‘The Winds Of Winter’ Plot Spoilers: Will Arya Stark Return To King’s Landing?

From the beginning of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, Arya Stark has seemingly been destined for more than being the daughter of a Lord. When readers last caught up with Arya in “A Dance With Dragons” she had transitioned from Arya Stark to Arry, then to Cat of the Canals, and finally it seems like she will leave all of it behind to become fully integrated into the House of Black and White. During “A Dance With Dragons” Arya demands to be a part of the House of the Many Face God, which is, in actuality, where the training for the Faceless Men takes places. She is denied “entrance” until she can fully meet their requests, which means she must leave behind her past identity and of course her Stark family. She loses her vision and is forced by the Kindly Man to give into to her other senses, on of them being her warging ability, which she harnesses like her brother Bran. At the end of the novel, the Kindly Man gifted Arya with the acolyte’s robe meaning that she is finally a part of the Faceless Men, like Jaqen H'ghar. The Kindly Man assigns Arya as an apprentice to another Faceless Man, referred to as “Izembaro.”

Many fan theories believe that readers have met Izembaro before in “A Song of Ice and Fire.” However, he was introduced under a different name. Izembaro most certainly has a dual identity and may actually be Tobho Mott, Kings Landing’s master armorer, and Gendry’s former blacksmithing trainer. The theory is based off of on small detail, but in terms of George R.R. Martin is seems more important. The door of his store in King’s Landing was carved out of weirwood and ebony, just like the door to the House of Black and White. The connection between Tobho Mott, Izembaro and Arya does not end there; Tobho Mott was considered the only armorer in the capital who has the ability to work with Valyrian Steel. When Tywin Lannister decided to melt down Ned Stark’s “Ice” into two swords for the Lannister family, he brought it to Tobho Mott.

Continuing the theory that Arya is currently serving as an apprentice to Tobho Mott, it is safe to assume that the she-wolf will find her way back to King’s Landing. Despite her vow to forget her past life, Arya will most likely revert back to her birth identity as the heir of Winterfell, and the daughter of Eddard Stark. The Faceless Men, while assassins have strict rules on who and when they kill, one of the most strictly upheld of these laws is that no assassin shall kill a person whose name you know. In direct position to Arya’s past beliefs, when she couldn’t kill someone without first knowing their names and reciting in her bedtime prayer—her Faceless Men vows and inherent desire for vengeance for the Starks will soon be in conflict.

In “The Winds of Winter” Arya won’t immediately abandon her vows to the Faceless Men and she will work as an assassin in King’s Landing for them. So who will Arya target as a Faceless assassin? According to spoiler reports -- Qyburn. That’s right, Qyburn the right hand master of Cersei Lannister herself, will most likely be one of Arya’s first victims has an assassin. Qyburn’s necromantic practices, we are looking at you Ser Robert Strong, are in violation of the Faceless Men’s beliefs and their sacred appreciation of death. Arya is well acquainted with King’s Landing, and especially the dungeons under the Red Keep. Look for the she-wolf to be reborn upon her return to the capital in “The Winds of Winter.”