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Episode 88: A CLASH OF KINGS, BRAN II: "The Home Front" SHOW NOTES!
🕑 Added 2019-11-18 15:00:03 +0000 UTCHello and welcome to the Not A Cast … podcast: the one true chapter-by-chapter podcast going through A Song of Ice and Fire one chapter a week. I’m one of your hosts Jeff better known as BryndenBFish.
And I’m your other host Emmett, better known as PoorQuentyn.
Welcome to the eighty-eighth episode of the Not A Cast, titled: “The Home Front: An Analysis of ACOK, Bran II,” in which the Northmen come to Winterfell to offer their services to the Starks for nothing in return, because they’re all about manly honor. Right? Right?!
Hell no! They’re politicians, and they’ve come to play the game. And we’re very happy to have back on to talk the politics of ice and fire: Steven Attewell!
Steven says hi
This episode is brought to you by our Small Council:
- Hand of the King WolfmanZack
- Grand Maester Timbob
- Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Mark N.
- Lord Travis, Master of Ships and Warden of the Waves
- Ser Keith J, Master of Whisperers
- Lord Philip the Merciful, Master of Laws
- Jancy O, Lady Commander of the Night’s Watch
- Lord Gene, Master of Coin
- Archmaester June, Healer of the Lesser Poxes
- Ragged Michael, Warden of the North
- Nelson the Hammer, Prince of Dragonstone
- Scarlett the Other Red Woman and Mistress of Whisperers
- Lord Micah: Warden of the West and the Kraken’s Bane
- Lord James: the Jim that was Promised
- The High Bearded Priest
- The Blue-Ringed Octoling
- Lord Jake, Assistant (to the) Hand of the King
- Lady Xena Valyrian
- Hedrigal, Captain of the Air Ship Arrogance
- His Grace’s High Inquisitor Frank
- Ser Jasper the Cruel, the King’s Justice
- Laurence, Prince of Dorne
- Richard, Sealord of Braavos
- Kelly, Warden of the East and Mistress of (Old) Bay of Crabs
- Steven the Steadfast, Master of Hounds
- The Blue Winter Rose Knight of Highgarden
- Lady Stephanie
- Lord Wryinn
- Lord Anonymous
- Lord Carlos
- Lord Andrew the Restless, a Priest of the Drowned God
- The King's Cook, Nolly (No-lee) Olly (Oh-lee), Master of Cannoli
Spoiler warning: All published books, 5 novels, 3 Dunk and Egg novellas, histories, interviews, TWOW sample chapters, as well as Game of Thrones the TV show. Anything and everything!
Question
Hedrigal, Captain of the Airship Arrogance on our small council asks:
What do you think is the significance of all the food description to ASOIAF as a whole beyond just George RR Martin's obvious appreciation of the actual meat and potatoes logistics of medieval people's feeding themselves?
So, thank you to Hedrigal, Captain of the Airship Arrogance for his excellent question. If you’d like to ask us questions we’ll answer on the NotACast pod-cast, we welcome you to become a Sworn Sword of higher patron at patreon.com/NotACastASOIAF where you can ask us questions we will answer on the podcast.
And for our patrons, our next patreon-only episode is coming soon! Our episode all about the Greyjoy Rebellion will be available for all $5/above patrons starting on Thanksgiving Week. So, if you’re looking for all that war shit I love and all the Euron-shit Emmett loves for your trek back to be with your families and friends, come join our patreon at patreon.com/NotACastASOIAF and listen to us do the thing about the Greyjoy Rebellion and immediately get all of our other patreon-only content including show notes, early access and more!
But enough about patreon. Let’s get onto Bran. When we last checked with Bran, the future King of Westeros had just started his kingship training at the foot of Maester Luwin, and we had been introduced to our “friends” of Frey. Let’s check back in with Bran to see how his royal training is going in this synopsis of A Clash of Kings, Bran II!
Synopsis
In the dark hours before sunrise, Bran is awake, thinking about the harvest feast. When he was a boy, he loved the harvest feast, loved to watch the jousts and games. But that was before. Now, he has to play the part of Prince Bran all the while knowing that the Walders Frey will be out there able to do the fun stuff.
Bran had never asked to be a prince. It was knighthood he had always dreamed of; bright armor and streaming banners, lance and sword, a warhorse between his legs. Why must he waste his days listening to old men speak of things he only half-understood?
In answer to this, Bran’s subconscious had spoken: Because you’re broken. He was heir to Robb after all, and he needed to serve in Robb’s place in Winterfell when the lords arrived. The first to arrive was Lord Wyman “The North remembers, you Frey bitches” Manderly. He had come to Winterfell by barge with a huge party of knights and civilians alongside of him. As to why Lord Wyman was here with such a fine party, well, he’s not here simply to enjoy a meal. He’s got reasons to be here as Rodrik states.
Back in his bedroom, Bran looks up at the ceiling, thinking about what Robb and Ned would say:
Winter is coming, and you are almost a man grown. You have a duty.
