Epilogue and Author's Notes
The couple happily honeymooned for the three weeks following Ned and Robb's departure before setting out on the long journey back to Winterfell. With Lady by their side, they traveled leisurely and Sandor showed her all of the sights and landmarks of interest and beauty along the way, much to Sansa's delight.
At Winterfell, Ned and Robb eagerly welcomed Sandor, slapping him on the back and even began referring to him and 'son' and 'brother' in conversation. Sandor joined Robb, Ned and Theon in the practice yard every morning, bringing him even closer to the Stark men.
Ned had invited them to return partly to see King Robert but primarily to observe how Sandor would relate to the rest of the Stark family. Overall he was very pleased with Sandor's behavior, and as he spent more time with him, he felt a kinship with Sandor a fellow man of the north.
Ned considered him a natural addition to their family and later he presented his goodson with a fine Valyrian steel greatsword engraved with the Stark and Clegane symbols on the hilt. Once Bran observed the engraving on Sansa's wedded ring, he was able to draw Mikken a close replica of the three hounds on a field before the greatsword was forged. Sandor was deeply honored by the gift and more importantly what it represented: Ned and the boys' acceptance of him into the family.
Catelyn was angrier than Ned had ever seen her upon hearing of his decision and consequently spoke very little to him since they returned home but as Ned saw Sansa's obvious happiness and Sandor's gentle behavior with his daughter, he felt confident his decision was best for her in spite on her mother's reaction.
He was disappointed in Catelyn, and her behavior towards Sandor only drove home his nagging suspicion that she would have had nothing to do with him if it wasn't for his lordship. Lady Catelyn was unwilling to accept a wilding man as the husband of her daughter, incredulous when Ned had told her he accepted the marriage, and in utter disbelief when Robb and Ned told her of Sansa's happiness.
Catelyn seethed inwardly when she was introduced to Sandor. It is unthinkable she would rather have this scarred wilding man, with his long hair and bearskin cloak, rather than become the betrothed of the Crown prince of the Iron throne! She spent the entire visit fuming in cold silence, staring at them in derision at every opportunity. Catelyn always fancied Sansa to be more refined, like her; more Tully than Stark and she found it heartbreaking that Sansa would waste her beauty and lower herself to such an extent.
But Sansa's radiant happiness and unmistakable joy with wedded life was undeniable even to Catelyn. As a wife her daughter blossomed into a woman and had grown even more beautiful in spite of her plain clothes. Despite his fearsome appearance, Ned and Catelyn both noticed Sansa's face lit up whenever Sandor entered the room as though he were a knight from one of her fairy stories and her behavior led Catelyn to question whether she had ever really known her daughter to begin with.
Sandor had presented them with a beautiful gray fox fur blanket but despite his generosity and Sansa's apparent happiness with him, Catelyn still held back. The disappointed mother could not forgive Sandor for introducing Sansa to his barbaric ways and treated him with the barest civility, alienating her gentle, kind hearted daughter with her behavior.
They were always the last ones to arrive at the table in the morning and the first to retire at night and Catelyn was mortified when Sandor came into the breakfast room with his arm around Sansa's waist, her daughter flushed and full of smiles as she sat down at the table. Even worse, Catelyn observed Ned wasn't bothered by their behavior at all; he only smiled or pretended not to notice, infuriating her all the more. Catelyn doubted she would ever treat Sandor with the warmth Ned and Robb bestowed upon him.
"Where has my ladylike girl disappeared to? Where is her training?" She despaired to Sansa's former septa, who could only shake her head in confusion as one afternoon they watched Sansa feed Sandor bits of her lemoncake while sitting on his lap in the greenhouse.
Ned insisted on giving them wedded gifts so Catelyn presented Sansa with woolen dresses, cloaks and socks but that was the extent to which Catelyn was willing to concede to Sansa's marriage to a low born wilding, however honorable he may be.
