Feast in honor of King Robert's visit to Winterfell

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Jump to: navigation, search
Note: The title of this article is conjecture and may be subject to change.
Cersei Lannister's wheelhouse arrives at Winterfell, by Federico Musetti © Fantasy Flight Games

A feast in honor of King Robert's visit to Winterfell[1] takes place in 298 AC. King Robert I Baratheon travels to Winterfell to offer the position of Hand of the King to Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell.

Prelude

Lord Jon Arryn, Hand of the King, dies abruptly, so King Robert I Baratheon decides to offer the position to his childhood friend, Lord Eddard Stark.[2] Eddard has preparations made for a feast welcoming the king to Winterfell.[3]

Robert is accompanied from King's Landing to the north by a large retinue of three hundred, including bannermen, knights, sworn swords, and freeriders. His wife, Queen Cersei Lannister, travels in a large wheelhouse.[2]

Mance Rayder, King-Beyond-the-Wall, learns of Robert's visit and decides to attend the feast so he can evaluate King Robert and Eddard's brother Benjen, the First Ranger of the Night's Watch. After scaling the Wall near Long Barrow, Mance infiltrates Robert's retinue disguised as a musician. [4]

When the royal retinue arrives at Winterfell, the children of Eddard and Robert are introduced to each other. Robert then insists that Eddard bring him to the crypt of Winterfell so the king can pass his respects at the tomb of Eddard late sister Lyanna, to whom Robert was once betrothed.[2]

Feast

Benjen Stark, by Tiziano Baracchi © Fantasy Flight Games

The feast, which lasts at least four hours, is held in the Great Hall of Winterfell the evening of King Robert I Baratheon's arrival. The procession of the high lords begins with Lord Eddard Stark escorting Queen Cersei Lannister, followed by Robert with Lady Catelyn Stark. Next is young Rickon Stark, followed by Robb Stark with Myrcella Baratheon. Sisters Arya and Sansa Stark then escort brothers Tommen and Joffrey Baratheon, respectively. The next in the procession are Cersei's brothers, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard and Tyrion Lannister. The last of the high lords to enter are Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch, and Theon Greyjoy, Eddard's ward.[5]

Eddard and Catelyn host Robert and Cersei on a raised platform, with all of their children seated beneath.[5] Sansa sits with Prince Joffrey, to whom she is newly betrothed, and Arya is unhappy about being seated next to Prince Tommen.[6] Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard son, is seated on a bench with younger squires, as Lady Stark thinks the royal family would be insulted to have a bastard seated with them.[5] Lord Stark forbids his trueborn children from bringing their pet direwolves to the feast, but Jon sneaks in Ghost among the various dogs in the hall and his direwolf hidden beneath his table.[5] The disguised Mance Rayder sits in the back of the hall with freeriders.[4]

Toasts are made after all attendees are seated.[5] There are multiple courses of food, and beverages served include spiced wine,[5] summerwine,[5] and mead.[4] Orland of Oldtown, Robert's royal harper and bard,[7] plays the high harp and sings of dead kings beneath the sea.[4] King Robert drinks heavily all night, but Eddard and Cersei do not enjoy the festivities.[5] Bran Stark recites to his uncle, Benjen Stark, the castles of the Night's Watch along the Wall in order, first east to west and then west to east.[1]

Jon, drunk on summerwine, tells his uncle Benjen that he wants to join the Night's Watch. The ranger fears that Jon is rushing into the decision, however, and an upset Jon flees the Great Hall with Ghost. Once outside, he encounters Tyrion, who acrobatically pushes himself off the ledge above the hall's door. Tyrion, a dwarf, encourages Jon never to forget who and what he is so that no one can use his bastardy against him.[5]

Aftermath

Benjen Stark informs Maester Luwin of Jon Snow's desire to join the Night's Watch.[8]

Septa Mordane sits with girls at Winterfell as they practice needlework. Jeyne Poole informs Arya Stark that Prince Joffrey Baratheon likes her sister, Sansa Stark, and had told her she is very beautiful.[6]

Mance Rayder, King-Beyond-the-Wall, meets Dalla upon his return to the lands beyond the Wall.[4]

Theon Greyjoy, self-proclaimed Prince of Winterfell after his capture of the castle, has a nightmare of the feast in which he dines with the dead.[9]

Jon is captured by wildlings during the great ranging of the Night's Watch north of the Wall. Following the instructions of Qhorin Halfhand, Jon lies to the wildlings and tells them he wishes to join them.[10] When Jon is brought before Mance reveals to the youth that he had secretly attended the feast welcoming King Robert to Winterfell. When Mance asks Jon why he has deserted the Night's Watch, Jon lies by claiming it was because he was seated away from the rest of his family at the feast because of being a bastard.[4]

Attendees

From Winterfell

King Robert I Baratheon arrives at Winterfell, by Joshua Cairós © Fantasy Flight Games

Royal House

Royal Household

From the Night's Watch

Other

Quotes

House Stark prepares to greet Robert in Game of Thrones

There must be a feast, of course, with singers, and Robert will want to hunt. I shall send Jory south with an honor guard to meet them on the kingsroad and escort them back. Gods, how are we going to feed them all? On his way already, you said? Damn the man. Damn his royal hide.[3]

—Eddard Stark to Catelyn Stark

The Great Hall of Winterfell was hazy with smoke and heavy with the smell of roasted meat and fresh-baked bread. Its grey stone walls were draped with banners. White, gold, crimson: the direwolf of Stark, Baratheon's crowned stag, the lion of Lannister. A singer was playing the high harp and reciting a ballad, but down at this end of the hall his voice could scarcely be heard above the roar of the fire, the clangor of pewter plates and cups, and the low mutter of a hundred drunken conversations.[5]

—thoughts of Jon Snow
Jeyne Poole and Sansa Stark at the feast in Game of Thrones

Jon: Why aren't you at the feast?
Tyron: Too hot, too noisy, and I'd drunk too much wine.[5]

—Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister

Arya knew which prince she meant: Joffrey, of course. The tall, handsome one. Sansa got to sit with him at the feast. Arya had to sit with the little fat one. Naturally.[6]

—thoughts of Arya Stark

The night your father feasted Robert, I sat in the back of his hall on a bench with the other freeriders, listening to Orland of Oldtown play the high harp and sing of dead kings beneath the sea. I betook of your lord father's meat and mead, had a look at Kingslayer and Imp ... and made passing note of Lord Eddard's children and the wolf pups that ran at their heels.[4]

—Mance Rayder to Jon Snow

Notes

  1. ↑ Jon Snow mentions the presence of all his siblings at the feast except for Bran in A Game of Thrones, Jon I. When asked about it, author George R. R. Martin admitted he forgot to mention Bran. He clarified that Bran was indeed present at the feast (SSM Bran Missing from Feast (November 17, 1998)). In A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords published later on, Bran recalls the night of the feast.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 40, Bran III.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 4, Eddard I.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 2, Catelyn I.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 7, Jon I.
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 5, Jon I.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 7, Arya I.
  7. ↑ A Storm of Swords, Appendix.
  8. ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 6, Catelyn II.
  9. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 56, Theon V.
  10. ↑ A Clash of Kings, Chapter 68, Jon VIII.
Retrieved from "https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?title=Feast_in_honor_of_King_Robert%27s_visit_to_Winterfell&oldid=336441"