Plot

Bran and Rickon have escaped Winterfell. Theon tries to hunt them down. Daenerys' dragons have been stolen. Jon travels through the wilderness with Ygritte as his prisoner. Sansa has bled and is now ready to have Joffrey's children.

At Winterfell, Osha arranges for Bran and his younger brother to escape. Theon is outraged and sets off after them but can't quite seem to find them. Osha improvises, as does Theon so as not to lose face. North of the Wall, Jon finds himself lost and separated from the other members of the Night's Watch. His prisoner, Ygritte, soon turns the tables on him. At Robb's camp, Jaime Lannister escapes but is soon recaptured. At Harrenhal, Tywin Lannister wants to find the assassin who struck so near to him. At King's Landing, Sansa has nightmares about her near rape but also begins to menstruate. Cersei has advice for her but the young woman is clearly worried about having to marry Joffrey. In Qarth, Daenerys meets with the ruling council and demands the return of her dragons.—garykmcd

Osha wakes up early in the dawn and leaves Theon's room, stabs a guard and flees with Bran, Rickon and Hodor. Tywin believes that the murder of Amory was an attempt against his life and orders Gregor to burn villages to the ground. Sansa menstruates during the night and tries to hide it with Shaw but they are surprised by The Hound and Sansa has a meeting with Cersei. Jaime kills Alton Lannister in his cell and when Torrhen comes to see, he strangles him and flees. However he is captured and Lord Rickard wants to kill him for the death of his son Torrhen but Catelyn protects Jaime. Jon Snow searches the Night's Watch patrol with Ygritte and she leads him to an ambush. Daenerys finds who had stolen her dragons, as part of a coup d' etat in Qarth.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Irate that Osha arranged for Hodor to escape carrying Bran with kid brother Rickon, Theon gives chase, cruelly torturing every rustic on the way, fearing ridicule if this fails. Robb has noble prisoner Alton Lannister locked in with Jaime, for lack of cells, where he is strangled as a trick for the Kingslayer to escape at last, only to be caught again. Alone, Jon Snow patiently rebukes impertinent Wildling prisoner Ygrette's sneers about guardsmen not being free, virtually castrated by their oath, but he ends up lured into an ambush and taken prisoner himself. Cersie is surprisingly understanding and maternal when Shaw fails, due to the Hound, to help Sansa hide she's menstruating, hence can bear Joffrey an heir. Pouting over the death and theft of her dragons, Danaerys discovers it's all part of a power struggle in Qarth. Tywin is amused by cup-bearer Arya while he spares no cruelty to punish the murder of Amory, believing it an attempt on his own life.—KGF Vissers

Theon and his men pursue Brandon and Rickon. Tywin has Harrenhal searched for his officer's killer. Jon recaptures Ygritte, but she escapes again, leading him into a trap. Still shaken from the riot, Sansa is horrified that she has begun menstruating and is now old enough to marry and bear Joffrey's children. Cersei warns her to love no one but her children, not even Joffrey. In Robb's camp, Jaime's failed escape leaves a guard dead and some soldiers seeking retribution. In Qarth, the warlock Pree says he stole Daenerys' dragons; he offers her the opportunity to reunite with them, then slaughters the Council of Thirteen and establishes Daxos as king. In Winterfell, Theon presents the charred corpses of two farm boys to Maester Luwin, claiming they are Brandon and Rickon.

Sansa awakens from a nightmare to find she has had her first period, meaning she can bear Joffrey's children. Shae tries to help conceal the blood, but the Hound sees the sheet. Cersei tells Sansa it will be impossible to love Joffrey, and to find comfort in their children instead.

Tyrion tells Cersei his doubts about Joffrey's plan to repel Stannis' fleet. Cersei confesses her belief that Joffrey is punishment for her incest with Jaime.

Jon searches for his companions, and captive Ygritte tells him life would be better with the wildlings. Ygritte escapes, and Jon pursues her until he is surrounded by wildlings.

Tywin orders the Mountain to find Lorch's killer, believing the murder was an attempt on his own life. Dining with Arya, Tywin deduces she is highborn.

Robb hears Alton Lannister's unfavorable reply to the peace terms brought to Cersei and, with his prisons full, orders Alton placed with Jaime. Talisa agrees to accompany Robb to the Crag for medical supplies.

Jaime and Alton talk about his family and the time Alton squired for Jaime and the time Jaime squired for Barristan Selmy. Jaime kills Alton to draw the jailer, Torrhen Karstark, into the pen, strangling him before fleeing. Jaime is recaptured, and Lord Rickard Karstark demands his head for murdering his son, but Catelyn delays the execution until Robb's return. Confronting Jaime, Catelyn calls him "a man without honor", and Jaime bitterly explains the contradictions he faced in his vows as a knight. He provokes Catelyn, who asks for Brienne's sword.

Daenerys has difficulty trusting Xaro, who claims he did not take her dragons. Vowing to find them, Jorah confronts Quaithe, who asks if he will betray her again, revealing him to be a spy for the crown, to which he swears to never do again. She tells him that the person who stole the dragons is with Daenerys. At a meeting of the Thirteen, Pyat Pree tells Daenerys that he has her dragons in the "House of the Undying". Xaro proclaims himself King of Qarth, revealing he made a deal with Pree the day Daenerys came to the city. Pree, having multiplied himself around the room, assassinates the remaining Thirteen, and Daenerys flees with Jorah and Kovarro.

Realizing Osha has fled with Bran, Rickon, Hodor and the direwolves, Theon hunts for the fugitives against Maester Luwin's wishes, following the trail of Bran and Rickon with bloodhounds. The boys arrive at the farm where they sent the orphans, not knowing that Theon is almost on them. Theon traces them to the farm, where Dagmer finds evidence that the Starks have been there. Theon sends Luwin back to Winterfell. Returning from the hunt, Theon then reveals the charred remains of two boys as a public warning. Luwin cries out in horror for Bran and Rickon, while Theon struggles to hide his remorse.