Hodor comes in a bit later on and gets Bran up to be washed, brushed and made to look princely with a white wool doublet and silver brooch. These days Bran could mostly dress himself, but he still had problems with getting breeches and boots on. With Hodor’s help, he was able to get all his stuff on though.
Bran tells Hodor that he could have been a knight if the gods hadn’t taken your wits. Yeesh, George. I see you there. Hodor blinks back and Bran and says Hodor. Bran then climbs onto the basket on Hodor’s back, and Hodor ducks under the doorframe, because of course. Bran recalls that Hodor once went charging headlong into the kitchen when he smelled bread, knocking Bran’s head against the doorframe as a result. He’d had a helmet made after that, but after the Walders laughed at him, Bran seldom wore it.
Bran decides that he wants to go have a look at the swordplay going on in the castleyard, and he directs Hodor to the sound of steel ringing from the courtyard. For now, it’s not lordlings out there; it’s only squires, and Bran wishes more than anything he could be one of those squires. He observes that two quintains have been set up with shields painted in Lannister colors. And those shields were already well-scarred when Bran arrives.
His arrival, sadly, provokes stares. And even though Bran has learned to ignore them, you get the sense he still feels everyone’s eyes on him. Bran observes the Walders mounting up, gets a good look at their armor and sigils, seeing Big Walder’s crest “shaped liked a castle” while noting that the sigils were quartered with Little Walder having the Twin Towers of Frey alongside of Crakehall and Darry sigils while Big Walder had Blackwood and Paege sigils quartering the Twin Towers of House Frey.
They must be hungry for honor, Bran thought as he watched them take up their lances. A Stark needs only the direwolf.
Bran watches as they move their horses gracefully together, hitting the quintains. Bran thinks Little Walder hit his target harder, but Big Walder rode better. He wishes he had legs so he could ride against both of them.
But because these boys are Freys, they decide to have some “fun” with Bran and Hodor. Little Walder rides over and calls Hodor an “ugly horse” while Big Walder says no, no, Hodor isn’t as smart as a horse. Hodor just says Hodor amiably, and man, am I feeling angry at these kids. Little Walder wonders if Hodor is talking with his horse, and Bran tells him to shut the fuck up. When Little Walder keeps going on, asking what Bran would do if he doesn’t shut up, Big Walder warns that Bran will set his wolf on him.
“Let him,” Little Walder says. “I always wanted a wolfskin cloak.”
“Summer would tear your fat head off,” Bran says in response.
Little Walder starts doing some more posturing, but then thankfully Maester Luwin shows up to be the adult. He yells that the Frey boys are being little shits and demands to know if this is how they behave at the Twins.
“If I want to.” Atop his courser, Little Walder Frey gave Luwin a sullen glare, as if to say, You are only a maester, who are you to reproach a Frey of the Crossing.
But Luwin says that might be so, but this ain’t how Lady Catelyn wants you to act. He asks what caused all this, and Big Walder gets all apologetic, lying about how they were just joshin’ around, and that they’re sorry if they offended Bran. Little Walder looks all peevish, but he claims he was only trying to be amusing too. Luwin can see right through them thought:
“A good lord comforts and protects the weak and helpless. I will not have you making Hodor the butt of cruel jests, do you hear me? He’s a good-hearted lady, dutiful and obedient, which is more than I can for either of you.”
He also tells the Frey boys to stay the fuck out of the godswood and away from the direwolves, or they’re going to be sorry. And with that, he turns to Bran and tells him they need to go see Lord Wyman.
Bran tells Hodor to follow Luwin, and they’re off for Wyman. On the way, Luwin scolds Bran for even being out in the castle courtyard. He was supposed to be the Stark in Winterfell, not some child. Bran apologizes. He only wanted …
“I know what you wanted, “ Maester Luwin said, more gently. “Would that it could be, Bran.”
Luwin asks if Bran has questions, and yes, Bran does have one. Are they going to talk some war shit? Well, Bran isn’t going to say shit. He’s a kid. He’s only going to say courtesies unless he’s asked a direct question by Rodrik or Wyman.
In the audience chamber, Bran is placed on a high seat behind a table with Luwin and Rodrik to his sides. He apologizes to Wyman for being late, but Wyman’s all like a wizard is never late. He arrives precisely when he means to (paraphrase). And then we get our first canonical description of Lord Wyman
Wyman Manderly had a great booming laugh. It was small wonder he could not sit a saddle; he looked as if he outweighed most horses. As windy as he was vast.
Wyman proceeds to do the politics, asking for his new customs officers to get confirmed in White Harbor. The old ones, it would seem, were holding back silver for King’s Landing still rather than pay up to the King in the North. He then offers to have a silver mint built in White Harbor all for Robb, of course. No self-interest involved whatsoever.
Additionally, Wyman wants to construct a fleet for the North at White Harbor. Again, no self-interest. He’s just in it for King Robb. Bran, though, likes that idea, thinking that might command a warship. However, Rodrik only states that they’ll send the message onto Robb.
