Sansas ending

[The Ned's Little Girl]

38 minutes ago, Wm Portnoy said:

Sansa is a person who has to find a potential partner physically attractive.  If she doesn't find you attractive she's not going out on a date with you.  Don't you know people like that in life?  Sure, we all do.  That's Sansa for you.

Actually, not just Sansa and not just "people like that" we know - that's basically all of us. We all want to be attracted to the person we are going to intimate with.

[TheThreeEyedCow]

1 hour ago, The Ned's Little Girl said:

Actually, not just Sansa and not just "people like that" we know - that's basically all of us. We all want to be attracted to the person we are going to intimate with.

Yeah it's a shared desire among humans. It's actually easier to list the exceptions as opposed to the rule. Stannis.... did his 'duty' lol. Roose went for the cold hard cash. Ramsey just wants a Stark to torture. Almost everybody else, from grumpy Jorah to amorous Arianne have a 'type'. And those types all tend to be pretty/handsome/sexy people that will get them in big trouble. Jorah gets way to 'touchy' with Dany (his Queen ffs). Arianne just want's some tall dark and handsome rogue. Sansa wants/wanted the 'typical' dashing prince. EVERBODY apparently wants to have sex with Rhaegar.... The Lannister twins want eachother. Ned wanted Ashara (I believe) and LF wanted Cat. The ones who live the longest tend to chose their partner wisely. 

What's interesting is seeing how this changes over time. I bet a few years ago, if Sansa was confronted by Harrold Hardying she would of swooned right into his arms and then his bed. She adored valor; heroic men. Myths, basically. Now, she's a bit different. Her thoughts regarding the Hound are quite telling. She keeps a piece of Sandor's cloak and the language Martin uses is something like, 'she didn't know why'. But, I think it's because she doesn't want to confront the truth. I mean think for a moment just how far from the mark Sandor is from the typical heroic, handsome lord. Sandor is ugly. Sandor is known to be a craven, and outlaw, a murderer. Yet, their fleeting moments together give her the real measure of the man behind the scary face. I swear toward the end of aDwD, even Asha Greyjoy starts to consider her male suitors differently and she's a reaver. Maybe it's maturity or maybe it's circumstantial. There's definitely a change of perspective though.

Sansa knows Sandor to be a tortured soul. An angry and depressed man who turns to drink to drown his misery. A man nobody else understands, apart from her. I mean, it's a cliche in itself, isn't it?
A girl who lost her wolf, saved by a loyal dog. Or, she could of been saved. That's just not how the story panned out for them.

I don't think they'll end up together. That's not how life works. But they left their mark on each other. Whatever doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. I think that's a corner stone of asoiaf, really. 

I believe that LF really does have big, big plans for Sansa. The long Night will almost definitely exact a huge death toll. This means the deck will be shuffled, in which case Sansa is eligible for numerous lands all over the 7K. I think this is what LF is thinking. And I think she'll reward him by avenging her father. 

 

[Prof. Cecily]

3 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

Sansa's arc is the cleansing of romanticism by the cruel harsh world. A classic Marianne Dashwood. Passion replaced by calculation.

Hmmm. Do you really see Miss Marianne Dashwood's marriage to Col. Brandon (Is that name a coincidence? I think not! We're on the brink of writing A Game of Sense and Sensibility!) as pure calculation?

It's true miss Dashwood marries an older man of the world who's quite wealthy.

Who could fit that description in ASOIAF? 

[Morgana Lannister]

17 hours ago, The Ned's Little Girl said:

Actually, not just Sansa and not just "people like that" we know - that's basically all of us. We all want to be attracted to the person we are going to intimate with.

