A Storm of Swords-Chapter 7
| Jon I | ||||||
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| A Storm of Swords chapter | ||||||
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| POV | Jon | |||||
| Place | along the Milkwater | |||||
| Page | 74 UK HC (Other versions) | |||||
| Chapter chronology (All) | ||||||
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Jon VIII A Clash of Kings ↑ | ||||||
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↓ Jon II | ||||||
Jon meets Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, and his chiefs and captains.
Synopsis
Rattleshirt's band brings Jon Snow to the free folk camp in the valley of the Milkwater; Ygritte and Longspear Ryk serve as Jon's guards. Outriders led by the Weeper meet them along the way. Jon notices that the wildling camps are spread out over many leagues, undisciplined and poorly defended.
In the tent of the King-Beyond-the-Wall, Jon mistakes the Magnar of Thenn for Mance Rayder, but it is the grey-haired man playing the lute and singing "The Dornishman's Wife" who is the king. Mance introduces his companions as Styr, Tormund Giantsbane, the pregnant Dalla, her sister Val, and Val's lover Jarl. Rattleshirt does not trust Jon, but Ygritte explains that he is a deserter from the Night's Watch who slew Qhorin Halfhand. Mance wishes to speak with Jon alone.
Jon is wary, as Qhorin had entrusted him with infiltrating the wildlings and gaining their confidence. Mance indicates that he has seen Jon twice before. The first was when Mance was still a black brother and saw Jon when he just a boy during a visit to Winterfell with Lord Commander Qorgyle. The second was during King Robert I Baratheon's visit to Winterfell; Mance had disguised himself as a singer at the feast in order to see Robert and get the measure of Benjen Stark, who was a bane to the wildlings.
Testing Jon, Mance asks why he deserted the Night's Watch, but Jon asks him to tell his story first. The king explains that while hunting elk during a ranging, he had been wounded by a shadowcat. Mance was treated by an old wildling woman, who also mended his cloak with scarlet silk rare for wildlings to have and valuable to part with. When Mance returned to the Shadow Tower, however, the Watch replaced his cloak with a new black one and Ser Denys Mallister emphasized the importance of the black attire. Mance deserted the Watch the following morning.
Jon, knowing now that Mance was at Winterfell, reminds him that the highborn youths at Robert's feast were all given places of prominence. When Jon asks Mance if he remembers where Jon had been seated as a bastard, the king says they will need to find a new cloak for him.
Character List
Mentions
References and Notes
- The synopsis was copied from AOL member vbkorik27 previously at [1].
- Analyses of the chapter in the course of a 10th reread by Slynth.
- A Read of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords part 4 Analyses and summary by Leigh Butler.