5 Reasons Why I Think a Sansa/Aegon Match is Coming

[Annara Snow]

But back to topic, this is great theory and would be great for Sansa to finally get her in knight in shining armor (good man underneath too). :-)

Okay. But what does that have to do with fAegon? ;)

None of Lady Ashford's champions ever led to a marriage for her, and it may be the same for Sansa...or not.

Which was hardly surprising, since none of them were trying to marry her in the first place. Since two of her champions were her brothers, we can be relieved. :P The whole thing was completely ceremonial. The tournament was staged by her father in favor of her nameday, that's why she was the "reigning Queen of Love and Beauty" and had "champions" in the first place. The people in the tournament weren't fighting for her at all. Does anyone really think that a Baratheon, an Arryn, a Lannister or a Targaryen would have been intent and desperate to marry the daughter of Lord Ashford, let alone all of them? And she wasn't even a beauty, according to Dunk:

Small wonder Lord Ashford and his sons came hurrying out the doors of the keep, and the fair maid too, a short girl with yellow hair and a round pink face. She does not seem so fair to me, Dunk thought. The puppet girl was prettier.

Lord Ashford was staging this tourney to celebrate his daughter’s thirteenth nameday. The fair maid would sit by her father’s side as the reigning Queen of Love and Beauty. Five champions wearing her favors would defend her. All others must perforce be challengers, but any man who could defeat one of the champions would take his place and stand as a champion himself, until such time as another challenger unseated him. At the end of three days of jousting, the five who remained would determine whether the fair maid would retain the crown of Love and Beauty, or whether another would wear it in her place.

This could be a coincidence (or GRRM yanking our chain) but if it is a deliberate hint, it means that Sansa will get involved with a Targaryen.

Yes, if people from 4 Great Houses and one Vale family participated in a tournament where a plain-looking daughter of a medium lord from the Reach who organized it was "the Queen of Love and Beauty", and then people officially the same 3 Great Houses and one Vale family were among potential husbands of a beautiful daughter of one of the Great Houses who was sought in marriage for her inheritance... that would be such an amazing coincidence! Because those two situations are so similar!

Oh, wait...

So while I believe that the Ashford Tourney naming is a deliberate choice by GRRM, this detail makes it very hard to decide whether the Targ foreshadowed is Aegon, Jon or the whole thing is just GRRM trolling us. I would give very even odds to all of these possibilities.

I think the latter would be the case of fans trolling themselves by being too involved in their crackpots to remember how little textual support they actually have.

[Le Cygne]

Duncan the Tall could be seen as "winner" at the Ashford tourney. Tall, most likely not a ser at the time, Dunk was a true knight, defending Tanselle. There are quite a few parallels with Dunk and another tall not a ser in our story, Sandor Clegane.

Looking at the tourney Sansa attended in our story:

The Hand's Tourney, in honor of Sansa's father. Sansa has actually met Sandor, and throughout the series, thinks of him often, In her last chapter, she pretended they kissed twice and placed him in "the marriage bed." (Bonus points, there are Beauty and the Beast references throughout the tourney.)

After talking together about true knights the night before, Sansa watched Sandor defeat Jaime "moist-eyed and eager" and said, "I knew the Hound would win"... then in the end, she said, "Is the Hound the champion now?" And Ned, observing Sandor fighting fair while saving Loras' life, thought, Sansa had the right of it.

Sansa watched:

Sandor vs. Baratheon, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Lannister, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Tyrell, Sandor won (after being a true knight defending him, he yielded the match)

Sandor won the tourney. Also Littlefinger bet against Sandor, and lost.

[Annara Snow]

Duncan the Tall could be seen as "winner" at the Ashford tourney.

No, he really couldn't. He didn't even participate in it. The trial of the seven had nothing to do with the tournament.

[Faceless Man Friday]

Late to this thread but I do like the OP. But I would think that by the time Sansa and Aegon get together Sansa has become a master manipulator, everything Cersie wanted to be but wasn't. So I don't see this as a happily ever after story but rather a Sansa having Aegon wrapped around her little finger story. If you don't mind the pun.

