Dance with Death: Interpreting the symbolism of Arya and the pale horse

Arya, her torso hedging into frame, sees the burned remains of the mother and daughter she had attempted to rescue.

Arya’s reaction is one of shock, dismay and regret.

We see a closeup of the little girl’s toy horse, to confirm the identity of the bodies. Here is the first appearance of a horse symbol in the sequence, here gripped in the hand of a dead child. Both the toy horse and the girl’s body are burned the same color of grey ash.

Arya’s tears smudge the ash and blood on her cheeks. Both shots are repeated.