Of Maids and Knights
The godswood was silent, peaceful enough to calm her nerves as she sat by the heart tree her own father had contemplated in during his life. Eddard Stark worshipped the Old Gods as his father did before him while she followed her lady mother's steps and held the faith of the Seven.
And now the faith had gone cold, like her affections for the songs of true love between fair maids and heroic knights who will save them from terrible plights. Sansa Stark learned the truth through the brutality of life.
The devotion she had held for those stories had slowly diminished during her time in King's Landing and now she sought after the peace Ned found within the woods. Sansa's heart still ached whenever she remembered him. It was because of her stupidity and immature fancies that placed her father beneath the executioner's blade.
And now, she have placed Jon in harm's way by asking a favor from Petyr Baelish. The current Lord of the Vale and the one she sought for help as soon as the declaration of war for her home was eminent. But it was a necessity, a given danger when involving herself to Littlefinger.
'How can I stop him?' she wondered, her gloved hands twisting on the fur that hung over her chest.
"-nsa"
'I had declined his proposal to plot for the Iron Throne but he will try to take Winterfell through marriage in exchange for the Vale's support.'
"Sansa?"
A warm hand placed itself on her shoulder and the female Stark gasped before turning around to see her half-brother with a concerned expression on his usually solemn face. There were lines under his eyes and his full stubble made him look even older than his real age. She though he would have cut his hair short after they have named him King of the North but he still kept his black curls long and tied into a half-bun.
"Apologies" he said, his voice hoarse "I called out to you a few times. Where you praying? I can come back after-"
"No, it's fine" she assured him, "I was just contemplating."
"You have been doing it a lot lately" he japed before he stared deep into her eyes.
"Is something troubling you?"
There was a moment's hesitation in her part. Her mind recalled Littlefinger's smirk during the meeting and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. It was a smile of a strategist. The sign of a man who was about to weave Jon into a trap, like how he married her Aunt Lysa to gain the Eyrie, used her aunt's love in order to manipulate her and secure his lordship.
Sansa took a deep breath and said "Were you angry that I didn't tell you about the Knights of the Vale?"
With a subtle tilt of his head, Jon's forehead scrunched. "Why would I?"
"If I told you sooner, maybe there wouldn't have been such many deaths" she whispered.
The sight of the mountain of corpses still burned behind her lids as soon as she closed her eyes. Even the imprint of the Bolton sigil on a battered shield that she had came upon during her ride to Winterfell made her want to retch. Weapon strewn about in the battlefield, the mangled bodies of both theirs and Ramsay's men. Sansa remembered the way her blood ran cold when a knight silently lifted Rickon's corpse that still had an arrow's tip protruding from his very thin leather doublet.
The youngest wolf has been shot down.
Her baby brother, gone. Like her parents, like Robb. Gods, she didn't even know if Bran and Arya's still alive and it's gnawing at her.
"The war was has been won, Sansa."
A voice called her away from that vision.
Jon placed his hands on her shoulder, making her fully look at him "We have reclaimed our home and Ramsay Bolton had paid for his crimes. As much as I wanted to execute him, it was yours by right."
"You didn't answer my question" she pointed out.
She watched his face; looking for a sign that he had a problem with her actions, a hint of anger towards her choice. But all he gave was a sigh and cupped her cheek with his larger hand in a strong but gentle manner.
"We all do what we think is right. But tell me if you're planning something, please?"
Sansa nodded and leaned against his hand. The feeling of security and comfort had been a luxury she wasn't able to afford for years. For some reason, she wanted more of the warmth and clasped her hand over his.
She swore to herself that she will do anything so that his warmth shall never be snuffed out. Even if it meant playing against Littlefinger at his own game.
-JS-
The way she leaned to his hand made him smile a little. It had reminded him of how things were when be was but a boy.
Their sibling affection had been cut short during Sansa's fifth year. Before then, she would follow Robb, Jon and Theon everywhere they go. Lord Stark had always encouraged them spending time with one another but Lady Catelyn had a gleam in her eyes whenever she looked at him but the children thought none of it. All Jon cared about was running wild through Winterfell with his siblings, learning his letters with Maester Luwin and train the ways of the sword with Ser Cassel.
He had always loved Robb, their competitive spirits would be spurred on by Theon while tiny Sansa would hang back and tell them it's a bad idea. Wherever Robb would go, the two boys followed. And so did the red-haired girl.
