exitpursuedbyasloth:

After this latest episode of Game of Thrones, I noticed something about Sansa Stark’s sartorial choices; Each time the Hound comes to her aid, she’s wearing pink, and she only wears pink when the Hound comes to her aid. And it’s the same pink southern-style wrap dress every time.

The first time Sansa wore the pink dress, it was in 1x10, when she’s forced to look at her father’s head on the wall, and the Hound prevents her from committing regicide (in front of witnesses). Previously, she had only worn shades of blue and bluish-grey. She wore it again in 2x01, during Joffrey’s tourney when the Hound corroborated her No Killing On Your Name Day story. The next time she wore the pink gown was in 2x06, during the riot in King’s Landing.

The pink is a notable departure from Sansa’s normal color scheme, which is shades of blue and grey, nods to her Stark and Tully heritage. Since her father was accused of treason, she has only worn her two Southern-style wrap dresses, perhaps in a futile effort to blend in, to not draw attention to her Northern heritage. She was not trained in swords and battle, she was trained to be a lady, to be pretty, so it would make sense that she would use these skills in an effort to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

Sansa’s Northern attire:

Her robe/nightgown (she has only worn it at night around Shae, so I’m guessing it’s the Westeros equivalent of a housecoat) is also blue:

Sansa also favors dragonfly motifs, as she has a necklace, ring, and dress all with dragonflies on it (she also had the Lannister Lion necklace from Joffrey, but she hasn’t worn that since her father was executed). And she’s favored them since the Kingsroad, so it’s not just tinsel the Lannisters decorate her in. I’m assuming this is a reference to the song of Jenny of Oldstones and the Prince of Dragonflies. It’s interesting that D&D chose that over Florian and Jonquil, as Jenny and the Prince of Dragonflies were actual historical characters of some significance, and connects Sansa to just about every major player for the throne.

The Prince of Dragonflies was Duncan Targaryen, Duncan the Small, son of Aegon V, who once squired for Ser Duncan the Tall (it’s unclear if Duncan Targaryen got his nickname to differentiate him from his father’s friend or if he was actually very short or dwarfish). Aegon V was the younger brother of Maester Aemon, of the Night’s Watch, the great grandfather of both Daenerys Targaryen and the Baratheon brothers.

Duncan Targaryen met Jenny, who was likely a commoner, at Oldstones, an ancient ruin from the time of the First Men. He loved her so much he gave up his crown for her (hence he would no longer be the Prince of Dragons, but of Dragonflies). It was something of a scandal. But when Duncan brought Jenny to court, she took with her a woods witch. Upon her prophecy, Aegon V arranged the marriage between Dany’s parents (Aerys the Mad King and Rhaella), who were siblings, children of Aegon’s son Jaehaerys. They were not keen on getting married, however Aegon was told by the woods witch that The Prince that Was Promised would be born of their line.

Duncan the Prince of Dragonflies, Aegon V, and Ser Duncan the Tall would all perish at Summerhall, a Targaryen…vacation castle, in a failed attempt to hatch 3 dragon’s eggs (they burned down the castle instead). Jenny supposedly survived, but went mad with grief. Rhaegar Targaryen was born as the castle burned, and this would haunt him.

The woods witch (who may have been at least partially one of the Children of the Forest) also survived, and went on to become the Ghost of High Heart, whom Arya would meet twice and hear her visions of the future while traveling with the Brothers Without Banners. She always demanded the same song in return for her prophecies, “my Jenny’s song” she would say. The wood witches prophecies were startlingly accurate.

On the road to the Red Wedding, Robb Stark would camp at Oldstones. As they stood over the worn and crumbling sepulcher of the last great River King, from the time of the First Men, before the Andals ground his dynasty to dust, Catelyn Stark would tell Robb of the time she camped at Oldstones as a girl, and she pretended to be Jenny of Oldstones and Petyr played the Prince of Dragonflies. Over his mother’s objection, Robb decided he would name Jon Snow his heir, should he fall without an heir, though word would never reach Jon.

She even has a Southern-style dress with the same dragonfly embroidery. Both times that she futilely pleads with Joffrey, where she’s on her knees before the Iron Throne, she’s wearing the dragonfly dress (she’s also in almost the same spot each time, each time a Kingsguard removes their cloak, and Meryn Trant draws his sword each time).

(They added some lacing down the back for season 2, presumably to make it easier to rip off Sophie from the back)

And this:

Is definitely her blue dragonfly dress, the side panels are the same. So I guess it was repaired at some point.

Look how different both the throne room and Joffrey look to Sansa each time she’s on her knees in front of him (she’s in basically the same spot on the floor each time).

The first is mid-distance, and Joffrey looks ridiculously small compared to the Iron Throne, he’s the shortest one there, hunched in his throne. The dais is at eye-level. Light streams in from windows on the right, lighting the whole thing like a goddamn Caravaggio. The stained glass window behind him is bright and shining, showing a green meadow and stags. He’s surrounded by people, women, and there’s a line of Kingsguard, the most exalted Knights of the Realm between him and Sansa. Knights must protect women. Joffrey is small and removed from her, she does not view him as a dire threat. The Hound is far removed from her. The situation is tense but not dangerous. Sansa is confident, her back is straight and her head held high without being overly proud.

The second is claustrophobic, there’s nowhere for Sansa to run, Joffrey looms over everything, bigger than the Iron Throne, bigger than anyone there, standing tall. The dais looms over Sansa. Most of the light is from flames, braziers, smaller versions of what burned her grandfather to death, and the only natural light is right in her face, blinding her in the dark room. The pretty meadow has been replaced with harsh light stained with only the color of blood, crossed with swords. Even the floor is filthy, littered with debris. The dais is empty, there is no one between Joffrey and Sansa…except the Hound. Some nameless Kingsguard huddles in the back, small and behind the throne. The Kingsguard are useless, they will do nothing to protect Sansa. Only the Hound will, the Hound who isn’t in his Kingsguard armor, the Hound who is the only thing standing between her and the monstrous boy-king who trains his crossbow on her. Even the position of the crossbow makes Joffrey look like a big sword, with his head the pommel and grip, the arms of the crossbow the cross-guard, and his body the blade. And his body might literally become the blade than rends her body as soon as she gets her moonblood. Sansa is fearful and despairing, shoulders hunched and head down.

I have a whole analysis I want to do on how different characters view the throne, but back to the one at hand. If I wanted to get all analytical and look for symbolism in the pink dress color (as this would hardly be the only instance of symbolic colors in GoT), while blue/grey is symbolic of who Sansa is politically (blue for Tully, grey for Stark), pink is symbolic of who Sansa is as a person, as a girl. Sandor doesn’t give a shit about who she is politically, he’s not interested in saving a valuable hostage or currying favor with a noble house, he just wants to save a girl, this girl, this little bird. His motivations for helping Sansa have nothing to do with politics, and he’s the only character (aside from her family) that you can say that about. Everybody Loves Sansa…for her claim. For her name. For Winterfell and the North.  Even Tyrion, who shows her more compassion than most, still sees her as primarily a political asset, and doesn’t truly understand her as a person, nor her plight (else he wouldn’t keep asking her seriously awkward questions about her engagement and loyalty in front of Joffrey and everybody). Nobody really takes the time to give a shit about Sansa the Girl. Except Sandor the Hound.

Of course, this may all be moot in the future, seeing as her pink dress has been ruined. Maybe she’ll get another. Else she’ll be stuck in the blue dragonfly dress until her surprise wedding day.