Hostage

Sandor 'the Hound' Clegane and his hostage, Arya Stark.

Catelyn Stark: "Spare his life. Keep him as a hostage."

Edmure Tully: "A hostage. Tell the Karstarks that as long as they remain loyal, he will not be harmed.""

— Catelyn Stark and Edmure Tully to Robb Stark about what to do with Rickard Karstark.

A hostage or captive is a member of a noble house that is held against their will by another noble house or organization. Some hostages are imprisoned if considered dangerous or if there is risk that they may escape (with or without outside help). Others are awarded the courtesy and privileges of nobility and given relatively free run of the castles or keeps they are captive in. In the case of children, these hostages often become no different from wards to their captors.

In times of war, hostages are taken and kept alive to use later in political negotiations or in exchange for ransom. Such prisoners are usually only held until the war is over. As a high-profile hostage can be an important bargaining chip, it is considered impolitic for their captors to harm them.

In peace time, specially after the end of a war or rebellion, long-term political hostages are taken to ensure the good behavior of a captive's relative or retainers, under penalty of torment or death for the hostage.

Known hostages

• Theon Greyjoy: taken hostage after the failure of the Greyjoy Rebellion and raised as a ward of House Stark. He later became a hostage of Ramsay Snow of House Bolton until he and Sansa attempt a desperate escape.
• Tyrion Lannister, the Imp: briefly made hostage by Lady Catelyn Stark and taken to the Eyrie to face judgement. Released after being declared innocent in a trial by combat. Years later he's taken hostage by Ser Jorah Mormont who seeks to deliver him to Daenerys Targaryen hoping to regain his queen's favor.
• Sansa Stark: made a hostage of Queen Cersei Lannister following the arrest and execution of her father, Ned Stark. She finally escapes King's Landing with the aid of Dontos Hollard, but becomes an effective hostage of House Bolton following her marriage to Ramsay Bolton until she and Theon escape.
• Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer: taken prisoner by House Stark after the Battle of Whispering Wood. Kept hostage by Robb Stark, the King in the North, until his release by Lady Catelyn Stark.
• Ser {Alton Lannister}: made hostage presumably after the Battle of Whispering Wood and employed as envoy by King Robb. Killed by Ser Jaime while imprisoned as part of the latter's escape attempt.
• Bran and Rickon Stark: briefly made hostages by Theon Greyjoy after he and his fellow Ironborn captured Winterfell. They were later freed by Osha who with the help of Hodor kept them hidden in the crypt at Winterfell. Rickon was later captured by Smalljon Umber, and taken back to Winterfell, where he was held prisoner by Ramsay Bolton.
• Arya Stark: fled King's Landing before she could become a hostage of the Lannisters along with her sister. She is then taken hostage by the Brotherhood Without Banners, to be ransomed to her family, and subsequently by Sandor Clegane, who also intends to ransom her to a relative. She later escapes from Clegane.
• Ser {Jaremy Mallister}: hostage of House Lannister at Harrenhal, put to the sword along with the rest of Northern/Riverlands prisoners at the orders of Ser Gregor Clegane.
• {Willem} and {Martyn Lannister}: captured at the Battle of the Fords and made hostages of House Tully. Killed by Lord Rickard Karstark.
• Brienne of Tarth: taken hostage by Locke while escorting Ser Jaime Lannister to King's Landing. A ransom from her father is rejected and she is placed in the bear pit of Harrenhal. Saved from death and liberated by Ser Jaime.
• Lord Edmure Tully: made a hostage of House Frey during the events of the Red Wedding after his marriage and bedding ceremony with Roslin Frey.
• Jon Snow: taken hostage after he attempts to recapture his wildling prisoner, who leads him straight into a wildling camp. He escapes after killing most of the raiding band he is with after they climb the Wall back into the North.
• {Qhorin}: captured by wildlings during the great ranging as part of the mission to find Benjen Stark and investigate reports of White Walkers. Killed by Jon Snow as part of his plan to install Jon as a spy among the Wildlings.
• {Mance Rayder}: taken hostage by Stannis Baratheon after Stannis's army charges on the wildling camp laying siege to Castle Black. Killed by Jon Snow in a show of mercy as he is put to the torch by Melisandre.
• Tormund: taken hostage by the Night's Watch as the Wildling force attacking Castle Black from the south approach is defeated. He rides with Jon Snow to Hardhome to gather the wildling clans to prepare for the coming White Walker invasion.

Quotes

Cersei Lannister: "Are you mad!? The Martells loathe us!"

Tyrion Lannister: "That's why we need to seduce them. We're going to need their support in the war your son started."

Cersei Lannister: "She'll be a hostage!"

Tyrion Lannister: "A guest."

— Cersei Lannister protests against her daughter being sent to Dorne.

Rodrik Cassel: "Lord Stark raised you among his own sons!"

Theon Greyjoy: "Among them, but not one of them! I was his hostage! Taken from my home!"

— Theon Greyjoy protests the circumstances that led to him becoming a "ward" of House Stark.

Edmure Tully: "We took hostages. Willem Lannister, Martyn Lannister."

Robb Stark: "Willem and Martyn Lannister are fourteen years old."

Brynden Tully: "Martyn is fifteen, I believe."

— Walk of Punishment

"Take me for your hostage, but let Robb go!"

―Catelyn Stark to Walder Frey

"Theon was a valuable hostage, not your plaything."

―Roose Bolton to Ramsay Snow

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Greatjon Umber is taken hostage by House Frey after the Red Wedding, as a political hostage as to usher House Umber to swear fealty. Contrary to the books, in the TV series Greatjon Umber is not present during the wedding and the writers have confirmed that he is therefore free somewhere in the Riverlands.

The naming of Ser Jaime Lannister to the Kingsguard is also held as hostage-taking on behalf of Aerys II Targaryen. By naming him as his sworn bodyguard, the Mad King was not only robbing Tywin Lannister of his prized heir, but also keeping Jaime close as he feared Tywin to be plotting against him.

In "A Dance with Dragons", Daenerys takes a child hostage from each of the noble families of Meereen, hoping by that to put an end to the attacks of the Sons of the Harpy. She appoints them as her cupbearers. When the killing continues, one of Daenerys's advisors, Skahaz mo Kandaq, urges her repeatedly to kill a hostage for every killing, reasoning "What good are hostages if you will not take their heads?". Daenerys refuses, since she has grown fond of them and cannot bring herself to purchase peace with the blood of little children. She is aware that makes her weak in Skahaz's eyes. It is likely that Daenerys's enemies have also regarded her compassion as a sign of weakness, and that encouraged them to continue with the murders of her loyalists. Following Daenerys's departure, Hizdahr takes over Meereen but is soon overthrown and imprisoned by Ser Barristan Selmy and other loyalists of Daenerys, who form a council to rule Meereen until she returns. One of their main concerns to is free the three hostages that Yunkai still holds - Daario, Hero and Jhogo. Skahaz advises Selmy that if the Yunkai kill any of the hostages - they will kill one of the cupbearers as a payback, reasoning "What use are hostages if they may not be touched?”. Like Daenerys, Selmy refuses to kill innocent children.

External links

• Hostage on Wikipedia