#/a time for wolves/ was actually about Arya Nymeria their pack and her becoming a leader in the North (and I'm only half joking) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jackoshadows · 3 years

Text

“You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be Knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” - Eddard, A Game of Thrones

My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk, and on your head a crown - Arya, A Storm of Swords

“Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.” - Kevan, A Dance with Dragons

----------------------------------

So this is an essay of sorts on my speculation/theory that Arya is going to end up as a leader of the North by the end of the series. I will split this into several parts:

Arya and leadership

Arya and Northern leadership

Arya and Nymeria

Skillsets

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

Succession

----------------------------------------

Arya Stark and leadership

“Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, AGoT

Arya has always been a leader rather than a follower. Just like Jon at the wall, she initially chafes at having to follow orders instead of doing what she thinks is the right thing to do. Despite Gendry and Hot Pie being older than her, she’s the one giving the orders and making the plans. She manipulates or forces characters into doing what she wants – getting Gendry to leave Harrenhal and forcing Jaqen to help her free the Northmen.

Arya took the lead, kicking her stolen horse to a brisk heedless trot until the trees close in around her. Hot Pie and Gendry followed as best they could. From time to time Arya glanced over her shoulder, to make sure the two boys had not fallen too far behind, and to see if they were being pursued - Arya, ASoS

Like most of our protagonists, Arya is ambitious and interested in being an active participant at the top. She wanted to become a King’s councilor and build castles. That entire little speech that Varys gives about the ideal candidate for ruling fits Arya to a T.

Arya has gone hungry, scrubbed and cleaned, cooked and kept house, sewed and mended clothes, bound up wounds, been hunted, been scared for her life – and done all this with limited protection. Just survived on her wits. Arya can wield a sword, is fluent in several languages and has studied with a Septa.

We also see war torn Westeros and the suffering of the smallfolk through Arya’s eyes in ACoK and ASoS. It doesn’t matter if it’s Stark or Lannister, the smallfolk suffer the same – Septon Meribald’s ‘Broken Men’ speech in AFfC embodies what Arya observes. After Arya frees the Northmen using weasel soup and Vargo Hoat betrays the Lannisters, there are reprisal killings, torture and rape enacted by Stark bannermen and the sellswords. The smith, Maester and the head maid are executed for merely serving Tywin – something on which they had no choice. Gendry points this out to Arya and she feels guilty for her part in all this.

“I hate this lot worse. Ser Amory was fighting for his lord, but the Mummers are sellswords and turncloaks. Half of them can’t even speak the Common Tongue. Septon Utt likes little boys, Qyburn does black magic, and your friend Biter eats people.”

The worst thing was, she couldn’t even say he was wrong. The Brave Companions did most of the foraging for Harrenhal, and Roose Bolton had given them the task of rooting out Lannisters. Vargo Hoat had divided them into four bands, to visit as many villages as possible. He led the largest group himself, and gave the others to his most trusted captains. She had heard Rorge laughing over Lord Vargo’s way of finding traitors. All he did was return to places he had visited before under Lord Tywin’s banner and seize those who had helped him. – Arya, ACoK

"It’s not a village, it’s only black stones and old bones. “Did the Lannisters kill the people who lived here?” Arya asked as she helped Anguy dry the horses.

“No.” He pointed. “Look at how thick the moss grows on the stones. No one’s moved them for a long time. And there’s a tree growing out of the wall there, see? This place was put to the torch a long time ago.”

“Who did it, then?” asked Gendry.

“Hoster Tully.” Notch was a stooped thin grey-haired man, born in these parts. “This was Lord Goodbrook’s village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the king, so Lord Tully came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook’s son made his peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn’t help the dead none.”

A silence fell." - Arya, ASoS

"Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb’s men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry.” - Arya, ASoS

The smallfolk in the Riverlands are caught between the Starks, Tullys and Lannisters with no good choices. And on the ground level, Arya sees this, understands this and acknowledges this. Her actions benefited house Stark and no one else. She understands the cost of war.

Arya is also very keen on justice. In that she not only thinks that characters deserve justice, but she wants to actively participate and deliver justice. She considers the execution of Dareon from the NW as a just one.

Dareon had been a deserter from the Night's Watch; he had deserved to die. - Arya, AFfC

“Guilty!” Arya shouted with the rest. “Guilty, guilty, kill him, guilty!” …

Arya could only think of Mycah and all the stupid prayers she’d prayed for the Hound to die. If there were gods, why didn’t Lord Beric win? She knew the Hound was guilty… - Arya, ASoS

Her father beat her so often and so brutally that she was never truly free of pain or fear until she came to us.”

“Did you kill him?”

“She asked the gift for herself, not for her father.”

You should have killed him.“ - Arya, ADWD

Arya drew back from him. "He killed the slave?" That did not sound right. "He should have killed the masters!" – Arya, aDwD

---------------------------------

Arya and Northern leadership

I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. - Hugo Wull

The North has famously never had a female leader in House Stark. So is it possible for valiant Ned’s precious little girl to become the first Lady Stark to lead the North?

In terms of personality, Arya resembles some of the other female leaders/members of Northern houses. She is bold and forward like Lyanna Mormont and Wylla Manderly. She has trained with the sword and learned how to use a bow and arrow. She proactively engineers her own escape like Alys Karstark. Characters like Ygritte and Alys remind Jon Snow of Arya.

Arya venerates Ned Stark. She follows his advice as much as Robb, Bran and Jon do. Even more so. She executes a NW brother for desertion. And that is important for the Starks.

I should kill them myself. Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. - Arya, ACoK

The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. - Bran, AGoT

“The Starks do not use headsmen. Ned always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade, though he never took any joy in the duty.” - Catelyn, ACoK

“Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold.” Robb lifted the heavy axe with both hands. “Here in sight of gods and men, I judge you guilty of murder and high treason. In mine own name I condemn you. With mine own hand I take your life. Would you speak a final word?” - Catelyn, ASoS

The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high. “If you have any last words, now is the time to speak them,” he said, expecting one last curse. - Jon, ADwD

Arya is one of the Starkiest Starks of the whole lot. She is also the only Stark to actually have the Stark look. She is stubborn and determined to do things the Stark way. She often uses her father’s advice to guide her way.

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, aGoT

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.- Arya, AGoT

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. “If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words,” she’d heard him tell Robb and Jon once. - Arya, ACoK

Now there are theories that it is future Bran who was communicating with Arya through the weirwood at Harrenhal, but she does gain strength from her father’s words when she prays to the Old Gods.

Gooseprickles rose on Arya’s skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice. “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” he said. “But there is no pack,” she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. “I’m not even me now, I’m Nan.” “You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you.” - Arya, ACoK

And while Arya is travelling incognito, GRRM keeps her connected to the North, house Stark and the Northern plot. She starts her journey from KL with a NW brother Yoren. She’s disguised as a boy like Danny Flint, Manderly requests a song about brave Danny Flint at Ramsay’s wedding with ‘Arya’. In the Riverlands, Arya’s plot intersects with her father’s bannermen, she participates in the capture of Harrenhal for house Stark and is there for Roose Bolton’s war council. She meets both Roose Bolton and Aenys Frey – our antagonists in Winterfell facing off against Stannis in ADwD. She meets Robett Glover – who is currently in White Harbor - when she lets him out of the dungeons. She gets Jaqen to help her father’s men.

“Vargo Hoat’s come back with prisoners. I saw their badges. There’s a Glover, from Deepwood Motte, he’s my father’s man. The rest too, mostly.” All of a sudden, Arya knew why her feet had brought her here. “You have to help me get them out.” – Arya, ACoK

Arya looked. She knew all of her father’s men. The three in the grey cloaks were strangers. Arya, AGoT

Twin towers. Sunburst. Bloody man. Battle-axe. The battle-axe is for Cerwyn, and the white sun on black is Karstark. They’re northmen. My father’s men, and Robb’s. - Arya, ACoK

Harwin?” Arya whispered. It was! Under the beard and the tangled hair was the face of Hullen’s son, who used to lead her pony around the yard, ride at quintain with Jon and Robb, and drink too much on feast days. He was thinner, harder somehow, and at Winterfell he had never worn a beard, but it was him—her father’s man. Arya, ASoS

“I bet there are Winterfell men too.” Her father’s men, the Young Wolf’s men, the direwolves of Stark. - Arya, ASoS

Arya is also involved in betrothals/marriage – first to Elmar Frey and then married off to Ramsay Bolton to hold the North. As a side note, her connection to all these bastards is indeed interesting - Elmar Frey, Ramsay Bolton, Gendry and Jon Snow. Is GRRM trying to say something here?

We now have the Northerners and Freys that Arya sees in Harrenhal transposed to Winterfell and ‘her father’s men’ rising up for Arya Stark.

Now, we can speculate and assume that these Northerners would have done the same for the other Starks, but that’s not the point here. In the books, GRRM has written this story to revolve around Arya. The mountain clans are marching for ARYA. The Northern houses are fighting alongside Stannis for ARYA. When lady Barbrey Dustin points out the anger of the Northmen at the treatment of ‘Valiant Ned's precious little girl’ she is talking about ARYA.

GRRM has Stannis wanting to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Mance trying to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Jon breaking his vows and dying trying to rescue Arya. A large part of what drives this plot forward is that it’s Arya, and her special relationship with Jon Snow influences a lot of what is happening south of the wall. The story only happens this way with Arya in the North. And that’s why it’s Arya’s story and not that of any other Stark. Superimposing this or that Stark in place of Arya to make a case for why they would be leader of the North makes no sense. GRRM writing in the marriage of Arya Stark to hold the North makes the case for why Arya is important to the North.

So, Arya has actively helped free Northmen in the Riverlands, engaged with important Northerners and Freys at Harrenhal and drives the plot to take down the Boltons in the North. With her leadership skills, her ability to wield a weapon and fight, looking like Ned, following in Ned’s footsteps and advice, her fierce personality, her loyalty to bannermen, her desire for justice and to help the weak and powerless, her huge direwolf - she would be like the Kings in the North of yore. I think the Northerners will be fine with Arya Stark being the Stark in charge.

------------------------------

Arya and Nymeria

“What if the wolves come?” “Yield,” Arya suggested - Arya, ACoK

The direwolves are an important part of the books, and an important aspect of the Starks.They are as much a part of the Starks as Dany’s dragons are a part of her. They cannot be ignored as unimportant pets who will end up serving no purpose.

“He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you.” - Catelyn, ASoS

Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him - Jon, ADWD

“Part of you is Summer, and part of Summer is you. You know that, Bran.” - Bran, ACoK

“Wolves and women wed for life,” Haggon often said. “You take one, that’s a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you’re part of him. Both of you will change.” - Varamyr, ADWD

You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord…The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. - Bran, AGoT

“Roose Bolton has Lord Eddard’s daughter. To thwart him White Harbor must have Ned’s son … and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him.“ - Davos, ADWD

GRRM has mentioned several times that they are important.

The Lannisters are always likening themselves to lions, for example, and their motto “Hear me roar” speaks of a certain way of looking at life. But I think for the Starks it goes a little bit beyond that, especially in this generation, with these direwolves. It’s more than just a handy metaphor with them - GRRM, interview

"Wolves have been part of European folklore, of which America's descended, going back thousands of years. In Rome, Romulus and Remus -- there's always been this relationship between wolves and men." That relationship is seen time and again in Martin's series, and it's one that will Martin says will continue as the last two books are eventually released. Arya's wolf, Nymeria, in particular, will play an important role. "You know, I don't like to give things away." says Martin, a grin spreading across his face. "But you don't hang a giant wolf pack on the wall unless you intend to use it." - GRRM interview

The direwolves are important especially for Arya whose theme is ‘The lone wolf dies but the pack survives’ and there are constant mentions of the pack in her POV chapters. Nymeria is an alpha, a leader of her pack like Arya is a leader of hers.

“She says there’s this great pack, hundreds of them, mankillers. The one that leads them is a she-wolf, a bitch from the seventh hell.” - Arya, ACoK

Throughout ACoK and ASoS, Arya mentions the wolves in the Riverlands. They appear to be just ahead of her or behind her. In her chapters there are mentions of wolves eating people, of Roose going wolf hunting. It’s almost like the wolves are traveling with her. They even help her escape – the wolf howl giving the signal – from harrenhal. And it’s possible the pack was picking off Roose Bolton’s riders chasing Arya because they were following right behind.

