GAME OF THRONES - What has House Stark been up to?

It was June 2013 when we last had a new episode of Game Of Thrones to salivate over. It's been a long 10 months of anticipation for season 4, and it's become almost unbearable recently thanks to HBO drip feeding us teasing glimpses of our favourite characters every few days. So you can imagine how excited we all are that finally, this Sunday, Game Of Thrones returns to our screens.

But with such a huge ensemble cast, and characters who often disappear completely for an episode or two, it can sometimes be difficult to remember what they were all up to last. So over the next few days we're going to recap the past seasons highlights for the various key players in this wonderful game of thrones. Starting today with House Stark...

I have a theory, it goes something like this. When George RR Martin was a lad he had a P.E. teacher who made his life hell. His name was Mr Stark. George RR Martin has issues!
That seems to be as logical explanation as any as to why Martin is constantly inflicting so much pain onto House Stark. Not content with killing off poor Ned in season one, he upped the Stark culling in season three.

Catelyn and Robb wished they'd not RSVP'd to Walder Frey, because they ended up dead at the Red Wedding, along with Robb's wife, child and his direwolf! That's all I have to say about that.

Arya Stark is my hero. 
Poor Arya spent nearly all of season three trying to get back to her family. Eventually she joined up with her former nemesis, The Hound, and off they traveled to The Twins. Fortunately she was a tad late to the wedding, so she survived the massacre but obviously left rather upset. Arya took her anger out on a Frey soldier who was mocking her dead family, and kills her first man.
I want to be Arya Stark when I grow up!

After passing on the chance to steal away to the Vale with Littlefinger, Sansa Stark had hoped to get wed to Loras Tyrell and move out to Highgarden. But Cersei Lannister soon put a stop to that and Sansa ended up getting hitched to Tyrion instead. Ever the gent, Tyrion didn't take wedding night advantage of young Sansa, and the two of them started to get along OK, after all they both hate that little bastard Joffrey (who doesn't?). However, the news of her Mother and Brother's murder, orchestrated by her Father-In-Law, is likely to put a dampener on that friendship.

The two youngest Stark's, Bran and Rickon, are believed dead at the hands of Theon Greyjoy, but in actual fact they have been heading north towards Castle Black with Osha and Hodor (Hodor). Before they met up with the Night's Watch they picked up another set of siblings, Jojen and Meera from House Reed. Jojan helps Bran with his warginess (I think you can get cream for that now!), and he entered the mind of Summer, his direwolf, and ran about a lot. Because he can!

The happy group of travelers reached The Gift (a region to the south of the Wall under the control of the Night's Watch), narrowly missing some Wildlings and John 'you know nothin' Snow. Osha, Rickon and his direwolf, Shaggydog, headed off south to House Umber, whilst Bran, Jojen, Meera and Hodor (Hodor) continued their journey north. When we left them they'd just bumped into Samwell Tarly (wasn't he in Lord Of The Rings too?) who gave them some obsidian blades, the only thing known to kill White Walkers.

Join us tomorrow as we look back at House Lannister.

Game Of Thrones returns Sunday night, 9pm, HBO, and simulcast on SKY Atlantic.
Hush Hodor, no more Hodoring.