will find a prince, knight, or gentleman to fall in love with. She once owned a direwolf cub named Lady, which was killed in place of her sister Arya's direwolf Nymeria, after the latter fled after attacking and wounding Crown Prince Joffrey. Sansa is 11 years old at the beginning of A Game of Thrones and nearly 14 at the end of A Feast for Crows. The most naive of the Stark children at the start of the series, Sansa chooses the treacherous Queen Cersei over her father and finds herself abused by her then fiancé Joffrey, and used as a pawn in the machinations of House Lannister. However, as the story progresses, she matures and becomes more of a strategic player of the political game. Storylines A Game of Thrones Sansa Stark begins the novel by being betrothed to Crown Prince Joffrey Baratheon, believing Joffrey to be a gallant prince. While Joffrey and Sansa are walking through the woods, Joffrey notices Arya sparring with the butcher's boy, Mycah. A fight breaks out and Joffrey is attacked by Nymeria (Arya's direwolf) after Joffrey threatens to hurt Arya. Sansa lies to King Robert about the circumstances of the fight in order to protect both Joffrey and her sister Arya. Since Arya ran off with her wolf to save it Sansa's wolf is killed instead, estranging the Stark daughters. During the Tourney of the Hand to honour her father Lord Eddard Stark, Sansa Stark is enchanted by the knights performing in the event. At the request of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister, Joffrey spends a portion of the tourney with Sansa, but near the end he commands his guard Sandor Clegane, better known as The Hound, to take her back to her quarters. Sandor explains how his older brother, Gregor, pushed his face into a brazier of hot coals, for playing with one of Gregor's wooden toys. After Eddard discovers the truth of Joffrey's paternity, he tells Sansa that he is sending her and Arya back to Winterfell. Sansa is devastated and wishes to stay in King's Landing, so she runs off to inform Queen Cersei of her father's plan, providing Cersei with the information needed to prevent her and Arya's departure from King's Landing. After Robert dies and Eddard is arrested for treason, Sansa begs Joffrey to show mercy on her father and he agrees, if Ned will swear an oath