From Pawn to Player: Rethinking Sansa VI

[Valkyrja]

Then there's also the fact that a claim disempowers Sansa and she knows that now. It seems unlikely she would make an about turn and go "Hell yes", grab Harry and try to raise an army to secure a claim. Sansa cares for her own survival and that of her family, not for upwards mobility and arbitrary notions of grabbing power for the sake of grabbing power.

This is one of the reason I hope beyond hope that LF won't be able to twist Alayne/Sansa completely into a mini-LF....... she has always been survival minded, unlike him, who yearns for power for the sake of his upward mobility and revenge.

[Lyanna Stark]

Yes, gosh, I thought I was the only person who sensed this :) And even more disturbing is the failure to recognize the red flag of Harry behaving like the Robert Baratheon of old. Of course, this could be Martin trying to throw us off track, but it's a worrying sign nevertheless.

You know this is another thing that has come up quite a lot in Sansa's chapters: firstly, that she has learnt that bastardy isn't the end of the world. She meets Ellaria Sand and Mya Stone and has to be a bastard herself.

However, there is still that moral value judgement on men like Robert who father a lot of bastards. Even if Westeros is patriarchal and it's seen as acceptable for men to have bastards, it still seems to definitely not be the ideal. It also seems to be a truth that the more highly regarded men of Westeros don't have any bastards. I mean sure, Neddard had one, but he wasn't really Ned's and in fact he probably wasn't even Rhaegar's bastard. Tywin, Kevan, Mace Tyrell, Randyll Tarly, Doran Martell, Balon Greyjoy, Bronze Yohn Royce, Hoster Tully etc. don't have any known bastards.

Cat reflects that Edmure may have a dozen bastards and this is definitely not seen as any sort of moral endorsement. In fact, Edmure's whoring/wenching seems to be one of his largest moral failings. Myranda seems to think Littlefinger's devotion to Lysa a point in his favour.

We also so the Ned reflect that he didn't think Rhaegar frequented brothels, which contrasts strongly to Robert's failings here. Harry also has two bastards already, which means he should be ahead of Robert Baratheon since he only had Mya until age 18-19, I think. This actually makes Harry worse than Robert Baratheon on spawning bastards. And like Lyanna said to the Ned: "love is sweet, but it cannot change a man".

I think Sansa might be looking for someone, I dunno, a bit more...faithful? :)

[brashcandy]

I think Sansa might be looking for someone, I dunno, a bit more...faithful? :)

Loyal, steadfast, enduring... take your pick Lyanna ;)

Agreed with your post wholeheartedly. I think my underlying fear about the bastardy issue is that it always smacks of an abuse of power in the treatment of women, especially with regard to Robert and now with Harry the Heir. Of course it doesn't always amount to this, but there's that implication of exploitation and lack of fidelity/self control that rubs me the wrong way.

[Johirrim]

Tywin, Kevan, Mace Tyrell, Randyll Tarly, Doran Martell, Balon Greyjoy, Bronze Yohn Royce, Hoster Tully etc. don't have any known bastards.

Seem to me that even if these people had bastards we wouldn't know of them, eh? Not every bastard is acknowledged and they don't even has to be aware of them either. And these men may be highly regarded, and perhaps they even view themselves as such. So even if they knew they had bastards they wouldn't let other people know of it.

I think Sansa might be looking for someone, I dunno, a bit more...faithful? :)

Too bad beggars can't be choosers.

[Winter's Knight]

I think Sansa might be looking for someone, I dunno, a bit more...faithful? :)

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends."-Alexander Pope

[Lyanna Stark]

Seem to me that even if these people had bastards we wouldn't know of them, eh? Not every bastard is acknowledged and they don't even has to be aware of them either. And these men may be highly regarded, and perhaps they even view themselves as such. So even if they knew they had bastards they wouldn't let other people know of it.

Clearly promiscuity isn't well regarded. Especially if the man in question is married since it dishonours the wife and her house. Since marriages are arranged as political unions, that's normally a bad idea.

Some may have bastards, but it also seems like a shameful thing and we see the Faith of the Seven condemning it. There is also no talk of any bastards from men like Tywin, Kevan, Ned, Bronze Yohn, Littlefinger etc. If it was that common, we should have heard something about it.

Cat is pondering Hoster's faithfulness and even for a while thinks she did not know her father at all since he might have fathered a bastard, but then she realises it was Tansy tea as in the abortificant, and not Tansy the bastard girl. It's fairly clear from Ned's comment about Rhaegar, Jaime's about Oberyn (he's infamous and even beds with boys) that promiscuity is not seen in a favourable light.

