My idea isn't original, other stories have been written with these ideas in mind but hopefully I'll manage to have an original spin on it. I haven't read the books and have only seen the show Game of Thrones and a handful of episodes of Merlin. If anyone feels like the portrayal of them is too unrealistic, I would appreciate the constructive criticism. Although it is a crossover and an AU, I don't see the point in writing a story of these characters if their story personalities are too different from their show ones The age of characters have been changed and/or guessed at and will be listed at the end of the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones, Merlin, A Song of Ice and Fire, or any of the characters in the shows or books.
Chapter 1
Many years had passed since Sansa had gone with Arya and her father to King's Landing. Though it had only been a few years, it felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed since she had been a young girl with stars in her eyes. The viewing of the world through rose colored glasses had not completely faded but life experiences had shed some of that naiveté, wisdom replacing it.
Robb had been successful in the war. Things might have turned out differently had he not allied with Daenerys. With their armies combined, King's Landing had been overtaken, the Lannister's overthrown and Daenerys Queen of the Iron Throne. In thanks, she had allowed Robb to remain King of the North, as long as he took an oath of allegiance to her. She gave one as well and both were secure in the knowledge that if one was ever in need of aid, the other would supply it.
Sansa's marriage to Tyrion had been annulled, both relieved to be out of an unwanted marriage. With the Lannister's no longer ruling upon the Iron Throne, Tyrion was no longer in hiding, he and Shae happy together with no fear that Shae was in danger.
Robb had kept his promise to Walder Frey, marrying one of his daughters, although soon into the marriage, she had caught and illness that took her life. Robb didn't love her but perhaps he would have grown to love her. Despite not having known her that long, her death still deeply saddened him. A life had been cut short far too soon, the possibility of what their marriage could have been, the family they could have had, now ripped away.
Sansa had grown to become close friends with Daenerys, the friendship surprising both parties. They were different in personalities but found that they had enough in common that a friendship bloomed. Over the years since Daenerys had become queen, Sansa had visited several times. It was because of her close friendship with the young woman that Sansa had become engaged to Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot and heir to the throne.
Since becoming queen, Daenerys had cultivated a strong alliance and friendship with Camelot. Uther had expressed a desire for Arthur to marry, wanting to ensure that the Pendragon line would continue. Although his son was not old, far from it, as his heir, it was Arthur's duty to not only one day rule Camelot but to continue the family line. Daenerys knew that Uther had already begun his search so she quickly brought up Sansa's name. She would be lying if her intentions had been completely pure, an alliance with Camelot would greatly strengthen House Stark. Sansa was her friend though and Daenerys did want her to be happy. She knew Arthur was a good, brave, and caring man, well beloved by his people. It would not only be a great match but Sansa's best chance at happiness. So, with political intentions and the well-being of her friend in mind, Daenerys suggested Sansa to the King of Camelot, mentioning that not only were they one of the greatest houses in Westeros but the family was well regarded too, their former reputation being restored after the war. Not to mention that her brother was the King of the North. The young queen noted with satisfaction that her persuasion seemed to be working, Uther contemplating all that she had spoken.
Daenerys waited, not wanting to rush Uther, this was a delicate situation and one wrong move could toss Sansa out of the running. She could feel guilt start to creep in, the young queen cared for the redhead and knew that she was going behind her friend's back, however good her intentions may be. She was growing worried for Sansa; she knew that Sansa did not have the same rosy view of marriage that she had once possessed, her stay in King's Landing doing much to take her naïve view of the world away. Sansa had had many offers of marriage but had turned them all down. Although Robb grew concerned as well, he did not want to push his sister into a marriage she did not desire so he did nothing to intervene as Sansa turned down proposal after proposal.
The young queen knew this move was risky for if Sansa were to turn it down, it would not be a princess declining the marriage proposal of a lord but of a prince. As the silence continued and she thought more about the situation, doubt settled further in. She now realized that she had possibly forced her friend into a marriage, for turning it down could have disastrous consequences, or she had risked possible war or losing the alliance with Camelot. She was in the middle of mentally berating herself; it was not like her to be so rash, when Uther finally spoke.
"You make excellent points, your grace," Uther said. "I must talk to her brother before any arrangements can be made. I want to meet this family before I agree to my son marrying Lady Sansa."
She simply smiled, none of her concerns showing. When she arrived back in her room at Camelot, she quickly wrote a letter to Robb, explaining the situation, folding the note and securing it to a raven before sending it off. It was best Robb heard the news as soon as possible.
~.~.~
Robb glanced up from his paperwork as his mother entered the room.
"A note has arrived for you." She simply said, handing him the rolled up parchment.
With a nod of thanks, the young king took the note, opening it before he began to read. His eyes widened at the news before placing down the letter with an expression of concern.
"It was a letter from Queen Daenerys. Uther Pendragon is looking for a wife for his son Arthur and Sansa was suggested. King Uther would like to meet us before he makes a final decision." Robb informed.
Catelyn stared at her son, conflicting emotions flickering across her face. It was an excellent betrothal prospect for Sansa, it would do wonders for their House, and she had heard of Arthur's great reputation. Sansa did not know the prince though, she would be entering into a marriage with a stranger if Uther agreed to the arrangement, not unusual in their position but she wanted her daughter to be happy, wanted her to enter the marriage willingly.
"I expect that a letter from Uther will be coming soon enough." Robb said.
As he had predicted, a letter from Uther arrived shortly after, explaining the situation and requesting that they visit Camelot. Sansa had not been happy with the situation but she had taken it better than expected. She did not like the fact that this had been arranged without her knowledge but she took comfort in the fact that Arthur seemed to have a good reputation, and the fact that he was not a middle aged or old man helped as well.
