For Those Who Don't See Hints of Sansa/Sandor
This post by Trackrunner237 is part of an interesting thread started by redcandle on westeros.org.
The original post is here.
1. The Kiss That Never Happened.
1a. GRRM has stated in multiple interviews that Sansa’s memory of a kiss that did not actually occur is not a typo and is, in fact, something.
1b. Sansa’s “memory” of the kiss becomes more detailed over time, until she is eventually associating it with the goings-on of a marriage bed.
2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder - In ASoS, Sansa thinks, “I wish the Hound were here.“ She tells us she kept his stained white cloak, and that she understood his fear because she knew the secret of his burned face.
3. Links between Sandor and Lady.
3a. “[Lady] could smell out falsehood…” - Sansa; “A dog can smell a lie, you know.” - Sandor
3b. “Get her a dog…” - Robert Baratheon
3c. “You sad old hound…” Sansa says this of her elderly canine companion at the Fingers before dreaming of Sandor Clegane in bed with her. When she awakes, the dog is back at her side, and Sansa wishes he were Lady. Someone asked GRRM about this
3d. The constant talk of what dogs and wolves do to each other.
3e. In AGoT, Septa Mordane chastises Sansa for feeding Lady under the table. Later, regarding Sandor, Tywin Lannister says, “You feed your dog bones under the table, you do not seat him beside you on the high bench.”
3f. When asked if we’d see Sandor as a replacement for Sansa’s dead wolf, GRRM said he couldn’t say. He was also vague on the subject of Sansa’s connection to her dog at the Fingers.
4. Metaphorical marriage - A typical marriage ceremony in Westeros seems to entail the groom giving the bride his cloak of protection. Sandor gave Sansa his white cloak twice.
5. Sandor as Sansa’s Florian - Sansa rates the songs of Florian and Jonquil as her favorites. Florian was not actually a knight. One of his lines (from “Hedge Knight”) is “All men are fools, and all men are knights, where women are concerned.” Sansa describes Florian as homely, though not quite so old as Ser Dontos. Directly after narrating this, she bumps into the Hound.
6. Sandor’s on Sansa’s mind - Sansa thinks of Sandor in every chapter of AGoT, ACoK, and AFfC. She compares him to several different men based on their ferocity, bravery, voice, ugliness, hands, height, morality, sigil, renown, guardianship, and kissing ability.
7. Sansa’s on Sandor’s mind - Arya is never the one to bring up Sansa in her conversations with Sandor. He brings her up a total of eight times in ASoS—the same number of ASoS chapters in which he has a speaking part.
8. Sandor breaks his rules for Sansa.
8a. While Sandor claims a dog will never lie, he spares Sansa a beating by convincing Joffrey that it really is bad luck to kill a man on a nameday.
8b. Despite Sandor’s claim that the weak are playthings for the strong and the defenseless should just die, he goes out of his way to save Sansa from the mob. He also speaks up for her during one of Joffrey’s ordered beatings.
9. Cersei’s comment of irony - “… she will be singing to the Stranger, begging for his kiss.”
10. More irony - Sansa convinces herself she could love a lame man. Sandor is now seemingly lame.
11. The Bear and the Maiden Fair.
