Need Help With Arya

[ned stark]

At the end of one of her chapters, Arya was looking out the window of The Peach, seeing the Kingslayer and saying to herself that her prayers had been answered.

At the beginning of her next chapter, Arya finds herself in some kind of cave, just having had a hood pulled off her head.

My first question, what happened with that? How and why did she get from a place of leisure and view of the happenings to being hooded and brought to a place of blackness? Who brought her there and why?

So, the next question is, after The Hound and Lord Beric duel, Lord Beric appears to have died, "...the Hound's cold steel plowed into Lord Beric's flesh where his shoulder joined his neck and clove him clean down to the breastbone. ..... When his mouth opened only blood came out. The Hound's sword was still in him." Then at the end of that chapter, "When Arya turned, Lord Beric Dondarrion was standing behind her, his blood hand clutching Thoros by the shoulder." So, I'm guessing that having cold steel plowed into his flesh where his shoulder joined his neck, cleaving him clean down to the breastbone was not enough to kill him?

Then in the next Arya chapter, the place where she was staying at was under siege. It said 2 Mummers came bursting from the septry. I'm sure I should know this by now but I don't. Can anyone please tell me what Mummers are and what that siege was about?

Shortly thereafter, Lord Beric was strong enough to slam, "his sword into its scabbard, quenching the flame." He healed very quickly! Seems to me that with the sword wound that the Hound gave him, if he survived at all, he would be fighting for his life, not slamming his sword anywhere.

Am I missing something? Thanks!

[kephv]

You're missing quite a lot I'd say. Try slowing down and maybe you'll take in the details better.

All this is either directly explained or can fairly easily be put together from various hints.

I'm not going to answer all these but the cave she was in was the main hideout of the Brotherhood Without Banners, aka, the Knights of the Hollow Hill. And she thought at first it was the Kingslayer but it turned out to be the Hound. The people who brought her there were obviously the same people she was travelling with.

[Errant Bard]

Am I missing something? Thanks!

Yeah, a lot of things, ManyFacedOne is right, you really need to slow the hell down and read all the words.

But If you want answers without rereading:

1. It's the Hound she sees when she's at the Peach.
   
2. She is hooded because they went to the Brotherhood without Banner's headquarters, as they had discussed previously, and no outsider is allowed to see the way to it.
   
3. Beric dies. Thoros simply brings him back to life. I'm pretty sure Thoros or Ned even straight out tell Arya that at one point.
   
4. The place Arya is never is under siege, what you remember is the BwB attacking bloody mummers who just sacked a sept. Bloody Mummers=Brave Companions=The guys under the command of Vargo Hoath, the mercenary from Harrenhal with a fetish about cutting body parts.
   

[ned stark]

All good help. Thanks.

And you're right, I am reading it too quickly. My problem is that I am getting my copy from the library and have to get it back in a couple of days.

[Bob Baratheon]

Just take it back out? or can you not take the book out twice in a row, i myself rushed through the books sometimes, i.e certain chapters and found this a big mistake especially when i done it during AFFC as i missed alot of the hidden details out, and thus resulted in me missing alot of information too. In the end i either had to reread chapters or come to this fantastic site !

[ned stark]

All the books are backed up. I've had to wait for them all and there is a waiting list so I'm trying my best to get through them. But I have thought about going back and re-reading all of them again, perhaps when he comes out with the last one.

And that is a topic all its own. Since book #5 just came out, I do wonder when #6 will come out. Does anyone have any thoughts on that?

[Zuluhed]

lately he has a 4 to 5 year gap in between.. but with the royalties flowing in from HBO and such it shuld put a fire under his ass =)... im hoping around early 2013..

[TheEvilKing]

Just take it back to the library late. Fuck 'em.

And how was the username "ned stark" not already taken before now???

[ned stark]

To TheEvilKIng, I wondered the same thing! And it was the first username I tried!

and regarding taking them back late.......well, i dunno.

[TeamDanyArya]

It's worth the fine. It's hard not rushing through this book because it's exciting. At least to me. I found myself anxiously awaiting what would happen next so I would kind of plow through stuff.

[Zenefertiti]

hi there

I understand the whole library thing, but you can buy the books quite cheaply. I buy them from www.bookdepository.co.uk, and each book (ecept for DwD) is under $10... with free delivery. I live in Australia, and it usually takes 2 weeks for a book to arrive. Even at department stores they are about $12... :)

think of it as an investment - so you can read patiently and re-read !

[Maky]

hi there

I understand the whole library thing, but you can buy the books quite cheaply. I buy them from www.bookdepository.co.uk, and each book (ecept for DwD) is under $10... with free delivery. I live in Australia, and it usually takes 2 weeks for a book to arrive. Even at department stores they are about $12... :)

think of it as an investment - so you can read patiently and re-read !

I agree. When I decided I wanted to start reading I went to Barnes & Noble and bought all five of them (even DwD although it was only available in hardcover and I rather regret that, because by now it's out in paperback and I could've saved some money, since I'm still reading FFC...), and the paperback editions are like 9USD... pretty cheap stuff.

[ned stark]

all good thoughts. i have thought about buying them but i hate to bring even more stuff into my house. i know that is a lame excuse but if you saw my house.......

but i may end up buying them, maybe get some used editions and pass them along someday.

[ned stark]

Errant Bard, you replied to my question of, "what are mummers" with,

" Bloody Mummers=Brave Companions=The guys under the command of Vargo Hoath, the mercenary from Harrenhal with a fetish about cutting body parts."

Now maybe Bloody Mummers are that but the term "mummers" appear to be something else entirely.

I guess I thought that with your large number of posts and with my posts being so few, I took you at your word and found myself very confused when they started talking about ancient mummer's tales and such.

