Something Old, Something New

[Pedro Del Mar]

George is giving us notice he's about to post up a new chapter.......

Not A Blog

 

[Boaz]

Nice job, crooksy. I await it with baited breath... or at least morning breath... I need to brush my teeth.

 

[Werthead]

Here it is.

Pretty disturbing stuff, but fortunately (understatement!) it ended in a different way than I thought it might.

 

[Reivax26]

Interesting chapter. I am more interested in finding out when the whole book will come out...

 

[Boaz]

Spoiler Alert!!!

Seriously, if you don't want to know about this sample chapter from TWOW, then stop reading now.

Just read it... Here's my observations.

Pretty disturbing stuff, but fortunately (understatement!) it ended in a different way than I thought it might.

The opening paragraphs are disturbing...

Arya has been trained even further in the arts of the Faceless Men. Is she wearing a skin mask or has she learned something of changing her face? People who might recognize Arya or Cat don't know Mercy.

I don't know what Mercy's mission was or if she was just living there until she got a mission, but I know that her memory is still that of Arya Stark. She has wolf dreams and she remembers the names in her prayers.

In her wolf dream she noticed a tree was watching her. Bran is following Nymeria?

And it's clear from Raff's murder that Arya remembers Lommy. She makes Raff say "Mercy" and "You'll have to carry me." She then gives Raffs own line back to him, "Think so?"

Ser Harys Swyft, Kevan's father in-law and former Hand, is the Iron Throne's representative to Braavos. He's there on a financial mission. I'm not sure if he is to get a loan from the Sealord or to work out a new agreement with the Iron Bank.

There may be a reference to Brown Ben Plumm. Ser Harys' companion is a whore called the Black Pearl.

"The first Black Pearl was black as a pot of ink,” said Daena. “She was a pirate queen, fathered by a Sealord’s son on a princess from the Summer Isles. A dragon king from Westeros took her for his lover.”

Ben Plumm told Dany that he had a bit of the Dragon in him. You might recall the story of Ben's forefather with a six foot penis that impressed the daughter of a king. Anyway, it's a long shot, I admit.

So a guy named Phario Forel (similar to Syrio Forel) wrote a play, The Bloody Hand. It's about court intrigue in Westeros to please the emissary from the Iron Throne. Characters mentioned include King Robert, Tyrion, and King Joffrey. Since Mercy's character is raped and murdered in the second act (we are not told if the play is in two acts, three, or more), I am going to assume that she's playing the part of Shae... and that Tyrion is the villain, the Bloody Hand. Apparently he makes a pact with the Stranger to allow him to gain power.

Now maybe Mercy's unnamed character is not Shae, but just a woman Tyrion rapes. Then again, she might be playing the role of Sansa.... but probably not. If there were too many direct references to Sansa, we'd get Arya's thoughts on the matter. And... I think we'd have seen a reference to Edddard if he was the antagonist.

Eddard told Arya of the cohesiveness of the pack. He taught his children that pack loyalty, fierceness, and a tough mindset are needed to be a Stark. But Eddard overlooked that wolves are the apex predators of their habitat. And Arya is a predator. Bran may like to run and howl. Robb, Jon, and Rickon may like (or have liked) to hunt and fight. But Arya hunts and kills to further her goals and to establish a mindset of dominance. She kills other predators that enter her habitat.

I'm going to predict right now that Arya's independent killings will not be favorably looked upon by the House of Black and White. She might end up in a race against time to kill everyone on her list before Syrio or the Waif track her down.

So what did you learn from this chapter? What did I miss?

 

[Eulalia]

GRRM seems to be pulling a nod to The Bard with a play within a play. There is a little Hamlet, a little Richard the III with Tyrion as the lead character. The play and then Raff the Sweetling from her list making a visit, seemed to have pushed Mercy into action, and commitment to being Arya. Very clever indeed. I enjoyed this quite a lot, and it seems to hold it's own as a short story (if you've read the books).

Arya will have very short prayers one day.

 

[Boaz]

I think these are all the names in Arya's "prayer"...

