Dark Wings, Dark Words

THE WOODS OUTSIDE WINTERFELL

Don't think too much, Bran.

Relax your bow arm.

(O.S.) And which one of you was a marksman at ten?

Father?

You can't kill it, you know.

Why not?

Because the raven is you.

Hodor.

It's all right, Hodor.

Hodor.

Were you inside the wolf again, little lord?

No, it was the three-eyed raven.

He's back.

I tried to kill it, but I couldn't. There was a boy.

I don't want to hear about it.

But you asked.

We've got plenty of worries. We don't need to pour black magic on top of them.

I didn't ask for black magic dreams.

I know you didn't, little lord.

We need to move.

We don't know who might be after us. No one even knows we're alive.

And who told you that? The three-eyed raven tell you?

No.

Some good he is, then.

I don't know what other people know and what they don't. I only know the Wall is a long way off.

My mother always told me you Westerosi were a grim lot. Grim, bearded, stinking barbarians that would row across the Narrow Sea and steal us from our beds.

Did you ever think you'd marry one?

I never thought I'd marry anyone at all.

Never?

Not until I met the king of the grim, bearded, stinking barbarians.

Pardon me, Your Grace. My queen.

Lord Bolton.

Let me guess which one is the good news.

Word from Riverrun and Winterfell.

I hadn't seen him in years. I don't even know how many.

We'll travel to the funeral together. Lord Bolton will garrison here until we return.

Will I be wearing manacles when I lay my father to rest?

Something else?

By the time Bolton's bastard Ramsay got to Winterfell, the Ironborn were gone. They massacred everyone and put the castle to the torch. And Bran and Rickon have not been found. They may have escaped. Or Theon may have taken them back to the Iron Islands as hostages.

Have you received any demands?

No.

Have you heard anything from Theon at all?

Where am I? Who are you? What do you want?

I want to do this.

Do you know how long it's going to take us to get to King's Landing walking through fields and forests?

Yes.

So how shall we pass the time?

By putting one foot in front of the other.

It's going to be a very dull walk.

I'm here to take you to King's Landing and bring back Lady Stark's daughters in exchange. Dull is fine.

You know, it doesn't matter how loyal a servant you are, no one enjoys the company of a humorless mute. Trust me on this. People have been serving me since I was born. You think Lady Stark is going to want a giant towheaded plank following her around for the rest of her life? A week's journey with you and she'll order you to fall on your sword.

If Lady Stark is unhappy with any aspect of my service, I'm sure she'll let me know. She's an honest woman.

All the good it's done her.

How did you come into Lady Stark's service? There's something we can talk about.

Not your concern, Kingslayer.

It had to be recently. You weren't with her at Winterfell.

How would you know?

Because I visited Winterfell. I would have noticed your dour head smacking into the archways.

Move.

Were you pledged to Stannis?

Gods, no.

Ah, Renly. Really? He wasn't fit to rule over anything more important than a 12-course meal.

Shut your mouth.

Why? I lived with him at court since he was a boy, don't forget. Could hardly escape the little tulip. Skipping down the corridors in his embroidered silks. I knew him far better than you.

I knew him as well as anyone. As a member of his Kingsguard, he trusted me with everything. He would have been a wonderful king.

Sounds like you quite fancied him.

I did not fancy him.

Oh, gods, you did.

Did you ever tell him? No, of course not. You weren't Renly's type, I'm afraid.

He preferred curly-haired little girls like Loras Tyrell. You're far too much man for him.

I'm not interested in foul rumors.

Unless they're about me. It's all true about Renly. His proclivities were the worst kept secret at court. It's a shame the throne isn't made out of cocks. They'd have never got him off it.

Shut your mouth!

I don't blame him. And I don't blame you, either. We don't get to choose who we love.

Where are you headed, then?

South. You?

Riverrun. Staying off the kingsroad, are you? They get you no matter where you go. You can't win.

No, you really can't.

Looks like you're safe enough, though. Meaning no offense, my lady, but I wouldn't tangle with you. Seven blessings to you.

And you.

He knows who I am.