Sansa was happy to be at home with her family again but her mother's behavior put a serious strain on her. Everything Sansa did to honor her new position as the wife of a Free folk man was met with stiff opposition and she was saddened by her mother's obvious disappointment in her as well as her new husband. Sandor encouraged Sansa to be patient and try to see things from her mother's perspective. Sandor reassured her every time Sansa came to him with a new complaint that he would continue his efforts to win her over.
"No, my love, you have done enough. It is Mother's turn now," she smiled at him and kissed his hand.
On the other hand, Arya, Bran and Rickon were thrilled with Sansa's new husband. Everything that upset Catelyn about him endeared Sandor to the children; they were fascinated with his stories of the north, bearskin cloak and woodworking and were overjoyed when he presented each of them with their very own furs as well.
Sandor could certainly see what Jon and Robb meant when he was introduced to Arya. The girl bore no resemblance to Sansa both in appearance or personality, much to his amusement. She excitedly followed Sandor everywhere, constantly asking him questions about the White Walkers and life north of the Wall. Every morning she watched him in the practice yard and begged him for sword lessons which he hesitantly promised later on.
Sandor was careful to include Bran and carried him on his back as he led Arya and Rickon into the woods each day, direwolves in tow. He spent the afternoons teaching them how the Free folk read animal tracks, gauged changes in the weather and dug out snow caves for shelter. When he taught them how to carve bows and arrows out of pinewood, Sandor forever secured his place as a favorite among them. Not wanting to disappoint her, after a while Sandor finally gave in to Arya and daily gave her lessons on using a bow and a sword, much to her delight and greatly adding to Catelyn's mounting disapproval of him.
When the time came for Sansa and Sandor to be presented to King Robert and his family, Catelyn insisted on her wearing one of her southern gowns rather than her woolen northern dress. Despite her mother's pleading, Sansa respectfully declined and greatly pleased Sandor by donning the gown she received as a wedded present.
The morning the royal caravan arrived, the couple was overwhelmed by the King's boisterous greeting. Robert pinched Sansa's cheek and opened praised her beauty to anyone who would listen and shook Sandor's hand vigorously as they were introduced, all the while admiring Sandor's bearskin cloak and greatsword. However, Queen Cersei and Joffrey treated them coldly upon their introduction to the couple.
Staring at Sandor and Sansa's furs, woolen and leather clothing with exaggerated derision, the Queen and her son's rudeness caused Robert to frequently rephrase their words while glaring at them. The younger daughter Myrcella repeatedly tried to blunt their rudeness by praising the couple while the younger brother Tommen happily asked about Sandor's horse whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Prince Joffrey glowered at them contemptuously while he and his mother never missed an opportunity to draw attention to their drastic differences in station.
Later at dinner Robert demanded Sandor recount the capture and execution of the man that attacked Sansa, growling and shouting swears or patting Sandor's shoulder approvingly as the story dictated. Sandor overall bore it well, though Sansa was convinced the thrashing he gave the Baratheon bannermen every morning in the practice yard was an outlet for his suppressed anger. After experiencing such rudeness Sandor understood why she had been so relieved to be rid of Joffrey as a suitor and found being kidnapped by him a more acceptable alternative to becoming a member of the Baratheon family.
Being with Cersei and her mother made her miss the easy friendships she had developed amongst the women of the Clan. Sansa was sensitive to their contempt only to the extent of how their behavior affected Sandor and she took special care in reassuring him of her love and devotion despite the ill behavior of her mother and the queen. The false politeness the King and Queen dictated from her family made her and Robb both very uncomfortable and she was grateful that her life had taken a different course. Sansa grew to view anything related to royalty and the game of thrones with disdain and as each day passed she longed to return their life of simplicity and comfort in the Haunted Forest.
Robert called for a tourney celebrating Ned's appointment as Hand of the King and the large purse offered brought Sandor's brother Gregor Clegane to Winterfell. Sandor insisted Sansa remain hidden as much as possible and would not allow her out of their room without him. Jory offered himself as a guard for her, but Sandor would entrust her safety to no one but himself where his brother was concerned.
