Welcome back to A Read of Ice and Fire! Please join me as I read and react, for the very first time, to George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire.
Today’s entry is Part 46 of A Storm of Swords, in which we cover Chapter 72 (“Jaime”).
Previous entries are located in the Index. The only spoilers in the post itself will be for the actual chapters covered and for the chapters previous to them. As for the comments, please note that the Powers That Be have provided you a lovely spoiler thread here on Tor.com. Any spoileriffic discussion should go there, where I won’t see it. Non-spoiler comments go below, in the comments to the post itself.
And now, the post!
Chapter 72: Jaime
What Happens
Bored, Jaime watches as Kevan has Tommen sign attainders against Edmure and Brynden Tully for rebellion. He thinks back to the disastrous training session he’d had against Ser Addam Marbrand, trying to use his left hand. Tommen signs more papers, granting property to Ser Emmon Frey, legitimizing Lord Bolton’s bastard son, and raising Ser Rolph Spicer to lord. Jaime reflects that he should have gone to Ser Ilyn Payne instead, who at least wouldn’t be able to talk about the failure Jaime has become. Jaime goes to leave; Kevan entreats him to try to heal the breach between him and his father, but Jaime answers that Tywin sending him “mocking gifts” indicates his father is not interested in healing anything. Kevan protests that the gift was “heartfelt,” but Jaime is scornful.
He goes to the outer ward, where Steelshanks Walton is preparing to leave with a girl who calls herself Arya Stark, who tells him she is to be wed to Lord Bolton’s son Ramsay. Jaime thinks she sounds scared, and figures it makes little difference whether this girl actually looks like Arya, since all her family is dead. The company heads out.
Jaime thinks of how Gregor’s wounds are festering badly from whatever poison had been on Oberyn’s spear. Tywin had refused Pycelle’s request to detain the other Dornishmen to find out what the poison was, despite Pycelle’s prediction that Gregor will die otherwise. Tywin had told him that they cannot risk more trouble with Dorne than they already have, especially when there is a chance Stannis Baratheon will go to them seeking allies.
Jaime goes to White Sword Tower and finds Cersei waiting for him in his bedchamber. She also entreats him to talk to their father, and Jaime replies bitterly that Tywin wants to force him from the Kingsguard and back to Casterly Rock. Cersei points out that Tywin wants her there too, to keep her away from Tommen. She is irate that Tywin and the Tyrells are insisting that Tommen marry Margaery, but Jaime says he sees no harm in it. He says it is her fault that he feels no fatherly concern toward Tommen; she protests it was to protect them. Jaime tells her he is not ashamed to declare their love openly, only of the things he has done to hide it, like what he did to the Stark boy. Cersei insists that is his fault for being unable to wait to have her.
Jaime brings up Catelyn Stark’s conviction that he had sent an assassin after Bran, and asks if she had anything to do with it. Cersei scoffs at the notion, but comments that even Robert had thought it would be best if the boy died, and had said so in his cups. Jaime asks if anyone else heard Robert say that, and Cersei says the children were there.
“Perhaps Myrcella sent this man with the dagger, do you think so?”
It was meant as mockery, but she’d cut right to the heart of it, Jaime saw at once. “Not Myrcella. Joffrey.”
Cersei is doubtful of this, and changes the subject to Joffrey’s death and how it tore at her. She begs Jaime not to let Tywin take away the last of their children still in her reach, to leave the Kingsguard so that Tywin will listen to him and not make her marry again. Jaime is shocked by this news. Cersei says she never wants anyone but Jaime in her bed again, and Jaime entreats her to tell Tywin that. Cersei tells him they are not Targaryens, and it can never be that way. Jaime is scornful, and she tries to entice him to sleep with her as proof that she is sincere in her love.
Jaime refuses her, unwilling to desecrate the Kingsguard’s tower, and Cersei is enraged. She calls him a eunuch and a fool, and spits that he couldn’t have protected Tommen anyway. They argue about Tyrion, and Cersei is further incensed that Jaime is not convinced Tyrion killed Joffrey. Jaime says Tyrion would not lie to him, but Cersei says Tyrion has lied to him, just as she has. She continues to mock him, calling him a cripple and a disappointment, and leaves. Jaime wonders how it is that House Lannister is supposed to have won this war when he seems to have lost everything in it.
Jaime summons Ser Loras and Brienne, and asks Loras what he thinks now he has spoken with her. Loras says he is no longer certain Brienne killed Renly, and Jaime reminds him the castellan of Storm’s End, Ser Cortnay Penrose, also died strangely. He dismisses Loras, and compliments Brienne on her dress. She hesitantly compliments him as well, and asks if he meant what he said to Loras about Renly. Jaime plays it off, pretending disinterest.
He tells her about the fake Arya Stark going to wed Bolton’s bastard, so that (he says) she will not go haring off trying to rescue the girl. He says Bolton knows about the ruse and doesn’t care, since there is no one left to contest it. He tells her that he’d promised Lady Stark her daughters, and there is one still left alive, Sansa, though no one knows where she is. He tells her about the outcome of Tyrion’s trial, and Brienne realizes Jaime thinks Tyrion is innocent. Jaime is sure that Sansa did it and Tyrion is covering for her, but Brienne is certain Sansa had nothing to do with Joffrey’s murder.
He gives her a magnificent jeweled sword, and tells her to name it Oathkeeper. He says it is one of two forged from the remains of Ned Stark’s sword Ice. He tells her that he wants her to find Sansa Stark before Cersei does and take the girl to safety. Brienne, who had been assuming Jaime wanted her to kill Sansa, is astounded, and tries to apologize, but Jaime cuts her off and tells her to get going, saying he is sick of the sight of her. Brienne asks why he wants her to save Sansa if he thinks she killed his son Joffrey. Jaime thinks (but does not say) that it is because Joffrey deserved to die, and replies that saving Sansa is his last chance at honor. Brienne vows to him that she will succeed, for Catelyn’s sake and for his, and leaves.
Jaime opens the White Book to his own page, and adds to the entry:
Defeated in the Whispering Wood by the Young Wolf Robb Stark during the War of the Five Kings. Held captive at Riverrun and ransomed for a promise unfulfilled. Captured again by the Brave Companions, and maimed at the word of Vargo Hoat their captain, losing his sword hand to the blade of Zollo the Fat. Returned safely to King’s Landing by Brienne, the Maid of Tarth.
When he was done, more than three-quarters of his page still remained to be filled between the gold lion on the crimson shield on top and the blank white shield at the bottom. Ser Gerold Hightower had begun his history, and Ser Barristan Selmy had continued it, but the rest Jaime Lannister would need to write for himself. He could write whatever he chose, henceforth.
