(Spoiler Alert: Major plot details for “Game of Thrones” ahead)
On this week’s “Game of Thrones” episode, we saw Sansa write a letter seeking aid, without any hint as to its contents or recipient. Jon Snow is planning to attack Ramsay soon to avoid getting snowed in like Stannis’ forces did last season, but despite his and Sansa’s best efforts to rally troops, they’re clearly outnumbered.
It’s widely believed by fans that Sansa’s letter is linked to her secret connections to Littlefinger, but it wasn’t known for sure who she was writing to. She could have been writing to Riverrun to get Ser Brynden and the Tullys up north faster. On the other hand, she could be writing to Littlefinger as a last ditch plea for help, despite the bitterness she feels towards him for putting her in harm’s way to advance his schemes.
Thanks to an eagle-eyed and computer-savvy fan, we now know the answer. Reddit user CreepyPancakes used Photoshop to flip, zoom and enhance a still shot of Sansa writing the letter to take a peek at its contents.
The blurry nature of the upside-down shot makes some words difficult to read, while others are blocked by Sansa’s pen. Still, there’s more than enough to figure out the whole message (guessed words in brackets):
“…[You promised] to protect me…Now you have [a chance] to fulfill your promise. [The Knights] of the Vale are under your command. Ride [north] for Winterfell. [Lend] us your aid and I shall see to it that you are rewarded.”
Who’s in charge of the Knights of the Vale? That would be Littlefinger, who has manipulated Robin Arryn to gain control over his house’s forces. Sansa angrily rejected Littlefinger’s offer of aid from House Arryn earlier this season — after all, he swayed her into marrying Ramsay, and look where that got her.
Still, Sansa isn’t too proud to reconsider accepting a helping hand. She initially rejected Brienne’s help, but now she’s her most trusted confidante. When your ancestral home is being held by a raping, murdering monster, you’ll take all the help you can get.
Sometimes “Game of Thrones” fans come up with brilliant ideas about the series’ future — for a sampling of those good ones, click here. Other times, they aren’t so good. Check out some of the weirdest fan theories below.