Arya's starting to scare me...

[Black Amethyst]

I know she only had 3 chapters....but the last one especially left me kinda reeling. I think she needs to go back to Westeros before she completely loses it.

IMO the whole Dareon thing really wasn't her call to make...

[halftoe]

I am praying that Arya gets her wish and becomes one of the faceless assassins. Maybe then she can go back to the Saltpans, pick up Gendry and Sansa, visit her dead Lady Mother and move on Riverrun and deal with ALL of the FREY and BOLTON traitors....I have a feeling that the BOLTONS are going to be the ones that suffer her wrath....I really like how she was told by the old toothless crone in ASoS to get out of there...that old hag could feel the death oozing off of Arya pores.

That little girl has already run into the complete who's who of westrosi scumbags...the Mountian, Roose Bolton, Joff, the Brave Companions of Hargo Voat, just to name a few. Most people only get to meet 1 of these characters before they are murdered/raped/flayed/amputated, Arya the bravest one, changing herself and adapting for survival. I think she is much stronger than any of the other female characters in the series, I have been suprised to find her one of my very favorite characters.

She's the strongest woman in the series, I daresay that it might not be Dany's riding a dragon in to save the Kingdom....maybe a monster Direwolf in the Riverlands that has lost fear of man and gathers a thousand wolves to her side will be reunited with her faceless master, bringing a new Northern power to rise out of a winterfell reborn??

GRRM is brutal about the way these characters live and die, I have been outraged many, many times by the villians. There has been so much brutal treachery, but not yet enough some good, rightous justice. The Red Viper was oh-so-close..that was hard chpher to read.... It would be sweet for Arya to turn the tables and get justice for Lord Eddard, Cat, King Robb,her poor shattered brother Bran...that she become House Starks final act of the series and right all of the grievious harms done to them....somehow....

I am hoping that Arya somehow becomes Lady Stonehearts rightous justice, serving much like ser illin payne did for the kings, or something like that....

I also think that she was 100% legit to gut the craven blackcoat. Arya is a highborn lady of House Stark, Wardens of the North. It is known across the lands what the punishment for abandoning the Watch is, her own lord father would have sliced this cravens head off using Ice. Eddard had told his sons that if they should have to take a life, they had better do it themselves. She is a little young, but I was rather proud to see that she did it herself and that she did not forget the boots....

[Killian Lannister]

Arya is probably the Stark that has had the most shit fallen upon her, among the ones that haven't been killed, obviously. I really can't wait to see how she handles blindness, but if I had a guess, I'd say she's the next Stark to get the axe. Literally.

Sucks. At the end of Game of Thrones, she had so much potential.

[Sundara Hai]

I think Arya has fared brilliantly considering her age and that she is completely alone, no one to take care of her, not even her wolf. I love how she hasn't been taken advantage of and she can protect herself. She's a fierce little girl.

[The Missing Link]

I like the development that Arya has gone through. She has taken it upon herself to survive in anyway that she can.

I think that she was completely justified in the killing of Darien. She has been raised in the thought that if a man deserts the Nightwatch that the Starks are the ones who must execute him. Darien had deserted and she knew it.

[Tammy]

I like the development that Arya has gone through. She has taken it upon herself to survive in anyway that she can.

I think that she was completely justified in the killing of Darien. She has been raised in the thought that if a man deserts the Nightwatch that the Starks are the ones who must execute him. Darien had deserted and she knew it.

I agree; I'm loving Arya's story arc. And I was really surprised and happy that she killed Dareon. I found it amusing that he decided to become a deserter in Braavos and boasting that it didn't matter all the way out there that he was a deserter. He thought he was so safe, and by one who had the right to do it. I think that was evident when she proclaimed the Arya Stark did it.

I'm wondering if her wolf dreams are just dreams or if they are still her connection to Nymoeria.

[TippsBlackandWhite]

I'm wondering if her wolf dreams are just dreams or if they are still her connection to Nymoeria.

They're definitely her connecting to Nymeria.

