BRAN — Chapter 5

Bran, riding in a basket on Hodor’s back, endures brutal cold as their small band—Meera and a weakening Jojen on the elk, Summer trailing, and the hooded ranger Coldhands leading—pushes through the silent, snow-choked forest. Ravens shadow them, and Coldhands abruptly departs to confront men pursuing from behind, bidding them seek a frozen lake and a fishing village to the north.

As Meera’s distrust of Coldhands grows, Bran and Meera note unsettling signs: the ranger never eats, never drinks, shows no breath in the cold, and keeps his face hidden. They find the vast frozen lake and, battling wind and whiteout, struggle to locate the village. Bran wargs into Summer to track manscents and ashes, guiding the others to an abandoned lakeshore settlement with a longhall for shelter.

Starving, they choke down acorns and ice as Summer hunts. In the night, Bran in Summer’s skin discovers a bloody glade where wolves feast on the corpses of black-cloaked men. After fighting and dominating the pack’s one-eyed leader, Summer claims the kill and feeds, while ravens watch from the trees.

Bran returns to his body to find a fire and meat; Coldhands has provided a sow for food despite earlier warnings against flame. Pressed about the foes, Coldhands admits only that they “will not trouble you.” Bran recognizes the dead men as Night’s Watch from Summer’s vision and confronts the ranger, who does not deny orchestrating their deaths with the ravens.

Meera demands he reveal himself. Coldhands explains the blackening of his hands as a postmortem state, confirming he is dead. He says he serves a friend—the last greenseer—who sent Sam to meet them at the Wall because Coldhands could not pass it. As ravens chant “Yours,” Jojen judges their plight hopeless without the ranger and declares they must go with Bran’s “monster” or die.