Sansa Stark's Star is on the Rise: A Song of Ice and Fire Predictions

Out of all the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, Sansa Stark particularly intrigues me. I know that a lot of fans of the books think that she's a bit of a wimp, totally naive, and a little slow, but I disagree. Sansa is one of the few characters in the books that develops and changes. Like, I'm not saying that the other characters aren't now in very different places than when the books started, but for the most part, they're all still the same people.

Sansa is different; in the first book she was this annoying little brat with all these nonsense ideas about chivalry, but she's grown a lot since then. As the series goes on, she learns how the world works and how people behave and she puts that knowledge to good use. One thing that Starks tend to have a problem with is not learning from their past. I mean, the Stark family is constantly doing things that they should know better than to do. Trusting the Freys? Trusting the Lannisters? And what part of 'no climbing' does Bran not understand. Unlike her father and brother, Sansa was quickly disabused of any notion of honor or chivalry and, unlike her sister, she is able to play the game: conceal her emotions, behave 'correctly', and interact in political machinations. I mean, I like Arya as much as the next person, but she can't control her emotions at all. She's completely bent on revenge (as is her mother, as a point of interest). Sansa is past all of that, she doesn't do extremes, which will be her saving grace in this book series.

Not to mention that Sansa is in a unique position to be one of the most powerful women in Westeros. Recently there's been a lot of speculation about Sansa's role in The Winds of Winter because George R.R. Martin said that there was going to be a "controversial" Sansa chapter in the upcoming book. It seems that Sansa is finally going to stop being a pawn and start being a real player in the game of thrones.

I could see several things happening to Sansa in this upcoming book, all of which will make her extremely powerful. First of all, she's going to have to marry. We all know that technically she's still married to Tyrion, which may cause problems for her later in the series, but it doesn't look like Dany's going to get around to crossing the Narrow Sea this book, so it's not an immediate concern. I'm guessing that she'll marry either Harry the Heir or Lord Robin (there's also the chance that she'll marry Littlefinger, but that's a long shot). If she marries Lord Robin, she'll effectively be the sole ruler of the Vale; if she marries Harry the Heir, she'll have to share power with him, but at this point, I think it's more likely that she'll swing for Harry. Although Robin would be easy to manipulate, he's unreliable and unpredictable and may cause problems as an adult. Not to mention that he would be an extremely weak ruler, not capable of leading armies into battle or inspiring much confidence. While marrying Harry would put Sansa in a less powerful position, it's probably the smartest choice in the long run.

It's possible that Sansa would marry Littlefinger. I mean, they do have a super weird, vaguely inappropriate relationship, and Littlefinger is clearly attracted to her. They've had some sweet scenes too, especially at the Eyrie. And, you have to keep in mind that Littlefinger has killed for her. I think that, given his way, Littlefinger would have married her already, but Littlefinger is too smart to think only of what he wants. Both Littlefinger and Sansa know that Sansa is a valuable political asset; who she marries is extremely important. The only way Littlefinger could justify marrying Sansa is if he somehow took the Vale for himself.

Any way you slice it, she'll be the lady of the Vale and wield tremendous power. I think that the Vale is going to be very important in the upcoming books. So far, the Vale has mostly managed to exempt itself from the War of the Five Kings, so, while the rest of the kingdom is out of soldiers and supplies, the Vale is still in a strong position. That means that Sansa (and her husband) will be able to act as the Kingmaker; whoever she supports has a very real chance of winning the Iron Throne. At this point, there are basically four potential claimants to the throne: Tommen, Stannis, Aegon (Young Griff), and Dany. Sansa would never help the Lannisters and she has no real reason to support the Baratheons, so it seems likely that she will hitch her wagon to the Targaryen star.

No doubt that will serve her well when the rest of the kingdom is consumed in dragon fire and the Vale remains untouched.

Aside from her future in the Vale, Sansa as other very real opportunities to wield power. Consider that, because everyone thinks that Bran and Rickon are dead, Sansa is the natural heir to Winterfell. Although the Ramseys, along with fake Arya, are currently the lords of the North, Sansa obviously has a much better claim (which is why she was forced to marry into the Lannister family to begin with, anyway).

Irregardless, I don't think the Ramseys are going to be able to hold the north much longer anyway, not with the Manderlys planning to restore Rickon to Winterfell. If they succeed, Rickon will be the Lord of Winterfell, which is fine and good for him, but, since he's like nine years old, he definitely can't rule by himself. He will need a regent, and who better to serve as as one than his older sister who is the lady of the Vale? Not to mention that, depending on the rather dubious fate of Uncle Edmure and his family, Rickon could very easily inherit all the Tully holdings as well. If that was the case, Sansa (as well as the other remaining Starks) would be very, very powerful.

Again, this would put Sansa in a good position to help Dany regain the throne after she crosses the Narrow Sea. Sansa could very quickly make herself a favorite of the crown and place herself very near to the throne if she wanted to (which she probably wouldn't).

The only thing that could trip Sansa up is her "marriage" to Tyrion. I'm not exactly sure what constitutes family law in Westeros, but I'm fairly certain that divorce doesn't exist in the Seven Kingdoms. It's possible that, since they never consummated their marriage, it's not considered to be legally binding, but, again, I don't know enough about the laws of Westeros to be sure. What is more likely is that, when Sansa is one of the most powerful women in Westeros and Tyrion is one of the most powerful men, if they choose to ignore the fact that they were married, everyone else will to. Even if the law forced her to go back to Tyrion, she would still be the Lady of Casterly Rock. You could do a lot worse than sitting in a giant palace surrounded by piles of money. Not to mention that, in general, Tyrion has proven himself to be a good and decent person; he would treat Sansa well.

Any way you slice it, everything is coming up roses for Sansa.

I've heard that Sansa Stark's character is based on Elizabeth of York, a real life queen of England. Elizabeth of York was a remarkable woman who survived through war, usurpation, political upheaval, betrayal, and seriously horrible medieval hardware and, in the end, she came out on top. Besides that, she was closely connected to five kings of England. Elizabeth of York was the daughter of a king, the sister of a king, the niece of a king, the wife of a king, and the mother of king. But, above all things, she was a survivor, just like Sansa. Sansa has already been the daughter and sister of kings: who will her other three kings be?

Valar dohaeris