A Storm of Swords: Catelyn V to the end
of Davos V (p. 737)
45. Catelyn V
I cannot help feeling that the terrible
weather is a warning of some type. It seems as if the landscape itself is
trying to prevent Robb and his party from reaching the Twins. I fear that
something horrible will happen at the wedding and it was probably very wise for
Robb to leave Jeyne behind at Riverrun. I can also understand his plans to send
Catelyn off to stay with the Mallisters in Seaguard after the wedding. Her
release of Jaime Lannister has made her a liability that he can do without.
Robb certainly seems to have an eye on
the future, as he is concerned that Jeyne does not appear to be pregnant with
an heir. He tells Catelyn that he intends to name Jon as his heir, although she
is very unhappy to hear this. Catelyn’s total refusal to come to terms with Jon
has always been one of the things I dislike about her, and she now shows how
her personal feelings cloud her judgment. Although she does not want Tyrion to
inherit via Sansa, she is blind to Jon as the logical choice, preferring to
name Arya instead, even though she is the younger daughter and no one knows
where she is. It seems to me that Robb is making the soundest choice because
Jon is male and older than Sansa, so he almost has a better ‘claim’ to
Winterfell than she does. Also, Robb realizes that Jon will make a good Lord for
their people, and would most likely step aside for Sansa or Arya if they were
able to rule independently or with reasonable consorts. Of course, I also think
that Tyrion would make an excellent Lord of Winterfell, but not while Tywin and
Cersei are still in control.
Robb also has a plan to retake the
north, which involves exploiting his father’s links to Howland Reed. I like the
way Robb thinks very strategically and does not discount the value of some of
his resources that others would see as weak or ineffective. Certainly, he
cannot count on Reed to provide a thousand mounted knights, but a thousand
crannogman archers who can slip through the misty wetlands and repeatedly
harass an enemy before slipping away again might be much more valuable in
certain situations. In many ways the Starks seem much more open-minded and egalitarian
than the other lords, seeing all men as having value in the right place. This
places Robb in a strong position because he does not conduct his battles in the
way that is expected and so outwits his opponents.
46. Samwell III
I am beginning to think that Sam has
the worst luck of anybody in this whole series of books. He tries to avoid
fighting as much as he can, but battles seem to follow him wherever he goes.
However, he demonstrates so much courage in the face of adversity that he
always makes me proud of him.
This time he draws the attention of his
foe, the wight version of Small Paul, away from Gilly and the baby and then
leaps on Paul, stabbing him mercilessly with the dragonglass blade.
Unfortunately, Paul is not affected by the blade, which shatters on his armor,
but Sam the Slayer plunges an ember into the wight’s face and destroys him. All
seems to be lost as a group of wights, including many brothers from the Fist, surround
Sam and Gilly, but they are rescued by a mysterious man riding a giant elk and
aided by a huge flock of ravens. He addresses Sam as ‘brother’ but his hands
are as cold as ice.
Well, I was not expecting a mysterious
stranger to appear out of nowhere, certainly not one riding a giant elk. But
anyone who helps Sam is welcome, no matter how cold his hands are. Of course, I
would like to know who he is. If it were not for the cold hands and unnatural
affinity for ravens, I might be tempted to think that he is Benjen Stark . . .
47. Arya IX
Arya and The Hound actually seem like a
really good match. I like the stories of her trying to kill him while he is
asleep, or run away while he is having a pee. He is remarkably tolerant of her
behavior, possibly because he can appreciate someone else who is brave and
willing to act. He may threaten her with a good beating, but actually treats
her quite well. He takes pains to tell her that, although he has done some
terrible things, he had never hurt Sansa and actually saved her life when a mob
threatened to rape and murder her.
As always, he remains a very morally
grey character. He laughs when he learns that Gregor had captured Arya, unaware
of her identity, however, he admits that he would happily kill his brother. He
‘cheats’ the ferrymen at Lord Harroway’s Town by giving them Dondarrion’s note
for reimbursement, but he is taking Arya to the Twins in order to collect the
ransom from Robb. He will even serve Robb if the King will have him, which
surprises Arya who had expected him to remain loyal to the Lannisters. His
comment that “even a dog gets tired of being kicked” is very telling and
suggests that he can be very loyal if treated with a little kindness, as we saw
with Sansa.
