Jon Snow The Literal Fire-Breathing Dragon

by Umbrakinetic

Jon Snow was dead, betrayed by his own brothers. Ghost had tried to avenge him but was eventually taken down by the same men. Wargs don't truly die however so Jon finds himself reincarnated in the body of the animal he has the next closest connection to, a dragon he's never met. Specifically Daenerys's dragon, Rhaegal. RLJ

29. Sansa IV

Chapter 29: Sansa IV

Once the last Lord, Lord Gerold Grafton had sworn fealty to Jon and House Targaryen, and the High Hall was empty once more aside from the three of them, Baelish turned to Jon with a frown. "Well, that could have gone better."

Indeed it could have been better, there was no disagreement on that matter amongst them. The meeting with the Lords of the Vale had been even worse than the worst-case scenario. The Lords had rebuffed all of Jon's goals and desires, instead just believing him a usurping bastard which in a way Sansa supposed he was. He had been too heavy-handed in his approach with the Lords, treating them like the Northern Lords who had every reason to want him on the throne, even if it meant agreeing with a few things they didn't like. Jon sitting the Iron Throne would not bring any pride to the Vale. He was working from scratch- or at least he should have been but he had instead chosen to start beneath the earth with shackles on his ankles.

What had happened to Arya had weighed on his mind and impacted his decision making. He was already short of temper usually, but what had happened to Arya had made him have a shorter fuse than usual. He had been distracted the entire time and had been on edge. He had blown up at Robin during dinner, rather than acquiescing to his demands to ride on Rhaegal at least once, a perfectly reasonable request- Jon had refused him. He had in public caused the Lord of the Vale to scream at him, and have one of his seizures. That had done nothing to endear him to the Lords of the Vale.

He had only devolved further throughout the entire evening as he portrayed the same signs of Targaryen madness that Brienne had claimed were there, something that Sansa knew the Lords had picked up on and it had hardened their stances against him. His temper had been erratic, and dangerously unstable with both the Lords and Robin beforehand. His obsession with making himself seem better than everyone else had been his detriment. His goals had been revealed with no grace, or gentleness as Jon instead opted to be overly blunt in his approach. He had come off as arrogant, and a self-absorbed dictator.

Wasn't that who Jon was though? He had told her close to the same thing on the way here this morning. He wasn't content with just ruling Westeros, he needed the entire world. He didn't care whose cultures or traditions he trampled in the way, as long as the world was remade in his image. She did believe in most of what Jon wanted to do, that it was good and his rules had been extremely kind to her so far but that didn't mean that it was right. How many people would be crushed by his rule? How many people would be hurt in his zealous and impossible pursuit of a perfect world? He was forcing men to live in fear to build his world. He had a dangerous temper, how long until all of that evolved into madness? That was, of course, if it hadn't already which was far from a guarantee if Brienne was to be believed.

Was burning men alive in such a brutal fashion as Jon had madness? Was Sansa just being willingly blind to Jon's cruelty in her joy of Ramsey's suffering? He had made those men scream as they died and Brienne was right some of them were innocent and just following orders. Had Jon enjoyed it? She couldn't exactly say that he didn't. Was madness even quantifiable? Jon had some negative habits but surely that didn't mean he was the Mad King born again. There had been plenty of Kings before Aerys who weren't perfect but weren't mad. Jon just was the next in that line.

Of course, Sansa wasn't a complete fool. She understood that Jon was not solely responsible for their failure to gain allies today. Most of the blame lied with Petyr Baelish who had sowed chaos as he always did. She was certain that Baelish had a plan in place even as he intentionally sowed chaos.

He had never intended for Jon to gain an army today. He had seated Jon on the highest dais in the high hall and on the throne of the Arryn's for that exact purpose. He had told her while she was still Alayne that the lords would take offense at that. Cheeks born so low as mine must never aspire to such lofty cushions.

Jon for all the titles he now carried and the crown he wore upon his head was born a bastard. Him sitting in the throne of the Kings of the Vale was a slap in the face to the proud and traditionalist Vale Lords. That alone had turned them more hostile towards him.

Jon had been put in an impossible situation at dinner when Robin had a seizure and had screamed at him. He couldn't have punished Robin or even Baelish without possibly losing the Vale. He had to forgive them. The lack of retribution against Robin had given the Lords courage to not fear retaliation from Jon. Something that Baelish had hammered in by mentioning guest right and how all of them would be allowed to leave if they kneeled or not. They had no reason not to question Jon with that promise and proof that Jon wouldn't harm them for defiance. It was a masterful move by Baelish to stop Jon from gaining allies.

The only question was why? Didn't Baelish want Jon to be King so she could inherit his throne? How did taking away allies help in that endeavor? Was she mistaken about Baelish's endgame? When they had met and he agreed to call this meeting the plan had seemed so simple. They both wanted Jon to be King so Sansa could inherit the throne after his and Daenerys's death. That plan shouldn't have changed over the last month yet it had. The only reasoning Sansa could think of behind Baelish's manipulations was that he wanted to be the one who gained all of Jon's allies in order to gain his trust. Yet did Baelish need Jon's trust to usurp him in favor of Sansa? She doubted that, and it made his motives all the more indecipherable.

Jon turned towards Baelish at the sound of his voice. His bronze eyes practically glowed and there were flames dancing in them. "I was told you were going to give me the Vale, in exchange for taking Robin as my squire and placing you on my council!" Jon snapped somewhat irrationally as he seemingly gave into his anger. "You failed to deliver on your end of the bargain."

Baelish didn't even bat an eye at Jon's rage. "Surely, you didn't expect to get the entirety of the Vale in one day, Your Grace." He said calmly, with a knowing glint in his eyes. "This time might not have gone perfectly, but not all is lost, Your Grace. We can still get the Vale to fight for you, it will just take time."

"How?" Jon roared like his dragon. "They will never support a usurping bastard! They won't defy their Gods! They believe me to be a mad man! How do you think you can convince them that I should be King when their Gods say otherwise?"

Baelish merely smirked. "The answer is quite obvious, Your Grace. I don't convince them of anything. I leave the convincing up to the Gods. The High Septon claims that you are a mad man. A practitioner of dark magic, and a heathen from the wild. An evil satanic bastard. That is why the Lords hate you so much."

He clicked his tongue. "That is only one Septon, not all of them. We simply find a Septon respected as much if not more so than the High Sparrow and have them be your herald. Have them proclaim you as the chosen of the seven, the one who will free Westeros from a tyrannical Lannister rule. The one who is the champion of the common man, and who is manifesting the Gods' will on this earth. The one who the Stranger voluntarily relinquished his hold on, and allowed to return to life. Your goals are noble at heart, and when the Gods proclaim your way as the Gods' way men will believe it because it is what makes sense."

Jon nodded subdued by Baelish's calm approach and recommended course of action. "I trust you have a Septon in mind? Who will willingly spread lies on my behalf?"

"They are only lies if you believe them to be so," Baelish said with a smile that reached his eyes for once. "I have multiple Septons in place to be your heralds and contradict some of the slander from the High Septon."

Jon nodded. "I trust that you will see it done?"

"At your word, Your Grace," Baelish agreed amicably.

Jon looked towards Sansa who gave a slight nod in confirmation. She hated to give Baelish this power but they did need the Vale, and positive propaganda by the seven would only help them in the end, even if it also helped Baelish weasel his way closer into Jon's graces. Jon had already given him too much ripe, what was a little more? Jon nodded firmly at her confirmation. "Then do it." He ordered.

Jon sighed and pursed his lips before speaking again. "If my army will be smaller than planned, and have discord and strife within our ranks than we should give Tommen's army the same treatment."

Baelish lifted an eyebrow and grinned like a Cheshire cat. "What do you have in mind, Your Grace?"

"Sansa tells me that you were the one responsible for the purple wedding," Jon said quietly.

Sansa stutter-stepped back in shock and her hand flew up to cover her mouth and try to hide her surprise, they had not agreed to reveal that Jon was aware of Baelish's responsibility for that event.

Baelish glanced over at Sansa with slightly narrowed eyes. "I was, Your Grace," Baelish confessed. "I was blinded by rage over the death of my beloved Cat at the orders of King Joffrey, I only wanted to save her only daughter from suffering the same fate. When I had the chance to get her out of there I took it."

Jon nodded in agreement. "I can't thank you enough for that but you were not the only one responsible for the purple wedding. You collaborated with Olenna Tyrell."

Baelish's lips twitched upwards and he let out a light laugh. "Indeed, I did." His eyes were dancing with merriment as he already knew where Jon was going with this and clearly approved.

"Why not let that information loose? The Tyrells were responsible for the murder of Joffrey, they murdered their King so they could have Tommen rule instead. Let the information tear them apart and keep them divided and easily defeated."

"That won't work," Sansa spoke up. "The Tyrells are too good at playing this game, and making you believe that they care that they could easily fool Tommen into believing it is just a lie of the enemy. Perhaps, if Cersei still was alive and had power it might divide them but fortunately, she's not. We missed that opportunity."

Baelish chuckled. "My dear, you still have so much to learn. The goal of this endeavor isn't to divide Margaery Tyrell and Tommen Baratheon. There is almost nothing that could divide them at this point as they both are latched onto power and desperate to retain it. There is more to an army than simply the Lords and Ladies that command them. The goal is to divide their soldiers. Make the Lannister soldiers not trust the Tyrells they march beside. To make the common men turn on each other, and let unrest break out in their encampments. In the chaos of battle when a Tyrell arrow accidentally strikes a Lannister, it won't be seen as an accident by the suspicious soldiers but a deliberate attack from their so-called allies."

"Indeed," Jon nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I trust that you can see this rumor spread as well?"

Baelish laughed once more with a grin that reached his gray-green eyes and made them almost glow in the light. "I will, Your Grace," he agreed immediately. "All these rumors you're asking me to spread does have me wondering, am I to serve as your Master of Whispers?"

