The Winds of Wintermay be revisitingA Song of Ice and Fire’s most shocking moment, with a vengeful spin on the Red Wedding. Over two decades after it happened in the books, more than a decade since it took place in the show, and even after the controversial twists inGame of Thrones' ending, the Red Wedding remains the defining, most jaw-dropping moment of both the novels and the TV series.
It makes sense, then, thatthe Red Wedding’s deathswould continue to linger throughThe Winds of Winter. The biggest reason for that isCatelyn Stark being resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, a character who was cut fromGame of Thrones. The show dramatically reduced the post-Red Wedding politics and scheming that happens in the riverlands, with a simplified version of Jaime Lannister’s arc there. In the next book, though, George R.R. Martin could be bringing things to a head.
Lady Stoneheart Is Taking Revenge On The Freys & Lannisters
Vengeance Is A Big Part Of Catelyn Stark’s Arc Now
Catelyn’s return inA Storm of Swords' epilogue is another ofA Song of Ice and Fire’s biggest twists, but one there’s not been too much payoff to yet. Martin has gradually built up her role, but for the most part it’s been centered around one clear goal: revenge. As Lem notes, when the character first appears,“She can’t speak… but she remembers.“This is a version of Cat who is, for now, entirely fueled, even consumed, by vengeanceon the Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters.
“She wants to feed the crows, like they did at the Red Wedding. Freys and Boltons, aye. We’ll give her those, as many as she likes. All she asks from you is Jaime Lannister.” - A Feast for Crows.
Catelyn has been leading the brotherhood without banners through the riverlands, hanging those involved in the Red Weddingthat they’ve been able to find. But it’s not enough, and certainly not yet close to inflicting the same level of punishment and cruelty that was done to the Starks and their supporters. For that, it would need somewhere for a large number of them to gather in one place. Like, perhaps, a wedding.
The Winds Of Winter Will Likely Have A Frey/Lannister Wedding
The Books Have Clearly Set It Up
Marriages are not uncommon in Martin’s books, even if they are often big events, and so it’s no surprise there will be at least one inThe Winds of Winter. Back in 2014, he toldEntertainment Weekly:
“We have more deaths, and we have more betrayals.We have more marriages.”
All of those can and should be expected on an individual level. But it’s even more interesting to consider a string of them together: death, betrayal, and a marriage wrapped up in one story. It’s what the Red Wedding was, after all, and there are signs we’re headed towards another one, only this time it’s the Freys and Lannisters on the receiving end.
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At the center of this is Daven Lannister, who never appeared inGame of Thrones. The cousin of Jaime, Cersei, and Tyrion, he’s a formidable man who is named Warden of the West by Cersei inA Feast for Crows, and lays siege to Riverrun before the arrival of Jaime, who takes over and successfully secures the castle. Daven, most notably, is marrying a Frey girl (which one, specifically, is TBC), something Martin draws attention to a couple of times, and very specifically calls back to the Red Wedding when doing so:
“I hope you do not intend to take vows as well, coz,” [Jaime] said to Daven. “The Freys are prickly where marriage contracts are concerned. I would hate to disappoint them again.”
Ser Daven snorted. “I’ll wed and bed my stoat, never fear.I know what happened to Robb Stark.”
With the wedding basically guaranteed to happen, it sets the stage for a large gathering of Freys and Lannisters (the Boltons, largely in the North, may have to wait) somewhere in the Riverlands. With the Freys now holding Riverrun, and Lannisters also gathered there, that itself is a likely choice for where the nuptials will take place. And it’ll mean even more converging upon it, including Walder Frey, the architect of the Red Wedding, given he considers it a great slight to miss a wedding.
How The Red Wedding 2 Could Happen In The Winds Of Winter
There’s Setup For It To Take Place At Riverrun
There are a lot of different pieces in Martin’s books, far more thanGame of Thronescould’ve adapted even if it’d wanted to, but the crux of this particular story is quite clear:
It’s certainly not a stretch to put those two together and see where it’s headed, and of the myriadtheories aboutThe Winds of Winter, I think this is one of the most likely to happen in some fashion. The clincher for it is Tom of Sevenstreams, aka Tom o’Sevens, a singer and a member of the brotherhood without banners. Because, while he is loyal to the brotherhood’s cause, he has actually managed to infiltrate Riverrun under the guise of being a musician for the Freys, something he’s still doing heading into the next bok.
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In what could be a foreshadowing of his role, Tom even plays and sings “The Rains of Castamere,” aka the Red Wedding song, at various points in the books, including at Riverrun. If that is where the wedding is happening, thenit gives the brotherhood and Lady Stoneheart a man on the inside, who can not only pass them information (and may have others alongside him), but also enable their entry too.
During the siege of Riverrun,Brynden “the Blackfish” Tully escaped through the Water Gate, and that could be a means of setting it up as an important wayinto the castle. With Tom inside, this could be how the brotherhood sneak into the wedding and take their bloody revenge, killing those inside.
This could even include Walder Frey: while he was slain by Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, there’s a fair chance that Lady Stoneheart kills the late Lord Frey here.
This could even include Walder Frey: while he was slain by Arya Stark inGame of Thrones, there’s a fair chance that Lady Stoneheart kills the late Lord Frey here. Her arc is more clearly defined by vengeance upon the Freys than Arya’s is at this point, and her doing it feels even more fitting.It would be the perfect reversal of the Red Wedding, and a brilliant payoff to Catelyn’s resurrection.
What Will Jaime Lannister’s Role Be In The Red Wedding 2?
Is He Going To Betray The Lannisters?
One of the biggest questions aboutThe Winds of Winteris whetherBrienne of Tarth will betray Jaime for Lady Stoneheart, and if so, how that’s going to play out. I think it’s likely we’re heading towards some kind of confrontation between Jaime and Lady Stoneheart. It’s too big and well-established to not happen, but I also find it hard to think Jaime’s story will end with her. There’s too much that needs to happen to him, and his story needs to end with Cersei.
Could Jaime make a deal with Lady Stoneheart, wherein he gets to live by betraying the Lannisters and helping her carry out the Red Wedding 2?
Could Jaime make a deal with Lady Stoneheart, wherein he gets to live by betraying the Lannisters and helping her carry out the Red Wedding 2? It’s plausible, but not a perfect fit. It would require Jaime making a big sacrifice of his family; he’s not entirely above that, but I don’t know if it’s something he’d do here. More than that, though, is if it is happening at Riverrun, thenthere’s no real need for Jaime’s involvement, because of Tom o’Sevens.
“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late. Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time. But that’s still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!"-George R.R. Martin’s update onThe Winds of Winterfrom December 2024.
There may be a scenario where Lady Stoneheart is convinced to see reason, perhaps by Brienne. Or there’s a trial by combat - again, maybe with Brienne as Jaime’s champion - that wins him his freedom. Otherwise, they might find another way to escape. However it happens, I think that Jaime will have escaped or been freed from Lady Stoneheart, and won’t be directly involved in the second Red Wedding inThe Winds of Winter- though he could still send his regards.
The Winds of Winter
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is a multimedia franchise created by George R.R. Martin. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the basis for the award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones, which lasted for eight seasons. After the incredibly divisive final season of Game of Thrones, the series was followed up by the prequel series House of the Dragon, which also received critical acclaim.
