One of the worst things Game of Thrones ever did was force Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) to marry Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). The decision caused widespread outrage and disgust amongst the Thrones fandom at the time, especially since her marriage to Ramsay happened to a different character in author George R. R. Martin’s original book series.
While Sansa’s overall arc ended up being one of the show’s strongest, those same fans remain understandably unhappy to this day about the character’s Ramsay-centric Season 5 storyline.
With that in mind, one fan theory speculates the next installment in Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire Series, titled The Winds of Winter, will not only spare Sansa from having to cross paths with Ramsay Bolton but will also kickstart her rise to power in a very different way.
A Song of Ice and (Fake) Fire — At the start of The Winds of Winter, Sansa is still residing at The Vale and going by the name “Alayne Stone.” She’s also becoming acquainted with a knight who happens to be the heir of The Vale, who Littlefinger intends for her to become betrothed to. However, some Song of Ice and Fire fans think Sansa will actually marry another character in The Winds of Winter.
Who? None other than Aegon Targaryen VI, or as he’s better known amongst fans, fAegon.
The character, who claims to be the surviving son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell, is in the midst of invading Westeros by the time The Winds of Winter has begun. Many book readers believe he’ll manage to successfully conquer the continent and claim the Iron Throne for himself in The Winds of Winter, and all signs currently suggest he’ll become betrothed to Arianne Martell of Dorne somewhere along the way.
However, there’s a chance fAegon could renounce his presumed engagement to Arianne in favor of marrying Sansa, who could conceivably offer him even more political power in Westeros than Arianne.
History Repeats Itself — This is an interesting theory because it presents a surprising and clear path towards power for Sansa to take.
After all, if fans are right and Aegon is successful in conquering Westeros, then that means marrying him would make Sansa the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. That’s an exciting possibility since it cements her as a major political figure in George R. R. Martin’s world and would also make her Cersei’s successor — an especially fitting outcome considering what Cersei put her through in Martin’s first few Song of Ice and Fire books.
Aegon leaving Arianne Martell for Sansa would be a thematically rich and ironic turn for The Winds of Winter to take too. It would echo Rhaegar leaving his wife, Elia Martell, for Ned Stark’s sister Lyanna, the same decision that essentially led to most of the drama and conflict in the Song of Ice and Fire series. The fact that Aegon also claims to be Rhaegar’s surviving son just makes this possibility feel that much stronger.
The Inverse Analysis — Now, there are plenty of reasons to think that this theory won’t end up happening. Many believe Sansa’s journey in The Winds of Winter will involve her heading North again and reclaiming Winterfell with Jon, much like she did in Game of Thrones Season 6. There’s ample evidence in the books to support that assumption.
However, if Sansa really is going to marry fAegon in The Winds of Winter, then it could help explain why the Game of Thrones writers gave her another character’s storyline in the first place since fAegon was left out of the show. Their marriage would also, notably, put Sansa at the center of the inevitable conflict between Daenerys and Aegon.
That possibility alone is exciting enough to hope something like this will come to pass in Winds of Winter.
The Winds of Winter will be released whenever George R. R. Martin finishes writing it.
