After Daenerys Targaryen died, and Game of Thrones wrapped up about 5 minutes later (a time for wolves…?), many viewers were left with so many unanswered questions, and I’m going to argue that no bigger plot point was left unresolved than the Stark line of succession. As in, who will Sansa marry and/or father her children.
Now I noticed almost immediately something hilarious emerge through all that uncertainty, and that’s this almost canon-like widespread belief that Sansa will in fact marry…
Some Guy. Some Noble. Some Highborn. Some Northerner. Some Lord. Some Heir.
“Sansa will obviously marry some Northern son of high nobility to unify the kingdom.”
“Sansa will probably marry some 2nd or 3rd son of a major house in the South, to strengthen Southern alliances and trade opportunities.”
I know you’ve seen it, and it’s amazing, isn’t it? Oh, you know, Sansa is going to marry some man of high nobility, probably Northern but maybe not, potentially an heir but maybe a 3rd or 4th son as they’ll have to abandon their titles. It’s just that simple guys.
Listen, I’m not going to sit here and pretend this mystery holds the same weight as who ends up on the Iron Throne, but Sansa’s eventual marriage and her potential suitors is a colossal moving plot throughout the entirety of the series. It’s the foundation of some of the biggest storylines, linking the biggest characters and houses. It’s not a minor detail. To suggest Some Noble Guy is just going to show up behind door number two in the final act or epilogue, and that will be the end of that, is asinine. And it’s lazy.
And I promise you their primary motivation, whether they even realize it or not, is to dismiss and downgrade the importance of her and her storyline. Sansa is going to marry Some Noble Guy. It’s not really necessary information, you can move on now.
Besides being complete bullshit, it of course also begs the question -
Whom, exactly, are they speaking of?
Here’s the thing, we already know the major houses, we already know the major players, we already know the noteworthy fathers and sons across the entire continent, and their status within the story. Meaning, we already know Sansa’s husband. He has a name. He’s out there, sitting on one of the pages, just waiting to win the lottery.
So compelled by this mystery, motivated by being so annoyed, and suddenly having all the time in the world while in quarantine, I decided I wanted to find him.
So, join me on this journey as I play the game of,