[Annara Snow]

Late to this thread but I do like the OP. But I would think that by the time Sansa and Aegon get together Sansa has become a master manipulator, everything Cersie wanted to be but wasn't. So I don't see this as a happily ever after story but rather a Sansa having Aegon wrapped around her little finger story. If you don't mind the pun.

It hardly can be, since fAegon is the Most Obviously Doomed Character in the Series.

I'm not sure what "Sansa wrapping him around her little finger" would achieve in the long run, considering. It seems like the wiser choice would be to stay far, far away.

[Faceless Man Friday]

It hardly can be, since fAegon is the Most Obviously Doomed Character in the Series.

I'm not sure what "Sansa wrapping him around her little finger" would achieve in the long run, considering. It seems like the wiser choice would be to stay far, far away.

I mean she would manipulate him to do her biding the way Tyrion manipulated him to go to Westeros. I agree that without some diabolical mind to protect him fAegon is doomed but there is still a lot of story to be told and if Sansa turns out to be the best manipulator of them all this combo could be successful.

[Annara Snow]

I mean she would manipulate him to do her biding the way Tyrion manipulated him to go to Westeros. I agree that without some diabolical mind to protect him fAegon is doomed but there is still a lot of story to be told and if Sansa turns out to be the best manipulator of them all this combo could be successful.

Fair enough. But in that case, Tyrion notably manipulated Aegon in just one conversation, without needing to hook up with him. ;) So if Sansa is to become the best manipulator in the series, why would she need to hook up/marry/have sex with Aegon just to do the same thing Tyrion managed to do in just one conversation during cyvasse?

It's frankly insulting that many seem to think that males can manipulate people through their intelligence, but females can only do that by spreading their legs. That's what Cersei thinks, but that's because she's Cersei, and her example shows just how wrong this line of thinking is. On the other hand, Lady Olenna seems to be doing just fine without needing to marry or sex up anyone in King's Landing.

[Faceless Man Friday]

I did not mean it that way. What I meant was that Power resides where people believe it resides. If the Seven Kingdoms accept fAegon as King, he is King regardless or whether or not he really is Elia's son. Sansa cannot be King in this way, not because she is a women but because she is not a Targ or has any claim to being a Targ that anyone would believe. She is a Stark, however, and by uniting Stark and Targ, Ice and Fire, she can unite the Seven Kingdoms. Given the fact that we have already seen that fAegon can be manipulated he is doomed unless he gets a protector. Someone with a mutual interest in his survival and success. That someone could be Sansa, a graduate of the Kings Landing University of manipulation, with such great professors as Cersei, Margery, Little Finger, Tyrion, Lady Olenna. In order to get into position to take advantage of fAegon, she will have to pass her Graduate course by freeing herself of LittleFinger in a way that leaves her as the power in the Vale not dependent on anyone. She has learned what to do and what not to do from all those great teachers. She knows how the game is played and she will win because she is smart and will use her cunning to get what she wants. I can easily see her winning the Game of Thrones by becoming Queen and being what Cersei wanted to be, THE Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. That was what I meant, I meant that Sansa would manipulate fAegon just like Tyrion did with her intelligence. The difference is that being female and from House Stark she could do it as Queen, a more permanent and binding arrangement should something happen to fAegon.

While I can see this as happening I am not saying it will or that I even think this is the most likely outcome. I am just saying it is a possibility and one I would like to see.

[Annara Snow]

In order to get into position to take advantage of fAegon, she will have to pass her Graduate course by freeing herself of LittleFinger in a way that leaves her as the power in the Vale not dependent on anyone. She has learned what to do and what not to do from all those great teachers. She knows how the game is played and she will win because she is smart and will use her cunning to get what she wants. I can easily see her winning the Game of Thrones by becoming Queen and being what Cersei wanted to be, THE Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. That was what I meant, I meant that Sansa would manipulate fAegon just like Tyrion did with her intelligence. The difference is that being female and from House Stark she could do it as Queen, a more permanent and binding arrangement should something happen to fAegon.

