From Game of Thrones’ pilot, Maisie Williams’ Arya, a tomboy with dreams of fighting alongside her brothers and father, was destined to be a series favorite. And throughout the majority of the show, Arya’s story, particularly in the first four seasons, has been one of its most compelling, whether she was working for Tywin Lannister, traversing the countryside with the Hound, or getting deadly with Needle.

However, When she arrived at the House of Black and White in season five, her story stagnated. Initially, it was fun to watch Arya interact with Jaqen again, but as soon as she was struck blind and spent most of her time with the Waif, Arya’s screen time lost its luster. The youngest Stark is at her best when paired with an equally captivating character, and the show squandered that when it took her so far from King’s Landing and Winterfell. To see her spend so much time with the Waif, an underwritten, unsympathetic character whose sole purpose is torturing Arya, was hugely disappointing.

Of course, around the back half of season six, the showrunners got Arya back on track with her glorious revenge on Walder Frey, but it’s hard to say where Arya will go from here. It would be a pity to have her storyline dwindle again, but we can think of a few ways to keep things interesting—and, unsurprisingly, they all involve a reunion of sorts with characters that are as riveting as Arya.

1. A Stark Sister Reunion

The Sansa/Arya dynamic is one of the more undeveloped relationships among main characters in both A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, mainly due to geography—Arya and her older sister haven’t been in the same location at the same time for years at this point. Now, Sansa’s reunited with their half-brother Jon Snow at Winterfell, and given Arya’s closeness to Jon, it makes sense that she’d seek him out. Then we’d get the bonus of an Arya and Jon reunion as well as her reconnecting with Sansa, who could probably use a sister right about now.

2. Bran and Arya’s Animal Instincts

By this point in Game of Thrones, Bran’s warg abilities are well developed; he’s the most accomplished skinchanger we’ve seen in the TV series (and pretty much the only one). In the books, however, he’s in good company; Arya learned to inhabit cats in Braavos and occasionally dreams as her long-lost direwolf Nymeria. In addition to the interest value of a different Stark family reunion, putting the two of them together could allow Bran to a mentor Arya—and the two could continue striking names off Arya’s list.

3. A Meeting of the Minds

As of now, there’s no logical way for Samwell Tarly and Arya to meet in the same venue—Braavos—as in the books. And Arya would have to make quite a trek to get to Oldtown and the maesters’ library (maybe with the Hound?). Still, the show left an opening for Sam to return to Castle Black so Gilly can have a home—and if Arya ends up looking for Jon, that’d likely be her first stop. It would be a relief for Arya to meet a stranger who doesn’t bring her closer to death, and Sam could fit the bill.

4. Getting the Band Back Together

Aside from every time she went toe to toe with Tywin, Arya’s most enjoyable interactions have been with the Hound. Everyone’s favorite deserter was on his way to the North last time we saw him, and if Arya does head in that same direction, we may be looking at a reunion between a man who’s been broken several times over and the girl who left him to die. They might not be thrilled to see each other, but we would be.

5. Revenge Adventures with Lady Stoneheart

Both the Game of Thrones creative team and ASOIAF author George R.R. Martin have more or less shattered fans’ dreams of seeing Lady Stoneheart (AKA the undead Catelyn Stark) in the TV series. But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate. The purpose Lady Stoneheart serves in ASOIAF is, essentially, revenge—and isn’t that what’s fueling Arya’s journey already? The two of them working together would be formidable, and even more so with backup from the Lightning Lord, Beric Dondarrion, Stoneheart’s companion in the books. Sure, it’s the least likely step in Arya’s storyline—but it’s also the most fun.

Who do you think is Arya’s best scene partner? Let us know in the comments!

Images: HBO