Winterfell…

"Alright. Let's try this again."

"Okay" Edric said, sucking the last bits of food from his fingers. The grey morning light shone through the windows of the main hall as he looked down at the map of the North on the table. He swept his plate aside, shifting a little on the bench. Sansa sat beside him, and they were close enough that their legs sometimes touched. Edric struggled to contain the flutter in his chest and the bulging in his breeches at the physical contact with his wife.

Control yourself, you bloody idiot he thought to himself, tightly clenching his left hand into a fist.

Brienne stood nearby, towering over all the servants as she stood guard over them both. Having gotten over his initial wonder at her size, Edric found himself admiring the daughter of Lord Selwyn; she was brave and honourable, far more so than most knights in the Seven Kingdoms.

Sansa pointed to a spot on the map, and he said "Castle Cerwyn. Rulers: House Cerwyn. Sigil: a black battle-axe on silver. Words: 'Honed and Ready'." That was the home and family of Prester Cerwyn, one of his father's most formidable and loyal knights and now one of his Kingsguard. It was Ser Prester who had spent years teaching Edric and his brother how to fight, and they had put his training to good use during the Second War of Conquest.

His wife nodded and pointed to another spot.

"Last Hearth. Rulers: House Umber. Sigil: a roaring giant in chains on red."

"No, that's wrong" Sansa said.

"Really?"

She shook her head. "There's no giant as part of their sigil. It's just four chains joined by a central link on red."

Edric furrowed his brow as he stared down at Last Hearth on the map. "Where the fuck did I get the giant from?"

"Maybe you read about it somewhere. Let's move on." She pointed to another spot.

"Ironrath. Rulers: House Forrester. Sigil: a white Ironwood tree on black, embellished with a black sword pointing… downwards. Words: 'Iron from Ice'." In fact, Edric had been on his way to liberate the keep when he was ambushed by Ramsay Bolton's forces. He pursed his lips as the memory flashed before him, remembering how Ramsay's hounds had tackled him to the ground and bit him, how he was forced to watch all his men be flayed alive and nailed to the trees…

"Edric?"

He shook his head and looked at Sansa, who stared at him with a slightly concerned expression.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" he said, putting on a forced smile. She obviously did not believe him, but she let it slide as she pointed to another spot. "Greywater Watch. Rulers: House Reed. Sigil: a black… a black… oh, why can't I remember? It's some sort of lizard."

"A black lizard-lion on grey-green" Sansa calmly explained, appearing unperturbed at his frustration.

"Right, because we don't have any of those down south" Edric said, breathing a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"You can't just rule the people from your seat, sending decrees and expecting them to obey you. That's not the way things are done up here. Northern lords lead by example; they have to see you commanding respect through strength. You have to be someone they want to follow."

"Which I'm not." He took a moment to stare into her vivid blue eyes, feeling entranced by them. "What would I do without you?"

"Probably everything you're doing already. It remains to be seen if my help will mean anything to you in the future." She gave him a small smile, and he smiled back. Anytime that she was happy, when she could move on from the horrors of her past, was a victory for Edric. He only hoped that there would be more in the months to come.

Edric looked down at the map, wracking his brain for anything that might help earn the respect of his people. Suddenly, his face lit up as an idea came to him. "What if I throw a Tourney, maybe on your next Nameday? That way, all the Northern lords will be gathered in one place, and they could all see me and what I can do. Granted, that's not much at the moment, but if I just train harder…"

Sansa shook her head.

"You think it's a bad idea?"

"Tourneys are more for the south. They're not really done in the North."

"Why not?"

"I used to dream of attending Tourneys in the capital, seeing the noble and valiant knights in their gleaming armour competing for the favour of the beautiful noble ladies. I asked my father why we never had them here, and he told me that when he fought someone for real, he didn't want them to know what he could do."

"He sounded like a remarkable man. I wish I could have known him."

Sansa smiled as she stared at a wall, likely remembering her late father. "He really was" she said, her eyes starting to grow misty. "He loved me and wanted the best for me, and all I ever did was complain about our home and act like a little brat when I never got to go south."

Edric's heart broke a little as he saw his wife blaming herself.

"I was so stupid back then, just a stupid little girl with stupid dreams who never appreciated her family until they were all gone."

Wanting to comfort her, he reached out and gently touched her face. She tensed at his touch, but he felt that tension slowly leave her as he wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb. She looked back at him, and he offered her a comforting smile.

Sansa suddenly stood up and wiped off the last of the tears with the back of her hand. "I'll see you later, my lord" she said before walking away.

Edric sighed as he keenly felt her absence.

Brienne started to follow Sansa, but stopped and turned to look down at him. "For what it's worth, my lord, I believe you are an honourable man."

"That's kind of you to say."

She glanced at the door Sansa had walked through. "Give her time" she said, leaving the main hall.

A frown tugged at Edric's lips as he stared down at the map of the North. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

Several days later…

Visenya looked out the window of the carriage as it slowly traversed the road. They had just finished visiting Gulltown, the largest city in the Vale, and were now on their way to Runestone, the ancestral castle of House Royce.

