The Kingsroad

"The Kingsroad" is the second episode of the first season of Game of Thrones. It is the second episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 24, 2011. It was written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and directed by Tim Van Patten.

Plot
Bran's fate remains in doubt. Having agreed to become the King's Hand, Ned leaves the North with daughters Sansa and Arya, while Catelyn stays behind to tend to Bran. Jon Snow heads north to join the brotherhood of the Night's Watch. Tyrion decides to forgo the trip south with his family, instead joining Jon in the entourage heading to the Wall. Viserys bides his time in hopes of winning back the throne, while Dany focuses her attention on learninghow to please her new husband, Drogo.

In the Dothraki Sea
The Dothraki khalasar led by Khal Drogo have departed Pentos and are heading east. They travel away from the Free Cities and into the Dothraki sea, the long-grassed plains that the Dothraki call home. Viserys Targaryenaccompanies the khalasar, meaning to stay with Drogo until he fulfills his end of the bargain and provides him with an army with which to invade Westeros, despite Ser Jorah Mormont's suggestion. He tells Viserys that he offended his liege lord, Eddard Stark, by selling poachers into slavery. When he received word that Eddard meant to execute him for the crime (slavery has been illegal in Westeros for centuries), he fled to Essos. Viserys laughs at the notion, saying such trivialities would not be punished under his reign. Daenerys is finding adapting to her new role as khaleesi to be a huge challenge. Only Mormont offers her some solace, telling her it will become easier. Daenerys is however fearful of her new husband and it is revealed that their first sexual encounter has left her slightly injured.

One evening, Drogo spends time drinking with his warriors before going into his tent to pay a visit to Daenerys. He violently takes her from behind, and she is visibly uncomfortable, only finding solace in her gift from Illyrio. Later, an increasingly curious Dany asks her handmaidens if they have ever heard of dragons surviving in the east. They reply no, but Doreah, a former pleasure-girl from Lys, tells her an old story about how there used to be two moons in the sky. One wandered too close to the sun and cracked like an egg, spilling out thousands of dragons into the world. Dany's Dothraki handmaidens Irri and Jhiqui dismiss the story, saying that the moon is a goddess, wife to the sun.

Daenerys seeks the advice of her handmaid Doreah, who instructs Daenerys on how to please Drogo in bed but also how to use her skills to gain respect from him. Doreah tells Daenerys, "You are no slave," and that Daenerys should not have sex like one. Daenerys nervously puts these plans into action and is surprised to find Drogo responsive, particularly once she starts using her body in combination with the Dothraki language to speak to him.

In the North
In Winterfell, Bran Stark lies unconscious and badly wounded, his mother by his side. Tyrion Lannister insists to his nephew Joffrey that Joffrey pay his respects to Lord and Lady Stark, since his absence has been noted. When Joffrey refuses, saying the boy means nothing to him, Tyrion slaps Joffrey three times until he accepts his uncle's suggestion. Tyrion then breakfasts with his other family members, informing them of his decision to journey north to see the Wall before returning to King's Landing. He also tells them that Bran is expected to live and notes Cersei and Jaime's guarded reactions.

Cersei visits Catelyn Stark, who is sitting by her son's side, and tells her that her first child, a beautiful, black-haired boy, died of a fever. She and Robert were grief-stricken and her prayers and tears were for naught. She offers to pray for Bran's survival, hoping that this time the gods will listen.

Jon Snow has Winterfell's blacksmith, Mikken, forge a light sword for his sister, Arya. Arya is excited by the gift and names it Needle. Jon also gives her advice on how to best use the weapon: "Stick them with the pointy end." Jon urges Arya to practice every chance she gets and they hug. Jon then visits his still-comatose Bran to say his farewells and kisses his forehead, before departing at his stepmother's cold request. Eddard then says his goodbyes to his son and to a grieved Catelyn, who is angered at his departure while Bran remains ill. Outside, Robb and Jon hug each other before they depart, hoping to see each other soon.

The parties depart Winterfell: Jon, Tyrion and Benjen Stark to the Wall; and Eddard, Arya, Sansa and the royal party south to King's Landing. At their parting, Eddard tells Jon, "You are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned also promises Jon to tell him about his mother the next time they see one another.

Days later, on the Kingsroad south to the capital, King Robert Baratheon calls a halt to discuss with Eddard some dire news that has just arrived. Robert's spies have learned of Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Khal Drogo, whose khalasar is reported to number over one hundred thousand warriors. Eddard points out that the Dothraki cannot cross the Narrow Sea, as they have no ships, but Robert is concerned that the Seven Kingdoms will soon face another war. A curious Robert asks Eddard about Wylla, the mother of his bastard son, but Eddard refuses to enlighten him. Robert reminds him that at that time, they were in the middle of a war and no one knew if they would ever return to their families.

In Winterfell, Catelyn's refusal to leave Bran's side is starting to cause problems for the smooth running of the castle. Robb offers to work with Maester Luwin to put the castle to rights. There is then a fire in part of the castle, but this proves to be a distraction to allow an assassin to attempt to finish off Bran. Catelyn holds the assassin off long enough for Bran's direwolf to enter the chamber and tear out the assassin's throat.

