I've noticed many people here in the Steemit community, who are unaware or unfamiliar with George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. There have been a couple really nice people who still have read what I've wrote, even left encouraging comments, not knowing really what the series was, so this blog series will be specifically for you.
I'll be doing a chapter by chapter review. I'll start with a list of characters and locations, whether in the chapter it just mentioned. I'll give a basic explanation of events that occur during the chapter along with as much character information as I can. I'll structure it in a way that won't spoil any of the future plot points hopefully. I will add some to characters descriptions and location description at times, but that shouldn't affect the over story itself. My partner @agirlis will be giving a more spoilery version of our chapter notes. They will included foreshadowing and possibly theory related information. So here we go...
A Game of Thrones-Prologue
Characters-
- Gared- an old man, past 50, has spent 40 years in the Night's Watch, he's missing both ears, three toes, and a little finger on his left hand from frostbite
- Will- a hunter before being sent to the Wall, he's been on the Wall for 4 years now, completely silent in the woods
- Ser Waymar Royce- youngest son of a southern house, handsome youth of 18, he's slender, and graceful, riding a black destrier, also wearing black leather boots, black woolen pants, black moleskin gloves, a fine coat of black ringmail over black wool and leather, he's been in the Night's Watch less than half a year
- The Others- make no sound, wear armor that seems to change color with the woods, carries a sword of crystal that's sharper than steel itself, tall, gaunt, and hard as old bones, and flesh pale as milk, their speech is like ice crackling, deeper blue eyes than any man, the cold seems to follow them
Characters(mentioned)-
-Mormont(Joer)- Lord Commander of the Night's Watch
-Master Aegon- Maester at Castle Black for the Night's Watch
-Robert(Baratheon)- King of the Seven Kingdoms
Location-
- North of the Wall- wooded, icy, with little inhabitants
Locations(mentioned)-
- The Wall- a giant ice wall 700 feet tall and 300 miles long, keeps northern invaders, the Wildlings, from attacking the people of the South, the Wall sometimes "weeps" which is the wall itself melting slowly, but then refreezes
- Castle Black- Main castle for the Night's Watch on the Wall, located roughly center of the 300 miles, the Lord Commander resides here
Other Notables-
- The Night's Watch- an ancient order of knights who guard the Wall and the North from any invaders, they wear nothing but black, criminals are sent to the Wall to serve the rest of the lives, sometimes young lordlings who have nothing to inherit choose to "take the black" and serve at the Wall
The book and chapter begin with three characters; Gared, Will, and Ser Waymar Royce, who have been riding North for nine days. Will being the hunter, had scouted up ahead only to find all the Wildlings dead at their campsite. Waymar wants to go check the site out again to check the bodies, but Gared and Will are veterans of the Watch and northern lands. Waymar continuously mocks Gared throughout the chapter. They both seem to have an uneasy feeling that had persisted all day.
Image of Ser Waymar Royce from Here
Waymar has Will repeat the details. He asked what killed these men and Gared said it was the cold. Waymar has Will point out the Wall had been "weeping" before they had set out. It couldn't have been the cold. It hadn't cold enough to kill the men.
Will is instructed rimless the group to the Wildlings camp.
Will leads the party the two miles, stopping just beyond a ridge just before the camp. Waymar climbs down and Gared sets to making a fire. Waymar and Gared argue yet again, and Will even thinks Gared might pull his blade, but Gared finally agrees to the younger man's command. He's told to stay with the horses.
Will takes Waymar up the ridge to the vantage point. Waymar continuously shows he is still new at the Night's Watch, even ignoring and mocking Will for his advice. Will reaches the vantage first, and immediate notes the Wildlings are gone. Will gets immediately worried, but Waymar finds amusement in the situation. He sends Will up the tree to look for smoke from any fires, but as he climbs, he sees something and notes the temperature is rapidly falling. He also hears Waymar yell out a warning for any who goes there, but Will is frozen with fear. An Other steps from the trees with is seed ready to fight.
Image from Here
Ser Waymar gives his iconic line, "well dance with me then," and fights the creature head on. As the swords dances, more of the creatures slip out of the trees without Waymar knowing. Will watches but is still to petrified with fear. Soon Waymar begins to tires and a party came slow and the Others sword slips under his arm. Waymar let out a battle cry and charged the other. When he swung his blade shattered, shrapnel gouging out an eye.
The late arrivals moved in slashing and hacking til Waymar was dead. After much time had passed Will finally crawls down. Waymar was face down in the snow. Will goes for his broken sword to show as proof of what happened. As he rose, Waymar rises with him. Will drops the blade, begins a prayer, and closes his eyes. Waymar wraps his hands around his throat and all Will feels is cold the chapter ends.
A few things I'll note.
- Waymar becomes a man of the Watch before his death.
- Martin starts the first chapter with a death preparing the readers.
- We don't learn Gared's fate by the end of the chapter.
- There are some kind of magical Ice Zombie creatures way north of the Wall call the Others
- Ice as a symbolism or elemental influence is introduced. Still debated on how much influence.
Anyways tats chapter 1. I may get to do chapter 2 by tomorrow. If not another character analysis. Thank you all for your time,
-Bran the Builder