The royal tour was an excellent decision for her brother to make. Like Aegon the Conqueror before him, it allowed him to establish himself to the people of Westeros. They needed to see their new king, and the sight of Rhaegon and Maelion would be more than enough to eliminate the potential desire to rebel against Drakon. As if the blasted castles of Pyke, Clegane's Keep, and the Dreadfort were not enough.

She glanced at her brother and saw him sleeping where he sat. Visenya smiled and placed a hand on his knee.

A cooing noise drew her attention, and she looked at Jayne, who sat across from her, with Rhaenyra in her arms. Drakon's eldest child hummed a song as she gently stroked the infant's cheek. "You're very good with her" Visenya said, partially amazed at how easily her step-daughter could get her own daughter to sleep.

Jayne smiled. "Thank you. I had lots of practice with my brothers after they were born."

"You should have no problem when your child comes into the world." Jayne's smile seemed to lessen, and Visenya reached out to touch her knee. "I know we haven't had much time to get to know one another, but I would very much like to. After all, you are family to me. Just because I am queen shouldn't mean that we can't be close."

This time, the smile was more forced. "I would like that, as well."

Just then, they could hear voices coming from outside. The carriage came to a stop, and Visenya could hear Ser Prester call out "What's your business here?" She opened the door of the carriage a moment later, and the knight, mounted on his white horse, said "It's a messenger, Your Grace, from Gulltown. He says that a raven arrived from King's Landing."

"Bring it here" she said. The Kingsguard nodded, walking his horse over to the other man and retrieving the letter. Once he handed it to her, she closed the door. Shaking Drakon's knee, she said "My king, wake up." He opened his eyes, looking at her questioningly. "A raven, from King's Landing."

He took the letter and, seeing the Hand of the King symbol in green wax, broke the seal. "It's from Mace Tyrell. Rona says her birds have informed her…" His brow furrowed as his expression turned both shocked and furious.

"Father?" Jayne asked, leaning forward.

"It's Edwyn" he said, glancing at Visenya and his daughter. "Daenerys Targaryen has taken him and Randyll Tarly prisoner." Both women looked at him with shocked expressions, and he pursed his lips as he stepped out of the carriage. "Take my family back to the Eyrie" he told the driver. Turning to the Kingsguard, he said "Ser Harras, Ser Benedict, and Ser Eustace, you will escort my wife and our children back to King's Landing. Ser Loras, Ser Prester, and Ser Balon, you will accompany them to the capital, and then you will ride to Storm's End."

"Father, please" Jayne said. "Let me come with you. He's my brother."

"Out of the question" Drakon said. "You will go back to the Eyrie and stay with your husband, where you will be safe." He then took out his Dragon Horn and gave a single bellow. A pair of roars from high above sounded in response. "I'll be needing Rhaegon and Maelion with me, so your safety is paramount."

"My love, do you need both of them?" Visenya asked. "We cannot risk losing either of them."

Just then, they were all buffeted by powerful gusts of wind as the two Dragons came to land nearby. All of the horses whinnied in fright, and their riders struggled to rein them in as the silver and bronze-scaled creatures surveyed the caravan.

"Daenerys has three Dragons" her brother told her. "They may be untrained, but they represent a threat I can't ignore." He walked over to the carriage and kissed her lovingly on the lips. "I will come back. But until that happens, I am naming you as Queen Regent. Blood and Fire."

"Blood and Fire" she echoed, evoking their house's motto.

"Goodbye, Jayne" he said to his daughter. "I will bring your brother home, I promise."

"I love you, father."

"And I love you." Drakon said with a smile. He then turned around and started walking over to Rhaegon. "I'll send word to Samwell in Storm's End. Once we've assembled an army, I'm going to bring it to Daenerys' doorstep and rescue my son."

Rhaegon laid himself down on the ground, and Drakon climbed his wing and mounted the saddle strapped on his back. Once in place, he gave two quick blows on the Dragon Horn, and the magnificent siblings raised their massive heads high and gave mighty roars before they launched themselves into the air.

And here we have the call to arms! This should be interesting, eh?

I can honestly say that Sansa is proving to be the most challenging character to work with in this story. With everyone else, I've got their core characters locked down, but Sansa is different. We've seen her go through absolute hell and come out the other side stronger and more capable, if a little cold-hearted in a ruthlessly pragmatic sense. In this story, I rescued her before she went through all that garbage in Season 5, so she's not as warlike or cold as we see in Seasons 6 and 7. Right now, I have her as still being strong and capable, but in the warm and loving environment Edric is trying to create for her, she has the chance to come to terms with her past traumas and move on, especially without fucking Littlefinger whispering in her ear and lusting after her like in the show.

Who here can't wait for him to die slowly and painfully?

mrean22: The fire is the one we see on the show, where Daenerys' ships are burned while docked; I moved it forward for the purposes of this story. The only one of Edwyn's ships that got burned was his flagship, stranding him and Lord Tarly in Meereen and being caught at the 'scene of the crime'. It's an extremely unfortunate coincidence all around, because a lot of people are likely going to die over this… misunderstanding.