Ranking all 11 sample chapters from The Winds of Winter
By John Fallon
4. “Mercy” (Arya I)
Remember that troupe of actors from the sixth season of Game of Thrones? As it turns out, the idea comes from this sample chapter from The Winds of Winter, which is told from the perspective of “Mercy,” Arya’s stage name. As in the show, she’s continuing her training with the Faceless Men and trying to become “no one.”
Intriguingly, the excerpt begins after Arya’s possibly prophetic dream. It looks like Mercy is having a hard time letting go of her past as Arya Stark:
"The smell of blood was heavy in her nostrils… or was that her nightmare, lingering? She had dreamed of wolves again, of running through some dark pine forest with a great pack at her hells, hard on the scent of prey."
In Braavos, Mercy prepares for the a performance of “The Bloody Hand,” a play featuring characters like the fat king, the boy king and the demonic dwarf. Mercy’s character is a young maiden who will be raped and murdered by the dwarf; essentially, she’s playing a distorted version of her own sister Sansa. Before it can begin, however, Mercy sneaks off set after seeing a familiar face in the crowd.
The face belongs to Raff the Sweetling, one of the Mountain’s men who killed Lommy Greenhands back in A Clash of Kings. The chapter ends as she seduces and then kills him, whispering, “Valar morghulis” and parroting back his earlier line:
"Raff: Can you walk? Lommy: No, you got to carry me. Raff: Think so? – A Clash of Kings, Arya V"
And then in this chapter:
"Raff: You’ll need to carry me. Arya: Think so? – The Winds of Winter, Mercy"
Arya knows that this is the end of Mercy. Between the possible Nymeria-warging, Arya choosing violence, and a fun callback to A Clash of Kings, Mercy ranks high on the list of sample chapters worth reading.