Arya's Big Hit

[Nevets]

I seriously doubt Arya would be easily recognized, especially by anyone who doesn't know her well or has recently seen her, such as the BwB.  Remember that Harwin, her father's man, had difficulty recognizing her even after being prompted.  And he had known her all her life. If someone who has known her that well can't recognize her, I seriously doubt that anyone who has never met her would know who she was, especially if she is pretending to be a commoner.  They might think she kind of looks a bit like a Stark, but unless she announces herself, they wouldn't take the thought seriously.   And even if she announces herself, proving it might not be all that easy, if there is no one around who knew her.

[PCK]

The central conflict in this arc is whether Arya identifies as a Stark or "no one." 

[chrisdaw]

3 hours ago, PCK said:

The central conflict in this arc is whether Arya identifies as a Stark or "no one." 

Yes, I like this simple terminology, but to elaborate some more. No-one can run about Westeros doing whatever she wants and needling whoever she feels like. Arya Stark however has obligations, by simply being Arya Stark. It's vengeance, freedom and loneliness as no-one, or it's duty, obligation and love as Arya. This is off-topic though, I think I'll make a thread.

[lalunadelmar]

On 3/14/2016 at 7:55 PM, Joan Jett said:

Her loyalty has already been tested, IMO. She was supposed to give up all of her belongings and she didn't. She hid needle instead of throwing it away. She failed. She will never truly become no one and the FM know that, they've said as much, but they keep training her anyway for some mysterious reason.

That's true. You also have to consider that the FM seem to have placed Jaqen H'ghar in the prison of King's Landing. How was an FM caught? 

[Zoo_Dane]

I really like the idea that she kills Varys, I've never heard that before. I was considering for quite awhile who I thought her target would be but find it impossible to think one likely as she has long been disconnected (relatively) from Westeros and most major players have more likely antagonists to kill them than Arya. She almost certainly has to kill a big player, and one on her list, but it's tough to predict. Killing Cersei with Jamie/Tommen/Tyrions face is a possibility but again, I think the real Jamie/Tyrion would be more fitting to actually kill her.  

 

Whoever she kills though, I don't think she'll live too much long afterward. I don't believe the FM will allow her to live after fulfilling her own agenda after she leaves the house of black and white. Once she goes rogue it'll be either the FM or her and it's a little far fetched to believe that she could topple an ancient assassins guild on her own. Especially when no member is even identifiable. 

[Im no Ser]

She is brought to the Vale to kill Alysane, the up jumped bastard daughter of the equally up jumped Lord Protector, before she can lock down Harry the heir and steal away the Lord Paramount from more "appropriate" matches.

[finger]

On 22/5/2016 at 10:49 AM, lalunadelmar said:

That's true. You also have to consider that the FM seem to have placed Jaqen H'ghar in the prison of King's Landing. How was an FM caught? 

By yielding to Meryn Trant. It's known, Har!

Back on topic, Arya's bound to kill Cersei. My guess is the FM have noticed they can't make her one of them, but they don't really mind, as long as she shares their goals. In the meantime, she seems to be enjoying the game, I'd say she'll exercise her killing abilities frequently.

[Daemon I Blackfyre]

Illyn Payne. He's the one who cut Ned's head and pretty much the only one left who she still can kill.

I'd want to say that Cersei is also a possibility. But the Valonqar prophecy pretty much denies it.

[Nevets]

I think that she wil kill someone important but I've no idea who.  It won't be anyone on her list, though, nor will it be a FM mission.  She will come to realize that person is a threat and needs to be taken out.  While Varys is a possibility, it could be practically anyone.  (Though not Littlefinger.  He's Sansa's responsibilty)

[JonisHenryTudor]

On 5/24/2016 at 6:30 PM, Nevets said:

I think that she wil kill someone important but I've no idea who.  It won't be anyone on her list, though, nor will it be a FM mission.  She will come to realize that person is a threat and needs to be taken out.  While Varys is a possibility, it could be practically anyone.  (Though not Littlefinger.  He's Sansa's responsibilty)

 Yep.

 

Also (show spoiler, so don't open if you have not watched)

Spoiler

If the show is following somewhat closely, I think Arya will find it difficult to carry out FM orders at random. I think she will be conflicted with killing people simply because someone wants them dead. At that point, again if it follows true to the books, she will depart. Although I am unsure if that means she will be hunted.... But I don't believe it will be without reason. Perhaps during a scouting mission or whatever, she will overhear something about Jon or Sansa or Rickon. That combined with her ever growing wolf dreams will lure her back home. This may not occur at all, but, I won't be surprised if it does in some capacity. 

 

[Nevets]

2 hours ago, JonisHenryTudor said:

 Yep.

