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shannon_aWell, I've now finished reading A Feast of Crows, book four of A Song of Fire and Ice. I figure it'll be at least a year before I see another book in the series (again), so I'm following up on my previous synopsis of book 3 with a synopsis of book 4, to review when book 5 is finally out.
This new book was slower than the previous ones. At the end of Book III the wars were ending, with almost all of the kingly candidates dead. Now is the time to clean up the peaces and put the kingdom back into order, but there are still parasites and scavengers waiting to feast upon the corpse of the kingdom.
Book IV mainly gave us the southern stories: King's Landing, the river lands, and the Eyrie, with a singular stop in Bravos for Arya's story and a trip down from the wall with Sam.
The biggest event in the book was doubtless Cersei's removal from power as a result of her own machinations, though some suspect she was caught in a trap larger than her set by the Tyrells. We've also had the riverlands finally pacified. Meanwhile the Iron fleets are sweeping across the Arbor, and the freedom fighters in the riverlands have grown in power, now led by Stoneheart, who once was Cat.
Ned. The father of the tribe. Still dead. Beheaded by Ser Payne, the King's Executioner near the end of Book I for treason (saying that Stannis was the rightful king, not Jofrey, which was true). His bones were sent North to Winterfell, but I'm not clear if they ever arrived. One mystery still surrounds Ned, which is the identity of his bastard "son" Jon's mother; more on that in a moment.
Cate. Ned's wife. Killed at the Red Wedding when she tried to protect her eldest son, Robb. Her throat was cut and she was dumped in the Trident. Raised by Thoros of Myr, the red preist, but after she was too long dead. She is now known as Stoneheart and controls the Lightning Lord's freedom fighters. We last saw her onscreen as she was executing Brienne and Pod.
Benjen. Ned's brother. Missing since Book I when he led a group of rangers over the wall. His men were returned as undead wights, but nothing more has ever been seen of Benjen. I assume it's he who left a cache of dragonglass and a black cloak at the Fist of the First Men far beyond the wall, which Jon later found. If so then he survived the attack which killed his brothers, and in ranging further on managed to discover the weakness of the Others--obsidian. Why he would continue in his journeys beyond the wall in that case is not known.
Robb. Ned's oldest son. Killed at the Red Wedding. Before that he was one of the contenders for the throne and never defeated in battle. His wife, Jeyne, survives him. She was last seen heading back west following the surrender of Riverrun.
Jon. Ned's second son, a bastard. Maybe. Pledged to the Night's Watch where he made enemies, became the lord commander's servant, ranged into the north, was told to pretend to join the wildlings by his commander, eventually saved the wall from ambush, and later saved it from attack. At the end of Book III he is offered to be legitimized and given Winterfell by Stannis and also to be made new Lord Commander of the Night Watch. He accepts the latter. When last we saw Jon in Book III he was heading off to tell Stannis that he had choosen to keep his vows as a member of the Night Watch. In Book IV Jon appeared momentarily, to send Sam south.
What Jon does not know is that Robb made him official heir to Winterfell before he died, because he thought that all of his siblings were dead other than Sansa, who was by then married to Tyrion. It was the only way to keep Winterfell from passing into Lannister hands. Robb signed an official declaration on this matter, and had his witnessed by his greatest lords. It seems unlikely that this document should have survived the Red Wedding, but it still feels like a big dangling plot point.
The other issue of note regarding Jon is his true parentage. He's also been presented as Ned's son, and in book III it's strongly hinted that his mother was the wife of Ser Arthur Dayne of Starfall, creating an elegant Arthurian triad to predate Martin's War of the Roses fantasy. However, we also have the issue of Ned's sister Lyanna, who was raped by one of the dragon princes (Rhaegar?) and died mysteriously as a result. Which sounds to me like death in childbirth, which would leave a noble son of the Targaryen family missing. And it would explain why noble, noble Ned could have had a bastard son: he didn't, he was simply willing to soil his honor as the only way to protect his dead sister's only son, who otherwise would have been killed by Robert and the Lannisters when they took the throne. I like this answer much better than what has been suggested thus far.
