Chapter Forty-Four - Jon 9 - A Dance with Dragons | A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF)

Jon welcomes Queen Selyse and her entourage. He then hammers out the details of a loan with the Iron Bank. Later he's notified that a girl has arrived at the castle. Simon and Mackelly suggest they keep the giant out of the liquor cabinet.

Chapter Review:
Lord Commander Jon Snow greets Queen Selyse Baratheon. She and her entourage have stopped at Castle Black on their way to the Nightfort. Before escorting her and Princess Shireen to the King’s Tower, Jon warns the queen about the state of the Nightfort. The queen is undeterred. On the way to their quarters, the group meets Wun Wun, the giant currently living at Castle Black. He bends the knee to the southern royalty, but his laugh frightens the party and steel is drawn.

Tycho Nestoris, an emissary of the Iron Bank, is part of the queen’s party. As the Lannisters are refusing to make the crown's payments, Tycho will offer the bank’s backing, if Stannis agrees to shoulder the debt. Jon and Tycho come to terms on a loan from the bank that will allow the Night’s Watch to buy food to survive the winter. Jon also negotiates the use of Tycho’s three ships, to add to the rescue party to bring the wildlings at Hardhome south of the Wall.

Later on, Jon is told that a girl has been found and is resting in maester Aemon’s chambers. Jon is hopeful he’ll be reunited with his sister Arya. However, the girl is too old. She turns out to be Alys Karstark. She’s seeking protection from Jon from her uncles, who plan to marry her off, create an heir, then remove her from the picture. She informs Jon that her great uncle Arnolf only aligned himself with Stannis so that he could then betray the king when Stannis sieges Winterfell.

Characters/Places/Names/Events:
Jon Snow - Bastard son of Ned Stark. Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
Queen Selyse Baratheon - Queen to King Stannis.
Princess Shireen Baratheon - Daughter of Stannis and Selyse. Heir to Stannis’ throne.
Wun Wun - Giant currently living at Castle Black.
Tycho Nestoris - Emissary of the Iron Bank of Braavos.
Alys Karstark - Daughter of deceased Rickard Karstark. Heir to her brother Harrion, the lord of Karhold.
Castle Black - Headquarters of the Night’s Watch.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 9:15 Character Recap
• 9:31 Chapter Summary
• 14:44 General Discussion
• 56:18 Background Information
• 58:28 Comparison with the TV Show
• 1:00:09 Pedantry Corner
• 1:01:45 News and Notes
• 1:01:57 Conclusion