Jaime is meeting with Cersei. She insults his beard, which contains some grey hairs, and tells him he is a pale, crippled thing. Jaime still wants her, but he cannot stop thinking about how Tyrion told him she is sleeping around. He says he will shave if she rescinds the order she has given him. She asks if he is a coward, and he replies that he had taken an oath to never again take up arms against Stark or Tully. Cersei is adamant about sending him to Riverrun to end the siege and dispense with Brynden Tully. She also needs him at Harrenhal, where Wylis is a captive and Gregor's men are not answering her ravens. Cersei informs him that Ser Osmund will command the Kingsguard in his absence. Jaime wants Loras, since Balon has been sent to Dorne, but Cersei will not hear of it. Jaime's escort awaits in the stables: forty knights roughly evenly split between westermen and former enemies. They include Ser Dermot, Ser Ronnet, Ser Kennos, Ser Ilyn and three squires to attend him, Josmyn Peckledon, Garrett Paege, and Lew Piper. They ride out the gates of the city, where the main host waits. Ser Addam commands the outriders, Ser Steffon Swyft has the baggage train, Ser Bonifer commands his Holy Hundred, and Ser Flement has two hundred heavy horse. There are also mounted archers provided by House Sarsfield and Maester Gulian with four cages of ravens. Overall, he has less than a thousand men. Jaime rides at the head of the column with Ser Ilyn, whom Jaimes senses is glad to be with them. He had been the King's Justice for fifteen years; his appointment was a wedding present from Robert to Lord Tywin and compensation to Ser Ilyn for his lost tongue. While Ser Ilyn was a fearsome presence in that role, he is illiterate and was therefore unsuited to running the dungeons, a job he left to the Chief Gaoler. While his tower had rooms for the Chief Gaoler and the Lord Confessor, Ilyn lived alone, as there had not been a Lord Confessor since the reign of Daeron II and the last Chief Gaoler, a cloth maker who purchased the office from Lord Petyr during Robert's reign, was part of the Antler Man conspiracy and was flung over the walls with the rest by Joffrey. Therefore, it was Rennifer who conducted Jaime to see the King's Justice. His chambers were filthy and crawling with vermin; only his sword was kept immaculate. Jaime asked him to accompany his army, and Ser Ilyn finally nodded just as Jaime was preparing to leave. The first night, the party camps outside the castle of House Hayford. Jaime, Ser Ilyn, Ser Addam, Ser Bonifer, Ser Ronnet, Ser Lyle and a dozen others sup at the castle with Lady Ermesande's castellan. Lady Ermesande herself is trotted out at one point, but has to be carried out when she begins squalling. Jaime wears his new golden hand to the feast, which occasions must comment until he knocks over his goblet and lets his temper get the better of him. The castellan asks after Lord Tyrek, but he is still missing. Jaime thinks he must be dead by now. That night, he rethinks the issue and is not so sure. He thinks that it would be relatively simple to grab Tyrek during the riot if one knew what was going to happen. he thinks of Varys and how he always claimed to know what is going on in the city. He provided no warning of the riot and did not join the royal party that day.¹ Jaime goes to get Ilyn and spars with him in the yard. Ilyn beats him handily, despite being rusty, but Jaime is determined to spar every night so he may learn to fight with his left hand.

The party continues on through the next several days, Jaime spending every night practicing with Ser Ilyn. Some of his captains must suspect what is going on, but they keep silent. Soon, it is possible to see the signs of war, burned crops and roads empty of travellers. They stop one night at the town of Sow's Horn, where Ser Roger Hogg is still encamped in his towerhouse with six men-at-arms, four crossbowmen, and twenty or so peasants. He tells of how Ser Amory came while he was harrying the Riverlands and killed half his sheep and tried to burn down the towerhouse. Later wolves killed the other half of the sheep. Karstark men also came looking for Jaime, but he killed three and drove the others off. Ser Roger asks what he should do, and the only answer Jaime can give him is to plant and hope for a harvest. The next day, they cross a stream that divides the Crownlands from the Riverlands and enter the territory of House Wode. Two brothers control the territory, but both their wooden halls are charred ruins and none of their smallfolk are about. One of the keeps holds a group of broken men, who Jaime hangs. They arrive at Harrenhal a few days later. The gates a barred, but open when Jaime announces the party's arrival. A few of Gregor's men file into the yard to greet them, including Shitmouth. Shitmouth greets him with surprise and many a curse and is obviously drunk. Jaime has trouble getting the commander of the garrison out of him until he takes a spear from Beardless Jon Bettley and threatens to shove it up his arse, as Shitmouth has been saying "fuck me with a bloody spear" repeatedly. Shitmouth finally informs him that Polliver was castellan until Sandor killed him. Jaime asks why they did not pursue the Hound, and Raff speaks up that they are bad, but not stupid enough to face the Hound. Jaime tells Raff to gather the garrison and the captives and to show him Vargo's head. Jaime asks what happened to the rest of them, and they tell him that his limbs were cut off and his body fed to their prisoner's and Vargo himself. Jaime, disgusted, orders Josmyn to take it away. He tells the garrison that Ser Bonifer is to hold Harrenhal for the crown until Petyr takes up his seat there. Any man who wants to stay with him can, and the rest will go with him to Riverrun. Jaime goes to the dungeons to inspect the prisoners. No Brave Companions are left and only three residents of the castle, the cook who let Gregor in, Ben Blackthumb, and Pia. The highborn prisoners have been mistreated as well, but there wounds are clean and they are alive. Their spirits have been broken, however, and when Jaime tells Ser Wylis he is being sent home, the man begins to sob on the floor in relief. Jaime sups with Ser Bonifer, a pious man fierce in his devotion to the Seven. He wants nothing to do with any of Gregor's men and wants Pia gone as well since she is a slut. Jaime agrees to take them with him. He asks if Bonifer will be able to hold his castle with just the Holy Hundred, who are actually only eighty-six strog due to fourteen losses on the Blackwater, and he is sure the Seven will help them hold. Maester Gulian is staying at Harrenhal as well. Jaime takes his leave after giving some final orders and goes to find Ser Ilyn for practice. He is surprised to find Ser Ronnet in the bearpit and goes to him. He is there to see the pit where Brienne fought. He explains how he was betrothed to her and rejected her and makes mock of her as well, calling her a freak. Jaime slaps him with his golden hand and makes him say her name.