[BRAAVOS; THE HOUSE OF BLACK AND WHITE]
The vision fizzled before turning dark.
"What happened? Why did it turn off?" Ned frowned.
"Somebody hit the damn wall and see if it comes back!" Robert shouted.
"I don't think that'll work…"
"They were showing the gates of the House of Black and White! What happens inside to me?!" Arya shouted.
As chaos began to descend, two beings appeared in a burst of light.
The man with six wings wore a simply designed but fancy tunic, the back cut evenly to let his wings out. His silver hair was tied into a bun and a scar was now over his right eye, though both eyes of his were intact. His pale skin seemed darker, not brownish but not as pale as before. He even sported a beard now, equally as silver as his hair. He had a sword on either side of his hips, different from the ones the people in the hall were used to.
The woman with serpentine eyes wore a regal dress, long, sheer and exposing a good portion of her back and sides to the extent that should people peek they could see the sides of her breasts. Her dark hair was tied into a bun over her head and her skin had a more bronze look to it than before.
"What happened?" Oberyn Martell asked, on guard instantly.
"Nothing you lot should be concerned about" the woman assured him with a smile.
"The Stranger though had approached us and requested that we not show the inner workings of the House of Black and White" the man added.
"The stranger… requested you?" Jon Arryn asked slowly.
"Well- we are being polite here" the man grinned. "So sadly, you will not be seeing little Arya's journey in the House of Black and White. You won't be seeing her for a while actually. The rest on the other hand you should be able to see without problems.
"Unless some other request us otherwise" the woman interjected.
"Unless some other requests us otherwise" the man nodded.
And with that, both of them vanished and the vision fizzled back to life, another scene now. The people sat back down, grumbling and feeling some discontent, and resumed their watch.
[STREETS OF KING'S LANDING]
[Bells are ringing, and people are cheering and shouting. Many are on the sides of the road, waving as a number of carriages are carried past. Bystanders shout 'Queen Margaery!'. Inside her carriage, CERSEI watches the people on the street, a sullen look on her face. She closes her curtains.]
"She'll be jealous that they never shouted like that for her" Jaime shook his head.
"Not even the day she married fa- King Robert?" Myrcella asked.
"They married right after the war. The people had other things to worry about" Jaime explained kindly.
"It won't bode well for Margaery" Tyrion mused. Knowing his sister, the woman would do something rash, stupid and vindictive.
[GREAT SEPT OF BAELOR]
[TOMMEN and MARGAERY share a kiss. CERSEI watches them from the crowd, emotionless. The newlyweds turn to the crowd, holding hands. Everyone claps. They smile and laugh. CERSEI claps as well, and forces herself to smile.]
"Mother doesn't look too pleased I got married to Margaery" Tommen commented, his eyes looking at the back of Margaery. His future wife…
"Mother probably sees her replacement. She doesn't like being taken away from power" Myrcella scowled. By now she had become used to her mother's true nature and had stopped defending her just because she loved her children (unequally as it was).
"Shouldn't she be happy that I got married though?" Tommen asked.
"No. Not our mother. Some things mean more to her than us" Myrcella said darkly.
"It could also be that she doesn't trust Margaery and worries for Tommen" Joanna defended weakly. Cruel and unhinged as her daughter was, her love for her children was nothing faked.
"I don't think so" Myrcella muttered. She wanted to give her mother the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.
[CASTLE WALL, NEXT DAY]
[CERSEI and TOMMEN walk together, her arm around his. A group of guards walk behind them.]
"You look very much in love. The first days of marriage are often so blissful. She's certainly very pretty, isn't she? Like a doll, she smiles quite a lot. Do you think she's intelligent? I can't quite tell. Not that it matters."
"She's trying to put thoughts in him" Margaery noted.
"Not surprising" Olenna shrugged.
"Do you ever miss Casterly Rock?"
"There's nothing for me in Casterly Rock."
"That's where you grew up. You always told me that you liked the people there better. You said that King's Landing smelled of horse dung and sour milk."
Jaime snorted. Had the city been cleaner, it would not be so bad. But it wasn't, so Cersei was not wrong.
[CERSEI chuckles]
"Why are we speaking of Casterly Rock?"
"The way that you talked about it, I always thought that you missed it. That you... That it was your real home."
