#lady Smallwood

[agentrouka-blog]

One of my favorite interactions in the books is between Arya and Lady Smallwood.

Lady Smallwood never officially finds out who Arya is, and she struggles to understand her character. She tries and fails to fit Arya into the box of a standard highborn girl, giving her baths (one highly necessary, the other superfluous) and clothing her in delicate dresses. Her own daughter's dresses, in fact.

But in the end she accepts her for who she is with no fight, adhering to the spirit of her own advice:

The gods give each of us our little gifts and talents, and it is meant for us to use them, my aunt always says. Any act can be a prayer, if done as well as we are able. Isn't that a lovely thought? Remember that the next time you do your needlework.  (ASOS, Arya IV)

She eventually gives Arya boy's clothes to travel in safely. Her own late son's clothes, in fact. Giving new purpose to precious memories, and making Arya's use of this role as valid as that of a daughter's.

It's one of the kindest interactions GRRM gives Arya on her journey through war-torn Westeros.

[arte072]

Lady Ravella Smallwood née Swann 💛🤎 🌱🦢🖤🤍

[aryastarkthelittleshewolf11]

My Favourite Chapter: Arya VI, ASOS ~

Perhaps a little basic but it was the chapter that immediately jumped to mind when I thought of which is my favourite.(even though I adore all of them). I think this chapter does an amazing job of setting up for later chapters, building Arya’s relationships with the Brotherhood members while also incorporating a lot of Arya’s themes

[nymerias-heart]

Arya Stark

Lady Smallwood's maidservants scrubbed her so hard it felt like they were flaying her themselves. They even dumped in some stinky-sweet stuff that smelled like flowers.

And afterward, they insisted she dress herself in girl's things, brown woolen stockings and a light linen shift, and over that a light green gown with acorns embroidered all over the bodice in brown thread, and more acorns bordering the hem.

My take on Arya’s iconic dress.

[springs-hurts]

I’m sorry, my lady.” Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. “I’m sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty.” “Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave.”

Cried a lil when Lady Smallwood said this. It's such a little thing, but Arya needs it, she needs it so badly, just a kid. Just a fuckin kid! 😭😭

[allovesthings]

We talk a lot about Bolton figuring out her identity after Arya escaped (which is so funny to me, we love to see Arya being able to deceive and ridicule that man 🤣) but do we think Lady Smallwood figured it out ?

She knew Arya was Highborn and in hiding, she knew she was important (she says this directly in the chapter) and she was sent out from the room when Cat was mentioned and she, and the rest of the world, know that Arya Stark is MIA (either locked in by Cersei or dead).

[oxalisvulcanicola]

I also can't get over how Mycroft and Lady Smallwood seem to work for totally opposite goals and LS is ready to go behind Mycroft's back and recruit his brother on the Magnussen case.

[waxwings2046]

All That Is the Case - Chapter 4 & Epilogue - completed!

Whew, the entirety of All That Is the Case is finally all up! Chapter 4 (Whereof We Cannot Speak) and the Epilogue (What Is the Case/Outside the World) have now been posted.

So ends our story. It's hard to pick an excerpt since the denouement is all rather spoiler-y, as a spy story should hopefully be! Without going into detail about what all was going on, here's a bit from the epilogue:

Sherlock took the book out. “I owed this to you. I have to say, it was better than I expected.” John took it from him automatically. “And thank you for returning the Wittgenstein.” “Of course.” John brushed his face, then sighed. “This feels strange.” “Wrong?” “Perhaps. I—no. Not wrong. But…I don’t know.” Now…Sherlock said, “I missed you.” “God help me, I missed you too. I can’t believe you’re here. I already said that.” John rubbed his hand over his eyes, and took a breath. “You are still the most beautiful, delightful, and strangest person I’ve ever met.” The hope that sprang up in his chest—like a climbing vine, luxuriant and all at once helplessly out of control.

Read Chapter 4 and the epilogue here!

In the mean time, I want to express my gratitude again to my beta readers @calaisreno, @7-percent, and @jrow. Their encouragement and advice on everything from wording to when the UK adopted the Celsius scale (whoops!) were greatly appreciated. A final shoutout goes to them, my very supportive partner, and everyone who has been helping to promote this fic on this site. There is a longer author's note at the end of the fic with more on my influences and historical notes pertaining to the last few chapters.

And finally, thank you, THANK YOU dear readers! Your engagement and your comments are deeply appreciated. This story, my first ever completed fic, has been an even more personal one than I realized. It turns out I put a little bit of myself into Sherlock here and there. I hope the results do justice to him and the rest of the story.

[laurellerual]

This is stupid but I have to know!

[jackoshadows]

I just noticed that Lady Smallwood tells Arya more or less the same thing that Jon Snow tells Maester Aemon regarding Samwell Tarly.

Here’s Lady Smallwood telling Arya that whatever her gifts are, they have worth:

“What do you like to do?”  She scuffed a toe amongst the rushes. “Needlework.”

