As Cersei Lannister travelled to the funeral of her father Tywin Lannister, she was reminded
of a traumatic moment in her youth, when she and a friend journeyed into the home of a
known woodwitch, and were told of Cersei’s future.
You’ll be queen for a time, then comes another. Younger, more beautiful, to take you down,
and take all you hold dear. The King will have twenty children, and you
will have 3. Gold will be their crowns, gold their shrouds.
Now Tywin was dead, and Cercei had lost her protector and greatest ally, inheriting the
Lordship of Casterly Rock, while losing her access to the Hand of the King. Meanwhile
Queen Margaery was able to manipulate King Tommen, Cersei’s young and impressionable
son, leaving the former Queen Regent relatively powerless in King’s Landing.
To make matters worse the people were in an uproar, suffering from the devastation of
a prolonged war. Turning to religion and supporting the populist monastic order of the Sparrows.
Headed by a strict adherent to the faith known as the High Sparrow, they denounced the excess
and sinful behavior of the noble class. With this movement was Lancel Lannister, the cousin
and former romantic partner of Cersei who had abandoned his wealth and name, to become
a follower of the High Sparrow. Her reunion with her brother and lover Jaime
Lannister, had also been tainted by the tragedy and its implications. And she lashed out at
him after receiving a threat from House Martell, where their daughter Myrcella was betrothed
to Trystane Martell. Seeing the danger of the situation, Jaime recruited the sellsword
Bronn to join him on a venture south, to rescue the princess from their enemies.
In the Vale of Arryn, with Lysa Arryn dead, her young sickly son Robin was taken to be
fostered at House Royce, while Lord Protector of the Vale, Robin’s step father Petyr Baelish
travelled north with Sansa Stark, to forge an alliance with House Bolton by betrothing
Sansa to Lord Roose’s son and heir Ramsay Bolton.
Along the way, Sansa was approached by Brienne of Tarth who offered to protect her to fulfill
the oath she made to Catelyn Stark. But Sansa rejected her, and so she followed Sansa in
secret, waiting for the moment were she might come to her aid.
At Winterfell, Sansa met Ramsay, and while he feigned civility for a time, once Littlefinger
left for King’s Landing, the heir to House Bolton reverted to his savage self, abusing
her and raping her on their wedding night, while Reek formerly known as Theon Greyjoy,
watched, unable to aid the girl who had once been like his sister.
Back in Kings Landing, Cersei discovered that Margaery was pressuring Tommen into sending
her to Casterly Rock. And so she took radical action. Attempting to befriend the Sparrows
and their populist movement, she enacted a purge of the faith, arresting the corrupt
High Septon and replacing him with the High Sparrow. She also allowing for his followers
to arm themselves, bringing back the old order of Faith Militants.
With this new authority and power, the Faith began raiding brothels and arresting the sinful.
Soon Loras Tyrell was arrested with a former lover testifying that they had engaged in
same sex relations. Margaery, who had testified in her brother’s defense, denying the allegations,
was then arrested for lying, re-establishing Cersei Lannister as the dominant female power
in King’s Landing. Lady Olenna, matriarch of House Tyrell, then
returned to the city, demanding the release of her grandchildren and warning of the possible
consequences to the Tyrell-Lannister alliance. Cersei feigned innocence, claiming the Faith
was responsible, while the High Sparrow in turn is unmoved by her words, refusing to
free them. And while Cersei enjoyed this brief moment
of revenge against those she perceived as her enemies, things quickly turned against
her, when she too was arrested, charged with fornication, treason, incest and the murder
of King Robert, with Lancel Lannister testifying against her.
With Cersei gone, Tywin’s brother Kevan Lannister returned to king’s Landing to
secure the interests of House Lannister and stabilize the city. However with a weak King
in power, and the Faith Militants armed, and ready for battle, there was no simple way
to free Cersei or the Tyrells. And so Cersei made the decision to admit to the charge of
fornicating with Lancel Lannister. However she continued to deny the other claims. In
penance, the High Sparrow demanded she walk across the city nude, suffering the taunts
and scorn of the common people. While she is able to remain straight faced until reaching
the Red Keep, by the end of her journey she is visibly broken, in tears and devastated.