"This is my real home now. Where my family lives."
"I want you to be happy, mother."
"I know that. I know you do, my sweet boy."
"But wouldn't you be happier in Casterly Rock?"
"Oh, she wouldn't like that" Tyrion cackled. "You did not suggest it did you, my Lady?"
"I have no idea" Margaery answered with a sweet smile.
Tyrion smirked.
[CERSEI approaches a room with two guards. Inside, MARGAERY is having tea with some of her friends.]
"I said, Darling, surely 4 times is enough, are you trying to set a new record? And he said, Well, what is the record? I'm sure we can break it."
"Four times? Our boy had quite the stamina to him" Tyrion chuckled.
"Please.. that is my son" Jaime looked a little green.
Tyrion snorted.
[MARGAERY'S friends laugh. As Cersei walks in, they all get up and bow. MARGAERY gets up and hugs CERSEI with a shout of 'Mother!']
"Can we bring you anything to eat or drink? I wish we had some wine for you. It's a bit early in the day for us."
"No, no. I, I can't stay. I just wanted to let you know if, there is ever anything I can do for you."
"You are very sweet."
"Tommen seems quite taken with his new queen."
"I absolutely adore him. You raised a gallant young man. I'm forever grateful."
"Good. Good. I'm glad to hear you're happy."
"Ecstatic. I really am. Exhausted, to be honest, but what can I expect, he is half lion, half stag."
[MARGAERY'S friends laugh]
"What does she mean?" Tommen asked his grandmother. She was the older woman, she'd know for sure.
His grandmother though cleared her throat and looked embarrassed.
Tommen frowned. Guess he'd ask Margaery later.
"I'll leave you to it then."
[CERSEI turns to leave]
"Oh, forgive me, I haven't been at Court for long, I get so confused. What's the proper way to address you now? Queen Mother or Dowager Queen?"
"You're antagonizing the poor woman" Olenna clicked her tongue.
"I simply asked her a question" Margaery defended with a shrug.
Both of them were smiling.
"There's no need for such formalities."
"In any event, judging from the King's enthusiasm, the Queen Mother will be a Queen Grandmother soon."
Tommen nodded. Of course, he'd need to make heirs. However, they made them.
"Won't that be a lovely day."
"Maybe not for her" Sansa whispered. She had a feeling that Cersei would not be as thrilled as a grandmother should be.
Catelyn did not have the same feeling. She knew for a certainty that Cersei would do something to put Margaery down, even if it meant sacrificing her grandchildren.
[WINTERFELL; COURTYARD]
[A horse whinnies. Bolton bannermen ride to the keep. In the keep, a number of workmen are busy building and repairing things. Some men carry some raven cages through the middle of the courtyard. THEON, carrying a dead bird, walks through for a moment. He then comes across some soldiers lifting up some flayed bodies with rope.]
"How dare they" Brandon the Elder seethed. It was his home! How dare they desecrate it in this manner?!
The other Starks looked equally outraged. It was their home as well. Lose it in the future they might (not this time, Robb and Ned promised themselves), but it was their home these filthy traitors were destroying with their inhumane culture.
[DINING HALL]
[ROOSE and RAMSAY sit at a table as THEON cuts some food.]
"They've made you the fat bastard's nanny" Yara snorted.
Theon was imagining himself cutting the bastard's throat with the very knife his future self was cutting his food with.
"We can't hold the North with terror alone."
"You can't hold the North if you let these lesser lords insult us."
"I sent you there to collect taxes, not bodies."
"Lord Cerwyn refused to pay. Said the Warden of the North would always be a Stark, and he'd be damned if he kissed a traitor's boot."
Ned smiled at his loyal lord.
[THEON holds the food in front of Ramsay. He takes some of it and puts it on his plate.]
"He left you no choice."
"I flayed him living, along with his wife and brother. Made his son watch."
Ned's smile fell, replaced by anger.
"The new Lord Cerwyn paid his taxes."
[ROOSE pauses a moment]
"I have something important to tell you. Stop eating and listen."
[RAMSAY, who had been heavily engrossed in his eating, stops suddenly and looks up. THEON slowly puts down a plate nearby. RAMSAY puts down his silverware and sits back, looking at his father.]
"We don't have enough men to hold the North if the other Houses rise up against us. Do you understand that?"
