The Ghosts of Harrenhal: A Song of Ice and Fire Podcast (ASOIAF)

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Jon negotiates terms with Tormund, introduces Val to Queen Selyse, and not for the first time tries to convince his underlings of the true meaning of their vows and the sanity of his plans. Simon and Mackelly try to shake the feeling that it is Groundhog day, again.

Chapter Review:
Lord Commander Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane discuss terms for Tormund’s band of roughly four thousand free folk to pass through the Wall at Castle Black. After much arguing and threats of violence, Tormund finally agrees. His band won’t be happy with the concessions, including forfeiture or any valuables and 100 boys at wards of the Night’s Watch. They will meet again in three days to begin the process of transitioning south of the Wall.

Jon rides with Val back to Castle Black. She wants to continue helping with the relocation of the free folk. Jon takes her to meet Queen Selyse Baratheon. Selyse is happy Jon secured the deal with the wildlings, but becomes angry when she learns there was no mention of bending the knee or taking R’hllor as their god. Val says if they are made to kneel the free folk will rise, blades in hand.

Outside the tower, Val comments on Princess Shireen’s greyscale. She calls it grey death and says the girl is already dead. She wants her nephew Little Monster away from the girl. A shocked Jon says he’ll try. Val says he’d better succeed. He owes her.

Jon meets a group of Night’s Watch leaders and two wildling chiefs atop the Wall. Jon explains the situation with the wildlings relocating. The men push back on every detail of Jon’s plan. How will we feed them? What about the Weeper? How will you keep them at the Wall? Will you train the wards in combat? Jon’s answers are unsatisfactory, and Marsh says Jon is committing treason. Jon gives his brothers their assignments and can’t help but think of Melisandre’s warning of daggers in the dark.

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Jon Snow - Bastard son of Ned Stark. Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
Queen Selyse Baratheon - Queen to King Stannis.
Val - Sister to Mance Rayder’s wife Dalla.
Tormund Giantsbane - Leader of a large group of free folk.
Bowen Marsh - Lord Steward at Castle Black.
Othell Yarwyck - First Builder at Castle Black.
Clydas - Acting maester at Castle Black.
Torghen Flint - Le
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Daenerys attends the reopening of the fighting pits. It’s pretty much as she expected until Drogon arrives and whisks her away. Simon and Mackelly try not to get carried away.

Chapter Review:
Daenerys Targaryen dons a tokar for the reopening of the fighting pits. Barristan Selmy reports that he freed Meris of the Windblown who assured him that she and the rest of the Westerosi deserters were in fact emissaries from the Tattered Prince who was ready to switch sides. All he wanted was the city of Pentos. Dany laughs at the price.

They head to the reopened fighting pits where Dany witnesses horrors a-plenty, two dwarves joust for her entertainment, and Strong Belwas gets sick on the honeyed locusts that Hizdar had suggested Dany sample.

Dany’s ready to leave when a boar dines on the innards of Barsena Blackhair. A shadow passes over the pit as Drogon arrives and feasts of boar and Barsena. Pandemonium descends as pit-men try to kill Drogon. Dany drops to the fighting floor and stares down her eldest. She finds a whip and wins the battle of wills. She climbs aboard and Drogon takes flight.  

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Daenerys Targaryen - Last remaining descendent of the royal Targaryen line, Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, claimant to the Iron Throne of Westeros.
Barristan Selmy - Former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in King’s Landing. Now Lord Commander of the Dany’s Queensguard.
Hizdahr zo Loraq - Noble of Meereen, husband to Daenerys.
Quentyn Martell - Son of Prince Doran Martell. In Essos to offer his hand in marriage to Daenerys.
Meereen - Largest city on Slaver’s Bay.
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YOUTUBE! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthxycmF25M

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Theon watches as a child's body is laid before Lord Roose instigating in-fighting in the castle. Roose calls for battle preparations against Stannis. Theon is called into duty to smuggle Arya out of Winterfell. All goes well, until it doesn’t. Mackelly and Simon hope for a soft landing.

Chapter Review:
Theon Greyjoy sits at the back of the Great Hall of Winterfell, alongside the bard Abel and some of his women. Ser Hosteen Frey bursts through the doors with Little Walder’s dead body in his arms and lays him below the dais. A bloody Big Walder and several knights accompany Hosteen. Big Walder says Little Walder went looking for a man who owed him coin from dicing, and it was the Manderlys who taught him the game. Fighting breaks out between the Freys and Manderlys, leaving Lord Wyman Manderly bleeding and several men dead.

Lord Roose announces that they will ride out against Stannis, and the Freys and Manderlys will lead the charge. Abel’s women say that now is the time to enact their plan. Theon meets the women in the godswood. They’re all dressed as servants. After filling buckets of hot water, they gain entrance to Lady Arya’s room. Theon coaxes Jeyne, who almost reveals she’s not Arya, into cooperating. She trades clothing with a washerwoman, who remains behind to keep the numbers accurate, and they walk Jeyne out of the keep.

Several of the women go off to find Abel and two go with Theon and Jeyne. When the women kill two guards, Jeyne lets out a scream, which brings more guards. One woman stays behind to hold them off, the other takes Theon and Jeyne up the stairs of the outer wall, only to realize she doesn’t have the rope to repel down. When she is killed by a crossbow bolt and Theon and Jeyne are surrounded, Theon grabs Jeyne and they jump off the wall.

