A flame in darkness, an eye, a voice. Varys visits Ned once more, to tell him Sansa pled for his life. They argue about the succession.
A raven leaves The Twins, and is shot down. Catelyn advises Robb not to let the Freys send a message. But they need to cross the river, and Walder Frey controls the crossing. She goes in to see Walder to bargain to cross the river. The room is cleared, and they talk.
At Castle Black on The Wall, the Lord Commander gives Jon Snow a new sword. Longclaw, his own sword, which his son Jorah Mormont disgraced. Alistair has been sent south with the hand, and it seems everyone knows of the sword. They tease Jon ’til he shows them. Jon talks to Sam, and learns that Robb is riding to war. He should be at his side, he thinks, fighting with him.
Catelyn returns to Robb meanwhile, with a deal. In return, Robb has to take Walder’s son as squire, Arya must marry another son, and Robb must marry one of his daughters. Catelyn is unhappy with the deal, but Robb agrees anyway and they cross.
Back at The Wall, Maester Æmon summons Jon, to tell him som history, and to try to make it easier on him not to follow Robb into battle. Robb’s a bit petulant, but Æmon explains how he went through the same, though when older. Turns out he’s a Targaryen; Ærys the Mad King’s uncle.
Across the sea, the Mad King’s daughter Daenerys watches helplessly as Drogo falls from his horse. She calls for the wise woman and makes camp.
Meanwhile in the Lanister camp, Tywin has called a council of war. He tells Tyrion he’ll be in the vanguard when they meet Robb in battle. Tyrion returns to his tent to find Bronn with an exotic looking woman called Shea. She intrigues him, much more than any before, and after some bargaining she falls naked into his arms.
Drogo is delirious. Daenerys is with him and Mormont comes in to see her. He suggests she leaves before the entire column turns on her. Drogo’s blood riders argue. They want to decide the next Khal. The wise woman offers to save Drogo’s life, but it’s blood magic, and demands a death for a life. She asks for his horse and begins a ritual, to the disdain of the blood riders, who warn Daenerys that this will not end well.
She leaves, leaving the wise woman alone with Drogo and those holding the horse. As Daenerys leaves the tent, she kills the horse. Mormont rebukes her and then the trouble starts. Mormont fights to protect Daenerys, killing one of the blood riders in the process. Daenerys goes into labour, and lacking any other help, Mormont carries her back into the tent.
Shea plays a drinking game with Tyrion and Bronn, but Tyrion is bored and wants to play another game. They begin, and while Tyrion and Bronn are easy to guess, Shea is wonderfully enigmatic. She becomes a fabulous character as she develops, which starts here. It’s a very humorous scene, and Tyrion deservedly for once, is the butt of the joke. Anyway, he can guess nothing at all about Shea, and Shea cares nothing for the ‘rules’ of this game. She forces Tyrion to tell his story, which is not a nice one.
Next morning, they ride out. Bronn wakes Tyrion to tell him Robb’s forces are but a mile away and they must hurry. He gets dressed and rushes out to join the fight. His tribesmen follow with the battle cry of “Half man, Half man!” Of course, Tyrion is flattened in the charge and misses the fight. He wakes on a stretcher, with Bronn riding beside him. They’ve won the battle, but only he learns from his father, because only 10% of Robb’s forces were there. The other 90% were elsewhere, destroying Jaime’s army.
Robb rides up the hill to Catelyn, throwing a bound Jaime Lannister to the ground. Jaime wants to fight Robb one on one, but he’s a much more experienced warrior, and Robb knows it. There’s no way he’ll agree. Jaime is taken away bound.
In King’s Landing, Arya is hunting pigeons for food. She wants to bargain for bread, but the baker has none of it. She learns her father is being taken to the Sept of Baelor, and follows the crowd, clinging to the leg of a statue to see what is happening.
Ned is brought out before the crowd to confess. He does so. It’s all a lie, but Ned thinks he’s protecting his family. Joffrey, being a dick as usual, has him executed!
Yoris, the Night’s Watchman from before takes Arya to protect her, and disappears with her into the crowd. Ser Illyn beheads Ned, and ravens are sent out.
With a very slow and dark closing theme, the episode ends.