Stark Girls

A Game of Thrones

Arya 1

The Stark Girls

Septa Mordane is instructing a group of girls in the arts of needlework. In attendance are Beth Cassel, Jeyne Poole, Princess Mrycella Baratehon, and the two Stark daughters: Arya and Sansa. The Septa praises Sansa and Myrcella's work while Arya watches, resenting the whole affair. Arya laments to herself how Sansa is so perfect: more beautiful and more womanly than she'll ever be. She thinks of how Sansa's best friend, Jeyne, used to call her Arya Horseface, a name that stung more when she realized the only thing should could ever best Sansa at is horse riding.

As they are working the girls begin to gossip. Jeyne says that the crown prince, Joffrey likes Sansa. Arya is not impressed. As they talk the Septa asks to see Arya's stitch-work and is critical. Arya storms out. She meets up with her direwolf pup Nymeria, named after the famed conqueror of Dorne to meet up with the boys who are practicing swordplay.

Arya catches up with Jon Snow, who was always her closet sibling. She reflects how alike they are, to the point of her wondering if she's a bastard herself. Jon is too lowborn to be allowed to practice with royalty, so he is forced to the sidelines. Bran and Tommen are at it, something that is not very impressive to watch.

Soon after its Robb and Joffrey's turn to spar again. Joffrey has grown bored with practice swords and demands live steel, something Master at Arms Rodrick Cassel denies him. After some arguing, Joffrey leaves, but not before tossing some more insults at Robb Stark.

Commentary:
This is another chapter big on major character introductions. The most important being the stark contrast between Arya and Sansa, the Stark sisters.

Arya "Horseface"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arya is our point of view for the chapter, and it takes great plains to paint her as a tomboy. She sucks at needlework. (Incidentally so do I. I almost flunked Home EC in 7th grade due to shitty needle skills). She's also very self conscious, feeling inferior to her sister at every turn (who at least in this sister sounds like a complete Mary Sue). She'd much rather learn to fight than to sew. Arya and Sansa's differences can honestly be summed up by what they named their wolves. Sansa's is 'Lady'. Arya's is 'Nymeria' --a female conqueror who made the nation of Dorne her bitch.

Of course at this point it's no secret that Arya's a fan favorite. While I am sorta....hesitant...as to where her story is going in the later books, this chapter is good at setting her up as a likeable underdog. Of course this isn't your typical fantasy story so the underdog role is going to go in a much different direction. But that's for later.

One of the nicest parts of this chapter is seeing how close she is to Jon. It's good to see that they have each other.

As for the other Stark girl

I think Sansa gets a lot of undeserved flak but we can't really get into that now. Even though she's a fairly main character in this chapter, we aren't really introduced to her yet. We're introduced to her through Arya's eyes. Arya is deeply resentful of how perfect her sister is, so we don't really see her as anything but a slightly insufferable Mary Sue for now. There's not too much to comment on now but believe me there will be soon.

As for some of the other minor characters - Septa Mordane is like Maester Luwin, she'll be around a lot but never a major character. She's fairly two dimensional. It's important to remember Jeyne Poole in this chapter and that she's slightly bitchy. She's not going to do anything for like four books but man when Martin decides to make her an important character does it come out of nowhere. Once again Mrycella comes off as rather likeable, though we don't get much out of her.

Things are more interesting when we meet up with the boys. Bran and Tommen are in this chapter but we don't really learn anything new about them other than Tommen is fat. The master at arms is Rodrick Cassel who doesn't really have much to him...except in the show where he has the most ridiculous facial hair.

 

 

 

The only reason he gets a picture is his beard. I mean damn look at that thing!

Jon gets to be nice and snarky with Arya, reminding me again why I prefer him so much more in the books than in the show. We also see the dynamic between Robb and Joffrey. Robb I already introduced but this chapter really shows off how hot blooded he is.

And then there's Joffrey. Joffrey. Fucking Joffrey.

Such a punchable face.

We've heard a bit about the young prince and now we finally get to meet him. And basically right now he's a shit. A little fucking shit. In this chapter he pretty much seems like Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter has been lifted out of Hogwarts and dropped in here. Now I fucking hate Malfoy and I hate everything about Joffrey in this chapter. He's a smug little rich bastard who talks all this shit, backs away from a fight, and plays it off like he's still the better man. He even uses the excuse that Robb is older than him for why Robb got in more hits.

But *Spoilers* Joffrey is NOT Draco. Joffrey may seem like it right now, but if you think that Joffrey is just your typical wannabe, minor in the grand scheme of things, pussy kind of villain, you got another thing coming. Draco Malfoy doesn't have SHIT on Joffrey.

We also are introduced to a guard of Joffrey's named Clegane who seems to be an ass. He's a little more complicated but...yeah he's an ass.

Ned's Decision

A Game of Throne


Catelyn 2

After lovemaking, Eddard Stark leaves the bed, naked, and opens the window to his bed chamber: embracing the cold. Castle Winterfell was built on natural hot springs, warming the walls...something Catelyn appreciates more than her husband.

