Castle Black

Castle Black is the fourth episode of Season Seven (7.4).

Summary
The Night's Watch send for help; Jon secures a navy and learns of Daenerys' armada; Yara secures vital resources; Tyrion barters a rough deal with Tyrosh; Cersei seeks aid from the Iron Bank of Braavos; Gilly finds a place in life; Jorah and Raq'in are attacked on the road to Volantis; Bran sees Benjen approaching;

Plot
The Wall. Stewards run along the top of the battlements carrying parchments. As they move, we see the terrified faces and postures of the Brothers looking at their enemy. We overhear some of their demoralised remarks. Back to Edd and his chiefs. Bran is still being held up by Arron and Donnel nearby. Edd watches the dead as they stand patiently in their long, long line. He turns to one of his men and tells them to also send word to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea and the Shadow Tower. He wants to know how far it goes. They all go back to just looking at their enemy. There is no motion. They simply stand in wait. Donnel remarks that they look like statues. “What are they waiting for?” Edd asks. “Winter,” Bran says. “Isn't it fucking cold enough?” one of the rangers asks. “No,” Arron says. He's looking beyond the dead and off to the horizon. The forests and mountains are now invisible behind a coming dark snowstorm, black and grey and swirling. The stewards get to the rookery and attach their many parchments to the ravens, which are cast off in turn.

Jon arrives at White Harbour and inspects the fleet with Davos and Lord Manderly. Davos is in his element here, demonstrating a knowledge of the ships that puts even Lord Manderly to shame. He notes that they are fine for speed and probably combat, but that the holds must be reinforced to carry the number of troops needed to take Dragonstone. He knows the castle very well, having lived there for many years with his son, Matthos. Jon asks what happened to Matthos, and Davos tells him about the Battle of Blackwater Bay, the wildfire and his son's death there. They talk about reports that wildfire destroyed the Sept of Baelor, where Jon's father died. However, neither men consider justice served. Davos says he loved Stannis, but he had to watch as the man was consumed by the duty to become King. “It cost everything. His name, his followers, his own daughter. Then his own life in the end.” He notes that it was never greed or ambition that drove him, but merely the belief that he had to be king. Duty. Pursuing the supposed 'greater good' led to awful things, especially when he was driven by divinity. “He was told he was Azor Ahai, the Prince that was Promised. That's immunity from the laws of man if I've ever heard of it. There's no justice from people who have destiny on their side.” Lord Manderly states that one of his sons, Wylis, was killed in the Riverlands by Southrons led by the Mountain. The other, Wendel, died at the Red Wedding. Jon delivered justice for one of them by wiping out House Bolton, and Littlefinger suggests that Walder Frey has now been assassinated. “There's always some justice,” he says, “but not all of it. For the rest you need to make your own plans.” Jon asks if that's why Manderly constructed a fleet in secret, to find justice. Manderly answers that he built his fleet that the Starks might rule the North again. He kept it secret because he doesn't trust those in their midst. They are interrupted by a Vale page, who wishes to report on Lord Baelish's behalf that important news has reached them.

Jon and his commanders come together at Lord Manderly's keep, where Lord Baelish shares the big news. Daenerys Targaryen sails for Westeros with a large Greyjoy fleet and three dragons. She has allied herself with the Martells and the Tyrells, giving her Dorne and the Reach. The bulk of her army is made up of Dothraki blood riders and Unsullied shock troops. It is a larger force than that of Aegon the Conqueror, and it will be arriving on land in a matter of weeks. Luckily it's sheer size means that it cannot simply disembark in one long go. Davos attests to this. But spies and scouts have already been deployed. The direction appears to be due west, towards the Blackwater. Jon remarks that now three sides will be trying to get a hold of Dragonstone. The good news, however, is that they have with them somebody who knows the castle better than anyone else living. Davos is modest, but makes it clear that he isn't a military commander. His expertise is in getting inside without a fight, as he did to feed Storm's End during Robert's Rebellion. Robbet Glover suggests that fighting wouldn't be in their best interests. “There's no use getting dragonglass if there's nobody left to wield it.” Jon agrees, but gives Littlefinger a glance before saying he wants to marshal his full strength before finalising a plan.