Jon's direwolf, Ghost, returned to him at the end of Book III.
Sansa. Ned's eldest daughter, nor married to Tyrion Lannister though their marriage has never been consumated. She now is disguised as Alayne, Peter Littlefinger's bastard daughter. She has become a mother to the sickly boy, Robert Arryn. As we end book IV Sansa learns of Peter's plans for her. She is to be bethrothed to Harry the Heir, who is second in line to rule the Aerie after Robert inevitably dies. He imagines her revealing herself as Sansa at that wedding, and becoming the ruler of Winterfell and the Aerie alike.
Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is dead.
Arya. Ned's second daughter. She lands across the narrow sea among the Bravosi. Here she begins training as an assassin, but her story takes a dramatic end toward the end of Book IV where she assassinates a member of the Night Watch who's abandoned his duties, and then is apparently blinded for this undesired act.
Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, was forced to flee near the Trident to avoid being killed and since seems to have gathered a huge army of wolves which is terrorizing the nearby lands.
Most believe Arya is dead, since she has not been seen since the coup at King's Landing.
Bran. Ned's third son. He was crippled in book I when Jaime Lannister threw him off a tower. He was forced to flee Winterfell in book II when it was taken first by Theon Gray, then later by the Bastard of Bolton. He has long been having visions of a three-eyed crow who promises to teach him secrets beyond the wall. When we last left Bran he had slipped beneath the wall thanks to the Black Gate and met a strange man named Coldhands who rides an elk (and thus would seem to be an Other, though he is not murderous like the rest). His companions are the dumb giant Hodor and two of his subjects from the Neck, Meera and Jojen Reed, the latter of which is something of a seer. We haven't seen him since Book III.
Bran's direwolf, Summer, accompanies him.
Everyone believes Bran is dead, thanks to subterfuge on Theon Greyjoy's part.
Rickon. Ned's youngest son, a babe. After they fled Winterfell, Bran and Rickon split up. Rickon was brought east by the supposedly trusted wildling Osha. We have not seen him since book II, but he was being brought to trusted bannermen.
Everyone believes Rickon is dead, thanks to subterfuge on Theon Greyjoy's part.
Tywin. The patron of the house. Killed by Tyrion as he fled the Castle at the end of book III, in revenge for what Tywin did to Tyrion's first wife. Buried in book IV.
Jaime. Tywin's oldest son. Jaime is his sister Cersei's lover, and the father of the three children that supposedly are Robert's.
Captured by Robb in book II, then set free by Cate in book III to be exchanged for Arya and Sansa, then captured by Voag Hoat, a loathsome sellsword and maimed, his sword hand cut off. Afterward he returned to King's Landing and taken up the post of Commander of the King's Guard. None of the other knights realize how week he is. At the end of book III Jaime rescued Tyrion from the dungeons, told Tyrion that truth of his first wife (that she was no prostitute), and then been spurned by his brother as a result. Tyrion lied to him, saying that he had killed Joffrey. As expected, Jaime blamed himself for his father's death, at Tyrion's hands, too.
In book IV we see that Jaime is falling further out of Cersei's favor. He goes to the riverlands, and there is able to break the siege of Riverrun through diplomacy. He also is working on regaining his sword skills with his off-hand, but is clearly still quite bad.
Cersei. Tywin's daughter. An evil, evil bitch. Manipulative and cunning, one of the least likable people in the entire book. Throughout book IV she connives to remove Margery, Tommen's new bride, from power. In the end it seems to blow up in her face, and she's taken captive by the new High Septon. People seem to believe that Margery, Loras, and others might have all been in on the deception that brought Cersei low. This is all probably part of a Tyrell plot to take over the kingdom which we'll see come to fruition in book VI.