“Very restful, isn’t it?” “Well,” said Arya, “not the way I do it.”

“No? I have always found it so. The gods give each of us our little gifts and talents, and it is meant for us to use them, my aunt always says. Any act can be a prayer, if done as well as we are able. Isn’t that a lovely thought? Remember that the next time you do your needlework. - Arya, ASoS

And when Jon tries to convince Maester Aemon to take on Sam as his steward:

“The collar is supposed to remind a maester of the realm he serves, isn’t that so? Lords are gold and knights steel, but two links can’t make a chain. You also need silver and iron and lead, tin and copper and bronze and all the rest, and those are farmers and smiths and merchants and the like. A chain needs all sorts of metals, and a land needs all sorts of people.The Night’s Watch needs al sorts too. Why else have rangers and stewards and builders? Lord Randyll couldn’t make Sam a warrior, and Ser Alliser won’t either. You can’t hammer tin into iron, no matter how hard you beat it, but that doesn’t mean tin is useless. Why shouldn’t Sam be a steward?” - Jon, AGoT

It highlights the similarities between Arya and Sam feeling like they don’t have a place in a highly patriarchal society and the characters who help them out.

Lady Smallwood is incredibly important for Arya, lifting her spirits and comforting her. Arya wears a pretty acorn dress because Ravella is kind and non-judgemental. She does not help Arya because she’s Arya Stark of Winterfell but because it’s the right thing to do:

"I do not know who you are, child," the woman said, "and it may be that's for the best. Someone important, I fear." She smoothed down Arya's collar. "In times like these, it is better to be insignificant. Would that I could keep you here with me. That would not be safe, though. I have walls, but too few men to hold them." She sighed. - Arya, ASoS

In the same way Jon helping Sam become a steward makes Sam feel one with the rest of the boys. And Jon never tells Sam what he did. He simply did it because it’s the right thing to do.

“I’ve been summoned to the sept,” Sam said in an excited whisper. “They’re passing me out of training. I’m to be made a brother with the rest of you. Can you believe it?” “No, truly?” - Jon, AGoT

And the way Jon and Ravella give encouragement:

"I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty."

"Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave." - Arya, ASoS

“Truly. I’m to assist Maester Aemon with the library and the birds. He needs someone who can read and write letters.” “You’ll do well at that,” Jon said, smiling. - Jon, AGoT

[lmaowh-at]

Lanns n Starks lineups/costumes sketches that I will probably add other houses to. Tywin and Joff & the rest aren't here because I was lazy and Cerseis dress took all of my energy. Don't ask me about inspiration or historical basis for these

[imperiuswrecked]

Kiss me slowly Kiss me tenderly Kiss me sweetly Kiss me passionately Kiss me on the lips Down to my finger tips

Namor Week 2024 - Day 7 - Kisses for the Sea King For Creators Choice, I chose my 8 favorite Namor ships! I love each of these ships so dearly, and wanted Namor to have all the kisses! Thank you to the extraordinary @pointdotiozao for my art commission! 😘 I'm so happy to see all my favorite Namor romances!

[daceytheshebear]

I like this headcanon. This could make Lady Smallwood Brienne's aunt. Brienne's mother could be Ravella Smallwood's older sister... The appendix tell us that Lady Smallwood from Arya's time in Acorn Hall is nèè Swann.

decided I want a headcanon for Brienne’s house on the maternal side here’s my shortlist pls vote

[ladystoneboobs]

[Cat, to Brienne:]"And Arya, well . . . Ned's visitors would oft mistake her for a stableboy if they rode into the yard unannounced. [...]" -Catelyn VII, aCoK

ok, this is another thing that makes me feel like i'm taking crazy pills bc i never see it talked about with all the implications behind it. so if anyone is more versed in androgynous medievalish clothing, feel free to correct me here, but my thinking is if unannounced visitors mistook arya for a stableboy, would that not mean she was wearing boyish riding garb, trousers and all? bc if she was running around with messy hair and a dirty gown, wouldn't she more likely be seen as a female servant? if my reading is not wildly offbase that does not jibe with the idea of arya being terrorized all day by both septa mordane and her mother to be more ladylike. rather, this limited freedom to be mistaken for a servant could suggest that pragmatic catelyn was picking her battles with arya too, not forcing her to always appear prim and proper on days when they were not expecting any guests to see her. catelyn "despaired of ever making a lady of" arya, though neither she nor ned could abandon the goal, which could mean a more measured approach, not exhausting herself by going after arya for every unladylike move she made, especially when she was still a prepubescent child. the quote above starts a paragraph which ends with catelyn feeling "as though a giant hand were squeezing her chest" after saying she thought arya was dead like bran and rickon, after no word of her since ned's arrest. in that context of grief, i think all her words about arya should be read as coming with bittersweet fondness, just being honest about their problems, not sugarcoating any of it.