Daenerys' navy arrives at the Stepstones. She stands at the bridge of her ship, looking decidedly unhappy. We see the smaller vessels coming in to land and their skiffs already setting off. Tyrion approaches Daenerys and tries to explain the necessity of their stop, but she walks away from him before he can continue. The dragons circle the islands ahead, apparently performing their own scouting. Cut ahead to a later point, as the bulk of Daenerys' force sets foot on solid ground. The Dothraki are visibly delighted, laughing and jostling each other. Daenerys watches the horses being taken on land and reunited with their riders. The bond between animal and man is clear, and her icy demeanour thaws somewhat. She approaches a group of Dothraki bloodriders and asks them, in Dothraki, whether the legends of the poison water have been matched by their ride. They robustly claim that the legends were old wives' tales all along, making her smile. The chief speaker, AKKARO, says that he would cross a million oceans as long as there was an enemy at the other side of each one, that his Khaleesi would have him destroy and mount. Daenerys promises that there's no shortage of enemies for him and his men to fight, and he is pleased. The Dothraki mount their horses and ride around the island, wailing as they do. Tyrion watches on, disconcerted. Yara notices his discomfort and grins before approaching. He admits that he finds it slightly distasteful that they'll be depositing this horde on his country. Yara simply says that it's no more distasteful than the mess the Dothraki and their horses are leaving aboard her ships. That won't last as long as the food doesn't though, he notes. Yara says she's thought of this, and leads Tyrion to a nearby bluff. He suggests that she's deliberately victimising him for his height. However, they reach the top. She points out a collection of ships partially hidden behind a smaller island to the north. “Those aren't ours. Sorry, yours,” Tyrion says. “Pirates,” Yara says. “I think I know who they belong to and all.” “Old friends?” “Hardly. Rich men, though. And men who know how to get things they don't have enough of.”

Later on, Daenerys has assembled her chiefs for an impromptu meeting in a decidedly rough looking military tent. Tyrion, Grey Worm, Missandei, Yara and Akkaro make up her makeshift council. We're straight to the point. The Dothraki are benefiting from their rest, and the Dragons too. The army is well set up and fortified, but it's unlikely anybody will make trouble for them here. However, Tyrion underlines in no uncertain terms that they don't have enough food to get them to a decent position in Westeros, let alone Dragonstone. They can forage and hunt on the Stepstones, but resources are scarce. They have 115,000 men and women to feed including sailors, irregulars and auxiliaries. The reserves they took from Slaver's Bay are now dwindling and fishing stocks can barely keep up with their immediate needs. “As long as we do not have a new source of food,” Tyrion says, “we're going nowhere.” Daenerys is infuriated. With home so close, she cannot tolerate any more delays. Tyrion counsels patience but is derided as overly cautious. She demands ideas. Grey Worm says the Unsullied can slash their own rations, but Daenerys rejects this, though she appreciates the gesture. Akkaro suggests raiding and pillaging the towns and villages of the nearest land. This is Dorne, as Tyrion notes, and allies tend not to like being pillaged. However, he has an idea; the nearby Essos city of Tyrosh. “They seem to like dragons if their obsidian walls are anything to go by, and the worshippers of Rhllor have some sway there.” Daenerys suggests threatening them with the dragons. Tyrion counters that offering them generosity and promises is a better solution. Yara says that there are pirates in the Stepstones, masters of the craft she has met and fought in her time. One in particular she thinks could be of use. She suggests meeting with them and offering them a place at Daenerys' table in exchange for their reaving. “I'd do that myself, but all my ships are full of horse dung. And you did tell me not to.” Daenerys says these are both good ideas. “Which one wins?” Tyrion asks. “Both,” Daenerys says. “We need a lot of food. Yara, treat with these pirates and get their plunder. My loyal hand, I can think of nobody better to deal with the Tyroshi.”

