[CASTLE BLACK; DINING HALL]

[DAVOS carves away at a piece of wood. STANNIS approaches him.]

"It's time."

"Your Grace. Wouldn't it be better to wait? When Jon Snow returns with the wildlings, we could have thousands more men."

"Optimistic, but unnecessary. No wildling would bend the knee" Brandon the Elder spoke.

"With the promise of protection from the White Walkers and lands to live on? Most might be tempted" Catelyn pointed out.

Brandon shook his head.

"Too proud. These people do not bend nor do they bow. They follow a leader of their choosing because they earn their loyalty. They won't do it for anyone else."

Catelyn clicked her tongue. Pride… what was pride before survival? It was not like she didn't understand pride. She was the daughter of a noble hose and the wife of another. Her stature was on the high end of things, so she understood pride well enough.

But if it came to the survival of her family and her, she would swallow it easily to make sure her family survived.

"If Jon Snow returns with the wildlings."

"He will return" Lyanna muttered confidently, but it was also a small prayer that her son does return from his mission.

"We can't wait that long. We have the advantage, more men, more horses, all fed and rested. But every day we wait, the odds shift in Bolton's favour. This could turn to winter at any moment. We have to act now. Give the order. We march at sunrise."

"I'll choose a dozen men to stay and guard the queen and the princess."

"No need, they're coming with us."

"A good choice" Robb muttered. The watch was filled with criminals, who would not hesitate to touch a girl.

"It's a tough road ahead, Your Grace. Won't they be safer—"

"Here? Half these watchmen are killers and rapists. No, they march with us."

Robb nods.

[COURTYARD - THE NEXT MORNING]

[STANNI'S men prepare to ride out. SAM and GILLY watch. GILLY holds baby SAM. OLLY, EDD, and some other watchmen are also shown watching. SHIREEN speaks from horseback.]

"Do you think Father will let me go down into the crypt?"

"Beg your pardon?"

"At Winterfell. All the Kings in the North are buried there. Bran the Builder and King Dorren and—"

"We could take you there once we return" Bran spoke. "Come visit us and we'll show you around."

Shireen's eyes widened and she turned to her father.

Stannis nodded.

Shireen grinned and turned back to Bran.

Bran was grinning too.

"First things first. It's a long march ahead. And then we have to take the castle."

"Is there going to be a battle?"

"Aye, princess, but you won't be anywhere near-"

"That's enough talk of battle, Ser Davos. You'll scare the child."

"The child seems less scared than the mother" Renly mused.

"Selyse is… delicate about such matters" Stannis explained.

"I'm not scared."

"Well, I am. When the battle comes, promise you'll protect me."

"He's a good man" Lyanna smiled.

"He is" Daenerys nods.

[SHIREEN looks back at GILLY. SELYSE catches her, and she looks down and away. JON walks through the courtyard. He and STANNIS meet on some stairs. They converse. JON watches STANNIS walk away and get on his horse. He makes eye contact with MELISANDRE, but she looks away.]

"She has no interest in Jon now" Robb snorted.

"Probably because Jon refused to fuck her" Sansa deadpanned, to the shock of her parents and the amusement of her brothers. The usually lady like Sansa Stark would never use such language.

[MEEREN; GREY WORM'S ROOM]

[MISSANDEI watches over GREY WORM. He suddenly gets up, startling her.]

"He's alive!" Daenerys exclaimed in relief. Her trusted men wouldn't all leave her…

[DAENERYS'S CHAMBERS]

[MISSANDEI and DAENERYS stand, talking.]

"Now you have given the Masters what they deserve."

"If I give everyone what they deserve, I'll have no one left to rule. Ser Barristan counselled mercy when I took this city right up to the morning he died. Daario Naharis thinks I should kill the former Masters and let the rest of the city fend for itself. What do you think?"

"Spoken like the sellsword he is" Oberyn shook his head. Sell Swords, very short term in terms of vision.

"Your Grace, I think that I am not fit to have an opinion on these matters."

"You are as fit as anyone I know. You know why I'm here. And you know who will suffer the most if this all falls apart. So what do you think?"

MISSANDEI: I can only tell you what I have seen, Your Grace. (Sitting down). I have seen you listen to your counsellors. I have seen you lean on their experience when your own was lacking and weigh the choices they put before you. And I have seen you ignore your counsellors because there was a better choice. One that only you could see.

[DUNGEONS]

[DAENERYS is led by Unsullied to a room in a dungeon. The door is opened to reveal HIZDAHR. She enters, and he kneels before her.]

"My, my queen, please do not do this."

"What about Valar Morghulis?"

"I did not want to die a coward. Apparently, I do not want to die at all."

"The true nature of men reveal themselves in the face of death" Jaime mused. "Which was why the execution of one of them was necessary."

Joanna nods.

Myrcella still looked uneasy.

"It takes courage to admit fear. And to admit a mistake. I came here to tell you that I was wrong. I was wrong and you were right. About tradition. About bringing the people of this city together. I will reopen the fighting pits. To free men only. Slavery will never return to Meereen, not while I live."

"Freed men fighting by choice" Oberyn smirked. He'd fought in the pits before, he knew how dedicated the fighters were. No doubt some of the Harpy Sons were disgruntled pit fighters.

"And in order to forge a lasting bond with the Meereenese people, I will marry the leader of an ancient family. Thankfully a suitor is already on his knees."