Okay, trying to read the whole thread and I am sure I will comment at some length lol but basically, yes, but "whatever tickles your fancy" (not meaning you personally but "one's fancy).  It is absolutely possible to be attracted to someone less physically attractive than you.  (I know, I know... Sansa found Tyrion repulsive... but his cock description was deemed by many of us as not so bad- merely the perception of a 12 year old virgin....)  but the word never was mentioned and that always alerts me.  Could be wrong of course..  Yeah, George went out of his way to make Sansa fall for the traditionally handsome but not anymore... but I will comment further when I have read the whole thread and made my own notes lol There are huge obstacles for her and Tyrion and other suitors too and hey, yes she could be on her own but George seems to hammer the Ned/Catelyn relationship and see how Robb/Jeyne (Talisha in the show) ended.  I think she will be part of a great political marriage, but not just that' she will contribute a great deal with her brain and training.  For those fond of the word "agency"  I think she will have lots.   She will do it for the realm! lol and for her own ambition.  If not Tyrion, my vote is Willas Tyrell... but more on it later.  This thread is complex and her fate is closely interlinked with what happens to other people like Bran, Dany, Jon....  I doubt there will be an Iron Throne at the end.  I expect anyone can rule the 7 kingdoms with a very good team and that is what I envisage will happen.  On the lines of Sam Tarly, Great Maester (everyone relieved from the celibacy vowes - heavy losses in war means children are badly need), Davos in charge of the ships, Brienne in charge of Kings/Queen's guard etc

I am all for a female ruler without the need for the male consort but on the other hand, there is nothing wrong with a female (ruler or otherwise) having a man and children.  As it happens, I am divorced with no children, but the ultimate act towards gal power doesn't have to be being single.   Yes, Elizabeth the first might be an inspiration, but single or married, power is power! and the wisdom and the cunning to sustain is absolutely paramount! and pretty much "nothing else matters" lol

 

 

[Therae]

44 minutes ago, Prof. Cecily said:

Hmmm. Do you really see Miss Marianne Dashwood's marriage to Col. Brandon (Is that name a coincidence? I think not! We're on the brink of writing A Game of Sense and Sensibility!) as pure calculation?

It's true miss Dashwood marries an older man of the world who's quite wealthy.

Who could fit that description in ASOIAF? 

Ack! It never, EVER occurred to me before, but Baelish is sort of a perversion of Colonel Brandon, isn't he?

But agreed: Miss Marianne didn't trade in passion for pragmatism; she just became less selfish and more empathetic. Lucy Steele was the calculating one in AGOSAS (props @Prof. Cecily!), and Sansa doesn't really seem much like her.

[Lisula]

Lucius Lovejoy suggests:

"My thought is that Westeros will be rebuilt with a new political/social order, and that unmarried, childless Sansa is part of that." 

Yes, that rings true. Her original fate mirrored that of a medieval lady - however she's been through quite enough and none of us really want her to suffer the all-too-likely death in childbirth for the sake of leaving an heir. 

One possibility; Both Sansa and Lady Stoneheart have witnessed the plight of many orphans during the chaos of the last few years. I believe that they will found an orphanage in a vacant keep. Brightwater? Or the Baratheon domain is vacant, so who knows? 

Yet I'm also with NewStar on this. 

"her running off with Sandor to live in obscurity somewhere... "

In fact she could be childless through a survivable disease, and still marry. I think she wants to be safe. What if it came to a duel between some enemy and Sandor? Sandor would win, Sansa falls in conscious love with him, and so the match is made. 

So where could they live? Either Gregor is finally killed and Sandor inherits the Clegane estate, or he receives the estate of his defeated enemy. Alternatively I can easily picture some turn of events whereby the Crown donates Storm's End or Dragonstone, or Rosby, to a childless couple - Sansa and Sandor - to raise the orphans of the war. 

All fun theories. 

[Ralphis Baratheon]

1 hour ago, Lisula said:

Lucius Lovejoy suggests:

"My thought is that Westeros will be rebuilt with a new political/social order, and that unmarried, childless Sansa is part of that." 

Yes, that rings true. Her original fate mirrored that of a medieval lady - however she's been through quite enough and none of us really want her to suffer the all-too-likely death in childbirth for the sake of leaving an heir. 

