25 reasons we’re naming Sansa Stark the Queen in the North

14. She’s a survivor

This should probably go without saying. Sansa fought very hard for her life while in King’s Landing and in Winterfell. She’s endured more in Joffrey’s Court and under Ramsay’s regime than most of us could even imagine. But she never feels sorry for herself. She never sees herself as a victim, it’s more through the lens of doing what she had to do in order to stay alive.

Even when arriving at Bear Island in Season 6’s “The Broken Man,” she answers Lady Mormont with, “I did what I had to do” when she was questioned about her last name. Sansa was threatened with death nearly everywhere she landed, but somehow was able to escape.

This cliffhanger scene from Season 5’s finale “Mother’s Mercy” is a nice combination of Sansa’s bravery and survival instinct. We watch as Myranda threatens her with an arrow, ready to let go at point blank range. Sansa stands there, unaffected, until Theon/Reek decides to launch Myranda over the balcony. She didn’t survive that fall (and not a single f*ck was given), but Theon and Sansa survive the jump out of Winterfell. We all (secretly) knew they’d land the jump, but we weren’t so sure they’d come out of the woods unscathed in Season 6’s first episode “The Red Woman.” Sansa is one of the few characters to defy George R. R. Martin and stick around for all seven seasons.