During the performance of a Dornish passion comedy in the theatre room, Willas and Sansa were called by Abel. It was a pity, as the ambitious bastard was just learning how to joust and was making a mess of things.

Even Leonette was laughing, clutching her necklace with some of Garlan's braided hair in it. Sansa had discreetly asked a servant to pry it open a day after Leonette had arrived and make a pendant of a piece of hair. It had seemed to calm her many times throughout the past few weeks.

They left behind Lady Alerie, Leonette, Ser Raymas, Megga, Alyn and Elinor in the private Tyrell gallery.

'What has arrived that we had to be interrupted?' Sansa whispered to Willas as they followed Abel. He was once again wearing clothes that were much too large for him. Sansa made a mental note to give him a fitting coat on his nameday.

'Anything could arrive. I must admit that's my fault. I've told them years ago I want to be told anything that has to do with politics immediately upon reception, unless I am sleeping', Willas explained, trying to keep up with Abel. However, the bad weather and regular exercise had strained his knee more than usual.

They stopped in the first private chamber they encountered.

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'Maester Lomys said we might not get news anytime soon with the bad weather.'

'Is the weather bad?' Sansa asked.

'It's started raining quite heavily, m'lady. Maester Lomys predicts a large storm will be coming soon.'

'Oh, heavens.'

The boy handed multiple scrolls to Sansa and Willas.

'They arrived within two hours of each other, m'lord. I planned on telling you but I still had some work to do and it's such a long way down. It's no excuse of course. I apologize.'

'It's fine. An hour or two won't make any difference if they come from another part of the kingdom. You may stand guard outside the door. If we need Maester Lomys to send a reply, then we tell you the moment we exit.'

'Yes, m'lord. Of course, m'lord.'

Sansa and Willas sat down in what had to be the storage room for chairs at the lowest level of the theatre, before the benches began.

'This one is from Edmure', Sansa brought out.

'This one is from grandmother, and another one from one of my informants near the twins.'

'Lady Olenna's one will be the shortest, I take', Sansa said.

'I think so too', Willas agreed.

The letter was indeed quite short. Olenna said the roads were one big mudpool but the rain had blown over the past few days.

'Probably the rain we're dealing with now', Willas reasoned. Sansa nodded in agreement.

Olenna was a day away from Storm's End but had been keeping busy. She had found Mathis Rowan who was still roaming the Stormlands. Mace had told him to stop the siege of Storm's End to let Stannis' troops and Connington's troupes exhaust themselves as he had believed Connington could not conquer Storm's End. It had been a stupid decision on Mace's behalf, but Rowan stuck around in case he was needed in the capital, at Storm's End or in the Reach. She found she could trust Rowan with a very basic story, and he had decided to accompany her. She had bumped into one of Aegon's troops on her way. They had been sent out to intercept and guide her.

'Like we cannot provide protection for her ourselves?' Willas huffed.

'More like they wanted to see just how large a party she brought with her, and whether she intended for a peaceful conversation.'

'Hm', Willas agreed. 'Of course, with Lord Rowan's troupes present, we did look more intimidating.'

'On the other hand, if Olenna is smart she can immediately offer those troupes to Aegon for his direct use. It's better than having to rally an army and then send it towards the Stormlands', Sansa reasoned.

'I agree. My grandmother could probably suggest that. She's wise enough to talk herself out of that one.'

Leading it had been Jon Connington, whom Olenna remembered in her letter as: 'the failure who could not protect the father, is now protecting the son.' However he was courteous and she claimed to have been polite in return. Olenna was of the opinion that if the Targaryen pretender was like Connington presented him, he would make a good king and fruitful conversations could be had. Then at the bottom of her note she said something about marrying someone of the Reach to a Connington to marry up into Aegon's graces.

'Marriage appears to be her solution to everything.'

'Nonsense, I'm sure she has dreams of beheading or imprisoning men who get in the way or commit the crime of not listening to her. But as that is less likely to happen, marriage is her go-to solution.'

'That sounds realistic', Sansa agreed.

Willas opened the letter from the twins and Sansa took Edmure's letter. She was surprised by the speed at which it had come in, as she'd written her two letters to him some days after the wedding.

He has never met me but he must have answered my letter within two days if his reply has already arrived. And that while the Riverlands are a disaster and he must have so many important things around his head.