Jon shook his head. "No. Varys is our Master of Whispers. If you can get me at least another 5,000 Valemen then you will have a spot on my council, but that spot has yet to be determined."

"So your Queen has the spider?" Baelish asked in faux surprise. "How about Master of Coin then? I served in that role for both King Robert and King Joffrey."

"We already have a Master of Coin in Tyrion Lannister. We will make a ruling on your position once you have delivered on your end of the bargain." Jon said with some notable frustration.

"Perhaps I could serve as-"

"Enough!" Jon roared finally losing his temperament. "I will assign you a role when I assign you a role. Nagging me will not make that come any quicker. If you want to prove yourself loyal to me, and that you deserve a high spot on my council then you can give me the Vale. Until then I have no desire to freely give you power."

"Apologies, Your Grace, I was only trying to help," Baelish said with false sincereness.

Jon scoffed. "I will go now and meet with the Mountain Clans, and hope to have better luck with them then these pig-headed Lords. I should be gone for about a week. The two of you are to do your best to convert the Lords of the Vale to my cause, or at least get me another chance to speak with them, be that through blackmail, manipulation, or fear. You, Lord Baelish are to set to spreading the rumors we have discussed. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Grace, I will see it done before you return." Baelish agreed.

"Aren't you at least going to wait until morning before departing?" Sansa asked with some trepidation. She didn't want to be alone with Baelish longer than she had to be.

Jon shook his head and gave her what she assumed was meant to be a reassuring smile. "I need to go for a flight and clear my head. Might as well do something productive instead of just a joy ride."

Sansa nodded feebly and Jon turned away from them and exited the High Hall leaving her alone with Baelish.

The moment the door latched shut behind Jon, she was pulled into Baelish's arms. Sansa tensed in his grip.

Thankfully Baelish didn't appear to notice her discomfort. "I missed you, my dear Sansa," Baelish murmured into her hair and pressed his lips to the back of her scalp.

"I as well," Sansa agreed untangling herself from his arms. "However, business must come before pleasure." She said evenly.

Baelish sighed. "Very well, what do we need to discuss?" He asked letting go of her and taking a small step away from her.

"What was that?" Sansa demanded heatedly.

"What was what?" Baelish replied playing the fool. "I'm afraid you must be more specific. I was under the impression that everything went perfectly."

"I thought you wanted the Vale to fight for him. I thought you wanted Jon to be King so I could be Queen."

Baelish chuckled. "I do want your cousin to take the throne so you can be Queen. That does not mean that I want the Vale loyal to him."

"What does that mean? Do you expect that he will take the throne without the Vale? He'll cast you aside if the Vale doesn't fight for him. We need the Vale."

"Tell me, my dear sweet Sansa, is it better to have the Vale loyal to King Jon and by extension you or loyal to you and by extension King Jon?" Baelish reached out and grabbed her hand, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of it. "There is always a chance that King Jon doesn't die as planned, if it comes to a civil war between the two of you I want the armies on your side, not his. The Vale will not ever stand for Jon Snow the bastard sitting the Iron Throne. But Sansa Stark? She they will kneel before."

"You wanted Jon to fail?" Sansa asked in disbelief. "You intentionally sabotaged Jon's efforts. Why? The Lords hate you, how do you plan on getting them to support you if they won't even kneel to Jon when he has a dragon?"

Baelish smiled. "Aye, I wanted King Jon to fail. It was all too easy to poison their minds against King Jon. Robin's missed serving of sweetsleep today to get him on edge, and make a seizure almost certain to occur. When the King they were here to support made their much-beloved Lord Arryn have a seizure that was only going to harden their already stone-cold hearts even more. The only way it could have gone better is if he had screamed at Robin during dinner. A few subtle maneuverings such as placing him on the Arryn's throne and introducing himself as a Stark and Targaryen King was always intended to make him appear as just an arrogant power-hungry bastard who wanted to be something he wasn't."

"I'll admit that your cousin was more charismatic than I anticipated, and he was well prepared for the meeting. His talking points were well written and he had some good arguments that might have worked if the Lords had been at all willing to listen. Unfortunately for His Grace, he had already guaranteed that they wouldn't when he arrived."

Sansa inhaled sharply. "Mya," she gasped in horror as she finally realized the real purpose of her escorting them. "You didn't just choose her to see how he would react around a Baratheon." She had played directly into Lord Baelish's hands completely unknowing at the time. She was just trying to get Jon some support but her actions might have cost him the Vale.

Baelish nodded. "Indeed. Mya Stone was the key piece to the puzzle. I'll admit I was curious to how he would handle himself around a Baratheon but her father was not why she had to be the one I chose. Can you guess at why it had to be her who escorted him?"

Sansa nodded mutely. "You wanted her to learn of Jon's goals, so the word would spread beforehand. You knew because I was aware of how Jon's rules affected her, I would share them with her."

"Close but not quite. It was her past relationship that was the key but not their effect on her. It was about who it was with. She had her affair with Ser Mychel Redfort who happened to be engaged to be married to Ysilla Royce. House Royce and House Redfort were the two houses most vocal in their desire to join your eldest brother in his fight against the Lannisters and were two powerful Houses who likely would have bent the knee to King Jon."

"Of course, I couldn't allow that to happen so I made sure both Lord Horton and Lord Yohn hated him beforehand. When your cousin told Mya Stone that she could marry Ser Mychel Redfort and that the forced engagement to lady Ysilla Royce held no power the die was cast. Mya Stone in her excitement over the news, of course, rushed to tell her beloved, and all of her friends of the goodness of King Jon. Lord Yohn and Lord Horton heard how the King they planned to kneel to had interfered in their marriage alliance, they were rightfully enraged. They had yet to kneel to him and he was still interfering and commanding them. They would not support him, or see him in at all a positive light after that. His two biggest supporters here had been turned into his two greatest enemies just like that."

"His goals were always going to be controversial and the High Septon has done his job perfectly in casting him in a negative light. He only fanned that image when you crowned him, and did his coronation instead of a Septon as was tradition. He rejected the seven publicly which was never going to be well-received."

Sansa had been responsible for Baelish succeeding. She had been played the fool and manipulated into thinking that it was her idea to coronate Jon, not his. He had given her the crown for him to wear and Sansa had thought nothing of it, she had thought he was trying to get close to Jon with it not use it to undermine him. His hope had always been that Sansa would want to formally crown Jon as was tradition. She had tried to do something nice for her brother for once and it had backfired spectacularly.

"The big Wild Card here was Ser Symond Templeton." Baelish continued unaware of her internal agony. "His family has some recent Stark blood that could tie him to King Jon, or at least the point where he would be willing to hear King Jon's reasoning. Still, he was easily neutralized simply by mentioning where he could overhear that King Jon planned on reaching out to the Mountain Clans which the Templetons have been locked in a conflict with for centuries. That revelation made Ser Templeton willing to oppose King Jon even if he would have knelt otherwise. I arranged it so King Jon had no support outside of myself and my men determined before the meeting took place, and without anyone influential willing to speak in his favor, it would be hard to gain any allies and challenge their pre-conceived opinions of him."

"To what end though? Why jump through all these hoops needlessly?" Sansa wondered aloud. "How will you get them to bow before me- before us and not him? They hold no love for you either, or even for me."

Baelish grinned and his eyes twinkled brightly. "We give them exactly what they want more than anything."

---

"Lord Yohn, Lord Nestor," Lord Baelish greeted the two Lords as they entered the solar. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with us."

Sansa sat behind the desk with Baelish slightly to her right and the other two lords seated across from her. She was to be in the position of power here as it was her not Baelish who would be Queened.

"Save us the pleasantries, Baelish," Lord Yohn said dismissively. "Our answer has not changed. We will not bow before some mad bastard regardless of how many times you ask. Just because you are too cowardly to stand for what is right and have no honor does not mean we will follow suit. House Royce is a house of honorable men, not cowards who would do anything to save their own skins."

"You will die you know," Sansa argued. "If you choose to oppose King Jon then he will destroy you. He has dragons- three of them even. Why refuse to kneel if it means your own end? Follow in your ancestors' footsteps and kneel before the Conquerer. Don't throw you and your family's lives away in vain. You-"

"You insult our House, Lady Sansa." Yohn snarled. "I will not toss aside my honor, and prostrate myself before a mad bastard dragon even if it is the end of me. I will never call your Jon Snow a King. We will fight this King until his death, or ours. The Dornish held against the dragons and House Royce will do the same. We will never let a bastard sit the Iron Throne, no matter the cost. If it is the end of our House, so be it. We will not be remembered as cowards but they will sing songs of our courage and fortitude."

"You did not let the lady finish, My Lord." Baelish tutted. "How is it that you plan on defeating a King with dragons exactly?"

"You can kill a dragon with Scorpions and other Ballista, the same way the Dornish did it. House Royce has plenty of capable marksmen, if anyone can bring down a dragon it is us." Nestor said with pride and some confusion.

Baelish tutted once more. "I'm afraid you misunderstood my question, My Lords, I asked how you defeat a King who has dragons, not how you kill those dragons. It seems like a small difference, but it is a crucial one."

Both Lord Royce's flushed and turned to Sansa who had a perfectly calm facade in place. "What are you suggesting, My Lady?" Lord Yohn asked apprehensively.

Sansa sighed and steeled herself to publicly betray Jon even if it was in theory what he wanted. Would he see it that way when she told him of her methods? Or would he take it as a betrayal? It was one thing to work with just Baelish to usurp him, and another to work with an entire Kingdom in that same endeavor. Perhaps it would be for the best if he was unaware of what exactly had caused the Lords to bend the knee to him. "We are all of one accord here. We all agree that the bastard, Jon Snow should never be allowed to sit the Iron Throne."

"Is this a trick?" Lord Yohn bellowed. "You serve as Jon Snow's hand and have bent the knee to him. Are you suggesting that you want to usurp your cousin? Why?"

Baelish grinned and Sansa let him answer for her. Just saying that first part had been hard enough for her. "That brings us back to that question. How do you defeat a King who has dragons?"

