I know...I am trying to get these out for you before I leave. Today is my birthday! Hurray! Here is a new chapter, fast forwarded a few months. Enjoy!

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The lion takes a bride.

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Since Ulric's death, the skies were blue and sunny. It was colder and winter was truly coming soon, making Sansa worry for Gendry's trip to the Barrowlands.

Gendry had been invited by Jon to come to his home in the Barrowlands to collect some things for he and Arya. News of their new betrothal had already traveled around Westeros and Jon wanted to be the first to gift them. It had been a beautiful day when at a dinner, Gendry got down upon one knee in front of all in the room and asked for Arya's hand. Sansa watched in happiness from her seat at the high table as Arya jumped into his arms and accepted. The ring was simple; made of silver and ruby; something Sansa and Sandor helped him afford. It had been two months since then and now, Gendry was leaving his betrothed to journey by himself to the Barrowlands.

Sansa was now standing next to Arya on the balcony, watching him ride away by himself, "I don't understand why I could not go." Sansa smiled and took her sister's hand in hers, "You cannot travel with your betrothed or husband every time he must go. No matter how much you love him." Arya snorted and crossed her arms over her chest; she was ten and four, but still as stubborn as she was when she was just a short haired girl wandering in the woods.

Arya walked into her rooms and began to undress to change into her riding clothes, "I hate dresses! Help me?" Sansa helped her sister while she commented, "You've been wearing them more often. You look beautiful in the ones Meg gave you. Have you heard from her?" Arya nodded, "She writes that the babes are doing well and they hope you will visit soon to see them." Sansa nodded, "I will soon enough." Arya eyed her sister with suspicion, "Are you alright? You seem more quiet than usual." Sansa smiled and sat upon her sisters bed, "I am fine. I only miss Sandor. He has been gone for so long that I ache every morning and evening. The children ask for him nearly all of the time and I feel alone at nights. Marian has stopped taking my breast and Baelfire runs past me in the halls sometimes without even stopping to hug me."

Arya sat down next to Sansa, letting her older sister keep speaking, "He is always with the Maester, learning his words and letters. I know you may find it silly, but they are growing too quick and their father has been gone for nearly three months. I miss him terribly, Arya." Arya took her sister in her arms and hugged her as she sobbed, "I feel so alone, sometimes."

Sandor had gone to Casterly Rock with Tyrion, Victoria, Jaime and Brienne. Sansa argued with him for hours over his decision to go with them, "Why leave? Do they really need the protection? Sandor, pleae, do not leave me here alone! I shall go mad!" He looked at her as he continued to pack a satchel for his horse, "I shall only be gone for a month or two. The little lord has asked me to ride with them so I shall protect Lady Victoria. I am not doing this to get away." Sansa grabbed him by his belt and struggled to pull him back through the door as he went to walk away, "Stop! If you love me, you'll stop!" And he did stop. Sandor turned and grabbed her shoulders, "Stop acting like a spoiled child! I love you, by the gods I do. I am helping our friends, little bird. I will be home before you know it, making love to you every night and taking care of our children. Ain't nothing going to stop me from returning home to you. This world is dangerous, Sansa. With Jaime as the new Lord of the rock, they will want his head. I am going to protect them. Please."

And with that, he kissed her and walked away from her to the Lannister's. It was Hodor and Bran that found Sansa on the floor of her chambers nearly 30 minutes later, crying, "He'll be killed!" She only feared for his safety because he was the King of the North and he was doing a dangerous duty of protecting the new Lord of Casterly Rock. Jaime was a grand fighter, but he was not as strong as he used to be and even though Brienne was a strong woman with skills, as Jaime's bride to be, she needed protection.

Sansa could not help but smile as she thought of Jaime and Brienne announcing their betrothal. There was no fancy rings, no fancy timing, but it was during one of their dueling sessions. Brienne smiled as she spoke of how she bested him at a sword fight near the barn when he tossed down his sword and asked her to be his wife and Lady of Casterly Rock. It was not a match made perfect, but Brienne was lovely, kind and she loved Jaime with or without the hand.

As Sansa sat with Arya and reminisced with her, Baelfire ran inside the room, "Mama! Papa is here!" A giggling Marian came tumbling in behind him, "Mama! Dada!" Sansa gasped and ran to her sisters balcony to see Sandor returning on his Stranger followed by a banner man. Sansa cried out and smiled as he rode through the gates; he was finally home and back with his family. Sansa bent down and picked up Baelfire as Arya held Marian and each of them smiled and waved to Sandor, who looked up at them with a large smile. He jumped from his horse and ran through the doors of the castle. Sansa put Baelfire down and took Marian from Arya, "Have Eliza come to take the children in an hour." Arya nodded and Sansa left the room with the children in tow.

