—Rhaegar’s daughter, {RHAENYS}, murdered during the Sack of King’s Landing,
—Rhaegar’s son, {AEGON, a babe in arms, murdered during the Sack of King’s Landing,
—her brother {VISERYS}, the Third of His Name, called THE BEGGAR KING, crowned with molten gold,
—her lord husband, {DROGO}, a khal of the Dothraki, died of a wound gone bad,
—her stillborn son by Drogo, {RHAEGO}, slain in the womb by the maegi Mirri Maz Duur,
—her Queensguard:
—SER BARRISTAN SELMY, called BARRISTAN THE BOLD, once Lord Commander of King Robert’s Kingsguard,
—JHOGO, ko and bloodrider, the whip,
—AGGO, ko and bloodrider, the bow,
—RAKHARO, ko and bloodrider, the arakh,
—STRONG BELWAS, eunuch and former fighting slave,
—her captains and commanders:
—DAARIO NAHARIS, a flamboyant Tyroshi sellsword, commanding the company of Stormcrows,
—BEN PLUMM, called BROWN BEN, a mongrel sellsword, commanding the company of Second Sons,
—GREY WORM, a eunuch, commanding the Unsullied, a company of eunuch infantry,
—GROLEO of Pentos, formerly captain of the great cog Saduleon, now an admiral without a fleet,
—her handmaids:
—IRRI and JHIQUI, two Dothraki girls, sixteen,
—MISSANDEI, a Naathi scribe and translator,
—her known and suspected enemies:
—GRAZDAN MO ERAZ, a nobleman of Yunkai,
—KHAL PONO, once ko to Khal Drogo,
—KHAL JHAQO, once ko to Khal Drogo,
—MAGGO, his bloodrider,
—THE UNDYING OF QARTH, a band of warlocks,
—PYAT PREE, a Qartheen warlock,
—THE SORROWFUL MEN, a guild of Qartheen assassins,
—SER JORAH MORMONT, formerly Lord of Bear Island,
—{MIRRI MAZ DUUR}, godswife and maegi, a servant of the Great Shepherd of Lhazar,
—her uncertain allies, past and present:
—XARO XHOAN DAXOS, a merchant prince of Qarth,
—QUAITHE, a masked shadowbinder from Asshai,
—ILLYRIO MOPATIS, a magister of the Free City of Pentos, who brokered her marriage to Khal Drogo,
—CLEON THE GREAT, butcher king of Astapor,
—KHAL MORO, sometime ally of Khal Drogo,
—RHOGORO, his son and khalakka,
—KHAL JOMMO, sometime ally of Khal Drogo.
The Targaryens are the blood of the dragon, descended from the high lords of the ancient Freehold of Valyria, their heritage marked by lilac, indigo, and violet eyes and hair of silver-gold. To preserve their blood and keep it pure, House Targaryen has oft wed brother to sister, cousin to cousin, uncle to niece. The founder of the dynasty, Aegon the Conquerer, took both his sisters to wife and fathered sons on each. The Targaryen banner is a three-headed dragon, red on black, the three heads representing Aegon and his sisters. The Targaryen words are Fire and Blood.
* * *
In Braavos
FERREGO ANTARYON, Sealord of Braavos,
—QARRO VOLENTIN, First Sword of Braavos, his protector,
—BELLEGERE OTHERYS called THE BLACK PEARL, a courtesan descended from the pirate queen of the same name,
—THE VEILED LADY, THE MERLING QUEEN, THE MOONSHADOW, THE DAUGHTER OF THE DUSK, THE NIGHTINGALE, THE POETESS, famous courtesans,
—TERNESIO TERYS, Merchant-Captain of the Titan’s Daughter,
—YORKO and DENYO, two of his sons,
—MOREDO PRESTAYN, Merchant-Captain of the Vixen,
—LOTHO LORNEL, a dealer in old books and scrolls,
—EZZELYNO, a red priest, oft drunk,
—SEPTON EUSTACE, disgraced and defrocked,
—TERRO and ORBELO, a pair of bravos,
—BLIND BEQQO, a fishmonger,
—BRUSCO, a fishmonger,
—his daughters, TALEA and BREA,
—MERALYN, called MERRY, proprietor of the Happy Port, a brothel near the Ragman’s Harbor,
—THE SAILOR’S WIFE, a whore at the Happy Port,
—LANNA, her daughter, a young whore,
—BLUSHING BETHANY, YNA ONE-EYE, ASSADORA OF IBBEN, the whores of the Happy Port,
—RED ROGGO, GYLORO DOTHARE, GYLENO DOTHARE, a scribbler called QUILL, COSSOMO THE CONJURER, patrons of the Happy Port,
—TAGGANARO, a dockside cutpurse and thief,
—CASSO, KING OF THE SEALS, his trained seal,
—LITTLE NARBO, his sometime partner,
—MYRMELLO, JOSS THE GLOOM, QUENCE, ALLAQUO, SLOEY, mummers performing nightly on the Ship,
—S’VRONE, a dockside whore of a murderous bent,
—THE DRUNKEN DAUGHTER, a whore of uncertain temper,
—CANKER JEYNE, a whore of uncertain sex,
—THE KINDLY MAN and THE WAIF, servants of the Many-Faced God at the House of Black and White,
—UMMA, the temple cook,
—THE HANDSOME MAN, THE FAT FELLOW, THE LORDLING, THE STERN FACE, THE SQUINTER, and THE STARVED MAN, secret servants of Him of Many Faces,
—ARYA of House Stark, a girl with an iron coin, also known as ARRY, NAN, WEASEL, SQUAB, SALTY, and CAT
—QUHURU MO, of Tall Trees Town in the Summer Isles, master of the merchantman Cinnamon Wind,
—KOJJA MO, his daughter, the red archer,
—XHONDO DHORU, mate on the Cinnamon Wind.
