Arya Stark

"*You know who I am. I'm Arya Stark. Do you know who you are? You're no one. You're nothing.*"
―Arya Stark to Meryn Trant[src]
**Arya Stark** is a character on HBO's *Game of Thrones*. She débuts in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Maisie Williams.

## History

### Early Life

Arya Stark is the youngest daughter and third child of Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard Stark. Eddard is the head of House Stark and Lord Paramount of the North. The North is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Stark is one of the Great Houses of the realm. House Stark rules the region from their seat of Winterfell and Eddard also holds the title Lord of Winterfell. He is also the Warden of the North to King Robert Baratheon.

Arya was born and raised at Winterfell. She has an older sister, Sansa Stark. She also has an older brother, Robb, two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon and a bastard half-brother, Jon Snow.

Arya rejects the notion that she must become a lady and marry for influence and power, feeling 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. She takes after her father and has a quarrelsome relationship with her sister Sansa, due to their contrasting interests and personalities. She is close to her half-brother Jon, who is also something of an outcast.

### Lannisters

Arya is being taught how to sew by Septa Mordane, but finds the exercise tedious. She looks on enviously as Bran, Jon, and Robb practice archery in the courtyard with their father. She grabs a bow and annoys Bran by out-shooting him.

On King Robert's visit to Winterfell, Arya rushes out to see the arrival of his entourage. She is scolded when she finally joins the receiving line in the courtyard, and then is overheard by Queen Cersei Lannister asking where's the "Imp", a reference to Tyrion Lannister. Later that evening at the feast, she tests her mother's patience by misbehaving and throwing food at her sister, Sansa. As punishment, Robb sends her to bed early. Robert names Arya's father Eddard Stark as his Hand of the King, Joffrey is betrothed to Sansa, and Eddard decides to take his daughters with him to King's Landing to experience the court. Before leaving, Arya receives a pet direwolf, one of several pups found by her brothers outside the castle, and names her Nymeria, after a great warrior-queen of Essos. She also receives a sword as a gift from Jon. She names it Needle, as a play on words that she may now enjoy doing "needlework."

While journeying south on the Kingsroad, she practices her swordplay with Mycah, the son of the butcher in the King's retinue whom she befriends. When Sansa and her betrothed, Prince Joffrey Baratheon, spot them fighting, Joffrey intervenes. He accuses Mycah of pretending to be a knight and threatens him for striking Arya. Ignoring their protests, he cuts Mycah and threatens Arya when she attacks him to defend Mycah. As Joffrey menaces her with a sword, Nymeria savages Joffrey, injuring his arm, allowing Mycah to flee and Arya to throw Joffrey's sword in the river. Arya runs away and drives Nymeria off with rocks so that she won't be punished. Arya is eventually found and questioned. Arya is truthful but Sansa lies about the incident, saying she didn't see what happened, but generally supporting Joffrey. Queen Cersei, as they don't have Arya's wolf Nymeria, the one who actually bit Joffrey, has King Robert Baratheon order Sansa's direwolf Lady executed. Mycah is murdered by Joffrey's bodyguard The Hound.

After reaching King's Landing, Arya argues incessantly with Sansa over the incident, to her father's despair. Eddard tries to make Arya understand that Sansa could not contradict her future husband. Arya is disgusted that Eddard thinks such an excuse is acceptable and questions why he would betroth Sansa to someone like Joffrey. Eddard discovers Needle when he comes to Arya's room to talk to her while she is practicing. When he realizes she is serious about learning, he hires Syrio Forel, a master sword-fighter who was formerly the First Sword of Braavos, to train Arya in the art of combat. Eddard is bemused to find that Syrio's training regime includes having Arya balance on her tiptoes for hours at a time and chasing cats around their new residence in the Red Keep to learn agility. Arya and her father discuss how Bran cannot be a knight now that he is paralyzed below the waist, but he can be lord of a holdfast, or sit on the King's council. When Arya asks if she can as well, Eddard laughs and says that someday she will marry a powerful lord and have children who can be lords or even king and rule the land. Arya matter-of-factly replies that this is not her destiny.

Arya watches the Hand's tournament along with Septa Mordane and Sansa. She asks Littlefinger how he got his nickname, to his amusement. Arya later resumes her cat-chasing training exercise and finds her way into the dungeons under the Red Keep, where she sees the dragon skulls that used to decorate the Great Hall of the Iron Throne. She overhears Varys and Illyrio Mopatis plotting about the likelihood of future war between the Starks and Lannisters and the possible timing of Khal Drogo bringing his army across the Narrow Sea with the Targaryen exiles. Following them, Arya finds a passage out of the castle and then must confront and threaten the castle guards in order to get back in. Her father is angry, as he has had people looking for her. She tries to tell him about the conspirators she overheard, but cannot identify them and has forgotten most of the details, other than "the wolf and the lion" (the Starks and Lannisters) fighting each other. Eddard introduces her as his daughter to Yoren, a recruiter for the Night's Watch. Disheveled and unclean, Arya is at first mistaken by him as a boy, to her annoyance.

