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I must do this! I have to know! I need to know why I was sent back!
Robb Stark, talking to the Old Gods, Chapter 2.

When Robb Stark died during the Red Wedding, he died not knowing of the catastrophe about to happen to all of Westeros: the White Walkers. The War of the Five Kings only proved to be something that distracted the North from the real problem. So, the Old Gods make a choice: Robb Stark must be sent back in time.

That's how the A Song of Ice and Fire fanfiction Robb Returns begins. Robb "arrives" to several months before Jon Arryn's death, but the great change begins when Ned Stark learns not only of the events that might have taken place if the future was not changed, but of the incoming threat of the White Walkers. This leads to an avalanche of changes that sends every character in completely different (and some even unexpected) paths as the hidden history of the world becomes revealed and the worst winter in centuries approaches.

In spite of this, though, the Game of Thrones continues. The pieces have changed, the board has been shaken and the rules are completely different, but it continues... and one wonders if what the Old Gods did was enough to stop the apocalypse...

The birth of the dire wolf pups in Chapter 63 marks about where the prequel months end and the novels' timeline starts coming in to play.

Can also be found on Alternate History forums (the second thread begins here and the third thread begins here) and AO3. Keep in mind that the chapters get posted to AlternateHistory.com before they get posted to FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own. Spoilers for chapters that haven't been put on Fanfiction yet are commented out, so if you don't have an Alternate History account and don't want anything to be spoiled, be careful while editing these pages or reading the page histories.About the chapter numbers 

The first thread is currently the most viewed thread in AlternateHistory.com's Fandom AH forum, with the second thread at fourth-most.


This Fan Fic contains examples of:

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    A-C 
  • Accidental Discovery: Turns out that in the beginning, the Others had no idea about their necromantic powers, since Children of the Forest can't be reanimated as undead. However, when an Other killed a human for the first time, and said human returned as a wight, they realized they had the means to build a massive army.
  • Accidental Marriage: Or at least Accidental Betrothal. In chapter 160, Bran meets Quicksilver, a Child of the Forest, who tells him they are linked and kisses him on his forehead, both cheeks, and his lips. In Chapter 168, Dacey heavily implies, to an aghast Catelyn, that this is, at the very least, a betrothal.
  • Accident, Not Murder: Varys was brought over from Lys to investigate the Tragedy of Summerhall because Aerys believed there was foul play involved. In Chapter 138, The Green Man (aka Duncan the Tall) reveals that the Tragedy of Summerhall really was an accident, thanks to a pyromancer who got a little too zealous and made a mistake by brewing a batch of wildfire that was too strong, botching the ritual and causing the deaths of King Aegon V and Prince Duncan among others.
  • Action Girl: The Company of the Rose has quite a few warrior women. Also Brienne of Tarth. At least one Stark ancestor, as well.
  • Adaptational Badass: Euron Greyjoy's magical abilities were only hinted at in the books and almost completely absent in the show. Here, he has mastered at least one magical ability (Villain Teleportation), possibly another (if he is responsible for mind-raping The Mountain), and implies that he is a Power Parasite (he intends to betray the Others and add their powers to himself).
  • Adaptational Explanation: The books never quite explained why Jaime never told anyone else about the caches of wildfire hidden under King's Landing other than implying it was out of misguided pride. Here, he reveals that it was also because he didn't want to cause a panic and figured the wildfire would eventually safely degrade anyway from being stored in the dark. Too bad he was wrong about that last part...
  • Adaptational Heroism: Happens to a number of characters: note 
    • Canon Bronn only worked for Tyrion for gold and left him as soon as he got a better offer. Here, he is loyal to Jon Arryn and gets Ursula Stone legitimized. Downplayed in both cases as pragmatism, since Jon is his new overlord, while Ursula saw the letter about Cersei and Jaime, and they need her to be quiet. He also refused to help Littlefinger escape, on the grounds that he figured Baelish to be the type who would double-cross him eventually, so better not to trust him at all; and due to Baleish's assests being seized, he has no money to bargain with anyway.
    • Tyrion seems to have lost some of his misogyny. It is further revealed that instead of knowing about the Lannister incest, he merely suspected (and didn't dare speak of it without hard proof, given what his father would do to him if it turned out he was wrong), and was genuinely ignorant about the fact that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were Cersei's children with Jaime.
    • Canon Renly was perfectly aware of the Lannicest, but decided to keep quiet until he could get Margaery married to Robert. Here, he has no idea until Jon tells him. He also isn't as arrogant as his book counterpart.
    • Robert hitting Cersei is portrayed as something she provokes, while in canon it also happened when he got annoyed at her. Also, there is no mention of Robert "taking his rights" when drunk. Later, Varys tells Daenerys that he never actually sent assassins after her and Viserys. Canon Robert was also genuinely happy seeing Rhaegar's children dead and viewing them as mere dragon spawn while here, he only laughed to save face with Tywin Lannister and it's something that he heavily regretted, especially since it's caused friction between him and Ned.
    • Canon Jorah is an unrepentant slaver, pedophile, and repeatedly tries to emotionally isolate and manipulate a (pre-) teen girl. This Jorah sees selling slaves as something he did only once for love and has regretted ever since, and the other two aren't mentioned, albeit due to him not being signed on with said girl's entourage.
    • While Roose Bolton still played his role in the Red Wedding in the original timeline, there's no evidence that he's secretly as monstrous as his son Ramsay in this story. He also becomes a faithful vassal to the Starks after Domeric is betrothed to Sansa. Part of the latter may also be due to pragmatism, as he learns of the coming Long Night at the same time as the betrothal is arranged, and he knows that scheming against his liege on the eve of a war for survival could easily get both of them killed.
  • Adaptational Intelligence: Lord Orton Merryweather, the new Master of Coin, is thought of by Jon Arryn as astute, with a good head for numbers and laws, qualities that he never displayed in the books.
    • "Intelligence" may be a bit of an overstatement, but since Bran never fell and is no longer on the journey to become the Three-Eyed Raven, Hodor is now Walder, having never underwent the Mind Rape that turned him into Hodor the simpleton.
  • Adaptational Villainy:
    • In the books, it is currently ambiguous if Rhaegar and Lyanna were in love or if the former kidnapped the latter. Here, it's confirmed that Rhaegar raped Lyanna to produce Jon, though it's implied that she went willingly at first and that he had a My God, What Have I Done? moment afterwards, ultimately accepting death as the price of his actions.
    • Lysa Arryn isn't just murderously overprotective of her only surviving child: she's actively causing Robert Arryn's chronic illness to keep him wholly dependent on her.
    • Jon Connington knows the boy he raised isn't Aegon; he's not acting out of love for Rhaegar's son, only for revenge.
  • Adaptation Name Change:
    • Rickon Stark's direwolf pup was named Shaggydog in canon. With Ned's advice on taking some time to think about his pup's name, Rickon eventually decides on Fleetfoot. (Other names considered included Smellypoop, Big Paw, and Ouchyfinger.)
    • The Rat Cook is renamed the Rat King.
    • The only one of Daenerys's dragons that kept its name is Rhaegal, since she never met Khal Drogo and is in no mood to honor the brother that tried to kill her. The other two are named Balerion and Aemaerion.
  • Adapted Out: Khal Drogo and the Dothraki. Apparently, they've their own Call East in the Grey Wastes to answer.
  • Affair Letters: Renly has kept all the letters exchanged between him and Loras. When he decides to marry thanks to pressure from his uncle Lord Estermont, he burns the letters.
  • Age Lift: Edric Dayne in the books was of an age comparable to Sansa, while here he is several years older due to being conceived when Ned brought Dawn back to Starfall after killing Arthur Dayne at the Tower of Joy.
  • Agonizing Stomach Wound: Balon Greyjoy takes an entire day to die from the stomach wound inflicted by Euron, with his screaming echoing through Pyke.
  • Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Mance Rayder, the leader of the Free Folk, is willing to kneel to Ned if it means getting his people south of the Wall and safe from the Others.
  • Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: After Robert disinherits him, Joffrey gets drunk and thinks that killing Robb and presenting his head to Tywin will somehow force his father to restore him to the Princedom.
  • All for Nothing:
    • Ser Willem Bootle's attempt to pay back his debt to Collyns winds up being for naught, as Collyns had been executed as an associate of Littlefinger. This means that Bootle murdered Lord Surestone, seized his property, and tried to force Dacey Surestone into prostitution for nothing, and it only buys him death by incineration via the Fist of Winter.
    • Hearing Cersei's interpretation of Maggy the Frog's prophecy, if it could even be called that, causes Tyrion to realize just how incompetent his sister really is. "Valonqar" has several possible interpretationsnote , assuming she didn't actually hear "Valongar"note . Even assuming for a moment that Maggy was right, then Jaime could have been the one she should have feared, as he is the middle child and her direct younger sibling. In other words, Cersei killed someone and tormented Tyrion his entire life because she couldn't be bothered to check up on her vocabulary and grammar.
    • Tywin's efforts to restore his house has been all for naught upon Cersei and Jamie getting caught having sex in the Broken Tower in a trap created by Ned, not only disrupting the line of succession to the throne, but also charged with the crime of infidelity and incest. Making it worse is that the children born from their constant trysts are now ostracized as bastards and products of incests, something Myrcella is painfully aware of. To further rub in more salt, anyone who bears the Lannister name in the future will be viewed closely with suspicion on grounds of being born of incest. Fortunately, not all hope is lost due to Tyrion tying the knot with Dacey Surestone, her father being someone worthy of Tywin's respect and having been known for some high-profile heroics such as assisting the Starks and killing an Other with the Ancestral Weapon of the Lannisters, though it's a stain that'll take years to rub off. It takes a lot of work to build a reputation, but not so much to tumble it all down.
  • Altar the Speed: After Tyrion Lannister proposes to Dacey Surestone, his marriage to her happens a lot sooner than he expects, much to his surprise. Accelerating circumstances include Dacey already drawing up the marriage plans, Ned Stark leaving for Barrowtown the next day and wanting to be present for the marriage of his cousin, and Tyrion's siblings being disinherited and Tyrion being made the heir of Casterly Rock, and thus requiring him to fulfill his duties to his family.
  • Ambition Is Evil: Maester Aemon thinks so, and is glad that Jon has a (relatively) humble life goal.
    Aemon: I have seen the consequences of great ambition - death and ruin. All you wish is to live and not be a threat. That is laudable. What you teach your yet unborn children - well, that's up to you. But you must think on it most carefully. No false pride. You have the example of both Greystark and Blackfyre to show you the consequences of such pride.
  • Ancestral Weapon:
    • Seems that several First Man Houses had weapons made of Thunderbolt Iron.
      • Dawn, as per canon, and the only one widely known before the Call went out.
      • The Fist of Winter, the weapon of House Stark before Ice, found in a hidden room in Winterfell.
      • Stormbreaker, once the sword of the Storm Kings, hidden in the Durrandon catacombs.
      • Otherbane, the weapon of the Gardener Kings, taken to Horn Hill in the aftermath of the Field of Fire.
      • Rocktooth, weapon of the Casterlys and the Westerlands, found in the Nightfort.
      • The Warnings, twin daggers used by Lann the Clever, also found in the Nightfort.
      • The Shield of the Riverlands, the weapon of the Mudds, found in the Foxhold.
    • Of course, there's also the Valyrian steel weapons, such as Ice and Brightroar and Dark Sister. Once Eddard has the Fist of Winter, he takes it as his personal weapon and passes Ice unto Robb.
  • And Here He Comes Now: In Chapter 119, Ser Barristan, having been given the task to rebuild the Kingsguard after learning about Jaime Lannister's affair with the Queen and his actions to thwart Aerys Targaryen's wildfire plot, comments that such a task is the job for men like Ser Duncan the Tall. Ser Duncan shows up in Chapter 137, in his new role as the Green Man.
  • And Then John Was a Zombie: At least halfway: Rickon Stark of the Night's Watch was captured by the Others and turned into a wight, but the Children of the Forest managed to halt the change, making him into the half-wight Coldhands.
  • And Then What?: Upon seeing Arya's growing obsession with awakening her latent Warg powers, Tyrion asks her what she plans to with them. See That Came Out Wrong below for the answer.
  • And There Was Much Rejoicing: When the innkeeper who was cheating Dacey Surestone, along with pretty well everyone else he dealt with, drowns in a slop bucket after being slugged by the wife of a merchant, everyone "had a moment of silence that might have been as much as a heartbeat long before proceeding to celebrate a great deal."
  • Anger Born of Worry: Ygritte is visibly upset when she finds out that Jon Stark left with Eddard to banish the fog around the Barrows, on account of being the only other Stark to help him if things go bad. At Asha Greyjoy's prompting, once Jon returns, she berates him, kisses him, slaps him, then marches off leaving him completely bewildered.
  • Animal Eye Spy: Warging, as in canon. All of the Stark siblings slowly learn to do so over the course of the story with their direwolf companions, with varying uses. Arya wargs into Nymeria to keep an eye on Jaime Lannister at her father's request, and Bran, Robb and Jon have used their direwolves' eyes to detect magic and objects concealed by them.
  • Animal Motifs:
    • His personal coat of arms may be a mockingbird, but Littlefinger keeps getting compared to a weasel.
    • The one thing that finally signifies that Theon is more a Stark than a Greyjoy is him getting the seventh direwolf pup.
  • Anti-Magic: Something about the Wall and its construction severed the magical links between the North and South, meaning that the Children of the Forest's magic couldn't cross the Wall. Which is why the half-wight Coldhands slowly starts to die as he crosses the Wall.
  • Apologetic Attacker: Varys sincerely apologizes as Jon Connington succumbs to the stew that he poisoned with slumberberries, saying that the Call has completely upended all their plans, but the revenge-driven Connington would never be able to accept any other, so Varys has to have him removed. He at least can make it gentle.
  • Arc Words: The Others come. The Stark calls for aid. You are needed.
  • Arranged Marriage: Given that this is Westeros, this trope is bound to happen.
    • After Domeric and Sansa fall in love, Ned and Roose sit down to discuss a marriage contract.
    • As in canon, Robert plans to marry Sansa to his eldest son Joffrey. However, he finds out that Sansa is already betrothed to Domeric Bolton. Ned argues that such marriage is key in ensuring House Bolton's loyalty, and cancelling it would cause a huge rift between the Starks and Boltons, and the current situation with the Others demands an unified North. Fortunately, Robert decides to let the issue go without much fuss.
      • He then suggests two other possible marriages between their respective children: Bran and Myrcella, and Arya and Tommen. Ned doesn't oppose these, but warns Robert that for a Kindhearted Cat Lover like Tommen, a Tomboy Action Girl like Arya might be too much to handle. Of course, these are thrown out once Myrcella and Tommen's true parentage is revealed.
  • An Arm and a Leg: Lysa Arryn has to have her arm amputated by Maester Haster, due to the infection caused by whatever Jon Arryn coated his dagger with. It's made clear that she may not survive having it amputated, and she's not exactly in the best shape afterwards.
  • Armor-Piercing Question: As Oberyn, in Chapter 35, muses on the recent changes Westeros has undergone, has a big one for his brother Doran.
    Oberyn Martell: And... Stark is asking for information about the Others. Stark the pragmatist, Stark the practical, asks for information about a legend. And that, my brother, is what terrifies me. What if... in these times of magic... legends are real?
  • Armor-Piercing Response: Gerion Lannister says he paid a terrible price for obtaining Brightroar, and Joffrey blithely says that Grandfather Tywin will match that price. Gerion lifts his eyepatch to show his ruined eye and tells him of all his crew members that lost their lives during his odyssey, and Joffrey is sent fleeing.
  • Artifact Title: A certain Septon is nicknamed the High Sparrow despite the fact that in this timeline, he hasn't been forcibly installed as High Septon by the disaffected "sparrows" organizing in the wake of the civil war that hasn't happened.
  • Assassin Outclassin': After being disinherited as a prince due to being a bastard born of incest, Joffrey gets completely piss-drunk and tries to murder Robb with the Valyrian steel dagger from canon, only managing to inflict a single flesh wound despite catching Robb completely off-guard and unarmed. Robb, for his part, manages to break Joffrey's nose and disarm him before Val incapacitates him with a crunching Groin Attack.
  • Ascended Extra: Many characters who were barely a footnote in the books become major players in this fic, complete with their own POV chapters.
    • Jon Arryn was a Posthumous Character, whose death kickstarts the plot. Here, he's a main character.
    • Brynden Tully plays a major role in stomping down the rising Faith Militant, and it's stated he'll have a key role to play in the war against the Others.
    • Willas Tyrell was barely featured in the books, but here, he pretty much ousts his father as the Lord of Highgarden, and later becomes Lord of Highgarden in truth after his father's death.
    • Benjen Stark disappeared shortly after his introduction. Not here, when he's one of the most prominent Night Watch characters.
    • Domeric Bolton was killed by Ramsay sometime before the start of the books. Here, he not only survives, but becomes Sansa's Love Interest.
    • While nobody in their right mind would call Stannis Baratheon an extra, he gets his own POV chapters.
    • Gerion Lannister, long presumed dead in the books, in- and out-of-universe, fits the trope perfectly.
    • Downplayed with Ned Stark. He's hardly what you'd call an extra, having a significant amount of spotlight, but he doesn't live past the first book, albeit his name is still spoken highly by other characters. Here, not only does he live past his canon death, but also starts making moves to prepare the North due to the Call.
  • Assassins Are Always Betrayed: At least one of the corpses found in the cesspit used by Cersei is Timmon, a Lannister guard. It's implied that he murdered a serving girl who found out about Cersei and Jaime and thought he would be rewarded, only to be murdered himself.
  • Asshole Victim: So far, Ramsay Snow, Petyr Baelish, Janos Slynt, Viserys Targaryen, Craster, Walder Frey and Gregor Clegane have kicked the bucket, to the tears of virtually no one.
    • Lord Derkin is a new neighbor of Bronn's that he describes as a raging snob. He ends up dying from infection when a wight head bit off his finger (when he poked it to prove it was fake) and he refused to get it looked at.
    • Ser Willem Bootle and Edwyn Dickon tried to force the former's cousin Dacey Surestone into prostitution just so he could seize her father's estate and lands. Both wind up dead thanks to their behavior; Edwyn is drowned in slop after trying to proposition a woman for sex, and Bootle's lies literally kill him when he makes a false oath.
  • At Least I Admit It: When Tywin questions his motives for the wildfire and incest on the Wall, Jamie doesn't even bother making an excuse and admits he really messed up by not telling anyone about the wildfire and continuing to be intimate with Cersei despite the repercussions it has. This is in contrast to his twin sister, who has a severe case of Believing Their Own Lies even when being taken into exile.
  • The Atoner: After learning his alternate self betrayed Robb, Theon shows shades of this.
  • Awesome Moment of Crowning: Robar Glovett finds that you certainly cannot have a better person knight you than a legend like Ser Duncan the Tall.
  • Awful Truth:
    • Daenerys, learning about the events of Robert's Rebellion from Jorah Mormont, does not take the truth well.
    • Asha Greyjoy, Rodrik Harlaw, and his new wife Alyse nearly suffer an apoplexy when they find out that the Drowned God was an Old God who went mad fighting the Others.
    • Tyrion gives his brother Jaime an impromptu science lesson: wildfire gets STRONGER and MORE UNSTABLE when stored for long amounts of time in dark places – like, say, various locations throughout King's Landing where a psychopathic king might put things, and said things stay there even after said king is murdered. Cue Jaime vomiting.
    • The Martells' desire for revenge for Elia and her children gradually wanes over the course of the story due to the mounting threat of the Others. The final stab to the heart of their plans, however, is when Oberyn learns about Aerys's wildfire plot and realizes that the moment Robert killed Rhaegar at the Trident, she and her children were dead either way.
  • Ax-Crazy:
    • Viserys Targaryen, especially after he is given a huge (fake) dragon egg.
      • In Chapter 70, he completely snaps and attempts to awaken his dragon by murdering one of Illyrio Mopatis's servants and then trying to do the same to his own sister.
    • Readers get to see into Lysa Arryn's mind after she (nearly) murders Jon. Mind-scattered is the least of the problems she has. As one reader commented, "Lysa's mind gives me cancer."
    • The ancient Valyrian who calls himself "the last Dragonlord", who commands a host of beast-headed men and is trying to capture a feral dragon. According to Gerion, he made even "Mad King" Aerys look sane.
    • The original Throne of Winter beneath the Nightfort, which appears to drive any non-Stark who sits in it insane. Given the tales of the Rat King and Mad Axe, and the bones around it, no-one wants to test the veracity.
  • Badass Boast: Stannis when arresting Janos Slynt.
    "If you draw that sword, you'll be dead before the tips clears the scabbard. I promise you that, Slynt. I've killed a lot of men. Reachmen. Targaryen loyalists. Ironborn. Pirates. I'm not like the scum you confront. Whenever someone like you can be bothered to confront actual criminals. I can gut you like a fish where you stand. I promise it."
  • Badass Bookworm:
    • Rodrik Harlaw, nuncle to Theon and Asha Greyjoy. His epithet may be "the Reader", but he is perfectly capable of leading the forces of his more militaristic goodbrother Victarion Greyjoy into a trap, as well as beating the man himself in single combat.
    • He may not be all that skilled yet, but Tyrion is completely willing to fight, and kill, an Other using Rocktooth.
    • Gerion is quite intelligent, being the only man to successfully navigate to Old Valyria and escape, and he is quite skilled with Brightroar.
    • Torgen Surestone was also apparently one, with people reminiscing fondly on both his intelligence about the First Men, and how much of an absolute terror he was with a battleaxe.
  • Bad Boss: Asha expresses her belief that the visceral remains plastered all over Euron's cabin on the Silence was composed of his entire crew.
  • Bad Future:
    • The consensus opinion for everyone who knows about Robb's old timeline.
    • A few characters have dreams about another potential future where the Others are winning the war against the living, because neither Tywin Lannister nor Balon Greyjoy sent help to the North:
      • The Others have not only crossed or bypassed the Wall, but have also taken all of the North, the Iron Islands, and the northern halves of the Westerlands and the Riverlands, with the Vale in the process of being invaded. The only place that may still be offering resistance to them north of the Trident is Winterfell, and no one knows whether the keep has already fallen.
      • King Robert attempted to lead an army to break through the Others and relieve the North, but his offensive failed and he was forced to retreat to Harrenhal, where he is being besieged by the Others.
      • The Knights of the Vale have been broken because they made the mistake of treating the wights and White Walkers as a regular enemy army.
      • Casterly Rock has fallen to the Others and Jaime, Cersei and Tywin have all been wighted, leaving Tyrion as the last living Lannister, and his only living relative is a catatonic Joffrey.
      • The Iron Islands were partially evacuated thanks to Theon Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw, the last Lords of the Iron Islands.
      • Dorne has closed its borders to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, probably in an attempt to stave off the large numbers of refugees running away from the invasion.
  • Bad Liar: Arya notes that Willem Bootle lies like Rickon - very badly.
  • Balance of Power: One existed between the Children of the Forest and the Others in the far past. The balance was finally broken by the arrival of the First Men, who unlike the Children, could be reanimated as wights by the Others when killed, providing the Others with the numbers. It took the First Men and the Children allying to push them back and end the Long Night.
  • Balancing Death's Books:
    • To compensate for Robb's return, the Old Gods arrange for Ramsay's particularly brutal death to a raven and a wolf.
    • Patchface commits suicide so that the Old Gods will heal Shireen Baratheon of her greyscale.
    • The High Sparrow loses his sight in exchange for Maester Aemon regaining his.
    • Willas Tyrell's leg is healed, and Victarion Greyjoy suffers a leg injury during his duel with Harlaw that the maester thinks will have him limping for the rest of his life.
    • Leyton Hightower gives his life to the Old Gods to restore a mortally wounded Ned Stark to full health.
  • Band of Brothers: In Chapter 144, the Green Man a.k.a Ser Duncan the Tall reveals that this was the Kingsguard's purpose, a group of the finest swordsmen in Westeros. Alas, corruption was Inherent in the System as families jockeyed for power by using their brothers or sons to influence the King, or corrupting the Kingsguard themselves through money, power and other influences.
  • Batman Gambit: Ned Stark, of all people, pulls one off after hearing Robb's tale of the future that is long in the making. In order to prove that Joffrey, Tommen & Myrcella are not Robert's children and find evidence against the Lannister twins for their crimes, the Broken Tower was made to look as if it hasn't been repaired yet, banking on the fact that the king and his retinue will arrive at Winterfell as well as getting the Lannister twins to take the bait. Fortunately, it paid off, allowing both the Golden Twins of the Lannisters to be caught red-handed.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For:
    • Tywin has wanted Jaime to leave the Kingsguard ever since Robert became king. Well, he finally has... except, instead of going back to Casterly Rock, he's going to the Wall.
    • In Chapter 126, Theon wishes that he could have a Valyrian steel blade. In that same chapter, Joffrey tries to kill Robb using a Valyrian steel knife.
  • Because Destiny Says So: It's established that all of Rhaegar Targaryen's actions, from romancing Lyanna Stark, abducting and then raping her to produce a daughter was all so he could fulfil the prophecy of the Prince who was Promised and save the realm, only for all his interpretations to turn out catastrophically wrong, kill Lyanna and throw the realm into war intead. Once the consequences are rubbed in his face and he finally understands how bad things are, what eventually convinces him to die in battle against Robert Baratheon to achieve peace are two more pieces of information from the future: the advice of the future-seeing Green Man and a vision from a future Robert Baratheon who tells him his fate.
  • Because I'm Jonesy: Variant. When a mob led by a hedge septon tries to assault Raventree Hall (House Blackwood's keep) to burn the weirwood kept within, the septon attempts to claim Lord Bracken sent him. Unfortunately for him, Lord Bracken (along with a good lot of his men) is there to help defend the weirwood, and he is most certainly not happy to see someone falsely acting in his name.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: In Chapter 162, Jaime admits to his father that this was the reason why he was willing to have an affair with Cersei, as the only source of love he could find in King's Landing.
  • Believing Their Own Lies: Cersei seemed to be stuck in this mode. Even after Robert declaring his marriage with Cersei null and void, she still believes herself to be a queen and her children still of royalty, always commanding people and thinks she still has power when it's made clear she's just a mere nobody. Not even Tywin delivering a lengthy and scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech to her has broken her delusions as she tried to command Sandor to rescue her when she was being taken into exile.
  • Beware the Nice Ones:
    • Jon Arryn is one of the people who's dedicated to preserving peace in Westeros and was running the country before Robert started becoming more active. He took great pleasure in not only having Petyr Baelish caught once proof of his treachery is found, but also executed him via drowning in heavy armor as form of Karmic Death.
    • Ned Stark is still the benevolent Lord of Winterfell who cares about his family and loved ones. He resorted to a Batman Gambit to catch Jamie and Cersei having sex in the Broken Tower, a move that's uncharacteristic for someone who's known to be honorable. He also told the Septons who were going to take credit for his banishment of the Drowned God to back off with a chilling Death Glare.
  • Bewildering Punishment: Theon is genuinely confused by Robb's newfound hostility towards him since they're still friends at this time in the timeline. It takes Ned pointing how Robb's behavior is unfair for the youth to act more civilly.
  • BFS: Stormbreaker, the Durrandons' ancient greatsword that Robert found. When it is used, the sound of thunder can actually be heard. It also brings out the enemy's true nature, as it proves by making Jaime's sword rust from the inside, will not be stained by the blood of a coward, and when sounded, will only ring true to those with Durrandon blood.
    • Ice and Brightroar, from canon.
  • Big Damn Heroes:
    • Gendry puts his strength to good use to cut off the cables of the mast in the ship taking him to Storm's End, preventing the ship from sinking.
    • The Green Men come to the aid of the God's Eye villagers to drive the Faith Militant away. And later at High Heart to rescue Edmure Tully.
    • Gerion Lannister, Allarion Lannister, and Sarella Sand arrive at the Nightfort in time to ambush a group of rogue Wildlings that had gotten the drop on Robb and his group.
    • When a drunken Joffrey manages to catch Robb alone with a Valyrian steel dagger, Val is there to throw him a knife to even the odds.
    • Robb later returns the favour to Val when he rescues her from a Demonically Possessed Mountain. And then Sandor Clegane helps the both of them.
  • Big Damn Kiss:
    • After Ursula Cawlish claims the Shield of the Riverlands, she gives Bronn this.
    • Robb and Val, after he saves her from the possessed Mountain.
  • Big, Screwed-Up Family: Tyrion has a short, yet extremely revealing, look at the Freys.
  • Big "WHAT?!":
    • Robert's understandable reaction when he learns about the Lannicest.
    • Jon and Theon's joint reaction when they're on Pyke and get word of the possessed Mountain attempting to kill Robb.
  • Bitch Slap: Two offscreen examples, both delivered to very deserving Lannisters. When Tywin first encountered his grandson Joffrey after the latter tried to kill Robb and somehow get himself reinstated as prince, he started demanding that his grandfather storm the North, kill the Starks and save him, until Tywin backhands him to shut him up. Later on, Cersei is seen being hauled off to her exile with a red mark on her face, and her new grim-faced goodsister Dacey Surestone flexing her hand.
  • Black Comedy:
    • During the evacuation of the wildfire, a mad septon (after trying to get on board of a ship to explain he wanted to cleanse King's Landing with the wildfire) claimed he would walk across the sea to Andalos, where the New Gods would grant him great favour. Davos and Oberyn share a chuckle after Davos reveals the septon was last seen floating face down in Blackwater Bay.
    • With a dash of Bathos - just as Sandor Clegane rescues Robb and Val from being killed by his Demonically Possessed brother, in the moments before his death, either the Mountain or whoever is speaking through him complains that they attacked "the wrong bloody Stark".
  • Black Eyes of Evil: An ancient Valyrian spell that allows sorcerers to warg into the minds of other men and women turn the possessee's eyes black, to represent the heartlessness of the possessor doing this to their fellow man. This is what happens to the Mountain when someone possesses him to kill one of the Starks.
  • Blood from Every Orifice: Robert remembers that Ser Orys Emble took a blow to the head at the Trident and seemed to shrug it off, only to collapse dead mid-song with blood pouring from his nose and ears.
  • Bloodless Carnage: Invoked when Robert executes Janos Slynt and other treacherous Goldcloaks; despite their beheading, his new sword Stormbreaker, the Ancestral Weapon of the Storm Kings, gets not a drop of blood on it. Except for the last Goldcloak, who at least started taking the bribe to help his ailing family and is willing to Face Death with Dignity; lopping his head off does leave blood on the blade.
  • Boom, Headshot!: Bronn does this with a crossbow to a rogue septon.
  • Bond One-Liner: Delivered by Ned after Bootle declared he wasn't afraid of legends and swore on the Fist of Winter that he was innocent of killing Lord Surestone - only to die in instant agony.
    Ned Stark: Perhaps you should've been afraid, then.
  • Break the Haughty:
    • Mace Tyrell was so sure that the Call was just another gambit in the Game of Thrones and that Otherbane, the spear of the Gardener Kings, would go to him. Otherbane burning his hand pretty much punctured all his ambitions.
    • The High Sparrow, so confident and sanctimonious with his piety to the Seven, suffers a Villainous Breakdown after the Old Gods blind him.
    • Walder Frey may have started out his usual discourteous self when Brynden and his party entered his halls, but it ended with the Green Man giving him a severe dressing-down, and then him suffering a stroke when he laid eyes on a wight's head.
    • Jaime Lannister is forced to get off his high horse when Tyrion tells him that the wildfire Aerys had made and hidden under King's Landing, and which Jaime never said anything about, not only wouldn't have degraded, it actually became more powerful and unstable.
      • And later, after he is caught fornicating with his twin sister, he gets another blow to his pride when Robert Baratheon, the man he used to call the Fat King, completely wrecks him in a Trial by Combat. Robert in fact lampshades it before they duel.
        "You're fighting for your honor, Kingslayer. I'm not fighting for Aerys. I'm fighting you because someone has to and because you need some humility beaten into you before you leave for the Wall."
  • Brick Joke:
    • When Roose Bolton makes a mental list of superstitions he was told to always follow, one of them was to never curse a raven. Ramsay's first (and last) scene has him curse a raven he has seen. The raven proceeds to peck his eye out.
    • When he first sees Stormbreaker, Joffrey asked Robert if he could hold it, but Robert told him he had to put on more muscle before trying. When Joffrey tries to take the sword while Robert is busy training, Sandor Clegane points out that he still has little muscle.
    • While the Royal Family is travelling to Winterfell at speed, a lot of japes are made about Cersei not having a wheelhouse available to her since the speed and terrain won't allow for it, including Robert laughing that the wheels won't last a mile. Chapter 103 shows that she tried having one made anyway, only for Robert to be proven exactly right, and had to settle for a carriage in the end.
    • When Hoster Tully presses Edmure to get married, he begs that it be not a Frey. When his father finds a best candidate, it turns out to be Roslin Frey.
  • Bring Help Back: In a way in Chapter 113: with Harlaw and Asha faced with a parley from Balon Greyjoy that they know is a trap, Asha sails for Winterfell to appeal to Robert for a royal representative to attend the meeting, as a deterrent against any treachery her father is planning.
  • Bring My Brown Pants:
    • Ned remembers that his father had a Death Glare so powerful that it once made a minor lord on the receiving end of it soil himself.
    • A lot of people mention wanting to soil themselves after witnessing fantastical stuff out of legend, like possession by the Old Gods, a living direwolf, evidence of the Others or a Child of the Forest.
    • The septon of Storm's End loses control of his bladder when Robert catches him sneaking out to destroy "Lyanna's" weirwood sapling.
    • While being taken to his execution by beheading, Janos Slynt is noted as leaving behind a trail of "slime".
      • He also soils himself after Stannis smiles at him during his interrogation by Jon Arryn, after Stannis reminds him that he's fought far more and far tougher opponents than one Corrupt Cop, so drawing his sword would be a bad idea.
    • This is practically becoming a Running Gag with Joffrey. Sandor Clegane notices he'll need new smallclothes after the prince's encounter with Stormbreaker, he pisses himself after Val kicks him in the groin for attacking Robb, and on the way to the Wall, he voids himself after seeing a giant for the first time.
    • Going blind because of the Old Gods' punishment breaks Blackfoot's mind so thoroughly that he voids himself all over the place. Multiple times.
    • When he sees a wight's head for the first time, Walder Frey pisses himself. And then suffers a stroke.
    • A Septon trying to "cleanse" the Hightower Gate ends up voiding himself and fleeing in fright... but compared to his compatriots, he got off lucky.
  • Broken Faceplate: During the battle at Harlaw, Victarion Greyjoy is finally beaten (not killed) when a blow from Rodrik Harlaw shatters his helmet.
  • Brown Note: A Door of Doom in the depths of the Hightower - apart from being implied to be a gate to another plane and which some creature wants to get through - induces sentiments of unease and fear as one approaches it. If one does persist, they can end up dying of pure fright.
  • Bullying a Dragon: This is how everybody reacted upon finding that Littlefinger has been stealing money from both the Iron Bank and Tywin Lannister.
  • Burn Baby Burn: Upon ascending to the Seastone Chair, Asha burns her father's plans for revenge on the North.
  • The Butcher: Balon Greyjoy refers to Stannis Baratheon as "The Butcher of Fair Isle". An unusual case, as Stannis didn't kill the people of Fair Isle, but rather smashed the Iron Fleet there during the Greyjoy Rebellion.
  • Call-Back: During his speech to the Lords and Ladies of the North in Castle Black, Ned mentions they need the men and the resources of the South, much like he did when he first talked with Catelyn about the incoming invasion of the Others. He also mentions that Robert's Durrandon blood sang true, like he did when he learned that Robert had found Stormbreaker.
  • Calling the Old Man Out:
    • Inverted; Jeor Mormont gets to call out his son Jorah for his idiocy in selling captured poachers into slavery, which got him exiled.
    • Played straight in Chapter 158 when Theon calls out his father for selling him to the Starks, making him all too happy (after some Character Development) to renounce his Greyjoy heritage.
  • Canon Immigrant: This story is primarily based on the original book series, yet Ros and Karsi from the TV adaptation appear.
  • Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Indirectly, with a dash of humiliation. Despite all of the Lannisters' discovered crimes, from Jaime and Cersei's incest and treason to Joffrey's murder attempt on Robb, Eddard and Robb are adamant that they cannot punish them or shame them as much as might be warranted, as doing so would alienate and humiliate Tywin and possibly retaliate with a civil war for the sake of his pride, and Westeros needs the Westerlands and its resources for the war against the Others.
  • Carry a Big Stick: The Fist of Winter, a mace made of sky metal and obsidian spikes and the Starks' weapon before they got Ice. Domeric Bolton thinks that it is not a weapon of chivalry, but a weapon of death. It holds oaths very seriously; people like Domeric and Mance Rayder have sworn oaths on it, Roose Bolton remembers a tale about a Bolton who died for breaking an oath sworn on it, and the one time someone swore a false oath of innocence on it, he died in instant agony.
  • Cassandra Truth: Tyrion's reasoning for why he didn't tell anyone about his suspicious about his siblings' indiscretions. As the Imp, the joke of House Lannister, no-one, least of all his father, would have believed him without concrete proof. Said father Tywin admits that he has a point.
  • Character Development:
    • Catelyn Stark has gone through quite a lot of it. Eddard telling her about the Old Gods' intervention in Robb's death and Jon's true parentage has made her a lot nicer, forgiving, and wanting to make amends with Jon, and the friendship between Bran, Robert Arryn and Edric Storm has helped her relax a lot of her stances on bastards. As such, when it's revealed that Ned actually did unknowingly have a bastard son, she doesn't lose her temper or hold Eddard or said bastard Edric responsible.
    • Robert Baratheon. The Call and him finding Stormbreaker reawakens the man of action he once was, and he begins losing weight and getting fit to answer it. In addition, he's also become a lot more responsible for the King's duties, has apologized to his brothers for not being a good brother to them, and is even thinking about burying the hatchet with the Targaryens.
      • Also prominent is that the Call has focused him towards the future and unstuck him from the past. When Robert arrived at Winterfell and met Ned, his first move was to discuss the upcoming threat of the Others with him instead of immediately going to the crypts to see Lyanna's tomb, only doing so after the business is concluded.
      • While he gets furious when he finds out that Cersei has been cuckolding him with Jaime, he is able to control his wrath before doing anything rash, and only feels disappointed that neither Joffrey, Myrcella nor Tommen are his children.
      • Everyone is amazed that, despite an arrested Cersei pushing all his buttons and trying to goad him to strike her in rage, Robert keeps his temper and sees through her ruse to paint herself as the victim.
    • Discussed by Gerion Lannister, who says that his single-minded odyssey to find Brightroar changed him, blinded him to the home and family he made in the Summer Islands, and it was only when he returned with Brightroar but half-dead and sans one eye and many of his crew, that he realized what he could've left behind.
    • Renly Baratheon has also changed after hearing the Call and witnessing a statue bequeath Stormbreaker to his brother, though it takes him seeing a moving wight's head for it to stick. He has lost much of his egotism and become much more focused on his duty to his family and kingdom as a result, and when news arrives of Mace Tyrell's death, he chooses to remain at King's Landing to do his duty instead of running off to Highgarden to comfort Loras.
  • Chekhov's Boomerang: The Old Gods' ability to take from one and give to another appears again in chapters 92 - where the Old Gods blind Blackfoot/the High Sparrow - and 93 - where the Old Gods restore Maester Aemon's eyesight.
  • Chekhov's Gun:
    • In chapter 63, Jon Arryn manages to make a deep cut into Lysa's arm as she attacks him. Eleven chapters later, the cut has festered and corrupted, forcing Lysa's men to pull into the closest keep - which turns out to be Bronn's.
    • Before Littlefinger gets arrested in chapter 35, he thinks of a letter he managed to send just in time for this case. Chapter 77 shows that the letter was sent to Lysa Arryn, telling her about Cersei and Jaime's incest and their children, and also that Lord Arryn was lying about his crimes and plotting to kill him, which led to Lysa's attack.
    • When he jumped to his death in chapter 72, Patchface claimed it was "A life for a life". Chapter 77 reveals his death paid off for Shireen being healed of greyscale, burning off the scars left behind.
    • While they prepare Winterfell for the future arrival of the Royal Court and the war with the Others, Ned makes a mention in chapter 62 about having the Broken Tower repaired in a special way. In chapter 116, the nature of these repairs is revealed, allowing Ned and several others to catch Jaime and Cersei Lannister mid-coitus.
    • In chapter 56, when Robert brings Stormbreaker to Tobho Mott's shop to find out what makes it so special, the blacksmith sounds it, and while he and Ser Barristan hear a clank, Robert and Gendry hear a chime. In chapter 117, Robert uses this to make sure whether Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are his children, as only someone of Durrandon blood can hear the chime. None of them do.
    • In chapter 58, Jaime's sword somehow rusted from the inside during his spar against Robert, who was wielding Stormbreaker. In chapter 120, during Jaime's Trial by Combat, Robert remembers this and wrecks every weapon and piece of armor Jaime carries as Stormbreaker rusts them with every blow.
    • Bronn examining the crypts of Foxhold has him briefly notice a dusty shield sitting in front of a statue. It turns out to be one of the Ancestral Weapons of the First Men, once owned by the Mudd kings of the Riverlands.
    • Tywin mentions that he first met the late Lord Surestone while trying to sort out a complicated legal manner in which one litigant was using an obscure First Man law as part of his arguments, and Lord Surestone was able to provide enough context behind said law to help him sort the matter out. Tywin then corresponded with Lord Surestone several times over the course of his term as Hand of the King whenever similar issues came up in the Royal Court. Many chapters later, it turns out that Tywin made a point of compiling all that information for later reference, which Renly puts to use to resolve another lawsuit as the current Master of Laws.
  • Civil War:
    • The Iron Islands are on the edge, due to the growing differences between those who intend to heed the Call (such as Rodrik Harlaw) and those that deny it happened (like Balon and Aeron Greyjoy). Damphair sends a group of men to (unsuccessfully) attack Harlaw, marking the beginning of the Ironborn Civil War. The war appears to have temporarily ended with Balon and Aeron's deaths at Euron's hands, leaving Asha (who intends to help the North) to take the Seastone Chair.
    • Another begins to brew up in the Riverlands, between those who follow the Old Gods and the resurgent Faith Militant.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Captain Hedrick goes into a long, non-repeating rant of profanity when Gendry tells him that the ironworks on the ship they're on are all badly-made and brittle, in the middle of a storm.
  • Concealing Canvas:
    • Behind a tapestry in Ned's own solar, right under his nose, there is a hidden door that leads to a whole room of secrets, including the Fist of Winter and the relic that triggers the Call.
    • Roose Bolton also has a secret chamber full of relics hidden behind a tapestry in his solar.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Many. For example, when the Call happened, Brienne of Tarth was in the Vale, and she was pulled towards the Isle of Faces, which leads to her meeting Brynden Tully.
    • Big one in chapter 74, where Bronn's new keep is exactly in the right place to intercept Lysa Arryn as the injury she got from attacking Jon Arryn is festering.
    • Chapter 77 has a random red leaf lands in front of Gendry and head him to a Godswood on Dragonstone, as well as the storm that forced the ship he was on to land there in the first place.
  • Cool Sword: From canon, House Dayne's Dawn and House Stark's Ice.
    • Brightroar, the Lannisters' famous lost sword, which Gerion Lannister found after all.
    • Dark Sister, a Valryian steel sword and Targaryen heirloom, which Aemon gifts to Jon.
    • Lamentation, House Royce's Valryian steel sword last wielded by Ser Willam Royce, found in the ruins of the Dragonpit.
  • Cool Uncle: Robert becomes this for Shireen.
  • Corpsing: In-Universe. As the Terrible Threesome impresses to King Robert about the size of Vermax the dragon in Winterfell's crypts, Ser Preston Greenfield is noticeably stifling laughter.
  • Coup de Grâce: After Baelish drowns in his trial by combat, Bronn takes a heavy chain and drops it on Baelish' head, to make sure he is dead.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: After Stevron Frey takes control of his family, Aegon "Jinglebell" Frey, the Fool of the Crossing, is shown standing by him, focused, grim-faced and sword drawn. An observing Brynden isn't sure if the Call changed him or simply made him stop pretending.
  • Cruel and Unusual Death: One old Ironborn was going to take his ship to help the North. Damphair kills him by nailing two Weirwood stakes through his eyes.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle:
    • The first battle of the Ironborn Civil War, between Harlaw men and men sent by Damphair to Harlaw. The latter don't even make a dent on the defenders before being done with.
    • Jaime's Trial by Combat. Jaime barely makes small dents in Robert's shield, and only catches him off-guard a couple of times. Robert completely destroys him, along with his sword, his replacement sword, another three swords, his helmet, his shield and finally his armor.

