dornishdame

The thought mostly came to me as a result of the thematic parallels between Jon's stabbing and the Red Wedding (and it was an episode or two after the RW that Bran told Meera and Jojen this story) - for example, the howling of trapped direwolves, the concept of oathbreaking (Thorne believing Jon was an oathbreaker for saving the wildlings and Walder Frey believing the same of Robb for marrying Talisa) and the traitorous behavior (Roose stabbing Robb and Olly stabbing Jon). I'm probably looking far too much into it!!

Interesting thought regarding Davos - he is not a brother of the Night's Watch, but a guest at Castle Black (albeit one that appears to Thorne to have sided with those opposed to him and his decision to kill Jon). Accordingly, Thorne states that he is willing to allow Davos to leave Castle Black, and will even provide him with a horse to enable him to travel southwards. I may be reading far too much into this, but as I have recently re-read the books in preparation for the start of the season, Thorne's offer of a horse sounded very much like a guest gift. In Dance, Wyman Manderly speaks at Winterfell of guest giving, the ancient practice of a host providing his departing guests with a gift to signify that their host-guest relationship had come to an end (and thus the departing guest was no longer protected by guest right). Similarly, were Davos to be given such a gift, he would no longer have the same protection and Thorne could kill him (and prevent him taking south full details of what happened at Castle Black) without violating guest right. Thorne is not a northerner, but he is a man wholly loyal to the history and traditions of the Night's Watch - histories and traditions he says he believes he was defending by murdering Jon. The Story of the Rat Cook, set at the Nightfort and mentioned in the show when Bran and co. passed through there, is one that Thorne should know, if he is as knowledgeable about the Watch as he claims to be.

This pretty much sums up how I felt about the Dornish arc. The rest, I did enjoy, however - particularly the northern arcs.

It does concern me sometimes that Myranda is much more perceptive than Sansa realizes. She is careful, but I think not careful enough. It wouldn't surprise me if - partly to test her theory and partly for spite - when Jon's stabbing becomes widely known in Westeros, Myranda shoves it in Sansa's face to get a reaction. This knowledge is also something that might push Sansa more into the persona of Alayne as Sansa loses yet another family member; I do worry about how much she is losing her identity as Sansa Stark and becoming Alayne Stone. Alternatively, I am assuming that the marriage of Ramsay and 'Arya Stark' will become widely known soon. Again, I think that is something Myranda might throw at her to get a reaction.

It is an interesting inclusion - particularly when Myranda has pointedly remarked in Feast that Ned Stark's bastard son has now been appointed Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and it was mentioned in the same book that Yohn Royce had encountered Sansa at Winterfell when he escorted Ser Waymar to Castle Black (and met her again in King's Landing at the Hand's Tourney). I am not sure how closely or distantly Dolorous Edd is related to the Andrew Tollett that Alayne dances with, but this further link to the Night's Watch has me even more convinced than before that her blurting out Jon's name could prove to be significant.