Arya is distracted from her training exercises by news of Jory's death and her father's injury while fighting Jaime Lannister. Syrio teaches her how to ignore her troubles to focus on fighting. Later, Eddard Stark brings his daughters together to tell them he is sending them back to Winterfell. Sansa and Arya are both upset. Arya doesn't want to leave Syrio's training. Sansa is incensed, feeling that losing a dancing instructor is nothing compared to breaking her betrothal to Joffrey. Lord Eddard says not to worry, he will choose another man for her to marry, one strong and gentle and brave. Sansa says she doesn't want someone like that; she wants Joffrey (to Arya's amusement). She wants to have his *blonde* babies, like Joffrey her "golden-haired lion". After the interjection "Seven hells", Arya asserts that he will be a stag like his father. Sansa replies that Joffrey is nothing like Robert. This prompts Eddard's sudden realization that Joffrey is not Robert's son and thus not the heir to the throne.

Eddard confronts Cersei, who admits that her children were fathered by her brother, Jaime Lannister. However, before Eddard can inform Robert, the King is mortally wounded by a boar while hunting and dies shortly afterwards. Cersei and Joffrey have Eddard arrested and send guards to take Arya into custody while she is training with Syrio. He realizes that Eddard would not send Lannister men for his daughter, and instructs Arya to flee while he faces down the guards himself. Armed only with a wooden sword, he disarms several of them and holds off one of the Kingsguard, Ser Meryn Trant. Syrio's fate after that is unknown. Arya goes first to the stable, where the men who were to take her and Sansa out of King's Landing were waiting with the baggage. The men have been killed, but she finds her sword "Needle" where she hid it in the bottom of her luggage. She is discovered by a stableboy who tries to stop her. As he comes at her, she raises her sword, and he is impaled and dies. Horrified, Arya runs away to find her way out of the castle. As a result of subsequent events, war breaks out between the forces of House Lannister and the forces loyal to House Stark, now under the leadership of Robb.

Arya lives on the streets of King's Landing, catching wild birds to feed herself. While trying to bargain for something to eat at a baker's stand, Arya notices crowds of people running to the city's center. She discovers that they are assembling to witness the trial of the Hand of the King. Dropping the pigeon she holds, Arya runs to the crowded square, and, to get a better view and see her father, she climbs on the pedestal of a statue of former Targaryen king Baelor (for whom the Sept is named). Eddard is brought out and pulled through the crowd. He spots Arya, and then, as he is taken past Yoren, the Night's Watch recruiter, he manages to signal in Arya's direction saying "Baelor", hoping Yoren can find Arya and take her to safety. As previously agreed with Joffrey and Cersei, Eddard confesses to treason, but instead of granting mercy, Joffrey reneges and orders his execution. Arya dashes forward, drawing her sword in an attempt to save her father. Yoren manages to grab her. Holding Arya against his chest, he tells her not to look. Before he is executed, Eddard looks to the statue of Baelor and sees that Arya is gone. Arya looks up at the sky. Upon seeing the frightened birds taking flight from the cheer of the crowd, Arya knows that her father is dead.

### On the Run

Yoren cuts her hair to make her look more like a boy and vows to get her to the Wall to reunite with Jon. She will pose as a fresh recruit for the Night's Watch. He tells her not to trust the others, as they could turn her in for a reward or possibly rape her, or both. When Arya joins the group, she is bullied by two boys, Hot Pie and Lommy Greenhands, but she defends herself and scares them off with Needle. Gendry, another recruit, also steps up to defend her. The entire group departs King's Landing, facing a journey of hundreds of miles through a warzone in order to get to the Wall.

Arya travels north on the Kingsroad with Yoren, posing as one of his Night's Watch recruits. She is drawn to one of the prisoners in the wagon, Jaqen H'ghar. Since he is a murderer from the black cells of the dungeons, where the worst criminals are kept in King's Landing, he will stay locked up in the cage until they reach the Wall. He asks for water, but the other two murderers, Rorge and Biter, threaten her, so she doesn't get it for him. She forms a bond with former blacksmith's apprentice Gendry who sees through her disguise. When Goldcloaks arrive from King's Landing with a warrant for one of the recruits, Arya fears that they are looking for her, but it is actually Gendry (who is unaware of his status as a royal bastard of Robert Baratheon). Yoren intimidates them into leaving empty handed. Arya confesses her identity to Gendry after he reveals being questioned by her father before leaving the capital.