Qyburn returns to King’s Landing with the bad news from Dorne. He rides into the Red Keep with Ser Arys, who notes his clear discomfort. “It just occurred to, my good knight,” he says, “how utterly terrifying our majesty is when we're faced with their own failures.” They arrive at the Small Council room to find that the table is gone. It is an empty cell now. Instead, Qyburn goes up to the Queen's chambers and finds her at the window looking out over the city. He tells her what happened. Cersei remarks that the Dornish are treacherous people who cannot be trusted not to scramble for shining stones in the sands. She drinks her wine and, after a long pause, surprises Qyburn by saying it doesn't matter. She orders Ser Arys to “go fetch Ser Giles.” Ser Arys leaves. Cersei says that the Dornish “weaken their own hand. Those that Yronwood defeats will come into our fold.” Qyburn remarks that without support from the Dornish seat, the Reach will starve them out. Cersei says that Randyll Tarly will eventually turn on the “old crone in the garden” and open up the wheat fields. “Until then, we can import all the food we need from the Free Cities. As long as Jaime holds Dragonstone, we have them at arm's reach and that's close enough for my claws.” Qyburn notes that the Small Council chamber has been repurposed. Cersei shrugs at this. What use are they unless she has specific enquiries or instructions? She doesn't have time to indulge the egos of old men and lackies with her presence. “Besides, I've read the same books as you. I know it's not mandatory.” Ser Arys returns with Lord Gyles Rosby, the rather terrified new master of coin. Cersei instructs him to summon an envoy from the Iron Bank of Braavos. “We'll need friends to make more friends.” She then turns to Ser Arys and tells him that she's heard troubling reports of unrest in the Riverlands. With Lord Walder dead, there is some chaos ensuing. “Take a thousand men and bring order back to that poor land, before it's too late for them.”

Oldtown. Gilly stands at the door to her dwelling talking to an old woman. She glances back at Little Sam frequently, with clear anxiety in her eye. “We never get separated,” she says, “I think he thinks I'll never come back if we do.” The old woman appears kind and sympathetic, but once it's clear she's to look after Little Sam, she puts out a hand. Gilly sighs and hands over some coins. We see her walking alone through the streets of Oldtown, and then arriving at the Citadel. She receives plenty of dirty and bemused looks from the maesters and novices there. Confused, she tries to find help. She's supposed to meet with an 'Archmaester Abross'. Eventually she's approached by a white haired but kindly man who suggests that it's Archmaester Ebrose she's supposed to see. Gilly insists on Abross, but he tells her there is no Abross, but that he is EBROSE, and that he's supposed to meet with a vice nice young lady named Gilly. He leads her upstairs in spite of the continued looks.

They come to a small office filled with pieces of medical apparatus and sit down. Ebrose asks about Gilly's thick accent and manner of speech. She initially claims to come from House Amber, but Ebrose laughs this off and tells Gilly to be honest with him. “In my field, I find that transparency helps matters.” Gilly is reassured and explains that she's from north of the wall. Ebrose is delighted by this, and admits he has more questions than he knows what to do with. “I do believe that Archmaester Guyne would willingly owe a great deal to speak to a member of the freefolk.” They get to the point; Gilly needs work, and Ebrose requires after-care for those he treats. “A lot of my patients are not long for this world, and my efforts are pedagogical more than strictly medical … I'm sorry. I mean that we can learn from them, but not make them better.” Someone needs to look after them once they're done at the Citadel, and Gilly's experience and background would imply she is tough enough to do it. In return she will receive a stipend from his office that will keep her from all but the largest of wants. She is delighted, but Ibrose then asks about Sam. As she begins to talk, Pate wanders in and immediately freezes. He didn't expect to see them. Ibrose shouts at him to leave, and he stumbles away. Ibrose immediately returns to his kindly demeanour and urges Gilly to continue. She explains that Sam rescued Gilly from Craster, and from the mutineers who killed him. He has brought halfway across the world and taken on her son as his own. Ibrose looks pained. He tells her that as a Maester, Sam can take no wife and no companionship of any kind. Gilly is stunned. Afterwards, Ibrose leads her out and tells her to be at a small house by the Citadel tomorrow morning. She walks away smiling, but then the smile crumples and she begins to sob.

