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Game of Thrones: Sean Bean Predicts Arya Stark Will Survive
Sean Bean has been out of the Game of Thrones for years now, but he thinks he knows which of Ned Stark's children is most likely to make it to the end of the story: tomboy-turned-assassin Arya Stark. The two characters had a close relationship at the start of the series, with Ned indulging his daughter's desire to learn sword-fighting, and even hiring a tutor for her. However, that relationship came to an abrupt end when Ned was shockingly executed at the end of season 1.
Since then, more members of the Stark family have fallen. Catelyn and Robb Stark were both killed during the Red Wedding, while Ned's youngest son, Rickon, was killed by Ramsay Bolton and buried alongside Ned. Of the original family, only Sansa, Jon, Arya, and Bran are still alive - but there's no guarantee that all of them will make it to the end of Game of Thrones' eighth and final season.
Speaking in an interview with Mashable, Sean Bean was asked which of Ned Stark's children had the best chance of survival - a difficult question, since at first Bean wasn't entirely sure which of them are still alive (he has only seen "bits and pieces" of the show since leaving). "Who's left?" Bean asked. "Jon Snow is left, isn't he? But Arya would have to be it. Yeah Arya will last — maybe she'll be on the throne."
Arya has lived through a great deal since attending Ned's execution - most recently training to become an assassin with the Faceless Men, and exacting a gruesome revenge on Walder Frey for betraying her family at the Red Wedding. Arya was then reunited with her sister, Sansa, at Winterfell, though their relationship was strained at first. In the season 7 finale, Arya took revenge once again: slicing Petyr Baelish's throat with his own dagger. Ned Stark's soul probably rested a little easier after that, given that it was Baelish's betrayal that led to his death.
Given how strong a character Arya has become, and how much she's already survived, there's a good chance that she'll make it all the way to the end of the series. Arya ending up on the Iron Throne is another matter; most fans believe that either Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow will end up ruling the Seven Kingdoms, or that they'll rule together. Still, Game of Thrones has surprised us in the past, and will probably do so again.
Speaking of surprises, Bean also reflected on his own shocking character death at the end of season 1, saying, "It was a memorable event - a bit of a shock... I'm proud of all that, though. It's great to be part of a phenomena, establish this character and then he's there forever."
