Meet me at the Godswood

by GoobleGoble

Extreme AU where Sansa marries Joffrey and becomes Queen, Sandor is her and Joffrey's sworn shield and there is no conflict between the Lannister and the Starks. There will still be war and destruction and loss but for other reasons. A very bastardized version of the old faith, the Godswood, and Heart Trees, especially the Heart Tree in the Red Keep.

1. Goodbye my Love

This is my first SanSan fic. and I am very nervous about writing something in this time period. I wrote part of the end for the beginning because that is just how it came to me, next chapter will start at the beginning.

Sansa sat with Sandor as he lay dying, gently stroking his face and hair, hair that had turned from coal black to silver, matching the grey of his eyes.

"You know," he rasped his voice even more gravely now with old age, "If people really knew what I did, how young you were when I had you, they would be disgusted, even our children."

"Perhaps, but they do not know, and they will never know. It turned out all right in the end." She smiled down at him, crows feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes.

"I was still sick, but even now, on my death bed, I cannot bring myself to regret it, none of it." He looked at her, eyes shining with fatigue, but what she saw most was love, the most perfect love she had ever know aside from her children.

"Good." she said simply, undisturbed by memories of the past. "The only regret I have is that we are not leaving this world together." she stroked his face again. "Would that I could slip into this bed with you and follow you into the grave."

"No," he growled at her, "You will live, you will see more of our grandchildren. You will take them into the Godswood, in front of the heart tree where we had our secret ceremony, if there are Gods, as you say, they will let me dwell there, for they are the only Gods I have ever pledged any vow to, and there I will see our family grow and I will wait for you to join me when the time is right."

Sansa nodded tears in her eyes, "I promise, the Godswood will become a second home to me."

"I love you Sansa." he whispered.

"I love you Sandor." she whispered back placing a kiss upon his dried lips. "The children wish to see you, they may not know the truth in their minds but they know it in their hearts and they are mourning you greatly."

"Send them in, to have my family be the last thing I see on this earth is a good way to die." he lifted his arm, weakly wiping away a tear from her cheek.

And so she did, and Sandor died surrounded by the ones he loved, they knew not who he truly was or what he had done, but they loved him. Sansa held him till his dying breath.