Once back in the keep, her sole remaining ally, the former Maester now Master of Whisperers
Qyburn consoled her, covering her body and introducing her to the newest member of the
King’s Guard, an enormous man who he claimed has taken a vow of silence. Refusing to speak
until Cersei’s enemies were dead. In truth, many believed Qyburn had reanimated the corpse
of Gregor Clegane, creating an undead monster to wreak havoc upon their enemies.
Returning North, Stannis Baratheon marched with his army of Baratheon loyalists and sellswords,
south from the Wall to Winterfell, going to war against House Bolton. His advisor, the
Red Priestess Melisandre then convinced him to sacrifice his daughter Shireen, by burning
her alive as a sacrifice to R’hllor. In this way, her kingsblood might guarantee their
victory in battle. At the same time, Lord Roose unleashed his son Ramsay and 20 of their
best warriors, to conduct sabotage raids against the Baratheon camp, starting fires and freeing
horses. Despite the sacrifice of his young daughter,
or perhaps because of it, everything began to fall apart for Stannis, with his wife Selyse
hanging herself, half his men deserting, and the Lady Melisandre escaping the looming disaster.
Stannis aware his chances for victory were gone, led his men in a final assault, meeting
superior Bolton Forces outside of Winterfell. Stannis was utterly defeated, taking an injury
in the battle and dying at the hands of Brienne of Tarth, who had abandoned her vigilance
over Sansa to seek revenge on Stannis for the death of her beloved King Renly.
Within the walls of the ancient fortress, Sansa was confronted by Ramsay’s mistress
Myranda, and was set to kill her, when Theon tossed her over a railing to her death. Theon
and Sansa then leaped from the tall Walls of the castle, hoping that the deep snows
would protect them, so they might escape the tortures of House Bolton.
In Dorne, Jaime Lannister attempted to break into the Water Gardens, and rescue Princess
Myrcella. However he arrived at the same time as the Sand Snakes, daughters of Oberyn Martell,
who had their own plans to kidnap the girl. The two groups were caught after some commotion
and Jaime was eventually released, after Doran, the head of House Martell, learned that Elaria
and the Sand Snakes sent the threat to King’s Landing. With peace re-established between
House Lannister and Martell, Jaime agreed to continue the engagement of Myrcella and
Trystane, with both of them joining him on his trip back to King’s Landing, where Myrcella
might be reunited with her mother, and Trystane could fill the empty seat on the small council.
However the peace was again broken, when Elaria, wearing poison on her lips, kissed Myrcella,
causing her to collapse and die on the Ship home.
Across the narrow sea, in the port city of Braavos, Arya is taken to the House of Black
and White, where she presented the coin given to her by Jaqen Hgar, and was accepted as
a student in the Temple. Dedicating herself to becoming no one, she rid herself of all
her belongings, save for her sword Needle, which she hid away. After some time training
as a faceless assassin, she assumed the persona of a girl named Lana, selling Oysters on the
street in order to get close to her target, an elderly insurance salesmen, taking advantage
of his customers. However, when Arya discovered an old enemy,
in Meryn Trant, having come to Braavos with Lord Mace Tyrell, she abandoned her potential
victim. Wearing the mask of a blond girl she infiltrated a brothel, and attacked Meryn
Trant when they were alone, savagely butchering him, seeking vengeance for the death of her
mentor Syrio Forel. After his death, she returned to the House
of Black and White, but was confronted in the Hall of Faces, told that she had broken
the rules, and that her failure to kill her target, instead attacking another, meant the
Temple would have to make a sacrifice to the many faced god, and so the man standing before
her drank poison to kill himself. Another faceless assassin then stepped forward, still
wearing Jaqen Hgar’s face, and took away Arya’s vision, leaving her blind and helpless.
At the wall, King Stannis Baratheon scheduled the execution of Mance Rayder, king of the
Wildlings, believing that it would pressure him to convince his followers to support Stannis
in his war for the Iron Throne. However Mance refused and was burned alive, only to be shot
with an arrow by Jon Snow at the last moment, to kill him quickly and avoid suffering.
Despite this, Stannis offered Jon the chance to be legitimized as the son of Ned Stark,
and named heir to Winterfell and the North, if only he would desert the Night’s Watch
and pledge himself to Stannis. But after winning the election and being named the new Lord
commander at Castle Black, Jon refused Stannis, and so the Baratheon King prepared his men
and travelled south, ready to take on House Bolton for control of the North.