Too bad beggars can't be choosers.

Not sure what this means, is Sansa a beggar and need to make do? What do you base this on?

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends."-Alexander Pope

Haha excellent.

There's also the alleged Gloria Allred quote:

"The more I know about men the more I like dogs."

[Winter's Knight]

Haha excellent.

There's also the alleged Gloria Allred quote:

"The more I know about men the more I like dogs."

Yours fits better than mine. :love:

"There is no faith which has never yet been broken except that of a truly faithful dog."-Konrad Lorenz

[Johirrim]

Lyanna Stark: I agree with what you say. Just that, these particular men, even if they had bastards I am certain we wouldn't know of them. Not just because they are highly regarded either. Robert was that. Clearly didn't stop him. But because all these men you listed are all very canny men. Robert was not, and probably not Harry the heir either. If not for Tyrion we would probably never have known that Tywin had bedded Shae.

Not sure what this means, is Sansa a beggar and need to make do? What do you base this on?

No. Just that if you need something then she would have to take what is offered. Harry is not the perfect man, true. But if I had to say, she would probably be better off with him than the most others. Not that I think she'll end up with him permanently or anything. He is just a stepping stone for littlefinger. Perhaps Sansa will one day be able to take a man of her choosing? Not just now.

[brashcandy]

Perhaps Sansa will one day be able to take a man of her choosing? Not just now.

If not now, when? After she's become a bitter woman like Lysa Tully, waiting long long years for her husband to die? Or when she decides to find another man to father her children like Cersei, thereby endangering their lives and her own? Or when she decides to do what both Cersei and Lysa end up doing and plot her husband's murder? Sansa has to begin charting her path to autonomy, and agreeing to enter into another arranged marriage would just be another dead end.

[Kittykatknits]

Yes, the feeling I get wrt to people's views on Harry the Heir, is that they like him almost *because* he is Littlefinger's choice for Sansa (disregarding completely the creepy undertones of 'LF knows best and in actuality thinks of himself as the best choice for Sansa'). Its almost like some readers *want* Sansa to be continually forced to 'learn her lesson' by having men she has no say in pushed at her, and that she needs to accept them and 'get over' her own preferences. Just the rather icky feeling I get from people sometimes. I sincerely hope that this is not the message that the text itself ultimately espouses. :ack:

ETA: Its one thing if Sansa's tastes change of her own accord, but another if she is being forced to accept something else 'for her own good' or because it will serve the realm or some abstract idea of her family's honour (or LF's plans). That's what I find rather upsetting.

Valkyrja, that bolded sentence is exactly what bothers me about fan reaction to Harry. We have not yet met the again and yet so many, at face value, feel that Sansa will marry him, should marry him, or has an obligation to do so. The reasoning I hear most often is the serve the realm logic. Why does Sansa need to serve the realm? Really, why her and not someone else? I don't see the logic in that statement at all. And to say so, is to completely negate Sansa as a person and her desires as a woman.

As to the "learn her less", I hear that too, but more often as it relates to Tyrion than Hary. The logic is that Sansa would end up with someone who is the complete opposite of what she wants.

Precisely. Why should she accept HtH simply because it might present her best option to reclaim Winterfell? Why should personal happiness be sacrificed for public duty? And no, I don't think we can equate "Sansa, the girl longing for home" with "Sansa, the heir to Winterfell." There's a tendency I guess to see Winterfell as the be all and end all for the Starks, but I think Martin has been undermining that concept since book one, and also complicating the notion of home throughout the series.

For Sansa and Arya though, Winterfell is "home" not because its location but because the people who inhabited it, and I think this is what people often forget. A burnt out shell is a burnt out shell only. Without people in it, it's almost nothing, just a heap of memories.

Then there's also the fact that a claim disempowers Sansa and she knows that now. It seems unlikely she would make an about turn and go "Hell yes", grab Harry and try to raise an army to secure a claim. Sansa cares for her own survival and that of her family, not for upwards mobility and arbitrary notions of grabbing power for the sake of grabbing power.

