A Clash of Kings Chapter 61 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Sansa VI

  • Osney Kettleblack slips into the Queen's Ballroom to give Cersei an update on the fighting and her son's safety.
  • Cersei explains to Sansa that she would rather be fighting the battle than in the company of the "hens."
  • Sansa points out that the queen invited them, but Cersei says it was expected of her and that Sansa should learn what is expected of a woman if she is to wed Joffrey.
  • Cersei receives word that some servants attempted to sneak off with stolen goods, so she sends Ser Illyn to put their heads outside the stables as a warning.
  • During the next course of their meal, citizens gather outside the gates seeking refuge, and Cersei orders Kettleblack to send them away, by force if necessary.
  • During the final course, Kettleback returns with word that Stannis's troops have landed and are assaulting the gates. Cersei orders that Joffrey be fetched back to the castle's holdfast.
  • She then demands Sansa to drink so that she might have the courage to deal with the truth of her situation for once.
  • She tells Sansa that she lied about Ser Ilyn: The real reason he is present is to kill them should Stannis win.