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The actress who plays Sansa Stark finally reveals why she didn't tell Jon Snow about the Knights of the Vale

jon snow game of thrones battle bastards
Jon probably would have appreciated a head's up. Helen Sloan/HBO

Last season on "Game of Thrones," Sansa Stark finally shed her former damsel-in-distress self and showed her true colors as a clever, compelling young leader.

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But one plot twist, set into motion by the fiery redhead, left fans scratching their heads. Why did Sansa hide from Jon Snow that she attempted to recruit the Knights of the Vale to aid them in battle?

At San Diego Comic-Con, the actress who plays her, Sophie Turner, shared her thoughts on the matter.

"Sansa didn't tell Jon because she wanted all the credit and it was a more dramatic moment when they showed up," Turner said, half-jokingly. "And it makes for really good television."

The audience sighed at her response in clear disappointment. Sansa not telling Jon about the Knights of the Vale was a plot point many fans found frustrating and incomprehensible in season six.

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Game of Thrones Battle of the Bastards Sansa Jon Snow
Helen Sloan/HBO

During the epic battle between House Stark and Ramsay Bolton's much larger and more sophisticated army, Sansa and Jon's chances of reclaiming Winterfell looked slim. But as Bolton's men surrounded and closed in on the remaining warriors of the North, Sansa and her cohort, Littlefinger, rode in on horses accompanied by the Knights of the Vale.

The reinforcements provided more than enough support to triumph over Bolton's army and knock aside the troops. The Starks then made their way through the gates of Winterfell.

Had Jon known the Knights of the Vale were coming, he probably would have shifted his strategy and saved countless lives. Yet, Sansa kept her lips zipped.

Sansa Stark and Littlefinger riding Game of Thrones Helen Sloan
Sansa gets by with a little help from her friends. HBO

Fans came up with a few plausible theories about why she didn't tell Jon despite having ample opportunity, as first reported by INSIDER's Ian Phillips.

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Given the meager means of communication in Westeros, it's possible Sansa didn't know Littlefinger was going to show up until he did, according to one Reddit user. She may have been hoping they would show up, but didn't want anyone to be relying on the Knights of the Vale in case they didn't come to their aid.

Others suggested Sansa's secrecy played into a larger plan. She may have suspected that if Ramsay knew his men would be outnumbered, he would have stayed inside Winterfell where he was safe. The siege would be over before it started. It's a coldblooded strategy given how many men died before the Knights of the Vale arrived, but after what Ramsay did to her, Sansa may have wanted to defeat him at all costs.

Or perhaps Sansa didn't trust Jon with the intel. Turner told fans at Comic-Con that she thought Sansa wasn't completely convinced by Jon's leadership abilities and commented that Sansa was much more qualified to be Queen in the North.

"I'm not sure [Sansa] believes Jon is capable of running Winterfell and the North," Turner told fans at the panel. "I think she thinks he doesn't have the intellect, the knowledge, the experience that she has. And I concur."

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Harsh.

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