Behind her in a doorway, Pate watches and frowns, then sneaks into a dark room. It's another office, this one filled with old books and scrolls. He searches the room quickly, and freezes again when he hears footsteps outside. His search resumes until he finds a set of keys. Very carefully, he removes one of these keys and replaces it with another that looks similar. He pockets the key and then sneaks away again.

Jorah and Raq'in pass through the last of the Disputed Lands, the final sight is of a town under siege by some decidedly bored looking troops. On the road behind them, a number of women and children are nailed to posts. Jorah looks up at them from his horse and falters. His greyscale is visibly spreading and he's struggling to keep it covered. That night they stop and make camp off the road, and Jorah watches the flames in the distance from the battle. Singing metal carries in the breeze. Raq'in notices Jorah's gaze. “Do you know whose work this is?” he asks, and Jorah says it doesn't matter. “I suppose not,” Raq'in shrugs. “But all of this destruction we have passed by and you do not ask once. You might not care, but I do not think so. You know what this is. You know that when your Queen took Slaver's Bay, she put all of this into motion. Volantis vouched for these lands, but when Astapor fell, they moved their troops and needed more food, so turned to the Iron Bank of Braavos. The Volantenes towns and villages were forgotten or ignored, and so their enemies came unopposed. You see, Ser Jorah, what good Daenerys Stormborn has done here.” Jorah denies this point and says that Daenerys' good actions should not be overshadowed by the evil of others, and that the change she brings is needed and possible. “I sold slaves once, and now I follow the breaker of chains,” he says. Raq'in laughs. “One man is not a civilisation,” he says, “and an absolute ruler who burns alive those who challenge her right to rule is no messiah.” Jorah grimaces and looks at his greyscale again. His forearms are now like stone. His eyes are red and veins protruding. “Do not worry,” Raq'in tells him. “We'll be there soon.” Later that night, Jorah sleeps and the party are attacked by bandits. A fight ensues. Jorah tries to partake, but can barely hold his sword and is unable to swing it. He is saved from a quick death by Raq'in, who skilfully slays five of the bandits, who retreat into the night. A couple of other members of the expedition are killed, but the caravan they protect is kept. Jorah falls to his knees. That day, Jorah is slumped over his horse as the pair reach sight of Volantis. “Prepare yourself, Ser Jorah,” Raq'in says, “the worst is still to come.”

