Arya Stark's story is one of the best in Game of Thronesbut it could very well have been very different. To be fair, being different was Arya's thing, certainly compared to her sister, Sansa, and the other ladies of Westeros. From the beginning to Game of ThronesIn the end, Arya forged her own path, becoming a great fighter, but fortunately managing to maintain her humanity despite everything she went through.
Brilliantly brought to life by Maisie Williams as part of Game of Thrones'cast, Arya is a big character in the series, and the A Song of Ice and Fire books that preceded it. Original by author George RR Martin A Song of Ice and Fire the plan, however, would have changed her enormously. Revealed in a 1993 overview, when the books were planned as just a trilogy – with stories including Jaime Lannister becoming king and Catelyn Stark being killed by White Walkers – Arya's arc after leaving Winterfell went in the opposite direction.
What happened to Arya Stark's original plan GRRM
It's practically unrecognizable
Arya Stark's journey in Martin's original vision for A Song of Ice and Fire He would not have taken her south to King's Landing, but rather north to the Wall… and then beyond. Interestingly, some of the circumstances are the same: a bitter rivalry between the Starks and the Lannisters, with Ned Stark being killed on the orders of King Joffrey Baratheon. But Arya and Catelyn were drawn into Bran's story about going beyond the Wallbut with some important differences.
“The entire North will be ignited by war… Robb Stark will die in battle, and Tyrion Lannister will besiege and burn Winterfell… When Winterfell burns, Catelyn Stark will be forced to flee to the North with her son Bran and daughter Arya. Wounded by Lannister knights, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night's Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will be unable to help, much to Jon's distress. This will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran.
“Abandoned by the Night's Watch, Catelyn and her children will discover that their only hope of safety lies further north, beyond the Wall, where they fall into the hands of Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall, and receive a terrifying glimpse of the other Inhumans as they attack the wild camp. Bran's magic, Arya's Needle sword, and the savagery of their direwolves will help them survive, but their mother Catelyn will die. in the hands of others.”
Based on Martin's overview of events, Arya would have been killing White Walkers long before she stabbed the Night King in Game of Thrones season 8. She also wouldn't just stay with Bran and Catelyn, a notable difference from what happens to her in A Game of Thronesbut apparently so does his direwolf Nymeria. In the book and the series, they separate early on, when Arya sends her away after the wolf attacks Joffrey.
Arya is, notably, still a fighter at heart and possesses her sword, Needle, even in this version of events. But her going with Bran, and then seeing her mother killed by the White Walkers, is a seismic difference in how her story actually plays out, so much so that even reading it, I have a hard time imagining what her journey would be like. and how she would transform into the character she is assuming The winds of winteror became in later seasons of Game of Thrones.
The Arya Stark/Jon Snow Romance Explained
Oh, and Tyrion Lannister is also involved…
As strange as it is to imagine Arya's alternate history, it's the other part that really confuses and surprises me: a potential romance arc with Jon. While the two have always been the closest to the Starks and have one of the sweetest relationships in the entire series, there's thankfully never a hint of romantic affection. This was not the case in Martin's initial draft:
“Arya will be more forgiving… until she realizes, with horror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but also a man of the Night's Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogyuntil the secret of Jon's true parentage is finally revealed in the final book.”
Even at this point, incest was clearly a major factor. And, well, Jon Snow and a Targaryen, so it's in his DNA to keep things in the family. However, this point in the story would have seemed very strange and disgusting: it's bad enough for the Lannisters, but they are not the great heroes of the story. That would have been very difficult to accept and risked ruining them both.
Interestingly, this indicates Jon's ancestry, which means that Martin was planning a twist on this as early as 1993. This at the very least suggests that they would not be brothers, but if the plan was R+L=J, then they would still be cousins. . Which isn't uncommon in Westeros, but I'm still really glad that didn't happen.
However, there was another wrinkle to this love story. While Arya fell in love with Jon, Tyrion fell in love with Arya.
“Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, plot and play the game of thrones, finally alienating his nephew Joffrey, disgusted by the boy king's brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders. Exiled, Tyrion will switch sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to overthrow his brother, and falling madly in love with Arya Stark while he's at it. Their passion is, unfortunately, unrequited, but no less intense for that, and will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow..”
Tyrion siding with the Starks makes sense, as it is largely in line with his sympathy for them and hatred for his own family. It's harder to imagine that he fell in love with Arya, and it's probably the genesis of him later marrying Sansa, although this wasn't out of love by any means. Jon and Tyrion also have a great relationship, so it's a good thing it didn't turn into a rivalry.
I'm glad GRRM deviated from his original Arya Stark plan
Why did the story change?
Martin's plan has changed quite a bit from his initial vision, with the story itself expanding greatly – going from a trilogy to what is now planned as seven books. Despite his outline, Martin, by his own admission, is not much of a planner, preferring to see where the story and characters take him as he writes, rather than following a rigid plan. Or, as he says, he's a gardener, not an architect [via The Guardian].
Arya's story is a good example of this, as she ends up leagues away from going beyond the Wall, and I'm happy with that. While if he had gone that route it might have worked – except for the Jon stuff – Arya's journey in the books and series is one of the best. I love his POV chapters, and the themes of identity, self-discovery, loss of innocence, and revenge that form the backbone of his arc are some of the most A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones'more powerful, so this is a change that was definitely for the better.