SANSA STARK / BRIENNE OF TARTH
This essay will be almost completely based on speculation because Sansa and Brienne's AFFC chapters have almost completely been covered on the show and security has been closely guarded, preventing useful leaks from revealing information about the adaptations. I'm writing about these two characters in the same essay because I believe that their paths intersect early in Season 5.
SANSA STARK
Nothing new has been (officially) written about Sansa Stark since AFFC was published in 2005. She hasn't been featured in any of the Winds of Winter preview chapters either. This wouldn't be a problem except most of her remaining book material was covered in Season 4. Sansa spends almost the entirety of AFFC hiding in the Eyrie under the guise of Alayne Stone, dealing with the Lords Declarant of the Vale as they investigate the murder of Lysa Arryn and then as they attempt to force Littlefinger to abdicate as Lord Protector of the Vale. It isn't until her final chapter in AFFC that she leaves the Eyrie, which needs to be abandoned for the winter. During the evacuation, Sansa deals with Robert Arryn, whose brattiness makes the trip difficult and Myranda Royce, who seems to be attempting to deduce Sansa's true identity. The most important moment of the chapter occurs when Littlefinger announces that Sansa will be married to a young man named Harry the Heir who is improbably Robert Arryn's heir. At their wedding, Littlefinger intends to reveal Sansa's identity and rally the Vale behind her as the rightful Lady of Winterfell.
I don't think that any of this will happen in Season 5. Sure, Robert (known as Robin on the show) will continue to be a pain, but the Lords Declarant already know Sansa's true identity because she revealed it to them at Littlefinger's trial. I do think that Harry the Heir will be eliminated from the show because he can easily be replaced with Sansa being betrothed to Robin Arryn for the time being. Robin is aged up on the show and while he's a bit of a weakling, he's shown no signs of the shaking fits or frailty that his counterpart in the books have shown. Also, the Harry the Heir storyline is very convoluted and avoiding it would be a smart decision for the show-runners.
Since the book storyline is out, what will happen in Sansa's story this season? Based on the trailers that have been released so far, Sansa will be spending the first few episodes in the Vale and then travel to Winterfell to interact with the Boltons.
My theory for what happens in the Vale is that we join the action as Sansa, Littlefinger and Robin Arryn continue their tour of the Vale, introducing Robin to his people. This is confirmed based on a recently released image that shows Littlefinger, Sansa and Lord Royce sitting in the stands, observing some sort of tournament or event. It's also confirmed by an EW article that shows a shield that Robin uses during Season 5. My theory is that Brienne and Pod will somehow interfere with this event, leading Sansa to dismiss them (she has an army and a country with great defenses to protect her, so why would she need one "knight" and one "squire" instead?) and Littlefinger dispatches soldiers to kill them (probably without Sansa's knowledge).
Shortly after that event, Littlefinger will travel to King's Landing for some reason (the Queen's request, having Sansa's marriage to Tyrion nullified by the Faith, or officially adopting his niece "Alyane" and making her his heir, perhaps) and re-join Sansa on the way to Winterfell for the wedding of Ramsay Snow to "Arya" Stark.
Sansa's role in Winterfell (which was confirmed by the second trailer which shows Knights of the Vale in Winterfell and upon close inspection shows Sansa and Littlefinger arriving with them) is still up in the air. She could be there as "Arya", "Alayne" or as Sansa Stark herself. Given that the EW article mentions that Ramsay will have someone new to torment this year and that there will be three weddings this season (Dany's, Tommen's and probably Ramsay's), it seems likely that Sansa will not be marrying Ramsay as fArya or as Sansa (a young girl who looks like Arya and has been cast as "Winterfell Worker" will likely play the role of fArya and be rescued by Theon later in the story). The role that Sansa will be playing in Winterfell this season will likely be an undercover role as "Alayne", taking up the slack of Wyman Manderly and Lady Dustin, Northern Lords from ADWD who heckle and torment the Boltons and Freys, while scheming to eventually betray them.
Beyond her involvement with Brienne and her trip to Winterfell for Ramsay's wedding, it's hard to say what's going to happen to Sansa this season. No matter how much she stays in the shadows in Winterfell, Theon will recognize her, so they'll interact, which may lead to interactions with Roose or Ramsay Bolton. Stannis will probably arrive near Winterfell this season, so the opening salvos of that battle will occur while she's in Winterfell and perhaps the Knights of the Vale will be used in some sort of betrayal in the manner that the Manderly forces will be used in Winds.
BRIENNE OF TARTH
Brienne's story from AFFC has been heavily altered and mostly covered already. If this season is going to use any of Brienne's remaining book plot, it's going to require a lot of backtracking.
In AFFC, Brienne travels through the Crownlands, the Vale and the Riverlands, searching for Sansa Stark. Along the way, she meets up with Pod and several colorful characters who appear to have been written out of the show. I expect her travels to Cracklaw Point and her interactions with Randall Tarly to be dropped, but it's still possible that she might travel into the Riverlands this season and possibly even encounter Lady Stoneheart or some facsimile of that storyline towards the end of the season.
While traveling with Pod last season, Brienne traveled along the Eastern Road on the way to the Vale, eventually running into Arya and the Hound, leading to a potential fatal duel between the Hound and Brienne.
Leaked photos from Season 5 indicates that Brienne's story will start in the Vale and in all likelihood, that means that she'll run into Sansa and Littlefinger while she's there. Based on her fugitive status in several brief scenes during the trailer where it appears she'll be running away from the kings of the Vale and racing through the Riverlands, it seems that meeting didn't go very well. It seems like Sansa will reject her help and possibly order her arrest. It's also possible that Sansa sends Brienne on some sort of Stoneheart-style mission, possibly involving Jaime.
One aspect of Brienne's AFFC storyline that I'd like to see in the show is her interactions with Septon Meribald, one of GRRM's best characters from the book, a holy man who travels the Riverlands, helping the smallfolk. My favorite part of his appearance is the "Broken Man" speech that he gives to Brienne and Pod. This may be represented in a gender-swapped situation in the form of an elderly woman who was cast for this season to serve a multiple episode role interacting with Brienne. I hope that's the case and would like it very much if the Quiet Isle was also somehow involved, but that seems less likely.
There is one shot from the second trailer that's generated a lot of conversation. The shot features Brienne and Pod standing next to a structure in a snowstorm. Perhaps this means that they are traveling to the North (to interact with the Boltons, Sansa or Stannis?) or that it's snowing in the Riverlands, but I think the most likely explanation is that the scene takes place in the mountains of the Vale (where it's already snowing) during the first few episodes of this season.
With no other information, all I can do is make vague guesses about Brienne's role in Season 5.
MY SEASON 5 PREDICTIONS FOR SANSA STARK AND BRIENNE OF TARTH'S STORY:
Early in Season 5, Sansa Stark will interact with Brienne of Tarth, rejecting her offer of protection and either dismissing her or sending Vale guards after her. From Brienne, Sansa will learn that her sister is still alive, though she'll later learn that her sister has been found and will be marrying Ramsay Bolton at Winterfell. After Littlefinger leaves the Vale for King's Landing, Sansa will travel to Winterfell for the wedding and continue to plot revenge against the Lannisters, Boltons and Freys.
Brienne will locate Sansa and after failing to join her service as a protector, she'll be forced to leave the Vale and be pursued through the Riverlands. At some point she'll have lengthy interactions with an elderly woman who may or may not be based on Septon Maribald. At this time, I don't know the direction her story will take, but it's possible that she might be on some sort of mission involving Sansa, Arya or Jaime.
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