One possibility; Both Sansa and Lady Stoneheart have witnessed the plight of many orphans during the chaos of the last few years. I believe that they will found an orphanage in a vacant keep. Brightwater? Or the Baratheon domain is vacant, so who knows? 

Yet I'm also with NewStar on this. 

"her running off with Sandor to live in obscurity somewhere... "

In fact she could be childless through a survivable disease, and still marry. I think she wants to be safe. What if it came to a duel between some enemy and Sandor? Sandor would win, Sansa falls in conscious love with him, and so the match is made. 

So where could they live? Either Gregor is finally killed and Sandor inherits the Clegane estate, or he receives the estate of his defeated enemy. Alternatively I can easily picture some turn of events whereby the Crown donates Storm's End or Dragonstone, or Rosby, to a childless couple - Sansa and Sandor - to raise the orphans of the war. 

All fun theories. 

As far as Westeros is concerned Gregor Clegane is dead and his head was sent to Dorne. Also Robert Strong is part of the Kingsguard now so even if zombie Gregor wanted it he gave up his claim.

Clegane's Keep is Sandor's by law if he ever lays claim to it.

[chrisdaw]

5 hours ago, Prof. Cecily said:

Hmmm. Do you really see Miss Marianne Dashwood's marriage to Col. Brandon (Is that name a coincidence? I think not! We're on the brink of writing A Game of Sense and Sensibility!) as pure calculation?

It's true miss Dashwood marries an older man of the world who's quite wealthy.

Who could fit that description in ASOIAF? 

No you're right, it was the wrong sentence to follow with on my part. And I don't mean them as parallels, it's a standard big bad world cures person of their lovely notions arc, but Sansa and anything Anne is a thing. Anne Neville, Alexander's Roxanne, Alysanne.

Their romanticism was beaten out of them by different things, driving them to covet different things. Marianne burned by the volatility of passion finds value in the security constancy provides her.

Sansa's romanticism was a belief of inherent value and good in beauty and love. This romanticism made her a victim, the beautiful turned on her, controlled her, used her as a pawn and she was left powerless with no control. Next go around she won't value beauty, she'll value power, power over her partner and the power she can derive from him so that she'll never be put back in that powerless position again.

[foxberlin]

I doubt that losing romantic ideas is progress. Sansa's ability to fall in love even with those resented by her whole family or the court is progressive. You need to have phantasy to cross borders and overcome an order providing no peace. Dispite all bad she suffered Sansa is still able to take new roads, to turn enemies into friends. So I dont't see why she would have to lose that important quality of hers. As I see it, Westeros lacks romance, it's still just in the songs. To stop singing won't  solve the problem. Hearing Sansa sing did something with people like Sandor that had lost their trust in life.

[Prof. Cecily]

11 hours ago, Therae said:

Ack! It never, EVER occurred to me before, but Baelish is sort of a perversion of Colonel Brandon, isn't he?

But agreed: Miss Marianne didn't trade in passion for pragmatism; she just became less selfish and more empathetic. Lucy Steele was the calculating one in AGOSAS (props @Prof. Cecily!), and Sansa doesn't really seem much like her.

I agree with you about the change to miss Marianne's character In fact, Col Brandon has a long (for him) speech on the dangers incurred by a brutal loss of innocence.

Lucy Steele=Shae?

Elinor Dashwood= Brienne?

[Prof. Cecily]

6 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

No you're right, it was the wrong sentence to follow with on my part. And I don't mean them as parallels, it's a standard big bad world cures person of their lovely notions arc, but Sansa and anything Anne is a thing. Anne Neville, Alexander's Roxanne, Alysanne.

Their romanticism was beaten out of them by different things, driving them to covet different things. Marianne burned by the volatility of passion finds value in the security constancy provides her.

Sansa's romanticism was a belief of inherent value and good in beauty and love. This romanticism made her a victim, the beautiful turned on her, controlled her, used her as a pawn and she was left powerless with no control. Next go around she won't value beauty, she'll value power, power over her partner and the power she can derive from him so that she'll never be put back in that powerless position again.

