Sansa

"But everything is so wonderful in Winterfell! You'll love it there. Why can't you come with me," Sansa asked as she packed for her journey to Winterfell.

"My Lady, your mother often spoke of Winterfell and I know that you will be very happy there, but you and your sister are finally safe," Brienne replied. "When I swore to serve Lady Catelyn, she made me a promise as well. She promised me that when the time came, she would not stop me from avenging King Renly. If Stannis is truly in Winterfell... I do not wish to shed blood in your home."

"At least stay for a few days. Jon won't treat you the way nuncle Edmure did, I promise. He isn't like that. And Arya would be so very delighted to meet you, I just know it. I'm sure you'd be all she'd be able to talk about for the rest of winter," Sansa replied. At least that part is true. Lady Brienne will hate Winterfell, most like. Southrons never like the North. But it would be so very dreadful to spend the whole journey with no one to talk to except for a bunch of smelly soldiers. And Brienne was the only person left who could still make Sansa feel safe. Everyone else who ever tried to protect me is dead. Father, Lord Tyrion, and Lord Petyr. All of them...except the Hound, but he was scary and never wanted anything to be pleasant. He's probably dead too.

"I also swore to protect you...I suppose that means it is my duty to see that you safely arrive at Winterfell, but that is as far as I will go."

Suddenly, the door swung open and Edmure Tully entered the room. Sansa had come to love her nuncle dearly during her time in Riverrun although she oft found herself wishing he would stop making such nasty japes about Brienne. Even so, he had been so very kind to her and he wasn't half so cruel to the maid of Tarth as some of the other men in Riverrun. And while she knew that she would never be able to completely forgive Lady Roselin for being a Frey, Edmure and his wife loved each other so dearly that simply seeing them together reminded Sansa of her parents...of how happy they were before King Robert the Fat came to Winterfell. However, the thing that she had come to love most about Riverrun was helping Lady Roselin take care of her baby. Hoster was a sweet child who never cried at night and was finally learning to walk. Today though, Lord Edmure frightened Sansa more than anything she'd seen since she left King's Landing. The moment she saw the look on her nuncle's face, she knew that she would not be returning home.

...

No one knew what had happened at Winterfell, only that it was no longer safe. Soon, smallfolk from the North began fleeing to Riverlands and they all had different stories, each more dreadful than the last. One man said that King Stannis had killed Jon in single combat after he discovered that her half-brother planned to take him prisoner and turn him over to Daenarys Targaryen. Others claimed that Lord Bolton's bastard had declared himself "King Beyond the Wall" and gathered an army of 100,000 Wildlings before burning down Winterfell. There was even an absurd story that the Others had conquered half the North and the Night's King had taken Arya for a wife after turning her into an Other. The Wall would never come down and even if it did, the Others aren't real. I suppose if Arya ever were to become a Queen, it would be of the Wildlings or the Ironborn. It's easier to imagine her as an Other than as Queen of...anything.

As the weeks went by, some of the details about the Battle of Winterfell were eventually confirmed. It was known King Stannis was killed during some sort of great battle in the snow and that Winterfell had been captured by an enemy from beyond The Wall. All of the northern smallfolk were now insisting that the Others had advanced as far south as Barrowton, but Sansa would not let herself believe such a thing. It was too horrid. The Others don't exist, no more than giants, snarks, or grumpkins. But if mother and Lady Brienne could come back from the dead... No! They can't be real! The only silver lining was that none of the stories involved Arya dying. The refugees had stopped talking of her sister entirely. Arya escaped from King's Landing and then made it all the way back to Winterfell. She probably escaped from Winterfell too. It was a Wildling attack, Sansa decided. Jon saved Arya and cut his way out of Winterfell. Mayhaps they'll even arrive at Riverrun in a few days. Suddenly, she remembered what Lord Petyr once told her: "Life is not a song, sweetling." I'm still just a stupid little girl with stupid dreams who never learns, she thought to herself bitterly. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she realized that wherever Jon and Arya were – whether they were dead or alive – she would never see either of them again.

