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orders, Arya is still repeating his name and determined to kill Joffrey, not for the good of the realm, but for murdering a single innocent. As she, like her sister, is disillusioned, she chooses not to pacify and be polite but to fight back for each individual. One critic notes:
     
Mycah and Lady are killed almost as an afterthought, with nearly no effort being made to do what is just in the presence of the overwhelming power of the Iron Throne….A little girl, raised with illusions of justice and safety, must suddenly confront the reality of her world. Those in power, often with a thoughtless flick of the wrist, can destroy those things we hold most dear. It isn’t long before trauma builds on trauma, as Arya witnesses the destruction of her family and the brutal execution of her father. Yoren may cover her eyes, but she knows what is happening. [9]
     
    She responds to this injustice by righting it: kings and queens fill her vengeance list, along with the humblest of torturers and foot soldiers. As she recites them each night, she vows to bring justice to the world, man by man if she must.
     

    Why Was the Freys’ Bridge so Essential?
    Robb Stark’s host needed to go south towards Riverrun quickly to break Jamie Lannister’s siege. The Freys’ bridge was close, and going around to the south would expose them to Lannister troops and waste time they couldn’t afford. Conquering the Freys or walking the long way round would take too long and expose them to danger.
     
Theon shook his head. “The river’s running high and fast. Ser Brynden says it can’t be forded, not this far north.”
“I must have that crossing!” Robb declared, fuming. “Oh, our horses might be able to swim the river, I suppose, but not with armored men on their backs. We’d need to build rafts to pole our steel across, helms and mail and lances, and we don’t have the trees for that. Or the time. Lord Tywin is marching north...” He balled his hand into a fist.
“Lord Frey would be a fool to try and bar our way,” Theon Greyjoy said with his customary easy confidence. “We have five times his numbers. You can take the Twins if you need to, Robb.”
“Not easily,” Catelyn warned them, “and not in time. While you were mounting your siege, Tywin Lannister would bring up his host and assault you from the rear.” (I:640-641)
 
 

    Who Killed Jon Arryn and Attacked Bran?
    Certainly, Cersei has the obvious motive for both. But the obvious is rarely what happens on the show. There are manipulative characters who say the right word in the right ear. There are petty, jealous characters who make bad political moves for personal reasons. Basically, there are murderers out there beyond the Lannisters.
    The sheer number of players, especially in the books, makes the plot rather complex: Lysa Arryn’s letter to the Starks accuses the Lannisters of her husband’s murder. Then Jon Arryn’s former squire, Ser Hugh, is conveniently killed by the Lannister knight Ser Gregor Clegane before he can offer any information. Much of Ned’s quest is discovering Cersei’s infidelity, which Jon Arryn uncovered just before he died. As such, the actual murder becomes secondary to him. Later, Grand Maester Pycelle confesses to Tyrion that he let the poisoned Lord Jon die to help the Lannisters. Basically, it becomes clear there’s a massive conspiracy, even if some characters like Pycelle helped the murderer from afar. The murderer confesses to one of the main characters late in book three, so it’s likely the real answer will be revealed in season four.
    Bran’s attack is nearly as convoluted. It’s implied that though Jaime pushed him the first time, he’s not the sort to hire assassins. The hired killer was given a rare dragonbone dagger, which Littlefinger tells Cat belonged to him, before he lost it to Tyrion in a tournament wager. After Cat kidnaps Tyrion and escalates the Lannister-Stark hostility,