Toil and Trouble

Off to Gulltown to see the fair maid, heigh-ho, heigh-ho. I'll steal a sweet kiss with the point of my blade, heigh-ho, heigh-ho. I'll make her my love and we'll rest in the shade, heigh-ho, heigh-ho.

In AFFC, Littlefinger goes to Gulltown to attend Lyonel Corbray’s wedding:

Petyr Baelish was clear across the Vale, though, attending Lord Lyonel Corbray at his wedding. Alayne II, AFFC

When he returns to the Gates of the Moon, he brings three hedge knights with him:

“Knights they are,” said Petyr. “Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich." Alayne II, AFFC

We know that Ser Shadrich was in Gulltown specifically looking for Sansa Stark:

Ser Shadrich laughed. “Oh, I doubt that, but it may be that you and I share a quest. A little lost sister, is it? With blue eyes and auburn hair?” He laughed again. “You are not the only hunter in the woods. I seek for Sansa Stark as well.” Brienne I, AFFC

So, these three men come back with Littlefinger from Gulltown, where they have ostensibly been seeking Sansa Stark, a fair maid. Additionally, the fictitious Alayne Stone is from Gulltown:

He blushed, which only made his pimples look angrier. “No, my lady. I am from Gulltown.” And I am not, though Alayne was born there. She would need to be careful around this one. “I remember Gulltown fondly,” she told him, with a smile as vague as it was pleasant. Alayne I, TWOW

There’s the first line of the song. But what about the second?

I’ll steal a sweet kiss with the point of my blade

This can easily be read as a reference to Sandor Clegane, specifically the Blackwater and UnKiss:

He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her... His dagger was out, poised at her throat… She could feel him twisting the point, pushing it into her throat, and she almost closed her eyes again, but then she remembered. Sansa VII, ACOK

He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. Alayne II, AFFC

This certainly supports the theory that Ser Byron is actually Sandor Clegane in disguise, or at least that he is going to be involved in her flight from the Vale in some way.

The line about stealing a kiss combined with "make her my love" evokes wife stealing. Whether their intentions are noble or not, we know that Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron are likely plotting to steal Sansa. But where would they go to "rest in the shade"?

Sansa and Sandor are both wanted by the crown — Sansa for Joffrey’s murder and Sandor for the raid on Saltpans. Both characters are accused of crimes they didn’t commit, yet another connection between the two. Regardless of whether Sandor is involved in her escape from the Vale, Sansa needs to get somewhere safe. Her arc is turning towards reclaiming her identity as a Stark, not continuing to conceal it. Where could she go where a Stark would be welcome? North, obviously.

Sansa’s arc in the Vale closely follows her father’s. Like Ned, she is essentially fostered in the Eyrie. She descends to attend a tourney — this time at the Gates of the Moon rather than Harrenhal — where she could meet Howland Reed (disguised as Ser Shadrich) or find other allies. Just like her father during Robert’s Rebellion, she is wanted by the crown and needs to get from the Vale to the north.

Ned Stark couldn’t go to the Vale’s main port of Gulltown because of its loyalty to King Aerys. Instead, he crossed the Mountains of the Moon to the Fingers and hired a fishing boat to take him across the Bite to White Harbor. The fisherman drowned in a storm during the crossing, but his daughter brought Ned to the Three Sisters. After being warned to keep his stay at Sisterton a secret, Ned was allowed to sail for White Harbor:

"Ned Stark was here?" "At the dawn of Robert's Rebellion. The Mad King had sent to the Eyrie for Stark's head, but Jon Arryn sent him back defiance. Gulltown stayed loyal to the throne, though. To get home and call his banners, Stark had to cross the mountains to the Fingers and find a fisherman to carry him across the Bite. A storm caught them on the way. The fisherman drowned, but his daughter got Stark to the Sisters before the boat went down..." "Be that as it may. My father sat where I sit now when Lord Eddard came to Sisterton. Our maester urged us to send Stark's head to Aerys, to prove our loyalty. It would have meant a rich reward... That was when Stark said, 'In this world only winter is certain. We may lose our heads, it's true … but what if we prevail?' My father sent him on his way with his head still on his shoulders. 'If you lose,' he told Lord Eddard, 'you were never here.' " Godric Borrell, Davos I, ADWD

Similarly, Gulltown is unsafe for Sansa because of its loyalty to Littlefinger:

“I am well loved in Gulltown, and have some lordly friends of mine own as well.”  Petyr Baelish, Alayne I, AFFC

Let’s take a closer look at Brienne’s arc in AFFC, which foreshadows Sansa’s likely TWOW arc through symbolism. This makes a lot of sense considering Brienne is looking for Sansa. In Brienne V, she returns to Maidenpool from Crackclaw Point. We can easily associate Sansa Stark with Maidenpool because it’s the site of the Florian and Jonquil legend — the subject of her favorite songs:

The songs about Florian and Jonquil were her very favorites. Sansa II, ACOK

At Maidenpool, Brienne sees several ships at port, including Titan’s Daughter and Gulltown Girl. In the context of Brienne's search for Sansa, the names of these ships could be references to Alayne Stone. Though Petyr’s personal sigil is the mockingbird, House Baelish’s sigil is the head of the Titan of Braavos. Sansa is posing as Alayne Stone, Petyr Baelish’s daughter — a girl from Gulltown.

Brienne doesn’t get anywhere with Titan’s Daughter or Gulltown Girl, while Sansa isn’t having much luck as Alayne Stone. She’s basically trapped in the Vale at the mercy of Petyr’s scheming and has no true allies to help her escape — for now.

Brienne has better luck with the Seastrider, which is coming from Duskendale and where she buys an orange for Podrick. The ship’s coming from Duskendale with oranges is a possible allusion to Ser Shadrich. Let’s recall how he introduces himself to Brienne:

“Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse.” Brienne I, AFFC

As others have noticed, Shady Glen and Duskendale mean the same thing: a dark valley. Shadrich also has a “shock of orange hair” (Brienne I, AFFC). The captain of the Seastrider is helpful and offers Brienne passage north. In Brienne’s AFFC arc, oranges are associated with helpfulness and generosity. Though they are “rare and costly,” Septon Meribald gives them away to the smallfolk of the riverlands or trades them for “common as mud” clams.

If we read the Seastrider as an allusion to Ser Shadrich, we see that he initially offers Brienne help. He proposes they work together to find Sansa Stark and gives her hints that the knights she’s traveling with (Ser Illifer and Ser Creighton) are untrustworthy. This gives us reason to suspect that Ser Shadrich is a potential ally to Sansa, regardless of his true identity.

Brienne declines the captain’s offer of passage north as well as Ser Shadrich’s offer of help (probably for the best given that she’s a terrible liar and likely wouldn’t fare well attempting to deceive the likes of Petyr Baelish). From Maidenpool, the Seastrider goes on to Gulltown, which is also exactly what Ser Shadrich does.

We know that Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron come back to the Gates of the Moon from Gulltown with Littlefinger. But where will they go from there?

Let’s take a closer look at the captain’s offer to Brienne:

“Gulltown next,” her captain told her, “thence around the Fingers to Sisterton and White Harbor, if the storms allow. She’s a clean ship, ‘Strider, not so many rats as most, and we’ll have fresh eggs and new-churned butter aboard. Is m’lady seeking passage north?” Brienne V, AFFC

After Gulltown, the Seastrider’s route is exactly the same as Ned Stark’s escape to the north. There’s even a subtle reference to storms, which forced Ned to detour his voyage across the Bite to Sisterton rather than sailing directly to White Harbor.

