Arya of House Stark or No One (ADWD SPOILERS)

[The Imp]

Our little girl is growing up. I'm SOOO proud What do you all suppose we can expect from her in TWoW?

We know that the "brotherhood" that she is "wroking" for gives people the gift of death. We know that she passed her novice "test" by very cleverly killing the man she was sent to kill. Arya now has her White and Black cloak, and she will be moving on to the next stage of her training.

We also know that Arya has a list, but early on in her time in the House of White and Black the Kindly Man asked her about her list and then told her that she had come to the wrong place if she wanted to kill those people with what she might learn there.

We also know that Arya probably thinks that she is alone in the world, with the exception of anyone in the North, which would be Bran, RIckon and Jon. Lastly, we know that Nymeria will very likely be reunited with Arya,

This all leads me to believe that Arya will be leaving Bravos, with a likely destination being the Northern part of Westeros.

It's unclear whther or not Varys/Illyrio understand the threa that the Boltons are, but if they do, and if they wanted them dead, and if they were to use the services of The Faceless men, how sweet would it be if Arya was to be dispatched to do the deed.

Drat, I hit submit too soon.

The other possbility is that Arya leaves the brotherhood and embarks on a killing spree, perhaps culminating in the death of Queen Cersei. Perhaps Arya is the Valonqar, as she is always mistaken for being a boy, has posed as a boy and is certainly a younger sibling. That would also be sweet

So, will it be Arya of House STark disptaching those on her list, No One on a mission to (perhaps) kill the Boltons, or something else entirely?

Maybe wishful thinking on my part

 

[viZion]

To me the biggest problem with Arya is that list. I'm pulling for her to become a Faceless Man because I think it's cool and I would love to see the rest of their training. Unfortunately, she'll never be allowed to "graduate" if she holds onto that list. In order to be No One she has to forget herself, her past, her family, Needle, and most especially, that list. So far she hasn't been able to do that and the Kindly Man knows it. She'll never pass his "Who are you?" test until she can let go of that list (which represents ARYA STARK).

Then again, she'd probably become a pretty boring character if she became No One entirely. Think about it, a Jaqen POV would be awfully boring.

That said, my theory is that she'll get more training and skills but ultimately be unable to let go of Arya. The Kindly Man will turn her out of the House of White and Black and she'll make her way back to Westeros. That's as far as I'm willing to guess. I'll jump back in once I see some other theories.

 

[Ursa major]

The House of White and Black are being very patient with Arya. In spite of her (current) inability to drop Arya's motivations, they are still training her to be an assassin.

Is this because they know that the training will overcome what's left of Arya's personality? (And if so, are they right?) Or do they let their operatives pursue personal vendettas as long as they do not impact on the official work?

The only example of a known faceless man in the field that we've seen is Jaqen H'ghar. He (if he is a he) offers Arya three deaths. Was that (part of) his task? Was it a personal addition to his task? Was it a permitted addition to the task, whereby a faceless man can offer his special skills in return for the help that someone has given them? (On the other hand, do we really believe Jaqen needed to be rescued by Arya at all?)

 

[Needle]

I too am sooo proud of our little girl! She was is and will always be my girl, GRRM has almost made me dislike Dany, but Arya? No way!

I have to cast my vote for Arya of House Stark! I don't think she will be turned out of the house of black and white. I think she can and will complete her training. She gets better at the art of deception everyday. The last time she answered the question with "no one" she was quite convincing! Yet she still has her list. I have said before and will say again: Her first stop upon leaving the House of Black and White will be on the steps to retrieve Needle!! And may the Gods help them all if it's not there!

Imp, I love your idea that Varys may end up hiring her to kill the Boltons! How sweet would that be!

Don't think it quite falls into the crackpot theory category, maybe just crackpot idea! but for some reason I still feel Arya will meet up with Sam again or at the least cross paths!

She will definitely reunite with Nymeryia!

Also very possible she and Sandor will get back together. He may be half in love with Sansa but he and Arya were made for each other! Not that way!

Best case scenario for me Arya of House Stark on a sanctioned mission to kill the Boltons!!!

