Young Falcon vs The Winged Wolf: Sansa and Harry
Harry the Heir is Sansa's latest arranged match. You can almost miss that they are intended foils to one another. Both are cousins to Sweetrobin and orphaned heirs to kingdoms with the Eyrie and the Vale for Harry and Winterfell and the North for Sansa. Their predecessors even have practically the same name in having been named for Robert Baratheon in Robb Stark and Robert Arryn.
"That will need to be determined. For the moment, you shall remain here at court, as our ward."
"I want to go home."
The queen was irritated by that. "You should have learned by now, none of us get the things we want."
-ACOK, Sansa VIII
"Lady Waynwood will not make him marry against his will, she was quite firm on that."
-AFFC, Alayne II
However, it resulted in different experiences for them as evidenced by their relationships. They were looked after by ruling ladies after the deaths of their fathers with Anya Waynwood and Cersei Lannister. Of course, Anya actually took care of Harry and was sensitive to his feelings as evidenced by not marrying him against his will, and cleaning up his messes like marrying his first baby mama Cissy to a man in her garrison after Harry cast her aside. Cersei did not really care for Sansa, didn't step in when Joffrey abused her, married her against her will and even ordered Ilyn Payne to take her head if King's Landing fell.
For Sansa, her claim was a means of torment with different actors from the Tyrells and Lannisters to Petyr using her hand and claim that came with it to make her into a piece for furthering their ambitions regardless of her consent. Her claim to Winterfell made her an unwitting pawn where she was a tool with no say in her future. For Harry, it was the opposite experience as he was spoiled by the lords of the Vale with melees and tourneys rigged for him, and all trying to curry his favor. His status as the heir to the Eyrie effectively made him the darling of the Vale, a pampered prince with a life of free rides.
It is even seen in their relationship history. Sansa had two unwanted betrothals with the first in Joffrey, buying into his beauty only to witness the beast beneath his gilded appearance and later to Tyrion to which she noted: A comely monster, that’s what he [Joffrey] was. Little Lord Tyrion was kinder, twisted though he was. Of course, Tyrion was not without his issues either, but relatively speaking he was better than the rest of his conventionally beautiful family with the exception of Tommen and Myrcella. Harry by contrast got to choose for himself with two conquests in the form of Cissy whom he discarded after her pregnancy made her gain weight and Saffron, the daughter of the richest man in Gulltown whom he said was different by being "very beautiful." Sansa learned to see beyond appearances while Harry is still pretty shallow.
The sigil of House Arryn is a falcon with even the castle name phonetically being aerie or a bird's nest. Jon Arryn was the falcon in the sense that falcon fathers take part in looking after their young and defending the nest as Jon Arryn risked everything to save the lives of his two foster sons, Ned and Robert. Ned's daughter may repay that favor in looking after Jon Arryn's son in the spirit of a falcon mother. Harry on the other hand may be the falcon in the spirit of the predator that primarily preys on other birds.
Harry will likely be among the eight members of the Brotherhood of Winged Knights to look after his cousin, so he will be staying at the Eyrie for a while. He and Sansa and Sweetrobin will all be interacting with Sweetrobin being the point where the two diverge.
Sansa and Harry both have an incentive for Robert to die. For Harry, it means inheriting all of it, the Eyrie and the Vale and for Sansa, it means being Lady Arryn, but more importantly, finally returning home to reclaim Winterfell. It means more to her than Harry as returning home was what she always wanted since the end of AGOT.
However, while Sansa does see Robert as a spoiled brat at first (not untrue), as they spend more time together, Sweetrobin becomes fond of her, seeing her as a maternal figure. He even grows to like lemoncakes because she does, and is pretty much the only person he loves at the Eyrie. He prefers her to read stories to him, and she plays the damsel in distress to motivate him to small acts of bravery. She herself comes to care for the boy over time, seeing the vulnerable, innocent child beneath. The Brotherhood of Winged Knights was her idea after all: His own Kingsguard, to keep him safe and make him brave.
“Your lordship should not believe such nonsense,” Alayne said. “I’m sure Ser Harrold loves you well.” And if the gods are good, he will love me too. Her tummy gave a little flutter.
“He doesn’t,” Lord Robert insisted. “He wants my father’s castle, that’s all, so he pretends.” The boy clutched the blanket to his pimply chest. “I don’t want you to marry him, Alayne. I am the Lord of the Eyrie, and I forbid it.”
-TWOW, Alayne I
As evidenced by Sweetrobin's observations, Harry wants him to die. The kid may be naïve and spoiled, but he has good survival instincts. To Harry, Sweetrobin is the only thing standing in the way between him and being Lord Arryn. Staying at the Eyrie will likely increase his hunger as he is constantly reminded of his inheritance and resents the upjumped coin counter Littlefinger ruling what should be his and Sweetrobin, the unworthy sickly boy sitting what should be his seat.
“You are in the Falcon Tower, Ser Harrold,” Alayne put in. Far away from Sweetrobin. That was intentional, she knew. Petyr Baelish did not leave such things to chance.
-TWOW, Alayne I
Harry just may be just as much on board with Sweetrobin dying as Littlefinger. Harry may be closer to Littlefinger in spirit than Sansa. Both him and Petyr are of relatively lower birth, "upjumped" through their connections to Arryn women with Lysa and Harry's grandmother respectively, resentful over being denied things they felt entitled to and willing to step over bodies to achieve their ambitions.
Harry is just eager for his inheritance while Sansa would be going back home, what she always wanted, per Petyr's promises but it would come at a price: the life of an innocent child. That was where her father Ned always drew the line as well as Davos and other good characters. As Ned bluntly told Cersei "I do not kill children," and resigned in protest as Hand over Robert's decision to have Daenerys assassinated having likely learned that from Jon Arryn. Sweetrobin is effectively Sansa's litmus test.
While Littlefinger likes to think of her as his daughter, she will always be Ned's daughter. Ned was Jon Arryn's foster son, and Jon Arryn risked everything to save his foster son's life from royal wrath. Ned's daughter, Sansa, may end up repaying the favor by looking after Jon Arryn's son, Robert.
“But what need have I for heirs when I am landless and like to remain so, thanks to our Lord Protector? No. Tell your lord father I need none of his brood mares.”
Harry might find an ally in Lyn Corbray, another landless knight second in line to a great Andal house in the Vale angry over his denied inheritance as a result of a child (his yet to be born nephew/niece). Lyn is a predator used to using his sword to settle things going by his many duels.
If anything happens to Littlefinger, I can see the figurative shit hitting the fan. There would be a power vacuum over the Lord Protector. Sweetrobin would undoubtedly pick Alayne or Sansa if she reveals herself to him. She is the only one at the Eyrie he genuinely trusts and all she would have to do is ask.
However, things aren't that simple given for Harry that situation might just be a repeat of his life situation having lived his entire life under Lady Anya's thumb. He would see this as his chance to finally take over the Eyrie, and likely have Lyn and a number of Winged Knights at his back. A potential palace coup akin to Jonos Arryn.