Mycah

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Mycah
Mycah.png
art by Flibertyjibbeth

Allegiance House Baratheon of King's Landing
Culture Westeros
Born In 285 AC[1]
Died In 298 AC (aged 13), the riverlands, near the ruby ford
Father A butcher
Books

Played by Rhodri Hosking
TV series Game of Thrones:
Season 1

Mycah is the son of a butcher who befriends Arya Stark.[2]

Appearance

See also: Images of Mycah
Rhodri Hosking as Mycah in the HBO adaptation

He is an ugly boy, with a rough face, freckles, and red hair.[2]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Mycah is a butcher's boy who Arya Stark befriends on the ride south from Winterfell to King's Landing. He sleeps in the meat wagon and smells accordingly. Just seeing him makes Sansa Stark sick. Arya and Mycah start exploring together the lands through which the track passes. Mycah shows Arya a lizard lion when they come through the Neck and, when they reach the ruby ford, they intend to search the Trident for rubies from the armor of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen.[2]

He and Arya are practicing sword-fighting on the banks of the Trident. Mycah lands a hit on Arya's hand with his stick, just as Prince Joffrey Baratheon and Sansa come upon them. Joffrey, slightly drunk on wine, is amused about the scene and only Sansa shouting at Arya makes him aware that this is her sister. Joffrey asks the boy who he is, but Mycah is too afraid to answer the prince. Sansa says that he's the butcher's boy, but Arya corrects her, introducing Mycah as her friend. Joffrey mocks that a butcher boy wants to be a knight, then suggests to fight Mycah himself, but with his sword Lion's Tooth rather than with a stick, asking Mycah whether he only dares to fight girls. Mycah insists that Arya asked him to fight her and Sansa realizes that he's telling the truth. However, Joffrey intimidates Mycah by asking him whether he knew he hurt his betrothed's sister. He lays the point of his sword on Mycah's cheek, drawing some blood. While Mycah is frozen in fear, Arya shouts that Joffrey should stop it, grabs her stick, and too late for Sansa to interfere, hits Joffrey on the head, causing a laceration. While Mycah flees the scene, Joffrey whirls around at Arya in anger and manages to defend himself against a second attack, splintering Arya's stick. Arya hurls a rock at Joffrey, but misses him. Joffrey goes after her, cursing. Before he can reach Arya, he is attacked by her direwolf Nymeria who mangles his sword arm, causing him to drop his sword and to whimper in pain. Arya picks up Lion's Tooth and throws it into the river, then runs away.[2]

Arya is found after four days and brought before King Robert I Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lannister, who have taken Ser Raymun Darry's Castle Darry as their temporary residence while both banks of the Trident were searched for Arya and Mycah. Cersei accuses the two of having attacked Joffrey together, a version of events that is confirmed by Joffrey. Arya calls Joffrey a liar. They both present their very different stories. Then Sansa is called as witness. Afraid that contradicting Joffrey would put an end to their betrothal, Sansa claims she can't remember as everything went down so fast, arousing Arya's anger. King Robert decides that both Arya and Joffrey should be disciplined, but Queen Cersei insists that Sansa's direwolf Lady should be killed, in place for Nymeria who has vanished. As Lord Eddard Stark returns after he has put down the direwolf, he comes across Sandor Clegane, who has returned with a search party, carrying the body of Mycah in a cloak. The blow of the Hound's sword has almost cut the boy in half from shoulder to waist, as Eddard notices in horror.[3]

The events cause deep resentment in Arya against Cersei, Joffrey, and the Hound. She believes in Jeyne Poole's elaborated version of the story, where Mycah's body was cut in so many pieces that, when the sack containing the remains was given to Mycah's father, the butcher believed he was handed a slaughtered pig. Arya is also angry with Sansa for not telling the truth about what happened and with her father and his men for allowing Mycah to be killed. She also feels guilt over his death, assuming that nothing would have happened to the butcher's boy if she hadn't talked him into practicing sword fighting. When she tells her father about this, Lord Eddard consoles her, explaining that this is solely the guilt of the Hound and of the cruel woman he serves.[4]

Following the attack on Lord Eddard by Lannister men led by Ser Jaime Lannister, in which several Stark guards are killed, Arya says to Sansa that Jaime should be beheaded for this, as should the Hound for killing Mycah. When Sansa insists that the Hound is Joffrey's sworn shield and that Arya and Mycah attacked Joffrey, Arya calls her a liar.[5]

A Storm of Swords

When Sandor Clegane is captured by Lord Beric Dondarrion and the brotherhood without banners, he is put on trial for the offenses of the Lannister army in the riverlands. After he denies the charges, Arya Stark informs them that Sandor is guilty of killing Mycah. While he does not deny killing Mycah, Sandor defends himself, saying that he was told the boy attacked Prince Joffrey Baratheon and as his sworn shield he had a right to kill anyone who would harm the prince. Since no one knows the truth of the charge, the Hound is forced to participate in a trial by combat. The Hound wins and is set free.[6] However, later when he is trying to provoke Arya Stark to kill him, he states that he cut Mycah -- calling him "Michael" -- near in half and laughed about it.[7]

References