In the Stepstones, Yara and a handful of Ironborn sail a small boat through narrow crevasses into a cave network. They hide their boat and move quickly and quietly into the tunnels. There are armed pirates here, sentries and guards who are avoided. Some are knocked unconscious where necessary. Then Yara and her men reach a large chamber below the island. It is an improvised den of luxury, filled with golden ornaments and effects and with a crown of sorts sat before a large stone table and golden chairs. Pirates laugh and drink here, and tell stories. They are lit by the daylight from above. At the head of the table is Salladhor Saan. He tells a joke to his friends. “An Astaporian man stands in a line where the Unsullied give out food. But it is so long that he stands there for half a day. He becomes furious and screams, and he shouts 'I cannot take this any longer! I hate Daenerys Stormborn, I hate her Dragon Empire, I am going to Meereen to strangle her myself!' This man leaves the line and he leaves the city. A month later, he returns to the back of the line in Astapor and stands and waits. His friends see him and ask, 'did you strangle Daenerys Stormborn?' The man says 'No. That line was even longer!'” The pirates laugh at this and drink. Yara steps in and tells him that his joke is now wrong. Daenerys Stormborn is not in Meereen. Salladhor shrugs. He has not been on the seas for some time, and does not know what city Daenerys has seized for herself. Yara tells him that Daenerys and her vast army sail for Westeros. They are almost there. She takes a seat off one of the pirates and sits and drinks and she and Salladhor talk about their loyalties. She serves a foreign queen, yes. But he abandoned the rightful domestic king. Salladhor explains that burning children alive is not a kingly act, and nor a good business decision. She tells him that Daenerys wants him and his fleet to sail for her, to raid and pillage every shore they can reach and bring her back all the food they can carry. He laughs and asks why he would, so she assures him he will be rewarded. No more hunts, no more sailing. He'll receive land and a title. He says he's done working on promises alone. So she shrugs, and signals one of her men. He steps forward with a bow, then lights an arrow in one of the torches on the chamber wall. Then he fires it directly upwards into the gap above them. There is a long pause, then Drogon appears in the gap. Daenerys rides on his back. Yara asks Salladhor what kind of offers he would accept. Salladhor composes himself, laughs, then says he will require a down payment.

The Wall. Bran sits in chambers in front of the fire. Edd is there too, sat nearby with his head in his hands. He hasn't slept and the weight of the world brings his shoulders down. He talks about not knowing what to do, then remarks at the absurdity of his confiding in a young boy. He discusses Jon, suggesting that perhaps he sees something of him in Bran. “Same father, I suppose,” Edd says. Bran looks about to correct this only to hold his tongue. Edd tells him about Jon as a fighter, a spy and a leader. He's not the smartest, not the best, not even the most inspirational. “But he kept doing the thing you should do instead of the thing everyone does, and he kept getting back up every time someone knocked him down for it. Even when they killed him for it, he got right back up.” They talk about this. Bran knows about Jon coming back to life, and it seems like he knows why it happened. “I was scared when he came back,” Edd says, “but I'll tell ye what, Bran. I was more scared when he left us for good. It's odd how reassuring it is having a dead man on your side. Now they're all over there.” Bran notes that Edd misses Jon, and reassures him that Jon will return in good time. In the meantime, he needs to become the leader he's destined to be so that the men of the Night's Watch can feel just as safe. Edd asks Bran for help. “You know things, you've seen things. These lot are a miserable bunch, but they're all looking at you like you're one of the seven.” Bran says there's little he can do, but he'll do what he can. He wargs, and Edd stumbles away before coming back and examining Bran's supine form. He's with the ravens now, over the wall and past the line of the dead. Beyond the Haunted Forest and the ridges the dead are waiting, an army beyond counting. Bran swoops and we see atop a crag a man on horseback watching. He gets closer. It's Benjen. The ravens rise and fly clear.

Across the Seven Kingdoms, the message arrives from the Night’s Watch. Lord Yronwood in Sunspear reacts to it with incredulity. Olenna Tyrell at Highgarden takes in the message and sits down heavily before shaking her head. Aeron Damphair at Pyke reads it then stares out to the land of the North. Robin Arryn at the Eeyrie. Jaime reads it at Dragonstone and is puzzled, but then passes it on to Euron who laughs. Cersei in King’s Landing reads the message and her lip curls. Sam sneaks a look at it over a maester’s shoulder in Oldtown and his eyes widen in panic. She tosses the letter away as she stands alone in the throne room.

Over this, we hear Jon's voice.''“The dead are at the gates. Hundreds of thousands. Realm in the greatest peril. Send all aid you can muster.”'' White Harbour. Jon stands looking at this note, Davos and Manderly and Glover beside him. He thought he had more time, to which Glover remarks that it's the dead who have all the time in the world to decide when they shall walk again. Manderly says he can have the Northern army at Eastwatch within two days, but Jon rejects the offer. They have no chance on their own, and they have no chance even if all the kingdoms south answer the call, which they won't. Nobody has a chance without the dragonglass and every Valyrian steel sword known to man, or what it is that forges those swords. They must continue to Dragonstone and collect its weapons. Then they must make peace with the Dragon Queen.