Ned tells his wife he does not wish to take up the King's offer to be Hand. Catelyn urges him to do so, since it will look like a slight against the royal family and may give them cause too suspect the Starks as being enemies. Eddard argues that King Robert would never think such things but Catelyn responds that Robert is a different man than the boy Eddard knew.

They are interrupted by Lewin, the castle's maester, who brings a message to Catelyn. It was in a secret compartment in a box and written in a language only Cat would know--it was one she invented with her sister Lysa, Jon Aryn's widow, as girls.

With apprehension Catelyn reads the note and instantly burns it.  Lysa claims that the Lannisters were behind the murder of Jon Aryn. Eddard is skeptical, he believes that Lysa may be blinded by grief. Catelyn however notes how much trouble Lysa went through to make this message a secret and the danger she would have put her and her son in. Luwin agrees with Catelyn and both urge Eddard to take up the position of Hand of the King, to protect Lysa and her son and to bring the Lannisters to justice. Most importantly though Catelyn asks Ned if he would rather leave Robert, who he just claimed loved him more than a brother, alone with people such as the Lannisters. After some deliberation Ned agrees. However to Cat's displeasure, he states that she must stay in Winterfell with Robb and Rickon. Rickon is too young to take the journey south and Robb needs to be groomed to be the new lord. Sansa must come with him to be wed to Prince Joffrey and Arya needs to learn the ways of court, something she is woefully lacking knowledge in. Catelyn urges Ned to let Bran stay but Ned cannot, Bran needs to form a friendship with Joffrey since there is bad blood between Robb and the Prince. Catelyn agrees this is what would be best for the family, with hesitation.

Luwin then brings up Jon Snow. Catelyn demands that she will not have him in the castle with Ned gone and Ned knows there is no place for him in court. Luwin mentions about the boy's desire to take the black and Ned agrees that he will allow this.
.

Commentary
This is our first plot twist, the Lannisters killed Jon Aryn apparently. Not too much of a WTF moment, given that we clearly aren't supposed to like them at this point. This chapter gives us a good look at Eddard and Catelyn's marriage, while they do love each other, there is some distance between them --especially due to Jon Snow. Cateyln is not so much angry with the fact that thy boy exists, but rather that she is forced to see evidence of her husbands infidelity day after day. As much as she hates it, this is another shining example of Ned's character. Most men send their bastards away, Ned announces him to the world and treats him as any other son.  We also get a bit more tidbits on Jon Snow's past. Rumors were present that the mother was a woman named Ashara Dayne of Starfall but Eddard has silenced any discussion of the topic. All Ned has to say is the boy has his blood.

We get some more about the bromance between Ned and Robert, which Catelyn uses to guilt her husband into taking the position of Hand of the King.  We also meet a fairly important character, Maester Luwin

Maester's are pretty much doctor's, accountants, councilors, teachers, and scientists all rolled up into one neat package. Most lords have one in their employ. Luwin's never a major character, but he's always a presence and I like him for what he is. He's an overall nice guy, caring deeply about his charges, and does not have any ulterior motives. For a story that thrives on mostly http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlackAndGrayMorality...where the characters are at best deeply flawed individuals and at worst utter puppy kicking bastards I like to consider Luwin pretty much squarely 'good'.  Interesting to note both Luwin and Catelyn argue in favor for Ned to go south. In the show they have more of a good angel bad angel thing going on representing Ned's conscious...with Catelyn urging him to stay north away from the den of vipers that is the capital. Of course it's not really a choice of right and wrong: both are perfectly acceptable and justifiable actions.

Also let's comment on Lysa, Catelyn's sister. Her method of delivering the letter was clever and she risked a lot to warn the Starks of the Lannister's crimes. She must be pretty cool. I think we have a fan favorite coming. Right?


....

....right?

Bastards and Dwarfs

A Game of Thrones

Jon 1

Jon Snow reflects that this is one of the few times in his life that he is happy to be a bastard. The Starks are hosting a feast for their Baratheon-Lannister guests. While his half siblings must sit with the royal family and be limited to one cup of summerwine, Jon Snow gets to sit with much more enjoyable company and is well into his cups.

He takes stock of the room and notices that his lord father seems to be rather detached from what is going on. Of course the king is well in his revelries and the queen seems cold as ice.

Soon enough his uncle Benjen Stark, Ranger of the Night's Watch visits. Benjen praises Jon's skill with a sword and Jon insists that he is ready to take the oath and join the brotherhood. Jon knows that as a bastard he has no right to inheritances like his siblings, and has no true future in Winterfell. Benjen cautions the boy, saying he would give up a lot for that honor; namely being a father and the touch of a woman. Jon asserts that he does not care for those things and Benjen responds that he would think differently after fathering a few bastards of his own. Jon snaps at his uncle that he will never father a bastard and storms outside...his Dire Wolf Ghost follows.