"Our pact with the Lannisters protects –"
"I had a pact with Tywin Lannister, and Tywin Lannister is dead."
"And you will be next!" Arya shouted angrily.
Ned already had some ideas with which he could make an example of Roose Bolton and his fat bastard.
"The remaining Lannisters are a thousand miles away dealing with that fact. They've never once in the history of the Seven Kingdoms sent their army this far north. If you think they will for us, you're a fool. We become a great house by entering into alliances with other houses and parleying those alliances into greater power. The best way to forge a lasting alliance isn't by peeling a man's skin off. The best way is marriage."
"And who will marry this disgusting man" Lyanna scoffed.
Catelyn felt a pit in her stomach. Surely not…
[ROOSE stands up]
"Now that you're a Bolton by royal decree, it's time you married a suitable bride. And as it happens, I found the perfect girl to solidify our hold in the North."
[MOAT CAILIN; NEARBY HILLS]
[SANSA, BAELISH, and a number of knights ride towards Moat Cailin. The party stops. BAELISH leads Sansa on foot to a spot where they can easily overlook the keep. The keep is shown, surrounded by swampy riverlands.]
"That's Moat Cailin."
"NO!" Sansa screeched, having connected the dots. "I don't want to marry that disgusting demon! Please father, mother, don't let him do this!" she begged.
Catelyn wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly.
"I will never let it happen" the woman swore. "Whatever we see now, I will never let anything like this happen to you once we return. I'll kill them all myself if I have to."
It wasn't just Sansa who was shaking in her mother's arms. Catelyn shook with rage and fear. No, she would never allow that monster to touch her daughter. Not Petyr, not the bastard!
If Ned hadn't built the conviction yet, he had now. House Bolton will cease to exist once they return, and so would House Baelish for whatever that man had for family. He'd become dishonourable and embody his ancestors if need be, but he would not let his family, his House suffer.
[SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO THE NORTH; CAMPSITE]
[PODRIC sits scrubbing a boot.]
"Aren't you getting a bit old to be a squire?"
"Now that she mentioned it" Tyrion mused.
"How did you end up squiring for the Imp?"
"He hates that nickname."
"I have heard better" Tyrion shrugged. He did hate it.
"Well, he's not here to complain about it, is he?"
[PODRICK finishes scrubbing and hands the boot to BRIENNE. He puts the brush down. BRIENNE begins putting the boot on.
"I squired for a knight named Ser Lorimer during the War of the Five Kings. One night, he had a bit too much to drink. And he was famished, so he borrowed a ham."
"Poor Ser Lortimar" Jaime shook his head with fake sympathy.
"Lorimer… If you are going to fake your feelings for him, say his name right first" Tyrion rolled his eyes.
"Or just don't fake it and actually feel bad" Joanna added.
Jamie and Tyrion both shrugged. Why should they feel sad for a man they hardly know?
"He wasn't a thief. He was drunk and hungry and he wasn't thinking. I was drunk too. He gave me half the ham. Next morning, one of the guards saw him passed out, under a wagon, with the ham bone still in his hand. They hanged the man afternoon. They tied the noose for me too, but, Lord Tywin heard my family name was Payne. So he pardoned me and sent me to King's Landing to squire for his son."
"As punishment. For both of you."
"It didn't seem that way. Lord Tyrion was always very good to me."
Tyrion smiled a genuine one. It wasn't always that he found people who liked him, truly liked him and not showed it then to backbite.
[BRIENNE walks away to get firewood]
"Yes, all of your lords were very kind to you. All except me. Sorry, you have to squire such a nasty person."
"I'm not sorry. You're the best fighter I've ever seen. You beat The Hound. I'm proud to be your squire."
"That would do Brienne's confidence a world of good" Jaime nods. He too was being genuine, not faking it this time.
"I'm sorry I'm always snapping at you."
"If you wouldn't snap at me I wouldn't learn anything."
"You want to be a knight, Pod?"
"Yes."
"Starting tomorrow, we'll train with the sword twice a day, before we ride in the morning and after we camp for the evening."
[She sits down]
"And I'm going to show you how to ride properly. I can't knight you, but I can teach you how to fight."
"I suppose that's more important."
