Season seven’s grand old parade of Stark family reunions is simultaneously everything great we could’ve hoped for, and everything awkward we should’ve expected.
First, Jon Snow and Sansa started giving each other political side-eye. Then Bran showed up with his weirdo “time is a flat circle, I just took an introductory philosophy class” vibes, and now Arya is here to be no one and trust no one.
The sneakiest woman in Westeros is already busy at Winterfell lurking around and trying to catch the hot goss. She spent most of last night’s episode hiding in the shadows watching Petyr Baelish, AKA Littlefinger, take secret meetings and hand out secret coins.
Not to be out-snuck, it turns out Baelish, the sneakiest man in Westeros was luring her into a trap the whole time. A trap that involved Arya stumbling on this note:
If you didn’t manage to read all of that scribbled cursive in the .03 seconds it was on screen, don’t worry. You’re not alone, and that’s what the internet is for.
A Redditor named Opa1979 managed to transcribe the whole thing:
Robb, I write to you with a heavy heart. Our good king Robert is dead, killed from wounds he took in a boar hunt. Father has been charged with treason. He conspired with Robert’s brothers against my beloved Joffrey and tried to steal his throne. The Lannisters are treating me very well and provide me with every comfort. I beg you: come to King’s Landing, swear fealty to King Joffrey and prevent any strife between the great houses of Lannister and Stark.
Oh Petyr you dastardly devil, you.
In case you don’t remember, the note is from season one, when Cersei made a young Sansa plead with her brother Robb to bend the knee to the new King Joffrey:
At the time, their mother Catelyn Stark knew that Sansa was writing the note with a gun to her head and advises that everyone ignore the letter and continue with the mission of rescuing Sansa.
Thing is, Arya doesn’t know all that.
So it’s very possible that Arya will think Sansa was (or still is) legitimately aligned with the Lannisters. Which would make their relationship colder than the Lands of Always Winter. Say what you will about Petyr, but the dude knows how to scheme.
Of course, it’s also possible that Arya will see right through the trap. Or maybe if Bran could stop acting like a braindead hippy at a Phish concert for one f***ing second, he could tell Arya that Petyr is trying to mess with her.
Oh god how are we gonna get through this week?