Outside he meets the Queen's brother, Tyrion Lannister - the stunted dwarf, who takes interest in the beast. Jon commands the wolf to allow Tyrion to pet it. Tyrion then bluntly asks the boy if he's the Stark bastard. When Jon takes offense, Tyrion assures him that he has more of the north in him than his other siblings; something that secretly makes Jon proud. Tyrion advises Jon to wear the title of bastard as an armor so that nobody can use it to hurt him. When Jon asks what he knows about being a bastard he replies that all dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes. As he walks off Jon thinks that for a brief moment, Tyrion Lannister is standing taller than every man.

Commentary
Well this is our first Jon Snow chapter, and I realize I like him a bit better in the books than I do in the show. Not that I dislike him in the show, but I feel he's a little less angsty here...or at least more of a Deadpan Snarker.

The biggest thing about Jon we learn here is how being a bastard affects him. He obviously isn't welcome near the royal family in Lady Catelyn's eyes. The very notion of him possibly fathering more bastards enrages him.

One of my favorite bits in this chapter is his assessment of the royal family. He thinks very little of King Robert, citing him as a disappointment. He looks up to the queen's brother Jaime Lannister, the Lion of Lannister...and the Kingslayer, as being what a king should be. Given both what (and who) Jamie does later on, this is hilarious. I may be reading too deeply into this but I wonder why he has such a strong opinion of him despite his reputation as Kingslayer. Perhaps he believes that Jamie did the right thing when he killed the Mad King? He pegs the queen dead on as an ice queen. He doesn't really have anything positive to say of the royal children. He certainly doesn't like Joffrey's face which is understandable. I've watched the show many times, introducing people I know to it. Almost every time Joffrey first appears on screen whoever I'm with says they want to kick his ass. I am pretty sure Jon is wrong about Myrcella being an idiot, but she's such a minor character I'm not really sure.

The little bit about Ghost protecting his chicken dinner from a bigger dog was funny too, shame that part got cut.

 Jon's uncle Benjen seems like a pretty cool guy. He really doesn't really do much than to explain more about the Night's Watch. We learn that when you swear their oath, you can't marry or have kids. Which sucks. Their marriage is to duty which I get and all...but later on when we find out they are desperate for new members I can't help but ask why don't they be a little more lenient on that end. Either way looking at this four hour feast that's going down and comparing it to life on the wall at least we can infer that this is a hell of a vacation for Benjen Stark.

Now with all that out of the way we can bring up who we're all really here for:

Tyrion-fucking-Lannister

I'd gush about how awesome he is, but I don't think I need to at this point. I'm fairly sure even non fans of this series at least know who he is by now what with Peter Dinklage's stellar performance. It's so hard to pick a favorite character in this series. I probably have like 5 tied for first, but you can bet your ass he's one of them. Of course I'm sure he's first on everyone's list except for that one asshole hipster we all know who thinks he's overrated or whatever.

Anyway he's baller as hell in his first proper chapter. He pulls off making fun of Jon Snow while still being a genuinely a cool guy about it. His advice of course is very good advice and with a little modification can apply to anyone. He also does a crazy cartwheel in this chapter, which doesn't show up again in book 5 which I guess is something. We learn that just like Jon has issues with Cateyln, Tyrion has some daddy issues with Tywin Lannister. Apparently his mother died in childbirth and Tywin has never forgiven him. We'll learn later on that Tyrion's parent issues are a lot worse than Jon's.

The King Eats...and the Hand Takes the Shit

A Game of Thrones:

 Eddard 1

The Starks receive the three hundred plus party that is the King's Entourage. Eddard recognizes amongst them the queen's brothers - Jamie Lannister of the King's Guard and Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf known also as the imp. However he is at a loss for the man leading them - - the king. Instead of the strong and burly warrior that he knew in his youth, the king has become fat. Eddard notes that he has not seen the king for nine years, since Balon Greyjoy's rebellion.

The Starks and Baratheons greet each other and after introductions are conducted, King Robert Baratheon asks Eddard (affectionately called Ned) to take him down to his crypts. Cersei, the queen, complains that they can wait, they have been riding for so long but the king will hear nothing of it. 

Ned takes the king down to where his immediately family are buried: his father Rickard Stark, elder brother - Brandon Stark, and sister - Lyanna Stark. Ned reflects on how his brother was strangled on the order of Aerys Targaryen days before he was supposed to marry Cateyln Tully, Ned's current wife. Robert pays his respects to Lyanna, who was his betrothed. He complains to Ned that she shouldn't be buried in a crypt such as this, a beauty like her deserves better. Eddard responds that she is of the north and that this is her place. Furthermore Eddard reminds Robert that he was with her sister when she died and that she pleaded to be buried with her father and brother. Eddard also secretly remembers a promise made to her and how once he assured her he would honor it, how all fear left her eyes. This he does not bring up to Robert.

Robert states how he vowed that he'd kill Rhaegar Targaryen, son of the mad king, for what he did to Lyanna. He laments he could only do so once; he kills him a thousand times in his dreams. 

