Bran and crew are almost to the three eyed crow at this point- Coldhands tells them that they are very close. But something is wrong- it's
cold, and you know what that means. Bad stuff. He says they need to be indoors before night, and when Meera asks if there's another way, he says there is a back door in a sinkhole to the north. They are going for a cave, which is warded that the evil things cannot enter. Jojen is very weak, and they lost the elk twelve days ago.
Sure enough they are attacked just before they reach the cave, and it looks bad. In the chaos Bran wargs into Hodor and they are rescued by a child of the forest, who sets the things aflame. Bran wakes up in the cave, safe. The one who rescued them is a girl, and says their name in the True Tongue is
those who sing the song of earth. She also says she wandered the lands of man for two hundred years, before returning home. Hmm.
The elf girl takes them deep underground, through twisting passages filled with white roots. Bran thinks an entire grove of weirwood trees must grow above them. Bran sees skulls everywhere, including giant skulls and children of the forest skulls. They come to a bridge spanning a chasm, and Bran can hear water. There they come face to face- finally- with the greenseer.
The three eyed crow only has one eye, as it turns out, and he is part roots and tree now apparently. Kinda weird. He tells bran that he will never walk again... but that he will fly. He says he has been watching Bran since he was born. Hmm again.
COMMENTARY:
I'm curious about this place where they are safe, what's the deal with it? The creatures cannot enter it, that's interesting. There are children of the forest here, so this must be a haven of theirs. And who exactly is this three eyed crow guy? It was a little disappointing, frankly. We've been hearing about this three eyed crow since book one, and we finally meet him- and he's some guy who's part tree now. Umm, okay.
TYRION IV
Tyrion is having a rough time with the voyage downriver. Griff won't let him drink, and he spends his time fantasizing about Septa Lemore, who happens to bathe naked in front of him in the mornings. He also observes that Young Griff could have any girl in the seven Kingdoms, with his dark eyes and attractive features. Griff has Tyrion writing down everything he knows about dragonlore- Tyrion thinks how he would like to get a copy of the The Fires of the Freehold, a history of Valyria. No complete copy in Westeros, the Citadel's lacks twenty seven scrolls. He also wouldn't mind finding Dragons, Wyrms and Wyverns: Their Unnatural History or the Blood and Fire - only one copy is known and that is supposed to be hidden away beneath the Citadel.
Young Griff is being tutored in langauges and speaks High Valyrian, as well as the dialects of Pentos, Tyrosh, Myr and Lys. We get a history lesson about Volantis, oldest of the Free Cities, and learn that the present rulers, or triarchs of that city, are Malaquo, Nyessos and Doniphos. The first one is a tiger, or militant, and the other two are elephants, or merchant. Tyrion plays a game with Haldon Halfmaester and wagers for secrets- he is curious why a sellsword's son is being trained so well. Apparently he wins... and is thinking about a king.
COMMENTARY:
So... who do you think Young Griff is? Well he is obviously someone important- and Tyrion's thought about a king. Hmm...
Martin name drops some books in this chapter, and the mention of a book beneath the Citadel got my attention. As we know there is a Faceless Man infiltrating the Citadel in A Feast for crows- could he be after that book?