Extra bonus points for having a horse
called Stranger that will eat the face off anyone other than Sandor if they
approach it.
48. Jon VI
Jon, ever conscious of his duty,
arrives safely in Mole’s Town and warns the people of the approaching
Wildlings. He then presses on to Castle Black on a fresh horse. Fortunately,
the men that have been left behind include the ‘crippled’ Donal Noye, the
one-armed smith, who listens to Jon without dismissing him as simply a traitor.
He accepts Jon’s assertion that Qhorin had ordered him to infiltrate Mance’s
army and the news that there are Wildlings approaching from the south to open
the gate in the Wall. It seems that Mance has been sending raiders all along
the Wall to draw the Brothers away from Castle Black, and that acting Lord
Commander Bowen Marsh has fallen for this ploy and has the men spread far and
wide.
Maester Aemon treats Jon’s wound and
also relates what he knows of the mutiny against The Old Bear. Only twelve of
the men who were loyal to Lord Mormont have returned to Castle Black, although
Dolorous Edd and Grenn were amongst them. Grenn tells Jon that they had to
leave Sam behind because he simply would not move. They are hopeful that he
will survive somehow and relate how he killed an Other and become known as Sam
the Slayer. As a final blow, Aemon explains that Winterfell has been destroyed
and that Bran and Rickon are dead. However, Jon finds this hard to believe
because he is sure that he saw Summer at Queenscrown when the direwolf attacked
to protect him. He thinks that perhaps it was what remained of Bran warged into
Summer’s body.
Hopefully, Jon will recover quickly and
Castle Black will withstand the Wildling attack from the South.
49. Catelyn VI
My sense of foreboding increases as we
approach the Twins. Grey Wind begins to attack the Freys sent to greet them and
is very reluctant to enter the castle. Run away, Robb! Do you not see that the
Frey men are camped with Roose Bolton’s men on the other side of the river? I
do not trust Bolton, and placing your men on the North bank of the river means
that they cannot retreat to Riverrun. It seems too convenient that the lords
killed at Duskendale and on the Trident all those who we would expect to be
most loyal to Robb. Plus, we know that Bolton is lying about what really
happened at Winterfell, though finding out that Theon is being systematically
flayed makes me a little happier.
Lord Frey is as rude as usual: but Robb
takes it all in his stride and offers his apologies to the women he could have
taken as a bride. Fortunately, Edmure is very happy with his bride because she
is pretty and not the old, wart-covered half-wit that he had expected. I must
admit that I had assumed that Lord Frey would have some trick up his sleeve
when it came to the bride, but apparently not. Catelyn is concerned about her
narrow hips and seeming fragility, but the maester assures her that Roslin
comes from good breeding stock.
50. Arya X
Is Arya going to arrive in time to
attend the wedding? It seems not, as all the soldiers are getting hammered
drinking toasts to Edmure and Roslin. I like how The Hound ‘persuaded’ the
farmer to part with his wagon, goods and clothing. He is quite right though:
nobody gives them a second glance because they are assumed to be small folk.
51. Catelyn VII
Oh my goodness! How? Why? What? Who?
That miserable old fart, Walder Frey! I
hope something very, very unpleasant happens to him in the very near future,
but I suspect that he will outlive almost everyone we have met so far. I knew
that Roose Bolton could not be trusted either: I assume it was him who finally
killed Robb with the line “Jaime Lannister sends his regards.” As with the Late
Lord Frey, no death can be horrible enough for the leech lord. I would hope
that Grey Wind deals with them both, but I am guessing that he will have to
fight through a great many men to reach Robb’s side.
I am so cross and upset about Robb’s
death. He did not deserve to be treated like this. It is like Ned all over
again! :(
Of course, it is not only Robb that did
not deserve to die. Several of his loyal followers are defintiely dead by the
end of the chapter, including Smalljon Umber, Wendel Manderly and Dacey
Mormont. Catelyn grabs the half-wit, Aegon, and tries to exchange his life for
Robb’s, but Walder Frey has more than enough descendants to not miss one,
especially a half-wit, and she is unsuccessful. She goes mad and has her throat
cut.