 

Also (show spoiler, so don't open if you have not watched)

  Reveal hidden contents

If the show is following somewhat closely, I think Arya will find it difficult to carry out FM orders at random. I think she will be conflicted with killing people simply because someone wants them dead. At that point, again if it follows true to the books, she will depart. Although I am unsure if that means she will be hunted.... But I don't believe it will be without reason. Perhaps during a scouting mission or whatever, she will overhear something about Jon or Sansa or Rickon. That combined with her ever growing wolf dreams will lure her back home. This may not occur at all, but, I won't be surprised if it does in some capacity. 

 

Even in the books it is clear that she is reluctant to kill people she doesn't know simply because she is told to.  They have to do some serious manipulation and arm-twisting to get her to kill Insurance Man.  And I don't think they will be too happy about her killing Raff for personal reasons.  

They could either push her out for being unsuitable or she could leave on her own.  My personal favorite theory is that she meets Jeyne Poole and decides she want to resume being Arya Stark.  As for what they do with trainees who wash out, I think they use them as a network they can call on.  "We'll let you go, but if we call on you, you better be ready to help us."  

[Good Guy Garlan]

On 5/22/2016 at 2:04 PM, Im no Ser said:

She is brought to the Vale to kill Alysane, the up jumped bastard daughter of the equally up jumped Lord Protector, before she can lock down Harry the heir and steal away the Lord Paramount from more "appropriate" matches.

This. What better way to depict her inner conflict than to make her literally choose between killing Sansa - the representation of her Stark identity - or giving up on being No One? 

Here's how I think this will go down:

Aegon's most immediate enemies in Westeros are the Lannisters/Tyrells and their supporters. Varys himself is undermining the alliance at KL, while the Freys fight a guerrilla war against the Brotherhood and the Boltons have their hands full with Stannis. That leaves Littlefinger and the Vale, untouched by war. 

Varys and Illyrio have known since day one that LF is a threat who's playing a game of his own. He's in a perfect position to stop Aegon's invasion on its tracks, so he's got to be removed. However, as Varys probably knows or at least suspects by now, he's using his supposed bastard daughter to bind his cause to Harry, likely future lord of the Vale. On his own, LF is not an insurmountable obstacle, and neither is Harry. But together, Harry's influence combined with LF's wits...that would be a force to be reckoned with. So the best shot at stopping them is destroying the mortar that binds that alliance: one Alayne Stone. 

So, Illyrio Mopatis makes a quick stop at the House of Black and White on his way to Westeros. To pay for a hit on Alayne, he gives up an incredible valuable possession: Blackfyre, the sword. But here's the catch: while certainly valuable for the Faceless Men, the sword is actually a liability to Aegon's cause. Ironically, while the lack of the sword doomed Daemon II, its presence would be the doom of Aegon, as it would cast doubts over his legitimacy and link him to the Blackfyres. Therefore, in a single master stroke, Illyrio gets rid of a compromising item and pays for the destruction of a potentially fatal alliance for Aegon's cause. And the FM chosen to carry out the assassination of Alayne Stone? You guessed it: Arya. After all, she doesn't know anyone by the name of Alayne Stone. 

[draft0]

Didn't Arya already leave the Faceless Men at the end of her Mercy chapter?

Am I remembering wrong?

I thought she killed Raff the Sweetling and then went on the run.

[Good Guy Garlan]

3 hours ago, draft0 said:

Didn't Arya already leave the Faceless Men at the end of her Mercy chapter?

Am I remembering wrong?

I thought she killed Raff the Sweetling and then went on the run.

My interpretation was that she left the acting troupe because her cover of Mercy was blown, but not the FM. 

I could be wrong, though.

[LadyNia]

Hmm.

[firepoet]

On 6/1/2016 at 10:11 PM, Good Guy Garlan said:

My interpretation was that she left the acting troupe because her cover of Mercy was blown, but not the FM. 

I could be wrong, though.

Here's the end of the sample:

 

“Valar morghulis,” Arya whispered, but Raff was dead and did not hear. She sniffed. I should have helped him down the steps before I killed him. Now I’ll need to drag him all the way to the canal and roll him in. The eels would do the rest.

“Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” she sang sadly. A foolish, giddy girl she’d been, but good hearted. She would miss her, and she would miss Daena and the Snapper and the rest, even Izembaro and Bobono. This would make trouble for the Sealord and the envoy with the chicken on his chest, she did not doubt.

She would think about that later, though. Just now, there was no time. I had best run. Mercy still had some lines to say, her first lines and her last, and Izembaro would have her pretty little empty head if she were late for her own rape.

[Lord Varys]

The best idea for Arya's story is to have the Faceless Men give her the mission to kill Dany - either because they are paid to do so or because they want to get rid of that dragon queen who might rebuild an empire of Valyrian proportions with the help of her dragons.