* * *
Acknowledgments
This one was a bitch.
My thanks and appreciation go out once again to those stalwart souls, my editors: Nita Taublib, Joy Chamberlain, Jane Johnson, and especially Anne Lesley Groell, for her counsel, her good humor, and her vast forbearance.
Thanks also to my readers, for all their kind and supportive e-mails, and for their patience. A special tip of the helm to Lodey of the Three Fists, Pod the Devil Bunny, Trebla and Daj the Trivial Kings, sweet Caress of the Wall, Lannister the Squirrel Slayer, and the rest of the Brotherhood Without Banners, that half-mad drunken fellowship of brave knights and lovely ladies who throw the best parties at worldcon, year after year after year. And let me sound a fanfare too for Elio and Linda, who seem to know the Seven Kingdoms better than I do, and help me keep my continuity straight. Their Westeros website and concordance is a joy and a wonder.
And thanks to Walter Jon Williams for guiding me across more salty seas, to Sage Walker for leeches and fevers and broken bones, to Pati Nagle for HTML and spinning shields and getting all my news up quickly, and to Melinda Snodgrass and Daniel Abraham for service that was truly above and beyond the call of duty. I get by with a little help from my friends.
No words could suffice for Parris, who has been there on the good days and the bad ones for every bloody page. All that needs be said is that I could not sing this Song without her.
* * *
About The Author
GEORGE R. R. MARTIN sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally since then. He spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer-producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid ’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, a big white dog called Mischa, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula, who think they run the place.
* * *
* * *
BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE
Book One: A Game of Thrones
Book Two: A Clash of Kings
Book Three: A Storm of Swords
Book Four: A Feast for Crows
Book Five: A Dance with Dragons
Dying of the Light
Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle)
Fevre Dream
The Armageddon Rag
Dea
d Man’s Hand (with John J. Miller)
SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS
Dreamsongs, Volume I
Dreamsongs, Volume II
A Song of Lya and Other Stories
Songs of Stars and Shadows
Sandkings
Songs the Dead Men Sing
Nightflyers
Tuf Voyaging
Portraits of His Children
Quartet
EDITED BY GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
New Voices in Science Fiction, Volumes 1–4
The Science Fiction Weight-Loss Book
(with Isaac Asimov and Martin Harry Greenberg)
The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 5
Night Visions 3
Wild Card I–XXI
* * *
* * *
A Dance with Dragons is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by George R. R. Martin.
Endpaper and interior maps
copyright © by Jeffrey L. Ward
Heraldic crests by Virginia Norey
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BANTAM BOOKS and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Martin, George R. R.
A dance with dragons / George R. R. Martin.
p. cm — (A song of ice and fire; bk. 5)
eISBN: 978-0-553-90565-6
I. Title.
PS3563.A7239D36 2011
813’.54—dc22 2011015508
www.bantamdell.com
v3.1
* * *
this one is for my fans
for Lodey, Trebla, Stego, Pod,
Caress, Yags, X-Ray and Mr. X,
Kate, Chataya, Mormont, Mich,
Jamie, Vanessa, Ro,
for Stubby, Louise, Agravaine,
Wert, Malt, Jo,
Mouse, Telisiane, Blackfyre,
Bronn Stone, Coyote’s Daughter,
and the rest of the madmen and wild women of
the Brotherhood Without Banners
for my website wizards
Elio and Linda, lords of Westeros,
Winter and Fabio of WIC,
and Gibbs of Dragonstone, who started it all
for men and women of Asshai in Spain
who sang to us of a bear and a maiden fair
and the fabulous fans of Italy
who gave me so much wine
for my readers in Finland, Germany,
Brazil, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands
and all the other distant lands
where you’ve been waiting for this dance
and for all the friends and fans
I have yet to meet
thanks for your patience
* * *
A CAVIL ON CHRONOLOGY
It has been a while between books, I know. So a reminder may be in order.