[PODRICK leans over the campfire with some rocks. He strikes them together until he gets a spark, and blows until the fire starts going. He wipes himself off and stands up, walking over to BRIENNE. He begins taking her armour off.]
"You weren't a knight, but you were a Kingsguard to Renly Baratheon, weren't you?"
"I was."
"Lord Tyrion said he was a good man."
Renly blinked away his surprise. What reason did the Imp have to compliment him? He was dead, there was no favour in that. It was genuine then… and Renly couldn't help but feel warmly for it.
"But how did you end up serving Renly?"
[BRIENNE was silent for a few moments]
"When I was a girl, my father held a ball. I'm his only living child, so he wants to make a good match for me. He invited dozens of young lords to Tarth. I didn't want to go, but he dragged me to the ballroom. And it was wonderful. None of the boys noticed how mulish and tall I was. They shoved each other and threatened to duel if they thought it was their turn to dance. And whispered in my ear how they wanted to marry me and take me back to their castles. My father smiled at me and I smiled at him. I'd never been so happy."
Renly remembered that ball, and he was not happy about how they all ganged up on a woman.
"Till I saw a few of the boys sniggering. And then they all started to laugh, they couldn't keep the game going any longer. They were toying with me. 'Brienne the Beauty', they called me. Great joke. And I realized I was the ugliest girl alive. A great lumbering beast."
"Boys can be so cruel" Margaery sighed. She never had to go through anything like that, but it didn't mean she didn't know how cruel boys could be. Loras used to be a boy once, and she remembered how cruel he could be about girls he did not approve of.
And Loras didn't approve of girls.
"I tried to run away, but Renly Baratheon took me in his arms. "Don't let them see your tears," he told me. "They're nasty little shits. The nasty little shits aren't worth crying over." He danced with me and none of the other boys could say a word. And he was the king's brother after all."
"You did good, Renly" Robert grunted. "It was not something I'd do… probably would have been with those boys" he added after a moment.
Renly shook his head. There was no 'probably'. Robert would have been one of them.
"He didn't love me, he didn't want me, he danced with me because he was kind and he wouldn't see me hurt. He saved me from being a joke. From that day until his last day. And I couldn't save him in return. Nothing's more hateful than failing to protect the one you love."
Ned agreed to that sentiment grimly. He had learned it the hard way, the hatred that built within at failing to protect his family.
"One day, I will avenge King Renly."
"But you said a shadow murdered him. How do you fight a shadow?"
"A shadow with the face of Stannis Baratheon. I know it was Stannis. I know it in my heart. Stannis is a man, not a shadow. And a man can be killed."
And he would deserve it too, Stannis agreed. When the time came… would his future self defend himself? He knew that eventually, Brienne would find him, and when that happened, would he fight back or allow her to take him?
[CASTLE BLACK; LORD COMMANDER'S ROOM]
[OLLY opens the door for STANNIS and DAVOS. JON sits at his desk.]
"It looks odd" Jon muttered.
"You look like you belong" Lyanna corrected, patting her son's hand gently.
[STANNIS to OLLY as he closes the door]
"I'd like to speak alone."
"Olly is my steward now, as I was Lord Commander Mormont's. I want him to attend my meetings, to learn from men with experience. One day, he might command."
Robb smirked. "Already grooming your replacement?"
"Might I need one soon with how things are…"
Robb's smirk fell.
"You will not need an heir already" Robb said with a soft growl.
Jon did not answer. There were too many enemies of his up there for him to relax.
"Very well."
[They all sit down]
"Have you considered my offer?"
"I have. And I thank you for it. You do me great honour. All my life I wanted to be Jon Stark. But I have to refuse you. I'm Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. My place is here."
Ned smiled, a hint of pride in him. He was proud of Jon's maturity. He had come a long way.
"I'm giving you a chance to avenge your family. To take back the castle where you grew up. To rule the North."
"I wish I could fight beside you. Believe me, I do. But I swore a sacred vow at the Godswood. I pledged my life to the Night's Watch."
"You're as stubborn as your father. And as honourable."
"I can imagine no higher praise."
Ned's smile widened ever so slightly.
"I didn't mean it as praise. Honor got your father killed."
[He stands]
"But if your mind's made up, I won't try to persuade you."
"May I ask, Your Grace, how long you plan to stay at Castle Black?"
