There is nothing Game of Thrones viewers have wanted to see more than a Stark family reunion. The Stark kids have not all been in the same place since the pilot, and watching them survive as lone wolves has been heartbreaking. With Season 7 of Game of Thrones arriving in 2017, rumors have been swirling that the remaining Stark kids may finally reunite, but before you get too excited be forewarned: this reunion may not be a happy one for all the children involved.
If you fear spoilers, turn back now. No seriously, turn back, as this way lies dragons and potential game changing Season 7 spoilers. According to the most wonderful resource of Game of Thrones teasers, Watchers on the Wall, Arya, Sansa, and Bran might reunite at Winterfell at some point in Season 7. While their potential reunion will start out as joyous as Sansa and Jon's, rumor has it Arya and Sansa will be battling each other once again. Seriously, will those two ever absorb what their father told them about looking out for each other?
Watchers on the Wall suggests the source of Arya and Sansa's discord will be their differing opinions on ruling and justice. Both Arya and Sansa have taken justice into their own hands during their time apart. From the time she was on the run from King's Landing straight through the baking of the now infamous Frey pie, Arya has made it her mission to kill all those who wronged her family — but she does not believe in killing without reason, hence her inability to become a true Faceless Man. Then there is Sansa, who has learned that manipulation and ruthlessness are sometimes necessary for survival, thanks to the brutality she faced from Joffrey and Ramsay.
If Arya and Sansa attempt to shield each other from the horrors they faced during their time apart, it makes sense they would clash. While there is no mention of Jon in the spoilers, it sounds like he may leave Winterfell in the hands of his younger siblings while he heads off to meet the Dragon Queen. For Sansa, this would be the perfect time to build her reputation as Queen in the North, but if Arya refuses to take orders from her sister, the rest of the North will feel the dissent in the Stark House.
Reportedly, Littlefinger will take advantage of the growing enmity between Arya and Sansa. At the end of Season 6, he was already trying to come between Sansa and Jon, and with Jon away he will have the perfect opportunity to counsel Sansa to assert her power as the rightful heir of Winterfell. Littlefinger is always playing the long game, and it is clear he wants to rule alongside Sansa. The best way to achieve his goal is to separate Sansa from her other siblings in order to convince her she can run Winterfell and keep peace in the North with only Littlefinger by her side.
I believe Sansa is much more cunning than Littlefinger knows, though. In Season 6, she finally regained control over her body, and it only makes sense that she would want to answer to no one, least of all her littler sister, in the wake of what Ramsay did to her. Likewise, Arya has never been good at taking orders, and even though she has grown and changed during her journey home, she is still just as stubborn as she was when she left Winterfell. If Sansa and Arya didn't clash, it would be shocking.
Just because Sansa and Arya disagree over how to proceed in the rebuilding of the Stark name does not mean there is no hope for these two strong-willed young women to work things out. Littlefinger may believe he has found a weak spot to exploit, but ultimately the Starks will always choose each other over outsiders. No matter how divided Sansa and Arya become, family loyalty will hold them together.
Hopefully, Sansa and Arya will realize what kind of game Littlefinger is playing and serve him justice the way only Stark women can. Now that is a storyline I can get behind.
Images: HBO; Giphy (3)