That should be the best and most interesting conflict you could get out of this whole assassin's plot. Does Daenerys Targaryen deserve to die? Would Arya Stark kill her?

Anything else - Arya running away, Arya getting the chance to murder evil and/or important people over there in Westeros is just nonsense, if you ask me.

The rules of the Faceless Men wouldn't allow Arya to kill pretty much anyone of importance in Westeros. She knows a lot of people personally, after all. Not to mention that returning to Westeros and interfering with people Arya Stark once knew would surely tempt her loyalties to the House of Black and White.

But Arya doesn't know nor should she care about Daenerys Targaryen. And if Arya did decide to not kill Dany and instead accompanies her and Tyrion to Westeros she would finally be on the right side and could use her abilities to kick some ass (or rather to cruelly murder people when they don't see the blow coming). Thinking about that - this could even trigger some changes in Braavos if it turned out that there is pretty big Dany-friendly faction in the city thanks to the whole anti-slaver agenda.  

Arya running away or quitting the House of Black and White doesn't seem an option to me. Once she knows too many secrets they will not let her get away, and they would send somebody after her and either kill her or fetch her back. But if they send her to Volantis or even Slaver's Bay or the Dothraki Sea then her chance to get away would be much easier.

If she run back to Westeros it should be rather easy for the Faceless Men to find her again, not to mention that she might even endanger her friends and family this way considering that they might end up killing and impersonating people close to her to get to her.

[aryagonnakill#2]

2 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

The best idea for Arya's story is to have the Faceless Men give her the mission to kill Dany - either because they are paid to do so or because they want to get rid of that dragon queen who might rebuild an empire of Valyrian proportions with the help of her dragons.

That should be the best and most interesting conflict you could get out of this whole assassin's plot. Does Daenerys Targaryen deserve to die? Would Arya Stark kill her?

Anything else - Arya running away, Arya getting the chance to murder evil and/or important people over there in Westeros is just nonsense, if you ask me.

The rules of the Faceless Men wouldn't allow Arya to kill pretty much anyone of importance in Westeros. She knows a lot of people personally, after all. Not to mention that returning to Westeros and interfering with people Arya Stark once knew would surely tempt her loyalties to the House of Black and White.

But Arya doesn't know nor should she care about Daenerys Targaryen. And if Arya did decide to not kill Dany and instead accompanies her and Tyrion to Westeros she would finally be on the right side and could use her abilities to kick some ass (or rather to cruelly murder people when they don't see the blow coming). Thinking about that - this could even trigger some changes in Braavos if it turned out that there is pretty big Dany-friendly faction in the city thanks to the whole anti-slaver agenda.  

Arya running away or quitting the House of Black and White doesn't seem an option to me. Once she knows too many secrets they will not let her get away, and they would send somebody after her and either kill her or fetch her back. But if they send her to Volantis or even Slaver's Bay or the Dothraki Sea then her chance to get away would be much easier.

If she run back to Westeros it should be rather easy for the Faceless Men to find her again, not to mention that she might even endanger her friends and family this way considering that they might end up killing and impersonating people close to her to get to her.

One of the reasons I think this is a good possibility is because so far Arya has gotten very skilled for sure, but hasn't learned anything truly spectacular.  I think she has to learn the actual face switching techniques in order for her plotline to truly pay off.  Sending her to kill a queen with dragons would necessitate teaching her the skill, especially if they know about Missendei.

[Lord Varys]

8 minutes ago, aryagonnakill#2 said:

One of the reasons I think this is a good possibility is because so far Arya has gotten very skilled for sure, but hasn't learned anything truly spectacular.  I think she has to learn the actual face switching techniques in order for her plotline to truly pay off.  Sending her to kill a queen with dragons would necessitate teaching her the skill, especially if they know about Missendei.

Didn't think about Missandei, but that could help. I guess Arya is going to meet (and eventually join) Dany in Volantis. But a little girl isn't going to be suspicious in any case.

Anything else, Arya going to the Wall, Arya going to the Riverlands (not again) would get her back to her family and people she knows too soon, in my opinion. She has been kept separate from them for a reason.

And Arya rediscovering her humanity and ideals when meeting Dany - who, being barely older than she is, is trying to make the life of people better as best as she can with the anti-slavery agenda - could be one of the few plots I see paving the way for a betterment of Arya's situation.

Not to mention that she could see in Dany a means to get justice for all her dead kin. Dany is in a very similar situation, after all.

[zorkman]

I think Ayra will be given the task of killing Alayne Stone, because someone knows she is Sansa Stark, as the faceless men don't know they are related. Ayra will then try to get away with her, revealing who she is once they have escaped from the vale. Very much doubt this happening, but it would certainly enhance the story.