#harwin of the hollow hill

[atopvisenyashill]

Harwin being sent by his liege lord on what was always meant to be a quick if difficult task, just stop the Mountain from reaving on the King's justice, that turns into this nightmare of a life where he spends years away from home, away from civilization, away from safety and stability and sanity, to watch everyone die around him, to watch magic he barely understands bring the man he's sworn to serve back to life again and again, because there's nothing else to do but keep fighting and hope you're making a difference and not fucking everything up and making it worse-

and then Arya shows up and she's just as precocious and wild and underfoot as she's always been, and she's alive and mostly safe and traumatized sure but she's in one piece, she's fared not that badly compared to some of the little girls he's seen, and I imagine it felt like a small miracle to have her there, just for a moment, proof that he can do what he was tasked with and keep people safe BUT

then Arya escapes and barely any time later, he's coming across Catelyn's naked, water logged body on the Trident and there's a direwolf guarding the body so it's not nibbled on that leaves the moment it hears them coming, and he's begging Thoros to bring her back, bring his liege's lady back, bring Arya's poor mother back, but all he can do is cry and watch as Beric kneels besides her, kisses her awake like something out of a fairy tale, then falls to the side, dead at last, as something much worse that wears Catelyn's face rises in his place. What can Harwin do?

He continues to serve.

#I HATE #valyrianscrolls #harwin of the hollow hill #rani liveblogs asoiaf #the brotherhood without banners

[gendrie]

the asoiaf fandom got polls and immediately started some wack popularity contest as per when they couldve done a survey on who everybody thinks the hooded man in winterfell is instead. this is why we never have any good discussions over here. 

#knows theon on sight AND is surprised to see him alive........... #i like the idea of him being harwin #i just dont know if the timeline works #he was there when bri was interrogated #from the hollow hill to winterfell is a long ride #but hes a good rider so maybe its feasible?

[laurellerual]

Arya and Sansa storyswap: an exercise in imagination

Premise: I tried to speculate what might happen if Sansa manages to escape King's Landing and Arya gets stuck in the capital. I collected my thoughts on this scenario trying to make logical, credible choices that respected the characterization of the characters and the timeline of the books (the wiki was very usefull for this). I discarded all the scenarios that end in "…and then she dies horribly" because they're boring. I write with assumption that they would still remain POV characters and therefore mantain a minimum of plot armor. Like everyone, I have my biases so it's not perfect, but I tried to put myself in the most neutral mindset possible. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts. Part 1, Part 2

Part 3/3: Reunion

A Storm of Swords

Sandor and his “squire" are captured and bringed to Stoney Sept in the Riverlands. The Brotherhood without Banners takes them to Hollow Hill. Clegane is put on trial for various atrocities committed by Lannister soldiers, but he survives and is freed.

Arya is recognized by Harwin and Sansa. The two sisters reunite and remain under the "protection" of the outlaws. Because of this, the story takes a very different turn from here on.

For example, I don't think Arya would try to escape the Brotherhood so soon. As a result I don't think the Hound would be unable to kidnap the Stark girls again. However, the Hound could also decide to stay with the Brotherhood. He could plan to go to the Twins, introduce himself to Robb as Arya's savior, and ask him for a job.

So the Brotherhood proceeds as planned, they now have another valuable hostage and intend to take both girls to Lord Edmure's wedding and ransom them to their family. A group of men (like Lem, Harwin, Tom, etc) accompanies the sisters to Harroway to cross the Trident, but their journey is delayed because they find it flooded (like in Arya IX).

They reach the Twins just in time for the Red Wedding, and the outlaws manage to drag the Stark sisters away and save them. Arya and Sansa go through a complicated period of mourning but the fact of being together helps them. The two want to hold onto hope that perhaps their mother might have survived.

One night Arya has her first wolf dream in a long time: she sees Cat's body and drags it out of the river. In the morning Sansa suggests asking the men to go back and look for the woman, but Arya tells her that she's dead. As per canon Lord Beric, Thoros and the others come across the corpse and Dondarrion dies to resurrect her.

Lem's group continues their journey, this time they intend to take the girls to Lysa Arryn, but they discover that the mountain clans are bolder than ever and decide not to take the risk and return to the Riverlands.