"Are you bored of us already?"
"You saved us from Mance Rayder's army. We will never forget that. But it's a question of survival. The Night's Watch can't continue to feed your men and the wildling prisoners indefinitely. Winter is coming."
"A problem for sure" Rickardf muttered. "Perhaps we can find some way to help them increase their yield of crops."
By we, he meant Ned. And Ned knew that.
"I am already considering possibilities, father" Ned answered, looking stoic as ever when he is thoughtful.
Rickard nods.
"I know it. We march on Winterfell within the fortnight. Before the snows trap us here."
"And the wildlings?"
"They'd rather burn than fight for me, so be it. I leave their fate to you. You could execute them, that's the safest course."
"Would be the best route" Lyanna muttered. With how many hate the Wildlings and how many think her son is a Wildling sympathizer, it would go a long way in him keeping himself safe.
[STANNIS pauses a moment]
"Or you could see if this Tormund fellow is more willing to compromise than Mance ever was."
"Unlikely" Jon muttered.
"I assume the brothers of the Night's Watch would rather see the wildlings dead."
"Most of the brothers, yes. There's little love for the free folk here."
"You're the Lord Commander. Your decision."
"A commander can't do whatever he wishes," Robert said. "He will have to decide considering all things, understanding what his people want and working in a way that even if the decision goes against them, they would not step up for rebellion. And sometimes the decision could end up being the wrong way. Leadership is never easy, no matter how it may look so from the perspective of those who do not lead."
Jon pursed his lips and for a moment thought about it. Killing the Wildlings would not be the worst idea, but at the same time could he kill them all for fighting for survival? For wanting to live another day and not turn into an undead killing machine for the White Walkers?
"This is why you need to have people around you who you know will not counsel you wrong. Unbiased people who will tell you the truth no matter how harsh or how hard" Ned added. "You have enemies in the Watch, but there are men amongst them who will tell you things that you need to do, advise you even. Perhaps that would help bridge gaps between the factions."
Not the worst idea… but would Ser Alliser (who really was the only viable option) advise him? Jon had to wait and see what his future self would do now.
[STANNIS begins to leave. OLLY opens the door.]
"You have many enemies in Castle Black. Have you considered sending Alliser Thorne elsewhere? Give him command of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea."
"I heard it was best to keep your enemies close.:
"Whoever said that didn't have many enemies."
"Some enemies like that Slynt are best thrown over the wall" Tyrion huffed. "While enemies like Ser Alliser would make a valuable ally once you two start seeing eye to eye. You both are servants of the Wall, regardless of the positions. He is an enemy you can choose to keep close."
[STANNIS leaves. DAVOS begins to leave, but turns to JON]
"He sees something in you. Might not be apparent from his tone, but it's the truth. He believes in you."
"I'm sorry I disappointed him."
[DAVOS walks forward and takes a seat. OLLY closes the door again.]
"The king is a complicated man. But he wants what's right for the Seven Kingdoms."
"As long as he's ruling them."
"He's the one true king. He has the blood right to that throne."
"I've sworn to stay clear of the politics of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Have you now? Olly, that is your name? Yes. How does the Night's Watch vow go again? I bet you've got it memorized since you got here."
[OLLY looks to JON. Jon looks at him, crosses his arms, and nods.]
"Night gathers and now my watch begins—"
"Not that bit, the bit at the end."
"I'm the sword in the darkness, the watcher on the walls, the shield that guards the realm of men. I pledge my life-"
"Wait, that's enough. "The shield that guards the realm of men." That's what you swore to be. Now I'm not a learned man, but the best way of helping the most people might not be sitting in a frozen castle at the edge of the world. It just might mean wading in the muck, getting your boots dirty, and doing what needs to be doing."
"The vows are for the Wildlings… which turns out to be for the White Walkers. Not the conflict for the Iron Throne. The Wall is older than the Iron Throne and existed far before half the lands had Kings, to begin with," Rickard grunted. He knew what that man was doing, and he did not like it one bit.
"As long as the Boltons rule the North, (Stands up), the North will suffer. Just one man's opinion."
"You chose a good man for your hand, winning you one support after the next. It's a shame you rely more on the Witch than on him."
Stannis grunted at Robert's words. But he would not deny that his brother was correct.