Whatever he chose…
Commentary
OH MY GOD I AM SO ANNOYED RIGHT NOW.
SO MUCH ANNOYANCE. Yes. Jaime annoys me, Martin annoys me, and ALL OF YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE IN THE COMMENTS frickin’ annoy me, because goddamn it, you were right.
I like Jaime Lannister.
As in, he is now on my List Of (Surviving) Characters In ASOIAF I Want To Win. Which means he is now on par with characters like Tyrion, Brienne, Daenerys, Davos, and the remaining Starks.
And I am SO MAD about that I want to throw things.
No, you don’t even understand, I have been sitting here sulking about it for like the last half hour. Sulking! About a fictional character! That’s how sad I am. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO. O, THE HUMANITY. O, THE EXCESSIVE USE OF ALL CAPS. AAAGGHHH.
I really really really wanted to prove wrong alla y’all who gloated in the comments back in the day about how oh, yeah, Leigh, you hate him now, but you’ll see. And I was all, HI, DENEFESTRATION OF A MINOR, HOW ABOUT NO, and you were all, just you wait, Henry Higgins, and I was like LALALALA NOOOOOO, and you were like MWAHAHAHA and now I’m all GODDAMN IT.
Because, I am not forgetting the throwing a child out the window thing, y’all, because that is not a thing one forgets. Nor am I forgetting that he is, by both intent and design, a giant douche 95% of the time. HOWEVER, ever since we got into his head Jaime has also been hitting every single one of my sympathy triggers, and this chapter was pretty much the tipping point.
Because, he gave Brienne a quest, you guys.
Do you know how often a female character in a heavily patriarchal setting gets actually asked, by a man, to do a heroic quest? As opposed to being asked by another female character, or taking it on her damn self? Because those two latter circumstances have their own kind of awesomeness, but this is different. This is acknowledgment.
This is rare, tragically so, and I ain’t gonna lie when I tell you that the whole scene with Brienne and Jaime in this chapter made my heart go pitapat for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with my speculations upon their romantic relationship (or lack thereof), and everything to do with Jaime’s acknowledgment (however camouflaged under pretend disdain) of Brienne’s worth as a warrior. Which, in Westeros parlance, is basically the same thing as acknowledging her worth as a human being, because Westeros culture is fucked up. But EVEN SO.
Because, don’t get me wrong, I am all about female characters saying “fuck the patriarchy” and doing things their damn selves whether men want them to or not, but the simple fact of the matter is that the imbalance between the sexes will never be sufficiently addressed until both women and men collectively decide that it is bullshit, and act accordingly. And this is not to say that I think bucking the status quo was Jaime’s intent, or even that he recognized that that is what he was doing (though I think he does recognize it on some level, hence his continuing compensation for that by deriding Brienne even as he honors her), but on a meta authorial level it definitely is recognition of that goal, as far as I am concerned, and I cannot help but to give some love to the character by which Martin used to describe that support.
If that makes me biased, well. It’s not like I ever said I wasn’t.
It also doesn’t hurt, of course, that Jaime is currently being thoroughly abused by characters I distinctly don’t Want To Win (i.e. Cersei and Tywin), and that he is now practically the sole supporter of the characters I do Want To Win (i.e. Tyrion and Sansa). Clever, that, because even putting the Brienne thing aside, I almost have to be in favor of Jaime for those reasons alone.
Not to mention his recognition of the fact that Joffrey was fundamentally broken, because, thank you.
Not also to mention my instinctive desire to root for someone who has reached the point where they give exactly zero fucks about what people think of them, and are going to do their thing anyway, because this is a state of being I have been trying to reach all my life. Jaime has not perhaps quite reached this perfect state, mostly because of his (in my opinion) poisonous obsession with Cersei, but his entry into the Big White Book of Kingsguard Doings in this chapter is definitely a very long step in that direction.
A note on Cersei: I have to wonder whether my sympathy would be more geared toward her than Jaime if it had been her head Martin had chosen to invite us into instead of his. Because it’s not like she doesn’t have genuine cause for her bitterness, but from an outsider’s perspective (even one as, ahem, inside as Jaime’s) the pain and strife she has caused still vastly outweighs her rationale for her actions.
I am not talking about the defenestration incident in particular—because that is still all most emphatically on Jaime—but about her actions in general, toward Ned, Catelyn, Tyrion, Robert, and Jaime himself. I dislike Cersei in and of herself, but I have to give props to her as a character, because it is good to see a female character being a truly complex villain. Cersei’s reasons for her behavior are legit, and even sympathizable, but that still does not excuse them from the evil they have caused. I am not honestly sure what I would have had her do differently if I could have, but that doesn’t change the ultimate tally of the results. If that makes any sense.
But anyway, the point is: fine, I like Jaime. I am MIGHTY pissed about it, and I am still not sure his recent tribulations are sufficient punishment for his actions in the past, but I am hoping his current trend toward doing good things for the characters I care about (and bad things for the characters I don’t) will continue. WHATEVER.
*sulks*
Other notes:
If Oathkeeper (awesome name) is half of Ned’s sword Ice, which sword is the other half? Hmm.
So, Gregor Clegane is suffering, is he? I’m going to make a note to be sad about that. Oh, wait, except I’m not, because FUCK YOU, GREGOR CLEGANE. I hope you die, and I hope it takes a long fucking time, you (literally) suppurating shitstain. And then I hope you meet up with all your victims in the afterlife, and they have weapons and you don’t. That would be sweet.
Re: Fake Arya Stark: well, this isn’t going to fuck things up when Arya turns up for real at all. YEAH, RIGHT. Ugh. Also, that poor, poor girl. Can I hope that an ambush happens and she never makes it to that monster Ramsay? Would death be better? I… am not sure. Jeez.
I am also not sure that the revelation here that Joffrey ordered the hit on Bran was supposed to be a genuine surprise to the reader or not, because I feel like we already knew that. I think maybe Tyrion deduced it earlier? Someone must have, because I didn’t feel any real sense of shock at the idea at all when I read this chapter.
That said, God, I’m glad that Joffrey is dead. Was there any level on which that kid wasn’t a genuine plague on humanity? I certainly can’t think of one!
What was Tywin’s “gift” to Jaime that so pissed Jaime off? If it was revealed in this chapter I totally missed it. If the answer is a spoiler please refrain from telling me, but I admit I am curious, in a “dreading” sort of way, because if anyone can make gift-giving into a horrific mockery of the tradition, I feel, it’s Tywin Lannister. Eeek.