I appreciate your development of the theme- do you reckon Sansa will have yet another partner and express herself through a man's power? 

Good point about the Annes! Because of some essays I read some years ago, I associate Annes with gans/geese and by association, water fowl, migratory birds and Northern bird prophecies in general. 

 

 

[chrisdaw]

1 hour ago, Prof. Cecily said:

I appreciate your development of the theme- do you reckon Sansa will have yet another partner and express herself through a man's power?

No other partner, Tyrion is being designed to perfectly suit her purpose, as she is him. When Tyrion hops on the back of Viserion he will have instantly become one of the most powerful three Westerosi people. What he will need is a perception overhaul, enter the younger beautiful queen, master manipulator in the making who has been training for this very purpose, whom GRRM just happened to lock to him in marriage.

On the other side, Sansa needs not only a powerful man whose power she can leverage, but a man she can control, can manipulate. Tyrion's most major storyline in the books, more than his relationship with Tywin or Cersei or Jaime, was his relationship with Shae, a continuation on his first marriage. The point of it, Tyrion is susceptible to the manipulations of a young beautiful girl who can make him feel loved. Even if she's full of shit about it, he doesn't need much convincing to act in his otherwise best interests. Cersei sums the score up for us.

Quote

Robert wanted smiles and cheers, always, so he went where he found them, to his friends and his whores. Robert wanted to be loved. My brother Tyrion has the same disease. Do you want to be loved, Sansa?"

Sansa is in training, SR, Harry and probably LF. Control through these men of the Vale. Tyrion is the end destination, and with him all the power of a dragon is hers, and then the crown is in reach, queendom, no-one's pawn, total control.

However, should he lose that dragon, or should she no longer be able to manipulate him, well then he no longer serves her purpose, for that there's wine and the Tears of Lys.

[Prof. Cecily]

10 minutes ago, chrisdaw said:

However, should he lose that dragon, or should she no longer be able to manipulate him, well then he no longer serves her purpose, for that there's wine and the Tears of Lys.

I enjoyed reading your comments and analysis of Tyrion's vulnerability. I'm reminded of Tyrion trying to beguile Sansa during their ride in a litter by speaking of travel, to Braavos and Casterly Rock.

I'd forgotten Cersei's cruelty in assessing Robert and Tyrion. So accurate, so twisted. There're SO many layers to every page in the ASOIAF-  your answers have shown me how much I have to learn.

Of course, the Tears of Lys. 

I wonder if Lord Baelish wasn't rather more prophetic than he knew when he said  'Widowhood will become you, Sansa.' 

[foxberlin]

I doubt that something resembling total control will ever again enter that series. As I read it, we now have to deal with variations of the rest of total power accumulation.

[Prof. Cecily]

34 minutes ago, foxberlin said:

I doubt that something resembling total control will ever again enter that series. As I read it, we now have to deal with variations of the rest of total power accumulation.

I'd think the same way, except for those three dragons. How will the governing of Westeros work when there are dragons?

And the Iron Bank. I'm most intrigued by the possiblities of their intervention in Westeros.

And the religious fanaticism. Is Jon going to be a Mahdi in the style of Paul Atreides in the Dune saga?

 

 

[Morgana Lannister]

5 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

No other partner, Tyrion is being designed to perfectly suit her purpose, as she is him. When Tyrion hops on the back of Viserion he will have instantly become one of the most powerful three Westerosi people. What he will need is a perception overhaul, enter the younger beautiful queen, master manipulator in the making who has been training for this very purpose, whom GRRM just happened to lock to him in marriage.

On the other side, Sansa needs not only a powerful man whose power she can leverage, but a man she can control, can manipulate. Tyrion's most major storyline in the books, more than his relationship with Tywin or Cersei or Jaime, was his relationship with Shae, a continuation on his first marriage. The point of it, Tyrion is susceptible to the manipulations of a young beautiful girl who can make him feel loved. Even if she's full of shit about it, he doesn't need much convincing to act in his otherwise best interests. Cersei sums the score up for us.

