Sansa's return to King's Landing.

[three-eyed monkey]

11 hours ago, EggBlue said:

the thing is I don't see it as first A happens then B then C ... , I think Sansa's struggle to power in North , North's complications with southern regions and the Others invasion will be simultaneous . I also suspect that wars with the Others will be on multiple fronts which could give us different "companion" heros (say, 13? ;)) 

I think the Others will enter the realm at the Wall and push south towards King's Landing. One front, advancing from north to south, and everything behind that front lost to the Long Night, i.e., lords freezing in their castles, deep snows, darkness, starvation, etc. If Dany fights the Others at the Trident, then it stands to reason that Winterfell will be long lost by then, given that it's so far behind the front.

So when will this advance begin? Well, we are told the Others cannot pass the Wall so long as the men of the Watch stay true. That suggests to me that the events of Jon XIII ADwD mean that we can now expect the Others to be able to pass the Wall, so I suspect their advance will start soon.

If Sansa wins the Vale and proceeds to Winterfell, she'll be straight into the confrontation with the Others, who surely will have advanced that far by the time she does whatever she needs to do to win the Vale and then marches home with her army. There's no time for her to go and play a northern game of thrones, with northern lords, Stannis, Roose or Rickon. That game is being played now and it's near it's conclusion.

Jon was the key piece for Stannis, the northern lords, and Mance. Rickon is now the key piece for Stannis and the northern lords. The result will be northern independence under King Rickon, the younger wolf?, or a north supporting Stannis' claim for the throne. This will be determined in Winterfell between Stannis and the northern lords once Roose is defeated and Rickon is brought back by Davos. I don't see Sansa getting everything done in the Vale and getting to Winterfell in time to influence those proceedings.

If she does get there in time, then her conflict will be with Stannis and northern lords and possibly Rickon, instead of Cersei. That then begs the question if Dany will get to confront Stannis and slay his lies or will Sansa just cut that from their arcs? No, what makes far more sense to me is that Stannis will win the north and march south for the throne, allowing a confrontation with Dany, while staying ahead of the Long Night as it begins to advance from the north. Meanwhile, Sansa stays out of it and goes to King's Landing where she can confront Cersei.

13 hours ago, EggBlue said:

it would certainly be a risky move since Varys will be right there as Savior of the King himself. yet, I don't deny the possibility of that happening , I just don't think LF knows anything about Aegon before he reaches Westeros. 

Well, it seems like he's preparing Sansa to marry some king. Honestly, I sometimes think Varys and Littlefinger are secretly working together and the deep animosity between them is but an act.

13 hours ago, EggBlue said:

exactly! what I proposed was merely the simplest way in which Sansa would have to face difficulty in gaining power . you ,here, named several issues Sansa will have to tackle before taking power . I don't think there will be civil war between Starks but I do think Sansa will have to prove herself to Northern lords if she ever wishes to hold power ( probably alongside Jon as Rickon's regents) 

Yeah but I'm saying there's not time for it and it can't be done without severing Stannis' story prematurely.

13 hours ago, EggBlue said:

again , I think people will be still fighting and living their lives when they turn and see the magical creatures of their bedtime stories are emerging from the shadows... hey, maybe that's why Winds has become such a big mess that George doesn't seem to be able to finish it! 

But they're not emerging from the shadows, they're coming from the north.

I think GRRM knows exactly where he needs to go, but bringing it all together in two books is the challenge. That's why I feel he's collapsing the action on King's Landing for every character now, so that these characters can meet up again and resolve the conflicts they have with each other.

[Nevets]

I don't see Sansa returning to Kings Landing any time soon.  There is nothing for her there.  Only enemies and bad memories.  She has no real need to confront Cersei, and I suspect that Sandor will find her wherever she ends up.  

I'm not sure what Littlefinger's plan is for her.  Though I suspect it involves her marrying Harry the Heir, having a child, preferably a son, on him, and then becoming a widow, at which time Littlefinger would marry her and become the effective guardian of Robert's new heir.  Or something like that. 

This would probably preclude her marrying Aegon, which I don't really believe is in the cards in any case.  Neither of them has any reason to marry the other.  Aegon needs a wife who can bring political or military support to the table; Sansa can provide neither, at least on her own account.  And Sansa would be queen consort to a teenager she has never met and knows little about, in Kings Landing, surrounded by rivals and enemies.  Been there, done that, and  she didn't like it the first time.  I doubt she is up for a repeat.  

