Dragonstone

Dragonstone is the second episode of Season Seven (7.2). It is preceded by Behind the Wall (7.1), and followed by The Marches (7.3).

Summary
Bran is taken at by the Night's Watch and summons Jon; Jon decides to go to Dragonstone; Cersei reappoints Bronn as head of the City Watch; the Hound and the Brotherhood face past sins as they move North; Theon fights back; Jorah encounters collateral damage en route to Volantis; Qyburn plots a Dornish coup d’etat; Euron and Jaime take Dragonstone; the Riverlands suffer for Arya's actions.

Plot
The Wall. At Castle Black, Bran is brought into the warmth of the inner chambers. He is sat down in front of Dolorous Edd and his more senior men. One of the Brothers explains that Bran cannot walk. When Edd asks Bran who he is, he replies by showing him a Stark clasp and identifies himself as Brandon Stark, Lord of Winterfell. The Brothers quickly realise that this is the truth, from the clothes Bran wears to the very fact that he cannot walk. Bran says that the army of the dead have reached them, that there is no more place for the living north of the Wall. He then says he needs to speak to Jon Snow. He specifically does not refer to Jon as his brother.

Edd offers to send a raven ahead of Bran, who Edd can have escorted south. He's already received a message from Samwell Tarly than he needs to pass on to the “new King in the North.”

However, Bran is happy to wait for Jon to come to him, and suggests he will be needed at the Wall soon enough. It's too soon for him now though.

The raven arrives at Winterfell, and Maester Wolkan is called for and reads it. He immediately hurries to the courtyard, where Jon is overseeing the organisation of fresh troops from the minor Northern houses. Wolkan informs him or urgent news. Jon calls a meeting in the Great Hall.

“We're out of time,” he tells the assembled, “but we have an opportunity to save ourselves still.”

Maester Wolkan explains that after Stannis was defeated, no one attempted to seize Dragonstone. It is customary for the victor in a battle to do so but the Boltons were busy and it was too far away. King’s Landing had its own turmoil, while the Lannisters spent months in the Riverlands with the Freys. It is manned by a tiny Baratheon garrison.

“You wanted to march north yesterday, now it’s south,” says Sansa. “How will you ferry an army to Dragonstone when the North has had no Navy since Brandon the Shipwright?”

Jon’s reasons for a Great Hall meet become clear, as he turns to Manderly and tells him he knows he has a fleet at White Harbour, and he is asking to use it. Lord Manderly concedes he does and agrees. Afterwards, Sansa tells him it was a smart move – Manderly could not have risked lying to the King’s face in front of everyone. Jon admits that Littlefinger informed him of the fleet. They discuss Littlefinger, and specifically whether he can be trusted. Sansa says that he can as long as he sees the chance of reward, and not just of lands and titles, but power. She urges Jon to take Petyr with him when he goes.

“You may not trust him, but he loved my mother, and he loves me. He was second only to Varys in King’s Landing when it came to knowing people’s secrets.”

Jon looks dubious of her, but does not have a contrary argument. He seeks out Davos and asks him to “have a look” at the Manderly fleet.

“Do a good job," he says, "and I'll make ye Master of Ships!”

Euron arrives with some fanfare at King's Landing. He struts happily despite the guards who watch him closely. He is escorted to the Throne Room where he bends the knee. Cersei seems satisfied, so they treat. Jaime remarks that his fleet seems a little small.

“Only for now,” Euron replies. He goes through the spiel about how Yara and Theon betrayed him, like Tyrion betrayed them and now they’re all on the same side. Cersei in turn points out that both Euron and Tyrion are kinslayers, if reports are to be believed. Euron makes a wider point about how absurd it is to differentiate between people as family.

“We're all cousins or uncles or great-nephews somewhere down the line,” he says, “and that doesn't stop us from hacking each other's heads off.”

He suggests that while Euron helped his people by killing Balon, Tyrion weakened his people by murdering Tywin. Cersei is impressed, Jaime less so. Euron finishes his pitch, but then asks Cersei to make hers. She scoffs, but Euron notes the litany of reasons why he shouldn't join with her. Her claim is weak, she's a woman, the people hated her even before she killed half of them, and now they're starving and facing a new war on multiple fronts. Jaime considers this with some trepidation. Cersei is less concerned. She insists that a defensive war against a foreign tyrant who leaves ashes in her wake will bring the people together.

“My reign will save them all,” she says, “not burn them all.”

They agree an alliance, and move to shore up King’s Landing’s defences, build as many ballistas as they can – and decide to team up to take Dragonstone before Daenerys can arrive and base herself there.

Cersei meets Bronn, and tells him she knows about all the IOUs her brothers have built up with regards to him. She says she’s sorry Jaime tore up their Lollys Stokeworth arrangement, but she promises him a far better prize – if he will take control of the City Watch, weed out the troublemakers within and pacify the city.

