Could Arya Stark Still Be Serving the Faceless Men in Game of Thrones?
Since the latest episode of Game of Thrones, titled “The Long Night,” Arya Stark has been the source of many discussions among fans. We knew Arya was tough, but now she's clearly proven just how fierce a fighter she is. But what if the assassination of the Night King was all planned by the Faceless Men, the organization that turned Arya into the fierce assassin that she is?
Reddit fan u/lxBATESxl is convinced that Arya was actually doing the Faceless Men’s work in killing the Night King, and that Jaqen H'ghar let her take some faces from the House of Black and White when she left to go back to Winterfell two seasons ago. Jaqen likely wouldn’t have allowed anyone to take faces, however, he might have if he knew Arya was going to use them to embark on a mission that would save the Seven Kingdoms.
But the Redditor brings up another prediction that’s even more of a twist. What if the members of the Faceless Men were really doing the bidding of the Iron Bank, who knew that without their help, Winterfell would fall and King’s Landing would be next? We know that the Iron Bank awarded Cersei a large loan, so if they used the Faceless Men to safeguard King’s Landing, their deal with Cersei would be safe as well. It’s an endless chain of mutual protection that would ultimately protect the Iron Bank more than anyone else.
The user speculates:
"The Order is known for taking a sacrifice or payment in order to carry out an assassination. I tend to think that the Iron Bank could have paid the order for the assassination of the [Night King]. The Iron bank had recently given a sizable loan to Cersei and are typically good about ensuring that their gambles/loans always pay out in the end. If the [Night King]’s army were to win the battle of Winterfell, Cersei's army would stand no chance once the [Night King] collected additional troops and moved to King’s Landing. By paying the Order, they are covering their bet on Cersei."
So basically what the Redditor is arguing is that the Faceless Men put it in Arya’s head that she was capable of killing the Night King, and pushed her to carry out their plan for them without her knowing their real intentions. “I don't think that Arya is aware that there was a price paid for the [Night King]’s assassination. I think that she is serving the order somewhat unknowingly,” the user adds.
This seems like a really elaborate plan, and with only three episodes left, it’s hard to imagine all of this coming to fruition. However, we have been suspicious as to why Jaqen just let Arya leave the Faceless Men back in the Season 6 episode “No One.” It all seemed far too easy.