"You kill the dragons in combat, how else would you do it?" Lord Nestor snarled annoyed with Baelish's repentance.

"You just aren't listening, are you?" Baelish sighed and turned to Lord Yohn. "What about you? Surely, you have some idea on how to defeat a King and Queen who have dragons. Or are you as clueless as your cousin?"

"You don't want to kill the dragons. You plan on taking the dragons for yourself, and using them against them." Lord Yohn guessed. "How would you ever hope to pull that off? Do you have a secret Targaryen hiding under the desk? I will not support them either. We are done with kneeling to dragons."

Baelish sighed over dramatically once more. "No, although you are correct that I see no need to kill the dragons immediately. The way you defeat a King who happens to have dragons is by making sure that he can't use his dragons. You attack from the inside so he can't use his dragon's fire on us without slaughtering his own men. The only way to defeat a dragon is to neutralize it since killing it is a foolish dream."

"A Targaryen can not be allowed to sit the Iron Throne ever again, a bastard even less so. We will not suffer the second Mad King ruling the realm once again. Yet we can't stop that from happening by refusing to kneel. All our refusal to kneel does is result in our own death. The self-professed King has dragons and his victory is a near-certainty. That does not mean he has to remain King for very long, just that he will claim the Iron Throne eventually with or without your help. The only way to stop a bastard from calling himself King is to call him King."

Sansa wrung her suddenly very sweaty hands nervously beneath the desk as Baelish looked to her to continue where he left off. "We're- I'm not asking you to kneel because I want Jon to be King, I don't. He would be a horrible King, he plans on uprooting all of our traditions, and customs in favor of his new world. He has already overstepped and tried to squash down the very rules of our society and he doesn't plan to stop there. He doesn't just want to rule Westeros but the entire world. He and his bride plan on modernizing all of the world and forcing them to abide by his rules and leadership. He wants to make foreigners and bastards equal to us, nobleborn men and women.."

The looks of horror on the Lord Royces' faces and Petyr's dancing eyes made Sansa feel a punch of guilt but she shrugged it off. She was only doing what Jon had asked and getting him the Vale by whatever means necessary. It wasn't as if she was lying either. Jon had confessed to wanting all of that. He might not have specifically mentioned making bastards equal but he had said everyone was equal- except him, and his Daenerys, of course, and bastards were included in that even if not specifically mentioned. "I have no intention of allowing that to happen but there is nothing any of us can do to stop him on our own."

"It's not honorable and I'm sure my Father would be ashamed of me for this, but neither is what Jon plans to do and I like to think he would understand that Jon had to be stopped even if it was through dishonorable means. He never considered Jon a son of his." She sighed and folded her hands over the desk. "Not everything Jon plans on implementing is entirely bad. He plans on making women have an equal claim to men in the line of inheritance. That means that I am his heir when he meets his tragic demise prematurely."

"Rickon might have been a fine choice as his heir under normal circumstances but that is no longer the case thanks to the actions of Theon Turncloak. Who by the way Queen Daenerys has not executed for his crimes, but instead has allied with Yara Greyjoy and offered the Iron Islands their own partial independence." She shook her head. "That is besides the point, pardon me. Rickon has been raised by a Wildling for the last three years. There is no one that he trusts more, and he listens to her in everything. Jon has only encouraged his connection with the savages from the far North, and has done nothing to see him influenced by a more respected party. If Rickon were to be crowned King then we might as well just crown a wildling."

Sansa looked the two lords up and down. They were still on the fence on if they really wanted to do the dishonorable thing and pretend to kneel to Jon or if they wanted to simply refuse to kneel and die. Jon for all they believed him mad had shown he had some honor at least by not harming them for their refusal yet. She had to convince them that Jon had already forsaken honor- or more so that his Queen had. They needed to see him as heartless and see the betrayal as personal. I'm so sorry Arya. Sansa thought to herself as she wiped away a stray tear that leaked out of the corner of her eyes.

"Queen Daenerys is even worse than Jon. She crucified 162 men when she took Meereen and slaughtered all of the innocent denizens of Astapor when she claimed her slave army for herself. She cares not for traditions or customs in the slightest. Her laws that Jon has adopted as his own have brought Slavers Bay to it's knees and plunged them in debt. She keeps a Kinslayer, and slaver on her very own council." Sansa closed her eyes and looked away from the Lord Royces. "She has already betrayed House Stark yet Jon plans on Queening her all the same." She was surprisingly bitter about that fact, Sansa noticed as she spoke it aloud. Perhaps it was not just a lie. Jon should not be marrying the woman who had employed her rapist. The actions of Daario Naharis were more than enough reason to break that contract but Jon did not want to do so. He wanted to marry his beloved in spite of her blunder and the pain that it had caused House Stark.

"Have you wondered what happened to Arya Stark? She's not dead. She managed to escape the Lannisters hunting her and wound up in Meereen." Sansa stopped trying to keep a calm facade up and let her tears of frustration leak out. "The Queen Daenerys might have been Queen of Meereen but she could not even control her own people. Arya was raped by the captain of her sellswords, Ser Daario Naharis. In spite of Arya's rape at the hands of Ser Daario, Jon refuses to break his betrothal with her." Sansa said her voice thick with emotion.

"The bastard does not care that the Lady Stark was raped by her men? He cares so little about the children of the man who raised him?" Lord Yohn questioned. "Why would any man be so cruel? He truly is a black-hearted mad Targaryen bastard."

Sansa dodged the question instead of lying. "For the same reason as his father raped his mother and the same justification that caused a war before. He fancied himself in love with the Dragon Queen and will not let anything stop him from having his beloved. Even his supposed sister's rape."

"You would have us to kneel to such an evil ungodly man?" Lord Nestor protested. "Why not kneel to King Tommen instead and rise up together to crush the bastard. I don't like King Tommen either but the enemy of our enemy is our friend. Surely, we should choose the lesser of the two evils here."

"You forget that there are not only two options here," Lord Baelish interjected. "King Tommen is no better than King Jon. I am as firm of a follower of the faith of the seven as anyone but Tommen has given them too much power. The seven should not be the highest authority in the Seven Kingdoms. The Faith Militant have absolute power and they are as prone to corruption as anyone and punish innocent men for the smallest of sins. The Gods appointed a King to rule, not so the faith could rule while the King is fat and happy."

"The Baratheon reign has been brutal on the Seven Kingdoms. Possibly even worse than that of the Mad King. Robert Baratheon spent all the Gold in the Seven Kingdoms on his whores, grand feasts, and tourneys. When I stepped down as Master of Coin, the Seven Kingdoms were ten-million gold dragons in debt. Joffrey Baratheon was a cruel vile bastard who suffocated the realm and killed men for the slightest offenses. He had to die to save the realm which is why I with the help of Lady Olenna Tyrell killed him. I would not suffer a second Mad King and I still won't."

"You?" Lord Nestor laughed. "You're the one who killed Joffrey at his own wedding? You lecture me about honor when you killed a King at his own wedding?"

"Aye, it was me with the help of Lady Olenna Tyrell and the knowledge of Queen Margaery herself. The woman who you call your Queen murdered her own husband. I will admit it was dishonorable of me to kill Joffrey in such a way but the ends justified the means and it was justice. Joffrey Baratheon was the one who ordered the Red Wedding after all. My dear friend Cat was murdered by the Lannister King at her brother's wedding, I was only evening the scales. The Seven Pointed Star says For as any man injures his brothers in the faith, let the same be done unto him. Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. If any man takes a life without just cause, let him suffer the same."

"The bastard Joffrey Waters was more mad than the Mad King and his reign had to end. Tommen might be more gentle at heart but he is more malleable as well and stupid. He is still a bastard and capable of his brothers cruelty. He too can not be allowed to have the Iron Throne. He might be better than Jon Snow and his laws but he is a terrible choice to serve as King of anyone yet alone the whole of the Seven Kingdoms. Fortunately, we have a third better option." He turned to Sansa as did the two Lord Royces.

"His laws, however, are not entirely bad. They have me as his next of kin and heir." Sansa said quietly regaining control of the conversation. "If we allow him to take the Iron Throne it will not be so he can inherit the throne his forefathers built, it will be so we can take it from the Targaryens and put it in the hands of the trueborn Starks. My father made the wrong choice when he chose to give Robert the Iron Throne instead of claiming it for himself. If he had, the war of the five Kings would have never happened and both he and my brother would still live. The Red Wedding was the result of my father's honor and deference to blood. Let's fix that, and put a Stark on the throne. Jon is not a Stark but I am. I will not suffer the rule of another cruel Targaryen or Baratheon. I'm not asking you to fight for Jon but for me under the guise of fighting for Jon."

Lord Nestor and Lord Yohn exchanged a brief glance before falling to their knees. "My sword is yours. My life is yours. My honor is yours. I swear to remain loyal to House Stark in perpetuity, observe my homage to House Stark in all matters, and swear to never seek to do any trueborn member of House Stark harm without just cause. I swear a lifetime of service to my Queen, Sansa Stark." Lord Yohn intoned with Lord Royce echoing him.

Sansa's heart thumped loudly in her chest. My Queen, she couldn't help the exhilaration she felt at being addressed as that. It has always been her dream to be a Queen. While she might have given up on that dream now, it still was exhilarating to finally be called that. Queen's never lost control for even a moment. She licked her suddenly very dry lips nervously. "As the head of House Stark, and Q-Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, I promise that I will protect you, govern you fairly, and never seek to do your house harm without just cause."

It was a lie. She was not Queen, she never would be even if she wished she was which she didn't. She was only doing what Jon had asked. This wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want Jon's throne she was just trying to gain him allies through this deception. That was all this was. Yet if that was true, why did her heart beat so much faster when they called her My Queen? Why did she feel so pleased seeing them knelt before her, and not Jon? She was just lying, even to herself. There was no harm, in that. She didn't want the throne, the throne was Jon's, not hers.