Arya asks for Yoren's advice on living with the tragedies she has suffered, and he tells her the story of how thoughts of revenge resulted in his committing murder and having to join the Night's Watch. He became obsessed with Willam, the man who killed his brother, and recited his name over and over at night before he slept. Then when Willam returned to Yoren's village, Yoren killed him and had to flee his village. Losing his life and future, he had to take the black. Arya doesn't understand the point of the story: Yoren was trying to tell her not to be obsessed by thoughts of revenge as it will consume her, but Arya heard that she should chant the names of her enemies each night before she slept, almost like a prayer, until the day she can get revenge. The goldcloaks return, having enlisted the support of Ser Amory Lorch and Lannister men. Yoren dies heroically defending Gendry, but the recruits are overcome by the group. During the skirmish, a fire starts near the cage where Jaqen and his companions are being held. Arya saves them by risking the flames to give them an ax to help them get out. Polliver steals Needle from Arya. Arya convinces Ser Amory that he has killed Gendry because another recruit died while he was carrying Gendry's bull's head helm.

### Harrenhal

Ser Amory takes his captives to Harrenhal. Each day one of the prisoners is chosen by Ser Gregor Clegane to be systematically and brutally tortured by the Tickler. Arya begins a nightly recitation of the names of her enemies, adding the Mountain and Polliver to her list. Lord Tywin Lannister returns to the castle and halts the ordeal, shortly before Gendry is going to be killed. He criticizes Gregor for wasting manpower. He immediately realizes that Arya is a girl posing as a boy. She claims that it made it safer to travel. Tywin commends her intelligence and makes her his cupbearer.

Tywin hosts a war council, and Arya serves food and drink. She moves to pour wine but Tywin stops her, demanding water. He questions her origin, realizing that she is a northerner. He rejects Arya's first lie that she is from the Riverlands, but her second withstands his scrutiny. Upon being questioned about the northerners' opinions of her brother, Robb Stark, she repeats rumors that he has a supernatural link to his direwolf and that he is invulnerable. Tywin asks if she believes this and she replies "No, My Lord, anyone can be killed". She leaves to fetch water and encounters Jaqen, now a Lannister man-at-arms. Jaqen says that because she saved his life, and those of his two fellow prisoners, he owes her three deaths and offers to kill three people of her choosing. She first targets the Tickler. He is soon found dead in the courtyard. Arya notices Jaqen on the walkway above and he smiles and holds a single finger to his face to signify his responsibility.

Arya is afraid of being recognized when Petyr Baelish visits Lord Tywin, but he says nothing. Tywin catches her reading a letter detailing his troop movements and questions where she learned to read. She distracts him by asking about his own childhood and steals the letter. She is caught carrying it by Ser Amory. She manages to escape him and names him as her next victim to Jaqen. Jaqen kills him before he is able to expose the theft. Tywin believes that he was the intended victim and begins a brutal investigation, ordering the deaths of dozens of his own men. He tasks Ser Gregor with rooting out the Brotherhood Without Banners, believing that they are responsible for the assassination. Tywin talks to Arya about the importance of legacy and the destruction of Harrenhal in the Wars of Conquest. His suspicions are heightened by her own knowledge of history.

Tywin decides to leave Harrenhal to drive Robb's armies from the Westerlands. He names Gregor castellan and leaves Arya to serve him. Arya seeks out Jaqen, intending to name Tywin as her last target to protect Robb, but is unable to find him in time. When he returns from patrol she asks him to help her escape and he refuses, saying that it was not part of their arrangement. She gives Jaqen his own name in response, refusing to take it back unless he helps her. Jaqen kills several guards that night, allowing Arya to walk out of the castle with Gendry and Hot Pie.

### Escaping

As the trio begin their trek into the Riverlands, they are surprised by Jaqen, who seems to appear from nowhere. Arya approaches him alone and asks how he killed those men, expressing her desire to learn his assassination skills. He offers to take Arya to Braavos (home city of her "dancing" instructor Syrio Forel) to train with the Faceless Men. She declines, telling him that she needs to find her family first, including Sansa. Jaqen gives Arya a single coin, explaining that should she change her mind, she only needs to give the coin to any man from Braavos and recite the High Valyrian words "Valar Morghulis." Jaqen changes his face to that of another man and bids a stunned Arya farewell.

Arya, Hot Pie, and Gendry continue travelling to Riverrun. They are eventually captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners, who mistake them for war refugees. They are taken to a local inn where they are fed. Just as they are about to leave, Sandor Clegane is brought in as a captive. He then reveals Arya's true identity.

Hot Pie stays behind to work at the inn while Gendry and Arya are taken to the Commander of the Brotherhood at their hideout in the Riverlands. When Clegane is brought before Lord Beric, she accuses him of the murder of Mycah. During the trial by combat ordered by Beric, Arya heartily calls out for Clegane's death, but ultimately the Hound overpowers and kills Dondarrion, who is then resurrected by the Red Priest Thoros of Myr. As the victor, the Hound is declared innocent and released, much to Arya's disgust.

Later, Arya questions Gendry for repairing Dondarrion's armor and tries to get him to come with her and fight for her brother. Gendry says he's tired of serving lords and wishes to fight to protect the smallfolk and join the Brotherhood, in which all members are equal, comparing them to a family. Arya, sadly, chokes out she could be his family. Gendry gently points out that if he goes with her they'd never be family: he'd still be a commoner and Arya would be "m'lady".