She had to fight against the water pooling in her eyes. This was her last remaining family member aside from Jon and Sweetrobin, as far as she knew and he cared. She cursed the winter and the war. She had never met him and would probably not be able to see him before Spring had come around again.

In the letter he thanked his niece for writing to him and wishing him well on retaking Riverrun. He expressed his relief to hear she was safe and well taken care of, and wrote how he had loved her mother and brother and would welcome her every day, although he understood that the present conditions of war and winter, along with him technically illegally occupying Riverrun, made it difficult for the goodsister of the queen to visit.

Sansa smiled when it became clear he just replied to her letter as he read the first one. Otherwise he would not think her so loyal. Somewhere in her letter she had mentioned how 'Mother often told me the stories of her youth, she mentioned in particular how she read The Hammer and the Anvil to you when you were younger.' She had hoped this passage struck him as weird enough that he'd remember it when he received her coded letter that had been sent separately to prevent anyone who intercepted the letter from decoding what was clearly treason of the highest kind.

The backside of his letter was coded with the exact song she had mentioned. He expressed his surprise at all that was unfolding in Westeros. Naturally, due to Edmure only recently being restored in power and not receiving correspondence from any lord outside the Riverlands, he knew nothing about the conquest of the Stormlands, the conspiracy against Lord Baelish, or the state of the crown.

'Any sympathy I had towards the crown has been drowned in the blood of my people. However, I believe I am not capable of giving this pretender king significant support. Not that it would not be supported by my local lords, but our armies are destroyed and the weather is simply terrible. Ice shafts are beginning to form in certain smaller rivers. What can I offer but a handful of soldiers and some green boys and old men who have already been through so much I scarcely dare ask this sacrifice of them? We are in a horrible condition to start Winter in. We have no rations, and many have lost their homes. We would not survive another war. Though I can offer this pretender no strong support our poverty would also work in this Aegon's favour, as we cannot be used for manpower or food to maintain the war machine of the Lannisters. I do have a secret weapon I could use: the Brotherhood Without Banners is not directly associated to me but they are sympathetic to anyone fighting the crown, particularly if they were Stark supporters. They would be glad to assist in the killing of traveling bands of army men. What I can do with the few troupes we have left is send them all to the South-Western border area. You know as well as I do that the Riverlands have no natural protective borders but as we are unlikely to be attacked by the Vale or the North, so I could try to focus my troupes there. Lastly, my wife's brothers have taken Rosby castle. The castle has always been overlooked, but it controls the passage of a very important supply stream to King's Landing. People revolt against rulers when they are starving. It is what made people revolt against the Lannister and Frey control in the Riverlands and made the Brotherhood grow large. My lady's brothers have always been loyal to Robb, to such an extent they had been removed from my wedding so as not to alert the guests. They would be ready to take revenge and only await the call.

This to show what is within my powers and what I could do. But I cannot help but ask: Will Targaryens look kindly upon Tyrells, Starks and Tully's when they helped dethrone them no two decades ago? Not that whoever pulls Tommen's strings won't demand my execution or imprisonment but your head is currently out of danger, and I think your lady mother would much prefer it to stay on your head.

Lord Edmure Tully, Lord of Riverrun'

Sansa shuddered. She had asked herself that same question, but hope was the only thing that kept her going. Uncle Edmure was right, but also wrong. Yes, the rulers in King's Landing would be sending an army to remove him from power. But the current regime offered no solution to the North, and was not the safest for Sansa or the Tyrells either. She had to place her trust in Aegon's hands.

'Edmure would be willing to support us, but the Riverlands are in no state to offer much support', Sansa announced.

'I figured as much', Willas muttered as he continued to read his letter.

'I think he must not be on the worst terms with his wife, as he says he could use the hatred her brothers have for the Lannisters because of the Red Wedding for the cause. That means he's on speaking terms with them, and it must mean that Lady Roslin probably was not fond of the slaughter of my family either if her brothers were against it.'

'Not wanting your spouse's family death is a good starting point for a marriage', Willas smiled. 'Though I hope the respect and loyalty spouses feel for each other goes beyond that.'

'Given that both Queen Cersei and my aunt killed their very lord husbands, I'm beginning to think not wanting to murder your husband's family is already a challenging requirement instead of a rudimentary one', Sansa smiled.