The bit with Tommen in the beginning of this chapter reminds me of how fundamentally bizarre and damaging it must be to be any functioning member of a royal family, but especially for those who are forced to take it on as children. “Docile” is a decent enough trait for Tommen to have now, but what will happen when he’s old enough to start taking on real responsibilities of his own? I kind of shudder to think.
I don’t know who Tywin thinks he is kidding in hoping that they haven’t lost the goodwill of Dorne, because if you ask me WOW has that ship sailed. I bet you anything Myrcella’s going to find herself crowned and fighting the rest of the continent Real Soon Now. More’s the pity for her.
Last but not least, since I seem to be on this Jaime Lannister train (GODDAMN IT), he really needs to be less hard on himself re: fighting with his left hand. Seriously, dude, you think changing to a completely different fighting style happens overnight? Jaime needs to find someone he trusts to train him, and fast.
Of course, the odds of that happening in the next week, or ever, are… slim, considering what he has to work with.
So join me next week and find out, maybe! Or maybe about completely different things, I never know. Enjoy, my chickens, and see you next Thursday!
Tywin’s gift to Jaime was the sword Oathkeeper. This isn’t a spoiler, it said so in the chapter.
The gift Jaime is referring to is the Valyrian sword Paw Paw Lannister gave him, that Jaime felt is a mockery because…look! no sword hand! So what does Jaime do? Turns around and give that sword to someone else. In this very chapter, in fact.
Also, you have made many insightful foreshadowy-type comments in commentary here that…damn, can’t talk about now. Suffice to say, next book will develop some of the themes you are ruminating on here.
BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
I’ll think of something substantive to say in a bit, but for now, “BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!” will have to suffice.
Ha! Knew it!
Leigh-
The sword he re-gifted to Brienne was the “mocking” gift from Tywin. In that he no longer has a sword hand to use it.
The gift to Jaimie from his father that he is angry about is the Valarian sword which he has now given to Brienne. I think he was given it in the last Jaimie chapter. It’s obvious why he views the gift of a super high-quality sword as mocking.
The other half of Ned’s sword was used to make the sword which was given to Joffrey (and which presumably is now Tommen’s) many chapters ago. Joffrey gave it some typical Joffrey-like name (Wolf-killer? Lion’s Triumph? something like that). At the time there was no explanation of where the sword had come from, but it is deducible from the fact that Valarian swords are rare, that someone (Tyrion probably) speculated about where it might have come from because they are rare, and (in unrelated chapters) Sansa occasionally wondered what had happened to her father’s sword since Payne is not using it.
The chapter says “mocking gifts”. I’m guessing Tywin sent him a pair of gloves.
:D :D :D
As someone loving Jaime from the first moment I laid my eyes on him on the show’s first episode, this had me jump of my desk-chair in a fit if gleeful laughter, I have to confess.
HAHAHAHA
I’ve been dying for you to get to this chapter because it makes me love Jaime even more than the bear pit scene. I love the interaction with Brienne (and come on – how can you not read their dress/cloak compliments as at least somewhat romantically inclined?) but even more so I love “Whatever he chose”. He’s just so refreshingly self-aware compared to almost everyone else in story.
The gift that ticked Jaime off was the sword.
And it was mentioned, in a Tyrion chapter where he’s talking to Tywin, that Tywin had two Valyrian steel swords made, and that one was to go to Jaime and one to Joffrey. Now we know where those swords came from. It was post maiming and you were morbidly tickled that it was unlikely Jaime could use it.
Tyrion did deduce, at his wedding, that Joffrey ordered the hit on Bran, this is one of those nice(and RARE) moments where Martin has other characters confirm what another characters supposes.
And yes, Jaime gave Brienne a quest. And it’s awesome.
The interesting thing about Jaime’s story is that we join his journey midstream. He’s at the bottom of his arc, and climbing upward toward redemption.
YESSSS!!! To all of it, YESSSSS!
@6: Joffrey called his sword “Widow’s Wail.”
13. totally forgot that – how delicious given the circumstances of his death.
Glad to have you aboard the train, Leigh. Jaime’s journey from villain we despise to anti-hero/hero we root for is one of Martin’s accomplishments as a writer, I think. I was surprised as well to find myself rooting for him.
Also, I don’t think Jaime is being too hard on himself. We’ve heard of another character that has trained himself to use another hand as his swordhand (Qhorin HalfHand, the guy that went with Jon Snow to scout the wildlings and that Jon killed), but I think this is a rare kind of event. Also, from a literary POV, Jaime’s redemption is “Redemption through maiming”*. If he hadn’t been maimed and he still retained his swordhand, I don’t think he’d have changed as much as he has (and Cersei here and in another chapter recognizes he has changed).
Joffrey called his sword “Widow’s Wail.”
Then “choked” and died at his own wedding.
Ok, just to twist the knife a bit more: Jaime’s quest goes even further than Leigh realizes or admits:
1. He’s not just acknowledging Brienne’s competence – he’s actively working against his family’s interests. Not even Tyrion was willing to go that far – but here Jaime is, trying to save the last living heir of his sworn enemies, to fulfill an oath he really has no obligation to honor.
2. Jaime himself isn’t forgetting about pushing Bran out the window. He’s remorseful about it. That doesn’t redeem him or make it right, but it’s an important development that we see for the first time.
3. Unlike 99% of the characters, Jaime demonstrates unambiguously that he has zero political ambitions whatsoever. He’s literally willing to give everything up for the sake of Twoo Wuv. Dude just wants nothing more than to schtuppe his sister in peace – which, once you get past the squick, is kind of sweet in its own way.
Granted, none of this in any way negates the many evil things he’s done in the past, but it does make him a far more nuanced character than he was at the start of the story. (The requisite Lannister wit also helps him greatly in this regard). He’s made the rare transition from Big Bad to Woobie to the first steps of Iron Woobie.
//And in the next chapter, we see the Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds.//
re: Lord Tywin’s gift to Jaime, it’s not a spoiler. It’s Oathkeeper. (Re-gifting: older than steam.) The other half is “Widow’s Wail,” the one Joffrey so happily wielded at his wedding to chop up that book.
(That was actually a very astute choice on Martin’s part. How better to convince a bunch of readers that Joffrey is an asshole than to have him destroy a book?)
Somehow I missed the whole Widow’s Wail+Oathkeeper=Ice thing first time through. Also, because of the incredible time span between the release of this book and A Dance With Dragons, not to mention having some plots interrupted by A Feast for Crows, I am always amazed at what things have been foreshadowed or prepared that I completely missed.
MWAHAHAHAHA You’ve been hooked by Jaime’s greatness. There is no escape now…Jaimes has gone from appearing as The prime Stark antagonist at the beginning of the series to one of the small number of characters who are wholly acting honorably and live. And it helps that his primary antagonists at this point are his father and sister, 2 characters who are both still unreservedly in the Evil category.
