Game of Thrones 8: From serving wine to slitting throats, revisit Arya Stark’s journey with these 5 scenes

Of all the characters in Game of Thrones, it’s the easiest to love Arya Stark. Played by Maisie Williams for nine years, Arya was the one everyone wanted to root for, whether for her refusal to be like her sister and play by the rules, or for the unbridled courage she showed at every step of her journey.

The first time we met Arya, she was shooting arrows better than her brothers and raising a stink at being made to knit dresses. Her father, Ned Stark, took her along to King’s Landing, the one decision that spelt the beginning of the doom that fell upon the family. However, it was in King’s Landing that she got her first lesson in sword fighting (or water dancing as her tutor Syrio Forel used to call it). While Arya couldn’t be happier to learn what she always wanted to, Ned knew he was preparing his daughter for the unfair life that she might soon have to live through. But surely, even he must not have expected how bad things would get.

The fun lessons prove handy soon enough. Arya’s childhood is cut short the day she saw her father get executed. Luckily for her, she wasn’t held captive like Sansa and was free to make her own choices. She pretended to be a boy, walked among delinquents, served wine Tywin Lannister, learned selfish ways of men and also, earned the good favour of Jaqen H’ghar.

Also read: Game of Thrones 8: From throwing Bran off a roof to risking life for friends, 5 scenes that show Jaime Lannister’s journey

Not much later, she came upon her enemy and captor, Sandor ‘The Hound’ Clegane. She rode horses and ate chicken with him and also planned to murder him his sleep. But with their weird, Stockholm Syndrome-ish relationship, she learned the tricks of survival and brutality from Sandor while he learned how to be more human. While he may have grown kinder with her, she had turned cold. No surprise she left him to die at the end.

However, there was still scope to harden her heart some more. She finally made her way to Bravos where she honed her skills as an assassin to perfection. H’ghar gave her one brutal blow after another until she emerged like a diamond from the rough. She was unbeatable now, not just from her body but also from her mind.

Also read: Game of Thrones season 8: From feeding Ramsay to dogs to Lord Baelish’s execution, revisit Sansa Stark’s 5 best moments

We saw her join forces with her siblings last season and bring an enemy of the family down to his knees. Sure she could wield a sword and a dagger with great skill but she also knew how to spot a red flag when she lands on one.

So, is Arya ready for what comes next? Could she face the Night King and his frosty army in the upcoming season 8? Well, if you ever doubted her talents, we suggest you refresh your memory with these five scenes:

Arya learns water dancing

 Not today!

Arya reaches Vale

 Hahahahhahahaha!

Arya goes blind

I can’t see! What’s happening? What’s happening?!

Arya kills the Freys

Tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.

Arya meets her siblings

 Our stories have not ended yet.

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