Game of Thrones Season One Ultimate Unofficial Guide: The Game of Thrones Season 1

will end when the “ghost grass” covers everything. This prophecy serves as foreshadowing of many possible events to come including: the return of Targaryen reign, extinction of the humans at the hands of supernatural forces, or the loss of Dothraki way of life to dominant cultures.
    We are next taken to Winterfell where we see that Bran lives, but is in a coma. Tyrion shares the news with his siblings that Bran lives. The Queen attempts to hide her displeasure about this news, but as insiders to the truth behind Bran’s “fall” we can see she is obviously disturbed by it. Tyrion plans to accompany Jon Snow to The Wall so he can see it firsthand. Jon is determined to “take the black” and join his uncle Benjen as a ranger of The Night’s Watch in order to make a name for himself at Castle Black. He says his goodbyes to the sleeping Bran and his sister Arya, whom he gives a specially made sword. Because of her excitement and eagerness to use it, we sense that this will be an important tool for her in the future. The Queen visits Cat while she sits at Bran’s bedside and tells a story about losing her first-born baby with Robert. He was a black-haired boy who fell to a fever. She describes him as a little bird without feathers, a chilling parallel to what happened to Bran. Much to Cat’s dismay, Ned leaves for King’s Landing with their two daughters. Upon parting paths, Jon asks Ned about his mother and Ned tells him they will talk the next time they meet, a hint leaving us with the sneaking suspicion that events will transpire preventing this from happening.
    On the way to King’s Landing to the South, Robert and Ned are talking and we learn that Jon’s mother’s name is Wyla. Ned is reluctant to talk about her. We are left with the feeling that this mystery might come into play later in the story. Robert talks of Rhaegar Targaryen, who he killed to avenge Ned’s sister, and of the awful things done to Ned’s father and brother at the hands of the Targaryens. We do not yet learn what transpired. Robert finishes his discussion with the looming observation that a war is coming.
    On the road going north to The Wall, Tyrion and Jon talk. We learn that criminals are taken to serve at The Wall as alternate punishment for their crimes. Jon is dismayed to learn this because he grew up with the notion that it was an honorable choice to “take the black.”
    Back at Winterfell, Robb voluntarily takes charge of the house affairs since his mother is intent on staying at Bran’s bedside. An assassination attempt is made on the sleeping Bran, but Bran’s direwolf kills the attempted murderer, saving his and Cat’s lives. After this attack, Cat is determined to uncover how Bran “fell” from the window. She finds a long blonde hair on the clean-swept patch of floor in the abandoned tower room where the twins had been engaged in their act of incest.
    Meanwhile in Essos, Daenerys is tended to by her servants and begins to ask about the days of the dragons. We are left to wonder if there is significance behind this, especially since she has three dragon eggs in her possession. She is, after all, descended from the line of dragon kings and her brother thinks he is the rightful successor to the throne. She also learns how to use her sexual prowess to gain some control over her new husband and herself. We see a confidence begin to blossom in Daenerys that will serve her well as the story progresses.
    The episode closes with the royal party traveling home to King’s Landing. Arya disarms Prince Joffrey in an attempt to defend her friend, the butcher’s son, with who she had been play-sword fighting. In her defense, Arya’s wolf bites the prince and she is forced to command her pet to flee to save its life. (Will it return later in the story at a point when Arya needs help?) Arya is enraged when Joffrey lies to the King and Queen about what happened. Sansa’s wolf gets killed in place of Arya’s since hers was not able to be found. The butcher’s boy is run down and killed as punishment for harming the prince, which we know is not what transpired. Ned volunteers to kill the wolf, saying “the wolf is of the North and deserves better than a butcher.” Does this statement also represent how Ned feels about Arya (of The North) and her choice of playmate (the butcher’s son)? The last scene is of Bran waking just as the wolf’s life is taken. A connection is implied despite the two being in different parts of