Willas briefly looked up from his letter, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

'I am a blessed man indeed.'

'And I a blessed woman, it is rare that someone I meet does not feel the urge to kill my kin.'

'Well, you've made it quite hard my lady. There's barely anything left to hate.'

'My Lord! That's so rude even a farmer would scold you for it. Your mother would be most disappointed if I told her of it.'

'It would be amusing if it weren't so tragical. My apologies, my lady. It was most inconsiderate of me.'

'I shall forgive your black humour my lord, even though it is in poor taste.'

'I'm afraid all these recent deaths have left my mind as dark as the boats and bodies of my family that were burned out of existence by the Greyjoys.'

'Willas…'

'My apologies. My mood has shifted quite a bit since the play, has it not? Affairs of state always manage to get me in dark mood. Even though today's letters have been naught but good news' he said with a sad smile. He lifted his letter.

'Just how many Freys are there?'

'Trueborn? Over seven-and-twenty children, not counting their children and grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Baseborn? Even more. They must be close to a hundred. Although quite a few have died since the start of the war, they must be down to around sixty since the Feast of Freys.'

'This speaks of even more deaths. But the Riverlands was never my strength when their history was taught to me. And when it came down to the Freys… Even in my formative years there were already too many of them to bother studying that line of succession and those interconnected families.'

'More deaths? Any important ones?'

'Yes. But I can scarcely make out the first five in the line of succession anymore between all the deaths.'

'I could help, but perhaps it is easier to take the Frey family tree under our arm for it.'

Willas nodded and the pair exited the room, moving to go upstairs.

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At the bottom of the stairs they paused.

Servants were rushing in through the wide pair of rose-decorated doors, carrying in trees twice their size in ornate stone pots. All were drenched to the bone. In the distance a blinding bolt of lightning illuminated the gardens and walls in white and grey before turning the world dark again.

Willas had said heavy rainfall was how their winters began, but the rain had started quieting down since the day of their wedding. Now it was back in full force.

Servants dripping with water created a lake on the magnificent geometric flower patterned floor, all staring outside in absolute silence. The last time Highgarden had been this silent, their dead sons had been returned to them. Perhaps this was kind of like that. Every kingdom recognized their regional signs of a creeping winter and dreaded it. Highgarden was no exception. In this rain, they were perhaps seeing the deaths of all their elderly and sickly.

'I hope it will blow over, it looks kind of serious', Sansa said. Willas nodded and put his cane on the first step.

'I'm afraid it is.'

They slowly climbed upwards, sinking down on their couch in front of the fire with the family tree of house Frey. No fewer than five pages had to be glued into the book of the Riverlands to provide enough space for the way the Frey family tree had expanded since Walder Frey's first marriage.

'It's a good thing he finally died, another wife and we would have had to remove the spine of the book and stitch all pages into a new bigger book.'

'Well, hopefully once this war is over the Riverlands start rebuilding. And then you'll soon need a new book.'

'Certainly, but by that point we can leave out whole branches that died out from grandfather till grandchild as there are no living relatives attached to it anymore.'

'I beseech you to not do that for my families.'

'All of them alive with living relatives. I would not think of it. Imagine if we had scrapped all Targaryens while two children still lived. Well, apparently three. As long as one family member lives, they can take back their legacy.'

'Promising', Sansa smiled. 'But how often does it happen a child believed dead returns to the realm of the living?'

Her mind went to Arya, who was still missing, and then went to Rickon and Bran, whose bodies were said to have dangled from the walls of Winterfell. Irrefutable proof, but then had the bodies of Rhaegar's children also not been shown?

'In a war probably quite a few times', Willas said, covering her hand with his.

'We'll see what happens, won't we?'

'Everything at its time. So much is happening on one day, who knows the way things may shift in a month, or a year? A month ago you were still pretending to be a bastard, Sansa Stark's marriage had just been annulled and I still had all of my brothers.'

'It's been quite the month', Sansa admitted, laying her head on his shoulder. The wind-blown rain against the windows kept out any notion of silence. It was positively loud even.

'So, what is said in the letter?' she asked.

'A new list of dead.'

'Alright, I'll take a piece of graphite so I can dot the names and we can remove them later.'

