A Girl Has No Name

One of the most predominant and iconic storylines of the popular hit series, Game of Thrones, follows orphaned and traumatized Arya Stark, who flees on foot after the beheading of her father. She is held prisoner by various captors, narrowly escapes torture, her journey is isolated, fraught with hardship, and most of all, lonely. Despite the seemingly hopeless elements, she faces the odds with defiance.

She is brave, resilient, confident, and her defining factor, a kill list for all the ones who wronged her or her family. Obsessed with revenge, she repeats the names of her enemies every night; those who she vows to kill. Her prized possession, her Valerian sword, was gifted to her by her beloved half-brother, Jon. Her sword, christened “Needle” represented her core identity, the last remaining tie to her home and family.

Her journey leads her to the temple of the Many-Faced god, and those who serve him, the Faceless Men, the feared assassins of the city that keep the peace. Arya arrives, with vexed determination to achieve the art and mastery of death as quickly as possible. Instead, she is given a broom and instructed to clean the floors.

Each day she is interrogated “Who are you?” if she answers “Arya Stark” she is abruptly slapped in the face. If she answers “A girl is no one” without the sincerity of truly believing that, she is also slapped.