Jon/Arya/Tyrion love triangle becomes the Gendry/Arya/(possibly)Aegon?

[AryaNymeriaVisenya]

DP

[lojzelote]

You are not comparing like for like though. You are comparing 2 off hand comments with the constant thoughts Jon and Arya seem to have for each other. For each time Arya and Bran think of one another we can probably find 10 of Arya and Jon. GRRM is setting up a very special relationship there but we don't know to what end he is doing that. We know originally it was going to be romantic, we know that he has had interviews before the outline came out that strongly suggest he is still on a general path based on that: http://observationdeck.io9.com/george-r-r-martin-the-complete-unedited-interview-886117845

When he writes a character stating he misses one person more than any other we have to take that at face value I think. GRRM is telling us that Jon misses Arya more than Jon. He's told us that Jon and Arya found a common bond in their isolation in Winterfell that drew them together. We know that Robb and Theon were close and Jon felt that perhaps he wasn't as close to Robb as he would have liked to have been because of it. If anything it highlights the fact that Jon and Arya have quite an unusual relationship but the text is the direct opposite to what you say. You would think he would be closer to Robb, but he isn't. GRRM gives us 2 significant Jon and Arya scenes in Winterfell, he only gives us one of Jon and Robb. What more can he really do?

Jon didn't just compare her body a few times even though that was weird. He didn't know she was think, he wondered if she was as thin as his sister under her furs. Her furs gave her no shape. But he also compares her in personality, stubborn, willful, wild, things that he loved about her. The more obvious comparison is that she has red hair like Sansa, he doesn't compare her to Sansa.

What I'm comparing is their age. Look at it this way: Bran and Rickon in ACoK. The former was 7-8 and the latter 3-4, there's four years between them (there is five between Jon and Arya). Now, they played together, sort of, but did you really get the impression that they are at the same stage of mental development? No.

The same with Jon and Arya. Jon and Robb were five when Arys was born, playmates since babyhood. At the time Arya was Rickon's age, they most likely started with martial training, they'd spent plenty od time together, while Arya was still half a babe. It must have taken at least another two years before she was able to follow their conversation. She also had to start her own training as a lady and find herself lacking and only then it was possible for them bond over them both being misfits. (Although I think that call it "isolation" is going way too far. They were not isolated, either of them.) But he would still be in the same age group as Robb and spend more time with him. Again, Jon said that Robb was his best friend and constant companion. We've got to take that into account, too. They had sort of a friendly rivalry over who's better at arms and Jon was jealous that Robb gets to be a lord, but by all accounts they were very close.

Anyway, I wouldn't read much into GRRM's statement as to how he's always known what the main character's arcs are gonna. For one, he names Tyrion's. Really, it hasn't wound up very similar, has it? Apparently, he wasn't a dwarf back then (such a biggie would have surely been mentioned), he was in a love triangle with Arya and Jon, he burnt Winterfell, and he turned from his family to the Starks. In what we actually got, he's a dwarf, there's no love triangle on the horizon so far, he never put WF to torch, and when he turned away from his family, he went to Essos and it appears he'll join Dany. Sure, there are still similarities, but it's the same story arc only in the sense that he grows disillusioned with his family (or more like, he's kicked out of their circle and thrown to dogs) and he finds someone else to join. So call me skeptical in regards to how much GRRM really knew - or knows, truly. Didn't he say not so long ago that he's considering a surprising twist involving an important character he never thought of before? I'd wager his gardener approach may be taking him in direction he hasn't intended... which I'm a bit nervous about, generally... but perhaps it'll help to keep his interest in writing, heh.

Well, I kinda think you're reading too much into it since I still don't think that Jon is a paedo and Bran's comparison was similar regarding their behavior. For that other thing, I don't see why Jon should compare Ygritte to Sansa at all. Sansa's hair is supposed to be dark auburn, not ginger like Ygritte's. Generally, I can scarcely think of two more different girls than Sansa and Ygritte. One is tall, patrician, well-kept and well-bred, the other is scrawny, plainish, unkempt and lacks manners. Of course she would remind him of Arya. Which didn't change that he's attracted to Val and Mel who share more physical characteristics with Sansa rather than Arya.

