"Kill the Mouse": Ser Shadrich and TWoW (Spoilers Extended)

Background

In this post I thought it would be interesting to look into what the role of Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen aka the Mad Mouse would be in TWoW and to speculate/theorize about how he could drive Sansa's plotline in different directions.

If interested: Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen aka The Mad Mouse

We first meet the Mad Mouse back in Brienne's first AFFC chapter

"Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse." He turned his shield to show her his sigil, a large white mouse with fierce red eyes, on bendy brown and blue. "The brown is for the lands I've roamed, the blue for the rivers that I've crossed. The mouse is me." -AFFC, Brienne I

where he offers to search for Sansa with Brienne:

"I know no Sansa Stark," she insisted. "I am searching for my sister, a highborn girl . . ."

". . . with blue eyes and auburn hair, aye. Pray, who is this knight who travels with your sister? Or did you name him fool?" Ser Shadrich did not wait for her answer, which was good, since she had none. "A certain fool vanished from King's Landing the night King Joffrey died, a stout fellow with a nose full of broken veins, one Ser Dontos the Red, formerly of Duskendale. I pray your sister and her drunken fool are not mistaken for the Stark girl and Ser Dontos. That could be most unfortunate." He put his heels into his courser and trotted on ahead.

Even Jaime Lannister had seldom made Brienne feel such a fool. You are not the only hunter in the woods. The woman Brella had told her how Joffrey had stripped Ser Dontos of his spurs, how Lady Sansa begged Joffrey for his life. He helped her flee, Brienne had decided, when she heard the tale. Find Ser Dontos, and I will find Sansa. She should have known there would be others who would see it too. Some may even be less savory than Ser Shadrich. She could only hope that Ser Dontos had hidden Sansa well. But if so, how will I ever find her?

If interested: [Named Places with Unknown Locations in Westeros (Spoilers Extended) : r/asoiaf](https://www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/jizk56/named_places_with_unknown_locations_in_westeros/)

Littlefinger's Employ

It seems that the Mad Mouse continued on the Vale after finding out Lysa died (whereas Brienne turned away back to the Riverlands) where he instead enters Littlefinger's employ:

"I would do the same if she were my daughter," said the last knight, a short, wiry man with a wry smile, pointed nose, and bristly orange hair. "Particularly around louts like us."

Alayne laughed. "Are you louts?" she said, teasing. "Why, I took the three of you for gallant knights."

"Knights they are," said Petyr. "Their gallantry has yet to be demonstrated, but we may hope. Allow me to present Ser Byron, Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich. Sers, the Lady Alayne, my natural and very clever daughter . . . with whom I must needs confer, if you will be so good as to excuse us."

If interested: "Little Mockingbirds": The Agents/Supporters of Littlefinger

The Melee at the Tourney

While Shadrich rules out trying to gain his wings, he doesn't rule out participating in the melee:

Alayne turned abruptly from the yard...and bumped into a short, sharp-faced man with a brush of orange hair who had come up behind her. His hand shot out and caught her arm before she could fall. "My lady. My pardons if I took you unawares."

"The fault was mine. I did not see you standing there."

"We mice are quiet creatures." Ser Shadrich was so short that he might have been taken for a squire, but his face belonged to a much older man. She saw long leagues in the wrinkles at the corner of his mouth, old battles in the scar beneath his ear, and a hardness behind the eyes that no boy would ever have. This was a man grown. Even Randa overtopped him, though.

"Will you be seeking wings?" the Royce girl said.

"A mouse with wings would be a silly sight."

"Perhaps you will try the melee instead?" Alayne suggested. The melee was an afterthought, a sop for all the brothers, uncles, fathers, and friends who had accompanied the competitors to the Gates of the Moon to see them win their silver wings, but there would be prizes for the champions, and a chance to win ransoms.

"A good melee is all a hedge knight can hope for, unless he stumbles on a bag of dragons. And that's not likely, is it?"