Willas sighed, retrieving the letter.

'Remember those we were dead before?'

'Walder Frey? Emmon Frey's entire family including Gemma Lannister and Lyonel? Stevron, Walton, Fair Walda, Steffon, Bryan?' she asked as she skimmed through the list of children and grandchildren.

'Not all of Emmon's family. Ser Cleos Frey, was killed by outlaws near Maidenpool around the time Lord Darry and his sole son died. Lord Darry had two sisters, Mariya and Jeyne, both were married to Freys. Mariya is the eldest, and had three daughters and a son they called Little Walder, who is currently in Winterfell. Jeyne had Tywin and Willem. She sent her oldest Tywin, the heir to Emmon to squire at Darry this year. Meanwhile Willem is a paige at Ashemark. And his son Walder is squiring at Casterly Rock. So those two still live.'

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Sansa checked their names. Boys of less than three-and-ten, as motherless and fatherless as she was, far from home, who were now in danger due to ambitious relatives.

'And then there's those who were found hanging in the Riverlands like Ryman Frey or died even back when Robb still lived like Tion?'

Willas nodded.

'So my accounts tell me that Stevron Frey's sole surviving child Maegelle supports her cousin Edwyn as he precedes Black Walter in the line of succession. Her family is as of yet still alive and her husband Dafyn Vance has managed to escape the castle alive to recruit people to take it up for Edwyn.'

'Alright.'

'The wife and child of Edwyn and Black Walder's youngest brother Petyr have sided with Black Walder. Rumour is the parentage of the child is even debated to be Black Walder's.'

'Again? But wasn't it already said that he was the father of some of Lord Walder's own children with his later wives?'

'Yes.'

Sansa blinked. The Freys really were a bunch of rats, crawling over each other, eating each other and breaking every law of men. She hoped they teared themselves apart in the conflict. They were too gruesome to live.

'Alright', Sansa said, looking at Walder Frey's issue with his next wife. 'Who lives of the children Walder had with Perra Royce?'

'Apparently all Perriane's sons went to the wedding of Fair Walda in Riverrun. Not a single one was seen since. But one, the heir, had a son and wife whom he left behind with Perriane when he went to the wedding. It's unknown of Perriane and her Haigh husband will take a side. Aenys Frey is still alive and in Winterfell, safely away from all the disasters that affect his family, and his son Rhaegar is also somewhere in the North. He accompanied his father and two thousand men to help Roose Bolton. There's nothing about the status of his children, but apparently his wife Jeyne Beesburry died some months ago due to a wasting illness.'

'But he had another one, Aegon, his firstborn?' Sansa asked, reading the page.

'He's an outlaw, apparently.'

'What would possess an oldest son to become an outlaw?'

'He's so far down the line of succession, probably never thought he'd inherit something valuable. And with a family like that, even I would run.'

'So only some young children remain in that branch, orphans, alone to fend for themselves in the Twins?'

Willas nodded. 'The eldest, Robert, has taken the side of Black Walder and took the children with him. No news since.'

'Cyrenna Swann then?' Sansa asked, going to the next wife. Three wives down, with only a handful of the over fifty Freys remaining that had sprung forth from the first few marriages.

'Jared Frey's brother is a septon. He himself went to the North with Aenys. His son Tytos died at the Red Wedding, as did Kyra's husband. Kyra's children are raised in the Goodbrook family keep. Tytos' children are a septon and a daughter.'

Another marriages of what nothing remained.

Amarei Crakehall's brood faired fairly better. The brawny Ser Hosteen and Ser Symond were in the North, their children and wives safely away in Darry or Braavos. Danwell was also in Darry. Merrett was dead and he had only daughters, amongst one Fat Walda who was now married to Roose Bolton. Geremy had drowned in the Trident a year ago but his son safely squired for a Waynwood. Raymund Frey lived and had chosen the side of Black Walder.

All Alyssa Blackburry's children still lived, but they were divided amongst themselves in the camps of Black Walder and Edwyn.

Bethany Rosby's remaining children were far away from the Twins, and it was clear none of them would come to the aid of the Frey family and had rejected them out of solidarity with their sister. Deciding that they wanted Edmure as ruler of the Riverlands and their own family punished for the crimes they committed against their Lord Paramount.

