Game Of Thrones: Here's What Gendry Made For Arya Stark

Arya and Gendry coming back together for the first time in years was one of the those rosier moments of the Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones. Their rekindled relationship expanded even more in the show's second episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, much to the delight of many fans.

The meeting between the two friends finds both having changed significantly. Arya is now a consummate fighter and assassin with the power of the Faceless Men, while Gendry is also pretty capable in battle with that big hammer of his, not to mention a bit handy at smithing. When they meet again, Arya is interested in Gendry's capabilities as a blacksmith--among other things.

When Arya finds Gendry at Winterfell, she slips him a piece of paper, requesting he make something for her. The diagram was hard to parse, since it's not especially detailed, but we can tell that Arya is asking Gendry to forge her a special dragonglass weapon, separate from the many swords and arrowheads he's been making in preparation for the battle with the White Walkers. It looks like something special, and could hint at the fact that Arya will be a big part of the battle for Winterfell we know is coming this season.

The diagram itself didn't look like any specific weapon we've seen before, nor is it seemingly a callback to some other major weapon from the show's history. The second episode of the season gives us a better look at the weapon after Gendry has actually completed it: it is, in fact, a long staff with dragonglass blades at each end. The diagram shows that it can separate in the middle, turning one weapon into two.

Arya's comment to Jon Snow about his sword Longclaw likely suggests why she'd want a weapon like this--a full-size sword (or battle axe, like the Hound requested) is too heavy for Arya. Her skill comes from her speed with weapons like her sword Needle, and for fighting White Walkers, she'll need something similarly appropriate. If we go into Arya's history, we can see how she'll be using it.

Arya's first combat training, other than what she might have learned from Jon Snow and Robb Stark at Winterfell, was from Syrio Forel in King's Landing. The First Sword of Braavos emphasized fast, one-handed sword combat--Water Dancing, as he called it. We saw Arya use that style most recently when she sparred with Brienne of Tarth at Winterfell in Season 7, and she was able to stand up to one of the best broadsword fighters in Westeros during that fight.

The other combat talent Arya has is what she learned in Braavos at the House of Black and White. There she trained with the Waif, who repeatedly walloped Arya with a wooden staff. Even blind, Arya eventually learned enough to stand against the Waif, as well.

So a dragonglass-tipped staff that can also function as a pair of one-handed swords is right up Arya's alley, allowing her to shift styles depending on the situation. Add to the mix her Valyrian steel dagger, and we see that Arya is outfitted with lots of undead-killing armaments.

Thomas Dunne, the show's weapons master, hinted to Vanity Fair that Arya's new weapon is "a showstopper." It seems we'll be waiting to see Arya bring that weapon to bear against the army of the dead in the third episode of the season, when the massive Battle of Winterfell finally kicks off.