Could Game of Thrones Season 6 become the season of Stark reunions? There's a strong possibility that Arya and Sansa could meet again on Game of Thrones since Arya finally proved that she is not "no one" to Jaqen H'ghar — she is Arya Stark of Winterfell. In the appropriately-titled June 12 episode, "No One," Arya decided her time as an assassin for the Faceless Men in Braavos was over and it was time to head back home. This realization could not have come at a better time since Sansa Stark is in the North of Westeros, planning her campaign to take back Winterfell from Ramsay Bolton. Considering that Game of Thrones already had Jon Snow and Sansa reunite in Season 6, would the show really double down and have Arya join back up with the Stark gang? Could I even emotionally handle that much happiness happening on the typically thoroughly depressing Game of Thrones?
Not only did Arya survive after being stabbed by the Waif who served the Many-Faced God, she killed the Waif herself. This seemed to not only earn her respect from Jaqen H'ghar, but also to free her from any future service to the blood-thirsty God. While Arya told Lady Crane (RIP) earlier in the episode that she wanted to discover what is west of Westeros, encountering the Waif again inspired her to embrace her identity and return home to Winterfell. While my heart is so full of happiness now that Arya is back to her normal Stark self (special shout-out to the theater of Braavos for their assistance in this matter), I know there is much to dread since things at Winterfell are far from peaceful.
Although Arya's return to Winterfell could set up the show for a huge Stark reunion, with Jon, Sansa, Rickon, and Arya all being in the same location, the June 19 episode of Game of Thrones is entitled "The Battle of the Bastards." The previews for the episode show that Jon will be having a massive showdown with Ramsay Bolton to take back Winterfell and there's a chance that one of the Stark siblings could die before Arya even gets home — and that sibling could be Sansa. Sansa and Arya last saw each other in King's Landing before their father was killed, and it would be a devastating, but not surprising, move for the show to kill Sansa right before Arya arrives at Winterfell. Yet, since the series pretty much pulled that exact move with Arya and the Red Wedding since she showed up moments after her family was massacred, I'm feeling optimistic that Arya could return to a Stark-run Winterfell.
However, I mustn't forget how traveling long distances works on Game of Thrones. Traveling by boat and horse is arduous and Arya's path has already been derailed a number of times on the series. But I still can't help but be excited that Arya wants to return to Winterfell right when Sansa is attempting to secure their home again. The stars are in alignment and I hope there is a Stark sister reunion on the horizon.
Image: HBO
