ASOIAF

Princess Elia and Prince Rhaegar

possible but imo unlikely in book canon; definitely not true in play canon.

the play confirms that part of the mutual draw for R/L is that they're to some degree both odd ducks who are quite isolated in their own ways - Rhaegar more obviously with his family and the (perceived) burden of Saving The World on his shoulders, and Lyanna struggles with her gender and the expectations she feels she cannot meet. They find a sense of understanding and belonging together in a world that doesn't quite Get It, and the fact that they share visions and dreams would probably only amplify how much they seem to get each other.

To be honest, even with a script I think actor interpretation can massively impact the emotional reading of lines, so there will still be debates about this. Even then, people read things differently. I'm amazed how many people came away from the Robert/Lyanna scenes not feeling the sense that he was presuming romance before even wooing her, that she was uneasy and uncomfortable in those scenes, giving answers he liked and that would we be expected over - but maybe if you're not used to being in that position with men, it's easier to miss?

If you want my reading, I think it was both cordial AND transactional. the two have an understanding, they're not at each other's throats, they have the same general goals (overthrowing Aerys, securing power), and don't seem harsh or sharp with each other, but it's fairly clear that it's a political marriage where Elia is aiming to secure their future rule. The one moment where Rhaegar is quite cold to their son Aegon and to Elia is after she gives birth, which coincides with Rhaegar having a breakdown and an existential crisis.

Let me start by reiterating that I never said Sansa will be unhappy in the end, what I tried to say was that she, like everyone else, may find her happiness conditioned by the world around her, which, as we all know, is a very constraining and unfair world and that isn't likely to change much for the better in the near future. With that in mind, I also think a lot of people conflate GRRM's idea of not giving in to despair with the christian idea of withstanding suffering until you're rewarded with perfect happiness in the future ("good things come to those who wait"), which makes them think that because their favorite character is suffering so much now, that means they should be rewarded a disney fairy tale ending where everything works out for them. But looking at GRRM'S original quote and at how ASoIaF is written overall is clear to see that that's not what the "not give in to despair" idea was about.

If you pay attention to the happy moments from the series you'll notice that all of them coexist with something bad or inconvenient. Catelyn and Ned had a very happy and fruitful union, in a time of relative peace. But their relationship coexisted with Ned's traumas from the war + Jon as the physical reminder that our amazing husband Ned had been unfaithful to Cat. We readers know he didn't cheat but Cat died thinking that he did, which means their happy marriage was based on Cat being forgiving of Ned publicly disrespecting her by having the product of his affair grow up in their house. She had to do that because despite all the good things in her life, she was still bound by the patriarchal rules of her world. If we go back and look at another peaceful and prosperous time period like the reign of Jaehaerys we see that it coexisted with tragedies like disease and death, plus Jaehaerys himself being a very flawed man who occasionally hurt his family. I could go on with more examples but I guess that's enough to understand my point that even the most peaceful and happiest moments are never completely free of sorrow.

Now back to Sansa. Everyone can agree that she is in a very bad situation right now: she thinks her entire family is dead, she lost her home, she is framed for kingslaying, she is sexually harassed on a daily basis by her guardian, the list of horrors just goes on and on. This girl has been going through it for years now. And YET, if you read her most recent chapters in the Vale, you can see her trying to lead a somewhat normal life as a teenage girl. She is making friends, she is attending parties, she is gossiping, she is running around and laughing. THAT'S the true idea of not giving into despair. She doesn't have many reasons to enjoy life but she still tries all the same, still tries to find some semblance of normalcy even in her very dire situation.

When I say that Sansa probably won't have a disney fairy tale ending, I don't mean that she won't find happiness (she is very good at protecting her own peace even in the most hostile environments). What I mean is, based on precedent, on how GRRM writes the good moments in this series, that her happiness may have a tinge of bittersweetness. That means that she may not get everything she wants, just like every other character won't get it either. But that's okay. That's life. And that's ASOIAF. It was never about waiting for things to be perfect, it's about trying to find the positive and keep fighting even when everything else is going badly. I think Sansa is already the perfect embodiment of not giving in to despair, because she's come to understand that there is evil in the world but she still tries to find joy in life.