She also meets the new leader of the Sparrows – the 'White Sparrow' – and flat-out denies being involved in the Sept of Baelor. She instead claims that it was a plot by pro-Targaryen traitors and spies, likely instigated by the spider Varys. It was intended to create chaos by killing Tommen, who she claims was taken by the flames.

“Wildfire,” she notes, “what better way for a Targaryen to murder her rivals?”

She then asks the Sparrow if he thinks she wants to be Queen, and she shows the slightest heartbreak at the death of her children. Once he seems pacified, she talks about the threat of Daenerys and her Dothraki, and tells him about the red priests and their support of her in Meereen.

“The people of King’s Landing stood against Stannis and his band of fire-worshippers. Help me convince them to do the same again.”

It becomes clear that this weaker-willed extremist is cowed by Cersei's confidence and he agrees. As long as the people are fed and protected, the Faith Militant will fight beside her and the septons will declare her their rightful ruler.

In the Riverlands, the conditions are deteriorating as the first days of winter appear. Light snows fall and the wind picks up, below a dark sky. The small and loose band that is the Brotherhood Without Banners makes its way north through the countryside. The Hound, Beric and Thoros discuss where they are going. The Hound suggests that only an idiot willingly would go north of the wall even in summer, and notes that if a wine goblet with “do not drink this” inscribed on it was left by a rotting corpse, “some clean dolt in a shiny helm would come along and swallow it whole.”

Thoros admits he'd happily drink any wine at that very moment too. Beric brings the Hound back to North of the Wall, and asks him if he wants his death to mean anything. The Hound retorts that no death means anything, that everybody dies whether on purpose or not, and that nothing ever changes. Thoros says that he's meant plenty in the east who'd agree with him, including some of his own brethren.

“The difference between them and me,” he says, “is that I'm interesting.”

They find the cottage which the Hound stole from before, and discover the father and daughter long dead. Starvation has taken them. Beric and Thoros give a prayer, but the Hound berates them and takes the bodies outside to bury. However, the cold has intensified and the snows increased and the Hound cannot break the dirt. He goes as far as to hack at it with his sword, then falls to his knees and roars and punches the ground until his knuckles are bloody. Finally he relents and remains prostrate. Beric and Thoros carefully approach and usher him back inside. The men of the Brotherhood avert their eyes, except one. He and the Hound see one another and exchange a knowing look. The man nods, and so does the Hound.

“Your fire better clean it all after all,” the Hound mutters.

Theon helps the Ironborn sailors clear out the barrels of vomit and the piles of soiled hay and manure from the hold of Yara's ship. It is deeply unpleasant work. A Dothraki bloodrider approaches Theon as he carries some of the load and says, in Dothraki, “I have more for this male bitch to carry,”

Theon looks away and carries on. Another Ironborn sailor, TRISTIFER, stands up to the bloodrider and tells him that a horselover shouldn't insult those “not so fearful of the soft waves that they empty their guts.”

The two men look set to fight until Yara shouts on Tristifer to stop. Daenerys oversees the whole exchange. The Ironman gives Theon a hard look before strutting off. Theon empties the sick and dung over the side of the ship then gasps for breath. He looks at the crashing waves against the hull, and at the ever expanding land on the horizon.

As he makes to go under the deck, Daenerys reaches him. She asks for his name, having clearly forgotten. When he tells her, she apologises.

“Of course,” she says, “you'll have to forgive me, I'm not as accustomed to the sea as you. I'm as bad as my bloodriders.”

Theon says he's not accustomed either. He was brought up far from the sea as a ward, a hostage. He was taken as a boy. Daenerys is clearly saddened by this. She says that she too was torn from her home for the actions of others, and forced to grow up in a strange foreign land.

“How are we meant to be who we're meant to be,” she asks, “when we aren't even given a home to grow in?”

Theon recognises the truth in this. He notes that she is now the most powerful person in the known world, with a vast army. She laughs.

“I suppose I found my way in the end.”

Theon admits that he doesn't know if he has a way.

“I'm sure you do. I was just a scared little girl who wanted to go home. Now look at me. You have to take what you can, Theon.”

She then apologises for the words of her Bloodrider. She leaves him, and he watches her go.

In Essos, Jorah and Raq'in ride south-east. Conversation between the two men reveals that they are heading for Volantis. Jorah tiredly remarks that he's been there before. Raq'in replies that the only way to tell that your life has any guidance is to be at the same point on land twice, but a different man each time. Raq'in asks if Jorah is a different man this time, but Jorah doesn't reply.

