Mulling over Mully - is he sharpening a knife ?

[bemused]

Like many ,I've often pondered who Mel might be referring to when she warns Jon about the enemies who smile to his face but sharpen their knives behind his back . Was she telling it straight? Did she see one ,or more ?...

And like many , I've also wondered if Jon was showing signs of being drugged in his last chapter . At first, the only possibility I could think of was , maybe , something smeared on Wick's blade ... but, if he'd succeeded in seriously cutting Jon's throat , a drug on the blade would seem redundant( to say the least ).

But a thread started by a new ( and welcome ) poster , diskoerekto , theorized that a drug might have been in the mulled wine ordered by Jon when he sent Satin to fetch Marsh and Yarwick ... ( Hmmmm... Possible , if it was very slow acting ).. diskoerekto proposed Satin as the culprit, since Satin prepared it....

I've seen other speculation, too, that Satin might be who Mel was referring to , but while I think it would certainly be a nifty surprise twist, I can't help feeling Bowen's disapproval of Satin is genuine , which makes me doubt Bowen would take him into his confidence... and if Thorne is somehow involved behind the scenes , it would make Satin's inclusion in the conspiracy even less likely . ( It's not hard to imagine how Thorne would have treated him , if he'd had him to train. ) .. On the other hand , Jon has given Satin the chance to advance based on his merit , so I'd hope Satin wouldn't betray him..

The mention of the mulled wine , which I hadn't considered before , set me off on a slightly different tangent , because Satin didn't necessarily prepare the wine, Jon just asked him to "bring a flagon"... "Three cups m'lord?" he asks...Jon replies.. " Six. Mully and the Flea look in need of something warm. So will you. " .. Now , surely Jon would keep his own cup in his quarters ? and probably a couple of spares ? Everyone else seems to . At the same time , he'd be unlikely ever to be entertaining six people in that small space ... So that exchange probably doesn't mean bring six cups , but six cups will be needed, so bring enough to make up six.

During the ensuing conversation , Satin pours... Marsh doesn't drink anything , but Yarwick drinks two cups... We don't see the others drink, but it isn't noted that they didn't , and it's reasonable to assume they did , cold as they were ( but Mully and Fulk would be having theirs outside )... Knowing the penchant for nicknames at the Wall ( and GRRM's playfulness with names ), I think Mully ( who is also a steward )might be more suspect than Satin..maybe he knows a lot about mixing mulling spices, and spices and herbs ,in general ? ... Certainly, when we look at the whole episode in Jon's quarters , keeping the thought of drugging in mind ( pp. 903 - 905 , ADWD ) , things get pretty interesting..

When Jon finds Fulk and Mully shivering outside his quarters , he asks why they hadn't gone inside out of the wind. ..

"That'd be sweet ,m'lord, " said Fulk the Flea , " but your wolf's in no mood for company today."

Mully agreed. " He tried to take a bite o' me , he did. "

" Ghost ?" Jon was shocked.

"Unless your lordship has some other white wolf , aye. I never seen him like this , m'lord. All wild-like , I mean."

But none of that means that they hadn't already gone inside , or that one of them hadn't.. It doesn't necessarily mean that Ghost kept them from entering. Perhaps he became upset as a result of something one or both of them did inside Jon's quarters ...we don't know when Ghost tried to bite Mully , or why.

Jon does find Ghost in an agitated state , pacing back and forth. Jon can't get him to settle , and when he goes to touch him , ghost bristles and bares his teeth. Jon thinks the cause of his agitation is Borroq's boar...that Ghost can smell him even from inside... But I've always felt the threat hinted to exist in Borroq and his boar is misleading, for Jon and for us. Borroq actually seems to have his boar pretty well in hand.. and Ghost could be upset for entirely different reasons. Besides , it wasn't only Ghost that was upset..

" Mormont's raven seemed agitated , too. " Snow," the bird kept screaming , "Snow, snow , snow. " "

Of all the people we see in and out of Jon's quarters in his last chapter , Ghost displays the most animosity to Mully. He sniffs at Marsh and Yarwick, raising his tail and bristling .. ( Was he sniffing for something in particular? ) ...Yet he snapped at Mully.