How? Sansa cannot be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. She has no claim to the Iron Throne. The best she could get from a marriage with Aegon would be to be his queen consort, which doesn't allow her to rule by herself; or to become queen regent if she has a son with him and he dies. In other words, exactly what Cersei was. And we know how well that worked out for her. When she was just a consort, even though Robert was a weak king and her family was powerful and she could wield power over others, she had to deal with Robert's sexual and physical abuse.

If he just dies and she is not the mother of the heir, she's nothing.

Hasn't this series taught you that becoming a king does not mean that you've "won the game of thrones" (Aerys, Joffrey, Renly, Robb and Balon say hi) - let alone becoming just a queen consort, who depends on the whims of her husband?

[SacredOrderOfGreenMen]

I think it might be proposed, but not farther than that, just to fulfill the Lady of Ashford parallel.

But it wouldn't take her story anywhere is my issue with it.

[Le Cygne]

There is no Lady Ashford parallel. One could twist that to mean one of any number of things, depending on how you want to look at it. But that doesn't make it a parallel, it's just not there.

Why not look at the actual tourney that Sansa was eager to attend, eagerly watched, and involved the same names as actual "suitors":

Sansa watched:

Sandor vs. Baratheon, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Lannister, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Tyrell, Sandor won (after being a true knight defending him, he yielded the match)

Sandor won the tourney. Also Littlefinger bet against Sandor, and lost.

Also for emphasis, Sansa looked back at this tourney and noted:

He had been the champion in her father's tourney, Sansa remembered.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

There is no Lady Ashford parallel. One could twist that to mean one of any number of things, depending on how you want to look at it. But that doesn't make it a parallel, it's just not there.

Why not look at the actual tourney that Sansa was eager to attend, eagerly watched, and involved the same names:

Looking at the tourney Sansa attended in our story:

Sansa watched:

Sandor vs. Baratheon, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Lannister, Sandor won

Sandor vs. Tyrell, Sandor won (after being a true knight defending him, he yielded the match)

Sandor won the tourney. Also Littlefinger bet against Sandor, and lost.

You're right.

So, Sandor is a secret Targaryen.

This proves it.

[Le Cygne]

So, Sandor is a secret Targaryen.

That's where I was going with that! :lol:

GRRM often takes suggestive things from another story, and applies them in a way relevant to the present story. The present story gets the narrative emphasis.

[SacredOrderOfGreenMen]

The Lady of Ashford thing is interesting, but I don't think narratively it goes anywhere. I even wrote meta on it once. To my mind it is a way for GRRM to basically point how every one that Sansa has ever been betrothed to, or even the betrothal itself, was a fraud.

Joffrey: fraud.

Willas: the plot was also a fraud, and though they would have been happy together, didn't even approach reality.

Tyrion: their marriage is treated as "real" by the realm even though it is essentially the least real of all.

Hardyng: another case of fraud.

If she was ever betrothed to Jon or Aegon, gods for bid: both frauds. One is a possibly legitimate Targaryen passed off as a Stark bastard and the other is a Blackfyre bastard being passed off as a Targaryen.

For me, the narrative solution for Sansa's character really is Sandor, and to be the Stark's chief diplomat to the South. She has the personality, looks, and skills to do it (knowledge of culture, perceives levers of power, understands how to lie and misdirect).

[Little and Less]

Good OP -this reminds me of my first read of LF's marriage plot for Sansa (before any gift chapters) - I kept thinking two things 1. Why is LF (or GRRM) telling us this marriage plot? LF NEVER tells you what he's thinking - he's LF. I remember thinking this can't be the plan - something will unravel it, or we haven't been told the real plan - yet. and 2. LF will always align himself with whoever he thinks is going to win and be of benefit to LF. Even if it means working with Varys.

