Two Heads

Sansa grew up on stories of princesses and dragons, maidens and knights, princes rescuing the girl with the matching soulmark. She grew up on stories about people finding their soulmate and living happily ever after. She would imagine herself as one of those girls, being saved by her soulmate swooping in when she needed him most and carrying her off to his castle to wed him. It was an ideal world.

But ideal was only a figment of the imagination. Nothing was ever ideal. Sansa learned that when she met Joffrey.

Well, not immediately. At first, she adored him. He was her knight in shining armour, saving her from an eternity in Winterfell. She prayed to the gods that, when her soulmark came with her flowering, their marks would match. Wait until a bit after, though, and she begins to learn that Joffrey is not at all what he seems to be. Malicious and sadistic, he was the epitome of a nightmare.

When Sansa awoke to find her sheets bloody from her first bleed, she almost sobbed. Now she would have to marry Joffrey and could bear him children, but more she feared what her soulmark would reveal. She couldn't see it initially and didn't have the time to bother searching for it and tried to cover up the evidence fast as she could, with the help of Tyrion's whore, Shae. Unluckily for them, Sandor Clegane caught them in the act.

Cersei didn't help matters at all. Yes, she used to delight in the prospect of bearing children but now, knowing Joffrey, she dreaded it. Cersei said it was the greatest honour but Sansa didn't think so. Anything that benefited Joffrey was punishment, and Cersei confirmed that. "Joffrey will show you no such devotion." Proof even his mother knew that he would be a terrible husband. And no matter what Cersei said, if her children turned out to be anything like their father it would be impossible to ever love them. A monster cannot be loved.

It was later that night that she found her soulmark. It sat on the curve of her hip, pitch black against the pale skin the eternally cold North had granted her with. It was indistinguishable. The mark of the Targaryens, a three-headed dragon, but instead of being three heads there were only two. The only colour present was in the eyes. One of the heads had eyes the same icy blue as Sansa and the other had the amethyst purple of a Targaryen. There was no mistaking that her soulmate must be a Targaryen. But how? She had been told they died off years ago.

Never Tell

She approached Shae about it, her being the only person in Kings Landing she could trust. She called for her quietly, nervous about the reaction. "Shae?"

Shae quietly opened the door to her chambers. "Yes, Sansa?"

"I was told the Targaryens were gone."

"They are," Shae said. "Robert killed the last of them after he took over."

"Are you sure?" That couldn't be true unless her soulmate was one of the Targaryens that died years ago. Everyone had a soulmate.

"Robert would not have dared leave a Targaryen alive, babe or not. Why do you ask?" Shae said, sitting down on the bed.

"Well," Sansa hesitated a moment before shifting and pulling her dress up to show her mark. Shae's eyes widened as she reached down to trace the two-headed sigil. Her finger rested on the amethyst eyes of the first dragon.

"Sansa, you cannot show this to anyone," Shae said. "If anyone knows of this they will put you to the blade no matter what you do. Promise me!"

"I won't, I swear," Sansa said, adjusting to pull her dress back down. Shae nodded and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Sansa fell asleep that night thinking about just how long she would live.

Treason

It wasn't long until she finally released the secret. The Tyrells had arrived days ago and Sansa had gotten along nicely with Margaery and was invited to meet with her and her grandmother. Sansa couldn't refuse.

Olenna lived up to her name. The Queen of Thorns spoke what she wanted when she wanted, no matter the audience. She asked of Joffrey and while Sansa stuttered to praise him Olenna interfered. "Now, now, child, surely that can't be true. Weren't you planning on being his wife before my granddaughter?"

"That was the plan, yes." Sansa wasn't sure if she was happy or sad about that. At least if she did marry him she'd have some power, being queen. Then again, if she were queen he would have to bed her, so perhaps it was for the better.

"How did you feel about someone else becoming queen? Did it bother you?"
"I can't say it did."

"Why not? Is it because he isn't your soulmate? Are you one of those girls?"

Sansa hesitated. "I used to be. Not anymore."

"What changed?"

"I got my soulmark."

"Oh?" Olenna leaned closer. "And what soulmark would make you not believe in them?"

"An impossible one."