The topic changes to the late Jon Arryn, both men fondly remember their time together at the Eyrie. Robert tells Ned that Jon's sickness came swiftly. He seemed the pinnacle of health only a fortnight before his death. Robert says that Jon's wife (and Catelyn's sister) Lysa Arryn has been driven almost mad with grief. She has taken her young and sickly son, Robert Arryn from King's Landing to the Eyrie. This is problematic for Robert since Tywin Lannister, his father in law, had already agreed to take the boy on as a ward. Eddard is skeptical of allowing Tywin to care for the boy, but Robert dismisses him. They have a short discussion regarding the status of the Warden of the East...a position that Jon Arryn held which Robert has decided his sickly son shall not inherit...at least until he comes of age. However soon Robert brings up the true reason he has come to the north. To offer Eddard Jon Arryn's old position: The Hand of the King. This is an incredibly powerful position, second only to the king itself and is the last thing Ned wants. Finally Robert states he intends to betroth his son, Prince Joffrey, to Ned's eldest daughter Sansa Ned asks for some time to mull this over and feels a sense of foreboding.

Commentary

We technically meet a lot of really important characters this chapter. But I'm not talking about any of them save for one since they don't do anything. This chapter is pretty much dedicated to introducing the King of Westeros. I think a king deserves an entire chapter to himself, no?

Since the entire chapter is from Eddard's point of view, the first thing we get in this chapter is how different King Robert Baratheon is from how he remembered him. In the past Robert was a total badass. And from what we hear, he was. Pwning Rhaegar (who we will later learn was no slouch) with a giant freaking warhammer is pretty BAMF. Now he's probably as fat as me and over indulgences in his favorite things (food, drink, and pootang). Still this chapter does a great job showing his friendship to Ned and his weariness at his position as king. We hear more about his rebellion against the Targaryen's and his personal motivations to do so. The relationship he has with Lyanna is very important and drives much of what happens in this story. This extends to his relation to his current wife Cersei which from what little we see in this chapter, is not a happy one. He is also burdened by his in laws, the Lannisters, as we see from his need to placate Tywin.


A good portion, through Robert's almost lustful description of the food and women of the south also serves as a dichotomy of the north and...well everything else. From what Robert says, compared to the north it's a virtual paradise. Of course it's really no surprise that Robert is over-exaggerating.

 The discussion about the Arryns is important in that it sets up this books framing device. All you really need to get from it though is that Jon died suddenly, Robert (Jon's son...damn a lot of the characters have the same name) is sickly, and Lysa is a bit off her rocker. Rereading it though I did find the plot points about Tywin acting as Lil' Robert's ward and King Roberts decision to find a new Warden of the East interesting (if minor enough that I forget them) given what happens later.

We also learn early on that Theon Greyjoy is a ward since his father rebelled against Robert a few years back. Sort of ironic given how Robert himself was the rebel not long before that. Anyway this chapter was mostly about exploring the friendship between Robert and Eddard and setting up some big plot points. Not much else to see here.

Don't Wake the Dragon

A Game of Thrones

Danerys 1:

Across the narrow sea, in the free city of Pentos, Viserys Targaryen presents a beautiful silk dress to his thirteen year old sister, Daenerys. He tells he that it is a a gift from Magister Illyrio Mopatis who has allowed the siblings the use of his home and has promised her more luxorious gifts to come. Daenerys questions the motives of their host, but Viserys assures her that Illyrio is doing so because he knows that Viserys will not forget him when he comes into his crown.

The Targaryen's were the rulers of Westeros for hundreds of years, until the usurper: Robert Baratheon and his Stark and Lannister allies overthrew their kingdom and put their king to the sword. Since then Viserys and Daenerys, the two remaining heirs have been on the run in foreign lands. Viserys was eight when the revolution occurred and dreams fervently of having his kingdom returned to him. Daenerys was born out at see, while their mother was fleeing Westeros; therefore she has no recollection. Instead she remembers the kindness of Ser William Darry who helped them escaped, and housed them in the island nation of Braavos until his death. Since then they have been traveling from place to place. At first the people of free cities accepted them, but the more the usurper has sat on the throne, the less the people of the free cities seem to care for their plight.

Though traditionally, Targaryen's wed brother to sister to keep the bloodlines pure, Viserys has promised his sister to the leader of a vast barbarian tribe: Khal Drogo of the Dothraki horde. With their hundred thousand plus horde of Dothraki screamers, Viserys hopes to retake his kingdom and avenge the deaths of his father Aerys and brother Rheagar who perished during Robert's Rebellion.

Daenerys' slave servants prepare her bath and warn her that it is too scalding hot, something which does not bother her. As her brother says time and time again, they are the blood of the dragon; heat such as that should not bother them.

As Daenerys bathes, Illyrio and Viserys enter. Illyrio assures Viserys that the common people of Westeros secretly toast his name and eagerly await his return. In conjunction with the Dothraki and the support of noble houses loyal to the Targaryen's such as Dorne who lost Elia Martell brutally at the hands of the Lannisters, Viserys is confident in his ability to take back his kingdom.