I doubt Ser Shadrick is going to be able to do anything.  In fact, I suspect he is more of a red herring than anything else; someone to distract the reader while the real threat goes unnoticed.  I see no likelihood of him getting her out of the Vale, even if he knows who she really is.  Sansa has no reason to trust him to take her anywhere, and, anyway, the Vale is as safe as anyplace, right now.  

I expect that, she will learn the art of politics at Littlefinger's feet, so to say. Her training ground will be the Vale.  At some point, she will realize he is more of a threat than an asset, and seek to take him out.  Baelish has a whole cemetery worth of skeletons in his closet, so something is bound to come tumbling out.  I also expect she will head North, which is where her interests lie. 

The Others are probably going to attack sooner than later, and I can easily see Sansa helping to drum up support for the fight against them.  If she does return to Kings Landing, it will probably be on a mission along those lines. 

[three-eyed monkey]

11 hours ago, Nevets said:

I don't see Sansa returning to Kings Landing any time soon.  There is nothing for her there.  Only enemies and bad memories. 

That's why she will return to King's Landing, because that's where she can resolve her character's conflicts. That's where her enemies and bad memories reside, and that's exactly what she needs to confront if she is to overcome them.

11 hours ago, Nevets said:

I'm not sure what Littlefinger's plan is for her.  Though I suspect it involves her marrying Harry the Heir, having a child, preferably a son, on him, and then becoming a widow, at which time Littlefinger would marry her and become the effective guardian of Robert's new heir.  Or something like that. 

Littlefinger is playing for more than the Vale.

11 hours ago, Nevets said:

This would probably preclude her marrying Aegon, which I don't really believe is in the cards in any case.  Neither of them has any reason to marry the other.  Aegon needs a wife who can bring political or military support to the table; Sansa can provide neither, at least on her own account. 

Actually, her marriage to Tyrion precludes her marrying anyone without it first being annulled by the High Septon or a Council of Faith, and don't think Littlefinger doesn't know that. He will ultimately need her marriage to Tyrion to be annulled or maybe he's just hoping Tyrion dies. As of now there is no confirmation of Tyrion's death and the marriage still stands. Certainly the return of Tyrion with Dany to King's Landing someday could be interesting in this respect.

As for Aegon's reason to marry. Littlefinger plans to elevate Sansa's political status to Lady of the North and the Vale, through Harry who will be disposed of when the time comes, but even without that marriage Sansa is still a Stark. Even with the current turmoil in the North, she remains the most viable marriage option when it comes to bringing the North back into the king's peace.

Aegon's already got friends in the Reach, so marrying someone form there would be poor use of his hand in marriage. If House Tarly are his friends in the Reach, then supplanting the Tyrells is reward enough for their service. This also eliminates a marriage to Margery obviously.

Arianne is bringing Dorne to the table. If she thinks he's a fake then there is going to be no marriage. If she thinks he's real then a marriage to bring Dorne into the fray on his side is possible. However, there is a lot of wrinkles in this plot line, like Elia Sand to mention one, and I don't expect it to go smoothly for Arianne.

Who else brings value for Aegon? Anyone from the Riverlands, Stormlands, Vale? Anyone else from the North? If Aegon is planning on tearing down the Baratheons, Lannisters, and Tyrells then it really only leaves Arianne and Sansa, although I could probably make a case for Cersei.

One big obstacle for Sansa is the accusation of regicide, or rather presumed guilt. That's why that part of the story needs to be completed and not just allowed fizzle out as some people are suggesting. Thematically, such a trial is a battle between the truth and lies, innocence and guilt, which just so happen to be central to Sansa's journey.

And to be clear, I'm not saying she will marry Aegon, I'm just saying she'll be in the mix for his hand. I can see a choice for Sansa between Aegon, the handsome knight in shinning armor type, and Sandor, having returned to King's Landing to save Sansa. Aegon's not long for the world I feel, and personally I don't ever expect Sansa's marriage to Tyrion to be annulled.

13 hours ago, Nevets said:

And Sansa would be queen consort to a teenager she has never met and knows little about, in Kings Landing, surrounded by rivals and enemies.  Been there, done that, and  she didn't like it the first time.  I doubt she is up for a repeat.  

Last time she was a pawn who got played in a game she didn't even know she was part of. This time she has gained some understanding of the game and now needs to prove she can play, displaying her character growth and putting her in a hostile environment where her life is on the line if she plays poorly.

I still expect her to be outplayed by Cersei, but Aegon's imminent arrival will throw her a lifeline. If Aegon's hand means security and ascension over Cersei, then of course she'll be up for it given her perilous position.