"I thank you for your service, My Lords," Sansa said quietly. "However, I can not be your Queen publicly yet. For the time being, that must remain Jon. It is too early on in the game to replace him. For now, you must bend the knee to him. There will be a time where you can publicly call me a Queen but not now, and not for a long while."

"The dragons are too useful to risk usurping Jon now. They can give us victory against the Lannisters even while our army is outnumbered if we were to overthrow them now then victory against the Lannisters would no longer be assured. More so, the dragons are the key to winning the great war."

"The Great War?" Lord Yohn asked quietly, "What greater war is there than the one for the Iron Throne?"

Sansa sighed. They had to believe that this war was real or they would not be willing to fight in it but convincing them of such could cost her everything she had gained. It would have been easier to just let them believe Jon was mad for believing in the Others but she knew it wasn't so. "The war between the living and the dead. The Others are real and are lurking beyond the wall, with an army of wights preparing to move south and extinguish all life."

Lord Nestor chortled. "You believe this? Surely these are just the mad ramblings of your cousin, or a trick to try to claim the throne."

Sansa shook her head morosely. "I wish that was the case but it's not I'm afraid. I first met the wildlings when they were preparing his funeral pyre. I tried to insist that they give me Jon to bury as all Starks were, as at the time I believed him to be my father's son and had yet to learn who he really was. The wildling leader refused, insisting that the dead had to be burned so they couldn't come back as a wight. Before Jon was even a Targaryen, when he was dead they still insisted on the Others being real. That isn't a plot from Jon to fool us all. Every single wildling I've spoken too has been insistent that the Others are real and Jon is not exaggerating at all when he calls it impossible odds against them."

"The only path to victory is forged by dragons. The Others and their army have three weaknesses, the most prominent of them being fire. Dragons are the only method to easily control it and desecrate their army. We need Jon and Daenerys Targaryen to control the dragons so for a short time Jon will remain as King. Once the Others are defeated we can take the throne but until then you will have to kneel to Jon as will I."

Lord Nestor gulped audibly. "If that is the command of my Queen then I will obey but my loyalty will always remain yours and I will never truly call your cousin my King."

Lord Yohn nodded in agreement. "I promised you my honor, and while I don't like kneeling to the bastard- even temporarily I will do so but only for a time. Once this threat- if it even exists is taken care of, my loyalty will only belong to you, My Queen."

Her heart fluttered at that address once more. My Queen. It was everything she had ever wanted in life. She had complete control if she was Queen. No one would ever be able to hurt her again, not Ramsay, Baelish, or even Jon. That was as tempting as anything. She needed that control and it was being dangled in front of her. She had men loyal exclusively to her now, an army of her own, not just Jon's. No longer would she have to rely on someone else coming to her rescue. She had men who would protect her and even die for her. She hated how happy that security made her. She only had them because they thought she would betray Jon. She wouldn't do that, would she?

"I thank you for your loyalty, My Lords," Sansa replied amicably. "You are to attend another meeting with the Lords of the Vale and King Jon once his Queen Daenerys arrives in Westeros. At that meeting, you are to be persuaded to his cause, and speak on his behalf. You are to publicly bend your knee to the Targaryens, and submit yourselves to their cause. In your hearts and minds you will retain loyalty to me but in the eyes of all the Lords, and all your people Jon will be King and Daenerys Queen. You are not to tell anyone of what we have discussed here today or it will be considered an act of treason. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly, Your Grace," Lord Yohn agreed. Your Grace, it sounded so much better when it was used to refer to her and not King Robert, Cersei, Joffrey, or even Jon. She could get used to hearing that. It was her grace, not anyone else's. It was her favor, goodwilll, and honor they strived for and were honored by. She liked having that but she wouldn't betray Jon. She had no intention to do that now.

But what if Brienne and Lord Royce were right? What if Jon truly was as mad as his ancestors. Was she being biased by thinking him not? Even if he wasn't yet, who is to say that he wouldn't go that way in the future. If he did she would have to be Queen, and she needed to be prepared for that eventually. Perhaps it was best to have these contingencies in place, just in case. A plan she could spring to usurp Jon was necessary. Not for her own selfish desires, of course, she would never betray Jon for power but if he went mad she would have no choice but to usurp him. Reluctantly, of course.

"We will not tell a soul, Your Grace." Lord Nestor agreed easily.

Her heart fluttered once more at the title. "Thank you, My Lords," She looked away from them and down at the parchment on her desk before grabbing a quill and pretending to write something as if that thing was more important then the Lords. This was a power play, and she needed it to be clear that she was the one who held all the power here. "You can leave now. I have other business to attend to."

They did as bidded and left Sansa alone with Lord Baelish once again. They were alone together much more than Sansa would have liked. If Jon hadn't left due to a foolish desire to try to reach the Mountain Clans, a vain mission, then she wouldn't have been put in this position. Instead, she was forced to cozy up to the man who had sold her as a slave to Ramsay Bolton for his own ambition.

"You did well," Baelish complimented her as he sat in what had been Lord Yohn's chair. "You handled yourself with all the grace of a Queen."

Sansa chuckled nervously. "I am a Queen. I could have been a stuttering wreck and I still technically would have handled it with the grace of a Queen. I could have screamed at them and threatened to take their heads and I would have still had as much grace as Cersei."

Baelish tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Fair enough, let me rephrase that. You handled yourself with aplomb." he conceded. "I can't help but wonder about something you told the Lord Royces. You said Arya Stark was in Meereen, under the care of Daenerys Targaryen."

"I did." Sansa acknowledged. She knew he would bring this up as soon as she had mentioned it. He was no doubt planning a million ways to use Arya's suffering for their- no his benefit.

"I can't help but wonder why you never said anything." Baelish mused. "This is precious information. We could have used this information to drive not just the Vale but the North and Riverlands as well to you. We could use it to make all of your cousin's army to yours if we play our cards right. There would be no doubt that we could usurp him."

"No," Sansa said firmly, cutting him off. "I will not use what happened to Arya against her. I might betray Jon, but I won't do the same to Arya, not when she needs me more than ever."

"And if she chooses to support King Jon? Would you not be betraying her by betraying King Jon? Don't let her rape be meaningless. Use it to help punish the one responsible for her rape, Daenerys Targaryen. The one who was likely the one to knight her bed-warmer, who proceeded to rape Arya."

Ser Daario Naharis was the Queen's bedwarmer? A lowly sellsword captain slept with Jon's Queen? A rapist was someone that Jon's Queen trusted enough to warm her bed. What did that say about her judgement skills. What did it say about Jon's judgement if he still trusted and loved her in spite of her sleeping with Arya's rapist? Who is even to say that Daenerys wasn't behind Arya's rape if she was truly as mad as she appeared to be. It was something her father would have done.

Sansa shook her head. "The answer is still no. Arya is not me who will crave revenge more than anything she might desire it but she won't want to appear weak to get it. Daenerys Targaryen already executed the women who raped her, that will be enough for her in all likelihood. She won't want to appear weak at all by her rape, becoming public knowledge."

Baelish sighed and took her left hand in his. "You have a good heart, my sweet Sansa, but you must be ruthless here if you are to be Queen. Set aside your care for your sister and make the most logical and wise decision-"

"No," Sansa snarled, cutting him off. "I will not betray Arya, not after what she went through. Anyone else I will use but not her. If I have to be emotionless and ruthless towards everyone, I will be but not with Arya, and especially not after what happened to her. My answer is final on this matter, do not attempt to persuade me."

---

Sansa gently rapped her knuckles on the doorframe. "Lord Horton," she called out. "It's Sansa Stark, do you have a minute to speak with me?"

There was no response as Lord Horton chose to ignore her. She knew he was in there, a steward had just come from his room and when she had asked had told him he was in there. He was deliberately ignoring her, saying that he didn't respect or recognize her position of authority, not just as Hand of the King but also as Lady Stark.

She knocked once more. "Lord Horton, please, I've come to make amends." She was alone for this meeting. This might have been primarily Baelish's plot but his presence here would only derail her progress. They didn't need to convince Lord Horton to join their coup to get his loyalty although they probably could do that. It wasn't worth the risk ultimately; however, as if news got out and she really did plan on pulling it off it would fail. Jon couldn't know or at least Baelish and everyone else had to believe Jon couldn't know. They just needed to convince him of the benefits of Jon's new world to him personally and there were a number of those.

"Lord Horton!" She called out once more. "I know you're in there!" She was starting to get frustrated now as she stood outside the wooden oak doors patiently waiting for some form of response, even a mumbled go away would have been a positive sign at this point.

"Lord Hort-" The door was flung open and her hand found no wall impeding its progress so it fell through causing her to stumble a bit.

"Lady Sansa," Lord Horton greeted her dressed in only a bathrobe. He was short and graying, and unkempt at the moment with his hair tousled and his robe not even fully buttoned. Sansa recognized it as what it was almost immediately, a power-play. He was trying to show her that she wasn't worth even looking decent for. In all likelihood he had just changed into the robe now. "I apologize for not coming sooner. I was in the midst of a nap. What can I do for you today?" His words might show respect but his actions said differently and told the real story.

Sansa knew that he was lying but she didn't call him out on it. There was no reason to do so and she didn't want to add to the hostilities Jon had already caused between them. "May I come it?" She asked gently.

Lord Horton's eyes narrowed slightly and his face took on a pinched expression, but he nodded and stepped aside. Sansa stepped past him and into the rather droll guest room that had been provided for him while he was at the Eyrie. It was rather bland and unexciting but Sansa knew it was better than what was provided for the stewards, and whatnot.

She took a seat at the table as Lord Horton stepped into the kitchen. "Can I get you anything to drink My Lady?" He called out to her. "Perhaps some wine, ale, or tea."

Sansa winced. "Just water if you please. It is too early in the day to drink."

Lord Horton chuckled in amusement as he poured her a glass of iced water from the pitcher. "Mayhaps it is, but I hope you do not mind if I indulge myself all the same."

Sansa smiled. "By all means."