Winterfell. Brienne is reading this same message. Royce is present too. A shocked Sansa is coming to terms with the news. The dead are no longer Jon's matter, or simply a battle for the Night's Watch to fight. There's nowhere left for them to retreat to. If they get past the Wall, the North become the next line of defence. She orders Brienne to muster a northern host, then asks if Royce is willing to ride with then. He is reluctant to leave her side, but Sansa insists that she needs her blade to be at the frontline while a Stark remains at Winterfell. Royce agrees, and says he'll send word to Robin Arryn in the hope that reinforcements can be sent. Brienne does not want Sansa either. The last time she was dispatched by the woman she was sworn to defend, Sansa lost her mother. Sansa assures her that Catelyn's death was not her fault, no more than Renly's walls. And it won’t matter if she’s protecting her if the dead reach Winterfell. “If we lose at the Wall, all will be lost.” She then asks that Brienne stop at the Gift and bring the Wildlings into the fold. “Their leader seems quite fond of you,” she adds. Brienne looks fit to burst. Sansa addresses her people. “We must face this as the war it is. The time for talking is done.”

At sea, Tyrion is taking his expedition east. He sits with Missandei in personal quarters. She has been dispatched with him to facilitate the agreement and potentially smooth over communication issues. Tyrion drinks wine, quicker than usual. He notes that he hasn't had dragons on his side for long enough to become accustomed to speak on their behalf. “Usually, I'd just offer to pay someone enough to get them to do what I wanted. Now I have to threaten them with annihilation instead. It requires a wholly different candour.” Missandei points out that he wanted to try diplomacy rather than violence, and he scoffs at this. “There is no diplomacy without the offering of gold or the promise of violence. Our queen has a surprising lack of the former, her braids and heart notwithstanding. Though given past events I'm hardly inclined to try offering those over.” Missandei says that when Daenerys came to Astapor and freed her and the Unsullied, she used diplomacy and trade as a pretence, then took what she needed. “All very well when dealing with slavers,” Tyrion says, “but the free cities don't inspire that same disgust or antipathy. Our queen will have to honour her word if we're to stop her throne being a musical one.” Missandei is confused by this, and Tyrion drops it. He continues to drink. “I spent time with a whore from Tyrosh once,” he says. “Perhaps they know her.”

Oldtown. It's the end of another day, and the sun sets on the coastal town. The Citadel casts a thick and long shadow like a sundial. Sam leaves the building with his fellow novices, including Pate. They ask if he wants to join them. He looks ready to answer in the affirmative, but looks up and sees Gilly and Little Sam waiting for him. She is upset. He makes his excuses and hurries off. They meet up and Little Sam hugs Big Sam's leg. Sam tries to greet Gilly, but she glares at him. He asks what's wrong. The novices observe this and exchange speculations on who Gilly is, how Sam got her pregnant, and whether he's smart enough to keep a secret lover. They go to the tavern and drink and make fun of the Archmaesters and debate points on history, lore and the sciences. Then Pate leaves. He says he has an appointment and winks and his fellows. He makes his way to the harbour walk where a man watches the sunset. Pate approaches the man; Jaqen. The former talks about how brilliant the view is from the Citadel. Jaqen returns that a man only believes he has the best view of a thing when he can get no higher than he has. Pate says he'd love to see the sun set from atop the Titan of Braavos. Jaqen asks why he thinks it might be different this time, when he's so high up. Pate is bemused. They get to business; Pate has something, but needs something. Jaqen offers the gold coin, and Pate takes it, then hands over the key. A fair trade it seems, but while Pate hurries off with his prize, Jaqen stands and watches him. Pate becomes worried and then pained. He gasps and drops his coin, then grabs the hand that held it as it seizes up. His eyes are wide and become bloodshot. Then he stops and wheezes and his face goes red and his body stricken. He falls forward to the ground and chokes for breath. Then he goes still and his eyes become lifeless. Dead as a post.