The three of them go to meet Khal Drogo, who is to inspect Daenerys, the young girl mentions to her brother that she doesn't wish to marry Drogo and just wants to go home. Viserys forcefully tells her that the only way to go home is with Khal Drogo's army and that he'd, "let his whole khalasar fuck you sweet sister, all forty thousand and their horses too if that's what it took to get my army." He then commands his sister to stand up straight and smile as Khal Drogo apporaches.

Commentary:
This is our first chapter away from the continent of Westeroes, where most of the action of this series takes place. Think of Westeros as medieval Europe. Though it isn't mentioned by name, Pentos is one of the western most cities on the giant continent of Essos, which could be analogous to Asia. Since it is the most western, it is more of a familiar setting to those of Westeros than some of the other cities we will meet later on. Almost all locations in this series are pretty fucked up. The Starks are the closest thing to good guys we are going to get for a while, so Winterfell may not have seemed so bad, if overly harsh. But both sides of the narrow sea are not pleasant places to be. This is apparent in Pentos. It is a "free city" with no slaves, however it is obvious that powerful men such as Illyrio can do whatever they want. And having a rampaging horde of conqueror-rapists so close isn't good for anybody involved.

Anyway we meet our first non-Stark protagonist (not counting poor Will), Daenerys Targaryen.

 Daenerys is thirteen in the books. I'd first like to say thank God that she's aged up in the HBO series. The shit she goes through would be too much to read about happening to the thirteen year old.

Also Emilia Clarke is hot as hell, but that's neither here nor there.

This chapter is all about setting Daenerys up as a character we can't help but feel bad for. Her life royally sucks. She has known nothing but fear, from her unseen enemies, from starvation, and worst of all...her brother. Daenerys is helplessly used as a pawn for her brother and his allies with no say in the matter. When she does, we hear her brother's response. Given her reactions to Viserys warnings of "Waking the Dragon", we know that he has abused her plenty in the past. She has to put up with his constant criticism, threats, etc. Despite all this though she isn't stupid. She can see past Illyrio's charms much better than Viserys, who is clearly blinded by his promises. She is good at assessing their situation.

I'm sort of divided on her. I think in this first book, Daenerys' storyline is the strongest aspect of it. Seeing her growth to a weak willed shell of a woman to what she becomes is fascinating. Unfortunately much of what happens later seems like filler. But as of now she is a young woman in a horrible situation that we are all desperately hoping she'll find a way out of. To sum up her life: she has gone her whole life thinking she'd marry her abusive brother (yuck) and is now suddenly being sold as basically property to a fearsome warrior who she knows is going to rape the shit out of her.

Speaking of her darling brother:

Viserys Targaryen is a piece of fucking work. When I first read this chapter I was totally like: well here we have it! This guy is our villain, at least for book one. It makes sense, so far the protagonists have been Starks, who clearly support the current king, and his sister who he physically, emotionally, and sexually abuses. He has a seemingly decent scheme to do it. Of course we really don't know the Dothraki well yet.. and neither does he.

Of course I loathe Viserys, yet I love chapters with him in it. He's such a fun villain. Right now he is quite sinister, to the point of being downright scary. But as Daenerys grows as a character, we begin to see him for what he really is.

My assessment of his credibility was wrong when I read this first chapter, but that was deliberate on the author's part. He is meant to come of as legitimately threatening right now since besides the nebulous Others, he's all we got as an antagonist so far, except for little punks like Theon Greyjoy. Plus we are seeing him through the eyes of his victim. When you see him for the first time in the show, you get a better picture how far out of his league he is.

Of course even my first time reading I knew he wouldn't be the main villain for long. I had pegged Illyrio as being the one pulling his strings. Five books in now I know the truth about Viserys. Illyrio remains enigmatic however.

I was expecting someone fatter.

This chapter makes no attempt to hide that he is pulling Viserys' strings. He is clearly manipulating him and his sister. He is the one making all the connections. The problem with him is after a few more minor scenes in this book, he disappears until book 5. There isn't too much to say for him right now, or later on for that fact. But *SPOILER* he's still kicking after book 5 so he's definitely someone to watch.

Some more things to mention: we hear more about dragons here. The Targaryen's are connected to them. We also see things from their point of view, namely the rebellion. The last chapter painted the rebellion as a heroic fight against a madman. This chapter paints it as a slaughter causing the deaths of many innocents. Both sides have shades of the truth; not everybody on one side was wholly good or evil. Viserys's feelings on the usurper may be one of the few humanizing things about him...even if he is beyond paranoid about it to the point of being insane.

There are two other major characters I introduced here. Khal Drogo is the big one. We don't know much about him other than is prowess in battle and the vastness of his horde. He certainly is an intimidating figure, but we'll discuss him proper later. Ser Jorah Mormont, is also introduced. He is a man from Westeros, giving him an interesting link to the Targaryens. He is only mentioned once though so he'll have to wait too.

Finally this chapter mentions a third religion to compete with the Seven and the Old Gods. This is the Lord of Light who is worshiped by Red Priests. As of now this is not important, merely giving some flavor to this foreign land. The only thing you need to take away right now about this religion is that it would be exotic to Westeros. As book 2 though they will play a key role.

Anyway thank you for reading and be sure not to wake any dragons.

