A Game of Thrones Reread: Catelyn IV
Chapter 18: Catelyn
Catelyn arrives in King’s Landing and speaks with an old friend.
Characters:
- Catelyn Stark of Winterfell
- Captain Moreo Tumitis: Captain of The Storm Dancer. Has a very slight Tyroshi accent. Has a forked green beard.
- Ser Rodrik Cassel – Traveled with Cat from Winterfell to King’s Landing.
- Littlefinger/Lord Baelish – was a ward of Cat’s father. They grew up together in Riverrun. Challenged Brandon Stark for the right to Catelyn’s hand in marriage. Lost. Catelyn begged Brandon to spare Littlefinger’s life. Sits on the small council. Master of Coin on King Robert Baratheon’s Small Council.
- Lord Varys – Told Petyr that Catelyn is in King’s Landing Also called “The King’s Spider.” (But not to his face.)
Locations:
- The Storm Dancer – A two-masted trading galley with 60 oars.
- King’s Landing (an inn, and the Red Keep)
What happens:
Maggie Mae learns that she is terrible at doing anything when she doesn’t have a nice adjustable desk, multiple monitors, and a full sized keyboard. Also, typing with a 15 lb. cat in one’s lap is not conducive to productivity.
In the actual story, Catelyn and Ser Rodrik take a two masted galley from White Harbor to King’s Landing. Ser Rodrik gets seasick and they shave his beard. On the boat, Cat & Rodrik discuss the terrible danger she will be in once they reach King’s Landing. Cat gives Rodrik the backstory on Littlefinger.
Catelyn arrives in King’s Landing and disembarks the ship, going to stay at an inn that the captain recommended. She takes a nap and wakes up to someone at her door, telling her to open in the name of the King. Thinking that the Captain betrayed her, she arms herself and opens the door.
The guards take her to the Red Keep, where she meets with Petyr. Petyr, wearing a mockingbird, tells her that Lord Varys tipped him off to Catelyn’s arrival.
Lord Varys arrives and asks about the dagger. Catelyn puts it on the table and Varys cuts himself. Lord Baelish tells Catelyn that the dagger is his. Cat is confused, and Petyr elaborates that he lost the blade to Tyrion Lannister in a bet. Petyr claims that several people lost that day, as “half the court” backed Ser Jaime.
Other Characters:
- Bran Stark: Would it be weird to name your favorite child after your husband’s brother whom you almost married? I think it would be weird, but I am not Catelyn Stark of Winterfell.
- Ser Aron Santagar- King’s Master of Arms
- Edmure – Catelyn’s brother
- Brandon Stark – Eddard’s brother, deceased. Killed by the Mad King. Was betrothed to Catelyn at the time of his death.
- Aegon the Conqueror - Long deceased
- Maegor the Cruel – Aegon the Conqueror’s son. Commanded the Red Keep to be built and executed everyone who worked on it.
- Maester Pycelle - Grand Maester
- Maester Luwin - Maester at Winterfell
- Loras Tyrell – unhorsed Ser Jaime at the Tourney on Prince Joffrey’s name day.
Other Locations mentioned:
- Three Sisters – three islands in the Bite (a bay near White Harbor)
- Fingers – five peninsulas that extend into the sea. Littlefinger is from the smallest of these.
- The Bite – A bay near White Harbor, north of the Fingers
- White Harbor – City in the North
- Dragonstone – Island and castle where Stannis Baratheon sits. Also the ancestral seat of House Targaryen. Rocky, unable to sustain crops, but it is located in Blackwater Bay, so there are lots of sea things to live on.
- Blackwater Rush – A river in Westeros. It’s deep and flows into Blackwater Bay, where Dragonstone is.
- Visenya’s Hill – A hill in King’s Landing. Named after Visenya Targaryen. The Great Sept of Baelor is on the top of the hill.
- Great Sept of Baelor – seven crystal towers, on top of Visenya’s Hill. Will eventually be drenched with the blood of Eddard Stark.
- Hill of Rhaenys – stands on the blackend walls of the Dragonpit.
- Street of the Sisters
- Braavos – a city across the narrow sea
- Pentos – “free city” across the narrow sea
- Lys – “free city” across the narrow sea
- Port of Ibben – Ibben is an island about the size of Iceland in the Shivering Sea.
- Red Keep – seven huge towers, made of pale red stone.
- Summer Isles – group of islands where peaceful people live.
Thoughts:
I really enjoyed seeing King’s Landing as Catelyn arrived by boat. I believe it’s a perspective I hadn’t really paid much attention to before. It allowed us to really “see” more of the city, as she had time to watch it and look at the different buildings and hills. Eddard is too busy being Eddard, Sansa’s not going to know all that history or pay attention to anything other than Joff, and Arya is too busy sulking to point out historical buildings to the reader.
I had forgotten that Varys was present when Littlefinger claimed the dagger. I also seem to have suffered a bit of show contamination, because the Varys in the book is SO different than Varys on the show. I think I might prefer the show version. The giggling and squealing makes me slightly uncomfortable.
Catelyn believes that Varys is an enchanter, which I really don’t remember, at all. Super weird.
Littlefinger points out that Catelyn is doing the opposite of the Tully words. Family, Duty, Honor, would all require she stay in Winterfell.
Links to Previous Chapters:
- Prologue
- Bran I
- Catelyn I
- Daenerys I
- Eddard I
- Jon I
- Catelyn II
- Arya I
- Bran II
- Tyrion I
- Jon II
- Daenerys II
- Eddard II
- Tyrion II
- Catelyn III
- Sansa I
- Eddard III
- Bran III
Nameed Character Death Count: 5*
*I am not counting anyone who died before the events of Game of Thrones. So anyone who died in previous rebellions will not be included, e.g. Rhaegar Targaryen, Brandon Stark, etc.
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