    D-F 
  • Damned by Faint Praise: Tywin's assessment of Tyrion before he returns from his expedition to the North is that he is the best of a bad lot, since Jaime spends much of his time thinking of snarky things to say while guarding King Robert, while Cersei is an idiot who thinks she is clever.
  • Dangerous Drowsiness: The first scene with Jon Connington has him yawning away, but thinking nothing of it because it is evening. Then Varys shows up and as they talk, he starts yawning more and more until Varys reveals that he'd poisoned his stew earlier with slumberberries, that will send him and his fake Aegon to a painless grave.
  • Dare to Be Badass: As Jaime is about to head off to the Night's Watch, having been exposed as an incestuous, treasonous oathbreaker and the man who saved King's Landing from death by wildfire, Ser Barristan gives him a pouch containing the ashes of his white cloak as a reminder of when he broke his oath to his first king for the noblest of reasons, when he became a great man, and tells him that now that he is at his Darkest Hour, to find that great man again.
    • Later, Greatjon Umber gives him a similar talk that, although he can see the longing for death in his eyes, his sword and skill are needed and he has to stand and fight against the war that is coming for them all, to fight for the living against the dead.
  • Dating What Daddy Hates: Oberyn Martell is a bit discomfited when he reads what his daughter Sarella Sand has to write about Allerion Lannister, son of Gerion Lannister.
  • Dawn of an Era: When the Mountain Clans are informing the Vale that they are leaving to go fight the Others, Rhys states that, when they return, so will the Age of Heroes. Considering the return of magic, the rediscovery of various sky metal Ancestral Weapons from the Long Night, the return of the Company of the Rose and Gerion Lannister, the direwolves, the increased intervention of the Old Gods and the Seven in the world, and the general shift to being High Fantasy rather than Dark Fantasy, they appear to be right.
  • Deadly Euphemism:
    • Tywin Lannister's "extreme displeasure" at the return of the Faith Militant, which would result in everyone who took up arms on his land without his permission finding their heads on spikes. All of them. Starting with whichever Septon who gave them permission. And their executioner would have a blunt sword.
    • When he arrives alone at the parlay between the Greyjoys and the Harlaws, Euron Greyjoy says that his crew are "assisting him". It appears that he sacrificed them to an Eldritch Abomination sitting on his ship.
  • Deadpan Snarker:
    • After Arya's long-winded tale to her family about how Jon was possessed by the Old Gods, a listening Tyrion comments that it was impressive how she said all that without breathing.
    • Tywin tells a Septon that, should the Faith Militant even hint at surfacing in the Westerlands, he will have any man in it beheaded with a dull sword. Kevan's reaction?
      Subtle.
    • Archmaester Marwyn. When Archmaester Perestan asks why Lord Hightower is requesting a meeting with him, Marwyn replies he is not a mind reader.
  • Dead Person Conversation:
    • Theon has nightmares about his dead brothers Rodrik and Maron Greyjoy, trying to get him to reaffirm his allegiance to the Drowned God.
    • Robert has had a recurring dream about his love Lyanna Stark trying to tell him something while being pulled away and being pursued by an Other. In Chapter 131, he finally catches her and has a talk with her in his dreams.
    • Ned has a few words with Willam Dustin when his shade appears at the Barrows of Barrowtown, as well as with Bran the Builder himself.
    • Shella Whent talks to her late husband and son Walter and Osric when their ghosts appear to her at Harrenhal, preparing to kill the shade of Harren the Black now that his benefactor the Drowned God has been slain.
  • Death by Adaptation: Several. The list, so far, includes Ramsay Snow, Littlefinger, Viserys Targaryen, Illyrio Mopatis, Craster, Walder, Aenys, and Rhaegar Frey, Mace Tyrell, Harras Harlaw, and Balon and Aeron Greyjoy.
  • Death Glare: Dacey Surestone gives one to Willem Bootle when he is finally brought to Winterfell, one so hard that it was a wonder the man did not burst in flames.
    • Earlier, when Ned gives a less powerful one towards Domeric Bolton, noting to himself that he's trying to copy a similar look his father used at times, which was powerful enough that it once caused a minor lord on the receiving end of it to soil himself.
  • Death of the Hypotenuse: No matter what Jorah Mormont feels about Leera, the fact that Lynesse Hightower still lives is a shadow looming over them. This is soon solved when Lynesse dies trying to follow the Call.
  • Death Seeker:
    • This was the case for Rhaegar Targaryen during his last battle at the Ruby Ford. After being confronted by all his sins by the Green Man on the Isle of Faces, he understood that the only way to bring peace to the realm after his father's madness was to seek out Robert Baratheon and die at his hand.
    • Tyrion worries this about his brother after his affair with Cersei is found out and he is arrested, beaten in combat, and ordered to be sent to the Wall, and has to constantly remind him to stay at his best because Westeros needs him.
  • Debt Detester: Tywin is not happy to find out that his family's ancestor Lann the Clever was once saved by the Stark in Winterfell, forming a life debt between the two families. As well as a promise for the Casterlys to aid the Starks against the Others.
  • Decapitation Presentation: Lots of people like chopping off heads and putting them on spikes:
    • Happens to Littlefinger after his execution by Jon Arryn, with his head being placed on a spike over . Seeing it is what drives Lysa Arryn (further) off the deep end, and it's also how Robert initially learns that Baelish has been executed.
    • This is also done to the corrupt Goldcloak officers that Robert executes.
    • Tywin makes it clear to his septon that this will be the fate of anyone who tries to raise the Faith Militant in the Westerlands. He also makes it clear that he won't just execute the leaders, but everyone who takes part, starting with whatever Septon started it. And the executioner would use a blunt sword to behead them.
    • Following the death of Walder Frey, a brief power struggle ensues where Ser Aenys Frey tries to kill the rightful heir, Stevron Frey, and his children. The end result is this, with Aenys and his son Rhaegar having their heads chopped off and placed on spikes on the southern end of the Twins.
    • Ser Willem Bootle is decapitated posthumously after being killed by making a false oath on the Fist of Winter. Some 20 chapters later when Tywin and Kevan arrive at Winterfell, the head is still there, atop the walls.
    • When Jaime and his party of Night's Watch recruits stop by a village near Last Hearth, a wildling's head is shown perched on a pole near the road. Said wilding tried to rape a young woman; the Thenns showed up and took his head.
  • Decoy Protagonist: Unusually for a time traveler in a fix fic (especially given that he is the title character), Robb is not the protagonist, or even the primary protagonist of the Stark plotlines. His main role is to pass his future knowledge on to his father in the opening chapters, after which Ned, who has a much better idea as to what to do with this intelligence due to his greater political experience, takes the lead.
  • Defiant Captive: Lyanna's spirit reveals to Robert that she was this to Rhaegar and his Kingsguard, to the point that Rhaegar had to have all three hold her down while he was raping her, partly so she wouldn't damage herself when he got her with child, and partly so she wouldn't damage him either. When she heard Robert had killed Rhaegar, she relished in it and threw it into the faces of her remaining captors. Even the only good thing that came out of the situation, Jon, was her own revenge — Rhaegar had wanted a daughter for his precious prophecy, and Lyanna gave him a son instead.
  • Defiant to the End: One of the Gold Cloaks that Robert executes doesn't beg for his life and spits at the crowd instead. Robert doesn't even bother asking him for last words.
  • Defrosting Ice Queen:
    • Ursula Stone, Steward of Foxhold (Bronn's keep and town) and the late Lord Cawlish's bastard daughter (and only descendant), at least towards Bronn. She tends to look at him as if he were something scraped from the bottom of the barrel. She begins to thaw when they learn why Lysa attacked Jon Arryn and Bronn decides to rush to King's Landing with news of Lysa Arryn's capture and state.
    • Selyse Baratheon towards Gendry Storm. Him playing a major part in her daughter Shireen getting healed from the greyscale has a lot to do with it.
  • Delivery Guy: Ser Duncan the Tall, now the Green Man, helped deliver Prince Rhaegar at the Tragedy of Summerhall. He took one look at the infant and knew that whatever fate had in store for the prince, it would not be kind.
  • Demonic Possession: In Chapter 150, the Mountain is possessed by some dark entity, complete with Black Eyes of Evil, which sends him on a rampage in Winterfell.
  • Demoted to Extra:
    • Ramsay Snow is a major villain in the second and fifth books. Here, he's killed off in his first and only appearance.
    • Similarly, Littlefinger is behind pretty much half the stuff that happens in the book. Here, he's also killed off relatively early.
    • Melisandre only appears in one chapter, and in said chapter she's Put on a Bus by the Old Gods.
    • Cersei was a major character in the books. However, she hardly appears here.
    • Daenerys has a much reduced role compared to the books. While she still gets her canonical dragons, she lacks the resources she had in canon (most importantly, her Dothraki army, since she never marries Khal Drogo), and she's mostly focused on survival and not letting the Essosi lords use her dragons for war, rather than retaking Westeros.
  • Depleted Phlebotinum Shells: Aside from the mundane dragonglass arrowheads, spearheads and daggers, a few of the First Men Ancestral Weapons, in addition to being made of sky-metal, have dragonglass built into them to make them even more effective against the Others. The Fist of Winter, Otherbane and Rocktooth are all examples.
  • Destroy the Evidence: When Renly is forced to put aside his secret relationship with Loras and finally take a wife, he reluctantly burns all the letters Loras had written him in order to make sure it never goes from rumor to public fact.
  • Detect Evil: The aptly-named Warnings are First Men daggers that glow in the presence of Others, wights and other magical threats. When they get close to the corpse of the Demonically Possessed Gregor Clegane, they glow bright red and start shaking, and don't stop until his body is nothing but ash in the funeral pyre.
  • Deteriorates Into Gibberish: Septon Alyston and his fellow Septons start off their "sanctifying" of the Hightower Gate in an overblown, booming prayer to the Seven, but the closer they get to it, the prayer starts to speed up, get higher-pitched and run into itself, until they're all but gabbling the words.
  • Determinator: The push that drives the descendants of the First Men to move North.
    • Lord Alster Dayne will let nothing stop him from handing Dawn to his son Edric. Not even a deadly illness.
  • Deus ex machina: While the Old Gods interfering is the base of the fic's premise, they do it so much, they pretty much dive into this trope. One might think that bringing Robb back in time would be enough, but that's just the beginning: the Starks know about the Others because the Old Gods flat-out told Ned about them through a vision; Willas Tyrell gets his broken leg miraculously healed upon touching Otherbane; they kill Ramsay Snow through a wolf and a raven under their control; Master Aemon has his eyesight restored; Tyrion is told many times to go to Castle Black, where he finds both Rocktooth and the Warnings; and they put Melisandre on a bus to Essos. While the story tries to justify it on the grounds that they're desperate and they're now strong enough that they actually can, it still comes off a bit too pat. The author tried to remedy this by showing that the Old Gods intervene at somebody else's expense, but this falls flat when it's the antagonists who suffer the consequences of the gods' interference, always unwillingly: the above mentioned death of Ramsay Snow happened in response to Robb being sent back in time, Maester Aemon's eyesight came at the cost of the High Sparrow losing his, etc. The only aversion of this was Shireen Baratheon getting healed from her scars, since it was triggered by Patchface willingly offering his life in exchange to the Old Gods.
  • Didn't See That Coming:
    • Robb became very surprised with the fact that Old Nan's grandson Walder never became Hodor.
    • This is Euron Greyjoy's languid reaction when his Other and wight troops to spoil the Greyjoy parley are all wiped out.
  • Didn't Think This Through:
    • Illyrio Mopatis realizes too late that giving Viserys a false dragon egg may not have been the best idea.
    • Trying to "sanctify" the Hightower Gate didn't work so well for the Septons.
      • In a similar vein, up to that point, anyone who approached the gate would eventually be overwhelmed with fear and flee, which is why Leyton Hightower allowed the Septons to try in the first place. As Olenna Tyrell calls him out on, he never thought about what might happen if their zealotry/idiocy proved to be stronger than their fear.
    • As Tywin points out in his rant, Cersei never considered the possibility her relationship with her brother would ever be found out and never thought there was the tiny chance it would lead to their children disowned by Robert, the Lannister name disgraced and Cersei herself left in prison.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: In Chapter 172, Ned finally confronts the Drowned God as it emerges from the Hightower's gate, and after a brutal fight kills it with the Fist of Winter and throws it back into the void.
  • Dirty Business: Varys is aware that the Call and the Others have up-ended virtually all of his plans for the Targaryens, especially after Aerys's wildfire plot was discovered, but he knows that Jon Connington would never accept any other plan that would prolong his revenge any further, and would actively object or interfere. Hence why Varys decides to remove them from the board, permanently, though he at least makes it as painless as possible (concentrated sleeping poison) and apologizes to Connington as the latter succumbs.
  • Dirty Coward: Janos Slynt. Jon and Robert choose not to send him to the Wall, calling it an insult to the Night's Watch to do so.
  • Disposing of a Body: It's eventually revealed that Cersei has been killing any servants in the Red Keep who learned of her Jaime's Twincest, and then dumping their bodies down a well in one of the secret passages that's been abandoned for decades.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: Robb, Theon and Jon can't help but stare when they see Val, Mance Rayder's sister-in-law.
  • Divine Intervention: Unlike in the books, the Old Gods and the Seven are making an obvious mark upon Westeros. The Seven transformed their statues in Baelor's Sept to warn the people about the incoming danger (not that they paid much attention, as many of them thought it was a demand to start a religious war against the followers of the Old Gods). The Old Gods have been more forthcoming and proactive, up to and including blinding Blackfoot/the High Sparrow so he will stop trying to attempt to burn everything of the Old Gods.
  • Dope Slap: Jaime finally delivers one to Joffrey to make him finally realize that they're no longer Lannisters of high standing, but Black Brothers on the Wall.
  • Door of Doom: The Hightowers have a giant gate hidden beneath the Hightower, that afflicts anyone who gets near with immense fear, and has started pounding ever since magic returned. It is theorized that there is some Eldritch Abomination behind it that must be locked away - and later interactions theorize it to be the Drowned God. Which is later comfirmed.
  • Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: When it was revealed that Edric Dayne was conceived when Ashara Dayne had sex with Ned Stark while he was delirious from being liberally dosed with milk of the poppy, drunk and mentally broken down after Lyanna's death, some of the readers cringingly compared it with how Lysa Tully raped Petyr Baelish after Catelyn's betrothal was announced.
  • Dramatic Irony:
    • Just before his trial by combat, Baelish smirks when remembering Brandon Stark's death in the latter's father's "trial by combat" against Aerys the Mad's champion: fire. It's probably what was in Jon Arryn's mind when he got Littlefinger to wear heavy armor before handing him a heavy axe and sending him against his champion—the sea.
    • This is naturally the case for many situations involving Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen being Robert's "trueborn" children:
      • Upon meeting Gendry, Robert wonders why Joffrey had to look so much like a Lannister. The readers obviously know why.
      • Joffrey likes to bring up the fact that he's a prince and Gendry a bastard out of jealousy over how much Gendry resembles and is favored by Robert. Of course, the reader knows Joffrey isn't a legitimate prince.
      • After arriving in the North, Robert proposes that he and Ned join their two Houses by betrothing Joffrey to Sansa. Upon learning that Sansa is already betrothed to Domeric Bolton, Robert instead suggests Myrcella and Bran or Tommen and Arya. None of these pairings are actually between Robert and Ned's children, though.
    • As Jaime considers all the weirdness that has been going on as of late, he thinks of Tyrion and smirks at considering that his reaction would probably be quite dismissive of it all. By the time this happens, not only is Tyrion completely convinced of magic's return, but he's already left Winterfell for the Wall, where he will find his family's ancient skymetal weapons and kill one of the Others.
    • After an encounter with their exiled brother Euron Greyjoy, Aeron tells Balon that he shouldn't make any deals with him because Euron would only lead them to "death and destruction." Considering the truth of the Drowned God that they follow...
  • Dramatically Missing the Point: The message from the Seven, delivered via their statues turning Northwards, was intended to warn their followers against the Others, but many of their followers either misinterpret or choose to believe that it's warning them against the North and the Old Gods instead.
  • The Dreaded: Stannis Baratheon to the Ironborn, as Balon Greyjoy refers to him as "The Butcher of Fair Isle" and is pained to even say his name out loud. Even those Ironborn who are allied with the Iron Throne are wary of Stannis.
  • Dreaming of Things to Come: Jojen Reed, like in canon, has the greensight, and, as such, has predicted several things, such as Mance Rayder asking Eddard for help, Robert finding Stormbreaker, the return of Gerion Lannister or Theon's change of heart. He has, however, stopped seeing the moment of his death, which worries him.
    • The Bad Future Tyrion sees in his nightmare (later shared by Brynden Tully and Brienne of Tarth).
    • Tyrek Lannister, former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, also had the greensight and foresaw his descendant Tyrion's existence and the part he would play in the incoming Second War for the Dawn.
  • Driven to Suicide: Patchface the fool, after he becomes a Mad Oracle. Interestingly, he claims it is "A life for a life" before jumping to his death, surprisingly lucid.
  • Dude, She's Like in a Coma: After the Tower of Joy, while Eddard was resting in Starfall, grieving, drugged, drunk and exhausted from his injuries, Ashara Dayne slept with him in a moment of grief. Edric Dayne was the result of that.
  • Due to the Dead: Olenna Tyrell has had no problems openly calling her son Mace "an oaf" and "foolish" to his face and lamenting his stupidity to anyone in earshot when discussing his schemes and failings. But after she learns that he perished after rescuing a Septon from the Door under the Hightower and used his last words to warn his family about the Drowned God, when she sees his body she gently kisses his brow and affectionately calls him her "poor, dear boy" and thereafter refers to him as her "brave but foolish son".
  • Dull Eyes of Unhappiness:
    • Willas sees the light in his father Mace's eyes fade when Otherbane rejects him.
    • Tywin briefly has this reaction when reading Jaime's confession of his and Cersei's incest.
  • Dull Surprise: Throughout Chapter 134, despite the cavalcade of truths dumped on him from proof of wights, his brother Gerion's survival, the truth of Aerys's wildfire plot, and his children being involved in incest, the most surprise Tywin shows is a widening of the eyes and a few moments of Stunned Silence.
  • Either "World Domination", or Something About Bananas: After Tyrion finally hears Cersei talk about Maggy the Frog's prophecy and how she is destined to be killed by the valonqar, he exasperatedly lists out to her all the other meanings of the word, assuming Maggy wasn't just a charlatan. While "valonqar" does mean "younger brother" in Valyrian, it also could mean a Myrish lung disease, a Braavosian pastry, or she even might've misheard it as valongar, a Volantene seafood dish. In other words, Maggy's death prediction could just as easily mean that Cersei could die to disease or food as it could mean dying at her brother's hand.
  • Eldritch Abomination:
    • The Children of the Forest encountered something in Hopemourne long ago, which repelled them and then created the Others in a mockery of them. It's speculated to be the Great Other.
    • The entity trapped behind the gate at the bottom of the Hightower later revealed to be the Drowned God. Even imprisoned, it generates a Brown Note effect that leaves anyone who gets too close filled with dread, can kill through sheer pressure of that effect, and can even raise those it kills as undead abominations.
    • Whatever the hell that Jon and Asha's group finds aboard the Silence. It's described as a giant, malformed skull with bloodshot eyes and surrounded by blood and gore that seem perpetually fresh, and seems to have caused the ship and everything on it to rot overnight.
  • Eldritch Location: Hopemourne, the spot furthest North of Westeros. When the Children of the Forest first arrived on Westeros thousands of years ago, there were already ancient ruins there, inhabited by something that repelled them and then created the Others in a mockery of them. It's where the Night's King and the rest of the Others have dwelled ever since their defeat in the Long Night.
  • Empathic Environment: The stormy weather at Pyke in Chapter 92 matches Victarion Greyjoy's foul mood when he argues with his brothers.
  • Empathic Weapon: Dawn, the famous sword of the Daynes, is one. Anyone not worthy of touching it will notice it is quivering.
    • Other sky metal weapons appear to have similar powers, manifested in different ways.
  • Empathy Doll Shot: Edd sees a bloody doll in a deserted wildling village.
  • Enfant Terrible: When Euron Greyjoy guts his brother Aeron, he claims to have wanted to do that ever since he was seven years old.
  • Equivalent Exchange: The more tangible forms of magic seem to work like this. Patchface killed himself so the Old Gods would heal Shireen of her greyscale and remove her scars, and they take Blackfoot's eyesight and restore it to Maester Aemon.
    • If the Green Man a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall's words are anything to go by, him getting burned at Summerhall was to balance the scales of him healing Sandor Clegane's burns many years later.
  • "Eureka!" Moment:
    • In Chapter 123:
      Tyrion: [waking up] Robb Stark is the boy who died and fell through time! [Beat] Damn it, I should have worked that out weeks ago.
    • In Chapter 159, a chance comment about the Thenns gives Gendry the breakthrough he needs to learn how to recreate the glowing runes.
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • The Night's Watch consists of some of the worst criminals, including thieves, murders, and rapists. One of the few things all members can agree on is that they hate Craster and his practice of marrying his own daughters so they can bear him more wives.
    • Damphair is a religious zealot, willing to tear the Iron Isles apart for his faith and belief in the Old Ways, but even he thinks that working with Euron is a terrible idea.
    • Also, Balon Greyjoy finds the idea of breaking Sacred Hospitality unthinkable.
    • Likewise, breaking Sacred Hospitality and kinslaying are the lines Illyrio Mopatis is unwilling to cross, which drives him to attack Viserys when the latter tries to use Daenerys as a Human Sacrifice to hatch his dragon egg.
  • Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: After learning of his half-brother Ramsay Snow's depravity, Domeric declares that if he had known sooner, he would've ridden out and cut Ramsay down himself, even if he'd become a kinslayer in the process. He would even embrace his family's tradition of flaying men alive, which typically disgusts him.
  • Every Man Has His Price: As Petyr Baelish discovers, Screw the Rules, I Have Money! fail to work when your target (Bronn) knows that you have no money and that no matter what you offer you cannot pay him. Related is the fact that people whose only loyalty is to the money you pay them will drop you like a hot potato when they find you are broke. And, also, when you mess with the man who is both the Hand Of The King and the lord you are sworn to, he can easily strip you of your titles.
  • Everyone Has Standards:
    • Everyone from the Riverlands to King's Landing is disturbed to hear that the Faith Militant has resurfaced.
    • The full extent of Baelish's crimes in his quest for power floors everyone:
      • Kevan, Bronn, and King Robert all think Baelish must've been insane if he was ambitious enough to steal money from the Iron Bank.
      • All of Westeros seems to firmly believe Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil. The reveal that Baelish had dealings with Slaver's Bay shocks the entire Small Council, and when Renly proposes his plan to return all the funds from Baelish's properties in a way that also restores the Crown's funds, he specifically mentions that they won't profit from the slave trade in the process.
    • No matter how conniving and power-hungry Tywin Lannister may be, he's completely disgusted by Jaime and Cersei's affair and attempts to pass off their children as Robert's, disowning Cersei while tearing her apart verbally for how she's ruined the family.
    • Subverted in one instance. The ancient Valyrians initially felt that their ritual for warging into people was unthinkable, outright referring to it as Mind Rape, but as time went by their morals degraded, and they came to the conclusion that it was only evil if used on other Valyrians.
    • Everyone is horrified to learn of Aerys's wildfire plot, and any and all grudges in King's Landing are put aside to deal with the situation.
    • Once the news spreads about the convoy carrying the thousand or so barrels of Aerys's wildfire from King's Landing to the North, every pirate and sell-sail in the region has agreed to give it a very wide berth. Even the pirate lord Salladhor Saan declared that trying to seize that convoy, even for something as priceless as wildfire, is absolute lunacy.
  • Evil Is Not a Toy: Whatever that ancient Valyrian sorcerer was thinking when he tried to sacrifice a captured Gerion Lannister to bind a wild dragon to his control, all he accomplished was consuming himself, his men and the dragon in a volcanic eruption while Gerion and his surviving men escaped.
  • Evil Is Sterile: While Others can raise dead humans as wights, they can't create more of their own. Subverting this trope is the reason behind the Night King's creation, who can turn human babies into Others.
  • Evil Nephew: Tywin mentions that on days when the Mad King was at his most paranoid, he would be casting his eyes north wondering if his great-uncle Maester Aemon would try to supplant him.
  • Evil Uncle: All of Balon Greyjoy's brothers qualify for this trope to Asha and Theon to a lesser extent.
    • Aeron denounces Asha for rejecting the Drowned God.
    • Victarion Greyjoy is a Punch-Clock Villain of this trope; despite the Civil War that breaks out with Asha on on the other side of it, he is highly reluctant to take up arms against his niece, only because his brothers deem it necessary.
    • Euron Greyjoy, as in canon, is the worst of them. His Establishing Character Moment is suggesting that he break guest right by inviting his niece Asha to a parlay where his forces would slaughter her men. When it's revealed that Euron has allied with the Others, he also expresses the wish to rape Asha after she's dead.
  • Exact Words:
    • Jon Arryn told Petyr Baelish he would get a fair trial. Not that he would get a public trial.
    • After Varys returns to Westeros from his time in Essos, he claims to Jon Arryn that no one in Braavos or Pentos knows where Daenerys Targaryen or her dragons are. Oberyn Martell points out in the next chapter that Varys never said that he doesn't know where they are.
  • Excalibur in the Rust: That old shield in the crypts of the Foxhold may be dusty as heck, but the fact that it hasn't rusted to bits like the other weapons in the crypt is what marks it as a First Men Ancestral Weapon; specifically, the Shield of the Riverlands.
  • Excessive Mourning: Lady Barbrey Dustin, who still holds a grudge against Ned for leading her husband Willam to his death at the Tower of Joy and failing to bring his bones back. Her grudge kept her from telling Ned about the Ominous Fog gathering on the barrows near her home ever since the Call, and when Ned only hears about it when he calls a council of war, he is inwardly displeased at more information being lost because of old grudges. Moreover, when Brandon Dustin from the Company of the Rose arrives to help her figure out the cause, she can't even bear to look at him or even be in the same castle as him because he looks too much like her late husband. When she admits that last part to Ned, he promises to retrieve Willam's bones once and for all, while she honors her husband's memory by living and being happy.
  • The Exile: Cersei's ultimate punishment is to be exiled to a very small island far off the coast of the Vale called, fittingly enough, Lost Sister.
  • Exorcist Head: Moments after Septon Alyston dies of fright after his ill-fated attempt to sanctify the Hightower Gate, whatever is behind the Gate starts puppeting his body to let it through, with his corpse turning his head all the way back to look at the horrified onlookers, "like his backbone was made of jelly".
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:
    • In Chapter 71, Robert and Ser Barristan Selmy are discussing some old texts from Selmy history, who were the sword bearers to the Durrandons. According to them, right before the Last Storm, Argilac Durrandon apparently had a dream and sent Emrys Selmy back to Storm's End with his sword Stormbreaker, saying that it deserves a better fate. Robert wonders what he could've meant, before freezing and looking back at the Iron Throne and all the melted swords that comprise it.
    • While reading the runes on the Throne of Winter beneath the Nightfort, Tyrion has this reaction when he makes the connection between "fading", the North's saying about "going odd", and "madness".
  • Eyeball-Plucking Birds: The first thing that happens when Ramsay Snow dies is that a raven rips his eye out with its beak.
  • Eye Scream:
  • Face Death with Dignity:
    • Lord Alster Dayne, who travels to King's Landing while suffering a deadly disease to deliver Dawn and much needed information to his only son.
    • The last Gold Cloak to be beheaded by Robert for taking bribes, since he only started taking them because his family got ill (but kept taking bribes even after they got better). In comparison to his snivelling or snarling compatriots, he walks to the headman's block in straight-backed shame (and the crowd, sensing it, doesn't boo him as badly).
    • You can say much bad about him, but when Rhaegar Targaryen was told by the Green Man that he would die during the Battle of the Ruby Ford, he accepted it as the price for his actions. The night before the battle, he reaffirms his orders to his Kingsguard to leave him alone during the battle, while he seeks out Robert and dies at his hand.
    • With the last of his strength, Mace Tyrell admits he was wrong in acting like he did, warns Willas that the Eldritch Abomination behind the Gate will try to return and destroy the harvest, and tells him the only one that can kill it is Eddard Stark with the Fist of Winter before he finally passes away.
  • Face–Monster Turn:
    • The menbeasts controlled by the "last Dragonlord" in Valyria. They are created by a Valyrian madman forcibly mutating anyone daring or unlucky enough to step on the coast.
    • The Green Man reveals that the Night King was a Stark, brother of one of the greatest First Men heroes of old, who was turned by the Great Other in a bid to understand humanity.
  • Face Palm: Tyrion resists the urge to do so when Joffrey declares that Grandfather Tywin will be able to match the price that his brother Gerion paid to get Brightroar. Then again, it's hard to match the price of a missing eye.
  • Fair-Weather Friend: Defied by name by Addam Marbrand. After Jaime took the Black for his Twincest with the queen, he tries avoiding his old friend to avoid the shame and scorn, but Addam tracks him down and makes clear that he won't turn his back on Jaime just because he did something terribly stupid.
  • Fallen Hero: Rhaegar Targaryen, who was noted as being "odd", but most certainly not like his father, genuinely wanting to save Westeros. Unfortunately, he was also a Well-Intentioned Extremist and did some awful things in pursuit of that (raping Lyanna Stark - who had initially run away with him willingly, but wanted to leave after hearing about the deaths of her father and brother - as part of his plan to fulfil the Prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised), before accepting that Redemption Equals Death after a "Reason You Suck" Speech from the Green Man a.k.a. Duncan the Tall.
  • Family Business: One of the Night's Watch rangers escorting Jaime to the Wall mentions that his family had a custom where the elder son inherited the farm while the younger son joined the Watch.
  • Fatal Family Photo: Variant; one of the last things that Rhaegar Targaryen does before the Battle of the Ruby Ford is read a letter from his daughter Rhaenys, telling him to come home soon so she can show him her cat. Of course, by the end of the war, both father and daughter would be dead.
  • Female Gaze: When Asha Greyjoy first arrives at Winterfell, she is noticed to be ogling at Robb's arse a few times.
  • Fighting Fingerprint: Or in this case Riding Fingerprint - all the way back in Harrenhall, Robert noticed the minute details of the horse tack of the Knight of the Laughing Tree, and deduced their identity as Lyanna Stark.
  • Fisher King:
    • A downplayed, non-magical variant, but Brynden notes how the Twins has transformed literally overnight from a dark, dirty, hostile place full of worn old tapestries and dirty people to a lighter, cleaner place with a diligent lord after Walder Frey kicks it and Stevron Frey takes over.
    • Another, similar case is the inn where Tyrion finds Dacey Surestone. Tyrion is told that the place changed hands to Edwyn Dickon, a ne’er do well who has neglected the inn; the sign has fallen off, the stables are filthy and the food is bad. When Dickon is killed a couple of chapters later and the inn changes to new management, the place becomes more hospitable.
  • Five-Second Foreshadowing: When Baelish shows up for his trial by combat, Jon Arryn seems oddly gleeful to see him wearing the heaviest armor the former could find. A minute later, the reason becomes obvious: as he is going to be dropped into the Blackwater, such heavy armor will only make it likelier that he will drown.
  • Flanderization: Possibly. Tommen's love of cats is seen as not just a little boy thinking Everything's Cuter with Kittens, it's a borderline-pathological obsession and a possible symptom of his inbreeding. On the other hand, he's a child, and most people making that assessment know about the inbreeding. As it is, he's surprisingly realistic and down to earth when put to it (he recognises that he's not particularly martial, and after his illegitimacy is revealed, chooses to become a Maester instead as a result).
  • Flat-Earth Atheist:
    • In spite of all increasing proof that magic is back, Tywin refuses to entertain the idea. He begins to consider he was wrong when he follows a pull to a room his father was obsessed with - an idea he had earlier rejected - and finds undeniable proof. He does agree with the necessity of sending aid to the North, but wants more solid proof to bring his bannermen into the bandwagon.
    • The majority of maesters are even worse, with one maester trying to put out the glass candles that signal the return of magic, just so he and the rest of the world can pretend it hasn't. Even when they begrudgingly acknowledge the fact and send ravens to spread the news, many like Pycelle flatly dismiss the warning as nothing but legends.
    • Even after seeing a moving wight head, Jaime still reminds skeptical of the return of magic and the Call - which he takes from Cersei. Downplayed in that it's made clear that he is uncertain as to whether he actually agrees with Cersei claiming it was fake.
  • Fling a Light into the Future: Tyrek Lannister, former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Being a greenseer, he had a vision about his descendant Tyrion and his role to play against the Long Night, so he wrote a letter directly addressed to him by name, detailing what he wants him to do.
  • Forgiven, but Not Forgotten:
    • Pretty much the reaction to Jorah Mormont's return to Westeros, despite his exile for being a slave-seller. In the face of the threat of the Others, Robert is willing to write him a pardon and Eddard and his family are willing to set his crimes aside, but it's very clear those scars will not be fading anytime soon and that he remains disinherited. Jorah, for his part, recognises it and accepts it as the price for his actions.
    • The Martells start heading this route in regards to Elia and her children as the threat the Others pose becomes more clear to them, especially after learning about Aerys's wildfire plot and realizing that they were probably going to die no matter what happened.
  • Formerly Fat: Downplayed with Robert after the Call shakes him out of his stupor, he finds Stormbreaker and he gets a purpose again, resolving to train heavily to meet it. By Chapter 89, he's still a large man, but has markedly more muscle than fat, and many people are astonished at the change. Even Jaime Lannister has to admit that he isn't fat any more.
    • This loss of weight leaves Robert with parts of his skin hanging.
  • For Want Of A Nail: The story is pretty much made of this. Robb actually lampshades it - showing his father what happened in the original timeline led Eddard to ask his bannermen about the Others, so Greatjon checked on the Hearthstone and brought it to Winterfell, where the stone is used to call for help from the South.
    • Domeric Bolton never meets his half-brother Ramsay, because he is sent to Winterfell by his father and then becomes betrothed to Sansa while Ramsay meets a grisly death of his own courtesy of the Old Gods Balancing Death's Books for Robb's return..
    • Jon Arryn is not poisoned - and sends his son to foster with Ned.
    • Littlefinger's embezzling is discovered, and he is captured and pretty much executed before he can escape.
    • Theon casts away his allegiance to the Drowned God and the Old Way.
    • Jorah Mormont returns to the North.
    • Mance Rayder makes a deal with Ned to allow the wildlings to cross the Wall.
    • The Faith Militant reappears much sooner than in the books. They also get destroyed very fast.
    • The direwolf mother not only survives, but gives birth to seven pups instead of six, the seventh becoming Theon's.
    • Much to Robb's surprise, Walder, Old Nan's great-grandson, never suffered whatever turned him into Hodor.
    • Walder Frey dies after seeing a moving wight head, suffering a stroke.
    • Ned, Stannis and Barristan catch the Lannincest in the act. When Robert hears about it, he divorces Cersei and disinherits her children as a result.
  • Foreshadowing: Abound in just about anyone's dreams or visions, be they Melisandre's, Jojen's or anyone else's.
    • Tywin Lannister and Oberyn Martell know that, with the return of magic, someone is bound to attempt to wake up a dragon and cause Summerhall all over again. Viserys Targaryen ends up killing himself and Illyrio Mopatis when he tries to wake up the dragon in the (fake) egg the latter gave him, burning down a third of Mopatis's manse and incidentally causing dragons to reappear after more than a century... under Daenerys's control.
    • The Fist of Winter's ability to kill people who either swear false oaths on it or break oaths sworn on it, and its use to determine guilt during trials. While researching it, Ned comes across tales of an ancestor who wielded it and was nicknamed "the Lawgiver". When Mance Rayder swears an oath on it, a crack of thunder was heard right afterwards, and when Domeric swears an oath on it, he swears the earth shakes a little, and thinks Ned's eyes flash red for a moment (generally a sign of someone being influenced by the Old Gods, their ancestors, or First Men magic). When Ned tells Roose about Domeric swearing an oath on the Fist, Roose relates a tale about how a Bolton once swore an oath on the Fist, only to later break it and die within a month of doing so. And then Willem Bootle swears a false oath and dies almost instantaneously.
    • In chapter 75, Jojen Reed mentions a shooting star from the South, whose heart was of the North. This sets up the revelation that Edric Dayne - whose house's symbol is a shooting star - is Ned Stark's biological son.
  • Full-Name Ultimatum: Eddard getting Bran to promise to never climb the walls of Winterfell again starts with this.
  • The Fundamentalist:
    • Balon and Aeron Greyjoy are so obsessed with the Drowned God and the Old Ways (not to mention their pride) that they are unwilling to accept that they, too, heard The Call from the Starks. So obsessed, in fact, that they are willing to slaughter their own people to stamp it all out.
    • The Riverlands (and, presumably, other parts of the Seven Kingdoms) are starting to see a resurgence of the Faith Militant after the Call was made, who are trying to burn every remains of the Old Gods' culture in the South.