Sansa and Ary's thoughts on WF remind me of the saying, "you can't go home again". Even if/when they return to WF, it won't be what they remember. Both sisters are going to need to remake a home for themselves, wherever that turns out to be. This goes back to Sansa and her claim. The claim will never be about home or family, it's about politics and the game

Mixed in with the idea on home, are the thoughts of women on the conflict between personal happiness and public duty. WF and duty is not the be all and end all, nor should it be. I think the message that Sansa needs to figure out is how to find a balance between the two, just as I think Asha, Dany, Brienne, and others need to figure that out. Cersei was forced to life a life that was about duty when she wed Robert and we see what it did to her, the same with Lysa. Then in Dance, Dany entered in to a marriage purely for political reasons and it was obvious that she was feeling the impact of that the very next morning.

[Monica21]

I've been following this thread for a few days now and I'm new to the forum, but I'll just throw in my two cents about Sansa.

I see all of her training with Littlefinger as learning to become a master player of the game instead of everyone else's pawns. The only reason she hasn't gone back to Winterfell yet is because she hasn't been able to. She didn't leave with Sandor because he messed up the "rescue." When LF told her they were going home she assumed her home and not The Fingers. When she realizes where they've landed she thinks, "Perhaps it would not be so terrible to stay here for a time." For a time, but only until she could get home. Maybe it's my own overly sentimental nature, but I can't imagine Sansa not wanting to go home, whether it's just a pile of stones or not. The girl who left Winterfell longing for a southern court is desperately homesick, and you only need to read the passage of her building the Winterfell snow castle to see that. "I am always stronger within the walls of Winterfell."

Whatever she's doing right now is what will eventually lead her back home, but she will go on her own terms and not as a trophy or a prize or as someone else's claim. It doesn't matter that it's not what she remembers. It's an ancestral home that's been burned and taken over by thieves and traitors. Generation after generation of Starks has lived there and protected the North from Winterfell. As far as Sansa knows she's the last living Stark. She may not get to Winterfell, but I believe she's willing to die trying, even if she hasn't thought of it in those terms yet.

[brashcandy]

Wecome Monica! :)

I think Winterfell does hold a lot of symbolic, sentimental power for Sansa and the Starks as you noted in your post, and you may indeed be right that we might see her returning there to rebuild it or die trying.

I just don't have the same personal confidence even taking into account the snow castle Winterfell she builds or her stated love for home. Let me be clear on this: at some point if they live, I hope all the Starks would be able to at least go home, to stay if that is what they want, or to visit temporarily. My point in this thread is just to question whether going home - that concept that holds so much mythical power for us in the modern world, is truly necessary for all the Starks. I tend to see Sansa's arc as similar to the one Daenerys has, and we know that Dany once longed for the only home she ever knew, the house with the red door. But as we see in Dany's case, "going home" isn't always possible, and I'm not talking here of only the geographical difficulties, but more importantly, the symbolic ones related to our development and experiences. The "home" we knew is always connected to a self that we no longer inhabit, a nostalgic longing for a time that we know we can never recapture. I think this is applicable to Sansa's situation, but again, I stress this is only my opinion, and I don't mean to suggest that your point isn't valid.

I don't think Sansa will approach Winterfell in the Lannister way, as a possession to be fought over, but again, this is Martin's text and that could be the very thing he has in mind. I like to envision other possibilities for Sansa though, ones that are related to her personal happiness and her duty to herself. It wouldn't make me very happy to see Sansa dying in an attempt to reclaim Winterfell or sacrificing her desires in a marriage alliance to do so.

All this is just to say that I'm dying for a sample Sansa chapter from TWOW :)

[Valkyrja]

All this is just to say that I'm dying for a sample Sansa chapter from TWOW :)

I'm dying for it and dreading it at the same time! :P

[brashcandy]

I'm dying for it and dreading it at the same time! :P

Ughhhh, tell me about it! :(

[Kittykatknits]

Yesterday, I mentioned some connections between Loras and Sandor at the Hand’s tourney as it relates to Sansa. I’m not calling this a theory or pointing towards symbolism yet but felt there was enough her to put in front of everyone. Really, this could also just be coincidence.

During the Hand’s tourney, Sansa tells of receiving a red rose from Loras:

To the other maidens he had given white roses, but the one he plucked for her was red. “Sweet lady,” he said, “no victory is half so beautiful as you.” Sansa took the flower timidly, struck dumb by his gallantry.

Then the next day, we learn that Sansa is still wearing the flower Loras gave her:

Ned saw she was wearing the rose that Ser Loras had given her yesterday. Jory had told him about that as well.

We also have Sansa’s comments about the Hound too; her confident statement that she knew he would win and then she asks her father if he is “the champion now?” as if the fact that he would be the champion is a foregone conclusion. Note that all this is happening while she is wearing a symbol of her coming moon blood and all that it implies.