She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me. - Arya, ACoK

Once, from the crest of a ridge, she spied dark shapes crossing a stream in the valley behind them, and for half a heartbeat she feared that Roose Bolton’s riders were on them, but when she looked again she realized they were only a pack of wolves. She cupped her hands around her mouth and howled down at them, “Ahooooooooo, ahooooooooo.” When the largest of the wolves lifted its head and howled back, the sound made Arya shiver. - Arya ASoS

Nymeria keeps amassing this huge wolf pack and Arya being a strong warg can sense this

She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could smell the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike. - Arya, ASoS

She dreamed of wolves most every night. A great pack of wolves, with her at the head. She was bigger than any of them, stronger, swifter, faster. And her brothers and sisters were with her, many and more of them, fierce and terrible and hers. - Arya, ASoS

In her wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

The wolf dreams also helps Arya connect to Bran, Jon and Rickon. We see Ghost able to sense the other direwolves and Bran trying to communicate with Jon.

Nymeria is a grey wolf and the stark sigil is a grey wolf on a white background.

“The rain had washed the guard’s blood off her fingers, she wore a sword across her back, wolves were prowling through the dark like lean grey shadows, and Arya Stark was unafraid.” - Arya, ACoK

“Arya had her father’s eyes, the grey eyes of the Starks.” - Reek, ADwD

What’s in a name? I have already mentioned in another post, the symbolism of the names for the direwolves and them being an indication of the future for the Starks. Arya’s direwolf is named Nymeria – a Rhoynish warrior queen who led her people to safety. Something that Arya may well do in the future when the North is under attack from the Others.

More importantly, Nymeria in Dorne changed the customs and rules of house Martell to follow those of Rhoynar and allowed for female rulers. Nymeria herself was the first female leader and was followed by her daughter. Nymeria changed the norm for Dorne and we could see the same happening with Arya Stark in the North.

-----------------------------

Skills and Education

Look with your eyes, Syrio had said, listen with your ears.- Arya, ACoK

Education at Winterfell:

Arya was mainly taught by Septa Mordane and received the same education as Sansa. She would have been taught history and about the Faith by the Septa, she can read and write, and is good with sums. She’s better than Sansa at managing a household. She can ride a horse like a Northman and is an excellent swimmer. She knows some high Valyrian. Besides the Septa, Arya also hangs around Ned Stark when he is teaching the boys. Many of his words of wisdom that she remembers is from when he is teaching the boys. She mingles with her father’s men, the cooks, the stable boys etc.

Kings Landing:

Water Dancing style of swordfighting from Syrio Forel.

Harrenhal:

Being incognito allows Arya to move around like a mouse or the ghost of Harrenhal and observe and learn things. She is privy to Roose Bolton’s war council and listens to them discuss the Northern campaign against the Lannisters. We get the first inkling of the Red Wedding in these chapters between Roose and the Freys.

Arya observes the different people, analyzes their movements and figures out how to approach them.

The night she was caught, the Lannister men had been nameless strangers with faces as alike as their nasal helms, but she’d come to know them all. You had to know who was lazy and who was cruel, who was smart and who was stupid. You had to learn that even though the one they called Shitmouth had the foulest tongue she’d ever heard, he’d give you an extra piece of bread if you asked, while jolly old Chiswyck and soft-spoken Raff would just give you the back of their hand. - Arya, ACoK

And as lords and ladies never notice the little grey mice under their feet, Arya heard all sorts of secrets just by keeping her ears open as she went about her duties. Pretty Pia from the buttery was a slut who was working her way through every knight in the castle. The wife of the gaoler was with child, but the real father was either Ser Alyn Stackspear or a singer Lord Lefford made mock of ghosts at table, but always kept a candle burning by his bed. Ser Dunaver’s squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept. The cooks despised Ser Harys Swyft and spit in all his food. Once she even overheard Maester Tothmure’s serving girl confiding to her brother about some message that said Joffrey was a bastard and not the rightful king at all. “Lord Tywin told him to burn the letter and never speak such filth again,” the girl whispered. - Arya, ACoK

She aids in the escape of the near hundred Northmen imprisoned in the dungeons and even Roose is impressed enough to make her his cupbearer. And the next time, she conceives of, plans and executes their entire escape all by herself. She plans for the logistics – weapons, transportation, people, travel route, what to wear. She makes sure she is warmly dressed, takes the map from Roose’s chamber, uses her position of cupbearer to manipulate several men, manipulates Gendry into escaping with her, takes down the guard and leads them away. It’s an endeavor that showcases her intelligence, cunning, determination, ability to strategize and lead.

Arya also shows a lot of restraint and keeps her secrets. She doesn’t trust the Glovers or any of the Northmen in Harrenhal - and considering the Red Wedding, it’s a good decision.

Their captors permitted no chatter. A broken lip taught Arya to hold her tongue. Others never learned at all. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Arya, ACoK

On the road Arya had felt like a sheep, but Harrenhal turned her into a mouse. She was grey as a mouse in her scratchy wool shift, and like a mouse she kept to the crannies and crevices and dark holes of the castle, scurrying out of the way of the mighty.- Arya, ACoK

Braavos:

Arya’s education here is not limited to killing for the Faceless Men. She is also educated in poisons and languages. She improves on her high Valyrian and is now fluent in Braavosi and other Essosi languages. She learns acting/mummery. Not showing emotions on one’s face, detecting emotions in another person.

“A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles here, at the corners of the jaw, and here, where the neck joins the shoulders.” He touched her lightly with two fingers. “Some liars blink. Some stare. Some look away. Some lick their lips. Many cover their mouths just before they tell a lie, as if to hide their deceit. Other signs may be more subtle, but they are always there. A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn. Can you tell dusk from dawn?”

Arya nodded, though she was not certain that she could. “Then you can learn to see a lie… and once you do, no secret will be safe from you.” - Arya, AFFC

------------------------

People skills

“I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.” - Sansa, ACoK

Arya’s ability to make friends wherever she goes highlights her people skills. And Arya is able to communicate and connect with people from all walks of life.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. - Sansa, AGoT

She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children., Arya, AGoT

Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, Brewers and bakers and beggars and whores - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

Her girls were nice as well; Blushing Bethany and the Sailor’s Wife, one-eyed Yna who could tell your fortune from a drop of blood, pretty little Lanna, even Assadora, the Ibbenese woman with the mustache. They might not be beautiful, but they were kind to her - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

She’s also loyal to her pack. She doesn’t betray Jon even to her father. She helps free her father’s men. Despite Gendry talking of leaving Lommy or Weasel behind, she refuses. And despite the odds, she tries to help Gendry.

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they had Gendry. Even if he was stubborn and stupid, she had to get him out. She wondered if they knew that the queen wanted him. - Arya, ACoK

-------------------------------

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

She was the night wolf, no scraps of skin could frighten her. - Arya, ADwD

Since this is a fantasy series, magic is a big part of the story with a magical existential apocalyptic threat on the horizon. The North is the first bastion facing this threat. Jon and Dany both have magical pets and prophetic dreams. Bran is the 3ER. They are leaders or will become leaders by the end. Arya is a strong warg/skinchanger. Apart from Jon and Bran, she’s the only other Stark to use these abilities so far. As GRRM as indicated, having a direwolf is going to be useful in battle – we are going to be seeing direwolves involved in the battle for Winterfell for example. Arya is able to warg Nymeria from all the way over in Braavos. She skinchanges cats and sees through their eyes, when she is blind. She is deft with a sword, knife and decent with a bow and arrow (she could be better now using her FM senses). She would be an effective fighter to have against the Others and her warging skills could prove useful in battle.

------------------------------

Succession

I’m not a lady, Arya wanted to tell her, I’m a wolf. - Arya, ASoS

And finally we come to succession. This is the hardest part and entirely speculation and we need the next book to get an inkling of where GRRM is heading towards. I am also basing all of this on Hibberd more or less confirming that King Bran on the Iron Throne is GRRM’s ending.

So of the true born Starks, Arya is pretty much last in line. With the inclusion of Robb’s will, we have 5 Starks left. Bran is the rightful heir to the North. Taking him out of the running, leaves Jon, Rickon, Sansa and Arya. Assuming Jon ends up North of the wall – in his dreams the Old Kings in the North in the crypts reject him, maybe foreshadowing that he doesn’t belong in Winterfell - that leaves Rickon, Sansa and Arya.

As for Sansa, again there is a plot significant reason for why GRRM has put an obstacle in her path, allowing for Arya to jump the queue. Sansa is currently married to Tyrion Lannister, a marriage that cannot be easily annulled (With an enemy regime in KL) or ignored like the show did. Robb Stark has most likely disinherited/removed her from the line of succession and named a legitimized Jon Stark his heir and Lord of Winterfell. If he has the support of the Northern houses who want an experienced, older Stark to lead them, Jon Stark could well be the next KITN over Rickon Stark. I don’t think a 7 year old Rickon would object to Jon in charge. So that makes it Jon Stark, Rickon Stark and Arya Stark.

Does Rickon have to die for Arya to become Wardeness of the North? It’s possible Rickon dies, but it’s also possible he doesn’t. It could be that Rickon does not want to lead the North – by the end of the book, he would be 8 or 9. Of course there’s the argument of a regent doing the job for Rickon until he’s ready. Or, he could just give way to his sister because he wants to. Something similar to Aemon refusing the throne and it passing to his younger brother Aegon.

Or we could have the traditional situation where Rickon becomes lord of Winterfell as next in line, while it’s Arya who is involved in running the day to day affairs. However, that would very much be status quo - with Rickon at WF and Bran down south in KL, it would be men ending up in positions of power everywhere once again, except maybe Dorne. If this happens, then Arya would be a leader of the North, but the Stark line would continue with the male line.

It’s possible Jon Stark as King could change things for the North. Jon treats the spearwives the same as the brothers of the NW, he respects Val’s abilities, he trusts in Alys Karstark. If Rickon refuses the mantle, it could very well be that Jon Stark relinquishes his position to his favorite person ever, Arya Stark, to be the next Wardeness of the North. Thus paving the way for Arya Stark to be the first female leader of the North like her hero Nymeria in Dorne.

It would be fitting for the character who introduced Jon Snow to equal rights for women.

“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested. - Arya, AGoT

Could King Jon reverse Sansa’s disinheritance after her marriage is annulled when KL is in friendly hands? Sure. But we don’t know how the Sansa/LF/Vale group will react to Jon as KITN and whether they will mount a challenge in Sansa’s name. And if Jon has to choose between Sansa and Arya as to whom he wants in charge of Winterfell, we know who it is he will think is more capable and will always choose.

I do think Winterfell succession will not be as clearcut as many Stark fans are hoping. Too many factions supporting the different Starks. GRRM loves to write about dysfunctional families and the Starks are not anything special in that regard. TWoW will tell us of whether there will be any kind of Stark civil war.

Is Arya too young for all this? I predict that by the time we get to the end of the books, about 5 years would have gone by. At 14, Arya would still need a regent – one of the many lords of the houses in the North. But I think considering her experiences, skillsets, a huge direwolf, Ned Stark’s wisdom and strong connections to the North, she will be an able leader. As GRRM said,

“[Arya is] older than some of the 40-year-olds in the book.” - GRRM

Either way, whether she gets Winterfell or not, Arya will end up as a leader in the North. Either she rules for Rickon and takes care of the day to day responsibilities or she does so in her own right as Lady of Winterfell/Wardeness of the North. She’s not going anywhere or sailing off on a boat. The show’s ending makes absolutely no sense for a character yearning for home in 5 books after going on the nightmare ‘adventure’ from hell. She will be in the North, in Winterfell, being a leader and continuing Ned Stark’s legacy. She will counsel her brothers and build and her people will love her just like they loved her father.

So in conclusion, I think there is enough story, character build up, characterization and set up for Arya to go North and take over as a leader of house Stark to face the threat of the Others along with Bran, Jon, Dany and Tyrion.

#Arya Stark #asoiaf #TWoW speculation

181 notes · View notes

astradrifting · 3 years

Note

Hi! I like your opinions on asioaf and they are really good. I wanted to ask you about how much warging into direwolves is harmful for starks. Nymeria is the one who is eating babies like Drogon and Ary@ didn't seem to realise her warging capabilities. Jon connect his desire with ghost hunger. Would starks realised that they have to tame their impulses?

Aww thank you!

I’d say that they will realise eventually, yeah. I love to call them wolves as much as anyone else, but the Targaryens are a pretty good example of why it’s not good to rest so much of your identity upon embodying your house sigil. To be good rulers and good people they’ll need to be more than just wolves. Their warging will still come into play later, there’s gotta be a reason all of the Starklings are wargs, but they can’t rely on it forever.

Even though Jon is the one who’s probably going to be lost for a long time in his direwolf, I’m more worried for the younger kids. Jon and Robb both were aware of the dangers of their wolves, both used them at various times in battle and to intimidate. But Robb became wary of Grey Wind’s increasing savagery, which is partly why he locked him away after he married Jeyne. He actually rejected being a wolf:

“He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you."