Jon then focused his attention on establishing an alliance between the remaining Wildling
and the Night’s Watch, while also balancing the political situation at the wall, attempting
to appease his chief rival Alliser Thorne, by naming him First Ranger. Jon was then forced
to execute Janos Slynt, who refused to obey a direct order from the Lord Commander.
Jon and his Wildling ally Tormund Giantsbane, then travelled beyond the wall to Hardhome,
hoping to gather more support from the Wildlings, for the inevitable war approaching with the
White Walkers. And while many were convinced to return with
him to castle Black, the people at Hardhome were soon attacked by a massive force of undead
soldiers, led by several White Walkers, who massacred those not able to reach Jon’s
ships. The creature known to many as the Night’s King then stared down Jon Snow as he sailed
away from the brutal slaughter, raising the dead as reborn soldiers for his cause.
When Jon arrived at Castle Black with the Wildling survivors, he learned that the Old
Maester, Aemon Targaryen had died, and that his best friend Sam Tarley, wanted to leave
for Oldtown, where he might train as a Maester and bring Gilly and her child to safety.
Left without his advisors, Jon was then betrayed by Aliser Thorne and his allies, including
the young boy Olly, who the Lord Commander had taken as a Squire, hoping to train the
boy in the same way Jeor Mormont trained him. They stab Jon Snow several times, leaving
him dead in the Castle black courtyard. After being freed from his cell by his brother
Jaime and ally Varys, Tyrion Lannister went on to kill his father Tywin, Hand of the King,
then escaping on a ship with Varys who took him to Pentos to begin a journey east where
they might reach Daenerys Targayen in Slaver’s Bay, pledging themselves to her cause.
Meanwhile, Queen Daenerys of Meereen faced a rising insurgency in her recently conquered
city, with the Sons of the Harpy killing her unsullied soldiers and causing havoc within
her territory. As the violence erupted, former slaves, which now make up the base of the
Queen’s support, started demanding the execution of noblemen, who they claim were funding the
rebellion. While Hizdar zo Loraq, the representative of the nobility on Dany’s ruling council,
denied such claims. Things were made even worse when she began to lose the support of
the people, choosing to execute a former slave, who broke the law by killing a nobleman.
Then came yet another attack, this time claiming the life of Ser Barristan Selmy, and injuring
Grey Worm, leaving Daenerys without 2 her greatest advisors. Fearing the loss of all
she had built, she started taking more radical steps to solve the problem, feeding a random
noblemen to her dragons as a warning to the others, while also agreeing to marry Hizdar
and reopen the Meereenese Fighting Pits, as a concession to the traditions of the city.
Further West, Jorah Mormont, former advisor to Daenerys, in a desperate attempt to return
to her favor, kidnapped Tyrion Lannister, hoping to present him as a gift to the queen.
On their way, they were attacked by Stonemen, and Jorah contracted the disease known as
Greyscale, keeping it secret from Tyrion. The two were then captured and sold as slaves
for the Fighting Pits. Yet before they arrived in the arena, they were showcased to the Queen
as a preview of the events to come. Jorah seizing the opportunity, made a grand display
of eliminating all other competitors, then revealing himself to the queen, offering Tyrion
as a gift. Despite Jorah efforts, Daenerys had not forgiven
his betrayal, and though she took on Tyrion as an advisor, she again banished Jorah out
of her city. Unwilling to give up, Jorah volunteered for the Fighting Pits, performing in front
of the Queen as the Arena is reopened. Yet during Jorah’s bout, he spotted an assassin
approaching the queen and threw a spear at the man to save her life. But this was only
the beginning, as an army of rebels emerged from the crowd, killing Hizdar zo Loraq and
the Queen’s soldiers, then surrounding her in the middle of the Arena. Though Jorah,
Daario and her other followers were prepared to give their lives in her defense, the dragon
Drogon returned at the last moment raining fire upon her enemies, then flying away with
the queen on his back, carrying her to the safety of the Dothraki sea.
Yet with Drogon injured in the event, he proved unable and unwilling to fly her back to Meereen.
Leaving Daenerys vulnerable and exposed. She was then spotted by a Dothraki Khalisar who
surrounded her with his forces, blocking her escape.
Back in Meereen, Jorah and Daario Naharis agreed to lead the search party for the missing
queen, while Tyrion , Missandei and Grey Worm remained to stabilize the city in her absence.
They are then joined by Varys who agreed to help Tyrion in his management of the city.