Chapter 13 - Bran - Well, that was not what I was expecting

I'm really loving the Bran chapters in this book.  This one was full of the awesome.  For one, we get a scene that made me hold my breath as I read it.  Then, we finally get to meet the Three-Eyed Crow, who is a different type of crow than I was expecting.  From what I gathered from the chapter, he was a crow in the sense that he was a member of the Night's Watch.  Now, he is a rotting body on some kind of throne with Weirwood roots growing through his body.  I like it.  It surprised me and I just want to know more about him.  How did he get here?  Where did he get his powers that let him watch the Starks and communicate through dreams?  Was Bran the only Stark that this Crow ever talked to?

The scene before this one was awesome and exciting and it'll make for some great TV once the HBO series makes it to this point.  Even the pages of my book felt a little cold as I followed Bran and the others up the snowy hill across the unbroken snow.  The fact that the snow was unbroken was eerie.  I didn't know that wights don't leave footprints in the snow.  Then, as the wights rose as if appearing out of thin air, I think I even got goosebumps.  The chaos of the scene was frightening and I wasn't sure who was going to make it out alive.  Knowing Martin, I wouldn't have been surprised if Meera or Jojen was taken by the dead men.  I wouldn't have put it past Martin to kill Hodor here.  (That would have been great for Bran)  But, everyone makes it through alive and into the cave and we meet our first Child of the Forest.

I assume that Coldhands survived, but he cannot follow Bran and the others into the cave so we don't see him again.  We once again see that whatever magic blocks the wights also blocks him which reinforces the connection between him and them.  As well, we get confirmation that Coldhands was killed by the Others from the Child of the Forest.  Again, it's what we figured, but it's nice to read it.

If the first scene had me holding my breath, the final one had me doing the opposite.  The exchange between Bran and the Crow was so good that I couldn't express my reaction in any way other than with a single "whoa".  Bran can't be fixed.  He will remain broken and he will not walk.  But he will fly.  Now, he just needs a dragon.




Also, I keep thinking Dany, Jon, Bran, and Tyrion are all going to end up together which leads to this picture in my head of the "Targaryen Super Friends" or something made up of the four of them.  They'd be like a Westeros superhero squad.  I already have their names, too.  There'd be The Dragon Queen, their leader, with her incredible beauty, resistance to fire, and the ability to tame dragons! Next would be Warg-Boy with his half-sidekick/half-weapon Hodor and his deadly wolf Summer!  Then there's The Imp with his amazing intellect, mismatched eyes, and his ability to find even the best hidden whorehouses!  Finally, there's Lord Commander wielding his Valyrian blade and followed by his albino wolf, Ghost!