He set the glass of water in front of her and sat down with his ale. He took a long sip from his glass before letting out a gasp of pleasure as he sat it back down. "If this is about my refusal to support the bastard then my response hasn't changed, my lady. I will never call a bastard my King, and I have no desire to kneel to a Targaryen again." He said passionately.

Sansa frowned. "You are already kneeling to a bastard by choosing to bow to King Tommen. Jon might be a bastard but his bride is not. Surely, you would at least kneel to her?"

Lord Horton frowned. "I told you I will never bow to a dragon again. I fought in a war to tear the last dragon off of the Iron Throne and I will not fight another one to put him back on there. Be they a bastard or a trueborn it matters not."

Sansa smirked. "So what about a Baratheon bastard?" She asked. "Hypothetically speaking, of course, but would you support her claim to the Iron Throne over the Lannister bastard? Is it the bastard or the Targaryen part you disagree with? It really is quite hard to tell."

"Lady Sansa," Lord Horton interjected, cutting her off, his voice carrying a tick of anger in it.

Sansa ignored his interruption. "Oh I got it!" She exclaimed happily a fake grin plastered on her face. "You don't want Jon to be King because he broke the betrothal between your youngest son, and Ysilla Royce."

"Yes," Lord Horton snarled in annoyance. "I will not support an interfering bastard who tries to tell me how to run my household. I will not support a bastard who wants my son to dishonor himself by marrying a bastard. His interference has hurt my house and he had no right to interfere. I never proclaimed him as my King."

Sansa grinned like the cat who got the canary. "I agree that Jon had no right to interfere before you chose him as your King but I can't help but wonder why you are so upset about that. Surely, you see that his interference and your son's pending marriage to Mya Stone are nothing but a good thing for both you and your house."

"You think my son marrying a disgraced bastard whore is a good thing? Do you think that I should be happy about her soiling our noble lineage? Corrupting my son? Mayhaps, you are as mad as your brother, My Lady." Lord Horton roared.

Sansa tutted. "I'm afraid you misunderstood my point. Marrying a bastard would be a horrid thing, but there is a good chance that your son, Ser Mychel, does not marry a bastard."

"If I submitted myself to your King's rule, then my son would have the right to choose. The bastard has bewitched him and he fancies himself in love with her. He would choose her, there is little doubt of that."

"You're not wrong," Sansa admitted with a bow of her head. "Ser Mychel would choose to marry Mya, I do not doubt that fact. What I doubt is if she will remain a bastard."

"Jon has a bit of a soft spot for bastards, having been called one his whole life. He naively believes all bastards to be no different from trueborn sons and daughters in nature. He is also adamant that he will not punish any child for the sins of their father, whoever that may be. He also is quite fond of Mya despite who her father is, and having hardly known her."

"I'm positive I could persuade Jon to legitimize her as Mya Baratheon if I wanted too. As the only known living and now trueborn Baratheon she would be the rightful Lady of Storms End, and her husband would be the Lord of Storms End. Your grandsons would inherit the most significant stronghold in the south. Your prior marriage agreement with Ysilla Royce was of little benefit to you. She ties you closer to the Royces who are already your ally. She does not offer you any new lands, or titles, only a womb. You already have an heir and a spare, so Jon's laws requiring him to relinquish all claim to the Redfort lands should hardly matter to you or him. Mya Baratheon offers you power, and influence, to turn that down out of pride would be extremely foolish."

She was positive she could convince Jon as she claimed she could. He already has a soft spot for Mya Baratheon that she could easily exploit. He had a soft spot for bastards as well and wanted them to rise up above her station. Him choosing to name Larence Snow as Lord of the Hornwood above a Lord who would give them more control over the North and was politically wiser showed as much. He was incessant that he wouldn't judge a son for the sins of their father and actions spoke louder than words. Him legitimizing Mya Stone as a Baratheon would prove the lengths he would go to keep that decree truthful. His legitimization of a Baratheon would also show the world he wasn't mad even if it was not necessarily true. There was also the chance that Mya Baratheon could win them some allies in the Stormlands and with the Baratheon loyalists who refused to support Tommen. She was skeptical of how many since they weren't offering to make Mya a Queen, just Lady Paramount of the Stormlands but they would get some with her on their side.

Lord Horton had a greedy glint in his pale eyes as he looked down at his wine glass and swished the last little bit of it around. "Mayhaps, I was a bit impatient. I should have heard what King Jon had to say before decrying him as the devil. Mayhaps, he inherited some of his uncle's honor after all. Mayhaps, I should get to know Mya before I make any assumptions on who she is. Mayhaps, she is more like her father than I realized. If she were to be legitimized, I can see no reason why I would object to her union with my son. If she were to be legitimized, it would prove to me that he is more the son of Lord Stark than Rhaegar Targaryen, and I would be much more inclined to support his bid for the Iron Throne."

Sansa smiled genuinely as she stood up from her chair. "I'm glad we could come to a reasonable agreement here. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. It has been a pleasure."

Lord Horton Redfort stood as well and clasped her hand. "No, please," he said while shaking her hand. "The pleasure is all mine, My Lady Hand. I apologize for such poor decorum, but you caught me unawares. I promise I will be in a better state the next time you have need of me."

"Think nothing of it, you were within your own room. No one dresses properly when alone behind their own doors. It was my fault for disturbing you." Sansa said dismissively.

"You are too kind, My Lady Hand," he gushed.

Sansa smiled prettily. "As much of a pleasure as this has been, I'm afraid I have other business I must attend to. If I may have your leave?"

"By all means," Lord Horton agreed amicably. The old man rose from his own chair and rushed in front of her to open the door.

Sansa stepped through the doorway and walked a few paces down the hall. When she heard the door creak behind her she spun around. "Oh, Lord Horton," She called out stopping him from shutting the door. "Tell Mya that Sansa Stark sends her regards when you see her. Will you? I would do so myself but I'm afraid I don't quite have the time."

His brow furrowed slightly for a moment but he eventually nodded. "I will, My Lady Hand."

Sansa nodded and lifted her hand in a wave before turning back around and heading back to Baelish's solar. Two Lords had been brought into the fold but they still had three more they needed to have for everything to fall into place and for her- no Jon he was King not her, to have the allegiance of the Vale.

---

"Lady Anya Waynwood, it is a pleasure to see you again," Sansa greeted the elderly lady with a smile. "You were so kind to me even when I was just a bastard. I cannot express how much I appreciated it."

"Lady Sansa," Lady Waynwood greeted pleasantly. "I do hope that you will forgive my lack of respect to you while you were just Alayne. If I had known who you were I can assure you I would have treated you as your station demands."

"If you had then my disguise wouldn't have worked so I am grateful you didn't," Sansa joked prompting a chuckle out of the Lady Waynwood.

"I assume you didn't summon me to make small talk, so tell me why am I here Lord Baelish, Lady Sansa." Lady Anya replied curtly after regaining her bearings.

"I'm curious as to why you didn't support King Jon, My Lady. It seems like an out of character move considering where you stand. You refuse to marry your ward, Harold Hardying, and will let him choose his own bride. You yourself are the Lady of your house, why would you be against a woman ruling over your household? Both these things that Jon plans to do, House Waynwood did first. Is it because he's a bastard? But you were so kind to me when I was one, what changed?" Sansa asked.

Lady Anya Waynwood smiled. "Your King has a beautiful world planned, one that I would love to see made manifest but it will never happen."

"How can you think that when Jon has a dragon, and his bride two more? The odds are very tilted in his favor that he will win the war and the throne." Sansa argued.

Lady Waynwood chuckled. "Oh to be young. I have no doubt that your King will take the throne, I don't believe that he will keep it. Aerys Targaryen was once a dreamer too as was Rhaegar Targaryen. They both wanted to make the world a better place, to help people." She sighed."They both lost sight of their dreams once they had that power. Power corrupts everything it comes into contact with. The Lords will push back on that vision your King has, and he like every other King before him will fold under pressure, he'll give up on his new better world to maintain power."

"Jon's not like that." Sansa protested.

"He might not be yet but he will be. He's already showing many of the signs that King Aerys Targaryen did. Arrogance beyond measure, being over presumptuous, and calling himself a dragon. Him burning people alive, without regret. For now, it might be justice as it was with King Aerys but that will eventually no longer satisfy him and it will be the innocents who suffer for it. He's seeing things even, and believes that myths are real just as the Mad King did. His blood will out in the end, and all who are near him will suffer for it. I will not get my family caught in the crosshairs of his rampage." Lady Anya explained.

Was she right? She knew from Brienne who knew from the Kingslayer that Jon had more than a few similarities to the Mad King. He was paranoid, and he did take a perverse pleasure in watching men burn. Could Jonn really go the way of the Mad King? Perhaps it was better to not take that chance- to claim the throne for herself.

She shook her head in denial. No, she would not do that. Jon was good and her brother, not the Mad King. She trusted him. His bride on the other hand? She would have to keep an eye on her. She was a stranger who had shown no goodness in spite of what Jon had claimed. She had let Arya be raped by her lover.

"The myths are unfortunately truly real. The wildlings all testify of the Others existence and the ability to raise the dead. I wish that it was not the case but there unsurmountable evidence of their existence and very little beyond common sense that says otherwise. Jon is not mad like his grandfather. He is good." The words sounded hollow to her own ears. Did she even believe that herself anymore?

She shook her head once more to clear it of the cobwebs. Of course, she did. She knew that Jon was good. He had given Ramsay the death he deserved and had named her Lady of Winterfell he had named her as his hand, and ended the abomination that is arranged marriages. He was good. She knew that, right?

Lady Anya pursed her lips. "Perhaps they are, even if that is the case my answer remains the same. I will not let my family suffer for him, not again. If I support him then my Darcy would be my heir as the Lady Waynwood under his rules. My eldest son, Ser Morton would take that poorly and there would be a succession crisis when I die, likely before your King even has the throne. The majority of our household and bannermen would back my son and my daughter will die needlessly, all because I bent the knee to His Grace, King Jon. I will not let her die for nothing."

