The only thing better than watching Game of Thrones is speculating about what’s going to happen on Game of Thrones.
Since the hit HBO first aired in 2011, fans have dissected every frame of the show in the hopes of revealing some hidden secret or clever foreshadowing.
Season six has been one of the most eventful in the show’s history, as we march towards an inevitable conclusion. So naturally the speculation game has kicked into overdrive this year. As ever, this post contains spoilers for anyone not up to date and potential spoilers for season seven, should this theory prove true.
The end of episode eight of season six saw the end of Arya Stark’s time in Braavos with the faceless men as she finally defeats the Waif who has been tormenting her and tells Jaqen H’ghar to do one after presenting him with the face of his opponent and announcing her intentions to return to Westeros and reclaim her life as Arya Stark of Winterfell.
But is that what really happened?
Charlie Jane Anders of Wired has a pretty convincing theory that all is not what it seems. The girl we see at the end of the episode is not really Arya, but the Waif wearing Arya’s face.
For starters, we never see Arya kill the Waif. Any Game of Thrones fan knows that unless you see someone die and then be buried or burned, they are not really dead. We simply see Arya cut a candle, plunging them both into darkness. The next time we see her, she is addressing Jaqen H’ghar in the Hall of Faces.
Sure Arya has experience of fighting while blind, but wouldn’t it make sense for the Waif to have gone through the same training? Also, Arya still did not beat her opponent while blind – and that’s not even bringing up the whole having been stabbed several times in the gut already thing.
So why did Arya declare that she was Arya Stark and would return to Winterfell if she’s not really Arya? Simple, the faceless men would love to have someone on the inside of a historically great family like the Starks.
Earlier in the episode, Arya had announced her intentions to travel west of Westeros. Why would she suddenly change her mind? And why would Jaqen H’ghar be so cool with letting her just walk out of the House of Black and White? Also, why did he say “Now a girl is finally no one”?
Because Arya finally is no one, since her face is being worn by a new faceless assassin.
Watch out Jon and Sansa, a returning Arya might not be who she seems.
