Game Of Thrones: 10 Small Moments That Will Come Back In Big Ways

10. Ser Ilyn Uses Ice

We first see the ancestral greatsword of House Stark in the series premiere as Ned is honor-bound to execute a deserter from the Night's Watch. He treats the sword with great reverence, carefully wiping the blood from Valyrian steel in the godswood afterward. Ned carries Ice with him when he travels to the South to serve as Hand; after the quiet Lannister coup that followed Robert Baratheon's death and resulted in Ned's arrest, the blade was confiscated. Those with eyes for detail (or had read the books) noticed that the Stark greatsword fell into the hands of the King's Justice, and it is with Ice that Ser Ilyn Payne beheads Eddard Stark. Season 4 sees the sword once again change hands as Tywin Lannister has it melted down and reforged into two longwords as a great affront to the ever-dwindling House Stark and salve to the sore fact that House Lannister has no Valyrian steel. Why It Matters: The first of the two swords he gives as a wedding gift to King Joffrey, who charmingly names it "Widow's Wail." Of course, Joffrey charmingly dies shortly thereafter, and the sword goes to Tommen. More important is the second longsword reforged from Ice, which Tywin designates for Jaime after his long captivity. When he returns without his sword hand, however, Jaime passes the blade on to Brienne of Tarth to carry with her on the quest to recover Sansa Stark and fulfill their vow to Catelyn. He asks her to name it "Oathkeeper," and Brienne carries it with great honor during her travels. Unfortunately, the sword proves rather detrimental when she is captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners. They consider Jaime's gift less as a symbol of his ongoing redemption and more as a sign that Brienne has defected to the side of the Lannisters who had orchestrated the Red Wedding. It's pretty rotten luck for Brienne, but it sets in motion a plot with Jaime and the Brotherhood that should prove interesting in the remainder of the series.