A Feast for Dragons

crew on the
Iron
Victory:
    WULFE ONE-EAR, RAGNOR PYKE, LONGWATER PYKE, TOM TIDEWOOD, BURTON
HUMBLE, QUELLON HUMBLE, STEFFAR STAMMERER
    his captains:
    RODRIK SPARR, called THE VOLE, captain of
Gnef
,
    RED RALF STONEHOUSE, captain of
Red Jester
,
    MANFRYD MERLYN, captain of
Kite
,
    RALF THE LIMPER, captain of
Lord Quellon
,
    TOM CODD, called BLOODLESS TOM, captain of the
Lamentation
,
    DAEGON SHEPHERD, called THE BLACK SHEPHERD, captain of the
Dagger
.
    The Targaryens are the blood of the dragon, descended from
the high lords of the ancient Freehold of Valyria, their heritage marked by
lilac, indigo, and violet eyes and hair of silver-gold. To preserve their blood
and keep it pure, House Targaryen has oft wed brother to sister, cousin to
cousin, uncle to niece. The founder of the dynasty, Aegon the Conqueror, took
both his sisters to wife and fathered sons on each. The Targaryen banner is a
three-headed dragon, red on black, the three heads representing Aegon and his
sisters. The Targaryen words are
Fire and Blood
.
    ----
    THE SELLSWORDS MEN AND WOMEN OF THE FREE COMPANIES
    THE GOLDEN COMPANY, ten thousand strong, of uncertain
loyalty:
    HOMELESS HARRY STRICKLAND,
captain-general,
    WATKYN, his squire and cupbearer,
    {SER MYLES TOYNE, called BLACKHEART}, four years dead, the previous
captain-general,
    BLACK BALAQ, a white-haired Summer Islander, commander of the
company archers,
    LYSONO MAAR, a sellsword late of the Free City of Lys, company
spymaster,
    GORYS EDORYEN, a sellsword late of the Free City of Volantis,
company paymaster,
    SER FRANKLYN FLOWERS, the Bastard of Cider Hall, a sellsword from
the Reach,
    SER MARQ MANDRAKE, an exile escaped from slavery, scarred by pox,
    SER LASWELL PEAKE, an exile
lord,
    his brothers, TORMAN and PYKEWOOD,
    SER TRISTAN RIVERS, bastard, outlaw, exile,
    CASPOR HILL, HUMFREY STONE, MALO JAYN, DICK COLE, WILL COLE,
LORIMAS MUDD, JON LOTHSTON, LYMOND PEASE, SER BRENDEL BYRNE, DUNCAN STRONG,
DENYS STRONG, CHAINS, YOUNG JOHN MUDD, serjeants of the company,
    {SER AEGOR RIVERS, called BITTERSTEEL}, a bastard son of King Aegon
IV Targaryen, founder of the company},
    {MAELYS I BLACKFYRE, called MAELYS THE MONSTROUS}, captain-general
of the company, pretender to the Iron Throne of Westeros, member of the Band of
Nine, slain during the War of the Ninepenny Kings,
    THE WINDBLOWN, two thousand horse and foot, sworn to Yunkai,
    THE TATTERED PRINCE, a former
nobleman of the Free City of Pentos, captain and founder,
    CAGGO, called CORPSEKILLER, his right hand,
    DENZO D’HAN, the warrior bard, his left hand,
    HUGH HUNGERFORD, serjeant, former company paymaster, fined three
fingers for stealing,
    SER ORSON STONE, SER LUCIFER LONG, WILL OF THE WOODS, DICK STRAW,
GINJER JACK, Westerosi sellswords,
    PRETTY MERIS, the company torturer,
    BOOKS, a Volantene swordsman and notorious reader,
    BEANS, a crossbowman, late of Myr,
    OLD BILL BONE, a weathered Summer Islander,
    MYRIO MYRAKIS, a sellsword late of Pentos,
    THE COMPANY OF THE CAT, three thousand strong, sworn to
Yunkai,
    BLOODBEARD, captain and commander,
    THE LONG LANCES, eight hundred horse-riders, sworn to
Yunkai,
    GYLO RHEGAN, captain and commander,
    THE SECOND SONS, five hundred horse-riders, sworn to Queen
Daenerys,
    BROWN BEN PLUMM, captain and commander,
    KASPORIO, called KASPORIO THE CUNNING, a bravo, second-in-command,
    TYBERO ISTARION, called INKPOTS, company paymaster,
    HAMMER, a drunken blacksmith and
armorer,
    his apprentice, called NAIL,
    SNATCH, a serjeant, one-handed,
    KEM, a young sellsword, from Flea Bottom,
    BOKKOKO, an axeman of formidable repute,
    UHLAN, a serjeant of the company,
    THE STORMCROWS, five hundred horse-riders, sworn to Queen
Daenerys,
    DAAERIO NAHARIS, captain and
commander,
    THE WIDOWER, his second-in-command,
    JOKIN, commander of the company archers.
    ----
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    GEORGE R. R. MARTIN sold his first story in
1971 and has been writing professionally every since. He has written fantasy,
horror, and science fiction, and for his sins spent ten years in Hollywood as a
writer/producer, working on
The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast
,
and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the
mid ’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic
fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever
since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico,
where he lives with his wife Parris and their four