I’ve read these scenes several times and never thought much about them beyond what I’ve seen discussed here until I saw a passing comment about Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. Sansa’s wearing the flower, a reflection of her more superficial crush on Loras. But, she’s cheering on the Hound and it’s almost as if she doesn’t realize that she prefers one champion over another. This seems to parallel Sansa later in the series, when she realizes her girlish crush with more adult feelings with Sandor.

The other element here is that Loras probably gave that flower to Sansa almost at random, we learn in Storm that he had already forgotten about it. Yet, we could almost say that Loras gave Sansa his favor, as the rose is the sigil of House Tyrell. But, during the Hand’s tourney, Loras hands the victory to Sandor. So, could we also say that he’s giving that favor over to Sandor as well?

As I mentioned earlier, we also have Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. But, we know that Sandor was there the moment that Sansa flowered and she created the unKiss memory from a moment when she will still having her moon blood.

So, is it possible that the actions regarding the red flower at the Hand’s tourney could foreshadow further events and hint that Sandor will be the one to take her maidenhood some day?

[Monica21]

Wecome Monica! :)

I think Winterfell does hold a lot of symbolic, sentimental power for Sansa and the Starks as you noted in your post, and you may indeed be right that we might see her returning there to rebuild it or die trying.

I just don't have the same personal confidence even taking into account the snow castle Winterfell she builds or her stated love for home. Let me be clear on this: at some point if they live, I hope all the Starks would be able to at least go home, to stay if that is what they want, or to visit temporarily. My point in this thread is just to question whether going home - that concept that holds so much mythical power for us in the modern world, is truly necessary for all the Starks. I tend to see Sansa's arc as similar to the one Daenerys has, and we know that Dany once longed for the only home she ever knew, the house with the red door. But as we see in Dany's case, "going home" isn't always possible, and I'm not talking here of only the geographical difficulties, but more importantly, the symbolic ones related to our development and experiences. The "home" we knew is always connected to a self that we no longer inhabit, a nostalgic longing for a time that we know we can never recapture. I think this is applicable to Sansa's situation, but again, I stress this is only my opinion, and I don't mean to suggest that your point isn't valid.

I don't think Sansa will approach Winterfell in the Lannister way, as a possession to be fought over, but again, this is Martin's text and that could be the very thing he has in mind. I like to envision other possibilities for Sansa though, ones that are related to her personal happiness and her duty to herself. It wouldn't make me very happy to see Sansa dying in an attempt to reclaim Winterfell or sacrificing her desires in a marriage alliance to do so.

All this is just to say that I'm dying for a sample Sansa chapter from TWOW :)

Thank you! :)

I think I agree with the basics of your opinion, in that "you can't go home again" doesn't have anything to do with the physical space but rather the emotional space you were in when it was home. And no, Sansa can never have that. I think she knows that, actually, although I can't pull anything from the text to support it. What Sansa can do though, and I would be surprised if she didn't feel an obligation to this (sorry if this harkens back to the duty argument earlier), is take back Winterfell. Sansa has probably been hearing that there must always be a Stark in Winterfell her whole life. I just have an enormous amount of difficulty seeing her present situation (complete with creepy tutor!) as anything other than a stopover on her way to taking her rightful claim.

[Valkyrja]

Yesterday, I mentioned some connections between Loras and Sandor at the Hand’s tourney as it relates to Sansa. I’m not calling this a theory or pointing towards symbolism yet but felt there was enough her to put in front of everyone. Really, this could also just be coincidence.

During the Hand’s tourney, Sansa tells of receiving a red rose from Loras:

Then the next day, we learn that Sansa is still wearing the flower Loras gave her:

We also have Sansa’s comments about the Hound too; her confident statement that she knew he would win and then she asks her father if he is “the champion now?” as if the fact that he would be the champion is a foregone conclusion. Note that all this is happening while she is wearing a symbol of her coming moon blood and all that it implies.

I’ve read these scenes several times and never thought much about them beyond what I’ve seen discussed here until I saw a passing comment about Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. Sansa’s wearing the flower, a reflection of her more superficial crush on Loras. But, she’s cheering on the Hound and it’s almost as if she doesn’t realize that she prefers one champion over another. This seems to parallel Sansa later in the series, when she realizes her girlish crush with more adult feelings with Sandor.

