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Sansa/Ramsay relationship page[]

See "Talk:Relationships" for why this page was deleted - they're really for "romantic relationships. This isn't a books vs TV series thing, a "Ramsay/Jeyne Poole" page shouldn't have been on here either. Didn't notice it sooner, sorry.

I've cut and pasted it here after deleting it in case anyone wanted to save work from it:--The Dragon Demands (talk) 21:23, April 28, 2016 (UTC)

I say delete this.--Gonzalo84 (talk) 22:31, April 28, 2016 (UTC)

I deleted the article, I just reposted the content here. Uh...wipe it at your convenience.--The Dragon Demands (talk) 23:06, April 28, 2016 (UTC)

{{Relationship|Title = Ramsay and Sansa|Image = Sansa-Stark-and-Ramsay-Bolton-sansa-stark-38469038-1024-576.jpg|Seasons together = [[Game of Thrones: Season 5|Season 5]]|Last = [[The Gift]]|Titles = Lord and Lady of [[Winterfell]]|Status = Married Both Alive ([[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] has fled from [[Ramsay Bolton|Ramsay]])|Allegiance = [[House Bolton]] - (Sansa is secretly working against House Bolton to reclaim her birth right of [[House Stark]])|Actor = [[Iwan Rheon]] and [[Sophie Turner]]|First = [[High Sparrow (episode)|High Sparrow]]}}

"One day, I will be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, you'll be my lady and Wardeness."
Ramsay Bolton to Sansa Stark[src]

Ramsay Bolton is the newly legitimized son of Roose Bolton, the new Warden of the north and former bannerman and a betrayer of House Stark. Sansa Stark agrees to marry Ramsay to reclaim her home Winterfell, and avenge her family by destroying House Bolton from within.

[]

Background[]

Ramsay subsequently sent false reports to his father Roose, claiming that it was the ironborn who had burned out Winterfell. In reality, the Boltons did since the Lannisters won the Battle of the Blackwater and it became apparent that they would probably win the war. Ramsay's deception kept King Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn Stark from realizing that it was truly Ramsay and his Bolton soldiers who burned Winterfell. The Starks had no idea that the Boltons had betrayed them until the moment of the Red Wedding, when Roose personally killed Sansa's brother Robb by stabbing him in the heart. Just before Sansa returns to Winterfell she learns that they are actually returning to Winterfell to have her marry Ramsay Bolton, the son of Roose Bolton, the current Warden of the North. Sansa is initially reluctant to marry into yet another family that betrayed hers, but Petyr Baelish pacifies her by claiming it will be an opportunity for her to avenge her family.

Season 5[]

Sansa Stark and Baelish arrive at Moat Cailin, where Sansa learns that they are actually returning to Winterfell and Baelish's plan is to have her marry Ramsay Bolton, the son of Roose Bolton, the current Warden of the North. Sansa is initially reluctant to marry into a family that betrayed hers, but ultimately agrees after Baelish convinces her that marrying Ramsay will give her the opportunity for her to avenge her family from within.

Ramsay tells his father that he managed to "persuade" House Cerwyn, one of House Stark's vassals, to pay their taxes by flaying Lord Medger Cerwyn, his wife and older brother alive, and coercing their son to pay in their stead. Roose scolds Ramsay for his actions, because since Tywin Lannister is dead, the Lannisters will no longer support them and they will not be able to hold the North with terror alone, since the Northern Houses will eventually rise up against them at the slightest excuse. Roose then reveals that he has arranged for Ramsay to marry Sansa Stark to placate the Northerners.

Sansa and Baelish arrive at Winterfell where Baelish introduces Sansa to the Boltons. Ramsay greet her politely, and after a tense moment during which she is repulsed merely by looking at Roose, Sansa greets them with courtesy, while Myranda,

The Boltons

Ramsay's bedwarmer and secret lover, eyes Sansa with jealousy. While Sansa is walking around Winterfell, Ramsay and Petyr are observing her from a distance Ramsay, promises never to harm Sansa, Baelish subtly warns him against it. As Ramsay takes his leave, he expresses his gratitude to Baelish for finding him a suitable match.

Settling in to life at Winterfell, Sansa visits the Stark family crypts, re-lighting the votive candles and cleaning up the offerings left by visitors prior to Winterfell's fall. Littlefinger explains parts of his master plan to Sansa that Stannis Baratheon will inevitably take the North, and when he does, he will need a Stark at Winterfell, and would almost certainly declare Sansa the Wardeness of the North. Even if Stannis fails, Ramsay is already besotted with her, and thus Sansa, who has learned to manipulate from the very best, can take control of House Bolton from within.