He doesn't.

Maybe you're right. But what if you're not? What if he tells someone?

We're not doing it. He's an innocent man.

More innocent than Lady Stark's daughters?

Make it tighter here.

That's better. It makes you look very strong.

No flowers. I said no flowers. All these are wrong. Bring others.

Yes, Your Grace.

Bloody flowers. On the king.

Looks like a Tyrell rose. Give it to Margaery for her wedding gown. Should be more than enough fabric.

Tell me what you think of her.

Who?

Margaery.

She's an ideal match. With the Tyrells beside us, we'll crush the Northerners. Hang their lords, burn their strongholds, sow their fields with salt, and no one will think of rebelling for another century.

It is a good match, but what do you think of her? She's beautiful and intelligent.

Yes, she is.

Her concern with the well-being of the common people is interesting.

Not to me.

I only meant that to go out of your way to endanger yourself.

This is becoming one of the most boring conversations I've ever had.

Margaery Tyrell dotes on filthy urchins for a reason. She dresses like a harlot for a reason. She married a traitor and known degenerate like Renly Baratheon for a reason.

She married Renly Baratheon because she was told to. That's what intelligent women do-what they're told.

You need to ask yourself

I don't need to do anything.

Better. Much better.

I still don't believe it.

He didn't. He didn't want anything. He just takes an interest because he loved my mother.

Men only want one thing from a pretty girl.

Littlefinger's not in love with me.

Love is not the thing he wants.

He's too old.

They never see it that way. He didn't ask you to do something for him? Spy on someone or...?

No.

If he does ask you for anything or try anything or touch you, I want you to tell me.

Why? What will you do? I will make him stop.

Ser Loras Tyrell, my lady.

Send him in.

Lady Sansa.

Ser Loras.

My sister Margaery invites you to take the air with her and our grandmother, the Lady Olenna, in the gardens. May I escort you to them?

I believe you grow more beautiful every day, Lady Sansa.

You are too kind, Ser Loras. You probably don't remember the first time we met. At the Hand's tourney, you gave me your favor. A rose, a red rose.

Of course I did.

(to a maid) It's more your color. You take it.

Thank you.

(to LORAS) You're such a dear.

I'll take my leave. Lady Sansa.

Thank you, Ser Loras.

Come. Lady Sansa, it is my honor to present my grandmother the Lady Olenna of House Tyrell.

Kiss me, child.

It's so good of you to visit me and my foolish flock of hens. We're very sorry for your losses.

And I was sorry when I heard of Lord Renly's death, Lady Margaery. He was very gallant.

Gallant, yes. And charming and very clean. He knew how to dress and smile and somehow this gave him the notion he was fit to be king.

Renly was brave and gentle, Grandmother. Father liked him and so did Loras.

Loras is young and very good at knocking men off horses with a stick. That does not make him wise. As to your fathead father-

Grandmother! What will Sansa think of us?

She might think we have some wits about us. One of us, at any rate. It was treason. I warned them. Robert has two sons and Renly has an older brother. How could he possibly have any claim to that ugly iron chair? We should have stayed well out of all this if you ask me. But once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up her udders. So here we are to see things through. What do you say to that, Sansa? Shall we have some lemon cakes?

Lemon cake's my favorite.

So we've been told. (To the servant) Are you going to bring the food or do you mean to starve us to death? Here, Sansa, come sit with me. I'm much less boring than these others.

Do you know my son? The Lord of Highgarden?

I haven't had the pleasure.

No great pleasure, believe me. A ponderous oaf. His father was an oaf as well. My husband, the late Lord Luthor. He managed to ride off a cliff whilst hawking. They say he was looking up at the sky and paying no mind to where his horse was taking him. And now my son is doing the same, only this time he's riding a lion instead of a horse. Now I want you to tell me the truth about this royal boy, this Joffrey.

I-, I-

You, you. Who else would know better? We've heard some troubling tales. Is there any truth to them? Has this boy mistreated you?

Has he ripped out your tongue?

