Wow, I never noticed that v.5

[Lost Melnibonean]

The wolves do mirror the kid's emotions, I am well aware of it and still this particular incident is different somehow.

Woud you remind me where to find that Grey Wind part? Thank you.

I just re-read Bran IV, Game, at least the scene where Bran finds Tyrion in the great hall at Winterfell with Robb on the high seat of the Starks and I see what you mean. The tension is palpable...

Robb was seated in Father's high seat, wearing ringmail and boiled leather and the stern face of Robb the Lord. Theon Greyjoy and Hallis Mollen stood behind him. A dozen guardsmen lined the grey stone walls beneath tall narrow windows. In the center of the room the dwarf stood with his servants, and four strangers in the black of the Night's Watch. Bran could sense the anger in the hall the moment that Hodor carried him through the doors.

"Any man of the Night's Watch is welcome here at Winterfell for as long as he wishes to stay," Robb was saying with the voice of Robb the Lord. His sword was across his knees, the steel bare for all the world to see. Even Bran knew what it meant to greet a guest with an unsheathed sword.

"Any man of the Night's Watch," the dwarf repeated, "but not me, do I take your meaning, boy?"

Robb stood and pointed at the little man with his sword. "I am the lord here while my mother and father are away, Lannister. I am not your boy."

"If you are a lord, you might learn a lord's courtesy," the little man replied, ignoring the sword point in his face.

But quite in character sweet young Bran eases the tension from the breaking point...

"Your bastard brother has all your father's graces, it would seem."

"Jon," Bran gasped out from Hodor's arms.

The dwarf turned to look at him. "So it is true, the boy lives. I could scarce believe it. You Starks are hard to kill."

"You Lannisters had best remember that," Robb said, lowering his sword.

But the tension has not dissipated entirely when the direwolves burst in...

The door to the yard flew open. Sunlight came streaming across the hall as Rickon burst in, breathless. The direwolves were with him. The boy stopped by the door, wide-eyed, but the wolves came on. Their eyes found Lannister, or perhaps they caught his scent. Summer began to growl first. Grey Wind picked it up. They padded toward the little man, one from the right and one from the left.

Rickon was still and wide eyed. You would have us take it that his consciousness was in Shaggydog at this time, correct?

"The wolves do not like your smell, Lannister," Theon Greyioy commented.

"Perhaps it's time I took my leave," Tyrion said. He took a step backward . . . and Shaggydog came out of the shadows behind him, snarling. Lannister recoiled, and Summer lunged at him from the other side. He reeled away, unsteady on his feet, and Grey Wind snapped at his arm, teeth ripping at his sleeve and tearing loose a scrap of cloth.

"No!" Bran shouted from the high seat as Lannister's men reached for their steel. "Summer, here. Summer, to me!"

The direwolf heard the voice, glanced at Bran, and again at Lannister. He crept backward, away from the little man, and settled down below Bran's dangling feet.

Robb had been holding his breath. He let it out with a sigh and called, "Grey Wind." His direwolf moved to him, swift and silent. Now there was only Shaggydog, rumbling at the small man, his eyes burning like green fire.

"Rickon, call him," Bran shouted to his baby brother, and Rickon remembered himself and screamed, "Home, Shaggy, home now." The black wolf gave Lannister one final snarl and bounded off to Rickon, who hugged him tightly around the neck.

I bolded the money quote. I think there are some eastern religions where remembering oneself refers to stages of consciousness, which would support your argument. But I think it's more in line with the traditional English use of recalling ones courtesies and ending bad behavior. Given the way Rickon thinks it's funny when his direwolf attacks, he was probably enjoying the spectacle, until Bran told him to call off Shaggydog.

[Lost Melnibonean]

Robb sent Cleos to Kings Landing under a peace banner with escort of 30 men

"I brought you from your cell to carry my message to your cousin Cersei Lannister in King's Landing. You'll travel under a peace banner, with thirty of my best men to escort you."

