| Brienne III | ||||||
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| A Feast for Crows chapter | ||||||
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| POV | Brienne Tarth | |||||
| Place | Maidenpool | |||||
| Page | 199 UK HC (Other versions) | |||||
| Chapter chronology (All) | ||||||
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Brienne II ↑ | ||||||
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↓ Brienne IV | ||||||
Brienne and Podrick arrive at Maidenpool and meet Hyle Hunt, Randyll Tarly, and Dick Crabb.
Synopsis
Drawing near Maidenpool, Pod Payne cannot seem to remember if Brienne is a knight or a lady, frequently calling her "My Lady. Ser." Brienne has taken up his training, abandoned since Ser Aron Santagar was killed by the mob during the riots in King's Landing. They soon come upon an old farmer and his younger wife, as well as their cart of eggs bound for Maidenpool. As they ride together, the farmer tells Brienne that the town has been mostly rebuilt, thanks to the hard hand of Randyll Tarly. The Maid of Tarth hopes she can slip through town without encountering the Lord of Horn Hill, as she owes him a debt but bears no liking for the man. Randyll has betrothed his son Dickon to Eleanor Mooton, the daughter of Lord William Mooton of Maidenpool, so the farmers hope to sell their eggs so that cooks can make wedding cakes.
At the gates of Maidenpool, the Serrett serjeant informs the farmer that he will take his eggs and wife, forcing Brienne to draw her sword. Outnumbered by the gate guards, she is spared fighting by the appearance of Ser Hyle Hunt, a knight highly placed in Lord Tarly's army and a man whom Brienne despises.
Hyle begins to mock her, so Brienne warns him that she will sort him out in a melee someday, just as she did Ronnet Connington during the melee at Bitterbridge. She asks him the location of the Stinking Goose, but Hyle takes her to see Lord Randyll at the harbor first. The commander of Mace Tyrell's vanguard is dispensing his harsh brand of justice when they come upon him. When Brienne is brought before him at the fishmarket, Lord Tarly asks her if she killed Renly Baratheon, and then states he should ship her back to Tarth. Brienne reveals the king's document that Jaime has given her, and she informs Randyll that she is seeking Sansa. He responds that Sansa is not in Maidenpool, nor would she be in the Vale of Arryn, as Brienne has also assumed, since Lysa Arryn is dead. Brienne is shocked to learn that Sansa's aunt is dead.
Brienne heads off to Stinking Goose, sending Hyle off when he attempts to apologize for his actions at Highgarden. Later, awaiting the arrival of Dick Crabb at the tavern, she recalls the hurtful game Hyle and his friends played at her expense. Brienne had gone to Highgarden to answer Renly's call to banners, expecting to be ridiculed. But unbelievably, many of the young knights she met (Hyle, Red Ronnet, Big Ben Bushy, Edmund Ambrose, Hugh Beesbury, Richard Farrow, Owen Inchfield, and Mark Mullendore) were exceedingly kind to her, going above and beyond the others to win her favor. Wary of their intentions, Brienne was still vulnerable thanks to hope, but she soon learned the truth. Lord Tarly called her before him to reveal what he had learned of their game through his son Dickon. The knights involved had a burgeoning wager on who could claim her maidenhead. Randyll ended their game, but told Brienne the fault lay with herself, claiming her being here encouraged them and that a war host is no place for a maiden.
When Dick Crabb finally arrives, Brienne offers to buy him drinks. Nimble Dick soon launches into his story, egged on by a steady bribe from Brienne. He explains how he offered to help a frightened fool[N 1] make it across the narrow sea. The fool claimed he had two girls with him, but could not chance the ports in Maidenpool. Dick took the fool's coin and sent him along the shore to an old, now-unused smuggler's cove, up past Crackclaw Point. Nimble Dick agrees to take Brienne there for a large sum of coin, pointing out that he is from the area, and he warns Brienne of the Whispers, a keep built by a mythical ancestor of his, Ser Clarence Crabb.
Character List
Mentions
Notes
- ↑ Brienne was hoping for the fool to be Ser Dontos Hollard, whom she expected to be with Sansa Stark at the time; it is revealed in the next Brienne chapter that it is instead Shagwell of the Brave Companions.
References
- The synopsis was copied from AoL member vbkorik27 previously at [1].
External links
- A Read of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows, Part 10. Analyses and summary of the chapter by Leigh Butler.