#like he can be bran the builder and ned and lyanna and jon stark the first in their heroic spirit

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

Imo saying Jon won't care that he's half Targ because he has "nothing to do with that house" is a not only very simplistic way of viewing his arc but also just a flat out wrong and bad take. Like my brothers and sisters in R'hllor, he has everything to do with that house even though he may not bear the name! Jon is constantly equated with Targs in the series. In fact, he's constantly equated with the best that house has to offer. He's got Jaehaerys and Alysanne in him, he's directly paralleled with Maester Aemon and Aegon V, he transforms into Daeron the Good at the Wall, and he's basically best boy Jacaerys resurrected some 200 years later. Let's also not forget that he's best girl Dany's 1:1 narrative mirror. Jon's personality is what you get when you combine Daemon the Rogue Prince, a little bit of Maekar I, Egg, a teaspoon of Rhaegar, a few sprinkles of Baelor Breakspear, and a whole cup of Jaehaerys. He has the heroism of Aemon the Dragonknight, the innate leadership of Aegon the Conqueror, the youthful foolhardy of Daeron the Young Dragon, and the aggressive pettiness of Prince Daemon. He's got Daemon Blackfyre's nobility and Brynden Rivers' terrifying pragmatism. His rebirth is literally equated to the waking of a dragon ("two kings to wake the dragon", "promised prince born amidst salt and smoke"). He has both the good and the bad that comes with House Targaryen. He also has the good and bad of House Stark, but no one ever thinks less of him for that... Y'all let Targ hate and Rhaegar hate (both of which are just extensions of Dany hate lbr) cloud your judgement and ignore what's right in front of you. Jon is a Targ. The same way he is a Stark. He's not either or, he's both. The lesson at the end of the day isn't for him to choose one or the other. The lesson is to recognize that he so much of BOTH in him, and he can take these and become whatever he wants - bastard as he is.

[millysaurusrex]

Your Gendrya fics are giving me life 😍 can you write about their wedding day/getting married? Thank you!!!

Soooooooooo it took me a year to actually do this. But......here it is 😂

The wedding between Arya & Gendry as seen by the old gods

The lord smith is not of the old gods. He was born beneath the eyes of the seven, in a small tavern near the Sept of Balor - though he does not pray to them either. He is southern borne, with warm skin tanned by a lifetime of working blazing fires, and eyes blue like the sea that crashes upon the rocks. He is different from the southerners, not perfumed and ceremonious. He is different than the northerners, too, with their cold roughness.

He is of soot and steel and fire.

The smith cuts an impressive figure in black and gold, a crowned stag salient stitched proudly into the fur of his cloak. His blue eyes nervously sweep over the thick circle of trees that make up the godswood. It is a small, intimate affair with only the lady Sansa, her brother lord Bran, ser Brienne and the newly knighted ser Podrick in attendance. A heaviness sits over the holy grounds, a sense of mourning for a small family which once was larger, and an eerie silence which once was filled with laughter.

Through a clearing of trees, a girl stills her breath. She knows how to quell the heavy beat of her thundering heart. She stands tall and brave, as women of the North often do, and shifts her grey eyes to where her betrothed awaits. He cannot see her, behind the trail of trees that twist and turns into the courtyard, but it’s as if his eyes still meet with hers. It is how it’s always been, how it has been through weeks and months, years and centuries. They have only just found one another again, but they have been linked together for eternity.

The gods know this. They’ve seen Stark after Stark married beneath the weirwood tree from Bran the Builder to Ned Stark. They have watched as this love story played out over and over and over. Those that follow the seven call it fate, but in the north they know it is the gods will.

For these two souls have always been in the gods plans. Their souls have found one another time and time again. It was always how it was to be.

Sometimes, the souls meet here, in the cold and distant mountains of the north. Sometimes, they meet far beyond the ice wall, wild and free. Sometimes, they meet as children. Sometimes as young lovers. Sometimes long after their first husbands and wives are dead. But they’ve always been bound to one another.

She is still and serious, a slight flex of her fingers the only telltale sign of her discomfort. She is as formidable a sight as the lord smith; the dark grey fur of her maidens cloak a sharp contrast against the white snow. Her hair is dark, curling down around her shoulders. Her face is pale, marred with scars and bruises that might never heal.