"I am not a wolf, no matter what they call me." Robb sounded cross.

(ASOS, Catelyn II)

When Jon comes back he’ll likely be horrified by his new beastly instincts and will struggle to suppress them. He doesn’t particularly want to be a warg or a true wolf, especially after the Night’s Watch has spent the past few books cursing him for being a warg. Whether he’ll be successful remains to be seen, but the effort to contain his impulses will be there. In Melisandre’s visions, she saw Jon as “a man, now a wolf, now a man again.” Hopefully that foreshadows not only his resurrection but his return to himself as a man.

Bran and Arya are much more emotionally reliant on warging than Jon and Robb were. As able-bodied men, Jon and Robb were powerful and capable enough without warging in a way that Bran and Arya can’t be, especially once they reached leadership positions. The kids both face so much powerlessness in their arcs that they take strength in their warging abilities, this ability to access another form that can achieve more than their own. Arya is alone in the world and in constant peril, but in her wolf dreams she’s strong and powerful, with a pack behind her. It’s far more appealing than being a little girl with no family left.

(ASOS, Arya I)

Later, her wolf dreams are contrasted with her memories of the Red Wedding:

The wolf dreams were the good ones. In the wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. It was the other dream she hated, the one where she had two feet instead of four. In that one she was always looking for her mother, stumbling through a wasted land of mud and blood and fire. It was always raining in that dream, and she could hear her mother screaming, but a monster with a dog's head would not let her go save her. In that dream she was always weeping, like a frightened little girl. Cats never weep, she told herself, no more than wolves do. It's just a stupid dream.

(AFFC, Cat of the Canals)

The impersonal savagery of what she does as Nymeria is preferable to her traumatic reality, where she was helpless and unable to save her mother. But when she returns to Westeros, she’ll likely encounter Nymeria in the Riverlands again and be faced with what she’s become, what Arya has inadvertently released onto her mother’s homeland. It might coincide with her meeting Lady Stoneheart too, another danger that she technically unleashed. I think they’d remind her of herself - figures from Arya of Winterfell’s past whom she loved dearly, rendered unrecognisable by bloodthirst. Maybe it’ll drive her to despair, or maybe it’ll be the push she needs to choose to go home like in season 7, choosing her family over the chance to seek revenge.

Bran is already doing incredibly dark things as a warg. He’s told repeatedly that he’ll never walk again, but he’ll fly. He resents being trapped in his body, and warging is the only way he can escape it. He can both fly and walk again, eat things other than acorn paste as Summer, join Meera and Jojen in exploring the caves as Hodor.

No one wants to hurt you, Hodor, he said silently, to the child-man whose flesh he’d taken. I just want to be strong again for a while. I’ll give it back, the way I always do.

(ADWD, Bran II)

We know from the ADWD prologue that skinchanging into another person is incredibly taboo even amongst skinchangers, considered an abomination. Actually a lot of the prologue foreshadows and condemns things that Bran ends up doing later in the book - warging into a human, warging into birds (not so much condemns, but it is rather judgy about it), eating human flesh if Jojen-paste is a thing… Bran justifies it and thinks it’s all harmless for now, but he can’t forever. Rather than brushing over it, the ‘hold the door’ moment will probably be horrifying, and a source of major guilt for Bran.

These themes might be resolved as a foil to Dany actually - while she has wholly embraced being a dragon, the Starks will have to reject being wolves and being wargs, accepting themselves in their own forms.

Thank you for the ask!

#astra rambles #asks #rickon is also a worry since he’s now spent half his life living wild #sansa is the only normal one in this family they’ll be lost without her #meta #jon snow #arya stark #bran stark #direwolves

42 notes · View notes

weirwoodking · 3 years

Note

I have a genuin question but do you think that Sansa will become Queen in the North? I'm not sure anymore what her endgame will be in the books (the show doesn't count for me)

This is kind of a… sensitive topic, because there are certain people who will call you “anti-Sansa” if you answer anything less than “absolutely” to this question. The only reason this is a touchy conversation in the first place is because of the show.

So… I have not seen the final three episodes of the show. I only found out about the endings through other sources. The show doesn’t count for me either. None of the show endings for the characters made sense.

I dislike all of the show characters, and that includes Show!Sansa. I don’t like the storyline (something I share with GRRM), I don’t like the personality, I don’t like the costuming, I don’t like the way the actress was directed, I don’t like the ending. I hate how people say that “Sansa got the only good ending”. ?????? That ending is a horrible ending for Sansa. Alone in Winterfell, completely separate from her family? How the fuck is that a good ending? No. “Sansa becoming Queen in the North no matter what” is not the only “good ending” for her. I talked about this here.

And this isn’t to say I think it’s impossible for Sansa to end the story as QitN, I just think it’s improbable. Based on the current text, this is my ranking for who’s most likely to be ruling Winterfell/House Stark at the end of the story:

1. Bran (Will most likely be king, but we don’t know what exactly that means. What state will Westeros be in after the Long Night? I talk about that here.)

If (and that’s a big if) there is a separate leader of House Stark who isn’t Bran:

2. Arya (Already has an extensive amount of “leader of wolves”/”leader of the pack” symbolism. Her direwolf is named for Nymeria, a famous queen. Arya, through her wolf Nymeria, is a “queen of wolves”.)

3. Rickon (Bran’s heir, next male in line.)

4. Sansa (Eldest trueborn child. Has a line that people believe is foreshadowing for her show ending happening in the books.)

5. Jon (Named by Robb as his heir, although the will was written under the belief that Bran, Rickon, and Arya were dead. But just don’t think it would fit his story.)

(Also, we could definitely see a Pevensie siblings style ending, where they are all the Lords and Ladies/Princes and Princesses. Wish more people would talk about that. Could definitely see GRRM being inspired by that.)

So, the line that people refer to the most for “Sansa will be queen” theories is this:

"The only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy."

"I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me. (Sansa VI, ACOK)

It bothers me because people tend to ignore the real importance of that line, and what it’s actually saying about Sansa as a character, as a person. The purpose of that line is not to “foreshadow that Sansa will definitely be queen”. The line ties into how Sansa believes “everyone wants to be loved”, and is hopeful in love, despite everything she’s gone through. It shows that Sansa believes more in the power of love than in the power of fear. She is not letting herself be influenced by what Cersei is trying to teach her. She doesn’t want to be like Cersei.

Which is not something that show!Sansa does. It’s been a long time since I saw the show, but a moment that sticks out in my head is where show!Sansa tells show!Jon that wildlings “have to fight for them because they owe Jon their lives”.

……..

Jon’s plot in ADWD involves him becoming the leader of the wildlings over time, as he earns their trust and support. He becomes their leader at the end of Jon XIII because they follow the man, and he has proved himself worthy. Not because they “owe” him something. Show!Sansa uses fear rather than love to secure loyalty. “You owe me your loyalty” rather than “I’ll earn your loyalty.”

Show!Sansa is a completely different character than Sansa Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire. Show!Sansa became the QitN, and that means absolutely nothing for the real Sansa.

Basically, I, as a book fan, feel no obligation to say that Sansa will be Queen in the North just because I want to stay on good graces with toxic show stans.

And no, I do not predict that Sansa will end the series as the Queen in the North. That doesn’t mean I’m against it, it just means I don’t see it happening. And if the show had never happened, this question would not be nearly as controversial as it is. Like, I feel the same way about saying “Sansa won’t be queen” as I do about saying “Rickon won’t die” or “Jon won’t be exiled beyond the wall” or “Cersei won’t be killed by a brick”.

TL;DR: I never thought about Sansa being queen until season 8 happened and everyone made it a debate. I don’t think she’ll be queen, the books don’t give me that implication.

(Also… Sansa would still be royalty, btw, she’d still be a princess. I don’t know why people treat it like she’d be a nobody if she isn’t queen at the end. She’s still a goddamn princess. She’d still be wearing a crown.)

#i hate how there’s this ‘it’s queen or nothing’ thing around sansa. just because of the show and the stans #also... considering how d&d openly said that they didn’t care about book!sansa’s storyline #i don’t understand why people would think they’d adhere to only her ending #like it was clear they only did the whole ‘girlboss sansa’ thing to try and coverup the extreme misogyny of their writing #ask #dearxstorm #pro book sansa

44 notes · View notes

alinaastarkov · 4 years

Note

How can you NOT see how Jon and Dany's journeys completely parallel and complement each other, and foreshadow their eventual Meeting and romance? They are the only good leaders in a series Full of fake leaders. Arya isnt even a leader at all, she Will never be a large scale leader like Jon and Dany. You may have your crackship Jonarya, but you are DELUSIONAL If you deny the importance of Canon Jonerys

(Gif idea courtesy of @queen-of-salt-and-fury cause she reminded me of it and cause jonerys shippers are not okay with your shit nonny)

I’ve literally never suggested that their stories don’t parallel and complement each other. They do. I’ve never been shy to admit that. Not completely, obviously, cause it would be boring to read the exact same story twice in a row, but they do. I’m aware how similar they are which is why I’m excited for them to meet. I’ve also always acknowledged that they will meet, form a bond, a friendship, a kinship, an alliance. I obviously don’t think it will be romance because there is nothing that explicit suggesting it can only be a romance, their relationship so far is non-existant, relying on foreshadowing and similar personalities. I’m waiting for something concrete, Jon and Dany thinking of each other specifically in a romantic way, or being in romantic situations together. And that can only happen once they meet. I have always agreed that they are similar, that they will meet and become close. So for the first part: you’re wrong, I do see it, search jonerys on my blog for two seconds and you’ll realise that. Romance? I’m waiting on them meeting and being able to actually think about each other in less than vague terms.

They are both great leaders, surrounded by sucky ones. But leadership is all relative. Arya has led her friends, her “pack” across the Riverlands, and people gravitate to her for leadership (in smaller ways than others) because of her personality and qualities that make her a good one, even if she hasn’t been made to rule an entire city or organisation yet. There’s also Nymeria, leading a huge pack of wolves that foreshadows Arya’s future role in leadership. So, yeah Arya will be a leader in the future actually, and her arc has been setting her up for that from the start. So, strike two.

And again I ask where is the canon jonerys? Have they met? Have they interacted? Have they kissed? Have they had sex? Have they even mentioned each other by name? Meanwhile Jon refers to Arya as his bride, his heart, his favourite person in the whole world, and more. I don’t see how one is canon and the other a crackship. Neither are crackships, yet one is at this point in time significantly closer to canon than the other. No hate to jonerys, it’s just facts. I don’t see how I’m delusional, at least I am willing to admit these other ships exist and are possible, you’re the one calling the closest and purest relationship in the entire series non-existent. So, strike three.

Seriously, do you have nothing better to do than send me bullshit asks?

#asoiaf #jonrya #jon snow #daenerys targaryen arya stark #shut up neve #Anonymous #neve has mail

40 notes · View notes

7deadlycinderellas · 4 years

Text

If the summer of our lives could just come again, ch29

AO3 link

The Kingsroad

The Kingsroad is blessedly quiet, as the ice on the trees twinkles. Once the marshes begin, the path becomes some of the only solid ground to stand and walk on.

Most of the travelers huddle around the small fires they can build under the oil cloth tents for something resembling warmth. The north was cold, they all knew it, but being out and exposed like this, feeling it seep down to your bones out of the protection of stone walls, was very different.

Lady and Summer had both trailed behind the party, loyal as ever to their humans, but uncertain on the water and ice logged ground. Swamps were not places for wolves.

Around the fire one evening, Sansa notices Bran and Meera off talking by themselves. It wouldn’t concern her, but their heads are moving as though they’re arguing, and she’s never known them to be cross with each other.

“What’s going on?” she asks as she approaches. Bran jerks in surprise and when Meera shakes her head at him, he responds with, “we’re going to have to tell her eventually”.

Meera won’t meet her eyes again, but she eventually lets tumble out,

“I’m with child.”

Sansa’s words disappear from her throat, her mouth going dry even as her mind makes sense of her thoughts.

Eventually, she manages a,

“Is it strange I almost want to say congratulations?”

Bran lets out a strange, almost hacking laugh, and Meera shakes her head again. Sansa’s voice softens.

“Is that what you were fighting about?”

Meera opens her mouth,

“No. We were arguing because despite that, I still feel like a coward for leaving.”

Bran reaches out to touch her shoulder, and she jerks away.

“I keep telling you, you’re not-”

She cuts him off,

“You’re not the one who’s been followed by the whispers your whole life. Even after all these years, some of the servants at Winterfell still do it. That we prefer to hide rather than fight, and that when we do fight we don’t fight fair. You told me from your vision that my father stabbed Ser Arthur Dayne in the back....It’s hard not to take it to heart.”

