"You will need an alliance with the north, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that" Tyrion said as they rode their horses down the King's road, at the helm of the entourage "Northerners are slightly different from the rest of us, they believe in such thing as honor"
"In other words: I should care not to burn Winterfell if they refuse to cooperate" Daenerys smiled at her own joke "tell me what do you know of him? The one they call Jon Snow, why would all the remaining northern houses rally behind a bastard? The reports lord Varys has given me from here are surprisingly…sparse"
"You mean why this particular bastard and not Ramsey Bolton?" Tyrion replied keeping his tone detached "as far as I know Roose and Ramsey cost the northern houses a lot of their pride, along with the Frey's they were not very merciful with either their friends or their enemies, you yourself have seen the result in Theon Greyjoy…Jon Snow put a stop to it"
"Theon still refuses to talk about it" Daenerys observed, she was not entirely in favor of the Greyjoys but Yara Greyjoy was a kindred spirit and in another life, the mother of dragons knew she would have wanted the woman as a friend "Yara protects him like a bear protects a cub, what was done to him would have driven any other man to madness" she said dispassionately "but this Jon Snow…"
"Stark, Snow, Stark, Snow, does it matter? The northern houses have sworn their loyalty to him, I've met the man your grace, of all Ned Stark's children, his bastard is the one who seems to take after him the most" Tyrion wasn't for giving the queen platitudes he continued "he is kind hearted, and honourable, but resilient. According to Varys' little birds he left the black because he was dead and a witch brought him back, effectively releasing him from his vows.. he probably only took back Winterfell because his sister asked it of him "
"How do you know it wasn't his idea? If he's such a honorable man as they say"
"Because I know Sansa…she wouldn't rest a day of her life until Winterfell was out of the Bolton's hold" Tyrion admitted, trying not to think about her, his child wife, who he'd once promised to protect but didn't "Lady Sansa Stark, is a wolf. Jon might be a great leader but if he is succeeding uniting the north, its only because his sister is supporting his claim, Sansa knows that the game of court life is the same here as it is in King's Landing and she is quite skilled at not getting herself killed while playing it, she's a true daughter of the north and while you might be resistant to fire, Sansa is resistant to ice"
Sansa Stark, the girl who'd stared at the rotting head of her father and not once had given Joffrey the satisfaction of seeing her weep. She had married Tyrion by force and been humiliated down to dust, but still hadn't been as unkind to him as everyone expected her to be, or used him to further her own agenda.
No, Sansa hadn't asked anything of him during their marriage, not jewels, not power, not even another handmaiden. Which had only made him twice as guilty of the fact that all she wanted were things a Lannister like him couldn't give her.
"You sound wistful" the dragon queen observed with a hint of teasing in her voice "I think I will like meeting the Starks after all"
"You know what kind of alliance will be needed to finally add the north to your side, don't you?"
"You suggest I marry him"
"A strong, capable man with no designs on the throne who would rather die than break a vow he made during a moment of youthful stupidity?" Tyrion raised an eyebrow "you certainly could do worse"
"I will do what I wish when I meet him" Danaerys said in her queenly voice "strong capable men have a tendency to often fall short of my expectations"
"That they do, my lady" Tyrion agreed raising his pouch of wine "although for a dwarf falling short on something is always a matter of perspective"
"And yet no man, no matter how tall ever dares to go as close to my dragons as I've seen you do"
"You flatter me" Tyrion snorted "Lady Olenna on the other hand believes I have a death wish…and her new friend Lady Ellaria seems very eager to let her daughters fulfill it"
"I find it amusing that they think so little of your ability to talk yourself out of death sentences"
"I do too"
"Tell me Tyrion…" Danny smiled slightly urging her horse into a trot "Is Jon Snow attractive?"
Tyrion laughed adjusting his grip on his own horse as he followed behind her "As handsome as I am dwarf my Queen!"
In Winterfell, while supervising the repairs of the keep Jon sought out Sansa for advice after receiving a missive informing him that Daenerys Targaryen was marching north with her army, the girl whom songs called the dragon queen.
"It seems we won't need to appeal to the Vale's good graces after all" Sansa murmured as she read over the parchment
"What do you think I should do?" Jon asked his sister who raised an eyebrow at him "the last time I ignored your advice it cost us the life of Rickonn, I wanted to talk to you first before I show that to the other lords"
"Thank you Jon, I'm glad I can help" Sansa fell into step with him adjoining to the private sitting room that used to belong to her parents "I think you should meet her"
from the ravens they had been receiving and the sparse information they got in the north about things outside King's landing. Jon and Sansa were informed of the basics about Daenerys Targaryen.
She was the last Targaryen, she'd managed to hatch three dragons and had been gaining support from the common people in the free cities and surrounding islands. Some reports painted her as a majestic leader and conqueror, others as a bloodthirsty harpy with a taste for burning her enemies and feeding those that displeased her to her dragons.
"I will, of course, but I can't help but think that she's coming here for a reason, and I don't want to face another Stannis" Jon confided his worries "I dealt with that during my time in the watch and it wasn't very pretty"
"More the reason to meet her"Sansa murmured "Daenerys Targaryen hasn't done anything to the north that warrants our resentment yet, she wasn't part of the circle of power when our father lost his head, or refused to help when Winterfell needed it the most…she is not Stannis" of that Sansa was sure
"And if she proposes a strategy that I'm not comfortable with like Stannis did? How do you say no to a woman with three dragons?"