[AryaNymeriaVisenya]

You are comparing how Bran mentions her to have Jon thinks of her and trying to say they are the same. But OK, lets go with age Age doesn't determine how two people feel towards each other. Jon may have spent more time with Robb but that doesn't mean he feels as close to Robb as he does his little Sister. Lets have a look at the text:

They had always been close. Jon had their father’s face, as she did. They were the only ones. Robb and Sansa and Bran and even little Rickon all took after the Tullys, with easy smiles and fire in their hair. When Arya had been little, she had been afraid that meant that she was a bastard too. It been Jon she had gone to in her fear, and Jon who had reassured her.

You can believe its not realistic but it is what we have been presented in the text.

Lets see what he likes about Val:

They are all convinced she is a princess. Val looked the part and rode as if she had been born on horseback. A warrior princess, he decided, not some willowy creature who sits up in a tower, brushing her hair and waiting for some knight to rescue her. ...

All the same, the wildling princess was not beloved of her gaolers. She scorned them all as "kneelers," and had thrice attempted to escape. When one man-at-arms grew careless in her presence she had snatched his dagger from its sheath and stabbed him in the neck. Another inch to the left and he might have died.

Lonely and lovely and lethal, Jon Snow reflected, and I might have had her. Her, and Winterfell, and my lord father's name. Instead he had chosen a black cloak and a wall of ice. Instead he had chosen honor. A bastard's sort of honor.

He's not attracted to any Sansa-like qualities nor is Val described in any way as being like her. She's described as the exact opposite, she isn't the princess waiting for the knight to rescue her like Sansa left Kings Landing with Dontos.

You need to drop the paedophile angle. It doesn't work.

Jon looked her over with all his fourteen-year-old wisdom.

Jon is a boy, not a man for a start. And Arya is unlikely to have sex in the story before she is pubescent, she may have sex far too young but that doesn't equal paedophile.

Another interesting parallel between Jon and Arya:

The firelight made her eyes gleam as red as the eyes of Jon’s wolf. He was a ghost too. Arya stole closer, and knelt to watch. (The Ghost of Harrenhal)

He was walking beneath the shell of the Lord Commander's Tower, past the spot where Ygritte had died in his arms, when Ghost appeared beside him, his warm breath steaming in the cold. In the moonlight, his red eyes glowed like pools of fire. The taste of hot blood filled Jon's mouth, and he knew that Ghost had killed that night. No, he thought. I am a man, not a wolf. He rubbed his mouth with the back of a gloved hand and spat.

Perched above the window, the Old Bear's raven peered down at him with shrewd black eyes. My last friend, Jon thought ruefully. And I had best outlive you, or you'll eat my face as well. Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him.

They say things at the same time too, they think the same things. A bond that profound?

[lojzelote]

You are comparing how Bran mentions her to have Jon thinks of her and trying to say they are the same. But OK, lets go with age Age doesn't determine how two people feel towards each other. Jon may have spent more time with Robb but that doesn't mean he feels as close to Robb as he does his little Sister. Lets have a look at the text:

You can believe its not realistic but it is what we have been presented in the text.

Lets see what he likes about Val:

He's not attracted to any Sansa-like qualities nor is Val described in any way as being like her. She's described as the exact opposite, she isn't the princess waiting for the knight to rescue her like Sansa left Kings Landing with Dontos.

You need to drop the paedophile angle. It doesn't work.

Jon is a boy, not a man for a start. And Arya is unlikely to have sex in the story before she is pubescent, she may have sex far too young but that doesn't equal paedophile.

Another interesting parallel between Jon and Arya:

They say things at the same time too, they think the same things. A bond that profound?

Yeah, I'm sure they had been giving each other warm feelings, but what I was getting at is that dynamics of those relationships were different. Robb and Jon were peers and best friends, Arya was Jon's endearing tomboy baby sister, he was her big brother, who was very protective of her, made her feel better about herself and probably quietly supported her rebellion against ladyship (as we see with Needle). I stand by my opinion they had more in common with Robb, which in mind makes them closer since they also liked each other and spend more time together. Which doesn't mean he didn't think Arya was a precious little thing who could cheer him up with her antics any time. I guess the two are not really contradictory in my mind.

I think you didn't get my point. My point is that the ladies Jon fancies don't always resemble Arya. Val has nothing in common with Arya physically (and neither does Mel).

