Arya's whereabouts and actions in the forthcoming novels

[bemused]

Well , I don't think the mere mention of a dragon upsets them.. it's just a topic to be taken seriously. They don't joke about them ,but at the same time ,Tycho told Jon there was no need to apologize for his quip.

Apart from hiding Needle, and continuing to repeat her list silently , and not revealing how she knew the Kindly Man was her unseen attacker..the wolf dreams are not going to leave Arya. She may not be able to lie to the FM effectively .. yet .. but there's been no sign that she can't keep a secret from them. Even if Jaqen / the Alchemist has had a chance to communicate with Braavos since separating from Arya ( which I doubt ) , he didn't know about Nymeria. And to go yet further , even if Syrio is J/A .. he didn't meet Arya until she'd chased Nymeria off , and after the death of Lady..and generally the Stark kids' wolves were just seen as dangerous pets at that stage of the game.

In the meantime , they must have heard about Robb and Grey Wind..but there were a great many wild exaggerations repeated about them . With Tycho's trip to the wall , they'll know about Ghost..but Jon has not fully embraced and utilized their bond. If there's a change in Jon's situation, or if Rickon should be produced before Tycho returns , the powers that be in Braavos may begin to put 2 and 2 together , but I think that up until now, they've been completely unaware of Arya and Nymeria.

If they knew ,I don't think they'd consider her such good FM material . I don't think her ability to see through the cat's eyes ( or a bird's e.g. ) would be quite so off-putting ; they might just see it as an added asset in an FM's arsenal. I think though , that a full on , soul-deep bond such as the Starks appear to have with their direwolves, would be another matter. It's a major barrier to truly becoming no-one.

I'm not so sure that Dany os going to be seen as the enemy either..Braavos has worked with a Targaryen before , one with an operational dragon , in a effort ,in part, to prevent the spread of slavery...no ?

It seems to me Braavos has a lot to figure out and balance to ensure it's own survival over a long winter.( quite apart from who owes what money to the Iron Bank ) The Dragons either bring magic with them or are a sign of returning magic. The Others have risen in the North of Westeros. If they should overrun , or even severely decimate the continent , there goes trade that Braavos relies on. In Essos , in Dany's last chapter in ADWD , we see encroaching ghost grass. What pressures will that put on the Dothraki ? Where will they go ? If Braavos is reduced to having to deal exclusively with the slaving powers for the commodities they need, what will that do to their society ?

As has been speculated on, the FM may already have someone close to Dany , but if not, Missandei may not be a good persona for Arya to adopt. Doesn't she still have a surviving brother in the Unsullied ? And there's Dany's liking to hear Missandei tell stories of Naath and her family there. We've seen Arya experience a bit of the past of the ugly girl , but not all of it , and it soon fades.. I think if she's sent to Dany it would be as a new acquaintance , but one designed to appeal to her..

But I'm not sure Arya won't become a new thing ...a trusted ally cementing the bond between the North ( Jon) and Braavos. She has a bond of love with Jon , and surely one of gratitude , at least , with Braavos. As such , she might be of more use in Westeros... Unusual circumstances call for unusual solutions.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Well , I don't think the mere mention of a dragon upsets them.. it's just a topic to be taken seriously. They don't joke about them ,but at the same time ,Tycho told Jon there was no need to apologize for his quip.

He also doesn't take it amiss when Stannis treats him like a servant. He's a diplomat, trying to be polite. The striking thing is that Tycho got upset, not that he quickly recovered.

I'm not so sure that Dany os going to be seen as the enemy either..Braavos has worked with a Targaryen before , one with an operational dragon , in a effort ,in part, to prevent the spread of slavery...no ?

It seems to me Braavos has a lot to figure out and balance to ensure it's own survival over a long winter.( quite apart from who owes what money to the Iron Bank ) The Dragons either bring magic with them or are a sign of returning magic. The Others have risen in the North of Westeros. If they should overrun , or even severely decimate the continent , there goes trade that Braavos relies on. In Essos , in Dany's last chapter in ADWD , we see encroaching ghost grass. What pressures will that put on the Dothraki ? Where will they go ? If Braavos is reduced to having to deal exclusively with the slaving powers for the commodities they need, what will that do to their society ?

