Law of the Sword

Opening in A Game of Thrones with Ned's military situation in King's Landing and lightly before that with Robb's military situation in the riverlands, this dynamic theme picks up and develops early in A Clash of Kings and is a theme specific to that book . Before it comes to swords, strength is calculated.

74 ACOK 1 Prologue: "It was said that Stannis knew the strength of every house in the Seven Kingdoms" 18. The ability to calculate strength is basic to any fight. Only a fool engages where he will be hurt and lose. Stannis despairs because he must (dutifully?) forward a claim he can't back, having insufficient swords.

75 ACOK 2 Arya I: Those who overhear the orphan boys know Lommy is egging Hot Pie on to try Arya, the smallest. Gendry intervenes, saying "Leave him be," but Lommy ignores that and changes tactics. Now, it seems it won't get physical. Arya even generously offers her valuable practice sword to Hot Pie. But when he insults it as "just some stick," Arya whacks his mule with it, dumping Hot Pie on the ground. Based on the normal calculations about each participant's strength and the emotional tone, no one expected Arya to dismount and beat Hot Pie bloody. Yoren has to then beat her to keep men from taking notice and also realizing she's a girl. Men won't look hard at an exchange of taunts, but when it comes to swords, men consider intervening.

76 ACOK 3 Sansa I: The Hound's reason for not riding in the "tournament of gnats" is that there is no competition. Where Arys Oakheart says he'll win it, The Hound sees Cersei's hostages and knows this to be a smackdown. The same way he manages not to be ordered by Joffrey to strike Sansa, the Hound refuses to act as the Lannister-backed monster he used to.

77 ACOK 4 Tyrion I: Tyrion's first test as acting Hand is to enter the council chamber. Thopugh he has a document from Tywin, he shouldn't open it for the guard. Tyrion points out to Ser Mandon that it could come to blows, but waits patiently. While there seems no clue to Mandon's reasoning, he does step aside.

78 ACOK 5 Bran I: The Frey game Lord of the Crossing pretends to be about haggling but is really all brute force. Rickon wins and ends the game being played at all when Shaggy abetts him. The theme of Group Effort ios opening. Though it might seem fair to vote with counts of swords, the semblance of equality vanishes when overpowering forces are introduced. Bran thinks he'd find his sisters and kill Robb's enemies if he were a direwolf.

79 ACOK 6 Arya II: The travelers on the kingroad touched their weapons "and gave lingering looks at the wagons as they rolled by, yet in the end they let the column pass. Thirty was too many, no matter what they had in those wagons." 82 Reysen barters with the gold cloaks to join them in exchange for no longer being sent to the Wall. 89 Yoren points out the law "The goldcloak drew a shortsword 'Here's your law.'" 90 Yoren points out he has one too. The men for The Watch unite behind the principle of their individual rights.

81 ACOK 8 Catelyn I: Tywins raiders trick the river lords into dispersing their strength.

82 ACOK 9 Tyrion II: Varys's Riddle of the Sellsword. "All depends on the man with the sword." "And yet he is no one...yet if it is the swordsmen who rule us in truth, why do we pretend our kings hold the power? Why should a strong man with a sword ever obey a child king like Joffrey or a wine-sodden oaf like his father?" 131

83 ACOK 10 Arya III: Yoren decides to avoid a group of 20-30 armed men in mail bearing a tree-cat sigil. Numbers are only one aspect of that calculation. The new idea of groups of bad men is introduced, Broken Man. Yoren's group are viewed as potential thieves and brigands, which some are but none act as under Yoren's deal.

84 ACOK 11 Davos I: Davos tries to explain to Salladhor Saan that King's Landing is suicide. It can't be held. Tywin will return. Renly is on the rose road. It's a calculation about both who can win and what the fight is over. Who gains and at what risk. Since Stannis means to site the iron throne, he can't attack the city in its weakened state until he has the numbers to hold and control in a lasting way. He must see it as a war, not a single battle.

85 ACOK 12 Theon I: Balon wants to be a pirate. Under Robert, he'd have to do it somewhere other than Westeros.

90 ACOK 17 Bran II: News Ramsay Snow is amassing an army at the Dreadfort is worrying. What does he intend? It's a threat when swords gather.

96 ACOK 23 Catelyn II: Renly shows Catelyn his numbers and offers allegiance.

97 ACOK 24 Jon III: Mormont reminds Jon that Craster's wives would have killed him long ago, were that truly to their benefit. They have the numbers.

