Arya, Jaqan, and The Waif

[The Imp]

Jagan has been manipulating Arya since they first met. We know that he turned her into no one because she drank the "water' and didnt die. 'If a girl is truly no one,' he said,, 'a girl has nothing to fear.' She was able to drink, and instead of dying her eyesight was restored.

It's what he does afterwards that I find so interesting. He sends her to see a play that is guaranteed to turn her back into Arya Stark again. I don't think it was a test, because I now believe that he thinks Arya will never fully be broken. He can tame her, and maybe turn her into no one for a while, but I think he knows dead somewhere inside her incredibly strong personality is waiting to come out.

So, if he sent her to the play knowing that she would turn back into Arya Stark and ultimately fail in her mission. He knew Arya would never kill unless she felt morally justified to do so based on her own internal code, and that she would fail the test.

This leads me to believe that it wasn't a test at all, but rather a manipulation which would allow Arya to pass the real final test which I think will be her confrontation with The Waif. I think that The Waif could be Syrio, but that's a crackpot theory for another discussion. I think if she kills The Waif she will have passed her final test and her reward will be the opportunity to kill the names on her list. The list that has been the prayer to the many-faced god. The prayer that she has said every night for years now, and a list thatJaqan is aware of. I also think he knows about Needle, and that also plays into the idea that he knew that she would never truly give up Arya for any extended period of time.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, no pun intended, and I think that Arya will be heading to Westeros sooner rather than later, and that Cersei's days are numbered.

 

[The Imp]

I can't seem to be able to edit.

That should have read that he sent her to see a play guaranteed to make her become/remember Arya Stark again.

 

[Dan Jones]

I think that The Waif could be Syrio

Nah, The Waif hasn't got the legs for it!

Other than that, good theory. But I still invoke Occam's Razor - the simplest explanation is probably the right one. And the simplest one is that Arya is chased out of Braavos by the FM as per the trailer after botching her training. I have to say your theory would be more satisfying from a character and plot perspective but I fear it won't prove to be the one the show goes with.

But we shall see...

 

[The Imp]

Nah, The Waif hasn't got the legs for it!

Other than that, good theory. But I still invoke Occam's Razor - the simplest explanation is probably the right one. And the simplest one is that Arya is chased out of Braavos by the FM as per the trailer after botching her training. I have to say your theory would be more satisfying from a character and plot perspective but I fear it won't prove to be the one the show goes with.

But we shall see...

I'm not sure that I agree with you premise that Occam's Razor can be used. I didn't see the trailer, but those can often be intentionally misleading.

Having said that, I agree that my theory is probably very unlikely, but it's great fun coming up with these even if many of them don't pan out.

 

[Keldaris]

I was actually considering the opposite, Arya is a test for the Waif! The Waif has shown Arya nothing but thinly veiled contempt and has a clear desire to kill her, to the point of making Jaqen promise her that she could be the one to carry out the execution.

Now, if a girl is truly no one then she shouldn't care who carries out the execution. She wouldn't be smiling while she taunts and beats a blind Arya in the streets. She wouldn't have rolled into Arya's room for a spontaneous round of the "Game of Faces", While going on about how Arya "Walked in here with a coin you never earned,whose value you do not respect". The coin I'ld like to point out was given to Arya by Jaqen,who is clearly The Waif's superior.

The Waif was being judgmental from day one. Jaqen had deemed a girl worthy of receiving that coin, but The Waif clearly disagrees. I feel that this dislike of Arya is rooted in jealousy. Arya arrived with a coin that the Waif has yet to earn. The Waif has most likely been in the House of Black and White for a few years. It takes years of study to be a Maester, Years of study and devotion to become a septon, years of apprenticeship to be a blacksmith, why would being an acolyte of the Many Faced God be any different? I don't think The Waif has actually finished her training, training a new acolyte was most likely her final test, and by making it personal she has failed.

 

[svalbard]

I was actually considering the opposite, Arya is a test for the Waif! The Waif has shown Arya nothing but thinly veiled contempt and has a clear desire to kill her, to the point of making Jaqen promise her that she could be the one to carry out the execution.

Now, if a girl is truly no one then she shouldn't care who carries out the execution. She wouldn't be smiling while she taunts and beats a blind Arya in the streets. She wouldn't have rolled into Arya's room for a spontaneous round of the "Game of Faces", While going on about how Arya "Walked in here with a coin you never earned,whose value you do not respect". The coin I'ld like to point out was given to Arya by Jaqen,who is clearly The Waif's superior.