As for the 2 swords made from Ice, I think we’re supposed to infer that the other “new” Valyrian steel blade given in this book (to Joffrey at his wedding, now owned by Tommen the cute boy king who loves stamping his decrees- awwwwww) was the second blade to Jaime’s. And I read Jaime reflecting on his father’s cruel “joke” as the sword. I think Jaime feels bitter that he can no longer fight well, and so his father’s gift of a magnificent sword is a “cruel jape”. Though I’m more appalled that the sword Ice no longer exists. Both those swords should belong to the Starks.
Definitely better to die than be wed to Ramsey Snow- er, Bolton. What a frightening prospect.
I am of the opinion that Jaime’s entry into the book is going to be something hugely incriminating to Cersei, something along the lines of
“father to King Joffrey Baratheon, King Tommen Baratheon, and Princess Myrcella Baratheon”. If we ever find out…
I don’t think being in Cersei’s head would have made her the sympathetic one in this scene. She loves her kids, but otherwise she is not pleasant or sympathetic.
Nope – still not liking Jaime.
Chapter 72-Jaime:Jaime is bored, Jaime is sad. Jaime is having angst that his life is not going how he wanted. Poor Jaime. On the plus side, he is at least trying to practice using his left hand. He is disheartened that he did not just immediately excel. I am guessing things have always come easily to Jaime. Now he is going to have to work a little. Poor Jaime.
Also on the plus side, Tommen seems a pretty generic 8/9 year old as opposed to Joff. That can’t hurt.
On the negative side, they seem to have stripped the Tully’s of pretty much everything although at least for the Blackfish that remains to be realized as far as I recall. Also, on the negative side, everyone is trying to make a fake Arya. I can’t see that going well at all. They seem to have forgotten that Jon is alive (as far as they know) and is actually Robb’s named heir. The real Arya is alive. Bran is alive. As far as we know Rickon is still alive. All sorts of Starks still out there. I am flashing to some sort of climatic ending where Arya reveals herself:
“My name is Arya Stark. You killed my father. You stole my name. Prepare to die.” Kind of like a “Disney princess Wolverine”/Inigo Montoya crossover scene. (Go ahead and google “Disney princess Wolverine”–cool things await you.) But, I digress.
Ser Gregor may die. Cool. He’s also suffering immensely. Cool. Pycelle has to heal him so they can properly execute him. Cool. I’m still not really convinced that they can count Gregor as winning that duel. Seems like a draw to me.
Cersei keeps being a really horrible person. Jaime actually sends her away. That seems like quite a good thing.
And, he has given Brienne the reforged Ice to go forth and save Sansa. That is totally awesome coolness as Brienne both seems to be just the person to carry such a mission through and the whole concept of a quest for Brienne is great in itself. She is also probably the most knightly Ser we have seen. Cool.
Nice ending. Jaime is free to write what remains of his story. He has defied his father and defied Cersei. Possibilities. Maybe he will somehow enable Tyrion to escape. I’m still just not buying that Tyrion will just get beheaded.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Times 1000.
Thanks, Auntie Leigh, I really needed a good laugh today. This may be my favorite commentary ever. I’ll say more later, after work, but I just wanted acknowledge how awesome this was.
@23 – ok, Disney Princess Wolverine is aweswome.
About the sword: I think it is worth mentioning, especially given Leigh’s thoughts about Tywin’s gift-giving abilities, that he had the sword made before he knew about the maiming. If you think about it, it’s actually quite unfair of Jaime to think of it as a mocking gift. Would it be better if Tywin had said “welp, I guess you don’t need this thing then, maybe I’ll keep it myself”? And that’s the last time I will defend Tywin. (At least in-universe, I love him as a character)
I really didn’t want to like Jaime either, even though I begrudgingly came to as a result of this book. It’s kind of what makes me admire GRRM so much for.
But the thing that really sealed the deal for me wasn’t just that he gave Brienne a quest, but that he acknowledged her role in getting him safely to Kingscrossing. Officially. In a historic freaking record. That makes it real. Damn.
First time poster here, I’ve been following the WOT reread for a couple years now and just recently picked up on this read while doing my GoT reread. Leigh’s commentary is always insightful and I often find myself laughing to myself at my desk while reading her posts and all of your replies. I think it was at about this time in my first read that I realized I had really started to like Jaime and was quite surprised, I think that speaks to GRRMs writing skills. I think what makes me really respect and like Jaime more than many of the other characters is that we actually get to see him thinking about his past mistakes and his shortcomings and actually seems to want to address them and be a better person. He is showing that he is actually willing to take action to do this as well, and I think this is a difficult and admirable thing for anyone to do, and it’s not easy, especially when you’ve done a lot of very questionable things in the past. Sorry for the wall of text having formatting issues :)
@23 stevenhalter:
Word of Robb’s heir is lost in plot-hole land at this point. We haven’t heard of it being delivered to anyone to be publicized, so common knowledge at this point still puts Jon firmly outside the line of succession, since he’s both a bastard and sworn to the Night’s Watch.
Nobody (who “matters”) know’s Arya’s status among the land of the living.
As far as anyone but Theon knows, Bran and Rickon were burned and hung from the walls of Winterfell.
@29, Incorrect. The person who suggested Theon use the miller’s sons in place of Bran and Rickon knows too(hint: He called himself Reek at the time).
The mockingness of the gift is not really that he doesn’t have a sword hand anymore because Tywin was preparing this gift before he knew of Jamie’s injury. Its really more about what the sword symbolizes and the differing views of what/who Jamie actually is according to both Tywin and Jamie’s viewpoints. Tywin expects Jamie to be a Lannister and to act accordingly (and by that to act like Tywin would act in any given situation) where as Jamie might have other views on the matter. I think as you will read along you will further understand the Tywin/Jamie relationship dynamic, so I will say no more lest I spoil things.
I don’t comment much, since even saying “just you wait” is too spoilery for my taste, but I’ve been wondering when (or if) you’d get to this point.
When Tywin showed Tyrion the swords reforged from Ice, didn’t Tyrion privately reflect that he should have sent Ice to Robb Stark? I guess to the prideful Tywin having not one but two Valyrian swords in the family was a Big Deal since House Lannister had lost their ancestral one.
@stevenhalter “They seem to have forgotten that Jon is alive (as far as they know) and is actually Robb’s named heir.”
Does anyone outside of Robb’s circle know that? I don’t think anyone else knows that.
@@@@@ 23, 29
Like 29 said, it’s not a matter of people having forgotten, it’s a matter of people not knowing these people are still alive in most of the cases.
