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Arya Stark is still alive and wandering Westeros looking for vengeance. And here's why she's become the most satisfying character on the series.
Haven't caught up on Game of Thrones? Then what in the name of the Seven are you doing here? This piece is filled with spoilers for the entire HBO series up through the Season 4 premiere, "Two Swords."
While it's a slight exaggeration to say that there are no more heroes left on Game of Thrones, the cold truth is that their numbers have grown frighteningly thin. Only four Starks (and one Stark-related Snow) remain and none of them are in any position to challenge the Lannisters for the Iron Throne much less seek revenge for the death of Ned, Catelyn, and Robb. And those out there who still may have designs on ruling Westeros, like Stannis and Balon, are far from virtuous. Daenerys sees the Iron Throne in her future but she's currently deeply embedded in a mission to destroy slavery in Essos.
1,2, Arya's coming for you...
Bran and Jon are far North, Sansa is a "kept" woman, and Rickon has retreated to Parts Unknown. The only Stark pup still out there wandering the wastelands is Arya. Sweet, little lethal Arya. The young girl who saw her father (and countless others) murdered before her eyes and now goes to bed every night listing off names of those she wants to disembowel.
Game of Thrones doesn't play by normal storytelling rules. Those we expect to win, don't. Those who stand up to evil are crushed. Hell, Daenerys has several bones to pick with the Lannisters, and could one day scorch the entire countryside with her dragons, but her story's just not headed that way (yet?). Arya, however, has the potential to payoff. She's now a harsh and hardened orphan of the war, ready to spill blood. And every Lannister lackey she kills in the name of the "One True God," fills us with joy and satisfaction.
Arya has the potential to grow up and become The Punisher of Westeros. I know that George R. R. Martin is not likely to make it that simple, but I think I'm with everyone here when I say that Arya must avenge. At this point, she is us. And she is awesome. Here are five reasons why the little terror tyke is so damn great.
Not only have we watched Arya grow up, but we've watched the killer within her blossom. Her first kill was by mistake - a stable boy who planned on turning her in. From there, she started naming people she wanted dead, and "Faceless Man" Jaqen H'ghar obliged. By the time the Red Wedding was over and done with, Arya was ready to start stabbing anyone wearing Lannister colors.
And then during the Season 4 premiere, Arya finally became Hit Girl to The Hound's Big Daddy - slicing her way through a couple creeps in a tavern and reclaiming Needle from the rotten monster who took it from her.
Finish him!
The look on Polliver's face right before he died was crucial. Because we had to see that he realized who she was right before his lights went out. It's one thing to kill, and it's another to have your victim know why they're dying.
Arya's pain represents our pain. While everyone else is caught up in the Wildling Invasion, the Freeing of Slaves, and perpetual King's Landing intrigue, she's out there running her sword through evildoers.
Another cool element to Arya is that, aside from the few who've ridden with her along her harrowing journey, the top brass thinks she's dead. Technically, she hasn't been seen since Ned's execution, having been cleverly disguised as a sooty-faced boy by the Night's Watch's Yoren. And some of the best parts of the entire series came when she served as Tywin's cupbearer, hiding in plain sight right under his nose.
What a perfect element to have for a slow-boil revenge story! One of the most crucial ingredients needed for becoming a vigilante is undisturbed time away. Ask Batman, Green Arrow, Lone Ranger, and Jack Bauer. You've got to get off the grid. Make people think you're not even a part of the equation anymore. Then, years later, you strike. And say something cool like "Valar Morghulis, bitch!"
Having just mentioned Tywin, it must be said that Arya's encountered a ton of characters on her endless trek to safety. And she's given them all a piece of her mind. She's the perfect garnish for any meal, able to dish it out whenever she's paired up with someone ready to take her down a peg because of her age, height, or gender. And most of the time she's firing back with a chilling line delivered so coldly that it should have freakin' icicles hanging from it. How is it that she's come to be the most intimidating character on the series? I don't know. All I know is she'd make Dirty Harry piss his pants.
Robb's made threats. Tyrion's made threats. Hell, even Ned mustered out a threat or two. But when Arya makes a threat, I take it to the bank. That's just how she rolls.
See? You just know The Hound messed himself a bit right there.
Ever since The Hound nabbed Arya last season, with plans to return her to her family and get some reward money, it's felt like kismet. While the two of them openly jab at one another, and she's outright stated that she's going to puncture his face, they also seem like the perfect pair. No, he's not teaching her to "dance" like Syrio Forel did, but he also doesn't flinch when she decides to take matters of life and death into her own hands. He's not going to steer her toward a righteous path. He's of the mind that the world is filled with killers, so what's one more?
Plus, even though The Hound is a vicious, morally bankrupt a-hole, he's not blind to tragedy. And after the Red Wedding, he's definitely softened to Arya's plight. Oh, he still plans on handing her over to crazy Lady Lysa, but he's also letting his guard down a bit. As seen at the end of "Two Swords" when he openly started a brawl with a band of Lannister soldiers that he'd previously wanted nothing to do with. And then let Arya ride on her own white horse on the way out, no longer concerned that she'd take off on her own.
Each time Arya is teamed with someone, she learns something new. Whether it's how to hide, how to be merciful, how to love, how to hate, how to mistrust, or how to kill. Because of this, she's had the most trackable arc of the whole series. And with The Hound she's found acceptance.
It was clear right away that Arya was cut from a different cloth than the rest of the Stark children. Especially her sister Sansa, who couldn't have been more opposite. And so, in a perverse way, Arya was almost the best suited to handle the world of chaos and trauma she was about to endure.
Both sisters, as if granted a wish from a cruel genie, got what they wanted - with a twist. Sansa wanted a life way from Winterfell, amongst royals and nobles. Arya wanted a life of adventure. Both dreams came true in the most nightmarish way possible.
But it was Arya's stubborn knack for not doing what she was told that essentially saved her life. Along with her hated of Joffrey and refusal to lie on his behalf. So she was definitely her father's daughter. But way more willing to forgo diplomacy in the name of the sword.
Ned: You will marry a high Lord and rule his castle. And your sons shall be knights and princes and lords.
Arya: No. That's not me.
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