Video: Alt Shift X explores the Jon/Sansa marriage theory

Game of Thrones is barreling towards an end. With an extra-long wait on our hands for Season 7, fan theories are up for grabs as we attempt to fill the hole in our lives. We’ve tackled a few here at WiC, and some of those have been gaining traction among fans. Specifically, it’s open season on the subject of a possible Jon/Sansa marriage, which we detailed a few weeks back.

Since I’ve only seen the show, I could only base my speculation on what’s happened onscreen, primarily in Season 6. But luckily for diehard Jon/Sansa enthusiasts such as myself, once again a book-reader has come to the rescue with further evidence. YouTuber Alt Shift X offers some contextual hints from George R.R. Martin himself to support the Jon/Sansa gossip.

Check out the video:

In the case of Jon/Sansa, Alt Shift X focuses on Martin’s prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. These stories take place a century prior to the events of Game of Thrones, and catalogue the life and times of dynamic duo Dunk and Egg.

The first tale describes the Ashford Tournament, in which knights and noblemen compete to become Lady Ashford’s champion. The final five are: Lyonel Baratheon, Tybolt Lannister, Leo Tyrell, Humfrey Hardying, and Valarr Targaryen. Note that this progression matches up with the men to whom Sansa has been engaged/married to in the books: Joffrey Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister, Willas Tyrell (Loras on the show), and Harrold Hardying (book-only).

Now, the Hardying character was nixed from the show. For fellow non-readers, in the books, Sansa doesn’t go to Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton after escaping King’s Landing. Instead, she remains at the Vale with Littlefinger and gets engaged to Harrold Hardying, the heir to the Vale in the likely event of sickly Robin Arryn’s death. Similar to much of the showrunners’ decisions, this plot was abandoned for the sake of narrative efficiency.

Regardless, if Sansa’s romance arc follows the Ashford pattern, she has one suitor left: a Targaryen. At face value, Daenerys is the last of the line, and Alt Shift X points out that Daenerys/Sansa probably isn’t going to happen. (And let’s face it—if Westeros were to establish marriage equality, it’s Daenerys/Yara all the way, anyway.)

So who’s left to fill the Targaryen slot? On the show, Jon is the sole contender. Alt Shift X says of the matter:

"This could make sense politically. As the son of Prince Rhaegar, Jon could make a claim on the Iron Throne as king of Westeros. And marriage to Sansa could win him the support of the North. In the show, Jon already rules the North, but he’s in a weird tension with Sansa created by Littlefinger. Maybe marriage could settle that conflict."

Fans may still get the “ick” factor when we consider that while Jon and Sansa aren’t siblings, they are still cousins. Alt Shift X reminds us that such unions aren’t uncommon in Westeros—even Tywin Lannister married his cousin Joanna. Furthermore, if it does come to pass, Jon/Sansa wouldn’t be the first time Martin plotted such a romance. In an early draft of Game of Thrones, Jon and Arya fell in love. At this juncture, I think most of us can agree that Jon/Arya have a definite sibling vibe, whereas the same cannot necessarily be said about Jon/Sansa (although there is still disagreement among fans there).

But according to Martin’s written world, Jon actually isn’t the only available Targaryen for Sansa’s hand. Alt Shift X states that there might be one more secret Targaryen still in the running. Although said to have died at the hands of the Mountain during Robert’s Rebellion, Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell’s son Aegon may still be alive. In the books, Varys claims that he rescued and raised Aegon for kingship. However, Alt Shift X goes on to say that “popular theory suggests that this Aegon is a fake—no true Targaryen at all.” All the same, we can entertain the possibility that he’ll be Sansa’s final suitor, whether or not they actually wed.

The issue with this theory, though, is that Aegon has been stricken from the show. Benioff and Weiss may have diverted from the source material, but their general endgame is supposed to be the same as Martin’s. So if Aegon was meant to make a difference, he probably would have shown up by now. We only have two seasons to go, so there’s not a lot of time to capitalize on more secret identities and the resultant family drama.

Like any fan theory, there’s no way for us to know for sure until the events pan out. Our evidence and guesswork may come to nothing. Still, it’s worth speculating when we consider the future of Westeros. No matter who’s left after the final battle, marriage alliances may be the first step in restoring the country. And as Alt Shift X says, “After Sansa’s history of evil exes, you can only hope she’ll end up with someone she likes.”

Took the words right out of my mouth.