 

[viZion]

Just wanted to point out that if she isn't allowed to become a true Faceless Man, I doubt they can make her unlearn the skills she's been taught. I.e. being turned out of the House of White and Black isn't that big of a deal and will allow her to continue to be a pretty badass character.

Ursa: I thought Jaqen offered Arya three deaths simply because she saved three lives, therefore denying their god (or whatever/whoever) those three lives. No need to over think that one. Unless you want to, of course. That's what we're here for!

 

[Culhwch]

Just wanted to point out that if she isn't allowed to become a true Faceless Man, I doubt they can make her unlearn the skills she's been taught.

I don't know, a slit throat would do the job fairly effectively...

 

[viZion]

I don't know, a slit throat would do the job fairly effectively...

If only GRRM still had the balls to do that to a central character...not gonna happen again before the last half of the last book. Maybe not even until the last 100 pages of the last book. But let's not threadjack...

 

[Culhwch]

But it's cool, if a red priest is nearby she'll simply be UnArya!

I honestly don't think Arya will die. I can't see her becoming a full Faceless Man, either. She's going fetch Needle at some point and go on a revenge spree - or at least I hope. Most of my expectations of what's going to happen in this series have not come to pass, so no doubt this one won't, either...

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I think either scenario would be great, but I just don't see Arya giving up being a Stark. Especially if Nymeria is still alive. If something happens to Nymeria, then I could see her becoming No One.

Personally I hope she remains a Stark and eventually gets to the people on her list. We've heard that list so many times now, it would be a bit of a letdown IMO if she never got to kill some more people from it.

But hiring her to kill the Boltons?.....that would be pretty fan-friggin-tastic.

 

[Eulalia]

I think this is someone else's idea. But it is feasible that she could pretend to be Tommen just to get a little closer to Cersei. Then she is the younger sib twice over. I still don't see her as a strangler, but give her time.

The Boltons would be icing on the cake.

 

[Mesanna]

Ursa: I thought Jaqen offered Arya three deaths simply because she saved three lives, therefore denying their god (or whatever/whoever) those three lives. No need to over think that one. Unless you want to, of course. That's what we're here for!

I think the part about Jaqen's god is interesting. Now I might be completely wrong here, but I had thought (or maybe presumed) that R'hllor was Jaquen's god. Is that correct, does anyone know? I might be getting confused because Arya pulled them out a fire and that's why I made the connection (can't check cos I've loaned out my books). If it is R'hllor, do you think that all Faceless Men worship the Red God, or is this a personal quirk of Jaqen's? In other words, do you think the Faceless Men are officially connected to R'hllor?

On the issue of Arya's training, I kind of think of it as a more subtle form of the military recruitment programs, where they more or less beat you down then remake you their way (OK that's a little extreme way to put it, but you know what I mean). I imagine Arya continuing with the training, but then having to take some final test, which she will fail because she cannot put her "Starkness" behind her. I envisage her returning to Westeros after that and putting her new skills to good use (i.e. The List!)

 

[Jaqen H'gar]

I agree with most of the theories about Arya. I think that she will make it almost all the way through her training, and perhaps be extremely close to finishing, but then probably have a wolf dream, and decide that she does not want to be No One. I don't think she will be cast out, I think she will leave the house of black and white on her own free will, and perhaps she will end up in Tyrosh or Lys (Both seem to be necessary ports for people travelling b/w southern westeros and the free cities) and hopefully hook up with Daenerys.

Another theory i have that involves her completing her training is that, as Dany prepares to travel west, perhaps she does something to cross Illyrio, or maybe, since Aegon is beginning his attempt to conquer westeros, Illyrio decides he no longer needs Dany. Illyrio is insanely rich, enough to be able to hire a faceless man, and since Dany has a place in her heart for children, he chooses the only faceless young girl, and Arya seeks out Dany with the intent of killing her, perhaps even killing missandei and taking her place, or one of the cupbearer hostages. It is my hope that Arya will come to love Dany and join her, but you never know with GRRM

 

[Syphon of Oor-Tael]

Mind you, I haven't begun reading ADWD (rereading the rest first) but I have a theory:

Once Arya finishes her formal training, she will realize that she now has the skills to murder all of those on her list. She will go about that and probably not stop there, killing all who were even associated with those on the list.