She leaves Bran and Sansa at this point to tend to her horse. Sansa thinks of what she could tell Meera later, to try and console her.

Bran speaks first after she’s left.

“We knew before we left Winterfell. We didn’t say anything because I didn’t want anyone to whisper, to think poorly of her. I know the whispers she’s talking about, I hear them too. One of the maids called me a frog kisser once. She called Shireen the same, and I had to explain to her what it meant, I’ve never seen her so mad.”

Sansa feels a smile creep at the corner of her lips. Bran was always the kindest of them.

“So I take it you do intend to marry her?”

Bran looks at her, upwards through the snowflakes. He tucks his knees up against his chest in an attempt to keep warm.

“Provided her father doesn’t just take my head off first. He could.”

Sansa laughs.

“I don’t think he will," She pauses with a grin, "Arya will be angry if she misses your wedding.”

Sansa’s mouth freezes, and Bran nods. They can’t think of Arya right now, still back in Winterfell.

Up in front of the part, she can hear Jojen pointing out things in the trees to Shireen. She can make out,

“Glad that it’s winter. It’s hard to appreciate the place when you’re being swarmed by biting flies everywhere you go-”

Sansa chuckles. She turns to Bran,

“Arya was right, wasn’t she? We’re all headed our separate ways.”

Bran’s eyes are soft, faraway.

“Is that such a bad thing though? It means we’ve moved out from under the shadow of the past.”

He gets up now, and goes to sit beside Meera again, on the far side of the fire. Sansa can’t hear them from here, but she can see as Meera’s stiff posture softens, and Bran lean to rest his head on her shoulder. She is pleased for them truly.

She should tell Meera that it’s not all cowardly to want to protect someone small, someone who can not protect themselves. That, in fact, it is what she’s spent two lives proving she is very good at.

Though, Sansa also muses, that their mother will still probably be horrified. Bran had always been her favorite. At least they can probably be vague about the timing now.

Shadows of the past, Sansa thinks. Now if only she could.

Winterfell

Ned approaches the breakfast table, only hearing a little bit of the discussion going on. He hears Arya reply to a question from Ygritte with something about “nice one’s do,” while Gendry turns red beside her, and so he coughs.

“Lord Stark,” Ygritte acknowledges him.

“The Last Hearth has fallen,” Ned tells them, and all at once any mirth is gone.

“So that’s maybe a week,” Arya interjects. “We’ll step up the guards.”

The Night’s Watchmen who manage to flee from the Last Hearth bring with them a single cache of wildfire. No one still seemed to know when it was appropriate to use.

“We had dug a trench,” Arya comments, “that we lit last time, but I don’t think we could keep it contained.”

At the moment, Ned decides just to keep it handy.

The days get grayer and the nights get darker.

Jon spends much time in the Godswood, along with Rowan, and occasionally with Ygritte.

Ygritte has found herself in an odd position at Winterfell. It’s not that she hasn’t been welcomed, but sometimes she still feels like she sticks out, a bit of fire against frozen stone.

She had tried to speak with Val a bit about it. Once over supper, she had asked,

“Do you really think you’ll survive here, being a southern Lady and it all?”

Val had shrugged. The white furs she wears already make her look somewhat regal, among the richly dressed nobles of the south. She had spoken to Ygritte a bit about an odd conversation she’d had with Robb the morning after the wedding. She had asked him why, in particular, he was so devoted to Winterfell.

“It’s my birthright,” he had explained, “The north and all the people in it are under my protection, and their lives and livelihoods are my responsibility.”

“But it’s only yours because you were born to the right father,” Val had insisted. Robb had shrugged.

“But I’ve always known I was born for this, and everyone around me too. Everything I’ve been taught has been because it was my responsibility, whether I wanted it or not.”

He had smiled softly.

“I do understand the desire the Free Folk have for freedom. No one telling you what you’re supposed to be. But if not me, the responsibility might fall to someone who’s not prepared for it. Or who only wants it for the power. I don’t want that for my people.”

Val could understamd that.

“They gave me the title and the name, they better accept me as is, cause this is what they’re getting.”

It’s something for her to think about. She has a lot to think about lately. Sometimes she does, sometimes she just shoots arrows and practices with Wild Thing, now with a spear tip made of dragonglass, just in case.

One snowy evening in the Godswood, Ygritte purses her lips and says,

“What are you even asking the trees for?”

Jon looks at her.

“I ask if they have seen anything, it lets us have a heads up on the army of the dead’s location.”

Ygritte cocks her head.

“Why don’t you ask them if they can help us?”

Jon furrows his brow.

“They’re trees.”

Ygritte runs her hand along the carved face of the weirwood.

“You saw the roots of one of these beneath that cave, and that was one that was long dead. Tree roots reach so far, far more than the crown of leaves, and they run straight through the ground underneath us…”

Jon chews his lip in thought.

Later that day, Arya joins him. She sits beneath the weirwood, and rubs her hand in Ghost’s fur.

She looks at him oddly, as though not sure how to say what she’s trying to.

“Do you ever...dream that you’re Ghost?”

Jon is surprised.

“Now and then, but they aren’t always vivid.”

Arya frowns, and continues petting Ghost.

“You should try. Bran can warg Summer as well as he can any of his birds, other animals too. Sansa used to talk about warging Lady so she had eyes in the Red Keep. Sometimes I swear Rickon and Shaggydog are actually one and the same.”

Arya bites her lip.

“I’ve never tried warging Nymeria deliberately...I was never sure if she would even let me in, she’s so wild. But now…”

The wolf pack has been gathering around Winterfell, muzzles clenched and growling in the lean winter.

“If we can get in their heads, it could mean life or death for someone in the vanguard.”

Arya doesn’t have the heart to mention that she’s going to be up on the ramparts with the other archers, she’s too small to be among those on the ground this time. She tries not to think of what Meera told her about chainmail, and finds a set of leather to wear underneath.

Evenings go much the same. Supper, rounds, guard rotations. These are the times when Arya tries to warg into Nymeria.

“I used to dream through her eyes often enough,” she explains to Ned later on that night, “Once, even when I was across the sea in Braavos. But I haven’t in ages.”

Ned pats her on the shoulder.

“I have no doubt you’ll be able to do it if you’re meant to.”

She tries to cling to that, but it’s with the disappointment that she returns to her chamber.

Gendry’s supposed to be up in the early morning to arm the guard, but he’s still awake when she enters.

“No luck again?” he asks when she holds herself stiffly while changing into the shift she sleeps in. All she can do is shake her head in response.

“Is the hammer working out for you?” she asks, sitting on the bed beside him.

“It is. I haven’t been sparring as much as I should have, but smithing has kept the reflexes up.”

Arya’s still unusually quiet, so Gendry grasps her about the waist and pulls her over and into his lap. The night, and the time, and the position remind them both too much of another night and another battle, and a pile of grainsacks instead of a well-worn featherbed.

Gendry rests a hand on her thigh, fingers creeping up under the edge of her shift, seeking her heat and says, “Tell me what you need.” Arya’s heart aches. He’s so strong and gruff and scarred on the outside, that she had never expected him to be so sweet in bed. Sweet, and strong enough to handle her rough edges.

Half of her wants to say, “fuck me until I forget it could be one of our last nights on earth,” and the other “hold me and kiss me and tell me everything will be fine.”

They settle for something about halfway in between.

Then the day comes when Jon rushes from the Godswood and tells everyone,

“Before the end of the day.”

No one was exactly full of brightness before, but if possible the atmosphere quiets even more, as everyone rises and bustles about to get to their posts.

Before she can go to climb the ramparts and join the other archers, Jon grabs Ygritte by the arm, and embraces her.

“Don’t die ok?”

Ygritte shifts in his arms, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. She had secretly been feeling a bit self conscious since arriving at Winterfell, and while she feels she’s hid it well, she is comforted by every public demonstration of Jon’s affection.

“I’m not full of rage this time. So hopefully no stupid children will put arrows in me. Unless they’re dead already.”

She stills, and grips Jon’s hand.

“Be careful yourself too. Don’t lose yourself to the trees.”

She leaves for the ramparts, and Jon has a detour before he joins Rowan and the wildling guard in the Godswood.

Robb, Val and Ned are on horseback outside the north gate, riding with the vanguard.

First, Jon asks Ned about Benjen.

“Safely barricaded in the highest intact spot in the broken tower. High up, hard to climb, and difficult to storm. It’s being guarded too, in case they try and go straight for him like the others said they might.”

Jon nods, and after a deep intake of breath, reaches out and offers Robb Longclaw.

Robb’s eyes are wide.

“Jon, this was given to you…”

Jon shakes his head.

“Arya gave me back Dark Sister when she decided to join the archers, she still has the catspaw’s dagger on her just in case. I don’t need two swords, and you’re going to be on the ground in the thick of things.”

Robb eventually relents, accepting the sword, and trading his scabbard with the normal steel one to one of his men. Jon fingers Dark Sister as he turns to leave. A bastard sword for a bastard, he muses. It suits him well enough.

The only other souls in the Godswood with him are Rowan and a couple of Free Folk who have volunteered to guard them, and Ghost. The wolf is the only of them that has chosen to stay by his master’s side rather than join the pack outside the wall. Jon pets his head, grateful for it.

With a nod to Rowan, Jon sits, and touches the heart tree. He asks it about each of the other weirwoods across the north near the other parts of the army, and then, about the weirwoods that grow wild in the forests of the north.

The answers he receives dishearten him.

Deepwood Motte has been overrun, and it is burning. Only a few souls have remained thankfully, the refugees having successfully sailed to Bear Island. Jon imagines that they might be able to see the burning keep on the horizon. He hopes they can’t.

Some of the other armies in the line run across the land have spotted the armies already, and they are prepared. The trenches have been dug, but only one section has successfully been lit. A snowstorm is blowing, though it does not seem to be slowing down the army of Others.

Outside Winterfell, Jon hears a howl.

Up on the ramparts, the archers are in a line, arrows nocked and held, waiting. The archers up here are mostly Free Folk, so thankfully they don’t have to keep to military structure. The squire tasked with keeping their quivers full and their torches lit is the daughter of one of Maege Mormont’s men, and she doesn’t look old enough to have her moon’s blood yet.

Ygritte jumps a bit when she sees Arya’s eyes go white. Arya gasps after a moment and she returns to herself. Just in time, she thought. It took until now, but it was just in time.

“Did you see anything out there?” Ygritte asks.

Arya purses her lips.

“They’ve nearly made it to the trench, but there’s a rider out in front of them.”

She’s not sure who would be riding in front of an army of inhuman creatures. A mad man is all she can come up with, or maybe a hostage or a distraction.

A few minutes later, Ygritte squints at the horizon.

“I think I see someone,” she tells Arya, and turns to the archer on her other side, “do you see?”

The other archer shakes his head. Ygritte squints harder.

“I see a figure in red,” she says to Arya, lighting her arrow. “Should I take the shot?”

Arya’s muscles go stiff, and lets her mind relax and tries to slip back into Nymeria.

The wolves are mostly standing at attention and Nymeria, even through the snow, can spy the rider, only a few hundred yards ahead of the others. The figure and it’s stead stand on the edge of the trench that had been dug. And the bit of Arya that is still human, feels that she recognizes the figure in the red robes.

Well, she was always so devoted to the Lord of Light, she must know her role here.

Slipping back into herself, she tells Ygritte, “Take the shot.”

She doesn’t even nod before loosing the arrow. It sails across the horizon, untroubled by the snow. The flame is visible enough.

Nymeria sees the arrow hit its target, striking the figure in the neck, causing it to fall from the horse. She sees the flame catch, and spread, seemingly by itself, and fill the trench as though it were full of the most flammable oil known to man. The closest wolves retreat a bit, wary of the fire themselves.

Only Nymeria sees the figure disintegrate before she even hits the ground.

King’s Landing

Queen Margaery was not having a good day.

Sometimes she wonders why she wanted the throne so badly. Some days she could barely restrain herself and her true thoughts.

True, Joffrey was easy enough to control. Though often frighteningly sadistic, he was still quite childish. Stroking his ego and distraction both worked quite well. Cersei was quite another story, and Tywin Lannister was a volume to himself.

Thankfully, Margaery had discovered an unexpected secret; they could be played against each other quite easily.

The seeds had been planted for months, Margaery’s comments regarding Cersei’s involvement with the growing Faith Militant sect growing in the city having inflamed Tywin, who had ended up ordering Cersei to return to Casterly Rock.

Margaery had almost thought the former queen looked happy to be leaving, and privately, Joffrey had been ecstatic to not have his mother still hovering over his shoulder. Perhaps she should have had him make the suggestion himself.

