Pia

Biodata

Background / History

Service during House Whent’s decline

Pia grew up in Harrenhal with little knowledge of the outside world. By the time Davion Whent suffered a severe head injury, the castle’s household had dwindled so drastically that she performed duties once shared by five or six maids, including preparing his washing water and bringing his breakfast 6 70.

While Davion lay unconscious, Pia requested firewood for his room and carefully fed him warm water. Despite being afraid of Steward Wes, she rebuked him for wishing harm upon their lord. When Wes threatened to send her to a merchant in Riverrun, she refused, insisting that Harrenhal was her home 1.

After Davion awakened, Pia explained that the wounded Ser Vereword had carried him home following House Vance’s attack. She also revealed that Wes had confined Vereword to Kingspyre Tower’s basement prison, supposedly because the household could not afford medicine for both men 2 3.

Appointment as chief steward

Following Wes’s downfall, Davion ordered Pia to search his room. She discovered seventy-nine Gold Dragons and eighty-two Silver Stags hidden in a clay pot beneath his bed and handed the recovered money to Davion 5 6.

When Davion returned from Grey Stone Keep, he appointed Pia chief steward of Harrenhal. He entrusted her with fifty Gold Dragons for castle expenses and placed the young Vance girl he had brought back under her supervision. Pia initially protested that she lacked the intelligence and knowledge for the position, but Davion expressed confidence in her 12.

Her early work exceeded his expectations. Within a week, she recruited six or seven capable manservants and more than a dozen hardworking maids, then directed a thorough cleaning of Kingspyre Tower and the Hall of a Hundred Hearths 15.

Managing the restored household

Pia’s responsibilities expanded to arranging regular livestock deliveries, recruiting servants, and obtaining craftsmen to replace boarded windows in occupied rooms with glass. She also continued attending to individual household members, including helping the ill Maester Tosmio walk to and from his meetings with Davion 13 14 15.

After more than a month of managing Harrenhal, Pia had become noticeably steadier and more capable. Upon Davion’s return from King’s Landing, she arranged hot water, food, and accommodation for his new squire, Gendry 70.

Pia was initially frightened by Eunex, especially after his fire burned Davion. Her curiosity soon overcame that fear: she asked permission to touch him and stroked his neck, encouraging the other household members to approach him as well 71.

House Leygood’s threat and Harrenhal’s disturbances

During Davion’s absence, Vereword entrusted Pia with a bundle sent by House Leygood. When she opened it, she found the severed heads of five former Harrenhal tenant farmers: an elderly woman, a middle-aged couple, and two children. Pia later described the discovery to Davion, saying that she would never forget it 72.

Pia also challenged Vereword’s explanation that the old groom Torrhen had simply gone mad before his violent death. She maintained that his eyes had shown pain and pleading despite his unnatural smile. Linking his death to servants’ shared nightmares of Harrenhal burning and unexplained whispers, she suspected the castle’s curse was responsible 73.

Davion subsequently tasked her with repairs to Harrenhal and construction of a new dock on the Gods Eye. When Tyrion Lannister arrived with reinforcements, livestock, and supplies, Pia and Vereword took charge of receiving and accommodating them 84 86.

Appearance

• Described as pretty and full-busted in her first appearance 1.
• After a month as steward, Davion notices greater steadiness and intelligence in her expression rather than her former uninformed innocence 70.

Personality

Pia’s loyalty to House Whent predates its recovery. Although timid around Wes, she defends Davion while he is helpless and refuses to abandon Harrenhal. Her satisfaction at Wes’s punishment follows his habitual mistreatment of the servants 1 5.

Initially trusting and inexperienced, Pia readily accepts Davion’s claim that he merely intends to practice fighting and buy grain rather than confront House Vance. She also doubts her suitability for stewardship. Practical responsibility gradually builds her confidence without extinguishing her curiosity or warmth 6 12 70 71.

She is willing to disagree when she believes something important has been overlooked. Her insistence that Torrhen’s behavior did not resemble ordinary madness prompts Davion to hear her account of the castle’s wider disturbances 73.

Abilities & Skills

Household Administration

Pia demonstrates effective organization despite having no confidence in her qualifications when appointed 12 15.

• Staff recruitment and supervision: Hires servants and directs cleaning work throughout Harrenhal’s occupied areas 15.
• Household finances: Receives funds for castle expenses and reports that substantial money remains when Davion returns 12 72.
• Provisioning and accommodation: Arranges food, rooms, and the reception of livestock and supplies 13 70 86.
• Maintenance coordination: Is assigned window replacements, castle repairs, and construction of the Gods Eye dock 15 84.

Domestic Care

• Performs Davion’s daily household service during Harrenhal’s severe staff shortage 6.
• Provides careful bedside care while he is unconscious 1.
• Supports the ailing Maester Tosmio when walking and helps him sit safely 14 15.

Relationships

• Davion Whent — Her lord and former personal master. He thanks her for nursing him, promotes her to chief steward, and entrusts her with household funds. He explicitly has no romantic intentions toward her 2 12 70.
• Ser Vereword — Fellow loyal member of Davion’s household and a frequent collaborator. They share concerns about Davion’s safety and later coordinate the reception of new arrivals, though they disagree over Torrhen’s death 6 73 86.
• Wes — Abusive former steward who threatens to send her away. Pia helps recover his embezzled money after his removal 1 5 6.
• The young Vance girl — Placed under Pia’s charge as a helper when Pia becomes chief steward 12.
• Maester Tosmio — Elderly household colleague whom Pia assists during his illness 14 15.
• Gendry — Davion’s new squire. Pia studies him curiously when they meet; he becomes visibly embarrassed when their eyes meet 70.
• Uncle Torrhen — Long-serving groom whose apparent terror Pia notices before his death. She rejects the claim that he simply went mad 73.

Notable Quotes

“I’m not going! Harrenhal is my home! I only want to stay by the Earl’s side and look after Harrenhal.” 1

“But I... I’m too stupid. I don’t know anything. I’m afraid I won’t do a good job and will let you down.” 12

Trivia

• The narration explicitly contrasts Pia’s improved circumstances under Davion with her fate in the original story: after Harrenhal’s occupation, she was forced to serve numerous men, and the Mountain destroyed her nose and knocked out half her teeth 70.
• In that original-story account, Jaime later took her on as a washerwoman and encouraged his squire to take her as a lover. These events are presented as a fate Davion’s arrival has rewritten, not as experiences of Pia in the novel’s current timeline 70.