Two of Annara Farring's children had been killed by Edwyn's side, but the others had been taken to the tower currently belonging to Black Walder, apparently confirming their parentage. But all of them were too young to really fight.

Ser Walder Rivers was a true mystery. He had been sent to investigate the murders at Riverrun, and had not been seen since. 'But so many told me he was one of the military masterminds of house Frey. Lord Walder used him for everything. Such a man will not just disappear.'

But all in all, the situation looked dour for House Frey. Many dead, two rival heirs tearing up the family, and many women and children either caught up in the madness or fleeing to the castles of their relatives. They had been the strongest house in the Riverlands with more men, money and heirs than the Tully's, intermarried with almost all families of the Riverlands and even some of the Reach. They had become resentful of being a vassal house and not being recognized. But now the Frey name had become an omen of death.

'No matter who wins, they will never be so powerful again. And they will forever be divided', Sansa said.

'And those who stand divided tear their own family to pieces instead of making their family gain in power. It's why we always stuck together.'

'My mother also taught us to stand united. It was in her house words. But my father thought about it in the same way. He always said the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.'

Come to think of it, Sansa realized that her family had only started dying once they were separated. She, Arya and her father had been fine until her betrayal. Her father, she and Arya had all been torn apart, and in that situation Arya had disappeared and her father beheaded. Meanwhile Robb was also murdered together with their mother, away from the North. Only Rickon and Bran had been together and still been killed, while Jon, who was all alone at the wall, lived. She should write to Jon. He was her only brother she had left, half a brother as he was, mean as she had been to him, and despite that he had sworn off his family loyalty. She promised herself to make work of that in the upcoming days.

'The question now is: who wins, and what will that mean for the Riverlands? And what will the situation in the Riverlands mean for Lord Baelish who is supposed to preside over it, and the king of Westeros?' Willas asked.

'Let us hope it cannot mean anything for Lord Baelish. Perhaps, if the Father would be so kind to let justice be had, there will be no Lord Baelish by the time the Freys are done fighting', Sansa said.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Soon, Lady Alerie was let in. She settled down on the couch dressed in a heavy black frock with thick virago sleeves and a dark green underskirt.

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'Both of you left so suddenly and for so long. What is the news?' Alerie demanded to know. The Lady of the Reach straightened her back, her soft blue eyes becoming sharp as ice.

Willas remained silent for a while. Alerie Tyrell knew not all. When Lady Olenna left, she knew only what the rest of the Reach knew: that she was on a diplomatic tour to strengthen alliances after the war had weakened the unity of the Reach, many noble families split across different kings. Only last week Willas had a private conversation with his mother to tell her Olenna was also directly asking towards their preferred kings, and their loyalty to the Tyrell house, and the prices it would take to keep them loyal no matter what could change in the future. This had worried Alerie incredibly.

Then, once she had recovered from the idea that another serious pretender to the throne was present in Westeros, which took more than three cups of Honeywine, he told her that Olenna would be checking out his claim. Upon hearing her goodmother was on her way towards the Stormlands, Alerie had had enough, so they ended the conversation.

A day later, and no longer, because Alerie was a pragmatist who had sat through five kings in two decades and had a husband who was fond of switching alliances when it was opportune, asked about the legitimacy of the claim.

Her first question had been whether Aegon could be defeated before he gathered an army. Upon hearing he had the Stormlands and Dorne already, she sighed. 'Then he will get the Hightowers as well. My family always loved a Targaryen.' Alerie knew the cards. The kingdoms that had been most spared from war were the ones declaring for Aegon, while all the other regions except for the Reach were weakened. She saw they had a choice between fighting a war on two fronts, or bonding together against the crown. She came to the same conclusion as Willas, but expressed the worry that all their stakes were invested in the current King Tommen, and that switching would be virtually impossible.

Only three days ago Willas told her about the trial of Lord Baelish, who would stand accused of high treason and murder to which the sentence was death. Upon hearing this, combined with the knowledge she already possessed of the Freys being without leadership, she got another heart attack. The Riverlands was going without leadership and she could already hear the crown calling for reachmen to retake the Riverlands.

She now looked at Willas and Sansa with fear. Having a politically charged gooddaughter had been one thing, but now she knew her absence had been used for talks of treason and supporting traitors in the Riverlands.