I wouldn't identify the interests of the Faceless Men with the interests of Braavos. (I disagree, for example, with Lord Varys' belief that the Iron Bank is a shell for the Faceless Men.) They're a religious organization, and their interests I imagine lie more in the cosmic realm than in balance of power questions. Nobody seems to treat them as a primarily political force to be dealt with by seeking a deal or making an alliance, and they don't see themselves that way so far as we know. I think that they probably share the same attitude that a lot of Braavosi have about dragons and Valyria, but like I was saying before, they are fanatical worshipers of a death god, not diplomats or accountants, so they probably draw different conclusions as a result.

As has been speculated on, the FM may already have someone close to Dany , but if not, Missandei may not be a good persona for Arya to adopt. Doesn't she still have a surviving brother in the Unsullied ? And there's Dany's liking to hear Missandei tell stories of Naath and her family there. We've seen Arya experience a bit of the past of the ugly girl , but not all of it , and it soon fades.. I think if she's sent to Dany it would be as a new acquaintance , but one designed to appeal to her..

None of that is stuff that the average person, even the very well informed person, would know. If the FM were in a position to know that Dany talks about Naath with her servant on a regular basis, then they wouldn't need to put a person close to her because they would already have a person close to her. And all of that sounds like good story fodder. Imagine the tension of a chapter where Dany calls "Missandei" in to talk about her childhood, or her brothers, and Arya has to rely on her wits to keep Dany from figuring out the truth.

Besides, it's not clear that Arya becoming Missandei is any more risky than the Alchemist becoming Pate. Pate had friends as well, who seemed to know him at least fairly well, and that didn't stop the Alchemist from adopting his identity. Learning how to fake it is presumably part of being a good Faceless Man to begin with.

A new acquaintance, on the other hand, wouldn't have the same kind of access that Missandei has. Missandei showed up where Dany was leading perhaps a few dozen people, and got the position that she did because she spoke many languages, was a skilled interpreter, knew the area and the major leaders well, etc., etc. These days, Dany rules a much larger group of people, and some girl off the street, no matter how winning, is not going to be left alone with Dany or become the recipient of her deepest secrets.

[abcartmell]

1. Arya assigned to kill Daenarys

2. Somehow, the two become allies instead

3. At some point, Arya flies Rhaegal to The Wall and a reborn Jon Snow

Gets her on Dany/Tyrion/Jon's (The Three-Headed Dragon's) side. Gets her back to Westeros. Puts her in position for some high-profile killing up North (where we all know a lot of it has to happen in TWoW to set up Book 7).

[Zombie]

I believe Arya gets assigned to kill someone in Westeros, which she accomplishes, but while there also kills someone from her list she should not have (probably Cersei). As punishment, she must accomplish her next assignment using her legitimate face, which she thinks will be easy and won't matter, until she learns that it is her mother/Stoneheart. Oh noes, what do?

[iamthedave]

First of all, Arya will kill Cersei; That is the truth of it. Cersei defaulted on the Iron Bank. Period.

Can't. Cersei's prophecy-fodder. Tyrion or Jaime seem to be the ones slated to kill her in the end. Much as we might like it otherwise, the series' Queen Bitch has plot immunity until prophecy time rolls round.

[Milestone]

I don't believe arya will complete her training and become a FM. Some conflict in her heart will cause to pick up needle and return to WF. It could be she wargs into an animal and overhears a plot to kill

Jon/Bran/Rickon.

I always wondered how will she react when she finds ou t Bran and Rickon are alive ? Or if they or Jon need help? Will the pull of the pack be too strong?

FM/ Haqen are up to something in westros. What if she discovers this?

[LaroC]

I dont think she will be physically reunited with Nymeria. But she will probably warg the direwolf, and this will be important for her remember who she is.

That is the thing about gendry too... She will meet him again at some point.

The theory about beeing sent to kill Danny makes sense, but i hope i does not happen....