Later in the day, with Wyman still there and eating some lunch with them, the lord of White Harbor brings up the matter of Lady Hornwood. Maybe she wants to become a Manderly again? Get married? Maybe to Wyman himself? Or maybe his son Wendel? Wyman’s just asking questions, people. And he’s only interested in Lady Donella’s happiness, not at all to marry her claim to the Hornwood Lands. Oh no, not at all. Oh, and completely unrelated, but Wyman’s received a letter from Tywin telling him about ransoming his other son Wyllis back to him in exchange for swearing fealty to the Iron Throne. And he’ll so refuse Tywin, but maybe Robb goes and liberates Harrenhal and gets Wyllis out of the haunted castle. And maybe they do a captive exchange very soon?
Look, we’re all Stark fans in this podcast but I think we can all admire the political moxy Lord Wyman is demonstrating here, right? Damn, love it.
While all this is going on, Bran is growing bored, restless and then stiff from sitting in the same chair all day. Unfortunately, the night brings no relief for Bran as Lady Donella Hornwood arrives. Bran tells her that he’s sorry for the loss of her husband and son, and that Winterfell will remember them and her. Lady Donella thanks Bran for the courtesy, but she’d really rather go take a nap now than do the politics. Everyone adjourns for the night.
The next morning, there’s more politics and economics. How much harvest are they putting aside. A fifth? A quarter? Oh, and then there’s the small matter of the Bolton Bastard.
“Bolton’s bastard is massing men at the Dreadfort,” Lady Hornwood warned them. “I hope he means to take them south to join his father at the Twins, but when I sent to ask his intent, he told me that no Bolton would be questioned by a woman. As if he were trueborn and had a right to that name.”
Rodrik Cassel, who sadly will become quite close to Ramsay at the end of ACOK, is all like I do not know this man. And Donella says yeah, that’s because Roose Bolton hasn’t acknowledged this kid as his bastard. In fact, he only came to the Dreadfort just a few years ago after Roose’s only trueborn son died very, very naturally with zero muder involved. Ramsay also has a servant named Reek who is almost as bad as Ramsay is. He doesn’t bathe, and he hunts women with Ramsay if the true rumors are true.
All the same, Lady Donella is concerned that the Bastard of Bolton is looking at her lands. Bran wants to send one hundred men to escort her, but Rodrik Cassel says nah, Ramsay’s only going to take a peek at Lady Donella’s lands. She’ll be very safe on her own. So safe. But maybe you should get married, Lady Donella? Well, Lady Hornwood is aware of people trying to wed her or more accurately wed her claim, and sure, she’ll wed if Robb tells her too. But she’d prefer not to marry Mors Umber. And she doesn’t want to wed Wyman Manderly on account of his enormous size. Ser Rodrik says that more suitors will come about. You’ll see. Lady Donella says hey what about you, Ser “Hunk of a man” Rodrik. You’d do nicely. Rodrik, though, gets all flustered and demurs. When Lady Donella leaves, Luwin and Rodrik talk a bit about how the Hornwood inheritance is a danger to Robb’s realm. Wait, how is she a danger, Bran asks.
Master Luwin answered. “With no direct heir, there are sure to be many claimants contending for the Hornwood lands. The Tallharts, Flints and Karstarks all have ties to House Hornwood through the female line, and the Glovers are fostering Lord Harys’ bastard at Deepwood Motte. The Dreadfort has no claim that I know, but the lands adjoin, and Roose Bolton is not one to overlook such a chance.”
Bran says, hey Rodrik, Donella seemed to be really into your RODrik, if you know what I mean. Why not marry her? But Rodrik is of too low of birth to marry Lady Donella. And he has to look out for Beth’s prospects above all. Yikes. So, Bran suggests having Lord Hornwood’s bastard get legitimized. Okay, yeah, Bran, not the worst idea in the world, Rodrik says. And they would make friends with the Glovers. But Lady Donella wouldn’t want someone not actually related to her to become the Lord of Hornwood. Luwin says they should consider the idea, though, but Bran bored asks to be excused. Wait, Bran. Stop. This is all getting really fuckin’ interesting. Don’t goooooo.
And he’s gone.
Bran heads off to visit Summer in the godswood, and he finds his direwolf there, and he also finds Shaggydog there too. He calls after Shaggy, but the direwolf departs. Hodor then carries Bran to his favorite spot -- the edge of the pool under the heart tree where big daddy Ned used to pray. Bran sees ripples across the pool but no wind. He thinks this strange until Osha jumps out of the pool like some goddamn banshee. Bran asks how she could possibly swim in the pool given how cold it is, and Osha’s all like I’m a northwoman, I love the cold, and she wanted to feel the bottom. Did she? Nope. Maybe the pool has no bottom.
Osha climbs out of the pool, naked and scarred of course, and asks Bran if this is the first he’s ever seen a naked lady. No, of course not. He’d taken baths with Arya and Sansa. Bran asks after the scars, and Osha reports that the scars were all well-earned. He asks if she got them fighting giants. Nope. She got them fighting men, mostly Night’s Watchmen tbqh. Then Osha brings up the fact that Bran’s been scufflin’ with the Freys. He asks what she’s heard.