Voltantis, at night. Jorah is bedridden in a house by the ports.Curtains have been raised around the bed, but the windows are open and the sounds of evening drift in. He is stiff and pained and the liquid applied to his skin does little. Local men stand clear and talk about him in a foreign tongue, and cast him glances. Raq'in enters the room and comments that Jorah's condition has earned him some luxuries the road could not afford. Jorah is not interested in luxury. He knows that whatever it is ahead of him, it could prove fatal. He says he understands what the men are talking about and why they shun him. Apparently he's one of “the defilers of Meereen.” Raq'in explains that the Volantenes enjoy talking about how the Second Sons are brutalising the city they now rule. “Vicious lies,” Jorah mumbles. “Perhaps,” Raq'in replies. Jorah asks Raq'in for paper, a quill and the promise of a messenger. We see him barely managing to write his letter properly, so affected is his hand. Once done, he asks Raq'in what it is he lives for. Raq'in shrugs and says that the moment he stopped questioning life was the moment he began to enjoy it.

Oldtown. Gilly and Little Sam take a walk down by the harbour, taking in the early morning sun. Sam stands watching them from the door to their home, pained and hands clenching, unable to follow but desperate too. Then he sighs and walks to the Citadel. He's approaching the doors when Pate appears from them, carrying a sack over his shoulder. He makes to walk past Sam at a canter without looking, until Sam calls on him. Pate turns calmly and smiles. His demeanour is different and there's no real recognition there. “You alright?” Sam asks, “it's not like you do be in so early.” “I woke up and decided that I wanted to see the sun rise, from as high up as I could. Have a fine day.” Pate walks away, and Sam watches him bemused, but then visibly shrugs it off as he returns to his grumpy state. We see Pate exit the Citadel area and head back down to the harbour. A ship with sails unfurled sits waiting to leave and the camera lingers on it for several seconds.

Later on, Raq'in leads a procession through the streets of Volantis. Jorah is kept in a covered litter. It is evening, but the streets are still busy. Their display gets plenty of attention from these locals. Some throw vegetables and even spit, but they are chased away by the guards. Roquroro drops back to speak to Jorah, offering his apologies for the dreadful treatment. Jorah asks Raq'in about his value. He understands that the caravan Illyrio sent was a payment to whoever they are here to see, but he asks why it was worth sending Jorah himself so far and with such protection just to cure him. Raq'in laughs at this, then shakes his head sadly. “A great knight of the great Targaryen queen, and yet such a low opinion of himself.” He explains that he's incredibly valuable, presuming he does as instructed. They arrive at their destination, the Red Temple on the Volantese seafront. The waves crash high and splash up into a haze. The evening sky becomes gold and pink and the setting sun blends into the watery horizon to redden the sea. Raq'in rides to the door and speaks down to the slave soldiers who guard it. After a short exchange, they part ways and the doors of the huge temple open.

