The night is dark and full of terrors. We start with a prayer to the Lord of Light, and then the battle begins with Beric Dondarrion and the Hound. Beric sets his entire sword aflame and they strike at each other in earnest, all the while Arya is cheering on Beric. Beric sets the Hound's shield aflame with his sword, the battle looks like it is lost for the Hound, but he fights back and slays Beric. Wait a minute...no he doesn't-- the priest of the Lord of Light mumbles some words over him, and Beric springs back to life!
Jon and Ygritte appear carrying wood and are confronted. Jon is pumped for information on the Wall. There are 19 castles along the length of the wall, and Jon tells them only 3 of them are guarded. And Castle Black has a force of 1000 men. They are wary of Jon still and not trusting him yet. He is told they will pull his guts out through his throat if he lies.
Ygritte playfully steals Jon's sword and leads him on a chase that ends in a cavern with a steaming hot spring. She removes her clothing piece by piece, all the while telling Jon to prove he is not a Crow, break your vow, I want you to see all of me. Aaaand he breaks his vows. Here is where we find out that kissed by fire refers to people with red hair. Ygritte takes him into the pool, tells him--I never want to leave this cave Jon Snow.
The Hound is demanding his gold for winning the fight against Beric. He is released but told the Lord of the Light is not done with him yet.
Brienne and Jaime are delivered into the hands of Lord Bolton. He says to cut Brienne free which they do. Jamie asks for word from the capitol and is told what happened in the Battle of Blackwater. Jaime is sent to get his hand treated--very painfully.
Baelish and Cersei have a conversation. She tells him she is suspicious of the Tyrells and asks him to look into it. Not nicely, but with her usual veiled threats.
Olenna and Tyrion have lunch together and discuss the huge wedding expenses. Tyrion is concerned over the cost, we're at war. Olenna reminds him of the soldiers, supplies, foodstuffs the Tyrells have provided. She mentions that the people crave distractions and if we don't give them one (royal wedding) they are likely to create their own, we may find ourselves torn to pieces. She tells Tyrion she was told he was a drunk, impertinent and thoroughly debauched. Imagine my surprise to find a browbeaten bookkeeper. But with this last dig thrown in, she agrees to foot half the bill for the wedding.
Gendry tells Arya he is going to stay on as a smith for the brotherhood, they are a family and he wants to be part of it. Arya says she will be his family, but Gendry says she would be his lady.
The young Lannister hostages are brutally slain by Lord Carstark and his men in vengeance for the slaying of his sons. Robb Stark brings them in and accuses them of treason. Lord Carstark does not back down. He tells Robb--your mother is just as responsible. It's treason to free your enemies just as much as kill them. For this remark he is beaten to the ground. But his defiance doesn't stop there--he tells everyone to leave him to the king, he will give him a scolding before he sets him free, that's how he deals with treason. He tells Robb he is not the King of the North, he is the King who lost the North. Robb tells his men to take Lord Carstark to the dungeon and hang the rest of his men. Robb is urged to remain silent on this matter--if you hang Carstark you will lose their support, if you keep him hostage you can tell them that as long as they remain loyal he will be unharmed.
Robb of course, can't do that. Carstark is brought into the courtyard where Robb sentences him to die. His final words to Robb are--kill me and be cursed, you are no king of mine. Robb, as did his father when carrying out his punishments, chops off his head himself.
Arya sits at the fireside reciting her laundry list of names to meet the most unpleasant of ends. She asks her fate and is told she is to be taken to Riverrun, where her brother will contribute to the cause (of the brotherhood) and she can go home. Beric asks Arya if he frightens her, he knows she is angry with him for letting the Hound go. Arya says--I thought he killed you. Beric--He did. He asks the priest (?) how many times have I died and is told 5 this time makes 6. Beric shows his wounds, tells her of all his deaths. He tells her the Lord of Light brings him back but every time he comes back--I'm a little less, pieces of you are chipped away. Arya wants to know if they could bring back a man without a head and Beric tells her it doesn't work that way. He's (Ned Stark) at rest now. I would never wish that on him. Arya says--I would, he'd be alive.