“That it’s a fool boy who mocks a giant, and a mad world when a cripple has to defend him.”
Bran states that Hodor didn’t know that the Frey boys were mocking him, and besides, Hodor never fights … not yet anyways. He’s got a gentle spirit and gentle hands. Uh, yeah. About those hands, Osha says. They’re strong enough to twist dude’s heads off their shoulders. So, be careful with Hodor around the Frey boys. Them kids suck, and they might hurt Hodor. Well, not if Summer’s around, Bran says. Osha says they’re smart if they’ll stay clear of Summer then. Osha stays clear these days.
And then Osha changes topics. “You have more of them wolf dreams?” Bran says absolutely not, but Osha knows him to be lying. She tells Bran to learn how to lie better as a prince. But she needs to get back to the kitchens.
As she departs, Bran rues telling her about his wolf dreams in the first place. But he was carried back into his room by Hodor. He fights sleep for a long time before sleep overtakes him, and he dreams of a weirwood looking at him with the three-eyed crow pecking at his face. But then the blast of horns thankfully wakes him from his nightmare. Bran hears loud voices and horses.
More guests have come, and half-drunk by the noise of them.
Bran pulls himself up with the bars and looks out of the window to see the Umbers from the northlands beyond the Last River have arrived. The day after, the Greatjon’s uncles come to visit with Bran: Mors Crowfood (named for biting a crow’s head off when it thought him dead) and Hother Whoresbane (who Old Nan will not tell him why he’s named that. We’ll find out later in ADWD). As soon as they sit down, Mors demands to be wed to Lady Hornwood, because the Greatjon is a badass Stark supporter, and that’s the type of person you want marrying widows or something.
Luwin’s all like, “Sorry, Lady Hornwood is still grieving”, but Mors is all like I have a cure for mourning while pointing down at his trousers. My dick. Rodrik says he’ll bring the matter to Robb and Donella. But Mors isn’t just here for Lady Hornwood. He’s concerned about the wildlings coming south. He needs ships, and the Night’s Watch hasn’t been helpful in stemming the tide of wilding raiders crossing the Bay of Seals. He needs longships and men to crew the boats. The Umbers do not have enough men to man the ships or bring in the harvest.
Rodrik does the whisker-pulling thing and says, hey why don’t you work with the Manderlys. They have shipwrights after all. But Mors Umbers goes all he’s not going to work with some “great waddling sack of suet” in the form of Wyman Manderly. Rodrik admits that he’s fat, but ain’t dumb. So, the Umbers and Manderlys will work together or Robb will hear it.
And to Bran’s astonishment, the truculent Umbers agreed to do as he commanded, though not without grumbling.
God, I’m fucking lovvvvvving this shit. Why don’t people talk about how awesome this chapter is?? Damn.
Next the Glovers arrive alongside of the Tallharts. But it turns out, it’s not the Glovers proper. Instead, it’s their maester who’s here in place of Lady Glover. He rules Deepwood Motte in Galbart and Robett’s absence. He’s only setting a tenth of their harvest aside, but Rodrik commands (interesting wording) that he set aside a fifth of it. Rodrik then grills this maester about Larence Snow and what he’s all about. Afterwards, Luwin says that Larence Snow may be the key going forward. And then Luwin, who’se been awful hard on Bran this chapter, decides to compliment him:
“One day you will be a good lord for Winterfell, I think.”
But Bran ain’t sure about that.
“No I won’t.” Bran knew he would never be a lord, no more than he could be a knight. “Robb’s to marry some Frey girl, you told me so yourself, and the Walders say the same. He’ll have sons, and they’ll be the lords of Winterfell after him, not me.”
Hey guys, you know why Bran ain’t going to be lord of Winterfell? Mm-hm. Yeah, baby.
Rodrik, though, says that Bran should be prepared for anything. His family is all a mess because of wars and other shit. His brother and his nephew Jory (RIP) are all dead now, and he only has Beth. Gee, I wonder if all these Beth Cassel name-drops means anything. Regardless, Rodrik has some life-advice for Bran, for us here on the podcast, for everyone:
“When we speak of the morrow, nothing is ever certain.”
The next day, Leobald Tallhart speaks with Bran, Luwin and Rodrik, talking about how the smallfolk are just a bunch of fuckin’ peasants, and that his nephew Benfred has formed a company of lances for the war. They call themselves the Wild Hares after Leobald had mocked them as “young rabbits.” Bran thinks this sounds awesome, but Rodrik ain’t so pleased. He tells Leobald to make sure the Wild Hares stay near Torrhen’s Square.