Sansa is in training, SR, Harry and probably LF. Control through these men of the Vale. Tyrion is the end destination, and all the power of a dragon is hers.

However, should he lose that dragon, or should she no longer be able to manipulate him, well then he no longer serves her purpose, for that there's wine and the Tears of Lys.

I am pretty much inclined to believe that Tyrion and Sansa once they have both reached the peak of their arcs could make a very powerful and compatible couple.  I agree in that she is becoming a skilled manipulator although I do view her in a more positive light than you do.  I think she will want someone whose cunning match her skills not a puppet on a string she can manipulate.  As for Tyrion though, yes in the books he was totally blinded hoping that Shae really loved him despite many clues to the contrary.  However, he was betrayed by everyone and really hit rock bottom.  Although he will definitely recover and bounce back (George said this will happen towards the end of TWOW) he will lose some of his naivety with women and won't be as susceptible to manipulation and like him or not he does have a brilliant mind so his best possible partner is someone he can brainstorm with and I feel after the training she is going through she would be great for the role.

The naive girl we see at the beginning of the series has now persuaded Sweet Robin, through her sort of surrogate mother role to raise an army (at his and/or her disposal) lol.  Not even LF appears to realise that this could empower her beyond what is good for him (referring to the released chapter from TWOW).  I believe this and the fact that she knows LF is hoarding food is there for a reason.  The Vale tribes are another "convenient" possible weapon although their connection is with Tyrion not Sansa.  Still, some believe the Mad Mouse to be Vary's creature (which makes sense to me).  This is beginning to get tinfoily but I am sure Varys and Tyrion will interact again, despite Varys appearing to be supporting Aegon and not Dany (although my belief is that he is possibly double-crossing Illyrio) but this is getting way too complicated.  Just basically saying that, although for now this seems far fetched, there could be a line of communication between Tyrion and Sansa before anyone expects.

There appear to be hints pointing at SR being poisoned slowly.  Although he irritates the hell out of Sansa she feels a certain compassion for him and I am certain she is not just going to turn a blind eye and let him be killed, even if this means that she could rule the Vale through Harry.  She is ambitious yes but not at that price I don't think.  Of course were SR to live to a ripe age marrying Harry would be useless to her.  Personality wise he is too openly arrogant for her.  Okay if she can change her opinion of Tyrion she could change her opinion of Harry or Harry could grow up lol  However, this character has been introduced too late in the story to warrant a huge development arc a la Jaime say, so I see him as a plot device.  Knowing that her marriage to Harry is likely to precipitate SR's death I think she will string him along but try to delay the wedding.  Once her identity is revealed (although I suspect Wainwood and Harry already know but he is playing hard to get to cover this up) then her ability to marry goes out of the window unless her current marriage is annulled and I think she will initially try to hang on to this marriage to prevent other marriages.  LF and/or Harry might lose patience with these delays and my bet is that they will try to marry her to Harry as Alayne.  That is when everything will change very quickly as Sansa will have no choice but to reveal her identity to prevent Robin's death and whilst at it a lot of LF's secrets will be exposed.  At this point, especially with starving vassals the lords of the Vale are likely to side with her.  LF seems to want to "train" her on one hand but he massively underestimates her too.  So my prediction is that she will not become Lady of the Vale but that she will have unconditional support from Robin Arryn which makes her powerful too.

As for Winterfell anything can happen.  Robb wrote his will when he believed Bran and Rickon were dead.  Although I am certain that Rickon will not be alive by the end of the books I am also convinced that Bran will make it.  There are lots of threads on all these topics though but they are all interlinked if we are to have a go at imagining the end game situation with Sansa.  I think whatever happens some northern lords will back one candidate or another and there will be some tensions between the siblings.  I see Bran's destiny as something different from being Lord of Winterfell though, so I guess it will be a toss between Jon or Sansa.  Now Jon being such an important character might yet end up higher up in the medieval pyramid than Winterfell but then again there are various possibilities with him.