The Waif was being judgmental from day one. Jaqen had deemed a girl worthy of receiving that coin, but The Waif clearly disagrees. I feel that this dislike of Arya is rooted in jealousy. Arya arrived with a coin that the Waif has yet to earn. The Waif has most likely been in the House of Black and White for a few years. It takes years of study to be a Maester, Years of study and devotion to become a septon, years of apprenticeship to be a blacksmith, why would being an acolyte of the Many Faced God be any different? I don't think The Waif has actually finished her training, training a new acolyte was most likely her final test, and by making it personal she has failed.

I am with you on the Arya is the Waif's test. Class politics might be the reason the Waif hates Arya so much. The Waif sees this scion of a noble house attract so attention from Jaqen, which must play on her own insecurities. Although as I mentioned on another thread I also believe it is a double test.

I also agree with The Imp. It is fun to speculate.

 

[Koopa]

Anyone else think Arya's blood looked suspiciously fake during today's episode?

 

[Keldaris]

Anyone else think Arya's blood looked suspiciously fake during today's episode?

The whole scene felt off. She wasn't carrying needle. Where did she get all that money? Even the way she walked with her hands behind her back seemed odd...

The waif once again, cruel and spiteful. Slashing and stabbing the gut instead of the neck/heart/lungs, twisting the blade. She wanted Arya to suffer. Personal feelings once again comeing into play, feeding my theory that The Waif herself has yet to truly become no one.

 

[The Imp]

This is my new theory.

I think that wasn't Arya who got stabbed. Longish post to follow.

Arya is unable to let the actress drink the poison [which she poured using her left hand]
Arya knows that The Waif will be coming for her.

Arya gets Needle from its hiding place.

Jaqan asks The Waif what happened

'As I expected,' says The Waif. What she should have said was 'As a girl expected'

'Shame, a girl had many gifts' says Jaqan

'You promised me' replied The Waif [she should have said 'you promised a girl']

Jaqan had to have noticed that she twice didn't say 'a girl'
He notices EVERYTHING.

'Don't let her suffer' says Jaqan.
[This will be the test for The Waif, as Jaqan set Arya up to fail the poisoning of the actress by turning her into no one and then making her relive Arya's worst memory, turning her back into Arya again. I think he needs her to be both none AND Arya]

The Waif nods in reply, then she turns and starts walking away, a smile of satisfaction appearing on her face.

Cut to Arya who is at the dead end of a long and dark stone hallway. She takes out Needle with her left hand [since she is left handed] sits down, looks in the direction of the entrance, blows out the candle, and waits for The Waif.

Arya talks to the captain of a ship. She twice throws him a bag of coins, both times with her right hand. All of her speech patterns in the conversation with the captain were very much unlike the real Arya.

She leaves, walking with her hands behind her back, something we have never seen her do. She does not have Needle with her. She stops in the middle of a small bridge and looks into the water, seemingly oblivious to the idea that The Waif is coming for her. She may as well have gone to The House of Black and White and surrendered.

An old crone appears, smiling and saying 'sweet girl'. Arya turns to her and has a look of utter surprise on her face when the old crone pulls out a knife and slashes her across the stomach. She then turns her around, stabs her once in the stomach, then stabs her again, this time twisting the knife to inflict more pain. Instead of going for a quick and merciful kill she chose to inflict as much pain as she could on Arya.The old crone removes her face and reveals herself to be The Waif.

The Waif failed the 'Don't let her suffer' test, and Jaqan knows this because he is Arya.

The Waif now thinks Arya is dead. She won't be expecting anything when Arya ultimately comes for her.

It's unclear if Jaqan can survive. Perhaps he will find Arya, he will tell her to kill The Waif, and then Arya gives him the gift that she couldn't give Sandor.

 

[viZion]

Actually came here to post this exact theory but you beat me to it. The only thing I can add is that I think Jaqen sacrificed himself because he still owed his life to Arya from back when she told him to kill himself at Harrenhall. He's all about making sure the Many Faced God gets His.

 

[The Imp]

Actually came here to post this exact theory but you beat me to it. The only thing I can add is that I think Jaqen sacrificed himself because he still owed his life to Arya from back when she told him to kill himself at Harrenhall. He's all about making sure the Many Faced God gets His.

Wouldn't he have paid that off long ago?

 

[The Imp]

Wouldn't he have paid that off long ago?

Arya did originally name Jaqan. Also, wasnt at leasr one person killed as they were escaping Harrenhal?

 

[viZion]

Wouldn't he have paid that off long ago?

It's the only motive I can think of. He killed more than one life in "exchange" for his at Harrenhall but I still think he feels like he owes his own life to his god. Arya was just following the rules he stipulated and he seems like the kind of guy that would pay that back with his own life as she requested.