Leobald promises that this will happen, and then he brings up the Hornwood inheritance, of course. His solution is an interesting one. Maybe Donella would want her ten year old nephew Beren to come to Castle Hornwood as a fosterling. You see, Donella’s sister-in-law was a hornwood, and he might be up for the task of becoming the heir to Hornwood. Hell, he might even take the name for the price of being named the heir? Luwin asks. No, no, nothing like that. So that the Hornwood name would continue of course, Leobald says
Then Bran, now knowing the words says that he’ll bring the matter to Robb and Lady Hornwood. Leobald, surprised, is grateful for Bran’s words. And then Bran notices the man pitying him, and he hates him. When Leobald is gone, Luwin says that the offer might be the best compromise solution. But Rodrik thinks that a ten year old kid is going to end up in conflict with the Umbers or Boltons. They need to be careful and give Robb the best counsel before he makes the final decision. Luwin agrees, but then puts in that Robb may want to have a Riverlander marry Lady Hornwood to cement his alliance with his war buddies fighting the Lannisters. Maybe the Blackwoods. Maybe the Freys. Well, Bran is all about shipping one or both of the Walders Frey off to Castle Hornwood, but that’s not happening anytime soon.
As the days go on, more ravens arrive stating that Ramsay Snow, the Mormonts, Karstarks, Lockes and Flints wouldn’t be making it for the Harvest Feast. They’d heard from everyone except for Howland Reed and the Cerwyns. But Lord Cerwyn’s son Cley arrived one morning. Cley had been a friend to Bran and his brothers, and he seems a good kid, asking if Bran should be called Prince Bran. Bran doesn’t really care, but then Cley asks a curious question: Did Bran receive the letter from Stannis?
Letter? What letter? Well, the letter had proclaimed Stannis king and proclaimed that Cersei and Jaime were Joffrey’s parents. The Kingslayer for a father? Imagine that.
For a moment Bran felt as though he could breathe. A giant hand was crushing his chest. He felt as though he was falling, and clutched desperately at Dancer’s reins.
Everyone notices that Bran looks ill, and Bran feigns being okay, declaring that Robb will beat Joffrey. He retreats back into the stables with blood rushing in his ears.
At night, Bran prays for dreamless sleep, but the gods do not let him have it. Instead, Bran is exposed to a horror dream of the Three-Eyed Crow pecking his face again as he weeps and pleads. But the crow is merciless. The 3EC pecks out Bran’s left eye and then his right eye. Blind now, Bran feels the crow pecking at the middle of his head. Bran screams as the beak feels like an axe cutting his head into pieces. And then Bran can see again and sees that the crow has come away with bone and bits of brain and flesh in his beak.
What he saw made him gasp in fear. He was clinging to a tower miles high, and his fingers were slipping, nails scrabbling at the stone, his legs dragging him down, stupid useless dead legs. “Help me!” he cried. A golden man appeared in the sky above him and pulled him up. “The things I do for love,” he murmured softly as he tossed him out kicking into empty air.
And that is ACOK, Bran II. Guys, why, oh why, do people never cite this as a great chapter in ASOIAF? Oh, I get it. House of the Undying, Ned’s death, Red Wedding, Quentyn’s Oh, but this is like ASOIAF in a nutshell. The wars and politics of the realm with magic awaiting in dream. What an amazing chapter. What did you both think?
Depth
I agree, this is a sorely underrated chapter that plays host to all of George’s strengths. You got terrific character work for Bran, as he struggles to play his public role as prince even as both knight and warg are calling to him. You got great supporting characters like Wyman Manderly an the Umber Uncles. You got a horrific dream sequence, always welcome in my house.
But above all, you got the politics of the newly independent North. This is the meat of the chapter, the key in terms of how it sets up King Bran, and a topic of great interest to our guest.
Steven opening thoughts
There’s this overarching storytelling device that’s bled out into the real world that everyone should put their interests aside and “do the right thing for the good of all.” Not to rag on LOTR too much (because I love those books and movies), but that’s basically what the books (but especially the movie’s) theme for our political actors is. Like the movie wants us to roll our eyes at Theodan’s reluctance to immediately ride in aid of Gondor in ROTK when Gandalf advises him to do so.
Flashing over to Westeros, the lords of the North and every other part of Westeros didn’t rise to prominence by playing nice with everyone else. Wyman Manderly wants a silver mint and permission to build a fleet, because it will create jobs in White Harbor and center the North economically in White Harbor. The Umbers want ships and fieldhands to protect the people living under Umber dominion from wildling incursion and bring in the harvest -- which both feeds the people and benefits the Umbers economically. The Tallharts want the right to raise a private army ostensibly to aid Robb, but a standing militia in the North, untouched by war in the south, could prove powerful after the war.