-Sean

In the Godswood

A Game of Thrones

Cateyln 1:

Nice little place to have in your backyard

Lady Catelyn Stark reflects on the differences between the godswood of the North when compared to her home in Riverrun. Born the noble daughter of Hoster Tully, Catelyn still feels out of place in the North. She finds her husband Eddard next to the weirwood tree, cleaning his blade after the execution of the Night's Watch deserter.

They discuss the man's reason for desertion, he has not been the first in the recent months. Cateyln wonders if this is the work of Mance Rayder and his Wildlings. Eddard muses that he may need to call his banners to deal with the "King Beyond the Wall".

Catelyn then brings Eddard news from King's Landing, the capitol of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King - second in power only to the king himself, has died. The man was Eddard Stark's foster father after his own father was killed and raised his banners to protect Eddard and the current king, Robert Baratheon, when the previous king called for their heads. Jon Arryn is also Catelyn's brother in law, wed to her sister Lysa Arryn. Though obviously deeply saddened, Eddard asks what became of lady Lysa and her son. Catelyn replies that they returned to the Eyrie, Lord Arryns home seat. She muses that they would be better in her home of Riverrun, with their family.

Eddard suggests that Catelyn take their children and visit Lady Lysa to help her and her child through these though times. Catelyn however states the letter she received also states that King Robert marches to Riverrun. Eddard is clearly overjoyed to hear this though his happiness is somewhat tempered by the news that the Queen's family is also joining them - the Lannisters. Eddard notes that the Lannisters were the last to join during Robert's Rebellion, something he has not forgiven them for. With King and his entourage already on their way, the Starks hastily begin to prepare for their arrival.

Commentary

Lady Cateyln is another character I'm not all too crazy about. It's not so obvious why in this chapter though. I suppose I could complain about how uncomfortable she is in the North, but that would be unfair. Since all we have seen of the series so far is the North, we are supposed to root for it. But their ways are certainly quite different from the rest of Westeros as we will soon see.

I sort of feel like we learn more about Eddard than we do Catelyn in this chapter. I mean sure we learn a bit about her family and all, but Eddard still seems to be the main focus. I especially liked the little bit showing despite Eddard being deeply affected by Jon Arryn's passing, he still first makes sure that Catelyn is doing alright. Also seeing how grim and stoic he has been so far, it is nice to see a genuinely happy reaction on hearing his friend, the king, is coming.

I'm watching you....

A big aspect of this chapter is also setting up the differences between the North and the rest of the realm. In the north they keep the nameless Old Gods, compared to the Seven, which most of the realm practices. The Seven seems to be your typical religion, such as Catholicism, complete with services, incense, etc. The Old Gods are much less ceremonial; those who keep them seem to worship in quiet contemplation. We also hear a bit about the Children of the Forest and the First Men, though they aren't so much elaborated. They'll come up time and again though.

We learn a bit more about the Wildlings. So far Mance Rayder is being set up as a major villain...not to spoil or anything but I wouldn't believe that for a second. As of now though he seems to be the biggest threat.

We also learn a bit about the Lannisters and Eddard's animosity towards them. I wonder if that'll be relevant at all? Hmm...

Also the youngest of the Stark children, Rickon, is three years old. Catelyn states that he is unsure if he wants a direwolf. Eddard's response? He should stop being afraid, he will not be three forever, Winter is Coming. You see in the Stark family three is the age where you stop pussyfooting around, grow up, and be a man God damn it.

Ron Swanson would make a perfect Stark

Every Boy Needs a Direwolf

A Game of Thrones

Bran 1:

Every boy needs a Dire Wolf

Gared has been captured south of the Wall, deserting from the Night's Watch. As he is in the North, he is now under the jurisdiction of House Stark, the ruling family of the North. Eddard Stark, lord of Winterfell rides to do the king's justice himself along with his two trueborn sons: Robb and Bran as well as his bastard son Jon Snow as well as a number of retainers. This is Bran, a boy of seven, first time witnessing an execution. His other brother's have attended more of these.

Eddard sentences Gared to death and beheads him with his Valyrian Greatsword, Ice. Bran does not look away as the man is beheaded. Lord Stark then talks with Bran, asking him if he knows why he had to execute the man. Bran believes that the man was a Wildling. Eddard corrects his son, stating that he was actually a deserter. Eddard then explains that he was the one who swung the sword as their way is the old way: he who passes the sentence must be the one to swing the sword.

The party makes their way back to Winterfell. On their way the encounter a slain Dire Wolf (a creature twice the size of a normal wolf). It has the antler of the stag lodged in it. There are five Dire Wolf pups. Robb and Bran urge their father to let them keep them while other members of the party, such as Lord Eddard's ward Theon Greyjoy argue that they should be put down. Finally Jon Snow convinces his father to allow the Stark children to keep the wolves: there are five wolves, three male and two female...an exact match for each of the five Stark children. Furthermore, the Dire Wolf is the symbol of House Stark, they were meant to have them. When Eddard asks what of him, Jon pointedly replies that he is not a Stark. As they prepare to leave, they find one other wolf, an albino. Jon Snow claims that this will be his.