"No such thing! I would know, my soulmark matched the one promised to my sister. Didn't stop me from marrying him, now, did it?"

"At least your soulmark wasn't treason against the King."

"Treason?" Olenna leaned back in her seat. "What sort of marking could possibly be treason?"
"When your mark matches someone who could be a threat to the throne."

"Does that mean you've met your soulmate?" Margaery asked.

"No, but it's clear enough. At least, their ancestry is."

"Oh, is it a Baratheon? Perhaps a Stark?" Olenna looked excited at the prospect of treason. "Or maybe it's one of those Targaryen brats from across the sea? Now wouldn't that be something?"

Sansa stayed silent. Olenna raised an eyebrow. "I got it, didn't I? Go on, which is it?"

"Why don't you explain the mark to us?" Margaery said. "We'll never tell."

"It-It's a dragon," Sansa stuttered. "A two-headed dragon."

"So it is a Targaryen brat. How thrilling!" Olenna glanced over Sansa's shoulder. "Oh, you'd better go. My grandson is coming back, likely with news. Keep that hidden, girl, and don't speak of it anywhere else. There is always someone watching."

Undead

The next revelation is with her newfound husband, Tyrion Lannister. They got along nicely as friends, never as lovers, and Tyrion always enjoyed debating over his own soulmark. He had a bottle strung with grapes and inside it was a rolled up scroll. Neither had any idea what it could mean, it didn't relate to any of the houses, all they did know was that the grapes were most definitely associated with Tyrion's love for wine.

"What's your mark, then?" Tyrion asked her one day. "Know who it is?"

"I know the house," Sansa said vaguely. "Not the person."

"Oh, come tell me which house. I'm sure I can figure it out for you."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

Tyrion frowned. "Is it a house that I don't like? Perhaps one that your father didn't like?"

"It's a house that nobody likes." Except maybe herself. If her soulmate was a Targaryen, they couldn't all be bad. She could never love a monster.

"Nobody? Every house has allies."

"This house gained allies only through fear."

"Gained? Is the house gone?" Sansa paled. There was only one house that had gone extinct in recent years. Tyrion raised an eyebrow at her whitening face. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You know then."

"Well, yes. The only house I can think of that fits every criteria would be the three-headed dragon." Sansa sighed, nodding yes. "You know, the Targaryens aren't all dead."

Sansa perked up. "They aren't?"

"No. There is one Targaryen, across the Narrow Sea in Essos. She is conquering the cities in Slaver's Bay, first Astapor and just recently Yunkai. She's known as the 'Breaker of Chains' for freeing the slaves." Tyrion paused. "Not only this, but she also commands dragons."

"Dragons!" Sansa gasped. "The dragons are gone!"

"So they were, but it is rumoured that Daenerys hatched three dragon eggs presumed to be stone. Our spies in Essos have confirmed that she does indeed own dragons." Tyrion gripped her wrist tightly. "Now, you must not speak of this to anyone. If word is to get out that there is a Targaryen conquering Essos, with dragons nonetheless, there would be panic. Joffrey would likely set out to have her killed."

"You haven't told the King yet?"

"No. He would not handle it well." They walked in silence for a moment. "If you don't mind, could you describe your mark? What makes you so sure it's Targaryen?"

"Well, it's the Targaryen symbol," Sansa said. "The only difference is that instead of three head there are two, one with the Targaryen purple eyes and the other with eyes that match mine."

"Is it hidden well?"
"Yes." Sansa patted the hip that her mark rested on. "As long as I stay clothed."

"Good, good. How many people know of your mark?"

"Other than us? Three."

"Do you trust them all?"

Sansa hesitated. Did she really trust anyone? "I guess so."

Tyrion sighed. "Better than nothing."

Abuse

When Joffrey died, Sansa was ecstatic. Yes, it was a horrible sight to see but her tormentor was dead. The person who killed her father and called it mercy, dead. The person who killed her dire wolf, dead. The person who broke her family, dead. She felt relieved. And soon after, she fled the city itself. Even better.

Living at the Vale wasn't all that hard, she just had to remember that she was not Sansa Stark, she was the bastard daughter of Petyr Baelish. Robin Arryn was a bit of a cunt, but that couldn't be avoided. He wasn't nearly as bad as Joffrey, and that was enough.

