Awaiting A Dance with Dragons

After almost six years, the wait is nearly over. Well, to be honest my wait has only been about 18 months, and that has been long enough, so I can only imagine what it has been like for those people who've been reading A Song of Ice and Fire from the start. But for all of us, A Dance with Dragons finally comes out on Tuesday.

I re-read the first 4 books a few months ago, but even when I was reading I had trouble keeping track of who everyone was and where they were up to. The fact that A Dance with Dragons runs mostly concurrently with A Feast for Crows is going to make things even more confusing for me. So I'm going to make myself a little cheat sheet. Maybe it will be useful for someone else.

Note: Major spoilers for the first 4 books. Minor spoilers for A Dance with Dragons (mainly with regards to who has POV). Information that I couldn't remember off the top of my head is from A Wiki of Ice and Fire, but any mistakes are mine.



Starks

• Eddard: Died in Book 1 (executed by Joffrey)
• Catelyn: Died in Book 3 (at the Red Wedding) but then resurrected. Now kind of creepy and called 'Lady Stoneheart'. Leading the Brotherhood Without Banners. Brief appearances in Book 4 but no POV in either Book 4 or Book 5.
• Robb: Died in Book 3 (at the Red Wedding).
• Sansa: POV character in Book 4. At the Eyrie pretending to be Petyr Baelish's bastard daughter Alayne Stone. Still technically married to Tyrion. No POV in Book 5.
• Arya: POV character in Book 4. In training with the Faceless Men under the name 'Cat of the Canals'. Last we saw of her she was blind. Apparently has POV in Book 5 but not sure how this will work (maybe at the end when the two timelines merge)
• Bran: At the end of Book 3 was headed to the wall with the Reed siblings and Hodor. Seen briefly in Book 4 via Sam's POV. Has POV in Book 5.
• Rickon: At the end of Book 3 was with Osha. Not seen in Book 4 - hopefully we see him in Book 5
• Jon: No POV in Book 4 but seen in the first part through Sam's POV. Has been made Lord Commander of the Wall. Has POV in Book 5.

Lannisters

• Tywin: Died in Book 3 (murdered by Tyrion)
• Cersei: POV in Book 4. Went kind of crazy after Joffrey died. Currently in prison. Like Arya, has POV again in Book 5.
• Jaime: POV in Book 4. Is at Riverrun having taken the castle from the Tullys. Also has Book 5 POV.
• Tyrion: No POV in Book 4, On the run after being found guilty of Joffrey's murder, apparently in the Free Cities.  Has POV in Book 5.
• Joffrey: Died in Book 3 (murdered by the Tyrells)
• Myrcella: In Dorne, betrothed to Trystane Martell. In Book 4, Arianne Martell plotted to crown her queen but they were captured by Doran Martell's men.
• Tommen: Now King, advised by the Small Council. Married to Margaery Tyrell.
• Gregor Clegane (The Mountain): Killed by Oberyn Martell in Book 4.
• Sandor Clegane (The Hound): Dying at the end of Book 3, unclear whether he is actually dead.

Baratheons

• Robert: Died in Book 1 (killed by boar)
• Renly: Died in Book 2 (murdered by Stannis/Melisandre)
• Stannis: At the wall. Brief mentions in Book 4 from Sam's POV.
• Selyse (Stannis's wife) & Shireen (Stanni's daughter): At Eastwatch
• Melisandre: At the wall with Stannis. POV character in Book 5
• Davos: Was ordered to be executed by Cersei in Book 4, unclear whether this was carried out. POV in Book 5.
• Edric Storm: Smuggled across the sea by Davos in Book 3.

Greyjoys

• Balon (Theon's father): Died Book 3. Fell to his death, may have been due to Melisandre's magic or something Euron did.
• Euron "Crow's Eye" (Balon's brother): Made King in Book 4.
• Victarion (Balon's other brother): POV in Book 4. Failed to be made king. Euron sent him to court Dany on Euron's behalf. POV again in Book 5.
• Aeron "Damphair" (Balon's other other brother, the priest): POV in Book 4. Supported Victarion's claim to the throne. Disappeared after Victarion won. No POV in Book 5.
• Asha (Theon's sister): POV in Book 4. Failed to be made queen, disappeared afterwards. POV in Book 5.
• Theon: POV in Book 2. Captured by the Boltons in Book 2. In Book 3 was apparently being slowly flayed. In Book 4 he is "assumed dead" but with no proof. POV character in Book 5.

Martells

• Doran (Prince of Dorne): Trying to keep peace in Dorne.
• Oberyn "The Red Viper" (Doran's brother): Died in Book 3 (killed by the Mountain)
• Arianne (Doran's daughter and heir): POV in Book 4. Schemed to crown Myrcella queen but was captured by Doran. No POV in Book 5.
• Quentyn (Doran's son): Across the narrow sea, possibly to negotiate some kind of alliance with Dany. POV in Book 5.
• Trystane (Doran's younger son): Betrothed to Myrcella.
• Sand Snakes (Oberyn's bastard daughters): Imprisoned by Doran, except for Sarella who is in Oldtown
• Areo Hotah (Captain of Doran's guard): POV in Book 4. Captured Arianne and Myrcella, killed Arys Oakheart. POV in Book 5.
• Arys Oakheart (Kingsguard protecting Myrcella): POV in Book 4. Killed by Areo.

Tyrells

• Loras: In Book 4, successfully took Dragonstone but was seriously injured in the fight
• Margaery: Imprisoned after Cersei accused of adultery.
• Mace: Was attacking Storm's End, now on his way to King's Landing since Margaery's imprisonment.

Targaryens

• Daenerys: At the end of Book 3 was ruling Meereen in Slaver's Bay. She was starting to think about returning to Westeros but was concerned about what was happening in Astapor and Yunkai once she left. Did not appear in Book 4. POV in Book 5.
• Barristan: Pardoned by Dany in Book 3, now working for her. Did not appear in Book 4. POV in Book 5.
• Jorah: Banished at the end of Book 3 for betraying Dany. Did not appear in Book 4.

Other

• Sam: POV in Book 4. In Oldtown to become a Maester. Sent Gilly and Mance Rayder's son to his old home, pretending the baby is his. No POV in Book 5.
• Brienne: POV in Book 4. Searched for Sansa on Jaime's behalf. Captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners and sentenced to execution by Catelyn. Unclear if she is alive or dead. No POV in Book 5.
• Petyr Baelish: In the vale with Sweetrobin as his ward, plotting to marry Sansa to Sweetrobin's heir Harrold Hardyng