Commentary:

First thing's first, let's pour some our for our boy, Gared.

This is our first proper chapter narrated by our first recurring point of view character, Bran Stark. We meet a few major character and are exposed to a few important themes here, so there is a bit to cover. It would be best to start with our narrator himself, Bran Stark:

 As mentioned in the chapter summary, Bran is a boy of seven. I'll have to note my prejudice here. My first read through of the series, I grew to dread Bran chapters. I didn't think his story really went anywhere and I found myself mostly bored. These early chapter themselves aren't bad, but as his story goes on I felt it really goes south (ironic given where the boy actually goes). Since I am rereading, there is a lot I wish to look for however, so I am willing to give the poor boy another chance. This chapter is interesting since we do see it from the eyes of a seven year old. There is a certain innocence in his eyes, such as his first conclusion that the man his father beheaded was an evil Wildling who stole woman to be sacrificed to the evvvviiiilll Others. Eddard has to explain that it is a lot more complex than that. He shows great resolve with the whole beheading...I know that sort of thing would fuck me up royally at seven. Hell if I saw a beheading now at 24, I'm sure I'd be traumatized. And once the wolf puppies are seen, we instantly see him as a cheerful child, pestering his father to let him keep the wolf. Despite the grim and fantastic setting, it seems so domestic, which I like. Plus I mean come on, you'd beg your dad for a direwolf too. While Bran is the narrator though, this chapter serves more of a purpose by introducing some other main players:

Sucks to be Will (who got to swap life expectancy with Gared in the show)

Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North (the dude with the sword...if you couldn't tell). Most important though, he's the dude who's constantly telling us that winter is indeed coming. As much as any character can, Eddard is the closest thing this book has to a protagonist. He's honorable, just, and compassionate. The closest thing we'll get to Lawful Good we can get in this setting (maybe tied with Barristan Selmy...but hush we don't know him yet!). Even still good is NOT nice. He is quick to due his duty, as ugly as it may be. We see two sides of him. His stone cold stoicism as he executes the deserter as well as his stern, but loving fatherly side to him when dealing with his sons and their wolves. Very telling his also his obvious admiration for his bastard, Jon Snow.

I totally wants one.

While certainly not the only contender, Jon Snow is one of the heavyweights in the title for main character of this series. But we'll get to that later. What we know now is most importantly he's a bastard, the illegitimate kind, not the asshole kind (we'll meet a few lovely characters that are both later on). Jon is described as a sort of dark and brooding character here. He is quieter than his brother Robb and more thoughtful. We see that despite his status he has a good relationship with his father and half brothers. And of course the fact that he gets the albino puppy reeks of symbolism. His harping on the importance of the symbol of House Stark is important as well.

My house symbol in real life is a bear I believe. I guess I'd be a Mormont

In this series great noble houses, and their members are constantly alluded to by their symbol. In the Stark case, this is a Dire Wolf.  Characters will constantly make cryptic references to these houses such as "Soon the Wolf and the Lion will be at each other's throat and the whole realm will bleed" or "The Dragon devours both lamb and horse". It's cool and all, but after a while it really get's over done and is kind of hard to take seriously. But I digress.

Robb Stark is the eldest of the Stark children. There isn't too much to say about him yet. He doesn't get a point of view at all so we never get into his head. In this chapter he serves as a contrast to Jon Snow, more optimistic and energetic. Having watched the show more recently though it is very interesting reading this chapter. He is about fourteen, and it shows. He is still a boy who eagerly urges his father to let him keep the direwolves as well as trying to show off to his father by stating how the mother direwolf died. Many characters were aged up for the show (which in the case of many of the female characters is a good thing considering how...HBO friendly this series is) but especially telling with Robb whose actor, Richard Madden, was born in 1986. Two years older than me. Definitely in his twenties. Not fourteen. Once again I don't mind the change at all, it's just interesting to note while rereading.

The other characters we meet are fairly minor. Jory Cassel, the captain of the guard, was a character who I must have skimmed over the first time, cause I spent the whole book not knowing who he was until...well we'll get to that. I only note him since when I re-watched the show last week I realized he was a Nice Guy to end all nice guys. He's like the Good Guy Greg of Westeros, I'd get a beer with him. I want to see if he's like that in the book or if it was just good acting for such minor role. Hullen and Harwin are so minor that I'm not getting into them. I'm not even going to check if I spelled their names correctly. They just sorta existed to have someone argue against keeping the puppies. The only character really worth mentioning is Theon Greyjoy:

Theon Greyjoy is Eddard Stark's ward: basically a prisoner with benefits. We'll learn more later. All we need to know now is that he's pretty much a freaking prick. He kicks Gared's head away while laughing after it is beheaded. He get's into plenty of arguments with Jon Snow. He's quick to want to kill the direwolves. I mostly bring him up since he becomes more important in later books. Actually his storyline ends up being one of my favorites, even if right now he's sorta just a douche.

