[TWOW Spoilers] NEW Chapter Discussion - "Mercy"

[Florina Laufeyson]

I just realized. She keeps trying to get him to say her name, "Mercy". If she had succeeded, couldn't that be taken as a prayer for a gift of mercy? And wouldn't that make him a legitimate target, giving her an excuse for the Kindly Man? "But sir, I DID act in accordance with the wishes of He of Many Faces. I was answering a prayer for His Gift."

oh not a bad catch!

I understand the shock about the sexualization of her character, I was shocked myself when I read it, but in the end, I think it was going to happen sooner or later. By this point she must be twelve years, so she is definitely in puberty, or very close to it.

Oh no, at least for me, the sexualization was pretty exciting because Arya growing up is really interesting. Her being more blasé about sex doesnt bother me or anything. Its just soul crushingly sad to see her use it as a lure and murder Raff in such a meticulous and creepy manner. There really is no going back to the adorable plucky girl she was back in the first book. We all theorized that she either goes really creepy or she swings back to being Arya Stark as we knew her. Seeing Arya Stark become so bone chillingly dark in print and reality like that is heart breaking. Just...

:crying:

[Mr Smith]

Excellent chapter, Arya has got very good at the whole pretending to be no one thing.

Most people think Mercy was playing a version of Sansa, but isn't it more likely she was playing Tysha?

[Lors]

She has just learned to use sex as a weapon because that's what she has seen and learned.. but I repeat, she doesn't think of wanting to have sex, or feeling any kind of lust....

[aryagonnakill#2]

It seemed like Arya grew up really fast in this chapter because her sexuality was really focused on and she used that for a kill and I don't think she's ever done that before.

Arya was mature in this chapter more than any of her other ones.

And I'm glad somebody voiced how the sexual attraction to children was disgusting

And he was old lol. Not too horny any more, I'm 24 now and how horny I was at 18 amazes me even now.

[Frances Bean Corbray]

Excellent chapter, Arya has got very good at the whole pretending to be no one thing.

Most people think Mercy was playing a version of Sansa, but isn't it more likely she was playing Tysha?

WEll the play is an ADAPTATION after all, of course Sansa and Shae and Tysha are going to get a bit muddled :)

It may not ever be clear which one it was "supposed" to be, or if it's a pastiche thereof. And it may not even really matter :)

[Newstar]

Excellent chapter, Arya has got very good at the whole pretending to be no one thing.

Most people think Mercy was playing a version of Sansa, but isn't it more likely she was playing Tysha?

I think the Tysha story was hushed up. Also, the Tysha story would not be in the second act; it would be right out of the gate, as Tyrion's backstory.

On reread, there's nothing really to mark Arya's character as being Sansa. "Supposedly raped by a villainous Tyrion in a play taking liberties with the facts" doesn't really narrow the field.

[aryagonnakill#2]

Excellent chapter, Arya has got very good at the whole pretending to be no one thing.

Most people think Mercy was playing a version of Sansa, but isn't it more likely she was playing Tysha?

oo shit

[Pod The Rod]

oh not a bad catch!

Oh no, at least for me, the sexualization was pretty exciting because Arya growing up is really interesting. Her being more blasé about sex doesnt bother me or anything. Its just soul crushingly sad to see her use it as a lure and murder Raff in such a meticulous and creepy manner. There really is no going back to the adorable plucky girl she was back in the first book. We all theorized that she either goes really creepy or she swings back to being Arya Stark as we knew her. Seeing Arya Stark become so bone chillingly dark in print and reality like that is heart breaking. Just...

:crying:

Thanks!

Like I've pointed out before, this isn't necessarily the end for hopes of her becoming a sweeter kinder person. I think there'll be some kind of trigger (meeting Jon, for example) and all the repressed memories will come rushing back, and she will begin to become a Stark once more.

[Lors]

yes, I agree its sad... but I still have some kind of hope that a lot oh herself is going to be cured, or restored once she reunites with her family... "The wolves will come back" said Jojen so.. fingers crossed...

[Good Guy Garlan]

It's a good day for being an Arya stan, right? Awesome chapter (if somewhat disturbing by the sexualized Mercy)

Why do people think Bran was seeing Nymeria? I interpreted it as Nymeria passing a weirwood with a carved face, as if she's somewhere in the North

Also, I think it would make more sense if she's playing Sansa, from a narrative perspective. Liked the nod to Richard III

I think the queen they meant was Cersei. Margaery wouldn't threaten to behead people (unless she has a change of heart after her trial, heh)

I also liked the catch about the dwarf. In aFfC Cersei hears rumors about Tyrion being a mummer in Essos and I thought, "so that's who they meant"

What's the deal with the key? Could it be related to the key Jaqen stole from Pate?

This adds fuel to the theory of Arya = Varys 2.0

Finally, if Martin doesn't take this perfect opportunity to get our girl to Westeros I'd be pissed

[Ice Wolf]

I think it's important to note with all this discussion of Arya's sexual maturation, that it has been established in AFFC that when you take on someone else's face you also take on certain aspects of their personality and memories... Perhaps this seemingly rapid growth in her sexual maturity has more to do with 'Mercy's' personality and experiences seeping through?

Or maybe I'm just in denial and want Arya to remain the young Wolfgirl we all know and love!!

[ARYa_Nym]

She has just learned to use sex as a weapon because that's what she has seen and learned.. but I repeat, she doesn't think of wanting to have sex, or feeling any kind of lust....

Agreed.& she described his tongue as slimy like an eel.

[Frances Bean Corbray]

oh not a bad catch!

