I think we had best change the plan

"What do you mean to do, crow?"

Jon flexed the fingers of his sword hand. The Night's Watch takes no part. He closed his fist and opened it again. What you propose is nothing less than treason. He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon's breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird's nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back …

"I think we had best change the plan" Jon Snow said.

Jon XIII - ADWD

Dany and her dragons, a little fan art for ASOIAF.

This has been laying on my work table for ages, at some point I did not like at all how it was coming out but now it’s not that bad? Also I’ve re-used the dragon silhouette in another picture, because I was sure I was never going to finish this one. :D

Or if it’s supposed to be some kind of foreshadowing considering all the connections Arya has with bastards -  a romance with Gendry, a betrothal to Elmar and Jon waiting at the wall.

Either way, that betrothal makes no sense to me.

Arya went from this:

“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.” - Ned, AGoT

to being betrothed to a guy who has about a 100 people ahead of him to inherit The Twins and who would have most probably got thrown out after Walder’s death.

Even Tywin Lannister was pissed off at his sister marrying Walder Frey’s second son.

Genna was betrothed to Emmon Frey, Lord Walder’s second son. Their betrothal was announced at a feast, with half the westerlands in attendance. Genna’s eldest brother, Tywin, spoke out against the match. While Lord Tytos went white as mare’s milk, the betrothal remained standing. Although Genna did not approve of all Tywin did, nor enjoyed the company of the man Tywin later became, Genna loved Tywin for having been the only person to speak out against her betrothal.

And Arya was given away to Walder’s 22nd son! And very likely a bastard considering all the rumors about Elmar being Black Walder’s son. 

Plus, Walder Frey had grandsons Arya’s age - Catelyn could have engaged Arya to the grandson set to inherit The Twins instead of Walder’s 22nd son. That way, the North would have a strong alliance with The Twins instead of just the other way around with Robb and Roslin Frey.

And why even offer a daughter when Catelyn already pledged the future Warden of the North/KITN to Walder’s daughter? That’s a big enough prize right there. It’s almost like Arya was thrown in as something extra to sweeten the deal. Sorry, but Cat’s negotiation sucks.

Also, why is there is such a huge gap between Sansa and Arya anyway? At the end of the day both Arya and Sansa are daughters that would tie houses to the North by marriage. They were both not going to inherit anything.

So Sansa can be betrothed to the future king, but Arya is only worth a 22nd son who has no inheritance, nothing? Robb considers a betrothal between Sansa and Loras Tyrell, but Arya gets the 22nd possible bastard non-son of Walder Fucking Frey?  Arya would have had to depend on Robb’s generosity for a good living, getting land in the North.

And I am not giving Robb any credit here either. Tywin Lannister stood up more for his sister than Robb did for Arya. Robb just shrugged it off as ‘lol, Arya is not going to like it, moving on…’.  Even Cersei protested Myrcella’s betrothal more and that was to the prince of Dorne!

Arya deserved better.

Robb and his army needed to cross the river; Ned Stark hasn’t been executed yet. Sansa and Arya are still hostages under Lannister control.

Catlyn Stark was fighting to save her daughter’s life, not hem and haw over her future. Traditionally, Elmer Frey is a bad match for the Lord of Winterfell’s second daughter as the twenty second in line for a minor Riverland vassal, but as a gambit to save Arya at all- it works.

Elmer Frey is a similar age. It will be years before a wedding can take place. It gives the Starks time to shape the betrothal and the boy to Northern standards. He is made a squire of Roose Bolton, one of Robb Stark’s lead commanders (that was a bad bet but hindsight is twenty twenty).

Had the betrothal gone through, it would have been over seven years before even the thought of the wedding. The North has a lot of land, The Starks could easily set aside a holdfast for the couple.

It is hard to keep the timeline straight in the novels but this fan made one helps.

It is barely over a week between Catlyn negotiating at the Twins and the execution of Ned Stark on the steps of Sept of Baelor.

Cat was trying to save her husband and daughters at whatever the price. It didn’t work, but she couldn’t have foreseen that.

The Starks had already decided that Sansa-Joffrey is not going to happen. Arya’s betrothal depended on Robb defeating the Lannisters and freeing Ned and both his sisters. We see Robb consider a betrothal for Sansa with Loras while she is still a prisoner of the Lannisters.

So why did Cat bypass Sansa and barter Arya off? Sansa is too high value for Walder Frey’s 22nd son but Arya is not?

And again, hemming and hawing is necessary when one is negotiating a deal that decides the future of her child and also decides what alliances the North will have after Robb defeats a major house in Westeros. And Arya and Sansa are important strategic tools the North has to get those alliances.

As I said, Walder Frey already got the biggest prize - Robb Stark. Does anyone think that he would have walked away from that deal if Catelyn had said - yeah, I am not giving away Arya to your 22nd son who is going to get no land or inheritance and whose status is so low that the North will end up taking care of him.

This is a deal from which no one gains anything. Arya gains nothing. The North gets nothing. Even Frey gets nothing. This is the time, when Catelyn should have been doing her best solidifying her son’s alliances against a much more powerful house in house Lannister. They have already declared against the 7K - they are traitor usurpers in Westeros. It’s not just enough to free her family. What comes next? Why is she so short-sighted?

Why would she not have argued for Arya marrying one of Walder’s grandsons paving a path for Arya’s children to get The Twins and in turn for the North to get proper control over it in the future? Yeah, they can shape the boy to Northern standards, but what’s in it for the North?

Sorry, but both Cat and Robb were really shit in making alliances for the North. When things start going downhill, Robb regrets that he did not make more alliances using marriage:

 “If I’d offered to wed her to the Knight of Flowers, the Tyrells might be ours instead of Joffrey’s. I should have thought of that.“ 

And while Catelyn threw away Arya on a 22nd son , the Baratheons, Tyrells and Lannisters were making all sorts of important alliances through marriage. And then the only important alliance house Stark did end up making, Robb Stark threw in the trash for selfish reasons.

I have seen so many essays which criticizes Jon Snow’s diplomacy and negotiation and how he does not know as much as Robb and Catelyn because he’s a bastard with no education unlike them - and how show!Robb Stark would have done better with Daenerys i.e not bend the knee on the show etc.

But Lord Commander Jon Snow got more done for house Stark despite having literally no bargaining power on his side and being in a rather desperate situation as well. Like, he literally got house Stark new allies in terms of House Thenn.

WISF ARCHIVE

Best of: tree themed matches! Credits & more at tagged/tree