Following their defeat in the Battle of the Fist of the First Men, Lord Commander Jeor
Mormont led the night’s watch survivors back to Castle Black.
Learning that Samwell Tarley was unable to send off their Ravens to warn about the approaching
White Walkers and their undead army, it was imperative that the survivors make it back
to the Wall.
Exhausted and starving the brothers then arrived at Craster’s Keep where they were reluctantly
allowed to rest.
But hostilities soon broke out when the men complained about not being properly fed, resulting
in a mutiny that killed both Craster and Lord Commander Mormont.
As the remaining brothers fought each other, Samwell immediately went to find the girl
Gilly and her new born baby boy, leading them into the Wilderness and away from danger.
However the walk to Castle Black presented its own challenges, as they were attacked
by a White Walker who seemed to want Gilly’s child.
Having grown close to the girl, Sam found his courage and attacked the creature, plunging
a dragonglass dagger into his back that caused him to shatter.
Elsewhere beyond the wall, the Wildlings Ygritte and the Lord of Bones brought Jon Snow to
meet their king Mance Raydar.
Though Jon was still loyal to the night’s watch he was able to convince Mance to spare
him and learned that they’d united 90 different clans that spoke 7 different languages because
their only chance of surviving the White Walker invasion was to make it south of the wall.
He also saw Giants for the first time, and learned of warging when he saw the man Orrel
send his mind into an eagle to scout ahead for the army.
When the Free Folk moved to examine the aftermath of the battle at the fist of the first men,
they found the bloody remains of the fallen organized into ritualistic patterns, though
the actual bodies were all missing, meaning they were likely resurrected by the White
Walkers to add to their undead army.
Continuing south, Mance sent Tormund Giantsband and small party of warriors to scale the wall
and attack castle black from other side, where defenses were minimal.
Both Jon and Ygritte were assigned to the mission, growing closer until Jon broke his
vows to the night’s watch when they became romantically involved.
Though a few died during the dangerous climb up the wall, Jon and Ygritte made it to the
other side where it became increasingly difficult to maintain the lie.
When Jon refused an order to kill an innocent man, his cover was blown and a fight erupted
between Jon and Wildlings.
Though Ygritte moved to protect him, Torumnd held her back, leaving Jon outnumbered.
Meanwhile, after surviving the attack on Winterfell and escaping captivity, Bran and Rickon Stark
journeyed North towards the Wall, accompanied by their servants Osha and Hodor as well as
their direwolves summer and Shaggy Dog.
They were then joined by Jojen and Meera Reed, the children of Howland Reed, an old friend
of their father.
Jojen explained that he had the greensight, able to have visions and prophetic dreams
which led to seek out Bran to help him find the 3 eyed raven beyond the wall.
Bran at last started to understand his own strange dreams, discovering that he was a
powerful seer and warg, able to have vision and possess animals, soon learning that he
can also possess humans like Hodor, an ability even Jojen did not expect.
As they continued North, they rested for a time in an abandoned tower, where they witnessed
the confrontation between Jon Snow and the Free Folk.
Seeing that his brother was in trouble, Bran sent his mind into Summer who then led shaggydog
in joining the fight.
With his direwolf allies watching his back, Jon Snow was able to kill Orrel and escape
danger though at the cost of leaving Ygritte behind.
Utterly heartbroken, Ygritte found him sometime later and shot him several times with arrows,
but ultimately allowed him to live and return home.
After helping Jon, Bran and his party split up, with Osha, Rickon and Shaggydog sent to
Last Hearth to seek refuge with House Umber who were loyal to the Starks.
Bran, Hodor, Meera, Jojen and Summer would then continue North Beyond the wall to find
the 3 eyed raven from his visions.
When they at last arrived at the Wall, they rested in the Nightfort, where Bran told a
story about a cook who sought vengeance against a king staying in the castle and so killed
his son, made him into a pie and fed it to his father.
The gods then punished the cook by making him into a rat that survived by eating his
own offspring.
However the reason for his punishment was not the murder or cannibalism, but rather
for killing a guest beneath his roof, thereby breaking the ancient law of hospitality, which
is something the gods
cannot forgive.
After hastily departing from Qarth, Daenerys Targaryen and her followers sailed to Astapor,
where her advisor Jorah Mormont suggested purchasing an Unsullied slave army to conquer
Westeros.
While considering the idea, Daenerys met a young girl who gave her a wooden ball asked
her to open it, only for a stranger to knock it from her hand, saving her from the Manticore
within.
The little girl who quickly disappeared was revealed to be an agent of the Warlocks of
Qarth, and the hooded stranger was Ser Barristan Selmy who travelled to Slaver’s Bay to find
the last Targaryen and pledge his service as a Queensguard.
Accepting his service, Barristan came out against purchasing unsullied, but Dany recognized
it was her best chance for getting an army and so explored the option.
In speaking with Kraznys mo Nakloz through his translator Missandei, Dany learned that
the Unsullied were castrated as children and underwent brutal training which only one in
four survived.
Known as fearless, expert soldiers of absolute loyalty, they struck a deal to trade all 8000
warriors, along with all their trainees and recruits in exchange for her largest dragon
drogon.
In addition Daenerys secured the release of Missandei, asking that she be given as a gift
to celebrate their deal.
However the mother of Dragons had no intention of giving up one of her children, and after
the deal was completed and the Unsullied were under her command, she ordered them to kill
the good masters and conquer the city.
Daenerys then freed every slave in Astapor including her own soldiers, asking them to
follow her as free men.
The Unsullied then selected their bravest warrior Grey Worm to represent them.
Leaving a council to rule the city, Daenerys Stormborn led with her new army Unsullied
and freedmen to the nearby city of Yunkai, planning to continue her campaign to end slavery
in the region.
The Wise Masters who rule Yunkai, having heard of the fall of Astapor, hired the Stormcrows
mercenary company to strengthen their defenses and send Razdal mo Eraz to meet with Dany,
offering gold and ships if she would leave them in peace.
She countered by agreeing to call of the attack only if they agreed to free and pay all their
slaves.
After the talks broke down, Dany tried to meet with the Stormcrows and win them to her
side, and would have failed in not for one of their leaders, Daario Naharis who killed
the other two and took command of the company, pledge them to the Dragon Queen in the hopes
of winning her romantic interest.
They then hatched a plan for Jorah Moromont, Daario Naharis and Grey Worm to infiltrate
the city through a back gate and open the city gates for the rest of their army.
After a visious battle, Dany’s forces proved victorious, allowing her to once again free
the slave population who were so grateful they gave her the nickname Mhysa, meaning mother.