Lord Eddard questions Grand Maester Pycelle on the death of Jon Arryn. It is extremely hot, causing Pycelle to comment that the smallfolk claim the last year of summer is always the hottest. He goes on to say that King Maekar's summer was even hotter and had even some in the Citadel claiming that the Great Summer, the summer that never ends, had come at last, but it broke in the seventh year and was followed by a long, harsh winter. Jon had come to Pycelle asking after a certain book one day, and the very next day, he had a terrible stomach illness. His Maester, Colemon, was purging his stomach, and Pycelle sent him away because he feared it might kill Jon.¹ He often called out Robert's name in his final days, and his last words were "the seed is strong."² Eddard suggests he may have been poisoned, but Pycelle discounts it, saying that he has been Grand Maester for nearly forty years under Robert, Aerys II, Aerys's father Jaehaerys II, and even Jaehaerys's father Aegon V and did not think Jon's illness was suspicious. Eddard mentions Lady Lysa's accusations that poison was the culprit, but Pycelle counters that while poisonings are common in the Free Cities, the poisoner has always been held in contempt in the Seven Kingdoms as recroded by Grand Maester Aethelmure. When Eddard mentions that poison is a woman's weapon, Pycelle counters that it is also the weapon of eunuchs and warns Eddard not to trust Varys. Eddard prepares to take his leave and asks Pycelle to send him the book Jon was reading, a book of geneologies written by Grand Maester Malleon. Eddard asks if Cersei was with Jon when he died, and Pycelle reports that she and her children were journeying to Casterly Rock when it happened, escorting Lord Tywin who had come to the city to see the tournament held on Joffrey's nameday.

On the way back to his chambers, Eddard sees Arya practicing balancing, and they talk about Bran, whom they have just learned has woken up. Arya asks if he can still be a knight, and Eddard tells her that he cannot but may still be a great lord and councillor. Arya asks if she can raise castles and be a councillor too and is disappointed with Eddard's answer that she cannot. Eddard returns to his rooms, and Alyn comes to inform him that Lord Petyr requests an audience. He has been doing his own investigating and discovered that four members of Jon's household remained after Lysa fled to the Eyrie, a pregnant kitchen girl, a stablehand who joined the City Watch, a potboy discharged for theft, and Jon's squire, Ser Hugh of the Vale, who was knighted by the king after Jon's death. Eddard says he will call on the squire, and Petyr shows him two spies, one from Varys and one from Cersei, that keep him under watch. He tells Eddard he should send a man he trusts instead. Eddard tells Petyr he was wrong not to trust him, but Petyr rejoins that not trusting him was one of the few smart things he has done since coming to King's Landing.