    G-I 
  • The Gambling Addict: An unnamed City Watchman with a gambling problem informs Baelish that a warrant is out for his arrest, enabling him to escape... for a day.
  • Generation Xerox: The Terrible Trio (Brandon Stark, Robert Arryn and Edric Storm) are well on their way to becoming as close to each other as their fathers (Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn, and Robert Baratheon) are.
  • Genre Shift: With the introduction of more mystical elements to Westeros, the fic changes Ice and Fire's Dark Fantasy into a more traditional High Fantasy.
  • Given Name Reveal: Bronn's surname is revealed to be Cassley. The Reveal gives Grand Maester Pycelle a brief Oh, Crap! moment.
  • Glad I Thought of It: After Garth Greenhand's statue is discovered, Mace Tyrell starts claiming that he had always thought the statue was there - even though he almost had it bricked up several times.
  • Go Mad from the Revelation: Finding out that the Old Gods not only exist but are powerful enough to curse him with blindness is enough to make Blackfoot crack. To make things worse for him, his lines in Chapter 133 right before his execution imply he received at least one prophetic vision relating to the coming of the Others after his blindness.
  • Gods Need Prayer Badly:
    • The Old Gods becoming more active causes more people to start worshipping them again and with more fervor, which in turn, makes them grow stronger (if their message to Melisandre is of any indication), which was further amplified by the Call. It manifests in the form of the Green Men becoming more active as well, many people Dreaming of Things to Come, and weirwood tree saplings appearing across the South, where it was believed there were no more. It's also implied that the reason they had so little power in the books was due to only a handful of people in the North still worshipping them.
    • Rather than prayer or belief, the Drowned God is empowered by the Ironborn's Rape, Pillage, and Burn. Even then, according to Euron, it's slowly dying due to not having enough to feed on.
  • Godhood Seeker: Euron intends to kill the Drowned God, consume its power, and take its place. He also intends to betray the Others and do the same with them.
  • Godzilla Threshold:
    • Ned is someone who sticks by a code of honor, detesting the use of deceit and trickery. However, hearing Robb's tale of the canon timeline and what's at stake prompts him to resort to these tactics, sending a message to Jon Arryn warning him about a Lannister plot under the pretense of crops and making the Broken Tower look like it's still in disrepair to catch the Lannister twins in the act.
    • The act of kinslaying is one of if not the most greatest crime a person in Westeros can commit, yet none of the named characters really held it against Sandor Clegane, who had a huge part in killing his brother by chopping his head off when The Mountain went on a rampage. Not only was dark magic at play due to Gregor being possessed by a Valyrian spell, he’s not exactly a beloved person to begin with. While some people do perceive Sandor as a kinslayer, it’s not as heavily brought up, with Robb even thanking him for the assist. It’s pretty telling that most people expressed relief when they heard of his passing and not so much about Sandor’s involvement.
  • Going Commando: After Mance Rayder and Catelyn Stark had coerced Ygritte into wearing a dress in preparation for Tywin Lannister's arrival to Winterfell, Ygritte lets slip to Jon that she is not wearing any smallclothes under it, causing him to hastily escort her back to Cat.
  • Going Native: Theon finally decides to leave his Ironborn nature behind him when he renounces the Drowned God, firmly casting his allegiance with the North and the Old Gods. It's later cemented by Ned's decision to give him the seventh direwolf pup, and later, changing his last name to Greymist.
  • Gone Horribly Wrong:
    • Hearing about the Mad King's plans to burn King's Landing to ash with wildfire, Jaime killed him and kept the presence of the wildfire secret in the knowledge that it would degrade over time... except that well-mixed wildfire in the dark doesn't degrade, it destabilizes.
    • The Tragedy at Summerhall, according to the Green Man/Ser Duncan the Tall. No sabotage, no grand conspiracy, just a single, loyal pyromancer who wanted so badly to help his king succeed, that the batch of wildfire he had brewed was too potent, causing the rest of the mixture to go out of control.
  • Good Cannot Comprehend Evil:
    • Even after learning about Ramsay Snow's monstrous nature and crimes, Domeric is bewildered that his half-brother would hate him so much just for existing, especially when the two of them had never even met.
    • Gerion Lannister can't understand why Euron Greyjoy would ally himself with the Others, who only bring death. Tywin responds that he may seek to use them for his own purposes and that Euron might no longer even be human anymore if the stories about him are true.
  • Gondor Calls for Aid: The Call. Eddard accidentally starts it with one of his family's ancient relics, warning everyone with First Man's blood that the Others are coming. Every House with First Men ancestors soon sends messages to Winterfell, proclaiming their support - and the Call is heard all the way in Essos.
    • The Call is even heard by the spirits of the dead, of those sworn to fight the Others even beyond death, and they begin gathering at Barrowtown and subsuming it in an Ominous Fog. Eddard has to ride there and disperse them until the final battle.
  • Grand Theft Me:
    • One of the Stark's ancestors possesses Eddard in order to reestablish a pact with the Old Gods that secures the return of direwolves, and the Old Gods themselves do it to help restore Maester Aemon's sight. Jon becomes similarly possessed to inform Tyrion that he must ride to the Nightfort.
    • Willas Tyrell, too, is possessed by the spirit of Mern IX, the last Gardener King who was killed by Aegon and his sisters at the Field of Fire.
    • Shireen gets possessed by the Old Gods when she touches the hidden heart tree of Dragonstone, telling Gendry he has to go north to help his father, and stating Patchface willingly committed suicide so Shireen would get healed from her greyscale.
  • Green Around the Gills: Ygritte's first time on a ship doesn't go well, and she spends the first part of the trip failing to find her sea legs and hurling over the side. Theon urges Jon to attend to her.
  • Green-Eyed Monster: Joffrey is jealous of Gendry due to Robert's favorability towards him in spite of his being illegitimate. He makes a point of bringing up the latter in every chapter they're in together, even when it's not relevant.
  • Groin Attack:
    • The son of Lord Tywald was killed when a woman he tried to rape stabbed him in the crotch.
    • Val drops Joffrey by kicking him in the crotch from behind. Nine chapters later, he's still walking funny.
  • Gutted Like a Fish:
    • This is Craster's fate at the hands of Ser Jaremy of the Night's Watch, after he tries to take back his baby son that was supposed to be sacrificed to the Others, but whom the Black Brothers rescued instead.
    • The rogue Wildling Torgett makes this threat to Mance Rayder, but he instead suffers this fate when Rayder proves to be the better combatant.
    • Aeron Greyjoy's fate, courtesy of Euron. When the White Walkers raise him as a wight, Aeron's entrails are still trailing on the ground.
  • HA HA HA—No: On the way to Winterfell, this is Robert's reaction to the wheelhouse Cersei demands be made. He laughs so hard he starts to tear up, then walks away shaking his head.
  • Hair-Trigger Explosive: According to Tyrion's research, unless wildfire is badly mixed and is stored in the wrong conditions, it will not degrade over time, but instead mature and grow more and more unstable, especially if kept somewhere dark. Now, what do you think happened to all the wildfire Aerys buried under King's Landing, that Jaime had never told anyone about, and had been sitting there since the Rebellion?
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Coldhands was half-turned into a wight by the Others, but prevented from fully turning by the Children of the Forest.
  • Hate Sink:
    • Ser Willem Bootle is a Riverlands knight known across three kingdoms as a ne'er-do-well who alienated all his neighbors. Looking to pay back a debt (for someone linked to Littlefinger), Bootle travels to his cousin Lord Torgen Surestone's keep, whereupon he poisons Lord Surestone and declares himself lord on account of his gender, then proceeds to seize the estate and evict Surestone's daughter Dacey, the rightful heir. It's revealed later that Bootle ordered an innkeeper named Edwyn Dickon to keep her at his inn and turn her into a prostitute to keep her from contesting his title. Upon his capture, Bootle declares that he should have been heir because Dacey is a bookish girl and remains defiant up until he attempts to swear his innocence on the Fist of Winter, which judges him guilty and strikes him down; his lies literally killed him.
    • The aforementioned Edwyn Dickon is an innkeeper who is incapable of dealing honestly with anyone. Ordered by Ser Willem Bootle to turn Dacey into a prostitute, Dickon drives up unreasonable prices for board and medicine, insinuating that there are "other ways" to pay back her debt. Dickon makes the mistake of trying to cheat a wealthy merchant and making advances on his wife; the wife punches him, he falls into a full bucket of slops and drowns, And There Was Much Rejoicing. After his death, it's revealed that he stole something from everyone at the inn. In general, Edwyn Dickon was A Dick in Name and deed.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Asha Greyjoy realizes that she cannot keep holding to the Old Ways, and decides to side with her uncle Rodrik Harlaw in the incoming civil war between Drowned God followers and those who side with the Starks.
  • Heel Realization: Robert has a few of this as he gets back on his feet (metaphorically speaking), realizing how badly he has been messing up since the Rebellion. He admits to his brothers that he has been a horrible brother, particularly to Stannis, who has done so much for him without receiving a just reward. He seems to have similarly recognized his shortcomings as a father and has made an effort to be a better parent to Edric, Gendry, Myrcella and Tommen.
    • He has another one when he learns about Jon from Lyanna's spirit who is begging him not to kill her son — first, horror over the thought that both Lyanna and Ned thought he would kill Jon just because Rhaegar is his father, and then horror at himself when he realizes why they thought that.
  • Heir Club for Men: After Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are disqualified from the line of succession, Robert's new heir is Stannis, followed by Shireen and then Renly. This means that Shireen is his heir, as Stannis isn't much younger than Robert is and is just as likely to die in the upcoming war against the Others. This is why Robert is thinking of legitimizing one of his bastards or having more kids with a new wife; while he's perfectly fine with Shireen being queen, the same can't be said for the rest of the realm. The last thing they need is a repeat of the Dance of Dragons.
  • He Knows Too Much: While being questioned about Jaime and Cersei's affair, Tyrion notes that a lot of servants disappeared from Casterly Rock, realizing that it would make a lot of sense if they were disappearing because they found out about Jaime and Cersei.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: After Euron Greyjoy fatally stabs Ned in the side during his attempt to free and consume the Drowned God, Leyton Hightower gives his life to the Old Gods to bring Ned back.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: Even if he's doing his best to be a better king, regain his old fitness, and prepare his realm for the onslaught of the Others, being tasked by his lost love Lyanna and the Old Gods to become the "Storm King" of legend has put a lot of extra weight on Robert's shoulders, and his mental dialogue often has him wondering how the buggering hell he's supposed to live up to that title.
  • Hero of Another Story:
    • There is a hint that something similar to what is going on beyond the Wall is happening in the Grey Wastes with the Dothraki being "called" East, just as the descendants of the First Men are being called North.
    • Many people are also being pulled to the Isle of Faces, so as to help protect it from the threat of the resurgent Faith Militant.
    • Gerion Lannister had gone on a literal Odyssey on his voyage to find Brightroar, involving mutinies, freed slaves, men with animal heads, an insane Valryian sorcerer, a dragon, a volcano and a man long thought dead.
  • Heroic BSoD:
    • Theon when Robb tells him what he did in the original future (or, at least, what Robb knew of the future).
    • Daenerys when she learns the truth about Robert's Rebellion.
    • Tyrion faints when he finally meets his long-thought-dead uncle Gerion.
  • He's Back!: The Call awakens Robert Baratheon after almost a decade and a half of depression, bringing back the man of action he was before the Rebellion. As a result, he shaves off the Beard of Sorrow, starts training off all his fat, and focuses his efforts on his royal duties.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • He may act like a senile old man, and he may be loyal to the Lannisters rather than the King, but Grand Maester Pycelle reminds everyone that he is still a Maester:
      • He is able to find almost exactly where in Westeros the statues of the Seven in the Sept of Baelor are pointing by calculating the exact directions each statue is pointing and drawing a line for each of them on a map, then figuring out they all intersect at a specific point beyond the Wall, meaning he may have actually found the location of Hopemourne, the lair of the Others. He also, without having to be asked by anyone, makes sure to inform the various Septons gathered there, who are gearing up for a holy war against Winterfell, that the statues aren't pointing at the North. He does so quite forcefully, taking the wind out of their sails in a manner that's implied to have involved quite a bit of shouting.
      • Later, he is fully willing to lead the search for the wildfire hidden underneath King's Landing.
    • Robert often surprises people with how intelligent he can be. Leera, Jorah Mormont's lover, says this about King Robert after they meet him and find that he's not the oaf everyone thought he was.
      Leera: There's more to him than meets the eye. He's like... lightning in the clouds. Hidden until you see it, feel it, hear it.
      • When Robert first meets Robb Stark, he instantly sees the boy has much older eyes than his youth says.
      • Ned is quite impressed by Robert's level-headed analysis of the Succession Crisis after the discovery of the of Lannicest. As Robert notes, without any trueborn children, Stannis is his heir, followed by Shireen, which risks a repeat of the Dance of Dragons since many will consider a woman unfit to rule Westeros. Robert also notes that while he can immediately divorce Cersei for her infidelity, they need confession from her or Jaime to properly prove that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are bastards born of incest.
      • While part of his battle prowess is due to Character Development, the other half is because he is a skilled warrior and commander rather than just some Dumb Muscle with a warhammer. As Jaime notes while sparring with him, Robert learns swordsmanship quickly and never makes the same mistake twice.
      • As skilled a horseman as he is, all the way back in Harrenhall, Robert recognized the horse tack of the Knight of the Laughing Tree, noting that Lyanna Stark cinched her saddle and held her reins the same way.
      • Robert confesses that long before the Call was sent, he thought about just abdicating the throne and sailing off to Essos to start his own sellsword company. The two things that kept him from doing that were the fact that he'd disappoint his Parental Substitute Jon Arryn and that if he abdicated, Joffrey would be king.
    • The main reason Balon Greyjoy staunchly resists the message from Winterfell is that he feels acknowledging it means accepting the rule of the Old Gods, and without the Drowned God, the Ironborn are nothing but ridiculous savages with no place in the world.
    • Tywin Lannister privately admits that when he enacted the annihilation of the Reynes and Tarbecks that inspired the Rains of Castamere, he went too far due to youth and inexperience and garnered a bloodthirsty, ruthless, mad dog reputation for his House, which took years of fair governance, even judgement, and a stint as Hand of the King to alter into a reputation of just rule. The lesson he took from that was that real power is more than just military might or threats of force; it is also strong reputations and trustworthiness. That said, he never wishes that he hadn't enacted the massacre, merely that he ought to have left some members alive as an example.
    • Tywin and Kevan remember that their father Tytos was fascinated by runes, particularly in the North passage of Casterly Rock, and obsessed with "filling the gaps in their history." He never really got there, but Tywin eventually taught himself to read them.
    • Ned Stark is much smarter and perceptive than what people give him credit for. He recognized that Tyrion came to Winterfell under orders of his father because he thinks it's a play in the Game of Thrones without being told, something that surprised Tyrion. He's also the one who concocted the plan of how to catch Jamie and Cersei in the act.
  • History Repeats:
    • Tywin Lannister learns that he isn't the first man in his family to overthrow an unworthy father and take the reins of the family: Lann "the Clever" Casterly went to march against the Others with the Starks when his father was too cowardly to do so, and Lann usurped his control when he returned.
    • A Selmy named Emrys was once swordbearer to the Durrandons, the Storm Kings of old. Now, Ser Barristan Selmy finds himself serving a similar role to a Durrandon descendent, King Robert Baratheon and his new Ancestral Weapon Stormbreaker.
  • Home Sweet Home:
    • After becoming Bronn Cassley, Lord of Foxhold, Bronn finds himself greatly appreciating having a holdfast to call his own, even if it's a lot bigger than he ever dreamed of.
    • This is the lesson that Gerion Lannister learns after his odyssey where he almost perished trying to find Brightroar. After he returns to the Summer Islands and to his lover Allara, he decides to settle down, marry her, and start a family.
    • Many of the Westerosi living for a long time in Essos, like Jorah Mormont and the Company of the Rose, get teary-eyed when they finally return.
  • Hormone-Addled Teenager:
  • Horrifying the Horror: Even Gregor Clegane seems frightened (if only slightly) when he sees a wight's head for the first time.
  • How the Mighty Have Fallen: To say House Targaryen has fallen is a massive understatement. Once, they have been a respected and feared dynasty that begun with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, who brought all of Westeros (save for Dorne) underneath its banner and helped massively influence the political climate of Westeros from then on. As the years went by, numerous wars, scandals and mishaps by various kings helped cause their influence to slowly but surely degenerate, with the Mad King being the final nail in the coffin. While there were still some sympathizers to the cause even after Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne, what little support they once had all but dwindled when Jamie Lannister revealed the Mad King's plan to burn all of King's Landing with immense amounts of wildfire as well as the advent of the Call. As a result, people are less open to the idea of having another Targaryen on the throne and their name has all but smeared and slandered. Daenerys can't even march to Westeros to press her claim on the throne without the potential of meeting immense resistance even with three dragons on her side due to the Call putting the Game of Thrones on abeyance along with the Mad King's wildfire plot plummeting their family name further into the ground, forcing her to focus on survival in Essos.
  • Humiliation Conga:
    • Chapter 110 lays out one for Walder Frey. If having the tables turned on him when he is rebuked and called a snot-nosed dotard in his own home by Ser Duncan the Tall isn't enough, him pissing himself and suffering a stroke when he lays eyes on a living wight's head does the trick.
    • Chapters 116 to 120 might as well be called "The humbling of Jaime Lannister": He and his sister are caught in flagrante delicto and arrested, he is told that killing Aerys and not telling anyone about the buried wildfire has left the city at risk, and then he is beaten by Robert Baratheon in a Trial by Combat, with only the Wall and the war with the Others to look forward to in his future.
    • Balon Greyjoy considers the events of the Parley this: he learns he's entreating with, among others, a commander who has an infamous reputation among the Ironborn (Stannis Baratheon), the bastard son of another man he hates (Jon Stark), and that his remaining son has renounced his heritage.
  • Hypocrisy Nod: When set to fight Robert at his trial by combat, Jaime protests that fighting the King is treason. Robert naturally points out that the entire reason Jaime is in this mess is because of treason.
    Robert: Treason never bothered you before, did it Kingslayer? Why should it now?
  • Hypocritical Humor:
    • Tywin forbids Kevan to go to a room their father was obsessed with, even though both of them are feeling a pull towards the place. When Kevan sneaks to the room that night, not only has Tywin arrived earlier, but he also reveals that he, too, had his particular obsession with the room.
    • When Willas recovers from his coma after finding Garth Greenhand's statue, Olenna Tyrell says she was not worried. Margaery promptly points to Olenna's embroidery, which shows a Maester being chased by a thorn bush (the Highgarden Maester claimed Willas may not wake up again, and Olenna a.k.a the Queen of Thorns didn't like that prognosis).
  • I Choose to Stay: After his odyssey to retrieve Brightroar, Gerion Lannister decides to stay with his love Allara and their family on the Summer Islands, instead of returning to Westeros. At least until the Call is sent out.
  • I Have No Son!:
    • Hoster Tully frankly disowns Lysa when he finds out about her relationship with Littlefinger, her support in his schemes in destabilising the realm, her wilful poisoning of her and Jon Arryn's son, and Hoster's grandson, and finally, her attempted murder of Jon and her effort to flee justice - and the seriousness of this is commented on if Hoster "Family, Duty, Honor" Tully is willing to disown his own daughter. Lysa, for her part, is unable to appreciate it, given that she's stuck as a prisoner in the Vale and too out of her mind to know or care.
    • After finding out his "trueborn" children's true parentage, Robert decides to personally tell Joffrey that he is no longer a Baratheon prince, but Joffrey Hill the bastard. He does try to break the news gently, though.
  • I Love the Dead: Euron declares that he has plans for Asha's "wighted cunt" and the best part is that she won't have a say in what he does to her.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink:
    • Robb and Theon head for the ale after the Internal Reveal of Theon's actions from Robb's old timeline.
    • Then again with Jon, Robb and Ned, after another Internal Reveal of Jon's parentage and Robb's time travel.
    • Rodrik Harlaw, his new wife Alys and Asha Greyjoy after they find out what the High Harlaw runes state.
    • Tyrion, whenever he has an encounter with something supernatural, or is repeatedly told about his fate and role to play in the future war against the Others.
    • Varys, of all people, when he finds out something has gone wrong in Pentos, namely Braavos deciding to preemptively take care of their potential dragon problem by means of an invasion fleet.
    • Edmure goes with Patrek Mallister to get some wine after executing the mad Septon Blackfoot, especially after his ominous Last Words.
    • After witnessing Lysa Arryn's madness, Bronn invites Lord Flinters for some ale, as there are times a man needs to quaff, and ale is better for it than wine.
    • Tyrion requests some wine and some much-needed time with his new wife after telling his disgraced sister about her fate in exile.
    • After managing to kill and cast out the Drowned God, Ned tiredly says he needs some ale. An onlooking Garlan Tyrell, who saw the whole thing, notes that he's definitely earned it.
  • I Reject Your Reality:
    • The first Maester who discovered that magic had returned had been trying for 10 days to undo what he had done and pretend it hadn't happened, but his colleagues found out anyway.
    • After Cersei's affair and her children's parentage is found out, Robert divorces her and her children are stripped of their royal status, but she and Joffrey are still delusional that they still have some sort of power. Much of Cersei's internal dialogue in her focus segment in Chapter 135 is her reassuring herself that she can make her father believe her and that the Westerlands still hold the Crown in debt until Tywin strips her of any delusions that he would ever help her out of her giant mess.
      • When Tyrion comes to inform Cersei of her exile, her delusions are such that she interprets being told that Tywin is going North to inspect the Wall as Tywin going there to retrieve Jaime and Joffrey and preparing to raze the North. Being told repeatedly that the Mountain is dead barely leaves a mark in her.
  • If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: Greatjon, while telling Tyrion to consider courting Dacey Surestone, warns him that, if he breaks her heart, Ned (Dacey's cousin) will kill him, Greatjon will break whatever Ned leaves intact and then Roose Bolton will take his turn.
  • Ignored Epiphany: Renly Baratheon discusses as much with Jon Arryn, in that despite him being at Storm's End, witnessing a statue with glowing eyes come to life, hand Robert a legendary sword, and declare Robert Storm King, within days of returning to King's Landing, he had pushed the event aside and subsumed himself into the regular plots and politics of the city. It takes him seeing a living wight's head for the reality of the upcoming war of the Others to stick.
  • I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Mern IX Gardener's nephew, badly burnt from the Field of Fire, had the Lord Tarly during the Conquest hide Otherbane at Horn Hill before dying, to avoid the other houses of the Reach fighting over it.
  • Implausible Deniability:
    • How Ned plans to make it impossible for Cersei to deny her incestuous affair with Jaime: catch them in the act, with Stannis and Ser Barristan as witnesses. And even then, when Robert finally confronts her, she still tries to claim it's all a lie.
      Cersei: They... misunderstood what we were doing.
      Ned: Misunderstood? You were both naked and both rutting like animals. You and your own brother!
      Stannis: Which is treason.
    • Pycelle does try to deny it, but the rest of the Small Council quickly rebuke him.
      Oberyn Martell: Of course, Maester Pycelle. Based on the latest raven from Winterfell they innocently both stripped naked and then she somehow fell onto his erect cock repeatedly. How could that possibly be misinterpreted?
    • The affair also doubles as a twofer for Cersei; since the affair was clearly consensual, there is no way she can deny knowingly interfering with the royal succession once her children's true paternity is revealednote . As interfering with the royal succession is a far more grievous crime than cheating on the king with her brother/guard, Cersei cannot be afforded any mercy, unlike Jaime.
  • Impromptu Tracheotomy: Rodrik Harlaw gives Alek a Mercy Kill by stabbing him in the throat.
  • In Spite of a Nail: Jon falls in love with Ygritte, as in canon.
  • In-Universe Catharsis: As noted by Tywin, who remarks that killing Cersei for all that she's done to bring shame and ruin to House Lannister's good name would make him feel marginally less angry. He doesn't go through with it, though it's a close call, because doing so would be kinslaying and House Lannister's reputation is on shaky enough ground as it is without adding that label.
  • In-Universe Factoid Failure: Part of the reason Jaime never told anyone about Aerys hiding hundreds of barrels of wildfire throughout King's Landing was because he figured it would've degraded and been rendered harmless by now. He's wrong: wildfire destabilizes and matures when stored in prolonged darkness.
  • Inopportune Voice Cracking:
    • After seeing a Child of the Forest with his own eyes, Tormund has to remind himself after greeting it that he is Tormund bloody Giantsbane and that he does not bloody squeak.
    • This happens to Tyrion after he talks to the Old Gods via Jon Snow.
  • Insane Troll Logic: This is Joffrey's train of thought when he believes he will own both Brightroar and Stormbreaker after hearing about the former being found: Brightroar should go to the head of House Lannister, namely Tywin, and since Tywin is too old, Jaime is in the Kingsguard (and "isn't allowed" to have a sword better than the King) and Tyrion is hated by Tywin, it will go to him, along with Stormbreaker as the son of Robert Baratheon. Of course, he knows that Stormbreaker has already soundly rejected him and so he's fishing for any legendary sword to call his own. Tyrion is thoroughly exasperated by his nephew's logic, and Brightroar's current owner, Gerion Lannister, makes very clear that it will not belong to him.
  • Insistent Terminology: Lysa gets (even more) upset when Jon Arryn refers to their son Robert by his name, insisting that he's her Sweetrobin.
  • Instant Fish Kill: After the Silence (and whatever bloodstained Eldritch Abomination was aboard it) sinks beneath the waves, a lot of dead fish start floating up around the still-bubbling patch of water.
  • Insult to Rocks:
    • Bronn thinks that calling Petyr Baelish a weasel is cruel to weasels.
    • After Janos Slynt is arrested and sentenced to death, he begs to be sent to the Wall (until recently an optional dumping ground for thieves and murderers), but Robert refuses, saying that doing so would be an insult to the institution, especially considering their recent uptick in support from the Call.
    • Tywin calls sending a disgraced Cersei to the Silent Sisters an insult to the Faith.
  • Intangible Time Travel: Green Men using weirwoods to view the past work like this, with the present viewers nothing but ghosts to those in the past and the people in the past only barely aware of an unsettling feeling. However, some people in the past can see the viewers from the future and talk with them, setting them on the path that history says they took.
  • Internal Reveal: Several of them.
    • Eddard tells Catelyn and Jon about the latter's true ancestry (Jon's parents are Rhaegar and Lyanna), which Robb finds out later.
    • Daenerys learns about the events of Robert's Rebellion through Jorah Mormont.
    • The Green Man reveals to the Blackfish and Brienne that Rhaegar Targaryen asked him whether he (Rhaegar) was right in regards to the prophecy of the Prince Who Was Promised, but the Green Man did not tell him anything, since Rhaegar was sure he was right. Months later, Rhaegar returned, got heavily told off for what he did (kidnap Lyanna, which in turn caused the death of Rickard and Brandon Stark and their companions' and set off Robert's Rebellion, then later raping her after she wished to leave) and also learned that he would die fighting Robert.
    • Through a vision, Brynden Tully and Brienne of Tarth find out about what happened to Robb, including the Red Wedding, that his ancestor Edmyn Tully (the one who led the Targaryen supporters against Harren the Black) was foretold of the Targaryens' eventual madness and the death and resurgence of the Dragons and about what will happen if further action is not taken to stop the Others.
    • Chapter 131 has Robert find out about Jon from Lyanna's spirit in a dream, and the following chapter has him tell Ned that he knows.
    • Cersei reveals to Tyrion the encounter with Maggy the Frog (particularly the prophecy that drove her to attempt to get Tyrion killed) when Tyrion comes to tell her about her exile.
  • Interrupted Intimacy: Thanks to Ned's trap, Jaime and Cersei Lannister are caught in the act.
  • Irony:
    • Robert lampshades this after Jon Arryn briefs him on how Petyr Baelish had used his stolen money to buy land and set up businesses, all of which have been seized and are now owned by the Crown. As Robert notes, they'll now be able pay off a substantial amount of their debts by selling these properties that were built with embezzled funds.
    • Eddard's and Robert's families' Ancestral Weapons are each other's favored weapon, something Robert lampshades when he gets Stormbreaker looked over by Tobho Mott and learns about the Fist. Similarly, Eddard notes that Robert would love the Fist of Winter. Both joke about this when they finally meet in chapter 113.
      Robert: Nice stick. Almost as good as my old warhammer.
      Eddard: Nice knife. Almost as good as my old sword.
    • Viserys tries to kill Daenerys to awaken the dragons so they would be under his control. He ends up dying and putting the dragons under Daenerys' control.
    • Bronn was the one that captured Littlefinger and got a keep as payment. While he is in that keep, he ends up capturing Lysa Arryn by pure chance after she attacked her husband because of Littlefinger's death.
      • For added irony, he captures Lysa while fishing for trout—the emblem of Lysa's maiden house Tully.
    • One of the main problems between Ned and Catelyn at the beginning of the story is Jon, who Catelyn thought was Ned's bastard son and suspected Ashara Dayne may have been Jon's mother, until Ned cleared it up by revealing Jon was actually his nephew. It then turns out that Ned actually did have a bastard son with Ashara Dayne—Edric Dayne, who was adopted by Alster Dayne the whole time and raised as the true born heir of Starfall—and never knew it.
    • Joffrey hates the fact that his supposed half-brother Gendry greatly resembles and is favored more by Robert. Thus, every time they meet, he likes to bring up the fact that he's a prince and Gendry a bastard... only for it to turn out that Joffrey, too, is a bastard. Not only that, but after Joffrey is demoted to Joffrey Hill, Gendry is legitimized as a Baratheon, with Robert even considering adding him to the line of succession.
    • Tywin makes note of a couple of ironic points after all the truths are laid out to him:
      • The Lannister twins, his precious Golden Pair whom he adores, have utterly ruined the standing of House Lannister with their Twincest and treason, while his dwarf son Tyrion, whom he has always loathed, is now the heir of Casterly Rock and a true Lannister for all his actions and support in the north.
      • Tywin has always looked for a way to get Jaime out of the Kingsguard and make him the heir to Casterly Rock. Not only was a way right under his nose (Jaime revealing Aerys's mad wildfire plot), but Cersei has finally managed the first part by committing enough treason with him that Jaime is now exchanging the Kingsguard's white cloak for the black one of the Night's Watch.
  • It's Quiet… Too Quiet:
    • Brynden Tully does not like the silence settling over the Bloody Gate, rightly fearing that the Vale clans may be planning something. Fortunately, when they come to the Bloody Gate it is to reveal they are following Ned's call to arms.
    • Robb Stark and his party think this when they enter the Nightfort, which should at least have some Black Brothers working to restore it - except, there's no one there. Cue the reveal that several Free Folk opposed to Mance Rayder's plans have set up shop there and killed the Brothers.
  • I Will Show You X!: King Robert has choice words for a Septon who describes Northerners (like his friend Ned and old love Lyanna) as "uncouth."
    Robert: Uncouth!?! I'll uncouth you right in the face, you bastard!

