Jaime Lannister
Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, appears in A Dance with Dragons as a commander in the riverlands, tasked with ending the last remnants of the Young Wolf's rebellion. His arc is defined by the practical exercise of power, the weight of his family's legacy, and the personal cost of his severed sword hand, which has fundamentally altered his identity as a knight.
Role in the Riverlands Campaign
Jaime leads a column to Raventree Hall, the seat of House Blackwood, which has been under siege by Lord Jonos Bracken. He arrives to find the siege a desultory affair, with Bracken more interested in rutting with a camp follower than in pressing the attack. Jaime's entrance is characteristically blunt: he pushes aside the tent flap and finds Bracken in the act, then coolly negotiates the castle's surrender. He offers Lord Tytos Blackwood the standard terms—confession, fealty, a pardon, and a hostage—and accepts the lord's son Hoster as a guarantee of good behavior. Jaime also forces Bracken to send one of his own daughters to court as a hostage, balancing the demands of both sides. The negotiation reveals Jaime's pragmatic, if cynical, approach to war: he understands that peace requires not just victory but the careful management of resentments.
Encounters and Revelations
During the campaign, Jaime encounters Brienne of Tarth, who has been searching for Sansa Stark. She appears at Pennytree, wounded and bearing a message that the Hound will kill the girl unless Jaime comes alone. This encounter reopens old wounds and unresolved loyalties, as Brienne had been entrusted with a quest by Jaime himself. He also learns of Cersei's imprisonment and her desperate plea for his return, a letter he burns rather than answers. His refusal to rush to her side marks a decisive break from their symbiotic relationship, though he remains haunted by her fate. The news of Tywin Lannister's death at Tyrion's hands further destabilizes his sense of family and duty.
Thematic Significance
Jaime's arc in this volume is one of diminished agency and moral reckoning. His missing hand is a constant physical reminder of his lost prowess and the fragility of his identity as a knight. He is no longer the invincible swordsman but a commander who must rely on words and wits rather than steel. His interactions with the Blackwood boy Hoster reveal a capacity for reflection on the futility of ancient feuds, as when he muses that "dead men don't claim vengeance"—only to be reminded that their sons do. The encounter with Brienne, and his decision to follow her into the unknown, suggests a lingering desire for redemption, even as the political landscape around him crumbles. Jaime remains a figure caught between his sister's destructive love and his own flickering sense of honor, a man who has killed a king but cannot save the people he cares about.