I don't need to drop anything. You've implied that Jon fantasies about Ygritte's body being like Arya's. When I gave you a less randy explanation, you pressed on that it's "weird" how he compares them. When Jon last saw Arya she was nine years old. That is prepubescent. Attraction to prepubescent children equals paedophilia. So what it is?

Yes, it means you know the other person's patterns. Me and my mother have a similar "don't tell papa" thing going on to this day. I certainly don't claim they didn't know each other very well. They did, no question about that.

[Stormourne]

Oh, yeah, the million dollar question. Is she compartmentalizing? I think maybe. And the author was just showing the Mercy compartment in that chapter, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the Arya compartment doesn't exist, and on the contrary we are given multiple hints it does. We are shown what she can do to an enemy that has wronged her, but not other facets, like how she still feels for loved ones and friends. But truly, if we were supposed to just be shown her making a kill and to reinforce her No One/HOBAW mode, than she could have killed anyone the author put forth. We are meant to show it was for someone from her old life/her Pack. For a reason. I was like, come on, Raff of all people? The Lommy murder is re-enacted? For a reason.

Another question is how much is she compartmentalizing? Because Mercy shows that whatever she is taking on, the cracks and leaks are there. She still does have emotions, feelings, memory triggers, loyalty. Also, the author is giving us her thoughts as Mercy, her internal dialogue, that even in reality, never truly means that is all going on in a person's head. Or I like to say in "Mercy Mode." Which doesn't mean that the Arya ones don't exist, but that we are not being privy to them. He is just letting us see what he wants us to, but with some actions and other things, he is letting the Arya stuff stand out by reading between the lines, and the very nature of her response to Raff: why she killed him ( Lommy), and how the distinct manner is replicated (She kills him and repeats the words and it harkens back to her seeing what Raff did to Lommy.) Plus it opens with her connection to Nymeria, which is her old life. And I believe that Nymeria does what she will do at the end of the chapter, so there is a parallel.

She is thinking and acting like Mercy to function. That doesn't mean that is all that is going on in that head of hers, just because we haven't seen it spelled out explicitly. But the hints are there. We are getting the loose bricks handed to us to build with. I suspected a little inner turmoil with her too. She is clinging fiercely to Mercy, but the rest is breaking through too. Until she has to let go of Mercy at the end. For survival.

Arya is still there and bleeding through. Or that is how I took it.

So what they are saying/doing, whatever, is not exactly all the person feels and what is going on in their mind.

This is what I'm waiting for with Stoneheart too. We only see the limited vengeance mode. When she cradles Robb's crown, an object of a loved one, we are shown that something still might be within her, that is loving and human. Maybe some of her old self is still there somewhere. Don't know for sure. Not enough info. It remains to be seen if that is the case and it is possible.

Another question arises from this: Why does Arya still hide behind Mercy's persona after she killed Raff? Presumably, Arya can switch between her different persona's, yet why did she not allow herself to savoir her revenge? Perhaps it's becoming harder for her to switch back to "Arya Stark."

[Booknerd2]

Another question arises from this: Why does Arya still hide behind Mercy's persona after she killed Raff? Presumably, Arya can switch between her different persona's, yet why did she not allow herself to savoir her revenge? Perhaps it's becoming harder for her to switch back to "Arya Stark."

Oh, this is hard. Can't know for sure but interesting to chew on.

1. I think the author can't show us fully yet, for story reasons obviously, just how much Arya is still there. Probably the same reason that a lot of info about what/how LS really is, how much Cat if any is there, is being held back and restrained. Same for some other characters too.

2. Surely there is a struggle between Arya and the personas she takes on. Certainly seems like it in Mercy. But one will have to win out over the other eventually, and I am betting on and hoping it is Arya. She is flirting with and taking on other personas, but the loss of identity theme is a big one with multiple characters in the series, not just some of her siblings to different degrees.