If Ser Shadrich is actually Howland Reed, then it’s very likely that he knows how Ned got from the Vale to the north during Robert’s Rebellion. It’s possible that he’s planning the same route for Sansa’s escape. There are also already Sistermen conveniently present at the Gates of the Moon, attending the Winged Knights tourney:

The competitors came from all over the Vale, from the mountain valleys and the coast, from Gulltown and the Bloody Gate, even the Three Sisters… Alayne I, TWOW

Alayne could not help but shutter. Myranda’s husband had died when he was making love with her. “Those Sistermen who came in yesterday were gallant,” she said, to change the subject. “If you don’t like Ser Ossifer or Ser Uther, marry one of them instead. I thought the youngest one was very handsome.” “The one in the sealskin cloak?” Randa said, incredulous. “One of his brothers, then.” Myranda rolled her eyes. “They’re from the Sisters. Did you ever know a Sisterman who could joust? They clean their swords with codfish oil and wash in tubs of cold seawater.” “Well,” Alayne said, “at least they’re clean.” “Some of them have webs between their toes. I’d sooner marry Lord Petyr. Then I’d be your mother. How little is his finger, I ask you?” Alayne I, TWOW

If the Sistermen can’t joust, why have them attend the tourney and mention them so prominently? GRRM may be priming readers for them to play a larger role in Sansa’s arc — which would likely mirror that of the Sistermen in her father’s own escape from the Vale. The repeated references to Sistermen in Alayne I, TWOW could be setting up their recruitment in Sansa's escape to the north.

It’s also interesting that Myranda offhandedly jokes about a choice between the Sistermen and marrying Petyr Baelish. Perhaps Sansa will have to make a similar choice: marry Littlefinger or flee with the hedge knights and the Sistermen they’ve recruited.

Brienne ultimately rejects the captain's offer at Maidenpool and heads to Saltpans to search for Sandor Clegane, who she thinks is traveling with Sansa Stark. She then unknowingly finds him on the Quiet Isle with the Elder Brother:

"A girl," she told him. "A highborn maid of three-and-ten, with a fair face and auburn hair." "Sansa Stark." The name was softly said. "You believe this poor child is with the Hound?" "The Dornishman said that she was on her way to Riverrun. Timeon. He was a sellsword, one of the Brave Companions, a killer and a raper and a liar, but I do not think he lied about this. He said that the Hound stole her and carried her away." Brienne VI, AFFC

When Sansa meets with Olenna and Margaery Tyrell in Sansa I, ASOS, Olenna’s fool sings The Bear and the Maiden Fair extremely loudly so that their conversation isn’t overheard and Sansa is free to tell them the truth about Joffrey. In the text, the lyrics appear in all caps. This emphasis isn’t only to indicate the volume of the fool’s voice — the words are practically screamed at the reader:

A bear there was, a bear, a bear! All black and brown, and covered with hair. The bear! The bear! Oh come they said, oh come to the fair! The fair? Said he, but I'm a bear! All black and brown, and covered with hair! And down the road from here to there. From here! To there! Three boys, a goat and a dancing bear! They danced and spun, all the way to the fair! The fair! The fair! Oh, sweet she was, and pure and fair! The maid with honey in her hair! Her hair! Her hair! The maid with honey in her hair! The bear smelled the scent on the summer air. The bear! The bear! All black and brown and covered with hair! He smelled the scent on the summer air! He sniffed and roared and smelled it there! Honey on the summer air! Oh, I'm a maid, and I'm pure and fair! I'll never dance with a hairy bear! A bear! A bear! I'll never dance with a hairy bear! The bear, the bear! Lifted her high into the air! The bear! The bear! I called for a knight, but you're a bear! A bear, a bear! All black and brown and covered with hair She kicked and wailed, the maid so fair, But he licked the honey from her hair. Her hair! Her hair! He licked the honey from her hair! Then she sighed and squealed and kicked the air! My bear! She sang. My bear so fair! And off they went, from here to there, The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair.

There are two ways to apply this song to Sansa’s relationship with Sandor. The first is to read it as a motif, which is more straightforward, so we’ll start with that.

The description of the bear and the maiden are clearly evocative of Sandor and Sansa — “black and brown and covered with hair” (ugly, beastly, coarse, etc.) and “a maid pure and fair.”

Then there’s the obvious sexual subtext of the song. This is the first chapter where we see that Sansa’s sexuality is beginning to emerge. Her childish crush on Loras Tyrell has matured into a sexual fantasy:

She remembered Ser Loras in his sparkling sapphire armor, tossing her a rose. Ser Loras in white silk, so pure, innocent, beautiful. The dimples at the corner of his mouth when he smiled. The sweetness of his laugh, the warmth of his hand. She could only imagine what it would be like to pull up his tunic and caress the smooth skin underneath, to stand on her toes and kiss him, to run her fingers through those thick brown curls and drown in his deep brown eyes. A flush crept up her neck. Sansa I, ASOS

We know that Loras isn’t interested in Sansa, and this is also when she realizes that he doesn’t remember giving her the red rose at the Hand’s tourney. Her attraction to him will amount to nothing. The point is that she’s starting to experience sexual attraction in general.

Consider the line “I called for a knight, but you’re a bear.” Sansa prays for a true knight to rescue her while she’s a hostage in King’s Landing. While Sandor isn’t a knight, he is her protector after Ned Stark’s murder. But the line is also evocative of the following scene:

If I close my eyes I can pretend he is the Knight of Flowers. Ser Loras had given Sansa Stark a red rose once, but he had never kissed her… and no Tyrell would ever kiss Alayne Stone. Pretty as she was, she had been born on the wrong side of the blanket. As the boy’s lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. Alayne II, AFFC

Like the previous passage, this is a sexual fantasy. Except this time, Sansa isn’t fantasizing about Loras Tyrell — she’s fantasizing about Sandor Clegane. At first, she tries to imagine kissing Loras but ends up picturing Sandor instead. She called for a knight, but she got a bear.

Notably, singing is used in the last verse to imply sex, which is a recurring motif throughout Sansa and Sandor’s relationship:

"I... I know a song about Florian and Jonquil." "Florian and Jonquil? A fool and his cunt. Spare me. But one day I'll have a song from you, whether you will it or no." "I will sing it for you gladly." Sansa II, ACOK

He gave her arm a hard wrench, pulling her around and shoving her down onto the bed. "I'll have that song. Florian and Jonquil, you said." Sansa VII, ACOK

And she dreamed of her wedding night too, of Tyrion's eyes devouring her as she undressed. Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. Sansa VI, ASOS

The Bear and the Maiden Fair is one of many allusions to Beauty and the Beast that appear throughout ASOIAF, including Sansa and Sandor as a romantic pairing. In some versions of Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is depicted as a bear:

The Norwegian fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a Beauty and the Beast story in which the Beast is actually a literal bear:

The Bear and the Maiden Fair is featured multiple times throughout the series and applies to several romantic pairings, particularly Brienne and Jaime (who are also a Beauty and the Beast allusion). But there’s a reason the song is literally screamed at the reader in one of Sansa’s chapters — after Sandor has already left her during the Blackwater.

When asked in a forum chat, "Is there any connection between Sansa’s story and the song The Bear and the Maiden Fair," GRRM replied, "Well, we’ll have to see," (So Spake Martin). So whatever this connection is, it hasn’t necessarily manifested yet, even though there are already obvious parallels between the song and Sansa and Sandor’s relationship dynamic.

This brings us to the second reading of the song: as foreshadowing.