"She won't die for nothing. If Lady Darcy bends the knee to Jon, he will fight on her side during any succession crisis. She will inherit your lands, and be made Lady Waynwood. Her children will inherit Ironoaks." Sansa argued.

"If your King is in the midst of his own war then how do you expect him to come join hers? If your King waits until after he has taken the throne, then it will be likely he has given up on his goals and the whole war of succession will have been meaningless." Lady Anya reasoned. "I will not jeopardize my daughter's life for no purpose. She means too much to me to do that."

"Fine," Sansa huffed. "Don't rely on Jon to back your daughter's claim. Rely on me. I swear to you that regardless of where Jon is at in his own war, regardless of how many men your daughter has, and regardless of if Jon has given up on his goals, I will order the Stark forces as Lady Stark, to fight on Lady Darcy's behalf."

"So I should throw my son to the wolves instead? Let him die so my daughter can rule? What kind of parent would I be if I did that? I will not choose between my children. They will both live and my son will be my heir."

Sansa frowned. "My apologies then, my Lady." She whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. "For what?" She asked in confusion.

Lord Baelish slid an envelope across the table to her. "Take a look inside, My Lady. I'm sure you'll find the contents most interesting." He taunted.

She unbound the seal and reached into the envelope, pulling out a stack of papers. She looked over the first one then moved onto the next one, and the next one after that with a growing frown. "These are fabricated," she protested with a hint of anger but the fear showed in her eyes.

"We both know that they are not. I could scarcely believe it when I first heard how much it was. 346,893 dragons is quite a lot of debt for one to occur. I took the liberty of buying up all of the debt that you owed to anyone."

She was shaking with rage. "What do you want?" Lady Anya demanded. "Me to support your King? To let the Mad King reign again?"

Baelish smirked and his eyes sparkled. "That and so much more. You will transfer custody of your ward, Harold Hardying to me so that he can be a role model to the young Lord Robin."

"You're far too bold of a thief, Lord Petyr. You ask too much." Lady Anya claimed. "I won't do it."

Baelish sighed over-dramatically. "I'm afraid that I have no choice but to seize your assets as collateral for your inability to pay the debt then. It will be quite tragic when all of your many children and grandchildren are forced to live on the streets, with no wealth of their own. I'm sure that many of them will die. You'll be mocked, and ridiculed by everyone as the great Waynwoods of the Ironoaks are reduced to no more than peasants because of Anya the prideful. Your children will spit on your name and mock you as they starve on the streets."

Her face was redding rapidly as she tried to maintain her composure in the face of possibly losing everything. "Fine," she snapped off harshly. "If I cannot procure the funds within a moon's turn then I will send Ser Harold to you but I will retain custody over him, and I will support the Mad King. Just grant me some time to set things to right in my household. There will be no more holding this over my head. After that our debts will be repaid in full, and you will toss those documents into the fire."

Petyr smiled although it did not reach his eyes. "That sounds fair enough. You have until that time, My Lady. I look forward to Lord Robin finally getting the chance to meet Ser Harold and King Jon thanks you for your support."

Lady Anya Waynwood did not wait to be dismissed before rising out of her chair and storming away from the solar. Sansa was left alone with Lord Baelish once again.

"Why give her a moon's turn? You could have demanded her fealty now, and Ser Harold as your ward. He is already here, and she would have had no choice but to accept your offer now. Why give her time that you didn't have to?" Sansa asked in confusion.

"There is no way she can repay the debt and the time only benefits us. She will spend the first three weeks floundering about, desperately trying to come up with the funds needed to repay her debts before giving up and making the best of the situation. She will disinherit Lady Darcy to stop a war of succession and her death before she bends the knee to your cousin."

"So why is that a good thing? Why risk her coming up with the funds to stop our plans from coming to fruition when you don't need to. Why does it matter who inherits Ironoaks?" Sansa wondered aloud.

"I could care less about what gender holds it, or who is the rightful heir. I care that Ser Morton is Lord because he has a price. Ser Morton enjoys the finer things, and by that I mean whores, and gold. He is a good part of the reason the Waynwwoods are so in debt. He was spoiled rotten as a child and still lives that way. Darcy on the other hand is known for being straight-laced and reserved. She would prove much harder to control than Ser Morton. With him as Lord, I will be able to retain some control over the Waynwoods even after the debts are gone."

Sansa nodded in understanding. That was the name of the game, wasn't it? Control was always the most important thing. Something that Sansa would never have as long as she bowed to Jon. She would have some measure of it sure, but she would always be acting in his interests before hers. Did she want her possibly mad brother to rule her? Sansa didn't know the answer to that.

---

Sansa was preparing for bed after another long and stressful day of working with the man who had sold her as a slave to Ramsay Bolton. They had gotten a lot done over the last few days. Jon would have the support of all the major superpowers in the Vale by the time that he returned from the meetings with the mountain clans.

Of course, very few of them would actually be loyal to him but they would fight for him. The Royces would march with the end goal of crowning Sansa. Lord Redfort would march so Mya Stone could become Mya Baratheon and the Redforts could have a claim to the Stormlands. Lady Waynwood would march to have her debts repaid. Baelish had gotten Lord Templeton to fight for Jon and later her on his own although he hadn't opted to share his method with her. The only Lord they had left to meet with that they needed the support of was Lord Gilwood Hunter. The rest of them would fall into place with all the superpowers going their way as the sheep followed the strong.

Sansa was torn in two by the plot Baelish was weaving. She had always wanted to be Queen, as a child all the way up until her father died. Even then, she had dreamed of some prince or knight coming to save her from him and marrying them like in the fairy tales. She had convinced herself she no longer wanted that, but to be her own person, strong and independent after the purple wedding. Now she had a chance at all of her childhood dreams and it was harder for her to pass it up then she would like to admit.

She could be Queen. She could be the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. No one could ever have power over her again. She would truly be free for the first time since she left Winterfell. All she had to do in order to get everything she desired was betray Jon. All she had to do was let Lord Baelish not be punished for selling her to Ramsay. She dreamed of Baelish's death all the time. She had clung to her hatred of him whole with Ramsay and cursed his name constantly. She couldn't have it all. She either betrayed Jon and became Queen with Baelish by her side, or she stuck with Jon and was content with being Hand of the King with Baelish hopefully dying eventually. Either way, she had to give up on one of her dreams. The question was which one.

There was more to it than just betraying Jon. If it was just Jon she might have done it but it wasn't. Her father had lived a lie in order to protect Jon and she was considering killing him. What she was doing wasn't honorable- considering doing that is, she wouldn't actually do it- probably.

Robb had named Jon as his heir and she would be betraying him by claiming the throne for herself. Arya after what had happened to her had allegedly been saved by Daenerys, and Jon had always been her favorite sibling; she too would consider it a betrayal if she even knew that Sansa was considering such an action. Rickon owed his life to Jon, without him he would be dead. This shouldn't be a hard decision to make, she would be betraying who she was if she overthrew Jon. Yet, it was a hard one due to her ambition and the fact that Jon and his wife to be would not make good rulers and might be mad already.

Jon was showing signs of going the Mad King's way already, wasn't he? His paranoia was extreme and then some. Paranoia that had only increased after he had murdered all those innocent men alongside the Bolton's at Last Hearth. Sansa understood his need for caution but his not trusting anyone to the extent he did was overkill. The Mad King's madness had started with his belief that everyone was scheming against him as Jon did. Sure, Jon had a justifiable reason having been murdered by men he trusted but it was a serious red flag.

Jon also had quite the affinity for fire. He had enjoyed watching men burn alive and cloaked himself in it regularly even if that had been in part due to her influence. Was Lady Waynwood right? It might be justice now but would that change? He had the same look on his face while his dragon was ravaging their army as the Mad King did when he killed your Grandfather. Brienne had told her Ser Jamie had said that. She had argued it was what they deserved but was it really? Was Jon truly as mad as Aerys? Or was he at least trending in that direction?

Daenerys Targaryen was obviously much worse in spite of what Jon claimed. She had crucified 163 men when she took Meereen. Sure, they might have been slavers but she showed no mercy and a high tolerance for cruelty. She had completely destroyed the economy of Slavers Bay in her sacking of Astapor and Yunkai and the breaking of chains on the slaves there. Ending Slavery was good and Sansa wouldn't hold that against her but she had destroyed so many innocent lives by doing so. She consorted with men like Daario Naharis, rapists, and pedophiles. What did that say about her? She didn't even just consort with Daario according to Baelish, she slept with the monster regularly. She was a whore and Jon wanted her as his queen.

She rode with the Dothraki, a raider society who took what they wanted and didn't abide by the law. There was very little chance that she would obey the law as Queen. Jon spoke of wanting to break the wheel, but his wife would stand in the way of that. If Jon's judgment was so suspect when it came to her why was he able to judge an entire Kingdom? Or the entire world for that matter?

Jon had already revealed to her that he planned on World Domination in the not so distant future. They planned on conquering all the known world in the name of making it a better place. They weren't going to be content with just ruling Westeros in their lust for power. How many Westerosi would end up neglected due to Jon and his Queen's absence? Would the Kingdom fall into ruin without a monarch to rule over them? How many Westerosi would Jon and his Queen send to their deaths to fight in a foreign war that Jon felt the need to insert himself in?

Perhaps it was truly for the best that Jon never becomes King. She almost wondered if she was being selfish and not selfless by not usurping Jon. She might have to betray her entire family by betraying Jon but how many lives would be better off if he wasn't King but she was instead Queen. She would still end arranged marriages and give women a place in the line of succession but she would do it better. She wouldn't destroy people's lives in the process. She would be content with just Westeros and wouldn't try to conquer the entire world like Jon.

She was startled out of her internal dilemma by an incessant pounding on the door. Sansa smiled having expected this visit to come soon and stood to open the door. She pulled the door open and was immediately crushed into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you so much!" Mya Stone squealed as she squeezed her tight enough that Sansa was having some trouble breathing. She had clearly inherited her father's strength in spite of her petite frame.

