Regardless of how anyone felt about its conclusion, the HBO smash hit series Game of Thrones will undoubtedly go down in the history books as one of the greatest and most successful TV shows of all time. This gritty fantasy drama is everything that Lord of the Rings is not, and the shocking twists and turns of this saga are some of the most exciting moments ever seen on television.
Game of Thrones excels at a lot of things. However, creating happy, loving, or even narratively interesting romantic relationships is unfortunately not one of them. It was an astounding show to watch, but it was also a nonstop misery marathon for most of its characters. But thankfully, there is always fan fiction to give viewers and fans of the series a taste of relationships that they can only dream of in canon. Here are 10 Game of Thrones fan fiction relationships that we wish were real.
Catelyn & Stannis
Some relationships are founded on romance, some are founded on friendship, but the best Game of Thrones relationships are often founded on power. Although Stannis is an insufferable pedant, Catelyn is an astoundingly clever woman who fully understands the value of a marriage allegiance. Granted, Stannis isn't exactly single, but if he were trying to make a serious play for the throne, then marrying the Lady of the North seems like a pretty big power move. And from Catelyn's end, there is no threat greater to the Lannisters' reign than Stannis Baratheon, since he is literally the true heir to the throne, so this union could have ended the War of the Five Kings easily and in their favor.
Margaery & Sansa
Margaery Tyrell is quite literally a master seductress, and it honestly seemed like she spent a lot of her screen time on Game of Thrones trying to seduce Sansa as well.
Margaery was possibly just trying to entice Sansa with the offer of friendship, a powerful alliance, and a safe space to deal with her horrendous situation, but it's not surprising that so many GoT fans felt like there was a romantic electricity between two of these characters. Girl power is severely underrated in Westeros, but a combo of Sansa and Margaery could have very easily conquered the world and made it a better place.
Bran & Meera
Obviously the Three-Eyed Raven version of Bran Stark isn't going to have any romantic entanglements because he appears to be entirely dead inside, but before Bran became Robo-Bran, it would have been brilliant to see him with someone like Meera Reed. Aside from the fact that they were best friends, the fact that they were both willing to go beyond the ends of the earth to discover whatever mysticism Westeros had to offer makes their bond and life experiences so unique. Their inner strength and their insight into the world is extraordinary, and who knows what could have happened with the two of them together working as power players in the Seven Kingdoms.
Robb & Daenerys
The appeal of a relationship between Robb Stark and Daenerys Targaryen is clear for a lot of reasons. Firstly, it's pretty much like Dany and Jon's relationship without the incredibly creepy incest dynamic, but also it would have been an enormous power move for the both of them, because the union of House Targaryen and House Stark would have been unstoppable. Daenerys could have conquered Westeros in half the time — and with half the bloodshed — that it actually took her, and Robb would have ensured the safety and security of his entire family. Plus, they're both pretty good leaders and presumably had similar moral backbones — at least before Dany went full Mad Queen.
Tyrion & Margaery
The alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell was one of the most influential team-ups in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. Although Margaery's dream was always to be the queen of Westeros, she likely would have been immensely more successful in life had she wound up with someone like Tyrion.
Margaery and Tyrion are indisputably two of the smartest players in the entire game of thrones, so if they had actually worked together then there is no limit to what they could have achieved. They did brilliantly on their own, but as a duo they probably could have wound up as the king and queen of Westeros.
Daenerys & Yara
Daenerys Targaryen is all about girl power and Yara Greyjoy is all about girls, so if they had joined their houses and tried to conquer Westeros then they undoubtedly would have gotten very far. The chemistry between Dany and Yara was palpable from the first time they met, and Yara seemed to be very heavily implying that a romantic union between herself and Daenerys could be enormously beneficial and enjoyable for both of them. Dany didn't seem to be particularly opposed to the idea either, and if she really was all about breaking the wheel, why not start by doing something no one has ever done before?
Sansa & Podrick
This fan fiction ship might seem slightly out of left field at first glance, but truthfully there are few potential relationships in Game of Thrones that would have been better and made more sense than a union between Sansa Stark and Podrick Payne. Yes, Sansa may be slightly above Pod's station, but she spent the entirety of her young life being absolutely tormented by her "love interests," who treated her like chattel to be used and abused. Podrick is one of the few decent men in Westeros who actually has respect for women, and even the prostitutes of Westeros were floored by his bedroom skills.
Littlefinger & Catelyn
To be honest, Cat clearly deserves better than someone like Littlefinger, but the extremely unfortunate reality of the situation is that many of the horrendous things that happened throughout the course of Game of Thrones would never had occurred if Petyr Baelish had wound up with Catelyn Tully in the first place.
Baelish's never-ending obsession with Catelyn drove him to do a lot of insane things, and while his thirst for power probably never would have been sated in any circumstance, many of the awful things that happened to every great family in Westeros probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Littlefinger's unrequited obsession.
Theon & Sansa
Although Sansa and Theon had a relationship that was more like siblings than love interests, it's hard to deny that they can relate to each other on levels that no one else in the world really can, and obviously their love for one another has enabled them to survive some absolutely horrific circumstances. Both Theon and Sansa were irrevocably changed by their experiences with Ramsay Bolton, but nothing he did could break the bond between them, and they clearly were willing to die for one another. They would have been an incomparable power couple in Westeros, and they could have been one of the few marriages in the country that is founded on real love.
Tormund & Brienne
There are plenty of relationships in Game of Thrones fan fiction that we wish were real, but there are no relationships in the show's history that deserved to become canon more than the bizarre, wonderful, and adorable relationship between Brienne of Tarth and Tormund Giantsbane. Tormund is literally the only person that Brienne has ever met who truly, unashamedly adores everything that she is. He has more respect and admiration for her than pretty much everyone else in the world combined. Being the object of someone's affection was obviously a foreign feeling for Brienne, but it was an experience that she absolutely deserved.