Cersei has sent a desperate letter asking Jaime for help, which he has burned.
Tyrion. Tywin's second son, a dwarf. After ably defending King's Landing in book II, and being nearly killed, he was then spurned by pretty much his whole family. In book III he is married to Sansa, but never consumates the marriage because he wants his wife to come to love him first. At the New Year's Feast, when Joffrey is killed, Tyrion is blamed for the murder and fails to show his innocence via trial by jury or combat. He later confesses to Jaime that he did kill Joffrey, in a moment of anger, though this is false (apparently the elder Tyrell did).
At the end of book III, Tyrion learns that his first wife was not a prostitute as his father had always told him, before he gave her to his guards, and he kills his father as a result. Afterward, he flees East, just as Arya has. We haven't seen him since.
Of all the characters, Tyrion is most clearly based upon a character from the War of the Roses--Richard III. An irony. Like Richard, he is a dwarf, but unlike Richard he is a true hero, not a villain. Like Richard he is accused of killing his nephew (Joffrey) to take the throne; unlike Richard, this accusation is false. Clearly, Tommen should appear to fall by his hand as well.
Joffrey. The king is dead, poisoned, probably by Lady Olenna, Mace Tyrell's widowed mother. Good riddance. (After rereading the books, it was much more clearly Peter Littlefingers and his machinations which did Joff in.)
Myrcella. The second child borne of Jaime and Cersei. Now a ward of the Martells. Unfortunately in book IV she gets involved in a plot by Princess Arianne Martell to name her ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and when they try and flee, and Prince Doran Martell sends troops to bring her back, she ends up badly hurt and scarred.
Tommen. The third child of this incestuous union. Apparently a nice enough boy. Now 8. Now also the king. In book IV he is married to Margery Tyrell.
Theon Greyjoy. This former companion of Robb's, once the ward of the Stark's, became a part of the attack on the north when he returned home seeking help for Robb. He later took Winterfell, but could not hold it. He pretended to kill Bran and Rickon to save face after they escaped. When the Bastard of Bolton took Winterfell they took Theon and probably still hold him alive, though part of his hand has been skinned. We didn't see him in book IV.
Ser Davos. The onion knight, the hand of King Stannis, and one of our viewpoint characters through books II-III. When last we see Davos he is bringing Stannis a letter begging aid for the north. A few hundred pages later Stannis shows up with his army north of the wall, and fights back the army of wildlings there. In book IV we hear word of his death, and we'll find out if that's true in book V.
Queen Dany. An annoying queen who belongs in some other book than A Song of Fire & Ice's European-style fantasy. She is another who could claim the throne is rightfully hers, since she is one of possibly 2 surviving Targaryens (the other perhaps Jon Snow). She has raised a mighty army of freed slaves in the East, and is currently trying to bring peace to the three cities about slaver's bay before she continues her march onward to the free cities and eventually Westeros. Her three dragons continue to grow in size.
Queen Dany has been given a couple of prophecies by the sorcerers she killed in the far east.
The most notable is that she will be betrayed three times, once for blood, once for money, once for love. The "blood" is presumed to be the woman who cursed her womb and brought her husband back as a zombie. The "money" is presumed to be Ser Jorah Mormant, who has since been exiled. It was implied that the "love" might have been Ser Barristan, formerly of the Kingsguard, but I disbelieve. I think she still has one betrayal coming.
Also notable is that she has been told that the dragon has three heads, implying to her that she and her two husbands will together reconquer Westeros, riding their three dragons. Ser Mormant was at one time considered for this privilege, and more recently Brown Ben Plumm, a sellsword. I'm going to put Jon's name out again here. I'd also been considering Master Aemon, but as of book IV he's dead and thus there's no possibility of there being three living Targaryens. Some folks think it means Dany, her husband, and their hand, and thus offer up Dany+Jon+Tyrion, where I'd instead go with Dany+Jaime+Tyrion (as noted below).