13 hours ago, Nevets said:

I doubt Ser Shadrick is going to be able to do anything.  In fact, I suspect he is more of a red herring than anything else; someone to distract the reader while the real threat goes unnoticed.

Red Herrings are meant to stand out, otherwise they make for poor misdirection. So you're saying that it's obvious that Shadrich is going to take Sansa back to King's Landing but that's only meant to misdirect us from what's really going to happen?

I think it's far more likely that Petyr revealing his plan is the misdirection, which is only meant to distract us from what's really going to happen, which is Shadrich is going to take Sansa back to King's Landing.

13 hours ago, Nevets said:

I see no likelihood of him getting her out of the Vale, even if he knows who she really is.  Sansa has no reason to trust him to take her anywhere, and, anyway, the Vale is as safe as anyplace, right now.  

He clearly knows who she is. The question is can he get her out? Against her will would definitely be more difficult. But she trusted Dontos was bringing her home, and she trusted Petyr was doing the same. You yourself say North is where her interest lies, so why would she be opposed to the idea? It's just a question of whether she will make the same mistake a third time.

13 hours ago, Nevets said:

I expect that, she will learn the art of politics at Littlefinger's feet, so to say. Her training ground will be the Vale.  At some point, she will realize he is more of a threat than an asset, and seek to take him out.  Baelish has a whole cemetery worth of skeletons in his closet, so something is bound to come tumbling out.  I also expect she will head North, which is where her interests lie. 

Why would GRRM have her potter around a pond when he can throw her in with the sharks? That's what we should expect from this story, putting characters in the most difficult of positions, facing difficult choices, for higher and higher stakes.

14 hours ago, Nevets said:

The Others are probably going to attack sooner than later, and I can easily see Sansa helping to drum up support for the fight against them.  If she does return to Kings Landing, it will probably be on a mission along those lines. 

When she does return to King's Landing, completes her tests and trials, and gains agency, then she will have a significant role going forward. And the Others will be approaching King's Landing at that stage, with Winterfell well behind them and buried under snow.

[chrisdaw]

She leaves the Vale for KL with Tyrion. It is very well telegraphed how it will go. Tyrion longs to play the hero and protector, to be loved for it, the lion of Lannister. Where she didn't once understand, Sansa has had it explained to her what Tyrion desires and is practicing the art of turning that desire into controllable actions.

Through her own doing or LF's the Vale will erupt in civil war and Sansa will become trapped back up the Eyrie, with Robert.

Quote

Only the wind answered her, sighing endlessly around the seven slim white towers and rattling the Moon Door every time it gusted. It will be even worse in winter, she knew. In winter this will be a cold white prison.

A cold white prison where no prayers are answered.

Tyrion comes to ride Viserion and when he gets to Westeros flies for the Vale, because;

Quote

Tyrion was about to tell his lord father how he proposed to reduce the Vale of Arryn to a smoking wasteland, but he was never given the chance.

he holds a grudge against Lysa that he intends to satisfy, and;

Quote

"All that, and more, Gunthor son of Gurn," Tyrion Lannister replied, smiling. "I will give you the Vale of Arryn."

a Lannister always pays their debts.

But when he gets there instead of finding Lysa he of course finds his wife, in need of saving. Sansa's prayers will be answered (they always are), she'll play her part as the victim and push Tyrion into his role of the heroic saviour, the Winged Knight come to the rescue. Urgent the moment there'll be no time to address any prior bitterness, and Robert gets to see the bad little man fly as promised.

Quote

 

"The bad little man," Lord Robert said, giggling. "Mother, can I make him fly? I want to see him fly."

"Later, my sweet baby," Lysa promised him.

 

With threat of dragon flame and Sansa's knowledge of the Vale players Tyrion sets the Vale right, bloodlessly, as Visenya did when she flew up to the Eyrie to find Ronnel and Sharra.

Tyrion and Sansa move on to King's Landing, as husband and wife go together, to play (and win) the game of thrones in the background of the dance and renew their interdependent arcs.

It will touch on multiple themes and hit from different angles, but one key will be that Tyrion will have set out for the Vale with a weapon of mass destruction and very bad intentions, but will instead end up forging a peace without any violence, and the reason will be the presence of Sansa. Sansa is at this stage still known as genuine and innocent, and that's not yet far from the truth, the question will be by the end of her arc after she's become the duplicitous hardened player will she still be able to inspire men to be their better selves?

