Arya Stark & Good Queen Alysanne. ?

[a black swan]

grrm's tendency for close sibling relationships got me thinking. It's just so interesting looking back on what Arya told her Father about her future in that infamous exchange:

“Can I be a King’s Councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?”

Ned tells her she will "marry a King and rule his Castle", and will possibly have a child that may become a High Septon.

The similarities to Good Queen Alysanne are very interesting.

- Alysanne wasn't raised with the expectation that she would be Queen. Neither was Arya.

- Alysanne was the youngest surviving daughter of King Aenys I Targaryen. Arya is the youngest daughter of Ned Stark Lord of Winterfell.

- Alysanne was 12 years old when her brother became king. Arya is or will turn 12 in Winds of Winter, when Jon likely becomes KiTN

- Alysanne was a dragonrider who loved to fly. Arya also has a bond with a mythical beast in her Direwolf, one that she can warg. Arya also expresses desires to fly several times. Arya has a strange connection & closeness with Dragons. She says she wants to turn into "a wolf with wings".

- Alysanne is a keen archer and hunter. Very "unlady-like" activities. Arya has demonstrated similar "unlady-like" interests. 

- Has a strong sense of independence, adventure, and a sense of freedom to do what she wants, “Alysanne grew bored, so she mounted her dragon Silverwing and flew north to see the Wall.”  Arya has a sense of adventure that goes without saying. At 9 years old, she is fending for herself trying to survive. grrm gave her the adventure she thought she wanted. 

- Queen Alysanne enjoyed physical activity (a quality that would have appealed to her brother Jaehaerys, who was reputed to be a fine rider as well as a skilled archer and horseman). Alysanne's older sister already married off several times in violent and political marriages. - Arya enjoys physical things and wants to be a water dancer, ride horses, climbing trees...etc. 

- Described as being “keenly intelligent”, charming and high-spirited. Arya is can speak several languages, she has an excellent memory, very quick adapting to situations, emotional intelligence that would protect House Stark from schemers and "players of the game of thrones". Arya has learned how to lie convincingly and how to tell a lie from the truth. She can differentiate what is real and what is perceived. How to collect information and how to assume a facade or take on a different role. These are things that require a high level of emotional intelligence and life experience. Arya is high-spirited, loves to play and make friends and that requires charm and an ability to connect with people. Even in Braavos, she continues to make friends and connect with people. Something Alysanne was loved for.

- Alysanne married her brother Jaehaerys and became Queen. She also became the King's most trusted Counsellor. What Arya told Ned she wanted to be in the future. With all her skills from the HoBW, and her natural pragmatic nature and the ability to see and hear the truth as Syrio taught her; she would be an excellent King's Counsellor. 

- Alysanne was loved by the smallfolk.  She lived amongst them even after becoming Queen. Arya does this after running from KL. She lives amongst the smallfolk all over Westeros and even in Essos while in Braavos. She has taken on roles of smallfolks and has lived their lives.

"Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody." 

And:

"Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her farthers table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, and gizzeld old men at arms." 

Arya, even while being brainwashed by the FM, she is still a social butterfly. Still making friends where ever she went. It's interesting she preferred Cat of the Canals of all of her disguises. Sidenote: In her backstory for Cat, Arya actually says that Cat arrived to Braavos on a ship named Nymeria.

“Just so. Your father was oarmaster on a galley. When your mother died, he took you off to sea with him. Then he died as well, and his captain had no use for you, so he put you off the ship in Braavos. And what was the name of the ship?”

“Nymeria,” she said at once. 

Another example:

She missed the friends she’d had when she was Cat of the Canals; Old Brusco with his bad back, his daughters Talea and Brea, the mummers from the Ship, Merry and her whores at the Happy Port, all the other rogues and wharfside scum. She missed Cat herself the most of all, even more than she missed her eyes. She had liked being Cat, more than she had ever liked being Salty or Squab or Weasel or Arry. 

