What's your most emotionally moving/affecting moment in ASoIaF?

[Delta1212]

There've been a lot of really good ones so far, so I'll just add two things that haven't been mentioned yet (well, one sort of has, but it's a specific moment for me that hasn't).

At the end of ASoS when Lysa reveals that Littlefinger is behind, well, basically everything, and set in motion all of the events of the series, I was in awe. I'd literally stop and laugh at the genius of it for days afterward when I wasn't even reading.

The other was the slow realization through the trickle of information about him that Rhaegar may not actually have been a bad guy. His pronouncement as he's riding off to the Trident that he'd be making some long overdue changes when he returned was crushing and I often wonder whether the wrong man might not have died that day.

[Stickemwiththepointyend]

I have several, most of which have already been mentioned numerous times, but one moment that got me every time (I had to do rereads, couldn't keep up with all the intrigues) is the thrashing of the snowWinterfell Sansa made. I`ve never liked Sansa, still don`t, but this was one of the few happy moments in the whole book and it gets crushed, violently and unneccessarily.

[DragonAge93]

I'm gonna be unoriginal and say Ned's beheading. Haven't read ASoS yet, only halfway through ACoK, so I don't know what affect the Red Wedding will have on me. But Ned's death is the moment I dread the most, in the books and TV show.

[Greywolf2375]

Ned's beheading is the only time I had a verbal reaction to what happened; after that it is Dalbridge hanging back so his brothers can have a better chance at escape.

[Jamie Lannister]

"Say her name! You raped her, you murdered her, you killed her children. Say her name!"

Heh, this.

Honourable mention to Maester Luwin, and Cersei's desperate plea to Jaime in AFFC. His reaction was priceless.

[Yellow Dog]

Shae testifying against Tyrion.

Literally could not read it through - had to scan it, trying to avoid the horrible parts. After that, Shae's death was nothing.

[littlespider]

One bigger moment, one little:

--Sansa trying to smile for Joffrey through her bleeding split lip and her tears at the end of GoT. It was just so pathetic to me; she's trying to be a good girl despite this horrific abuse

--This was even more moving: towards the end of GoT, the Night's Watch group comes across a dead man in the river while traveling north (I think in the final Arya chapter). They search him and find in one of his pockets a little lock of blond hair tied with a ribbon. This anonymous dead man and that lock of hair (his wife's? his daughter's?) really got to me. There will never be any resolution for those two, whoever they are/were. It's also one of the first moments we see the devastating impact of the war on all the lesser folk.

[Yellow Dog]

Sam slaying the Other. Name ONE Ranger who can say the same.

Sam getting Jon Snow elected Commander - that was genius manipulation worthy of Tyrion.

Jon Snow killing Halfhand - reminded me too much of the combat veterans telling about the comrades who sacrificed themselves to save the rest.

[Yellow Dog]

Also, "In the dark, I am the Knight of Flowers" Just so fucking vunerable, and sad, and gracious, and terrible. Just find his beauty, Sansa. It's there.

"Never?" Broke my heart.

Broke my heart, too, but all for Tyrion. That scene on top of so many others proving what a shallow, self-absorbed, narcissistic little bitch Sansa is. At 13 and menstruating, she's a woman in the context of the book and that behavior was inexcusable.

[Ten Steps]

From what I've read so far (Storm of Swords)

Jaime and Tyrion meeting at the dungeons, Shae's testifying against Tyrion, Ned's beheading, Ygritte and Jon Snow, Anytime Sandor Clegane shows his soft side and his fear of Fire. And the Red Wedding especially the Red Wedding, I saw this coming I allowed myself to be spoiled a little bit but only to the point of knowing Robb's demise I didn't think he'd end that way he didn't even get his own chapter I know Rickon doesn't have his own chapter either but at least Rickon still has a shot of being a POV character from what I've read.

But for me it all comes down to sibling friendship (Tyrion and Jaime) and sibling rivalry (Sandor and Gregor) it's something I can relate to better than the other problems going on.

[A Song of Hound and Wolves]

Sansa: because she was trying to forget herself and play like a young child, and then she realizes the snow castle she's building is Winterfell. And also because growing up she longed for the south and for courtly life, but what she wants most now is the North.

EDIT: Found the quote! :D

-tears stream liberally down face-

I never realized the poetry in Sansa's snowcastle before, especially about her changing perspective. thanks. Also, I cried at your quote, too!

[Sword of the North]

Broke my heart, too, but all for Tyrion. That scene on top of so many others proving what a shallow, self-absorbed, narcissistic little bitch Sansa is. At 13 and menstruating, she's a woman in the context of the book and that behavior was inexcusable.

He's a Lannister, the family that killed her dad, ravaged her mother's home, fought against her brother, and lost her sister. Also killed mostly everyone who came with her to KL. He could have "took it," but I highly doubt she'll just "give it up" to any lion. I wish she did show more gratitude or thanks to Tyrion for being someone who was actually nice to her.

When Sam earned the nickname "The Slayer," only because it made me angry. He had to wait till Small Paul died to be able to move? Without paul, he would have been dead a while ago, but no, just watch as the only dude who helped you dies. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but that part just pisses me off.