    J-L 
  • Jabba Table Manners: Subverted. During the feast at Winterfell, Jaime is astonished to see that King Robert isn't downing wine like water and wolfing down the food, but drinking in small sips and eating the food slowly.
  • Jerkass Has a Point:
    • For all his duplicity, Petyr Baelish does make some accurate observations:
      • During his trial for his corrupt practices, embezzling, outright robbery and his attempt to have Robert Arryn kidnapped, Littlefinger points out the nobles' hypocrisy in relation to the smallfolk, Stannis's inability to get past any slight (imagined or otherwise) despite controlling Dragonstone and being the Master of Ships, and Jon Arryn's failure to control the King's excesses and discover that Cersei's children are not the King's.
      • Jon later acknowledges that Littlefinger had a point about the nobility in a conversation with Bronn, and says that Bronn becoming a lord would actually help address the issue by infusing some new blood into the nobility.
      • Littlefinger's insinuation that Stannis only has one sickly heir for a reason seems to have been taken to heart, with Stannis starting to spend more time with his wife Selyse.
    • Tywin, although unable to accept that magic is returning in spite of all proof, has a good point in being wary about the possibility: given its ties to dragons, he knows someone will attempt to wake dragons from their eggs. Indeed, Viserys Targaryen is planning to do this.
    • When discussing what to do as the reactions to the Call grow, Tywin points out that he cannot just call for his banners and help the Starks: those who refuse the Call will think him mad, those who have heard it may have actually changed their minds. If he gets more tangible proof, then he can consider acting in such direction.
  • Kangaroo Court: In an unusual use of this trope, it's the "good guys" (insomuch as that can be a thing in Westeros) who are on the giving end this time: Stannis and Jon Arryn give Petyr Baelish a mock-trial-by-combat that is an execution in all but name. However, there are several reasons that make this a more understandable decision; Jon and Stannis have a mountain of evidence directly implicating Baelish, including a large number of witnesses, Baelish himself had earlier confessed to the charges, and, most importantly, Baelish has knowledge of a matter that could start a war if it ever publicly became known (that the King's children are all bastards born of incest), so it's too dangerous to give him a proper trial where he might reveal this.
  • Kansas City Shuffle: It's speculated in-universe that Argella Durrandon was sent gagged, chained and naked to Orys Baratheon as a distraction so that any artifacts relating to the Durrandons (including Stormbreaker) could be hidden.
  • Karmic Death:
    • Ramsay Snow. After raping a girl and being pursued by men in retaliation, he curses a raven and it rips his eye out. And then a wolf takes its turn.
    • Petyr Baelish. All his double-dealings finally caught up with him.
      • It's also mentioned a few times that he made sure to gather as much information about how Brandon and Rickard Stark died, and smiles every time he passes the spots where they died. He meets a similar, but opposite, fate as Rickard, being allowed trial by combat only for the other side to choose one of the elements as their champion, but instead of fire, Jon Arryn chose water.
    • The owner of the inn where Tyrion meets Dacey Surestone. He was crooked enough to shortchange both his customers and the vendors that sold to him, and the large wife of one of the vendors didn't take kindly to it.
    • Viserys Targaryen dies in a fire he himself caused, after trying to kill his own sister in an attempt to awaken the dragon eggs they have been gifted (which, for extra Irony, ends up putting those dragons under Daenerys's control) and actually killing the man who had hosted him.
    • Craster dies of a terminal case of bowel indigestion, induced by a dagger, at the hands of the Night's Watch that has just learned that he's been sacrificing his sons to the Others.
    • Walder Frey's jerkass nature and unwillingness to believe the Call has happened end up leading him to suffering a stroke after he is called out by Ser Duncan the Tall on the former and seeing incredibly obvious proof of the latter a few moments later.
    • Willem Bootle swore that he was the real Lord Surestone and that he was innocent of killing the previous one. When he tried to swear that on the Fist of Winter, the lies finally killed him.
    • Septon Alyston of the Starry Sept was a puffed-up peacock trying to regain some prestige for his sept and himself. When he barges his way into the Hightower with Mace Tyrell's support to "cleanse" a Door of Doom beneath it, he ends up dying when the aura of fear around it becomes too much to take.
  • Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Several times.
  • Killed Mid-Sentence: Ser Willem Bootle.
    "Is that it? Bec-" [Gets struck down by the Fist of Winter]
  • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Tommen. He's liked back to some degree, as he cheerfully lugs around one of White Harbor's more cantankerous cats in the middle of its usual naptime without resistance.
  • Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil:
    • Tywin Lannister explains this is the only reason why he isn't going to kill Cersei when he is telling her just how much she fucked up. He makes it clear that House Lannister's reputation and position are now so precarious that their House will be dealing with the consequences for generations to come. Him killing her, while it would be very cathartic for him, would just degrade their name even further.
    • At the Parley between the Harlaws and the Greyjoys, Euron Greyjoy kills his brothers Balon and Aeron when he reveals his plans to kill and take the Drowned God's place.
  • Knife Fight: Robb and Joffrey have one in Chapter 126 when Joffrey tries to kill him to regain Robert's favor.
  • Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Mace Tyrell. He sees himself as a great leader and player of the Game of Thrones, while most of his family, contemporaries and fellow Lord Paramounts see him as a buffoon, especially when the advent of the Call changed everything from under his feet without him noticing. Even after Otherbane, the spear of the Gardener Kings rejects him in favour of his son Willas and his mother Olenna convinces him to retire to his hunting lodge, he still wants to be relevant and lead the Reach again, even willing to answer to the Septon of the Starry Sept to 'cleanse' an Artifact of Doom beneath the Hightower to do so, despite not having a clue what he's doing.
  • Know When to Fold 'Em:
    • This trope is Implied when a tome about Valyrian dark magic, including how to warg into other human beings, is found in Winterfell's secret room, with the name "Torrhen Stark" written in it. From the discussion of what is in the tome, if Torrhen Stark thought that the Targaryens had this magic at their command in addition to their dragons, it's no wonder that the King Who Knelt did so.
    • Tywin goes to Winterfell to confront the accusation of his twin children being caught fornicating. After being given irrefutable proof, including a signed confession from Jaime admitting to being the father of Cersei's three children, he begrudgingly accepts Robert's decisions to divorce Cersei, disinherit her children, and send Jaime to the Wall.
    • Varys and Oberyn abandon their plans for a Targaryen restoration due to the growing threat of War against the Others, particularly after the discovery of Aerys's wildfire plot kills whatever lingering Targaryen loyalty there was left in the Seven Kingdoms.
  • Kryptonite Factor: Applicable to the Others; in addition to the canonical dragonglass and Valyrian steel, they are also vulnerable to sky-metal, as Tyrion finds out when he slays an Other with Rocktooth. A bit of Fridge Brilliance is present in that all three are substances borne from fire (fire from the earth, fire from dragons, and fire from the heavens).
  • Lap Pillow: Tyrion ends up falling asleep on Dacey Surestone's lap in Winterfell's Godswood, exhausted from the long ride back from the Wall.
  • Laser-Guided Karma:
    • Lysa Arryn attacked Jon Arryn because he had Littlefinger killed, and Jon managed to make a cut on her. This cut proceeds to fester and corrupt (aided by a poison that coated Jon's dagger), costing her her arm.
    • Viserys Targaryen kills one of Illyrio Mopatis's servants, and then tries to kill Daenerys, in an attempt to awaken his dragon egg and Daenerys's three. Not only does he die himself from a fire he accidentally provoked, after learning his egg was fake: in an extremely ironic turn, his death is one of the three that restore Daenerys's dragons to life.
    • The High Sparrow does not want to see the truth, and attempts to have all signs of worship of the Old Gods destroyed... so he is cursed with blindness by the Green Man and the Old Gods.
      • Maester Aemon, in spite of being blind for long time, has been seeking the truth and working to aid those who heed the Call as much as he can... so the Old Gods restore his sight.
    • Robert Lampshades as much after he hears Robb's story of the old timeline, in that all the people that had ruined House Stark in the previous timeline have gotten their comeuppance in this one, such as Roose Bolton and Balon Greyjoy's sons renouncing their family legacies and Jaime Lannister taking the black. All that is needed now is for Walder Frey to keel over dead (something that unbeknownst to them has already happened).
  • Late to the Punchline:
    • In chapter 117, Robert brings his children together, as well as Shireen, so they will listen to the sound of Stormbreaker. "Trueborn" Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen hear a clank, while bastards Mya, Gendry, and Edric hear a chime. After the former leave, Gendry asks what's going on, and Shireen tells him that only those people of Durrandon blood can hear the chime. It takes Gendry a moment until he realizes the King's "trueborn" children are not actually Robert's.
    • When Robert finally informs Joffrey of what the implications mean, it takes a while before it sinks into the blond Royal Brat's head. On the other hand, his guard Sandor had realized the implications immediately.
  • Laugh Themselves Sick:
    • Once he hears that the Lannister twins were caught fornicating in Winterfell and arrested, Oberyn Martell excuses himself to the privy to laugh himself to tears.
    • Robb and Theon are left in hysterics watching Jon fall over himself trying to keep Ygritte in line.
  • Lifesaving Misfortune: The storm that ends up damaging the ship taking Gendry to Storm's End ends up benefiting him when it brings him to Dragonstone, where he meets his cousin Shireen and finds the hidden Godswood that heals the girl. It also keeps him there long enough for Stannis to bring him to the North.
  • Lighter and Softer: Played with. On one hand, all of Westeros now have to deal with a supernatural force that's out to get them. One the other hand, Westeros is united in defending themselves against a force that's out to get them. Many of the morally lighter gray characters not only live past the point of their death in canon, but also go through Character Development while the bad guys bite the dust. Any tensions between nations is put aside for the sake of preparing for the fight to come against the Others. All in all, the story went from a Dark Fantasy where the main conflict is between humans to a High Fantasy where the main enemy are the Others.
  • Lightning Bruiser:
    • Robert is slowly evolving into one as he gets more used to Stormbreaker.
    • Numerous people note that, on a strategic level, Eddard is this, moving his forces (primarily cavalry for maximum speed) far faster than almost anyone else. Tyrion notes that it is most likely why Tywin admitted that Ned could be dangerous, and at least one commentator on the AlternateHistory.com thread pointed out that he managed to cover 300 miles in three daysnote . And Greatjon tells Tyrion that, during the ride to the Trident, they rode even faster.note 
  • Like Father, Like Son: Or in this instance, Like Mother, Like Son, as both Cersei and Joffrey demand Tywin to raze the North due to their subsequent arrests due to the Lannincest (Cersei) and Joffrey trying to murder Robb. Suffice to say, Tywin isn't impressed and puts both of them in their place (and never allows Cersei to make her demands or spin the narrative in the first place).
  • Literally Shattered Lives: The effect of a dragonglass knife on one of the Others.
  • Living Legend: The Green Man, a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall, ex-Lord Commander of the Kingsguard in the days of Summerhall. A lot of people are astonished that he's still alive.
    • Jaime Lannister and Addam Marbrand discuss this in Chapter 163, talking about how they used to pretend to be knights as great as the Blackfish and Ser Duncan the Tall when they were boys, and now both of them are present with them at Castle Black.
  • Locked Out of the Loop: Greatjon makes a grand ceremony of giving Ned the news of the Hearthstone changing color. He's shocked to realize Ned has absolutely no idea what he's talking about and realizes Ned's father never told him of this before his death.
  • Losing Your Head: The still-alive heads of several wights inside special cages that prevent them from decaying are used as proof that the Others are real and are returning.
  • Lost Common Knowledge:
    • It's mentioned at one point that Valyria had the means of countering the potential damage present in inbreeding, allowing for multiple forms of incest and blood purity practices. However, the knowledge was lost with the Doom of Valyria, resulting in the trademark Targaryen instability. Other lost pieces of knowledge include the production method of Valyrian steel and much of the original Valyrian dragonlore.
    • On a personal scale, Rickard Stark was apparently fully aware of the secret room in his Solar, knowledge of the Call, and the true purpose of the Company of the Rose. He was going to tell his sons when they came of age, but Eddard came of age in the Vale, and by the time he returned to Winterfell, his father and older brother had been killed by the Mad King.
    • The trope has been discussed a couple of times by Aemon Targaryen and Ned Stark, as they lament on how their ancestors had created all the defenses, warnings, and countermeasures to prepare for the return of the Others, only for nearly all of it to be lost to time, rebellions, and the folly of men.
    • The Royces are quite ashamed that, despite their house motto of "We Remember", their family's knowledge of scribing or carving workable magic runes has not been.
  • The Lost Lenore:
    • Lyanna Stark was this to Robert Baratheon, as in canon. When he finally meets her spirit in a dream, she tells him that her memory is holding him back, and that he needs to let go of her memory to be the Storm King that Westeros needs to fight against the Others.
    • Willam Dustin was this to his wife Barbrey, to the point that she's still grieving him. This causes some friction when Brandon Dustin, a Dustin from the Company of the Rose in Essos, arrives to help her figure out why there's so much fog on the Barrows, but she turns him away under suspicion of him usurping her leadership of Barrowtown, but really because he looks too much like Willam. It takes Ned having a firm talk with her about the stakes of his help to get her head on straight.
  • Loved by All: Torgen Surestone qualifies as this, as people who mention his name speak highly of his character. It’s very telling how the likes of Tywin Lannister has nothing but positive words for the man, even being aggrieved by his passing.
  • Luke, You Are My Father: Edric Dayne informs Eddard that, on the night he brought Dawn and Arthur Dayne's bones back to Starfall after the Tower of Joy, Ashara Dayne slept with him while he was asleep and conceived Edric.