But back to the wine... Bowen doesn't drink . Excess of caution ? - That would fit his character - and he might know not to drink - either from the flagon , or out of any cup that had been kept on the premises... Yarwick drinks the most ( double ?) yet we see him still on his feet in the sheildhall ... And if some drug is being administered, this may show he's already out of the loop. He didn't arrive with Bowen on any joint mission of their own, as he has in the past... Jon sent for both of them.( And later , Jon takes note of them separately in the sheildhall )... We don't see Mully , Satin or Flea again ,after Jon sends Mully and Satin to escort Clydas back to his quarters, so we have no idea of their condition.... By the time Jon emerges with Tormund ,the watch has changed, and Jon's guards are now Horse and Rory.

So I'm postulating that Jon could indeed have been drugged .. but if so ,it was likely something smeared / deposited inside his personal cup, or however many cups he kept in quarters( fewer than six ) . It couldn't be known , beforehand, that he'd order the mulled wine, but he was likely to drink something between the time he returned to his quarters and the shieldhall meeting . If he didn't drink, it wouldn't automatically mean the assassination would fail.. it would merely be rendered more difficult. The possibility of drugging wouldn't rule out that something was also put inside Longclaw's scabbard to hinder drawing it. Either or both could be true. Longclaw is never mentioned all during Jon's time with Selyse , Mel , or Leathers . It's possible he wasn't wearing it.

Mully was among those left at CB by Bowen when he left for the Shadow tower. So, he's an older man ( because Bowen left only the old, infirm and green boys ), but with orange hair ( orange, not a normal description for any shade of naturally red hair ). Makes me think of henna ,in our world. Could this also be a hint that he's very familiar with herbs, and their uses ? Anyway , as an older man and a steward , he'd have a long standing familiarity with , and possibly loyalty to Marsh.

He and Dolorous Edd ( then Jon's steward ) are present when Jon sees Val off on her mission. John is shocked that Val has been given a blind horse. Who picked the horse Edd or Mully ? Mully is the one who makes excuses.. " " He's only half-blind , m'lord," offered Mully. " Elsewise , he's sound enough ." He patted the garron on the neck. " ...Is this a subtle attempt to sabotage Val , and by extension , to sabotage Jon with Stannis ?

On his return to his quarters on that occasion, Ed fetches Jon's breakfast , then before Jon can finish ...

" " Edd returned to tell him Bowen Marsh was without. " Othell's with him , and Septon Celador. "

That was quick. He wondered who was telling tales and if there was more than one. "

Of these two ( Mully and Edd) , my bet would be one..and it's not Edd... Later, between Mully and Flea..both could be suspect ... but Flea, maybe not so much , since he's a ranger, and as far as I know, we haven't seen him in any other suspicious circumstances...

Mel didn't say the unsuspected enemies were friends, just that they smiled to Jon's face.. Mully always seems , easy going , chatty, friend-ly , though not a friend.

Mully was also present when Jon met Alys Karstark. ( and I'm still thinking about that...and the prisoners )

If Ghost smelled something dangerous on Mully ( or even just something unusual that might become dangerous because Mully was tampering with Jon's belongings ) , it might explain why he was less disturbed by Marsh and Yarwick. When Ghost's refusing to settle and bares his teeth at Jon, it may be because he knows someone who was up to no good is right outside... He seems very determined to accompany Jon when he leaves and Jon has to "wrestle" him back inside. His sense of smell is so acute , he may know Jon has imbibed something bad for him ( or that there's a foreign substance in his scabbard).

You'll notice Mully only " pokes his nose " in the door when Clydas arrives (maybe knowing Ghost has good reason to take exception to hm ). It doesn't seem like he's politely hesitant to disturb Jon , because though Jon says to tell Clydas to leave the letter, and he'll read it later, Mully presses the issue , creating a greater interruption... The conspirators may have reason to make sure Jon reads the letter before going to the sheildhall.

One other small side note .. someone else had already told Tormund about Selyse marrying off Gerrick Kingsblood's girls .Tormund' having a chuckle about it, and when he mentions girls.. Mormont's raven repeats "Girls, girls , girls .." It could be the bird is just repeating ... but I'm not sure that it isn't BR / Bran trying to get them to stay on the topic , hoping Jon will go on to mention Selyse's plans for Val.. Who knows what the bird may have overheard from any of the Queen's men ( e, g., in the Yard , in the mess hall..) If Val is important to the wildlings ( and the old gods ) BR/Bran could even have an inkling of what danger she's in. Jon may be oblivious to her true nature , but Tormond isn't, and BR wouldn't be.

In my mind , this thread is part of a set with this other thread I started,

http://asoiaf.wester...mail-tampering/

since they're parts of the same big picture having to do with Jon's last chapter.. but it was going to be too long to post all in one.

