Sam gives a funerary service for Maester Aemon aboard the Cinnamon Wind somewhere off the coast of Dorne. Gilly is there, as is the crew, inclding the captain, Quhuru Mo, his daughter, Kojja, who translates Sam's words, and the mate, Xhondo. Sam breaks down at the end of his speech, and a cask of rum is brought out so the crew may celebrate the recently departed. For a while, it had seemed Aemon may recover. When Sam had returned to their room in Braavos with what Xhondo told him about the dragons, Maester Aemon returned to his old self for a time. He said that the prophecies had mislead them all. They were looking for a prince, but as Barth had reasoned long ago, dragons are neither male nor female, so the gender is unimportant. Aemon always believed Rhaegar was the one, with the smoke of the prophecy being the fire that devoured Summerhall and the salt representing the tears for those lost. Rhaegar agreed with him at first, but later thought it must be his son Aegon, as a comet was seen above King's Landing the night Aegon was conceived, and haegar was certain that the bleeding star had to be a comet. The dragons prove that it must be Daenerys.

Aemon was so determined to reach Daenerys that he actually walked onto the deck of the Cinnamon Wind under his own strength. Passage had cost them nearly everything they had left. Sam gave his sword to Xhondo as restitution for his ruined cloak, and the old books bound for the Citadel served as payment for their passage. Quhuru means to still give them to the Citadel, but for a price. He had also wanted Aemon's chain, but he was finally convinced to leave it be. All Sam has left are his clothes, boots, and the broken horn Jon found near the Fist of the First Men. When the ship reached Pentos, Maester Aemon was still strong and came up on deck to have Sam describe the city to him, but by the time they reached Tyrosh, his wtis and strength were failing again. He began to implore Sam to make teh maesters understand the great danger that is coming from the North and to tell them of Daenerys. Melisandre has misread the signs. He had hoped it could be Stannis, as his father's mother was Aegon V's daughter, Rhaelle, but the Lightbringer Stannis carries is a sure forgery. He tells Sam they must send Daenerys a maester so she can be counseled and protected. He becomes delerious soon after and begins to rave more and more. He speaks of dreams, but never names the dreamer,¹ of a glass candle that cannot be lit,² and of eggs that would not hatch³ He also says that the sphinx was the riddle, not the riddler, and asks Sam to read him passages from the writings of Septon Barth, whose works had been ordered burned by Baelor I. One day, he wakes up weeping, saying that the dragon must have three heads but he is too weak. By the time they reached the Stepstones, Aemon would rarely remember Sam's name.

Sam laments to Gilly that Aemon might have lived another ten years on the Wall, but Gilly points out that Melisandre would have burned him. Gilly wants to name the baby Maester when he is two, but Sam says that is not a name and he should be called Aemon. Gilly agrees. Sam asks where the baby is, and Gilly says Kojja has her. The baby has become the darling of the female crew members, and Gilly has grown to trust and admire Kojja. The rum lowers Gilly's inhibitions, and she tells Sam she likes him. They both grow drunk on the rum, go below decks, and have sex. Sam wakes up the next morning with a hangover to the sound of Xhondo exhorting him to work; the books had not been enough to pay the whole passage, so Sam and Gilly have been working for their passage. He avoids Gilly all day, ashamed of breaking his vow. In the end, Xhondo corners him and brings him to Kojja. She tells Sam that he can go to Gilly or walk to Oldtown. He protests that he took a vow, and Kojja tells him that Gilyl knows this. She has lost everything she has known, and only wants Sam for a little while. Sam does go to her then and tells her they cannot be together. Gilly tells him that the trees watch over them, but right now, they are surrounded only by water.