Sansa startled awake, the sounds of the gunshots in her dream fading away as she realized where she was. She had continued to have vivid reoccurring dreams in the weeks that had followed the announcement of Jon's death. In this one she was riding Lady hard through the desert, chasing after Jon and Ghost. She could never catch them. They were always just out of range of her voice. She knew this because they never slowed no matter how hard she screamed or begged. The dream always ended with Jon disappearing over the horizon just as the sound of gunshots would jolt her awake.

She lay there for a few moments letting her eyes adjust. The room was tinged with the faint pinkish grey hue of the coming dawn. She glanced at the clock, it was just after six in the morning. She knew she won't be able to fall back asleep, so she decided to get up.

She dressed, went downstairs and outside to the outhouse. The town was quiet this time of the day, it was probably the only time of the day it was this quiet. She paused to take it in, her eyes opening a moment later when she thought she heard voices carrying over the slight morning breeze. She wasn't sure why, but instead of going back inside, she let herself out the back of the fence and made her way along the backside of the businesses in the direction of the voices.

"It's not possible. There's far too many." She recognized Petyr's voice instantly.

"So I'll send some to Mexico." This was not a voice she knew.

"It still won't work -"

"It's not your decision." There was a finality in the man's tone.

There were several moments of silence and Sansa thought perhaps they had gone away. She turned to head back home but then Petyr's voice made her stop.

"This was not what I had arranged with your fa…" He began before being interrupted by shouting and the sound of breaking glass from inside the Triple P. It was quickly followed by a girl's scream. "For god's sakes!" Petyr snarled. "Can you not at least control them?!"

Sansa stayed where she was, listening to the raised voices and screaming until she heard the door slam. She turned then and made her way quickly home. She wasn't sure who Petyr had been talking to, nor what exactly they had been discussing, but she did know it made her uneasy.

xxxxx

The following morning, she again awoke with a start, but this time it wasn't due to a dream. There had been a rumble, much like thunder, that had pulled her awake. She sat up just in time to see the window was rattling slightly in its frame.

Her door opened and Arya entered the room. "Did you hear that?" Arya asked pushing her hair from her sleepy face.

"I did," Sansa said getting out of bed and going to look out her window. She scanned the horizon. "I don't see any clouds," she said turning back to Arya.

"Strange. Maybe someone took a team of horses by at a clip."

"Seems early, but maybe."

"I'm going to put the coffee on," Arya said and turned to go back into the main room.

A few minutes later they heard a commotion from the front side of the building. They went into Arya's room and looked out the window. The street below was filling with people, they seemed to be rushing towards the south end of town.

"Get dressed," Sansa told her. They dressed quickly and went downstairs and out on to the street. They joined the flow of people headed south. There were mentions of the mine and an explosion. They exchanged uneasy looks, both clearly recalling the morning several months back that had claimed Robb.

They moved to the side of the street as a wagon full of shovels and pick axes rumbled towards them. "Gendry!" Arya called out.

He slowed the wagon but didn't stop. They quickened their pace to walk alongside him. "What's going on?" Sansa asked.

"There was an explosion out at the mine," he answered.

"How bad is it?" Arya asked.

"Not sure yet," Gendry answered. "I gotta get this over there to help with the rescue."

"Of course," Sansa said and they fell back as he snapped the reins to speed up the horses. "We should go to the pavilion and see what we can help with. Come on."

They made their way to the pavilion where most of the other women were gathering. They began to make bandages and other supplies to help treat the wounded that would hopefully be pulled from the mine. Sansa did her best to help, but the memories of Robb and Jon's death threatened to overwhelm her. It didn't help that some of the women were giving her sideways glances, though they were all polite enough to not speak of the curse.

The morning unspooled in front of them. The readied supplies remained ready, but the lack of demand for them was causing the panic level to rise. People talked amongst themselves, trying to remind each other that explosions were common place. Perhaps this one was rather deep and that was why no one had come out yet.

Eventually they turned their attention to preparing food to take out to the rescue workers. Arya managed to talk the butcher into letting her ride out with him. When the food wagons returned, everyone clamored for news.

"It's really bad isn't it?" Sansa asked as Arya made her way over to where she stood near Olenna, Margaery and several of the girls from High Garden.

"Appears there's casualties, though not as many as there could've been," Arya informed them quietly, being mindful that some folks in the pavilion had men in that mine.

"Well how many then?" someone asked. Arya shook her head indicating she wasn't sure.

"Well did they say what happened?" Olenna asked.

"No one's really sure. I guess it happened around the shift change, which they're saying was lucky 'cause there was less people down there. But anyone in charge seems to be missing. So for now it seems that anyone that might know exactly how it happened is either dead or stuck in the mine."

"This is bad, this is very bad," Olenna said. She was visually agitated. "Two major explosions in under a year. They're liable to just close the mine."

"Grandmother," Marge said softly trying to comfort her, "There's no need to frighten people."

"No? Are you sure? Because a town with a dead mine is a dead town," Olenna said sharply.

"Now is not the time for this," Brienne cut in sharply as several of the women whose husbands worked in the mine turned to look at them. Their fear and grief cut Sansa to the core. She knew their pain all too well.

