In "Game of Thrones" Season 7 Episode 4 Littlefinger gave Bran the Valiryan steel dagger that the Catspaw used when he tried to kill him. However, things didn't go as planned for Littlefinger as he learned that Bran can't be easily bought, and also happens to know everything about everyone. Later, in the Godswood Bran gave the dagger to Arya. So what now? What role could this blade play in the future? The "Spoils Of War" episode gave us some subtle clues on what we can expect in the future. However, let's first delve into the mystery of this assassination attempt on Bran.
Debunking the popular theory
Although very brief, the scene between Bran and Littlefinger was more significant than fans originally thought. Not only did this scene reintroduced the Catspaw dagger, but it also marked the downfall of the biggest manipulator in all Seven Kingdoms -- Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, because we believe that he was the one who sent the assassin in the first place.
However, to further support this claim, let's first debunk the popular theory that Joffrey did it. The theory states that Joffrey hired the assassin and provided him with a Valyrian steel dagger because he wanted to impress his dad, King Robert, who said that killing Bran would be an act of mercy. And even though both Jaime and Tyrion came to the same conclusion in "A Storm of Swords," it still doesn't make sense.
First, why would Joffrey do such a thing and never tell his dad, who he wanted to impress in the first place? Second, even Joffrey wasn't so stupid to give the assassin the Valyrian Steel dagger that could easily be traced back to him.
Who sent the assassin?
It must have been someone who wanted the dagger to be traced back to the Lannisters with a clear goal to create chaos, and that's obviously Littlefinger.
Of course one could argue that Littlefinger wasn't in Winterfell when Bran was attacked, but it is important to note that he had an agent in Winterfell who brought the letter in which Lysa blamed the Lannisters for the murder of Jon Arryn. So perhaps he was instructed by Littlefinger to stay in Winterfell and wait for an opportunity to drive a wedge between the Starks and the Lannisters.
That would explain the "Someone very wealthy wanted me dead" line from Bran, obviously talking about Littlefinger, the owner of brothels who just happened to be a Master of Coin as well.
What's next?
Also, when Bran repeated the "Chaos is a ladder" line, he wasn't just referring to what Littlefinger said to Varys, but he also brought up Littlefinger's philosophy. Bran knows that Littlefinger sent the assassin to kill him and blamed it on the Lannisters to create chaos. So when Bran gave the dagger to Arya, he knew exactly that she is going to use it to kill the man, who is, judging by the look she gave him, already a part of her kill list.