Raq'in tells Jorah about a man he used to follow before he was employed by Illyrio. This man was a warlord in all but name, but that he called himself a priest of the Real God. This God appeared every day, often in many places at once, and gave man glory and meaning. It made them whole with purpose and elevated their very being, that they saw beauty in what was foul, and joy in true suffering. The Real God is spectacular and true and he gives a deserving man the bounties, and the lesser man the mercy of the grave. All about them are slaves and peasants and nobles brutalising the poor, but the Real God levels all and makes legends of the smallest, and forgets the goldest.

Jorah is not impressed and says that all religions sound the same this way, that he believes what he sees.

Raq'in says that his man he followed, Halden, saw the Real God, and then Raq'in says that he saw the Real God too.

“And who is the Real God?” Jorah asks. Raq'in smiles.

“War,” he says. “You know it's true, because you follow Him too. You have seen Him too. You see Him when you close your eyes, because He wears the skin of a a beautiful woman with a head made of silver and a golden crown.”

Jorah is shaken. They approach a stretch of land ravaged by fighting, with towns burning on the horizon and bones cluttering the roadside. These are the Disputed Lands, before the Orange Shore.

“They've all seen the Real God here,” Raq'in says. “Perhaps we should bring their advice to the people of your country, Ser Jorah. To warn them of what's to come.”

The band rides on.

At Castle Yronwood, Qyburn and Kingsguard SER ARYS OAKHEART treat with Lord Cletus. He implores him to overthrow the Sand Snakes, who he says have gone from killing their lawful prince to siding with a foreign Targaryen invader and her Dothraki horde. He speaks of how the Dornish never submitted to Aegon’s dragons. He also tells how the smallfolk of King’s Landing suffer and starve, and asks for him to send food supplies up the boneway as a sign of goodwill to the Crown. Cletus says much of Dorne’s food is imported from the Free Cities, with only limited farming due to the desert climate, so they can’t give much. Qyburn offers him Cersei’s hand in marriage, which amuses Lord Cletus, who says he will come back to him with a decision, and for now to stay as an honoured guest. He is taciturn, however, and instructs Ser Arys and his men to be ready for any danger.

In Sunspear, Ellaria, Olenna and the sand snakes strategise, arranging for the Dornish troops to link up with the Tyrells at the Kingswood on the way to King’s Landing. Ellaria calls House Martell’s banners, then goes with Tyene and Olenna to sail to Dragonstone to await Daenerys. Obara and Nymeria stay to marshal the Martell forces. They will meet their bannermen in the Dornish marches.

On Yara's ship. While the chiefs talk in the Captain's quarters, Theon walks cautiously across the boards. He approaches Grey Worm, who stands at the bow and looks out on Westeros. The latter is initially suspicious of Theon's presence. Theon asks him about his background, where he came from, what brought him to the head of Daenery's army. Grey Worm talks about being taken as a boy, being castrated, being trained as a slave soldier and the day he was freed by Daenerys. Theon asks if he ever considered leaving, to go and find a new life somewhere. Grey Worm shrugs that all he knows is fighting. He is happy to keep fighting as long as it's for a good cause, one he loves.

Theon says they share more than he realised, that they had everything taken from them, “so that we weren't even men any more.”

Grey Worm doesn't respond to this, but is clearly troubled. He asks what Theon wants of him. Theon says help, that he might fight for something he loves.

Later that evening, as the sun goes down, Yara steps out of her quarters and hears the cracking of wood. On the bow she sees Theon training spears with Grey Worm. She smiles.

Euron and Jaime seize Dragonstone. The garrison has abandoned it. Euron insists on sending ships after them to kill those who fled before they can spread the news. Jaime is clearly discomfited by this, but does prevent it from happening. Some of his officers give him odd looks at the reluctance in his manner. They’ve ferried over a lot of food and a lot of troops, and place ballistas along the castle walls, preparing for a siege.

In the Riverlands, a Lannister detachment discovers another group of dead soldiers. It's the third company to have been found dead, and all by a single blade. The Captain of the detachment concludes that this is the work of a traitor or an assassin amongst the smallfolk. He orders that the Riverlands “be scourged.”

We see villages put to the flame and peasants cut down as they flee Lannister cavalry. Arya rides away from the raiding parties, and has to move through the woods. She is forced to abandon her horse and provisions, which are discovered. She continues on foot, and is almost caught but manages to escape via a freezing river. She emerges some distance away, freezing and desperate. There she finds a cave and strips and dries her clothes on a fire. She removes needle from her scabbard and examines it.

That night she sleeps and sees a huge wolf pack moving at speed through the forest. They are led by a huge dark shadow that races towards her and lunges. Arya wakes. She hears noises outside and arms herself. She slowly emerges from the cave to find the mouth surrounded by dirty and dishevelled knights. Beric and Thoros emerge and note that Arya didn't get far. She turns and sees the Hound behind them. Episode ends with a stare-off.