"Can't breathe," Sansa gasped out.

Mya jumped away from her as if her very presence was poison. "I'm so sorry, Lady Sansa, in my excitement I failed to show proper etiquette. I ask for your forgiveness "

Sansa waved off her apology and smiled sweetly. "There is nothing to forgive, you're allowed to hug your friends." She paused to chuckle. "Although maybe not quite so tightly next time,"

"You're too kind to me, Alayne. Thank you so much," She said gratefully with a small bow.

Sansa smiled once more playing the part of a caring friend. She did consider Mya a friend but they were not as close as she would have Mya believe and she wouldn't normally be so kind to anyone, even a friend if it didn't have a purpose. "Why don't you come inside for a bit Mya? I am curious to learn what you were thanking me for."

She blushed. "If you are sure, then I would love to."

Sansa said nothing but simply stepped out of her way giving Mya entrance to the room. She stepped inside timidly and stood in the middle of the room looking around it in a daze as Sansa shut the door behind her and slid the lock back into place. She didn't want anyone disturbing them right now.

"Take a seat, Mya," Sansa said kindly as she walked over towards her. "There is no need to stand around, please make yourself at home."

Mya did as bidded and took a seat on the plush sofa. "Would you like some lemonade? I had a fresh pitcher brought up a bit ago and I'm afraid I'll never finish it on my own."

Mya stared at her in shock. "Yes please." Sansa smiled and poured them both a glass which she set down on the small table in front of the couch before grabbing an armchair for herself. She was well aware of what was going on in Mya's mind, this had always been her intention. She had never been shown such kindness by anyone as just a bastard. For someone of Sansa's station to treat her as an equal was awe-inspiring for her and made Mya fiercely loyal to her and admittedly to a lesser extent Jon but they weren't close like Mya thought she and Sansa were.

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" Mya asked as she held the glass close to her mouth but did not drink it. "I'm just a no-name bastard girl."

That was the key to all of this, wasn't it? She was not so no name bastard in spite of what she believed. Mya Stone would become Mya Baratheon, the rightful Lady of Storms End and Lady Paramount of the entire Stormlands. Her kindness to Mya wasn't in spite of her bastard status. She wouldn't be this kind to her if that was the case. She might have grown up and realized bastards weren't monster's like her mother had said but that didn't mean she liked them. They were still a symbol of infidelity and dishonor. They were normal people with real wants and emotions but they were still beneath her in stature. She was kind to Mya because her kindness won her Mya's loyalty. She was kind to her so she would have the loyalty of the Stormlands not just some bastard girl.

"You're not just some bastard Mya, you are my friend. You were my friend even when I was just some bastard. I know that wouldn't have changed if our fortunes were reversed so why should it change here?" Sansa said kindly and placed one hand on Mya's knee. She finally took a sip of the lemonade she had offered her. It was hesitant but she did drink and accepted Sansa's reasoning.

Mya looked away from her for a moment and tried to subtly wipe away her tears. She sniffled then turned back to Sansa. "I must thank you, Alayne. How did you get him to change his mind? Why is he so willing to let me marry Mychel now? Why would you do that for me…"

Sansa pursed her lips. "I told you, you're my friend, anything I could do to make you happy I would." She sighed somewhat over dramatically. "I made Lord Horton see reason and explained how horrible arranged marriages are. I told him of how I was a slave to Ramsay and lost my temper when I said that if he were to sentence his son to that then it was he who was a satanic bastard. I convinced him that Jon's rule was for the best and he surprisingly listened. He's submitted himself to my rule that arranged marriages are outlawed when he chose to support Jon. I was as shocked as you were when he agreed. I expected him to curse my name and refuse me but I had to try and for some strange reason, he listened," Sansa lied.

She knew that Lord Horton wouldn't reveal the real reason he was so accepting of her wanting to retain a relationship with his son and her so he could exercise some control over the Stormlands. There was also the risk of Jon hearing of it from him before Sansa had convinced him. There was little chance of Mya discovering otherwise unless Sansa told her and it was better that Mya thinks she acted out of friendship instead of for politics. Her naivety was useful and Sansa would be a fool not to exploit it.

Mya beamed. "I truly can't thank you enough for this."

Sansa giggled. "I believe you've already thanked me too much. You only needed to say it once not four times. Two is the limit on thanks you're allowed to offer well remaining proper," Sansa said in a posh voice causing Mya to devolve into a fit of giggles.

Once she had regained her bearing Mya tentatively reached out and squeezed her hand. "Seriously, Alayne, thank you. There must be something I can do to repay you for this," She said quietly.

There was something that Sansa wanted her to do to repay her but she would never mention that aloud so she just smiled. "Your friendship is all the payment I need. Well, that and an invitation to your wedding since I am the one who arranged it."

That offer, of course, had the side benefit of delaying the wedding of her and Mychel until after she and Jon returned with Daenerys to once again try and this time succeeded in collecting the fealty of the Lords of the Vale. It gave Lord Horton the ability to delay their wedding without suspicion until after Mya was legitimized and he had pledged support to Jon to make sure that neither party regened on the deal. She did want to attend Mya's wedding though, it wasn't just politics.

Mya smiled. "Of course, I'll invite you, it's you who we owe our happiness towards."

Sansa smiled. Everything had fallen into place perfectly. If she chose to betray Jon she would have the backing of the Vale, and the Stormlands as long as Jon took the throne first and had enforced Mya as Lady of the Storms End. As long as Jon died before her coup, she would have the North's support as well as House Tully due to her blood as they would easily choose her over whoever Daenerys named as her heir or some Velaryon with a dash of Targaryen blood. If she chose to betray Jon, her kingdom was mostly secure already. She just had to decide before then if she would go through with it. She had the time to watch Jon and his bride and judge if they would be the great rulers that Jon thought they would be or if they were just more mad Targaryens. If they were mad she would ascend to Queen in a mostly bloodless affair with all of her allies and she would be in complete control over herself for the first time ever.

---

"Lord Gilwood Hunter, I'm glad that you could join us. Please close the door behind you." Sansa greeted him in somewhat of a rush.

"And lock it," Baelish added. We don't want any eavesdroppers to overhear what we have to discuss.

Lord Gilwood did not do either of those things and instead stood his ground in the doorway. "What is the meaning of this?" His voice boomed. "Whatever plot you are hatching up on behalf of the bastard King, I want no part of."

"There is no plot, my Lord," Baelish spoke quietly as if he was afraid of being overheard. "We have information you will want to learn of…it pertains to your father," he whispered the last bit conspiratorily.

Lord Gilwood closed the door but did not lock it. That part hardly mattered they only said that because they knew that had they only demanded the one thing he would have refused. He wanted to think he retained at least partial control and they were all too willing to let him think he had it by giving him this small concession. Besides, what were the odds that someone would walk in on them without knocking first?

"If you are accusing me of killing my father then you are a fool to believe such rumors Baelish." Lord Gilwood said harshly. "I had no part in his death. He was an elderly and cripple man, death was near for him. I was already in position to inherit my House. Why would I jeopardize that to gain power a small bit sooner? He died of old age and from his gout, that is all there is to it."

"We're not accusing you of killing your father but he was murdered," Sansa said gently. "We're trying to avoid you suffering the same fate as him."

Lord Gilwood took a seat across from them. "How can you know that? Do you know who killed him? Do you have proof?" He demanded with some desperation.

"It was your youngest brother, Ser Harlan who murdered him dishonorably by suffocating him with his own pillow as he slept," Baelish replied.

"How do you know that? Why should I believe you?" Lord Gilwood asked.

Lord Baelish chuckled. "A drunk man has very few secrets, one in the throes of pleasure even less. A drunk man in the throes of pleasure has no secrets. I am a brothel owner, a flesh peddler and your brother is a regular at one of my fine establishments as are you lately. I'm sorry to hear that Lady Miranda hasn't been able to satisfy you lately. I am glad that my whore Nysara has been able to satisfy you in her place. Although I will admit I was quite surprised when I was told you spiked your youngest daughters ale with moon tea after she got pregnant with the steward William's child. To unknowingly-"

Sansa couldn't repress her flinch. This was a sensitive issue for her, although Baelish didn't know that and if she had her way, he nor anyone else would ever know. Baelish was giving away secrets of value and his sources to convince Lord Gilwood of the truth in his accusations about his brother. The man was addicted to his whores and even knowing that they sold his secrets he would likely still go back to them. He just might forgo the alcohol that came free with any purchase of a night with his whores. Then again, Lord Gilwood was a very heavy drinker and Lord Baelish did not allow any beverages inside his establishment except for his own so he might drink knowing he was giving secrets away by doing so.

"Enough," Lord Gilwood snarled cutting off Lord Baelish's speech. His face was flushed red and his nose was practically glowing with how red it was. He was both angry and embarrassed. Two emotions that were easy to take advantage of, and ones that they would exploit with pleasure. Baelish smirked as he shut his mouth, and allowed Lord Gilwood to speak uninterrupted. "I believe you, you clearly have your whores spying on us. What I can not agree with is why my youngest brother would kill only my father. My father was nothing but kind to him, and both I and Eustace are standing in his way to ruling Longbow Hall. He is not such a fool to think that he could get away with killing us both as well so soon after my father and expect to be not thought guilty. Your whore is lying."

Baelish shook his head and signed overdramatically. "I'm afraid not, my Lord. Ser Harlan has a rather fascinating and clever plot. He is goading Ser Eustace into killing you to avenge your father who he believes you murdered for power. He would murder you in cold blood, be caught, and Ser Harlan would be forced to execute him for kinslaying. Ser Harlan would be forced to ascend to the position of Lord of Longbow Hall despite his reluctance as the last son of Eon Hunter."

Lord Gilwood was quiet for a moment. "Let's say that I do believe you. If I were to hypothetically believe that Ser Harlan murdered our father in cold blood, and for power. In that scenario how would I stop his plot? I can not execute him on the word of a whore without being branded a kinslayer and executed myself."