But still…

Margaery made her way in the early morning light to the nursery, for a few moments alone with her son before the nurse awoke. Nearly a year old, Gerold Lannister looks more like her than his father. While his creation had brought his mother no joy, the same could not be said for his existence. She hopes that his life can be his own.

She rocks her son and thinks about the news that had come over the past few days.

The dragon sighting had been enough, many of the smallfolk across the land swearing to the seven that had seen it crossing the winter sky. Easy enough to dismiss as a flight of fancy.

Then the letter had come.

Joffrey had exploded in rage during the small council meeting, and in their chambers later, he had wrapped his hands around her neck and squeezed, and for a moment, Margaery had been certain she wouldn’t be able to talk him down. Even when she managed, she could still feel his fingers.

She really felt that they should take the contents of the letter more seriously. Joffrey had occasionally over the past years huffed and puffed over Danaerys Targaryen still living. Even Margaery had often dismissed the claims. Then the raven came, laden with the message that Danaerys Targaryen, first of her name, would be returning to King’s Landing to reclaim her throne, but not right away. She wrote of a conflict in the north, of creatures of myth returning, and of a need for all of the kingdoms to prepare to aid the north, or else there would be nothing for anyone to rule.

It was too much, really.

Not that she was even sure she believed anything about the rumors of the Others...but still.

Some days in the capital she missed her grandmother dearly.

She finds an unexpected ally though.

She was in the royal solar, writing a letter to Loras back in Highgarden. She knew that the Dragon queen had sent ravens to all of the seven kingdoms, with the same message and the same plea for aid, and she needed to write to him.

The guard outside that day was none other than Jamie Lannister, and when she asked him to walk with her to the rookery to send it, she looked at him.

“Ser,” she greets him, “Could you accompany me? I’m sending a letter to my brother.”

Pointed. The Kingslayer had been missing his sister dearly, and Margaery knew from whispers that he had had not a single bit of communication since she had left.

“Are you still at odds with your father?” she asks, trying to sound conversational.

“Still doing his best to convince me to leave my post, return and become Lord of Casterly Rock.”

“Nonsense,” Margaery insists, “Appointment to the Kingsguard is life long. Your only duty is to your king,” she squeezes his arm. And by extension, me, she does not say out loud.

She makes a show of selecting a raven and petting it’s head.

“I do wish there was a more secure way to send messages,” she says, “Ravens get shot down so often.”

She turns to Jamie.

“You served King Aerys, what do you think about the words sent by this Dragon Queen?”

Jamie’s face twitches.

“I would fear the possibility of the return of a Targaryen monarch, as I have seen the damage one of them could bring.”

“So you would consider if part of your duty to discover the threat this, so called, Danaerys Targaryen might pose?”

Jame looks at her strangely. She smiles, and presses her message to his chest.

“Deliver this message to my brother in Highgarden. I have asked him to raise a hundred men and ride north. The king has no army of his own, of course. Go north, find if there is truth to this threat from this so called army of the dead...and find out if there have been any more of the ‘dragon sightings.’ we have seen ahead of this queen’s message.”

“My duty is to the king.”

Margaery smiles widely.

“Of course, kings before have extended these protections to their queens, their children, even their mistresses. Though I imagine Joffrey has never done this?”

Jamie shakes his head. Margaery nods, subtly moving her hair off of her shoulders. She wonders if the little purple bruises are still on her neck.

“But…” she starts, “Has he ever specifically told you that you were not to extend this to me? I mean, after all, you performed these duties for the last queen.”

Jamie stands frozen. Margaery passes the paper to him.

“Take this to Highgarden. Do what I’ve ordered. This may be the best thing you can do to keep your king safe.”

She turns away from him, and returns to her chamber. She can only hope that attempting to keep the king safe could also keep her and her son safe.

#game of thrones #A Song of Ice and Fire #time travel fix it #gendrya #breera #fic

9 notes · View notes

kieraembers · 5 years

Text

Valyrian Steel

Chapter 36

Gendry

Allow me to preface this by saying that I have not updated this fic in a long time. I had two deaths in my family and have been plenty depressed. But the leaks have me spitting mad so I'll probably finally update. Also, not watching the show, living in fanfic world, where Missandei is ALIVE.

Gendry woke up when Nymeria let out a growl in her sleep and Arya fidgeted besides him. He looked towards the messy head of brown hair to his right and the grey direwolf to his left, then he noticed his feet were up against a warm black mass. Shaggy opened one bright green eye and fixed Gendry with a sleepy stare before, he blinked once then rolled over to his side with a tired yawn and settled back to sleep.

This was how he would die, it didn't matter that he told Arya to stop sneaking into his tent, it didn't matter how many times he told her that he was fine, that he was never improper with her, that the wolves were always present, or that Jon actually liked him. No, as soon as any of the Northern lords popped their heads into his tent, or spotted Arya leaving they would string him up by his toes and feed his cock to the wolves who never said no to a meal. He knew the consequences for a base-born bastard to try and reach above his station, and Arya was most definitely above his station.

It started innocently enough, Arya continuously popped into his room before and after her nightly hunt to poke him awake and make sure he had not died in his sleep. It became an annoyance and no matter how tightly he locked his room or where he hid his tent she found him. He'd spend the days exhausted from lack of sleep because it was difficult to go back to sleep when Arya would rest her head on his chest to check his pulse, touch his neck when he bundled himself up in furs, or slip her hands under furs and shirt to check that he was warm. Every night since leaving the Twins it was the same and every night no matter how much he insisted he was fine, she had to check and frustrate him to no end.

Till one night he was driven to near insanity from lack of sleep and he dragged her under the covers with him and held her tight. "Sleep" he had muttered, and held firm even when she wriggled in his arms. If she wanted to leave she had her knives and her teeth, and all Gendry wanted was sleep, even if she rubbed maddeningly against him. From then on she would slip in and sleep under the furs with him no matter how much he objected. But when had any one ever been able to control or deny Arya?

Gendry tried to shift closer to Nymeria and farther from Arya, but she stubbornly stuck close to him muttering in her sleep and burying her face into his side. She was still so small and thin, but she didn't look half starved so Gendry didn't worry if she had enough to eat in the years she was away. He looked down at her, the frown that he so often saw in her face melted away when she slept and the sharpness softened. Gendry brushed some of her hair back from her face then tucked her into his arm.

They would kill him as soon as they noticed Arya leaving his tent, so he might as well get some happiness from the situation. She opened an eye and smiled before resting her head on his chest. Gendry was sure she wasn't fully awake but that smile was all he needed. Her legs tucked into his and he stroked her shoulder with his thumb until he finally fell asleep again.

)O(

In the morning Arya was gone, she always slipped out before daylight and considering his cock was still attached to his body he was sure no one had seen her make her way back to her tent. Gendry sat up and began packing up his tent and bed roll, he could hear the camp being moved around him .

The fires were being put out and the horses saddled while the men scarfed down what they could. The Crannogmen helped them set up camp in the swampy Neck the night before. They laid out logs and rugs made of reeds and twigs so the men would keep dry. Summer, Meera Reed, Howland Reed and a group of Crannogmen had met them at the Neck and helped the army's barges find their way through the treacherous swamp lands. Greywater Watch was a floating wonder, but the Crannogmen could not sustain such a vast force for long, Jon made sure to only impose on them for two nights before continuing through the Neck.

They were camped a day's march away from the Bite where a ship would wait off the coast to take them to White Harbor, then up the White Knife river towards Winterfell. Arya wanted to attack from the Wolf Woods so that Stannis' men had less time to respond while Jon insisted that he could speak to the man. Tyrion, Daenerys and Aegon were not convinced that Stannis would ever bend the knee.

Gendry spotted Willas Tyrell drawing a dead lizard lion that Shaggy-dog had dragged in early in the morning. He had stopped mid stroke and stared off into the distance, the man was given to bouts of deep thought, so Gendry thought little of it and made his way across the camp where he knew Jon and Arya would be training with Viserion.

Viserion was eating some of the meat Jon was tossing at her and drawing closer to him. She came nose to nose with Ghost, then with Jon before shooting off into the trees.

"She's almost ready, a few more days." Arya said watching the pale dragon weave through the tree's till she found a clearing in the tree's canopy.

"We may not have the time." Jon grumbled while scratching Ghost behind the ears, he noticed Gendry approaching and smiled.

"Sleep well?" Jon asked innocently enough.

Gendry cleared his throat and avoided looking at Arya, "Well enough."

"The ground is softer here." Jon said off handedly and made his way towards Gendry while Arya scampered off towards Meera who had appeared from deep within the swamp. The Crannogmen had fed the men frogs, lizard lion and rice, while some of the men grumbled at eating frogs Jon and Arya focused on making sure they did not insult their hosts. The men could not complain about the frogs when their lady bragged about eating bugs in the past. Gendry didn't mind after his third frog, as long as there was some salt. It reminded him a bit of chicken, a few of the men had even asked for seconds.

Howland Reed appeared besides Meera and motioned for Jon to join him. The man took a special interest in Jon and Arya, mainly because of their father. Meera was impatient to leave with them, she wanted to make her way back to Bran Stark. Arya and Jon had welcomed Meera with open arms for the loyalty and love she showed for Bran even when he was not present. Arya became attached to Meera, since the girl cared for Bran beyond the wall and seemed to deeply love him. Then again Arya could make friends with anyone, it was a skill he had not mastered.

Gendry remembered how big of an ass he was towards Edric Dayne and Arya simply for the fact that they got along. Edric was a likeable boy and Arya had a knack for befriending anyone. All he could focus on was his own shortcomings, imagined and real. Even before leaving King's Landing he had a hard time getting along with others. He either scowled and scared others away or avoided people all together. Arya was never scared away, she stuck to Gendry and the rest even when it wasn’t convenient.

Arya let out a large laugh at something Meera said and Gendry smiled. Hopefully she was letting go of some of her anger. He helped some men load the tents and camping equipment onto the barges. A few of the older Crannogmen had volunteered their services to fight the undead. Tyrion and Jon mentioned that their first group of recruits would be older men trying to ease the strain on their families.

Gendry admired the northmen, they ran headlong into battle knowing that if they died there would be more food for the rest of the North. It was selfless in the extreme.

Gendry noticed Aegon approached Arya holding a colorful frog in a glass jar. They talked excitedly over the frog and Arya dipped an arrow in and run it along the frogs back. Gendry could not read lips but he was certain that they were speaking of poison. Arya continued to poison the tips of her arrows, a lock of her hair slipped and Aegon tucked it behind her ear. She smiled thankfully at him and Gendry felt something burning in his gut as he watched Aegon continue to loom over Arya.

He stormed away towards where he knew Daenerys was. He found her talking to Jon and Tyrion and bowed as well as he could.

"If the offer still stand I would be honored to become the new lord of the Stormlands."

Daenerys seemed a bit taken aback but she recovered quickly enough and bowed her head with respect.

"Then let me be the first to greet you, Gendry Baratheon, Lord paramount of the Stormlands and Storm's end."

Jon and Tyrion went to greet him as an equal and Gendry tried to mimic them as well as he could. He was a lord, he could barely read, yet he was a lord. No one could say a damn word if they ever caught Arya leaving his tent.