We didn't see Dany in book IV.
Petyr Littlefingers. A manipulative and evil man who has slowly been moving up through the ranks of power, and is behind much of the maneuvering of the books thus far. He convinced Lysa to kill her husband, Jon Arryn, setting everything into motion. He also conspired to ensure the death of Joffrey Baratheon. Most recently, he killed the Lady Lysa after marrying her. I'm sure we'll find out he was at the heart of other plots. Now he is threatening Sansa Stark, because he was always in love with her mother, Cate. Evil, evil, evil.
In book IV he was pretty low-key, though we're now learning that he's plotting to raise Sansa up to rule much of the north.
The Hound (Clegor Sandane). Fled King's Landing in Book II when the fires burned everywhere. Fond of Sansa and almost kind to her. Later captured Arya, but was left to die of an infected wound by her in book III. Seemed almost fond of her too. In book IV we hear word of his death from a monk, but it appears that he's actually a gravedigger at that monastery.
Gregor Sandane. The hound's very evil brother. Poisoned by the Red Viper (Oberyn Martell) in book III. In book IV he's given to Cersei's evil counsellor, and we hear word of his death, but at the same time the one-time maester is preparing a huge suit of armor.
Brienne. A knight who loved king Renley, and later fell in with Jaime. In book IV she tries to quest to find Cate's lost daughters, Arya and Sansa. In the end she is captured by Stoneheart's men who demand that she either swear to kill Jaime (who Cate believes, wrongly, betrayed him) or die. She refuses and is hung, but as her final chapter ends, she yells one word.
Guesses from people include:
"Arya" (e.g., I know where your daughter is)
"Jaime" (e.g., I love him)
"Sword" (e.g., I'll kill Jaime for your rather than dying her with my squire)
Her squire, Podrick, is being hung too.
Doran Martell. The decrepit prince of Sunspear. At the end of book IV we learn that he's plotting something involving his daughter, Arianne, and his son, Quentyn. Quentyn has definitely been sent across the Narrow Sea, and some think he's questing for Dany. The plan was apparently for Arianne originally to marry Dany's now deceased brother. In any case, Martell is the only one of the Seven Kingdoms that really seems to be on Dany's side.
The Sand Snakes. The bastard daughters of the late Prince Oberyn. Mostly being held captive so that they don't cause problems, but some think that the missing one, Sarella, is in disguise with the Maesters in Old Town.
Sam. Jon's companion from the wall, now sent south to Old Town to become a Maester. He's fallen in with the Sphinx, who may be Sarella, and "Pate", who was probably replaced by an assassin, his purpose unknown.
Loras Martell. The knight of flowers. Alledgedly mortally wounded in taking Dragonstone. But it's not clear if he ever took Dragonstone (since we later heard it was still standing, but that could have been an information transmission issue) or if he's badly wounded. He may well be part of a plot to take down Cersei, with his infirmity being exagerrated so that she won't choose him as a champion.
Margaery Martell. The queen of the land. Probably instrumental in a plot to remove Cersei from power.
With all of the candidates for King's Landing dead other than King Stannis and King Tommen it's not entirely obvious where we go from here. However, there are a few major issues remaining: the Others who are gathering their might beyond the wall; and Queen Dany who is gathering her might to the East. Add in Petyr Littlefingers and we could easily have 5 contenders once more fighting for the throne, which is to say nothing of the individual stories of the Starks, Jaime, and Tyrion.
In the end I expect to see Dany ascend to the throne, offer her hand to Jon as the Targaryens have done for generations, and then be rejected because he holds true to his vows. Jaime, the kingslayer, who slew Dany's father will be the next choice, and king who ultimately joins her, bringing peace to a shattered land.
At least that's one possibility ...
