[ADWD SPOILERS] The Blind Girl

[LannisterStark]

Jon doesn't even know where and how well Dareon, Sam or Aemon are. Hebelieves that they're all safe in Oldtown by this point.

Arya killed him beause ever since she was born she was taught that:

1) The one that gives the sentece must be the one to carry the sentence through.

2) Deserting the Night's Watch is punishable by death

That chapter in AFFC showed us that she wasn't capable of throwing away Arya Stark and all her principles and everything that she had learned from birth. She is an impulsive child, that wants vengeance on everyone on her hit list.

She will never be able to forsake her true identity, killing Dareon and keeping Needle are great examples of that.

I honestly don't believe that she will ever become a full FM. She might get to that final "test" (which I believe will be killing off Nymeria, not Jon or any of her siblings - Nymeria is her truest link to who she really is, IMHO) but will never do it, choosing instead to get back to her original identity, while retaining the skills she learned in Braavos.

BTW, there is a multi-quote function, just so you know ;)

Thanks a lot for mentioning the "multi-quote" function. I obviously overlooked that. Thanks again. By the way, you made some good points. And, the fact is, A Game of Thrones opens with Eddard Stark killing a man who abandoned the Night's Watch. I see that Arya is just following in her father's footsteps.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

Couple of things really confused me with this chapter:

She thinks to herself that she actually did kill Daeron? I'm very surprised. Arya's not supposed to kill people that she doens't have to, or for personal revenge (she never has before).

It looks like the blindness was just part of her training - not a punishment... this makes me think that something she did in her last affc chapter must have greatly impressed the kindly man so he felt she was ready for the next stage of training. She passed some kind of test... but what? Was she meant to kill Daeron? I thought that her first test was all about lying.

Maybe she didn't kill Daeron but convincing even herself that she did was part of the training??

[NW Deserter]

It looks like the blindness was just part of her training - not a punishment...

I think it was pretty clear that it was a little of both. The Kindly Man tells her that she would've been blinded either way, but if she hadn't killed Dareon it would've been another half a year at least before it happened. He also lectures her about how the Faceless Men should not judge who should receive their gift or who should not - they are only instruments of death who give the gift to those who have been marked by the god(s).

So yeah, I highly doubt The Kindly Man intended her to kill Dareon.

[MyDogIsNamedDanerys]

I think it was pretty clear that it was a little of both. The Kindly Man tells her that she would've been blinded either way, but if she hadn't killed Dareon it would've been another half a year at least before it happened.

But this makes me think that the reason they did it so quickly was because she had managed to pass her first stage of training so quickly. She showed she was "ready" to be blind 6 months earlier than they expected.

[Calibandar]

I am getting concerned for Jon now that I have read this chapter. He intends to have the Night's Watch sail to Hardhome but he could come there and most of the people would be gone if the Lyseni keep hauling the Wildlings off as slaves. The men are still there though and could join his fighting force, plus whatever women have not yet been taken ( thousands apparently, so says the sailor).

As for the chapter itself, I found it mildly interesting. Her storyline as is isolated as Bran's, but to me not as interesting.

[johhny-turbo]

The reaction from the kindly man when she said she knew he was the one hitting her was amazing. You just knew they were setting her up for a "sometimes a handicap is a handicap" lesson but she used it against them

[Windchaser]

I was elated to see and Arya chapter, finally. After reading it I felt a bit silly that I ever doubted that she was a warg also. Clever girl, warging into the cat to pass this training session.

Now that she seems to know exactly what she's doing when jumping into an animal's skin, I wonder if we'll see her use it more. How aware is she that it is Nymeria that's her wolf dream? It didn't seem to me like she really knew it was more than a dream (maybe now though...).

I didn't find this chapter to be as isolated as the Bran ones, there is the mentions of Hardhome and wildlings. Maybe she'll hear about Aegon and the Golden Company's progress through...someone, somewhere. (I guess it depends on what the next stage of her training is).

And I do have a feeble hope that Arya will become Arya again, returning to Westeros. I think I would like for her to meet Jon again, at least. (So he'll get to see that she's not a little girl anymore :P).

[A Redeemed Hound]

Couple of things really confused me with this chapter:

She thinks to herself that she actually did kill Daeron? I'm very surprised. Arya's not supposed to kill people that she doens't have to, or for personal revenge (she never has before).

It looks like the blindness was just part of her training - not a punishment... this makes me think that something she did in her last affc chapter must have greatly impressed the kindly man so he felt she was ready for the next stage of training. She passed some kind of test... but what? Was she meant to kill Daeron? I thought that her first test was all about lying.

Maybe she didn't kill Daeron but convincing even herself that she did was part of the training??

No she just kills people and justifies it. The poor slob on the wall at Harrenhall was murdered in cold blood after she tricked him. She justified it as a way to escape but she still killed the guy while he was unaware. She's a killer and training to be a really efficient one so she can return to Westeros and widdle down her list of names. Her being blind was for training. She was made blind early because she is good at what she does...kill. She's not going to be a good person in the end. She's a bad seed. Wild. And remember she killed the three people at Harenhall (through Jaquen Hagar) out of personal feelings and revenge.

[Peter Woolshirt]

Are the Lyseni ships that took the slaves at Hardholme -- Goodheart and Elephant -- part of Salladhor Saan's fleet that was blown off course? It's not often that I find myself cheering for slavers, but I'm making an exception in this case.

[Peter Woolshirt]

The last we saw of Raff the Sweetling, he was escorting two captives across the Riverlands to get on a ship headed for the Night's Watch. Does anybody else think they're all likely to be eaten by wolves?

[Ruka]

I've been thinking about this chapter and Arya in general quite a lot recently, in relation to the Faceless Men's motives.

