Sansa

"The crypt again Your Grace?" asked maester Morwell. "If I may, it does not do to dwell on your grief-"

"Stay here," she told the old man coldly. "I'll be back before long."

"As you please Your Grace," he agreed with a nod.

One hand on the wall and the other on her rounded stomach she ventured down the stairs into the crypt. The one place they all left her in peace. The place she could cry and be just Sansa not Lady of Winterfell, the Queen in the North, not the mother of the future King of the Seven Kingdoms. The place she could be just a girl missing her family.

But her grief was not the only reason she'd begun to come down here. Shortly after Jon had gone she had started having dreams, dreams of hot springs, of a long corridor beyond the rubble that blocked the back of the crypt. Some of the dreams that were wonderful with her and Jon bathing in the dark waters, laughing and making love. Other times she was drowning and all alone. Or bleeding and dying as her child, hers and Jon's, was born in the darkness and died there too, while she cried and cried but no one heard her.

She stopped in front of her father's statue and wondered what he'd think of all that she'd gone through. Wondered if he'd be proud that she'd survived or angry at how she'd done it. Angry about how so long ago she'd foolishly wanted to marry Joffrey and had trusted him, angry about her learning from Little Finger, angry about Jon. About all her choices.

Turning away she headed for the back of the crypt, where the cave-in was. They'd been forbidden from playing around it as children - not that she would have played in the crypts, but the rest of them - and that of course had made it all the more curious. Her brothers had talked about the dragon that lived under Winterfell, of the evil ghosts and other monster that hid in the dark. And several times her lord father had gotten so very angry with them after hearing they'd tried to dig the stones away to go beyond.

Why?

Why had she dream of the passage beyond? Why would that upset him? Why would it be blocked off at all? She took in the wall and it didn't look damage. While no expert in cave-ins that seemed odd to her. This passage had been blocked off since...well for as long as Sansa could remember. It was time to find out what truly hid beyond.

"Maester Morwell," she said as she exited the crypts a few minutes later. "I'd like you to find me some strong men and a builder, I wish them to excavate the cave-in, in the back of the crypt."

"Of course Your Grace," he agreed.

"Ser," a servant called to Morwell and the hurried over and bowed to them. "Your Grace, there's been a raven from the capitol. From the king!"

Sansa glanced to her maester, who unlike her looked untroubled. She'd worried, fretted, over this raven. Feared Tyrion would handle the news that she was with child -when he'd never touched her - badly. Feared just what it might mean for the fragile peace.

The servant placed a raven's scroll in her hand and she opened it and read it quickly and then gave it to her maester. Tyrion was asking that she come to him, that she leave Winterfell. Wanted her to travel at once.

"Your Grace this is correct of course," Morwell said after finishing it. "The future king should be born in King's Landing."

"No," Sansa said, beginning to walk across the courtyard. "Please write my husband and tell him I will not be journeying to King's Landing and if he wishes to attend the birth he may come to us or send an emissary." She knew it was doubtful Tyrion would brave the northern winter, the snow sometimes fell for days and days still and the sun was only out for a few hours at most.

"Your Grace-"

"Maester Morwell is the road, even the King's Road in winter a place for an pregnant woman? One expecting the future king of the realm no less? Are you not a maester? Surely you must advise against such a trip?"

Her maester nodded, quickly changing his tune. "Yes Your Grace. Such a journey would not be good for your health or our future prince."

"Good," she said and with confidence she did not feel she walked away from him.

She would not go to King's Landing, not now, not once her son was born. She would keep him at Winterfell for as long as she could. He would have the same childhood as she had had. As Jon had. The north would be his true home.

She wondered what Tyrion wanted. She had begun to learn the game of thrones but now so many of the players were gone and she worried the rules had changed. Would Tyrion want this child, that was not his, to be the heir? Tyrion had treated her well enough back when they'd first been married but he was the king now. Perhaps power had changed him. Or not. A heir, as long as no one knew his true father was not Tyrion, would help unite the kingdom. Ensure the line of succession. Maybe Tyrion saw that and was pleased. Maybe. But what if the opposite was true? And what if someone realized who was the true father? Joffrey's parentage had started one war. Sansa didn't want to start another one.

Thanks for RxR!