[H Wadsworth Longfellow]

Sansa will return with a husband and the Vale army.  It doesn't mean they will win though.  I can foresee a situation where Cersei agrees to give the north to the ironborn in return for their help in quelling the Arryn-Stark threat.  

[three-eyed monkey]

11 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

She leaves the Vale for KL with Tyrion. It is very well telegraphed how it will go. Tyrion longs to play the hero and protector, to be loved for it, the lion of Lannister. Where she didn't once understand, Sansa has had it explained to her what Tyrion desires and is practicing the art of turning that desire into controllable actions.

Through her own doing or LF's the Vale will erupt in civil war and Sansa will become trapped back up the Eyrie, with Robert.

Quote

Only the wind answered her, sighing endlessly around the seven slim white towers and rattling the Moon Door every time it gusted. It will be even worse in winter, she knew. In winter this will be a cold white prison.

A cold white prison where no prayers are answered.

Tyrion comes to ride Viserion and when he gets to Westeros flies for the Vale, because;

Quote

Tyrion was about to tell his lord father how he proposed to reduce the Vale of Arryn to a smoking wasteland, but he was never given the chance.

he holds a grudge against Lysa that he intends to satisfy, and;

Quote

"All that, and more, Gunthor son of Gurn," Tyrion Lannister replied, smiling. "I will give you the Vale of Arryn."

a Lannister always pays their debts.

But when he gets there instead of finding Lysa he of course finds his wife, in need of saving. Sansa's prayers will be answered (they always are), she'll play her part as the victim and push Tyrion into his role of the heroic saviour, the Winged Knight come to the rescue. Urgent the moment there'll be no time to address any prior bitterness, and Robert gets to see the bad little man fly as promised.

Quote

 

"The bad little man," Lord Robert said, giggling. "Mother, can I make him fly? I want to see him fly."

"Later, my sweet baby," Lysa promised him.

 

This makes a lot of sense. There are a lot more references and hints to a flight from the Eyrie but I couldn't see how that would work without a dragon and I had discounted that option given that the dragons are still in Meereen. However, I do expect Dany's progress towards Westeros to be fairly rapid as I feel she needs to intersect with the end of Stannis' arc, which is probably the end of Winds, even though she still has a lot to do in Essos. Of course, on dragon Tyrion would be free to arrive ahead of Dany too, so if the timeline works why not?

Very interesting. I'm certainly not opposed to this idea. I'm curious to know how you see the game playing out between Dany, Cersei, Aegon, etc. I was thinking Sansa and Cersei conflict first, then add Aegon, then add Dany and Tyrion, but if Sansa is brought back to King's Landing by Tyrion around the same time Dany arrives there then it couldn't work that way. If I'm understanding you, you're saying Cersei and Aegon conflict first, given that Aegon will surely reach king's Landing before Dany, and then add Dany, Tyrion and Sansa?

11 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

Tyrion and Sansa move on to King's Landing, as husband and wife go together, to play (and win) the game of thrones in the background of the dance and renew their interdependent arcs.

Personally, I don't think they'll win the game in that sense. I think it's important that Dany wins the game, but when Jon and Dany bring the game to an end on the Isle of Faces to save the realm, I do think Sansa will be the queen of spring and Tyrion will remain her husband. The Queen of Spring will naturally succeed the King of Winter and receive her crown of blue roses from Jon at Harrenhal, mirroring events in the year of false spring except it's a true spring this time, and then at last when the snows thaw, she will return to Winterfell.

11 hours ago, chrisdaw said:

It will touch on multiple themes and hit from different angles, but one key will be that Tyrion will have set out for the Vale with a weapon of mass destruction and very bad intentions, but will instead end up forging a peace without any violence, and the reason will be the presence of Sansa. Sansa is at this stage still known as genuine and innocent, and that's not yet far from the truth, the question will be by the end of her arc after she's become the duplicitous hardened player will she still be able to inspire men to be their better selves?

I agree. I'd also add that it's important Sansa's romantic ideals, such as her definition of chivalry, which stands in opposition to the cynical attitude that currently prevails, survives as well. Spring is a time for romance after all.

[Lyanna<3Rhaegar]

On 3/10/2022 at 7:21 AM, three-eyed monkey said:

Sansa fled the Purple Wedding, suspected by Cersei, and others, of being an accomplice to the murder of King Joffrey. She was spirited away by ship to the Vale, where she dyed her auburn hair to burnt brown and assumed the identity of Alayne Stone, the bastard daughter of Petyr Baelish.