Joff-King Joffrey, he-His Grace is very fair and handsome and as brave as a lion

Yes, all Lannisters are lions. And when a Tyrell farts, it smells like a rose. But how kind is he? How clever? Has he a good heart, a gentle hand?

I'm to be his wife. I only want to know what that means.

Bring me some cheese.

The cheese will be served after the cakes, my lady.

The cheese will be served when I want it served. And I want it served now.

Are you frightened, child? No need for that. We're only women here. Tell us the truth. No harm will come to you.

My father always told the truth.

Yes, he had that reputation. And they named him traitor and took his head.

Joffrey. Joffrey did that. He promised he would be merciful and he cut my father's head off. And he said that was mercy. Then he took me up on the walls and made me look at it.

Go on.

I-I can't. I never meant-my father was a traitor. My brother as well. I have traitor's blood. Please don't make me say anymore.

She's terrified, Grandmother. Just look at her.

Speak freely, child. We would never betray your confidence, I swear it.

He's a monster.

Ah. That's a pity.

Please, don't stop the wedding.

Have no fear. The Lord Oaf of Highgarden is determined that Margaery shall be queen. Even so, we thank you for the truth. Ah, here comes my cheese.

We're at war. This march is a distraction.

My grandfather's funeral is not a distraction.

Are we riding to battle at Riverrun?

No.

Then it's a distraction.

My Uncle Edmure has his forces garrisoned there. We need his men.

Unless he's been breeding them, he don't have enough to make a difference.

Have you lost faith in our cause?

If it's revenge, I still got faith in it.

If you no longer believe-

I can believe till it snows in Dorne. Don't change the fact that we've got half the men.

You don't think we can win?

May I speak my mind, Your Grace?

Have you not been speaking your mind, Lord Karstark?

I think you lost this war the day you married her.

Whoa, whoa.

Your Grace.

You're afraid of her. And she knows it.

I'm not afraid of her. May I help you, Lady Stark?

No.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-

You can't help because a mother makes one for her children to protect them. Only a mother can make them.

You've made them before?

Twice.

Did they work?

After a fashion. I prayed for my son Bran to survive his fall.

(Nods)

Many years before that, one of the boys came down with the pox. Maester Luwin said if he made it through the night, he'd live. But it would be a very long night. So I sat with him all through the darkness. Listened to his ragged little breaths, his coughing, his whimpering.

Which boy?

Jon Snow. When my husband brought that baby home from the war, I couldn't bear to look at him. I didn't want to see those brown stranger's eyes staring up at me. So I prayed to the gods, take him away. Make him die. He got the pox. And I knew I was the worst woman who ever lived. A murderer. I'd condemned this poor, innocent child to a horrible death all because I was jealous of his mother. A woman he didn't even know. So I prayed to all seven gods, let the boy live. Let him live and I'll love him. I'll be a mother to him. I'll beg my husband to give him a true name, to call him Stark and be done with it, to make him one of us.

And he lived.

And he lived. And I couldn't keep my promise. And everything that's happened since then all this horror that's come to my family it's all because I couldn't love a motherless child.

Was it hard for you to kill the Halfhand?

Yes.

You liked him? I like you, but if you're playing us false, it won't be hard for me to kill you. I've got wildling blood in my veins. These are my people.

I understand.

Well, how could you understand?

You want to protect your people.

Do you know what it takes to unite 90 clans, half of whom want to massacre the other half for one insult or another? They speak seven different languages in my army. The Thenns hate the Hornfoots. The Hornfoots hate the ice-river clans. Everyone hates the cave people. So you know how I got moon worshippers and cannibals and giants to march together in the same army?

No.

I told them we were all going to die if we don't get south. Because that's the truth.

Shouldn't be long now.

What's wrong with him?

He's a warg. He can enter the mind of animals, see through their eyes. He's scouting for us.

What, you've never met a warg?

Orell.

Where were you this time?

The Fist of the First Men.

What did you see?

Dead crows.

What's the matter, Piggy? You crying 'cause you're cold? There's 200 brothers killed by dead men and you're still here whimpering. That seem fair to you? I seen 'em torn to pieces fighting while you was off somewhere hiding in a hole. Why don't you lie down and rest for a while, eh? You know you want to.