The Stark sisters are getting impatient, Arya suggests that the two could run away and try to get to Winterfell alone. Sansa has to inform her sister that Winterfell was conquered by Theon months ago. She is devastated and abandons all plans. Lem's group returns to the Hollow Hill to discuss a new plan with Beric or perhaps to take more men as escorts before returning to the Vale.

Waiting for them in the hill, there isn't the lightning lord but Lady Stoneheart! Mother and daughters reunite.

A Feast for Crows

That's it. Final cliffhanger, sorry.

#arya stark #sansa stark #asoiaf #sort off #asoiaf fanfiction

[bookgendrya]

She looked at their filthy hair and scraggly beards and reddened eyes, at their dry, cracked, bleeding lips.[…]The water splashed across her fingers and down her sleeve, but Arya did not move until the cup was brimming over. When she turned back towards the cages the townsman moved to stop her. “You get away from them, boy-“ “She’s a girl,” said Harwin. “Leave her be” “Aye” said Lem. “Lord Beric don’t hold with caging men to die of thirst. Why don’t you hang them decent?”

Her face throbbed. Her shoulder bled. Breathing hurt. The pain crackled up her arm like lightening. She cried out for a maester. “We have no maester,” said a girls voice. “Only me.” […] “She can’t go much further. She’ll die.” “One less lion. I won’t weep.”

“You stand accused of murder, but no one here knows the truth or falsehood of the charges, so it is not for us to judge you. Only the Lord of Light may do that now. I sentence you to trial by battle.” The Hound frowned suspiciously, as if he did not trust his ears. “Are you a fool or a madman?” “Neither, I am a just lord. Prove your innocence with a blade, and you shall be free to go.”

At the hollow hill, what you said about being King Robert’s men, and brothers, I like that. I like that you gave the Hound a trial. Lord Bolton just hanged folk or took off their heads, Lord Tywin and Ser Amory were the same. I’d sooner smith for you.”

“…till you stand before m’lady.” Renly stood behind the girl, pushing hair out of his eyes. Not Renly, Gendry. “M’lady means for you to answer for your crimes.”

“Whatever treachery you think I may have done, my lady, Podrick and Ser Hyle were no part of it.” “They’re lions,” said the one-eyed man. “That’s enough. I say they hang. Tarly’s hanged a score o’ ours, past time we strung up some o’his.”

#Day 12: Vengeance vs. Justice #bookgendryamonth2023 #arya stark #book arya stark #gendry #gendry waters #brienne of tarth #thoros of myr #harwin #catelyn stark #lady stoneheart #jeyne heddle #podrick payne #hyle hunt #gendrya #bookgendrya #arya x gendry #gendry x arya #asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #game of thrones

[bookhousestark]

ARYA STARK APPRECIATION MONTH 2022 ↳ Day 9: Smallfolk → Arya demanding justice for Mycah

Arya squirted past Greenbeard so fast he never saw her. “You are a murderer!” she screamed. “You killed Mycah , don’t say you never did. You murdered him!”

***

“I’m not a boy! But Mycah was. He was a butcher’s boy and you killed him. Jory said you cut him near in half, and he never even had a sword.” She could feel them looking at her now, the women and the children and the men who called themselves the knights of the hollow hill.

***

“The girl has named you a murderer. Do you deny killing this butcher’s boy, Mycah?” The big man shrugged.“I was Joffrey’s sworn shield. The butcher’s boy attacked a prince of the blood.”

“That’s a lie! ”Arya squirmed in Harwin’s grip. “It was me . I hit Joffrey and threw Lion’s Paw in the river. Mycah just ran away, like I told him.” “Did you see the boy attack Prince Joffrey?” Lord Beric Dondarrion asked the Hound. “I heard it from the royal lips. It’s not my place to question princes.” Clegane jerked his hands toward Arya. “This one’s own sister told the same tale when she stood before your precious Robert.” “Sansa’s just a liar. It wasn’t like she said. It wasn’t.”

***

“Guilty! Guilty, guilty, kill him, guilty!” Arya could only think of Mycah and all the stupid prayers she’d prayed for the Hound to die. If there were gods, why didn’t Lord Beric win? She knew the Hound was guilty

***

“You killed Mycah. Tell them. You did. You did.”