“Are you nervous?” The Targaryen lord asks. She turns to him, seeing a different face, the face of a boy who always loved her, though he feared he’d never belong to their family. He is not her cousin, she knows. For if some bastard boys on the kings road can become her brothers, then surely so can this man. So she refuses his name, the one his mother whispered as she bled out in a lone tower far away. He will always be Jon Snow to her.

“I never wanted this.” She says softly. And it’s the truth. She’d never wanted this life, the life of a bride, the lady of a lord husband. She couldn’t be that person. So she became someone else.

“It’s not too late to turn back.” Jon says, touching her elbow with a gentleness that is all brother and not would-be-king. “You can refuse. Gendry will understand.”

It is also the truth. The lord smith would never force her. She has done it before, turned him away, told him she could not share that life with him. He would never hate her. But she might hate herself.

“No. If there is anything I’m sure of, it’s him. It’s always been him.”

And so Jon links his arm with hers and they make their way to the heart tree, where her everything waits. She has searched the world for all that she has lost: love, hope, strength, family. But she knows it is all there, wrapped in the colors of a home he’d never known. He was nearly as lost as she was - two

children of dead lords trying to make it back home.

Her steps are silenced by the thick snow and she baits her breath, her face steely with determination. Even this child of winter, this wild wolf, cannot deny the pull. The gods have led her to her mate, like her family’s sigil. The wolf and the stag. Beast and prey. She has always been the hunter, and he the hunted. But, in this moment, as she makes her way through the trees and catches his eyes, it is she who feels like prey.

His wild blue eyes capture her attention until they are all she sees. The godswood have never been quite so beautiful, it is the perfect day for a winter wedding, but it is he she sees, and only he.

He looks so serious, so confident, almost regal, she thinks, and the thought that this man, this bastard boy from the slums of King’s Landing, could be this noble lord in front of her is almost laughable. But, her heart fills with something heavier than laughter, something that fills it completely and it is a blessing that Jon is holding her arm, else she might run like a fool to the lord smith.

She has never been quite so sure of anything.

When they reach the heart tree, and Jon places her hand in Gendry’s, Arya feels it. The sudden, audible silence that fills the godswood. It is as if the wind has paused, the winter birds have silenced. The lord smith notices, too, although he does not know these gods and the magic of the godswood. He is just in tuned with her.

His eyes shoot to the sky, thick brows furrowing. She squeezes his hand reassuringly, and when he looks to her, his eyes tell her everything. There is magic here. Magic older than any of them could imagine.

It is Maester Tarly who marries them. His smile is sheepish but kind. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t had the pleasure of doing one of these before.”

She smiles and reaches out with her free hand, squeezes his arm. “I don’t think any of us have.” Her betrothed grins, too. After all they had been through, a wedding seems so foreign.

But Samwell carries on. He asks who comes before the old gods, and one by one they announce themselves.

“Arya Stark of Winterfell.”

“Gendry Baratheon of Storms End.”

And soon they are kneeling, cold snow seeping through their fine clothes, as they bow their heads and pray. Well, she prays. She is not sure Gendry believes in her gods, but he closes his eyes anyhow, and it is silent all around them.

All around her she feels eyes staring at her. And in her minds eye, she sees them. Sees father and mother, Robb and Rickon. Even Summer, Greywind, Lady and Shaggydog are there, watching them. Jory, Maester Luwin, Old Nan. A woman who looks like her, a flower crown neatly in her long dark hair. Her aunt Lyanna. And a man, built like Gendry with the same stubborn blue eyes. It is hard to remember the king, but here he is younger, healthier. Ghosts bearing witness to this moment.

She prays to gods she has not prayed to in ages. Asks them to watch over her and her new lord husband, asks that, after all the horrors they have endured, that they at last find some happiness.

It is only when Sam gently clears his throat that Arya opens her eyes, unwilling to let go of the warmth of feeling her family surround her. But, they are once again in the godswood with what is left of her family.

Gendry squeezes her arm, and her eyes meet his, Baratheon blue and Stark grey and she is suddenly filled with the sense that they have built a new family, a family of their own. Sansa, Jon, Bran, ser Brienne, ser Podrick, ser Davos, even Sam and Gilly and little Sam. They are here to witness the joining of House Stark and House Baratheon, as the gods always have willed. It was always meant to happen.