Sansa smiled and took over. "You can't execute him but someone else can. You'll submit yourself and your house to Jon's rule. As King, he can call your brother to trial for murdering the previous Lord in a miscarriage of justice. When his wife joins him here, we will return to collect your fealty once again.. She has Lord Varys in her company. The spider knows all things and word from the King's master of spies is more than a valid enough source. Even if it isn't the case, who will risk the wrath of dragons by questioning the validity of his information? That isn't a just cause to throw your life away."

Lord Gilwood Hunter swallowed nervously. "And what of my other brother? How will you stop Ser Eustance from avenging the younger brother and father he believes me to have killed."

"That is up to you, My Lord," Baelish interjected. "You could name him as castellan of Longbow Hall when you go to march with King Jon southwards. Or you could name him the commander of your armies, and remain here yourself. I care not what you do, just keep your distance and he can not kill you. It is your duty to stay alive, all King Jon needs is the fealty of the Hunters, he cares not which one he has. Be it your father's murderer, Ser Eustance, or yourself."

Jon might not care which Hunter he had the loyalty of, though she imagined that he would prefer it not to be Ser Harlan. That did not mean that she or Lord Baelish did not care who they had the fealty of. They knew that the lack of extended protection for him would mean that he would opt to send Ser Eustace off to war while he remained behind. While he was there, Sansa was intended to gain his trust over time and then lie to him and reveal that Varys had lied about knowing who murdered Lord Eon on the orders of King Jon and his Queen Daenerys. That they had executed Ser Harlan to gain the loyalty of Gilwood, not because he was truly guilty.

She was intended to reveal to him that Lord Gilwood had murdered Lord Eon and framed Ser Harlan for it. He would, of course, become disloyal to Jon and loyal to her for showing him the falsehood of Jon. He would likely murder Lord Gilwood as Ser Harlan had intended, and Sansa, not Jon would have the loyalty of the new Lord Hunter. Lord Gilwood would die for murdering his father even if he was not actually guilty, and Ser Eustace would take his place as Lord of Longbow Hall securing the last of the Vale's major superpowers to her own cause, and not that of Jon.

If she chose to betray Jon, she had at least the Vale backing her, and likely the Stormlands, House Tully and their vassals, as well as possibly the North depending on how mad Jon appeared in public until then. She might not even have to poison Jon in secret to steal the throne. She had a real chance of winning the war between her and the Targaryens if it came to one. She didn't think it would even if she chose to betray Jon. Which, of course, she had no intention of doing unless it became absolutely necessary. It wouldn't she knew Jon was good - err mostly good but it was always good to have contingencies in place. Just in case. She had no intention of following through on them, right?

---

This chapter was a lot of fun and we get to see a lot of the more subtle behind the scenes manipulations taking place here. Baelish wanted Jon to fail so he stacked the deck in favor of that outcome. Everything was carefully orchestrated to turn the Vale against Jon. Even had Jon handled the meeting better or used Rhaegal as crowd control again, the dinner showed he was all bark and no bite when he didn't choose Robin. He had an impossible choice and regardless of what he chose in that moment, Baelish got his desired outcome in the end. Baelish had a month to prep the Lords to reject Jon who had only a day with them by comparison. They don't have to trust Baeilish to do what he wants.

In what should be chapter 31, we'll finally look at what's been happening behind the scenes at King's Landing in the wake of Jon's victory and Rhaegal's appearance to counteract his actions. The negative propaganda by the High Septon is not a coincidence nor is the positive propaganda for Tommen. The battle for the hearts of the people can not be done through their actions alone but by the word of people that the common man actually trusts. The head of the church is arguably the most powerful voice in that regard.

I want to be clear that the Vale didn't actually reject Jon because he was a bastard or Daenerys for being a woman in spite of what they claimed. They largely rejected him for the lack of benefit his world gave them. His plans didn't hurt them too much but it wasn't something they would fight a war for. The fact that they didn't fear retaliation made it easy to tear him down and the excuses they gave were primarily excuses and partially religious rhetoric. Had one powerful person spoke on his behalf early, others would have followed but the fact that no one had the courage or foolishness to stand in his support meant that the peer pressure went the other way and they had more to lose by supporting him than by being the only ones who didn't.

Lord Royce(s) do fall in line as they anticipating because of their loyalty to Ned Stark but not for the interfering Jon Snow who destroyed their marriage agreement but Ned Stark's eldest living child, Sansa. They crown her as Queen because they do want a Stark on the throne, just not Sansa Stark. Revealing the coup to Lord Royce(s) is only a small risk because realistically for any coup to take place even one that looks like a natural succession thing, you need to have some support and an army loyal exclusively to you. Their hatred for Jon that Baelish orchestrated makes them extremely unlikely to betray Sansa in favor of him so the risk is very minimal for Baelish here. Jon's experience with coups are largely small groups that single-handedly take action (to his knowledge) so he is under the impression that Baelish will act independently for the most part and not risk anything until Jon has the throne but he is misguided. The coups against both Jon and his predecessor as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont were half a dozen men acting out. The coup that saw the Lannisters on the throne and the death of his uncle was just the actions of Cersei Lannister. The Sons of the Harpy as far as Daenerys is aware are acting independently from any outside aid (In the show). He has yet to experience a coup of that grand scale Baelish's is orchestrating.

Lord Redfort was obviously angered about Jon's interference but once he realizes the potential benefit to him, he falls in line pretty easily. Sansa and Baelish don't know for certain that they can convince Jon to legitimize Mya but they have a pretty good idea that they can. Jon grew up a bastard and has a soft spot for them, one that's already been shown publically when he legitimized Larance Hornwood in favor of bequeathing the land to a possible ally. Jon has also shown Sansa that he has a soft spot for Mya and won't let her Baratheon blood stop him from treating her fairly. The fact that she makes it clear that it will be her who convinces a begrudging Jon will put his loyalty to her before Jon. People will be upset about her possibly inheriting instead of Gendry but firstly, Jon does not know Gendry exists and if he did would be under the impression that Stannis sacrificed him. Only Davos knows where Gendry is and Davos is not there. Secondly, even if he did know about Gendry, I am 99% sure Mya is older so by Jon's rules she has the better claim to Storms End. Her being Lady of Storms End also secures the Stormlands for Sansa if they wait until Tommen is dead for their coup. Mya will refuse to betray Sansa and try to claim the throne for herself like they would undoubtedly want, and when the options are between having a Stark Queen or the Targaryen one they would choose Stark. They won't immediately back Jon because having a Baratheon by name and not blood on the throne is better than having a Targaryen one with a Baratheon ruling Storms End but once Tommen is no longer an option, they too will theoretically fall in line behind Mya.

Lady Waynwood falls into line with Baelish through blackmail and controlling her debts in the books so the same holds true here. What he asks is a lot, but in the books he also asks for the heir to the Vale to marry a bastard and she agrees so this shouldn't be that much of a stretch. Lord Templeton he also secures the loyalty of in the books an again the same applies here although the how is never explained. I have a plan for that which will be revealed in time although if Winds of Winter ever comes out and reveals the reasoning I might shift there too. It's revealed in the books by Baelish that Ser Harlan murdered the previous Lord Hunter but his brothers blame Gilwood for it. Baelish expects him to be killed by one of his brothers, rather than letting it happen like it seems he will do in the books; here Baelish steps in and gains their loyalty by stopping it and revealing the plot.

I know people will hate Sansa for this chapter and even considering betraying Jon but you have to see things from her perspective. Sansa has always dreamed of being Queen and she has had it offered to her on a silver platter. More so, Sansa needs to be in control after what happened in the past few years. She had been controlled by the Lannisters, then Baelish, then Ramsay, and now in large part Jon who used that control to send her to Baelish. Her being a Queen would give her absolute control. That is hard for her to resist. You also have to remember that Sansa has been privileged her entire life. She doesn't understand the plight of the common folk from first hand experience in spite of what she thinks she understands having been Alayne for a time. She has had Brienne and Baelish whispering in her ear that Jon is mad. The actions of Daario only tips the scales further in that direction at least when it pertains to Daenerys. She grew up the son of Ned Stark where the world was largely black and white. She understands that shades of grey exist but even still she still sees the Lannisters and Boltons and even the Targaryens as evil and the Starks as good. She grew up believing the Wildlings were evil and Jon consorts with them and holds their council closer than just about anyone. It's easier for her to believe Jon mad then for her entire world view to shift. She is is in a position of power and power can corrupt. The whispers of Lady Waynwood comparing him to his father and grandfather are just more oil for the flames. She is torn in two and certainly tempted to believe what she is hearing and claim the thone for herself. Does that mean she will do so? No but she could and she will certainly consider it.

I'm not entirely certain when the next chapter will be out. For the first time, I don't have the next chapter already pre-written in advance. It's honestly hard to believe I was eight chapters ahead at one point and cranking out a chapter every other day for awhile. Life has become busier as we move into the fall season and I have less time to write. I also have ran into writers block as of late and just powering through it as I had before has been less effective. Chapter length has also increased which is more time spent on each chapter. I am not abandoning this by any means but as much as I wish otherwise, I will be moving to an inconsistent upload schedule.

My writing habits are awful in that if I get stuck on the next Jon chapter I'll just jump to the next chapter from a different character's POV for a while and work on that. Right now I have 11K words on chapter 30, 3K on chapter 31 and 2K on chapter 33. In theory, the order could change but some things have to happen chronologically. As such, uploads will be extremely inconsistent, it might be a month between some chapters and a week between others that I already have substantial work on. I'd love to promise one a month but that's maybe not possible so I won't. I can't assure you of when the next chapter is but it is coming. It will likely be Jon's POV as he meets with the mountain clans but it's possible that I end up finishing the Tommen one first in which case that one would go next.

Thank you all for your loving support so far, it really means a lot to me. When I first started writing this I envisioned it at 80K words max but it's grown more than I could possibly have imagined writing. This has been a journey and a lot more fun then I expected and as sappy as it sounds, I couldn't have done this without you all.