Fans of Game of Thrones were blown away by perhaps the most gruesome and intense battle episode that the popular fantasy show has ever done on Monday. In the stress-inducing episode, which saw the living fight the army of the dead, all seemed lost as the Night King's army wiped out the best part of three armies - until Arya finally managed to kill him. The death of the Night King meant the instant demise of every wight he had created, basically meaning that Arya Stark had singlehandedly ended the biggest threat to mankind. Legend.
While some fans of the show have suggested that Arya's destruction of the Night King came out of nowhere, others were quick to point out that in fact, the show had been building towards Arya destroying him once and for all for a long, long time. Here are the clues that proved the youngest Lady Stark was always going to kill Westeros' biggest threat.
"Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes"
Way back in season three, Arya meets Melisandre, who uses her nondescript witch powers to tell Arya that she will close many eyes – brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes. At the time, we assumed that Melisandre just meant all of the many, many, MANY people Arya ended up slaughtering in the subsequent series… until now. When Arya reunites with the Red Witch during the battle, Melisandre reminds her that she once said she'd close "blue eyes", clearing referring to the White Walkers' signature ice blue gaze.
Syrio Forel's training
Arya began training way back in season one, and it was likely Syrio's training that started to prepare her for killing the ultimate enemy. Among his teachings was his advice to be "swift as a deer. Quiet as shadow. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine". All of those hours trying to catch a cat as quietly as possible went down well after she managed to sneak up on the Night King!
Her Valyrian steel dagger
Season seven should have had fans ticking when Bran gave Arya the Valyrian steel dagger that was used in an attempt to kill him, telling her that it's "wasted on a cripple". Now, it might have been a nice present from her little brother but let's face it, Bran isn't really the type to be thinking about which of his sister's name days he's missed. He'll have had an ulterior motive – his own survival. He also gave her the dagger in the Godswood, right in the same spot she used it to save his life. Smart.
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"They can't beat death!"
At one point of the episode, the Hound has a bit of a nervous breakdown as he realises that the living absolutely cannot win against the dead. Shouting at Beric Dondarrion, he says: "We're fighting Death! They can't beat Death," to which Beric points at Arya, shouting back: "Tell her that!" Of course, Arya subsequently goes to stab death in the leg.
The knife trick
Although the Night King had Arya in a chokehold after she tried to jump him by surprise, she manages to get a kill shot by flicking her knife from one hand to another, a trick that she first did back in season seven while sparring with Brienne of Tarth.
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"How did you sneak up on me?"
Jon Snow reminded us all how Arya is a silent assassin after the pair reunited for the first time in season eight, episode one. Standing in front of the Weirwood tree, once again in the exact same spot where Arya eventually kills the King, Jon asks her: "How did you sneak up on me?" The same way she was going to sneak up on the Night King, Jon!