The book you hold in your hands is the fifth volume of A Song of Ice and Fire. The fourth volume was A Feast for Crows. However, this volume does not follow that one in the traditional sense, so much as run in tandem with it.
Both Dance and Feast take up the story immediately after the events of the third volume in the series, A Storm of Swords. Whereas Feast focused on events in and around King’s Landing, on the Iron Islands, and down in Dorne, Dance takes us north to Castle Black and the Wall (and beyond), and across the narrow sea to Pentos and Slaver’s Bay, to pick up the tales of Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and all the other characters you did not see in the preceding volume. Rather than being sequential, the two books are parallel … divided geographically, rather than chronologically.
But only up to a point.
A Dance with Dragons is a longer book than A Feast for Crows, and covers a longer time period. In the latter half of this volume, you will notice certain of the viewpoint characters from A Feast for Crows popping up again. And that means just what you think it means: the narrative has moved past the time frame of Feast, and the two streams have once again rejoined each other.
Next up, The Winds of Winter. Wherein, I hope, everybody will be shivering together once again.…
—George R. R. Martin
April 2011
* * *
* * *
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
A Cavil on Chronology
Map
Prologue
Tyrion
Daenerys
Jon
Bran
Tyrion
The Merchant’s Man
Jon
Tyrion
Davos
Jon
Daenerys
Reek
Bran
Tyrion
Davos
Daenerys
Jon
Tyrion
Davos
Reek
Jon
Tyrion
Daenerys
The Lost Lord
The Windblown
The Wayward Bride
Tyrion
Jon
Davos
Daenerys
Melisandre
Reek
Tyrion
Bran
Jon
Daenerys
The Prince Of Winterfell
The Watcher
Jon
Tyrion
The Turncloak
The King’s Prize
Daenerys
Jon
The Blind Girl
A Ghost in Winterfell
Tyrion
Jaime
Jon
Daenerys
Theon
Daenerys
Jon
Cersei
The Queensguard
The Iron Suitor
Tyrion
Jon
The Discarded Knight
The Spurned Suitor
The Griffin Reborn
The Sacrifice
Victarion
The Ugly Little Girl
Cersei
Tyrion
The Kingbreaker
The Dragontamer
Jon
The Queen’s Hand
Daenerys
Epilogue
Appendix
Acknowledgments
About the Author
* * *
WESTEROS
* * *
THE BOY KING
TOMMEN BARATHEON, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, a boy of eight years,
his wife, QUEEN MARGAERY of House Tyrell, thrice wed, twice widowed, accused of high treason, held captive in the Great Sept of Baelor,
her lady companions and cousins, MEGGA, ALLA, and ELINOR TYRELL, accused of fornications,
Elinor’s betrothed, ALYN AMBROSE, squire,
his mother, CERSEI of House Lannister, Queen Dowager, Lady of Casterly Rock, accused of high treason, captive in the Great Sept of Baelor,
his siblings:
his elder brother, {KING JOFFREY I BARATHEON}, poisoned during his wedding feast,
his elder sister, PRINCESS MYRCELLA BARATHEON, a girl of nine, a ward of Prince Doran Martell at Sunspear, betrothed to his son Trystane,
his kittens, SER POUNCE, LADY WHISKERS, BOOTS,
his uncles:
SER JAIME LANNISTER, called THE KINGSLAYER, twin to Queen Cersei, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard,
TYRION LANNISTER, called THE IMP, a dwarf, accused and condemned for regicide and kinslaying,
&n
bsp; his other kin:
his grandfather, {TYWIN LANNISTER}, Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, and Hand of the King, murdered in the privy by his son Tyrion,
his great-uncle, SER KEVAN LANNISTER, Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, m. Dorna Swyft,
their children:
SER LANCEL LANNISTER, a knight of the Holy Order of the Warrior’s Sons,
{WILLEM}, twin to Martyn, murdered at Riverrun,
MARTYN, twin to Willem, a squire,
JANEI, a girl of three,
his great-aunt, GENNA LANNISTER, m. Ser Emmon Frey,
their children:
{SER CLEOS FREY}, killed by outlaws,
his son, SER TYWIN FREY, called TY,
his son, WILLEM FREY, a squire,
SER LYONEL FREY, Lady Genna’s second son,
{TION FREY}, a squire, murdered at Riverrun,
WALDER FREY, called RED WALDER, a page at Casterly Rock,
his great-uncle, {SER TYGETT LANNISTER}, m. Darlessa Mar-brand
their children:
A Feast for Dragons Page 215