'We received a fine letter from grandmother. She now has an extended escort to Storm's End and has taken to hiding the Tyrell banner to prevent gossip from circulating. Nothing bad is happening. Meanwhile, Sansa's uncle has written to her. We uhm, might have briefed him about all that was going on during his imprisonment and his time spent reclaiming his castle.'

'You contacted a traitor about a crown pretender?' Alerie asked.

'It was coded', Sansa quickly said.

'If it was shot down, did it have the sigil of House Tyrell and your name?'

'Yes.'

'On its way towards a traitor in a castle he is occupying. That's enough. Not enough to condemn someone, but enough for people to start whispering. But well, the letters reached him so it is fine. But do be careful about sending such letters in the future. Willas, you should have told her to use an alias and another wax stamp.'

Sansa cringed. She felt she had disappointed Lady Alerie by dragging the Tyrells into the danger that came with her family, yet what else could she have done? She just had to contact him.

'I would have, we did for the second letter. But for the first it was necessary, as Lord Tully did not know Sansa. If we sent it undercover, he might believe it to have been faked. Now he has her handwriting and has a code with her, it will be hard to fake a letter of hers now, so we will be able to protect their correspondence in the future', Willas explained, covering Sansa's hand with his.

'That makes sense, wise decision. You may continue now.'

'He says he cannot support the campaign of a new king, given the terrible shape of the Riverlands. However, he believes that their poverty and the massive adult male deaths also mean no one will aid the crown. But all of that, of course, is what happens if he is recognized as Lord of the Riverlands. Lord Baelish yet lives, and the Baratheons have taken away his title and home. Legally speaking, he's occupying a castle gifted to the Freys, dead as they may be now.'

Alerie nodded. 'That is wise of him. He is correct in his assessments. Are there any concrete questions I can help out with?'

The wind blew heavily against the window, rattling the three Tyrells inside.

Willas scraped his throat, drawing back the attention of Sansa and Alerie.

'I suppose we're debating our course of action regarding the Riverlands.'

'Nothing until the end of this month, which is another two weeks. Then we'll see', Alerie decided.

Sansa quirked her head, considering. Actually, it didn't sound awful. In King's Landing, she had gone through every trial Joffrey threw her way by just keeping silent and carrying on. Seeing how people were punished for fighting against unfair treatment, she thought that although she suffered a lot, it had at least prevented her from dying.

'Lord Baelish will be put on trial in the Riverlands any day now, will he not?' Alerie asked.

Sansa nodded.

'They're on their way towards the Gates of Moon.'

'We need to see the result of that process. It is dangerous to get involved in the Riverlands before we know whether their Lord Paramount will die. We also need to wait for what happens to the Freys, they might solve the issue themselves, if too few able-bodied men remain they will struggle enough to protect their lands, never mind take back Riverrun. The crown and Mace will want to make a point of respecting the king, he might want to appoint another lord. But he will not use royal troupes to fix the situation, he'll be careful about his resources. Whoever he appoints will have to take Riverrun himself if he wants to govern it. They might give it to a surviving Frey of another family branch, but I am not certain they will be able to take it. Riverrun is quite notorious for being hard to take in, is it not?'

'It is', Sansa admitted. 'Sieges take forever, they have to be talked into surrendering.'

'Yes, I quite thought so. So your uncle is safe for the next few months at least. Communication and travel are not that fast and he will have time to prepare in case of a siege.'

Sansa quite agreed. She did not doubt the walls of Riverrun, and her uncle himself had told her his bannermen had his back. He would be relatively safe. The question was whether he would be protected.

'Let us focus on the real issue: the future. The Tully family sided with the Baratheons and the Starks against the crown. That might not please a future Targaryen ruler.'

'That is what I thought', Sansa admitted. 'But he hasn't got much means to show support.'

'He could say he always disliked the current rule and that was why he chose to proclaim for another king, because there was no Targaryen king he could choose. It is also important to note he did not proclaim himself for a Baratheon that was alive and supported the usurping of King Aerys.'

'The new king could fear he supports an independence movement', Willas argued. 'Aegon will probably want a unified Westeros.'

'Yes. But are we sure he has no means?'