The second verse of the song mentions a fair. There haven’t been any fairs featured prominently in the series so far, and apart from the song, they’ve only been mentioned a handful of times. In the most basic sense, a fair is a temporary gathering of people. Arguably the closest thing to a fair that appears in Sansa’s arc is a tourney. The Hand’s tourney and Joffrey’s Name Day tourney take place in King’s Landing during AGOT and ACOK, but the Winged Knights tourney is an upcoming event at the Gates of the Moon. It’s Sansa’s idea and is being organized by Littlefinger:

Four-and-sixty knights had been invited to vie for places amongst Lord Robert Arryn's new Brotherhood of Winged Knights, and four and-sixty knights had come to tilt for the right to wear falcon's wings upon their warhelms and guard their lord. The competitors came from all over the Vale, from the mountain valleys and the coast, from Gulltown and the Bloody Gate, even the Three Sisters. Alayne I, TWOW

In the song, who is it that goes to the fair? “Three boys, a goat, and a dancing bear.” If the song is foreshadowing the Winged Knights tourney, analogs to these figures should already be present in Sansa’s AFFC chapters.

When Sansa descends from the Eyrie to the Gates of the Moon, she finds Petyr drinking with three unknown hedge knights:

The hour was closer to dawn than to dusk, and most of the castle was asleep, but not Petyr Baelish. Alayne found him seated by a crackling fire, drinking hot mulled wine with three men she did not know. … Alayne laughed. “Are you louts?” she said, teasing. “Why, I took the three of you for gallant knights.” “Knights they are,” said Petyr. “Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich.” Alayne II, AFFC

These are potentially the three boys: Ser Shadrich, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Byron — but the goat may be here, too.

The Bear and the Maiden Fair is a motif that applies to both Brienne and Sansa. In Brienne’s story, the goat is Vargo Hoat. In Sansa’s story, it’s Petyr Baelish. There are several notable similarities between the two: Vargo and Petyr are both cunning, slender, have dark hair and goatees, and were/are Lord of Harrenhal (which didn’t end well for Vargo and doesn’t bode well for Petyr). Petyr’s great-grandfather came to Westeros from one of the Free Cities (Braavos) as a sellsword. Vargo Hoat also came to Westeros from one of the Free Cities (Qohor) as a sellsword.

Because of their association with the god Pan, goats often symbolize male lust. Vargo Hoat is a serial rapist, while Petyr Baelish is a brothel owner with the lifelong obsession of seducing Catelyn Tully (now transferred to her daughter, Sansa Stark).

Goats (specifically black goats) are also affiliated with the devil in European folk traditions. In the medieval era, the devil was commonly depicted as a man with a goat-like face, horns, and a small beard — a goatee. Vargo Hoat is a torturer and sadist, and Petyr Baelish is a devious megalomaniac. Both are certainly devilish characters.

During Sansa’s descent from the Eyrie, she stops at the waycastle Snow for "a hot meal of stewed goat and onions." When she reaches the Gates of the Moon "closer to dawn than dusk," she’s summoned to Petyr’s solar, where he’s been drinking hot mulled wine all night with the three hedge knights. As others have noticed, "stewed" is another word for "drunk." So Littlefinger can be read as a "stewed goat" in this scene.

Let’s take a little detour here and talk about the ghost of High Heart’s prophetic dream:

"In the hall of kings, the goat sits alone and fevered as the great dog descends on him." The old woman took another long gulp of wine, squeezing the skin as she raised it to her lips. The great dog. Did she mean the Hound? Or maybe his brother, the Mountain That Rides? Arya was not certain. Arya VIII, ASOS

The irony of this prophecy is that the great dog could be both Gregor and Sandor. The events that take place at Harrenhal in ASOS make it seem as if Vargo Hoat is the goat and Gregor Clegane is the great dog, which is true. But it could also be the case that Petyr Baelish is the goat and Sandor Clegane is the great dog. This is potentially more fitting, since Sandor is more closely associated with dogs than Gregor. After all, Gregor is "the Mountain That Rides." It’s Sandor who is "the Hound."

Littlefinger is currently Lord Protector of the Eyrie and the Vale of Arryn. He’s taken up residence at the Eyrie and the Gates of the Moon, the historic seats of the Kings of the Mountain and Vale: halls of kings. In addition, Petyr is Lord of Harrenhal — the same hall of kings Vargo Hoat sat in.

In the Vale, Petyr Baelish is also very alone. He murdered Lysa Arryn, arguably his only powerful ally there. The lords of the Vale dislike him, and several are actively working against him:

"They have the Vale." "Oh, much of it, that’s true. Not all, however. I am well loved in Gulltown, and have some lordly friends of mine own as well. Grafton, Lynderly, Lyonel Corbray… though I’ll grant you, they are no match for the Lords Declarant. Still, where would you have us go, Alayne? Back to my mighty stronghold on the Fingers?" Petyr Baelish, Alayne I, AFFC

He thinks he’s bought the violent and dangerous Lyn Corbray with gold and boys. But as Sansa observes, Ser Lyn’s loyalty is tenuous at best:

Corbray’s lips drew back in something that might have been meant as a smile, though it gave Alayne a chill. "But what need have I for heirs when I am landless and like to remain so, thanks to our Lord Protector? No. Tell your lord father I need none of his brood mares." The venom in his voice was so thick that for a moment she almost forgot that Lyn Corbray was actually her father’s catspaw, bought and paid for. Or was he? Perhaps, instead of being Petyr’s man pretending to be Petyr’s foe, he was actually his foe pretending to be his man pretending to be his foe. Alayne I, TWOW

Littlefinger is so lacking in allies that he’s placing his trust in three strangers whose true motivations are completely unknown to him:

The three knights bowed and withdrew, though the tall one with the blond hair kissed her hand before taking his leave. "Hedge knights?" said Alayne, when the door had closed. "Hungry knights. I thought it best that we have a few more swords about us. The times grow ever more interesting, my sweet, and when the times are interesting you can never have too many swords." Alayne II, AFFC

He has completely misjudged these men, at least one of whom is actually in the Vale searching for Sansa Stark:

Ser Shadrich laughed. "Oh, I doubt that, but it may be that you and I share a quest. A little lost sister, is it? With blue eyes and auburn hair?" He laughed again. "You are not the only hunter in the woods. I seek for Sansa Stark as well." Brienne I, AFFC

And he’s led them right to her:

"Lady Alayne," he said, "the Lord Protector has been waiting for you." … Alayne found him seated by a crackling fire, drinking hot mulled wine with three men she did not know. … "You are never an intrusion, sweetling. I was just now telling these good knights what a dutiful daughter I had." Alayne II, AFFC

So Littlefinger is sitting alone in halls of kings. But is he fevered? Maybe not literally, in the way Vargo Hoat was, but the word "fevered" also means excited or agitated. And Petyr Baelish is definitely fevered around Sansa Stark:

"I wish you could see yourself, my lady. You are so beautiful. You’re crusted over with snow like some little bear cub, but your face is flushed and you can scarcely breathe. How long have you been out here? You must be very cold. Let me warm you, Sansa. Take off those gloves, give me your hands." "I won’t." He sounded almost like Marillion, the night he’d gotten so drunk at the wedding. Sansa VII, ASOS

He’s also fevered in the sense that he’s making a lot of moves very quickly. He steals Sansa away from King’s Landing, weds Lysa Arryn, kills her almost immediately, covers it up by blaming Marillion, takes Robert as his ward, starts poisoning him, gives Nestor Royce the Gates of the Moon, arranges a marriage for Lyonel Corbray (enraging Lyn Corbray), betroths Alayne to Harrold Hardyng, takes mysterious hedge knights into his service, and organizes a large tourney all in rapid succession.