Yes, yes, I get it. When the cold winds rise, the lone wolf dies, etc. I get that putting the survival of humanity ahead of individual interests is good. Fine. But these guys are doing their jobs, prioritizing their own interests and maybe the Umber, Manderly, Tallhart smallfolk get some trickle down benefit. And when the next war for the dawn is done, and normal politics reasserts itself, you’re going to want to have some Hothers, Wymans, Leobalds and Mors’s around to survive the aftermath of winter. No, no, not the actual lords. They’re all dead or about to die by the end of ADWD. The archetypes
- Bran’s evolving character arc
- All the hustle and bustle at Winterfell is filtered through how Bran’s relationship to the proceedings has changed since his fall
- Once, before, he would’ve been excited, but now he feels he can’t take part
- Of course, he is taking part throughout the chapter--but it’s not the role he longed for, the role linked with childhood dreams and innocence
- Part of Bran growing up is learning his lordly responsibilities, and part of it is learning to deal with his disability; in his mind, the two are linked
- It’s no wonder that as his story proceeds and he comes into contact with Jojen and Bloodraven, he links the magical side of things with the possibility of getting that old life back--knighthood, childhood, the ability to walk and climb and fight
- And of course, under the surface is his longing for his family to return, given that (as he put it in book one) it feels like they abandoned him while he slept
- Bran, young as he is, can’t really process all this at once, so he zeroes in on the physical activity in the yard as a synecdoche for all he’s lost
- And dawdling to watch all that makes Bran late for his princely duties, in case you didn’t get the dynamic at work. As we said in Bran I, George does a terrific job embedding the Winged Wolf v. Stark in Winterfell struggle in every detail
- Bran tells himself he just wants a quick look, but he stands out--not only as a prince, but a disabled prince, with a companion frequently targeted for mockery
- The Walders, as in Bran I, are flies in the ointment; like their kinsman in the Knight of the Laughing Tree story, they reveal the bullying instinct behind the shining face of chivalry, policing class borders to keep the powerless in line
- One of the reasons I like the Walders as characters is how George continually frames them not just as uniquely awful little pricks (though they are), but as mirrors of the society that produced them
- Treating peasants (disabled and otherwise) like horses is central to these kids’ worldview. That’s why Little Walder looks at Luwin with scorn, thinking himself too good to be challenged by a mere maester, and it’s all rooted in that plate and steel that protects Freys from both wolf teeth and peasants armed with sticks
- Big Walder, the smart one, knows enough to pretend to be abashed, but that’s not the same as genuine contrition, and Little Walder can’t even manage that
- Harkening back to your great theory who was the mentor to Big Walder and how these two kids parallel Lothar and Bastard Walder Frey from ASOS, I love how shitty Little Walder is:
- "These threats are unseemly, and I'll hear no more of them. Is this how you behave at the Twins, Walder Frey?"
"If I want to." - And your point that Big Walder acts contrite works well with how our friends of Frey are described by Catelyn in ASOS
- [Lothar Frey] was the model of courtesy, reminiscing warmly about Lord Hoster, offering Catelyn gentle condolences on the loss of Bran and Rickon, praising Edmure for the victory at Stone Mill, and thanking Robb for the "swift sure justice" he had meted out to Rickard Karstark. Lothar's bastard brother Walder Rivers was another matter; a harsh sour man with old Lord Walder's suspicious face
- Both Luwin and Osha frame these kids as representative of social ills; Luwin says they’re betraying the lordly values he’s trying to instill in Bran, and Osha passes along the cynicism scenes like this inculcate in the smallfolk
- It’s important we see this before any of the explicitly political scenes, because this is the context in which Bran must operate, the bar he must clear
- And he does, even at his childish level--he sticks up for Hodor as a true knight should, and unlike the Walders, his apology to Luwin is genuine
- Manderly politics
- Onto the meat of this chapter, the meetings with the various nobles of the North
- These are a much different crew than the lords around Robb, who tend to be martially inclined both in their character and their contribution to the plot
- Here, we’re looking at homefront politics: the politics of keeping the fire going, of making sure Robb has a base to return to, and of making his kingdom a reality
- That’s a different set of skills and arguably a different set of values, and we see that right away with Wyman Manderly, a favorite character of all of ours
- We met him very briefly in a Catelyn chapter in book one, but this is really where George establishes his character before expanding heavily in ADWD
- Wyman has a keen political mind, with a strong grasp of institutions, how institutions change to follow political changes, and how he can benefit
- He understands better than anyone that independence is only partially a matter of the primal warrior-king stomping his southron foes into the dust
- It’s also a matter of currency, of ships, of Robb Stark’s name and face and cause stamped on every inch of power in the North so no one forgets who’s in charge
- This transition is crucial not only to provide the fledgling kingdom with hard power and its own infrastructure, but in terms of image, Varys’ shadow on the wall
- In part, creating an independent kingdom is about acting like you already are independent, putting your governing foot forward with maximum confidence
- George is borrowing heavily from Roman history here in how crucial coinage is in creating symbols of power.
- During the Roman Civil War period between Mark Anthony and Octavius (the future Augustus), both imperial claimants minted their own coinage with their faces on it.
- One later Roman Emperor by the name of Caracalla had the coins of another claimant to the throne (his own brother Geta) melted down to erase Geta’s memory.
- And this would be repeated by various emperors and would-be emperors.
- It seems so boring on the surface. Who gives a shit who’s on the coinage?
- But it’s not boring! And you should give a shit!
- The smallest of the smallfolk who carry only simple groats or pennies bearing the imprimatur of the king would always be in the know as to who their sovereign is.