95 ACOK 22 Bran III: Ned told Bran he only survived fighting Ser Arthur Dayne because of the aid of Howland Reed.

97 ACOK 24 Jon III: Mormont explains to Jon that if Craster's wives want him dead, it's nineteen to one and they can kill him while he sleeps.

105 ACOK 32 Catelyn III: Renly cites his numbers as the reason he will not cave to Stannis's late birthright claim.

113 ACOK 40 Catelyn V: Utherydes wayne thinks Stannis must approach Robb to make common cause, since his allegations of Lannister twincest will have provoked Tywin.

115 ACOK 42 Tyrion IX: The Bread Riot turns ugly and the nobles are vulnerable. The crowd vastly outnumber the guards.

116 ACOK 43 Davos II: Ser Cortnay Penrose has offered single combat for Storm's End as a way of conceding Stannis has the numbers but also that there would be much loss of life and limb were the disagreement to come to blows. However, Stannis still sees this as more of a gamble than he needs to resort to.

117 ACOK 44 Jon V: Thoren Smallwood would have Mormont's few hundred cut through Mance's ten thousand, incentivizing Night's Watch men to join Chett's mutineers.

118 ACOK 45 Tyrion X: Tommen's escort to Rosby must be insufficient to protect him in order to disguise him. Many swords gathered get noticed.

120 ACOK 47 Bran VI: A few seaoned swords can terrorize a much larger group of unarmed smallfolk.

121 ACOK 48 Arya IX: Arya calculates the captive northmen can take Harrenhal from the few holding it and schemes to free them.

123 ACOK 50 Tyrion XI: Each of Tyrion's captains warns him to expect their ranks to break. Sellswords won't die for the cause or the pay. The gold cloaks are green, untrained, and some are even traitors. Each soldier will calculate the risk to reward ratio and stand or break according to his own values.

125 ACOK 52 Jon VI: Imagining two or three scouts at the wildling fire, Qhorin sends two volunteers. Though possibly outnumbered, they'll have the element of surprise.

128 ACOK 55 Tyrion XII: Tyrion might have expected relatiation from Cersei for his move on Tommen. Expectation of retaliation is basic to the calculations of strength and risk associated with the decision to strike.

130 ACOK 57 Theon V: Asha explains to Theon why taking Winterfell was not the plan. Expectation of retaliation is hilighted in the idea that to hold a castle one must have an open supply chain. The ironborn can't hope to hold Winterfell in the context of such an outrage as Theon has provoked.

131 ACOK 58 Sansa V: True allegiances are not always voiced. Sansa wonders which prayers the gods answer: those spoken with the group or those held in the heart. Expectation of retaliation

132 ACOK 59 Davos III: Ser Imry thinks their numbers will casually overpower the skeleton fleet left at King's Landing, but Davos knows better. Ships require maneuverability. Entering the bay reduces the power of their numbers. As it turns out, Tyrion's trap uses Imry's numbers against him. Complete theme flip.

140 ACOK 67 Theon VI: Theon can see that Ser Rodrik has the ment ot storm and take Winterfell. He's ready to heed Lewin's advice to take the black when Ramsay arrives.

142 ACOK 69 Jon VIII: The wildlings have them fourteen to two and eight dogs to one direwolf. Though Qhorin has a good position, his plan is to lose because that is the calculated outcome.

A Storm of Swords

Here we see the theme transform. Originally about numbers, it is now about a superior force vs an inferior one, sometimes despite numbers.

144 ASOS 1 Prologue: Chett's plan to mutiny and desert is calculated in response to the expected command to attack ten thousand men with three hundred. Expectation of retaliation

145 ASOS 2 Jaime I: "We can't hope to defeat eighteen." -28 Brienne shows that a smart plan can defeat numbers, when they have a vulnerability. She defeats Rygers crew of twenty or more by sinking their galley.

146 ASOS 3 Catelyn I: Edmure despairs because Dorne and the Tyrells have joined the Lannisters. He will soon have to conceed and be punished for his rebellion and even for Robb's raids in the south. Expectation of retaliation

151 ASOS 8 Jon I: Jon calculates how a Night's Watch attack on the wildling caravan would fare, noting the same thing Thorin Smallwood does: ther numbers would be cut through by discipline. However, Jon is captive and a lone sword surrounded. Superior Force

153 ASOS 10 Bran I: Summer, a direwolf, so overpowers wolves he can defeat a pack. In contrast, Jojen, through his superior reasoning and protective care of the group, demonstrates it is wise to follow the course of action he recommends. Superior Force

157 ASOS 14 Arya II: Arya sees that Anguy has them. Superior Force