A Feast of Crows
This new book was slower than the previous ones. At the end of Book III the wars were ending, with almost all of the kingly candidates dead. Now is the time to clean up the peaces and put the kingdom back into order, but there are still parasites and scavengers waiting to feast upon the corpse of the kingdom.
Book IV mainly gave us the southern stories: King's Landing, the river lands, and the Eyrie, with a singular stop in Bravos for Arya's story and a trip down from the wall with Sam.
The biggest event in the book was doubtless Cersei's removal from power as a result of her own machinations, though some suspect she was caught in a trap larger than her set by the Tyrells. We've also had the riverlands finally pacified. Meanwhile the Iron fleets are sweeping across the Arbor, and the freedom fighters in the riverlands have grown in power, now led by Stoneheart, who once was Cat.
The Starks
Ned. The father of the tribe. Still dead. Beheaded by Ser Payne, the King's Executioner near the end of Book I for treason (saying that Stannis was the rightful king, not Jofrey, which was true). His bones were sent North to Winterfell, but I'm not clear if they ever arrived. One mystery still surrounds Ned, which is the identity of his bastard "son" Jon's mother; more on that in a moment.
Cate. Ned's wife. Killed at the Red Wedding when she tried to protect her eldest son, Robb. Her throat was cut and she was dumped in the Trident. Raised by Thoros of Myr, the red preist, but after she was too long dead. She is now known as Stoneheart and controls the Lightning Lord's freedom fighters. We last saw her onscreen as she was executing Brienne and Pod.
Benjen. Ned's brother. Missing since Book I when he led a group of rangers over the wall. His men were returned as undead wights, but nothing more has ever been seen of Benjen. I assume it's he who left a cache of dragonglass and a black cloak at the Fist of the First Men far beyond the wall, which Jon later found. If so then he survived the attack which killed his brothers, and in ranging further on managed to discover the weakness of the Others--obsidian. Why he would continue in his journeys beyond the wall in that case is not known.
Robb. Ned's oldest son. Killed at the Red Wedding. Before that he was one of the contenders for the throne and never defeated in battle. His wife, Jeyne, survives him. She was last seen heading back west following the surrender of Riverrun.
Jon. Ned's second son, a bastard. Maybe. Pledged to the Night's Watch where he made enemies, became the lord commander's servant, ranged into the north, was told to pretend to join the wildlings by his commander, eventually saved the wall from ambush, and later saved it from attack. At the end of Book III he is offered to be legitimized and given Winterfell by Stannis and also to be made new Lord Commander of the Night Watch. He accepts the latter. When last we saw Jon in Book III he was heading off to tell Stannis that he had choosen to keep his vows as a member of the Night Watch. In Book IV Jon appeared momentarily, to send Sam south.
What Jon does not know is that Robb made him official heir to Winterfell before he died, because he thought that all of his siblings were dead other than Sansa, who was by then married to Tyrion. It was the only way to keep Winterfell from passing into Lannister hands. Robb signed an official declaration on this matter, and had his witnessed by his greatest lords. It seems unlikely that this document should have survived the Red Wedding, but it still feels like a big dangling plot point.
The other issue of note regarding Jon is his true parentage. He's also been presented as Ned's son, and in book III it's strongly hinted that his mother was the wife of Ser Arthur Dayne of Starfall, creating an elegant Arthurian triad to predate Martin's War of the Roses fantasy. However, we also have the issue of Ned's sister Lyanna, who was raped by one of the dragon princes (Rhaegar?) and died mysteriously as a result. Which sounds to me like death in childbirth, which would leave a noble son of the Targaryen family missing. And it would explain why noble, noble Ned could have had a bastard son: he didn't, he was simply willing to soil his honor as the only way to protect his dead sister's only son, who otherwise would have been killed by Robert and the Lannisters when they took the throne. I like this answer much better than what has been suggested thus far.
Jon's direwolf, Ghost, returned to him at the end of Book III.