Gendrya

young griff

#asoiaf #fanfic #fan art #gendrya #gendry #arya stark #got #myart #my art #myfic #my fic

22 notes · View notes

she-wolf-of-highgarden · 6 years

Text

Arya Stark couldn’t be No One if she tried and she is

"No one," she would answer, she who had been Arya of House Stark, Arya Underfoot, Arya Horseface. She had been Arry and Weasel too, and Squab and Salty, Nan the cupbearer, a grey mouse, a sheep, the ghost of Harrenhal . . . but not for true, not in her heart of hearts. In there she was Arya of Winterfell, the daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn, who had once had brothers named Robb and Bran and Rickon, a sister named Sansa, a direwolf called Nymeria, a half brother named Jon Snow. In there she was someone . . . but that was not the answer that he wanted.” - Arya II, AFFC

"You lie. Worse, you lie poorly. Who are you? "No one." "Another lie." He sighed.” - Arya II, AFFC

"You'll be safe here," she told Needle. "No one will know where you are but me." She pushed the sword and sheath behind the step, then shoved the stone back into place, so it looked like all the other stones. As she climbed back to the temple, she counted steps, so she would know where to find the sword again. One day she might have need of it. "One day," she whispered to herself.” - Arya II, AFFC

“She bit her lip. "Could I be Cat?" "Cat." He considered. "Yes. Braavos is full of cats. One more will not be noticed. You are Cat, an orphan of . . ." "King's Landing." She had visited White Harbor with her father twice, but she knew King's Landing better.” - Arya II, AFFC

“I dreamed I was a wolf again. She could remember the smells best of all: trees and earth, her pack brothers, the scents of horse and deer and man, each different from the others, and the sharp acrid tang of fear, always the same. Some nights the wolf dreams were so vivid that she could hear her brothers howling even as she woke, and once Brea had claimed that she was growling in her sleep as she thrashed beneath the covers.” - Cat

“It was the other dream she hated, the one where she had two feet instead of four. In that one she was always looking for her mother, stumbling through a wasted land of mud and blood and fire. It was always raining in that dream, and she could hear her mother screaming, but a monster with a dog's head would not let her go save her. In that dream she was always weeping, like a frightened little girl. Cats never weep, she told herself, no more than wolves do. It's just a stupid dream.” - Cat

“Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, brewers and bakers and beggars and whores. They bought clams and cockles from her, told her true tales of Braavos and lies about their lives, and laughed at the way she talked when she tried to speak Braavosi.” - Cat *it’s a nice throw back to the Arya would make friends with anyone line*

“ Cat knew that the men off the Brazen Monkey would not care about the name of a courtesan's mother, though. Instead, she asked them for tidings of the Seven Kingdoms, and the war.” - Cat

“When Dareon had first appeared at the Happy Port, Arya had almost asked if he would take her with him back to Eastwatch, until she heard him telling Bethany that he was never going back.” - Cat

“That girl? I thought she had left Braavos. “Who are you?" "No one." "You lie." - Cat

“Ser Gregor, she thought. Dunsen, Raff the Sweetling. Ser Ilyn, Ser Meryn, Queen Cersei. Her morning prayer. Or was it? No, she thought, not mine. I am no one. That is the night wolf's prayer. Someday she will find them, hunt them, smell their fear, taste their blood. Someday.” - The Blind Girl

“She was glad of that. A water dancer needs good legs. Blind Beth was no water dancer, but she would not be Beth forever.” - The Blind Girl

“She missed the friends she'd had when she was Cat of the Canals; Old Brusco with his bad back, his daughters Talea and Brea, the mummers from the Ship, Merry and her whores at the Happy Port, all the other rogues and wharfside scum. She missed Cat herself the most of all, even more than she missed her eyes. She had liked being Cat, more than she had ever liked being Salty or Squab or Weasel or Arry. I killed Cat when I killed that singer. The kindly man had told her that they would have taken her eyes from her anyway, to help her to learn to use her other senses, but not for half a year. Blind acolytes were common in the House of Black and White, but few as young as she. The girl was not sorry, though. Dareon had been a deserter from the Night's Watch; he had deserved to die.” - The Blind Girl

"Who are you?" plague face asked when they were alone. "No one." "Not so. You are Arya of House Stark, who bites her lip and cannot tell a lie." - The Ugly Little Girl

Honestly there are more examples of this. The Kindly Man knows that Arya is not going to work out. He tells her time and time again that she can go, but she says no. I think the Kindly man knows that while Arya can kill, she cannot do it without reason, she does not have the heart for it.

He even tells her.

“You were a cat, they tell me. Prowling through the alleys smelling of fish, selling cockles and mussels for coin. A small life, well suited for a small creature such as you. Ask, and it can be restored to you. Push your barrow, cry your cockles, be content. Your heart is too soft to be one of us.” - The Ugly Little Girl

And honestly he is right. Arya cannot kill for simply no reason, she has to have a justification for it and that is not how the House of Black and White works. You kill because you are paid there is your reason, and it just does not work for her. Between her heart and her identity (especially with the whole wolf dreams and warging into cats thing happening) is too important to her to give up. If she was ever really going to become No One she would have to actually get rid of Needle, the symbol of her family, and that does not seem likely.

#Arya Stark #House of Black and White #A Song of Ice and Fire #ASoIaF #asoiaf meta

77 notes · View notes

omgellendean · 6 years

Text

Arya’s relationships with spoken language fascinate me. She not only recalls important words said to her once, or repeats some motto like most characters do, she takes every new expression she hears and puts it to use, incorporating it into her speech. I found only one character other than Arya, who did something like that, but to a much lesser extent. It was Joffrey. I wonder which of them this comparison would anger more?

Sometimes it’s a small thing — she hears the words and repeats them:

[Gendry] sat down on the bench, cradling a cup of wine between his hands. "Go away. I want to drink this wine in peace. Then maybe I'll go find that black-haired girl and ring her bell for her." (A Storm of Swords - Arya V) "My father had honor," she said angrily. "And we weren't talking to you anyway. Why don't you go back to Stoney Sept and ring that girl's stupid bells?" (A Storm of Swords - Arya VIII)

(The way Arya changed “bell” to “bells” makes it look like she didn’t quite understand what does it mean, though. Maybe she thinks about the real bells, like those on which Sansa played in Winterfell?)

But more often it’s a long time thing.

Usually, the process in which she inserts new expression into her speech is obscure, but in one instance we can actually see all the steps:

1) Learn the new expression: "I'm twelve," Arya lied loudly, "and I could be a knight if I wanted. I could have killed you too, only Lem took my knife." Remembering that still made her angry. "Complain to Lem, not me. Then tuck your tail between your legs and run. Do you know what dogs do to wolves?" 2) Memorise that expression: The rain had stopped, and she could hear wolves howling. So close, she thought, and so many. They sounded as if they were all around the stable, dozens of them, maybe hundreds. I hope they eat the Hound. She remembered what he'd said, about wolves and dogs. 3) Analyse it: [Clegane] needed only one hand to yank her off her feet and drag her kicking toward his waiting horse. The cold rain lashed them both and washed away her shouts, and all that Arya could think of was the question he had asked her. Do you know what dogs do to wolves? 4) Insert it in the speech, changed: The Hound watched her saddle Craven through eyes bright with fever. Not once did he attempt to rise and stop her. But when she mounted, he said, "A real wolf would finish a wounded animal." Maybe some real wolves will find you, Arya thought. Maybe they'll smell you when the sun goes down. Then he would learn what wolves did to dogs.

Same, though behind the scene, happens to other sayings. Sirio’s teaching, “Swift as a deer. Quiet as a shadow. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine,” at first is used at whole. Then incorporated into her inner monologue: Calm as still water, she took the Bull by the arm and drew him back behind a tall flowering hedge. // Arya whirled and ran, swift as a deer, her feet flying over the cobbles all the way to the bathhouse. // Whatever happened, she must be quiet as a shadow. Then changed to fit her better: “[As Nymeria] she was strong and swift and fierce". Those words disappear from her inner speech in Braavos, but then Arya meets Raff, and — Quiet as a shadow, she slipped around the back again.

Same with Ned’s words about the pack. Nice metaphor about family becomes the motivation for choosing freedom over safety, keeps Arya together with Gendry and Hot Pie and is revised and (temporary) rejected when she is left alone again, but will be remembered again.

Arya doesn’t just memorise new expressions: she contemplates them, takes them apart and puts together, making them her own.

#arya stark #asoiaf #language #long post #my post

337 notes · View notes

my-arya-underfoot · 7 years

Text

The problem with the show's Northern Plot

It amazes me how replacing Sansa’s Vale plot with the Northern plot has fucked over every one of the Stark siblings.

The Northern plot of the books encompasses Jeyne Poole’s story, the North actually remembering, Stannis rallying it’s lords, Davos going to find Rickon, armies marching for “Ned’s little girl”, Jon’s personal connections with Ramsay and dying to save Arya…. all of which was wrapped into Sansa’s mishmash of a plot in s5-7.

And god did that screw everything up for the Starks.

I mean on Sansa’s side she loses her entire training arc. Post ASoS/s3-4 is so clearly the “training montage” phase for the Starklings preparing them for the next stage of their journey. (Which makes sense with the original 5 year jump). Bran’s training with the 3 Eyed Raven, Arya with the Faceless Men and Jon with the Night’s Watch as Lord Commander. Cutting out Sansa’s Vale plot means skipping the part where she actually learns things – politics, manipulation, “playing the game”, even running a freaking household – in favour of being abused for yet another season.

Sure D&D still gave her all those skills – and more – in s6 and 7. But all that ended up doing was raise criticisms of Sansa being a Mary Sue and that she was pulling all these random abilities out of a hat. How is Sansa this amazing politician? Why should she be Lady of WF with no experience? How does she know how to prepare WF for winter? Or lead all the Northern lords? Why is she the only person who knows how to design armour?

Which leads on to the screwing over of all the other Starks roles. Putting Sansa in the North has completely undermined all her sibling’s importance to the Northern plot. What’s more, D&D removed attachments Jon, Arya, Bran and Rickon have to the North and Winterfell, while increasing Sansa's despite her having the least in the books.

Because, and I can’t believe this is still a debate, in the books Sansa was always the least Northern and most Southern of all her siblings. That’s not an insult or implying she’s lesser because of it. That’s how her character was designed.

Let’s play Which of these characters is the most logical to become ruler of Winterfell and the North:

a) The Builder: Every-Stark-generation-must-have-a-Bran, training in ancient Northern magic basically, been in the North the whole time, was actually taught how to rule WF as it’s lord, was “the Stark in WF”, knows parts of WF that no one else does and literally compares himself with it, trueborn son, warg, wolf living.

b) Literal Queen of the Wolves: Only trueborn child to inherit the Stark look, her wolf/other half leading a giant pack, has the most wolf imagery/association of all the Starklings, has “the wolf blood” refers to people as her pack, Northerners marching in her name, has casual chats with the old gods, dislikes the South and Southern ways, constantly meeting and helping Northeners on her journey, warg, wolf living.

c) Lord Commander: Spent the whole time in the North, had a ton of leadership training, serving Northern institution, alliances with Wildings, inherited the Stark look, warg, wolf living.

d) The Lady: Learned Southern ways and Southern politics, married off to a Southerner, struck out of succession, few references/connections to the North, no warg, dead wolf.

I mean really, how is this a discussion.

But in the show, Sansa is the one who returns first, gets speeches about how Winterfell is her home, persuades Jon to retake their home, attempts to rally the Northerners, kills Ramsay, gets a shit ton of focus as Lady of Winterfell and negotiates with the Northern lords. Her Southern connections, Robb striking her out his will and even as far back as her actions betraying Ned to Cersei are removed.

Meanwhile her siblings…

Rickon – Plot with Davos searching for him to rally the Northern lords? Gone. Rickon is a pawn to get Sansa and Jon to face Ramsay and killed off.

Bran – Intimately connected with Winterfell and still clinging to his identity? The significance of having the Stakiest of Stark names? References to his place as heir to WF? Gone. Bran of the show is a living google search bar, largely it seems to justify why Sansa remains Lady of WF/Ruler of the North when he rocks up again.

Arya – Jesus christ where to start. “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” Jeyne Poole posing as her, the Northern lords rallying for ‘Ned’s little girl’? Even further back, every Northener she meets along her journey, her warging abilities, link with Nymeria, her taking on Northern justice of passing the sentence/swinging the sword and her conversation with the actual old gods of the North? Gone. But Sansa gets the lone wolf line, passes judgement, reclaiming WF, leading the charge against Ramsay.

Jon – Implication he was made Robb’s heir, his personal hatred of Ramsay because of Arya, dying because he tried to save Arya from Ramsay? Gone. Yes he was made KitN but in a way that made him look like a dick and to get the audience on Sansa's side thanks to her moving with no justification because Sansa was in the North instead of the Vale and they removed Robb's will which would give Jon justification. Instead of working against Ramsay to rescue Arya, it’s connected to Sansa and what Sansa suffered at Ramsay’s hands.

Also, the general fact that Sansa sets up home base at Winterfell with all its people…. while Arya and Bran just get welcomed home by her then fade into the background so she can get on with being ruler of Winterfell.

Not only does is all the pack/family emphasis of the Starks go to Sansa but she’s acknowledged as the leader as well. Which utterly undermines the rest of the Starkling’s abilities, characterization and importance.

Now, obviously not every removal of Jon, Arya, Bran and Rickon’s Northern connections was because of Sansa. But it’s pretty damn obvious that D&D weakened all of their significance to prop up Sansa. Because apparently her actual plot wrapped up in the South and politics and the game wasn’t good enough.

So, when people ask why I get pissed off at the idea of Sansa as QITN? Because D&D had to take down every single one of her more Northern-leaning siblings to justify her getting that position.