Whatever the weather I really cannot see why George would have spent so much time making Sansa into a player just to tell us that okay, I could go into politics if I wanted to but I am chosing a much more obscure role for myself just for love or even a teenage crush the way I see it.  Of course as always this is just my opinion.  Ending the series with a Stark-Lannister marriage would bring the story full circle as the original plot was the war among those houses.  What I believe will drive the final books is the need for unity in the face of the common threat, the WW.  Another aspect that I think will be important is the re-building and for there to be a future someone has to have children.  Of course the common people will have plenty no doubt but surely some of the main characters will have to also and at the moment none of them seem to be having any so I certainly expect some.  As I said before I don't think being a wife and mother, even in that society, means that you cannot be powerful as well so I personally feel that if she ended up very much like Elizabeth I this to me would sound as if George was trying to appease hard core feminists to be honest.  There is nothing wrong with a single woman in power but after a bloody war with lots of casualties no society has been terribly keen on keeping people childless.  Incidentally, I also feel that this need for babies will result in scrapping the vows of celibacy that orders like the Night Watch, maesters, King's Guard etc are currently sworn too.

As for Aegon, the fact that he was introduced late and that he is not in the show to me means that although I believe he will sit on the IT he will die at some point as, the ending being the same in both media, he cannot become endgame.  So my guess is that the most likely consort for her is Tyrion and if not I can only really think of perhaps Willas Tyrell.

 

[Ralphis Baratheon]

I think Arya's and Sansa's futures will be linked and when Arya returns from Braavos as Lyanna Stark 2.0, meaning she'll look like her aunt Lyanna except much more beautiful and even more wild, all the powerful men left in Westeros will all attempt to win her hand and tame her while ignoring Sansa completely. Sansa will be jealous of Arya the same way Catelyn Stark was jealous of Jon's mother even though she didn't know who she was. Sansa will run off crying when the new King, whoever it will be, chooses Arya as his Lady wife and his Queen of love and beauty and Westeros.

[Winter's Cold]

The central five characters are all quite exceptional in some way and all of them have leadership experience. With the exception of Bran, someone who can't physically fight, all of them also have at least one military achievement. 

Jon - warg, good swordsman and leader, led the defense of the Wall, is adept at Northern politics (shown by advice he offered Stannis and the Alys Karstark marriage)

Tyrion - very intelligent, capable Hand of the King and schemer, prevented Stannis from seizing King's Landing during the Battle of Blackwater

Bran - greenseer, skinchanger, served as Lord of Winterfell for a time in Robb's absence, currently the heir of Winterfell

Arya - skinchanger, has an army of wolves through her direwolf Nymeria, organised a prison break in Harrenhall (Weasel Soup), currently receiving Faceless man training

Daenerys - mother of dragons, has an army of unsullied and a mercenary company, conquered Slaver's bay, only unambiguous heir to House Targaryen (Aegon might be a Blackfyre or a fake, Jon is a bastard)

 

Sansa is very lackluster in comparison.

Sansa - survived King's Landing, currently Littlefinger's pupil and accomplice

Sansa has no military achievements. She has no leadership experience. She is not exceptionally talented in any area. She's not a warg like her siblings because her direwolf died. 

Sansa's main worth is that she's a beautiful heiress of a previously powerful and influential House. Her beauty makes it easier for her to manipulate men and her high birth means that she can grant political power to the man that marries her. Unfortunately for Sansa, she may have been disinherited by Robb's will and she's also currently legally married to Tyrion which significantly reduces the value of her birth. Thus, her main asset is her beauty but so far she has failed to use that asset to its full potential (seducing and manipulating men). As such, I'm not optimistic about her future importance. She won't be as important to the endgame as the five central characters.

[Morgana Lannister]

2 hours ago, Winter's Cold said:

The central five characters are all quite exceptional in some way and all of them have leadership experience. With the exception of Bran, someone who can't physically fight, all of them also have at least one military achievement. 