Sansa. Ned's eldest daughter, nor married to Tyrion Lannister though their marriage has never been consumated. She now is disguised as Alayne, Peter Littlefinger's bastard daughter. She has become a mother to the sickly boy, Robert Arryn. As we end book IV Sansa learns of Peter's plans for her. She is to be bethrothed to Harry the Heir, who is second in line to rule the Aerie after Robert inevitably dies. He imagines her revealing herself as Sansa at that wedding, and becoming the ruler of Winterfell and the Aerie alike.
Sansa's direwolf, Lady, is dead.
Arya. Ned's second daughter. She lands across the narrow sea among the Bravosi. Here she begins training as an assassin, but her story takes a dramatic end toward the end of Book IV where she assassinates a member of the Night Watch who's abandoned his duties, and then is apparently blinded for this undesired act.
Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, was forced to flee near the Trident to avoid being killed and since seems to have gathered a huge army of wolves which is terrorizing the nearby lands.
Most believe Arya is dead, since she has not been seen since the coup at King's Landing.
Bran. Ned's third son. He was crippled in book I when Jaime Lannister threw him off a tower. He was forced to flee Winterfell in book II when it was taken first by Theon Gray, then later by the Bastard of Bolton. He has long been having visions of a three-eyed crow who promises to teach him secrets beyond the wall. When we last left Bran he had slipped beneath the wall thanks to the Black Gate and met a strange man named Coldhands who rides an elk (and thus would seem to be an Other, though he is not murderous like the rest). His companions are the dumb giant Hodor and two of his subjects from the Neck, Meera and Jojen Reed, the latter of which is something of a seer. We haven't seen him since Book III.
Bran's direwolf, Summer, accompanies him.
Everyone believes Bran is dead, thanks to subterfuge on Theon Greyjoy's part.
Rickon. Ned's youngest son, a babe. After they fled Winterfell, Bran and Rickon split up. Rickon was brought east by the supposedly trusted wildling Osha. We have not seen him since book II, but he was being brought to trusted bannermen.
Everyone believes Rickon is dead, thanks to subterfuge on Theon Greyjoy's part.
The Lannisters
Tywin. The patron of the house. Killed by Tyrion as he fled the Castle at the end of book III, in revenge for what Tywin did to Tyrion's first wife. Buried in book IV.
Jaime. Tywin's oldest son. Jaime is his sister Cersei's lover, and the father of the three children that supposedly are Robert's.
Captured by Robb in book II, then set free by Cate in book III to be exchanged for Arya and Sansa, then captured by Voag Hoat, a loathsome sellsword and maimed, his sword hand cut off. Afterward he returned to King's Landing and taken up the post of Commander of the King's Guard. None of the other knights realize how week he is. At the end of book III Jaime rescued Tyrion from the dungeons, told Tyrion that truth of his first wife (that she was no prostitute), and then been spurned by his brother as a result. Tyrion lied to him, saying that he had killed Joffrey. As expected, Jaime blamed himself for his father's death, at Tyrion's hands, too.
In book IV we see that Jaime is falling further out of Cersei's favor. He goes to the riverlands, and there is able to break the siege of Riverrun through diplomacy. He also is working on regaining his sword skills with his off-hand, but is clearly still quite bad.
Cersei. Tywin's daughter. An evil, evil bitch. Manipulative and cunning, one of the least likable people in the entire book. Throughout book IV she connives to remove Margery, Tommen's new bride, from power. In the end it seems to blow up in her face, and she's taken captive by the new High Septon. People seem to believe that Margery, Loras, and others might have all been in on the deception that brought Cersei low. This is all probably part of a Tyrell plot to take over the kingdom which we'll see come to fruition in book VI.
Cersei has sent a desperate letter asking Jaime for help, which he has burned.