 

[Sleepless]

Only GRRM knows. Sounds flippant but there are too many possibilities, the first being does she finish her training? After that, does she go back to Westeros, does she kill any on her list (those that are left) or just one big one (Cersei or Bolton), does she reunite with whats left of her family, can she ever be the little girl she was in Winterfell again? She could die in the street or change a kingdom, be a supreme assassin or just leave it all behind. Its just too open to even hazard a guess.

Only thing I know for sure is that her and tyrion are my favourite characters, I love their chapters. Dany I just want to be killed, thereby throwing everything wide open again, she is such a Mills and Boon write off.

 

[The Imp]

I agree with most of the theories about Arya. I think that she will make it almost all the way through her training, and perhaps be extremely close to finishing, but then probably have a wolf dream, and decide that she does not want to be No One. I don't think she will be cast out, I think she will leave the house of black and white on her own free will, and perhaps she will end up in Tyrosh or Lys (Both seem to be necessary ports for people travelling b/w southern westeros and the free cities) and hopefully hook up with Daenerys.

Another theory i have that involves her completing her training is that, as Dany prepares to travel west, perhaps she does something to cross Illyrio, or maybe, since Aegon is beginning his attempt to conquer westeros, Illyrio decides he no longer needs Dany. Illyrio is insanely rich, enough to be able to hire a faceless man, and since Dany has a place in her heart for children, he chooses the only faceless young girl, and Arya seeks out Dany with the intent of killing her, perhaps even killing missandei and taking her place, or one of the cupbearer hostages. It is my hope that Arya will come to love Dany and join her, but you never know with GRRM

Maybe it was something I missed in aDWD, but didn't varys and Illyrio conspire and go to a lot of trouble to get Dany to the point where she could come to Westeros with an army at her back and claim what is rightfully hers? Has there been anything that ould lead you to beleive that this isn't still the case?

 

[The Imp]

I think the part about Jaqen's god is interesting. Now I might be completely wrong here, but I had thought (or maybe presumed) that R'hllor was Jaquen's god. Is that correct, does anyone know? I might be getting confused because Arya pulled them out a fire and that's why I made the connection (can't check cos I've loaned out my books). If it is R'hllor, do you think that all Faceless Men worship the Red God, or is this a personal quirk of Jaqen's? In other words, do you think the Faceless Men are officially connected to R'hllor?

i'm almost 100% positive that Jaqan worshipped the Many-Faced god (all Gods), not just R'hllor.

On the issue of Arya's training, I kind of think of it as a more subtle form of the military recruitment programs, where they more or less beat you down then remake you their way (OK that's a little extreme way to put it, but you know what I mean). I imagine Arya continuing with the training, but then having to take some final test, which she will fail because she cannot put her "Starkness" behind her. I envisage her returning to Westeros after that and putting her new skills to good use (i.e. The List!)

I've always felt it was more than coincidental that Arya just "happened" to meet a Faceless Man who was captive despite having the skills to be free whenever he wanted. I question how he could have even been captured in the first place. I suppose that one could make the argument that a Faceless Man is not allowed to kill unlless "called" to do so by the Many-Faced God, which might make it hard to escape from captors unless his very life was being threatened. I just can't beleive that Jaqan could be captured by the bumbling oafs in King's Landing. I think his presence in KL is part of a greater plan which Arya is part of, and he manipulated her every step of the way.

 

[Jaqen H'gar]

they went through alot to get a TARGARYEN on the throne. they were setting up aegon to marry dany, but aegon already invading westeros and the problems dany causes on slavers bay, maybe they will abandon her. after all, illyrio is involved in the slave trade

 

[viZion]

I suppose that one could make the argument that a Faceless Man is not allowed to kill unlless "called" to do so by the Many-Faced God, which might make it hard to escape from captors unless his very life was being threatened. I just can't beleive that Jaqan could be captured by the bumbling oafs in King's Landing. I think his presence in KL is part of a greater plan which Arya is part of, and he manipulated her every step of the way.