    M-O 
  • Mad Oracle: Patchface, who somehow knows that dragons are coming back and that the Others are starting to make their move.
  • Made of Iron: Jon Arryn manages to survive a brutal stabbing by Lysa.
  • Magically-Binding Contract: Any oath sworn on the Fist of Winter apparently becomes this. According to Roose Bolton, a Bolton once broke an oath sworn on the Fist and died shortly after, and when Willem Bootle falsely swears his innocence in the death of Torgen Surestone on it, he is smote down on the spot.
    • It's why the Night's Watch don't bother guarding Jaime Lannister on the way to the Wall after he takes the Black; having sworn his oath to the Night's Watch on the Fist of Winter, they know that the instant he breaks this oath, he dies.
  • The Magic Comes Back: The Maesters discover that, indeed, this is happening.
  • The Magnificent: After his part in saving a ship caught in a storm from sinking, Gendry is given the agnomen "Strongarm".
  • Make an Example of Them:
    • Tywin Lannister's complete annihilation of Houses Reyne and Tarbeck was this in canon, but Tywin admits privately that in his youth and inexperience, he went too far; the act and the resulting "Rains of Castamere" gave him and his house a reputation of a ruthless mad dog throughout the Westerlands thereafter, and it took years of fair and wise governing to rebuild his reputation as a just ruler. The lesson he learned then was that real power is more than just threats of force; it is also reputation, trust, and a firm belief that when he says something, he means it.
    • When Civil War breaks out between House Greyjoy and House Harlaw, Balon and Aeron order Victarion to raze Harlaw, tear down the buildings, and sow salt in its earth. He refers to this as his Castamere. It fails.
  • Make It Look Like an Accident: After Varys poisoned Jon Connington and "Aegon Targaryen", he set fire to the boat so to make it look like they were killed when Jon dropped a lantern and the boat burned up.
  • Malaproper: When Jaime reveals the wildfire plot, he intends to say "degrades" but says "debrades" instead.
  • Manly Tears:
    • Jorah Mormont cannot avoid crying when he meets the Company of the Rose and hears the Northern accent for the first time in years. The Krats, too, as all the houses in the Company state they will, too, return home, and he retakes his true name.
    • Edric Dayne as his father dies, after naming him the new Sword of the Morning.
    • Aemon Targaryen after the Old Gods restore his eyesight.
    • Mance Rayder sheds a few watching the Free Folk cross the Wall to safety.
    • Tywin Lannister, of all people, says that he wanted to weep when Myrcella, left with next to nothing after the revelation of Cersei's incest, asked Tywin to just make sure her husband is nice. Being Tywin, he presumably managed to hold himself together.
    • Sandor Clegane after the Green Man heals his facial scars.
  • Marry for Love: Discussed several times between Robb, Jon and Theon, as the heirs of Lord Stark for the former two and the son of Lord Greyjoy (and the new Lord Greymist) for the latter, their potential marriages are of significant importance, yet they all wish to follow their heart. So far, their Ship Teased targets all lean towards love than political significance (with Val and Ygritte being Wildlings and Ros being a whore), but time will tell how they all play out.
    • Robb is particularly conscious of this, given his old timeline's relationship with Jeyne Westerling and the repercussions thereafter, but after he kisses Val after rescuing her from the Mountain, he admits he's being foolish again. In his defence, with Val being the good-sister to the King-beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder (and potential future Lord), there's some political weight to the relationship, but as said, time will tell. Later on, it's revealed that Val's mother Rowan is the daughter of Mors Umber, meaning that they have noble blood after all.
  • Master of Disguise: Sarella Sand, keeping with the (here confirmed) WMG theory of her being one of the Citadel novices.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The Contrived Coincidence of the Weirwood red leaf falling to the ground right in front of Gendry, allowing him to backtrack it to the hidden Godswood on Dragonstone.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Stark, because, as one of their ancestors tells Ned, the family is meant to strip away all the superfluous stuff and deal with the plain (stark) truth.
    • The two skymetal daggers that belong to the Lannisters are most commonly known as the Warnings. They glow when inhuman threats are near, warning their wielder.
    • Coldhands is a very apt name for a half-wight.
  • Meaningful Rename:
    • Theon is planning to change his name to completely cut ties with the Iron Isles and the Drowned God and solidify his allegiance to the North. With the permission of Robert, he officially changes his name to Greymist in chapter 133, founding a new house and swearing himself to the Starks in the process.
    • The Lannisters, combined with Shed the Family Name. Lann the Clever was actually a Casterly, and when his father refused to send aid to the North to fight the White Walkers, he went himself, then seized power when he came back. After that, he stopped using the Casterly name, and people eventually started calling him and his family Lannister, from "Lann is there".
    • After Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are discovered to be bastards, they are given the Hill name, while Robert gives his bastard children Mya, Gendry and Edric the Baratheon family name.
  • Medication Tampering: Jory Cassel and Annah find out that Robert Arryn's medicine is actually poison. Later investigations reveal that Lysa Arryn deliberately poisoned her son to keep him dependent on her.
  • Memento MacGuffin: Invoked when Jaime Lannister is given a bag containing the ashes of his white cloak after his incest with Cersei is revealed and he has taken the Black. For what he did to slay the Mad King and save all of King's Landing, Selmy says that he should keep it as proof of the noble knight he once was and could be again. Gerion Lannister also tells his nephew that that bag is important, as he had a greendream in which Jaime was walking down a foggy path and that he would remain on the path if he still kept the bag of ashes and he would be lost if he didn't.
  • Metallic Motifs: Gendry describes Queen Cersei Lannister as blonde and cold, like gold made flesh.
  • Metaphorically True: Tywin demands to know what proof is there that Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen are all the children of Jaime and Cersei, and Stannis replies that Jaime wrote a confession. This is true, except that the confession came after Robb's testimony about the future timeline and the royal children being unable to hear Stormbreaker's chime, neither of which Tywin would accept as evidence.
  • Mind Rape: The Valyrian ritual for warging into people (such as is done to the Mountain) is explicitly described as such in-universe, and interestingly is as corruptive and dangerous to the possessor as it is to the possessed.
  • Misplaced Retribution: Refreshingly subverted. Unlike other stories, the Martells here have no grudge against the Starks for taking part in the rebellion—in fact, they respect Ned for the lengths he went to to save his sister, seeing as the only reason they sided with Aerys and Rhaegar is because the former was keeping Elia Martell and her children hostage. It helps that, unlike said stories, Lyanna really was kidnapped and raped, making her just as much a victim as Elia was.
  • Monster Progenitor: The Night King. While it is said that the original Others were created by the Great Other, the Night King is the only one who can take human baby boys and turn them into new Others.
  • Moment Killer: Jory and Annah's first Ship Tease conversation is cut short when Eddard appears, possessed by one of his ancestors.
  • Mook Lieutenant: Alek, a Raider under Balon Greyjoy who is sent to raid Harlaw in an attempt to force Rodrik Harlaw into doing something stupid. He gets the POV for the ill-fated attack in Chapter 89.
  • Morton's Fork:
    • Against his will, Tywin finds himself facing one when he cannot deny the existence of magic or the Call any longer, and debates over sending help to the Starks up North. If he does call his bannermen to send help to the Starks, he'd face resistance from those who had not heard the Call or chose to deny it, and he could be seen as weak for believing in myths and fairytales. If he doesn't, he'd face resistance instead from those who did hear the Call and want to send help, as well as become an oath breaker for breaking his family's promise to the Starks. And that's not counting the potential consequences if the threat proves to be real and the North falls because they didn't have the Westerlands' help.
    • Daenerys's predicament by Chapter 94 once she becomes the Mother of Dragons. The Magisters of Pentos are keeping her imprisoned with the intention of using her to conquer Braavos and force the rest of the Free Cities to submit to their rule. Leaving for any of the other cities would end up with her in a similar predicament. Trying to return to Westeros, and potentially reclaiming the throne, would fail since her allies are alienated and unreliable after Viserys's shenanigans and the wildfire plot are revealed, and trying to invade the Seven Kingdoms (not that she has any troops to do so) would make her look like an opportunistic usurper. The other alternatives—going to the Summer Islands or to eastern Essos—are similarly handicapped by her lack of knowledge about both regions. Fortunately, Varys manages to bring her to a relatively safe place where she will be able to consider her future without being pressured.
    • Varys finds himself in a similar predicament: to stay in the game that has changed beneath him or abandon it for a land far away.
    • Robb and Ned know they can't let Joffrey become king. Fortunately, they can prevent it by revealing his true parentage. However, they can't do that either since they know Robert would become so enraged, he'd kill Cersei and Jaime himself, which in turn would cause their father Tywin to retaliate, and plunge Westeros into a civil war, which is the last thing they need in the coming war against the Others. Fortunately, Robert's Character Development dissolves this example: when the truth is revealed for him, he manages to keep his temper, divorces Cersei, disinherits his illegitimate children, and tries Jaime for treason before sending him to the Wall, all justified and reasonable actions that make it unlikely for Tywin to declare war. And when Tywin finds out later, there's too much proof for him to refute anything, and all he asks is to hear from Cersei directly.
    • After Aerys's wildfire plot is discovered, Oberyn sorrowfully realizes that no matter how the Rebellion ended, his sister Elia and her two children likely would've died horribly either way.
  • Motive Rant:
    • In chapter 42 Petyr Baelish gives one to Stannis and Jon Arryn which also combines with a "Reason Why You Suck" Speech.
    • Balon Greyjoy gives one in Chapter 92 to explain why he refuses the Call: doing so would mean denying the Drowned God, which the Ironborn look to for strength.
      "Without him we are just a band of men on barren islands who have nothing but iron."
    • In chapter 118, enraged at Robb judging him, Jaime finally snaps and spells out for him exactly why he became an Oathbreaker and killed the Mad King - because doing otherwise would mean sentencing the entirety of King's Landing to death by wildfire.
  • Motor Mouth:
    • After Robert Arryn is finally weaned off of the poison that kept him weak, there are times when Jory wonders if the boy will be able to shut up for five straight minutes.
    • Arya is this while telling her family about how Jon was possessed by the Old Gods to give a warning to Tyrion Lannister.
  • Must Make Amends:
    • Catelyn vows to be the mother she wasn't to Jon after learning he isn't Ned's bastard, but his nephew.
    • Edmure Tully strives to become better at war after an ill-sided encounter with the Faith Militant that almost went horribly wrong.
    • When Styr, Magnar of the Thenn, meets Ned, he expects Ned to kill him since his ancestors failed to keep the promise to the Starks and the Free Folk and the Night's Watch began their feud as a result. Ned isn't having it, though, since his ancestors forgot their promise as well, and offers to build a new alliance instead.
    • Between watching as the Mad King fell further into insanity, finding out that one of his fellow Kingsguard cuckolded the King, and being tasked to bring the Kingsguard back to its former glory, Ser Barristan Selmy finds a lot of weight on his shoulders.
  • My Beloved Smother: Lysa Arryn. So much that she deliberately poisoned her son to keep him weak and dependent on her.
  • My Country, Right or Wrong: Victarion Greyjoy's attitude. He will follow his brother Balon's orders to destroy Harlaw, but also tells him he is making a huge mistake and warns Aeron that he will describe to him the face of every person he has to kill because Balon and Aeron are too pigheaded to admit the truth.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Theon's reaction when Robb tells him what he did in the original timeline, namely his attack on Winterfell and his murder of Bran and Rickon (Robb didn't know that the two had managed to escape).
    • Less intense from Eddard, who realizes he did Robb a great disservice by not teaching him the politics involved in being the Lord Paramount of the North.
      • He and Cat also have this later on when they realise they've screwed up just as badly with Sansa's education when she reveals that she's been taught that the rivalry between House Stark and House Bolton was a thing of the past.
    • Jaime suffers a gigantic one when he realizes that he killed Aerys, prevented him from igniting the wildfire buried beneath the city, and left the wildfire buried to not degrade, but grow more and more volatile.
    • In the aftermath of Rhaegar raping Lyanna in order to get her pregnant, Arthur Dayne cannot consider himself a knight anymore, not after breaking his knight oath in such a serious way (the fact that Dawn keeps burning his hand when he tries to pick it up only underlines it) and in fact expects to die in the upcoming fight against Ned Stark.
  • My God, You Are Serious!:
    • Mance Rayder's reaction when Ned offers, if they survive the war against the Others, to make him a Lord.
    • After Tyrion lays out exactly what he had found, faced, and killed at the Nightfort (Lannister heirloom weapons, wights, and Others), Jaime asks if his brother is drunk. Tyrion's answer is a Blunt "No".
    • Ros laughs at the idea that Theon would make her, a whore, the new Lady Greymist, until he tells her that he's seriously considering it.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: Due to his vows as a Kingsguard, Gerold Hightower is unapologetic about helping Rhaegar rape Lyanna.
    "We did what was ordered by our Prince. It is not our place to judge him."
  • Mythology Gag:
    • Benjen meets Coldhands in his ranging when he seeks a wight hand to show what's going on. Benjen is a candidate for being Coldhands in the books - and some characters imply he will become his successor. Plus Benjen was combined with Coldhands in the show.
    • Bronn is promised a keep. Unlike Tyrion, Jon Arryn manages to deliver very soon.
    • During his Motive Rant, Littlefinger insinuates that Shireen was infected with greyscale by a Dornish import; Jon Arryn assures Stannis that it's probably another lie.
    • Daenerys gets her three dragons after a fire burns three people to death (one that wanted to protect her, one to kill her, and the third having nothing to do with the attack) while she is in the fire.
    • The Septon that leads the attacks on the Isle of Faces is called Blackfoot, because his feet are black from walking everywhere without shoes. Chapter 86 confirms that it is the one who would have become the High Sparrow.
    • During their travel to Castle Black, Jon sees a red-haired girl that seems fascinated with a windmill.
      • After they meet properly, Ygritte often says "You know nothing" to Jon. However, Jon has just as many opportunities to say the same back to her, given that she followed him back across the wall to the Iron Islands and she has absolutely no experience with boats or the ocean.
    • Tyrion still gets Podrick Payne as his squire.
    • Maester Aemon once again urges Jon to "kill the boy", but this time it's just as much about forgetting about his past as a bastard and embracing his status as a legitimate child, and encouraging him to embrace his dream of running a small hold and starting a cadet branch to support Robb and the main line of Starks, rather than any grand dreams of claiming the throne or becoming Lord of Winterfell.
    • The first Other to be killed dies because it gets distracted with one of Craster's sons, allowing someone to kill it with a dragonglass knife.
    • The second Other to be killed is shocked and alarmed when a Valyrian steel sword blocks its ice sword.
    • When Robert finally arrives to Winterfell, his first words are a good-natured joke aimed at Ned, who answers with the same coin before they embrace while laughing.
      • Also, Arya appears in the courtyard wearing a helmet, which Ned gives to Jory Cassel.
    • Jaime and Cersei Lannister get caught having sex in the Broken Tower. Only this time, the witnesses aren't someone Jaime can just shove out the window.
      • When Jory takes Jaime's dagger afterwards, he mentions it could be used to put an eye out.
    • Show!Jaime's dyslexia gets referenced when Jaime writes his confession of how he slept with Cersei and claiming Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen as his children.
    • When Asha arrives to Winterfell, she doesn't recognize Theon and dismisses him as unimportant.
    • A meeting at Winterfell between two long-separated individuals begins with one of them saying the other got fat. Specifically, Gerion Lannister saying this about his brother Kevan.
  • Naked Freak-Out: Ursula Cawlish has this reaction when she apparently wakes up from sleepwalking and finds herself in front of Bronn, buck-ass nude. Luckily he is holding out a robe for her.
  • Named by the Adaptation: The direwolf mother, now alive and partnered with Ned, is named Frostfyre.
  • Nasty Party: Proposed to Balon Greyjoy by his exiled brother Euron to win the Ironborn Civil War - invite his enemy Rodrik Harlaw to a parley under guest's rights, only for Euron to come in, "mistakenly" get the wrong idea, and slaughter the rebels wholesale.
  • Nephewism: In Chapter 112, it's revealed that Lord Alster Dayne raised Edric Dayne, his nephew by Ashara's one-night stand with Ned Stark, as his own son because he and his wife could not have children.
  • Never Found the Body: Varys's recollections of the investigations into the Tragedy at Summerhall indicate this about Ser Duncan the Tall; nobody actually found his body (contrast with King Aegon V and Prince Duncan being identified by their rings), and the last person who saw him while alive was Princess Rhaella. Turns out reports of his death were greatly exaggarated.
  • Never Trust a Title: While Robb's return does provide the impetus of the story, the major storylines have focused on the North, and eventually all of Westeros, preparing for the imminent invasion of the Others.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
    • Bran the Builder, when he built the Wall to protect the South against the Others, caused one unintentional side-effect: not understanding the magic in the earth, building the Wall also broke the links between the North and South, meaning that the Greenseers and Children of the Forest on either side could no longer communicate with each other. The entirety of Coldhands's mission was to bear some magic south of the Wall and bridge the gaps.
    • Jaime in Chapter 118, when he realizes that while he may have saved King's Landing from Aerys, he hasn't actually saved the city from the wildfire it's still sitting on top of.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Herod: King Aerys's execution of Rickard and Brandon Stark meant that Ned had no means of knowing about the Others and the Call and left Westeros near-helpless against them.
  • Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: As Tywin mentions, Littlefinger kept investing his stolen cash over and over, greatly increasing the worth of his owned properties. When he's executed and his wealth and his invested properties seized, Jon Arryn proceeds to re-appropriate the properties back to the owning Lords Paramount, erasing the debts the Crown owes to the Lannisters and the Iron Bank and allowing the Seven Kingdoms to gain money that they are going to desperately need in the times to come.
  • Nitro Express: After Aerys Targaryen's many caches of unstable wildfire are found under King's Landing, the Small Council (and Oberyn Martell) conduct a whole operation to temporarily stabilize the barrels, pack them securely into specially-designed ship holds, and ferry them all the way north to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea where they can hopefully be more useful.
  • No Dead Body Poops: Averted when Littlefinger checks one of his men for signs of life and recoils at the smell indicating one of them voided himself after Bronn killed him.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: After Barristan Selmy, Ned, and Stannis catch the Lannicest in the act, Selmy grabs Jaime by the throat and starts strangling him. If Ned hadn't called him off, he would've throttled his captive to death on the spot.
  • No One Could Survive That!: Baelor Hightower says this of Euron Greyjoy, given he had to flee his encounter with Ned, Willas and Frostfyre at the Hightower, flaying himself alive while trying to get through the wards. Given what they had seen, Ned and the others aren't sure.
  • No Sympathy:
    • What's Tywin's reaction to learning that Mace Tyrell has effectively been usurped by his son Willas?
      Tywin: Oh, woe, poor Mace.
    • After Walder Frey suffers a stroke right in front of him after seeing a living wight's head, all Brynden Tully can do is repress a smile and think, "What a tragedy."
  • Non-Indicative Name:
    • Lord Stoutheart was told he was being given the position of Master of Coin, and he promptly suffered a deadly heart attack. Jon Arryn lampshades this, thinking he should have been named Weakheart.
    • While talking to Ursula Stone/Cawlish, Bronn recalls one of his old sellsword jobs targeting a Reach House named Honeyfeather. He says they were more "Pissanvil" in nature.
  • Not Helping Your Case: Lord Harys Moxton, when you get arrested for trying to bribe Goldcloaks, including their new leader, Ser Davos Seaworth, do you really think claiming that Seaworth misunderstood you because he's lowborn is going to help your case? Jon Arryn certainly doesn't think so.
  • Not Hyperbole:
    • When Robert warned the Septon of Storm's End to not to attempt to damage the Weirwood sapling under pain of having his nose smeared all over his face, he was not joking.
    • Tywin Lannister tells a Septon that, if he gets an inkling of any trace of the Faith Militant appearing in the Westerlands, he will destroy it with extreme prejudice. From someone else, it might be bluster. From Tywin "Rains of Castamere" Lannister, it is pretty much par for the course.
      • And when a letter from Tyrion warns him against the Greyjoys expanding their fleet and potentially targeting the Westerlands, Tywin claims he will personally cut off Balon's manhood if a single Ironborn ship is seen near the Westerlands coasts.
  • No Time to Explain: Invoked; while sailing to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Oberyn Martell tells Davos Seaworth that if he senses a storm or anything at sea, he shouldn't waste time with pleasantries and should just bark orders and ask permission later. Given that they're on a naval convoy loaded with unstable wildfire, it's perfectly understandable.
  • Not Quite Dead: Sort of. Maester Aemon Targaryen has been around for so long that Kevan assumed he had died of old age at some point in the past, but Tywin assures him that isn't the case.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: In one of the flashbacks, Duncan the Tall says that Rhaegar isn't much different from his father after Rhaegar raped Lyanna Stark.
    "Your father is a lunatic, a murderer, and a rapist. And in that last part- the apple did not fall far from the tree, did it not?
  • Not So Above It All:
    • Stannis makes a joke at Littlefinger's expense during his trial. Jon is actually caught off guard for a second.
    • During his trial, Littlefinger reveals he took Lysa Arryn's maidenhood and insinuates that Robert Arryn may not actually be Jon Arryn's son. When Stannis points this out, Jon Arryn immediately dismisses it as lies since Robert looks too much like an Arryn and declares that nothing Petyr Baelish says should be taken at face value. Nevertheless, when Lysa later angrily rants that Baelish should've been her son's father instead, Jon Arryn's heart lightens just slightly, hinting he wasn't as completely unaffected by Baelish's words as he appeared.
  • Not So Stoic:
    • Varys can't hide his terror when he learns that magic has returned since he was castrated in a Black Magic ritual. He has to leave the room when he hears the news to properly calm down before he returns to his normal self.
    • Stannis's mouth nearly twitches into a smile when he hears that his daughter is organizing the Terrible Threesome.
  • Nothing Up My Sleeve: For his escape, Littlefinger carries a dagger in his sleeve. It doesn't do him much good as Bronn beats him to the punch.
  • Obfuscating Disability: While trying to escape King's Landing, Littlefinger attempts on disguise himself by pretending to limp. It works for about as long as he needs to go.
  • Obfuscating Stupidity:
    • Bronn, after a few minutes of watching the man, warns Jon Arryn against Grand Maester Pycelle.
      • This gets subverted when the council learns about the wildfire underneath King's Landing. With the situation so serious, Pycelle drops his act and Jon Arryn notices that he strides through the Red Keep with clear purpose.
    • Aegon Frey, also called Jinglebell or the Fool of the Crossing, completely drops his fool personality after Walder Frey's death. An observing Brynden Tully wonders if his change is due to this trope (him stopping pretending to be a fool), or if he was actually a fool that was changed by the Call.
  • Oblivious to Love: Jon remains ignorant of Ygritte's interest in him for quite a while, despite her doing things such as; bluntly asking if he's engaged to anybody yet, outright telling him that she's not wearing undergarments on one occasion, insisting on joining his mission to the Iron Islands, and he only seems to start getting a clue after she slaps and then kisses him after his jaunt to disperse the Fog with Ned.
  • Obsolete Mentor: Despite the Game of Thrones changing from under him and being forced to take a backseat to Willas after being deemed unworthy by Otherbane, Mace Tyrell still wants to play a role in running the Reach. So he goes to the Hightower and lends his authority to Septon Alyston to "cleanse" the gate despite not having the faintest idea what's going on. This proves... fatal.
  • Off with His Head!: Besides being the usual method for executions, special mention goes to Sandor Clegane, who finishes off his Demonically Possessed brother this way.
  • Oh, Crap!: Present in about one out of every two or three chapters.
    • Ned when he finds out what happened to Robb.
      • And when he discovers that the Night's King has awakened.
    • Roose Bolton becomes terrified when an old ritual passed through his family works, and that it says that the Others are coming.
    • The Maesters when they discover The Magic Comes Back.
      • As does Varys - who was turned into an eunuch by means of Blood Magic.
    • Doran Martell when Oberyn points something out: since The Magic Comes Back, could legends (such as, for example, the ones Eddard Stark is asking about) be real, too?
    • Nearly every scene with Littlefinger has one from him:
      • When Bronn captures him - and then when Bronn tells him that Jon Arryn has found his secret books and knows about the money Littlefinger has in Braavos.
      • When Jon Arryn tells him the Iron Bank knows what he has been doing.
      • Just for a second after Jon reveals who is the champion that Littlefinger has to fight: the sea.
    • Daenerys when Viserys reveals to her his intention to hatch a dragon egg.
    • Roose Bolton upon finding out that Ned Stark now wields the Fist of Winter and that Domeric made an oath on it to never betray nor harm Sansa.
    • Jonos Bracken and Tytos Blackwood when they realize the resurgent Faith Militant is going to attack all places that still have symbols of the Old Gods, such as the Isle of Faces... and their own keeps.
    • Varys when Robert tells him that he suspects the incoming fight will be against a what instead of a who.
    • Daenerys when she wakes up and finds herself tied up, a scared servant tied to one side and a dead servant to the other. And increased when she realizes her brother has made the last step towards full-blooded madness and tries to kill her to awaken the dragon eggs.
    • Increasingly as it becomes obvious that the next winter will be a long one, which is never a good sign.
    • Hugo Wull and his fellow Hill Clan leaders get this when they hear one of their legends coming true: a Stark holds the Fist of Winter and the Thenns march to join him, signifying that a Long Night is coming.
    • Grand Maester Pycelle has a very brief moment of this the instant he hears Bronn's surname.
    • A fact that often causes this in several people is being told that although Rickard and Brandon Stark knew of the Call and the threat of the Others, that knowledge died with them when Aerys had them killed. It was only by the grace of the Old Gods that Eddard even knew of the threat and even greater providence that he found the hidden room and sent out the Call, and the realization of how close everyone came to no warning at all is what causes the reaction.
    • Jaime and Cersei Lannister when they are caught in the middle of sex by Ned Stark, Stannis Baratheon, and Ser Barristan Selmy.
    • Tyrion when he realizes the full implications of the Lannister Twincest. And later, Gendry, Mya, and Edric all get this reaction when they witness proof that although they are of the King's blood, his blond "trueborn" children are not.
    • Willas gets chills when he hears that there's a really worrisome and dangerous relic underneath Hightower, and that his idiotic father Mace has been tasked by a Septon to "cleanse it", sticking his nose into something he has no idea about and could have terrible consequences.
      • When the Septons' zealotry overrides their fear and they actually make it close to the Hightower Gate, Leyton Hightower clutches at Willas's shoulder as his idea to expose the Septons to the Gate's terror starts to backfire. And indeed, Septon Alyston dies of pure fright, and his corpse is resurrected and is almost used to let the monster behind the Gate through.
    • Everyone who hears Jaime's Motive Rant about Aerys's mad wildfire plot, and realizes that all the wildfire that he buried under King's Landing, which matures and destabilizes over time, is still there.
      • As does everyone on the Small Council when they hear about it too.
    • Jaime has a big one when he enters his Trial by Combat, to find that his opponent is King Robert Baratheon. And not Robert "Fat King" Baratheon, but Robert "Demon of the Trident" Baratheon.
    • Cersei finds herself terrified when her father storms in with all his black, terrifying fury directed at her, for all her treasonous actions that have been revealed.
    • Exploring the near-ghost ship the Silence for Euron Greyjoy or his crew is bad enough, but the kicker is when Jon opens a cabin door and sees a room covered in blood, a mass of fleshy viscera on the ceiling, and a haunting skull in the middle of the viscera that looks back at him.
  • Old Soldier: Edmyn Hunt, a white-bearded man-at-arms to House Tully. He taught Catelyn how to use a dagger when she was a girl.
  • Ominous Fog: Ever since the Call was sent out, some unnatural fog began settling around the Barrows and Barrowtown, with no wind able to blow it away. When Ned goes to deal with it, it's revealed that they're the souls of the dead, sworn to fight the Others until death and beyond, and even the shades of the monsters they killed.
  • Ominous Message from the Future: This is what it looks like from Rhaegar Targaryen's perspective when, the night before the battle at the Trident, in answer to his desperate prayers for guidance, an older Robert Baratheon appears before him, wielding a giant sword, and talking about how he is trying to defend the realm from the Others, telling him that he is dead, all his ideas about the prophecy were wrong, and following them has shattered the realm in war. When Robert tells Rhaegar that he will die tomorrow, Rhaegar knows what he must do.
  • Once Done, Never Forgotten:
    • Tywin tells Cersei in his "The Reason You Suck" Speech that House Lannister will bear the stigma of incest for generations to come.
    • The wildfire plot being made public wipes out what little secret support for the Targaryens there is, meaning Varys has to throw out all his plans for them, including those of the Golden Company.
  • One-Handed Zweihänder: Stormbreaker is described as being around the same size as Ice, which is described in canon as being almost as long as Robb is tall, and is always wielded two-handed. While Robert initially starts out using it two-handed, by the time of Jaime's Trial by Combat, he's wielding it like a regular sword - one-handed with a shield.
  • One-Steve Limit: Averted with the two Aleks; one is a Drowned Man, the other is a Raider serving under Balon Greyjoy.
  • Only Sane Man:
    • In the Tyrell faction, the position is shared by Willas, Olenna, and Margaery. When he speaks with his father before pretty much taking over the Reach's government, Willas takes the time to spell out why Mace's scheme to replace Cersei with Margaery is a stupid idea.
    • Asha Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw take the lead to hold it in the Iron Islands. And despite still being a Drowned God worshipper, Victarion is the only one of his brothers to realise just how insane trying to raze Harlaw Hill to the ground really is.
    • Kevan plays this to his brother, particularly regarding those topics where Tywin is a tad too stubborn for his own good—the Call and Tyrion, for starters.
      • It is downplayed with the Call, however, as Tywin makes it clear that he does have a good reason for not doing anything about it yet: At least half of his bannermen either didn't hear the Call, or heard it and thought it was a trick, meaning he can't call them until he actually has proof that the Others are real, otherwise they won't listen to him.
      • Further downplayed when, while travelling in the North, the two receive news of Jaime and Cersei's arrests, Robert divorcing Cersei, and all of Cersei's children being fathered by Jaime. Kevan is immediately outraged, and asks Tywin if he wants him to travel back to Casterly Rock and raise the banners. While initially just as angry, Tywin quickly calms himself, and tells Kevan that they will continue on to Winterfell, in order to discover whether or not it's true, pointing out to him the listed witnesses (Ned, Stannis, and Ser Barristan, all men widely known for their honesty), and revealing that, when the twins were young, Joanna had ordered them moved into rooms on opposite sides of the castle, telling him that they were too close.
    • Ser Stevron Frey is the only member of his family with any standing that actually wants to do something about the Call, something his father Walder blatantly denies. When the Late Lord Frey finally dies from reality giving him a stroke, Stevron takes the helm of his family and starts sending help where it's needed.
    • From Varys's recounting, Illyrio Mopatis was this for all the Magisters of Pentos. After his death and the birth of Daenerys's dragons, their collective intelligence "took a sharp dive downwards", as Varys puts it, and they began making more overt cues to use the dragons to invade and subjugate Braavos, enough that Braavos caught wind of it and decided to strike first.
    • Tywin explicitly notes that of Cersei's three children, Myrcella is this, what with Joffrey being... Joffrey, and Tommen's obsession with "kitties". He isn't amused. He's also shocked and ashamed to realize that he can no longer deny that Tyrion has to be the smartest of his children after what Cersei and Jaime did.
    • Outside of being naive, Daenerys is the closest to sane of the three children of Aerys II, given that Rhaegar raped Lyanna Stark to produce The Chosen One and Viserys went mad and tried to kill Daenerys as a Human Sacrifice.
  • Only the Chosen May Wield:
    • Given Dawn's penchant for quivering when touched by someone not meant to wield it, it is implied this is part of the skymetal weapons' schtick.
      • In a letter, Lord Alster Dayne mentions that Ser Arthur Dayne wasn't worthy of the blade in the end, which it why it "failed him" in the Battle of the Tower of Joy. So apparently one has to remain worthy to properly wield a skymetal blade. Later on in the story, it's revealed that Arthur helped Rhaegar rape Lyanna by not just capturing her and guarding her, but also by holding her down while he did the deed, explaining why Dawn rejected him, to the point that it was burning Arthur's hand while he tried to wield it against Ned Stark.
    • When Mace Tyrell attempts to take Otherbane from Willas with the intention to wield it, his hand gets severely burned.
    • When Joffrey tries to hold Stormbreaker while the King is exercising, he gets his hand burned and is Blown Across the Room - while someone or something shouts "FALSE!".
      • Whenever Stormbreaker is sounded, those of Durrandon descent hear it chime like a bell, while everyone else hears the clank of metal on metal. This is used to test the paternity of Cersei's children after she's caught in bed with Jaime.
    • In spite of these examples, Ser Barristan notes that his ancestors could act as Sword Bearers to the Storm Kings, just like he does for King Robert now. Ser Barristan believes this is because they made no claim to owning it, nor viewed themselves as worthy of owning it, and carried it with the permission of the true owners. Similarly, Jory Cassel serves as Mace Bearer for Lord Stark. Whether or not only certain families can be the bearer for the true owner is unclear. It is also unclear if this permission to bear the weapon extends to wielding it.
    • Beneath the Nightfort, there lies an ancient rune-laden throne named the Throne of Winter, that bears the message: "Stark had me made. Onlie a Stark will I bade. If not a Stark ye shall fade". It is quickly theorized to be source behind tales such as the Rat King or Mad Axe.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
    • If someone as practical as Eddard Stark is asking about legends, how legendary could they actually be?
    • Eddard Stark resorting to trickery and deceit in contrast to his Honor Before Reason nature such as sending a message to his former ward warning him of a Lannister plot under the guise of crops and getting the Lannister twins caught red-handed by making the Broker Tower still be in a state of disrepair. Considering that how his canon self acted got him killed, he's more than justified to act this way.
    • A long lull in the fighting against the Vale clans is enough to make the Blackfish worry. When all the clan leaders arrive to the Bloody Gate, he realizes it might be worse than he thought.
    • The reveal that the Brackens and the Blackwoods have actually put an end to their centuries-long feud shocks not a few people.
    • The Company of the Rose, formed by the descendants of those Northmen that chose exile over bending the knee to Aegon the Conqueror, seeking passage to the North? That's a red light for sure.
    • Played for Laughs: When Baelish demands to be tried in front of his peers, Stannis replies that weasels cannot speak and are not allowed in trials. Jon Arryn is quite shocked at the fact that Stannis actually made a joke.
    • Even Varys is surprised at just how many people were on Baelish's payroll, and at just how despicable the man was, being unable to hide his shock when they find out he had dealings with Slaver's Bay.
      • And later, Varys's shock shows through again when, in Andalos, he receives the news about Aerys's wildfire plot.
    • Many in the Seven Kingdoms are surprised when they learn that Robert has suddenly started to become more active and is actually losing weight.
      • At the feast in Winterfell, Jaime is also surprised that the king has ceased guzzling food and drink and eyeing up the serving wenches, and instead is doing everything slowly and with purpose.
    • Willas notes this in Randyll and Samwell Tarly when they visit to bring him Otherbane: the former is visibly more subdued, and the latter more self-assured.
    • After news of the wildfire stashed beneath King's Landing reaches them, Jon Arryn notes that Pycelle now stands straight and strides, having completely dropped his Obfuscating Stupidity due to the seriousness of the situation.
    • The Lannisters are all amazed when Tywin actually laughs (if ruefully) for Tyrion doing such a good job.
    • In Chapter 135, Cersei knows she's in serious trouble when her father openly snarls at her on how completely she has disgraced the family name. When he says that, for the first time, he's almost glad his wife is dead because she doesn't have to know what her children did, she realizes that she's not going to be able to wiggle her way out of this one.
    • Sandor is slightly unnerved when his brother Gregor comes up to him and delivers ominous warnings about dreams.
  • Original Flavour: The author is able to emulate George Martin's writing style so flawlessly, you could easily mistake this fanfic for one of the books. Though thankfully the author wisely chose not to include any gratuitous sex scenes that the books are so infamous for.
  • Outliving One's Offspring:
    • Roose Bolton receives word of his bastard son Ramsay's death in Chapter 18.
    • Olenna Tyrell outlives her son Mace.
    • Duncan the Tall reveals that during the Tragedy of Summerhall, he found Aegon the Unlikely cradling his dying son Duncan. Not that Aegon lived that much longer, either.