Petyr pushed for her to reveal her soulmark to him, bringing it up in casual conversation or whenever they spoke alone in Sansa's chambers. She eventually stopped refusing and made one up off the top of her head, saying it was a wolf with a rose. It would make sense, considering she had adored Loras and Margaery was one of her best friends, possibly a bit more than that. Petyr didn't question it, though he did look at her weirdly whenever she said that. It felt almost as if he knew it was a lie. Actually, considering who this was, he probably did.

Over time, she began to grow more fond of him, bit by bit. She knew he wasn't all that trustworthy, her head told her that, but he was always so sweet with her and she almost felt as if he was safe. Almost. Of course, he ruined that image when he sold her off to Ramsay Bolton.

Ramsay was terrible. He acted all sweet, giving her gentle kisses and speaking of how lovely she was but when he forced himself upon her that night with Theon tucked in the corner, she saw his true side. The terrible, sadistic side of him that wasn't unlike Joffrey, but it was different in its own way. This time she was married to her tormentor, leaving him free to do all he pleased to do without the same precautions Joffrey took. What he did to Theon was just as cruel, turning him into a mindless minion that had no free will. He treated Ramsay like a god, worshipping him and doing everything he commanded.

Golden

It first showed up about a month after her marriage to Ramsay. She was standing atop one of the many towers of Winterfell, leaning against the side and staring out longingly into the snow-coated lands, daydreaming about what it all would be like if she just hadn't been such a stupid little girl. All was silent; until that silence was broken by a loud huff and a rumbling sort of purr.

Sansa leaned over the edge, looking down at the snow. The side of the castle that she was on had long shadows going off into the snow, masking anything standing directly beside the stones. She watched for a moment, waiting for anything else. She heard the snow crunch, something sliding through the white drifts in the shadows. She squinted, trying to see into the darkness. A flicker of light appeared, disappearing immediately after.

She was so focused on the inside of the shadows that she didn't notice large claws hooking onto the stone bricks of the side of the castle. When a large, golden body pulled itself up after it, she saw the creature out of the corner of her eye. It had a great golden head with a bulky, muscular body attached. Its neck was long and flexible with four sets of fins extending out of it. The sides of its head were cluttered with stone-like horns all jutting out, a few much larger than others. The bottom half of its body was still hidden in shadow but she could see that it was holding onto the wall not with its feet but with claws that attached to part of its wings.

Sansa watched in terrified amazement as it pulled itself from the shadows, climbing up the side of the wall. At one point it lost its grip and yelped as it slipped, using its wings to hover in the air. The wings were huge, a wingspan of at least fifteen metres. It turned its head up toward her, looking at her for a moment before it huffed, gripping the wall once more and continuing up.

When it was maybe ten metres from the top Sansa finally lost her courage and scrambled back, dropping onto the floor on the far end of the tower. The dragon heaved itself up over the edge, crouching low to the ground as it examined her, snaking its head toward her as it crept closer. She was frozen in fear, watching as it decreased the distance between them. Seven metres. Five. Two. One. Zero.

Its head was inches from hers, nostrils flaring as it inhaled her scent. Its muzzle dropped lower, curving around to prod at the right side of her body. She watched as it sniffed at her hip, right over her mark. It pressed its snout directly into the tattoo.

Sansa felt a shock run through her body. She convulsed, her limbs jerking as her head spun in and out of darkness. The dragon lay beside her, shuddering, tail flailing wildly. It calmed down after a minute, leaving her breathless. She watched the steam rise from her breath as her heart slowed down.

The dragon groaned, nudging closer and resting its head on her lap. Just like that, all her fear was gone. She knew the dragon was no threat to her, it would never dare to hurt her, and she would never dare hurt it. She lay a hand on its head, sighing in sync with him. Him. She seemed to automatically know its gender as well.

Her mind reeled back to her conversation with Tyrion, lifetimes ago. He had said something about her Targaryen having dragons. The stories always said that Targaryens and their dragons were connected. Perhaps this was one of her dragons? Did he know she was his mother's destined lover?

There wasn't any way she could confirm or deny it. Not like the dragon could speak. She would just have to wait to meet her queen to see if this truly was one of her children.