- The Blackfyres were wise to this notion
- The face on the coin was young, clean-shaved, handsome. King Aerys was bearded on his coins, the same as old King Aegon. King Daeron, who'd come between them, had been clean-shaved, but this wasn't him. The coin did not appear worn enough to be from before Aegon the Unworthy … "Daemon," he blurted out. "It says Daemon. There never was any King Daemon, though, only—"
"—the Pretender. Daemon Blackfyre struck his own coinage during his rebellion." - The Blackfyres and Wyman Manderly know the symbolic power of which face adorns their coins and how this symbol can lend legitimacy.
- And so, like Emmett was saying: Northern money minted by northmen with a King in the North’s face on the metal is a shadow on the wall.
- Wyman is uniquely poised to take advantage of this moment because of the resources offered by White Harbor, the mouth of the North as Davos calls it
- And that mouth must be fed; Wyman’s an ambitious politician, as George shows us by intercutting his play for Lady Hornwood’s hand with him devouring food
- But he’s also a genuine patriot who’s all in on an independent North, as we see when he refuses to even consider Tywin’s offer of Wylis for peace
- Certainly a patriot, but Wyman is leveraging the economic and military benefit White Harbor can provide in exchange for getting his son out of jail.
- The unstated threat is that all of this good work that Wyman’s doing on Robb’s behalf could come to an abrupt end if he doesn’t get his way.
- This in-between role perfectly suits the man who sits on the border between north and south and whose family history is all about the crossover point
- It also explains why he’s scorned by some other northern lords--not only because he’s an outsider, but because he’s so rich and good at getting richer
- In terms of our POV, Wyman is a positive role model for Bran--a lord who does not fit the martial archetype and must be carried around himself
- But Wyman’s doing just fine, and is kind to Bran, and Bran likes his ideas
- Hornwood politics
- Lady Hornwood makes for a much sadder story than her cousin Wyman
- Not only she did lose both husband and son to the opening battles of Robb’s campaign, but she can’t even be left to grieve in peace
- Instead, she has to fend off marriage offers and worse from everyone around her
- It’s a case study in the difference between the individual and the role they play in the big picture; Lady Hornwood is exhausted and gentle and sad, but what she represents is a threat to the peace of Robb’s realm
- Among the sad notes around Lady Hornwood is that the only man she’s interested in is Ser Rodrik Cassel, but he can’t marry Donella:
- “Why can’t you marry her?” Bran asked.
The old knight put a hand on Bran's arm. "A kindly thought, my prince, but I am only a knight, and besides too old. I might hold her lands for a few years, but as soon as I died Lady Hornwood would find herself back in the same mire, and Beth's prospects might be perilous as well." - The class structure of Westeros prevents a man of knightly class in the form of Ser Rodrik from marrying Donella
- And it also endangers those below lordly and knightly status in the form of Beth Cassel.
- And those questions of class, gender and inheritance gives me the opportunity to talk about how inheritance works in Westeros, because if there’s something we learn from this chapter, it can be a thorny issue!
- This topic is interesting to me, but it’s also interesting to George, because GRRM responded to a fan question about why Donella’s sister couldn’t inherit from her, and it’s among the longest So Spake Martin answers George ever gave.
- Here’s about half of George’s POV of how inheritance works in cases like the Hornwoods:
Well, the short answer is that the laws of inheritance in the Seven Kingdoms are modelled on those in real medieval history... which is to say, they were vague, uncodified, subject to varying interpretations, and often contradictory.
A man's eldest son was his heir. After that the next eldest son. Then the next, etc. Daughters were not considered while there was a living son, except in Dorne, where females had equal right of inheritance according to age.
After the sons, most would say that the eldest daughter is next in line. But there might be an argument from the dead man's brothers, say. Does a male sibling or a female child take precedence? Each side has a "claim."
What if there are no children, only grandchildren and great grandchildren. Is precedence or proximity the more important principle? Do bastards have any rights? What about bastards who have been legitimized, do they go in at the end after the trueborn kids, or according to birth order? What about widows? And what about the will of the deceased? Can a lord disinherit one son, and name a younger son as heir? Or even a bastard?
There are no clear cut answers, either in Westeros or in real medieval history. Things were often decided on a case by case basis. A case might set a precedent for later cases... but as often as not, the precedents conflicted as much as the claims - That complexity is what’s at work with Lady Hornwood’s heir.
- Should she be married to the Manderlys and earn the gratitude of Robb’s most economically prosperous vassal? Maybe, but Lady Hornwood doesn’t seem keen on marrying Wyman or his son.
- Maybe she should be married into the Umbers -- securing a truculent northern house? Again, Lady Hornwood isn’t down with the Umbers, and the Manderlys aren’t overly fond of the Umbers.
- Maybe they legitimize Lord Hornwood’s bastard son Larence who’s being fostered at Deepwood Motte? Robb secures the western part of the North, but he pisses off the Umbers, Manderlys and Lady Hornwood herself.
- How about instead, they have the younger Tallhart son foster with Lady Hornwood and maybe he takes the Hornwood name in exchange for becoming the heir? Thus, the line continues. But then you have all these other claimants.