Up until AFFC, Petyr’s schemes have generally taken years to play out. He himself acknowledges this:

"I had hoped to have four or five quiet years to plant some seeds and allow some fruits to ripen, but now… it is a good thing that I thrive on chaos." Petyr Baelish, Alayne II, AFFC

It’s possible that the moves he’s making in the Vale are an example of his advice to Sansa:

"Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. Sometimes the best way to baffle them is to make moves that have no purpose, or even seem to work against you." Petyr Baelish, Sansa V, ASOS

But it’s also possible that his fevered pursuit of her is making him shortsighted. It’s likely that Littlefinger’s ultimate plan for Sansa is to marry her himself, which is fevered in the sense that it is delusional:

Petyr Baelish had offered to wed the girl himself, she recalled, but of course that was impossible; he was much too lowborn. Cersei II, ADWD

Okay, back to the The Bear and the Maiden Fair. There are three boys and a goat, so where is the dancing bear?

Throughout the series, "dancing" is often used as another word for "fighting," and we know that Sandor is the bear to Sansa’s maiden fair. As applied to Sansa’s arc, the "dancing bear" in the song could be a fighting dog descending on a goat, fevered and alone.

Though they have been mentioned, we still haven’t gotten a mystery knight as a major plot development in ASOIAF. The Winged Knights tourney could be GRRM’s last chance to include one in the series. And there are already hints that Alayne will give her favor to an unknown competitor:

"Saving yourself for Lord Robert?" Lady Myranda teased. "Or is there some ardent squire dreaming of your favors?" Alayne II, AFFC

"Who would ask to wear a bastard's favor?" "Harry, if he has the wits the gods gave a goose...but do not give it to him. Choose some other gallant, and favor him instead. You do not want to seem too eager." Petyr Baelish, Alayne I, TWOW

He grinned. "I will hold you to that promise, my lady. Until that day, may I wear your favor in the tourney?" "You may not. It is promised to...another." She was not sure who as yet, but she knew she would find someone. Alayne I, TWOW

The Winged Knights tourney mirrors the tourney at Harrenhal in several key ways. Ned Stark was living in the Eyrie when he descended to attend the tourney at Harrenhal. Similarly, Sansa has been living in the Eyrie and descends to the Gates of the Moon, where the Winged Knights tourney will take place.

The tourney at Harrenhal was hosted by Lord Walter Whent to celebrate his maiden daughter. The Winged Knights tourney is Sansa's idea and is being hosted by Petyr Baelish, who is posing as her father and certainly seems to be celebrating her at the feast:

And best of all, Lord Nestor's cooks prepared a splendid subtlety, a lemon cake in the shape of the Giant's Lance, twelve feet tall and adorned with an Eyrie made of sugar. For me, Alayne thought, as they wheeled it out. Sweetrobin loved lemon cakes too, but only after she told him that they were her favorites. The cake had required every lemon in the Vale, but Petyr had promised that he would send to Dorne for more. Alayne I, TWOW

The tourney at Harrenhal is where Ned Stark first met Howland Reed, who became his close friend and ally during Robert's Rebellion. At the tourney, Howland's honor was defended by a mystery knight, the Knight of the Laughing Tree — widely considered to have been Lyanna Stark in disguise.

Sansa’s arc in the Vale closely mirrors her father’s. A mystery knight appearing as an ally to her at the Winged Knights tourney would neatly harmonize with the events at Harrenhal. Regardless of whether or not Sandor Clegane is disguised as Ser Byron via a glamour, it isn’t unreasonable to suspect that he might show up at the Winged Knights tourney.

Back to the song. Sansa is certainly a maid, pure and fair, but does she have honey in her hair?

The color gold is often associated with deception in Sansa’s chapters. This imagery appears directly in relation to Littlefinger:

“We shall serve him lies and Arbor gold, and he’ll drink them down and ask for more, I promise you.” Petyr Baelish, Sansa I, AFFC

Sweetness is also associated with deceit in ASOIAF:

Give me sweet lies, and keep your bitter truths. Tyrion IX, ASOS

Littlefinger often calls Sansa “sweetling” or “my sweet,” particularly when he addresses her as Alayne Stone:

“Alayne,” he said. “My sweet. What brings you here so late?” Petyr Baelish, Alayne I, AFFC

Honey is both gold and sweet. There are plenty of examples of it being associated with deception and pretense throughout the series:

Her mouth tasted of honey and cloves, and her fingers were deft and practiced as they found the fastenings of his clothes. … Tyrion suspected her delight was feigned, but she did it so well that it did not matter. That much truth he did not crave. Tyrion VIII, AGOT

And Joffrey was the soul of courtesy. He talked to Sansa all night, showering her with compliments, making her laugh, sharing little bits of court gossip, explaining Moon Boy’s japes. … Snails in honey and garlic. Sansa had never eaten snails before; Joffrey showed her how to get the snail out of the shell, and fed her the first sweet morsel himself. Sansa II, AGOT

Reek was there too, he remembered, but he was a different Reek, a Reek with bloody hands and lies dripping from his lips, sweet as honey. A Ghost in Winterfell, ADWD

So honey can imply deceit. Is there something in Sansa’s hair that is associated with deception?

“It was not meant as flattery. If truth be told, you look too much like Catelyn. Something must be done. We shall darken your hair before we bring you back to the Eyrie, I think.” Darken my hair? “If it please you, Aunt Lysa.” Lysa Arryn, Sansa VI, ASOS

To keep up her disguise as Petyr Baelish’s bastard daughter, Sansa dyes her hair brown:

Alayne had darkened it again last night before she went to bed. The wash her aunt had given her changed her own rich auburn into Alayne’s burnt brown, but it was seldom long before the red began creeping back at the roots. And what must I do when the dye runs out? The wash had come from Tyrosh, across the narrow sea. Alayne I, AFFC

Deep down, at the root, she’s Sansa Stark, not Alayne Stone. Her true identity is constantly creeping back. She can’t keep up the charade forever. This chapter even features a reference to gold in her hair:

In the end she chose a simple velvet ribbon in autumn gold. When Gretchel fetched her Lysa’s silvered looking glass, the color seemed just perfect with Alayne’s mass of dark brown hair. Alayne I, AFFC

There are layers to this imagery. Autumn yellow is one of the colors of House Clegane. In this scene, she chooses to wear a simple ribbon rather than the opulent jewelry Littlefinger gave her. The ribbon is certainly a possible reference to Sandor and a hint that she’ll choose his directness and honesty over Petyr’s scheming or any other man. But gold is also the color of honey, and it’s in her hair — perfect with Alayne’s hair, specifically.

As applied to Sansa’s arc, the honey in the song could allude to deception, or lying. And how does the bear find the honey? He smells it:

Sandor Clegane snorted. “Pretty thing, and such a bad liar. A dog can smell a lie, you know.” Sansa II, ACOK

Sansa has gotten better at lying, but if Sandor shows up in the Vale (if he hasn’t already), he’s going to see straight through her disguise.

In the next verses, the bear “lifted her high into the air” while the maid “kicked and wailed.” This imagery is evocative of wife stealing. There are a lot of allusions to wife stealing in Sansa and Sandor’s dynamic. Sandor’s attempt to steal Sansa during the Blackwater failed — he wasn’t worthy of her at the time and couldn’t win her consent, but maybe he’ll do better now that the rage inside him has been gentled.

There is symbolic foreshadowing of a successful attempt at wife stealing by Sandor at the Gates of the Moon in Brienne VI, AFFC. That’s in addition to Littlefinger’s explanation of why Harrold Hardyng is Robert Arryn’s heir:

“The fourth was on her way to the riverlands to marry some Bracken when Burned Men carried her off.” Petyr Baelish, Alayne II, AFFC

Alayne is betrothed to Harry — figuratively “on her way” to marry him. And Sandor is literally a burned man.