'War is expensive, funds, men, food. It was all fought in the Riverlands, most lords there are in a poor shape. Many houses have gone extinct in the male line, or are jumping to cousins and second cousins. Some already have female heirs. Some already are using wards of their good-family, raising them to be future heirs', Sansa explained.

'Yes. It is unfortunate, since there were still quite a few living Targaryen supporters at the start of the war.'

'There were?' Willas asked in surprise.

'Certainly. Ser Raymun's three older brothers all died fighting for the Targaryens in the battle of the Trident. He harboured a sympathy for the Targaryens and a resentment for the families that killed his brothers. But he got killed two years ago. His son got murdered last year.'

'I heard that, young Lord Lyman promised he would declare for Robb out of hate for the Lannisters. The Mountain murdered him', Sansa explained. 'It will go to Little Walder Frey now. Or if he dies to Tywin or Willem.'

'Lady Shella Whent has lost a lot since King Robert, but she has no issue and her castle has been given away.'

'Lord Baelish told me she died.'

'Really?' Alerie asked. 'Hmm. I did not hear. One would think such a thing would be reported.'

'She was old and had nothing interesting to leave behind anymore', Sansa spoke sadly. She had been the last surviving family on her grandmother's side.

'Nevertheless, Ser Bonifer Hasty is the castellan of Harrenhal now, is he not?'

'He is', Willas confirmed.

Lady Alerie gave a coy smile.

'He would turn it over to the Targaryens, I'm sure.'

'Why?' Willas asked.

'Would he not sooner turn it over to the Faith?' asked Sansa.

'Once upon a time, Ser Hasty was a tourney knight. The day he retired and devoted himself to the Faith, was the day Rhaella Targaryen married.'

'What?'

'He wore her favour in a certain tourney, even. Lady Olenna was there, often spoke of her surprise at the courage he had to admire her so publicly when it was known Targaryens always chose their own. But then of course, her father had quite the same idea.'

'Oh.'

'So you see, I believe he must have loved Queen Rhaella quite a lot. Mayhap he can love her brood as well. Harrenhal has fertile lands, is very strong even in its poor shape. The godswoods are walled and twenty acres, those could easily be converted into a vegetable garden that cannot be raided or burned. It is close to the Crownlands and can hold a large army, many prisoners, and a lot of horses. If your uncle can offer that, together with Ser Hasty, a place so close to the territory he wishes to wage war upon, that is quite a useful gift. Then there is Lord Mooton, the Mootons went against Lord Hoster Tully and kept siding with the Targaryens. He may offer support, and a landing spot for King Aegon should he decide to reach the Crownlands via the Riverlands instead of via the sea coming from the Stormlands.'

'And Dickon Tarly has married the Mooton girl. I doubt it was for their Targaryen past but it's a good sign for us if one of our bannermen marries into another Targaryen sympathetic family. Then they'll stay loyal to us', Willas reasoned.

'Indeed', Alerie agreed.

'You can tell your uncle that if he is wise, he plays up his victim role. Once he creates the image of a lord from a destroyed family just looking to rebuild and wanting to do whatever is best for his bannermen and peasants, other lords will relate to him. And if behind the curtains he contacts some lords from houses he is friends with, and houses that have been hurt like his for rebuilding talks, that is a good start.'

Sansa nodded.

'And then once we have arranged things with Aegon, he can be the same kind of man for the Riverlands as he wants to be for the Stormlands and the Crownlands; a king of peace and rebuilding', Willas reasoned, following his mother.

'Could we then, once it is arranged of course and we are certain we are not endangering anyone, aid him?' Sansa asked.

'But naturally, we have always used our bounty to make people love us. Once we ally with Aegon, we will promise to help them out in return for their loyalty', Willas said, smiling at Sansa. 'I think mother's suggestion works brilliantly for it. If your uncle just plays a victim wanting to do what's best, instead of advocating for a certain king, he can show he is only choosing the king that can help his people. That way all lords in the Riverlands in a similar situation will be inclined to follow, and it will not look as high lords being opportunists but benevolent rulers following whoever helps their people.'

'It wouldn't be much of a charade, my uncle genuinely cares for his people from what I gather. But it would be so wonderful if we could help him. He has been through so much, as have his people. I would feel terrible leaving him to his own devices.'

'You needn't fear, by the time winter has properly started, we will be able to help. But for now we can't. We can't support enemies of the crown', Alerie explained.

