengeance for his sons who were killed by the Lannisters. Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie also make for Riverrun, but are waylaid by a rebel group, the "Brotherhood without Banners", and are taken to an inn, where the captured Clegane reveals Arya's identity. Margaery and her grandmother Olenna, the "Queen of Thorns", convince Sansa to tell them about Joffrey's flawed character. Theon is tortured by unknown captors. Bran, Rickon, Osha and Hodor encounter the siblings Jojen and Meera, children of the Stark bannerman Howland. Jojen, who has been sharing Bran's strange dreams, tells him that he is a warg, able to enter the minds of animals..

Plot

Robb and Catelyn attend the funeral in Riverrun. Tywin decides to send Baelish to Lysa intending to have them married in order to secure her alliance, making Tyrion the new Master of Coin. While Hot Pie decides to stay at the inn, Arya and Gendry follow the Brotherhood. Learning of the massacre at the Fist of the First Men, Rayder sends Snow with a band of Wildlings to scale the Wall and attack the Watch while it is weakened. The surviving men of the Night's Watch arrive back at Craster's Keep, where Tarly witnesses Gilly give birth to a son. Theon is freed from torture and captivity by an unknown man, who later rescues him again. Melisandre leaves Dragonstone for an unknown mission, stating that the blood of a King is required for victory. Daenerys agrees to buy all the 8,000 Unsullied and the translator Missandei for one of her dragons, against Selmy's and Jorah's advice. Jaime persuades his captor Locke not to let Brienne be raped, but Locke cuts off the former's sword hand.

Plot

Theon is betrayed by the rescuer, who returns him to the prison for torture. After a failed escape attempt, Jaime believes that he is lost without his sword hand; but Brienne, knowing what he did for her, urges him not to give up hope. Varys tells Tyrion how he became a eunuch, and that he now has in his power the magician who castrated him, advising Tyrion to be patient for vengeance. At Craster's keep, the surviving Night's Watchmen, starving, come into conflict with their host. Craster and Mormont are slain in the struggle, and Tarly flees with Gilly and her son. Arya and Gendry are taken to the secret cave of the Brotherhood, meeting their leader, Dondarrion, who later sentences Clegane to trial by combat with him. Margaery proposes marriage between Sansa and Loras. Daenerys meets with Kraznys to complete the trade of a dragon for the Unsullied army. She tests the Unsullied, then orders them to kill their former masters, reclaims her dragon and frees the Unsullied, who all decide to follow her freely.

Plot

Tyrion convinces Olenna to pay for part of the royal wedding. Sansa tells Baelish about her decision to stay in King's Landing. The Lannisters discover the Tyrells' plot to marry off Sansa to Loras. To prevent the union, Tywin plans to marry Sansa to Tyrion, and Cersei to Loras, despite the siblings' protests. Stannis confesses his infidelity to his wife, Selyse, who then tells him she already knows and approves of it. His daughter, Shireen, sneaks into the dungeon to visit Davos and starts teaching him to read. Sandor kills Dondarrion and is released. However, Dondarrion is resurrected seemingly by the power of the Lord of Light. Gendry decides to stay with the Brotherhood, and Thoros and Dondarrion plan to ransom Arya to Robb. After being delivered to Bolton, Jaime confesses to Brienne why he killed Aerys. Robb executes Karstark after the latter murders two captive Lannister boys. With the Karstarks abandoning him, Robb plans to make a desperate alliance with Frey. Jon Snow succumbs to Ygritte's seduction and breaks his vows. The Unsullied select a warrior called Grey Worm as their leader on Daenerys' order.

Plot

In King's Landing, Tywin coerces Olenna into agreeing to marry Loras to Cersei, who reveals to Tyrion that it was Joffrey who tried to have him killed during the siege. Tyrion confesses to Shae and Sansa about the upcoming marriage. Baelish tells Varys that he has caught Ros as Varys' informant and has given her to Joffrey, who kills her. In the Riverlands, Melisandre buys Gendry from the Brotherhood, foretelling that Arya will kill many people. Robb makes a new deal with Frey by agreeing to give him Harrenhal and marry his uncle Edmure to Frey's daughter, Roslin. Bolton plans to send Jaime to King's Landing, but refuses to send Brienne with him. At an unknown location, the mysterious man continues to torture Theon. In the North, tension arises between Osha and Meera. Beyond the Wall, Tarly continues his flight with Gilly and her son, while Snow and Ygritte manage to climb the Wall with two other Wildlings.