Also, the move of putting a fake Arya is just to get some legitimacy to the new rulers (a sense of continuity). Even if some noble house produced a (real or fake) Samsa, Rickon or a document saying Jon Snow is the legal Stark ruler now, the Iron Throne isn’t going to acknowledge that house as the ruler in the north. The game has been played and since the Boltons helped the Lannisters, the Lannisters (and the Iron Throne, therefore) will recognize only the Boltons as the rulers in the north. Fake Arya is there just to please those nobles that still want someone with Stark blood in Winterfell just for tradition.
Basically the North is in for a civil war amongst its noble houses one way or the other. At least the Boltons and their supporters will never bend the knee to another Stark that is not half-Bolton. What is being tried with Fake Arya is to try to diminish the prospect of this rebellion from Stark loyalists somewhat.
Also, I don’t think the Lannister-Tyrell controlled Iron Throne will ever recognize Jon Snow or Samsa Stark as ruler of the north. The first can only get in that position by royal decree, and the Iron Throne isn’t interest in that, so that royal decree will come from invalid rebel kings (like Robb Stark). The other is one of the main suspects of slaying the last Iron Throne king, being hunted for that.
“Mocking gifts”
I wonder if Jamie wasn’t also disgusted by how the Lannisters came to possess Ice. They didn’t defeat Ned Stark in battle (or his sons). They deceived him in court, lied to him, killed him, and then stole it from the family.
Tywin stole the very symbol of the most ancient family in Westerous, melted it down like it was recycled cans, then gave out the new swords as party favors.
I’m glad Jamie was disgusted by it and immediately gave it away.
Wow, I totally thought this bit happened much earlier on the road with Brienne.
@31: Exactly. Combine it with how he practically disowned him in Chapter 62, and the gift of the sword says “No, I don’t care about what you want, you are going to do what I tell you to, regardless of whether you want to or whether you think it’s right – end of discussion”.
@29 “As far as anyone but Theon knows, Bran and Rickon were burned and hung from the walls of Winterfell.”
Some of the Stark bannermen from the mountain clans know, e.g. The Liddle. But they ain’t talking.
Ramsay also knows that Bran and Rickon are alive. Remember, he’s the one that actually killed the two farm boys.
@15, 28: I agree, the transformation of Jaime from scumbag to one of the most likeable characters in the series is is a masterpiece of writing. GRRM is just brilliant with characters and plots – is there anyone better writing in fantasy?
Leigh, REALLY ENJOYED THIS POST! :-)
@41: I understand that you’re disappointed with the review, but there’s a difference between disagreeing with an opinion and making it personal. There’s no need to belittle or insult someone’s worldview because you dislike their interpretation; please keep the conversation civil, and check out our Moderation Policy for our basic guidelines. Thanks.
Another one bites the dust ;)
Aside from Leigh’s long-awaited conversion to the Jaime-train, I want to mention that this chapter contains one of my favorite quotes of all time from Jaime Lannister:
Because out of all the Lannisters, Jaime is the only one who actually values his family, and he’s the only one who realizes that no matter how many battles they win, they will never be able to rebuild the family they once had when his mother was alive. *runs away crying*
Well, I don’t like him either, but I enjoy reading his chapters, just the same as I don’t like Tyrion, but enjoy reading his chapters.
I suppose I could almost like Jaime if he hadn’t pushed Bran out a window, but his ambush of Ned on the street was pathetic as well. I don’t really watch the show but it was much better there irc.
Also, it’s not like Jaime respects women, unless they can fight up to a certain measure that is, so…ya okay, he recognized Brienne’s capability, but he’s not exactly a supporter of gender equality.
@44 Jaime doesn’t respect women? Are you KIDDING me? Jaime shows more respect to women than almost any other character. He actually treats the women we’ve seen him interact with as individuals, not objects.
Definitely agree with 45, Jaime is one of the least anti-woman characters we see. He’s still a product of his upbringing of course, and while I loathe the “he’s a jerk to everybody” rationale it kind of does apply to him. Sure, he’s not a “supporter of gender equality” in the terms we’d think about it today, but by Westeros standards he’s doing OK.
Seeing Jaime get to where he is with Brienne is fascinating. He’s throwing off a *lot* of beliefs he’s had, about everything, and IMO is not one of the smartest characters in the series. It feels very realistic for the kind of character he is.
I know he’s polarizing and not everyone will like him, or does like him. I admit to giggling gleefully at Leigh’s post, because, well, he is one of my favourites. But there are characters I just straight up dislike despite them having fairly large followings (The Hound and Jorah, and I’m not a particular Tyrion fan either.) But, I think that love or hate him Jaime is one of the best written and well-characterized characters in the whole series, and honestly in fantasy as a whole.
(also agree with DIE GREGOR DIE!)
The part of this chapter that stuck in my mind the most from the first reading is where Jaime writes in the White Book. Look at what he writes – a catalogue of humiliation, failure and dishonour, with no attempt at all to dress it up to make him look better. Losing his hand to someone called Zollo the Fat? And needing to be rescued by a woman? And he’s just made sure that this is what future generations will remember about him. You can’t say Jaime lacks courage.
Also, hasn’t it been established that Jaime is very likely this world’s equivalent of dyslexic? This gives his determination to write it himself — and write the truth — just that much more punch, for me.
Roll over for text: There are quite a few Cersei point-of-view chapters in the next book (AFFC) – I’m looking forward to your opinion on Cersei after you do get inside her head. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that those were my favorite chapters of the next book, for a variety of reasons.
Also, why only one chapter/week recently? We want two! We want two!
Jaime is still a scumbag in my book. Easing his conscience a bit by sending Brienne on what he considers a hopeless quest doesn’t change that at all.
Leigh: “GODDAMNIT!”
All: “MWAHAHAHAHA!”
@29 gilean23
Word of Robb’s heir is lost in plot-hole land at this point. We haven’t heard of it being delivered to anyone to be publicized, so common knowledge at this point still puts Jon firmly outside the line of succession, since he’s both a bastard and sworn to the Night’s Watch.
Yep. We know that Robb planned to legitimize Jon, but as far as I remember we never got confirmation on whether he actually managed to go through all the necessary legal hoopla before he attended a certain crimson tinged festivity…
@49: Dyslexic Jaime is more from the show than the book, IIRC.
@53 Whoops. (Er, is that something I need to delete/white out, then?)
It’s not just that Jaime respects Brienne. I would even say he looks up to her – because unlike him, she still has her honor. She knows the world around her is full of people behaving dishonorably, but she doesn’t see that as a reason why she should do the same. It reminds Jaime of his own youthful dreams and ideals – and Brienne, unlike pretty much everyone else he’s ever met, lives up to them.
