101 replies to this topic

[Ice Turtle]

I haven't read it all so sorry if I repeating already said but I think it was:

Stannis!

Cat promised her she won't stand between her and her vengeance.

[Jory]

Okay, to sate my own curiosity, I did a search through every last one of the agonizing-to-read Brienne chapters.

For those of you who think she cried out "Stannis", I will counter with the following: the Brienne's vengeance on Stannis plot point seems to have been dropped entirely. There is only one mention of Stannis in all of her chapters:

Quote

He shrugged. "Sometimes. At tourneys, from afar. Once at Baelor's Sept. The gold cloaks shoved us aside so he could pass. Another time I was playing near the Mud Gate when he come back from a hunt. He was so drunk he almost rode me down. A big fat sot, he was, but a better king than these sons of his."

They are not his sons. Stannis told it true, that day he met with Renly. Joffrey and Tommen were never Robert's sons. This boy, though . . . "Listen to me," Brienne began. Then she heard Dog barking, loud and frantic. "Someone is coming."

That's it. If Brienne's vengeance on Stannis was something that she was really worried about, or even thinking about, why the fuck doesn't she think about it in any of the POV chapters we see of her? Cersei certainly obsesses over Stannis enough in A Feast for Crows.

[All Men Must Rhyme]

I'm sticking with what I said in my first post. It's either "Arya", "Sword" as you guys pointed out to me, or maybe a small chance that she has been saved by somebody (knowing Tarly and the Freys were searching for the brotherhood). I'm not sure how many men were there at the time, but I don't think it would have been all of Stoneheart's group. Aside from Lem and the two hanging Pod and Hyle, I don't think there would have been more than three others (two to a captive.) Not completely farfetched that they may have been overpowered, although I may be forgetting any mention of this that is made in ADWD, as I haven't finished my reread yet.

[Ghost714]

Jcooper, on 08 February 2012 - 03:52 AM, said:

I'm sticking with what I said in my first post. It's either "Arya", "Sword" as you guys pointed out to me, or maybe a small chance that she has been saved by somebody (knowing Tarly and the Freys were searching for the brotherhood). I'm not sure how many men were there at the time, but I don't think it would have been all of Stoneheart's group. Aside from Lem and the two hanging Pod and Hyle, I don't think there would have been more than three others (two to a captive.) Not completely farfetched that they may have been overpowered, although I may be forgetting any mention of this that is made in ADWD, as I haven't finished my reread yet.

In the epilogue of ADwD, the council is talking about matters of state, Randyll Tarly, Mace Tyrell, Paxter Redwyne, and Kevan Lannister. I mention this because, don't they mention "this lady Stoneheart", among other things. I thought they did anyway, and if they did, that kind of spoils your hopes of Randyll Tarly crashing Lady Stonehearts party. Because had he gotten there and saved Brienne I think it would have been mentioned at the council meeting.

[FanTasy]

sorry double post

Edited by FanTasy, 08 February 2012 - 06:45 AM.

[FanTasy]

But is there general consensus? Maybe a poll?

[Arkash]

What about "Fuck" ?

Non, that was just a lame joke!

[DragonSpawn]

"shadow"? simply reminding Cat that she's the only other person who witnessed Renleys death?

Mind you... i'd be fascinated to know what Stoneheart thinks about Stannis and Melisandre and her shadow-babies now... she was fearful... but now Robb is dead and she is clearly blaming the Freys, Boltons and Lannisters - and R'hollor has given her life too... does she understand and fear Stannis more? or does she no longer give a damn? has she adopted R'hollor herself instead of the 7 or the old gods?

[Chelly]

Sword does make the most sense since she was told to choose either "sword" or "noose" and she went looking for Jaime after the event and it looks as if she is taking him to them.

I also like the idea of her saying "Arya" because Jaime had told her about the Jeyne disguise and if she said "shadow" that would be cool too as a sort of reminder to Cat about the bigger picture.

For kickS, what if she said "FML"?   That's probably what I would have said if I were her.

[Happy Ent]

FanTasy, on 08 February 2012 - 06:44 AM, said:

But is there general consensus? Maybe a poll?

There is no poll, but we’ve been debating it for half a decade in untold numbers of threads and posts. Usually, a new poster asks what the word is, all kinds of silly suggestions are posted (yes, this includes Hodor). Then somebody explains that the word is obviously Sword. Almost everybody then leaves the thread again, except for a few die-hards who want it to be Sandor! or Stannis! or, gods forbid, Syrio!

This is repeated two months later.

The word was Sword.

[Odendisa]

My first thought when I was reading the book was "sword" so I'm on the sword-side.

[Independent George]

I think only four words make sense:

Hrrrrrk!
Arya
Sansa
Sword

Catelyn chaged Brienne with retrieving her daughters in exchange for Jaime's freedom. Pretty much the only things that will get through to her are Jaime (sword), or her daughters (Arya or Sansa).

It's certainly possible that Brienne did actually die after being hung (hence, 'Hrrrrrk!'), and was broght back by Thoros. It seems unlikely that the BWB would let Thoros give his last rites, though, knowing that it brought Beric back, but it's certainly possible. Personally, I don't like the theory just because unBrienne seems like a copout.