She she journeyed the halls, she turned when she heard his voice, "I told you I'd be back." Sansa looked back at Sandor and smiled, "Children, greet your father." Baelfire ran to him and gripped his leg, looking up at his father, "Papa! You've come home!" Sansa walked to him and used her free hand to rub his stubbly cheek, "I prayed for you in the Godswood each morning. I've missed you." Sandor sighed and kissed her before kissing Marian, all the while, his other hand played with Baelfire's hair, "I thought of you each night. Come, lets go to our chambers. I hope you have called for someone to take the children?" Sansa giggled, "We have an hour with them and then after we shall do whatever you want." Sandor lifted Baelfire into his arms and looked at the boy, "Your hair is longer and you've grown. But are you smart? What is my name?" Baelfire laughed, "Papa!"

"No, boy. My real name." Baelfire thought for a moment, "Sandor!"

"Aye, good job. I see the Maester has been teaching him." For the next hour, Baelfire and Marian babbled on. Marian was harder to understand, but Sandor held her on his lap, with Sansa cuddling one side and Baelfire the other as they sat together on the bed. He played with Marian's brown hair and commented, "She looks like you more and more each day." It was true, but Sandor feared to say of how much of him he could see in her as well. She had her mother's eyes, but her fathers intense gaze and long brown hair. She was tall for her age, Baelfire was over two years of age, and Marian was nearly his height for her age of a bit over one. Sandor loved his little family and would kill for them, but what he did not tell Sansa, was of the dreams that plagued him those nights he was away from them. The dreams of an evil coming; but they were only dreams.

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As Gendry rode on, the woods were dark and cold. He was wrapped in furs that Sansa had given him and they could not help through the cold wind. Gendry gasped as his horse began to snort and stop, "What are you doing? Keep going you old fool. We are nearly there!" As quickly as they stopped, the horse reared back as an animal he could not see ran from the trees and across the way, startling the horse and sending Gendry to the ground. Gendry cried out as he fell from the back of his horse, his furs getting caught on the saddle and falling from his shoulders just as his head made contact with the cold, hard ground. His eyes threatened to close and as they did, he heard yells, "That way! I heard a horse!" Then all was dark.

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The seas were calm on this night. Sitting on his throne in Dragonstone, Adrian rolled one of his rings upon his fingers as Melisandre spoke, "The Lannister's have returned home to Casterly Rock. The imp and his daughter will make their way to Kings Landing where she will grow." Adrian hummed, "And what of the Hound?"

She sighed, "You ask too much of that family. Are worry should be focused on the new Lord of Casterly Rock. The north bitch and her pups came wait." Adrian growled and stood from his seat, "How dare you speak of her children in that manner you miserable wench!" One on his boney, long fingers pointed at her as his hair flew back in rage and his green eyes turned to black. Melisandre frowned and backed away as he started down the stairs to her, "Leave me." She bowed her head and walked from the room; he was not controlling his anger like he should be.

After he left, Adrian turned to the fire in the middle of the room and used his hands, making it build into one massive flame before he tied his hair back and sighed, "Show me the girl." The fire swirled and it quickly showed a sleeping Marian in her crib. Adrian smiled and took a step into the flame before he disappeared. As he reached the other side of the vision, he found himself in the nursery in Winterfell. He had never done such strong magic before and when he looked into the long mirror in the nursery, he found himself to be a red shadow with two green eyes. He heard a sigh and looked to the crib to see Marian yawning and rubbing her eyes before she looked at him, "Hello, girl." He was sure she would be frightened, but she was not. The small child pulled herself up and held out her hand to him, "Ada."

Adrian smiled at her babble and moved to her, whispering, "You are a special creature, daughter of the North." He reached his shadow hand down and touched her hair. A noise at the door made him growl and he suddenly was sucked away from the vision. Adrian was thrown back into the throne room and he caught his breath as he looked upon the flame once more to see Sansa walking in, "Marian! I thought I heard you. Come on, you shall sleep with your father and I. It seems he is too tired from his journey to love your mother." Adrian smirked and the flame died down.

The princess was his number one priority over the Lannister's and he believe a plan of visiting the Cleganes was in order.

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I know. I said no more until I got back..well I lied. I hope you enjoy. And yes, I know some things were random..but they happen :P