In a show teeming with fascinating characters, Arya Stark stands out as Game of Thrones' truest wild card. No, she is not vying for the highly coveted Iron Throne, but Arya has systematically turned herself into a dangerous weapon over the course of six seasons. As a result, there are perhaps more Game of Thrones theories about Arya than any other character — including the theory magnet that is Jon Snow.
Having Arya miraculously survive severe stab wounds, murder the Waif, and declare to the Faceless Men she was Arya Stark, not no one, has only kicked the Arya theory machine into higher gear. After two seasons of training with Jaqen H'ghar to become an assassin with no name, is Arya really leaving Braavos so easily? Many fans are betting there is more to Arya's story than the writers are letting on. Do the Faceless Men still have plans for Arya? What is going to happen when Arya meets Melisandre again? And, most worrying of all, did Arya really survive her fight with the Waif?
The Internet is dark and full of theories, my friends, and even if just one of them is right, everything you think you know about Arya could be upended at any moment.
The Faceless Men Always Wanted Arya To Return To Westeros
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Wlaschiha, better known as Jaqen H'ghar, speculated the Faceless Men never intended for Arya to truly become one of them. Instead, their aim was to train Arya and get her back to Westeros to act as their agent there. Why would the Faceless Men need an agent on the ground in Westeros? Wlaschiha is not sure, but he he does not think it was an accident that Arya and Jaqen met back in Season 2.
"Unless all of that was really selfless on his part, I think the Faceless Men want to have some sort of influence on what's happening in Westeros, and Arya being their weapon," Wlaschiha told The Hollywood Reporter. If he is right, then the Faceless Men could still have a major role to play in the game of thrones going down in Westeros.
Arya Is Going To Kill Melisandre
In light of the current state of Arya affairs, Reddit user Rose_Killed_Jack shared the Season 3 scene featuring Arya's fateful meeting with Melisandre and invited fans to weigh in on what Melisandre's promise that she would meet Arya again means. In case you need a refresher, Melisandre told Arya, "I see a darkness in you and in that darkness, eyes staring back at me — brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes. Eyes you will shut forever. We will meet again."
Now there are a ton of theories attached to Melisandre's prophecy, including Melisandre seeing Arya kill her way through her hit list and possibly even joining the fight against the White Walkers (they are rocking steely blue eyes, after all). Given the look on Melisandre's face, it also seems entirely possible Arya is going to be the one to kill the ancient Red Woman. Since Melisandre brought Jon back from the dead, it seems odd to think Arya would be the one who would kill Melisandre, but who knows what will happen between now and the time Arya and Melisandre's paths cross again.
The Waif Succeeded In Murdering Arya
If Game of Thrones truly wants to break hearts, then Wired writer Charlie Jane Anders' Arya theory is the only way to go. After Arya survived multiple stab wounds, leaping out of a window, and falling down a ton of stairs only to swagger back into the House of Black and White without so much as a limp to declare she was not no one and she had killed the Waif, fans have been questioning the logistics. How could Arya, who could barely stand, not only win her fight with the Waif, but also seemingly rebound from serious wounds and blood loss so quickly?
Anders suggests Arya didn't survive at all. The person who returned to the House of Black and White is the Waif wearing Arya's face. After all, the Waif has been training too, so perhaps by killing Arya she passed her test and now she can infiltrate the world of Westeros as Arya Stark — someone the Waif spent a whole lot of time learning about.
Even the Waif actress Faye Marsay told The Hollywood Reporter, "It would have been amazing to do a final fight scene, but the creators of this show are so good at making people second-guess things." Did the writers leave out the battle between the Waif and Arya so they could pull the ultimate long con on the viewers later? If anyone needs me, I will be over here sobbing over this theory.
Arya Is Going To Serve Up Vengeance To The Freys
Over at Moviepilot, Jack Carr has an Arya theory bound to make everyone who hates the Freys happy (and after the Red Wedding, that's pretty much everyone, right?). The Season 6 trailers released before the start of the season revealed Walder Frey hosting a dinner party, but his festivities have yet to be shown. Now that Jaime has retaken Riverrun for Frey and his brood, the old guy has a good reason to celebrate, and he also happens to be at the top of Arya's hit list.
Now that Arya has reclaimed her identity, it is time for her to get down to business, and it would be all too fitting if she slipped into Walder's party and managed to take out his entire clan, including a few Lannister soldiers for good measure. A girl is going to make him pay for the death of her brother and mother.
Arya Is The Show's Lady Stoneheart
The time for the book's Lady Stoneheart to enter the story has come and gone, but that does not mean there will be no agent of vengeance roaming the Riverlands. Arya did not die in Braavos, but she was both stabbed and fell into the water, as PopSugar points out. It's not exactly how Lady Stoneheart is born in the books, but the parallels are close enough.
Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner played a game of two truths and a lie with Yahoo, and among their possible truths were Lady Stoneheart returns and Arya crosses three more names off her list. With The Hound joining the Brotherhood Without Banners, Arya could be stepping into her mother's undead shoes as the leader of the group and reuniting with the man she left for dead in the process.
Will any of these Arya theories come true? You never know when it comes to Game of Thrones, but one thing is certain, there is still a whole lot of story left in Arya Stark.
Images: HBO; Giphy (5)
