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" The words and sigil of a House often serve as a quick way of identifying what kind of character you&amp;#039;re dealing with. House Tyrell&amp;#039;s Growing Strong and golden rose hint at their rise to the second most powerful house in Westeros. Roses are pretty, but their thorns can be quite painful. The Lannister lion, and Hear Me Roar!, showing a creature that&amp;#039;s graceful, deadly, proud, and above all, boastful. What then, are we to make of House Bolton? Their sigil is not a creature, but a flayed man, and their words, rather than a boast or a warning, are Our Knives are Sharp. As Theon learned this week, their knives are sharp indeed. In between watching Jaime fail at dinner and listening to Roose cut a deal to put himself on top, Brienne learned that his words are just as cutting. Just who are these monsters in human skin, though? The Boltons are Stark bannermen, and have been for a long time. Before they fought under them, however, they were their bitterest rivals. More than one of the Kings in the North found themselves dying under Bolton knives. The ancient Boltons warmed themselves with cloaks made from wolfskin, but not the kind with four legs. That cruelty has not abated, clearly. Roose&amp;#039;s bastard is playing his sadistic game with Theon for no other reason than because he enjoys it. Last week saw Roose tormenting Jaime by making him believe that his family was dead, and this week rubbing his nose in just how far he&amp;#039;s fallen. More interesting, however, is the deal he cut with Jaime. Jaime gets to return to his family in no further duress, as long as Roose is absolved of any blame for his maiming. With Robb&amp;#039;s fortunes on the decline, this puts Bolton in a very powerful position. Lannister favor would mean a lot for Roose, especially with the Starks out. He&amp;#039;d be Warden of the North, one of the most powerful lords in the realm. Unfortunately for Roose, he doesn&amp;#039;t know that Tyrion and Sansa are officially engaged, meaning he won&amp;#039;t get all the sweet prizes he hoped for. But at least he won&amp;#039;t be on the bad side of Tywin &amp;#039;Reynes of Castamere&amp;#039; Lannister.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a22487/game-of-thrones-house-bolton/>