Plot

In the North, Jojen tells Bran they must go beyond the Wall to find the raven, to Osha's horror. Snow and Ygritte's relationship deepens, making fellow Wildling Orell angry. Theon is emasculated by his torturer. Talisa reveals to Robb that she is pregnant. Arya runs away from the Brotherhood, only to be captured by Sandor. Melisandre reveals to Gendry that his father was Robert. Shae tells Tyrion that she will not continue their relationship once he marries Sansa. Tywin counsels Joffrey and discusses Daenerys with the former dismissing the danger she might pose. Daenerys reaches the city of Yunkai and declares war on them. Bolton departs Harrenhall for Edmure's wedding while Jaime says farewell to Brienne and departs for King's Landing. On the road, he finds out that Locke refused Brienne's father's ransom. Jaime returns to Harrenhall to find Brienne in a pit fighting a bear. He leaps in and saves Brienne and departs once more, this time with her.

Plot

King's Landing hosts Tyrion and Sansa's wedding. Cersei shows displeasure upon Margaery and Loras. At the wedding feast Tyrion gets drunk and causes a scene, with Tywin demanding he make a baby soon. In their bedroom, Tyrion tells Sansa that they will not consummate their marriage until she wants to. Sandor reveals to Arya that they are heading for the Twins to ransom her to Robb. Stannis releases Davos, demanding he respect Melisandre, who arrives in Dragonstone with Gendry, whom she seduces and extracts blood from with three leeches. In a magical ritual, Stannis casts them into a fire naming three usurpers: Robb, Balon and Joffrey. Daenerys finds out that Yunkai has employed a mercenary company called the "Second Sons". One of the lieutenants named Naharis kills the other leaders and pledges his and the company's loyalty to Daenerys. Tarly and Gilly are attacked by a White Walker, whom the former destroys by the dragonglass dagger.

Plot

Tarly, Gilly and her son arrive at the Wall. During a thunderstorm, Bran enters Hodor's mind to calm him down, an ability not possessed by any Wildling. Nearby, Snow refuses to kill a farmer, whom Ygritte kills before Snow is attacked by the other Wildlings. Bran uses his warg ability to save Snow, who kills Orell before escaping, leaving a furious Ygritte behind with chief Tormund. Osha, Rickon and his direwolf depart for the Last Hearth, while Bran and his remaining company plan to go beyond the Wall. Daenerys sends Jorah, Naharis and Grey Worm to infiltrate Yunkai and open the city gate for her army. Yunkai soon falls to her forces. Robb arrives at the Twins and apologizes to Walder, who appears to accept. Edmure marries Roslin and they leave to consummate their marriage before Walder's men murder Catelyn, Talisa and most of the Stark bannermen, while Bolton, revealed to be loyal to the Lannisters, kills Robb. Arya also arrives at the Twins and witnesses a part of the massacre, but Sandor knocks her unconscious and carries her to safety

Plot

The mastermind of the massacre is revealed to be Tywin, who rewards House Frey with the Seat of Riverrun and appoints Bolton Warden of the North. Theon learns he was surrendered by his men in return for safe passage from Winterfell and that his captor is Ramsay, Bolton's bastard. Against Balon's wishes, Yara decides to rescue Theon. Arya and Sandor kill some Frey soldiers mocking Robb's death. Arriving in the capital with Brienne, Jaime is reunited with Cersei. In the North, Tarly's party encounters Bran's and gives them the Dragonglass weapons before arriving back at Castle Black, where he and Maester Aemon send ravens to alert the Seven Kingdoms about the White Walkers. Being hit several times, Jon still manages to escape from Ygritte and returns to Castle Black. In Dragonstone, Davos helps Gendry escape, while Stannis decides to head north and aid the Watch against the White Walker threat, forgiving the former and keeping him. In Essos, the freed slaves of Yunkai receive Daenerys as their "mother".