The other element here is that Loras probably gave that flower to Sansa almost at random, we learn in Storm that he had already forgotten about it. Yet, we could almost say that Loras gave Sansa his favor, as the rose is the sigil of House Tyrell. But, during the Hand’s tourney, Loras hands the victory to Sandor. So, could we also say that he’s giving that favor over to Sandor as well?

As I mentioned earlier, we also have Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. But, we know that Sandor was there the moment that Sansa flowered and she created the unKiss memory from a moment when she will still having her moon blood.

So, is it possible that the actions regarding the red flower at the Hand’s tourney could foreshadow further events and hint that Sandor will be the one to take her maidenhood some day?

I've run out of likes, Kittykatknits, but I just wanted to say.... YES! This is exactly what I had in mind when you mentioned the possible symbolism of the rose from the Hand's Tourney. :D

Also, this makes me want to say "muahahahaha" and do the Sansa standing ovation thing. ;)

[Caro99]

Yesterday, I mentioned some connections between Loras and Sandor at the Hand’s tourney as it relates to Sansa. I’m not calling this a theory or pointing towards symbolism yet but felt there was enough her to put in front of everyone. Really, this could also just be coincidence.

During the Hand’s tourney, Sansa tells of receiving a red rose from Loras:

Then the next day, we learn that Sansa is still wearing the flower Loras gave her:

We also have Sansa’s comments about the Hound too; her confident statement that she knew he would win and then she asks her father if he is “the champion now?” as if the fact that he would be the champion is a foregone conclusion. Note that all this is happening while she is wearing a symbol of her coming moon blood and all that it implies.

I’ve read these scenes several times and never thought much about them beyond what I’ve seen discussed here until I saw a passing comment about Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. Sansa’s wearing the flower, a reflection of her more superficial crush on Loras. But, she’s cheering on the Hound and it’s almost as if she doesn’t realize that she prefers one champion over another. This seems to parallel Sansa later in the series, when she realizes her girlish crush with more adult feelings with Sandor.

The other element here is that Loras probably gave that flower to Sansa almost at random, we learn in Storm that he had already forgotten about it. Yet, we could almost say that Loras gave Sansa his favor, as the rose is the sigil of House Tyrell. But, during the Hand’s tourney, Loras hands the victory to Sandor. So, could we also say that he’s giving that favor over to Sandor as well?

As I mentioned earlier, we also have Cersei calling Sansa’s moonblood a red flower. But, we know that Sandor was there the moment that Sansa flowered and she created the unKiss memory from a moment when she will still having her moon blood.

So, is it possible that the actions regarding the red flower at the Hand’s tourney could foreshadow further events and hint that Sandor will be the one to take her maidenhood some day?

I sincerely hope so, so long as it’s what Sansa wants. The marriage to Tyrion has a positive thing to it so far: it protects to a degree Sansa’s virginity, and I tend to think that there’s a reason why Sansa, while undergoing some pretty near rapes, has still managed to come out “intact”, and that the reason will be because she is meant to have a say in it and give it to a man of her choosing. This theory may be endangered by LF’s presence and by HtH, and by Sansa deciding, in the future that she does care about Winterfell and sacrificing her happiness for duty and the greater good, as Valkyrja said “It’s one thing if Sansa's tastes change of her own accord, but another if she is being forced to accept something else 'for her own good' or because it will serve the realm or some abstract idea of her family's honour (or LF's plans)”… But one can still only hope.

It was good how you wrote the part where Loras hands the victory to Sandor and could possibly also be giving that favor over to Sandor, Kittykatknits. I’m sure that a more mature Sansa can very well go of her own accord over to Sandor over Loras, not because she feels rejected and alone that the handsome Knight of Flowers didn’t pay her any attention, but because of something (sorry, I can’t recall who) some days ago posted about the time in ASOS where Sansa comments that Sandor is like a dog and Loras a flower, thus very different from each other… Up until that post I had always viewed that line as Sansa forgetting everything the moment Loras came to escort her to his grandmother and so she sort of called Sandor ugly in a not so positive light. But that post was saying that actually Sansa made a very mature observation in realizing that a dog will always be faithful and will die for you. Yet flowers are easily crushed and only serve for decoration. It sort of went like that, but it made me appreciate this line for the first time in a good way (so thanks to that person) J and so, I think that just as with this astute remark, in the upcoming books we will see the more mature Sansa finally allowing herself to realize that Sandor ‘s role in her life is far from over… by the way, i think George said that in one of his other works (can’t recall which one, but it’s the one Iain Glen is lending his voice to for the audio books) that he created a character who is a mixture of Loras & Sandor… I’m can't imagine how that character turned out.