The sure thing is, she will fulfil her murdeurous prayer. It has to happen. Its the only thing that remained in Arya, Arry, Weasel, Noone and all the others....

[thunder_chicken]

My hunch (and I've been wrong about everything I've guessed about this series), is that Arya heads east as an apprentice, and that she will be clearing away enemies of Danarys. These could include higher-ups in Quarth, the ruling 3 in Volantis. Finally she may get to Mereene, where Danys wins a victory against external enemies but still is tied to the city. Targets for her there could be Daario and/or the Harpy (assuming that isn't Dany's husband). In this way she could cut the ties to the east, and push her along on her journey. I think we may get Rickon + Sansa "outted" in tWoW, but maybe Bran and Arya would still have more to do before returning to Westeros proper.

[Bee Diddie]

Why do people keep saying this as if it is immutable fact? As if a faceless man could not simply not speak up/lie when a name omens up?

Or, if one of the biggest parts of becoming a FM is becoming "no one", then that would leave them free to assassinate anyone wouldn't it? After all, no one has no friends or family, and is certainly a stranger to anyone they might kill.

Or is that logic flawed?

[Elder Sister]

Arya has been taught to be 'nobody' as part of her training to become a FM. I think (and hope) that her storyline will bring her back into contact with Sansa, and they will be able to begin to mend fences and work together to restore House Stark. And I also think that Arya is going to get the opportunity to avenge her mother, father, and brother, either through Cersei's, G. Clegane (now Strong), and even possibly Tommen's (though I hope not) deaths. Arya's strengths as an assassin are her ability to be 'unseen', underestimated, and sneaky. She won't be fighting as a knight...she's more like a Lisbeth Salander, or Smila (From Smila's Sense of Snow) in that she's small, but extremely fierce.

To me, Arya is the classic gunslinger character. She's lost everything through a horrible wrong done to her, and she will have her revenge. I think that's part of what makes her chapters so much fun to read...you can see her evolving and making the journey to the point in time when she gets her vengeance.

[sillent]

I definitely see her being sent to assassinate someone important and thats how she's going to get back into the main plot- it could also be someone in Essos mind you.. that or she runs into Jaqen coming back from the citadel.. lots of options, would be interesting to see!

[TheDarkOne]

Or, if one of the biggest parts of becoming a FM is becoming "no one", then that would leave them free to assassinate anyone wouldn't it? After all, no one has no friends or family, and is certainly a stranger to anyone they might kill.

Or is that logic flawed?

No, it's perfect. Not to mention there is a chance she could run into "Arya Stark" in her travels which I am sure would be mind blowing in itself.

I really don't think Arya is going to return to Westeros and Dirty Harry style start wiping people out. It also makes no sense that she would be sent to take out some of the high level targets people here suggest. Instead, I would guess her next chapter will be giving us a much needed look into the plans and going ons of the FMs.

If she is sent to kill anyone, it wouldn't surprise me if it was someone we didn't want her to kill and that would set up the cliff hanger for the final book.

[woweezowee]

I'm not sure how Martin can make it plausible that Arya (extremely young, new to the Faceless Men, personal stake in the Westeros conflict) could be entrusted with assassinating anybody remotely important. If she does end up being sent to kill somebody, the least ridiculous option is probably Tommen. He's young and relatively easy to kill, compared to the other options being mentioned like Stannis and Dany; we know that he's likely to die young ('gold shall be their crowns and gold their shrouds'); and it would be a way of getting her back to where the action is. But like I say, Martin had better have a really good justification for sending her up his sleeve.

[bemused]

What if her mission was more of the information gathering variety , and not necessarily an assassination ? ;)

I can't see her being entrusted with a top level assassination yet , either.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Or, if one of the biggest parts of becoming a FM is becoming "no one", then that would leave them free to assassinate anyone wouldn't it? After all, no one has no friends or family, and is certainly a stranger to anyone they might kill.

Or is that logic flawed?

We see established FM rejecting contracts on the basis that they know a person, so no, I don't think that's how it works. If the rule worked like that, then they wouldn't need a rule.

