“Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna, and thousands died for it.”
“Bring her home Mance… now I am about to save four thousand of your free folk. You owe me this one little girl.”
One risked thousands for his love, one saved thousands for his love
we’re sure to see a callback to this moment when jon learns of his parentage. arya has ways been jon’s most important figure and a linchpin of his identity. george repeatedly has her interact with cues to jon’s parentage, and ties her to jon’s unresolved identity issues. (1/10)
when jon learns his truths, arya is poised to be the one who helps affirm his identity as jon snow, the person beneath vies and blood, and reconcile his issues with belonging and family. it is the image of his true tie to the north and the starks she beholds after all. (10/10)
this passage from jon xii, adwd is one of the most crucial and necessary passages for understanding jon’s character. his themes, values, motivations, and the people who have cemented themselves in his life all come to a head in this moment 🧵
each reminder is meant to steady him and pull him towards duty, but instead, each one ultimately leads him to the same place. his heart and home, arya stark. the final memory, and the one he can’t surrender. arya, the person he is unable to let go. in the end, nothing built or