Editing A Song of Ice and Fire (section)

==Plot synopsis==
{{further|List of A Song of Ice and Fire characters|World of A Song of Ice and Fire}}
''A Song of Ice and Fire'' takes place in a fictional world in which seasons often last for years and can end unpredictably. Before the events of the first novel, the Seven Kingdoms of [[Westeros]] were united under the [[Targaryen]] dynasty, establishing military supremacy through their control of dragons. The Targaryens ruled for nearly three hundred years, continuing beyond the extinction of the dragons. Their dynasty eventually ended with a rebellion led by Lord [[Robert Baratheon]], in which Aerys II "the Mad King" Targaryen was killed and Robert proclaimed king of the Seven Kingdoms. At the beginning of ''A Game of Thrones'', 15 years have passed since Robert's rebellion, with a nine-year-long summer nearing its end.

The principal story chronicles the power struggle for the [[Iron Throne (A Song of Ice and Fire)|Iron Throne]] among the great Houses of Westeros following the death of King Robert in ''A Game of Thrones''. Robert's heir apparent, the 13-year-old [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], is immediately proclaimed king through the machinations of his mother, Queen [[Cersei Lannister]]. When Lord [[Eddard "Ned" Stark]]—Robert's closest friend and chief advisor—discovers that Joffrey and his siblings are the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother Ser [[Jaime Lannister]], Eddard attempts to unseat Joffrey, but is betrayed and executed for treason. In response, Robert's brothers [[Stannis]] and [[Renly]] lay separate claims to the throne. During this period of instability, two of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros attempt to become independent from the Iron Throne: Eddard's eldest son [[Robb Stark|Robb]] is proclaimed King in the North, while Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]] desires to recover the sovereignty of his region, the Iron Islands. The so-called "War of the Five Kings" is in full progress by the middle of the second book, ''[[A Clash of Kings]]''. This story is told principally through the perspectives of Eddard's wife [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn]], their children [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]], [[Arya Stark|Arya]], and [[Bran Stark|Bran]], and Jaime and Cersei's younger brother [[Tyrion Lannister]], with more point-of-view characters added as the novels continue.

The second storyline stems from the far north of Westeros, where an 8,000-year-old wall of ice, simply called "[[The Wall (A Song of Ice and Fire)|the Wall]]", defends the Seven Kingdoms from supernatural creatures known as [[White Walker|the Others]]. The Wall's sentinels, the Sworn Brotherhood of the [[Night's Watch]], also protect the realm from incursions by the "[[wildlings]]" or "Free Folk", a number of human tribes living on the north side of the Wall. The story of The Night's Watch is told primarily through the point of view of [[Jon Snow (character)|Jon Snow]], Lord Eddard Stark's [[illegitimacy|bastard son]].<ref name="Forbes1"/> Jon follows in the footsteps of his uncle [[Benjen Stark]] and joins the Watch at a young age, rising quickly through the ranks. He eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In the third volume, ''[[A Storm of Swords]]'', the Night's Watch storyline becomes increasingly entangled with the War of the Five Kings when Stannis Baratheon arrives at The Wall.

The third storyline follows [[Daenerys Targaryen]], daughter of Aerys II, the last Targaryen king. On the continent of Essos, east of Westeros [[across the Narrow Sea]], Daenerys is married off by her elder brother [[Viserys Targaryen]] to a powerful warlord of the nomadic Dothraki. Over the course of her story, Daenerys slowly becomes an independent and intelligent ruler in her own right. Her rise to power is aided by the historic birth of three [[European dragon|dragons]], hatched from eggs given to her as wedding gifts. The three dragons soon become not only a symbol of her bloodline and her claim to the throne but also devastating weapons of war, which help her in the conquest of Slaver's Bay. The later books follow her ongoing conflict with the region's city-states, in which she aims to consolidate power, disrupt the Essosi slave trade, and gather support for her ambitions to reclaim Westeros.