So, when the lord smith carefully removes her maiden cloak and wraps her in black and gold, the snow birds begin to sing and the godswoods are filled with distant howling. Tears prickle her eyes as his warm hands flatten against her cheek and she leans in to kiss her new husband.

Yes, the gods have always willed it.

[arabian-bloodstream]

Full Circle All-Around

I’ve referenced my whole Full Circle theory with regards to Arya and Gendry in the past, most specifically in this meta post titled, well, “Full Circle, Baby!”  To sum it up (which is from an earlier post—Arya + Gendry = Ice and Fire):

Gendry and Arya are essentially the getting-it-right version of [Robert and Lyanna]. Gendry is strong, stubborn, handsome like his father, but he’s also good and loyal and knows to treat his Northern lady with respect and love for exactly who she is. Arya is strong, willful, beautiful like her aunt, but she’s also loyal and steady and would never betray her vows, her home and leave the rest of the world to destroy itself.

Robert and Lyanna began this story. And it ended BADLY. So I think that George R.R. Martin–with all of his foreshadowing and seed-dropping (he wrote a love song for Arya and Gendry, ya’ll!)–intends for Arya and Gendry to *finish* this story happily. They ARE the ship that is promised.

Well, I’ve begun to think that this whole full circle theory of mine may be more widespread than just Arya and Gendry. Obviously, I could be completely and totally wrong. And in one week’s time (well, less than one week) we will know for sure whether I am or not! (Totes, totes possible!) Here is what I’m thinking.

Let me preface this by saying that I read an interview with Maisie Williams about a year ago. I cannot find it now. I have looked. It was not during the pre-press for the season, so it wasn’t something that was picked up as particularly stand-out-ish, more of an off-hand comment, one line in a paragraph or two about Game of Thrones in a fairly long interview she was doing about her app, Daisie. Definitely before any press for the final season even remotely began.

It stuck out to me, though. Paraphrasing what it said, basically it was along the lines of… I had to go back and rewatch season 01 to really get what happened with Arya in the end. Now, she’s been much more circumspect and cagey in her pre-press for the season, but that line there in that interview was pretty much ignored but it always lingered in my mind. For me, the only scene I can think of that makes sense with the current narrative on display this season alongside with everything else that aired prior to this season is one of her scenes with Ned: the infamous “that’s not me” scene.

I’m one of those who feel that the scene has always been misinterpreted. Arya was not telling Ned that she didn’t want to get married, she didn’t want to settle down, didn’t want to ever be a Lady. Rather she was telling him, she didn’t want to just be some Lord’s Lady, his property, just there to sit by him, look pretty, run his home and bear this children. This is the dialogue in that scene:

Arya: He wants to a knight of the Kingsguard. He can't be one now, can he? Ned: No, he can't be. But someday he can be Lord of a holdfast. He'll sit on the King's Council. Well, he might raise castles, like Brandon the Builder. Arya: Can I be Lord of a holdfast? Ned: You will marry a High Lord and rule his castle. And your sons shall be knights and princes and lords. Arya: No, that's not me.

Ned basically was all, ‘Oh, you’ll be the little woman, doing womanly things as women have always done.’ And Arya was all, 'Uhm, I’m gonna rule the world! I’m not just gonna run the castle, I’m gonna be the Lord of the Holdfast—basically run the whole place.’ (Note, that is pretty much exactly what Gendry was kinda asking her to do… but I digress.)

I mention this because this one scene, Arya mentioning that she wants to be the Lord of a Holdfast *and* Ned predicting that her sons would be knights and princes and lords is the only scene in the first season that does not completely track with just about everything else that would fit with Arya’s presumed expected ending.

So taking that into account, let’s finally hit on my full circle for the whole gang theory.

Arya and Gendry = Lyanna and Robert

Daenerys = Aerys II

Tyrion = Jaime

Jon = Ned

Now, how does this track? Well…

Arya and Gendry succeed where Lyanna and Robert failed. They wed, joining the houses of Stark and Baratheon.

Daenerys succeeded in burning down King’s Landing already where Aerys II failed.

Tyrion, like his brother, Jaime, will kill the sovereign he has sworn to protect to do the right thing and protect more innocent lives.

