londongrayskies:

Arya Stark is no one’s pet, no one’s lap dog, no one’s sidekick. She is not there to serve anyone’s storyline, she is not there to be some background character whose story will only revolve around another’s. The only sibling that Arya’s storyline will ever truly be interwoven with is Jon Snow. Two of the most deeply connected, deeply bonded characters of the whole series. 

Arya Stark is one of the most important characters in this series, she was one of the first Starks to be created, in fact GRRM has stated that her sister was initially created for the sole purpose of being Arya’s foil. Arya has the third most POV chapters after Jon and Tyrion, GRRM has also been quoted in saying that he could have written a whole damn book about her time in Braavos. He has stated that she is one of the few characters, along with Jon, Tyrion, and Dany, whose arc has been planned out from the beginning.

Arya’s story is so important that she’s never used as a means to see into other characters’ actions, she’s never used as a means to illustrate another’s pain. Her pain, her abuse, her oppression isn’t depicted as special or unique; its depicted as part of the norm for most of her society, the commoners who become the victims of nothing more than a greedy game.

Her story is about her alone, and about her constant need for family, for a pack. Her story is not about revenge, its about home and family and survival. Its about the horrors of war on the smallfolk, about the unimaginable trauma a little girl must endure and witness on a daily basis. Yes, Arya has a list of people she wants to kill, yes Arya has killed, but it has always been about survival and justice. Her story is the epitome of survival at all costs.