The Wolf and the Lion
In which Winterfell becomes the land of misfit toys. Lions and Direwolves living together… mass hysteria! It is unrealistic and totally thumbing its nose at both book and show canon, but I love a happy ending, okay? And both Martin and D&D have been very clear that they aren't going to give us one, so here's my take. Obviously, this story is wildly AU, but I've tried to be faithful to Martin's narrative style and HBO's depiction of both the characters and Westerosi politics. Set after the end of season four, cuz I needed some way to kill time until season five started, and I chose wild speculation and wish fulfillment.
Ch 1: Sansa
Life is not a fairy story, where the heroes are handsome, brave and true, and the villains are ugly, stupid and easily defeated. She had grown up on fairy stories, and had even found her very own shining, golden prince whom she had been betrothed to. However, the dream had quickly become a nightmare.
Her prince had, in fact, been more wicked and cruel than the villains in any of Old Nan's stories, and the only people who attempted to protect her from him were a blood-thirsty deformed killer, a drunken imp whom she had been trapped into marrying, and a conniving, perverted little man who had been obsessed with her mother since he was a boy. It seemed that he had shifted his obsession to focus on her, and now she was essentially his prisoner in the Eyrie. After seeing her father's beheading, she hadn't expected to be so affected by watching Petyr Baelish murder her aunt Lysa Arryn, and her own reaction had surprised her far more than seeing her aunt be pushed out the Moon Door.
Cooperating with Littlefinger was the most sensible thing for her to do. The fact that her decision to do so had surprised him gave her some hope that, perhaps in time, she might be able to get the better of him. However, if she managed to get away, where would she go? There was nowhere to turn for help. Circumstance and her own choice in not being truthful with the lords of the Vale had trapped her, and now here she was, playing a part.
She had dyed her hair dark, to resemble her mother, in the hopes that it would further blur the line in his mind between herself and the late Lady Catelyn. Alternating between surprising him, cooperating and keeping him off balance seemed to be her best bet for surviving life with Littlefinger. She just hoped that he would show greater restraint than he had when he kissed her in the garden. She suddenly missed Lord Tyrion. He wasn't anything like the gallant husband she had dreamt of marrying; handsome, tall and noble, but he had always treated her with the utmost kindness and respect. He had never behaved inappropriately towards her, even keeping his promise not to share her bed unless she gave express permission that he might join her, and resigning himself to what would most likely be a loveless marriage. She doubted very much that Lord Baelish would be nearly as respectful or considerate. Being away from King's Landing and Queen Cersei was a great relief, but she was far from safe in the Eyrie. She would have to be very careful.