Chapter 8: Bran II

Bran Stark is bored, as most of the men and older boys left Winterfell to go hunting. Bran experiments with voyeurism and is defenestrated.

Location: Winterfell

Characters:

• Bran Stark
• Cersei Lannister
• Jaime Lannister

Recap:

Bran wanders about the castle, bored and lonely. His brothers and most of the men are hunting with the King. He tries to say his farewells to the staff who were staying in Winterfell. He sees his pony in his stall and realizes that it’s not his pony, he’s getting a horse, and leaving the pony behind. He starts to cry and runs away before anyone sees him. He gets bored playing with his yet unnamed direwolf puppy and decides to climb. The wolf pup starts howling when Bran got halfway up the hearttree.

He comes across some people (Jaime and Cersei) in the First Keep. They are having a conversation about how Jaime should be the Hand, but Jaime doesn’t want to be hand. Cersei thinks they are in danger. They talk about Stannis and Renly and Eddard, and Jon Arryn and Lysa Arryn. Cersei thinks they will be safer when Robert is dead and Joff takes the throne.

Bran sees them naked, “wrestling” and it’s weird to read about what a 7-year-old see when he sees people having sex. Bran recognizes them as C&J and Jaime pushes Bran out the window.

Characters Mentioned:

• Prince Joffrey – Hunting Party
• Robb – Allowed to join the hunt because Prince Joffrey was included
• Uncle Benjen – Hunting Party
• Jory – Went hunting with the group
• Theon Greyjoy – went hunting with the group
• Ser Rodrik – went hunting with group
• Tyrion (not by name) – went hunting with the group

• Jon – Was not invited to the hunt. Bran thinks he’s angry/grumpy with everyone and doesn’t know why.
• Rickon – Bran’s baby brother
• Old Nan

• Serwyn of the Mirror Shield – Kingsguard (former, I think)
• Ser Ryam Redwyne - Kingsguard
• Prince Aemon the Dragonkight - Kingsguard
• Ser Erryk – Twin to Ser Arryk – died on Ser Arryk’s sword hundreds of years ago. Kingsguard.
• Ser Arryk – Twin to Ser Erryk – died on Ser Erryk’s sword hundreds of years ago. Kingsguard.
• The White Bull, Gerold Hightower
• Ser Arthur Dayne, The Sword of the Morning.
• Barristan the Bold.
• Ser Boros – Current member of the Kingsguard. Bald man with a jowly face
• Ser Meryn – Current member of the Kingsguard. Droopy eyes and a beard the color of rust.
• Ser Jaime Lannister. – Current member of the Kingsguard.
• Gage the cook
• Mikken – blacksmith
• Hodor – stableboy

• Grey Wind – Robb’s Direwolf
• Lady – Sansa’s direwolf
• Shaggydog – Rickon’s direwolf
• Ghost – Jon’s direwolf
• Maester Luwin
• Stannis Baratheon – Robert’s brother
• Renly Baratheon – Robert’s brother
• Littlefinger
• Lysa Arryn
• Jon Arryn

Commentary:

This chapter, like the first chapter (also Bran’s POV), is an interesting and innocent look at Winterfell and life in the North. Using a 7-year-old to describe the buildings and his family and household is almost unfair. These early looks at Westeros make it seem much less dangerous that it really is. It could be because it’s “peace time” (but we’ve still been executing deserters from the Watch) or because it’s told to the reader from the view of someone who still rides a pony. Either way, Bran is excited to be going to King’s Landing, but sad because he’s leaving his old life (and childhood) behind. He idolizes the Kingsguard and Knights, much like Sansa will in her chapters. He likes the scary stories, Sansa likes the romantic stories. The Kingsguard that came north with King Robert are fascinating to Bran. Robb said that Jaime Lannister shouldn’t count as Kingsguard. Bran thinks Jaime looks more like the knights in the stories.

I never noticed the part where (spoiler) Summer tries to get Bran to stop climbing.

Lots of mentions of people we haven’t met yet who are later huge players.

I also forgot or missed the part where Cersei thinks everyone will be safer with Joff on the throne and Robert in the grave. Cersei, you are not very smart.

Poor Bran. He wanted to be a knight.