Arya Stark

**Arya Stark** is the third child and second daughter of Lord Eddard Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark. A member of House Stark, she has four siblings: brothers Robb, Bran, Rickon and older sister Sansa.

Like some of her siblings, Arya sometimes dreams that she is a direwolf. Her own direwolf is Nymeria, who is named in reference to the Rhoynar warrior-queen of the same name.

## **Appearance and Character:**

Arya's appearance is more Stark than Tully, with a long face, grey eyes, and brown hair. She is skinny and athletic. She is generally regarded as plain and was often mistaken for a boy when she was younger. However, there are instances of her being called pretty and compared to her beautiful aunt, Lyanna Stark, when her aunt was younger.

Arya is a spirited girl interested in fighting and exploration, unlike her older sister, Sansa. Arya wants to learn how to fight with a sword and ride in tourneys, to the horror of Sansa, who enjoys the more traditional pursuits of a noblewoman. Arya is particularly close to her cousin, Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, who encourages her martial pursuits. She is said to take after the fiery Lyanna in temperament.

Arya is left-handed, quick, and dexterous. She received a noble's education from Maester Luwin at Winterfell and is said to be good with mathematics and an excellent horse rider. She knows at least a bit of High Valyrian.

Arya is a fiercely independent child who is unconstrained by social expectations like gender roles, courtly virtues, class distinctions, and the expectations of her parents and siblings. A tomboy, she never aspired to be a "proper lady" as her older sister Sansa did.

Arya is full of life, and she makes others smile just by virtue of her spirited indifference to rules.

She is very loyal to her family, she cares for them deeply, even Sansa who she has very little in common with and even they argue a lot they both truly care for each other. She is very close with her cousin Jon, the Prince very openly training Arya with a sword, even helping persuade her father Lord Eddard Stark to get her, her own personal instructor and trainer, a man from Braavos called Syrio Forel.

Arya rejects the notion that she must become a lady and marry for influence and power. Instead, she believes that she can forge her own destiny. She is fascinated by warfare and training in the use of arms, and is bored by embroidery and other "lady-like" pursuits.

## **History:**

Born at Winterfell, Arya is the youngest daughter and third child of Lord Eddard Stark, the head of House Stark and Warden of The North, and Lady Catelyn Stark. Arya has an older sister, Sansa, an older brother, Robb, and two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon.

Arya has spent her entire life at Winterfell, though she did accompany her father on two occasions to White Harbor. Arya has been tutored by Septa Mordane in the womanly arts (including needlework), and received lessons from Maester Luwin as well. Arya was also taught to ride a horse.

Lord Eddard often eats in the same hall as his staff, and always keeps a seat next to him reserved, inviting a different servant or advisor to dine with him each night. Arya loves listening to their stories.

During his time in Winterfell, Arya's cousin, Prince Jaehaerys, or 'Jon' as he was known in The North, had Mikken make a sword for her, she named it Needle. Jon often trained with her, but he decided with his Kingsguard, Ser Oswell Whent, that she would be better off with a different style of fighting than Jon or Ser Oswell would be able to provide. So Jon was able to somehow convince Lord Eddard Stark, to send for a man named Syrio Forel, from King's Landing to teach Arya a style of fighting from Braavos known as 'Water Dancing'. He was able to convince him and it wasn't long until Syrio Forel was in Winterfell teaching Arya.

When her brothers Robb and Jon find six direwolf pups, Arya adopts one of them, whom she names Nymeria, in reference to the Rhoynish warrior-queen of the same name.