3. The only thing I can think of is, regarding savoring it, is 2 things: 1. It is too telling how much Arya is there which he doesn't want spelled out entirely yet. So we know it is Lommy and personal but she still, the author, keeps her business-like, matter of fact, almost clinical in Mercy mode. With the whole: Oh, now I have to dump your body. Oh, well. 2. She did it. She avenged Lommy. And if she savors it, does it make her no better than Raff? Her being celebratory afterwards would not be Arya. I don't see her gloating about it. She did it. Not sure she enjoyed it. The airy, dancey, Mercy is not really her. We get Mercy's perspective who is matter of fact and sort of ditzy about everything, so it is hard to tell.

[Wizz-The-Smith]

Another question arises from this: Why does Arya still hide behind Mercy's persona after she killed Raff? Presumably, Arya can switch between her different persona's, yet why did she not allow herself to savoir her revenge? Perhaps it's becoming harder for her to switch back to "Arya Stark."

Hey Dream Fyre. I like some of booknerd2's reasons, George may well be serving us scraps at the moment. A couple of things from my perspective.

I feel it's probably as she is in training to be no one, and of course with a different face, any exuberance as Arya would be dangerous to this disguise. And this shows discipline towards her role in portraying others, while still having Arya Stark at the forefront of her mind.

The fact she turned into Arya in the text, was the 'yes' moment. She was Mercy all the time, Arya was bubbling underneath, and the text gives us readers the confirmation that she is fully aware of who she is. And as bn2 suggested, the reciprocal nature of the killing regarding Lommy shows the angst Arya still feels for those on her list, replaying those events was dark. That was full on Arya Stark revenge.

So I think this scene was played out as Mercy the whole time. The Arya part was reader, and self acknowledgment, and her calm demeanour after the murder shows a control in her role as someone else. A self satisfaction, shared with the readers was all that was necessary for this scene IMO. Starting to show the signs of an extremely effective assassin, while in control of her herself and her emotions and most importantly, all the while being Mercy. If not a bit dark. :)

[Stormourne]

She's becoming an effective assassin, yes, but, I'm still wondering about her psychological health. Her behavior is no where near healthy, which raises some questions. How will she react when/if she comes face-to-face with loved ones again? Will Jon's betrayal and potential death push her even further into her destructive pursuit of revenge, which will probably end in her own death? Also, once everything is said and done, will she even be able to find happiness (this ties back into her psychological health). She's practically living for revenge; what happens when that revenge is fulfilled?

Arya is a child soldier with PTSD--her mental self-defense mechanism is to bury the 'Arya' persona so that she minimizes her emotional pain.

[Liz Stark-Targaryen]

She's becoming an effective assassin, yes, but, I'm still wondering about her psychological health. Her behavior is no where near healthy, which raises some questions. How will she react when/if she comes face-to-face with loved ones again? Will Jon's betrayal and potential death push her even further into her destructive pursuit of revenge, which will probably end in her own death? Also, once everything is said and done, will she even be able to find happiness (this ties back into her psychological health). She's practically living for revenge; what happens when that revenge is fulfilled?

Arya is a child soldier with PTSD--her mental self-defense mechanism is to bury the 'Arya' persona so that she minimizes her emotional pain.

Agree. TWoW will tell us how well she does at this. I think that Arya's too much of a Stark and a warg to be fully effective as Faceless.

As for her psychopathology, the girl is directly descended from the Kings of Winter. Some of the things we saw in Bran's weirwood visions seem to attest to the fact that Arya's ancestors were hard people for hard times. I love Ned, and adore his sense of honor, but misplaced honor got him and his eldest son killed. Life is more grey than a "stark" sense of honor and justice.

Also, I'm currently re-reading the series, and she reminds me a lot of Catelyn. Cat is the epitome of the Tully words "family, duty, honor" -- Arya still is an avenging angel for those who have murdered or harmed members of what she thought of as her pack.

The other questions that you ask may have no answer in GRRM's series. Arya may be 13 or 14 at best in the final book. She may end up fulfilling Jon's words of being found dead at the end after stitching through winter with Needle frozen in her hands (the words in AGoT were far too specific to not be significant), but everyone seems to think she'll be actually frozen (dead). The girl may be "frozen" from her experiences, with only the unresolved "dream of spring" to let us know if she'll ever become Arya Stark again.

But reading her chapters, especially in the first three books, I think she will. This girl has a big heart, and for all her bluster, she is fiercely loyal not just to Jon, but to her family and the friends she makes along the way. She thinks of them so often that I think her Braavos chapter is an interlude, not the end.