Traveling north, Jon and Tyrion talk, and Tyrion reveals that he reads books to sharpen his mind, his greatest asset and weapon. As it travels north, the party is joined by several, new recruits — rapists who chose to "take the black," rather than face the knife. Tyrion tells Jon that the Night's Watch is not the noble institution it was once was, idealized with glorious knights defending the realm against the horrors lurking beyond the Wall, and says Jon is smarter than to believe the stories his wet-nurse told him about "grumpkins and snarks and other monsters".

In Winterfell, Catelyn goes to the tower from where Bran fell and finds a strand of blonde hair on the floor. She summons Robb, Theon, Luwin and the castle master at arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel and tells them that she suspects that the Lannisters tried to kill Bran because he might have seen something in the tower. Robb and Theon are all for making war, but Luwin schools them to caution. Catelyn decides that Ned must know the truth and resolves to travel south to King's Landing and meet him there. Ser Rodrik will escort Catelyn while Robb will remain in Winterfell to take charge of the castle in Catelyn's absence.

At the Wall
Jon's party crests a rise and sees the Wall before them. Benjen welcomes them, and Tyrion seems impressed by the Wall's sheer size.

At the Inn at the Crossroads
On the Kingsroad, the royal party reaches the Crossroads Inn, a noted waystop on the way south to the capital. Prince Joffrey's bodyguard, Sandor Clegane, also known as "the Hound," a man with half his face burned in a mysterious accident, introduces Sansa to Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman, a frightening-looking man who had his tongue torn out on the orders of the Mad King many years ago. Joffrey saves Sansa from this unpleasantness and takes her for a walk along the riverbank. They find Arya practicing her sword work with Mycah, the son of the party's butcher. Joffrey pretends to take offense at Mycah using a sword on the sister of his betrothed and starts to gleefully cut Mycah's face with his sword, but an outraged Arya hits him on the head with a stick. Joffrey quickly becomes violent and threatens Arya at sword point, but before he can hurt her, Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, attacks Joffrey, biting at his arm. Mycah runs off, and Arya throws Joffrey's sword in the river before running off herself. Sansa tries to help Joffrey, but he spitefully tells her to leave him alone and go for help.

Arya, knowing that Nymeria will be punished for injuring the prince, forces the direwolf to flee by throwing a rock at her. She is then taken before the King, who is angered that a minor fracas has become a major incident, with his wife and new Hand blaming one another's children. Joffrey offers a false account of the incident, and asks Sansa to confirm it. Put in an impossible position, Sansa refuses to contradict him, enraging Arya. The King decides to let Ned discipline Arya while he will do the same to Joffrey, but Cersei demands that the direwolf be executed. When Nymeria cannot be found, Cersei spitefully requests that Sansa's direwolf Lady be killed instead, and Robert acquiesces, upsetting Sansa and further angering Arya.

Furious, Eddard attends to the matter himself, passing the Hound arriving with Mycah's bloodied corpse. Eddard is shocked and disgusted, and when he asks if the Hound ran Mycah down, the Hound responds "He ran, but not very fast." Eddard kills Lady with a dagger, and hundreds of miles away, Bran awakens.

Main Cast

 * Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
 * Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark
 * Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
 * Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister
 * Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
 * Kit Harington as Jon Snow
 * Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
 * Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
 * Richard Madden as Robb Stark
 * Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
 * Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Brandon Stark
 * Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon
 * Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane
 * Peter Dinklage as Lord Tyrion Lannister
 * Emilia Clarke as Princess Daenerys Targaryen
 * Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont
 * Harry Lloyd as Prince Viserys Targaryen
 * Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo

Guest starring

 * Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin
 * Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel
 * Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel
 * Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark
 * Roxanne McKee as Doreah
 * Dar Salim as Qotho
 * Amrita Acharia as Irri
 * Esme Bianco as Ros
 * Susan Brown as Septa Mordane
 * Sarita Piotrowski as Jhiqui
 * Wilko Johnson as Ilyn Payne
 * Rhodri Hosking as Mycah
 * Luke McEwan as Rast
 * Lalor Roddy as the Catspaw assassin
 * Conor Delaney as a Lannister guardsman
 * Callum Wharry as Prince Tommen Baratheon
 * Aimee Richardson as Princess Myrcella Baratheon

Uncredited

 * Frédéric André as Knight
 * Phil Barnhill as Baratheon Guard
 * Boyd Rankin as Mikken
 * Robert Render as Northern Bannerman
 * Zunni as Lady
 * Frédéric André as Knight
 * Unknown as Preston Greenfield

Stunt Performers

 * Alexis Barron
 * Talila Helen Craig
 * Matt Da Silva
 * Razvan Gheorghiu
 * Paul Jennings
 * Derek Lea
 * Camilla Naprous
 * James O'Dee
 * Domonkos Pardanyi
 * Buster Reeves
 * Amie Stephenson
 * Gáspár Szabó

In the books

 * Main Article: Differences between books and TV series

The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Game of Thrones:
 * Chapter 9, Tyrion I.
 * Chapter 10, Jon II.
 * Chapter 12, Eddard II.
 * Chapter 13, Tyrion II.
 * Chapter 14, Catelyn III.
 * Chapter 15, Sansa I.
 * Chapter 16, Eddard III.
 * Chapter 17, Bran III.
 * Chapter 19, Jon III.
 * Chapter 23, Daenerys III.