"I suppose not. But now you must excuse us, ser, we need to find my lord father. " -TWOW, Alane I

and he also dances with Sansa:

He was her first partner of the evening, but far from the last. Just as Petyr had promised, the young knights flocked around her, vying for her favor. After Ben came Andrew Tollett, handsome Ser Byron, red-nosed Ser Morgarth, and Ser Shadrich the Mad Mouse. Then Ser Albar Royce, Myranda's stout dull brother and Lord Nestor's heir. She danced with all three Sunderlands, none of whom had webs between their fingers, though she could not vouch for their toes. -TWOW, Alayne I

If interested: The Tourney of the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights

A Bag of Dragons

But the focus of his interaction with Sansa Alayne is that he recognizes her (remember he's been after Sansa since we first met him Brienne's first AFFC chapter):

You know who Varys is, I trust? The eunuch has offered a plump bag of gold for this girl you've never heard of. I am not a greedy man. If some oversized wench would help me find this naughty child, I would split the Spider's coin with her." -AFFC, Brienne I

so when he says:

"A good melee is all a hedge knight can hope for, unless he stumbles on a bag of dragons. And that's not likely, is it?"
"I suppose not. But now you must excuse us, ser, we need to find my lord father. " -TWOW, Alane I

I think it shows that while he is employed by LF, his likely true goal is Sansa (and subsequently gold from Varys, etc)

If interested: Characters Who Know Alayne's Identity

Kill the Mouse

From the 2003-2004 Outline for AFFC we know that GRRM mentioned:

Sansa: ?Old - Resolve to be SS[?Sansa Stark] & take north. 1. Tourney of Winged Knight. 2. Sweetrobin woos [or weds]. 3. News from W.H.[?White Harbor]. Kill the Mouse ④

I explored this section (and the other Sansa section) in this post if you are interested: What Can We Learn From The Vale Portion of GRRM's 2003-2004 Outline?

but if we remember, not only is the Mouse motivated to kidnap Sansa due to his financial ruin, but he also is seemingly at least passable with a sword:

If it was Ser Shadrich dogging her heels, she might well have a fight on her hands. She did not intend to partner with the man or let him follow her to Sansa. He had the sort of easy arrogance that comes with skill at arms, she thought, but he was small. I'll have the reach on him, and I should be stronger too.
She had learned the truth of that once she went into the world. Even Jaime Lannister had come at her that way, in the woods by Maidenpool. If the gods were good, the Mad Mouse would make the same mistake. He may be a seasoned knight, she thought, but he is no Jaime Lannister. She slid her sword out of its scabbard. -AFFC, Brienne II

and:

Ser Shadrich was so short that he might have been taken for a squire, but his face belonged to a much older man. She saw long leagues in the wrinkles at the corner of his mouth, old battles in the scar beneath his ear, and a hardness behind the eyes that no boy would ever have. This was a man grown. Even Randa overtopped him, though.

and borderline mad:

"Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen. Some call me the Mad Mouse." He turned his shield to show her his sigil, a large white mouse with fierce red eyes, on bendy brown and blue. "The brown is for the lands I've roamed, the blue for the rivers that I've crossed. The mouse is me."
"And are you mad?"
"Oh, quite. Your common mouse will run from blood and battle. The mad mouse seeks them out."

so if we combine these factors he could easily wait for the best chance at the Tournament and attempt to kidnap her.

But I think we can assume that LF/Sansa is going to be a few steps ahead of Ser Shadrich. I could see anything from a mishap causing the death of Ser Harry the Heir, to one of the Vale swords killing Ser Shadrich in his attempt, but I think the main thing that will hinge on this attempt is Sansa's identity in the Vale.

If interested: Promised to "Another": Sansa's Favour During the Upcoming Tourney

TLDR: In order to try and earn a ransom, Ser Shadrich (aka the Mad Mouse) of the Shady Glen is going to attempt to kidnap Sansa during the Tourney of the Brotherhood of the Winged Knights. From an outline of AFFC, we know that GRRM included the note "kill the mouse", which potentially could mean that that Ser Shadrich is going to die in this attempt to get Sansa out of the Vale. This could happen in a myriad of ways, but will likely cause Sansa's identity in the Vale to be revealed.