Jon will send the Queenslayer North to spend his days like Ned wanted to do to the Kingslayer, but failed. Remember, Tyrion spent time at the Wall in season 01. Tyrion was supposed to take the Black in exchange for his life at Joffrey’s trial. And he has been celibate since he married Sansa, which was shortly before the trial, and we were reminded of that celibacy this season. A man of the Night’s Watch is supposed to be celibate.

Yes, there is a question of ‘Is there still a Wall? Is there still a Night’s Watch?’ Well, they weren’t guarding against the Undead so much as the Wildlings. And I don’t know how long the Wildlings are going to stay happy beyond the Wall with all that’s happened. So… it could come back up sooner rather than later.

And Jon will have the power to sentence Tyrion to such a fate because just might wind up being the last Targaryen King.

Oh, and why did Tyrion and Jaime both succeed whereas only this current generation succeeded while the earlier one failed? Well, because, you know… the Lannisters always pay their debts.

Now, let’s take take that Arya and Ned scene into account one last time. Jon, if he is the King, will need heirs. Technically, I do believe he cannot have children; he is a fire wight. Therefore, he would likely make his siblings’ (in all but blood and name) children his heirs. Bran… yeah, no. Sansa likely will never marry or have children. That leaves… Arya. Making her children—her sons, as Ned predicted, knights and princes and lords.

So, yeah, it could all come full circle to how it began. Robert and Lyanna didn’t get together, but Arya and Gendry will. Aerys II didn’t burn down King’s Landing, but Daenerys did. Jaime killed the sovereign he swore to serve and protect; Tyrion kills the sovereign he swore to serve and protect. Ned didn’t get Jaime sent to the Wall, but Jon will send Tyrion. And the only ones who succeeded in their “tasks” both go-rounds were the Lannisters because the Lannisters always pay their debts.

Again, I could be totally, totally wrong, but… full circle. It all tracks.

[lj-todd]

In the modern world, what is the job of our favorite GoT characters? If Jon is living with the various people we paired him with, what type of place do they stay in?

I’ve actually given this some thought before, because I did start a modern!AU GoT fic once that didn’t really get anywhere, so I did figure out jobs for most of the main characters at least, lol.House StarkNed- Defense Attorney and Partner at the law firm, Stark & Sons, started by his great-grandfather.Catelyn - Stay-at-home mom, has a very popular parenting blog that is sponsored by some big brands.Robb - Currently works part-time for his grandfather’s company but is studying for a law degree so he can work for his father and, one day, take over the firmJon- Studying law, though he has no passion for it and is considering switching majors or possibly joining the army like his Uncle Benjen, works nights and weekends at a local pub, The WallSansa - Up-and-coming model. She has thought about getting a degree, either law or business, but for now is happy being a model.Arya - Claims she wants to be an assassin but, in all seriousness, will probably join the army like her Uncle Benjen. (Her parents are all but having heart attacks because of that idea)Bran - Wants to be a doctor or a police officer. He’s not really sure yet (but it’s looking like he’s going to follow in his late Uncle Brandon’s footsteps and become a cop)Rickon - HE’S STILL JUST A BABY! NO JOB FOR YOU! (YET) But once he’s old enough probably something in Ned’s firm or with his grandfather’s company.Brandon- Police officer killed in the line of dutyLyanna- Was working towards a political science degree when she died, some say mysteriously, in a car accident while travelling in DorneBenjen- Soldier, currently just promoted to the rank of sergeant