I'm not sure how Martin can make it plausible that Arya (extremely young, new to the Faceless Men, personal stake in the Westeros conflict) could be entrusted with assassinating anybody remotely important.

Arya wouldn't be the only person under the age of 18 entrusted to supremely important tasks. It's a consequence of starting the kids as young as they were and not being able to make the five year gap work, things that GRRM has bemoaned in the past.

[bemused]

Going back to the Arya becoming Missandei question .. I don't think you can really compare that possibility with the Alchemist/Pate impersonation .

So far Arya speaks the common tongue , passable,but accented Braavosi, a few words of the trade tongue ( I think) and is beginning to learn Valyrian. I would think it would take quite some time before she'd be able to pass herself off as Missandei, an accomplished interpreter ... and however adept she may be as a student , she clearly has quite a way to go before she reaches the Alchemist's level of expertise as a FM.

If she's to get close to Dany, I doubt the only possible options would be to become either Missandei or else just " some girl off the streets ."

The Alchemist , OTOH , obviously ( to my mind ) chose Pate himself . He would have had the opportunity to choose the student with the fewest close friends and family.. Pate is a bit of a pitiful loser. He's a dud as a student and has no family , it seems. None of his "friends" seem really close to him . He's the butt of derision of some , largely ignored by others , and an object of pity of the more sympathetic. These last ( mainly Alleras , it would seem ) are willing to take him under their wing..but if / when the Alchemist moves on, I don't think Pate would be missed much.

Marwyn's reaction to Pate (and Sam's ) raise questions , but I guess not for this thread.

[WintersKing]

I'll be severely disappointed if word of Jon's assassination attempt doesn't reach her and sway her to return to Westeros. Too much has been made of their relationship from the very beginning. Too much has been made of Nymeria and her huge pack.

Arya is destined to return home. With two books remaining that should mean sooner rather than later. Some may disagree, but her fondness of her bastard brother's death should be the last straw that triggers her revenge spree. I can't see her finishing her training and I personally believe she's learned all she needs to know.

Edit: triggering her revenge spree doesn't necessarily mean I believe she'll achieve her prayers.

[thunder_chicken]

Probably the easiest leader for Arya to kill would be Doran Martell, given how he lets children in off the streets to play in the water garden.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

So far Arya speaks the common tongue , passable,but accented Braavosi, a few words of the trade tongue ( I think) and is beginning to learn Valyrian. I would think it would take quite some time before she'd be able to pass herself off as Missandei, an accomplished interpreter ... and however adept she may be as a student , she clearly has quite a way to go before she reaches the Alchemist's level of expertise as a FM.

Granted, it's going to be difficult, as it would have to be if there was going to be dramatic tension in Arya's attempt.

If she's to get close to Dany, I doubt the only possible options would be to become either Missandei or else just " some girl off the streets ."

Who has close personal access to Dany? Missandei, Irri, Jhiqui, and Barristan. Arya is too young to become Irri or Jhiqui, Barristan is a bad idea for a host of reasons, so that leaves Missandei. So unless Dany's time in the Dothraki leaves her with a twelve year old Dothraki girl as an advisor--which would fly in the face of what we know about the Dothraki as a culture--there are no other options.

[bemused]

I'm not sure Arya will be sent on a mission to Dany... though she may.

Although , I was reading a bit of ASoS last night while she's still at Harrenhal..( this will be a paraphrase ).. She's thinking if she could fly like a raven , she could fly to WF, and if it really was gone ,she could just keep flying past the stars and the moon and see the things in Old Nan's stories.. dragons and sea monsters and the Titan of Braavos.. ( one down, two to go ;) ) it was late and I was tired, but I think it was when she was in the Godswood , just before she escapes...and I'm sure she will see those things before she's done.

But here's the thing for me : Everywhere Dany goes, she meets new people and some of them wind up being / getting quite close to her .. close enough to be able to be informed as to what's going on , if they have their wits about them. So I don't think Arya would be limited to the characters named.

And there's a distinct possibility that they could meet in another way entirely , and how soon is up in the air. I think it's equally possible Arya will decide to give up her apprenticeship and try to make her way home.