“You should have taken the realm for yourself. It was there for the taking. Jaime told me how you found him on the Iron Throne the day King's Landing fell, and made him yield it up. That was your moment. All you needed to do was climb those steps, and sit. Such a sad mistake.”
–George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
In the aftermath of the Tourney for the Hand, Eddard Stark searches for answers to the questions posed by Jon Arryn’s death. Across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys Targaryen rides across the Dothraki sea to Vaes Dothrak with a massive khalasar and her husband, Khal Drogo. The Great Houses stir restlessly across Westeros, watching and plotting their own bids for power. From the sands of Dorne to the icy forests beyond the Wall, tension grows with every passing day.