Ranking all 11 sample chapters from The Winds of Winter
By John Fallon
3. “Arianne II”
Martin posted this sample onto his website in 2016, and it finally gave fans another glimpse into the situation with Aegon Targaryen, a new player in the game of thrones. It’s a short sample chapter, but even so, it progresses the story in a meaningful way.
Arianne Martell — the daughter of the Prince of Dorne, Doran Martell — travels to Grffin’s Roost in the Stormlands to show Dorne’s support for Aegon, who is purportedly a lost son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell hidden away and trained on Essos for years. Aegon has brought the Golden Company with him to Essos.
We saw a scaled-down version of the mercenary group on Game of Thrones, where it was also led by Harry Strickland. When Arianne’s company arrives at Griffin’s Roost, she learns that the would-be Targaryen prince has captured Storm’s End, and resolves to head there herself.
This plot is pretty much nowhere to be seen on Game of Thrones — both Arianne and Aegon V were cut entirely — so it’ll be interesting to find out how it develops on the page. There are signs that Arianne may pursue Aegon romantically and propose a marriage alliance.