As Thoros lays by a fire, Arya whispers her death list prayer. Thoros reveals they will take her to Riverrun to her family, in exchange for a reward for their cause. Arya points out she's being ransomed. Thoros admits it, and that Beric would like to return her to her family without any ransom out of respect for the memory of her father, but they need the gold. Beric joins them and points out he understands she's angry with him for releasing the Hound. Arya asks why he would release a man who nearly killed him, only for Dondarrion and Thoros to reveal Beric was actually killed but was resurrected by the Lord of Light, showing her the lethal injuries he's sustained at the hands of Lannister soldiers, including Gregor Clegane. Arya asks Thoros if he could resurrect a man without a head. Both men understand she's talking about her father and tell her they are not sure it would be possible. Beric then reveals that with each time he's been resurrected he's been losing memories and adds that Ned Stark was a good man whom he admired, but he wouldn't wish his life upon Ned. Arya answers that she would, for he would at least be alive.

Anguy trains Arya with a bow. Arya spots someone behind her target, which is revealed to be Melisandre and a small group of Stannis Baratheon's men. Melisandre says the Brotherhood has someone the Lord of Light needs, and soon after has her men take Gendry into her custody. Arya protests, particularly when she sees that Melisandre has given the Brotherhood two heavy sacks of gold in exchange. She confronts the red priestess, calling her a witch. Melisandre ignores the barb and looks into Arya's eyes. She sees many other eyes, of many other colors - eyes that Arya will shut forever. Before leaving, she tells Arya that they will meet again.

Later at the hideout, Arya is disillusioned with the Brotherhood for selling Gendry, and rejects Dondarrion's argument that it was the will of the one true god, revealing the only one true god she believes in is Death. When Dondarrion decides to postpone delivering Arya to Riverrun to raid a group of Lannister soldiers for their armor and weapons, Arya angrily calls them out on their hypocrisy and runs away, hoping the Lannister soldiers will kill them all. She evades the Brotherhood but before she gets too far, she is kidnapped by Sandor Clegane, who was lying in wait for her.

### "The Hound"

Some time later, now a captive of the Hound, Arya picks up a rock and stands over the Hound planning to strike. She thinks he is sound asleep, but he opens his eyes and tells her she has one chance to hit him and kill him, because if she fails, he will break her hands. Later she sits on the horse with him sullen and refusing food he offers her. Sandor points out that for all she hates him, Arya could have been taken captive by far worse. He tells her the story of Sansa and how he rescued her from the mob, men who were going to rape her in every way then slit her throat and leaving her to die. Arya says he's lying, but Sandor says "Ask your sister, if you ever see her again." They continue onward across the meadows and arrive at a river, which Arya initially thinks is the Blackwater. Rather confused with her lack of understanding, he tells her it is the Red Fork of the Trident. Arya had believed the Hound was taking her back to King's Landing, but he reveals that he is in fact taking her to the Twins, intending to get a reward by ransoming her back to her family. The marriage of her uncle is imminent and both her brother and her mother will be there at the Twins. He tells her ruefully that if she wasn't so busy trying to bash his skull in they might make it in time for the wedding. Arya has a small and hidden smile as the Hound spurs the horse to a gallop.

On the way to the Twins, Arya and Sandor come across a hog farmer who is also going to the Twins for the wedding, but his wagon is damaged. Sandor lifts the wagon, the hog farmer repairs it, then Sandor punches him and knocks him unconscious. Sandor draws a dagger to kill the hog farmer, but Arya begs him not to, and he relents. The hog farmer wakes up, and Arya knocks him out again with another blow to the head. They arrive in the area of the Twins, and Arya nervously gazes toward the Stark camp. Sandor tells Arya that she is visibly afraid that something may happen to ruin her reunion with her family. Arya tells Sandor that he was visibly afraid of Beric Dondarrion's flaming sword, and that she knows what Sandor's brother did to him when they were children. Sandor taunts Arya about the execution of her father, then Arya tells Sandor one day she will stab him through his eye and out the back of his skull.

Arya and Sandor arrive at the gates of the Twins, in disguise as a hog farmer and his daughter. Sandor tells a Frey guard they have salt pork for the wedding feast, but the guard tells them the feast is over and orders them to leave. Arya then runs away from Sandor and hides near a table of Stark soldiers. Suddenly, soldiers come out of the castle and murder the Stark men. Arya hears Grey Wind howling inside a wooden cage, but four crossbowmen come out of the castle and murder the direwolf before she can release him. After the crossbowmen leave, Arya attempts to enter the castle, but is stopped by Sandor, who says that it is too late to do anything. Arya struggles to get into the castle anyway, so Sandor knocks her unconscious and carries her away, realizing that any attempt to intervene at this point would be suicide.

