Pinks Mag 003

with the three dragon eggs she received as a
wedding gift. She emerges unharmed ? this
being Game of Thrones her clothes obviously
aren't so lucky ? while the eggs have hatched
into baby dragons.
SEASON TWO:THE IMP STEPS UP
With Joffrey king and headless Ned very much
dead, Westeros is gripped by rebellion. In the
North Ned's eldest son Robb (Richard Madden)
has declared war, taking prisoner Jaime
Lannister in an early skirmish. Likewise intent on
unseating Joffrey is Robert Baratheon's brother
Stannis (Stephen Dillane). He is more dutiful and
level-headed than Robert (good), but also
convinced he is marked for greatness by the
"Lord of Light" ? a pagan deity demanding
human sacrifice (not good). Just how not good
this quickly becomes obvious. His supernatural
counsellor Melisandre (Carice van Houten)
sends a "smoke monster" to kill Renly
Baratheon (Gethin Anthony), Stannis's dear
brother and rival for the throne. Meanwhile,
anyone daring speak against the Lord of Light is
likely to end up strapped to a pyre and
subjected to impromptu barbecuing.
Robb likewise demonstrates questionable
judgement as he sends childhood chum Theon
(Alfie Allen) ? a prince of the Iron Isles raised in
Winterfell ? back to his maritime home to gain
the support of father Balon. Rather than rallying
to the Stark banner, Balon guilt-trips Theon ,
who opportunistically seizes Winterfell for the
Greyjoys. Bran is forced to flee north with his
simple-minded minder Hodor (Theon hangs two
farmer boys in the place of Bran and
brother Rickon).
Also on the run is Arya Stark who fetches up at
the fortress of Harrenhal where Tywin Lannister
(Charles Dance), patriarch of the most Evil
Family in Westeros, unwittingly appoints the
disguised princess his cup-bearer. She later
flees, with the assistance of the mysterious
Jaqen H'ghar (Thomas Wlaschiha) of the Faceless
Men of Essos.
Over on the eastern continent, it's proving a
long and aimless road of Daenerys, her baby
dragons and shrinking Dothraki army. Eventually
they make their way to the desert City of Qarth
where they are befriended by silver-tongued
merchant Xaro Daxos. However, they are
ultimately betrayed by Daxos, in cahoots with
the warlock Pyat Pree. With her dragons Cersei
defeats the sorcerer and seals Daxos (along with
her traitorous servant Doreah) in a tomb. Don't
muck about with the Mother of Dragons.
Elsewhere, what will become known as the War
of the Five Kings rumbles on. As Robb plots his
next move against the Lannisters, Catelyn sets
Jamie free. He is to be escorted to King's Landing
by Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) ?
Renly's loyal former bodyguard ? in the hope of
securing the release of Sansa and Arya. On a
scouting mission north of the Wall Jon is
kidnapped by the Wildling Ygritte (Rose Leslie) ?
a meet-cute that sets in train a tragic love affair.
No such excitement awaits the other Rangers of
the Watch, as they are attacked by the White
Walkers and their servant wights.
In King's Landing, Stannis's invasion fleet has
hoved into view. With useless Joffrey in charge,
everyone expects the worst (especially Cersei,
who paints for Sansa a bleak picture of the
treatment they can expect). Hand of the King
Tyrion has a cunning plan, however. As Joffrey
weeps like the wimp he is, his uncle repels
Stannis's forces with explosive wildfire, stocks of
which the Mad King concealed beneath the city.
It's enough to keep the enemies at bay until
Tywin Lannister gallops to the rescue.
SEASON THREE: THE LANNISTERS SEND THEIR
REGARDS
Having saved King's Landing from Stannis,
Tyrion is promptly demoted by his disapproving
father (who has never forgiven his son for
claiming this mother in childbirth and for
possessing a functioning moral compass).
Rather more popular in the capital is the
ambitious Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer).
Renly's widow has displaced Sansa and is now
betrothed to Joffrey. Sansa, Tywin has decreed,
will be married off to the reluctant Tyrion (with
uncommon decency he declines to consummate
the nuptials).
Far to the north, Jon Snow finally meets the
Wildling's semi-mythic King beyond the Wall
Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds) and agrees they
have a common enemy in the Walkers.
Things are going less well for Theon Greyjoy,
whose botched conquest of Winterfell has seen
him fallen into the clutches of a mysterious
torturer. However, the true losers this season
are Robb and Catelyn Stark (Michelle Farley).
After falling in love with healer Talisa (Oona
Chaplin), Robb backs out of an arranged
marriage to Roslin, daughter of his ally Lord
Walder Frey. She will instead be hitched to
Edmure Tully ? and the Starks are invited!
Thus is the table set for the notorious Red
Wedding. The Freys and Boltons, striking a
secret deal on Tywin Lannister, turn on the
Starks, cutting down Catelyn, Robb and Robb's
pregnant intended. "The Lannisters send their
regards," snarls Roose Bolton as he stabs Talisa
in the womb.
Arriving in time for the butchery is Arya Stark,
reluctantly taken under the wing of the "Hound"
Sandor Clegane (Rory McCann), formerly
Joffrey's personal butcher. With the rest of the
family dead or in jeopardy, meanwhile Bran
continues north. Haunted by visions he resolves
to go beyond the Wall and find the "Three-Eyed
Raven", who holds the secret to his burgeoning
ability to project his mind into the body of a dire
wolf. He is accompanied by Hodor and two new
companions, Meera and Jojen Reed.
Elsewhere, Daenerys's plans to conquer
Westeros gather momentum. On her
wanderings across Essos, she garners an army
of "Unsullied" warriors and receives counsel
from two disillusioned refugees from the Seven
Kingdoms. Ser Barriston Selmy and Jorah
Mormont (Iain Glen). With the cities of Slavers
Bay falling to her one by one, a new power is
rising in the East. How long before it turns its
attention West?
SEASON FOUR: JOFFREY EATS HUMBLE PIE
A new season welcomes a fresh face to King's
Landing. Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal), dashing
prince of Dorne, arrives at the capital for the
marriage of Joffrey and Margaery (and also to
take vengeance against the Lannisters, whom he
holds responsible for the death of his sister).
But Joffrey's wedding doesn't go quite as
planned. He is poisoned and topples over
before he has had a chance to toast his new
bride. Also exiting King's Landing, albeit by less
bloody means, is Sansa, smuggled to freedom
by slippery Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish
(Aidan Turner) and Margaery's wily grandmother
Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg). We will later
discover they conspired to kill Joffrey, so sparing
Margaery being hitched to a brute.
At the Eyrie Sansa falls foul of mad Aunt Lysa
who attempts to push her niece through a Moon
Door. She is rescued by Littlefinger, with Lord
Baelish instead sending Lady Arryn, with whom
he has entered an arranged marriage, to her
gravity-assisted demise.
Up north Jon Snow warns the Night's Watch that
Mance Rayder intends to attack. An epic battle
ensues and Jon and Ygritte's relationship hits an
awkward patch as she tries to cut him down
with an arrow. With the Wildlings temporarily
repulsed, Jon sneaks off to kill Rayder ? only for
Stannis Baratheon and his forces to ride to the
rescue of the Night's Watch.
Back at King's Landing, the innocent Tyrion is
accused of assassinating Joffrey. The case is to
be decided with trial by combat. However, his
champion Oberyn is cut down by the
"Mountain" Gregor Clegane (Sandor's hulking
brother). Later, Jaime releases his brother who
sneaks back to his chambers to find his lover