Arya Stark grew up before our eyes, and a new edit from the official Game of Thrones Instagram account highlights how far she came on her journey from the wide-eyed child to the young woman who brought down the Night King.
The edit features three clips from pivotal Arya Stark moments in the series. From her early days in season 1’s “Lord Snow” to “The Long Night,” these moments celebrate Arya’s brave journey:
Arya Stark through the years
The first clip comes from the season 1 episode “Lord Snow.” There’s a certain purity to going back to season 1 and seeing a baby-faced Arya Stark learn swordsmanship from her mentor and friend Syrio Forel. Little did fans know, Syrio’s lessons and his friendship would shape Arya’s future forever.
With her trusty sword Needle at her side, Arya found herself challenged by his lessons. Syrio knew when he could push her, seeing her potential and recognizing what her own father saw in her: greatness.
The second clip is from the season 5 episode “High Sparrow,” when she’s struggling with the demand of the Faceless Men that she dispose of Needle and her identity. In order to truly join Jaqen H’gar as one of the Faceless Men, she must cast away her worldly possessions and accept that she is no one. She has no name.
For Arya, the decision to become an assassin is an easy one, but casting off her name is difficult because her name is her link to her father and mother, and to the family she’s lost. Instead of discarding Needle, the sword that came into her life through her father and her beloved mentor Syrio, she hides it, symbolically tucking away her old identity so she can reassume it later.
The final clip is from “The Long Night” in season 8. Fans wondered how the Night King would die, and though many thought it would be Jon Snow, seeing Arya Stark deliver the final blow was so epic, cathartic and fitting.
Arya used Littlefinger’s dagger, a blade made of Valeryian steel. The same blade was used in an attempt on Bran’s life back in the first season. Arya also used it to kill Littlefinger. Using it to kill the Night King was the final chapter in the quest that Arya started back in the first season.
In just three little clips, the good folks at HBO have given fans a look back at Arya’s journey, which also serves as a reminder that Arya Stark is one of the most complex and epic characters ever created.
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