Later in Ramsay's chambers Myranda tells Ramsay of her jealousy for Sansa, since Ramsay had previously promised to marry her when he was still a bastard. Ramsay coldly admits his attraction to Sansa and openly states his opinion of her beauty, making Myanda angry. At dinner, Ramsay is initially well-behaved, he initially expresses delight and proposes a toast to his up coming wedding to Sansa, but is soon back to his old ways when he brings Reek into

Sansa and Ramsay

the room and forces Reek to apologize to Sansa for murdering Bran and Rickon. and suggests that Reek should give Sansa away at their wedding. Roose puts a stop to his son's behavior by announcing that Walda is pregnant with a boy. Ramsay's expression turns angry, as he sees Roose and Walda's child as a potential threat to his position as his father's heir, which in turn delights Sansa. On the night of her wedding, Sansa is joined by Myranda in her room. She requests to help Sansa take a bath, so she is presentable to Ramsay during the wedding. While she is washing Sansa's back, Myranda advises Sansa not to bore Ramsay and mentions the many girls Ramsay has been with - Kyra, Violet, Tansy - how they all bored him after a while, and how Ramsay then victimised them. When Myranda mentions that both she and Ramsay killed Tansy by hunting her, Sansa becomes angry. She startles Myranda by boldly asking how long she has been in love with Ramsay and if she really expected Ramsay to marry her. She coolly tells Myranda that she is a Stark of Winterfell and will not be intimidated by the likes of her, and dismisses her to finish her bath herself, but Sansa is visibly shaken after hearing the truth about Ramsay. Later, when Reek comes to fetch Sansa for the wedding, she refuses to hold Reek's arm, even after he pleads with her to, saying that Ramsay will punish him if she doesn’t. Then, in front of the Godswood Reek (who is temporarily allowed to call himself by his birth name Theon Greyjoy) gives Sansa away to Ramsay during the wedding ceremony, which is officiated by Roose Bolton

Sansa-wedding

Sansa is wed.

and attended by many Northern Lords. After retreating to the bedroom Ramsay asks Sansa to take her clothes off. Reek is about to leave but Ramsay tells him he must stay. Ramsay quips to Reek, "You grew up with her as a girl, now watch her become a woman." Annoyed by Sansa's hesitance, angrily rips open the back of her dress and he pushes her face-down over the side of the bed. As he unbuckles his clothes, Sansa obediently remains still but begins crying softly. Reek is visibly distraught and begins silently crying himself, as Ramsay proceeds to forcefully consummate their marriage.

Over the next few days, Sansa effectively becomes a prisoner of the Boltons, she has been locked in her bedchamber since her wedding and Ramsay has continued to force himself on Sansa every night, leaving bruises on her arms and body, Sansa tries to get Reek's help by reminding him that he is Theon Greyjoy, son and heir of Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands and aggressively reminds him that he betrayed her family, but that he can still redeem himself by lighting a candle in the Broken Tower in order to signal the Stark's allies she was told about. Reek hesitantly agrees but instead trudges through the snow with the candle, up a flight of stairs and into Ramsay’s room and tells him Sansa's plan.

Later, Sansa is taken to see Ramsay on the ramparts, which are still under construction. Ramsay calls Sansa his beautiful wife and kisses her cheek Ramsay's talks about how happy he was when he saw her for the first time, he pulls Sansa in close and tells her that she has made him very happy. While he is distracted, Sansa grabs a workman's tool lying on a nearby barrel and pockets it. During a walk on the battlements Ramsay speaks of his thoughts on how they will easily defeat Stannis's army since their soldiers, unlike Stannis's, are trained to fight in the snow and gloats that one day he'll be the Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North with Sansa as his Wardeness. Sansa reminds him that Roose is expecting a boy with Walda, a boy who may be Ramsay's baby brother but may still become Roose's true heir, since Ramsay is still technically a bastard, who was even legitimized

SansaRamsay

Ramsay forces Sansa to look upon the corpse of the flayed old woman.

by Tommen Baratheon, who Sansa reminds him is another bastard. Ramsay is visibly enraged by Sansa's remarks but remains calm, simply stating that bastards can rise in the world and informing her of her half-brother Jon Snow has been appointment as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Ramsay then brings up the reason why he summoned her, and shows her the crucified and partly flayed corpse of the old woman who promised to help Sansa if she lit a candle in the Broken Tower. Ramsay then reveals to Sansa that Reek, who seems miserable to have squashed Sansa's only hope of an escape, came to him and told him everything. Sansa chokes back tears as a gleeful Ramsay orders his men to take her back to her chamber, and kisses her on the cheek.