@52 There’s also the rather significant problem of Jon being a Brother of the Night’s Watch. He’s forsworn any titles and cannot legitmately hold one unless someone with the authority to do so releases Jon from his oath (and Jon agrees to be released).. Robb theoretically could have done that if he made the King in the North claim stick, but that is a dead issue now. Who with the authority to release him would be inlcined to do so? The characters who are even aware of it are properly ignoring it because it is a moot point.
Great post. Now let me get me devil’s advocate horns on…
Nope, still not buying it. Jaime can die slowly in pain at night in the rain screaming for all I care. On the one hand, you have all he’s done – murder, defenestration, assault, incest, etc. On the other hand, you have the facts that he a) feels bad about some of it, b) gets abused badly, and c) likes a woman and treats her better than most men treat women because she fights good. And this is supposed to make me like him? He’s still sleeping with his sister. He’s still hiding the fact that it’s his kids on the throne. What “good” is he supposedly doing for the kingdom, or for any individual? One person? Maybe? Pbbbbbt. Basically, Leigh’s bought into his internal sob story about poor honorable misunderstood Jaime. HE is going to complain about the lack of honor in Kingsguard? (*snort*).
And another thing – I don’t particular think this is an example of “good” writing. I’m sorry, but I don’t think any real person who can so cavalierly and quickly shove a child out a window (and does everyone remember his flippant remark of the moment?), can also be the kind of person who has the internal moral struggles of this chapter. It’s more like GRRM wrote two different characters and then shoved them together. Bleh, too much suspension of disbelief for me.
Just want to reply to the “awesome name” comment that lots of the swords have really cool names. GRRM is really good at coming up with evocative names for things.
@57 He only hides it from the world because his sister wants him to. And he wouldn’t betray his sister like that. Sleeping with his sister doesn’t make him a bad man by itself. It’s just gross not evil and more like a flaw. Perfect characters are boring. And who did he kill really? He kills a crazy king and some soldiers. Worst thing he’s done is try to kill Bra., He assaulted Ned Stark because Ned told him he took his brother hostage under his orders. And he cares about Tyrion so yeah he did that in a moment of passion. Ned’s fault for being so protective over Cat.
The fact that he complains about the lack of honor in the Kingsguard just shows how far the Kingsguard has fallen. And also if you pay attention to Jaime he’s actually one of the few people who actually values honor in a person.
You lack insight to how people work if you actually think anyone who has committed murder or tried to commit murder can’t have internal moral struggles.
By the way, his flippant comment is really just how he deals with things even despicable things.
Jaime has trouble writing because he has to use his left hand.
@59 – so Jaime murders 3 completely innocent people and gets 5 of his own men killed to “teach Ned a lesson”, as he put it himself, and it’s Ned’s fault? Seriously? No, it’s Jaime’s fault for being a hot-headed idiot and an immoral scumbag.
@59: I agree. Jaime genuinely loves his brother and believes that Ned is the one who ordered him abducted and put his life in very real jeopardy. And he certainly doesn’t believe this without reason: Ned himself said that he ordered it. We also need to remember that Tyrion is actually innocent of the charges against him at the Eyrie and yet very nearly dies for it. If it were my brother in that situation I’d want to mess up the ones responsible for the injustice, too. His actions against Ned seem to fit within a Westerosi sense of acceptable revenge/justice.
Ned was the Hand. If he deemed fit to have Tyrion arrested, that was perfectly legal. And as far as Jaime knew, Tyrion may have well been guilty. Certainly he was the most likely candidate for trying to murder Bran after his fall – he made it clear to Jaime that he knew he’s done who pushed Bran.
But Jaime didn’t care about justice one bit, as usual. He didn’t think that his actions only put his brother in more danger and got people who were completely innocent killed (also 5 of his own men, BTW). Absolutely unforgivable in my book, especially since he hasn’t once shown the slightest remorse or guilt for this horrible action.
I never jumped on the Jaime-loving wagon either. I do hate him a little bit less, though. And I feel like Mr. Martin is manipulating his readers in this chapter. Most of us want Starks to get their revenge, but the kids are in no position to deliver it at this point. Jon is in a cell at the Wall. The northern army is all but destroyed. So when ANYONE puts himself against Tywin or Cercei, we can’t help but cheer for him. It’s one of the reasons Tyrion is loved by the readers IMO, because, honestly, he is not such a good person either.
Sorry to all that I was out of pocket all day yesterday. Nice summary, Leigh, as always. I’m not a Jaime fan but I enjoy many of the “new and improved Jaime” chapters in the ASOIF series.
Excellent chapter, as all of the ones at the end of ASOS tend to be. Brienne gets a quest!! Which is great until you really think about how the heck is she going to accomplish it. But that’s how it rolls in the quest business, I guess. The higher the mountain, the more glorious the climb….
Fake Arya – ugh. Don’t want to be in her shoes. There’s actually a logical candidate for Fake Arya that was discussed in fandom when this book came out but I won’t discuss at this point in the public thread.
Gregor – Ha!
@63 – “And as far as Jaime knew, Tyrion may have well been guilty.”
Pretty sure that Jaime knew that Tyrion was innocent given that Jaime was the one who actually did it.
^ There were two attempts to murder Bran, Tyrion was arrested for the second one.
“You’re making a sad mistake, Lady Stark. I had no part in any attack on your son. On my honor—”
“Lannister honor,” was all she said. She held up her hands for all the room to see. “His dagger left these scars. The blade he sent to open my son’s throat.”
What some analysis of Jaime aren’t taking into account is that he’s a man of action and not the brightest Lannister. I think his actions both before and after are consistent with that, and with a change that comes about because he can’t be the man of action, thinking with his sword, anymore.
He lets Bran fall from the tower once he discovers the boy. He does this with much displeasure (“The things I do for love”), but he does it anyway because he thinks this is the only course for him, Cersei and their children to live. Cersei in the dialogue right after admonishes Jaime, saying they could’ve talked to Bran and convinced him never to tell or that what he saw was something else, etc. She was right, that was the best course of action, but Jaime does the bad thing anyway because he didn’t think of that before.
When Jaime is handless and a prisioner of the Brave Companions, he tries to think about a way to escape. The only plan he comes up with is stealing a sword and fighting his way through (basically what he did with Brienne before). He thinks that if he was his brother Tyrion he could come up with something better, but he doesn’t. Because he’s been conditioned to solve all his problems with a sword and / or taking other people’s advice or plans (like joining the Kingsguard to be near Cersei, which was her plan).
