A Feast for Crows ÔÇö Jaime IV
Riverrun under three sieges of banners: Jaime arrives to find the Blackfish defiant on the walls and the Freys wringing their hands about their hostage.
The chapter retold
Jaime arrives at Riverrun to find it under siege from three directions at once ÔÇö by banners, by starvation, by patience ÔÇö with the Blackfish, Brynden Tully, still defiant on the walls despite being hopelessly outnumbered, and the Freys, who hold Edmure Tully hostage, wringing their hands anxiously over how to end the standoff without losing their prize. Jaime, arriving with royal authority and a reputation that precedes him, has to manage not just the siege itself but the fractious, cowardly Frey commanders who have spent months failing to take a castle that should have fallen by now.
The chapter sets up the siege of Riverrun as Jaime's next test of his new, word-over-sword approach to soldiering ÔÇö a puzzle he intends to solve through negotiation and threat rather than the assault the Freys have proven incapable of successfully mounting themselves. The Blackfish's stubborn defiance, meanwhile, is established as the one obstacle in the riverlands that reputation alone may not be enough to move ÔÇö a proud, competent old soldier who has no illusions left to lose.
This movement: The Queenmaker
- Arianne Martell steals Myrcella to crown her by Dornish law; Ser Arys Oakheart dies for it and Myrcella loses an ear.
- Doran reveals the game beneath the stillness: Dorne has been wedding itself to the dragons for years.
- Cersei springs her trap on Margaery with a perjured singer ÔÇö and the Faith takes the little queen.
- In the Vale, Alayne Stone keeps Sweetrobin dosed while Littlefinger collects the Lords Declarant like debts.