"Let's go inside for a bit. I think the sun is doing us all in," Sansa suggested.

"The sun's going to be the least of our worries soon enough girls," Olenna said. "Mark my words."

xxxxx

Two days later a group of men rode into town. A rumor spread that they were with IB Mining. It was said they were here to investigate the explosion and to decide if the mine should in fact be reopened. Sansa couldn't recall if they had sent anyone out after the explosion that had killed Robb, but then she had been too busy mourning her brother to pay much attention to such things.

The town was tense, everyone was concerned that the mine might be abandoned. Petyr had been busy trying to reassure everyone that he had it on good authority that the mining company would continue their operation here. A large section of the mine was still in operation after all. The town seemed split on what they believed, with just as many remaining hopeful as believing the mine would be shuttered. A few people even started to voice the idea of leaving town to head for other communities where they knew they could be guaranteed work.

A meeting had been called for the following night. Instead of soothing tension it only seemed to accelerate them. Rumors varied widely. Some were convinced that the mining company just wanted to assure everyone that they had every intention of completely reopening the mine as soon as possible. Others said they planned to announce its closure. Seemed the only thing everyone agreed on was that no one knew for sure.

"So what do you think they've decided?" Sansa asked Marge as they walked towards the church.

"Hard to say. Though clearly I hope they say they plan to reopen it. If not, well we're all going to have to make some difficult decisions."

They fell quiet as they entered the church with the other townspeople. Petyr and the mayor stood up front. Next to them was a man with dark hair and pale eyes. She did not care for the way he seemed to be eyeing her and Margaery. It was almost like a hungry mountain lion. She didn't look away before he made eye contact with her and attempted what appeared to be a to smile. For whatever reason, it made her uncomfortable and she looked away. She pulled Marge and Arya into a bench near the rear to avoid getting any closer to him.

As soon as everyone was seated, the mayor quickly called the meeting to order.

"We called you all here tonight because Mr. Fulton from the mine here would like to make an announcement," the mayor said. "Mr. Fulton, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, sir. Good people of Copper Canyon, thank you all for coming on such short notice," he began. "As he said, I'm Mr. Fulton, here on behalf of IB Mining. Now I realize these last few days have been rather harrowing for y'all, but I want to reassure everyone that we are committed to providing a fair evaluation of the mine's viability." He paused and surveyed the room. "There will be more details to come, but rest assured we will do our best to keep you informed. In the meantime, we thank you for your hospitality."

"Wait! So you're saying the mine might not reopen?" someone asked. "I thought we were here so you could announce it's reopening."

"I can't say just yet what will become of it. It's going to depend on a variety of factors," Fulton answered.

The room exploded into conversation. Sansa looked at Petyr, who looked genuinely shocked. He quickly recovered though and began to try and quite the crowd. After another minute he began banging the gavel repeatedly until silence fell once more.

"Now let's all calm down. Mr. Fulton has assured me they will do everything they can to return the mine to full operation. Closure will be a last resort. Isn't that right?" Petyr was eyeing Fulton fiercely.

Sansa swore Fulton smirked before fully smiling. "Of course."

Most of the people in the room seemed to relax at the news, but Sansa still felt uneasy given the way Fulton and Baelish were glaring at each other.

"Wonderful to hear," Petyr said but the smile did not reach his eyes. Applause filled the room and the two men finally broke from their glares. "Now there is another matter that we need to discuss." Everyone focused on Petyr once more. Petyr glanced at Fulton who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "We've received another telegram from the army. As we have women present, I'll spare everyone the grotesque details, but to sum it up, there are some safety concerns in the area we may need to deal with."

The crowd was murmuring again. This was bad for the town. They currently had no sheriff or deputy, and thanks to the incident at the mine, most of the abled bodied men were now either injured, exhausted or possibility planning to leave town.

"What aren't you saying Baelish? What concerns?" someone asked.

"Is it the Boltons?" someone else asked.

"Now let's calm it down. We don't need to be getting everyone worked up, especially –"

"Don't you dare say because women are present. We're all tough enough here. Out with it," Brienne said. There was a murmur of agreement that filled the room.

"Alright then," he said holding up a hand. "There are reports of an incident in Cailin. The army suspects the Boltons, but nothing's been confirmed." Petyr seemed to be hesitating on telling further details. Sansa couldn't help but wonder why. Had what happened there been so terrible that it had even shocked him? She further wondered why Cailin would be a target. It was a tiny town, more like a village, they had no telegraph or sheriff. Why would they draw the attention of the Boltons? These thoughts made her start to fill sick to her stomach. Mentions of the Boltons always made her think about what had happened to Jon, and the anger and grief it brought on always made her feel ill.

"Given these latest developments, I suggest everyone try to stay as close to town as the can. At least until there's further news," Petyr cautioned.

"Perhaps we can also assist in the town's protection," Mr. Fulton said.

"We don't want to put you out. I'm sure you are more than busy with the mine. Plus we need to focus on a long term solution, what with your stay here only being temporary," Petyr said evenly.