House BaratheonRobert- CEO and owner of Storm Shipping, an international shipping company that’s been in business for over a 100 yearsStannis- Professor at King’s University, teaches lawRenly- Model. Works for Rose and Vine MagazineHouse GreyjoyBalon- CEO and owner of Kraken Ship BuildersVictarion- CFO of Kraken Ship BuildersEuron- It’s not clear what exactly Euron does as a job. Asha and Theon have often speculated their father pays their uncle just to stay away.Asha- Working under her father at Kraken Ship Builders as she is the one he intends to inherit the family buisness one dayTheon- Currently interning at Stark & Sons as a paralegal, hoping to one day for the Stark’s as a lawyerHouse TargaryenRhaegar- Politician, current senate member with ambitions to become PresidentElia- Freelance photographer, often does work for Red Viper MagazineRhaenys- Works in her father’s campaign office and shows signs of planning to go into politics like her fatherAegon- A bit of a free spirit, he is currently interning for Arthur Dayne’s Dawn Security ServicesViserys- Head of his brother’s campaign office and a high ranking aid to the senatorDaenerys- Riding instructor at Vaes Dothrak Stables as well as a part-time model for Rose and Vine MagazineDrogo- Owner of Vaes Dothrak StablesHouse LannisterTywin- CEO and owner of Lannister EnterprisesJaime- Cop. He’s not even a detective or a lieutenant. Just a beat cop. He would have joined the army but his sister convinced him that, as a police officer, he’d at least be able to see his family **cough**Cersei- CFO of Lannister Enterprises. Also owns the nightclub, Lion’s DenTyrion- Professor at King’s University, teaches economics and business.House TyrellOleanna- Owner, manager and editor-in-chief of Rose and Vine MagazineMargarey- Model for Rose and Vine MagazineLoras- Model for Rose and Vine MagazineHouse MartellDoran- CEO and owner of Sunspear InternationalOberyn- Owner of Red Viper MagazineEllaria- Manager and editor-in-chief of Red Viper MagazineHouse DayneArthur- Owner and head of Dawn Security ServicesAshara- Model for Red Viper MagazineAllyria- Photographer for Red Viper MagazineOther CharactersSamwell Tarley- Bartender at the local pub, The WallTormund Giantsbane- Bouncer at the local pub, The WallSandor Clegane- Part of the security team working at Lannister EnterprisesGregor Clegane- Head of security at Lannister EnterprisesRamsay Snow- Part-time bartender as the local pub, The WallBronn- Freelance security agent, has worked for Lannister Enterprises several times, currently not under contract but has plans to start his own security firmJeor Mormont- Owner of the local pub, The Wall

[quotespicture]

https://quoteswithpicture.com/game-of-thrones-finale-review/

Game of Thrones Finale Review

By MA Iliasu (Kano State, Nigeria)

  Season Finale; Game of Thrones. Episode Finale; The Iron Throne.

A wise man once said: “There’s nothing in the world more powerful than a good story. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. It unites people better than Armies, Gold and Flags ever can.” That wise man is no one but Tyrion of house Lannister, the imp, the daemon monkey, the pisser over the edge of the wall and the almighty hand of the king – the wise man with the sharpest tongue in Westeros. The perfect proof of Lord Tyrion’s submission is how George RR Martin, an American storywriter unites over one billion world population with the greatest story ever written, ever told and turned into motion picture in man’s living memory – the Game of Thrones.

White or Black, Asian, European, Caribbean or African, Arabic, English, Latino, French, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, Hausa or Yoruba, underage, ageing or aged; one seventh of the world population, and everyone is a Game of Thrones fan. And by fan, I mean the kind of fanatic level of fanboyhood. What makes Lord Tyrion’s submission even more unbelievable is the fact that its author is authored by the man we’re just trying to prove writes the greatest story ever told – with the stuff someone said in his own stuff. Wow! This is levels ahead of human beings comprehensible ability.

David Benioff and D. B Weiss also mustn’t be left behind, their infamous application of logic has wrapped up the story which its fluidity has the potential to flow until the last day, at an intensive, competent and adventurous pace. The episode finale has rationalized and solved many of the puzzles that have been in place since the inception of the show, from episode one – “Winter is Coming”, to episode last – “The Iron Throne”, in the most efficient, rational, logical and idealistic way possible. Justice is served to all; the sword is swinged by him who serves the sentence, and to him whose sentence was served, the nothingness in the truth of him who said I’m the king has been proved, the slaps of honour have been worn in both silence and noise, the status quo is disrupted against all the odds, and the real power is proved just as the script is written; the greatest of all powers is knowledge just as bit much as the inevitability of change is the biggest truth.

The talking points:

1. Don’t bury your head under the sand of delusion, not everything comes through inheritance, the biggest determinant of materiality is fate, and one must accept what it throws at him, no matter why, when and how. It’s just up to one to be ready before or when it arrives. The rightful-ness of everything lies in its righteousness, and for things to function in desired way, that which is rightful must be that which is righteous.