[Kittykatknits]

I'm dying for it and dreading it at the same time! :P

Ughhhh, tell me about it! :(

I'm dying to but I have a feeling we won't get one. The sample chapters that have been released are about events that we have a hint about. Theon tells us about the battle in the North while Tyrion/Victoarion start off the battle in Mereen. But, a Sansa POV would start giving away plotlines. So, I'm not getting my hopes up. But, I'd totally die if we got one. And then proceed to read it a 100 times in a row to look for any possible clue and hint of what is happening.

I think I agree with the basics of your opinion, in that "you can't go home again" doesn't have anything to do with the physical space but rather the emotional space you were in when it was home. And no, Sansa can never have that. I think she knows that, actually, although I can't pull anything from the text to support it. What Sansa can do though, and I would be surprised if she didn't feel an obligation to this (sorry if this harkens back to the duty argument earlier), is take back Winterfell. Sansa has probably been hearing that there must always be a Stark in Winterfell her whole life. I just have an enormous amount of difficulty seeing her present situation (complete with creepy tutor!) as anything other than a stopover on her way to taking her rightful claim.

Right now, Sansa thinks that she is the heir to WF, but we know that she isn't as both of her brothers are still alive. I do believe that Rickon will assume the responsibility as the Stark in WF and that Davos will find him, it's likely his whole purpose in the storyline. When Sansa does learn about his existence, I foresee it to be a very freeing moment for her. Right now, Sansa realizes that WF is not just the memory of home, but a claim that turns her in to a piece of meat. If she is no longer the heir, then her political value immediately shrinks.

Sansa is learning the game for a reason and I could foresee her in a QoT role, playing as needed to further and protect her families interests. This seems to be a good blend of playing the game while still holding true to who Sansa is. In this way, she could still help to rebuild WF while leaving herself free to pursue a marriage that is not purely for political purposes. If the ending for Sansa is merely to fulfill her obligation to rebuild WF, then I think it would negate much of what we have seen in Sansa's story arc. Her learning about the game is very prominent in her storyline but it is not all. Sansa has flat out expressed that no one would ever love her for herself and a life of duty, rebuilding WF because she should, could very easily led to a confirmation of this belief.

I've run out of likes, Kittykatknits, but I just wanted to say.... YES! This is exactly what I had in mind when you mentioned the possible symbolism of the rose from the Hand's Tourney. :D

Also, this makes me want to say "muahahahaha". :D

Awww, thanks Valkrja. I was hoping someone else would see the same things that I do. Wasn't sure if I was stretching just a bit to far but it seemed to much of a coincidence to all be in my head too. And you know I had the same reaction. :)

[Monica21]

Right now, Sansa thinks that she is the heir to WF, but we know that she isn't as both of her brothers are still alive. I do believe that Rickon will assume the responsibility as the Stark in WF and that Davos will find him, it's likely his whole purpose in the storyline. When Sansa does learn about his existence, I foresee it to be a very freeing moment for her. Right now, Sansa realizes that WF is not just the memory of home, but a claim that turns her in to a piece of meat. If she is no longer the heir, then her political value immediately shrinks.

Full disclosure: I'm only halfway through AFFC so there's very likely something that will turn here, but I can easily see her mastering the game well enough to retake WF and then Bran and/or Rickon return. And I do agree that it will be freeing. Not just because of the "my brothers are alive!" moment, but she will have proven to pretty much all of Westeros by then that she is no one's pawn.

Sansa is learning the game for a reason and I could foresee her in a QoT role, playing as needed to further and protect her families interests. This seems to be a good blend of playing the game while still holding true to who Sansa is. In this way, she could still help to rebuild WF while leaving herself free to pursue a marriage that is not purely for political purposes. If the ending for Sansa is merely to fulfill her obligation to rebuild WF, then I think it would negate much of what we have seen in Sansa's story arc. Her learning about the game is very prominent in her storyline but it is not all. Sansa has flat out expressed that no one would ever love her for herself and a life of duty, rebuilding WF because she should, could very easily led to a confirmation of this belief.

I don't see how feeling or fulfilling an obligation to rebuild WF precludes happiness. Can't she be happy because she is retaking Winterfell, if that is what happens? Really, if she decides to just marry for love and live in Essos somewhere I'll be very disappointed with her arc, because that doesn't seem to be where she's being taken at all. I like the idea of her in QoT role with Bran or Rickon as the heirs to WF.