Of course the chapter is written in a way to obscure a lot, and keep us guessing, but I now feel drugging is much more likely than I did before.

[redriver]

Good write up and analysis as usual Bemused.Seems plausible and I can't think of anything to contradict it.Will bear this in mind next time I'm looking through Jon's later chapters.

[Lady Arya's Song]

Great write up Bemused and I have been wondering about Mully myself. I think he is now a Rhollor follower too. I also agree with you regarding Satan NOT being part of the plot.

I made notes of who went with Jon to take their vows at the heart tree and those are the men whom I believe are loyal to Jon. I trust Leathers, Horse, Satin and I pray they help Jon along with Wun Wun.

I also noticed how Mel warned Jon about the enemies who smile at you. Glad you posted and that I am not alone in my suspicions regarding Mully.

[Steve Moss II]

If Mully is plotting agaimst Jon I doubt its because Mully follows R'hlor. The text makes clear Mel runs that contingent, not Selyse.

If Ghost reacts to Mully but not Bowen, perhaps its because there is more than one plot. Bowen was spur of the moment. He had no present intent to kill Jon when he was in Ghost's presence. Mully is already corrupted and is perhaps slowly poisoning Jon (which may explain his slowed fumbling reflexes- he's otherwise described as cat quick and strong).

Perhaps Mully's in the employ of the Bolton's? Affer all, he can expose their Jeyne =Arya scheme.

[bemused]

Thanks , guys !

Of course , taken together with the other thread , a lot of other questions get raised.. I'm worried about the well-being of Satin... 'Sup with Clydas ? Stewards moved the prisoners, and were told to leave the corpses.. Jon wasn't present for all of that because ( I think .. have to check) Bowen reported what was done back to Jon. Was everything done according to Jon's instructions ?.. Bowen seems to be in sympathy with Selyse, but thinks Jon's been too helpful to Stannis.. so is Selyse just the patsy of all patsies as far as he's concerned, or what?

[koststerg]

I agree that Mully is the guy we should be paying attention but I don't think the idea of poison works very well. Firstly, poisoning Jon without being in the room is something very dangerous because if something goes wrong and instead of Jon somebody else dies (and the possibility of this is huge) then you will have a very pissed off LC who knows you have been messing with his things in his room. Also if you use poison you don't need knifes. And it is not very believable that the poison worked 3 hours later at exactly the moment that Jon had to be weakened.

But Ghost attacked Mully and left Bowen alone. I know many theories consider it just a coincidence (after all this is George’s world) but I think it is not. In fact I think that only theories that explain this behavior properly are closer to the truth. So, when someone gets attacked by a direwolf? It is not a matter of smelling the poison or of being a bad person. You get attacked if you are currently lying to his owner or plotting against him. Which shows 2 things: 1) Mully is plotting against Jon and 2) Mully takes his orders from someone other than Bowen (you can’t attack the subordinate but not the leader of the plot)

So what is Mully plotting and under who's orders? I agree with you that it has to do with the letters and that the Ramsey letter has been opened. (Many people believe that the original Ramsey letter has been tampered with but I don't see any reason why this would happen. Ramsey is insulting and provocative enough by himself and there is no reason to add anything to it). So the leader could be Mully himself, it could be Ser Alister, it could be Selyse or it could be both. To tell you the truth I prefer Selyse as I don't see any clue that Ser Alister might be there or at least that he is being missed at Eastwatch but I accept that it is not impossible.

[Steve Moss II]

Why would Selyse plot against Jon? Her husband views him as an ally, Mel is actively recruiting him, and he's the only one in the NW who appears interested in protecting her and Shireen from the Boltons.

[koststerg]

Jon's decisions are definitely the best for her but that doesn't mean that she sees them that way. Reread their last meeting and you will see that she is openly hostile to him, stating that she is eager to replace him with a new LC after his death at hardhome. Jon is treating her as an honored (and a little annoying) guest, but she wants to be in control. The real question is what she thinks after she learns about the letter and her husbund's "death".

[Isildur's Mane]

<snip>

Great write up Bemused: I hadn't really looked at Mully like that, especially on my first read through. I'm following along with the Jon reread, so I will have to keep a closer watch on him.

[kissdbyfire]

Great post as always, bemused! I had never considered the possibility of Mully being involved in the assassination attempt, to be honest. I must say, your post left me wondering...