After all the political brouhaha amongst the prominent houses, the determination and the claims of bloodline lineages, and all the explanations and predictions; the person that gets to rule is a crippled son of Ned Stark who couldn’t lift his arm right to fire an arrow. Who would’ve thought? The boy, who was named after his uncle Bran, who was also named after Bran the Builder travelled north of the wall to find the missing tape in the cassette of his fate. Robb Stark once said to Lord Manderly: “If Bran can’t be lord of Winterfell before me, Renly can’t be king before Stannis” and I wish he was alive to see Bran as the king of Andals right in the sight of rightful heirs, and there’s nothing anyone of them can do about it. Isn’t that a great lesson? Ladies and gentlemen, please to Brandon the Broken, the first of his name, the king of the Andals and the first men, the lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm. Long may he reign!

2. No one should eat his cake and still have it. No one should pass the sentence and refuse to swing the sword. No one should take a debt and refuse to pay. What all this is trying to prove is that people must take their words seriously if world is to be any liveable environment for the living.

Daenerys Targaryen made promise of mercy, but fulfilled it with a wrath. She’s taken a debt of betterment, but paid it with aggravation. No one should get away with that. Jon Snow on the other hand has been a consistent soldier of mercy, truth, honour and honesty. He’s the personification of that proverb: “Truth is worth more than a pound.” The two lovers are complete opposite of each other, but still have so much affection for each other in a “love is blind” kind of way. Their characters define the ideals of human coexistence; take your word serious and be remembered as the greatest, but take it as a joke and be remembered as the worst.

3. Jon Snow as bigger name than Aegon the Conqueror, and Brandon the Builder in history of Westeros would be a very fair argument. Within his short life he had been a bastard, a steward, Lord Commander, a prisoner, wildlings saviour, King in the North, rightful heir to the iron throne and saviour of the realm. In all of the mentioned, he has been the greatest that has ever bear the title. No man has served the realm closer to how much Jon did. He died and came back. He’s stupid, clueless and indecisive, but which honourable, honest and brave man is not? He has the blessings of prince Rhaegar, Ned Stark, Lord Commander Mormont, Aemon Targaryen, Mance Rayder, Stannis Baratheon and Cersei Lannister. And for everyone who is against him being sent back to the wall, remember, there has to be a Stark and a Targaryen every time in Black, and a man who is good at commanding, and very dear to the Wildlings, Jon meets that criteria, in fact, he’s the only one that meets that criteria. Jeor Mormont did give him the long claw for a reason. And Maester Aemon defined love to him for a reason. Ghost agreed to follow Tormund to the wall for a reason. Edd Tollett refused the Lord Commander post for a reason. It’s for Jon to guard the realm till eternity, and it’s fair to say the realm is safe till eternity. The greatest man that ever lived in Westeros. He indeed knows nothing, but who else knows something?

4. The new small council is just a testimony of the past great councilors. Lord Tywin’s blood must always be there to be hand of the king, because no one had ever been better at it. Tyrion was sent by his father to serve in his place for a reason. Bronn of Blackwater has the cunning of Petyr Baelish, and even bigger love for gold. He also knows what it takes to convert an empty bag into bag full of gold. Samwell Tarly has learnt a great deal from Maester Aemon, and from Maesters in the citadel. He’ll make a better Maester than Pycelle. Davos Seaworth is an experienced smuggler who survived every single battle without a shred of combat ability. No one is better at brokering a deal, he’ll be of great service as the master of the ships. Brienne of Tarth as Lord Commander of Kingsguard would allow Jaime to sleep peacefully in his grave. With the only vacant post remaining is Master of Whisperers. But who in this life or another do you think could resemble Varys, let alone replicate his job? RIP Lord Varys, may the soul of Dany rot in hell for taking you away from us.

5. Yuval Noah Harari is apt; “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.” When – Lord Commander Mormont forbade Samwell Tarly to die, Mance Rayder died while being burned alive for refusing to kneel, Craster marrying his daughters to himself, The hound threatening soldiers to rape their corpses if they run, Stannis Baratheon admitting to murder while being helpless, Robin Arryn sucking his mother’s breast while been at the age Brandon Stark was ruling Winterfell in place of Robb, and Edd Tollett saying his mother farted while dying that the whole bed shook, I thought I heard it all. I thought I’ve seen it all. Then boom!!! Lord Edmure Tully stood right there in front of lords with hope for them to endorse him as the king of six kingdoms. Wow! I think this is the greatest insult an entity has ever suffered, and I was there asking God to offer me a chance to give Edmure the greatest flogging he has ever received. What a dunce! And he truly meant it.

