Chapter 7:  Arya I

Arya learns that life isn’t fair. Robb and Joffrey are not fast friends.

Location: Winterfell

Characters in this chapter:

• Arya – daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully/Stark. Brown hair, long solemn face. Good at figures and horse riding.
• Sansa – Arya’s older sister. Can sew, dance, sing. Writes poetry, knows how to dress. Plays the high harp and the bells. Beautiful (according to Arya). High cheekbones, thick auburn hair,
• Septa Mordane – bony face, sharp eyes, thin lipless mouth made for frowning.
• Princess Myrcella - a princess.
• Beth Cassel – daughter of Ser Rodrik
• Jeyne Poole – daughter of Winterfell’s steward, Sansa’s dearest friend (according to Arya)
• Prince Joffrey  - crown prince. Sucks at life. 
• Prince Tommen - so far, just fat. 
• Jon Snow
• Nymeria – Arya’s direwolf. Yellow Eyes. Named after the warrior queen of the Rhoyne who lead her people across the narrow sea. (There is a LOT of information about Nymeria in the book “A World of Ice and Fire.”
• Ser Rodrick Cassel – Master-at-arms. A great stout keg of a man with white whiskers.
• Robb Stark - heir to Winterfell. Looks like a Tulley with auburn (or fire) hair. 
• Theon Greyjoy – wears a black doublet emblazoned with the golden kraken of his House. Has look of contempt on his face.
• Ghost – Jon’s direwolf
• Lew
• Donnis
• Sandor Clegane  – tall knight with black hair, burn scars on his face. Built like a bull.

Mentioned, Not Present:

• Lady Catelyn – Arya’s mother
• Lady – Sansa’s direwolf.
• Nymeria – Warrior Queen of the Rhoyne

   

Other locations mentioned: Rhoyne, Narrow sea.  

Recap:

Arya, Sansa, Jeyne Poole, Beth Cassel, and Princess Myrcella are working on their needlework. Arya is bad at the womanly arts. (Seriously. The books  says “womanly arts.” They mean sewing, I guess.) Arya is jealous of her sister who is pretty and good at being a girl. Jeyne (sniff) tells Arya that Joffrey likes Sansa. When Septa Mordane goes to check Arya’s work, she is critical of it. Arya goes to leave, stating that she needs to “shoe a horse.” She runs out of the room and gets her wolf from the guardroom at the bottom of the stairs. She knows that Septa and her mother would find her in her room, so she decides to go watch the boys practice in the yard. At the window in the covered bridge between the armory and the Great Keep, she finds her half-brother Jon Snow and Ghost. They watch the younger boys. Bran and Tommen hit each other with wooden swords. Jon tells her that bastards are not allowed to damage young princes, and Arya reflects again on life not being fair. Jon points out that Joffrey’s arms are divided, with Baratheon on one side and Lannister on the other. We learn that girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. Bran defeats Tommen. Ser Rodrik asks if Robb and Joffrey want to go another round. Joffrey reminds everyone he is a prince. He is bored with the play swords and asks for live steel. Sandor Clegane jumps to Joffrey’s defense and claims to have killed a man at twelve. Joffrey embarrasses Robb. Theon keeps a hold of Robb who might have wanted to hit the prince (who doesn’t?) Arya goes back to her room where Septa Mordane and Lady Catelyn are waiting.

Thoughts:

Interesting to see that Arya is actually jealous about Sansa’s abilities. She actually cried a little when Septa Mordane shamed her about the crooked stitches. Not at all like on the show, where Arya DGAF.

Jon and Arya are the only Stark children to have “their father’s face.”

Arya wanted to see Robb put “gallant Prince Joffrey flat on his back.”

“Bastards are not allowed to damage young princes.”

Oh. So Sad. Is that irony? I’m never really sure anymore as Alanis Morrisette ruined the definition for my entire generation.

Arya thinks Jeyne Pool is Sansa’s dearest friend. I don’t think Sansa feels that way. Also, damn it Jeyne Pool. I’m sorry that your dad dragged you to King’s Landing because Ned dragged him to King’s Landing. I’m sure neither of you actually wanted to uproot your whole life. And then, knowing what is going to happen to you. I mean, so far that’s two characters that have smirked and two character that are going to end up with Ramsey. Maybe GRRM doesn’t like smirks, much like the Sisters who taught at my elementary school.

“A wolf with a fish in its mouth.”

Nymeria pulls Catelyn’s body from the river. Arya thinks it’s funny now. WHY GRRM WHY MUST YOU TORTURE US ALL WITH THIS.

And this:

The longer you hide, the sterner the penance. You’ll be sewing all through the winter. When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers.