Does Arya have it wrong? Are the FM studying her?

[caravaggio]

I apologize if this has already been brought up a million times, but I couldn't find it... and thought it was slightly bigger than a "small question."

Is it possible Arya has it all wrong? That she is not at the House of Black and White to study them, but that they are studying her?

Skinchanging? (This would be useful to them for sure)

How to kill skinchangers?

House Stark?

[King of Winters]

Keeping with this theory, they may want to harness her power of warging for their own good. Easier to kill people.

[rejndjer]

maybe they believe she is AAR

[EnergeticCrab]

I don't think so but we do learn that "uses knowledge gained through the cat's eyes to impress the Kindly Man, telling him that she knows it has been him who is hitting her. Apparently this completes her blind training, because when she opens her eyes again she sees a candle flame, and she has never seen anything so beautiful before" in The Blind Girl (ADWD).

[The Sleeper]

Considering the circumstances of how she got there it seems rather a stretch. As far as skinchangers go, they have never been mentioned once in Essos and in Westeros and even the North they are an obscure legend. Only the Wildlings have a clear idea of what skinchangers are and what they can do. It is hard to imagine why the FM would have any idea about it.

I imagine most of the FM recruits come to them pretty much as Arya did, people who have nowhere else to go.

[The Mother of The Others]

this is a really interesting idea. it'd explain why they're letting the little capuchin take advantage of their mastermind organization. her time there lets them find out about this magic blood family the dragonlords feared to conquer. science!

[yolkboy]

I don't think they're studying her, i think they are grooming her/training her for a major deed.

[mindchap]

this is a really interesting idea. it'd explain why they're letting the little capuchin take advantage of their mastermind organization. her time there lets them find out about this magic blood family the dragonlords feared to conquer. science!

They're not really letting her know it's a mastermind organization though. He gives her that lame story about people saying a prayer, yet other characters elsewhere in the story talk about it as an expensive network of assassins.

[Jack's Smirking Revenge]

I think the FM might know more about Arya than they let on. I believe the Hersey thread had some really interesting stuff about the FM, their connection with the Others, and the Starks. Really got me thinking that the FM have a much bigger role to play than just being assassins.

[Manderlay]

I apologize if this has already been brought up a million times, but I couldn't find it... and thought it was slightly bigger than a "small question."

Is it possible Arya has it all wrong? That she is not at the House of Black and White to study them, but that they are studying her?

Skinchanging? (This would be useful to them for sure)

How to kill skinchangers?

House Stark?

I don't think that the FM are studying are, In fact i think that Arya is deceiving them, the KM knows there is something wrong about Arya but he cant put his finger on it, he doesn't know that Arya has a strong bond with Nymeria, which means she hasn't forgotten that she is Stark of Winterfell, Arya is more smart than the KM thinks and I belive she is manipulating the KM, she wants to learn all she can and in the end she wont serve the FM, she will choose her own path.

[A Man Has Said]

Considering the circumstances of how she got there it seems rather a stretch. As far as skinchangers go, they have never been mentioned once in Essos and in Westeros and even the North they are an obscure legend. Only the Wildlings have a clear idea of what skinchangers are and what they can do. It is hard to imagine why the FM would have any idea about it.

I imagine most of the FM recruits come to them pretty much as Arya did, people who have nowhere else to go.

That was my first thought too - that the skinchanging ability isn't even a legend outside of the north. It's just unknown.

Compare to the way ALL the southrons react to stories of the Others and Wights - "grumkins and snarks."

They think that The Wall and the Night's Watch is just a premise by which to create a penal colony where they can send unrepentant criminals.

Even in the context of Robb, the legend/propaganda that the enemy make up about him is not that he can warg into his direwolf, but that he becomes a direwolf.