The context in which The Bear and the Maiden Fair appears in Sansa I, ASOS is also an important hint at its significance: marriage. The Tyrells and Sansa are discussing Margaery’s upcoming wedding to Joffrey and Sansa’s potential betrothal to Willas. Neither of these marriages actually come to fruition. The Tyrells poison Joffrey the day of the wedding and the Lannisters force Sansa to marry Tyrion. Part of the scene's significance is that the song is associated with marriage — Sansa’s marriage.

In the song, the bear licks the honey from the maid’s hair — an obvious euphemism for oral sex. But if we read it as foreshadowing, this line implies that Sandor Clegane is the key to restoring Sansa Stark’s true identity:

He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. It made no matter. That day was done, and so was Sansa. Alayne II, AFFC

Sandor Clegane and Sansa Stark — the two are connected in her mind. Her true identity is tied to Sandor. If she encounters him again, it will likely force her to reclaim her identity as a Stark and abandon the role of Alayne Stone. Then the deception will literally be rinsed out of her hair.

The lines "Then she sighed and squealed and kicked the air" combined with "My bear! She sang. My bear so fair!" have obvious sexual connotations. But these lines also imply that the maid is happy with bear. This is something Sansa deeply desires, even though at this point she’s resigned herself to never having it:

Tyrell or Lannister, it makes no matter, it’s not me they want, only my claim. Sansa III, ASOS

It is not me she wants her son to marry, it is my claim. No one will ever marry me for love. Sansa VI, ASOS

And now the last lines of the song:

And off they went, from here to there, The bear, the bear and the maiden fair!

Let’s start by establishing the common features of wedding ceremonies in Westeros.

Cloaks feature prominently in the wedding rituals of the Faith of the Seven, the old gods, and the Lord of Light. In all three cases, the maiden’s cloak represents the protection of the bride’s father, while the bride’s cloak represents the protection of her new husband. During the ceremony, the maiden’s cloak is exchanged for the bride’s cloak.

Though the words differ, each faith’s marriage ceremony involves an exchange of vows that are sealed with a kiss. After the ceremony and feast, the marriage is consummated with a bedding.

Sansa’s farce of a wedding to Tyrion provides a good example:

As father of the realm, Joffrey took the place of Lord Eddard Stark. ... Joff swept her maiden’s cloak away with a kingly flourish and a grin. ... And so it was that her lord husband cloaked her in the colors of House Lannister whilst standing on the back of a fool. … She smoothed her skirts and knelt in front of him, so their heads were on the same level. “With this kiss I pledge my love, and take you for my lord and husband.” “With this kiss I pledge my love,” the dwarf replied hoarsely, “and take you for my lady and wife.” He leaned forward, and their lips touched briefly. … For after the feast would come the bedding. Sansa III, ASOS

Meanwhile, marriage among the free folk involves the custom of wife stealing. This tradition prevents inbreeding and allows a man to prove to his bride that he is worthy of her:

"He'd have t' be quick and cunning and brave t' steal me. So his sons would be strong and smart as well. Why would I hate such a man as that?" Ygritte, Jon V, ASOS

"Amongst the free folk, when a man desires a woman, he steals her, and thus proves his strength, his cunning, and his courage. The suitor risks a savage beating if he is caught by the woman's kin, and worse than that if she herself finds him unworthy." Jon Snow, Jon XIII, ADWD

To sum up: wedding ceremonies in Westeros involve cloaks, vows, kisses, beddings, and, in the case of the free folk, wife stealing. Now, let’s put it all together in the context of the Blackwater, starting with Sandor’s Kingsguard cloak:

Sansa heard cloth ripping, followed by the softer sound of retreating footsteps. When she crawled out of bed, long moments later, she was alone. She found his cloak on the floor, twisted up tight, the white wool stained by blood and fire. The sky outside was darker by then, with only a few pale green ghosts dancing against the stars. A chill wind was blowing, banging the shutters. Sansa was cold. She shook out the torn cloak and huddled beneath it on the floor, shivering. Sansa VII, ACOK

And this isn’t the first time she’s worn his cloak:

Sandor Clegane unfastened his cloak and tossed it at her. Sansa clutched it against her chest, fists bunched hard in the white wool. The coarse weave was scratchy against her skin, but no velvet had ever felt so fine. Sansa III, ACOK

The imagery of Sansa wearing Sandor’s cloak in these two scenes evokes the tradition of the groom cloaking the bride during a wedding ceremony. But there’s another aspect of the cloak’s marriage symbolism at play in the Blackwater scene: it’s an allusion to a bloody sheet.

Women sometimes bleed when they have penetrative sex for the first time. In the medieval period, white sheets stained with blood were sometimes used as proof that a marriage was consummated and that the bride was a virgin on her wedding night. This custom also appears in ASOIAF:

“Did you chance to see the marriage bed the morning after?” Cersei asked. “Did she bleed?” “No sheet was shown, Your Grace.” A pity. Still, the absence of a bloody sheet meant little, by itself. Cersei VI, AFFC

As they climbed, Damon Dance-for-Me whistled, whilst Skinner boasted that Lord Ramsay had promised him a piece of the bloody sheet as a mark of special favor. The bedchamber had been well prepared for the consummation. The Prince of Winterfell, ADWD

With this in mind, let’s examine sexual subtext in the Blackwater scene:

He gave her arm a hard wrench, pulling her around and shoving her down onto the bed. "I'll have that song. Florian and Jonquil, you said." His dagger was out, poised at her throat. "Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life." … She had forgotten the other verses. When her voice trailed off, she feared he might kill her, but after a moment the Hound took the blade from her throat, never speaking. Some instinct made her lift her hand and cup his cheek with her fingers. The room was too dark for her to see him, but she could feel the stickiness of the blood, and a wetness that was not blood. “Little bird,” he said once more, his voice raw and harsh as steel on stone. Then he rose from the bed. Sansa heard cloth ripping, followed by the softer sound of retreating footsteps. When she crawled out of bed, long moments later, she was alone. She found his cloak on the floor, twisted up tight, the white wool stained by blood and fire. Sansa VII, ACOK

The eroticism in this scene is fairly obvious. Sandor pushes Sansa onto a bed and lies on top of her. The phrase “his dagger was out” is phallic imagery. She "sings" for him — a common euphemism for feminine sexual pleasure. The phrase “she could feel the stickiness of the blood, and a wetness that was not blood” is evocative of bodily fluids. He leaves her with white fabric stained with blood. GRRM even separates the cloak from the fabric in the last line: “She found his cloak on the floor… the white wool stained by blood.” Essentially, this part of the Blackwater is an allusion to a bedding and a bloody sheet.

The custom of wife stealing is also evoked in this scene. Consider Ygritte's explanation of the act:

“A true man steals a woman from afar, t' strengthen the clan. Women who bed brothers or fathers or clan kin offend the gods, and are cursed with weak and sickly children. Even monsters." Ygritte, Jon III, ASOS

“I'd sooner be stolen by a strong man than be given t' some weakling by my father." Ygritte, Jon V, ASOS

Sansa is betrothed by her father to Joffrey Baratheon — a product of incest and a monster.

We can also draw a comparison between Sandor’s threatening Sansa during the Blackwater and the element of coercion involved in wife stealing:

“I’ll have that song. Florian and Jonquil, you said.” His dagger was out, poised at her throat. “Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life.” Sansa VII, ACOK

“Like the night you stole me. The Thief was bright that night.” “I never meant to steal you,” he said. “I never knew you were a girl until my knife was at your throat.” Jon III, ASOS

During the Blackwater, Sandor offers to steal Sansa away from King’s Landing and take her home:

“Where will you go?” “Away from here. Away from the fires. Go out the Iron Gate, I suppose. North somewhere, anywhere.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa VII, ACOK

This offer is integrated with Sandor’s vow to protect her, which is immediately followed by a near kiss.