Sandor mounts his horse with her, and picks up a Frey banner for their safety as he tries to slip away through the chaos. They both witness Frey and Bolton soldiers parading her brother's mutilated corpse, with the head of Grey Wind attached to her brother's body. Arya and Sandor then flee the castle on horseback while the Stark army is massacred during the Red Wedding. While riding to destinations unknown, Arya and Sandor come across a group of four Frey soldiers eating at a campfire. They are mocking the death of Arya's mother, while one of the soldiers describes the process of sewing Grey Wind's head onto Robb Stark's dead body. Arya then dismounts from Sandor's horse and slowly walks up behind the soldier. He turns around and asks her what she wants, and she says she wants to keep warm and is hungry. The soldiers rudely tell her to go away, then she says she has money, and shows them the Braavosi coin given to her by Jaqen H'ghar. She purposely drops the coin, and when the soldier bends down to pick it up, she repeatedly stabs him in the back of the neck with a knife. The other three men draw their weapons, but Sandor appears and kills all three with ease. Sandor asks Arya how she got a knife, and she says she took it from him. Sandor asks if that the first man she has ever killed, and Arya says it is. Arya picks up the coin with her bloodied fingers and whispers, "Valar Morghulis."

The Hound has now decided to take Arya to Lysa Arryn, her aunt, in the Eyrie, where he can sell her. Arya is displeased with this arrangement and wishes for a horse so that she can stay a distance away from the Hound on the rest of their journey. The Hound argues that he doesn't want her out of his sight and giving her a horse would provide her with the chance to escape. They stop near a tavern and Arya suggests that they attack the Lannister soldiers there. She recognizes one of them as Polliver, the one who callously stabbed Lommy through the neck with her own sword, Needle. She sees Needle, still tucked into Polliver's belt and is determined to retrieve it. When Arya and the Hound are in the tavern, Polliver looks over suspiciously. Arya is worried because she thinks that Polliver recognizes her, but it is the Hound that he recognizes. The Hound and Polliver's conversation eventually turns hostile which leads into a brawl in the tavern. The Hound kills all the men except Polliver, who tries to sneak up behind him, but Arya slashes Polliver in the back of the leg with a longsword and takes Needle. She repeats what Polliver said to Lommy before he killed him, but Polliver doesn't understand what she is talking about until she says "Fine little blade. I think I'll pick my teeth with it." As Polliver realizes who she is, Arya sticks Needle into his throat, and he dies the same way Lommy died, making Polliver the first person she killed from her list.

Arya and the Hound stop to water their horses. Arya thinks that they're lost and asks him what he plans to do after he takes her to the Eyrie. He says he might join the Second Sons. A farmer and his daughter appear and ask them what they're doing on his lands. Arya makes up a story about the Hound being a soldier for House Tully, which luckily gets them access to his home and food. The next morning, Arya wakes up to a scream. The Hound has beaten the farmer and taken his silver. Arya is furious, telling him he is the "worst shit in the seven kingdoms". He ignores the insult and tells her that the farmer and his daughter will not survive this upcoming winter anyway.

Arya recites her list by a campfire as the Hound tries to sleep. After a while, he tells her to be quiet. Arya says she can't go to sleep without saying all of the names. Irritated, the Hound ask her if she is going to name every person in Westeros, to which she replies, "Only the ones I'm going to kill". He calmly replies that hate is good as a motivation as any to keep a person going. He makes a note that if they would come across his brother, both of them would cross one name from their death lists. Arya ask the Hound what he would do if the Mountain at their camp, and he responds he would tell his brother to shut up and let him sleep, implying that Arya asks too many questions. He tells Arya to finish her death list. She finally says she only has one name left remaining which, to his surprise, is his.

The next day, Arya is practicing her water dancing beside a river. Sandor, predictably, makes fun of her for prancing around. When Arya tells him that she learned her fighting style from Syrio Forel, whom she believes was killed by Ser Meryn Trant, he openly mocks the Braavosi for being defeated by a such worthless fighter. Eventually, he lets her have a go at him, for her dead friend Mycah whom he killed, but Needle won’t even pierce his armor. He backhands her and, with Needle pointed at her throat, Sandor reminds her that Syrio Forel is dead, and her techniques are best learned from people who are still alive, like the people on her list.

Arya and Sandor encounter a ​dying man in a ransacked village. Sandor gives the man a gift of mercy by stabbing him in the heart. Moments later, Sandor is ambushed by Biter who bites him on the neck. He snaps Biter's neck and drops him dead in the dirt. Rorge appears, revealing that there is a price on the Hound's head, which he and others want to collect. He is instantly recognized by Arya as one of the prisoners in Yoren's group who threatened her repeatedly. The Hound asks if Rorge is on Arya's list, but she denies it as she doesn't know his name. Sandor asks Rorge for his name and after he says it, Arya thanks him and promptly stabs him in the heart with Needle. Sandor cynically comments that she's learning.