While Roose and Ramsay are at a council meeting discussing the best way to encounter Stannis, Sansa demands an answer from Reek for his latest betrayal. Reek apologetically explains that he did it to spare her the consequences of what would have happened if her attempt had failed. He tells her about the torture Ramsay put him through. Sansa coldly expresses her approval and declares that if it weren't for him, she would still have a family. Reek owes to Sansa that he deserved what Ramsay did to him as he too did terrible things, specifically killing those boys. Enraged by his reference seemingly to her brothers as "those boys", Sansa reminds him that their names were Bran and Rickon. Reek initially almost lets it slip that they were not in fact her brothers but quickly remembers that he cannot do so without Ramsay's approval. However, Sansa vehemently demands to know why Bran and Rickon should be gone while he still breathes the air, forcing Theon to finally admit that they were not in fact Bran and Rickon, only two farm boys. Stunned by this admission, her anger towards Theon cools but when she asks if he knows where they might have gone to, he breaks down and leaves the room, fearful of what Ramsay will do if and when he finds out what just occurred. However, Sansa appears to be left with a sense of renewed hope by the revelation that she still has surviving family left.

ArmiesAtWinterfell

The Bolton cavalry marches to Stannis

During the battle between the Boltons and Stannis Baratheon, Sansa uses a corkscrew she pocketed earlier to escape her room, and seeks out the tower to light her signal. After the candle is lit, she sees the Boltons clash with Stannis's army and sees this as a time to slip out of Winterfell.

At the end of of the fight, Ramsay has killed many Baratheon soldiers. As he is walking back to his horse, he says his wife must be lonely.

BoltonTotalVictory

Ramsay Bolton watching the aftermath of the battle

However, Sansa is actually running across the ramparts looking for a way to escape, she is caught by Myranda and Reek. Myranda, armed with a bow, gently coaxes Sansa into returning to her chamber, and Reek begs her to comply. Having seen just how severely Ramsay broke Theon, Sansa refuses to go on living and taking Ramsay's abuse, saying, "If I'm going to die, let it happen while there's still some of me left." Myranda tells Sansa that Ramsay needs her to have an heir, but Myranda in her jealousy says he does not need all of her in one piece to accomplish that. Theon suddenly makes her miss,

Theon-and-Sansa-S05E10

Theon and Sansa prepare to jump.

then grabs and hurls her down to the stable courtyard, killing her. Sansa and Theon run but find themselves with nowhere to go with Ramsay just returning from the battle. Hoping to land in deep snow and survive the long fall, the two of them grasp their hands together and jump off the ramparts.

In the books[]

In the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels, Ramsay and Sansa never meet. The TV show combined the separate plotlines of Sansa and Jeyne Poole (and Brienne), deviating heavily from the novels.

Sansa's plotline[]

Following Lysa Arryn's murder in "A Storm of Swords", Littlefinger puts the blame on the singer Marillion and is cleared of any suspicion. Ever since, Sansa resides in the Vale and never leaves to Winterfell or any other place, pretending to be Littlefinger's natural daughter Alayne Stone. She lives in peace and comfort, surrounded by nice civilized people, safe from any danger and away from the Boltons. She befriends Myranda, daughter of Lord Nester Royce (Yohn's cousin) and Mya Stone, the eldest of Robert Baratheon's natural children. The only inconvenience Sansa feels is caused by her cousin's nonstop nagging and whining, and Littlefinger's not-so-fatherly kisses.

Littlefinger reveals his plans to Sansa: Robert Arryn's health is very poor, and he will not live much longer (he does not say explicitly if he intends to "help" Robert die). Once he dies, the heir will be Ser Harrold Hardyng, Lady Waynwood's ward, to whom Littlefinger intends to marry Sansa. The fact that she is still married to Tyrion is not an obstacle, since this is only a betrothal. The marriage will wait until Cersei is done and Tyrion is dead. At the ceremony, Sansa will reveal her true identity. Every knight in the Vale will pledge his sword to win her back her, and she shall have it all - Harry, the Eyrie, and Winterfell.