 

Later, Littlefinger revealed his plan for Sansa.

 

Littlefinger’s plan.

 

Sickly Sweetrobin will die, Alayne will marry Harry the Heir, at the wedding she will emerge as Sansa Stark again, and the knights of the Vale will help restore her to Winterfell, uniting the Vale and the North under Lord Harrold and Lady Sansa.

 

When a character reveals a future plan like that, it’s usually a way of setting up expectations in order that they can then be subverted. Take, for example, Robb’s plan to retake the North after the Red Wedding.

 

However, Littlefinger clearly has even greater aspirations for Sansa than the North and the Vale. He is playing the game of thrones after all, and he sees the game moving into a new phase.

 

I suspect Littlefinger knows his rival Varys is bringing in Aegon to take the throne and he anticipates a scramble to wed the new king, with Arianne and Margery and perhaps even Cersei potentially fighting for the prize. Petyr seems certain that Cersei will destroy herself, and he should also feel confident in his ability to pitch Arianne and Margery against each other, given the long-standing animosity between Dorne and the Reach, and thus paving the way for him to manoeuvre his own piece into the fray.

 

Littlefinger has left himself a loophole in this respect as Sansa’s marriage to Tyrion, which has yet to be annulled, will ultimately make her marriage to Harry illegitimate. That or death, either way Harry is but a stepping stone along the way to positioning Sansa as a potential match for a future king.

 

Littlefinger will eventually need Sansa’s marriage to Tyrion to be annulled by the High Septon or Council of Faith in order to proceed with a potential marriage to Aegon. For that to happen, Sansa first needs to be proved innocent of regicide, but we can be certain Petyr has the means to shift the blame for Joffrey’s murder onto the Tyrells when the time comes, restoring Lady Stark to a more virtuous light and eliminating Margery in the process. Before any of that can occur, he needs to complete the first stage of his plan, which is to secure the Vale and then the North under Harry and Sansa, but he’s about to be thwarted by a small piece with a will of its own.

 

The Mad Mouse.

 

Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen is also seeking Sansa. He tells Brienne why.

 

His motive is the bounty on Sansa’s head, a plump bag of gold.

 

 

Shadrich was only in the merchant’s hire until Duskendale, meaning he needed to find new employment.

 

 

After leaving Hibald’s service at Duskendale, Ser Shadrich next found employment as one of Littlefinger’s hired swords, where he quite literally bumped into Alayne.

 

 

Shadrich tells Sansa that the melee is all that a hedge knight can hope for, unless he stumbles into a bag of dragons, a plump bag of gold, which is what Sansa is. The subtext is that Shadrich, who we first encountered in the hire of a merchant, took up new employment with Littlefinger and then stumbled upon Sansa.

 

At the feast in the Vale, Littlefinger sat Sansa beneath a wall sconce, so everyone could see how fair of face she was. However, this was a mistake.

 

As well as illuminating Sansa’s fair face, the light of the torch in the wall sconce would catch the red in Sansa’s hair. Perhaps not make it shine like copper, thanks to the brown hair dye, but enough to show a hint of red, enough to catch the eye of a shrewd observer.

 

Sansa’s natural red was constantly creeping back in at the roots.

 

Shadrich then danced with Sansa, which no doubt allowed him get a closer look at her blue eyes, her fair face and her hair, roots and all.

 

Ser Shadrich is described as fox-faced with a sharp nose, suggesting he is cunning and perhaps even sly. But having identified Sansa, could he possibly get her out of the Vale?

 

Current events in the Vale could prove distracting and provide an opportunity. To begin with there’s the upcoming tourney to select brotherhood of winged knights. We have seen politics spill onto the tourney ground before, such as in the case of Ser Hugh of the Vale, who was silenced by Gregor’s lance before he could be questioned by Ned.

 

Ser Lyn Corbray.

 

Ser Lyn Corbray is a character who certainly seems primed to cause disruption of some sort. There is no love between Lyn and his older brother Lionel, who inherited the title of Lord Corbray. He also has motive to dislike Littlefinger, as he is the one who brokered a marriage between Lionel and the daughter of a wealthy Gulltown merchant to produce Lord Lionel an heir and further remove Ser Lyn from ever inheriting his family seat at Heart’s Home. Despite this, he is currently in the pay of Littlefinger.

 

Littlefinger thinks Ser Lyn will be his inside man in any secret plots hatched against the Lord Protector but we must question Corbray’s true loyalties.