Afterwards, Sandor clumsily addresses his wounds from Biter. Arya suggests burning to cauterize the wound, but is rebuffed by Sandor because of his fear of fire. Sandor confirms the story of his facial scars from burns inflicted by Gregor's wrath and how his father covered up the truth, making him feel alone. Arya offers to clean and stitch him up, and Sandor allows her to.

As Arya and Sandor make their way to the Eyrie, Arya laments that she doesn't feel any satisfaction over Joffrey's death (which they learned of from Rorge), expressing disappointment in the fact that she was neither able to be present during his murder or be the one to kill him. Once they reach the Bloody Gate, Ser Donnel Waynwood informs them that Lysa Arryn had passed away just three days prior, prompting Arya to burst into a fit of laughter over their continuing bad luck as Sandor stands dumbfounded over his attempts to collect a ransom being foiled yet again.

When Arya and Sandor leave the Eyrie, they enounter Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne. At first, Brienne does not know she's speaking to Arya Stark, whom she swore to her mother Catelyn to find and protect. When Pod tells her that the man with Arya is Sandor Clegane, she realizes it's Arya and begs her to come with her. The Hound doesn't trust Brienne, as she is carrying Oathkeeper, a gift from Jamie Lannister, which is gilded with a lion's head hilt, making him thinks she's working for the Lannisters. Brienne and Sandor fight, each of them believing they should be the one to watch over Arya. Brienne wins after beating Sandor with a rock and knocking him down a small cliff. Arya, rather than going with Brienne and Pod, hides from them until they leave. She then goes down the cliff to find the gravely injured Sandor, who begs her to kill him. When Sandor believes she won't do it, he tries to goad her into doing it, telling her that it is another name to strike off her list, he killed the butcher's boy when he begged him for mercy, and he should have raped Sansa when he had the chance. Instead, Arya takes his money and leaves him to die.

While travelling on her horse, Arya comes across a ship preparing to leave port. Arya first asks the captain to take her to the Wall, her intent being to meet up with her brother, Jon Snow. When the captain, Ternesio Terys, tells her that he is in fact going home to the Free City of Braavos, Arya shows him the iron coin which Jaqen H'ghar had given her. As Terys looks in awe, she tells him "*valar morghulis"*. He promptly nods his head and replies "*valar dohaeris*", offering her a cabin aboard the *Titan's Daughter*. Arya is then shown sailing away on the ship, headed to Braavos.

### Faceless Men

After a long sea voyage, Arya arrives at Braavos. Arya is awestruck by the Titan, which, according to the captain, would wake and protect the city whenever Braavos stood in danger in the old times. Arya replies it's just a statue. Just then, the Titan lets out a loud blast announcing their arrival, startling her, but she convinces herself that she is not afraid. Terys rows Arya to the House of Black and White, where he claims she may find Jaqen, and Arya thanks him for bringing her this far. Arya lingers outside waiting for admittance, but is rejected by an elder man despite showing the coin Jaqen H'ghar had given her and mentioning their prior association. Arya waits outside the House for days, endlessly reciting the names of the people she wants to kill, but eventually tosses away her coin and wanders off into the streets of Braavos. While hunting for pigeons in the city, Arya encounters several boys who intend to take Needle from her. Although she is more than willing to kill them, the boys scatter when the man from the House of Black and White appears again behind her. After following him back to the House, Arya demands to know his identity, and he returns to her the coin she had thrown in the water. His face morphs into the visage Arya had known him as — that of Jaqen H'ghar. However, he insists he's not Jaqen H'ghar, but "no one", as all Faceless Men are, and he tells Arya she must learn to be "no one" as well.

As Arya cleans the main sanctuary of the the House of Black and White, she watches the man who looks like Jaqen H'ghar assist another man in drinking from the temple's well. When the man leaves to pray, Arya tells Jaqen that she wants to learn. He recites the phrase "Valar Dohaeris", meaning "all men must serve", and accuses Arya of only wanting to serve herself. When Arya looks back at the praying man, she sees that he has died and two men take his body away, ignoring Arya when she asks what they are doing with the body. Later, Arya is accosted in her room by the Waif, who repeatedly asks her who she is, hitting her when she gives the expected response of "no one." Eventually, Jaqen arrives and demands the Waif to stop. He notices that Arya was about to attack the Waif with Needle and points out that Arya cannot be no one, as she is still wearing Arya Stark's clothes, is in possession of Arya Stark's silver, and was about to attack the Waif using Arya Stark's sword. In order to meet the order's initiation requirements, Arya throws her old clothing and silver into the lagoon. Too attached to Needle, however, she is unable to discard it and hides it among a few rocks nearby. Later, as Arya is sweeping the floor, Jaqen escorts Arya to an inner chamber where she is to help the Waif in stripping and washing corpses. The Waif doesn't respond when Arya asks what happens to the bodies after they are cleaned.