Essos is even further removed from the only place on the planet where this happens (except maybe Ibb? we don't know because we've never been there) so it's unlikely they've heard about it. And if the House of Black and White were studying it, they're going to be up against a pretty difficult barrier before they can put it to use - you have to have the blood of The First Men (and maybe even TCotF?) running through your veins to even have a chance of inheriting this rare ability.

~~~~~~~~

And my own thought about this: will we ever find out in the books about any Stark forebears who could do this? Did Brandon the Builder warg into mammoths and use them to help him build the wall? It would certainly help to flesh out the backstory about skinchanging.

[Joey Beers]

The things that the kindly man says to Arya seem to suggest an underlying knowledge of her. Too lazy to look for a quote right now, but he gives the impression that he is aware of something about her being different. Also, skinchangers may not be talked about in Braavos, but if anyone there would want that talent it would be the FM. I think they must be aware of the existence of skinchangers, and it just seems that they know more than we think about a lot of stuff.

[Bad Hound!]

There might even be a link between face-changing and skinchanging. Maybe something the FMs used to know but have lost. Interesting theory, maybe they need Arya. Maybe the coin Jaqen gave Arya was supposed to draw her there. It's a second time in the series a coin has been used (Pate also bites a coin given to him by - presumably - a FM)

It depends whether they are supposed to be this real badass organisation or just a GRRM smokescreen. But given the mystery surrounding their activities in Westeros (Citadel, Jaqen letting himself be a prisoner), there is something about them that may play a high-profile role later on. In that case, I wouldn't put it past them to have engineered Arya coming to Braavos and to the House of Black and White.

[A Man Has Said]

There might even be a link between face-changing and skinchanging. Maybe something the FMs used to know but have lost. Interesting theory, maybe they need Arya. Maybe the coin Jaqen gave Arya was supposed to draw her there. It's a second time in the series a coin has been used (Pate also bites a coin given to him by - presumably - a FM)

It depends whether they are supposed to be this real badass organisation or just a GRRM smokescreen. But given the mystery surrounding their activities in Westeros (Citadel, Jaqen letting himself be a prisoner), there is something about them that may play a high-profile role later on. In that case, I wouldn't put it past them to have engineered Arya coming to Braavos and to the House of Black and White.

Actually there was a third time. Arya herself uses the exact same poison coin trick on the merchant that the House of Black and White sent her to kill as her first assignment. But that doesn't have much to do with Jaqen's use of the iron coin as an identifying mark. If you're going to include that you would also include Arya's using the coin to bring the Harrenhall guard close enough to her that she could slit his throat.

[Direwolfsigil]

That was my first thought too - that the skinchanging ability isn't even a legend outside of the north. It's just unknown.

Compare to the way ALL the southrons react to stories of the Others and Wights - "grumkins and snarks."

They think that The Wall and the Night's Watch is just a premise by which to create a penal colony where they can send unrepentant criminals.

Even in the context of Robb, the legend/propaganda that the enemy make up about him is not that he can warg into his direwolf, but that he becomes a direwolf.

Essos is even further removed from the only place on the planet where this happens (except maybe Ibb? we don't know because we've never been there) so it's unlikely they've heard about it. And if the House of Black and White were studying it, they're going to be up against a pretty difficult barrier before they can put it to use - you have to have the blood of The First Men (and maybe even TCotF?) running through your veins to even have a chance of inheriting this rare ability.

~~~~~~~~

And my own thought about this: will we ever find out in the books about any Stark forebears who could do this? Did Brandon the Builder warg into mammoths and use them to help him build the wall? It would certainly help to flesh out the backstory about skinchanging.

Great post.

[IRON BANK]

I do think the FM have some idea of who Arya is and what she is capable of. Reason being I'm sure they are in coontact with Jaqen who is one of their assasins he takes orders from them and when Arya was givem the coin, or mentioned the area of the world she got said coin from they probably put 2 and 2 together. A secret society who may or may not use blood magic or some type of glamoure is more than likely aware if a canidate posesses a latent ability. The FM seem pretty sharp. I do think they have an understanding of Arya not being just an average street urchin, The FM seem well traveled and knowledgeable, accents, ability to read, education and the way Arya carries herself all point to them more than likely knowing. plus they gather lots of information throughout the world. so this has a good chance of being true.

[Gronzag]

Im pretty sure that FM know about skinchangers but i don't think they are 'studying' Arya, even though they might realize what she is

[kephv]

They study all their recruits. How else to best use their skills?

[The Sleeper]

There is definitely some amount of pushing and proding to see what she is made of, but other than that... . The FM figured her identity a few minutes after she walked through their door and she is great lord's daughter after all, her background and circumstances are not draped in mystery, and they keep an eye on things as Arya's stint as Cat has demonstrated. I imagine they have gotten most of her story about her treks in the riverlands by now. They are keen observers of people, so it's hard to imagine that Arya has managed to keep much from them.

I don't see any indication that she is receiving any kind of special attention.

[PrimeRhaegar]

very interesting idea, but how can one weaponize warging which is something you have to be born with and no one in martin's world know a thing about genetics like that.