Whenever Sansa got sick, there will be flowers that were clipped untidily from the glass garden. Lady Stark had always thought it was either Robb or Theon at first and would just ask the groundskeeper to re-clip the ravaged flower beds without any word.
But one night she saw it was little Jon Snow placing them in front of Sansa's door with hands dirty from the soil. She ordered her husband to keep him away from the glass gardens and after that, she began to isolate Sansa and started to mold her into a perfect lady. One that was fit to be a queen, or a lord's bride. She even asked the castle's steward to bring his daughter, Jeyne, to keep Sansa company so she wouldn't seek out the other children's presence. But almost everyone knew that Lady Stark was trying to shield her from him.
Lord Stark's bastard.
Since then, there were no more flowers at her door and in the end, each ignored the other.
"I'm so sorry about how I treated you back then" Sansa muttered, words almost lost with the winds.
There was sorrow in her voice that was impossible to miss. She had already asked for his forgiveness from her previous transgressions during their youth once and he already gave his answer before and he will repeat those words as they speak truths.
"You've done nothing wrong, sweet sister. You just obeyed your mother's words."
She would usually ignore him whenever they were in the same area and didn't chide at Jeyne Poole when the other girl called him a 'bastard'. Sansa simply acted like he was an empty space and he ignored her as well, his attention being focused on Arya at that time.
The present Sansa shook her head and looked up at him. Her pale face contrasted with the dark shades under her pale blue eyes as stray tendrils of her fiery red hair that escaped her braid danced with the breeze. She was naught but a child when he last saw her; excited at the prospect of marrying that shit Joffrey. At least, that's what Arya told him.
But her she was; standing as a young woman who had grown with beauty. A beauty that hid the horrors she had endured for the past years of her young life.
His thoughts were broken when she took his hand away from her cheek and clasped it between her own. "I have something to tell you."
He nodded, signaling her to continue. "Lord Baelish had asked for my help to secure the Iron Throne, with me as his bride."
Jon felt the strain of his jaw as he gritted his teeth as soon as her words had left her lips. He had faced men with such audaciousness and filled with hubris but he never thought that he would meet someone who can still outrank all of them in those terms.
"He sold you to the Boltons" he growled, "That man sold you like a brooding mare to Ramsay Bolton and he did... things to you!"
He remembered her first night at Castle Black. How he ran to her quarters when he heard her scream with Ghost at his heel and opened the door to find her hugging herself while her pledged knight, Brienne of Tarth, tried to comfort her.
She had peered at him with wide, frightened eyes. Eyes bright with tears and her whole body was shaking so badly that the bed creaked. Brienne asked if she would like some milk of the poppy to aid her sleep but Sansa just shook her head and told her in a croaking voice that she was fine.
Jon took one look at her and asked the woman to leave them. Brienne was conflicted but Sansa gave a nod and it prompted the warrior to exit the room; leaving her, Jon and Ghost alone. The direwolf whined softly before he padded to Sansa and laid his large head on her lap.
The only way she was able to get some sleep was when he sat next to her and let her cry on his shoulder. Exhaustion soon claimed her and she was dozing in the crook of his neck with her hands gripping on his furs.
This was all of Petyr Baelish's doing.
"I will protect you" he said, "I swear it as the King in the North and as your brother, I will defend you from harm."
To his surprise, Sansa shook her head. "No one can protect anyone, Jon. That's just how the world is."
The way she said it was like it was a simple truth that even a child should know. Her answer made him think of Ygritte, of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont... of Rickon, of Robb. The ones he failed to protect.
It was Sansa's turn to place a hand on his cheek and gave an empty smile that ached Jon's heart. "A lone wolf dies but the pack survives".
She calmly walked away from the godswood, her red hair swaying with the wind like the leaves of the heart trees and made her way to the castle.
For a few moments, Jon stood there, planted on the ground before Ghost stalked next to him; his red eyes affixed with his master's. Jon knelt down on and stroked the direwolf's white fur before he closed his eyes.
He will protect his sister. He swear by all the gods, Old and New, he will protect Sansa.
Behind him, the weirwood tree began to seep out its red sap.
Author's note: Hi, this is my first GoT fic and yes, I'm a solid JonSa shipper. This timeline will replace the start of Season 7 and it will contain mostly the show but will also include some of the book elements.
Not to worry, this is only the first chapter so it's a bit short. All reviews are welcomed, flames are a different story altogether.