What a horrible chapter! I need to go
and eat chocolate in vast quantities . . . :(
52. Arya XI
At least The Hound has enough
experience to realize what is happening as the Frey men flood out of the Twins
to massacre Robb’s men. I suppose I should be happy that Arya has survived the
slaughter, but I am further disgusted by the treachery and needless loss of
life. Yet again, Sandor Clegane prevents the death of a Stark girl: I just hope
that he does not intend to claim a ransom from Roose Bolton or Lord Frey for
her.
53. Tyrion VI
What a surprise: Tywin had a hand in
planning the treachery at the Twins. But at least he is not a bloodthirsty idiot
like Joffrey. I am not sure how Mr Martin can make me hate the wretched boy any
more than I already do, but he keeps making me grind my teeth at his continued
survival. I really hope that Melisandre’s leeches are correct and he dies soon.
The thought of presenting Robb’s head to Sansa at his wedding left me
speechless. Tyrion is quite right: Joffrey is the real monster. He is also
unbelievably stupid. I was very impressed by Tywin’s self-control when the
jumped up little brat started calling him a coward. Even Cersei realizes that
he has gone too far, but Joffrey the Oblivious is so wrapped up in his own
sense of self-importance that he cannot read the death lurking in his
grandfather’s eyes.
Tywin is very good at not taking
responsibility for the deeds of his men or the results of his treachery. He
places the blame for the deaths of Elia and her children at the feet of Armory
Lorch because The Mountain is too valuable and Lorch is already dead. He also
says that the blood from the murders stains Lord Frey’s hands and not his own.
I doubt that old Walder will see it that way. Tyrion is doubtful that the
Martell’s will accept Lorch’s death as justice for Elia, and I have to say that
I agree with him. They will not be placated until Gregor Clegane is dead.
I am very concerned over Tywin’s plan
to marry the Bastard of Bolton to Arya: does this mean that The Hound has sold
her to Bolton? But the message from Walder Frey did not mention her, so it
seems as if this was something planned well before the wedding when Arya was
still wandering in the wilds. I can only assume that some poor girl is going to
be presented as Arya because there are so few people left who could identify
her safely.
Although we saw very little of Sansa in
this chapter, it is clear that she and Tyrion are getting to know one another
quite well. I feel sorry for him because he will be the one to tell her of the
murders. He will no doubt try to be gentle and compassionate, but I fear that
Sansa will not respond to any sympathy from a Lannister.
54. Davos V
Unlike Joffrey, Stannis shows no pleasure at hearing about the
treachery that is no being called the ‘Red Wedding’. However, he does see it as
an opportunity to gain the support of the Northmen. Melisandre claims to have
seen many new usurpers in the flames, which seems right if we assume that Roose
Bolton and Walder Frey have now joined in the game of dividing up the kingdom.
She demands Edric Storm so that she can use his royal blood to wake one of the
stone dragons, giving Stannis the one weapon that would guarantee him victory.
Good old Davos is appalled by this idea and points out that Joffrey
is still not dead, so Melisandre’s leeches cannot be conclusively proven to
have worked. He is also adamantly against killing Edric and says as much quite
forcefully. Davos constantly treads a fine line with Stannis, pushing him to be
a good man and risking his anger at every turn. However, he is Stannis’ most
loyal and honest advisor, which I imagine is why he is still alive. I am not
sure what Stannis would make of Davos cultivating those of his men who do not
support Melisandre, but it is good to know that someone is watching is back.
I loved the idea that Davos sees reading as such a noble and
important skill. His pride in his son’s reading prowess is very touching, as is
his own efforts to better himself. Unlike so many of the nobles that we meet in
this world, Davos is genuinely humble and self-critical, very aware of his own
deficiencies. As Socrates famously said “I only know that I know nothing.” This
acceptance of one’s own lack of knowledge is something that is not seen in many
people.
I am disturbed by the discovery of a letter from Bowen Marsh asking
for assistance on the Wall. Davos is quick to realize how desperate the Night’s
Watch must be if they are asking Stannis for help. He is also disturbed by the
news of the defeat at the Fist as this seems to correlate with visions that
Stannis has had and also Melisandre’s talk of the threat to the Great Other in
the far north. He may be a semi-literate ex-smuggler, but Davos has more sense
of what is really happening in the world that all of Stannis’ other advisors
added together.