6. The north is finally a recognised independent dominion. North has always been an arena for extraordinary stubbornness. They worship old Gods in trees instead of fire and new, stay in snowflakes through the winter and bowed only to the dragons. The fury of northern lord matches the fire of a dragon. Greatjon Umber couldn’t agree for Lord Glover to lead northern banners until he got his fingers eaten by a dire wolf. Lord Karstark murdered two Lannister boys because Lady Catelyn set Jaime free, which costed him his head and he didn’t regret. Lyanna Mormont killed a giant in such a young age, and once wrote a reply to Ramsay saying her house recognises no king but the king in the north whose name is Stark, and we all know Ramsey. These people shall never bend before anyone who is not a northerner, and they got one in Queen Sansa, a brilliant lady with experience, with a fine lineage and beautiful face. I am that northern soldier who bends when she was done getting crowned. Our Queen! Arya Stark on the other hand refused to be the Lady of Storm’s End, instead wants to see the boundary of Storm’s End. Cold little bitch, as the hound puts it. That girl can’t live in a world where there’s no people like Ned Stark, Sandor Clegane, Blackfish and Jaqen H’ghar. The hero of the realm!

In the end, there are some missing stuff in the season finale that needs to be accounted for such as: 1. How did they rebuild King’s Landing within days? 2. How did they rebuild the wall in such little period? 3. Samwell Tarly still has the bows of Night’s Watch, how did he become a Grand Maester with bows, when did they pardon him? 4. It has been seen when the Unsullied sailed to Naath, but what happened to the Dothraki, who knows where they go? 5. What happened to or where is Ellaria Sand and her daughter? Are they still rotting in the dungeons of King’s Landing? Did the girl die from Cersei’s poison, did Ellaria watch her rot? Is she alive or dead?

Rating: 4/5

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[dknc3]

Hi, quick question because I haven't read the books in a while. Did Ned encourage Arya's unladylike behaviour at all? I know he obviously let her keep Needle but apart from that I'm sure he wanted to make her a lady (the whole 'your sons will be knights... quote etc) but he and Cat just sort of gave up. I see people say because she remind him of Lyanna he encouraged it but I would've thought if she reminded him of Lyanna, he would discourage it, hoping she doesn't share the same fate

The short answer to your question, Nonnie, is NO. Ned did not “encourage” Arya in unladylike behavior. The Ned Stark who indulges his youngest daughter in every whim and thinks it’s charming if she’s rude to people is entirely a fandom creation. At least as far as the books go. Not having seen the show, I never pretend to speak to portrayals of the characters there. Honestly, this idea of Ned as the super progressive, indulgent father who would want all his children to live freely and marry for love and spend their lives doing whatever their little hearts desire if it weren’t for that horrible bitch he’s married to infuriates me as much on Ned’s behalf as it does on Catelyn’s!

As much as I love the guy, as much as he genuinely loves both his wife and children a great deal more than many other lords in ASOIAF seem to, as much as he absolutely values women as human beings capable of rational thought and worthy of respect in a way that far too few of the men in the series do, Lord Eddard Stark is a pretty traditional guy. He married for duty, became Lord of Winterfell for duty, lives his life with as much honor as he can--as he understands the concept. He expects no less of his children. He does not want them unhappy and would not willingly place them in harm’s way, but he expects Robb to fulfills his responsibilities as heir to Winterfell and one day its lord, to rule with honor and wed a woman who will make a good Lady of Winterfell. He expects Bran and Rickon to grow up and become bannermen of their elder brother, perhaps with their own holdfasts in the North, helping defend House Stark and the North and administer justice in their brother’s name. He expects Sansa AND Arya to make marriages which are advantageous to House Stark. Not because he thinks of his children as pawns, but because this is WHAT PEOPLE DO! This is how a good father secures his children’s future and how a good lord secures the future of his House.

So, OF COURSE, he doesn’t encourage Arya’s wild ways. Now, we don’t get to see any actual hands-on parenting by Ned of his daughters in Winterfell on the page. Catelyn is obviously in charge of them. Not because she’s controlling and he’s lenient--but because that is HER job. Arya sees her mother as the primary disciplinarian in her life simply because her mother, as the more hands-on parent in her daily life, is the one who’s telling her what to do and not to do on a far more regular basis. 

