Yoren/Theories

While staying in an abandoned holdfast overnight, the group of recruits led by Yoren comes under attack by a group of men led by Ser Amory Lorch. Amory commands Yoren to open the gate of the holdfast, but Yoren refuses, pointing out that the Night's Watch takes no part in the war. Amory orders his men to storm the holdfast and kill all those inside. Although they manage to hold for a while, Yoren comes to the realization that they are losing and while the fire starts spreading tells Arya Stark to get as many of the recruits as possible and escape through a tunnel they encountered earlier.^[1] Yoren stays behind and is found dead by Arya and Gendry the next day.^[2] Due to his manner of death, some readers have come to suspect that Yoren did not die at the hands of Ser Amory's men, but rather at the hands of the criminal Rorge, who Yoren had been bringing to the Wall.

Supporting evidence

The following pieces of information can be considered evidence for this theory:

• When Arya and Gendry find Yoren's body, they see his skull was split by an axe.^[2] Shortly before fleeing through the tunnel, thereby escaping the holdfast, Arya Stark threw an axe to the cage in which Rorge, Biter, and Jaqen H'ghar were being held captive. Rorge was the person who caught the axe, and was quick to cut the three prisoners free.^[1]
• More than a year later, Brienne of Tarth encounters Rorge and Biter once again, and this time as well, Rorge is seen battling with an axe.^[3]
• Rorge, Biter, and Jaqen are later seen in the service of House Lannister under command of Ser Amory when Arya arrives at Harrenhal,^[4] despite Ser Amory's orders at the holdfast to kill everyone inside. As killing Yoren could have been seen as a display of loyalty towards the Lannister forces, Rorge killing Yoren could have been the reason the three were spared.
  • In addition, they might not have been able to escape the holdfast and therefore Amory's men any other way than the gate, as the tunnel through which Arya and the others escaped filled with "a cloud of hot smoke and black dust, smelling of hell" while Arya was still in it,^[1] indicating the fire had already reached the entrance before she emerged.

Counter arguments

The following pieces of information can be considered counter-evidence for this theory:

• Rorge's axe was not the only axe present at the scene. Among Ser Amory's men were at least four men with axes, who were shot down by Koss.^[1] Anyone of Amory's other men could have either had their own axe, or picked up the axe of a fallen soldier and used it against Yoren.
• The fact that Rorge, Biter, and Jaqen had been imprisoned while inside the holdfast and therefore unable to follow Amory's orders^[1] could have been reason enough for Amory to spare their lives and take them into his service.

References