Sandor insisted he and Sansa take their meals in their quarters and his drastic measures concerned Ned enough to take extra precautions for the for the rest of the family's safety. Gregor ignored him on the whole and Sandor flatly refused to associate with him at any event prior to the tourney. Sandor never left Sansa's side the entire time Gregor stayed at Winterfell, only agreeing to be in his company while accompanying the family at the tourney.
He stood by Sansa's side with his greatsword at the ready for the duration of the tournament, causing a stir among those assembled. Sandor's reason for his protectiveness became evident soon enough. Enraged by his loss during the joust, Gregor beheaded his horse and attacked a young knight Loras Tyrell. Sandor intervened, saving his life. Sansa was horrified, feeling she had caught a glimpse of what Sandor had endured in childhood. Robert sent Gregor back to King's Landing immediately following the outburst, much to the relief of everyone.
That night at the feast, Cersei and Joffrey haughtily laughed at Sandor and Sansa's expense in front of everyone for the duration of the meal. Robert had finally reached his limit and roared his disapproval, slapping his wife and his heir in front of all assembled in the dining hall. The King sincerely offered his apologies to the couple as well as Ned, his words shocking everyone present at least as much as his striking his wife and son. Apologetic behavior was not something Robert Baratheon was known for but the gesture pleased Ned and Sandor all the same.
Sandor and Sansa stayed at Winterfell for a fortnight after the King's arrival. Having received a raven from Jon announcing he would arrive for a visit at their cabin in a fortnight, the couple decided it was time to go home. Sansa had enjoyed visiting her family but the simple life north of the Wall beckoned to her and she was glad for the excuse to leave Winterfell.
As they readied their belongings for travel King Robert presented them with a chest filled with a large sum of money as a wedded gift. Among the family, Sansa determined it should be used to help their village, delighting Sandor and Ned with her generosity while equally horrifying her mother with her decision. They returned home to the Haunted Forest with full hearts and plenty of food and supplies for the village in a fortnight, allowing the couple plenty of time to prepare for Jon's visit.
As the cabin came into view, Sansa beamed at Sandor and laughed happily, overjoyed to finally be home. That evening Lady lay snoring on the floor in front of the crackling fireplace as Sansa climbed into bed next to Sandor. "It is so good to be home at last, my love!"
Sandor pulled her close to him and snuggled with her under the furs. "It certainly is, my beloved wife," he agreed as he gently lifted her on top of his chest and began kissing her tenderly.
In life north of the Wall, Sansa found contentment in the simple life full of love she led with her husband, while Sandor found the happiness and love he longed for in his kindhearted highborn wife.
A/N
Since most of what we know about the Free folk is told from the notherners perspective, I decided to base my wilding Sandor in this fic is based on my great uncle's grat grandfather, Running Bear of the Lakota Sioux tribe of Native Americans. When he found an German girl of 14 who was lost and separated from her family, he brought her back to the tribe and told the chief he wanted her as his wife.
Even though he had rights to her, he never forced his position. Instead, he courted her by bringing her gifts each day, much to the amusement of the tribe, and traveled many miles to trade goods he received in battle for items he thought his wife would like, such as a wash basin, a ribbon for her hair, a comb.
She soon learned the Lakota were not the heathens others thought they were, and eventually learned the language with the help of mountian men who traded with the tribe. After several years, she fell in love with him and chose him as her husband. They were very happy together but by cultural standards of the day the whites in America thought him savage, a rapist, a heathen without morals and over the years they suffered the ignorance of others.
My great uncle gave my the name Littlefeather in a Lakota naming ceremony.
After rereading this story, I admit it was a hot mess and as of 3/20 /13 it has been completely reworked. Concrit is most welcome :D I hope you enjoyed this story and for those of you rereading I hope you found it much improved. Thanks to everyone for reading!