Hey. Get up, Sam.

No.

Get up.

I can't.

If you stop, you'll die.

'Course if you don't stop, you'll probably die, too.

You don't care.

'Course we care.

You left me. When the white walkers came, you left me.

Aye, we left you. You're fat and you're slow. We didn't want to die.

Help me get him up.

Looks like that piggy is done for.

Help us get him up.

He's slowing us down.

Just get him up!

Why? So the rest of us can die? We'll move faster without him.

What is this? Get up, Tarly. Is he all right?

Aye, I think so.

If he can't, we may as well just go without him.

That's enough. Tarly, I forbid you to die. Do you hear me?

(nods)

Why should the rest of us-

Rast, you're responsible for him.

What am I supposed to do?

Make sure he gets back alive. If he doesn't, you don't. Move on!

I'm not dying for you, Piggy. You hear me?

Where's Rickon and Hodor?

Looking for food.

What's out there?

Not another step, boy. Unless you want to drown in your own blood.

I'm unarmed.

That was poor planning.

My sister carries the weapons.

I'm better with them. Drop the spear.

Drop it.

If you kill me, that wolf will tear you to bits.

You must be SUMMER.

I'm Jojen Reed. This is my sister Meera. We've come a long way to find you, Brandon. And we have much farther to go.

I'm just trying to understand.

Would you please shut up about it?

Jaqen H'ghar offered you three kills.

I'm not listening.

But just explain it to me. He offered to kill any three people you wanted. Dead. All you had to do was give him the names. Anyone. You could have picked King Joffrey.

Shut up.

You could have picked Tywin Lannister.

Jaqen got us out of Harrenhal, so why are you complaining?

But you could have ended the war.

Where are we going?

North.

If we were going north, we should have come to the Red Fork River by now.

Maybe we already passed it.

It's a hundred feet wide. How could we have passed it? If we hit the Red Fork, we can follow it west to Riverrun. My mother grew up there. My grandfather, he's a lord. He'll protect us.

Could be a minstrel.

Shut up.

A lion still has claws...

A minstrel's got gold sometimes. We could jump him, tie him up, steal his gold, and buy some food.

Shh.

And so he spoke, and so he spoke

What's lurking behind that wall? A lion? A wolf?

Just a dirty little cub, I think.

Loose a few more shafts.

Don't.

Put the sword down, girl.

You go on down the road. Just keep on singing so we know where you are. Leave us be and I won't kill you.

Generous.

You're a dangerous person. I like dangerous people. Why are your friends so shy?

What friends?

The fat to your left and the lad beside him.

Three young ones on the run carrying castle-forged swords. You escape from Harrenhal?

Who are you?

Thoros of Myr. And the fellow here with the bow is Anguy.

No, who do you fight for?

The Brotherhood without Banners. Now come along. I want to hear how two boys and a very dangerous girl escaped Harrenhal.

I'm not going with them. The Brotherhood? That's who the Mountain and them lot were looking for. They'll bring us back and put rats in us.

You've got nothing to fear from us, son. The lords of Westeros want to burn the countryside. We're trying to save it. Now come on. We'll talk some more over brown bread and stew. And then you can go on your way.

Here's the thing, fat

When I'm done talking, that arrow's falling down on your fat head. So I advise you move, because I'm done talking.

Half the country's starving and look at this one.

Maybe he's the reason half the country's starving.

My lion.

We've spoken of this. You cannot come here.

But you said I should come to you with any problems.

Did anyone see you? No.

No.

You sure? My father does not make idle threats. Having you killed would be the high point of his week. You have to be absolutely certain.

All right. What is this problem?

I'm worried about Sansa. When she spoke with Lord Baelish, his friend warned me about him.

Baelish doesn't have friends.

I don't know her name.

Oh, Ros? The redhead?

How do you know her?

I try to know as many people as I can. You never know which one you'll need.

She's a whore.

Yes, well, we shouldn't be judgmental about these things.