[Brucolac]

Arya is my favorite POV, earlier she was always in the most interesting areas and has become interesting in her own right as she grows. I think a large part of the wildness in her comes from nymeria and from seeing so many people close to her die; she doesn't value human life at this point. I think all of the starks are effected by the bonds to their direwolves, but Bran and Jon are stronger wargs, exert their will on their wolves instead of the other way around. Rikken who was the youngest seemed completely dominated by shaggydog when we last saw him. Arya has probably adopted a lot of the personality of nymeria as well.

[TippsBlackandWhite]

I think her wildness has more to do with her situation, and just generally how she is, than to do with her wolf. Though I guess it could be said that her wolf dreams enhance it somewhat. And from what we've seen so far, next to Bran, she's the second strongest Warg.

[Lady Snark]

Arya is one of my favorites and I was disappointed that Martin was so stingy with her chapters in the book. I really wanted more on the Cat of the Canals. She is a fierce little thing. Once she gets some maturity in her and gets over her childish (and age appropriate) little tantrums and defensive attitude, she is going to be an amazing assassin.

I was shocked that they blinded her, but I think it is going to really help her. She will learn to use all her other senses that much better.

I am just bummed that I don't know how many more years I will have to wait for Arya's story to continue. I assume she won't be in Dragons at all (I am starting it tonight) and if it is another 5 years before the next book comes out, I don't think I can make it that long.

[Tammy]

Arya is one of my favorites and I was disappointed that Martin was so stingy with her chapters in the book. I really wanted more on the Cat of the Canals. She is a fierce little thing. Once she gets some maturity in her and gets over her childish (and age appropriate) little tantrums and defensive attitude, she is going to be an amazing assassin.

I was shocked that they blinded her, but I think it is going to really help her. She will learn to use all her other senses that much better.

I am just bummed that I don't know how many more years I will have to wait for Arya's story to continue. I assume she won't be in Dragons at all (I am starting it tonight) and if it is another 5 years before the next book comes out, I don't think I can make it that long.

I agree about the blinding. I think it will tie in with what Syrio was always teaching her, and I don't think she'll remain blind forever. I'm trying to figure out if they blinded her as part of their normal training or because she reverted to Arya in killing Dareon.

Maybe there were few Arya chapters in AFfC because she'll have more in ADwD. I hope that's why there were so few.

[Lucreel]

I might be wrong, but I think that a part of why they blinded her is as a form of chastisement. They are going to train her to be a killer, but the Faceless Men are tolerated, and even revered, in Braavos, because they aren't wanton murderers (well, I suppose that depends on your perspective - if it's your relative who's been, err, given The Gift, you might tend to view that as murder).

But, in any case, they are supposed to act dispassionately, and not out of their own desire.

Arya killed Dareon because she *wanted* to, not because she *needed* to.

Arya is a broken little girl, and I think, I hope, that the master of the temple is working to save her from herself. She has too much hatred and pain eating away at her soul. Going on a murderous rampage of revenge is never going to heal that or make it better.

[anarchymilkshake]

I might be wrong, but I think that a part of why they blinded her is as a form of chastisement. They are going to train her to be a killer, but the Faceless Men are tolerated, and even revered, in Braavos, because they aren't wanton murderers (well, I suppose that depends on your perspective - if it's your relative who's been, err, given The Gift, you might tend to view that as murder).

But, in any case, they are supposed to act dispassionately, and not out of their own desire.

Arya killed Dareon because she *wanted* to, not because she *needed* to.

Arya is a broken little girl, and I think, I hope, that the master of the temple is working to save her from herself. She has too much hatred and pain eating away at her soul. Going on a murderous rampage of revenge is never going to heal that or make it better.

I have to disagree, I believe that she has entered the next step of her training with the Faceless Men like the acolyte who was tending the candles. Dareon took an oath to serve The Night's Watch and the punishment for abandoning the post is death. Since he took that oath he forfeited his life to the gods when he deserted. I'm not saying that Arya did not want to take his life I'm sure she did, but she also was taking the life that was owed to the gods.