---Catelyn I, Clash

But Cleos tells Tyrion

"It is bad in the riverlands, Tyrion. Around the Gods Eye and along the kingsroad especially. The river lords are burning their own crops to try and starve us, and your father's foragers are torching every village they take and putting the smallfolk to the sword."

Ser Cleos ran a hand through his thin brown hair. "Even with a peace banner, we were attacked twice. Wolves in mail, hungry to savage anyone weaker than themselves. The gods alone know what side they started on, but they're on their own side now. Lost three men, and twice as many wounded."

---Tyrion V, Clash

I just cant imagine that enough broken men have formed up sufficiently to attack an organized troop of thirty armed, armored, and mounted soldiers. We can pretty much assume that river lords loyal to Riverrun and Robb would not attack Cleoss party. That leaves the Brotherhood without Banners, Amory, Gregor, and the Brave Companions.

[Lost Melnibonean]

The George has compared the Others to the Sidhe of Irish folklore. According to such folklore, the splits in a tree caused by lightning strikes can serve as pathways to the world of the Sidhe. White is often used to symbolize purity and innocence. We learn in Clash that Craster gives his sons to the Others, and in Storm, apparently, that those boys become Others.

Now, check this out from Jon III, Clash as Jon and the Nights Watch approach Crasters Keep,

As he rode past a lightning-blasted chestnut tree overgrown with wild white roses, he heard something rustling in the underbrush.

It turns out to be Dywen and Grenn, who have been screening the main column as outriders, and Dywen tells Jon,

"Thought me and the boy had us one o' them Others to deal with."

[Unlady B]

It just dawned on me that even if Lady had survided the Trident, eventually she was going to be killed at KL when Cersei did her coup d'etat.

[Mychel_Redfort]

Just noticed that Maynard Plumm calls Dunk "Dunk" in their last speech in The Mystery Knight :

"The sept. You would do well to go armed." Ser Maynard smiled. "Is that plain enough for you, Dunk?"

How do you think Bloodraven learned Ser Duncan was called Dunk, with Ser Arlan dead? I think Dunk always presents himself as Ser Duncan in the three novels, no?

[Lost Melnibonean]

"For the baby, not for me. If it's a girl, that's not so bad, she'll grow a few years and he'll marry her. But Nella says it's to be a boy, and she's had six and knows these things. He gives the boys to the gods. Come the white cold, he does, and of late it comes more often. That's why he started giving them sheep, even though he has a taste for mutton. Only now the sheep's gone too. Next it will be dogs, till . . . " She lowered her eyes and stroked her belly.

Jon III, Clash

All this time, Ive been waiting for ice spiders. We need to be looking out for ice sheep!

[ArabellaVidal]

It just dawned on me that even if Lady had survided the Trident, eventually she was going to be killed at KL when Cersei did her coup d'etat.

Also it would have been unlikely for her to be given the quick clean death that Ned gave her, paying for Bran's life and also her pelt would have been made into lovely cloak for the new Queen Regent.

[HexMachina]

Jon III, Clash

All this time, Ive been waiting for ice spiders. We need to be looking out for ice sheep!

I still don't know whether to believe the Crasters sons = Others, even with

the shows interpretation

This line from Old Nan may be an equally plausible option:

"All the swords of men could not stay their advance, and even maidens and suckling babes found no pity in them. They hunted the maids through frozen forests, and fed their dead servants on the flesh of human children."

[Lost Melnibonean]

I still don't know whether to believe the Crasters sons = Others, even with

the shows interpretation

This line from Old Nan may be an equally plausible option:

Not enough wee ones to be eating them. The only plausible options using them for some ritual or converting them. Since Craster's wives say theonescthat come are the brothers it seems like that Craster's sons are others, except for little Monster.

[khal cium]

Never noticed that Angguy won the hand's tourney for archery in KL during my first reading.