- Queen Alysanne planned and funded the building of a Castle called Deep Lake. She had Queensgate named in her honor as well. Arya tells Ned she wants to build Castles. 

- Good Queen Alysanne’s daughter Maegelle became a Septa. Ned tells Arya one of her children can also become a High Septon.

- Alysanne was a fierce believer in woman’s rights and actively changed society's standards. "Alysanne saw no reason why a man should be favored over a woman". Which is something Arya strongly believes in and has even told Jon directly.

[Maxxine]

I despise the thought of Arya and Jon, but I definitely like the comparison of Alysanne and Arya. With the way you've laid it out an interesting and fair comparison. At this point, I really don't have much to add since you've laid it out so well. 

[Pain killer Jane]

Lovely analysis of them, OP. There is also the instance of Alysanne's daughter running away and crossing the narrow sea. Grrm does like his parallels. I mean look at the parallel between Daena and Lyanna; Robb and Daeron I Targaryen; Jon and Aegon III Targaryen. 

 

[a black swan]

2 hours ago, Maxxine said:

I despise the thought of Arya and Jon, but I definitely like the comparison of Alysanne and Arya. With the way you've laid it out an interesting and fair comparison. At this point, I really don't have much to add since you've laid it out so well. 

Thanks! It was just so interesting reading up on Alysanne. So high-spirited, just hoping on her dragon when she got bored and headed for the Wall. She seemed so familiar with her affinity to valuing women as much as men andcwanting to chanfe thevstatus quo. Hunting and enjoying physical activities and not just sitting around being a Queen and doing "lady-like" things. The fact that Jaehaerys understood her and shared her interests and gave her that freedom. 

Just really striking how Arya and Ned lay it out like that in that quote. 

 

[a black swan]

14 minutes ago, Pain killer Jane said:

Lovely analysis of them, OP. There is also the instance of Alysanne's daughter running away and crossing the narrow sea. Grrm does like his parallels. I mean look at the parallel between Daena and Lyanna; Robb and Daeron I Targaryen; Jon and Aegon III Targaryen. 

 

Oh, nice one! She did cross the Narrow sea too. 

Have you seen all the parrallels between Arya and Aegon the Unlikely? Grrm is masterful with these types of narrative call-backs. Makes you wonder what kind of impact it will have on the rest of the story? 

[norwaywolf123]

no pleas not worship some aristocratic families it is unbeareble....

You treat house stark as a religion!

Would be better if the old can make room for the new. And end to the political system of current planetos

[Pain killer Jane]

2 hours ago, DutchArya said:

Oh, nice one! She did cross the Narrow sea too. 

Have you seen all the parrallels between Arya and Aegon the Unlikely? Grrm is masterful with these types of narrative call-backs. Makes you wonder what kind of impact it will have on the rest of the story? 

Yes I know and she will probably keep the laws that Aegon V tried to pass to limit the powers of the nobles. Aegon V always said that if he had dragons then the nobles would respect his laws and Arya has her direwolf and the pack roaming the Riverlands. Hour of the Wolf indeed....

And don't forget her future parallel with Viserys I. He came back to his brother Aegon III from across the narrow sea with the backing of a strong bank and we know that the House of White and Black and the Iron Bank are strongly linked. But this is strictly speculation. 

[IceFire125]

Nice! 

Bookmarked. 

[Lord Wraith]

I don't think Arya helped bring back the Others, Alysanne might have had an accident hand in it.

Interesting parallels but I don't think Jon is going to be KitN in the books so it kind of breaks it for me.

[Poupsi]

Nice work.

Very interesting parallels.

But she had turned into a bloodthirsty assassin; I don't know if she could come back from that, even if I'm rooting for it.

[GhostNymeria]

Great work I knew Arya had some parallels with Alysanne, but I didn't know it was that many and that she married her brother. Very interesting indeed.

[a black swan]

9 hours ago, Pain killer Jane said:

Yes I know and she will probably keep the laws that Aegon V tried to pass to limit the powers of the nobles. Aegon V always said that if he had dragons then the nobles would respect his laws and Arya has her direwolf and the pack roaming the Riverlands. Hour of the Wolf indeed....