When GRRM started to mention the small victories happening off page by fAegon and JonCon - my first thought was LF will attempt to marry Sansa off to fAegon. Especially if his spies tell him that fAegon is going to take KL or gain support from other Westorsi Lords. LF has four very big things going for him - 1. He's Lord Protector in the Vale where a large untapped army sits, 2. He currently has Sansa who he thinks is key to the North and more importantly, a Stark who will have the support of the North (Boltons be gone!) 3. The Vale Lords WANT to join the war (they were upset that Lysa never chose a side) 4. Jon Con does not know just how treacherous LF is.

LF knows how to rework a plan - especially as chaos is ensuing - Cersei is going to f-up KL, Tyrells will be busy helping Marge as well as being attacked by Ironborn, fAegon is winning victories along the coast, and the Boltons and Freys are losing their tenuous hold on their power.....the situation is ripe for a LF change of plan.

And how gain Power - a marriage tends to work!

[Little and Less]

Thoughts on Arianne - we all expect she will want to marry fAegon. I'm not sold on this yet. Arianne may just surprise us by thinking the same thing Tyrion thought when he met fAegon, that he's just a boy. (She may not think he is going to win either.)

Plus I still want to know why Daemon Sand was added to her party to treat with fAegon - a man that loves Arianne and wanted to marry her. Arianne (I think) loves him. She may not be as swayed by the young fAegon as we think, she may have second thoughts.

Or she could be the one who suggests giving him Dorne's support just because she believe's he is Elia's son.

[Colonel Green]

LF will always align himself with whoever he thinks is going to win and be of benefit to LF. Even if it means working with Varys.

When GRRM started to mention the small victories happening off page by fAegon and JonCon - my first thought was LF will attempt to marry Sansa off to fAegon.

Even if Littlefinger decided he wanted to work with Varys, why would Varys ever let him into the alliance, given how dangerous he is? And Littlefinger has his own plans, anyway.

[Annara Snow]

Even if Littlefinger decided he wanted to work with Varys, why would Varys ever let him into the alliance, given how dangerous he is? And Littlefinger has his own plans, anyway.

Yeah, I can't imagine that, at the mention of JonCon and fAegon having small victories, "Littlefinger will ally with Varys!" would be my first thought. Or in my top 10 first thoughts.

Thoughts on Arianne - we all expect she will want to marry fAegon. I'm not sold on this yet. Arianne may just surprise us by thinking the same thing Tyrion thought when he met fAegon, that he's just a boy. (She may not think he is going to win either.)

Plus I still want to know why Daemon Sand was added to her party to treat with fAegon - a man that loves Arianne and wanted to marry her. Arianne (I think) loves him. She may not be as swayed by the young fAegon as we think, she may have second thoughts.

Or she could be the one who suggests giving him Dorne's support just because she believe's he is Elia's son.

Arianne is hardly incredibly mature or politically savvy herself. And why would she believe him so strongly that he's Elia's son? She'd have to be really swayed by him to be convinced, so you've just contradicted yourself.

Why is Daemon Sand here? Hm, maybe because GRRM is setting up a love triangle?

Let's see, in terms of setup, which is more likely: that Arianne, a character who's going to meet fAegon in TWOW and her released chapters are all about that, from a powerful family who wants to support the Targaryens and who's just been given a reason to not give their support to Dany (what with the failure of Quentyn's mission, and the fact that they probably won't get to know the full truth of what happened, and may think who knows what), and who's very marriageable, is going to play a major role in the fAegon storyline and be his potential bride; or that it will actually be Sansa, who so far has narratively had nothing to do with Aegon at all, has a completely different storyline set up (a betrothal to the heir of the Vale and a supposed attempt to win the North), who couldn't help fAegon with winning the Iron Throne at all, who's still officially married and therefore can't marry any time soon, who comes from a family that the Targaryens and their loyalists consider one of the usurpers, who can't bring fAegon anything at the moment since the North is out of her reach and ruled by the Boltons, not that the northmen would want to help fAegon to fight for the Iron Throne anyway since they don't care; and who is under the 'protection'/control of Littlefinger, the rival of Varys, who is controlling fAegon? Why would Littlefinger drop his plans to help Varys install fAegon on the throne? Why would Varys accept Littlefinger's help? Why would Varys agree to marry fAegon to Sansa, when this wouldn't bring him any political gain, and would presumably put LF's pawn in his own pawn's bed? Why would GRRM even bother with Littlefinger and his plans if all he does is support Varys' plans?

