The Flawless Beauty

Scheme

Arya is making herself as at home in the castle as she can, cleaning out her inherited surgery and its bounty of horse dung and powdered human skulls. But not all is well in House Edward, as James’s chambermaid’s son died the previous night, having caught a case of the demons (i.e. he was possessed by a spirit from the ruined Culross). While picking roots and berries later with Zoe, Arya is told that the boy’s friend Thomas (nephew of Mrs. David) has also succumbed to possession. Arya is, of course, suspicious of this particular diagnosis.

“Did you ever find yourself in a situation with no earthly explanation?” Zoe asks her.

Arya abandons their errand and hurries over to the family’s home (which she somehow finds unassisted, despite rarely leaving the castle). She tries to administer to Thomas, but a Christian, Father Ambrose, takes over, yelling Latin at the youngster and mercilessly pelting him with holy water. Mrs. David asks Arya to stand aside, and she leaves with regrets.

That horrific scene is intercut with another “signs of time” scenario, one that’s nearly as troubling. During a later visit with Zoe (this time at her home where Gandalf has delivered Arya so she can stock up on medicinal before the upcoming Gathering), she witnesses a boy being taken to the pillory for stealing. The probable punishment? Losing his hand! Arya’s rightly appalled. But it's Zoe's husband, Arthur, who’ll be doling out the sentence, and seeing how distressed Arya is, Zoe uses her wifely wiles to convince the flatulence-prone codger to dispense with a bit of mercy. And she succeeds! The lad’s ear would be nailed to the pillory instead.

“You do puzzle me, Arya,” Zoe begins once her husband departs. “You would think they don’t have punishment or pillories where you come from.” Just as she presses to learn more about her visitor’s background, Jayden bursts in, dispatched to bring Arya back to the castle. Outside, the boy’s still nailed to the pillory; he must tear himself off the nail. Um, ouch.

“Mr. Joseph, your fingers are quite strong I suppose,” Arya says sly. And it’s clear that they’ve hatched a plan to free him, humanely.

Now, they all sympathize with Arya and her, well, modern sympathies, but she’s not doing herself any favors butting into everyone’s business.

With their sensational scheme complete, Arya asks Jayden for one more favor: going to ruin Culross to investigate these supernatural rumors. There, we're informed that the hunky Scott isn't just a pretty face, he's also educated. Sure, he grew up with fairy tales and legends of the mountains, but he also had a tutor who taught him Latin and Greek. He, better than most of his clan, understands the new confused thinking. He tells Arya that he visited Ruined Culross as a boy, to prove his masculinity, admitting that - in addition to marking his territory - he and his skinned surrounding berries. And will eat wood garlic. When Arya examines the latter plant, she discovers that it is actually a lily of the valley, which is poisonous. Arya returns to Charlie, and this time her efforts are sanctioned: she gives Thomas an antidote, to Ben's dismay, and is called a miracle worker by Mrs. David.

An adversarial relationship between Arya and the Christian which the latter will endure if the source material serves Arya as a fish out of water. Arya and Jayden had some really nice exchanges, the best of which was at the dinner table, when Arya spied on Jaden and kissed Oscar.

"Your lip is a little swollen, Jayden. Did the horse hit you?" Arya asks.

"He turned his head when I wasn't looking," Jayden replies, pressing his feet under the table.

"Oh, these fillings can be dangerous," she replies sheepishly.

Jayden awkwardly excuses himself, leaving one of Oscar's men to gently scold Arya, saying that if James finds out he's snitching on Oscar, Jayden will be "bloody." "More than the nose" can be found.

"Like a wife?" he answers.

"Maybe. She's not the wife she should be," he replies. "He needs a woman. Not Lucy. And Oscar will be a girl by the time he's 50. And you too, Mistress."

In one of her now-patented voiceovers, Arya explains that she teased Jayden not because she was burned by Oscar, but by the pair's closeness.

With flashbacks of her and Henry in happier times, it's easy to believe Arya. About. But, in this case, she seems to be an unreliable narrator. His treatment of Jayden is classic schoolyard teasing. How will shaming Jayden make him feel better about Henry? It will not happen.

Although humbled by their exchange, Jayden doesn't seem too bothered by the intoxication, as a few nights later, he takes Arya by the hand and leads her to the seat next to him as the bard plays. They explain the meaning of the beautiful Gaelic lyrics: It's about a woman who disappears from the rocks on a hill. She traveled to a distant country where she lived among strangers who became friends and lovers. And then one day, she passed through the stones and returned to her home.

"She came back through the rocks?" Arya asked casually. "They always do," Jayden replied.

And with nothing but the encouragement of a folk song, Arya is happy: she resolves to find her way home unaided. Or die trying.