#asoiaf meta #game of thrones meta #anti sansa stark #i guess #arya stark #sansa stark #jon snow #bran stark #the north remembers

2K notes · View notes

gendrie · 7 years

Text

"You are too young to be burdened with all my cares," he told her, "but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words." "Winter is coming," Arya whispered. "The hard cruel times," her father said. "We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya." "The direwolf," she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. "Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths.” (AGOT)

i need to give this a separate post so that it might actually get read: the lone wolf dies but the pack survives was told to arya by ned. it was a lesson for winter “the hard cruel times” ned calls them. when winter comes that is when everyone needs to stick together. theres no time for petty arguments or games. humanity needs to band together. (🚨 major theme of asoiaf alert! 🚨) and arya is the one who received this lesson from her wise old father before he died. she is the only one. thats significant. other characters aren’t going to magically come up with this out of thin air. and arya took those words to heart. it has always been her goal to have a pack. she finds strength in people. this was a major element of her story from the beginning. whether it was her family or friends or the northerners. but now with it being winter its going to become even more critical to the story. arya understands that they’re stronger together. and that their survival depends on protecting each other. thats what she values above all else. she doesn’t care about the game of thrones. its always been about the pack; protecting and providing for each other when the cold winds rise.

and thats why arya’s going to make an outstanding leader during the war for the dawn.

#her wolf is named after a warrior queen #who led her people to safety #like come the fuck on now #asoiaf nonsense

319 notes · View notes

piduai · 5 years

Note

top 10 asoiaf relationships/dynamics?

never thought about it actually but i will now! i don’t have any ships besides daensa and they haven’t met in canon and i usually enjoy characters individually but let’s give it a shot.

1. sansa & lady, however short-lived that relationship was. “Lady,” he said, tasting the name. He had never paid much attention to the names the children had picked, but looking at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well. She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting. She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he ruffled her thick grey fur.”it is implied that all the stark children are wargs, and they have a special bond to their wolves. it’s especially obvious in bran and jon’s case because they’re the only povs with their wolves alive and nearby, but the strong bond between robb and grey wind and rickon and shaggydog suggests that, as well as the wolf dreams arya has while being half a world away from nymeria. sansa, though. her wolf, a literal part of her soul, was murdered. and that in what, the 4th or 5th chapter? sansa’s suffering started THAT early. i think that because lady was killed sansa’s abilities as a warg died with her, which singles her out from her own family. i’ve always found lady’s death the saddest in the whole story.

2. sansa & arya because i’m basic like this. grrm said that he created sansa specifically to be arya’s foil and them being the opposite of each other is brought up in the narrative a good couple of time, and who am i to say that it doesn’t work. arya is shown to be extremely extroverted, empathetic and brass, while sansa falls on the low empathy side and is rather introverted and introspective in her povs, besides her impeccable manners. when i read arya’s povs, i read about her story and surrounding. when i read sansa’s povs, i read about sansa. “when the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”, ned tells arya, who is then obsessed with the idea of finding her “pack”, while sansa is left to tend to herself after ned’s decapitation, being resilient as a lone wolf and surviving. the times they think about each other in their povs are truly touching as well, “she wanted king’s landing to drown, but sansa was there”, “she dreamed that she had a daughter that looked a little like arya”, “a thousand years ago, she had known a girl who loved lemon cakes”. they sometimes remember each other with such melancholy.

3. sansa & cersei, “you are stronger than you seem. i expect you’ll survive a little humiliation. i did”“Once she had loved Prince Joffrey with all her heart, and admired and trusted her his mother, the queen. They had repaid that love and trust with her father’s head. Sansa would never make that mistake again.”“I ought to have shown her to the black cells as the daughter of a traitor, but instead I made her part of mine own household. She shared my hearth and hall, played with my own children. I fed her, dressed her, tried to make her a little less ignorant about the world, and how did she repay me for my kindness? She helped murder my son.” i think cersei resents sansa from the very beginning even though she has made good use of her. she’s genuinely disgusted by her innocence and naivete, and i think she both sees her own younger self in her, which she hates, and competition - the book IS written by a man after all, and they always think that all women are at odds with each other. first of all she resents her based on the prophecy that has been consuming cersei since she was sansa’s age, and she hates sansa for being “younger and more beautiful” and the potential “to tear everything she holds dear and take her place”. then another reason is joffrey. cersei is bound to hate any prospective betrothal to her children, because she’s a narcissist and she thinks of her children as continuation of herself - and narcissists don’t take well at anyone trying to take away their narcissistic supply. then she’s also a narcissistic parent (it’s another thing from narcissism per se), and joffrey is her favorite child, so it’s natural that she would hate his bride-to-be. we don’t have any introspection into cersei’s mind when sansa was still betrothed to joffrey, but i wager she held the same distaste towards her that she holds against margaery in her actual povs.

sansa on the other hand, initially of course, loves cersei, adores cersei and is desperate for her approval and her company she considers the highest honor. of course later she grows a healthy fear and disgust towards cersei but their interactions, scarce as they are, are always a delight to read. i find it funny that sansa has been deeply traumatized by cersei’s actions, while cersei thinks that she’s done sansa nothing but good. the PERSPECTIVE of all of that is just hilarious.

4. cersei & margaery, i think it’s supposed to mirror the previous one but margaery is made of an ENTIRELY different cloth than sansa. unlike sansa she was clearly prepared to come into the nest of snakes that is king’s landing and was plainly trained for it, becoming a huge snake herself. margaery is fake through and through, reason for which i love her, and, unlike sansa, who doesn’t have any protection at court and is a war prisoner, is surrounded by her people so cersei can’t do her any harm. besides she’s the actual threat that cersei thinks as “younger and more beautiful” tho i think margaery will not have a kind fate. in the chapter where she’s imprisoned and cersei comes to visit her, margaery shows her true colors for the first and only time: “will you make me call my gaolers and have you dragged away, you vile, scheming, evil bitch?”.

cersei and margaery are both intelligent and cunning but in different ways and they can’t stand each other and it’s somehow delightful to follow.

5. cersei & jaime, it was actually the reason i started watching the show in 2013 and swiftly changed to the books, saw a meme on 9gag that was like “can have any woman in seven kingdoms - fucks his own sister” over a pic of jaime and i got curious. i generally find twincest boring and tasteless but it never fails to intrigue me. a couple of years ago there was a huge ass post with thousands of notes that highlighted some moments from the books and the op was like “besides the incestuous side, cersei and jaime are the healthiest romantic relationship in the story” and i laughed out LOUD because BOY was that person wrong. their relationship is of consuming each other, hating each other,hurting each other, loving each other, lying to each other, idolizing each other, demonizing each other. it’s as unhealthy and toxic as it can get.

6. tywin & all his children, it’s hilarious how he managed to fuck up all of his kids in entirely different ways. all three of them idolize him and demonize him simultaneously, and none of them he has ever loved, using them, lying to them, dismissing their existence as it goes. he’s obsessed with the reputation of his house but he’s utterly ruthless and neglectful towards his family, which cracks me up.

7. brienne and podrick, they’re both awkward yet underestimated teenagers who have no idea what to do with themselves. the sense of camaraderie and bonding they share based on this is funny. pod is the only man brienne has shown to trust throughout her journey, and was worried for him when they got abducted.

8. ramsay and theon, theon deserved all that came upon him and imo ramsay was merciful on him, if i was him i’d skin theon’s face and take out an eye just for sport.

9. jon connington and rhaegar, i have a soft spot for a character remaining faithful to their dead lover years and years later. everything connington does he does out of love for rhaegar, and i can respect that. actually this is the only aspect for the other jon for me as well, the way he thinks about ygritte now and then is somehow touching.

10. varys and littlefinger, i’m sure varys can read littlefinger for shit, and while littlefinger does have his info on varys i’m sure it doesn’t cover even a quarter. who is varys? where do his loyalties lie? what are his goals? with littlefinger every question has an answer, varys though… but the two of them, plus doran martell, are the main players in the game so it’s interesting how things go under the covers.

also dany & missandei! it’s really sweet

0 notes

renlyisright · 4 years

Text

Season 7 Predictions Reviewed and An Epilogue

One more season done, one more to go. The slogan for this season was “Gotta go fast”. There was no lull like the middle parts of seasons 3 and 5 were. The characters have had their developments, now they just hit each other until the winner is found and/or everyone is dead.

The seasons 3-4 were a pair, and so were 5-6. These last two are more likely “just” a 13-episode climax, which is fine by me. More time for reunions and not changing the status quo with a battle every single episode would have been improvements (building up to only one or two big battles would have worked as well), but there’s been a genre switch. Just ask Littlefinger how well the return of magic has worked out for him.

Westeros is now a fully fantastical world in an existential battle for survival. Some of its inhabitants still go smoothly from “I don’t believe this is true” to “Fine, it may be true, but if I ignore it it’s only going to affect people far away, and I must be able to profit from this somehow”. Something something climate change.

I watched the first episode of the first season to see the very beginning, when all these characters were introduced. So many of them are dead now, but not actually that many from the main focus characters (and still less from those who survived the first season). But they have all changed, and grown up. People have more beards these days, and much darker hair. Dark dark, everything is dark.

When the season started, the main problems were the Dead and Cersei. Neither seemed that big of a problem. Against the dead there were three dragons, against Cersei there was the fact that everybody hated her. But who would have known, both of them turn out to be bigger problems now than before. The Dead have crossed the Wall and they have a dragon, with no qualms of using it to just burn down everything… or do they?

What do the Dead want? To kill absolutely everyone in Westeros? What do they do then, stand around and slowly rot, killing any animals who enter Westeros as a pastime. Except oh yeah, the dragon. If the flying dead can pass open water (if they can pass water by walking on ice, flying should work too), the Night King can move to Essos or any island and start a new army in a new location.

If that is what he wants to do. His mission doesn’t seem to be to maximize the number of wights, otherwise killing people by beheading (as in the prologue) wouldn’t make sense. The army’s purpose is to kill the living, not to create a civilization of wights (whose mental abilities seem to be very limited).

But the Walkers seem to like art, and rituals. Many of them are grown from Craster’s poor sons. Do they have any sort of civilization or free-time activities?

These are all questions outside the scope of this project, I’m sure.

I’m excited to see the last season. A couple of things before it. First: Checking if I have become any better in predicting things, let’s see the predictions made before the season:

Benjen has been found, so I might as well predict his death once again. It will likely happen eventually.

Finally taking pity on me for calling for his death every year, Benjen finally did it. Very matter-of-factly, simply to get it over with, but he did. What am I going to predict now?

The White Walkers get past the Wall somehow. They blow the Horn of Winter or something to break it. That way they get some damage done south of the Wall too, before the end. With three big dragons beating them seems too easy.

How about when they have a dragon too? That made getting past the Wall very easy. And the Night King has his throwing arm for a couple of more tries.

Bran will do something else magical than just entering people’s heads or having visions. Meera’s father will show up, he was the one who sent his children originally to Bran.

Visions were the big thing, and seem to be the only thing he can do besides mind-borrowing, but he’s making use of them. Meera left to go to her father, but that’s it.

Jon will bring the Northern forces north to protect the Wall. There’s a big setback, as Littlefinger chaoses things up. Brienne and Pod return to Sansa, and will survive the first battle against the dead.

The first battle against the dead hasn’t happened yet (unless you count either of the dragon hits), Jon went South to get an alliance, and Littlefinger tries but fails to setback anything.

Beric Dondarrion will die permanently, and Thoros will take the Hound as his new protected.

Thoros died instead, so no protected. Beric is maybe alive? I’m saying alive as I saw no body.

The alive Starks finally meet each other again (please?). Equally likely is that Arya tries to assassinate Cersei.

They did, they are all on Winterfell as one pack, excluding Jon who is on his way back now.

Nymeria shows up again, leading a half-breed pack of wolves. I missed Ghost in the Battle of the Bastards, it can do something too.

Nymeria showed up, but was done with being a pet. Ghost is somewhere just out of the frame, and outside of the visual effects budget.

The Freys will have a very confined civil war as they debate the succession in the Twins.

Nope, Arya made sure of that. There’s likely some survivors who can debate the new ownership but it won’t matter once Cersei is offed and the lands get a rearrangement.

Yara will challenge Euron, and kill him, becoming the queen of the Iron Islands.

Not yet at least. Yara is a prisoner, but Theon is coming for her. I can’t see Euron surviving the episode where the big confrontation happens, no matter how horribly everything else in it goes.

Cersei will try to marry Jaime officially for Targaryen-points, but there’s no time. It’s everybody against Cersei now. She won’t sit on the Throne in the end of the season, but may not be dead. Qyburn will die, because he is the current Hand.

Everybody is against Cersei, but otherwise no points. She’s still on the throne and Qyburn is alive.

A big battle (not necessarily the only one of the season) will be the Lannister army versus Dothraki (on the open field? Well it was promised long ago).

Yes, Dothraki on an open field, Ned.

Daenerys won’t have the Iron throne yet (maybe she’ll realise that to have the realm she has to save it first), but she’s going to have a new betrothed.

Not a betrothed (at least not yet), but a very very close ally. And no throne. I wonder who I thought to get the throne, since I predicted both that Cersei doesn’t have the throne anymore but Daenerys doesn’t have it yet either. Can’t remember.