The interior of the temple is dark, lit sparsely by braziers and torches that cast long shadows and make what can be seen red and orange. There are rows of pillars and barely visible murals and hieroglyphs on the walls and ceiling. A huge brazier altar sits atop a set of stairs at the far end, with a hole in the roof directly above it. Spray from the high tide is visible above. Priests in dark red robes wait for arrivals. Jorah is helped out of the litter, and takes a couple of steps to the altar before faltering and collapsing. A tall and dark priest looks down at him and sneers, shakes his head, and looks at Raq'in. “You bring me an old sellsword cursed by Old Valyria.” Slave soldiers appear from the shadows. “No, Benerro,” a familiar voice says. “He brings a weapon touched by destiny.” Melisandre appears from behind the brazier. She puts a hand to Jorah's scaling face and lifts him up. Raq'in starts to pass on kind words from Illyrio, but the slave soldier seize him and his men. They are bound and beaten. Jorah growls and grimaces and seizes up again, almost falling. “Do not mourn the great warriors, Ser Jorah,” Melisandre says. “They form the steps for you to ascend to your place in history. To be the legend you always ignored.” Jorah laughs at this and looks about the temple. “Is this your God?” he asks. “All I see is cheap tricks. Are you an acting troup? Does this game really fool your crowds? I've seen dragons born of ancient rocks, and a young woman go unscathed from the flames. I've seen a girl destroy dynasties and empires. What have you seen but smoke?” A silence falls. Benerro is unimpressed, and makes as much clear. “Our reading of the flames was clear,” he says. “You'd have us set our course to oblivion for this man.” “Not for him,” Melisandre says, “but for the man he arms, the prince that was promised. The man whose divinity I have seen, and who shall stand against the darkness. Tell me, Ser Jorah; what would you do to see your beloved Khaleesi once again?” Jorah answers “anything.” She smiles, then nods to the priests. The prisoners are marched into the pyre. “Do not fear the light, young men,” Benerro tells them. “For the night is dark and full of terrors.” “So is your future,” Raq'in says. “It's coming for all of you. If you're lucky, it'll be these same flames.” Jorah is taken too, and all of them stand before the pyre. Anointing oils and thrown on them. Jorah groans and gasps and steam rises from his scaled skin. “The Lord of Light gives,” Melisandre says, “and he takes from men what they can give. Your reward is to vanquish the flames that might stop the darkness.” All the men but Jorah and pushed into the brazier. Raq'in glares at Melisandre and then spits at her. “You are the darkness,” he says. Benerro lights the pyre. The men scream as they burn. Melisandre turns to Jorah. “You have two choices, Ser Jorah. These men dying can be the last thing you see before this rot reaches your mind. Or you can join them, so that you will see your queen again, and fulfil her destiny and yours.” Jorah rises to his full height and shambles up the steps. The sea continues to crash outside. The screams die away. Jorah looks into the fire. There is the brief shape of a figure stabbing another figure in the heart. He closes his eyes and steps in its flames. Melisandre, Benerro and the priests watch as he shouts and cries.

The Wall. The army of the dead still stand in their long line, and the Night's Watch still stare down at them mesmerised. One of the Brothers faints at his post, exhausted. The rest have shadows under their bloodshot eyes, and their shoulders are hunched and postures haggard. Down at Castle Black, Edd is in his chambers with his chiefs. Bran sits in too, by the side. Edd reads two scrolls and then tells his men that the line of the dead extends as far as Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. They stretch for three hundred kilometres at a metre a piece. At least three hundred thousand, and that is not the extent of their army. “No, it's just what they want us to see.” The silence is heavy. “Why would they want anything?” a ranger asks. “They're dead.” “They're puppets,” Bran replies. “The men you see out there aren't men, they're bodies. Some of them died centuries ago. But the creatures that control them want for something. They have plans and goals. They serve their own king.” Most of the men listen intently. A couple of the others scoff. “What do these ice demons want then?” one asks. “They'll try to tell us,” Bran murmurs. A Brother bursts in with urgent news. The dead are moving. The Night's Watch chiefs pile into the elevator, and once again Bran is brought along for the ride by Arron and Donnel. At the top of the Wall, they come to their vantage point and look down. The line is still there. But behind them, thousands of dead soldiers have approached from the treeline and are assembling into an unusual formation. It takes some time to come together. Then it is formed, like the phi. The Brothers are baffled. Ravens croak and scream above. The dead move again, shifting effortlessly. This time they form the spiral. Bran stares at it. “What is this?” Edd asks. “They're telling us what they want,” Bran says. “What? What do they want?” “I don't know,” he says weakly. It is not a convincing answer. Below, the spiral fluctuates as the dead move, and so it spins and rolls inwards into itself. Bran's eyes widen. The ravens become deafening.