Tyrion. Tywin's second son, a dwarf. After ably defending King's Landing in book II, and being nearly killed, he was then spurned by pretty much his whole family. In book III he is married to Sansa, but never consumates the marriage because he wants his wife to come to love him first. At the New Year's Feast, when Joffrey is killed, Tyrion is blamed for the murder and fails to show his innocence via trial by jury or combat. He later confesses to Jaime that he did kill Joffrey, in a moment of anger, though this is false (apparently the elder Tyrell did).
At the end of book III, Tyrion learns that his first wife was not a prostitute as his father had always told him, before he gave her to his guards, and he kills his father as a result. Afterward, he flees East, just as Arya has. We haven't seen him since.
Of all the characters, Tyrion is most clearly based upon a character from the War of the Roses--Richard III. An irony. Like Richard, he is a dwarf, but unlike Richard he is a true hero, not a villain. Like Richard he is accused of killing his nephew (Joffrey) to take the throne; unlike Richard, this accusation is false. Clearly, Tommen should appear to fall by his hand as well.
Joffrey. The king is dead, poisoned, probably by Lady Olenna, Mace Tyrell's widowed mother. Good riddance. (After rereading the books, it was much more clearly Peter Littlefingers and his machinations which did Joff in.)
Myrcella. The second child borne of Jaime and Cersei. Now a ward of the Martells. Unfortunately in book IV she gets involved in a plot by Princess Arianne Martell to name her ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, and when they try and flee, and Prince Doran Martell sends troops to bring her back, she ends up badly hurt and scarred.
Tommen. The third child of this incestuous union. Apparently a nice enough boy. Now 8. Now also the king. In book IV he is married to Margery Tyrell.
Other Notables
Theon Greyjoy. This former companion of Robb's, once the ward of the Stark's, became a part of the attack on the north when he returned home seeking help for Robb. He later took Winterfell, but could not hold it. He pretended to kill Bran and Rickon to save face after they escaped. When the Bastard of Bolton took Winterfell they took Theon and probably still hold him alive, though part of his hand has been skinned. We didn't see him in book IV.
Ser Davos. The onion knight, the hand of King Stannis, and one of our viewpoint characters through books II-III. When last we see Davos he is bringing Stannis a letter begging aid for the north. A few hundred pages later Stannis shows up with his army north of the wall, and fights back the army of wildlings there. In book IV we hear word of his death, and we'll find out if that's true in book V.
Queen Dany. An annoying queen who belongs in some other book than A Song of Fire & Ice's European-style fantasy. She is another who could claim the throne is rightfully hers, since she is one of possibly 2 surviving Targaryens (the other perhaps Jon Snow). She has raised a mighty army of freed slaves in the East, and is currently trying to bring peace to the three cities about slaver's bay before she continues her march onward to the free cities and eventually Westeros. Her three dragons continue to grow in size.
Queen Dany has been given a couple of prophecies by the sorcerers she killed in the far east.
The most notable is that she will be betrayed three times, once for blood, once for money, once for love. The "blood" is presumed to be the woman who cursed her womb and brought her husband back as a zombie. The "money" is presumed to be Ser Jorah Mormant, who has since been exiled. It was implied that the "love" might have been Ser Barristan, formerly of the Kingsguard, but I disbelieve. I think she still has one betrayal coming.
Also notable is that she has been told that the dragon has three heads, implying to her that she and her two husbands will together reconquer Westeros, riding their three dragons. Ser Mormant was at one time considered for this privilege, and more recently Brown Ben Plumm, a sellsword. I'm going to put Jon's name out again here. I'd also been considering Master Aemon, but as of book IV he's dead and thus there's no possibility of there being three living Targaryens. Some folks think it means Dany, her husband, and their hand, and thus offer up Dany+Jon+Tyrion, where I'd instead go with Dany+Jaime+Tyrion (as noted below).
We didn't see Dany in book IV.
