^{In which Arya's needlework is sub-par, Nymeria is a good dog, and Bran and Tommen fight to the death.}

Day 8 of manifesting Winds into existence. This is a re-read, all spoilers/theory discussion is on the table. With that out of the way…

Arya’s stitches were crooked again.

It’s finally time for everyone’s favorite child-assassin!

The chapter begins with a sewing circle, and the first half is laser-focused on contrasting Arya with Sansa. While Arya’s stitches are crooked , Sansa’s needlework is "exquisite."

Septa Mordane notes:

“Sansa’s work is as pretty as she is,”

but:

“Arya has the hands of a blacksmith.”

When Sansa speaks her voice is:

soft as a kiss.

And Arya's POV seethes with jealousy:

Joffrey, of course. The tall, handsome one. Sansa got to sit with him at the feast. Arya had to sit with the little fat one. Naturally.

And:

She blushed prettily. She did everything prettily, Arya thought with dull resentment.

We then get a hint of the bond Arya and Jon share as the two Stark outsiders.

“Poor Jon,” she said. “He gets jealous because he’s a bastard.”
“He’s our brother,” Arya said, much too loudly.

Followed by:

“Our half-brother,” Sansa corrected, soft and precise.

Arya’s needlework is noted as being substandard, and I think George does a great job of having a nine year old girl act her age here as she gets immediately overwhelmed and prepares to burst into tears.

Though, she is far more witty than any nine year old has any right to be:

“Just where do you think you are going, Arya?” the septa demanded.
Arya glared at her. “I have to go shoe a horse,”

Then comes more of that Sansa contrast:

It wasn’t fair. Sansa had everything. Sansa was two years older; maybe by the time Arya had been born, there had been nothing left. Often it felt that way. Sansa could sew and dance and sing. She wrote poetry. She knew how to dress. She played the high harp and the bells. Worse, she was beautiful. Sansa had gotten their mother’s fine high cheekbones and the thick auburn hair of the Tullys. Arya took after their lord father. Her hair was a lusterless brown, and her face was long and solemn. Jeyne used to call her Arya Horseface, and neigh whenever she came near.

Kids, are, mean.

We're introduced to Nymeria being a good dog, and even Arya's choice of name for her wolf emphasise the contrast with Sansa:

Arya had named her after the warrior queen of the Rhoyne, who had led her people across the narrow sea. That had been a great scandal too. Sansa, of course, had named her pup “Lady.”

Arya flees to the yard, and again, she and Jon are painted as the outsiders, watching the action from the sidelines. Jon offers some commentary on Joffrey’s coat of arms:

On one side was the crowned stag of the royal House, on the other the lion of Lannister.
“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

Between the sigil, the blonde locks, and the bad attitude, the reader is left with the distinct feeling that Joffrey is as much a Lannister as he is a Baratheon. (Whatever could George be getting at)

Jon and Arya lament their positions in society, with Jon noting:

“Girls get the arms but not the swords. Bastards get the swords but not the arms. I did not make the rules, little sister.”

Now, we know Arya eventually will get a sword, so is this foreshadowing Jon getting a coat of arms? A white wolf? Or perhaps the Stark and Targaryen arms per pale to match Joffrey's?

Jon’s keen sense of perception is highlighted again:

“Joffrey is truly a little shit,” he told Arya.

Wise words Jon.

Meanwhile, Joffrey and Robb try to convince Ser Rodrik to let them duel with real steel, which he refuses, but we do get some fun Hound lore:

“I killed a man at twelve. You can be sure it was not with a blunt sword.”

The practice session draws to a close, and Jon warns Arya that if she doesn't get back quickly:

"When the spring thaw comes, they will find your body with a needle still locked tight between your frozen fingers.”

Not at all ominous.

Another slightly weaker chapter. A little on the short side, a little uneventful, it feels like a bit of much needed set up for the journey to King's landing. With that said, I think Arya's POV voice is maybe the strongest we've had so far, so....

Chapter rating: 7.0/10