The younger Stark daughter, wild and wilful where her sister is proper. More interested in swordplay than needlework, Arya chafes against the expectations placed on highborn girls.

The middle Stark son, a boy of seven who loves to climb the walls and towers of Winterfell. Bran dreams of becoming a knight of the Kingsguard.

Wife of Eddard Stark, born of House Tully of Riverrun. A fiercely protective mother and shrewd political mind, Catelyn's instincts about the dangers threatening her family prove sharper than her husband's trust in old friendships.

Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, wife of Robert Baratheon, and twin sister of Jaime. Beautiful, ambitious, and increasingly paranoid, Cersei harbours secrets that could destroy the realm.

The last known daughter of the deposed Mad King Aerys II, living in exile across the Narrow Sea with her brother Viserys. Sold into marriage to a Dothraki khal, Daenerys begins her story as a frightened girl with no power of her own.

A former smuggler knighted by Stannis Baratheon for running a shipload of onions through a siege. Davos is Stannis's most trusted advisor precisely because he tells his king what he needs to hear rather than what he wants to hear.

Eddard Stark's illegitimate son, raised alongside his trueborn siblings at Winterfell but never allowed to forget his bastardy. Jon chooses to join the Night's Watch, seeking purpose and belonging at the edge of the known world.

The elder Stark daughter, raised on songs of chivalry and dreams of courtly life. Sansa's romantic ideals carry her eagerly toward King's Landing, where reality proves far crueller than any story.

The last surviving son of Balon Greyjoy, raised as a ward (and hostage) at Winterfell since childhood. Caught between two identities – the Stark boy he was raised as and the Ironborn prince he was born – Theon's desire to prove himself leads him down a ruinous path.

The youngest child of Tywin Lannister, a dwarf despised by his father and loathed by his sister. What Tyrion lacks in physical stature he compensates for with a razor-sharp wit, political cunning, and a voracious appetite for books, wine, and life.

The eldest son of King Robert and Queen Cersei, heir to the Iron Throne. A cruel and petulant boy who mistakes brutality for strength.

Meera's younger brother, a solemn boy gifted with the greensight – prophetic green dreams that show him fragments of past and future. Jojen guides Bran toward understanding his own strange abilities.

The maester of Winterfell, advisor to the Stark family. Wise, gentle, and devoted to the household he serves, Luwin provides counsel grounded in learning and pragmatism.

The daughter of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden. Young, beautiful, and politically astute, Margaery is a key piece in House Tyrell's ambition to place their family at the heart of power.

Daughter of Howland Reed, Lord of Greywater Watch and one of Eddard Stark's closest friends from the rebellion. Meera is a skilled hunter and fiercely protective companion who joins Bran Stark on his journey north.

A priestess of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, from the eastern city of Asshai. Melisandre has attached herself to Stannis Baratheon, whom she believes to be a prophesied saviour. Her power is real, but her interpretations of the flames she reads are not always reliable.

Master of Coin on the King's Small Council, a man of humble origins who has risen through cunning, charm, and an unsettling readiness to be useful to whoever holds power. Petyr makes no secret of his old, unrequited devotion to Catelyn Tully - a fixation that goes back to their childhood as wards of her father at Riverrun.

The youngest Baratheon brother, Lord of Storm's End. Charming, charismatic, and popular at court, Renly has the love of the people that his brothers lack.

The eldest son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. A young man raised on his father's principles, Robb is thrust into a leadership role far sooner than anyone expected.

Lord of the Dreadfort, a vassal of House Stark. Pale-eyed, soft-spoken, and unsettling, Roose practises a cold pragmatism that makes him a dangerous ally and a worse enemy.