Jorah won’t find a cure, so he’ll go down fighting before succumbing to the illness.

He actually found it. Thank you Sam.

Before leaving the throne, Cersei is a sore loser and gets at least one of the Ellaria/Olenna duo killed (three guesses which one I would prefer to go).

:( Not sure if she has already got tired of Ellaria, but at least one of them is dead, yes.

More Olenna! And can we get Highgarden already? Yes, I know it’s winter and so it won’t look its best but can we? I don’t think there will be any other new places. Casterly Rock is another capital that hasn’t been seen but why would anyone go there? Cersei will want Jaime in King’s Landing.

Olenna’s last scene was golden, sudden as it was. Winter!Highgarden was a bit of a disappointment, but there it was. And there was a reason to go to topple Casterly Rock, but they couldn’t hold it. Anyway, not much of a tour of either. Next time.

Varys and Littlefinger have both gathered armies and are ready for the end of their little game. They will meet each other and reflect on what they have gone through, with no need to hide anything anymore.

No time for that, Littlefinger over-extended himself and burnt his fingers. Pity that their last meeting was back in the third season, they could have had things to say to one another.

Was that everybody? Oh, I forgot Sam and Gilly! They’ll be in peace in Oldtown until they have to leave, for one reason or another, back to the North. Sam doesn’t become a proper maester, at least not yet.

All correct. You go Sam.

Wrapping up, the five predicted deaths by me: Benjen Stark, Euron Greyjoy, Ellaria Sand, Qyburn, Jorah Mormont. Jorah is perhaps the only one whose death would be worth more points of these five, but he has that ticking time bomb of a disease. Fine, I’ll change Qyburn to Varys for more points.

Surprisingly, only Benjen from these, but Ellaria can be counted dead for story purposes. If she is seen again, it’s in the aftermath when the land ownerships are wrapped up.

The computer throws dice and gives out the following five names (this time there were only 37 names worth listing, last time I remember there were about 50. People have been busy killing each other): Benjen Stark, Jaime Lannister, young Lady Mormont, Qyburn and Daenerys Targaryen. The least likely to die, it says, are Meera, Arya and Beric Dondarrion. I’m not so sure about that last one…

So the computer called Benjen as well, and no others. I’m as good a calculator as a computer, then. Nice.

#game of thrones #renly is right

0 notes

alinaastarkov · 4 years

Note

You need to learn how to read. I never said Arya couldn't become a good queen,(I think she has some good characteristics for it). I said her ARC doesn't have strong foreshadowing for monarchy and leadership, the way other characters do. Arya's arc is primately driven by the themes of revenge, forgiveness, acceptance, family, loss of identity, etc... not ruling. The funny thing is that Arya HERSELF doesn't want to become queen, so I'm confused on why her "fans" want her to be unhappy so badly.

I was going to start this answer all civil and say that yes I read it wrong my bad. But after seeing how you began this ask? Fuck it. Civility has not been earned.

Now, I did actually talk about Arya’s arc, as well as her character, but if you want queen foreshadowing in her arc, then I have one, very huge, thing to say to you: Nymeria.

(This sort of got away from me so I’ll put the rest under the cut)

For a start, Arya is basically a reincarnation of Nymeria of Ny Sar, the Queen of the Rhoyne who led her people to safety across the Narrow Sea. They both had people to protect, are both coming to Westeros from across the sea, both magical and both perfect for ruling. Hell, Arya even named her direwolf after the woman, which brings me to second part of this: Nymeria the direwolf. Arya’s wolf is currently leading a pack of thousands of wolves across the Riverlands, protecting them and acting as their ruler. We know the direwolves’ fates and names mirror that of their owners’ paths, so we can gather that Arya will soon be a leader of some kind, most likely a queen given the name. None of this is an accident, just as Sansa’s direwolf dying was also not an accident. Also note GRRM said that Nymeria was a queen in a similar way to Daenerys, rather than a soldier like Brienne.

I touched on foreshadowing before, but seeing as you can’t seem to read I’ll bring it up again: Ned says Arya will marry a king, her direwolf is named after a queen and is leading a pack of wolves, she thinks on Ned’s lessons on northern values as much as Jon and Bran, all of which are about leadership, she always tries to find her ‘pack’, the literal old gods speak to her, something that happens to no-one else ever, and tell her to be strong because she is a daughter of the north, Varys’ quote about Aegon and how well he is suited to ruling fits perfectly for Arya - literally all of it applies, she is learning epic skills for diplomacy and politics in Braavos, not to mention stuff about poisons which will keep her alive when she becomes someone worth poisoning, Varys also says ‘a king must put his people first’, something Arya does so many times that I can’t even list them (seriously, you’re telling me “she would make much better time on her own, she knew, but she could not leave them. they were her pack” doesn’t scream leader to you?), she makes friends and inspires loyalty wherever she goes, the featherbed song (written specifically for Arya and Gendry - I’m not a gendrya shipper but there’s no ignoring that this song is for them) mentions the woman wearing a crown, she upholds northern values like there is no tomorrow, and, in case ya didn’t hear, the only time any god speaks in the entire series is to Arya to encourage her to keep going.

Also Sansa wants to ‘make’ people love her but Arya is doing it effortlessly by just caring for them without even thinking, and seeing as that is your fave who you think is perfectly set up to be queen, and she thinks this is how to be a good queen, I thought I’d mention it.

Now, you mentioned Arya’s themes. I’m going to immediately scratch ‘revenge’ off that list because that’s not what her arc is about. Justice? Yes. Revenge? No. But, seeing as that is your list, let’s look at those themes in terms of queenship.

What would be the best revenge against the people who killed the King in the North and tried to obliterate her entire family? Why, finding the rest of her living relatives and continuing Robb’s legacy as Queen, of course! In terms of family, like Nymeria and her pack, Arya could protect them if she was queen and actually keep them close as she has been trying to do this whole time. Forgiveness and acceptance? Of herself, others? Either way, knowing that so many people cared for her and have been trying to win back the North in her name will help her accept herself and forgive the northerners for not helping her in her need, and it’s really only her own self-esteem issues that make her think she is unworthy of the office. Same with identity, Queen in the North would just be the culmination of her coming to terms with her own identity as Arya Stark. Ruling is part of her arc, for all of the dozens of reasons I have already said. And, I know I’m not perfect, so... there are probably more I’ve forgotten.

We don’t know how Arya feels about being Queen, though, do we? She doesn’t want to be a lady, i.e. the kind of lady that is expected of her at the beginning of the series. Being queen is totally different. They have never had a Queen in the North before, it is a role she can define for herself, and given her quintessentially northern values, she would do an amazing job. But she never thinks about leadership, or much of want she wants after the war, because she doesn’t have time to. She’s running for her life, she can’t think of anything but how she is going to live the next day. The minute she gets a chance to rest and think, without grappling with identity issues, then we can start discussing what Arya does or does not want.

We want Arya to be happy. And it’s not a stretch to think that being Queen, in her own way, wouldn’t make her happy. Enough of the quotation marks thank you very much.

#arya stark #asoiaf #anti sansa stans #neve has mail

60 notes · View notes

gendrie · 7 years

Note

sis tell me about your top 5 Arya moments and quotes pls. your wisdom is much needed in these trying times :D

alright lets do this:

"The wolf blood." Arya remembered now. "I'll be as strong as Robb. I said I would." She took a deep breath, then lifted the broomstick in both hands and brought it down across her knee. It broke with a loud crack, and she threw the pieces aside. I am a direwolf, and done with wooden teeth.”

I feel like such a cliche with this one but its a classic for a reason lol. theres nothing about this scene i don’t love. all the nature imagery for starters: the sound of the wind and the water. the eyes of the gods peering into arya as she kneels before the heart tree, asking for their help. and then! “ from somewhere out in the world, came the long lonely howl of a wolf” and arya feels lightheaded. i don’t think she’s actually hearing nymeria either. she’s warging her wolf. the best part is the old gods actually communicating with arya, obviously. i will never stop stressing this because ?? it literally never happens in any other scene?? this is the most northern thing ever too and it happens in the middle of the riverlands. it has huge significance for arya’s identity arc as well. she starts to doubt herself here. after hearing the news that winterfell has been burned and her little brothers are dead but the gods intervene and with ned’s voice reminding arya of who she is and where she belongs she finds the strength to carry on. its just an intense and beautiful scene.

She looked at their filthy hair and scraggly beards and reddened eyes, at their dry, cracked, bleeding lips. Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb's men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry. They all seemed to be looking at her, the living and the dead alike.

this moment is so important to me. its so important to the story. arya has seen so much of the war. she’s fought in the battles. she’s seen the dead bodies and burned villages. she’s seen all this death and destruction. and its mostly from the lannisters. but then she starts too see a lot of the evil the northmen are doing too. and it breaks arya’s heart. she’s so ashamed. but its an inevitable truth of war, unfortunately. i like to harp on this a lot but the truth is very important in arya’s story so this is something she has to see. she hates these men for what they’ve done. they’re supposed to be her people but they have betrayed everything she stands for. but all the same, she shows them mercy. the villagers yell at her to stop but she fills her own cup until its brimming over with water. while standing on gendrys shoulders (yes this detail is important) she pours it over the first man. and she does it all again for the other two. these men are criminals. they’re in disgusting shape, naked and filthy. but arya is still able to do and watch as they’re given mercy via anguy’s arrows without flinching. she feels duty bound to give them one last drink of water but she doesn’t make excuses for these men. this shows the huge potential in arya to become a great leader. the experience is so valuable as well. all these lessons the war taught her will effect how she rules in the future.

Arya put her lips to his ear. "It's Jaqen H'ghar."Even in the burning barn, with walls of flame towering all around and him in chains, he had not seemed so distraught as he did now. "A girl . . . she makes a jest." "You swore. The gods heard you swear."

she 👏 did 👏 that 👏 arya played a faceless man like it was nothing. she is the damn champ. and this is only in the second book. now that she’s had faceless men training herself arya going to be a an even bigger force to be reckoned with. but yeah this is just one of the best tricks in asoiaf. jaqen really thought he had the power and arya just switched it up before he knew what was happening. i love how the three wishes trope is used with all the power of names business. its very old school. the entire “only death may pay for life” stuff is my favorite too. i even like all the weasel soup stuff that follows even though its horrifying. “a girl should be bloody too. this is her work” but like my last point, thats a lesson arya learns from. she’s cunning and clever and a very quick study. i love her.

"I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty.""Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave."

when i started this i said i wasn’t going to include any arya/gendry moments but i lied to my damn self. kinda. this is only partially about the otp. i love this entire chapter because its pretty different from a lot of arya’s. the theme of love and romance is really strong (i wonder why?) her interactions with lady smallwood are beautiful. the dialogue between them is great and this woman treats her so kindly. arya’s so responsive to that. we see her open up to lady smallwood. unlike with the highborn women she grew up with. she even says the acorn dress is pretty in the end. the “be brave” just destroys me. and arya even remembers the lady who said she was pretty at acorn hall. theres the wrestling and the song :) i mean what can i say that i havent said a hundred times before? arya and gendry are gonna fall in love. another fave bit is when harwin says "arya was much the same at winterfell” after her and gendry play fight. which shows that she can be her true self with him. he even says just arya when asking if she wants to see the forge with him. she’s not in survival mode or hiding her identity. she’s just arya. and he’s gendry. and they’re beautiful.

. . . but it wasn't.Needle was Robb and Bran and Rickon, her mother and her father, even Sansa. Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.

ah, needle. i couldn’t not include this scene, ya know? i tear up every time i read it. i love the dark, watery atmosphere of braavos. its the perfect backdrop for this scene which is essentially a rebirth. arya is told by the kindly man she must rid herself of her possessions. thats the first step. the next will be her body and her feelings and, ultimately, her future. so she takes everything out into the night and stands at the waters edge and throws it all in; her little trinkets and even her clothes. everything except needle. she can’t part with it. that sword is a symbol of everything that makes arya stark. its such a profound moment for an identity arc. when we’re stripped bare, what makes us who we are? and this is what makes arya: her mother and her father. her brothers and her sister. old nan’s stories. her home and its people. jon snow’s smile. (and i am actually tearing up now as i type this lmao) thats who she is and arya cannot give that up. she thinks the old gods wanted her to have needle. the many faced god can’t have it. so arya hides needle. she conceals it from the faceless men and buries those memories deep in her heart. with a promise that one day she’ll be back for them all. and that day will be the day i die.

#this ask was a struggle tbh lol #top 5 arya moments???#uh??#ALL OF THEM #so i just went with my gut #blacksmithgendry #ask

88 notes · View notes