Finally going through the first book with the assistance of the search function on the Amazon site, that term, "mummers", by itself does not seem to have anything to do with Vargo Hoath. Instead, it seems to me that mummers are artists as they are always being referred to in terms of a mummer's play or mummer's poems and the like.

Even so, it seems there are other dimensions to the term. If anyone has more insight to the exact definition, I'd really appreciate that.

I wanted to post this in case others might be confused too. Thanks for your other help though.

[Catastrophe]

I agree. When I decided I wanted to start reading I went to Barnes & Noble and bought all five of them (even DwD although it was only available in hardcover and I rather regret that, because by now it's out in paperback and I could've saved some money, since I'm still reading FFC...), and the paperback editions are like 9USD... pretty cheap stuff.

I have all of them except ADwD because I don't want to shell out the money for the hardcover. Unfortunately I can't find the paperback version anywhere! Are you sure it's out? Where can you find it? (No rush because I have yet to read AFfC and I'm taking a break to read some other books before then.)

[dark sister]

Errant Bard, you replied to my question of, "what are mummers" with,

" Bloody Mummers=Brave Companions=The guys under the command of Vargo Hoath, the mercenary from Harrenhal with a fetish about cutting body parts."

Now maybe Bloody Mummers are that but the term "mummers" appear to be something else entirely.

I guess I thought that with your large number of posts and with my posts being so few, I took you at your word and found myself very confused when they started talking about ancient mummer's tales and such.

Finally going through the first book with the assistance of the search function on the Amazon site, that term, "mummers", by itself does not seem to have anything to do with Vargo Hoath. Instead, it seems to me that mummers are artists as they are always being referred to in terms of a mummer's play or mummer's poems and the like.

Even so, it seems there are other dimensions to the term. If anyone has more insight to the exact definition, I'd really appreciate that.

I wanted to post this in case others might be confused too. Thanks for your other help though.

Mummers/mumming is an archaic (old) word for actors/acting. Calling the "Brave Companions", a sellsword troupe (group of people) the "Bloody Mummers" is a derogatory (insulting) phrase that other people use because they're a group of particularly diverse and crazy lot of soldiers, led by someone who is called "The Goat". If that isn't a folly (crazy funny story), I don't know what is.

Putting all those other words in quotes just to make it perfectly clear, not meant to be insulting.

Btw, how old are you? Just curious.

[Errant Bard]

Errant Bard, you replied to my question of, "what are mummers" with,

" Bloody Mummers=Brave Companions=The guys under the command of Vargo Hoath, the mercenary from Harrenhal with a fetish about cutting body parts."

Now maybe Bloody Mummers are that but the term "mummers" appear to be something else entirely.

I guess I thought that with your large number of posts and with my posts being so few, I took you at your word and found myself very confused when they started talking about ancient mummer's tales and such.

In context, the mummers you referred to were the Brave Companions (by the way they are neither braves nor companions, either)

I'm not a native English speaker. When I have troubles with a word, I look at a dictionary, here is what the dictionary has to say about the word "mummer":

mum·mer/ˈməmər/ Noun:

• An actor in a traditional masked mime, esp. of a type associated with Christmas and popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
  
• A pantomimist.
  

Bloody Mummers, well, they are called like that behind their back because they look more like a circus than a sellsword company. Of course they are no more mummers than the Storm Crows are crows, that the Second Sons are family guys or that the Golden Company is actually made of gold.

Also, +1 to leylalovesthetargs

ETA: Also, post count is not really a marker for credibility. Look at what is written, not at the mostly meaningless number below the name. A lot of newcomers have been more awesome than veteran boarders with thousand of posts. And when it comes to facts from the books, or dictionary definitions, anyone is at the same level: we've all read the same books, and we have the same dictionary definitions for the same words.

[LuisDantas]

I have all of them except ADwD because I don't want to shell out the money for the hardcover. Unfortunately I can't find the paperback version anywhere! Are you sure it's out? Where can you find it? (No rush because I have yet to read AFfC and I'm taking a break to read some other books before then.)

The info I have is that it is to be published in may and available in june.

http://www.livrariacultura.com.br/scripts/resenha/resenha.asp?nitem=22966631&sid=1892726713121276999737711

[dark sister]

In context, the mummers you referred to were the Brave Companions (by the way they are neither braves nor companions, either)

I'm not a native English speaker. When I have troubles with a word, I look at a dictionary, here is what the dictionary has to say about the word "mummer":

mum·mer/ˈməmər/ Noun:

• An actor in a traditional masked mime, esp. of a type associated with Christmas and popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
  
• A pantomimist.
  

Bloody Mummers, well, they are called like that behind their back because they look more like a circus than a sellsword company. Of course they are no more mummers than the Storm Crows are crows, that the Second Sons are family guys or that the Golden Company is actually made of gold.

Also, +1 to leylalovesthetargs

ETA: Also, post count is not really a marker for credibility. Look at what is written, not at the mostly meaningless number below the name. A lot of newcomers have been more awesome than veteran boarders with thousand of posts. And when it comes to facts from the books, or dictionary definitions, anyone is at the same level: we've all read the same books, and we have the same dictionary definitions for the same words.

What's your native language? You write better than most Americans, which is pathetic (for us, not you :P)

Oooooooooh, I got a +1? Hehe maybe I was being harsh. Maybe ned stark is a foreigner reading the book in english and not in his/her native tongue?

But, ned stark, that whole library conundrum (problem) seems very silly to me :-D buy the softcovers used, it's cheap as hell, i HIGHLY doubt that four small softcover books will make your house tumble down....unless you're a hoarder.

[Catastrophe]

LuisDantas: Thanks! A few months isn't too long a wait, if I finish AFfC early I'll probably just borrow a copy of ADwD from one of my friends.