content: 
  ====The North====
  In the North, Roose Bolton has assumed authority after conspiring with House Frey to overthrow the Stark family, the North's longtime overlords; meanwhile, much of the region is occupied by the Ironborn. Stannis wins the support of the northern lords and hill clans by pledging support for the Starks and fighting off the Ironborn; while doing so, he captures Asha Greyjoy, Victarion's niece. He marches his forces toward Winterfell to attack the Boltons, but his army becomes snowbound and cannot advance.
  Stannis's advisor Davos Seaworth is sent to win the support of the wealthy lord Wyman Manderly, who pretends to execute Davos to curry favor with the Lannister regime that controls the Iron Throne. In a secret meeting, Davos is told the Manderlys and other Northern vassals intend to feign submission to the Boltons and Lannisters while plotting revenge for Robb Stark's death. Revealing to Davos that young Rickon Stark is in hiding on the remote island of Skagos, Manderly pledges to support Stannis if Davos can retrieve Rickon and unite the Starks' supporters around him.
  Theon Greyjoy is a prisoner of the Boltons, mutilated and driven nearly insane by torture at the hands of Roose's sadistic son Ramsay, who renames him "Reek". To cement his rule over the North, Roose Bolton has Ramsay apparently married to Arya Stark; his bride is actually Jeyne Poole, a friend of Arya's sister Sansa forced to impersonate Arya. Ramsay abuses Jeyne physically and sexually. Mance Rayder arrives at Winterfell in disguise and enlists Theon to help him free the false Arya. Mance and his spearwives are left behind while Theon and Jeyne escape, leaping from the castle wall into the snow to be captured by Stannis's forces.