A mysterious, hooded strange brings a man to be questioned for no clear reason, and raises more questions for those who are there to witness his actions.
Ser Aidan, Aisling, and Obany have a pleasant conversation that ranges from horses to poetry.
The king delivers unexpected news to Ser Ethos, and though good, it is not necessarily to his liking.
Desmona Blackwood, recently returned from a sojourn with her kin at Storm's End, gets to know Ser Aidan better -- and wonders just how well he knows a Northern cousin of hers...
Joleta Gargalen speaks with the cousins Ser Aidan Dayne and Tanyth Toland about affairs at court following the news of the Dornish rebellion.
Ser Andry Chester, the first knight to return from Dorne since the rebellion began, is presented to the small council to deliver dire news.
Crakehalls reunite, but does the heir to Crakehall harbor a hatred for Dornishmen that, hard on the heels of the news of Lord Tyrell's murder, will cause trouble with the likes of Ser Aidan Dayne?
Viserys bluntly tells Reyna, Ardon, and Dagur that Garvys Tyrell has been murdered after Mavros Uller led Qorgyle forces against his host, prompting immediate discussion of the widening Dornish rebellion, whether Alyn Velaryon can hold Sunspear, whether the Reach, Redwyne fleet, and Dornish hostages must be mobilized, and how House Tyrell's loyalty will be perceived.
During a royal voyage aboard the Black Dread, Viserys questions Stevyn Locke about his discretion, Free Cities knowledge, and loose ties to the Brothers of the Battle, then offers him the king's appointment as justiciar under Lord Terin to handle dockside, trade, and criminal disputes amid Braavos's escalating conflict with Tyrosh.
In the Red Keep's Western Outer Yard, Aidan Dayne watches the Brothers of the Battle practice at the quintain with his squire Danyll, speaks with Reyna Saltcliffe and Lysalla Serrett about courtly manners, jousting, and rumors of a coming tourney, then departs for worship with renewed hope that the tourney gossip may prove true.
As the Sons of the Spear practice in the Red Keep yard, a maester spreads word that Andrey Blackmont is dead after attacking under a parley banner; Reyna sends for Dagur, Aidan breaks the news to the Dornish, Burton Crakehall clashes bitterly with the grieving Valeria, and the Blackmont siblings realize that Valeria has become Lady Blackmont under Daeron's terms.
Lormon Buckler interviews Janden Melcolm about his family, prospects, service in Dorne, and Baratheon/Hightower connections, then grants permission for Janden to court his daughter while warning that betrothal depends on contracts and that any financial settlement will be limited.
Daeron summons Valeria Blackmont and tells her that she will wed Tancred Baratheon, using the threatened attainder of her rebel father Andrey and brothers to force her to write a letter urging Andrey to accept a final royal pardon if she wants Arrant to remain heir to Blackmont.
Several nobles gather in the Red Keep, but somewhere the conversation takes a turn for the worst. Ser Ethos ends up gravely offending Lady Reyna, Ser Tancred arrives in a fury, and what started as a pleasant gathering ends in anger and distress.
In the shade near the Dornish Tower, Ariana asks Aidan for advice on acquiring and learning a bow, Reyna introduces Jyana and suggests a Rosby hunt through Ardon rather than Ethos's lottery, Janden offers his spare hunting licenses, and Aidan departs when summoned by his Toland kin.