“I could keep you safe,” he rasped. “They’re all afraid of me. No one would hurt you again, or I’d kill them.” He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her. Sansa VII, ACOK

So, in the Blackwater scene we have a cloak, a vow of protection followed by a near kiss (which Sansa later misremembers as having actually happened), a symbolic bedding/bloody sheet, and an attempt at wife stealing. All the features of a Westerosi wedding are present — Southron, Northern, and free folk.

The wedding imagery in Sansa and Sandor’s relationship arc is most obvious in this scene, but it appears in other places throughout ASOIAF. Think back to their very first interaction of the entire series:

Strong hands grasped her by the shoulders, and for a moment Sansa thought it was her father, but when she turned, it was the burned face of Sandor Clegane looking down at her. Sansa I, AGOT

In Westerosi wedding ceremonies, the role of the bride’s protector is transferred from her father to her new husband. The imagery in this scene is absolutely evocative of that tradition, which makes sense because it’s Sandor who takes up the role of Sansa’s protector in King’s Landing after her father’s murder. Consider the following in the context of the previous passage:

She had dreamed of her wedding a thousand times, and always she had pictured how her betrothed would stand behind her tall and strong, sweep the cloak of his protection over her shoulders. Sansa III, ASOS

The parallels are obvious — but it doesn’t end there. Sansa keeps Sandor’s Kingsguard cloak in what is essentially a hope chest, which is meant to store clothing for future married life:

I wish the Hound were here. The night of the battle, Sandor Clegane had come to her chambers to take her from the city, but Sansa had refused. Sometimes she lay awake at night, wondering if she'd been wise. She had his stained white cloak hidden in a cedar chest beneath her summer silks. She could not say why she'd kept it. Sansa I, ASOS

When the Tyrells are planning to wed Sansa to Willas, she imagines what it would be like to be married to him:

What did it matter about his leg? Willas would be Lord of Highgarden and she would be his lady. Sansa II, ASOS

Sansa very quickly accepts the idea of a husband with a bad leg. Who else has this disability?

On the upper slopes they saw three boys driving sheep, and higher still they passed a lichyard where a brother bigger than Brienne was struggling to dig a grave. From the way he moved, it was plain to see that he was lame. Brienne VI, AFFC

There’s also her dream about Sandor the night of Petyr and Lysa’s wedding:

It was Lothor Brune's voice, she realized. Not the Hound's, no, how could it be? Of course it had to be Lothor... That night Sansa scarcely slept at all, but tossed and turned just as she had aboard the Merling King. She dreamt of Joffrey dying, but as he clawed at his throat and the blood ran down across his fingers she saw with horror that it was her brother Robb. And she dreamed of her wedding night too, of Tyrion's eyes devouring her as she undressed. Only then he was bigger than Tyrion had any right to be, and when he climbed into the bed his face was scarred only on one side. "I'll have a song from you," he rasped, and Sansa woke and found the old blind dog beside her once again. Sansa VI, ASOS

Then there’s Sansa’s response when she’s asked if she knows what happens in a marriage bed:

She thought of Tyrion, and of the Hound and how he’d kissed her, and gave a nod. Alayne II, AFFC

It makes sense for Sansa to think of Tyrion here, but why is she thinking about Sandor in the context of a marriage bed? Unlike Sandor, Littlefinger has actually kissed her, and before Tyrion, she was betrothed to Joffrey. Of the handful of men Sansa has been romantically linked to, Sandor is the only one she actually wants to share a marriage bed with. This line is an echo of her dream the night of Petyr and Lysa’s wedding. Whenever Sansa thinks about wedding nights or marriage beds, Tyrion is the first man she thinks of, but her thoughts always quickly turn to Sandor.

The marriage motif in Sansa and Sandor’s relationship arc is most palpable during the Blackwater, but it’s subtly woven into the entire series — both before and after. It's also significant that the symbolic wedding in the Blackwater scene is incomplete. Sandor doesn’t actually kiss Sansa, and he leaves King’s Landing without her. His attempt at wife stealing fails because she isn’t ready, and he isn’t worthy of her — yet. Both characters have undergone a great deal of growth since the Blackwater, so will Sandor get a second chance?

He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. It made no matter. That day was done, and so was Sansa. Alayne II, AFFC

Ladyhawke (1985) is apparently one of GRRM’s favorite films. According to him, it’s “romantic fantasy done right,” so it’s definitely possible that it influenced the romantic plot lines in his own fantasy series.

The movie tells the story of cursed lovers Etienne of Navarre and Isabeau of Anjou. They are always together, yet eternally apart. By day, Isabeau takes the form of a bird, turning back into a woman at night.

“You’re like one of those birds from the Summer Isles, aren’t you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you to recite.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, AGOT

By night, Navarre takes the form of a large black wolf, turning back into a man during the day.

The Hound ripped the sword free and threw away the scabbard. The Mad Huntsman gave him his oaken shield, all studded with iron and painted yellow, the three black dogs of Clegane emblazoned upon it. Arya VI, ASOS

Navarre is the former Captain of the Guard of Aquila, a formidable fighter and deadly with a sword.

The White Book was well behind. The deaths of Ser Mandon Moore and Ser Preston Greenfield needed to be entered, and the brief bloody Kingsguard service of Sandor Clegane as well. Jaime XIII, ASOS

The Hound was deadly with a sword, everyone knew that. Arya VI, ASOS

Like Sandor, Navarre is a generally cynical person and is pessimistic about the possibility of ever breaking the curse. He also rides a temperamental black stallion named Goliath.

Arya had tried to steal him once, when Clegane was taking a piss against a tree, thinking she could ride off before he could catch her. Stranger had almost bitten her face off. He was gentle as an old gelding with his master, but otherwise he had a temper as black as he was. She had never known a horse so quick to bite or kick. Arya XI, ASOS

At one point in the film, Navarre asks Matthew Broderick’s character, Phillipe, to tell him everything Isabeau said about him the night before:

“Every moment you spend with her… I envy you. But you can tell me. Tell me everything that she said. And I warn you, I will know if the words are hers. Etienne of Navarre, Ladyhawke

“A dog can smell a lie, you know.” Sandor Clegane, Sansa II, ACOK

Like Sansa, Isabeau is described by others as being exceptionally beautiful, with porcelain skin, blue eyes, and a lovely voice.

“Men would say she had my look, but she will grow into a woman far more beautiful than I ever was, you can see that.” Catelyn VII, ACOK

She is just as comely as the Tyrell girl. Her hair was a rich autumn auburn, her eyes a deep Tully blue. Tyrion VIII, ASOS

“We were talking about the prince,” Sansa said, her voice soft as a kiss. Arya I, AGOT

Isabeau is also kind, clever, and brave. As the Comte d’Anjou’s daughter, her manners are noticeably refined.

Be brave, she told herself. Be brave, like a lady in a song. Sansa V, ASOS

"Knights they are," said Petyr. "Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich. Sers, the Lady Alayne, my natural and very clever daughter..." Alayne II, AFFC

For this next part, let’s keep in mind the theory that Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron — the three hedge knights who appear at the Gates of the Moon in Littlefinger’s service in AFFC — are actually Howland Reed, the Elder Brother, and Sandor Clegane in disguise.

Phillipe is known as The Mouse. He’s small and stealthy — the first person ever to escape from Aquila’s prison. He’s also very cheeky. At first, he wants to get as far away from Aquila as possible. After he becomes invested in Navarre and Isabeau’s story, he decides to help them infiltrate Aquila and confront the man who cursed them.