You fucked her.

Oh, please. All right, yes, I fucked her once. Twice.

But since I met you, my lady, I've been with no one else.

And was she good? Did you like her?

Not as much as I like you, obviously, or she'd be the one torturing me right now. What did she say about Littlefinger?

That Sansa shouldn't trust him.

Is there an idiot in any village who trusts Littlefinger?

We have to protect her.

We can't. Now that the Lannisters have discarded her, Sansa will have many suitors. A great beauty with a very old name.

A great beauty? Oh, a great beauty?

Yes, she is, objectively, very. Her face is quite pleasing-to other men and to women, people in general. But not to me, of course. I only have eyes for you.

You pervert. You want her? This child?

I don't even want to talk about her.

But you are.

Only because you're making me.

I didn't force you to open your mouth and make words come out.

This is cruel and unfair. Cruelly unfair.

Oh, the cruelty. Shae is so cruel to me.

Hmm, yes.

Now do you think I'm cruel?

Only if you stop. But you mustn't come here again.

Do you hear me? You've come to a dangerous place full of dangerous people. Dangerous people.

Lady Tyrell, my king.

Send her in.

You wanted to see me, Your Grace?

I'm leaving on a hunting trip. I just wanted to make sure you had everything you need before I left.

That's very thoughtful, Your Grace. I have everything I could want.

Good. Good. How are you finding life in the capital? It must be quite a change after Renly's camp.

A welcome one. A military encampment is no place for a lady.

And the bedside of a traitor? Is that a place for a lady?

Your Grace, I tried to do my duty as a wife, that is all.

What was your duty to this traitor as you saw it?

The duty of any wife to any husband-to provide him with children.

You failed to do this.

Why? I-I would not speak ill of the dead, Your Grace.

You think one ought to speak kindly of a traitor merely because he's had a sword put through his heart?

No. I do beg your pardon. The subtleties of politics are often lost on me. Renly I don't believe he was interested in the company of women.

What makes you say this?

Whenever I wanted to make a child with him, he-he had so many excuses, so many late-night war councils. He never wanted to try. Except one evening, after he'd had far too much wine to drink, he suggested something-something that sounded very painful and couldn't possibly result in children. Maybe the fault was with me.

No, he was a known degenerate.

It's such a relief to hear you say so, Your Grace.

Mmm. I've considered making his perversion punishable by death.

As is your right. You must do whatever you need to do.

You are the king.

Yes. I am.

Do you like it? I just had it made. Probably one of the finest weapons in the Seven Kingdoms.

It's beautiful. Will you show me how it works?

It's a new design. Much easier to load. There's no crank. You use this lever to draw the string.

The bolt goes here.

And then you just aim and-

Would you take me hunting sometime? Forgive me, Your Grace. I know a hunt is no place for a woman.

It's not unheard of.

My father would never let me before-

You no longer belong to him. Do you want to hold it?

May I? Please.

I imagine it must be so exciting to squeeze your finger here and watch something die over there.

Could you do it? Could you kill something?.

I don't know, Your Grace Do you think I could?

Yes.

Would you like to watch me?

Yes.

Stop! Stop!

Tell us the truth.

(screaming) About what?

I don't know what you want.

I want the truth.

What truth?

Why'd you take Winterfell?

I took it to-I took it-

Who gave the orders?

No one. I took it on my own.

Why?

To take the North while it was vulnerable.

What were you going to do once you took it?

Hold it. Rule it.

Good. That's very good.

Why did you do that?

I told you. Why did you take Winterfell?

I took it to bring glory to my house and my father.

(panicking) Wait. Wait, wait, wait. I took it because I hated the Starks. I hated them for holding me prisoner. I wanted to hurt them.

What are you doing?

Please.

I'll tell you anything. Just take it off. Please. Please, just take it off.

Your sister sent me.

Yara?

I'll come for you tonight when the castle sleeps.

No, don't go. Please, please. No, please don't leave me. Please, please. Please, please don't go! Please. Please. Don't leave me. Please don't go.

Rickon, stay with us.