[Justin Amey]

I mean she would manipulate him to do her biding the way Tyrion manipulated him to go to Westeros. I agree that without some diabolical mind to protect him fAegon is doomed but there is still a lot of story to be told and if Sansa turns out to be the best manipulator of them all this combo could be successful.

Y'all make seem as if Aegon can be manipuliated by anything and everything. Aegon( who i believe is the real deal) has been training his whole life to be a very good king. That mean listening to the advise of others, and Tyrion's advise was very sound. Aegon is about 18 years old, and the daughter of a traitor in his eyes. what in the world could she pull off on him?

Fair enough. But in that case, Tyrion notably manipulated Aegon in just one conversation, without needing to hook up with him. ;) So if Sansa is to become the best manipulator in the series, why would she need to hook up/marry/have sex with Aegon just to do the same thing Tyrion managed to do in just one conversation during cyvasse?

It's frankly insulting that many seem to think that males can manipulate people through their intelligence, but females can only do that by spreading their legs. That's what Cersei thinks, but that's because she's Cersei, and her example shows just how wrong this line of thinking is. On the other hand, Lady Olenna seems to be doing just fine without needing to marry or sex up anyone in King's Landing.

In Aegon and JonCon's mind, Aegon wants to marry Dany. As Alayne Stone, Sansa doesn't stand a chance, as Sansa, it most likely will get killed. People that think that Sansa/Aegon marriage will happen IMO is fan-fiction to me

How? Sansa cannot be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. She has no claim to the Iron Throne. The best she could get from a marriage with Aegon would be to be his queen consort, which doesn't allow her to rule by herself; or to become queen regent if she has a son with him and he dies. In other words, exactly what Cersei was. And we know how well that worked out for her. When she was just a consort, even though Robert was a weak king and her family was powerful and she could wield power over others, she had to deal with Robert's sexual and physical abuse.

If he just dies and she is not the mother of the heir, she's nothing.

Hasn't this series taught you that becoming a king does not mean that you've "won the game of thrones" (Aerys, Joffrey, Renly, Robb and Balon say hi) - let alone becoming just a queen consort, who depends on the whims of her husband?

Aegon was raise by JonCon, a person who was defeated by Ned Stark who was participating in the destruction of house Targ. His mindset would be on the same wave length as Dany, in his mind, she the daughter of a usurper dog.

[AllOfTheHours]

He's still alive.

He has been foreshadowed since book 2

He's actually doing something already to take the throne, despite his limited numbers, unlike other characters.

i think both Aegon and Sansa's best acts are still to come. The idea of them doing something big has been foreshadowed for a couple books now. It would be really cool to see if they end up working together against their mutual adversaries. Plus Sansa has a wealth of info about the Lannisters, Tyrells, and KL in general having lived among them for so long, that could be useful.

I agree and have been saying all along, when Jon Connington mentions the Vale has fresh armies and they discuss reaching out to them for alliance as they say Dorne is not enough. Littlefinger controls the Vale and would like to get their armies out of there where they want to basically string him up, it is a win win for him.

That would be an interesting point of intersection!

Aegon is with The Golden Company. That would indicate Blackfyre not Targaryen influence. JonCon is also a disgraced former member of TGC, which seems to have been ignored.

I have to respectfully disagree here. JonCon - who is the most fervent Targ loyalist - was a member of the Golden Company and rose to become the right hand of the leader. If all they did was plot for Blackfyres to return to Westeros (decades after the family name died out, so no king with Blackfyre blood would actually be called "Blackfyre"), JonCon wouldn't have been a member. So they certainly have a Blackfyre-based history, but over the years their stance appears to have softened considerably.