I think that we have some bitter sadness coming. Just as Ned had no desire to face off against the Sword of the Morning, we probably have similar difficult confrontations to come. The FM's reverence for death may put them on the side of the Others--and death in general. While they do not judge, I cannot doubt that they will look on the Other's advance as the work of their god.

Arya may be a free spirit, but she has become very much obsessed with death. I see her going above her duty, likely with Nymeria's and her horde. That would no doubt put her up against Jon Snow and/or others she loved.

In aCoK when Jaquen {sp} comes to Arya in Harrenhall he says the red god is owed his due, red god = R'hallor, I think that puts your theory to bed.

[SJAG1983]

So, we know that being blind "enhanced" her other senses...It seems to me that it enhanced her wargging abilities as well. Do we think the Kindly Man knew or not? Omigod I LOVE this!

[sennahoj]

I really liked how GRRM described her blindness and how she now perceives her environment with her other senses. When Arya was attacked in the vaults of the temple and whacked with a wooden stick a few times, I first thought Syrio was back, especially the "Go on. Pick it up. I am done beating you for today." sounded a lot like Syrio. But damn, you never know who the Faceless Men are oder were.

As far as Arya's future is concerned, I think it would be logical for the Faceless Men to send her on a mission against the Targaryens, given the origins of Braavos and the FM. I just cannot see them siding with Dragons, and therefore Daenerys or maybe Young Griff might be targets in the course of Arya's training..

[BloodRider]

So, we know that being blind "enhanced" her other senses...It seems to me that it enhanced her wargging abilities as well. Do we think the Kindly Man knew or not? Omigod I LOVE this!

Oh I think he knew. I am starting to suspect that warging of some sorts may be part of the training from the faceless men. Mainly because of the KOM's reactions. He seems to keep trying to get her to say why she knows certain things when clearly she can not see.

And also there is this. In harrenhall somehow Jaquen gets that dog who loved Weese to tear out his throat.

[FuliginEyes]

I thought GRRM did a really excellent job with this chapter, describing Arya using her other senses and her thought process. Really well done. And great to see her again.

So happy that she can warg into the cat as well now so easily - go Arya!

[Domenceus]

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[King Bread]

Finally an Arya chapter! Looked forward to it after this blindness ending in AFFC. I can see why GRRM could write so much about Arya's adventures in Braavos. I really enjoy her chapters there, even if they are isolated from the others, I am sure they will soon lead back to the events in Westeros. My only concern is how long her FM training is going to be. As much as I enjoy the chapters I would like to get her back to the action, but there are still so many important things left she has to learn from the FM. I am excited to see how many chapters she still ha sleft in this book.

And it was an awesome move how she tricked the kindly man. I think she will be a pretty useful assassin with her faceless men & warging skills, what a deadly combo.

[Wunhopkuendo]

I am getting concerned for Jon now that I have read this chapter. He intends to have the Night's Watch sail to Hardhome but he could come there and most of the people would be gone if the Lyseni keep hauling the Wildlings off as slaves. The men are still there though and could join his fighting force, plus whatever women have not yet been taken ( thousands apparently, so says the sailor).

As for the chapter itself, I found it mildly interesting. Her storyline as is isolated as Bran's, but to me not as interesting.

I was a little confused by this part. It can be hard sometimes to tell how much time has passed between chapters. So has Val made it to the wildlings and they agreed with Jon's proposal only to have the Lyseni beat him to the punch?

[sarcasticbstrd]

Where did this idea that the faceless men will send Arya to kill members of her own family/loved ones as a final test come from? That doesn't seem to be in keeping with character of either of them. And I certainly don't agree that she's "a bad seed". She's of that world, she's a survivor, she seeks vengeance, justice. She's one of the few characters (along with Jon) who seem to stay true to themselves and the honor they were taught. Arya is badass! It is fun, however, to think of her becoming a young girl Dexter in Westerosi!

[Hegs]

ohh my goodness that was a fun little chapter, I enjoyed it a lot. Arya has always been one of my favorites, I am glad the blindness was a learning tool, as well as a punishment. Forced deprivation made her learn to use more of her "other" senses :)

Now you've given me a little idea. Do you think The Kindly Old Man knows about her warging abilities, and the blindness test was also meant to help her hone that skill as well? Akin to Bran opening up his third eye only after being in the darkness of family crypt. I think we can all agree warging is definitely a skill any assassin could make great use of, and I'm sure the Old Man is well aware of that (if he knows about her abilities). The fact that her sight was restored after she told him that she knew he was the one hitting her also lays credence to my theory (at least in my mind) in that that was the final skill he wanted her to learn, and now that she has she's ready to move on.

Also, is this the only Arya chapter in Dance? I thought I heard somewhere that it is, but I hope that's not true. Arya is probably one of (if not my number 1) favorite POV character in the series.

Edit: Also, I think calling her a little girl by this point is pretty false. Each book essentially represents one year (granted the 4th an 5th book sort of skew the line, for all intents and purposes by Arya's chapter I think we can safely assume the timelines have finally been fixed and the story is pushing forward once more), so by this stage she would be around 14. Now I'm not saying she's an adult (though she probably would be if we were thinking in the Westerosi/Medieval fashion), she's definitely not a child. You can see GRRM sort of hinting at that with the line about her leg's growing longer (which I suspect might have been a remnant of when GRRM intended for the story to jump ahead 5 years to help hammer home that she had gotten older). Just saying because it seems a fair few of you are treating Arya like this little girl, which she isn't by this point (both due to her age and her experiences (she's got a full fledged confirmed kill list on the wiki that put's most real life killers to shame lol)). Just sayin is all.