A Storm of Swords ÔÇö Daenerys I

Aboard Balerion a Sorrowful Man's manticore nearly ends the dragon queen; Arstan Whitebeard's staff is quicker, and the course is set for Astapor ÔÇö for an army.

The chapter retold

Aboard her ship Balerion, Daenerys Targaryen nearly dies for the crime of being worth killing. A gift box presented by a supposed well-wisher conceals a manticore, a small scorpion-thing whose sting is death within the hour, and only Arstan Whitebeard's quick staff between Dany and the creature keeps the assassination attempt from working. The hired killer is called a Sorrowful Man in Qartheen slang, a professional whose employer is never named on the page, and the attempt only sharpens Dany's course rather than deterring it: onward to Astapor, where slave-soldiers called Unsullied are sold like livestock and where an army, if she can afford one, is finally within reach.

The near-miss does double work ÔÇö it confirms that Dany's growing legend has made her a target worth Essos's attention long before she has an army to answer with, and it deepens the mystery of Arstan Whitebeard, whose instincts and swordwork are far too good for a hired old man's staff. Nothing about the scene is subtle about where the book is steering: an army, bought in blood or fire, is the only kind Daenerys is going to get.

This movement: Wolves at the Crossing

• Brienne rows the Kingslayer downriver under a flag of lies; the banter starts sharpening into respect.
• Robb returns to Riverrun with a Westerling bride and a broken treaty; the Freys go home cold.
• Beyond the Wall, the survivors of the Fist stagger to Craster's; Sam earns the name Slayer with a dragonglass dagger.
• Dany sails for Astapor, where an army that feels nothing is sold by men who feel less.