A Clash of Kings-Chapter 55

Catelyn VII
A Clash of Kings chapter
POV	Catelyn Stark
Place	Riverrun
Page	572 UK HC (Other versions)
Chapter chronology (All)
Catelyn VI ↑
Tyrion XII  ← Catelyn VII →  Theon V
↓ A Storm of Swords Catelyn I

Catelyn, who has learned of the supposed deaths of her younger sons Bran and Rickon, interrogates the imprisoned Jaime.

Synopsis

The smallfolk of Riverrun celebrate Ser Edmure Tully's victory in the Battle of the Fords as well as Robb Stark's storming of the Crag. Catelyn, however, sits in the Great Hall alone but for Brienne, desolate over the loss of her two young sons, Bran and Rickon Stark. The raven arrived that morning from Castle Cerwyn, and Catelyn is beside herself with grief, despondent at the thought nearly all her children are dead or lost to her. Catelyn tells Brienne about the terrible message brought to her by Maester Vyman, that Theon Greyjoy slew her sons after capturing them at a mill on the Acorn Water. She tells Brienne that she sent a flagon of wine to Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, to loosen his tongue. She means to question him, and is perhaps contemplating having the man killed since she has so little to live for anymore.

Catelyn visits her father's solar, where Vyman tells her he is given dreamwine to Hoster. After telling the maester to join the celebration, Catelyn confesses her worries to her sleeping father.

At midnight, Catelyn goes to the dungeons, ordering the gaoler to open Jaime's cell and then go back to drinking his ale. She asks Brienne to wait outside Jaime's cell. Jaime, who has not touched his wine, mocks Catelyn at first, but eventually agrees to answer her questions if she agrees to answer his.

Jaime begins drinking his wine. He admits to being the father to all of Cersei's children, and Catelyn reveals that Ser Stafford Lannister was slain at Oxcross but the rest of Jaime's family are still alive. Jaime admits to throwing Bran out the window of the First Keep after the boy caught Jaime and Cersei together. However, Jaime denies sending the assassin after Bran, saying, "if I wanted your Bran dead I would have slain him myself." Catelyn questions him about the dagger that Littlefinger claimed Tyrion had won from him at the tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day. Jaime backs what Tyrion told her in the Mountains of the Moon, that he always bets on his brother and lost at that tourney. Jaime admits that King Robert mocked him with the dagger at the feast the night of the tourney, and Catelyn is dismayed that Littlefinger, who was like a brother to her once, would deceive her the way he has.

Catelyn confronts Jaime

Catelyn reveals that Stannis is marching against King's Landing, that Renly is dead, and that Robb has recently taken the Crag from the Westerlings. Lord Rickard Karstark wants Jaime dead because the Kingslayer slew his sons Eddard and Torrhen in the Whispering Wood, but Jaime says they were killed in a fair fight.

Frustrated at the conflicting vows he has sworn in his life, Jaime steers the conversation to what really happened to Brandon and Lord Rickard Stark at the hands of the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, perhaps to absolve himself of having slain the king. Brandon was on his way to Riverrun when he learned of Lyanna's disappearance, and instead went to King's Landing with a handful of friends, all sons of prominent lords, and upon entering the Red Keep, Brandon shouted for Rhaegar to "come out and die".

Rhaegar was not there to answer the challenge, and King Aerys had Brandon and his friends arrested for conspiring to murder his heir. Aerys demanded the fathers of the men come to King’s Landing to answer the charges against their sons; when they came, both fathers and sons were murdered at the command of the king. When Lord Rickard demanded trial by combat, Aerys said that fire would be the champion of House Targaryen. Brandon died of strangulation trying to reach his father while he was being burnt alive by Aerys's pyromancers. Jaime was a young member of the Kingsguard when he saw all this, and it was Ser Gerold Hightower who told him, "You swore a vow to guard the king, not to judge him", whom everyone consider a better man than him.

Jaime, now fully drunk, angrily rants that he is reviled for what he considers his finest act and begins to mock Ned Stark's honor, stating that unlike Ned, a man who fathered a bastard, he has never been unfaithful and that Ned had no right to judge him, the man who avenged his father and brother. Catelyn has heard enough, and calls for Brienne’s sword.

Character list

Appearing: Jaime Lannister Riverrun gaoler Rymund the Rhymer Catelyn Stark Brienne Tarth Hoster Tully Vyman

Mentioned: Elbert Arryn Jon Arryn Lysa Arryn Petyr Baelish Joffrey Baratheon Myrcella Baratheon Renly Baratheon Robert I Baratheon Stannis Baratheon Tommen Baratheon Rodrik Cassel Catspaw Cleos Frey Walder Frey Desmond Grell Grey Wind Theon Greyjoy Gerold Hightower Eddard Karstark Rickard Karstark Torrhen Karstark Cersei Lannister Stafford Lannister Tyrion Lannister Tywin Lannister Luwin Jeffory Mallister Pycelle Shaggydog Jon Snow Arya Stark Bran Stark Brandon Stark Eddard Stark Lyanna Stark Rickard Stark Rickon Stark Robb Stark Sansa Stark Summer Aerys II Targaryen Rhaegar Targaryen Edmure Tully Loras Tyrell Varys

Mentions

Events: Coronation of Robert I Baratheon Tourney on Prince Joffrey's name day War of the Five Kings Battle of the Fords Battle of Oxcross Battle in the Whispering Wood Plot to free Jaime Lannister Storming of the Crag

Houses: House Arryn House Baelish House Baratheon House Cassel House Frey House Glover House Greyjoy House Hightower House Karstark House Lannister House Mallister House Royce House Stark House Targaryen House Tully House Tyrell House Westerling

Places: Acorn Water Bitterbridge Casterly Rock Castle Cerwyn Crag Free Cities Tyrosh King's Landing Mill by the Acorn Water Mountains of the Moon Oxcross Red Fork Riverrun Dungeons Great Hall Keep Seagard Seven Kingdoms Tumblestone Whispering Wood Winterfell

Terms: Ale Assassin Bannerman Bastard Bull Castellan Cat Copper Crown Currency Direwolf Dragonbone Dreamwine Eunuch Greatsword Harp Headsman Ice Iron Iron Throne King King in the North Kingsguard Knight Littlefinger's blade Lord Lord of Winterfell Lord of the Seven Kingdoms Maester Grand Maester Magic Maiden Mead Moon Name day Old gods Pigeon Poison Prince Protector of the Realm Pyromancer Raven "The Seasons of My Love" The Seven Seven hells Silver Smallfolk Solar Squire Sun Steel Targaryen madness Tourney Treason Trial by combat Trout Valyrian steel Wine

References and Notes

• Analyses and summary of the chapter in the course of a 10th reread by Slynt.
• Review and summary by Leigh Butler.
• The synopsis was copied from AOL member vbkorik27 previously at [1].