 

[Dan Jones]

It's an elegant theory, and looks watertight. Assuming this is true, I'm just wondering why Jaqen booked passage to Westeros for Arya? Just a ruse to lure the Waif in, or will he dispatch Arya with a mission to kill some people in Westeros, let's say Cersei? If so, who will have made the request of the Many Faced God? Arya herself?

And why would Jaqen reprieve Arya for failing to become No-one, but not the Waif?

So many questions...

 

[viZion]

Assuming this is true, I'm just wondering why Jaqen booked passage to Westeros for Arya? Just a ruse to lure the Waif in, or will he dispatch Arya with a mission to kill some people in Westeros, let's say Cersei? If so, who will have made the request of the Many Faced God? Arya herself?

And why would Jaqen reprieve Arya for failing to become No-one, but not the Waif?

So many questions...

My guess is that Arya's training isn't really over. This whole thing might have been a test for the Waif as well as Arya. The Waif has hated Arya since she arrived which means she isn't exactly "no one" as well. The Waif has made it personal since the beginning and probably doesn't even realize it herself. I think this is demonstrated in Imp's theory when she uses "me" and "I". She's actually been the poorer assassin all along.

Why does Jaqen think she makes a poor assassin? I think you answered that in your questions. Arya acts *totally* out of character by wandering around Braavos like there isn't a guild of assassins intent on murdering her, throwing around bags of money, booking a cabin she doesn't need or want for travel, trusting an old woman on a bridge, etc. If the Waif didn't have personal feelings of hatred towards Arya she would have noticed these details when she was stalking Arya before attacking her. And then she disobeyed orders by trying to make Arya suffer which makes the attack even more personal.

I think the whole "become no one" part of the training is a little bit overblown. Arya may not be "no one" because she can't let go of her Stark self but at least she understands herself and her own motivations. She's impulsive and rough around the edges but she can think for herself and that makes her dangerous. She is no one's servant. She's certainly got more of what it takes be an assassin than the Waif who was so blinded by her own hatred for Arya that she didn't even catch huge clues that that wasn't the real Arya.

 

[Keldaris]

I think this is demonstrated in Imp's theory when she uses "me" and "I". She's actually been the poorer assassin all along.

Except Jaqen himself uses "I" and "Me" at times, watch the scenes of him and Arya in Harrenhal. He does it a few times. Then again he also speaks of the "Red God" when he gives her the coin, so maybe it's just lazy writing...

 

[Ed Ryder]

Surely only Arya can be Arya though, as they need a face from the halls to disguise themselves?

 

[viZion]

Surely only Arya can be Arya though, as they need a face from the halls to disguise themselves?

This is true in the books (I think) but in the TV show Jaqen has already shown he can disguise himself as people who are still alive. Remember when Arya was pulling off all of his faces and her own face was one of the ones she pulled off? The TV show has different rules apparently.

 

[The Imp]

More on Arya not being the one who was stabbed

I've watched the season 5 episode 10 sequence with Arya, Jaqen and The Waif a number of times

Arya comes back from killing Trant

Arya is confronted by Jaqen and The Waif.

Jaqen is wearing his Faceless Man robe. The Waif and Arya are wearing the same acolyte outfit.
Jaqen tells Arya that she has taken a life, the wrong life. She has stolen from The Many Faced God and says that only death can pay for life

The Waif grabs Arya and brings her over to Jaqen.

Jaqen has a vial of poison in his hand while The Waif is holding Arya's jaw

Instead of giving the poison to Arya he takes it himself and dies.
The Waif asks Arya why she is crying. Arya says he was my friend. The Waif says no he wasn't, didn't you listen to him and then JAQEN says he was no one, as a girl should have been.

Arya turns around and The Waif has become Jaqen, but wearing the same acolyte outfit that The Waif had been wearing. Jaqen is full sized, taller and wider than The Waif had been.

Arya starts peeling off faces from dead Jaqen, removing 6 faces until she finally comes upon her own. Jaqen had worn her face
We learned from this that-
A FM will/can change size depending on the face they are wearing. It must be a glamor.

Jaqen has worn Arya's face at some point. He could definitely have been 'Arya' standing on the bridge waiting to be attacked by The Waif.

Anyone who is no one can be Jaqen, and there have been at least 2 Jaqens that we know of.
Also we know that there is an unfulfilled contract still out on Lady Crane, so.......

I think there might be 2 Arya's now. The real one who i think will find The Waif and hopefully kill her, and the Jaqen/Arya who will find Lady Crane and kill her (maybe). I think it totally doesn't matter to the FM if they die on the service of TMFG. We've already seen Jaqen die. Another no one would die to fulfill the contract, or so it seems

 

[Koopa]

face-shifting is starting to make things confusing