Betrayal is exposing betrayal or disloyalty to someone, and this behavior has existed for a long time in the human race. From ancient civilizations to modern politics, to literary works old and new, betrayal has been the response to many different situations throughout time, both good and bad. Great examples of betrayal, deception, and exaggeration are found in the series of fantasy novels written by American novelist and screenwriter George RR Martin. The novel series titled “A Song of Ice and Fire” takes place on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. The story focuses on several families, or houses, fighting for control of the Iron Throne, which is located in the capital of Westeros called King's Landing. Houses form alliances with other houses against each other and a young girl from Essos named Daenerys slowly rises to power with an army and three dragons. Additionally, a supernatural army of undead descends on the other side of the Great Ice Wall in the north of Westeros for reasons unknown. All of these events give way to betrayals and deceptions that are done for the greater good of the kingdom of Westeros, and for the most greedy and power-hungry reasons of selfishness. An example of betrayal for the greater good in the series is recounted in the book "A Storm of Swords" by Ser Jaime Lannister. He tells Brienne of Tarth about his time as part of the Kingsguard many years ago in King's Landing, during the reign of the "Mad King", King Aerys II Targaryen. When Jaime was a member of the Kingsguard, he heard the Mad King give the order to burn King's Landing, along with all its inhabitants, in spite of the rebellion led against him by Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark and Jon Arryn. The Mad Kin...... middle of paper ......f Swords). He was referring to the fortresses along the Wall that Night held. If Jon hadn't lied, the Wildlings would have invaded the civilized lands of Westeros and killed everyone in their path for thousands of miles until they reached an army capable of stopping them. Works Cited Martin, George RR. “Jaimie.” A storm of swords. New York: Bantam Books, 2000. 507. Print. “Definition of Deception.” www.merriam-webster.com. Np, and Web. May 13, 2014. . Martin, George RR “Catelyn”. A storm of swords. New York: Bantam Books, 2000. 693. Print. “Exaggerate.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, and Web. May 13, 2014. . Martin, George RR. “Jon.” A storm of swords. New York: Bantam Books, 2000. 361. Print.