    P-R 
  • Papa Wolf:
    • Jon Arryn is quite upset when he learns his son was sickly because his medicine was actually poison. Thinking about his son is even the reason he eventually comes out of his coma after being attacked by his wife.
    • King Robert also reacts this way on his Parental Substitute Jon Arryn's behalf when he learns Baelish seemingly attempted to kidnap and poison Robert Arryn.
    • Stannis is this to his daughter Shireen:
      • When Baelish insults Shireen, Stannis almost unsheathes his dagger.
      • Stannis's protectiveness over Shireen only grows after the Old Gods cure her greyscale. Not even his princely nephew Joffrey is exempt from that.
      • After the Lannicest is exposed, Robert laments that though he can name Stannis his heir for the moment, Stannis himself only has Shireen as his heir. Stannis immediately speaks up to defend his daughter, though Robert clarifies that he personally knows Shireen has all the qualities of a good ruler and is only concerned about the political ramifications of the rest of Westeros failing to see that.
  • Parental Sexuality Squick: Allarion is most certainly not having fun about how open his father is about having sex with his mother.
  • Party Scattering: Varys reveals that the Golden Company has splintered into three factions: One has gone to Volantis to pursue a contract, another (which is almost all Westerosi) is seeking passage home because of the Call, and a third is aimlessly trying to figure out what to do.
  • Passing the Torch:
    • Alster Dayne passes the sword Dawn and the title of Sword of the Morning to his son Edric Dayne.
    • Ned, now holding the Fist of Winter as the weapon of House Stark's head, passes his sword Ice to Robb as the weapon of House Stark's heir.
  • Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Jon Arryn paying off the Crow's debts to Tywin using Baelish's confiscated properties is portrayed as this. As Tywin furiously notes, this erases almost all the leverage the Lannisters had against the Crown right when there's an opening for the Master of Coin.
  • Peggy Sue: Robb, sent back in time from the Red Wedding to a few months before Jon Arryn's death.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • Robert acknowledges to both of his brothers that he has been a horrible brother and names Stannis his Hand of the King after he is told Jon Arryn might be in a coma for a long time. Before this, he takes Quill's place guarding Jon Arryn, recognizing that the man is almost dead on his feet from lack of sleep.
    • Bronn requests Jon Arryn to legitimize Ursula Stone, as Bronn thinks she deserves such a reward.
    • Catelyn apologizes to Arya for not believing she is a warg, and says she'll remain her daughter no matter what.
    • Alliser Thorne is initially wary of the half-wight Coldhands, but as Coldhands passes away after crossing the Wall and fulfilling his duty, Thorne is the one to give the Due to the Dead.
    • Robert is not indiscriminate when he hears that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are not his children, recognizing at least that the two younger children are good kids and don't deserve this sort of blowback.
    • After the reveal that she is a bastard, all Myrcella asks of her grandfather Tywin is for whatever husband he arranges to marry her to, to be kind to her. Tywin readily agrees, and makes it clear to Cersei that he will keep that promise. Even before that, the fact that Tywin actually wants to weep at the prospect of Myrcella's future being ruined due to Cersei and Jaime's incest coupled with her ostracized status as a bastard. He could've forced her to marry anyone of his choosing, but he's aware of her Precocious Crush on Robb and was willing to make her dream a reality. Granted, Robb is a man of notable position, but this is one of the few times where Tywin takes someone's wants into consideration instead of forcing them to act in the way he likes.
    • Tywin has another one when he orders the Lannister soldiers to lay off Gendry, because whoever tries to kill Gendry will answer to him.
  • Plausible Deniability: This is how Tyrion convinces Robert to give Jaime the option of taking the black in exchange for his confession. Unlike Cersei, there is no way to prove that Jaime purposefully tried to mess with the royal succession. While his confirmed crimes led to that happening, there is no evidence to suggest active complicity.
  • Poisoned Weapons: Jon Arryn of all people uses a dagger wiped with rotting meat; just one slice causes his wife to lose her arm to infection.
    Jon Arryn: "My father taught me well."
  • Poke in the Third Eye:
    • Non-harmful example: When the Green Man shows his companions visions of the past, oftentimes the Green Men of the past seem fully aware of their viewers in the present.
    • Melisandre also gets one from the Old Gods themselves, when they interrupt her attempt at viewing Westeros and tell her, essentially, to keep her eyes East and stay out of things in Westeros.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Maybe if Jaime had swallowed his pride and mentioned the caches of wildfire buried underneath King's Landing to someone else after the Rebellion was over, the city wouldn't still now be sitting on an increasingly unstable powder keg.
  • Powerful and Helpless: For all of Sarella Sand's skill with her steel daggers, she finds them to be patently useless against wights and Others. The feeling of helplessness during and after that fight is humiliating to her.
  • Pragmatic Villainy:
    • Tywin's approval of Tyrion qualifies as this. Jamie & Cersei all but threw the Lannister name into the dirt no thanks to them getting caught having sex in the Broken Tower while Tyrion fought against the Others using the Ancestral Weapon of the Lannisters as well as rescuing and marrying Dacey Surestone, the daughter of Torgen Surestone who is Loved by All. Tyrion's the main reason why the Lannister name hasn't sunken even further due to his heroics being acknowledged by the Starks and unlike Tysha, Dacey is a woman of noble birth and not a commoner (and if Tywin were to treat Dacey the same way as Tysha, the entirety of the North would be out for his blood). Compared to the so-called Golden Twins, Tyrion's reputation is looking rather stellar at the moment, something Tywin acknowledges, even if it really pains him to do so hence why he's the heir to Casterly Rock.
    • Roose Bolton is still a loyal vassal of the Starks with no inclination of stabbing them in the back. Even he knows that with the arrival of the Others, he can't exactly turn against the Starks, not when there's a war against creatures and legends not seen in centuries with all of Westeros on the line.
  • Precrime Arrest: When Robb relates how Theon betrayed him by taking Winterfell and killing Bran and Rickon (actually not, but Robb had no way to know his younger brothers still lived in the original timeline), Ned is shaken yet decides punishing Theon for something he will do – or maybe not, since the current timeline is in flux – would be unfair.
    • This also applies to Roose Bolton, since although he was the one who betrayed Robb and killed him in the first timeline, they've also taken measures to keep his motivations in check, including allowing his son Domeric to court Sansa.
  • Prophecy Twist: When Cersei tells Tyrion about Maggy the Frog's prophecy and her being destined to be killed by the valonqar ("younger brother" in Valyrian), Tyrion starts listing out ways she could have misinterpreted it, assuming the prophecy was real and not just something made up by a con artist. First was the fact that even if Cersei is right and it referred to her younger brother, as Cersei was born first, Jaime could be considered her younger brother just as much as Tyrion. Then he points out that the term valonqar can also refer to a Myrish lung disease or a Braavosian pastry, and sounds similar to the term valongar, which is a Volatene seafood dish. Which means that her prophesied death need not be the result of fratricide at all.
  • Punny Name:
    • Turns out to be the case for the origin of the Lannisters. When their ancestor, Lann Casterly, overthrew the rest of his family, he refused to take his family name and became known as just "the Lann", and people would point to him and say, "Lann is there".
    • The mother direwolf is named "Frostfyre". Another word for Frost is ice, meaning the two words in her name are Ice and Fire.
  • Puppy Love: Greatjon Umber seems to be invoking this by sending his grandson Ned to Winterfell to meet Arya Stark.
  • Quit Your Whining: Ned is not pleased when he comes to Barrowtown to deal with the fog persisting on the Barrows, to find that Barbrey Dustin has not only not been unable to find any knowledge on the subject, but she sent away her Maester and even the long-lost Dustin that has just returned from Essos out of fear that he will usurp her, despite him trying to help her and Ned promising her that she would remain Lady of Barrowtown. When she tries to explain herself, Ned has none of it and snaps that she will accept their help to solve this too-important issue, or he will retract his promise.
  • Rage Breaking Point: After being imprisoned after his trysts with his sister are revealed, Jaime is interrogated by Robb. He tries to keep his temper, but the insinuation that he would permanently maim a boy like Bran just for finding out their secret (like he did in the old timeline) and the insults to his pride and honor are what finally make him snap and go on his Motive Rant.
  • Really Gets Around: Varys mentions to Jon Connington that Illyrio had many, many bastard children and was generous in providing for them, meaning that Varys got much less than what he thought he was going to get. Illyrio's executors are still trying to locate them.
  • Really Royalty Reveal: More "noble born" than "royal"; but Robb's dilemma of courting the wildling girl Val is resolved when it's revealed and confirmed that Val's mother is Rowan Umber, the daughter of Mors "Crowfoot" Umber who was thought lost in a wildling raid.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
    • When Rhaegar Targaryen comes to the Green Man (Ser Duncan the Tall) before the Battle of the Ruby Ford, the latter not only calls him a cruel fool, but also points out that all he has done means things will not end well for him.
    • Chapter 92 has Victarion Greyjoy tell his brothers Balon and Aeron that their efforts of ignoring and suppressing the Call have only succeeded in turning Great Wyk and Harlaw against Pyke, reducing the Iron Fleet to a third of its strength and bringing the Iron Islands close to civil war.
    • Chapter 110 has Ser Duncan the Tall chewing out the Late Lord Frey after the latter tried to deny the Call and all it entails. He says that he's still the same snot-nosed, rude, and dirty brat that he was when he last saw him, more than 80 years ago.
    • In Chapter 135, Tywin, in the midst of a state of Tranquil Fury, drops one on Cersei after he finds out how utterly stupid she was, in succinct, blistering detail, without letting her get a word in to try and spin the narrative.
      • Tywin later has a subversion in Chapter 162; he had thought up a score of similar speeches to throw in Jaime's face on the ride to the Wall, but when he saw it for the first time, all the words withered away, when he realized he was looking at the place where his oldest son would die.
    • It's shown in Chapter 144 that Arthur Dayne gave one to Gerold Hightower and Oswell Whent about how they have sullied their honor as knights by helping Rhaegar rape Lyanna, especially towards Hightower's "My Master, Right or Wrong" attitude, moments before Ned Stark and his men showed up and began the battle that would claim all three of their lives.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure:
    • Eddard Stark, upon learning about the incoming threat of the Others, is willing to make a deal with the Wildlings/Free Folk so that they can settle south of the Wall, even though he knows all of his northern bannermen have a great dislike (if not hatred) of them.
    • Similarly, Mance Rayder, who intended to bring his people south of the Wall in order to better defend it, is willing to kneel to Eddard just so that he will help them.
    • Kevan Lannister points out to his brother that Tyrion would readily prove himself if, instead of leaving him with nothing to do and then complain about his drinking and whoring, Tywin were to give him duties and then assess him on his worth. Tywin takes it into stride and later acknowledges that he was mistaken.
    • Willas Tyrell, particularly after taking over government of the Reach. Among his actions is sending Randyll Tarly to the North, so as to find out what is needed to fight the Others, while sending Samwell to the Highgarden, Oldtown, and even Citadel libraries for hints on weaknesses the Others may have or other information on the Long Night.
    • King Robert is shaping up to be this. He is willing to pardon Jorah Mormont when he returns from exile so he can fight the Others (both for his service to the Crown as a spy, and on the basis that he'll either die fighting the Others, or else survive and be worthy of the pardon), promises the one penitent Goldcloak he executes that his family will be taken care of, patches things up with his brothers after the Call, and makes Stannis his permanent Hand after Jon Arryn is put into a coma, on the basis that he needs someone he can trust and even if Jon wakes up today, he'll need time to recover and he needs a Hand right now.
      • When he finally meets with Ned and brings up Joffrey being betrothed to Sansa, Ned says that Sansa is already betrothed to Domeric Bolton, who swore on the Fist of Winter to protect her, and Robert agrees to not press the issue.
    • The Old Gods. They do their best to tell their followers things they need to know that have been completely forgotten, and while they believe in "A life for a life", they always make sure that what they take will benefit their followers as much as, or almost as much as, what they give, and if someone gives their life as part of a bargain, they will honour it.
      • In exchange for either sending Robb back or Domeric Bolton being saved by them sending Robb back, they kill Ramsay Snow.
      • In exchange for Patchface sacrificing himself, they grant his wish and cure Shireen of the greyscale.
      • In exchange for taking Blackfoot's sight, they restore Maester Aemon's.
  • Redeeming Replacement:
    • Lord Orton Merryweather is this to Baelish as Master of Coin. Specifically invoked, as Jon Arryn looked for a replacement that had a good head for numbers, but was morally upright and not too clever.
    • After Janos Slynt is removed as the head of the Goldcloaks, Davos Seaworth is instated as his replacement, and proves to be just the medicine needed to cleanse the organisation's corruption.
    • Lord Stevron Frey is this to Lord Walder Frey after his death, and is making it a point to redeem his entire family.
  • Redemption Equals Death:
    • Rhaegar Targaryen, whose obsession with the prophecy of the song of ice and fire led to his kidnapping Lyanna—though it is suggested that she went willingly, until she heard about what Aerys did to her father and oldest brother. Rhaegar then raped her, ultimately producing Jon, though when he goes to his second consultation with the Green Man a.k.a. Ser Duncan the Tall, he is fully aware that what he did was horribly wrong and that his arrogant belief that he'd perfectly interpreted the prophecy was equally wrong, and asks the Green Man for his counsel. The Green Man tells him to seek out Robert Baratheon on the battlefield, which Rhaegar quickly realises will result in his death, and ultimately accepts it as the price for his actions, resolving to Face Death with Dignity. A visit from the future version of Robert telling him how he was wrong about the prophecy and all the tragedy that resulted just reaffirms his resolve to die to save the realm.
    • Lynesse Hightower may have been the woman whose taste for the high life drove Jorah Mormont into slave-trading and then into exile, and her into being a mistress in Lys, but when the Call reached her, she immediately tried to leave Lys to heed it regardless of her lover's objections. Neither survived that argument.
    • Mace Tyrell finally accepts that he had been too prideful and apologizes to his son Willas, before dying from proximity to the Drowned God.
    • Arthur Dayne believes that he, Gerold Hightower, and Oswell Whent are meant to die against Ned Stark and his companions because they have to pay for helping Rhaegar rape Lyanna.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: A rare benevolent example. When Eddard and Jon are possessed by their ancestors or the Old Gods, their eyes become red. Fortunately, their intentions are benign. This plays into direct contrast to the Others and their wight minions, who have Icy Blue Eyes.
    • After his possession, several characters note Eddard's eyes turn fire-red at certain moments of importance.
    • Brynden Tully and Brienne of Tarth note this in each other after their vision.
    • Shireen Baratheon, who gets possessed by the Old Gods when she touches the hidden Heart Tree in Dragonstone.
  • Reforged into a Minion:
    • The Valyrian lunatic that Gerion Lannister encounters takes the prisoners he captures and mutates them into animal-headed Man Beast minions.
    • Attempted with Coldhands, a.k.a. Rickon Stark, son of Edwyle. On a mission to bridge magic across the Wall, he was attacked by the Others and half-turned into a wight, but the Children of the Forest got to him in time and helped him keep his mind.
    • The Night King used to be a Stark that was turned into his current being by the Great Other. Moreover, it's said that he has this power as well, that he can take human baby boys and turn them into new Others.
  • Related in the Adaptation: It is revealed that Val of the Free Folk is Mors Umber's granddaughter, her mother being Mors's daughter who was abducted by wildlings.
  • Religion of Evil:
    • Theon finds out that the Drowned God's religion is (or may be) this in a series of dreams he has—which leads to him renouncing the Drowned God.
      • Several scratched-out runes Rodrik Harlaw finds in High Harlaw imply it is a death cult (considering their motto is "What is dead may never die" and that the Drowned God is an Expy of Cthulhu...).
      • When the runes get fixed thanks to a stone kept safe by another family, Rodrik Harlaw and Asha Greyjoy find out the truth. The Drowned God was once one of the Old Gods, but the fight against the Others turned him mad and obsessed with death. The Old Gods tried to restore him to his senses, but it was too late, so they cast him out into the sea. His followers then left the mainland for the Iron Islands and slowly converted all of its people to the worship of the Drowned God, who is fed by the Ironborn following the Old Way. And it is prophesized that the Drowned God will die when the Stark in Winterfell wields his fist against him.
    • Averted with R'hllor. While the Old Gods tell Melisandre to stay out of Westeros, part of it is that she is needed to help the Dothraki defend Essos from whatever equivalent of the Others is coming from the Grey Wastes, and she'd just get in the way of the Old Gods' plans for Westeros now that they are taking an active role in things.
  • Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Quite a few times when people long thought dead or from ages long past turn out to still be alive:
    • Gerion Lannister, who didn't perish in the Smoking Sea, but instead made a home and family in the Summer Islands.
    • Ser Duncan the Tall, emeritus Lord Commander of the Kingsguard from the days of Summerhall, who became a Green Man on the Isle of Faces.
    • Tommen II Lannister, the last holder of Brightroar, who was captured and held hostage by an ancient Valyrian lunatic. Although from Gerion's recounting, the reports soon become accurate.
    • For the longest time, Mors Umber thought his daughter Rowan had died when she was abducted by Wildlings. She later shows up alive, having survived, made a life for herself across the wall, and had two daughters, Val and Dalla, the latter of whom married Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall.
  • Rescue Romance:
    • Dacey Surestone had ended up in debt to a crooked inn-owner who wanted to turn her into a whore, but Tyrion Lannister met her and helped get her out of that situation. She ends up bonding with him as a fellow intellectual, and eventually falls in love with and marries him.
    • Jon and Ygritte spend several chapters dancing around each other, but as far as Ygritte is concerned, Jon rescuing her three times in one day ( all during the escape from the cursed Silence) means that they're already wed in Wildling culture.
  • The Resenter: Petyr Baelish, of course. After capturing him, Bronn tells Jon Arryn that he has heard Baelish always smirked every time he passed next to the spot where Brandon Stark died. And that he really hopes Baelish will die in the upcoming duel, because he knows Littlefinger will do his utmost to have him killed if he lives.
  • Retroactive Wish: Oberyn Martell says to Jon Arryn that he wishes he could speak to a Green Man with the changes sweeping the land, and moments later a message comes in that one wants to tend the Godswood in the Red Keep. Oberyn quickly wishes for a million dragons in coins, then says it was worth a try.
  • The Reveal:
    • Chapter 41 has some runes in Casterly Rock tell how Lann the Clever conquered the castle from the Casterlys: he inherited it as the second son Lann Casterly.
    • Chapter 80 has Asha Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw discover the true origins of the Drowned God.
    • Chapter 80 also reveals that the Martells were also in on Varys and Illyrio's conspiracy to put "Aegon Targaryen" on the throne.
    • Chapter 102 has Gerion Lannister relate where he's been all those years on his odyssey to find Brightroar.
    • Chapter 138 has the Green Man relate the events at Harrenhal, the origins of the Others and their war with the Children of the Forest and the First Men, and the powers of the Night King.
    • Chapter 146 has Samwell, after some translating work, reveal that the Gate beneath the Hightower is used to imprison the Drowned God.
  • Revenge Before Reason: Jon Connington's refusal to heed the Call in favor of his revenge makes him a liability to Varys, leading to Varys deciding on his permanent removal.
  • Right for the Wrong Reasons: Catelyn spent years thinking Ned sired his bastard son Jon Snow while away fighting in Robert's Rebellion. Jon Snow is actually Ned's nephew, but it turns out Ned really did have a bastard son Edric Dayne, who was born to Ashara Dayne before being adopted and raised as the trueborn son of Alster Dayne.
  • Ring on a Necklace: Renly wears his father's signet ring on a chain around his neck.
  • Rule of Symbolism:
    • Petyr Baelish dies when Jon Arryn states that the champion he will face in a trial by combat is the sea, and then dropping him in the water and drowning him. Baelish was noted to smile whenever he walked past the spot where Brandon Stark died, who was strangled while trying to save his father, who died when the Mad King declared that the champion he would face in trial by combat would be fire.
    • Robb notes that they really should have paid attention to the symbolism in the original timeline of the mother direwolf (the symbol of House Stark) being found after being killed by a stag (the symbol of House Baratheon). In turn, the fact that this doesn't happen symbolizes Ned's survival, and the fact that there is an extra direwolf pup born, with eyes the colour of the sea, symbolizes how Theon is more of the North than the Iron Isles in this timeline.
    • Stormbreaker, the Ancestral Weapon of the Durrandons, seems to like this trope:
      • Of the Goldcloaks Robert executes with Stormbreaker, none of them leave blood on the blade except for the one who expressed regret for his actions and accepted his fate.
      • When Robert uses Stormbreaker in a practice fight against Jaime Lannister, the latter's sword rapidly rusts from the inside, even while the surface remains untouched and perfectly polished.
      • Stormbreaker repeats this when Robert fights Jaime in the latter's trial by combat, destroying five swords and all of the Kingslayer's armor in the course of the duel.
      • As detailed in this analysis of the scene, there's more to the fight: Jaime losing his swords symbolizes that he is not worthy on his own right, the destruction of Lancel's sword symbolizes how he cannot use his family to shield himself from the consequences of his actions, the loss of the redcloaks' swords marks how the prestige of his family is powerless, and the breaking of his armor and his scarring show how his arrogance gets stripped away from him.
  • Running Gag:
    • People reminding themselves to oil doors that are slightly rusty.
      • Which comes to its greatest punchline when Ned notes someone oiled a door very well right as they are about to catch the Lannicest in flagrante delicto.
      • Later, Ned Lampshades and defies it as he finds an ancient chest in Barrow Hall, and asks for some oil before he unlocks the ancient lock.
    • Whenever something dramatic or important happens during a meal in the Great Hall of Winterfell, Rickon will ignore it and use the distraction to do something he's not supposed to (try to steal someone else's food, play with his food, etc.).
    • Ned's asking why everyone is staring at him, or how he got somewhere, after being possessed by either the Old Gods or a Stark ancestor.
    • Joffrey suffering something that leads to him pissing/shitting himself.