Ser Shadrich was a wiry, fox-faced man with a sharp nose and a shock of orange hair, mounted on a rangy chestnut courser. Though he could not have been more than five foot two, he had a cocksure manner. ... “Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse.” ... “And are you mad?” “Oh, quite. Your common mouse will run from blood and battle. The mad mouse seeks them out.” Brienne I, AFFC

When Isabeau is wounded, Navarre orders Phillipe to bring her to Imperius, a solitary monk and healer, who saves her life and, along with Phillipe, helps the lovers break their curse.

“The Seven have blessed our Elder Brother with healing hands. He has restored many a man to health that even the maesters could not cure, and many a woman too.” Brother Narbert, Brienne VI, AFFC

The man who cursed them is the Bishop of Aquila, an older man who covets Isabeau and became enraged when she rejected him. The Bishop is portrayed as a greedy, deceitful lord who uses his power to manipulate and exploit people. Imperius describes his desire for Isabeau as “a sort of madness.” Sound like anyone we know?

“Your mother was my queen of beauty once,” the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. “You have her hair.” His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Quite abruptly he turned and walked away. Sansa II, AGOT

Imperius tells Phillipe that Isabeau sensed the Bishop’s wickedness and “shrank from him.” She fell in love with Navarre, and they married in secret.

When Sansa finally looked up, a man was standing over her, staring. He was short, with a pointed beard and a silver streak in his hair, almost as old as her father. “You must be one of her daughters,” he said to her. He had grey-green eyes that did not smile when his mouth did. “You have the Tully look.” “I’m Sansa Stark,” she said, ill at ease. Sansa II, AGOT

“I despise porridge.” He looked at her with Littlefinger’s eyes. “I’d sooner break my fast with a kiss.” A true daughter would not refuse her sire a kiss, so Alayne went to him and kissed him, a quick dry peck upon the cheek, and just as quickly stepped away. Alayne I, AFFC

The parallels between this film and ASOIAF are pretty obvious. Isabeau is a bird, and Navarre is a black wolf — an obvious connection to House Stark — but he could just have easily been a black dog.

All three character’s proposed as the true identities of the three hedge knights in Shadrich, Morgarth, and Byron have parallels in this film. Phillipe the Mouse, Imperius the monk, and Navarre the wolf infiltrate Aquila to confront the Bishop and free Isabeau the bird from his curse. If the theory proves true, Shadrich the Mad Mouse (Howland Reed), Morgarth (the Elder Brother), and Byron (Sandor Clegane/the Hound) are working together to infiltrate the Gates of the Moon and help free Sansa (the little bird) from Littlefinger’s clutches. The broad strokes of the characters and their potential future storylines in TWOW are all present.

Ladyhawke is decently acted, and the story itself is beautiful and interesting. But GRRM is right, the score is terrible.

We know that Sandor almost kisses Sansa during the Blackwater scene but stops when she closes her eyes:

He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her. He was too strong to fight. She closed her eyes, wanting it to be over, but nothing happened. Sansa VII, ACOK

But this isn’t how Sansa remembers it:

Sansa wondered what Megga would think about kissing the Hound, as she had. He’d come to her the night of the battle stinking of wine and blood. He kissed me and threatened to kill me, and made me sing him a song. Sansa II, ASOS

As the boy’s lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. Alayne II, AFFC

“You do know what goes on in a marriage bed, I hope?” She thought of Tyrion, and of the Hound and how he’d kissed her, and gave a nod. Alayne II, AFFC

Some readers claim that Sansa misremembers Sandor kissing her as a sort of subconscious coping mechanism — romanticizing a traumatic memory to make it less distressing. Frankly, this argument doesn’t make much sense. Sansa doesn’t misremember any of the other traumatic events in her life, ones that are arguably much worse than the Blackwater, like her father’s execution:

Sometimes her sleep was leaden and dreamless, and she woke from it more tired than when she had closed her eyes. Yet those were the best times, for when she dreamed, she dreamed of Father. Waking or sleeping, she saw him, saw the gold cloaks fling him down, saw Ser Ilyn striding forward, unsheathing Ice from the scabbard on his back, saw the moment… the moment when… she had wanted to look away, she had wanted to, her legs had gone out from under her and she had fallen to her knees, yet somehow she could not turn her head, and all the people were screaming and shouting, and her prince had smiled at her, he'd smiled and she'd felt safe, but only for a heartbeat, until he said those words, and her father's legs… that was what she remembered, his legs, the way they'd jerked when Ser Ilyn… when the sword… Sansa VI, AGOT

She even remembers the other parts of the Blackwater scene quite clearly: Sandor threatening to kill her and forcing her to sing.

It’s understandable that UnKiss could seem like a trauma response if it’s taken out of context — the context being the romantic framing of Sandor Clegane in Sansa’s arc. But GRRM has said that UnKiss is going to mean something:

You will see, in A STORM OF SWORDS and later volumes, that Sansa remembers the Hound kissing her the night he came to her bedroom… but if you look at the scene, he never does. That will eventually mean something, but just now it’s a subtle touch, something most of the readers may not even pick up on. GRRM

If all it means is that Sansa remembers the Blackwater as being more romantic than it actually was because she’s traumatized, how would that be significant in terms of plot or character development? It would be a regression for both characters if Sansa encounters Sandor again and realizes that he really is the cruel, scary monster she originally thought he was and that she’s the naive, helpless girl he originally thought she was. They aren’t those people anymore, if they ever were:

My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel. Sansa V, ASOS

“The Hound is dead” Brienne VI, AFFC

By the Blackwater, Sansa is already fully disillusioned with knights and songs. It’s not as if she needs to look back on her imprisonment in King’s Landing and realize it wasn’t as romantic as she first thought:

Knights are sworn to defend the weak, protect women, and fight for the right, but none of them did a thing. Only Ser Dontos had tried to help, and he was no longer a knight, no more than the Imp was, nor the Hound… the Hound hated knights… I hate them too, Sansa thought. Sansa III, ACOK

They are children, Sansa thought. They are silly little girls, even Elinor. They’ve never seen a battle, they’ve never seen a man die, they know nothing. Their dreams were full of songs and stories, the way hers had been before Joffrey cut her father’s head off. Sansa pitied them. Sansa envied them. Sansa II, ASOS

Sansa doesn’t romanticize Sandor in King’s Landing. In fact, she does the opposite. She doesn’t pick up on the subtle ways he protects her — like stopping her from killing herself trying to push Joffrey off the battlements or lying for her so Joffrey won’t have her beaten:

Joffrey scowled. He knew she was lying, she could see it. He would make her bleed for this. "The girl speaks truly," the Hound rasped. "What a man sows on his name day, he reaps throughout the year." His voice was flat, as if he did not care a whit whether the king believed him or no. Could it be true? Sansa had not known. It was just something she'd said, desperate to avoid punishment. Sansa I, ACOK

It’s not until after the bread riot when the fact that he’s protecting her becomes glaringly obvious that she realizes she feels safe with him:

I would be gladder if it were the Hound, Sansa thought. Harsh as he was, she did not believe Sandor Clegane would let any harm come to her. Sansa V, ACOK

So what is the significance of UnKiss? Let’s talk about the other men who are romantically linked to Sansa throughout the series and see if we can figure it out.

After Sandor leaves during the Blackwater, Sansa is subjected to a series of relationships against her will. Even before that, she has no choice in her betrothal to Joffrey. The thought of having to have sex with him repulses her so much that she burns her bedclothes after getting her first moonblood, hoping no one will find out that she’s able to bear children. When Joffrey sets her aside to wed Margaery Tyrell instead, she’s relieved.

