Arya Stark

"Anyone can be killed."

- Arya Stark to Tywin Lannister

"Joffery... Cersei... Ilyn Payne... the Hound... Polliver... the Mountain..."

- Arya recites her hit list as a "prayer"

Arya Stark is the second daughter of Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark and Lady Catelyn Stark of Winterfell, growing up in the castle of Winterfell along with her brothers and sisters, Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon, as well as her bastard half-brother Jon Snow. From childhood, Arya was a fiercely independent girl, with no interest in "ladylike" pursuits, instead having an interest in weapons and warfare, and a desire to learn to sword fight, unlike her sister Sansa, who she has a strained relationship with.

Arya is close to Jon, who sees her as, like him, the "outcast" of the family. It is Jon her gives Arya her sword, a rapier, which she names Needle, stating that she can "finally enjoy her needlework". During her time at Winterfell, she iS also given a dire wolf pup, one of six adopted by the Stark family. Arya names the pup Nymeria after a famous warrior Queen.

After Ned Stark is named Hand of the King to King Robert Baratheon and Sansa is betrothed to Robert's son, Joffery, Arya travels to King's Landing. On the way, she meets has her first run-in with future king Joffery Baratheon, an incident which leads to Nymeria biting his arm, and Joffery, being unable to find Nymeria, order Sansa's wolf, Lady executed instead. The incident would be the beginning of Arya's lifelong hatred for Joffery and his retainers.

During her time at King's Landing, she learns the Bravossi style of rapier fighting from master swordsman Syrio Forel, who, in addition to regular training, also has her chase and try to catch cats around to the Red Keep of King's Landing in order to train her agility.

Ned Stark discovers that Joffery is not, in fact, King Robert's son, but rather the bastard son of his wife, Cersei Lannister's incestuous relationship with her brother, and attempts to inform Robert, but before he can do so, he is killed by a boar in a hunting accident.

This leads to Joffery assuming the throne, and orders Eddard Stark, as well as Arya arrested. Her father is taken into custody, but Syrio holds off the guards armed only with a wooden sword, allowing Arya to escape. Meanwhile, Arya's brother Robb declares himself and independent king of the North, leading to a civil war in Westeros. Arya flees to the stable, where men were to meet her and take her back to Winterfell, but they were assassinated by Joffery. A stable boy enters, surprising Arya, and driving her to impale him on her sword. Arya flees the scene and lives for an unspecified period of time on the streets of King's Landing, until she witnesses the trial of her father in a central square. Eddard confesses to treason, on the false promise of mercy, but Joffery instead has him beheaded.

Arya is confronted by Yoren, a recruiter for the Nights Watch, who cuts her hair with a dagger, and forces her to come with him, smuggling her out disguised as a boy, along with several Night's Watch recruits, including Gendry, blacksmith's apprentice who is actually a bastard son of Robert Baratheon.

Arya journeys along with Yoren and the Night's Watch recruits north through the contested Riverlands. Arya quickly bonds with Gendry, and while she is bullied by a couple of boys, a baker's apprentice known as "Hot Pie" and a boy named Lommy "Greenhands", during her travels, Arya befriends both of them.

At a lake in the Riverlands known as The God's Eye, Arya and the others are attacked by a group of Lannister men-at-arms led by Amory Lorch. The incident results in the death of both Yoren and Lommy, the latter of whom is murdered by a soldier named Polliver using Arya's own rapier.

Arya, Gendry, and "Hot Pie" are taken to the ruined fortress of Harrenhal, currently commanded by Gregor Clegane, who they witness torturing several innocents. Arya and the others are rescued from this by Lord Tywin Lannister, and for a time, Arya becomes his cupbearer. Later, all three captives from the "God's Eye" escape, and are taken in for a time by the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of soldiers who fight to protect the peasants of the Riverlands.

Unfortunately, Arya's luck takes a turn for the worst again when the Brotherhood betray Gendry and sell him out to Melisandre, priestess of the religion of the "Lord of Light", and adviser to Stannis Baratheon, rival claimant to the throne.

Arya and "Hot Pie" part ways after leaving the brotherhood. Shortly afterwards, Arya is taken prisoner by Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, who take her to a pair of castles known as the Twins, intending to ransom her back to her family.

Sandor's plans go awry when House Frey, rulers of "The Twins" orchestrate the "Red Wedding, in which Robb Stark, his wife Talisa, Arya's mother, Catelyn, and several important Northern noblemen are assassinated, while their troops are ambushed and slaughtered in their camps. Arya and Sandor arrive during the aftermath of the incident, and Arya catches a glimpse of her dead brother, his head having been severed and the head of his pet dire wolf, Grey Wind, sown on instead.

Soon after witnessing her the Frey soldiers mutilate her brother's body, she and Sandor encounter a group of Frey soldiers, laughing around a campfire. Pretending to be a in need of food, Arya walks up to them, and stabs one of them in the back of the neck with a dagger she took from the Hound. The other three try to attack her, but the Hound kills all three of them. Arya then picks up a coin she used to distract one of them and whispers Valar Morghulis, in tribute to Bravossi god of death, who she now considers the one true god.

During the forth season, the series fast-forwards two years, to where Sandor and Arya are now travelling partners with a tense-at-best relationship. Arya encounters Polliver at a tavern and attacks him. Arya and Sandor managed to kill all of the soldiers in the tavern, before Arya takes Needle back from Polliver, and impales him through the neck.

Sandor and Arya remain travelling partners, Sander intending to take her to her relatives in the Vale of Arryn, only to find them dead upon their arrival, prompting Arya to laugh out loud at the Hound's continued bad luck. At about this time, Arya also learns of Joffery's poisining, but feels no satisfaction, wishing the she had instead been the one to kill him. Sandor and Arya then encounter Brienne of Aryth, who attacks Sandor, who finally is killed, knocked off a cliff after an extended duel. Arya finds the wounded Hound at the bottom of the cliff, who begs her to mercy-kill him. Instead, Arya steals his money and leaves him to die. Arya is last seen on a ship bound for Braavos at the end of season 4.