- The bottom line is that this is the proverbial Gordian Knot, but there is a sharp sword that will cut it as Luwin will foreshadow:
“The Dreadfort has no claim that I know, but the lands adjoin, and Roose Bolton is not one to overlook such a chance." - She’s also here to introduce Ramsay into the narrative; like the young Walders, who will later become his squires, he is the fly in the ointment of the new polity
- He’s taken advantage of the power vacuum left by most lords and their forces heading to the south; it doesn’t take much manpower to cause trouble now
- And already he’s obsessed with gaining access to that Bolton name; civil wars are politically tumultuous times, allowing Ramsays as well as Davoses to rise
- Umber politics
- And then there’s these chuckleheads, cutting through the pretenses by staggering in drunk, making the Greatjon look sober by comparison
- The Umbers offer a different sort of test than the Manderlys or the Hornwood inheritance; they consider themselves the true Northerners, and must always be kept in line
- This is not to say they’re too bluff and honest for politics, as Steven has noted before; they have their own angles to pursue like anyone else
- They just have a different angle on it, with Crowfood playing the swaggering life of the party and Whoresbane dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s
- They’re also different from Wyman in that they’re not lords, and Crowfood is clearly trying to get out of his brother’s house and get his own castle
- They need to be forced to work with Wyman--again, the latter is No True Northman--but forced they are, because Winterfell keeps control
- Glover and Tallhart politics
- Each house makes their own play for a piece of the Hornwood inheritance, all rooted in the attributes of the individuals by which they make that play
- It’s a great way of expressing how feudal politics works: more rooted in individuals than we may be used to, but with the institutions we’re more familiar with chugging away in the background
- And as in real-world politics, a lot of it comes down to how you act in front of the ruler, hence Leobald’s hesitation to properly respect Bran
- Throughout, we’re seeing the limitation of the current leaders of Winterfell, unable to properly protect Lady Hornwood or bring Benfred to heel
- Something’s gotta change; Bran’s gotta do better
- Life is but a dream
- In memory, I’d reduced magic’s presence to the dream at the very end, but on reread, I found that wasn’t true; it’s there in the background all the way through
- It’s there with Osha mentioning the dreams, it’s there with the hedge wizard at Deepwood Motte, it’s there with Hodor, as we’ll get into in a bit
- As Jeff said, this provides a perfect microcosm of the series as a whole
- It also frames Bran as the link--the crossover point between political and magical worlds, who must reconcile both
- Stannis’ letter provokes such a different response in him than anyone else, because the secret it reveals is connected to his trauma and loss of childhood
- So the chapter really snaps into place at the end, with Bran’s third eye both calling him back and propelling him forward; his loss and his powers are both rooted in the terrible truth about the royal family, and he himself is destined to take over that very same crown
Foreshadowing/Groundwork
Hodor’s origin story
- If the gods hadn’t taken your wits, you would have been a great knight. Given that the old gods are greenseers who’ve gone into the tree, is this foreshadowing of Bran taking Hodor’s wits?
- Lots of door talk in this chapter
Bran as King of Westeros:
Bran knew he would never be a lord, no more than he could be a knight. “Robb’s to marry some Frey girl, you told me so yourself, and the Walders say the same. He’ll have sons, and they’ll be the lords of Winterfell after him, not me.”
No one knows who Ramsay is or who he looks like:
"Lord Bolton has never acknowledged the boy, so far as I know," Ser Rodrik said. "I confess, I do not know him."
"Few do," she replied.
This idea that few people know who Ramsay is and fewer know what he looks like is going to play a major role in the Reek/Ramsay plot come later in ACOK as everyone will think that Ramsay is dead and Reek, his servant is alive because no one knows what the Bastard of Bolton looks like. Rodrik Cassel’s statement that he doesn’t know Ramsay will prove especially fatal as Ramsay will be the one who will murder Rodrik outside of the walls of Winterfell at the end of the book.
Theory/Discussion
This chapter plants a lot of seeds which GRRM gardens into being major plot points for ADWD and TWOW. Let’s talk about them!
- Manderly
- Wyman Manderly lurched ponderously to his feet. "I have been building warships for more than a year. Some you saw, but there are as many more hidden up the White Knife. Even with the losses I have suffered, I still command more heavy horse than any other lord north of the Neck. My walls are strong, and my vaults are full of silver. Oldcastle and Widow's Watch will take their lead from me. My bannermen include a dozen petty lords and a hundred landed knights. I can deliver King Stannis the allegiance of all the lands east of the White Knife, from Widow's Watch and Ramsgate to the Sheepshead Hills and the headwaters of the Broken Branch. All this I pledge to do if you will meet my price."
- Just a note here, trivia, if you will, I’ve looked through the books, and I don’t see a spot where Robb authorized the silver mint or Wyman to build ships. Yet, it reads that he chose the “easier to ask forgiveness when the permission route doesn’t work out” route.
- Manderly fleet
- The silver mint
- Umber Uncles
Conclusion
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