CHAPTER 17: ARYA

Under grey, rainy skies, Arya rides with the Brotherhood without Banners and frets they are heading south, noting moss on trees and the sun’s position. She misses Hot Pie, who stayed at an inn to bake, and bonds with Harwin while recalling the fates of Hullen and Yoren, and silently keeping Jaqen’s coin and her kill list.

Harwin recounts how Lord Beric’s party was ambushed at the Mummer’s Ford, Beric’s near-death and survival after Thoros’s prayers, and how the shifting politics after Robert’s and Eddard’s deaths turned them into outlaws who protect the smallfolk. That night, in a burned village, locals share food and news: rumor says Jaime Lannister has escaped. The outlaws joke grimly about trials and hangings as Tom sings; Arya dreams of a receding Winterfell and circling wolves.

The next day, Arya confirms by the sun they are riding south. When told they are not taking her to Riverrun, Greenbeard insists highborn captives go to Beric to decide their fate, likely to be sent to Catelyn. Realizing she is a captive, Arya suddenly spurs her horse and flees across fields and through woods, using speed and terrain to shake her pursuers.

Despite her skill, Harwin overtakes Arya in the open and seizes her bridle. He praises her riding, but states he now serves the Lightning Lord and the Brotherhood, fighting for the smallfolk rather than Robb. Faced with capture, Arya agrees to ride back peacefully—for now.