Arya finishes cleaning a corpse which is then taken away by two men. Arya wants to know what happens to the bodies she cleans, but the Waif tells her that she will know when the time is right. Arya demands to play the game of faces. The Waif tells her that she has already tried playing the game but failed. She asks Arya who she is, to which Arya replies that she is no one. When the Waif is about to walk away, Arya asks her who she is. The Waif tells Arya a story about how she was the only daughter of a widowed Lord, who remarried, producing another daughter. Her stepmother, in order to secure her own daughter’s future, tried to poison her. The Waif found out about this and sought out the help of the Faceless Men to exact her revenge. The Waif then asks Arya whether she believed the story. When Arya doesn’t respond, embarrassed that she bought the Waif’s story, the Waif tells her to get back to work, hinting that to pass the game of faces, Arya must be able to lie convincingly. Later, when Arya is asleep, Jaqen H'ghar comes to test Arya again. This time, when he asks Arya who she is, Arya tells him how she came to join the Faceless Men, trying to slip in a few lies into the story. However, Jaqen is able to tell when Arya is lying and hits her whenever she does. Before he leaves, he tells her that she is lying not only to him, but to herself as well when she says she hates the Hound. A grieving father brings his sick daughter to the House of Black and White, wanting to end her suffering. Arya tells the girl a false story about how she was sick too, but her father brought her here and when she drank from the temple's well, she was healed, persuading the girl to drink the poisoned water from the well. The girl dies, and Arya, having proven that she can lie, is brought to the Hall of Faces by Jaqen. All the faces had been taken from the corpses that the acolytes wash in the temple. He then asks Arya if she is ready to give up who she is to become "no one". After a moment of silence, he then states that she is not ready to become "no one" , but that she *is* ready to become "someone else".

Arya's first assignment is to pose as a shellfish merchant to study a target known as "the Thin Man". Before the assassination is carried out, Arya is distracted by the sight of a name on her list: Meryn Trant. She sees him dock and follows him as he guards Mace Tyrell on his way to the Iron Bank. That night, Arya follows Trant and several guards to a brothel. She is chased out by the owner, but not before she learns that Trant prefers sex with very young girls. She reports her failure to kill the Thin Man to Jaqen, and promises to try again tomorrow.

Trant is given three girls the next night, who he beats for his amusement. The first two are left whimpering from his beatings, but not the third. Trant dismisses the first two and continues to hit the third girl, to no effect, so he punches her in the gut. Crumpled on the floor, the girl removes her face and reveals herself as Arya. She quickly stabs him in the eyes and several times in the chest, but her blade is too short and has little effect. She teases him about how he was the first name on her list and how the Many-Faced God has denied her of others, but how he has delivered Trant to her. She asks him if he remembers Syrio Forel, who he presumably killed in King's Landing. She assumes he doesn't. Arya then asks if he knows who she is, though Trant is in too much pain and shock to understand what is happening. She reveals herself as Arya Stark, and slits his throat.

Arya returns to the House of Black and White to put the face she used back on the wall. She is caught by Jaqen and the Waif. They are displeased that Arya has defied the Many-Faced God by killing someone who was not hers to kill. The Waif restrains Arya and Jaqen pulls out a vial of poison saying, "Only death can pay for life". Just before Arya thinks she is about to be poisoned, Jaqen drinks it himself and dies. The Waif questions Arya's grief for her friend, only to shock Arya by revealing herself to be Jaqen. Confused, Arya repeatedly removes multiple faces from "Jaqen's" body, until she sees her own face. Arya's eyes fill over with white as she is rendered blind as punishment.

### Blind

Now blind, Arya poses as a beggar as part of her training. After overhearing two passing citizens discussing Meryn's murder, she is approached by the Waif, remarking on her blindness. Tossed a stick, she fights and loses another sparring match against the Waif. Unimpressed, the Waif leaves Arya, promising to return tomorrow.

The next day, the Waif returns and asks Arya who she is. When Arya answers "no one," the Waif brushes this off and promptly beats her in another sparring match. Arya angrily lashes out after the Waif leaves, but is stopped by Jaqen, who repeatedly asks her to say her name. After Arya tells him "a girl has no name" each time, an impressed Jaqen allows her to return to the House of Black and White.

Multiple stick fights between Arya and the Waif ensue. At the same time, Arya learns to cope with her blindness while telling the Waif her story and list of targets. With Arya finally holding her own, Jaqen gives her a cup from the the well in the House of Black and White and tells her if she truly is no one, she has nothing to fear. She drinks the water and regains her sight.

Arya is tasked to kill an actress named Lady Crane, though Jaqen warns she has been given a second chance and won't get a third. She views the first portion of the play *The Bloody Hand*, in which Lady Crane portrays Cersei. Afterwards, Arya notices that Bianca is jealous of Lady Crane and decides to poison her rum to carry out the assassination.