We DO see Ned interacting directly with Arya in King’s Landing, when Catelyn is far away and unavailable for the duty. He’s exhausted, he’s miserable away from his home and his wife, he’s frustrated with his seeming inability to make Robert act like a king or to make headway in the matter of Jon Arryn’s death or the attempt on Bran’s life, and he’s completely bamboozled on how to handle the open warfare between his daughters. And now Septa Mordane comes to him and tells him that after he left the Small Hall in frustration without finishing his dinner after yet another altercation between the two girls, Arya has made a scene and left the Hall without permission. He goes to her room, wondering how in hell to deal with her and finds her with a sword she informs him is his.

During their exchange, (which is from Arya’s POV), she notes more than once how tired her father looks. Upon realizing the sword was made by Mikken, he SIGHS. “My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household.”

This is a dude at the end of his rope!

When Arya informs him that she hates Septa Mordane, his answer is given in a voice GRRM refers to as ‘curt and hard’. “That’s enough. The septa is doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.”

YOUR MOTHER AND I, he says. Not just ‘your mother.’ Like Catelyn, Ned understands that Arya chafes against a lot of what is asked of her. Like Catelyn, he sees learning to do it anyway as necessary to her future.

Arya protests, of course, and gets the well-known speech from her father about having a wildness in her, or the wolf blood as his own father used to call it. And when he tells her she reminds him of his sister, even nine-year-old Arya hears the sadness in his voice. And when he tells her she looks like Lyanna, and she protests that Lyanna was beautiful he says, “She was. Beautiful, willful, and dead before her time.”

In this moment, Ned is remembering his sister with both great love and great fear for as much as he might love the echoes of her which he sees in Arya, he DOES NOT want her to follow Lyanna’s path or share her fate. Immediately after that is when he asks her what she thought to do with that sword. He’s trying desperately to figure out what to do with this daughter who is so unhappy, so determined to do what she wants, and eerily like the sister who followed her own will right into an early grave and triggered a terrible war. 

They go on to have quite a wonderful conversation in which he tries to understand her and make her understand him--talking of the pack and winter and honor, etc. Some things, she understands, and others not so much. He never mentions Lyanna again in the conversation. He tells her Septa Mordane is a good woman and emphasizes her sisterhood with Sansa, telling her that while they may be as different as the sun and the moon, the same blood flows through their hearts and they need each other. And he needs them both.

We’re in Arya’s head here--not Ned’s. But you can almost feel his desperation when he then tells her she has to STOP with the willfulness. “This is not Winterfell. We have enemies here who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience . . . at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to begin growing up.”

Basically, he just told her to knock off all the things that so many in fandom feel he encouraged in her. While he may have been fairly lenient (NOT encouraging) of her shenanigans in Winterfell, they’re now in a dangerous place, and at the ripe old age of nine, he expects her to act more grown up!

Then, he lets her keep her sword and arranges lessons for her. Why does he do that? I think at least in part, it’s because he needs somebody to be happy about SOMETHING. He’s so guilty about Sansa’s wolf that he can barely speak with her, and he knows Arya hates King’s Landing, and he knows even better how much HE hates King’s Landing. Maybe if he gives her this one thing--he can keep his daughter from a full-on rebellion like that of his sister’s.

But even after that, some time later after word arrives that Bran has awakened, Arya asks Ned if he can still be a knight, and he tells her no, but that her brother may still someday be lord of a great holdfast and sit on the king’s castle or raise castles like Brandon the Builder or sail a ship across the Sunset Sea or enter their mother’s faith and become High Septon. Arya promptly asks if she can be king’s councillor and build castles and become High Septon, and Ned, of course, tells her no.

“You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.”

Arya wants none of that, of course, but my point here is that, sword lessons or not, this is the future Ned saw for Arya, the future he WANTED for Arya, not because he was a bad father, but because he loved his daughter. And to this traditional High Lord of Westeros, having his daughter become a Queen or a great Lady was the absolute most he could offer her.

So while he loved his daughter Arya dearly, and had loved his sister dearly as well, and probably did love that he could see a bit of Lyanna living on in Arya, he did not encourage her to be willful and wild any more than he had encouraged it in his sister.