Littlefinger does not reveal to Cersei or anyone else where is Sansa, nor does he travel to King's Landing or Winterfell. He stays out of the conflicts of the Lannisters, the Tyrells, the Boltons and Stannis. The only contact he makes with Cersei is a letter in which he informs her by the way that Lord Royce and other nobles oppose him, but is not concerned and does not require help, only asks for some old tapestries. Cersei decides it is preferable that Littlefinger has control over the Vale, and orders to send a warning to the lords of the Vale that no harm should come to him.

Sansa has no idea about recent events in other parts of Westeros, including those that concern particularly her home and the North, like Stannis's campaign against the Boltons, nor about her childhood friend Jeyne and the hell she is going through at Winterfell. The only piece of information she hears from Myranda about the outside world is that her half-brother Jon has become the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

In the "Alayne" sample chapter of the sixth novel, a tourney is held for Brotherhood of Winged Knights at the Gates of the Moon. Among the knights who come to the tourney is Ser Harrold Hardyng. Littlefinger instructs Sansa to charm him, but not to look too eager. Sansa finds him handsome, but quickly reminds herself the bitter lesson she has learned long ago - that people should not be judged by their physical appearance. She welcomes Harrold with courtesy and offers to show him to his chambers, and he responds rudely "Why should it please me to be escorted anywhere by Littlefinger’s bastard?". Sansa is offended, and barely stops her tears. She treats him coldly, and soon he apologizes for his rudeness. Sansa inquires him about his two bastards, to see if he would lie, but he admits that openly. He asks Sansa to wear her favor in the tourney, and she refuses, claiming that she has already given it to another.

Jeyne Poole's plotline[]

Following the massacre in the Red Keep, Jeyne is arrested. She is taken agianst her will to one of Littlefinger's brothels. After the Red Wedding, Littlefinger comes up with the idea to introduce her as Arya Stark (whom is believed to be dead) and marry her to Ramsay, and Tywin accepts it. Jeyne hears terrible stories about Ramsay's cruelty but has no choice but to comply. Jaime sees her shortly before she travels to the North. Fearing that Brienne will try to save the girl and probably get killed, Jaime reveals her the scheme, assuring her the Boltons are aware of the deception.

In "A Feast of Crows", Cersei tells the Small Council that Arya Stark is with Lord Bolton, and will be wed to his son Ramsay as soon as Moat Cailin has fallen. Cersei does not reveal that "Arya" is in fact some "steward's whelp" tricked up by Littlefinger. Cersei does not even care what is the girl's true identity.

In "A Dance with Dragons", after the Fall of Moat Cailin, Ramsay meets his bride. Theon takes one look at her and immediately recognize her by the color of her eyes. From that point, Jeyne's plotline is told from Theon's POV.

Roose decides to hold the wedding at Winterfell. Ramsay is not thrilled about the getting married in a ruin, but Roose explains the reasons: first, even ruined and broken, Winterfell remains Lady Arya's home. What better place for Ramsay to wed her, bed her, and stake his claim? Second, once Stannis hears about the wedding, he will head for Winterfell, and there he will fall into the trap the Boltons set for him with the assistance of a traitor among Stannis's allies - Arnolf Karstark (Rickard's uncle), who secretly collaborates with the Boltons.

Jon is informed about the wedding. He is filled with rage, thinking about his sister (unaware of the deception) at the mercy of that sadist monster, but suppresses his personal feelings. He tells himself "There is no way I can help her. I put all kin aside when I said my words. If one of my men told me his sister was in peril, I would tell him that was no concern of his". Melisandre approaches Jon and offers to save Arya. She reveals to Jon that Mance Rayder is alive, secretly rescued from his fate by her magic that switched Mance's appearance with that of Rattleshirt, who died in his place. Jon agrees to send Mance to Winterfell with six spearwives. Mance, introducing himself as Abel the Bard, is allowed to attend the wedding with the six women.

Shortly before the wedding, Jeyne is overwhelmed with fear. She is certain that Ramsay knows her true identity, and the way he looks at her frightens her a lot. She can see by looking at Theon's hands that the stories she heard about him are true. She begs Theon to help her escape, but he refuses and tells her "Lord Ramsay is a... a sweet man, and kindly. Please him, and he will be good to you. Be a good wife". He reminds her that she is now Arya, and must stick to this role.

During the wedding, Theon thinks: "Brown eyes, not grey. Are all of them so blind? This is your chance. Tell them. Tell them now. Shout out your name before them all, tell them that you are not Arya Stark, let all the north hear how you were made to play this part". It would mean her death, of course, and his own as well, but Ramsay in his wroth might kill them quickly. None of the guests appear to notice that Jeyne's eyes are of the wrong color, and if anyone have doubts - they are wise enough to keep their mouth shut. Theon considers to cut Jeyne's throat, figuring that quick painless death will be better for her than to be at Ramsay's mercy, but quickly dismisses that thought.