[JonTargaryenSnow]

First of all, I LOVE that she kept Needle. I read a few negative reviews about AFFC when I downloaded it to my NookColor and then I read a few here as well so wasn't all that excited to read it but ended up starting it Friday and finishing it Sunday night! I couldn't put it down. ASOS is still my favorite book so far but I was extremely pleased with AFFC. There may have only been a couple chapters about Arya but they were GREAT chapters. I agree that Arya's blindness is a part of her training and not a punishment for killing Dareon. She did what she was taught by her lord father and after Dareon's attitude of entitlement she did the "just" thing. She's witnessed nothing but injustice for months and months and had already started forming a justice of her own when she whispered the names to Jaqen H'gar, and even before that when she started saying her "prayers". I believe she's to become a fierce protector of good and fierce enemy to evil.

I was really surprised that she showed no emotion when she heard Sam talk about Jon. She didn't even think anything. All these months she's been wishing he'd muss her hair and call her little sister again but when she runs into someone who can actually tell her about Jon, or even send Jon a cryptic message from her, she says and thinks nothing? Jon and Arya's reunion is the one I wish for the most.

I can't help but wonder if Syrio is also a Faceless Man. We do not witness his death. We read thousands of pages by GRRM detailing a character's death but not Syrio's. Arya heard yelling and fighting but that's all. And right before the Lannister men come in, Syrio says "What do we say to the God of Death? NOT TODAY". I've even wondered if Jaqen H'gar is the same as Syrio and Daario Naharis. She keeps asking the old man in the Houst of Black and White about Jaqen H'gar and he says he doesn't know that name. But Arya forgets that Jaqen said it was time for him to die before he changes faces. Anyway, just some thoughts. I started ADWD today. Yay!

[Arya Ready]

Bran and Jon are stronger wargs, exert their will on their wolves instead of the other way around.

That's because Jon and Bran KNOW they are wargs. Arya has no idea, and also hasn't had Nymeria around her all this time.

[BrosBeforeSnows]

I think Arya will almost certainly be killed working for the Faceless Men. She is a little girl after all, and even though GRRM is a fantasy author, he has a penchant for realism and no qualms with killing off popular characters. I mean, as strong as Arya is, she's an 11 year old girl living in an absolutely brutal world. She'll eventually run into someone that isn't quite so merciful as the Hound.

[Rhieth the Blue]

I personally don't think that Arya would either die or would have her vengance as one of the Faceless Men. I am afraid that she really might become " no one". Though on the other hand she still has Needle as a connection to her past, so she may remain Arya Stark of Winterfell. She is my favourite of the Stark children. I wouldn't be surprised that at some point during the later books she might meet Tyrion / Varys / Victarion / Dany, It would be interesting to have her involved in the main storyline happening on Essos.

[SnowStorm]

I agree with Rhieth. I don't think Arya will become one of the Faceless Men and even if she did, she could never go on a killing spree against the Lannisters, Freys and all her other enemies, because it would be personal. From what I understood, when someone becomes a Faceless, they have to give up on their true identity, which means they also have to give up on their friends and enemies.

I think this is just another phase of her development, much like when she trained with Syrio or when she worked for Bolton in Harrenhal. She keeps going through all this different experiences and she keeps learning and surviving. I really hope she escapes Bravos and the Faceless Men before she becomes one.

[needle_]

I can't tell you how upset I got when I read the last Arya chapter. I hope He keeps going w/ Arya's

story line, but i'm not sure how important she is going to be to the plot line(Dany, the crown, and her Dragons).

At the end of the book GRRM said ADwD and AFfC are the same book, just covering other characters.

If Arya doesn't have a big part to play in ADwD I'm going to be sorely disappointed. The way this guy kills off characters

you never know.

[ghostmonroe]

I have to disagree, I believe that she has entered the next step of her training with the Faceless Men like the acolyte who was tending the candles. Dareon took an oath to serve The Night's Watch and the punishment for abandoning the post is death. Since he took that oath he forfeited his life to the gods when he deserted. I'm not saying that Arya did not want to take his life I'm sure she did, but she also was taking the life that was owed to the gods.

I completely agree with you with him abandoning his post he forfeited his life and as a Stark she knew what had to be done to him.