But there's some other bits in the text that make me think he's loyal to Jon. For instance, when Jon is elected LC, he's surrounded by men - and the way it's written hints at these men being the one who were happy with the outcome of the vote:

ASoS, Jon

When the count was done, Jon found himself surrounded. Some clapped him on the back, whilst others bent the knee to him as if he were a lord in truth. Satin, Owen the Oaf, Halder, Toad, Spare Boot, Giant, Mully, Ulmer of the Kingswood, Sweet Donnel Hill, and half a hundred more pressed around him. Dywen clacked his wooden teeth and said, “Gods be good, our Lord Commander’s still in swaddling clothes.”

There's also some evidence (I think) to Mully being a northerner (I don't see a southerner praising winter friends), and that too makes me think it's more likely that he'd be for Jon, and not involved in some assassination attempt.

ADwD, Jon

“Tell him to leave it with you. I will read it later.”

“As you say, m’lord, only … Clydas don’t look his proper self … he’s more white than pink, if you get my meaning … and he’s shaking.”

“Dark wings, dark words,” muttered Tormund. “Isn’t that what you kneelers say?”

“We say, Bleed a cold but feast a fever too,” Jon told him. “We say, Never drink with Dornishmen when the moon is full. We say a lot of things.”

Mully added his two groats. “My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.”

[Lady Arya's Song]

I have also mulled over Mully's words and debated whether he is loyal to Jon or not. Some other clues might be that Sweet Donnal Hill who surrounded Jon with Mully and others was actually part of Chett's mutiny. He was part of the men who wanted to kill Jorah Mormont. He ran back to the Wall and I think his part in the mutiny ( he helped cut the horse lines) is not known by the brothers. We the readers know this so we know he is not a loyal man, however Jon does not know it. Men around Jon with hidden agendas. I am also considering Satin although I believe Satin is loyal.

Alf of Runnymudd was also very upset over the death of one of the rangers (Garth Greyfeathers?) and he was with Bowen in the Shieldhall when Jon gave his speech. I have considered that he might be one of the conspirators.

The big issue for me is that Mel tells Jon that its the enemies who smile at you that you must be wary of and Mully fits that profile. Once again I am struck by the fact that the Queen's men who are Mel's men and the NW who follow R'hollor might be in volved in this plot. Mully follows R'hollor now. I only have a feeling but Jon's gods are the Old gods and there has been ill will back and forth by the Queen's men towards the old gods. Jon trying to not take offense at the things said to him regarding his "tree god" .

One other flimsy crackpottish idea. There are parallels between Dany and Jon ..I think the thread learning to lead was helpful to see those. In Dany's chapter a sellsword named Mero, older man with red beard. Mully is described as older man with red beard but here is where it might be interesting. Mero actually hid himself among the freed people Dany was leading and then tried to kill her when she was out walking or riding among the people. This is a clue that someone might be hiding among the Black brothers aka AlliserThorne and he might be behind the men who try to kill Jon. Just hints but Martin has many curious parallels with slight tweeks to characters in Essos with Dany and in Westeros with Jon on the Wall.

[koststerg]

@ kissdbyfire

But remember what Melisandre said. She insisted that he was threatened by friends and by people that smiled at him and ploted against him behind his back (or something like that) You wouldn't say that Bowen was a friend of Jon. Also I think he did't support him in the elections (at least at the begining). So he can't be the one Melisandre speaks about.

Also, the old saying can be read differently that Mully and Jon are summer friends (winter has not started yet) so their friendship is not that binding.

I don't know how much we can trust paralels like the above or if we just see what we hope to see but I really liked this parallel you noticed with Mully and Mero! I never noticed it and it is great!

[Lady Arya's Song]

Thank you Koslsterg, I have found hundreds of parallels between Essos characters and Night'sWatch characters and within the storylines there are definite parallels to character archs especially between Jon Snow and Jaime Lannister and with Dany. Jaime's entire jaunt through the Riverlands and the conversations he has with various characters at Derry, Riverrun, etc etc. Its Jon Snow in reverse. Notice both men receive letters. Jaime reads the letter from Qyburn and Cersei ( notice two people wrote) and he throws the letter into the fire. Jon receives a letter ( hint possibly from two people) and he reacts to it. Both letters involve a plea for help from a sister or a beloved sister in peril. The parallels are all over the place. It snows with Jaime at Riverrun, Jon Snow has snow falling at the Wall. Both men think back on snowball fights with siblings.