"Not the worst idea… an alliance forged by marriage is a good way to integrate yourself with the people" Jon Arryn mumbled.

Rhaegar on the other hand was not too pleased. Daenerys was wasting herself by marrying another unimportant man. She should be looking to Westeros to forge an alliance that would benefit her cause…

[THE SMOKING SEA; JORAH'S BOAT]

"Where are we now? Not the Rhoyne. Long, sullen silences and an occasional punch in the face. The Mormont way. Let's start over. I apologize for before. My mouth sometimes runs away from me. This doesn't have to be an unpleasant trip. We're going to be spending a lot of time together on the way to Meereen."

Meereen! See! I was right! He isn't taking me to Cersei!" Tyrion exclaimed with glee.

Jaime and Joanna were not pleased either way.

"We are."

"What would make our time together truly enjoyable would be some wine."

"No wine."

"I am a person who drinks. People who drink need to keep drinking."

"You're not a person who needs to keep drinking, you're a person who chooses to keep drinking" Jaime cut in with a roll of his eyes.

"Small difference."

"Not small enough" Joanna cut in with a roll of her eyes.

"Mother and brother ganging up on me… life is so unfair" Tyrion sighed dramatically.

Jaime cuffed him on the head for it.

[JORAH stands up and looks ahead. TYRION turns as well. A large bank of fog lies ahead of the boat.]

"I know where we are. You're taking us through Valyria."

"Those are not safe waters" Yara said. She'd sailed long enough to know which waters were safe and which were not. Valyria was not. She'd never been, but she'd heard enough.

"You don't have to tell me twice" Tyrion muttered.

"Have you sailed this route before?"

"No."

"Great…"

"You're going to bring Daenerys a souvenir from her ancestral homeland in case I'm not enough?"

"I think you'll be plenty."

"You know what they say. The Doom still rules Valyria. What about the demons and the flames? Aren't you afraid of the Doom?"

"No. But the pirates are."

"That sounds like a good reason" Theon muttered.

Yara reluctantly agreed.

[RIVER SURROUNDED BY WOODS]

"How many centuries before we learn how to build cities like this again? For thousands of years, the Valyrians were the best in the world at almost everything."

"That is because they used magic for everything" Rhaegar spoke. "From construction to forging weapons. Their blood and magic touched everything they made. Those who are knowledgeable do not wish to dabble in them, hence there is no reaching their level."

"Mayhaps because the magic was dark? Blood magic and all that" Varys countered.

"I did not say it is unwise to do so. I am simply pointing out why we have yet not reached that level."

"Excuses" Gendry grunted. "To be perfect you must hone your skills until it becomes second nature. The Valyrians may have used magic, but their ways can still be replicated by these" he raised his hands. "These learned to reforge Valyrian Steel… not mine but hands in general. What can reforge can one day create as well? It's all a matter of time."

Rhaegar took in the words and let them sit for a moment.

"Interesting philosophy" he finally said.

"It's simple. You can do anything if you put your mind to it. Telling yourself that you can never become something will always pull you back."

"Words of your own?"

Gendry shook his head.

"Tobho Mott said those to me the day I joined him" the boy answered.

"Words we can all live by" Varys spoke, eyeing everyone who had heard the conversation.

"And then they weren't. They held each other close and turned their backs upon the end. The hills that split asunder and the black that ate the skies; The flames that shot so high and hot that even dragons burned; Would never be the final sights that fell upon their eyes. A fly upon a wall, the waves the sea wind whipped and churned -"

"The city of a thousand years, and all that men had learned; The Doom consumed it all alike, and neither of them turned."

"I would clap."

[He holds up his bound hands. JORAH smirks. They look at the approaching ruins of the city. Suddenly TYRION spots DROGON passing overhead. He stands up. Both of them look up and watch as he passes. Behind TYRION, someone hops in the water. JORAH hears the splash and turns to see the ripples.]

"What was that?"

"Considering where you are… Stone Men" Brynden spoke.

[The boat passes into a tunnel. A Stone Man jumps down into the boat from the ceiling.]

Brynden nods to himself. He was correct.

Tyrion swore under his breath.

"Don't let it touch you" Joanna hissed.

Shireen leaned forward. This was what people thought she would turn into…

[JORAH hits the stone man from behind before he gets to TYRION. They begin fighting. Another stone man jumps into the water and begins trying to get on the boat. TYRION tries to keep him off. JORAH manages to push the first man into the water. He then begins fighting the other one. JORAH falls into the water. JORAH climbs back onto the boat and fights off the stone man. He manages to get his sword and cuts the stone man. The other stone man inches his way towards TYRION. Jorah cuts through the stone man he was fighting and pushes him into the water. Tyrion rolls into the water to avoid the other one. He desperately tries to remove the rope around his hands. A stone man grabs his ankle and begins attempting to pull him down. The screen fades to black.]

"No" Joanna muttered in horror.

Jaime sat tense beside her. No, he refused to believe his brother was dead.

[After a few moments, we see TYRION'S perspective. JORAH stands over him as his eyes slowly blink open.]

"Thank the gods" Joanna spoke shakily.

Jaime relaxed, his grip on his brother's hand tight and firm.

Shireen looked sick.

Those men… that was what she would have become had the infection not been stopped. She had never been one who prayed much, never been a pious or devoted girl. But right now, she was thanking every god there was out there.