Petyr Littlefingers. A manipulative and evil man who has slowly been moving up through the ranks of power, and is behind much of the maneuvering of the books thus far. He convinced Lysa to kill her husband, Jon Arryn, setting everything into motion. He also conspired to ensure the death of Joffrey Baratheon. Most recently, he killed the Lady Lysa after marrying her. I'm sure we'll find out he was at the heart of other plots. Now he is threatening Sansa Stark, because he was always in love with her mother, Cate. Evil, evil, evil.
In book IV he was pretty low-key, though we're now learning that he's plotting to raise Sansa up to rule much of the north.
The Hound (Clegor Sandane). Fled King's Landing in Book II when the fires burned everywhere. Fond of Sansa and almost kind to her. Later captured Arya, but was left to die of an infected wound by her in book III. Seemed almost fond of her too. In book IV we hear word of his death from a monk, but it appears that he's actually a gravedigger at that monastery.
Gregor Sandane. The hound's very evil brother. Poisoned by the Red Viper (Oberyn Martell) in book III. In book IV he's given to Cersei's evil counsellor, and we hear word of his death, but at the same time the one-time maester is preparing a huge suit of armor.
Brienne. A knight who loved king Renley, and later fell in with Jaime. In book IV she tries to quest to find Cate's lost daughters, Arya and Sansa. In the end she is captured by Stoneheart's men who demand that she either swear to kill Jaime (who Cate believes, wrongly, betrayed him) or die. She refuses and is hung, but as her final chapter ends, she yells one word.
Guesses from people include:
"Arya" (e.g., I know where your daughter is)
"Jaime" (e.g., I love him)
"Sword" (e.g., I'll kill Jaime for your rather than dying her with my squire)
Her squire, Podrick, is being hung too.
Doran Martell. The decrepit prince of Sunspear. At the end of book IV we learn that he's plotting something involving his daughter, Arianne, and his son, Quentyn. Quentyn has definitely been sent across the Narrow Sea, and some think he's questing for Dany. The plan was apparently for Arianne originally to marry Dany's now deceased brother. In any case, Martell is the only one of the Seven Kingdoms that really seems to be on Dany's side.
The Sand Snakes. The bastard daughters of the late Prince Oberyn. Mostly being held captive so that they don't cause problems, but some think that the missing one, Sarella, is in disguise with the Maesters in Old Town.
Sam. Jon's companion from the wall, now sent south to Old Town to become a Maester. He's fallen in with the Sphinx, who may be Sarella, and "Pate", who was probably replaced by an assassin, his purpose unknown.
Loras Martell. The knight of flowers. Alledgedly mortally wounded in taking Dragonstone. But it's not clear if he ever took Dragonstone (since we later heard it was still standing, but that could have been an information transmission issue) or if he's badly wounded. He may well be part of a plot to take down Cersei, with his infirmity being exagerrated so that she won't choose him as a champion.
Margaery Martell. The queen of the land. Probably instrumental in a plot to remove Cersei from power.
The War for Succession
With all of the candidates for King's Landing dead other than King Stannis and King Tommen it's not entirely obvious where we go from here. However, there are a few major issues remaining: the Others who are gathering their might beyond the wall; and Queen Dany who is gathering her might to the East. Add in Petyr Littlefingers and we could easily have 5 contenders once more fighting for the throne, which is to say nothing of the individual stories of the Starks, Jaime, and Tyrion.
In the end I expect to see Dany ascend to the throne, offer her hand to Jon as the Targaryens have done for generations, and then be rejected because he holds true to his vows. Jaime, the kingslayer, who slew Dany's father will be the next choice, and king who ultimately joins her, bringing peace to a shattered land.
At least that's one possibility ...
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Date: 2006-01-16 07:17 am (UTC)Also, I thought Maester Aemon was the one w/ Samwell who died?
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Date: 2006-01-16 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-17 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-16 07:20 am (UTC)The Tower of the Hand might be an interesting resource when the next book comes out, too.
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Date: 2006-01-16 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-16 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-16 07:15 pm (UTC)