Finally, one of the things I was touched most by in her POV chapters is that she is afraid of how her parents and eldest brother will judge her, but not Jon... he is absolutely her favorite, and she knows he'd never judge her. But some of the things that she's done, she wouldn't even have to tell Gendry, because he was her partner in crime. Until they're separated, they actually discuss some of what they've had to do to survive. Gendry wouldn't be able to relate to her experiences in Braavos, but the Night's Watch, the horrors at Harrenhal, and traveling around with the brotherhood without banners? I was surprised upon re-reading to see how much he was actually there for. And because we're in her POV and not his, as astute of a child as she is, I wonder what dangers she couldn't see that he could.

[Wizz-The-Smith]

She's becoming an effective assassin, yes, but, I'm still wondering about her psychological health. Her behavior is no where near healthy, which raises some questions. How will she react when/if she comes face-to-face with loved ones again? Will Jon's betrayal and potential death push her even further into her destructive pursuit of revenge, which will probably end in her own death? Also, once everything is said and done, will she even be able to find happiness (this ties back into her psychological health). She's practically living for revenge; what happens when that revenge is fulfilled?

Arya is a child soldier with PTSD--her mental self-defense mechanism is to bury the 'Arya' persona so that she minimizes her emotional pain.

Well, I was replying in regards to your question of why Arya didn't savour her killing, her personas etc... But, I agree that moving forward, her psychological situation is a worry. It seems she is spiralling into a dark existence, with revenge at the forefront of her mind. Your questions are I suppose what we all strive to know.

I find comfort in the fact that she is obviously still Arya, and the connections to her family have never faltered. There is still Nymeria as well, she will surely impact Arya and her return to Westeros, add to that any development to her Skinchanging ability that has been highlighted already could play a role.

The dark nature of her arc is undeniable, but I cling to the hope that the constant presence of 'Arya Stark' within many personas, and her commitment to family and the past, will enable her to reintegrate at some level. Arya is definitely still in there, I hope. :P

[Wizz-The-Smith]

Dammit, double post !

[Stormourne]

I've always felt that Jon Snow is one of the very few characters that would be able to pull Arya back from the darkness that's consuming her. Her need for revenge can only really end one way; death. I'm just concerned about her hearing that Jon is dead. The more people she knows and cares for dies, the deeper she will sink into truly transforming into 'No One'. As of right now, if I'm correct, Jon is the only one of her family that she believes is still alive-if she loses that link, only Nymeria will remain (closest thing to family).

I'm not sure what Gendry is to her now-we'll need to read TWOW to find out. It seems likely that she's might have become indifferent to his existence? It's been what, more than a year since she's last seen him? I would like to see a Gendry and Arya reunion, insofar as observing what they've become to each other.

Why I really want a Jon and Arya reunion is mainly for Arya's salvation. I just don't want her to lose herself to revenge. No matter how strong she is, someone really needs to save her from herself. She might be able to protect herself physically, but mentally? That's much harder. One way she seemingly protects herself is to push her 'Arya' persona deep into herself. Sure, she can put on her Arya persona (i.e. during her conversation with Raff, before she killed him), but it's probably like a mask; something that she can wear whenever. Without an anchor to her old life, e.g. Jon, Nymeria, perhaps even Gendry, she will gradually lose her true self. That scares me.

[Han Snow]

Why I really want a Jon and Arya reunion is mainly for Arya's salvation. I just don't want her to lose herself to revenge. No matter how strong she is, someone really needs to save her from herself. She might be able to protect herself physically, but mentally? That's much harder. One way she seemingly protects herself is to push her 'Arya' persona deep into herself. Sure, she can put on her Arya persona (i.e. during her conversation with Raff, before she killed him), but it's probably like a mask; something that she can wear whenever.

I don't know if Jon and Arya reuniting will be what brings her salvation, because I think she won't need one. I feel it'll be the other way around. She'll be HIS salvation. Be it in a form of a Mercy death that she gives him after his descent into madness or, something I would like more, but it would mean that Jon will be out of the thick of things as a MAN for a very, very long time... But anyway, it is the idea that Arya is the one who brings his soul back to his body, the one who wakes him. An inverted Snow White story, where the Princess kisses the sleeping (dead) (Corn) King and he comes back to life. True Arya finally coming to the Wall, finding Jon's body in the ice cells and waking him up...