...

During those horrible weeks, the only person that Sansa could stand to be around was baby Hoster. Everyone else was always looking at her with pity and telling her how sorry they were about what had happened. Don't they know that they're just making it worse. Why can't they all just leave me alone?

The Blackfish eventually left Riverrun, claiming that he had to oversee the defense of the Twins in case whatever attacked Winterfell decided to march south, but Sansa knew the real reason was the argument he'd had with Lord Edmure over her nuncle's decision to allow all of the smallfolk fleeing the North into the Riverlands. The Blackfish believed the smallfolk were simply useless mouths to feed. Sansa's grandnuncle was a hard man by nature, but he was also one of the only men in Riverrun who treated Brienne kindly.

...

"Lord Tarly and his men should arrive on the morrow," Edmure told her one night. "Though we declared for Stannis after King Aegon died, Randyll Tarly knows that both he and House Tyrell will always have a loyal friend in House Tully. I promise that you'll be safe here. If anyone attacks Riverrun, I'll break them just like I broke Tywin Lannister at the Battle of the Fords." But you didn't break him, Sansa thought to herself bitterly, Lord Tywin won the war on your wedding night when Lady Roselin's family murdered my mother and my brother Robb...and took you prisoner.

"Must she accompany you everywhere," Edmure asked, scowling at Lady Brienne. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and one of his men entered the room.

"It'd seem Lord Randyll and his army had other matters to attend to," said the soldier. "He sent far fewer men than promised. Their commander, Ser Urswyck, asks that you grant him an audience at once."

"I suppose they will have to do," Edmure replied, frowning. "Very well, let us go and greet our guests. I fear I will have to wake Roselin. Her presence will be expected and so will yours, my Lady. I suppose that bloody bear of yours might as well come too since she's still wearing that bloody armor of hers."

It was the coldest night Sansa could remember since she had left the North. She struggled to keep herself from shivering. Even her uncle looked miserable and plainly regretted his decision to wear a red and blue doublet rather than armor. Riverrun had never experienced this sort of weather before and unlike Winterfell, its great hall was not designed to keep men warm during the winter. The cold reminded Sansa of the stories about the Others...about Winterfell...about what they had done to... No! That's impossible, the Others aren't even real. They're just a story to scare children. Ser Urswyck was accompanied by only 30 of his 250 men in the great hall, although the rest were in or near the castle. Ser Urswyck frightened Sansa a great deal. He was nearly bald with red-rimmed eyes and he wore a ragged leather cloak over his chainmail. He is not a true knight, she decided.

"Good Lord Randyll sent me here because he knows Ser Urswyck the Faithful to be the most loyal man in the realm. Every bit as loyal to him as to Vargo Hoat before I opened the gates to Harrenhal for him and the Kingslayer. That's why they call me Ser Urswyck the Faithful. Good Lord Randyll knighted for that I was and I been in his service since. He says I have me uses, he does. Send me here to warn you. House Tyrell has learned of a plot against you, me Lord. Some traitors in this very room, there are." But why would...who...who here would ever want to hurt uncle Edmure.

"My...my life," stammered Lord Edmure, "but who would...who are these traitors, Ser Urswyck. Tell me their names and if what you say is true then I promise House Tully will never forget what you have done." None of this makes any sense. Why wouldn't Lord Randyll just send nuncle Edmure a raven?

"The names, Ser?" asked Edmure.

"Simple enough. Way Lord Randyll sees it, you're a traitor for declaring for Stannis. Willas Tyrell sends his regards," replied Ser Urswyck and before anyone could react, he unsheathed a dagger from his belt and threw it at Lord Edmure. The last thing that Sansa heard was the sound of Lady Roselin screaming as the false knight's dagger went through Lord Edmure's right eye, killing him instantly, as Tarly soldiers flooded into the great hall.

AN: Chekov's crazy Willas strikes!