Jon - warg, good swordsman and leader, led the defense of the Wall, is adept at Northern politics (shown by advice he offered Stannis and the Alys Karstark marriage)

Tyrion - very intelligent, capable Hand of the King and schemer, prevented Stannis from seizing King's Landing during the Battle of Blackwater

Bran - greenseer, skinchanger, served as Lord of Winterfell for a time in Robb's absence, currently the heir of Winterfell

Arya - skinchanger, has an army of wolves through her direwolf Nymeria, organised a prison break in Harrenhall (Weasel Soup), currently receiving Faceless man training

Daenerys - mother of dragons, has an army of unsullied and a mercenary company, conquered Slaver's bay, only unambiguous heir to House Targaryen (Aegon might be a Blackfyre or a fake, Jon is a bastard)

 

Sansa is very lackluster in comparison.

Sansa - survived King's Landing, currently Littlefinger's pupil and accomplice

Sansa has no military achievements. She has no leadership experience. She is not exceptionally talented in any area. She's not a warg like her siblings because her direwolf died. 

Sansa's main worth is that she's a beautiful heiress of a previously powerful and influential House. Her beauty makes it easier for her to manipulate men and her high birth means that she can grant political power to the man that marries her. Unfortunately for Sansa, she may have been disinherited by Robb's will and she's also currently legally married to Tyrion which significantly reduces the value of her birth. Thus, her main asset is her beauty but so far she has failed to use that asset to its full potential (seducing and manipulating men). As such, I'm not optimistic about her future importance. She won't be as important to the endgame as the five central characters.

I can see what you mean in terms that she hasn't got any special skills in war or any kind of magical abilities.  However, this could also be said about Tyrion for instance before he had no choice but to take over the Blackwater battle in terms of planning it(or else Cersei's plans with the wildfire would have completely backfired) and leading it (due to Joffrey's cowardice and Sandor's desertion).  Until his father named him acting Hand he had no political experience either.  Littlefinger, for instance, was born to a minor noble family, had no fortune etc and his cunning got him to where he is.  

Sansa is still young but I believe she is learning a lot in the Vale, also her time in Kings Landing exposed her to the maquinations successful or not of people like Cersei.  I thought that talking SR into creating an army of Vale knights was genius for instance.  I think in TWOW we are going to see her playing the game to be honest.  I am not sold on the idea that she will be queen at all but that she will play an important role in rebuilding the realm in some capacity.  I feel that George has dedicated lots of page space to her from the beginning for her to just become insignificant at the end and I don't see her as a plot device to complement someone else's arc, like for instance Penny or even Bronn are to Tyrion, say.  I am inclined to think that she is likely to be part of an important team more than a solitary player at the end, whether by marriage or because of allegiances with important players.  I certainly don't see her as an empty headed beauty or someone who is only able to use her sexuality to obtain favour.  She is learning diplomatic and political skills but most importantly knowledge (e.g. that LF is hoarding all the food etc).

[winter daughter]

16 minutes ago, Winter's Cold said:

Sansa has no military achievements. She has no leadership experience. She is not exceptionally talented in any area.

IMO She doesn't have to be a warrior, warg, magician or dragon rider to be important to the story.

And yes she is beautiful... but She is also smart, perceptive, charming and good at manipulation and the writer has given her Littlefinger as her mentor in politics. so I think she has a great potential to be an excellent player and politician.

"...She is beginning to at least try to understand how she can play the game of thrones and be not a piece but a player with her own goals and moving other pieces around... and she is not a warrior like Robb, Jon Snow. she is not even a wild child like Arya. she can't fight with swords, axes. she can't raise armies... but she has her wits the same as Littlefinger has."

GRRM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcjj0X6h6m0

 

3 minutes ago, Morgana Lannister said:

 I certainly don't see her as an empty headed beauty or someone who is only able to use her sexuality to obtain favour.  She is learning diplomatic and political skills but most importantly knowledge (e.g. that LF is hoarding all the food etc).

her story has always been about politics and playing the game. and I think in the Winds we will finally see her turning from pawn to player.