The reason I joined the Jaime fan-train wasn’t in this chapter and had nothing to do with gender, unlike Leigh. It had to do with his flashback of why he offed Aerys. Showing what a monster Aerys was and that the straw that broke the camel’s back was Aerys’ plan to burn Kingslanding, which Jaime stopped. Jaime basically avoided the death of hundreds of thousand of people. Leigh compared Jaime to a special service agent that killed the president, I’d compare him to a SS officer that killed Hitler in the midst of the war. It must be said, though, that he didn’t stop it the most politically savvy way. He could’ve lied to the pyromancer and said Aerys had ordered him to wait three days before using the wildfire. He then could just wait until Clegane came barging and take a convenient piss outside the throne room while Clegane bashed Aerys’ head. Clegane then would be the Kingslayer and Jaime would simply be known as the Pisser or the Incompetent.
But he didn’t do that. Again he thought with his muscles and sword and decided to kill the pyromancer and Aerys too. And then sat on the Iron Throne, awaiting Ned Stark. Again, these are very stupid actions from the political point of view, making him look power hungry or untrustworthy. But he does that. Out of a whim. Without thinking things through. The point is, he always acts like that (without thinking) because he isn’t the smartest or quick thinking, and he was good at one thing only, killing people with sword and lance.
When Tyrion is captured by Catelyn Stark, what does Jaime do? He attacks Ned Stark’s men and kills some of them. What does that accomplish? Basically the start of a war and Jaime has to flee King’s Landing otherwise Robert or Ned (once he’s recovered) will take him prisioner. In other words, that’s a very stupid decision, taken on a whim and based on the emotions he had at the moment (outrage and concern over his brother). The solution involved using violence, as Jaime was trained and prone to do, and the solution didn’t actually solve anything.
Once this ability to solve things with violence is taken from him, he has to learn to act in other ways. And from that comes greater understanding of other people and a better moral compass. He also looks back on his trajectory and sees that he basically was a villain all the time (the laughing knight, and not the sword of the morning). So he starts to act more accordingly to his ideals. He also tries to think things through more, but he’s not able to do that all the time (like jumping in the bear pit to save Brienne). To me, this change in the moral compass is redemption. He can never undo the things he has done before, but he can try to act better from now on.
TLDR: Jaime is not very bright and was prone to solve all his problems using stupid plans that involved violence. Now he doesn’t do that anymore, because the ability to use violence has been taken from him. That’s why he has changed and that’s consistent with the characterization that has been shown all along.
dre,
Oh, yeah, I remember that flippant remark. But, unlike you, I see it as rueful. Jaime is, above all else, an intemperate hothead. Cersei knew better than to throw the kid out the bloody window! Jaime panicked. He, likewise, goes off the handle at Ned when Ned admits to imprisoning Tyrion. Bear in Mind that Jaime has been seeing Lysa for a while (a lot more recently than Ned has)…
Surrrrre, Leigh. You don’t like Tywin and Cersei nowwww…. but just you waaaaait… BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahaha aha
Just kidding. Maybe.
What you have failed to realize, Leigh, is that Martin has pulled a Sara Douglass on you. The Lannisters were the protagonists of this story all along. Beginning with the Stark POV was just a misdirect to humanize the antagonists before their true, traitorous colors were revealed.
Now, Martin has begun the hard work of bringing you around to their point of view.
/sarcasm(maybe, ;^D)
Yep, who knows and how it will reappear are puzzles about Robb’s making Jon his heir. It is on the mantelpiece for now and I’ll predict it will come back with a spray of bullets at some point.
I can’t say that I like Jaime as a person yet, but he is getting more character depth all the time and that is a good thing for the story.
Tower of the Hand has a list of “Stark Secret-Keepers” who know (AS OF AFFC’S END – SPOILER ALERT) that one or more Stark kids is alive. If you’ve read that far, it’s a handy reference:
http://towerofthehand.com/essays/johnny/stark_secret_keepers.html
I’m seeing – or I want to see – a parallel between Jaime giving Brienne a quest and Jon giving Arya a sword. I think it’s a very economic way of making a character look good (and not only in Leigh’s eyes).
So the defenses I read of Jaime are:
1) He’s a hothead “man of action”
2) He’s not very bright
3) He’s only killed a “few” people
4) Some of the murders were revenge murders
5) It’s what’s expected from the times
6) He was nobly protecting his sister’s honor when he tried to kill a little boy
7) He was saving thousands when he betrayed his oath and committed regicide (okay, I may give you that one).
8) He felt really bad about it all as he was doing it
9) Losing a hand was a life-changing experience and all is forgiven
Srsly? Color me unconvinced. Jaime. Death. Pain. Screaming. Flayed. Rain. Darkness. Make it happen, GRRM. HE THREW A KID OUT THE WINDOW.
Bet some of you feel sorry for (“didja see the peasant boy run?”) Sandor too. I’mma go look up “turpitude”.
I don’t know if anyone in Westeros would consider Jon a legitimate heir to Robb, even with Robb declaring him heir. Jon swore an oath, giving up his rights to inherit or pass on titles, when he joined the Night’s Watch.
“…I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post…”
Jon’s a Stark. He’s been raised to take oaths very seriously. I’m not sure he would even be willing to act as Robb’s heir.
Also, the Night’s Watch (and the comparable Kingsguard) serve as a safety valve for Westeros. Both provide places to put inconvenient extra relatives, to keep them from challenging the rightful heirs. It’s similar to the role the church played in Medeival Europe. A way for intelligent, ambitious younger sons to achieve something without indulging in destabilizing civil wars. Because of this, I suspect that many people would not be willing to even accept a sworn member of the Night’s Guard as Robb’s heir. It’s just not done. It would set a terrible precedent.
re: Defenestration
I really don’t want to excuse Jaime’s actions because throwing children out of windows is bad… but it seems to me that Jaime did a quick calculation and weighed his life, Cersei’s life, and the life of his 3 kids vs Bran’s life. Now Cersei was probably correct that the calculation wasn’t that simple as Bran probably could have been coerced; however, I’d say history has shown us that most people don’t choose the life of someone elses kid when weighed against the life of their own loved ones.
It’s not admirable but it certainly is human.
@74: Oooh, that never occured to me. Jon might not have expected that Arya would ever need to “stick someone with the pointy end,” but the action is still a display of confidence in the worth of a female fighter.
I am so excited that you are on board with Jaime! The way Martin managed to make me root for this character is in my opinion one of his greatest achievements in this series. I know it hurts, but don’t you feel so much better to be onboard the Jaime train? Yay!
And yes I am definitely one of those people that ship Jaime/ Brienne because it is impossible not to. He gave her an awesome quest and a sword you guys! He jumped into a bear pit for her! Finally starting to realise how terrible Cersei is! Obviously they’re not going to get to live happily ever after or anything because that’s not how GRRM rolls, and I’m not sure that I want a romantic relationship per se, but it’s still awesome how Jaime recognises Brienne’s awesomeness and her worth as a person regardless of societal opinion.
