Game of Thrones often leaves fans mourning characters that shuffled off Westeros’ mortal coil, enough so that it was a change of pace to have spent the 9+ months between seasons actually questioning whether one or two of those deaths happened or not. But all things Jon Snow aside, fans have been actively wondering just what in the hell actually happened to Arya’s sword (or “dancing”) teacher Syrio Forel since his last appearance in Season 1. Well, have a seat, because here’s what showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss told the optimistic actress Maisie Williams.
No, he is dead.
So many hopes and dreams crushed. So many fan fictions made irrelevant. So many Photoshopped Harlequin romance novel covers with Syrio’s face on them no longer quite so non-depressing.
Maisie Williams, who was seemingly an infant when those scenes were happening, told IGN that she was of the belief that many fans held, in which Syrio managed to survive the unevenly matched battle against Ser Meryn Trant and a group of Lannister guardsmen. (Even though her character Arya believed him to be dead, and murdered Ser Meryn over it.) It certainly wasn’t a likely scenario, but when you’re talking about The First Sword of Braavos, you’re talking about somebody who could do some amazing things with a wooden sword. But I guess the only amazing thing he did was get killed without there being much news about it.
Here’s how Maisie Williams reacted to the showrunners’ blunt comment.
I was like, ‘Oh, okay.’ So that put that to bed really quickly, but I guess we can all still dream.
And dream some will, no doubt. One of the biggest theories surrounding Syrio’s mystery fate was that he was actually one and the same as Jaqen H’ghar, the Faceless Man who trained Arya later in the narrative. Williams said that she also thought this was the case, at least before her bosses totally shattered her beliefs. Damn you, Benioff and Weiss!
Of course, fans have figured out tons of ways for Jon Snow to still be around and living within the Game of Thrones universe, as well as the also-killed-offscreen Stannis, so just because we know Syrio is dead doesn’t mean that he can’t still exist in some way to the fanbase. In any case, at least actor Miltos Yerolemou got to be in The Force Awakens, even if he didn’t live to see Season 2 of Game of Thrones.
There is only one thing we say to Syrio’s death: Not today. I mean, it technically happened a long time ago, but you know what I mean. Be sure to tune into the Season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones on HBO on Sunday, April 24, at 9 p.m. ET.
