A/N: First bit-goes with the first chapter. The second bit-jumps 9-10 years.
Theon was out and about on deck, when he noticed Sansa was outside the cabin by the bow of the ship. She stood staring out at the open sea. He slowly approached her from behind. As he got closer he realized she was crying. He stood there unsure whether she wanted to be left alone or not.
"I should have never—we would've gotten out. They wouldn't have died. If I had known I would have never went and told them Father's plans. I could have saved some of them." She hugged something against her chest. A doll. Theon nodded in recognition. The doll had been hidden in her cloak in their escape from King's Landing. The drunk had somehow gotten it out of her chamber. Theon tried not to dwell on the thought of a grown man lurking around Sansa's chamber and rummaging through her things. "Why didn't I realize it?" Robb had said something similar too after no one found Lady Stark's body.
"It wasn't your fault." He had whispered it to her when she woke crying and screaming for her father.
'Forgive me, Father!' 'They promised me you would live.'
You were eleven, for fuck's sake. Theon didn't know the situation but he surmised that Ned Stark had more enemies surrounding him posing as friends. Like the Red Wedding. He stared at her sadly taking note of the contrast in the innocence of the doll and the lack of it in Sansa's eyes, when she turned her head slightly at him. It made him uncomfortable.
"May I?" he asked gesturing to put his arms around her. She nodded allowing him to hug her from behind. They stared out at the sea in silence. Her crying had slowed down a smidge.
"Do you blame Robb for your lady mother's death?"
"No, of course not," she replied seriously between sobs.
"And neither do they blame you." He could speak for Robb and the boys at least. And Lady Stark as all she wanted was to have her daughters back, to have all five of her children safe. Sansa leaned back into him.
"Does she have a name?" He looked down on the straw doll with a pink and pale purple dress.
"Lady." He had expected her to say her lady mother's name.
"That's a good name."
"Don't touch that Aerinne!" scolded dark haired Alayne grabbing her baby sister's hand away from the doll. "That's Mother's doll. It's precious and we aren't allowed to play with it." Aerinne stared longingly at the doll and started well up.
"I want doll," demanded Aerinne pointing at it as their father came in, as he had heard the crying and the shouting.
"I told her she isn't allowed to play with it," informed Alayne primly.
"No Aerinne, you and Alayne have many dolls to play with." Aerinne started to cry in petulant disappointment that her father uncharacteristically did not grant her every wish.
"Please Fatha'," whined Aerinne pleading with her big blue eyes that she and her elder siblings had inherited from Sansa. Theon chuckled.
"No, but you may ask your Mother if you may hold it gently." Aerinne stared back at the doll and made a face as if she wasn't sure of her father's tradeoff.
"Fine," huffed Aerinne. "Play dolls with us." Theon's eyes widened and he laughed lightly. Alayne giggled in a cute yet devilishly manner.
Couldn't you ask me play sea monster or go exploring on the rocks today?
"Yes, play with us, Father. It will be so merry." Theon kissed both Aerinne and Alayne's cheeks causing them to squeal at his scratchy beard.
"I'm terribly sorry, I have important duties to attend. It sounds like—fun though."
"Let's go find Dagon, we'll make him play with us." Theon grimaced.
"Dagon play with us!" shrilled Aerinne with delight jumping up and down. Alayne smirked with glee and held Aerinne's hand as they scampered off to torture their nine year-old brother with the convoluted world of their dolls.
Theon laughed and hoped for his son's sake that the baby Sansa was carrying would be a boy. Or that Winterfell magically was located closer to the Iron Islands so Dagon could play with his cousins Eddard and Artos. The girls could play dolls with their cousin Elora.
"What important duties do you have attend to right now?" asked laughing voice. Sansa was in the doorway smiling with folded arms resting on her stomach.
"The thing with Lordsport wanting—it's very complex and mundane I nod off just thinking about it." Sansa raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Pity, I quite enjoy hearing you voice Theonora." Theon scowled internally cursing Asha to all the hells for giving Alayne the idea to name her dark haired doll after him. Sansa burst out laughing.
"Please may we never allow Alayne or my sister name this baby and any future ones." Sansa giggled and hugged him.
"Agreed. Why were you all in my solar anyway?" Theon nudged his head in the direction of the doll. Sansa stared at her doll.
"Aerinne wanted to play with it. I told her she couldn't play with it but not why as I figured you wanted to tell her about your parents." Sansa sighed and nodded. Theon fiddled with Sansa's fishtail braid as he watched several emotions flicker on her face as she tried not to cry.
"I will in a year from now. She's just turned three, two moons ago. I told her about Lady and she didn't quite understand when I told her Lady was dead, but that we could visit her grave one day." Theon kissed his wife gently and held her. It was silent with the sound of the gulls and the water until they could hear the hollering of Dagon. Trying to flee from his sisters no doubt.
"Don't lie, you both secretly enjoy playing dolls with them." Theon scowled.
"I don't when Asha's home. Can I banish her on the grounds that she mocks me?"