@75 Dude, flaying Jaime for throwing a child out of a window is horrible. The worst he deserves is life imprisonment.
Goodness gracious, #75. I’m of the eye for an eye school — the most I’d allow narratively would be throwing Jaime out a window non-fatally. And I do believe that his losing a hand and therby becoming handicapped — extremely so, for his era and profession — was meant to parallel what he did to Bran. (I’d rather lose one hand than the use of two legs, but I think it was supposed to be poetic justice of a kind.)
Can we all be clear, as well, that just because I began to see Jaime as a more layered character as the series wore on does not mean I’d want to have him over to meet my mother. Nor, indeed, would I want him in my EPOCH, frankly. But I would consider him a non-flat character, and for reading purposes that is good and also enjoyable and fun to disssect. Figuratively speaking. Characters I hate abjectly and who have no other aspects to their character are not enjoyable to read about, and I do not have a good time when they appear on-page (Bolton the Younger, Gregor Clegane).
Up to this point, I think Jamie chose Brienne not only because he recognized her fighting skills but because he could trust her. And I bet that trust was worth 100x more than her skills.
And in this universe, the fact that a dude that defenestrated a kid and sleeps with his sister is nowhere near top of the evil pile in this book speaks a lot about the grey morality of this universe. I’ll take what I can get. I mean, I love JSnow, but Jaime’s always (OK since book 3) been a more interesting character to me.
I’m unashamedly fangirling Jaime here, but even I draw the line at Sandor.
Another thing that I loved about this chapter is what Jaime wrote in the book. Previously, he had complained about how Selmy never wrote of his tournament victories. Now he’s the one in charge of the book and what does he write? His defeats.
People like Jamie and Tyrion because:
1. They self-examine – unlike many of the other characters we encounter.
2. They are brutually honest in their self-appraisal.
3. They are sarcastic.
As a lawyer, the bills of attainder at the start of the chapter made me smile grimly. The end of the chapter made me doff my metaphorical hat to GRRM for perfoming the neat trick of taking an initialy very unsympathetic character and making his someone the reader can rationally care for.
Oh, and Liegh, this image is for you.
@stevenhalter
Regarding the outcome of the Gregor Clegane x Oberyn Martell duel, remember that this was trial by battle, which in Westeros means a duel to the death. All the times we’ve seem this, the loser has died (even if he has ressurrected afterwards). So, considering that Oberyn has died before Gregor (like, several days before), Gregor is considered the winner. The fact that Oberyn had speared Gregor did not guarantee a win for Oberyn. It’s a lethal blow, but Oberyn was stupid enough to allow Gregor the opportunity to kill him first, really quick. Therefore Gregor became the winner. Quick death beats slow death.
A draw would be if both combatants attacked at the same time and died at the same time. Then a re-match with different combatants would ensue, I think.
Oooh, well-said, #85.
@83 Maddy1990
I’m unashamedly fangirling Jaime here, but even I draw the line at Sandor.
I don’t. I like the Hound in all his tragic fucked-upness…
I think the mocking gift was a stack of porn magazines, because he no longer has a sword hand.
Miss Leigh, i believe i was one who was the most smug in the comments about our Golden boy issue before.
Therefore… while this is still relatively fresh…. MUA… HA – HA!
It was fun to read your attempts at denial and avoidance, knowing it wont work. At least that it should not work for anyone with a decent brain and ability to correct oneself in face of the truth.
Ive seen a few posts up here, adding some details that maybe you haven’t considered, understandably so, while being so annoyed by our Lannister, but they didnt do a good job of it.
So its up to me to properly address and explain all the angles and all the connections and all of the awesomeness of this moment.
You see, its not just about Jaime recognizing Brienne as an equal or a capable Knight, about him validating her.
Its much better.
Think back, on that oath Catelyn made him swear in Riverrun. How many people hated Catelyn for doing that? How many people thought she was stupid, thought her move is insane? How many people thought Jaime would never – ever keep his side of the bargain?
And now you see, they all see – that Catelyn was right. Its not only Brienne he is validating here. He validates Brienne, he validates Catelyn, even if he has no reason for it – her being dead, but he also validates himself.
As someone who will keep to the oath. Even if the woman he gave it to is dead. Even if the oath was forced on him. Even if finding those two girls is virtually impossible anymore – them being either dead or simply gone. Even if he has to go directly against the interests of his own family! And what was he called often?
Oathbreaker? Shit for honour?
:)
But then…. there is more. Then – the sword. He bloody sends Brienne… to find Eddard and Catelyn daughters…. carrying their FATHER SWORD!!! It doesnt matter it was reforged, it doesnt matter someone made two swords out of it. Brienne is carrying ICE, Eddard Starks own sword! Do you see now? Do you SEE?
If that aint the bloom convergence of epic DESTINY with big D … i dont know what is. It doesnt only say things about Jaime, or Catelyn – this actually says – that the girls will be found. By whom? By none other then two characters everyone would swear would be the worst choices in the matter.
HA!
At last lets consider the issue of honorable behavior as relating to general audience dislike of Eddard Stark and his honorable ways and his supposed stupid moves and his supposed naivete. And lets consider how people often said that Eddard should have been more like Tyrion, (i remember you were one of them hahahaha!), more sneaky, more pragmatic, more Lannister – less of a honorable fool.
And what do we see now? Both Tyrion and Jaime suffering and or behaving in certain ways precisely because they are both just as bloody honorable fools as Eddard was.
HA! HAAA! HA!!!
(men this was so great…. so great…)
Man… i wish Jaime would throw more kids out of a window.
(its not like he even bloody killed him!)
– And he jumped into a bear pit! No weapons at all!
To save who? Brienne! Brienne the ugly. Brienne the not so sharp. Brienne the freak!
Now watch what the Lord commander of the Kingsguard does next!
HA!
HA! i say!
Fun facts
Among pardoned were Robb’s wife’s family, which makes you wonder.
Rivverrun was given to a Frey, but the one married to a Lannister.
Tywin’s gift was swird, second half of which was given to Joffrey at his wedding.
Though Jamie’s transformation began earlier than that, I wonder how much losing sword hand “helped” to speed it up.
What’s difference how Mountain dies – poison or beheading?
I never saw Jaime as stupid. Reckless and glib, yes, but not stupid – and now that he’s re-examining everything he seems as thoughtful as his siblings. Probably brighter than Cersei, who always seems to think herself in knots.
I don’t think we’ve ever been told so but I like to imagine his pursuit of action as being a way to escape the horrible complexities of his family life.