A/U: To Lose a Crown: After the marriage of her sister, Sansa is bereft of the crown that should have been hers; Demoted to the unmarried sister of the future queen, Sansa is the most sought after bride in all Westeros.
Chapter Ten,
Sansa looked out over the churning sea below. Winter had finally come, and for the Westerlands it meant near on unending storms. The winter had not been bad to Westeros so far, and the Maesters of the Citadel predicted it would be mercifully short. Sansa prayed they were right each day. It was worrisome enough raising to children in the cold, she didn't want it for her next child.
Her two daughters bounced on their bed, roaring at one another. The elder twin was Alessa, her hair was a perfect golden colour and slightly curled. She was more of a lady by far than Breanna, who's hair was short and straight with a dirty blond hue. Both girls had green Lannister eyes, there was little of Sansa's Tully look in either of them.
"Girls!" Sansa scolded. "Don't bounce on the bed!" She ran at the girls and tackled them to the bed, and tickled them as they roared with girlish laugthter.
"Mama!" They squealed. "Mama no!"
"Will you stop bouncing?"
"Yes." Alessa answered quickly.
"NO!" Screeched Breanna as she wiggled free and continued to bounce. "NO! No! No! No!" She yelled as much as she could and at the top of her little lungs. Unseen, a man entered the room and grabbed the girl from behind.
"What do we have here?" Lancel asked, holding the squirming child high in the air. "Has a common stable hand broken in and caused a ruckus?"
"A what?" Asked the girl.
"A ruckus! You'll have to be put in the dungeons will all the other trouble makers"
"no!"
"No? then what would you do instead?"
"Sleep." Breanna told her father assertively.
"A wise decision my child." As he tucked the girl into her bed Sansa got up and stood beside him.
Once Sansa and Lancel had convinced their girls to actually sleep. Under threat of the stern Septa Unella watching over them as they slept. They retired to their own rooms an talked for a bit in the study.
"We've received a summons from King's Landing." He told her as he held out a letter with the royal seal upon it.
"Why?" Sansa asked as she opened the papers.
"Prince Tommen is to marry it seems." What she read in letter confirmed this.
"I've never heard of a lady Iona." She mused as she read the name of the bride. "Nor does it say what house she's from."
"She's not a noble."
"A merchant's daughter?" She asked.
"No." Sansa looked at her husband questioningly.
"A commoner?"
"Born in Flea bottom I believe."
"Why would the king allow such a thing?" Sansa pondered
"He is of common stock himself."
"Lancel." Sansa began through gritted teeth. "We agreed not to talk of this."
Instead of arguing with his wife Lancel remained silent.
"We're expected two moons from now." That wasn't the only thing expected in two months time. Sansa thought to herself.
"I Can't travel like this!" She indicated the bulge at her stomach.
"The Queen must travel by ship from Dragonstone." The two elder Princes, Steffon and Robert had sent to the island to be fostered by lady Shireen. The younger prince Ellyott, and the princess Cassana remained in King's Landing in the Red Keep.
"She must be mad." Sansa muttered, the crossing by ship was bad enough in this wintry weather. But with two boys of six and five along for the journey, and another babe in the belly Sansa was near convinced her years as Queen had made Arya lose her wits. "I don't want to go." Sansa added assertively.
"Are you sure?" Lancel looked at his wife slyly.
"What do you know?" Sansa asked, very suspicious of his intent.
"All the great lords and ladies will be in attendance. Especially those with royal spouses like lady Arryn or-"
"Robb?" Sansa asked, exited.
"And he will bring-"
"My son!" She spoke excitedly. "Then I must go! He must meet the girls! He's five I must bring him a gift like a toy soldier or do you think he would prefer a book-"
"Sansa, calm." He said thinking the boy may want his birth right as a gift.
"I haven't seen him since he was a babe." She whispered.
As they retired to bed, Sansa thought of how he may look now. She pictured a tall boy of five with red hair and brown eyes. He had a permanent boyish grin from ear to ear.
She fell asleep smiling thinking of all the time she would spend with her son. As she did, another face she had not seen since her arrival at Casterly Rock. Willas Tyrell had been so kind to her during her widowhood. Yet she hadn't seen him or even sent a letter. For all Sansa knew he could be dead two years, among the dead of the Red River.
That scared her, and she didn't know why.
A/N: This chapter is a bit short and sweet, dare I say fluffy as it is just a filler to bridge the gap in time there now is between some of the chapters. If anyone is confused about ages and time gaps at this stage in the story, please ask I had to work it all out myself to be honest. Once again thank you to those taking an interest in this story, until next time Thanks, Phillipe