"You don't" Sansa replied "you say things like 'I need to consider it properly' or 'I can't accept without consulting it with my supporters first' but you never say no, as long as you are not saying yes either"
"You want me to stall her…I suppose I can do that"
"you need an army Jon, a bigger one, an army big enough to repel the others and especially one that's yours by right and not simply loaned to us by the man who sold me to Ramsey Bolton" Sansa kept the emotion out of her voice but Jon could see the slight twist of rage in her eyes "we need to do what's best for Winterfell and…"
"…Daenerys Targaryen isn't married" Jon finished for her
"I'm sorry Jon but you know its true" then Sansa forced her tone not to break as she read the last part of the missive "Tyrion Lannister is among her entourage, you should be prepared"
"I met Tyrion once, I guess it doesn't surprise me that he joined the enemy of his family, he didn't give the impression of being their most valuable member" Jon said remembering the last advice Tyrion had once given him "he's a very clever man"
"And if the dragon Queen had the presence of mind to make him her hand, then so is she" Sansa finished reading "you will need all your wits about you Jon, he's not like the other Lannisters"
"I have a feeling you are not talking about him being a dwarf" Jon said squeezing her hand with care, Sansa flinched still not used to being touched after escaping Ramsey but gave him a small smile "Sansa you knew him in King's Landing what should I expect?"
She didn't want to reveal too much, what could she say? That Tyrion was kind? That when he vowed not to hurt her (intentionally), he actually kept his word? That she'd slept in his bed and dressed in his room yet not once had he touched her?. Sansa couldn't tell her (half) brother that.
"Tyrion has a way of seeing trough men that's uncanny" Sansa replied instead holding Jon's stare with her grave eyes "he will look at you, and he will not see Jon Snow bastard of Ned Stark, or the king of the north, let alone a commander of the watch…no, mark my words Tyrion Lannister will look at you and see simply Jon, the boy, the person you are underneath all the trappings and that…that is something you should understand about him"
"And yet he's chosen to serve under a Queen" Jon hummed furrowing his brow in deep thought "she must be someone very impressive, to have his loyalty"
"Impressive enough to marry I hope"
"you have given me a lot to think about sister, thank you for being so kind to me" Jon didn't answer instead he got up and kissed Sansa'a forehead in brotherly affection "…I promise that if it comes between you and me having to marry in order to obtain an army, I will always offer myself first"
Sansa wanted to tell him that it was one of the nicest things he'd ever promised her, only Jon would take his brotherly duty as to mean he'd never sell her into marriage, only Jon could be that selfless.
And in the back of her mind Sansa knew she needed to teach him how to be more hardened before he got himself killed a second time. But for the time being, it was nice to have Jon's unwavering faith soothe her fears away. Yes Jon was who he was, but deep down the Stark in her that saw their father reflected in his eyes couldn't fault him for it.
Two weeks later Winterfell received Daenerys entourage with simple fanfare. Dressed in thick cloaks, Jon and Sansa stood in front of the great keep flanked by a number of lords and ladies of the northern houses who were there to show their support to house Stark.
Daenerys likewise was dressed for winter, although her clothes were still designed in the fashions of Essos she cut an striking figure of yellow as did the three dragons flying in the distance, riding a Dothraki borne horse and closely followed by Missandei, Tyrion, Varys and Grey Worm, the mother of dragons let her master of arms introduce her.
"May I present to you her grace, Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her name, The Unburnt, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons" the man said respectfully then looking at Winterfell's guards he added "our lady wishes you peace"
Daenerys dismounted and nodded to her entourage, who all dismounted as well
On seeing the woman in person Jon, surprisingly was the first to react, leaving Sansa's side he walked to meet her and bowed his head politely once he felt Sansa follow "Welcome to Winterfell your grace, we apologize in advance for the paltry reception" he demurred "as you can see winter hasn't been kind to our keep, I am Jon Snow, Warden of the north and this is my sister Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell"
"You introduce yourself as warden, not king? Why?" Danny half asked, half demanded.
Behind them Sansa and Tyrion tried their best not to look at each other.
"I was pronounced King of the north only recently, why should I have you use the title when I am barely used to it myself?"
"Why indeed? You are not what I expected Jon Snow" A smile twitched at Danny's lips, on cue she turned to Tyrion to show him she approved of Jon and the dwarf couldn't hold back a scoff.
The sound drew Sansa's eyes to Tyrion, who'd been staring at her from his spot behind Daenerys and when their eyes met, it took all she had not to run away. He was looking at her with softened eyes, filled with sorrow, not pity, exactly, it was more like grief, and Sansa didn't want it, not when she knew her own eyes reflected her own grief for what he'd gone trough.
It was winter, Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow were meeting for the first time with smiles in their faces while Sansa Stark and Tyrion Lannister were stuck momentarily mourning for each other with one look.
He mourned the brave girl who liked lemon cakes and songs, while she mourned the good humored imp who'd once made her life a little better.
They weren't those people now and only the two of them could really understand what it was like to mourn the death of someone who was alive and well.
"Neither are you" Jon replied back and by the sound of his tone, Sansa knew he was interested in their visitor.
So Sansa offered them refreshments and let Winterfell's servants lead Danny's entourage to their chambers.
Tyrion was only relieved to get the first meeting over with and to escape the annoying raised eyebrow of Varys, he didn't want to answer the spymaster's unspoken questions
Soon they would all talk and it was only a matter of time before someone with a long enough memory recalled that for all intents and purposes, the hand of the dragon Queen was still married to the King of the North's sister.
…..To be continued
an: I am no George R.R but I still hope I didn't write the characters too oc, this is my first time writing for the GOT fandom so I'm a bit nervous, review and tell me if I did okay. I only wrote this for Tumblr because I needed a Sanrion reunion fic after that finale and nobody was writing it for me.