And don't forget her future parallel with Viserys I. He came back to his brother Aegon III from across the narrow sea with the backing of a strong bank and we know that the House of White and Black and the Iron Bank are strongly linked. But this is strictly speculation. 

Oh yes That sounds excellent.

The comparisons of one unlikely Queen to Arya didn't stop there with grrm. 

Credit to the brilliant Ice Turtle:

Similarities between Arya and Aegon the Unlikely :

- Both are last in line to inherit among their siblings of which there were many

- Both regularly shave their heads during certain periods of their lives.

- Both are being repeatedly mistaken for stable boys.

- Both live for some time among smallfolk

- Both are made to chase small animals to make them quicker (Arya cats by Syrio, Egg chickens by Dunk)

- Both serve as cupbearers

- Both are disinterested in any romance at least until the age of eleven.

- Both are implicated in an incident of "assaulting" a member of the royal family, though Arya does the deed herself while Egg calls for Dunk's intervention.

- Both secretly holding objects that are connected to their identity. (Egg's Ring & Needle)

- The Ghost of High Heart meeting Arya and mentioning the tragedy of Summerhall where Aegon died. 

That's two famous figures that are crowned in the most unlikely ways. 

You know if it turns out that Arya does ascend to a throne - the Black Swan theory will have been so accurate. In hindsight the hints were all there. The fact that grrm threw in not one but three black swans in Arya's story is just incredible. 

The original title for the last book is very spoilery, I love it! That's probably why grrm changed it? Whatever happens, and whatever Kingdom is left.... a time for wolves indeed.  

[Jon's Queen Consort]

18 hours ago, DutchArya said:

- Alysanne was the youngest daughter of King Aenys I Targaryen. Arya is the youngest daughter of Ned Stark Lord of Winterfell.

Vaella was Aenys' youngest daughter.

 

[a black swan]

50 minutes ago, Jon's Queen Consort said:

Vaella was Aenys' youngest daughter.

 

She died in infancy.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

Just now, DutchArya said:

She died in infancy.

That doesn't mean that she wasn't her parents' youngest daughter.

 

[a black swan]

2 minutes ago, Jon's Queen Consort said:

That doesn't mean that she wasn't her parents' youngest daughter.

 

That is true. I'll amend the long list then. Thanks for the correction!  

[a black swan]

19 hours ago, Poupsi said:

Nice work.

Very interesting parallels.

But she had turned into a bloodthirsty assassin; I don't know if she could come back from that, even if I'm rooting for it.

Why do you think she is a bloodthirsty assassin? 

[Little Scribe of Naath]

Nice analysis, DutchArya! It had never occurred to me before reading this 

[Poupsi]

4 hours ago, DutchArya said:

Why do you think she is a bloodthirsty assassin? 

Well, she likes her little prayer, and she seems eager to get rid of the names.

[sweetsunray]

Unfortuntely QG Alysanne was bad news for the Starks. Sure, the NW talk highly of her because she gave them jewels to build a new castle and move away from the Nightfort, with its black gate (so that NW didn't even know anymore they have a magic gate, and thus lose touch of their purpose), and makes the Starks give up land to the NW that the NW can't keep an eye with her visit on the back of a dragon. The Starks lost land because of her, lost holds for bannermen because of her, and the Starks had to retreat anybody watching over the farmers there against raids, while the NW didn't actually do the job, but go ranging. And even if the southern direwolves were overhunted in the North, the abandoning of the Nightfort 200 years ago is not so coincidentally also the 200 years that no direwolf was seen south of the wall anymore. GQ Alysanne worked for the anti-magic agenda of the Maesters (especially what seems to be anti-Stark-warging and anti-Others-existence) and is one of the royals who handicapped and meddled with the Stark in a negative way.

So, me, personally, I'm not fond of this comparison. Because it would imply that Arya is bad news for the Starks.