    S-U 
  • Sadistic Choice: Robert finds himself in one when he learns of his Great Matter—that he has been cuckolded by the Lannister twins and he actually has no trueborn children. See Succession Crisis below for details.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Short lived version. The man Brynden Tully meets on his way south ends up revealing himself as Brienne of Tarth a few moments later.
  • Saying Too Much: The first Green Man Brynden and Brienne meet accidentally reveals the two will marry in the future.
  • Schmuck Bait:
    • Jon Arryn suckers Littlefinger into wearing as much heavy armor as possible and then hands him a heavy axe (with a strap) for his trial by combat, before dropping him into the sea.
    • Ned lays a trap for the Lannister twins by making it look like the Broken Tower is still in disrepair and is going to be empty of people and thus perfect for a secret rendezvous... while also secretly rigging and disguising it to allow a group of men to silently approach and catch them in the act. They bite.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When it becomes obvious that the assault on Raventree Hall by the septon-led mob is going to fail miserably at the hands of Lords Blackwood and Bracken, most of it starts to put their torches out and scramble.
  • Sdrawkcab Name:
    • The Krats, the leader of the Company of the Rose, takes his name of Stark back when he declares that the Company of the Rose will be coming back to Westeros.
    • While on her father's mission to the North, Sarella Sand disguises herself as a Maester's apprentice named Alleras.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: It's revealed that the Drowned God, an Old God gone mad and patron of the Ironborn, was sealed behind a door beneath the Hightower, and with the return of magic, is trying to break free.
  • Secret Art: In place of a First Man Ancestral Weapon, the Vale has knowledge of inscribing magical runes that can deter Others. Sadly, in the modern day, only House Royce has limited knowledge of how to carve such runes, and even the current blacksmiths can only carve runes that glow part of the time. Chapter 159 has Gendry work out the secret: using bronze tools with weirwood handles and praying to the Old Gods during the carving.
  • Secret-Keeper: There are several notable secrets to be kept in this fic, although the two most notable are Robb's return from the past and Jon's true parentage. Ned, Cat, Jon Snow/Stark, Aemon Targaryen and King Robert are aware of both, while Luwin, Benjen, Theon, Jeor, Gerion, Stannis and Tyrion are only aware of the former and Robb, Alliser Thorne and Barristan are aware of the latter.
  • Secret Secret-Keeper:
    • Ever since the tourney in Harrenhall, Robert knew that Lyanna Stark was the Knight of the Laughing Tree from the identical way they held their horse tack. He had planned to tell her that he knew when they were married, but that never came to pass.
    • Jon Snow has a sneaking suspicion that Stannis Baratheon has figured out Jon's parentage because Jon is wielding Dark Sister, a Valyrian Steel weapon belonging to the Targaryens and therefore unlikely to be wielded by a bastard.
  • Senseless Sacrifice: Mace Tyrell gets too close to the Door of Doom in an attempt to rescue a septon. Both of them die due to the power of the creature on the other side. On the other hand, Mace holds on long enough to pass on vital information to Willas, so it wasn't completely in vain.
  • Set Right What Once Went Wrong: The Old Gods' purpose in sending Robb back in time.
  • Shaming the Mob: Lords Bracken and Blackwood do this to a crowd at Raventree Hall who are following a septon to burn down a weirwood tree inside, challenging them to listen to the Call and stand together like they have.
  • Shared Family Quirks: Shireen Baratheon seems to be inheriting her father's stern, commanding nature, being able to keep the aforementioned Terrible Trio in line. After Ned Umber joined them and turned the trio into a foursome, he was quick to fall in line as well.
  • Shed the Family Name:
    • In the past, when Lann Casterly overthrew his father and brother to take control of Casterly Rock, he renounced his family name and simply became known as "the Lann". Eventually, it evolved into the name of his descendants: Lannister.
    • Theon is planning to do this, to leave the Iron Isles behind and embrace the North. As of Chapter 121, he has changed his name to "Greymist" with permission from Robert, and is now sworn to the North.
  • Shipper on Deck: Robert admits to Ned that he's hoping that Jon and Ygritte get together, since Ygritte amuses him and the thought of Aerys's shade screaming at his sole living grandson marrying a wildling amuses him even more.
  • Ship Tease:
    • Quite a lot between Jory Cassel and Annah (Robert Arryn's nurse/caretaker), which is resolved during one of his chapters in Winterfell. By Chapter 94, they are wed.
    • Increasingly between Tyrion and Dacey Surestone, after he rescues her from a crooked inn-owner. In Chapter 134, he finally gets up the nerve to propose to her, and she accepts.
    • Brynden Tully and Brienne of Tarth are getting some hints of this.
    • As do Bronn and Ursula Stone, especially after she is legitimized into a Cawlish. They are wed in Chapter 159.
    • After their first meeting, Sarella Sand privately thinks that Allarion, son of Gerion Lannister, is cute, while he seems to be trying to avoid looking at her, a fact that she tries to deny she cares about.
    • Ygritte is quite pleased to learn that Ned isn't planning to marry Jon to a Southern lady anytime soon. Robb and Theon both find it hilarious.
    • Robb Stark and Val Umber , especially after she saved him from drunk Joffrey’s assassination attempt and him saving her from possessed-by-Others!Gregor Clegane/Mountain. They kissed. Eventually, she accepts his marriage proposal.
  • Shoot the Messenger: Varys recalls that when Aerys's paranoia got really bad after the Trident, he started killing messengers that brought him bad news. Then he tried to burn the ravens deeming them traitors as well, but Pycelle convinced him the birds were still loyal. It was a very surreal conversation to overhear.
  • Shoot the Shaggy Dog: Subverted. After all the efforts made to prevent it, it seemed like Jon Arryn would still get killed by Lysa, but the Maesters manage to pull him through.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Side Bet:
    • Gerion Lannister bets Kevan a silver stag that his brother Tywin's first words upon seeing him will be to say that he is alive, followed by a query about if he found Brightroar. He wins.
    • When Jon and Ygritte appear in the morning holding hands, after a reminder from Theon, Asha throws her brother a silver stag.
  • Sinister Minister: Blackfeet, the septon that incites the Faith Militant's reappearance in the Riverlands. Heavily implied (later confirmed) to be the High Sparrow.
  • Skeptic No Longer:
    • Tyrion slowly starts to become convinced about the Others after hearing about the Call, and becomes fully convinced after speaking to the Old Gods via Jon Snow.
    • Invoking this in everyone is the purpose of all the wight heads being sent south, a la We Need to Get Proof.
  • Skewed Priorities: Jon Connington is still focused on his plans to instill Young Griff on the Iron Throne despite the threat of the Others being widespread and Westeros preparing itself for an ancient invasion not seen for centuries, viewing it as "Northern superstition" despite having heard the Call himself. This was why Varys assassinates him.
  • Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Even Varys can't hide his shock and disgust when Renly reveals that Baelish had dealings with Slaver's Bay. On a similar note, when Renly comments that he can liquidate Baelish's holdings to make the crown more money, he stresses they won't profit from the slave trade in doing so.
  • Slowly Slipping Into Evil: The last Gold Cloak executed by Robert took his first bribe when his wife and son were sick, then took more bribes as time went on.
  • Smash the Symbol: Monford Velaryon informs Jon Arryn that ever since the news about Aerys's mad wildfire plot was revealed, certain families with certain past loyalties had taken out certain banners and burned them.
  • Sour Supporter: Alliser Thorne. He was a Targaryen loyalist who took the black after Robert's Rebellion, thus harbouring a grudge for Robert and Ned alike, but after Ned began sending support for the much-beleaguered Wall, the Call being sent out, and seeing the threat with his own two eyes, his allegiance to the Starks has more or less solidified, but his opinion of them has grown... complicated. Especially after Ned decides to tell him Jon's true parentage and finding out about wildfire plot of Mad King Aerys II Targaryen.
  • Spanner in the Works:
    • Littlefinger might have been able to escape to Essos... if it were not for Bronn, who not only found out where Baelish was set to meet the men that would escort him out of the city, but also found his secret books with all of his dirty deeds and all of his money caches written in them.
      • By that same reason, Ned's letter to Jon Arryn, which not only leads to him avoiding his canon death, but also to Jon sending his son Robert to foster in Winterfell. This leads Littlefinger to attempt to have Robert kidnapped, an attempt that fails and leads to his downfall.
    • The Septon mob trying to attack Raventree Hall might have been able to redirect Lord Blackwood's ire towards his old rival Lord Bracken... if not for the fact that the two lords had recently buried the hatchet and Lord Bracken is present as well.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Jon Arryn, Domeric Bolton, Ser Waymar Royce, the direwolf mother, Will, Gared, one of Craster's boys, many Wildlings.
  • Spotting the Thread: Stannis is very curious about the fact that Jon Stark, who is a bastard, is wielding a Valyrian Steel sword. Jon makes a note that someone will have to tell Stannis about Jon's parentage.
  • Staking the Loved One: Theon personally puts down his wighted uncle Aeron.
  • Staring Down Cthulhu: When the Eldritch Abomination on the other side of the Door of Doom beneath the Hightower looks through for a moment, Willas Tyrell, bearing Otherbane, looks it right in the face and orders it back. It does.
  • The Starscream: Euron happily kills his brothers during the parlay he convinced them to arrange with Harlaw. He also intends to betray the White Walkers themselves and take their power, and his entire Godhood Seeker plan is to supplant the Drowned God.
  • A Storm Is Coming: It is becoming clearer to the characters in the South that the incoming winter will be a Long Winter.
  • Stout Strength:
    • Illyrio Mopatis may be one of the series' resident Adipose Rex... but remember that underneath all that blubber is still the man that survived for years as a member of a sellsword company, and was able to retire as a rich man. Which he aptly demonstrates by almost killing Viserys, scruffing him like a puppy, and tanking through the Targaryen's mad stabbing, as a fire rages around them.
    • Similarly, Robert, the man that uses a warhammer with one hand that most men would be hard pressed to just lift with both. Then the Call starts him on the path to lose his weight; by Chapter 89, he's still heavyset, but not even Jaime can call him fat any longer.
  • Strange Minds Think Alike: Both Oberyn Martell and Tywin Lannister think the exact same thing about magic returning: that some fool will attempt to bring dragons back, and thus risk another Summerhallnote . Then, in the same chapter as Tywin, Viserys tells Daenerys he intends to find a way to awaken a dragon. Which ends up killing him, destroying part of the home he is living in... and giving birth to three dragons that follow Daenerys.
  • Stress Vomit:
    • Theon is so shocked to learn he betrayed the North in the first timeline he pukes his guts out in the Godswood. Then Robb confesses he was captured by Ramsay Snow and sends him back to dry-heaving.
    • Daenerys does not take Jorah Mormont's revelations about her father and Robert's Rebellion very well.
    • Jaime after realizing that by not speaking up about the wildfire barrels hidden under King's Landing, he put the entire city at risk of blowing up.
  • Strong Family Resemblance:
    • Both Gendry and Edric Storm are noted as looking almost identical to Robert when he was their age. Meanwhile, Arya's resemblance to Lyanna (both in looks and personality) is noted more than once. Robert comments that Sansa looks almost exactly like her mother did at her age, and that Jon looks almost exactly like Ned did.
    • Incidentally, Stannis reveals that the Baratheons have another near-universal hereditary trait besides the canonical blue eyes and black hair - Morton's toe.
  • Stunned Silence:
    • After Robert tells Ned about Lyanna revealing Jon's true parentage to him in a dream, a startled Ned does what Robert calls his "Ned Stark, Statue of the North" thing.
    • Tywin goes through a lot of things that would be worthy of this reaction, but the one thing that actually leaves him flabbergasted is his dwarf son Tyrion showing him all three of Lann the Clever's Ancestral Weapons.
  • Succession Crisis: With Cersei's infidelity exposed and her children being proven as not being Robert's, Westeros is in one. The immediate options are to name Stannis as heir presumptive (which has the problem of him only having one heir himself at the moment, who is female), Robert remarrying (which has political implications no matter who he picks, and it would take at least a year to get a new heir, and years more to see if said heir is suitable), or legitimize one of Robert's bastards (who are presently untrained for leadership, and only one of whom has a noble-born mother). In the immediate term, Robert has declared Stannis as heir presumptive, while reserving the right to name a new heir should one of his bastards prove fit for the job or he ends up remarrying and siring an actual heir.
  • Suddenly Suitable Suitor: Catelyn discovers that Val may be a cadet member of House Umber, which would make Robb's attraction to her politically acceptable.
  • Sunken City: Pyke appears to be heading this route, as the castle was originally built on a headland that has now been reduced to a bunch of islands.
  • Superpowerful Genetics: Through his research, Tyrion finds that some First Men families had had the greensight passed through their family lines - one of which is the Casterlys, and therefore potentially the Lannisters. Indeed, his ancestor Tyrek Lannister turned out to have it, as does Gerion Lannister and his son Allarion, and Tyrion is starting to find his dreams a little more vivid than he's used to.
  • Survival Mantra: In the Overlook, Benjen finds a book filled with the same quote written over and over again: "Name Rickon Stark. Hands cold. Coldhands." Over time, that quote eventually evolved as its writer's mind adapted, until it became: "My name is Rickon Stark. My hands are cold, but my heart is still mine."
  • Suspiciously Specific Denial: Sarella stresses in her thoughts that she does not care at all whether Allarion is looking at her or not.
  • Swiss-Army Appendage: Loros, the Dothraki who speaks with Jorah, has an artificial hand with many implements. It was originally a Hook Hand.
  • Sword Sparks: Euron Greyjoy's shadowy blades emit black sparks every time they clash with the Fist of Winter and Otherbane.
  • Sympathy for the Devil: In his endeavour to let go of his hate of the Targaryens, Robert, with the help of the Green Man, travels back in time to a vision of Rhaegar the night before his final battle. After understanding how Rhaegar's blind pursuit of prophecy has led to ruin, Robert appears to him, informs him of the consequences of his folly, and tells him that he will die tomorrow, with Rhaegar's last request for Robert asking him to save the realm. When Robert returns to the present, all he can do is cry for his tragic nemesis.
  • Tampering with Food and Drink: Varys poisons Jon Connington and Young Griff with a concentrated dose of Slumberberries in their stew.
  • Take Up My Sword: When Harras Harlaw falls against the Others, Jon manages to retrieve his Valyrian steel sword Nightfall and throw it to Rodrik Harlaw, who proceeds to avenge his nephew.
  • Tap on the Head:
    • Played straight with Daenerys when she is knocked out by her brother; she wakes up with a headache but is fully capable of escaping if she wasn't Bound and Gagged after. Illyrio also takes a piece of pottery to the head, but recovers quickly.
    • Subverted with Jon Arryn. Despite living through his wife's stabbing, he is put into a coma from a kick to the head, and stays there for quite some time after.
      • Grand Maester Pycelle, while treating Arryn, specifically points out to Robert just how dangerous and unpredictable blows to the head can be. He mentions two nobles that took blows to the head during the Battle of the Trident; one seemed to shrug it off only to drop dead during the victory party, while the other was put into a coma but woke up two weeks later.
    • Also subverted with Sandor Clegane. He is knocked out with a bottle by a drunken Joffrey who then goes after Robb, and when he appears shortly after, he is staggering, bloody-headed, and still spitting mad.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Virtually the only reason the people south of the Wall are allying with the Wildlings is because the alternative is outright extermination for the latter and a horde of undead Wildling wights bearing down on them for the former.
  • Terrible Trio: A mild example and a popular nickname for the three boys now growing up at Winterfell - Brandon Stark, Robert Arryn and Edric Storm. After Ned Umber arrives and befriends the group, they become refered to as the Fearsome Foursome and the Terrible Foursome.
  • That Came Out Wrong: Arya gives us this gem upon asked what does she plan to do once she awakens and controls her latent Warg abilities:
    Arya: I could warg into [Nymeria]! And then I could bite Sansa in the arse!
    (Beat, as Arya realizes what she just said)
    Arya: That sounded wrong, didn't it?
    Tyrion: Very likely.
  • That Liar Lies:
    • Jon Arryn rebutting Janos Slynt's frantic denials of corruption.
    • Jonos Bracken announcing his identity to the men who were sent to burn down Raventree Hall, and that they are most certainly not sent by him.
  • That Was Not a Dream: Ned realizes that the dream of Ashara Dayne sleeping with him while he was drunk, drugged, exhausted and grieving from the events of the Tower of Joy wasn't just a dream - not when he has a letter from Alster Dayne confirming everything and his apparent bastard son Edric Dayne standing in front of him.
  • Theory Tunnel Vision: The Green Man relates the time when Rhaegar Targaryen came to the Isle of Faces (sometime before Harrenhal), wanting the seer to confirm his theory about the prophecies he is trying to follow. Instead, the Green Man, recognising that Rhaegar could not be convinced otherwise, merely gave him an ominous warning and sent him on his way.
  • There Is Another: Between mercenary companies like the Company of the Rose and the Golden Company, there are members of houses that were long thought endangered or extinct in Westeros, such as the Dustins, Ryders and Mudds.
    • Turns out that this is the exact reason the Company of the Rose was founded in the first place: when Torrhen Stark was told of the Targaryens' eventual downfall, he sent members of all the Northern houses abroad to form the Company, so that in the event of a Northern house dying out in Westeros, there would still be other members to keep that house alive.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill:
    • What Viserys intends to do once his fake dragon egg hatches.
    "I shall call him Balerion the Greater Black Dread, because he will be greater and more dreadful than the dragon flown by our ancestors. And when he has hatched and grown enough I shall fly him on black wings. First to Storm's End and burn out the fortress of the Usurper. And then on to Casterly Rock, to find and eat the traitor Lannister. The Eyrie next, to snuff out the Arryns and then the hovel that is Winterfell, killing all the barbarian Starks. Only then shall I fly on wings of vengeance to King's Landing- and then I'll hunt the Usurper through the halls of our ancestors and find him and have Balerion the Greater Black Dread eat him!"
    • When the people of Winterfell find out that the Mountain was possessed by dark magic, they go to extra lengths to make sure that all traces of him are properly burned, going so far as to soak up the spilled blood with sawdust and throwing the sawdust on the pyre as well.
  • This Cannot Be!:
    • The High Sparrow's reaction when one of the people confronting his crusade reveals himself as the Green Man.
    • Craster's reaction when the Night's Watch brothers tell him they have just killed an Other - the one he had just tried to sacrifice his latest son to.
    • Walder Frey's reaction when the Green Man presents the token to cross the Twins, and then again when he reveals himself as Ser Duncan the Tall.
    • While Tywin doesn't let her verbalize it, Cersei is horrified to learn that now, with her and Jaime's affair and her children's true parentage exposed, resulting in Jaime and Joffrey being exiled to the Wall and Tommen choosing to become a Maester, Tyrion is the new heir to the Lannister family.
  • This Is Gonna Suck:
    • Tyrion's increased reaction when supernatural signs, including a message from the Old Gods themselves through Jon Snow and a letter left by a Lannister ancestor specifically addressed to him, constantly urge him to go to the Night Fort, which he finds terrifying.
    Tyrion: This all makes it sound dreadfully obvious that very thick underwear and lots of furs lie in my immediate future.
    • When Duncan the Tall helped Rhaenyra deliver Prince Rhaegar at the Tragedy of Summerhall, he took one look at the infant and knew that life would not be kind to the little prince.
  • Thousand-Yard Stare: Even though Robb is back in his younger body, he still has the countless experiences of a hardened veteran from the old timeline. Many people have commented that his eyes are older than his face, and has had the experiences of a soldier that has killed.
  • Throwing Off the Disability: By means of the Old Gods' Divine Intervention:
    • When Willas Tyrell found the Gardener's Rest inside Highgarden, his lamed, crooked leg is miraculously straightened out.
    • When the blind Maester Aemon talks to the Old Gods via a proxy, they restore his sight for his devotion to the truth.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone:
    • On Ned's first visit to Castle Black, he notices a woman Wildling and her children entering the castle and notes that the father is nowhere to be seen. Several chapters later, Jaime sees a limping Wildling enter the castle and is tearfully reunited with his family.
    • A lot of things have gone pretty well for Sandor "the Hound" Clegane lately. Even if getting his burn scars healed by the Green Man was more confusing than not, he also finally was rid of Joffrey, got the chance to kill his hated brother, and found a maid that is more than eager to get into bed with him.
    • Robb's return to the past unsurprisingly causes many a great thing for the Starks. Ned has lived past the point of his canon death, Jon has been legitimized, Catelyn no longer holds a grudge against Jon and seeks to repair their relationship. Sansa is Happily Married to Domeric Bolton, who is the opposite of his father in any ways. Arya doesn't need to be on the run due to Winterfell staying intact and all the Starks, including Ned, have direwolves of their own with none of them dying this time.
    • Tyrion's trip to Winterfell also did wonders for his future as his rescue of Dacey Surestone caused them to fall in love and marry due to being Birds of a Feather by virtue of having a mutual interest in books, having earned the approval of the Starks for his valor in assisting them against the Others and most of all, being the heir to Casterley Rock and earning Tywin's approval in his marriage, even receiving his praise if begrudgingly.
  • Thunderbolt Iron: There are several weapons of the First Men around Westeros, made of metal extracted from different meteorites, with a number of... interesting qualities.
  • Time-Travel Tense Trouble: Robb runs into this when he reveals every Stark child will have a direwolf of their own.
    Robb: Mine is Grey Wind. Will be Grey Wind. This is confusing.
  • Token Good Teammate: Relatively speaking, this is Rodrik Harlaw's opinion on Victarion Greyjoy, compared to his brothers, considering Balon an idiot, Aeron a religious lunatic, and Euron a "twisted creature".
  • Too Clever by Half: Littlefinger, used to conspiring against nobles who are blind to his stratagems, gets tripped at the worst moment by veteran Street Smart Bronn.
  • Too Dumb to Live:
    • The Septon at Storm's End saw fit to insult the North to the face of King Robert, whose best friend and lost love both came from the North. Then, after being told not to destroy the weirwood sapling, he proceeds to try and do just that and is stopped, quite violently, by his sovereign.
    • One of Asha Greyjoy's men thought he was better with a knife than the others, that he was more religious than the others, and that he could lecture them on taking orders from a woman. As explained by Asha's second, he died of stupidity.
    • Damphair's men sent to attack Harlaw attempt to use Ironborn tactics. On Ironborn. Naturally, Damphair's men didn't realize how foolish it was.
    • Gerion Lannister recounts an encounter with a Volantene whose captain laughed at his trying to map a safe way through the Smoking Sea and said he'd find Valryia first. Said Volantene's smoking wreckage was sighted some time after.
    • Jaime and Cersei still decide to have sex in the Broken Tower, even though it is obvious that there's more traffic going around it. Granted, they couldn't have expected that Ned Stark had deliberately set it up as a trap, but still.
    • Septon Alyston of the Starry Sept. When he decided to go and "cleanse" the otherworldly gate beneath the Hightower, he ended up dying of fright and his body used as a proxy that could have opened the gate, had Willas not stopped him. Leyton Hightower, who allowed him to do so after a lot of badgering on Alyston's part, even said that he fully expected that Alyston would try and get close to it and then flee in fear like all the rest, not that his piety would walk him straight to his doom.
      • Perhaps more tragically, Mace Tyrell, in a foolish attempt to regain his prestige, supported Septon Alyston in his foray, got too close to the entity behind the gate, and finally passed away hours later, though not before accepting the folly of his pride.
    • In the aftermath of being disinherited and named a bastard, Joffrey gets drunk and decides to attack Robb, thinking that killing him will somehow return him to his position as Prince, but not before knocking out Sandor Clegane with a bottle.
    • Varys says as much about the Pentoshi Magisters after their intentions to use Daenerys's dragons against Braavos got to the point that the Braavosi decided to make a preemptive strike against the city, causing Varys to help Daenerys and her dragons escape. He says that once the Magisters find their so-called weapons gone, they would surrender if they were sensible and fight if they were stupid.
      Varys: (seeing Pentos burning in the distance) Ah. They were stupid then.
    • Lord Derkin, the more snobbish of Bronn's new neighbors as Lord of Foxhold. A Call-denier despite hearing it first-hand, he foolishly prodded a traveling wight's head to prove it was fake and it bit his finger off, and the wound got infected since he didn't clean it and had sent his own Maester away for believing in the Call. Short while later, he's deceased.
  • Too Good for This Sinful Earth: The late Lord Torgen Surestone. Not a single person who ever met him has anything to say about him except for praise, not even Roose Bolton or Tywin Lannister. Too bad idiot lordling Ser Willem Bootle killed him and tried to steal his legacy.
  • Tragic Keepsake:
    • Maester Aemon has two: Bloodraven entrusted him with Dark Sister before leaving Beyond the Wall, and his dragon egg, which he hadn't looked at since the Tragedy of Summerhall. He entrusts both to Jon Snow in Chapter 99.
    • Renly has his father's signet ring, which he received before his parents' ill-fated voyage to Essos to find a wife for Rhaegar. He wears it on a chain around his neck.
  • Training Montage: After the Call shakes him out of his dudgeon, almost every subsequent segment involving Robert Baratheon involves him either taking his kingly duties more seriously or sweating every ounce of fat off him, be it by sparring with others or his new favorite exercise of walking laps with a huge log on his shoulders. Even on the ship from King's Landing to White Harbour, he spends it challenging the bosun to climbing races up and down the rigging.
  • Tranquil Fury: Tywin's entire state of mind as he spells out to Cersei, who has been caught being intimate with her twin brother, how utterly disastrous her actions have been for their family. The only thing leashing his rage is his firm grip on the dagger he has embedded in the table between them.
  • Ultimate Blacksmith: This seems to be what Gendry is destined to become, after the Green Man entrusts him (and only him) to be the one to replace a set of runic armor, and rediscover the Secret Art of the Vale's runic magic. By Chapter 159, he works out the secret and creates a pair of runic bracers for King Robert.
  • The Unapologetic: Tywin Lannister is perfectly capable of admitting his mistakes, but not as capable of accepting responsibility for them.
    • Even as he congratulates Tyrion for all the work he has done in the North, finally recognizing him as the heir to Casterly Rock, and accuses Cersei for slandering Tyrion, he never apologizes to Tyrion for treating him badly or for what he did to Tysha, nor does he acknowledge his own bias against Tyrion (for the death of his wife Joanna in childbirth).
    • Even as he chews out Cersei for committing treason by fornicating with her own brother and staining the entire Lannister legacy, he never acknowledges his own harsh parenting towards her nor his decision to marry her off to a philandering, boorish drunkard of a king, which may have played a factor to do what she did.
    • Even as he acknowledges his error in exterminating the Reynes and Tarbecks and painting his own house as a ruthless terror in the process, he chalks his error up to youth, only learning that power is more than just force, and never considers that committing House genocide is wrong.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Jaime goes into his first practice sword-fight with Robert thinking it will be easy. He is very, very wrong.
  • Undignified Death:
    • Janos Slynt being dragged to his execution, on account of him soiling himself in both manners. Also one of his lieutenants who is a blubbering, embarrassing mess when executed. Robert lampshades this for the former:
      "Gods man, can't you even die in a clean fashion?"
    • Walder Frey may have died in his bed, but it started when he first laid eyes on the head of a wight, which caused him to piss himself and suffer a deadly stroke.
  • Undying Loyalty:
    • Quill, one of Jon Arryn's men, towards the Lord of the Eyrie himself. When Robert notices him vainly fending off sleep to guard a comatose Lord Arryn, he muses that loyalty like that has a different cost, as men like that will discard their own health without thinking for their lord.
    • The North in general to Eddard Stark, particularly now that it is obvious that it will fall upon him the task of leading Westeros in the fight against the Others.
  • Unfortunate Names: Bronn thinks this about Haster, the maester of Foxhold.
  • Ungrateful Bastard: It rankles Stannis that Renly chose to attempt to have himself crowned in the original timeline, ignoring him as his elder brother and their shared experience in the siege of Storm's End.
  • The Unsmile: Jon Arryn describes Stannis' smile as looking like a death-rictus. It's so frightening that it causes Janos Slynt to soil himself.
  • Unspoken Plan Guarantee: The only mention of Ned's scheme to catch the Lannister twins and fix the King's Great Matter are oblique mentions about the Broken Tower being repaired. Come Chapter 116, and we see that those repairs include setting up the seemingly perfect location for a secret rendezvous, and secretly fixing up the surroundings such that a group of men can approach without the occupants hearing.
  • Unstoppable Rage:
    • Ser Barristan Selmy nearly throttles Jaime Lannister to death after catching him and Cersei in the act.
    • Everyone fearing that this will be Robert's reaction is the main reason they have to be extremely careful when dealing with his Great Matter (i.e. the fact that he'd been cuckolded and that he has no trueborn children), as it could lead to him killing both Lannister twins (and possibly their children) and a very-much-unwanted civil war from their father Tywin. Ultimately, it's subverted; by the time Robert is informed, he's undergone enough Character Development that he manages to keep his temper, allowing Ned and the others to reason with him.
  • Unwitting Instigator of Doom: According to Ser Duncan the Tall, the tragedy of Summerhall was caused by an over-helpful pyromancer who, in his eagerness to help his king in the ritual to try and rebirth dragons, made wildfire that was too strong and caused the whole thing to go terribly awry.
    • Summerhall hits on multiple levels: Varys was assigned to investigate Summerhall, but because of the length of time that had passed and his unfamiliarity with pyromancy, all he could report to Aerys was that what should have been a routine procedure to make wildfire went wrong. This fed into Aerys' paranoia, and Varys fears that his report was a tipping point in Aerys becoming the Mad King who saw plots everywhere.