“I did. I rode him down and cut him in half, and laughed. I watched them beat your sister bloody too, watched them cut your father’s head off.”

Lem grabbed her wrist and twisted, wrenching the dagger away. She kicked at him, but he would not give it back.

“You go to hell, Hound. You just go to hell!”

#aryastarkmonth2022 #canonarya #asoiaf #asoiafedit #arya stark #arya month day 9 #gifs

[hyacinthyne]

This has To Be Continued... stamped all over it:

Outside the stables the rain was still falling, and distant lightning flashed in the west. Arya ran as fast as she could. She did not know where she was going, only that she wanted to be alone, away from all the voices, away from their hollow words and broken promises. All I wanted was to go to Riverrun. It was her own fault, for taking Gendry and Hot Pie with her when she left Harrenhal. She would have been better alone. If she had been alone, the outlaws would never have caught her, and she'd be with Robb and her mother by now. They were never my pack. If they had been, they wouldn't leave me. She splashed through a puddle of muddy water. Someone was shouting her name, Harwin probably, or Gendry, but the thunder drowned them out as it rolled across the hills, half a heartbeat behind the lightning. The lightning lord, she thought angrily. Maybe he couldn't die, but he could lie.

That’s it, that’s the post.

#THE THUNDER DROWNED THEM OUT #love that but why #'they were never my pack' #arya's living under the misconception that gendry had no true care or loyalty for her #but him calling out for her is transparent to us but drowned by thunder to her #it's so dramatic #grrm really said 'drum rolls and...thunder' #arya stark #gendry #gendrya #arya x gendry

[laurellerual]

You have such great insights on Arya so I’m curious on how you think Gendry and her would reunite (hopefully in twow lol) I’d imagine it would be in the riverlands with the brotherhood but I don’t know how each would react to one another or how it might play out

Haha thank you so much. If you want to take a look, I drew this. Ok, let's speculate:

We don't yet know what will prompt Arya to return to Westeros, but whatever the cause, I believe she will try to return North. But she won't be able to find a ship that goes directly there because: "It would make no difference if you could, child. The North has nothing for us. Ice and war and pirates.” And none of those problems are going to be resolved anytime soon, so she might choose to take a ship that takes her further south to the Riverlands forcing her to retrace her steps.

Having landed near Saltpans the obvious route is to start traveling north following the course of the river to the Crossroads Inn and then take the King's Road from there. All roads lead to this inn, it's the easiest place for a traveler to find, and there is Gendry. I think he may be the first person she knows to meet upon her return to Westeros.

I would love if Gendry was the first friend to call her name in ages, it would be a very emotional scene. After all, he was the last person on page to address Arya by name (ASOS - Arya IV) before she left for Braavos. Next up is that heartbreaking scene where Arya hears someone screaming her name in the rain before being kidnapped by the Hound (ASOS-Arya VIII). She thinks it might be Harwin or Gendry, but “the thunder drowned them out as it rolled across the hills, half a heartbeat behind the lightning” says Gendry to me.

Arya's reaction is the hardest to predict. It really depends on how the first chapters of TWOW go. I think a more mature Arya, while feeling hurt by his decision to stay with the Brotherhood, is fully able to understand his need for self-determination. She basically had no problem understanding Hot Pie's decision and she doesn't hate Jon for leaving her to join another brotherhood. She's just overwhelmed because the people she loves always seem to leave or die on her.

Gendry… in AFFC he seemed ready to smash the Hound skull, so I would say that his reaction will be first of all one of relief and happiness to see her literally come back from the Underworld.

I would like it if Lady Stoneheart were the first topic of discussion. Maybe Arya asking why he's here with childrens and not out there playing the stupid knight role with the Brotherhood and him trying to explain about the lady.

Arya doesn't understand, then she remembers that strange wolf dream she had years ago and realizes the role she played in the resurrection of her mother. It would be a chapter full of mixed feelings: the happiness of being able to embrace her mother again and the sense of guilt of having contributed to making her this way.

Then... Arya doesn't know the way to the Hollow Hill, but Gendry does.

#arya stark #gendry #gendry waters #lady stoneheart #the bwb #twow #asoiaf #twow speculations #arya x gendry #gendrya