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Reek - Broken shell of Theon Greyjoy.
Ramsay Bolton - Newly legitimized son of Roose Bolton. Nasty piece of work.
Roose Bolton - Lord of the Dreadfort and Warden of the North.
Arya Stark - Youngest daughter of Ned and Catelyn Stark. Princess of Winterfell.
Jeyne Poole - Married to Ramsay Bolton masquerading as Arya Stark.
Wyman Manderly - Lord of White Harbor.
Abel - Bard in Winterfell. Possibly Mance Rayder.
Support the show
Support us:
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Find us on social media:
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All Music credits to Ross Bugden:
INSTAGRAM! : https://instagram.com/rossbugden/ (rossbugden)
TWITTER! : https://twitter.com/RossBugden (@rossbugden)
YOUTUBE! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthxycmF25M

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Daenerys hosts her conquerors, the Yunkai’i. Peace has cost her more than she can stomach. Mackelly and Simon sympathize with her.

Chapter Review:
Daenerys Targaryen attends a banquet thrown for the Yunkai’i to celebrate the peace. The accords hold, no re-enslavement, no more freeing of the existing slaves, but Daenerys is far from pleased that a slave market has been opened outside her walls - technically not in violation, but an obvious goad to her.

To ensure a peaceful evening, hostages have been sent to the Yunkai’i, including Daario Naharis. Probably for the best because one of the envoys from Yunkai is Brown Ben Plum. He tries to smooth things over with Daenerys, but she’s still bridling at his betrayal. She asks Barristan Selmy to make overtures to the sellsword companies, not believing that this peace can truly last. She takes Quentyn Martell to see the dragons, and urges him to go home. He wants to stay and fight for her.

That night Hizdahr Zo Loraq drunkenly consummates his marriage and hopes for a son as he falls asleep. Daenerys has reason to doubt that his wish will be answered. The queen cannot sleep, tomorrow sees the unwelcome reopening of the fighting pits. She passes the small hours chatting with Missandei about sweet things. 

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Daenerys Targaryen - Last remaining descendent of the royal Targaryen line, Stormborn, Mother of Dragons, claimant to the Iron Throne of Westeros. 
Hizdahr zo Loraq - Noble of Meereen, husband to Daenerys.
Barristan Selmy - Former Lord Commander of the Kingssuard in King’s Landing. Current Lord Commander of Daenerys' Queensguard.
Daario Naharis - Lover to Daenerys and leader of the sellsword company the Stormcrows. 
Quentyn Martell - Son of Prince Doran Martell. In Essos to offer his hand in marriage to Daenerys.
Skahaz mo Kandaq (Shavepate) - Ghiscari noble of Meereen. Convert to Dany’s cause. Despised by the Sons of the Harpy. 
Brown Ben Plum - Commander of the Second Sons. Betrayer of Daenerys.
Meereen - Largest city on Slaver’s Bay.
Support the show
Support us:
Buy us a Cup of Arbor Gold, or become a sustainer and receive cool perks
Donate to our cause
Use our exclusive URL for a free 30-day trial of Audible
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Find us on social media:
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All Music credits to Ross Bugden:
INSTAGRAM! : https://instagram.com/rossbugden/ (rossbugden)
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YOUTUBE! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthxycmF25M

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Jon has a full day at the Wall. He gives away a bride, checks on his new high-born prisoner, gets news from Eastwatch, and believes Val and Tormund have returned to Castle Black. Simon and Mackelly throw some rice in celebration of the new couple.

Chapter Review:
Lord Commander Jon Snow waits with Alys Karstark as Melisandre prays to R’hllor. Jon notices that his top ranking brothers are not in attendance. Eventually, Melisandre asks who is to be wed. Jon escorts Alys to her groom Sigorn, the Magnar of Thenn. The pair say their vows, jump a ditch of fire, and it’s done. As the guests make for the feast, Jon talks to Melisandre. She tells him she still sees danger in his future. Jon is skeptical. She foresaw his sister Arya arriving and it was Alys. Melisandre insists the vision was clear, it was she who misread it. She is human.

Next, Jon stops at the ice cells. Cregan Karstark showed up a day after Alys. However, Jon met him south of Mole’s Town, to prevent any claim of guest right. Jon tells Cregan that Alys is wed. Cregan says she was promised to him by his lord father. Jon reminds him his father Arnolf is only the castellan of Karhold. Cregan tells Jon to kill him and be labeled a kinslayer. Jon suggests Cregan Take the Black before King Stannis arrives and executes him as a traitor. Never, is Cregan’s response.

At the feast, Jon tells Alys to send her old men and boys to the Night’s Watch rather than let them die when winter comes. She promises that House Karstark remembers. A letter arrives from Eastwatch, the ships have finally set sail for Hardhome and the stranded wildlings. After Alys drags her new husband onto the dance floor, Axell Florent takes her seat and again asks Jon about Val’s whereabouts. He wants to wed the wildling princess. When Jon refuses to produce her, Axell determines Jon is keeping her for himself. Jon is tired of the man and excuses himself. However, two horn blasts are heard. Val has returned. Does she have Tormund Giantsbane with her?

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Jon Snow - Bastard son of Ned Stark. Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
Queen Selyse Baratheon - Queen to King Stannis.
Alys Karstark - Daughter of deceased Rickard Karstark. Heir to her brother Harrion, the lord of Karhold.
Sigorn - Young Magnar of Thenn. New husba
Support the show
Support us:
Buy us a Cup of Arbor Gold, or become a sustainer and receive cool perks
Donate to our cause
Use our exclusive URL for a free 30-day trial of Audible
Buy or gift Marriott Bonvoy points through our affiliate link
Rate and review us at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, podchaser.com, and elsewhere.

Find us on social media:
Discord
Twitter @GhostsHarrenhal
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
All Music credits to Ross Bugden:
INSTAGRAM! : https://instagram.com/rossbugden/ (rossbugden)
TWITTER! : https://twitter.com/RossBugden (@rossbugden)
YOUTUBE! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kthxycmF25M