Actually I think you make a very good point here. Jaqen didn't do any killing until he "owed" three lives to the Many-Faced God. I'm working from memory here but I believe he told her he wouldn't help her kill anymore than the three lives he owed her. He was refusing to help her escape from Harrenhal because it meant killing more people and that would have been more than three (at the time he only owed her one more life). It wasn't until she named Jaqen as the third life did he relent and kill more people. His life was threatened (like you pointed out) and so he was able to do what he had to do to save himself, and in the process save Arya as well.

I don't think there's a greater plan. I think it really was a coincidence that she crossed paths with Jaqen. So why did he give her that coin and set her on the path to becoming a Faceless Man? Because he saw something in her that he thought would make a good assassin. She obviously isn't afraid to send people to their deaths. She also shows she's very clever and can think outside the box when she tricks him into helping her escape by naming him as the third victim. He also knows she's lost her father and really wasn't especially close to anyone else in her family. She's also shown compassion and fairness by saving Jaqen, Rorge, and Biter from the fire. These are all good qualities to have in an assassin of the Many-Faced God. He basically decides to recruit her. Even then he doesn't push her to go into training. He just gives her that option and she can choose it if she wants and no harm done if she doesn't choose it.

Why was he caught? Well, Faceless Men aren't invincible although I think we assume they are. Maybe it was his mission to kill someone in that dungeon. Who knows? But once "captured" he couldn't go around killing people to get out because you that's not allowed. That's not how you please the Many-Faced God. Why didn't he free himself from the back of the wagon when it was on fire? Again, he's not invincible and they've taken his weapons and bound him up. If Arya doesn't save him there then he probably dies right there.

I apologize if I've gotten some small details wrong here. But I think my points remain.

 

[The Imp]

Actually I think you make a very good point here. Jaqen didn't do any killing until he "owed" three lives to the Many-Faced God. I'm working from memory here but I believe he told her he wouldn't help her kill anymore than the three lives he owed her. He was refusing to help her escape from Harrenhal because it meant killing more people and that would have been more than three (at the time he only owed her one more life). It wasn't until she named Jaqen as the third life did he relent and kill more people. His life was threatened (like you pointed out) and so he was able to do what he had to do to save himself, and in the process save Arya as well.

I don't think there's a greater plan. I think it really was a coincidence that she crossed paths with Jaqen. So why did he give her that coin and set her on the path to becoming a Faceless Man? Because he saw something in her that he thought would make a good assassin. She obviously isn't afraid to send people to their deaths. She also shows she's very clever and can think outside the box when she tricks him into helping her escape by naming him as the third victim. He also knows she's lost her father and really wasn't especially close to anyone else in her family. She's also shown compassion and fairness by saving Jaqen, Rorge, and Biter from the fire. These are all good qualities to have in an assassin of the Many-Faced God. He basically decides to recruit her. Even then he doesn't push her to go into training. He just gives her that option and she can choose it if she wants and no harm done if she doesn't choose it.

Why was he caught? Well, Faceless Men aren't invincible although I think we assume they are. Maybe it was his mission to kill someone in that dungeon. Who knows? But once "captured" he couldn't go around killing people to get out because you that's not allowed. That's not how you please the Many-Faced God. Why didn't he free himself from the back of the wagon when it was on fire? Again, he's not invincible and they've taken his weapons and bound him up. If Arya doesn't save him there then he probably dies right there.

I apologize if I've gotten some small details wrong here. But I think my points remain.

your details seem to be spot on, and I agree, although it wouldn't shock me to find out that it was planned.

 

[viZion]

your details seem to be spot on, and I agree, although it wouldn't shock me to find out that it was planned.

I can't even begin to wrap my mind what it would mean if it was all planned. Even if it were loosely planned it would be amazing. To me, Arya definitely has the most interesting storyline and the most interesting questions to be answered.