Sansa secretly meets with Littlefinger, who offers the Vale's forces and says her great-uncle, Brynden Tully, is building an army in Riverrun; distrusting him, she declines his help, but sends Brienne on a mission to meet the Blackfish while she and Jon leave Castle Black to gather the Northern houses' support. In Braavos, Arya is given a chance to prove herself, tasked with assassinating Lady Crane, an actress. Beyond the Wall, Bran learns a great deal: the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers to protect themselves from mankind. In the Iron Islands, Euron wins the Kingsmoot despite having killed Balon; Yara, Theon and their supporters flee, taking many ships.
Daenerys orders Jorah to find a cure for his greyscale and then return to her. In Meereen, Tyrion seeks a strange ally in Kinvara, a red priestess who meets him and Varys and promises to support Daenerys. In an unaccompanied vision, Bran is touched by the Night King, leaving a mark that makes the cave vulnerable; the Night King, White Walkers and hordes of wights attack, killing the Three-Eyed Raven, several Children, Summer, and Hodor, whose younger self was rendered mentally disabled by Meera's order to "hold the door".