Aegon has to stay aboard but is not happy about it. He and Tyrion play cyvasse. They discuss Daenerys and Tyrion asks why Aegon thinks Daenerys would want him. She has achieved so much and what can Aegon offer her? Tyrion says he would be best off going to Westeros and raising his banners. Then she will come to him because she is a rescuer. Aegon gets bratty.

The others return with news for Griff. It appears that Volantis is arguing for war. Haldon is sent to get more information and takes Tyrion with him. They listen to a red priest arguing that supporters of R’hllor should support Daenerys as she is Azor Ahai reborn.

They then go to an inn and speak with a customs man who says that Volantis will go to war against her. The Wise Masters are splashing the cash and all the other cities are against her as well. On the way back Tyrion wants a whore. Haldon lets him go. He is looking for Tysha but, of course, she’s not there. He gets drunk as well as laid. On the way out he is captured by a knight, with bear arms, who says he’s going to take him to the Queen.

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Yay! Tyrion’s not dead, and back on form.

Jon is taking supplies to Mole Town to feed the wildling refugees and the remaining townspeople. They are hungry and angry.

Along the way he sees three trees carved with faces and realises that Melsandre’s ceremony was empty. The people want more food and say that the Watchmen eat better than they do. Jon says that anyone prepared to fight to defend the kingdom from the Others is welcome to come to the Wall where they will get better rations. He wins over sixty-three of them, but no Thenns, which is a problem.

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Oh, well done Jon, that was nicely played. More will come afterwards I think. It looks like Jon is making some much needed changes and I hope it all works out for him.

Davos is in a well-appointed room waiting the pleasure of Lord Manderly. Despite the comfort of his surroundings, he is a prisoner. Finally, he is brought to the Merman’s Hall to an audience with Lord Manderly. The hall is full of people, Manderlys and their sworn men, as well as a bunch of Freys.

The Freys say that Robb Stark turned into a wolf at the Red Wedding and killed everyone, including Manderly’s son. Davos calls them liars.

Manderly notes that the Freys and Lannisters have put a lot on the table and wonder what Stannis has to offer that would be comparable. He also points out that the Lannisters hold his other son hostage. Davos’ first response is duty; supporting Stannis is the right thing to do. Manderly’s brother asks some pointed questions about the strength of arms Stannis can bring to the field and Davos concedes that it is not much.

Lots of people chip in on one side or the other and in the end Manderly says that Davos hurt White Harbour when he was a smuggler. For that, he will give the Freys and Lannisters what they want and behead him.

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The Merman Hall is cool. It’s decorated like an undersea palace and Martin’s description of it is awesome.

Jon goes beneath Castle Black to check the stores with Dolorous Edd and Bowen Marsh. There seems like a lot of food but Marsh says that with Stannis’ men and the wildlings what should have lasted 3-4 years will only last one year. Jon thinks it’s colder than it should be beneath the Wall.

When he surfaces he finds Stannis wants to see him. Stannis is planning to attack the Dreadfort and wants arms and armour. They discuss half the Umbers declaring for Stannis. Jon says they can’t take the Dreadfort and recommends they ask the mountain clans to join them, then go to take Deepwood Motte. Stannis likes this idea. Melisandre is staying at the Wall.

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Someone needs to take down the Boltons and it might as well be Stannis. But can he do it? Men don’t follow Stannis for love.

So there’s not much food at Castle Black, compounded by not being able to go out ranging. That’s going to be a problem. Plus, Melisandre staying at the Wall can only be bad news. Jon’s idea to get the wildlings to defend the Wall is a really good one. Let’s hope he can make it stick.

Davos lands in White Harbor in the guise of an ordinary sailor. He’s familiar with White Harbor from his smuggling days and notes that the defences seem much better than they were before. In the inner harbour there is a war galley flying Tommen’s arms. Davos walks about for a bit, seeing what’s what. He learns that refugees are flocking to the city and any boy or man that wants it is being given a spearman’s job. He goes to a smugglers tavern and lurks in a shadowy corner, listening for gossip. He doesn’t learn much he didn’t already know, except that no one is talking about how Stannis went to the Wall to save the Seven Kingdoms from the Others, and that a Queen in the East has some dragons. He wonders what he should do for a moment, but in the end he is loyal to Stannis above all else. He goes to the castle.

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Tyrion is on a riverboat with Griff, Young Griff and the rest of their party. They’re heading down the Rhoyne to Volantis. The party includes two Dornish orphans who’ve returned home to the Rhoyne and who own the boat. Along with Griff, Young Griff, Rolly and Haldon, there is also Septa Lemore, who Tyrion fantasises about. Griff is denying Tyrion wine, so he’s sobered up and not overly happy about it. Griff sleeps all day and guards the boat at night. During the day, Rollo trains Young Griff in arms, Lemore in matters of faith, and Haldon in everything else.

In the evening, Haldon and Tyrion play Cyvasse, a game like chess that has become recently popular. Tyrion has been losing badly so far and he suggests that they wager for secrets. This time Tyrion wins.

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Ahh, it’s drunk Tyrion that’s obnoxious, stupid Tyrion then. It was frustrating not to find out what Tyrion found out. I think I might have been supposed to picked something more up from this chapter. Hmm. Or maybe it was just about getting to know the characters a bit more.

Bran and his party are at the bottom of a steep climb up to a door in the mountainside. They are frozen and starving. The elk died and they ate it. It lasted for a week but that was all. Coldhands seems to be expecting Others. Jojen is nearly done for. Bran tries to motivate them all. He knows through Summer that the three wolves are following.

They start the climb. It’s steep and slippery and they are almost there when Hodor slips and falls. Bran is crushed beneath him and then wights start crawling out of the ground. They’ve been ambushed. Bran is thrown out of his basket. He slips into Hodor’s skin; for all his size and strength, Hodor doesn’t know how to fight and is terrified. Without Bran he would die. Meera, Coldhands, Summer and Hodor are fighting hard but the zombies are really hard to kill. Bran sees someone set the zombies on fire which gives them time to get into the cave. The cave is warded which means that the zombies can’t get in but also means Coldhands can’t come with them.

The someone turns out to be a child of the forest. She leads them down inside the mountain to the three-eyed crow, who is a man on a throne, entwined and pierced through by weirwood roots. Bran thinks that there must be a massive and very old weirwood grove above them. Bran asks if the crow can fix his legs and the crow says he will never walk again, but that he will learn to fly.

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That was hairy. Varamyr’s lurking about; I don’t suppose he’s up to any good. So, the three-eyed crow is a man, not a child of the forest, and was once a man of the Night’s Watch. Hmm, wonder who it is.

When Hodor fell, I thought they weren’t going to make it. So what happens now? Who will Bran become?