Will the real Arya Stark please stand up? Arya may have never left the House of Black and White
With the Great War almost here, 'Game of Thrones' fans have lost the ability to keep still. We're a bundle of nerves and are running over all possible scenarios and twists which may take place in the final season, like that's going to help! After much deliberation, we came up with our own theory about the face-collecting, brave Arya Stark, and are quite certain it will turn out to be true.
Quick recap: From what we know by the end of 'Game of Thrones' season 7, Arya has completely transformed into her version of a Faceless Man. She collects faces, uses them along with black magic and alchemy to change her identity entirely, and then kills people she's vengeful about. Now, while this may be just what we Walder Frey-hating, Ned Stark-sympathizing fans want, that is not the case with the Faceless Men Arya trained with.
After mentoring under the "Faceless Man" Jaqen H'ghar in Braavos, Arya kills the Waif who seemed to be the only other occupant of the Faceless God's temple, and casually walks out, after letting H'ghar know that she's "going home." Now, if you thought this was way too easy of a goodbye, you are with us on this.
How was H'ghar suddenly okay with Arya waltzing back to Westeros? He had earlier warned her about there being no third chances. Now, the Faceless business itself is shifty, with the interference of black magic allowing absolutely anything to come true. This justifies how Arya transforms into the body structure of the person whose face she wears. But the question of how H'ghar let her go so easy, remains.
In her final showdown with the Waif, Arya slices off the candle that was lit in the temple's room, with suave. This may have helped you completely forget that Arya was never a good enough match to take down the Waif in a duel. Also there is the fact that Arya was stabbed multiple times by the Waif before they reached the temple. So, how did this happen?
The two questions seem to be interrelated. It's possible the Waif took Arya down in the dark room. The face that is on the temple's wall after the duel, could as much be Arya's, since it doesn't have many distinct features, if you failed to notice. After looking at the face with blood-dripping on the wall, Arya accusingly tells H'ghar: "You told her to kill me." To this, he responds, "but there she is, and there you are". He adds, "Finally, a girl is no one".
Ambiguous? You bet. Here, H'ghar could be talking about Arya or the Waif. Arya is going back home to reclaim her identity, so she can't really be "no one" at this point. He could be appreciating her for taking down the Waif, who has always been her competitor, but this could also be him talking to the Waif wearing Arya's mask, since she was also striving to become a Faceless Man.
There are fan theories that also suggest that the Waif could have been just a figment of Arya's imagination. In which case, the temple would have been even more awfully empty and bleak. But that also means Jaqen H'ghar was the only Faceless Man in the temple, practicing black magic and alchemy to take on various physical identities. And if this is true, anything is possible, and H'ghar himself could be masked by Arya's face in the next season.
Guess we will have to calm the nerves and keep waiting to find out!