Stannis' wife is praying to the Lord of Light. Stannis enters, and she tells him his claim to the throne is true, don't despair. Stannis is telling her he broke a sacred vow, he sinned, he wronged her--but she says no, he was doing god's work. She (Melisandre) told me everything--I wept with joy. Stannis' wife goes over to a row of jars containing her stillborn babies and tells Stannis she thanks Melisandre every day of her life for giving you a son. (Cuckoo)! Stannis asks to see his daughter, and finds her in a room. She looks up at her father and we see she has a badly disfigured face. She asks about the Onion Knight--Davos, and Stannis tells her he won't be visiting you, he is a traitor and is rotting in a cell for his crimes.
Brienne is bathing and Jaime walks in, drops his towel, and lowers himself into the water with her. She scoots fearfully to the far end of the pool, but Jaime tells her--just pull me out if I faint. You swore to get me to King's Landing in one piece, not doing such a good job of it. And then he apologizes and tells her he trusts her. She gives him one of those looks and he says--there it is there's the look you all give me, king slayer, oath breaker, man without honor. He tells her the real story of how the Mad King Aegon had an obsession with wildfire, how he loved to watch people burn and burned anyone who was against him. He tells her of how he had his pyromancer place wildfire all over the city, ready to light. When Robert Baratheon and the Lannisters defeated him and were let in the gates he asked Jaime to do the impossible. He asks Brienne if she would have kept her oath to Renly if you were told to kill your father and stand by while 1000's of innocents were burned alive. Then he tells her first he killed the pyromancer and then he drove his sword into the back of the king as he was fleeing and then slit his throat for good measure. He says--that is where Ned Stark found me. Brienne asks him why he didn't tell this to Lord Stark. and Jaime tells her--he judged me guilty the moment he set eyes on me.
Stannis' daughter secretly visits the Onion Knight in his cell. She brings him a book, Aegon the Conqueror, and when he says he can't read, she begins to teach him.
Daenarys is on the march with her Unsullied. Barristan and Jorah discuss their loyalties and the directions they want Daenarys to go. Dani talks to the officers of the Unsullied, and asks their leader to remove his helmet and tell her his name. It is Grey Worm. Missendei tells her that the Unsullied were given names like this and Red Flea and Black Rat to remind them what they were--vermin. Dani tells him to throw away his slave name and choose another that gives you pride. He says--This name gives me pride. It was the one I had when Daenarys Stormborn set me free.
Robb and Talisi talk. The Carstarks are gone and half of his forces with them. The Lannisters could crush them in a day. Talisi suggests they go north and take back Winterfell from the Greyjoys. They could wait out the winter there. Robb says that winter could last 5 years, and once they get back home he'll never get them to move again. We had a purpose , a mission, and now we're a bunch of bickering children. He ponders his chess board and then an idea dawns on him. He says--I can't force them to meet us in the field, and I can't attack them where they're strongest, but I can attack them where they are not. Casterly Rock--I'm going to take their home. Only one man can get me the forces I need to replace Carstark's. One man who hasn't committed to either side. Walder Frey--the man whose daughter I was supposed to marry.
Meanwhile, back at King's Landing, Sansa and Margaery are watching her brother Ser Loras fight, and win his mock battle. Ser Loras is aided with his armor by a young man who is interested in more than just his job as squire, and soon the two are wrestling in bed. Later, the young squire reports to Baelish and tells him that the Knight of Flowers (Ser Loras) is soon to be wed. Baelish goes to Sansa and talks about his ship, he will be leaving soon and asks her if she wants to go home. She sidesteps his request and tells him it would be too dangerous, and perhaps it would be better to stay at King's Landing. He says of course, maybe it would be better to wait, he is her friend and if she wishes to stay she will, and they will speak again.
Tyrion, his father, and Cersei are having a serious talk. Tywin tells them that the Tyrell's are plotting to marry Sansa to Ser Loras. Sansa is the key to the north. Tyrion says--she has an older brother and Tywin informs them that Robb Stark has lost half his forces, his days are numbered, and Sansa is the heir. We can't lose her to the Tyrells. We must find Sansa a different husband. Cersei smirks. Tyrion finally gets it--you can't mean it. Joffrey made her miserable, now she's free and you give her to me. This is cruel. Tywin tells him it is a fine reward for him, more than he would ever have hoped for. It is time he was wed. Cersei smirks, she is really enjoying this, but not for long.
Tywin says--Tyrion will do as he is bid, as will you, you will marry Ser Loras, Tyrion will secure the North, you will secure the Reach, you will do as I command. He looks at both of his dumbfounded children and says you have disgraced the Lannister name for far too long.