 

Ser Lyn’s loyalties have always been questionable, it seems. During Robert’s Rebellion, he fought for the loyalists against Robert and Jon Arryn at Gulltown and then later for the rebels at the Trident, so he’s not opposed to flipping, depending on his interests.

 

It just happens that a plump bag of gold is what is being offered for Sansa, and Ser Lyn was forever desperately short of coin. Ser Shadrich was quick to propose splitting the reward with Brienne if she would partner with him in his search for Sansa, and with Ser Lyn speaking of Littlefinger with scorn and loathing and ready to lend his sword to secret plots, then it seems likely that he could get involved in Shadrich’s scheme as it develops.

 

If, one way or another, an opportunity presents itself, could Shadrich, or Lyn, or indeed a partnership of both, get Sansa out of the Vale?

 

Leaving the Vale.

 

The high road, which runs from the Bloody Gate to the Kingsroad, is currently closed by snow, and there are the mountain clans to consider, which would mean taking a ship. Gulltown is the main port in the Vale but Littlefinger has closed the port to the merchants in an act of price manipulation, and as a result the port and ships are being watched. However, Bronze Yohn and the other Lords Declarant want to sell their harvest and we are told they will use other ports if need be.

One such port, it seems, is Old Anchor, situated close to both Runestone and Ironoaks, the seat of House Waynwood, where Harry was raised as a ward. Snatching Sansa from the Bloody Gate and getting out through Gulltown seems unlikely, but if the action moves to Ironoaks or even Runestone, then the much shorter flight to a ship at Old Anchor seems more plausible.

 

Even then it would be difficult to take Sansa against her will. However, if Ser Shadrich persuades her that he is there to rescue her and bring her home, like Dontos and Littlefinger before him, then Sansa may be fooled once more and go willingly, thinking that she’s boarding a ship to White Harbor.

 

If Sansa has to be smuggled out of the Vale, then she would have to remain hidden in the ship’s hold, much like Tyrion when he was smuggled out of King’s Landing. From there, Sansa would find it difficult to determine whether the ship is going north or south, and would be aghast to emerge from her hiding place below deck only to find she is back in King’s Landing.

 

Returning to King’s Landing.

 

There are several reasons I see Sansa returning to King’s Landing.

 

If Sansa is to complete her journey from pawn to player, Sansa must emerge from Littlefinger’s control and gain some agency of her own. If Littlefinger’s plan succeeds, this will not happen. Besides, Winterfell is a political backwater by comparison to King’s Landing, which is a nest of vipers and a proving ground for any player worth their salt.

 

A huge portion of Sansa’s character-arc and much of her inner-conflict is connected with characters such as Sandor and Cersei so she needs to encounter these characters again if she is to resolve those conflicts, and King’s Landing is a far more likely venue than Winterfell in that respect.

 

If Sansa returns to King’s Landing, then it stands to reason that she would stand trial for Joffrey’s murder. This would put her in direct conflict with Cersei and probably Margery too, while raising the stakes so that her life is on the line. We have already seen, in the case of Tyrion’s trial, how such proceedings are politically sensitive and can quickly become a battlefront in the game of thrones. A trial would provide the conflict and the battleground her character needs if she is to gain agency and emerge as a player.

 

Sansa is also central to the arcs of characters like Sandor, Jaime, and Brienne so we should expect a convergence of these characters as we move towards the climax of the series. The trial of Sansa Stark would act as a magnet, drawing characters like Jaime, Brienne and Sandor back to the city. For someone like Jaime, it would put his wish to keep his oath to Catelyn in direct conflict with Cersei. For Brienne, it would present the opportunity to defend Sansa with her father’s steel, Oathkeeper. For Sandor, it presents not only an avenue to close out his conflict with Gregor, but also to return and defend the innocent, which Sansa told him is the mark of a true knight.

 

Sansa does not command armies but in trial she could gain her own sworn swords, in the shape of champions who come forth to defend her against Cersei’s own champion, Robert Strong, which might explain Bran’s vision.

 

Personally, I think we will see a Trial of Seven at some stage in the main series, and defending Sansa would be a redemptive act that would go a long way towards resolving the arcs of several characters, meaning this would be a perfect opportunity to set-up such a trial.

 

That’s why I feel Sansa is going back to King’s Landing to stand trial, where she will engage in the conflict her character needs to advance in her journey from pawn to player, and not north to Winterfell as Littlefinger intends.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Nice post, Bravo. Reminds me of the posts of old. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.