[Glyndwr]

The few pages when I though Bran & Rickon were dead.......I was gutted !!!

I just found Robert such a tragic character , A warrior who won a crown through grief of his lost love & then didnt know what to do with it. I bloody liked Robert !!!!

[Hopeless]

Broke my heart, too, but all for Tyrion. That scene on top of so many others proving what a shallow, self-absorbed, narcissistic little bitch Sansa is. At 13 and menstruating, she's a woman in the context of the book and that behavior was inexcusable.

Let's see -- a man is married to someone who is willing to have sex with him but doesn't actually want to and won't say that she will ever want to. A 13 year old girl has been forced to marry a much older man she barely knows from a family that has done awful things to her own family and knows she must have sex with him if he wants, and is prepared to, but is not willing to act like she really wants it. And you feel heart-broken for the man, and hate for the girl? You think this is sad and traumatic for him, and shallow and narcissistic of her? It's not even comparable. It's not like he is even forced to abstain, he has a whore on the side already. A whore who, by the way, has been pretending all along that she desires him. And his big tragedy here is that Sansa won't pretend to want him?

She was willing to have sex. That was, I suppose, her duty in those times. She wasn't making him physically force her. She just indicated that she might not ever actually want to. And, even though she had flowered, she was still very young. Tyrion himself said, when he saw her, that she was just a child. Menstruation comes quite early in physical development -- a girl who has just flowered is still physically quite undeveloped as a woman. It apparently wasn't considered abhorrent to have sex with such a young girl, but most decent men waited.

I like Tyrion, by the way. He was blameless in that situation and I gained respect for him. I even felt a bit sorry for him, because he wants someone to love him. But Sansa did nothing wrong, and was in a far more pitiful situation than Tyrion was.

[Browncoat]

Arya getting Needle back in ASOS, by far. She has had a rough couple of years in these books, so that small moment of victory was something about which I was extremely happy.

Well, okay, Shae's testimony against Tyrion in the same book made me pretty damn angry, too.

[irishtemper]

Joffs wedding plus Tyrion strangling that bitch

I was so furious and sad after the red wedding

[Mr Crannogman]

many parts to the red wedding:

the smalljon fighting and dying

Wendall Manderly getting shot in the throat

Dacey Mormont fighting and dying

Robb trying to flee then dying

finding out about Grey Wind's struggle and death was heartbreaking

Davos on the Blackwater realizing his sons were dead

Sansa building her snow castle for some reason was powerful

Arya and the Hound fighting together in the inn

Ned's beheading of course, and Arya noticing that Ilyn has Ice was tough

lots of stuff in the new book but i don't think I'm supposed to talk about that here

[Raduloket]

There were so many moments for me. I cried so hard when little Rickon said his dream meant that Ned was coming home.

When Jaime confessed his secret to Tyrion in ASoS, I was stunned. When it looked like Brienne had been abandoned to Vago Hoat, I cursed him out loud and cheered when he went back for what he forgot. Same when he threw a certain letter on the fire.

When a certain prince got beaten severely for a kitten incident, I loved his father in the books as I never did before.

Luwin, Mormont, and Aemon especially, all incredibly emotional for me. When the crow told Sam, "Go, go, go," goosebumps.

The series is packed with emotional moments, but those are the ones I remember most.

[Auska]

I don't have anything new to add, just that I felt punched in the stomach by all the circumstances at & surrounding the Red Wedding: I really felt for the soldiers who died outside the castle—burned alive under flaming canvas! DAMN those Freys!

This, as an example of collateral damage. Like those rare moments in life when you realize all the individual lives going on around you.

[Tyrion's Wench]

Wow. This thread is making me cry.

• 
  
• Ned's death - I cried for weeks
  
• The Red Wedding - devistating
  
• Bran's fall (getting pushed by Jaime) - gut clenchingly awful
  
• Jaime losing his hand - I had phantom hand pains
  
• Biter biting Brienne - clutched my face and moaned for a while
  
• Jaime telling Tyrion the truth (Tysha was true to Tyrion) about his lie (Tysha wasn't really a whore) and Tyrion telling Jaime one truth (Cersei is unfaithful) and one lie (Joffrey) in repayment. I cried a while.
  
• The moment when Brienne checks her face in the mirror to make sure she's still ugly - it's the flashback when all the guys are playing that game to see who'll get her maidenhead. My hurt hurt so badly for her.
  
• Tyrion's confession - I confess that I was born a dwarf - Again... heart hurts.
  
• Drogo's wound festering - lots of tears.
  
• Dany's dragon burning off some guy's face and the ensuing free the slaves war. Oh that was glorious! Yay!
  
• Tyrion leading the charge into battle. WOW!
  
• Jaime and Brienne swordfighting
  
• The mountain's death - made me so very very happy
  
• Jaime asking Brienne to carry his honor and then writing in the white book - very profound
  
  

I'm sure there are many more.

Sansa building the castle in the snow was a lovely moment.

Jon giving Arya the sword.