Do Bran and co. act out Varys's parable?

[Roose on the Loose]

 Varys: Power resides where men believe it resides.  No more and no less.

 

Bran: I'm the Prince of fucking Winterfell. Shouldn't I be in charge?

 

In Varys's story that illustrates the nature of power, there are 4 characters: a King, a Septon, a rich man and a sellsword. 

The slam-dunk is Bran.  By some people's calculations he's KITN at the time when he wonders why nobody's doing what he wants. In any case, by all traditional rules of medieval politics, he should be giving the orders.

 

While the religion of  the Old Gods has no official clergy, Jojen seems to be an intermediary between the traveling party and the Old Gods.  He comes from a reticent culture that has forgotten less about the Old Gods than Winterfell has. 

 

The Rich Man is Meera.  In any near-starvation situation, food is money.  Any sane person will trade all their gold for enough food to see them through to the next harvest. 

 

That leaves the role of the sellsword to Hodor.  He's big enough to take charge of the whole group if he had an agenda.  As a long time denizen of Winterfell he might tend to show a slight pro-Bran bias.  Once Bran learns to warg Hodor, (and this happens south of the Wall) there's no question about who is ultimately in charge. 

 

However, Jojen's plan prevails.  In a world where it's hard to figure out who to trust, Bran believes in Jojen.  

[Floki of the Ironborn]

I think the point is that all four depend on each other. Bran needs Hodor to carry him, Meera to feed him, and Jojen to guide him. Meera believes in Jojen and Bran's quest so she keeps them alive for guidance. Hodor wouldn't function by himself so he sticks with the group, and Jojen needs his sister to look after him and Bran to fulfill his spiritual visions.

[Roose on the Loose]

I think the point is that all four depend on each other. Bran needs Hodor to carry him, Meera to feed him, and Jojen to guide him. Meera believes in Jojen and Bran's quest so she keeps them alive for guidance. Hodor wouldn't function by himself so he sticks with the group, and Jojen needs his sister to look after him and Bran to fulfill his spiritual visions.

The most obvious difference between Varys's parable and Bran's companions is that in the parable the 3 players are all trying to kill the other 2.  The travelers only reach their destination by working together.  Bran or Jojen would die of starvation without Meera.  Merra and Hodor might survive together, but they wouldn't have the same sense of purpose.

 

But they still make Varys's point that power isn't a birthright, but a matter of what people believe.  Jojen is lower born than Bran and he has no great physical strength, but he makes Meera and Bran believe that he knows the way.