Oh no, at least for me, the sexualization was pretty exciting because Arya growing up is really interesting. Her being more blasé about sex doesnt bother me or anything. Its just soul crushingly sad to see her use it as a lure and murder Raff in such a meticulous and creepy manner. There really is no going back to the adorable plucky girl she was back in the first book. We all theorized that she either goes really creepy or she swings back to being Arya Stark as we knew her. Seeing Arya Stark become so bone chillingly dark in print and reality like that is heart breaking. Just...

:crying:

She's going to be Batman.

But she was never going to be campy 60s Adam West Batman.

:)

[Newstar]

This adds fuel to the theory of Arya = Varys 2.0

I'm feeling that (although I would also accept Arya being the one to kill him). Lots of parallels there.

[Dr. Pepper]

Most people think Mercy was playing a version of Sansa, but isn't it more likely she was playing Tysha?

I didn't see any indication that the play intended to do a series of flashbacks. It seemed more focused on the period of time the books themselves are focused on.

[WiDMNDBAMMD]

Could the key that Arya has in her pocket belong to a "keyholder". Im thinking obtaining that key could have been her mission while with the troupe and thatswhy now she's going to be "murdered"bum... bum... bum

but the FM are not thieves. The key does not belong to Mercy, which means it belongs to "No one"

My guess would be it is a key to a hidden passage way back to the House of Black and White since Mercy should not be "seen" going there as people who recognize her from the plays and connect the dots that she's a member.

Perhaps more strengthening for this argument, Arya overhears Raff say he is going to follow the Dwarf after the show, in other words she hears where she will be able to kill him away from people but still decides to take what in her own head is a risk to get him to follow her.

I was wondering about the key as well, could be a key to a different door to the house of black and white, but keyholders was mentioned more than once in the chapter.

Keyholders are important people from Braavos? Or they simply have a key to a "box" in the balconies? Which only important people do.

since there's been no mention of this deal before my guess is that "keyholders" are the ones that have boxes in the balcony.

[Keishi of Oldstones]

Amazing chapter. This and the Theon chapter are my favorite so far. Maybe seeing the Kings Landing envoy was just too much for Arya to resist and she decided to ditch the FM and go back to Westeros.

Thats what i think. When will she get another chance to leave.We dont know what other info she has heard from Westeros. Maybe she heard about Jon,maybe she heard about Sansa in the Vale,IDK.But if George is writing 7 books Arya has to be coming home this book.

[Not Dead Just Broken]

WEll the play is an ADAPTATION after all, of course Sansa and Shae and Tysha are going to get a bit muddled :)

It may not ever be clear which one it was "supposed" to be, or if it's a pastiche thereof. And it may not even really matter :)

Arya's Mercy is her sister through and through. Her description of Mercy could easily be a description of Sansa from AGOT. The way she acts with Daena is just like Sansa and Jeyne Poole. She's playing her sister whether or not she's doing it on stage.

[Leuf]

I seriously hate it when people say this. Use your brains, man; at this point everyone who's still alive could ride home on a glittery unicorn and live to a ripe old age, and it still wouldn't be a happy ending. We have already lost too much. THAT is what GRRM means in that quote, that after Dead Ned Without A Head and the Red Wedding, and all the other horrors we've seen, a classically happy ending is impossible.

GRRM has said he wants a bittersweet ending. Bittersweet is traditionally taken to mean an ending with loss, sacrifice, an ending where those who survive are forever changed by what they have experienced, but are still able to find some measure of peace and happiness and come to terms with it. Doesn't that sound quite plausible for this series?

I don't think anyone expects Arya to be adopted by the lady of Acorn Hall and Gendry will reforge Needle into sewing needles and she'll spend the rest of her days happily making sweaters for Nymeria who will begrudgingly wear them. But I don't expect Arya to return to Bag End and then sail off with Gandalf because where she got stuck with a sword is still ouchy either. That was bittersweet but in a BS way. I think GRRM's idea of bittersweet is darker than that.

From the beginning we are lead to believe that the Starks are the good guys and the Lannisters are the bad guys. We find out Jaime isn't the villain he's made out to be and we're finding out Arya isn't the hero she's made out to be either. I don't think she's going to turn into a pure villain like Joffrey or Ramsay, but she's got more in common with Joffrey right now than it's comfortable to admit. Remember in the show (and D&D had apparently already read this chapter at the time) in the episode where Joffrey kills Ros, Arya shoots arrows into the target dummy in the exact same places. People have talked about her in this chapter the way she's got this relationship between sex and death and that is so much like Joffrey, at least in the show. There's some disturbing parallels there.

So when I say she won't have a happy ending, what I mean is she's not going to go on this recovery/redemption arc where she's gone into a dark place and then she comes back because she's one of the good guys and good guys always come back when they lose their way. That's what always happens. That's what you expect to happen. That's what you need to happen because it's too uncomfortable to think about it ending some other way. So that's what's not going to happen. It's already happening with Theon.

I do think as long as Nymeria is still out there she has that hope of returning to some semblance of who she was. Nymeria represents that hope. But I never forget that George wants me to have that hope, and he's a bastard.

[Not Dead Just Broken]

Keyholders are important people from Braavos? Or they simply have a key to a "box" in the balconies? Which only important people do.

since there's been no mention of this deal before my guess is that "keyholders" are the ones that have boxes in the balcony.

I'm guessing they're the ones that elect the Sealord or maybe form the government under the Sealord. There's a reference to the fat one being called for a vote and sinking his barge on the way. The Sealord is dying. We're likely to see the rise of a new Sealord in TWOW, perhaps this is setting it up.