Since BWB knows Arya was alive and disappeared with Sandor Clegane, and that they killed some of the raiders who attacked the Saltpans, it stands to reason that they searched the bodies and realized Arya wasn't one of the casualties. It's possible a survivor saw her board the Bravosi ship, but it's doubtful anyone would notice or care. The point is, at this point the BWB likely knows more about Arya than Brienne. They might have stopped the execution momentarily after she screamed it, but they would have resumed as soon as they realized she knew less than they did.

Ditto for Sansa. Sansa is a dead end - neither Brienne or BWB has the least idea where she is.

That leaves 'Sword'. The argument against this is that Brienne wouldn't betray Jaime over it. This is true, but just as Jaime kept his oath by negotiating Riveruns surrender without drawing his sword, Brienne might actually be fulfilling her oath by bringing Jaime to unCat.

Brienne was given a trial before execution. From Brienne's perspective, she might believe that by bringing Jaime back for a trial, he can prove that he truly is trying to keep his oath to Cat by keeping Sansa away from Cersei. When she meets Jaime, she tells him that the Hound has Sansa, and will kill her unless Jaime comes with her alone. The fact that he does come alone is actually pretty good proof that he's trying to save Sansa - it might be enough to convince Thoros, Gendry, and at least some of the BWB. By bringing him along, it allows them both to fulfill their oaths to Cat. At the very least, she can fight on his behalf as his champion.

[Aubry]

I hope it's okay to resurrect a thread from a few months back. I wanted to ask a question following on from this, but I didn't want to start a whole new thread. (And this one has such a great title).

If the 'sword' theory is correct - and I agree it's the most likely - why do you think GRRM suppressed it. When not end the chapter with her yelling "sword" instead of the rather more clunky sentence about her yelling 'a word'?

Are we meant to take 'sword' for granted, and this is just a rhetorical trick to make us do the work of supplying the word ourselves? Is the idea here that the drama of Brienne being forced into a dishonourable choice is made all the greater if we have to have that moment of dawning realisation that "a word" can only be "sword" (and all that that entails).

Or is the ambiguity meant to keep us in doubt? Did GRRM leave the options open so that we'd be left in hope that somehow Brienne found another way out - a third option between 'noose' and 'sword'?

The question in a nutshell - if the word is obviously 'sword' why not just write it?

[Gaius Martell]

Jcooper, on 06 February 2012 - 05:12 AM, said:

Sapphires maybe? Hell, it worked once before

This was my original reaction.  In retrospective, "Sword" makes the most sense, considering Jaime's chapter in Dance.

[AshKing]

Apart from the first poster (who ruled it out) has anyone considered that it could simply be the word 'mercy'. Firstly, its pretty much the universal one-word way of saying 'dont kill me', but also I think that word has a certain significance for Cat. So while its easy to rule it out and say its too simple, and why would that stop her death, think about the ressonance that word might have with Cat (considering her feelings on being a mother, the war, the red wedding and her plea for mercy etc.) Obviously now we're dealing with Stoneheart Cat, not old cat, and seeing as stupid brienne bores the hell out of me, itd be cool if brienne was actually killed despite asking for mercy because there is no room for mercy with this new, cold, vengeful cat..... but perhaps the choice of words reached out to whatever of old Cat is left in Stoneheart? ...and so Brienne lives

[Lion of Judah]

GRRM confirmed the word that she said was sword, there was a thread about this just last week.

[David Selig]

Aubry, on 07 June 2012 - 01:44 PM, said:

I hope it's okay to resurrect a thread from a few months back. I wanted to ask a question following on from this, but I didn't want to start a whole new thread. (And this one has such a great title).

If the 'sword' theory is correct - and I agree it's the most likely - why do you think GRRM suppressed it. When not end the chapter with her yelling "sword" instead of the rather more clunky sentence about her yelling 'a word'?

Are we meant to take 'sword' for granted, and this is just a rhetorical trick to make us do the work of supplying the word ourselves? Is the idea here that the drama of Brienne being forced into a dishonourable choice is made all the greater if we have to have that moment of dawning realisation that "a word" can only be "sword" (and all that that entails).

Or is the ambiguity meant to keep us in doubt? Did GRRM leave the options open so that we'd be left in hope that somehow Brienne found another way out - a third option between 'noose' and 'sword'?

The question in a nutshell - if the word is obviously 'sword' why not just write it?

Because GRRM has an unfortunate obsession with cliffhangers. Probably because of too much time spent as a Hollywood script writer.

[RoamingRonin]

Lion Of Judah, on 23 November 2012 - 05:46 PM, said:

GRRM confirmed the word that she said was sword, there was a thread about this just last week.

Indeed. Thanks! So Spake Martin: Brienne says sword >> http://www.westeros..../Miscon_Report/

Edited by RoamingRonin, 23 November 2012 - 06:06 PM.

[AshKing]

Thanks for clearing that up Lion of Judah, and thanks for the impossibly small writing, helpful.

[LilyOfTarth]

I'm going have to read the chapter in DwD where she shows up to Jamie carefully but from what I remember Jamie describes her as looking I guess the best word is deathly looking and wearing something to cover her neck. What I'm thinking if what I'm saying is true ,but I could be wrong since I read it awhile ago, is that Brienne like somebody said before was that she chose sword and is now UnBrienne. What her motivations are or what she's done I can't guess on but I love Brienne with all my heart and think she's brillinant.