The other big things we learn in this chapter are that it seems the Night's Watch means business. If you desert, you die. We also learn a bit about the Wildlings that our favorite trio from the prologue were tracking. This chapter seems to paint them as really evil pieces of shit that are in league with the Others. Of course this is coming from the mouth of a seven year old lordling whose only knowledge of them comes from stories his wet nurse tells them. We learn that their leader however is Mance Rayder...the King Beyond the Wall. What their true natures are remain to be seen.

Three Red Shirts

A Game Of Thrones

Prologue:

Three men of the Night's Watch: Will, Ser Waymar Royce, and Gared have been sent north of the Wall to track group of Wildlings which have been causing trouble. They have already been traveling for days and tensions are running high.

Will and Gared, both veterans with hundreds of rangings under their collective belt are growing impatient with their superior, Ser Waymar Royce, who is a young lord with less than a half year of experience and plenty of arrogance to compliment it.

Will, an expert tracker, has returned to the group after scouting ahead. He tells them that he had tracked the group of Wildlings. Their entire camp lay dead. Both Will and Gared, who both share a sense of dread not common to them urge Ser Waymar Royce that they should return to Castle Black. Waymar Royce however is unconvinced, he doesn't wish to return from his first ranging empty handed.

They return to the Wildling's camp to find that there are no bodies. Ser Waymar Royce is a first dismissive of Will however they both notice a disturbance in the woods. They also both feel drastically more cold.

A strange creature with milky white skin, glowing blue eyes, translucent armor which changes color as the creature moves, and a longsword made of a crystal sharper than any steel engages Ser Waymar Royce in combat as Will hides. Royce meets it head on for a while, parrying it's attacks. More of these otherworldly creatures...aptly name the Others look on. Finally the creature wounds Ser Royce and shatters his longsword, the steel flying in all directions (as well as in Ser Waymar Royce's face). All of the creatures then proceed to slaughter the young knight. As Will prepares to run and bring warning to Gared or his superiors at Castle Black, he sees Ser Waymar Royce standing above him, with glowing blue eyes. Will prays to the nameless northern gods as his brother of the Watch strangles him to death.

Commentary
Forgive my blatant fan-boying...but this is the perfect opening for this series. The grim setting, the banter between characters, and showing us early that no character is safe from the axe. Of course Decoy Protagonists are not something that Mr. Martin invented. In fact plenty of stories love introducing characters to be brutally killed in the first scene. Shakespeare loved this trope (I'm looking at you Marullus and Flavius). This is also something of a running theme in each book of this series...never get attached to anyone starring in a prologue. Actually unless it's Tyrion Lannister...don't get attached to anyone period.

Anyway despite being one scene wonders (well technically two for Gared), I really like these three characters and how they play off one another. Let's face it, plenty of us have had a boss like Ser Waymar Royce. An arrogant and pompous asshole who lets his pride get in the way of reason and ends up making everyone else's job tougher as a result. And we can somewhat feel for Gared, despite hardly knowing him, having to take orders from this green, entitled, "lordling". Will's back story as a poacher forced to choose between this life as a ranger or losing a hand is very common in this series, but it works well.

There are a few things introduced in this prologue that will be elaborated on later. Just what are the Night's Watch? Obviously they are some sort of military in the north. They are opposed to the Wildlings who are more or less seen as barbarians. We don't know much else beyond that yet, other than that this life can be voluntary since Ser Waymar Royce seemed to prepare his entire young life for joining them or involuntary as Will was forced to join them or else lose a hand as a punishment for a crime he committed. This introduction however does a great job showing what they actually do...and that is tracking. Especially since the rest of the time this book spends with the Night's Watch is regarding new recruits training.

Of course the most important thing to discuss are the Others (known as the White Walker's in the HBO television adaptation). Martin does an exquisite job setting them up in this chapter. They are terrifying, they are otherworldly, and by God are they dangerous. I enjoyed the imagery of their weaponry especially and the description of their language as being like ice cracking over a lake. It's a shame we don't see them again for about two books or so. While this prologue does show us the supernatural elements of this world, the book itself focuses mostly on political intrigue and warfare (later on). Therefore the Others are regulated to the role of Bigger Bad (yeah...I like TV Tropes way too much...my apologies).

Before finishing this prologue, I'd just like to swing back to characterization for a second. I really like how Waymar Royce is written, despite being such a minor character. The whole chapter seems to go out of its way making him an unlikable douche, but once shit hits the fan he turns into a total badass. Being able to fight an Other to a standstill, even if the creature didn't seem to be giving it its all takes some stones. Despite all his pomp, Ser Waymar Royce was willing to lay his life on the line.

So let's all pour some out for Ser Waymar Royce...and Will too...he was pretty cool.

--Sean

Introduction

So just what is this blog?

Simple. It's already been done 1000 times before (a ludicrously conservative estimate) but the general idea is I will be rereading some of my favorite fantasy book series's and posting commentary on a chapter by chapter basis.

Why am I doing this? Boredom mostly.

I'll be starting with "A Game of Thrones", the first book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

I do hope you enjoy.


--Sean