"You're not putting us out. We're more than happy to secure the perimeter here," Fulton said, his pale eyes fixed on Petyr. "In fact, I can assure you that we plan to stay as long as we deem it necessary."

"How generous of you," Petyr said after a moment.

"Happy to help. So it's settled then? My men will oversee the reopening of the mine as well as keeping an eye on who goes in and out of the town?"

"Yes, it appears it's settled," Petyr said.

"Wonderful. Now were there any other matters you wished to discuss?" Fulton asked. He and Petyr locked gazes once more, neither seemed particularly happy.

"No, appears that does it," Petyr answered. "For now."

"Alright," Fulton said and turned back to the townsfolk. "Then we thank you all for your time. Have a pleasant evening," He had effectively dismissed everyone. Petyr was always the one that ended these meeting. It wasn't lost on Sansa the way Petyr was glowered at the back of Fulton's head. She wasn't sure she particularly cared for Mr. Fulton, but she did enjoy the way he seemed to be able to put Petyr in his place.

xxxxxx

After the meeting she stood outside the church with Arya, Brienne, Theon, Tormund, Marge and Loras, discussing what had just happened inside.

"So what do you think this incident in Cailin is that Ol' Pete doesn't want to go in detail on?" Tormund asked looking at Sansa.

"How would I know?" she asked suddenly feeling defensive.

"Calm down. I'm not saying you do, but you could. He'd probably tell you," Tormund said.

"That won't be necessary," Brienne said and then shot Tormund a look of annoyance. "And if you want the details you can go ask him yourself."

"Good evening folks," they heard from behind them. The circle turned and opened a bit to admit Fulton.

"Hello," they responded. Sansa felt Theon move a bit closer to her when Fulton's eyes lingered a moment too long.

"I couldn't help but overhear your discussion about that terrible business over in Cailin," he went on.

"You know something of it?" Tormund asked.

"I do. But Baelish doesn't really want the details out there. He thinks it'll scare everyone."

"Is that what –" Tormund began.

"And I gather from your tone you don't agree," Brienne interrupted him and gave him a look that told him he needed to be more careful about what he was saying to strangers about Baelish.

If Fulton was concerned with Tormund's opinion of Petyr he wasn't showing it. "Oh I'm certain it'll scare everyone," he said, his pale eyes gleaming oddly in the lantern light.

"So you planning to tell us, or you just wanting to be a tease like Baelish?" Tormund asked.

"Tormund," Brienne hissed between her gritted teeth.

Fulton chuckled before growing serious. "Ladies, if you'd like to leave, now's your chance."

Sansa knew Brienne would stay. She glanced at Marge who rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

"We're just fine here, thanks," Marge said.

Fulton looked at Marge and smirked. "Tough, I like that." Then he turned back to the rest of the group. "Well for starters, Cailin no longer exists. It was a blood bath." Sansa and Marge exchanged a worried look. "Story that's going 'round is that the Boltons set up camp near there. Guess they were planning on hiding up in the nearby foothills. Ol' Roose took a few men and went in to town looking for supplies. Turns out there was a retired army sergeant that lived there, one that had spent a whole lot of years chasing after the Lannisters, and he remembered Roose Bolton's face all too well." He paused then, surveying the faces of the group. It was easy to see they were all hanging on his every word. "So the sergeant sent his son to ride to the nearest town with a telegraph to send word to the army. But in the meantime he also decided to go ahead and muster every man in town that he could. Based on what they found, looks like they must've decided to ride out and try to take the Boltons on themselves. Bunch of fools," he continued. "Boltons laid waste to them. They found all the bodies in desert near the foothills."

"My god," Margaery said. "All those poor families."

Sansa could hear the blood rushing in her ears. All she could think of was Jon. Arya took her hand and gave her a look that told her they could leave if she wanted. Sansa shook her head ever so slightly. It was destroying her to listen, but she wanted to know the rest of the story.

"Indeed," he continued. "Not that it's meant to bring you comfort, but they didn't suffer their loss long."

"What? What do you mean by that?" Brienne asked, her tone conveying great concern.

"Well based on what they found, seems the Boltons must've decided that the town needed to serve as an example. Apparently, it was Sunday morning when those men rode out and met their fate. Perhaps they thought themselves clever for an attack on the Sabbath…. Anyways, the rest of the town appears to have gathered at church, praying for the safe return of their men I'm sure. As far as anyone can guess, the Boltons must've rode in while they were all still in prayer and chained all the doors."

"No," Marge gasped.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. They burned that church to the ground with everyone inside. Then the razed the rest of the town, shooting anyone that wasn't in the church. Outside of that sergeant's son that rode for help, there are no longer any living residents of Cailin."

No one in the group spoke, in fact it was questionable if anyone was still breathing. Fulton was looking around, his face wore an odd expression. For a moment Sansa wanted to call it suppressed glee, but she knew that had to be wrong, no one could possibly be gleeful telling a story like that. Could they?

"Poor bastards," Tormund said breaking the silence.

"Without a doubt, but I do wish Petyr had told the story in there."

"Why?" Sansa asked horrified.

He looked at her with an expression that for a moment almost made her feel as if he thought her simple. "Simple, because then everyone would know what happens when you try and challenge the Boltons."