She rushed back to the bed and stared in horror at the dark red stain and the tale it told. All she could think was that she had to get rid of it, or else they’d see. She couldn’t let them see, or they’d marry her to Joffrey and make her lay with him. Sansa IV, ACOK

“Bless my steel with a kiss.” He extended the blade down to her. “Go on, kiss it.” He had never sounded more like a stupid little boy. Sansa touched her lips to the metal, thinking that she would kiss any number of swords sooner than Joffrey. Sansa V, ACOK

I am free of Joffrey. I will not have to kiss him, nor give him my maidenhood, nor bear him children. Let Margaery Tyrell have all that, poor girl. Sansa VIII, ACOK

She’s then forced to marry Tyrion, but she isn’t attracted to him at all:

“With this kiss I pledge my love,” the dwarf replied hoarsely, “and take you for my lady and wife.” He leaned forward, and their lips touched briefly. He is so ugly, Sansa thought when his face was close to hers. He is even uglier than the Hound. Sansa III, ASOS

He is as frightened as I am, Sansa realized. Perhaps that should have made her feel more kindly toward him, but it did not. All she felt was pity, and pity was death to desire. ... “On my honor as a Lannister,” the Imp said, “I will not touch you until you want me to.” It took all the courage that was in her to look in those mismatched eyes and say, “And if I never want you to, my lord?” Sansa III, ASOS

She escapes from King’s Landing and her marriage to Tyrion only to end up stuck with Littlefinger, whose kisses and attention make her uncomfortable and remind her of the man who attempted to rape her the night of Petyr and Lysa’s wedding:

He sounded almost like Marillion, the night he’d gotten so drunk at the wedding. Only this time Lothor Brune would not appear to save her; Ser Lothor was Petyr’s man. “You shouldn’t kiss me. I might have been your own daughter…” Sansa VII, ASOS

He looked at her with Littlefinger’s eyes. “I’d sooner break my fast with a kiss.” A true daughter would not refuse her sire a kiss, so Alayne went to him and kissed him, a quick dry peck upon the cheek, and just as quickly stepped away. “How… dutiful.” Littlefinger smiled with his mouth, but not his eyes. Alayne I, AFFC

“I did not expect you back so soon,” she said. “I am glad you’ve come.” “I would never have known it from the kiss you gave me.” He pulled her closer, caught her face between his hands, and kissed her on the lips for a long time. “Now that’s the sort of kiss that says welcome home. See that you do better next time.” Alayne II, AFFC

Littlefinger arranges for her to marry Ser Harrold Hardyng, yet another betrothal she has no choice in:

Petyr Baelish took her by the hand and drew her down onto his lap. “I have made a marriage contract for you.” “A marriage…” Her throat tightened. She did not want to wed again, not now, perhaps not ever. Alayne II, AFFC

“And how was your first meeting with Harry the Heir?” “He’s horrible.” Alayne I, TWOW

Sansa is weary of these involuntary attachments. She’s never had any agency in her own romantic life. Joffrey, Tyrion, Petyr, Harry — Sansa didn’t choose any of these men. Moreover, none of them actually want her in the first place. Joffrey thinks she’s stupid and only sees her as a sexual object:

“Your Grace,” he said sharply. “You truly are a stupid girl, aren’t you?” … “I’ll get you with child as soon as you’re able,” Joffrey said as he escorted her across the practice yard. “If the first one is stupid, I’ll chop off your head and find a smarter wife. When do you think you’ll be able to have children?” Sansa VI, AGOT

As they whirled to the music, Joff gave her a moist kiss. “My uncle will bring you to my bed whenever I command it.” Sansa III, ASOS

Tyrion isn’t cruel to her, but he doesn’t love her. For him, the main appeal of marrying Sansa is her claim:

Tyrion Lannister, Lord Protector of Winterfell. The prospect gave him a queer chill. Tyrion III, ASOS

Littlefinger only sees her as another Catelyn for him to finally obtain:

Septa Mordane quickly took a hand. “Sweet child, this is Lord Petyr Baelish, of the king’s small council.” “Your mother was my queen of beauty once,” the man said quietly. His breath smelled of mint. “You have her hair.” His fingers brushed against her cheek as he stroked one auburn lock. Sansa II, AGOT

“You shouldn’t kiss me. I might have been your own daughter…” “Might have been,” he admitted, with a rueful smile. “But you’re not, are you? You are Eddard Stark’s daughter, and Cat’s. But I think you might be even more beautiful than your mother was, when she was your age.” Sansa VII, ASOS

Petyr studied her eyes, as if seeing them for the first time. “You have your mother’s eyes. Honest eyes, and innocent. Blue as a sunlit sea. When you are a little older, many a man will drown in those eyes.” Sansa did not know what to say to that. Sansa I, AFFC

Harry is a notorious womanizer who looks down on her because of the assumed illegitimacy of Alayne Stone:

“Harry the Heir?” Alayne tried to recall what Myranda had told her about him on the mountain. “He was just knighted. And he has a bastard daughter by some common girl.” “And another on the way by a different wench. Harry can be a beguiling one, no doubt.” Alayne II, AFFC

Ser Harrold looked down at her coldly. “Why should it please me to be escorted anywhere by Littlefinger’s bastard?” Alayne I, TWOW

“This betrothal was never his idea, and Bronze Yohn has no doubt warned him against my wiles. You are my daughter. He does not trust you, and he believes that you’re beneath him.” Alayne I, TWOW

None of these men want her for herself. They want her for her claim or her body or both. And being wanted for herself is something Sansa deeply desires, even if she’s given up on ever having it:

Tyrell or Lannister, it makes no matter, it's not me they want, only my claim. Sansa III, ASOS

It is not me she wants her son to marry, it is my claim. No one will ever marry me for love. Sansa VI, ASOS

There’s only one man in Sansa’s storyline who has ever wanted her for who she is — a kind, compassionate person who, like him, values integrity, bravery, honesty, and loyalty. A man who doesn’t care about lands and titles: Sandor Clegane.

Self-empowerment is an important theme in Sansa’s character arc. She’s been forced into relationships with men who don’t actually love her since the beginning of the series. When she’s finally in a position to actually choose a lover or husband, she’ll want someone who wants her for herself. How do we know? UnKiss.

Sansa’s attraction to Sandor is still mostly subconscious, but it surfaces every now and then, usually in the form of UnKiss:

If I close my eyes I can pretend he is the Knight of Flowers. Ser Loras had given Sansa Stark a red rose once, but he had never kissed her… and no Tyrell would ever kiss Alayne Stone. Pretty as she was, she had been born on the wrong side of the blanket. As the boy’s lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak. It made no matter. That day was done, and so was Sansa. Alayne II, AFFC

Loras Tyrell never kissed Sansa — but neither did Sandor. This isn’t a PTSD flashback. It’s a fantasy. She plans to imagine Loras when Sweetrobin kisses her, but she ends up picturing Sandor. She still thinks she prefers someone like the Knight of the Flowers, but the man she actually wants is Sandor Clegane.

Sansa obviously isn’t done, so neither is the day Sandor (un)kissed her. What’s even more interesting is that she declares that day done, and then immediately thinks of it again in the very same chapter:

She thought of Tyrion, and of the Hound and how he’d kissed her, and gave a nod. Alayne II, AFFC

She’s trying not to think about Sandor, but she can’t help herself. She thinks about this kiss more than any of the kisses that actually happened. She thinks about it when comparing sexual experiences with other girls her age. She thinks about it when she’s supposed to be fantasizing about Loras Tyrell. She thinks about it when she’s asked if she knows what happens in a marriage bed.