~.~.~
The journey had been long, made slower by the fact that Catelyn, Sansa and their hand maidens rode in the carriage, and the carts that carried the groups' luggage. The party had finally arrived in Camelot during the early morning of spring, Sansa curiously looking out as they passed.
She was pleased to note that Camelot was greener than Winterfell, although that was not difficult to manage. She had grown to appreciate her home more in the past few years but her preference for warmer weather had not changed. Once they had stopped, the carriage door opened, Robb and some of his men helping them all out. As they walked toward the castle, they were soon met with an escort who was tasked with bringing them to meet Uther and Arthur. Sansa remained calm on the outside, on the inside was a different matter. She was curious what Arthur looked like, what kind of person he was, whether Uther would agree to the betrothal or not. She was not sure if she wanted to marry Arthur but since she had received the news, she had grown more accepting toward it and found that a small part of her did wish to marry him. Though she suspected that part of her was the little girl that remained, the one who grew up on fairytales and wanted to marry a handsome lord or prince. Mostly she was nervous or scared, worried about what kind of person Arthur was, how well they would get along, how he felt about this situation.
She was no longer upset with Daenerys, her friend had written a letter of apology and though she did not forgive her right away, Sansa's anger eventually faded. She believed Daenerys did have her best intentions in mind when she made the proposal. She also knew that it would be unwise to decline the betrothal if Uther wished to go forward with it, for he was a King and the possible repercussions would be worse than when she had declined past proposals.
Their escort eventually paused before a door and Sansa knew that her possible future father-in-law and husband lay beyond it. Glancing toward her brother and her mother and receiving small smiles of encouragement, she smiled back before looking back toward the door. After knocking and receiving permission to enter, their escort opened the door, stepping inside and to the side before announcing them.
"Your grace, my lord, I present to you, King Robb, his mother Lady Catelyn and his sister, Lady Sansa."
~.~.~
Arthur had not been pleased when his father had announced the news to him, though he had taken it better than Sansa. He knew it was very unlikely that he would marry for love and that the decision of who he would marry was left largely in his father's hand. It seemed the fate of the high born for their parents to decide their marriages. He knew little of his possible betrothed. Only that she had once been betrothed to the now dead King Joffrey, that her father had been executed for treason, although it was later found out to be untrue, her brother had declared war against the Lannister's to free her father, the goal changing to freeing his sisters once the news of his father's death reached him. The once Lord of Winterfell was now the King of the North, making Sansa and the rest of family royalty as well.
He had never met her before, though he had heard rumors of her great beauty. Today was the day she would be arriving, along with her mother and brother and despite not being entirely pleased with the situation, he found himself curious about her. They may never grow to love each other but he hoped they would at least grow to be friends.
When a knock sounded on the door, he was brought out of his thoughts, looking up as one of the servants entered the room, announcing the arrival of the Starks. When his eyes fell upon who he assumed to be Sansa, his thought confirmed when her name was announced, his eyes slightly widened. He had expected her to be beautiful but the rumors did not do her justice. With her long fiery red hair, blue eyes, a shade he had never seen before but seemed to run in the family as her mother and brother possessed the same shade of blue, and porcelain skin, she had the kind of beauty that was described in songs, like a painting come to life.
"Arthur, why don't you take Lady Sansa and her handmaiden and show them around Camelot?" His father suggested.
He gave a nod before standing up, knowing that it was a polite dismissal so his father could talk with Robb and Catelyn alone. Walking toward Sansa, he gave a smile before offering her his arm. When she took it, he led her out of the room, lightly inclining his head toward the door when he passed Merlin and he fell into step behind them, along with Sansa's handmaiden.
As they walked, Arthur asked how her journey was, about Winterfell and her family. The walk out of the castle was not long but he didn't wish to make her uncomfortable by remaining silent and this would be a good opportunity to get to know her a little better. When they stepped out of the castle, Arthur began to point sights out; giving a little history behind things when he thought it might be of interest to her.
Sansa remained polite, as her upbringing had taught her but it was clear through her facial expressions and the questions she asked, that she was not merely being polite but was genuinely interested in Camelot. She had long ago learned not to assume what someone was like through the initial meeting, that it often took much longer than that to know what a person was truly like, but from the way people greeted Arthur, from the respect that they showed him, the way he seemed genuinely interested and would joke with some of the knights, it seemed like he was indeed well liked and part of herself thought that she would not mind being married to him.
Arthur had just finished giving the tour when the same escort who had brought the Starks to the room where Uther and he had been, walked up to them.
"Your father has requested that Lady Sansa and you come back, my lord." He said.
"Alright, thank you for coming out to inform us." Arthur said with a smile before walking back with Sansa.
When they arrived back in the room, the atmosphere did not seem tense, leading Arthur to assume that the talk had gone well.
"After much discussion, we have decided that you two shall wed," Uther announced. "Preparations for the wedding will begin as soon as possible as it makes the most sense to have the wedding while King Robb and Lady Catelyn are already here."
"Thank you, your grace," Sansa said as she curtsied. "I am greatly honored that you find me a worthy bride for your son." She finished before straightening.
"You come from a great family and your mother and brother speak very highly of you. I'm sure you will honor our families well." King Uther replied.
"Thank you, your grace." Sansa said with another curtsey.
"You must be tired from your long journey," Uther commented. "Servants have brought food and drinks to your room and your luggage as well and I have directed them to bring hot water for a bath. They will escort you to your rooms now." He said, addressing the Starks.
After giving their thanks, Robb, Catelyn and Sansa were escorted out of the room.
~.~.~
Arthur: Age 21
Sansa: Age 18
Merlin: Age 19
Robb: Age 22
Daenerys: Age 21
Morgana: Age 22
Morgana didn't appear in this chapter but she will show up next chapter. The only definite pairing is Arthur/Sansa, although there may be future pairings as well.