It's all right. The wolves will protect him.

You can get inside his head, see through his eyes.

Only when I'm asleep.

That's how it begins until you learn to control it. You're a warg.

It's not just wolves. Sometimes in my dreams there's a-

A three-eyed raven?

You've seen it?

We saw him together. You haven't forgotten?

Does it have anything to do with warging?

No, the raven is something different, something deeper. The raven brings the sight.

Seeing things that haven't happened yet?

Or things that happened long before you were born or things that are happening right now thousands of miles away.

What's he telling him?

Why don't you ask?

Isn't he ashamed, your brother, needing you to protect him?

Where's the shame in that?

Any boy his age who needs his sister to protect him is gonna find himself needing lots of protecting.

Some people will always need help. That doesn't mean they're not worth helping.

When my father died, I dreamt it.

You didn't dream it. You saw it. So did I.

You have the sight, too?

(Nods) When I told my father about your father for the first time in my life, I saw him cry.

Your father is Howland Reed? Yeah.

Yeah.

He saved my father's life during the rebellion.

Your father told you about the rebellion? Mine never did. But I saw that, too.

What else have you seen?

Only one thing that matters-you.

I never liked the skinny ones. Like drinking from a puddle. Not that I'm averse to drinking from a puddle every now and again, you understand.

I don't drink ale.

There's no story so good a drink won't make it better.

Yeah!

You see? They've all suffered through my bouts of sobriety. It's very tedious for all concerned. Now, how did three children-

We're not children.

How did three young persons such as yourselves, untrained in the art of war, escape from Harrenhal?

Gendry's a smith. He was apprenticed in the armory.

A smith, eh? Where'd you train?

King's Landing. Tobho Mott's shop.

That criminal. He charges twice as much as every other armorer in the city.

That's because he's twice as good.

Aha! A smith and a salesman.

Gendry stole us weapons.

Ah, fought your way out of Harrenhal, I see.

He knows how to use a sword and so do I.

My brothers taught me.

Ooh!

To your brothers!

You can finish your meals before you go. It may be awhile before you see another.

You'll free us?

I gave you my word.

But before you go, allow me to raise a cup to your-

Hey, hey.

Now that is an uncommonly large person. How does one manage to subdue such an uncommonly large person?

One waits for him to drink until he passes out.

Poor man. You have my sympathy.

Aha, not a man at all. A Hound!

So good to see you again, Clegane.

Thoros? The fuck you doing here?

Drinking and talking too much. Same as ever.

A pretty prize, lads.

Yeah!

Girl.

(to Thoros) What in seven hells are you doing with the Stark bitch?

It's a tough decision - take the bridge and risk being seen or cross the great water.

Silence, Kingslayer.

Anyone can see us on the bridge, but cross by water and the current could take us or I could escape down the river.

Good luck.

It's wonderful to watch you wrestle with these dilemmas. Which will she choose?

Gambler at heart. Wouldn't have guessed.

Be quick about it.

I need to rest.

Get up.

I have these, you know, on your feet when you walk too far. What do you call them?

Get up now.

Corns. I never used to get corns. Of course I used to ride everywhere, not march around like a common foot soldier wearing the same shit boots for over a year.

This heel is ruined. There's no way-

I never understood why some knights felt the need to carry two swords.

Ooh. You move well for a great beast of a woman.

You shouldn't grimace before you lunge. It gives away the game.

Bit of a quandary for you. If you kill me, you fail Lady Stark. But if you don't kill me, I'm going to kill you.

You're good. Graceless, but good.

See? If you were willing to hurt me, you might have had me there.

Looks like your woman's getting the better of you, if you can call that a woman.

We enjoy a good fight. Gets our juices flowing. The Flayed Man of House Bolton. A bit gruesome for my taste.

You sure he's the one?

That's him, all right. I saw him fight at the tourney for Ser Willem Frey's wedding.

Give the man his silver.

Let us go and my father will pay you whatever you want.

Enough to buy me a new head? If the King in the North hears I had the Kingslayer and let him go, he'll be taking it right off. I'd rather he takes yours.