### Leaving Faceless Men

After watching the remainder of the play on a different occasion, Arya walks backstage and poisons her rum. On the way back, Lady Crane notices her, and the two briefly converse about the play. Arya suggests that the Cersei character's response to the death of her som would not only be grief -- it should also include anger. After asking Arya if she likes pretending to be others, Crane tries to express Arya's opinion to the rest of the troupe, but is quickly shut down. She goes to drink the beverage Arya poisoned, but Arya slaps it from her hands before she can drink it, blaming Bianca. Unbeknownst to Arya, The Waif had been following her and discovers that Arya has failed to kill the actress. The Waif proceeds to report Arya's failure to Jaqen, who grants her wish to let her kill Arya but that she must not let her suffer. Meanwhile, Arya retrieves Needle from its hiding place and prepares to defend herself, presumably abandoning the goal of becoming a Faceless assassin and knowing her failure has made her a target.

Afterwards, Arya secures passage back to Westeros by bribing a Westerosi trader. However, she is attacked and repeatedly stabbed in the stomach by the Waif, and only barely escapes by jumping into the river. She is left stumbling through the streets of Braavos, critically wounded and extremely paranoid.

Seeking refuge, Arya finds her way to Lady Crane, collapsing from her injuries behind the theatre troupe stage. Lady Crane takes her to her living quarters, where she treats Arya's wounds and gives her a new set of clothing. Arya reluctantly accepts a dosage of Milk of the poppy to help ease her pain, and soon after falls asleep in Lady Crane's bed. When she wakes up, she finds her dead in the next room, murdered by the Waif. Jumping off the balcony and into the streets of Braavos, Arya manages to escape, though she is pursued by the Waif. Leaving a trail of blood in her wake, Arya lures the Waif to the hideout in which she has hidden Needle. The Waif then asks her if she would like to die on her knees, or on her feet - in response, Arya pulls Needle out from its hiding place and confronts her attacker, not before putting out the only light in the room. In the ensuing off-screen fight, Arya manages to best the Waif (it is implied that part of her victory is due to her proficiency to fight in blindness). She kills her adversary and removes her face, which she brings back to the Hall of Faces. Aware that Jaqen sent the Waif to kill her, Arya points Needle at him in an accusatory manner, though Jaqen claims that she has finally truly become "no one". In reply, Arya reaffirms that she will never be "no one": She is Arya Stark of Winterfell. Lowering her sword, she then leaves the House of Black and White and Jaqen for good, making the ultimate decision to return to Westeros, her home.

Upon arriving in Westeros, Arya travels to the Twins where she disguises herself as a serving girl. After Jaime Lannister and his soldiers depart for King's Landing, Arya manages to kill both "Lame" Lothar Frey and Black Walder Rivers, who were responsible for the deaths of Talisa Maegyr and her mother Catelyn Stark respectively. She then proceeds to dismember their bodies and bake them into a pie, which she serves to Lord Walder Frey as the two are alone in the dining hall, still wearing the face of a serving girl. After she reveals her true identity, she slits Walder's throat and watches with amusement as he dies.

## Appearances

 **Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken** | The Gift

## References

1. ↑ Arya states she is 11 years old in Season 1.
2. ↑ HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Stark entry
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 HBO viewers guide, season 2 guide to houses, House Stark - Arya Stark entry
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Winter is Coming"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Kingsroad"
6. ↑ "Lord Snow"
7. ↑ "Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things"
8. ↑ "The Wolf and the Lion"
9. ↑ "A Golden Crown"
10. ↑ "You Win or You Die"
11. ↑ "The Pointy End"
12. ↑ "Baelor"
13. ↑ "Fire and Blood"
14. ↑ "The North Remembers"
15. ↑ "The Night Lands"
16. ↑ "What is Dead May Never Die"
17. ↑ "Garden of Bones"
18. ↑ "The Ghost of Harrenhal"
19. ↑ "The Old Gods and the New"
20. ↑ "A Man Without Honor"
21. ↑ "The Prince of Winterfell"
22. ↑ "Valar Morghulis"
23. ↑ "Dark Wings, Dark Words"
24. ↑ "Walk of Punishment"
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Kissed by Fire"
26. ↑ "The Climb"
27. ↑ "The Bear and the Maiden Fair"
28. ↑ "Second Sons"
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 "The Rains of Castamere"
30. ↑ "Mhysa"
31. ↑ "Two Swords"
32. ↑ "Breaker of Chains"
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "First of His Name"
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Mockingbird"
35. ↑ "The Mountain and the Viper"
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "The Children"
37. ↑ "The House of Black and White"
38. ↑ "High Sparrow (episode)"
39. ↑ "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
40. ↑ "The Dance of Dragons"
41. ↑ "Mother's Mercy"
42. ↑ "The Red Woman"
43. ↑ "Home"
44. ↑ "Oathbreaker"
45. ↑ "The Door"
46. ↑ "Blood of My Blood"
47. ↑ "The Broken Man"
48. ↑ "No One"
49. ↑ "The Winds of Winter"