So far, Robb Stark has been the king of off-screen battles on Game of Thrones.

The Stark heir remains undefeated on the battlefield against the Lannisters, yet has had more romance and drama than on-camera action scenes in the epic fantasy series. That might change in season 3. “He gets his sword in his hands,” actor Richard Madden teases. “But the thing with Robb is he never wants to kill.”

When the season opens, Robb’s army is in desperate shape. Winning battles has been easy; it’s winning a war that’s a problem. Struggling to defeat the Lannister forces and avenge his father’s death, Stark’s camp-life is a mess.

“He’s got all sorts of plans in place in order to actually win his war, but he’s running on empty at the moment,” says Madden, whose character last season married a kind field medic (Oona Chaplin). “He doesn’t know where his brothers or sisters are, or if they’re still alive. He’s constantly chasing the Lannisters and they’re constantly running from him. His own men are kind of revolting. So they’re exhausted, they’re starving and he’s at the end of his tether.”

Plus, Robb’s still holding his mother (Michelle Fairley) as a prisoner for openly defying his orders — so that’s awkward. “He comes to an understanding of why she did what,” he says.

Interviews From 2013