This is why I think its a clue to how Martin has written the plot lines with inverted tweeks. I could go on and on with this but its off topic to Mully. Biggest hint..Ghost tried to bite Mully! I always trust the direwolf..lol

[Steve Moss II]

And Cat compares both Jamie and Jon to the Warrior.

Both have hand injuries.

Both are members of a celibate warrior order, one black the other white.

Both have betrayed the letter of their vows for the greatergood.

Both are very close to their sisters, to the point of breaking their oaths for them.

Both have crippled brothers.

Both are the heirs of their houses (Lannister and Targ).

Jamie has stolen the Baratheon crown based on a lie. Jon is posed to take the Stark inheritance, based on lies (Ned's and Theon's).

One is dark, the other light. One gold, the other silver.

IMO Jamie is the summer knight and Jon the winter warrior. Different sides of the same coin.

[bemused]

All the inversions and parallels across different characters' story lines are really interesting and almost too innumerable to keep track of.. but it's so much fun to try.;)

I love the Jon/Jaime parallels and I'd love for Jaime to eventually wind up at the wall / with the NW , or whatever version of the NW emerges from the chaos.. and maybe a switcheroo for Jon .

kissdbyfire.. Hi, again ! .. the thing that occurs to me about Mully's summer/winter friends quote is that Mully , like Bowen ,may have been at the wall for many years. He's a steward ( so , involved with the same concerns as Bowen) and he and Bowen might have seen more than one winter at the wall together.. but at least one. Already winter friends ?

[Steve Moss II]

I like the idea of Jon switching to the KG/QG. His vows stay intact (mostly) and the implied future relationship with Dany is free to blossom, even if politics require her to wed another.

Jamie then finds absolution on the Wall (service in which results in forgiveness of all past sins).

That said, I agree that Mully is only a summer friend to Jon. I don't think its coincidence that the attack is plotted once Jon has isolated himself from most of his staunch supporters (Maester Aemon, Sam, Grenn, Pyp, Iron Emmett, Delorous Edd, etc). So far as I can tell I'd trust only Leathers and Horse of those brothers in close proximity to him.

[Stark Raving]

Melisandre's warning regarding enemies that smile to your face would seem to most directly to apply to Tormund Giantsbane. But, it is hard to see what hi motive is, other than revenge for Jon's betrayal of the WIldlings. But Tormund seems savvy enough to get that Jon is actually looking out for the WIldlings. Maybe he thinks without Jon Snow as LC, the NW is ripe for the taking?

In the chapter when the NW is letting the Tormund-led WIldlings onto the other side of the Wall, Tormund shares something from a flask with John which seems to be fairly powerful. Perhaps he was finding some other way of slipping him more on a regular basis. I think it was mentioned at one point that Tormond's younger son would be Jon's squire, but I am not sure that it happened. If he were, the son could be the one slipping him the drink.

I don't really think this is very strong evidence, but perhaps it will get someone else thinking.

As an alternative, if Mully is fortifying Jon's drinks perhaps he is doing it under Mel's direction. Maybe she is slipping Jon some potion that makes him more likely to survive attacks.

[bemused]

Tormund is continually sharing mead with Jon.. and is not suspect at all,in my opinion. GRRM has said he based the religion of the north on Norse religion. Mead was consumed at feasts after religious events ( and maybe used as an offering ) so I think when Tormund shares mead with Jon it's as sign of asking a blessing on their interactions , or a proof to the Gods that intentions are honest or something along those lines. It's kind of a sacrament , even if Jon doesn't know it... yet. ;) ( Depending ,of course , on how close GRRM sticks to his model ).

I think Jon and Tormund's friendship is genuine and will only strengthen going ahead. ( into winter )

Dryn was supposed to become Jon's page ( he's pretty young )..but the wildlings are still going through the process of settling in so he might not be in his position yet. Jon has had other major concerns. He was already planning for Hardhome , so it wouldn't be a time for training a page... I just hope the conspirators haven't snatched him as a hostage..( Yikes ! ) .. But he bites , so that might not work out for them , anyway.. :D

[Bayard]

Alright, I'm convinced that Mully is against Jon. I guess his name does hint to something, but the idea of poisoning is kind of useless. I never thought it weird that Jon couldn't get his sword out... it was mentioned before, a couple of times that swords can freeze in the cold, and must be moved from time to time.

[kissdbyfire]

@Lady Arya's Song, is there any evidence in the text that Mully is a R'hllorist? I can't find anything... :wideeyed:

Hi, bemused! Long time no see... :cheers: