Episode One of Season 4 opens with a huge sword embedded in a wolf's body, drawn out, broken, and thrown into the flames. Tywin Lannister watches as the molten metal is poured into two new forms. He symbolically carries the wolf body to the flames and tosses it in, smiling.
Jaime looking cleaned up and handsome as ever receives one of the new swords from his father who tells him he cannot continue in the King's Guard with only one hand. Jaime insists he must. Tywin wants him to go to Casterly Rock to rule in his place since he must remain with Joffrey as King's Hand. Jaime is stubborn, he will not be sent back to Casterly Rock, and Tywin is disappointed once more by one of his sons. Jaime keeps the sword.
Tyrion is outside King's Landing with Brom and Pod as a welcoming committee for the Prince of Dorne. He welcomes them as they ride in, but finds out that Prince Dorren is not there, and that Prince Oberyn has come in his place--although he is not with them. They proceed leaving Tyrion looking worried and telling the others they need to find him immediately.
Prince Oberyn is at Baelish's house of pleasure choosing a girl for himself and his paramour Ellaria and finding a young man to join them as well. Suddenly he hears strains of the song "The Rains of Castamere" from the other room and he charges in to find some Lannister men there, who he immediately picks a fight with after several traded insults. Oberyn tells them--you think you're golden lions, you're just little men, too slow on the draw--and proceeds to knife one of them. Tyrion enters, and the others are hustled out. Oberyn grabs Ellaria and plants a big smoochie on her as Tyrion watches. Tyrion asks for a private word, he wonders why Oberyn is there and doesn't believe him when he tells him he is there for the wedding. Oberyn tells Tyrion how his nephew and niece were butchered, and how his sister was raped, murdered and split in two by Gregor Clegane. He says--tell your father I am here and the Lannister's aren't the only ones to pay their debts.
Dani is with her 3 HUGE dragons, petting one, and watching the other two fly and fight over an animal they have killed. The animal is dropped near her, and when she moves toward it, one of the dragons snaps at her. Ser Jorah warns her that they can never be tamed. She goes to inspect her army and finds Daario and Grey Worm missing. Ser Barristan tells her they are gambling, and she stalks off through the ranks of her troops to find them sitting in front of each other with their swords extended, waiting for the first one to drop. She threatens them, they drop their swords and trade insults with each other. (a little rivalry brewing here)
Shea is with Sansa trying to encourage her to eat and Tyrion drops by, asks for a moment alone, and also tries to get her to eat something. Sansa tells him she lies awake all night thinking of how they died--do you know? They sewed my brother's dog's head to his body, they cut my mother's throat to the bone and threw her in the river. Tyrion says he never knew her brother well, he admired her mother even though she held him captive, her mother would want her to carry on. Sansa leaves to find peace in the Godswood. She tells Tyrion she doesn't go there to pray, she doesn't pray anymore, it is the only place she can go where people don't talk to her.
Tyrion goes to his room to find a nude Shea in his bed--hoping to 'relax' him. Tyrion insists it is not a good time, when Shea persists he says--the King is trying to murder him, his wife hates him because his family murdered her family, and Oberyn wants to murder everyone with the name of Lannister. Shea is having none of it, she is jealous, she feels he is trying to get rid of her, that he had Varys offer her diamonds to leave, and that if he wants her to go just tell her. Tyrion says nothing, and Shea stalks out. One of Cersei's spies sees her leave Tyrion's rooms.
Jaime receives a new golden hand, but comments that a hook would be more practical. Cersei recites her woes to him but when Jaime tries to get close to her she says not now, she tells him he wasn't there for her when everything was happening and she really needed him. The spy outside Tyrion's room enters to give Cersei some news.
Ygritte is with Tormund and the rest of the Wildlings. He is telling her that he doesn't believe she shot 3 arrows into Jon and didn't kill him. He knows what kind of shot she is, if she wanted him dead he would be. They are warned of another band of men sent by Mance. Their leader (don't know his name yet, but I'm sure we will find out) is a menacing, bald hulk with severe scarring. He has a disturbing hatred for the Crows, and is constantly talking about them fattening themselves at Castle Black, stuffing their faces. He notices Ygritte, says she is too scrawny, tells Tormund that he knows they have had their differences, and leads them to his fire where we see a roasting human arm. He tells Tormund, just once before you die, you ought to try Crow.
Sam walks through the practice field on his way to see Jon. Jon is talking a lot about Rob, how he was the best at everything, he wanted to hate him but he never could. Sam tells Jon he has done nothing wrong. Jon says I've done plenty wrong. Jon goes before the leaders of the Crows (not sure what they are called) to take responsibility for his actions. One of them (Slynt I believe) wants him to be executed--he killed the Halfhand. Jon explains why, tells of living with the Wildlings, eating with them, laying with one of them. Slynt says--you admit to breaking your vows, you must die. There is a difference between sneaking to a brothel and sleeping with the enemy.
Jon warns them of Mance advancing with 100,000 men, including giants, and is met with disbelief. He tells them there is a band south of the wall already and that they plan to attack from the south as Mance attacks from the north. The signal will be a bonfire. Maester Aemon dismisses him and tells everyone the won't be taking his head today.
Margaery and Olenna are inspecting necklaces for the wedding. Olenna is disatisfied, Margaery could care less. Olenna sends the ladies on a mission to find the best necklace--the winner will get to keep the second best. Brienne appears and asks for a moment alone with Margaery. She tells Margaery of how a shadow of Stannis killed Renly. They saunter past a statue of Joffrey posed with his foot on a dead wolf riddled with arrows.
Joffrey and Jaime are discussing guard duty and Joffrey is not holding in his resentment towards Jaime. He tells him--I saved the city, I won the war, I feed the people, when Jaime mentions that the war is not won, Joffrey says he broke Stannis--pity you weren't there to help. Jaime says he was rather busy to which Joffrey retorts--busy getting captured. They look at the Book of Brothers, a book which tells of the great deeds of all the great kings and nobles. when they come to Jaime's page, it is blank. Joffrey scoffs at the lack of great deeds on his page and Jaime says there is still time. Joffrey says--for a 40 year old man with no hand? How can you protect me with that? He smirks and stalks off.
Dani's army is marching towards Meeren. Daario approaches her and uses some local flowers as examples of a strategy she needs to use going forward. The blue flower makes a wonderful tea, the red flower is beautiful but also poisonous. She needs to become part of their world, and learn all about it if she wants them to follow her. (I don't know if she took his advice, but she sure liked getting flowers from him!)
The march comes to a halt and she goes to join Jorah and Barristan. They see a dead slave girl up on the side of a hill and the men tell her she will see one at every mile marker from there to Meeren. When Dani asks how far it is, they tell her 163, that she doesn't have to see them. Dani says--I have to see each and every one of their faces.
Brienne and Jaime notice Sansa sitting below them and Brienne reminds Jaime of his promise to return the Stark girls to their mother. Jaime says Arya hasn't been seen and Sansa is married to a Lannister. Brienne insists that complications do not release him from his vow, and that if he thinks Sansa will be safer in King's Landing....Jaime asks her--are you sure you're not related to the family? Every Lannister is a pain in the ass.
Sansa starts up the hill and hears someone behind her, she panics and hurries faster, but is caught up by a drunk--the court fool--who says that she saved him on the king's name day. He gives her his mother's necklace and despite her protests tells her to wear it and let it have one more moment in the sun.
Arya and the Hound are riding together on horseback. They pass through a slaughtered group of travelers, but don't notice them much, they are too caught up in their bickering with each other. He finally tells her he is going to take her to her aunt Lysa in the Vale. They arrive at an Inn, and Arya recognizes one of the men outside--Plover (not quite sure of this name). He is the one who captured her and took her to Harrenhall and killed her friend. He still has her sword Needle. As soon as she sees him she is ready to do murder, the Hound stops her from charging into the Inn, but they are spotted outside so the Hound decides to make the best of it and they go in as customers.
Plover looks over at them and says --hey, I know you. At first Arya thinks he means her, but it is the Hound he recognizes. He comes over and sits, chats, talks about being a king's man, keeping the peace--asks the Hound if he wants to join them in the rape and plunder, they can do whatever they like.
When the Hound says ****the king, Plover starts in on how the Hound is such a coward, tucked his tale and ran....the Hound retorts back, a fight ensues, and as Arya watches on, the Hound takes down all 5 of the men easily. Arya grabs Needle from the Plover, and stands over him, telling him about the last words they had together until Plover remembers who she is, and then she ever so gently takes Needle and slides it into his throat.
