This chapter is in the POV of Bran Stark. I still haven't decided on a good schedule, and I'm not sure how useful the character lists are, but I figure as I go along I'll figure out a style and format. Thanks for bearing with my attempt at recaping a book! 

Characters met in this chapter

• Bran - a boy of seven
• Robb - Fair skin, red-brown hair, blue eyes. (like the Tullys)
• Gared - earless, dressed in the black of the Night's Watch. A deserter. 
• Jon Snow - Bran's bastard brother. Dark grey eyes. Same age as Robb
• Lord Eddard Stark - 35 years old, beard shot with white, long brown hair. Grey eyes. 
• Theon Greyjoy - Lord Stark's Ward. 19. Finds everything amusing. 
• Jory Cassel - captain of the Stark Household 
• Hullen - Master of Horse
• Harwin - Hullen's son
• Desmond

Characters mentioned but not seen

• Mance Rayder - "King-beyond-the-Wall"
• Old Nan
• Robert of the King Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and they Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. 
• The Tullys of Riverrun
• Targaryen kings before Robert
• Ser Rodrik
• Rickon (The youngest Stark)

Short Version

Bran rides his pony with the male members of his family. Eddard Stark carries out the king's justice, beheading a man I believe is Gared. (The descriptions match perfectly.) Theon is a jerk.  On the ride back to the Castle, Robb finds some direwolves. 

Longer version

Twenty men ride with Lord Eddard Stark to a small holdfast in the hills. Bran, a seven-year-old boy, accompanies his father, Lord Eddard Stark and company. When they arrive, they see a man who matches the description of Gared from the previous chapter. He is executed using a Valyrian steel spell forged sword called Ice. Theon laughs and kicks Gared's head away when it rolls toward him. Robb and Jon discuss whether the deserter was brave. Jon Snow believes that the man was afraid, not brave.  Bran and Lord Stark have a conversation about fear and bravery, which leads into why Lord Stark carries out his executions while King Robert has a headsman. They come across a dead direwolf half covered in snow with five pups. Lord Stark is going to have them executed when Jon steps in and points out that the direwolf is the symbol of House Stark and Lord Stark has 5 trueborn sons and daughters. As they leave, they find another direwolf puppy, an albino, far from the pack. Jon Snow claims it as his own.

Thoughts

SO MANY GOOD QUOTES. 

Theon is such a dick. I feel bad for him, of course, but he is really unsympathetic here. I know he's a ward, which means that he's technically a hostage. Which makes his position and story particularly sucky, but man, his personality is uncool. Also, he has to carry that giant sword around. The sword that could one day behead him if Lord Greyjoy breaks the terms of peace. 

Ned Stark does not believe in signs. Until he sort of does when Jon steps in, saving the lives of the direwolves. Speaking of direwolves, that's some symbolism. The Stag's (symbol of House Baratheon) antler broke off into a grey direwolf that lay on white snow. Ned Stark is the one to pull the foot of antler out of the throat of the wolf. Jory says that perhaps the wolf was already dead. Ned says "better a swift death than one from cold and starvation." Considering what is coming, I can't imagine that these lines, in particular, don't have multiple meanings. 

There is also some language in the beginning where Old Nan tells stories of the Others breeding with men and creating horrible half-human children. Children of the Forest, maybe? No, that can't be. The First Men drove the Children Out. Or was that the Andals? I don't remember. 

I had forgotten about the part where Bran talks about how his father would sit in front of the fire and talk about the age heroes and children of the forest. It's nice to think about how nice life in Winterfell really was. Before King Robert came along and ruined it. 

 Jon Snow is the only one to hear Ghost. Jon Snow thinks he might have crawled away, but Ned wonders if he wasn't driven away. Much like what is going to happen to Jon in just a few chapters. He is white, instead of grey. And his eyes are open. Earlier Jon is described and his eyes are dark grey, but "little they did not see."