[Lady Blizzardborn]

I still don't know whether to believe the Crasters sons = Others, even with

the shows interpretation

This line from Old Nan may be an equally plausible option:

Good point. Maybe the Otherization is for preservation purposes. Like putting food in the freezer. Of course they'd want to let them grow a bit so there was more food to go around.

[SJB]

On my first read i never realised how much symbolism there is in the story Meera tells Bran about the tournament in Harrenhall (ASOS Bran 2) When i reread this chapter last week it blew my mind. Rereading is so much fun :D

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

Just noticed that Maynard Plumm calls Dunk "Dunk" in their last speech in The Mystery Knight :

"The sept. You would do well to go armed." Ser Maynard smiled. "Is that plain enough for you, Dunk?"

How do you think Bloodraven learned Ser Duncan was called Dunk, with Ser Arlan dead? I think Dunk always presents himself as Ser Duncan in the three novels, no?

Plumm had spend several days in the company of Dunk. He would have simply heard the name..

[Lost Melnibonean]

Plumm had spend several days in the company of Dunk. He would have simply heard the name..

But did he? I mean in the text...

[Lady Blizzardborn]

But did he? I mean in the text...

I just finished reading it and I don't recall anyone except Plumm calling him Dunk.

Was looking at pictures of the world's spooky places and came across Dracula's castle. What was Dracula famous for according to legends? And what does Bran's weirwood paste taste like at first? Dracula's castle is actually named Bran Castle.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

I noticed that many things Varys says about Aegon, actually fits Gendry the most, like he knows what's to be chased, and live among the people.

Jon III, Clash

All this time, Ive been waiting for ice spiders. We need to be looking out for ice sheep!

That's scary... imagine if your woollen scarf doesn't warm you!

[HexMachina]

But did he? I mean in the text...

Yes, Plumm was at the tourney with Dunk and Egg. Dunk sat with him and the other sellswords at the feast. Even if not mentioned in the text its reasonable to think the name Dunk would come uo at some point. Most likely at the campsite before the tourney

Are you confusing BR calling Dunk Dunk with Maynard Plumm caling him Dunk maybe?

[Nettles]

Lost Melnibonean, thanks for the quotes.

I read Catelyn I again. In that chapter Rob is in command of Grey Wind all along. He gives a signal, Grey Wind responds. Rickon, on the other hand, bursts inside the Great Hall, wide eyed. That's still his consciousness. Upon seeing Tyrion he is badly triggered and stops in his tracks by the door. He cannot control his emotions and very naturally slips into his wolf (my very subjective interpretation). Rickon wants to feel strong and in control, not like the terrified three year old he really is. The other two wolves are reading Rob and Bran's emotions and respond as a pack.

It seems to Bran that Rickon remebers himself (or recollects himself, like he was spaced out for awhile). This is Bran's reading of Rickon's face and body language, while he himslef is still felling utterly confused. Again we have the case of the unreliable narrator. It's left to the readers to glean what they can of the situation.

I am not emotionally attached to this interpretation, it's just an interesting insight into Rickon's abilities as a warg. (Maybe)

We wil see him pretty soon, I hope, he will tell us more.

Another thing that caught my eye was a quote by Stannis in Davos I aCoK "The Seven have never brought me so much as a sparrow. It is time I tried another hawk, Davos. A red hawk."

Well, the sparrows are coming...and they are hating the red hawk.

[Mychel_Redfort]

Yes, Plumm was at the tourney with Dunk and Egg. Dunk sat with him and the other sellswords at the feast. Even if not mentioned in the text its reasonable to think the name Dunk would come uo at some point. Most likely at the campsite before the tourney

But who would have called him "Dunk" ? For everybody at the feast or at the campsite, he was "Ser Duncan", I don't see him introducing himself as "Dunk" in front of knights, no?

[HexMachina]

But who would have called him "Dunk" ? For everybody at the feast or at the campsite, he was "Ser Duncan", I don't see him introducing himself as "Dunk" in front of knights, no?

Egg? Egg was present at the campsite.