Without an anchor to her old life, e.g. Jon, Nymeria, perhaps even Gendry, she will gradually lose her true self. That scares me.

I'm 99% certain that will not happen. She will never lose her true self and there is nothing KM and the rest of FM can do about it.

Mercy chapter shows us Arya as, what we today would call, a sociopath, and even that term can be interpreted in different ways, but the main point is that when she kills in cold blood she kills the one which she as Arya Stark perceives as worthy of such punishment. We can argue on does the punishment fit the crime and if death is truly what they deserve, Dareon for example was not on the same level of criminal as Raff the Sweetling but she killed him anyways, but I digress. What I'm trrying to say is that I don't believe George will go all the way with Arya and turn her into Norman Bates. No, I don't believe for one second that she'll start killing innocent children and women. What the before mentioned murders say to me, is that Arya will, no matter how much they condition her, always remain Arya. She killed Dareon because he betrayed Jon first and foremost, she killed Raff because, well, he fucking deserved it after all she witnessed him do. Cold sexual manipulation shoul not be taken as a sign that she is asexual, jish.

Anyways, I wrote it before and I'll write it again: Jon and Arya's reunion will be THE emotional core of the saga's climax. Sure, there will be others, but these two finally getting to be together (not in "that" way, at least immediately) will be the emotional punch in the gut, and not necessarily a bad one. I do believe Arya will be reunited with Sansa, Rickon, maybe Gendry and even Bran (through supernatural means), but the last reunion is for her and Jon.

"And Arya… he missed her even more than Robb …she could always make Jon smile. He would give anything to be with her now." - Jon, AGoT

"Arya missed Jon most of all. Just saying his name made her sad." - Arya, ASoS

As for the

"Jon/Arya/Tyrion love triangle becomes the Gendry/Arya/(possibly)Aegon" idea that this thread posits, well it's not realistic for me. The original love triangle at this point is an inviable option, though again maybe not so dead as I think it is. If the FM employ Arya to go to Daenerys and do something there and Tyrion gets to be around her, I could see him falling for her. But I shudder at the thought mainly because it would mean at least 5 more books...And he is married to Sansa, so that idea already shifted. The proposed permutation into Gendry/Arya/Aegon is again possible if there are 5 more books and not 2. Because it would mean Arya getting involved with the DWD 2.0, charming Aegon (who'd probably be married by that point with Arriane, maybe Arya is the one who kills her as a FM?), Gendry getting in the mix as either a contender for the throne or something. Just no time for that. No, If George is serious with his TWO more books till the end, than Arya can be involved only lightly in whatever is awaiting the realm (but still involved to some extent, she's gonna OFF someone important, that is for sure). The crux of her story is in the North with her family, but most of all with Jon. That is what the books have been telling us again and again, all personal bias and yuckiness aside, that is what it is.

[Booknerd2]

Damn, Wizz. Love every word. Great points in your posts.

Just a few things I wanted to scrapple out in general that occurred to me while reading this thread…

Gendry asserted himself and made the decisions just as much as Arya did. Especially read the Lommy death chapter, the dialogue before that between Arya and Gendry. And really, the bickering…reminds me of classic movie banter and the best banter ever in literature (well, for me) Scarlett and Rhett. Damn funny.

Fact: Er, almost fact. Gendry is going to crap himself when he sees her again. I believe it. Just throwing that out there…the buildup again is shown in AFFC. He gets dead quiet when he sees that Hound helm. All he can say is "Him." Very poignant. One simple word carries so much weight, especially after he spent most of the chapter with snappy retorts and acting like a crab ass.

With any age differences being brought up over time: The author literally has Gendry swoop in and tell that old man bothering Arya to back off buddy, or else! Meaning Gendry IS NOT LIKE THAT HIMSELF. And, oh, God, so fast he was probably keeping an eye on his little scamp the whole time knowing the characters in that establishment. Not the first time he has been protective of her either.

Arya killing for Lommy, and the vengefulness of rubbing it in his face and reminding him of how he did it to Lommy was a kick to the readers’ face. And the gripping the girl’s arm when she saw Raff, which was instantaneous; so she is in no fog, and there are a lot of fog mentions in Mercy, which I like to think he was hinting that “Arya” is emerging more and the cloaked identity arc will be and is starting to dissipate.