but let's compare catelyn's trials with arya, including her often running around looking like a stableboy, to arya's interactions with lady smallwood, somehow seen as an even better mother-figure than her own mother, whom arya found easier to comply with bc of her kinder manner. first of all, lady smallwood's efforts to make arya ladylike included two baths and two dresses in one day after arya and gendry ruined the first dress, before finally giving her boy's riding clothes to leave in. i would argue a full second bath was unneeded when they could have just washed the dirt off her face and hands, and, furthermore, that both the dresses were an impractical waste when she knew arya would be riding back out with the outlaws and could not look a highborn lady when doing so. idt pragmatic catelyn would have gone to all that trouble just to make arya look ladylike for a few hours when there were no other ladies around. as for the claim that arya found it easier to comply with her? no, that's just flat-out demonstrably false. the text says she was "forced" into a tub and "they insisted" she wear girl's clothes. what room did she have to refuse as a hostage in a stranger's castle? she certainly felt no compunction about fighting gendry in the acorn dress she'd been forced into, and only felt bad about it afterward when lady smallwood talked about her dead son.

now, let's move on to the only canon quotes we have from cat to/about arya in arya's pov.

"Sansa's work is as pretty as she is," Septa Mordane told their lady mother once. "She has such fine, delicate hands." When Lady Catelyn had asked about Arya, the septa had sniffed. "Arya has the hands of a blacksmith." -Arya I, aGoT Her father had hunted boar in the wolfswood with Robb and Jon. Once he even took Bran, but never Arya, even though she was older. Septa Mordane said boar hunting was not for ladies, and Mother only promised that when she was older she might have her own hawk. -Arya V, aCoK Her mother used to say she could be pretty if she would just wash and brush her hair and take more care with her dress, the way her sister did. -The Blind Girl(/Arya I), aDwD

in the first quote we don't know catelyn's reaction to septa mordane's rude disapproval of arya, certainly not if she agreed with it. what we do know is she was not interested in only hearing endless praise of sansa and wanted to hear if arya had made any progress. although admittedly that was a vain hope, which ignored arya's true strengths and the possibility that she could never master and enjoy needlework the way catelyn did.

the second quote better shows the difference between arya's mother and her septa. catelyn does not criticize arya for wanting to hunt boar nor dismiss her interest. instead she tries to mollify arya and accomodate her desire with the promise of a future hunting hawk. that this was a promise, not just an idle thought, suggests this would have happened in due time and could have been a bonding activity for them if the plot hadn't intervened.

the third quote is definitely a backhanded compliment and doubly unhelpful in comparison to sansa, but at least it shows catelyn did not think one of her own daughters was ugly. she thought both were pretty even tho sansa was the more admired as traditionally beautiful, and she thought arya's looks were held back by her messy hair and clothes. (useful to remember for those fans who like to keep track of how many characters called arya pretty vs. how many call her ugly.)

yes, it is a bad sign that arya genuinely wondered if her mother would want her back, dirtier than ever in her disguise as a peasant boy. their relationship definitely had faults which the adult parent must bear responsibility for. but we must remember that arya also worried if robb would pay a ransom for her, and was most ashamed about the people she'd killed, and couldn't bear the thought of ned knowing all she'd done. and we must keep in mind that even ned never openly gainsaid septa mordane on-page either, and that arya desperately wanted to renunite with her mother and felt confident gendry could stay with her if she vouched for him with her mother. that confidence would seem completely unwarranted if their mother/daughter relationship was as utterly bad as some fans make out.

[argelladurrandaun]

Fun fact,in a storm of swords, Arya was ready to wear dresses and take baths for lady Ravella Smallwood. Because the lady was kind to arya.

Some of the women tried to put her in a dress and make her do needlework, but they weren't Lady Smallwood and she was having none of it. - Arya, ASoS

x

"I do not know who you are, child," the woman said, "and it may be that's for the best. Someone important, I fear." She smoothed down Arya's collar. "In times like these, it is better to be insignificant. Would that I could keep you here with me. That would not be safe, though. I have walls, but too few men to hold them." She sighed.

Arya even feels bad for ruining her dress.

"I'm sorry, my lady." Arya suddenly felt bad for her, and ashamed. "I'm sorry I tore the acorn dress too. It was pretty."

"Yes, child. And so are you. Be brave." (Arya IV, ASoS)

And later arya even remembers lady Smallwoods kindness and that she had called arya pretty. Because it meant so much to arya.

Arya spotted a yellow tent with six acrons on its panels, three over two over one. Lord Smallwood, she knew, remembering Acorn Hall so far away, and the lady who'd said she was pretty.

Just because lady Smallwood was so kind and understanding to arya, makes arya want to listen and obey her and even do things that arya wouldn't normally do. All it takes is a few words of kindness.

Which makes me think that growing up catelyn wasn't particularly understanding or kind to arya. We know that septa mordane definitely wasn't. Otherwise arya would have been a little more inspired to do more ladylike things and would feel less like disobeying her mother, if only arya was asked kindly and shown more understanding and compassion.

[allovesthings]

Arya Stark and her friendship with other girls and women is something that can actually be so personal.