Heartwarming / A Dance with Dragons

• "Winterfell belongs to my sister Sansa" — Jon first turns down Stannis's offer of Winterfell and legitimacy out of loyalty to his father's Gods and decides to stay with the Watch. He later reminds Stannis of his half-sister's claim of inheritance and his oath to the Night's Watch when Stannis again pushes Jon to accept.
  • All the more so because it proves once and for all that Robb was right about Jon (see above), and Catelyn was wrong.
  • Indeed, throughout the book, we see just how wrong Catelyn was about Jon being a threat to her own children. Jon gives a lot of really good advice to Stannis (whom he prefers to the Boltons & Lannisters, big surprise). But he always tries to maintain a veneer of the Night Watch's famous neutrality. But though an anguished Jon resigns himself to being unable to help his sister Arya after learning she is in the clutches of Ramsay Bolton, Melisandre offers Jon another way — he can both save his sister and stay true to the Night's Watch. Jon accepts Melisandre's offer, allowing her to send Mance Rayder to rescue Arya.
  • Also, he comes to the decision with the return of his direwolf Ghost, who had been gone for most of the book. He finally gets a moment of levity amongst the fighting and politics and it's Ghost's return which allows him this peace and clarity.
• The North remembers. Lord Manderly plans to slaughter those who betrayed his king and so many of his friends. And an entire army of northmen prepare to lay down their lives in a winter battle for Ned's little girl, in respect to "The Ned". The love that the North still has for Ned Stark and his family is touching and powerful indeed.
• All the scenes with Penny, the cute little dwarf who pulls Tyrion back from the brink of Knight Templardom.
• In ADWD, Theon thinking about Robb:
  Theon: I should have been with him. Where was I? I should have died with him.
• What goes through Cersei's mind when she's about to go through her walk of shame through out the city.
  Cersei: Tommen is waiting for me. My little king. I can do this. I must.
• Kevan Lannister's loving attitude towards his wife and children. After Tywin's funeral, he also confronts Cersei on how badly she has fucked up as a parent, vowing to raise Tommen properly after he is appointed Regent. At the end of book 5, he's shown having supper with Cersei and Tommen, admiring Tommen's good nature and kind heart. It makes his death at Varys' hands even sadder, although Varys at least comments that Kevan is a decent man, which (barely) softens the blow.
• Lady Barbrey Dustin gives Theon some comforting company:
  Barbrey: Why do you love the Starks?
  Theon: I … I wanted to be one of them …
  Barbrey: And never could. We have more in common than you know, my lord.
  • Lady Dustin is quite a decent person, despite being on Team Evil and hating Ned. The first thing she asks Theon is why is he wearing the same clothes that he wore during the wedding, because that was weeks ago, those clothes are getting dirty and are starting to smell. He replies that he is only wearing what he is given because he is a prisoner and doesn't own anything anymore. Next time we see Theon, he is wearing a cloak to protect him from the snow and cold. It is implied that it was Barbrey who gave it to him. She also hates Ramsey for making his new bride cry and it is implied that it is not just because of political reasons, but because she is touched by her suffering. It was Dustin forces who guarded Jeyne Poole (fake Arya) once she crossed the neck into The North. Token Good Teammate at their best.
• The moment Bran tries to reach out to Theon through the heart tree of Winterfell's godswood, a crucial step in Theon reclaiming his identity. He decides he'd rather die as Theon than live as Reek. It's also a Tearjerker considering Theon's actions against Bran and House Stark in A Clash of Kings.
  The old gods, he thought. They know me. They know my name. I was Theon of House Greyjoy. I was a ward of Eddard Stark, a friend and brother to his children. [...] And for one strange moment it seemed as if it were Bran’s face carved into the pale trunk of the weirwood, staring down at him with eyes red and wise and sad.
• Somewhere between a Moment of Heartwarming and a Moment of Funny; Daenerys remarks to Ser Barristan that a king needs "cheeks of steel" to cope with all the sitting and listening to petitioners. The next day she finds her hard ebony bench heaped with satin cushions. She is amused by Barristan's literal mindedness but she sits on the cushions.
• Wylla Manderly furiously calling out her grandfather when she thinks he has abandoned his loyalty to the Starks. She's wrong, but her Undying Loyalty to the Starks is quite touching to see.
  Wylla Manderly: A thousand years before the Conquest, a promise was made, and oaths were sworn in the Wolf's Den before the old gods and the new. When we were sore beset and friendless, hounded from our homes and in peril of our lives, the wolves took us in and nourished us and protected us against our enemies. The city is built upon the land they gave us. In return we swore that we should always be their men. Stark men!
• And afterwards when Manderly confides in Davos how proud he is of Wylla for her courage.
  Wyman: Wylla. Did you see how brave she was? Even when I threatened to have her tongue out, she reminded me of the debt White Harbor owes to the Starks of Winterfell, a debt that can never be repaid. Wylla spoke from the heart ... not every woman can be as brave as my Wylla.
• After struggling with an identity crisis for the entire novel and suffering through a horrible amount of torture, Theon manages to reunite with his sister, Asha, one of the few people in his family who loves him, and as a result, regains some of his sanity and positive self-image.
  Theon: Theon. My name's Theon. You have to know your name.
• Jon Connington raised the last living child of his best friend, whom he may have loved, and has done his damnedest to keep that child safe and secure, while also making sure that he doesn't end up like another Viserys. If every man were as noble in Westeros, then it would be a much better place.
  • Of course, this is undercut somewhat by the fact that Jon Connington has become quite a bit of Knight Templar by this point, determined to do whatever it takes to sit his ward on the Iron Throne, even burn a whole town of innocents to ashes if needed,
• In one of his letters after leaving to battle of the Boltons, Stannis promises Jon that he will rescue "Arya" if he is able. Jon takes note of what what he calls a tender sentiment.
• Jon defending Satin's ability to be his steward against the disapproval of his men:
  Jon: Whatever Satin may have done in Oldtown, he is our brother now, and he will be my squire.
• Everything Jon does to rescue his little beloved sister.
  Jon: Bring her home, Mance. I saved your son from Melisandre, and now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk. You owe me this one little girl.
  • And he wonders if Arya still has the sword he had made for her - as the readers have seen over and over again, Needle is the one thing Arya will never give up because it's her final reminder of home...and Jon's smile.
• Despite his mixed feelings regarding Tyrion for killing Tywin, Jaime's interactions with Hoster Blackwood, who his inner monologue outright states reminds him of Tyrion, make it clear Jaime does miss his little brother and still regrets how things ended between them.