[Stormourne]

n/a

[Nevets]

Has anyone else thought that an unknown character (around Arya's age) might show up in the last two books and somehow manage to get through to Arya, and thus become a potential love interest? It's crossed my mind a few times. I wouldn't be against it (knowing how G.R.R.M writes, it would be a good read).

Such a character currently exists: Podrick Payne, Brienne's squire and Tyrion's former squire. He is the right age and has been traveling with someone, Brienne, whose sole focus now is the safety and well-being of the Stark girls. I don't think GRRM subjected us to three trips with her across the Riverlands without some payoff in mind. Brienne trying to heal Arya could be it. Also, Podrick himself is fairly well established from his time with Tyrion and Brienne, so he wouldn't have to introduce a new characters

If they are in the Riverlands, they could run into LS and/or Gendry. Podrick / Arya / Gendry could be interesting. New vs old. Warrior vs smith. Noble vs commoner. Plus the point in the triangle being a12-year old wannabe assassin with sociopathic tendencies, a consuming desire for revenge, and having trouble retaining her identity. Plus she wargs with her wolf. Sounds like a recipe for GRRM-style tragedy. It also makes a lot more sense than one with Aegon, who we've barely seen. And it avoids the ick! factor with Jon, who I still think will play a vital role in her recovery and return to the Stark family.

[Han Snow]

Damn, Wizz. Love every word. Great points in your posts.

Just a few things I wanted to scrapple out in general that occurred to me while reading this thread…

Gendry asserted himself and made the decisions just as much as Arya did. Especially read the Lommy death chapter, the dialogue before that between Arya and Gendry. And really, the bickering…reminds me of classic movie banter and the best banter ever in literature (well, for me) Scarlett and Rhett. Damn funny.

Fact: Er, almost fact. Gendry is going to crap himself when he sees her again. I believe it. Just throwing that out there…the buildup again is shown in AFFC. He gets dead quiet when he sees that Hound helm. All he can say is "Him." Very poignant. One simple word carries so much weight, especially after he spent most of the chapter with snappy retorts and acting like a crab ass.

With any age differences being brought up over time: The author literally has Gendry swoop in and tell that old man bothering Arya to back off buddy, or else! Meaning Gendry IS NOT LIKE THAT HIMSELF. And, oh, God, so fast he was probably keeping an eye on his little scamp the whole time knowing the characters in that establishment. Not the first time he has been protective of her either.

Arya killing for Lommy, and the vengefulness of rubbing it in his face and reminding him of how he did it to Lommy was a kick to the readers’ face. And the gripping the girl’s arm when she saw Raff, which was instantaneous; so she is in no fog, and there are a lot of fog mentions in Mercy, which I like to think he was hinting that “Arya” is emerging more and the cloaked identity arc will be and is starting to dissipate.

George is going to kill that Gendry/Arya enthusiasm of yours with the next book. Prepare yourself.

[AryaNymeriaVisenya]

Mercy is an act. Arya is not literally becoming Mercy. Its a supernatural disguise to be sure but she is always Arya. She is still referred to as Mercy when she sees Raff and decided to kill him. If she was Mercy why would she bother? Its just a literary device to make that satisfying referral to Arya at the end more epic. The disguise drops for a moment but she's learning to be a consummate actress, she's with mummers.

[Han Snow]

Mercy is an act. Arya is not literally becoming Mercy. Its a supernatural disguise to be sure but she is always Arya. She is still referred to as Mercy when she sees Raff and decided to kill him. If she was Mercy why would she bother? Its just a literary device to make that satisfying referral to Arya at the end more epic. The disguise drops for a moment but she's learning to be a consummate actress, she's with mummers.

Absolutely correct. Basically she forces herself to stay in character the whole time.

[Booknerd2]

George is going to kill that Gendry/Arya enthusiasm of yours with the next book. Prepare yourself.

Oh, points B to Y will be interesting, and so far has…but it is the A to Z I'm waiting for with so many hints thrown down.

Have you read my other posts here? I am well prepared, well aware, and ready for anything. You have to be with this series.