    V-Z 
  • Verbal Backspace: Pycelle doesn't like the fact Jon Arryn has elevated Bronn, a sellsword, to nobility, and begins expounding on the topic. However, Jon then mentions it was Bronn who found Baelish, his books, his secret books, and was key in his execution, and Pycelle immediately changes his mind, welcoming a bit of fresh blood.
  • Villainous Breakdown:
    • Seeing the head of Petyr Baelish on a spike is the last straw for Lysa Arryn, and her next action is the attack on her husband Jon.
      • And then she has another one when Bronn tells her, in captivity, that she failed and that Jon Arryn is still alive, meaning she's effectively powerless and alone.
    • Let's just say that Viserys does not take being told his dragon egg is a fake well.
    • The High Sparrow after the Old Gods blind him. See Go Mad from the Revelation above.
    • Craster completely loses it when he hears that his son that was to be sacrificed to the Others was rescued and an Other killed.
    • For a value of "villain": sick of Robb and everyone else judging him for being both The Kingslayer and The Oathbreaker, Jaime snaps and goes into a Motive Rant about why he broke his oath - for doing otherwise would leave a madman to send an entire city up in flames.
    • Cersei undergoes a slow breakdown after she is discovered fornicating with Jaime, divorced, and sentenced to exile on a remote isle. By the time Tyrion comes in to announce her fate, she is convinced (due to Maggy the Frog's prophecy) that he has come to kill her and demands he stop sounding like Tywin.
    • Rhaegar Targaryen, already buckling under the weight of his folly after his attempts to follow the prophecy of ice and fire threw the realm into war, breaks down in tears when the Robert Baratheon of the future appears to him and tells him that Lyanna had died at the Tower of Joy. After that, however, he agrees to the price that has to be paid and prepares to meet his death the next day.
  • Villainous BSoD:
    • After her infidelity is exposed, Cersei refuses to accept her divorce from Robert nor the proof that her children are all bastards to the crown, taunting that Joffrey will be king and goading Robert to strike her. But when Robert actually keeps his temper and recognizes her Wounded Gazelle Gambit for what it is, it leaves her speechless.
    • For a value of "villain": Jaime is left in shock when he realizes that, in his attempts to save King's Landing from Aerys and his wildfire, he left the city still sitting on a very big, very active, very unstable powderkeg.
  • Villain Team-Up: It's been implied several times that the Drowned God has allied with the Others. Whether this is true or not, we do later find out that Euron has his own alliance of convenience with them and that Euron intends to exploit it for his own ends.
  • Villain Teleportation: Chapter 158 reveals that Euron Greyjoy has picked this power up from his time in Valyria, using it to escape Pyke after killing Aeron and Balon Greyjoy. He's also the only character with this ability so far.
  • Villainous Valour: For a given term of "villain": despite being outnumbered 7-to-3 and wielding a sword that rejected him and was throwing him off, Arthur Dayne fought his hardest against Ned Stark and his companions.
  • Weirdness Magnet: Bronn often makes jokes that "trouble tends to seek him out and tweak his nose for a dare". Indeed, ever since being hired by Jon Arryn, he has captured Petyr Baelish, become the Lord of Foxhold, intercepted Lysa Arryn after she tried to kill her husband, discovered proof of the Queen's treachery, and found the Shield of the Riverlands in the Foxhold's crypts.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Rhaegar Targaryen. In taking and then raping Lyanna Stark, he thought he would be fulfilling the prophecy of the Prince Who Was Promised, unite the Realm, and save Westeros. As one flashback reveals, he becomes acutely aware of the horrific nature of his actions and accepts their price.
  • We Need to Get Proof: The whole purpose of Benjen Stark's foray beyond the Wall: to acquire proof that the Others and the wights are real.
    • No matter how feared and respected he is, Tywin knows that he needs evidence of the Others first before he can call his banners, as many of his nobles either didn't hear the Call or else heard it but now claim it was a trick. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, after all.
  • We Used to Be Friends:
    • Jorah Mormont was knighted by Robert Baratheon, and close to the Manderlys before his attempted slaving and his escape to Essos. When he finally returns with his pardon, the Manderlys keep a polite but firm distance from him, and Robert flatly asks him if Lynesse was worth everything that he had done.
    • Alek and Rodrik Harlaw used to work together before the Greyjoy Rebellion. Because of this former friendship, Rodrik agrees to give Alek a Mercy Kill.
  • What Could Have Been: Tywin points this out In-Universe in regards to Myrcella's former prospects as a princess.
  • What Were You Thinking?: Many of Jorah Mormont's friends and family ask this of him upon his return to Westeros, regarding his marriage to Lynesse Hightower and his slave-selling to keep her lifestyle up.
  • Wham Episode: Seriously, this fanfic is so full of them that it has its own page.
  • Wham Line: Chapter 23. The Others come. The Stark calls for aid. You are needed. They also act as this In-Universe.
    • Chapter 45. "My champion," Arryn said with a savage smile. "The sea."
  • Who's Laughing Now?: As word spreads of Jaime and Cersei's incest, the other Lannisters know that overnight, they will be the laughingstock of Westeros with their various enemies mocking them.
    • Tywin openly imagines that, somewhere in the various Hells, Aerys Targaryen is looking up and laughing at him.
    • As Cersei is dragged off to her exile, she sees the Hound and screechingly commands him to rescue her. All Clegane does is laugh in her face and call her "the Queen of Nothing".
  • Why Are You Not My Son?: After talking with Gendry in Chapter 107, Tommen is heard whispering "Why couldn't he be my brother?"
  • Wicked Stepmother: Cersei is this per canon, but more directly to Gendry as it's indicated that she's had caltrops placed in his horse's saddle.
  • Wise Beyond Their Years: Shireen, as per canon. For example, upon meeting her bastard cousin Gendry, she tells Maester Cressen that she does not care about what her mother may say, and takes charge of showing Gendry around Dragonstone.
  • Women Are Wiser: Robert finds it amusing that, between his bastard children and the three kids he supposedly had with Cersei, it's the girls that are (or appear to be) smarter than the boys.
  • Worf Had the Flu:
    • While it isn't established whether he would have been able to win otherwise, it's revealed that Dawn had rejected Ser Arthur Dayne by the time of the fight at the Tower of Joy. It's later shown that Dawn was actually burning Arthur Dayne's hand throughout the whole fight, right through his armor, and yet he still managed to fight off Ned Stark and his fellows, up until he wounded Ned with Dawn and could not hold the sword any longer.
    • Similarly, it is unclear if Jamie Lannister could have defeated "the Demon of the Trident", but he certainly would have stood more of a chance if his opponent's sword didn't cause his own sword, shield, all replacement swords, and finally even armor to rust apart. Really, he didn't stand a chance like that.
  • Worthy Opponent: The Vale Clan leader that speaks with the Blackfish considers him such.
  • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Cersei attempts to goad Robert into slapping her so she can paint herself as the victim after her incestuous relationship with Jaime is discovered. Robert sees through it, though.
  • You All Share My Story: As of Chapter 109, many different groups have arrived/are converging on Winterfell, from the King's party (including Jaime, Cersei, their children, Stannis, Shireen, Gendry and Jorah Mormont) and the Company of the Rose (which includes members of long-thought-lost Northern houses), to the Hill Tribes of the Vale and the party returning from the Wall (including Ned, his sons and wards, Mance Rayder and some wildlings, the Magnar of the Thenns, Jeor Mormont, Tyrion and Gerion Lannister and a disguised Sarella Sand), with Robert Arryn, Edric Storm, Edric Dayne and Domeric Bolton already in attendance. And Randyll Tarly, Tywin Lannister, and an envoy from the Harlaw Ironborn rebels (including Asha Greyjoy) are all heading there as well for their own reasons. Suffice to say, things are going to get very crowded and very complicated.
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: After the truth of his siblings' relationship is revealed, Tyrion feels down in the dumps and thinks that with his family's reputation in ruins, he'd no longer be able to court Dacey Surestone. When he tries to be noble and tell her goodbye, she has none of it and tells him that he's not his siblings, he fought the Others beyond the Wall, he helped save her from being whored out, and that she is expecting a proposal from him soon. Later, Ned and Robb give him similar talks.
  • You Are in Command Now: Septon Greenstone gets put in charge of the Great Sept of Baelor after the previous High Septon is killed by a faction who denies the Call.
  • You Are Not Alone:
    • Maester Aemon, who thought his only living relatives were on the other side of the Narrow Sea (Viserys and Daenerys), suddenly discovers that Jon Snow is his great-great-grand nephew (via Rhaegar Targaryen).
    • King Robert delivers a Rousing Speech to this effect during the welcoming feast when he arrives to Winterfell.
      Robert: The North must know this - you are not alone. We will stand and fight with you. There is only one war ahead of us - the great war and it is here, now. We will fight on the Wall and beat back the Others. From now until the end of time, I pledge this here and now. We will fight and some will die, but we will win. Ours is the fury! Because Winter is coming!.
  • "You!" Exclamation: Tywin's reaction when he recognizes the Green Man as Ser Duncan the Tall. Who gives the usual "Me" in response.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: A more pragmatic example than most. Varys recognizes that the advent of the Call and the upcoming war against the Others has upended all his plans for the future, but the Revenge Before Reason-driven Jon Connington would never be able to accept that, thus turning him and the fake Aegon from potential assets into liabilities that have to be removed from the game board. He at least makes their passing gentle.
  • You Killed My Father: Asha promises to kill Euron for killing her father Balon on his deathbed.
  • You Remind Me of X:
    • After learning Jon Snow is related to him, Maester Aemon compares him to his beloved younger brother Egg (Aegon the Unlikely) because both of them are gentle-natured, compassionate youths.
    • Barbrey Dustin notes that Brandon Dustin, a member of the Company of the Rose from Essos, has the same eyes, smile and handsome features as her late husband Willam Dustin, and her conflicting attraction and anguish at his face means that she can barely even look at him, and in fact chased him out of Barrowtown when he tried to help with the problem at Barrowtown.
  • You Shall Not Pass!:
    • Quoted by Robert, when he, in his recurring dream, keeps an Other and a wraith from taking Lyanna's spirit with a sword of light.
    • With Euron Greyjoy about to reach the Hightower Gate and everyone who could stop him downed or worse, Samwell Tarly grabs Otherbane and plants himself in front of Euron, determined not to let him by.
    • Ned declares this word for word when stopping the Drowned God from emerging out of the Gate.
  • You Were Trying Too Hard: Arya and warging. She had been trying to force it so much while awake - not that she knew how to do it - that she did not realize she was doing it while asleep.
  • You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Told You: Subverted. When Ned discusses the King's Great Matter with Stannis Baratheon, Stannis asks how he knows of it, and Ned replies with the trope quote because he found out via Robb's return to the past. Stannis makes clear that with everything he's seen so far, he would believe Ned if he told him.
    Stannis: Lord Stark, the dead are marching on the Wall, led by the Others and my daughter has been healed by the Old Gods themselves. Now – what intelligence?
  • 0% Approval Rating: With the exception of Lysa Arryn, everyone views Baelish with contempt and aren't surprised once the extent of his crimes are revealed.

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