Amory Lorch, fed to Vargo Hoat's bear
Cersei Baratheon
Chiswyck, thrown from a tower by Jaqen H'ghar
Dunsen
Gregor Clegane, killed? by Oberyn Martell
Ilyn Payne
Joffrey Baratheon, poisoned by Olenna Tyrell
Meryn Trant
Polliver, killed by Sandor Clegane
Raff the Sweetling, murdered by Arya
Sandor, left for dead and proclaimed deceased by the Elder Brother of the Quiet Isle
The Tickler, slain by Arya
Weese, killed by his dog who was influenced by Jaqen H'ghar on Arya's orders

While reading ACOK and ASOS, I thought, "thirteen people... not all of them are going to die." Well... there are actually only four left on the list. It's a cruel, cruel world. With their proximity to the throne and their allegiance to the Lannisters, I cannot see Ser Ilyn nor Ser Meryn surviving the story. And we all expect Cersei to be strangled by the valonqar... so that leaves only Dunsen (oh, and mayhaps Gregor and probably Sandor). I don't have a clue as to Dunsen's whereabouts.

Edit: So if SanSan comes true, would Arya spoil it for Sansa?

 

[joshrackley]

Is it Sandor on Arya's list or is it the Hound? Because the Hound is already dead, Sandor is a different story, however.

 

[chongjasmine]

I don't like to read chapters, I like to read book, so will skip reading this chapter.
Anyway, I am still 3/4 of the way through a clash of kings reread.

 

[Boaz]

josh, I hear you. That's the crux, she prayed for the Hound and yet the Elder Brother declared him no more. So... is the Hound dead while Sandor lives? Will Arya see him making penitence for his sins? Will that even matter to her or will she murder him in revenge of Mycah in the manner that she murdered Raff for Lommy? Would she ride him down, trample him, and then butcher him like an animal? Could I put more questions in a post?

Edit: And the longer this thread grows the more people will be tempted to read Mercy.

 

[Eulalia]

She did refuse to give Sandor the gift of mercy already and he did save her life. Will it count?



I guess I should have put major spoilers alerts on my post. Sorry.

 

[Young stormlord]

I love it. I love it a lot. What we have learned is where Faceless Men learn their mummer's tricks, so they won't have to use magic all the time. And that Arya is still in there, always, no matter what face she is wearing.

 

[viZion]

Arya already removed the Hound from her list. I've mentioned somewhere in these forums before that they developed a pretty twisted father/daughter relationship during their time together. Anyway, she's not after him anymore.

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

I hope we see a return of the Hound, he's one of my favourite characters

 

[Needle]

Those of you who know me, know how I am going to react to this. THAT'S MY GIRL!

Arya is a Stark, through and through. Maybe more so than any of her siblings. She will always be Arya of House Stark, the House of Black and White cannot take that from her. She can be Cat, a little blind girl, Mercy, however they ask her to be, they are masks that Arya is wearing with more and more expertise all the time.

We know she wore masks from the moment her father died, it is what kept her alive.

Ned said the lone wolf dies while the pack survives. I'm not so sure that is going to prove true here. Arya has indeed become the lone wolf, yet Nymeria is a part of her always. As long as she survives, Arya has her pack.

 

[ArstenWhitebeard]

Awesome Chapter!

at first I thought killing the guard might have been part of her mission, then the faceless men could infiltrate the guards. but then they said his name was Raff. His death was Arya'a will, not that of the house of black an white, which is evidenced by her dropping his body in the canal.

That leaves me wondering what her real mission was? in the end she said she would miss Mercy and that her lines in the play would be her first and last. Is she anticipating being taken from this assignment because of her killing Raff? or will she be making another tribute to the Many Faced god before the night is out (perhaps Harys Swift?)

Also- Arya took Sandor/The hound off her list. If I recall correctly, it was almost a subconscious thing. I think during her time with the Hound, she simply stops saying his name in her "Prayers".

 

[Needle]

I sure killing Raff (The Sweetling) was pure Arya Stark!

Mercy, like all those before her, was most likely just more training for the House of Black and White. Faceless Men have to perfect being faceless, fully being and living the life of another.

Poor Mercy will now disappear just like Cat of the Canals when Arya Stark killed Darean (forgot how to spell it!). Plus Arya will most likely be punished again, but for some reason I don't think they will kick her out. Mainly because I think the Kindly Man has met his match in Arya and he knows it. IMHO it will make him more determined to squash Arya Stark once and for all.