Game of Thrones season 7 premiere's opening Arya scene combines two iconic storylines from the books

'Wash it down with Arbor Gold and savour every bite'

The power which the female characters relish nevertheless corrupts, just as it does their male counterparts

Season seven of Game of Thrones has arrived, bringing death to numerous characters within the very first episode.

**Spoilers for the season premiere ‘Dragonstone ahead**

No scene was quite as horrific as the cold opening which saw Arya Stark murder the entire Frey family, retribution for the infamous Red Wedding.

Wearing Walder Frey’s face, the girl-who-now-has-a-name welcomed the character’s heir’s into the Twin’s great hall, toasting their recent success with “proper wine for proper heroes”.

However, things quickly turn sour as the men cheer ‘Walder’ on: "Yes, yes... cheer. Brave men, all of you. Butchered a woman, pregnant with a baby. Cut the throat of a mother of five. Slaughtered your guests after inviting them into your home.”

As the address continues, the Frey men begin to choke; they’ve been poisoned. The Lord continued: ”But you didn't slaughter every one of the Starks.

“No, no, no. That was your mistake. You should have ripped them all out, root and stem. Leave one wolf alive, and the sheep are never safe.”

As they hit the floor, Arya reveals herself, turning to Walder's latest wife, telling her to deliver a message to the crown: “Tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter came for House Frey.”

It’s brutal revenge, Maisie Williams saying of the scene: “It’s so f**ked up! Even Arya is surprised she has so much power. In that last moment she’s staring out at all those men dying, she’s turned into a bit more of a monster than she’s ever realised. I don’t think she’s sad about that but she’s got it on her mind.”

The disturbing scene also brings together some story threads from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the books on which Game of Thrones is based.

As The Hollywood Reporter explains, Arya’s revenge against the Frey’s encapsulates Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor’s very own revenge story from the books.

Martin’s series sees Lord Manderly openly working with the Freys, Boltons, and Lannisters, while also plotting revenge for his son — lost in the Red Wedding — behind their backs.

The character kills numerous members of the Frey family and cooks them into pies, serving them up to relatives. "The best pie you have ever tasted, my lords," Manderly says during A Dance with Dragons. "Wash it down with Arbor Gold and savour every bite. I know I shall.”

During the season six finale, Arya gives Walder a pie before slitting his throat. She then brings the Manderly storyline to a conclusion by serving the Frey sons poisoned Arbor Gold.

The second storyline the young Stark has seemingly encapsulated is Lady Stoneheart. For those unaware, Stoneheart is the reanimated corpse of Catelyn Stark — brought to life by the Brotherhood Without Banners — who exacts revenge on the Red Wedding perpetrators.

With only twelve episodes remaining, there’s almost zero chance we’ll see Stoneheart; instead, Arya has encapsulated the undead character’s quest to murder those traitors across Westeros.

The question remains of where will Arya go next? During the episode, she tells Ed Sheeran and his Lannister gang she’s heading South to “kill the Queen”. But, could we see her travelling North to Winterfell? The teaser for episode two has already revealed a likely reunion will take place, but doesn’t confirm where she’s heading.

Game of Thrones airs weekly on Sky Atlantic in the UK and is available on NOW TV.