Game of Thrones: In Defense of Jon & Sansa
Get on the Jon/Sansa train now, Game of Thrones fans.
Warning: this post will contain spoilers for the entirety of season 6 of Game of Thrones.
No, you did not misread that headline. I’m about to make the case why Jon and Sansa getting married on Game of Thrones is not only possible, it is, in fact, just as plausible as the other Jon pairing theory, where he’s supposedly going to shack up with his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen, expanding on a prediction I made several months ago.
The Case
Let’s start by looking at Jon and Sansa together in Season 6. While their relationship had never been the best, when push came to shove, they teamed up to take back Winterfell. This pairing works politically as well as emotionally.
While Sansa is a trueborn Stark, she is a woman. Unfortunately, not every northern lord is willing to listen to her, even though her claim, gender aside, is stronger than Jon’s. She brings political experience to the table, thanks to her tutelage from Littlefinger, and she also brings a second iron will, one that can drive her to push Jon and everyone around her.
Jon, meanwhile, brings some legitimacy, pun fully intended. He’s a man, which means some are more inclined to listen to him than Sansa. Moreover, as former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, he has actual practical combat experience. He also is aware, more than most, of the White Walker threat.
Still from “The Winds of Winter,” Episode 6×10 of Game of Thrones. Photo: HBO
They do also share an emotional connection, one that you can argue has been strengthened recently. At this point, the only possibly-living Starks left are Arya and Bran. Jon and Sansa, however, don’t know if they are still living. Arya may very well join the reunion tour, since she seems to be trending that way, but she may choose to finish her kill list instead.
So, right now, Jon and Sansa effectively have each other, family-wise. However, Sansa has also said she didn’t see him as a Stark. Sansa indeed took her mother’s view of Jon, which was generally ostracizing. Unlike Arya, Sansa doesn’t seem to have seen Jon as a brother anyway.
That’s all also moot, considering Jon’s true parentage. They’re first cousins, since Jon’s mother is Lyanna Stark and his father, Rhaegar Targaryen.
How It Might Play Out
However, Jon’s parentage does come into play with regards to his coronation as King in the North. His claim, according to the lords who elevated him, is based solely on the supposed fact that Ned Stark is his father. The one person we know who knows that, Bran Stark, will soon be returning to the Wall and ostensibly to Winterfell.
Should that knowledge become public, Jon would need to solidify his claim to the northern throne. Honestly, the fastest way to do that is to marry Sansa. Targaryens practiced sibling marriage. Westeros doesn’t seem to look down upon first cousin marriage.
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And though they have secrets from each other, including Sansa’s calling in Littlefinger at the Battle of the Bastards, it seems they’ve learned to work past their differences.
As for those who say Sansa will instead return to Littlefinger, I wonder if she won’t instead double-cross him. While he has helped her before and will likely continue to do so as long as it’s in his interests, she has a long memory. He helped sell her to Ramsay Bolton. I doubt she will forgive him easily for it.
For now, it seems like Jon Snow remains Sansa’s best play, and she his.
But what about Daenerys?
Now we get to the nitty-gritty. Some instead espouse the theory that Jon Snow will marry his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen. Going by those dynastic traditions, he is her best match indeed.
However, that’s all predicated on Dany knowing that Jon’s even her nephew, which brings us back to “Jon now has a problem with remaining King in the North.” Let’s say that the northern lords don’t care that Jon instead belongs to Lyanna for the sake of argument.
Doesn’t Jon remain a threat? If Dany takes the throne, he can argue that though he may be a bastard, his claim is legitimate because he’s Rhaegar’s son. Basically, it’s the same reason he got the nod of King in the North over Sansa.
She can neutralize him in one of two ways. She can murder him, or she can marry him. If he’s already married to Sansa, then Sansa has to die. Either way, she’ll likely have the North even more up in arms. (We all know that the North remembers.)
And, frankly, unless they’re trying to echo Rhaegar and Lyanna’s apparent whirlwind romance, it doesn’t feel right. They lack any sort of connection.
Now, we don’t expect everyone to agree. In fact, feel free to disagree in the comments below, ardent Jon/Dany shippers. Or do you think Jon’s heart remains with Ygritte?
Game of Thrones will return in the summer of 2017.