At the bedroom, Theon cuts Jeyne's clothes at Ramsay's order. He is nearly tempted to attack Ramsay, but is certain that Ramsay expect him to, and then will punish him the way Theon is well familiar with. As Jeyne stands naked, shivering with fear, Theon notices faint thin lines across her back that indicate she was whipped (apparently while she was in the brothel). Ramsay checks Jeyne, and slaps her "I was told that you'd know how to please a man. Was that a lie?" Jeyne answers fearfully "N-no, my lord. I was t-trained". Ramsay orders Theon to "prepare" Jeyne with his tongue. Theon sheathes his dagger and does as he is told.

From that point, Jeyne's life turns into hell. She is imprisoned in her room with a pair of guards outside, and is often molested very viciously by Ramsay. Ramsay appoints Theon to be her handmaid, and orders him to clean her every night. Theon sees clearly Jeyne's bruises, though she does not speak about them. He ignores her pleading, and tells her "Just be Arya. Lord Ramsay does not want to hurt you. He only hurts us when we... when we forget. He never cut me without cause". Unlike in the show, Jeyne is constantly confined to her bedroom, with two guards outside.

Although Ramsay and Jeyne are not POV characters, it can be assumed that - unlike their show counterparts - Jeyne never speaks to Ramsay defiantly, and he does not chat with her about matters like inheritance, legitimization and Stannis's imminent attack.

Roose is displeased of Ramsay's cruelty toward Jeyne, not because he feels sorry for her, but due to the effect of her sobs on his guests - that the loyalty of many of them (except the Freys) is uncertain, and may turn against the Boltons any moment. Lady Dustin tells Theon "Lady Arya's sobs do us more harm than all of Lord Stannis's swords and spears. If the Bastard means to remain Lord of Winterfell, he had best teach his wife to laugh".

In the meantime, Stannis's host is on the way to Winterfell, exactly as Roose planned. Due to the bad weather, the march is halted and they are forced to camp in an abandoned village three days away from the castle. But an unexpected turn of events may foil Roose's scheme: Alys Karstark, Arnolf's great-niece, escapes to Castle Black, where she informs Jon about Arnolf's treachery. Jon sends Tycho Nestoris to find Stannis and warn him about the traitor.

Theon is brought before "Abel", who demands Theon to join them in the rescue plan. Theon does his best to dissuade Abel, describing in details the atrocities Ramsay is capable of performing, but to no avail. The only argument Theon does not bring up is the one that could have made Abel give up the plan - "Arya"'s true identity.

A series of murders, apparently committed by Mance and the spearwives, increase the tension between the guests, that finally results in a bloody brawl between the Freys and the White Harbor men. Abel and the spearwives take advantage of that distraction, take Theon and go to save Jeyne. Theon is very reluctant but cooperates. When they enter the bedroom, Jeyne is too frightened to leave, thinking it is one of her husband's cruel games: “No. This is some trick. It’s him, it’s my… my lord, my sweet lord, he sent you, this is just some test to make sure that I love him. I do, I do, I love him more than anything. Tell him, you tell him. I’ll do what he wants… whatever he wants… with him or… or with the dog or… please… he doesn’t need to cut my feet off, I won’t try to run away, not ever, I’ll give him sons, I swear it, I swear it… I’m a good girl. They trained me”. Theon manages to calm her down and persuades her to come with them.

One of the spearwives gives Jeyne her clothes and enters the bed. Jeyne covers her head with the hood, and they manage to pass the guards and reach the Battlements Gate, when they encounter two more guards. While the spearwives fight them, Jeyne screams and gives away their position, forcing the spearwives to stay behind. Theon, who knows well what Ramsay will do to them if they are recaptured, grabs Jeyne and they jump from the castle walls.

Brienne's plotline[]

After leaving King's Landing, Brienne has been on the wrong track from the beginning. She has been looking at the Riverlands for a maid of three-and-ten with auburn hair, who may have been traveling with a portly knight of forty years, or perhaps with a fool - in a direction that Sansa and Dontos never went. She obtains only one piece of information about Arya from three of the Brave Companions, but it does not get her even one step closer to find Arya, let alone Sansa. Pod joins Brienne soon after she starts her search, and they do not travel to Winterfell, nor do they get near Stannis and his host.

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