“She vaults off a pile of dead wights, leaps at the Night King and she plunges the dagger through the Night King’s armor.”
That, in a nutshell, is the defining moment of Arya Stark’s journey. She’s traversed the Seven Kingdoms and whittled down her kill list to just three – though we imagine the Hound has earned himself a reprieve – but during Game of Thrones season 8, the wayward Stark returned home in time for the Battle of Winterfell and single-handedly took down the Night King herself.
It’s a scene that sparked heated debate across the Seven Kingdoms (read: the Internet), as Thrones fans deliberated the fate of Arya Stark, and whether she was the right person to deliver the killing blow to death incarnate, despite her having no real connection to the Night King and his undead army.
And yet, when Bran Stark – the future king, no less – was left at his mercy, Arya Stark sprung out of the darkness to save the day, slaying the Night King with her trusty Valyrian dagger. Like we said before, it’s undoubtedly her defining moment, and HBO documentary Game of Thrones: The Long Night has today shed new light on the Night King’s death.
Essentially, for those of you puzzled as to how Arya Stark was able to leap out of the shadows, it turns out she had a little help: a pile of dead wights. They act as her springboard, really, allowing Maisie Williams’ character to blindside the Night King and avert widespread ruin and death.
The Night King walks with methodical, terrifying calm. He stops before Bran and raises his sword to strike, but something is hurtling towards him out of the darkness. Arya. She vaults off a pile of dead wights, leaps at the Night King and she plunges the dagger through the Night King’s armor. The Night King shatters.
And that, as they say, is that. Arya Stark was last seen traveling west of Westeros, which is a pretty fitting conclusion for the show’s seasoned explorer. As for Game of Thrones, HBO is already in the process of developing the first of many prequel series ahead of a planned premiere in 2020.