Sansa nodded.

'Thank you mother, for your council', Willas said.

'You could have asked me to come along, Willas, if you needed an extra opinion. You are not our lord yet. When you're playing with fire and dragons in a garden, I would like to know about it.'

'I try to be as careful as I can.'

'We yet have to receive a reply from King's Landing to your wedding, and one will come, make no mistake. By their response we will judge how much power we have in King's Landing', Alerie said. 'That marriage was already risky enough for my tastes. If anyone gets word of this before the time is right… if your father gets word of this…'

'I know.'

'Do you? You know I understand your reasons. But just always remember you're busy with treason of the highest kind, while you're currently our only heir. If the crown demands your head for it, our line will end. We cannot have this come out.'

A deafening thunder underscored Alerie's words, leaving a laden silence in its wake.

'Children, none of you have ruled over a winter. It takes a different kind of leadership. Allow us to guide you now we still can. You're not alone in this yet. I know I was not always here when hard decisions had to be made, Willas. And I know you have gone through many trials alone, Sansa. But here, our strength lies in our unity. One does not switch sides at the drop of a hat. It takes careful preparation, and everyone needs to be involved and behind it. We've always done it most carefully. Not that I do not believe you to be capable of it, but you have never switched sides. I have. I am still lady of this house, my husband still lord, and my daughter still queen. I risk everything, therefor I would like to be involved.'

'We apologize for not having included you before, Lady Alerie', Sansa said.

Alerie reached out to hold Sansa's hand.

'I would not have wanted you to write to me about treason. It had to wait until I returned. Although preferably, things wouldn't have been put in motion. But I understand, with my return date uncertain, you started your inquiries. And with Mace away in the capitol, and being too invested in his new role, he would not be able to have this discussion with you. I can understand it, but that does not make me approve of it without some reserve.'

'We will include you. Obviously, we did not mean to hide it. Grandmother knew within the day. And you were told within the week.'

'Yes, I suppose Olenna had the better stomach for it. It is not her child and husband that risk beheading', Alerie smiled.

Sansa was once again struck by how much like her mother she was. Thoroughly dutiful, all warmth towards her children and filled with fear for her family being hurt. But her mother wasn't as much of a political player as Alerie, or at least Sansa hadn't noticed as a child.

'I told you how I planned on sparing them', Willas explained.

'Yes, I know. It is a good plan. But for now Olenna has not met Aegon yet, no deals are made. Let us wait. Wait with acting until we know all variables.'

Willas agreed with her.

.

.

.

.

Alerie looked out of the window when another bolt of lightning lit up the night sky.

'You know, you were born on a night like this, almost exactly six-and-twenty years ago', Alerie said, smiling as a thunder resounded.

'The briefest and sharpest winter in your memory', Willas supplied with a small smile.

'You were a winter child as well?' Sansa asked.

'Yes, why, were you?'

'Yes, well, an autumn pregnancy and a winter child, but my first memories are of spring. It was a short winter as well', Sansa admitted.

'It was in seventy-six. A winter that came as sudden as it went. We only just had a winter that ended in 274, that had a spring of only a couple of months before a wild yearlong summer, followed by a measly four months of autumn before we had to scramble to fill the pantries for winter. Over in a year. Not the most snow but heavens, was every day filled with bad weather', Alerie smiled. 'You were just as stormy as the weather when you were a child, thank the seven you matured into prudence.'

Willas had the very mature response of rolling his eyes.

'It was not a natural transition or the work of the gods, I assure you', Willas smiled, cursing a certain horse underneath his breath afterwards.

'Which winter were you born in, dear?' Alerie asked Sansa.

'Uhm…'

She looked from Willas to Alerie. She had no shame about her person, yet she felt a bit hesitant to name her winter amongst two so much older and mature people.

'Two winters ago.'

'Two? Not counting this one I hope?' Willas asked.

Sansa shook her head. Not that it made a world of difference. Her winter and the next one lay only two years apart.

'That winter ended only halfway through eighty-four', Alerie brought out.

Sansa nodded. 'But I'm from the last month of the year before.'

'Well, a decade apart', Alerie said. 'Oh well, large age gaps are very common nowadays, with young men dying and very young girls being heiresses', Alerie comforted them. 'It is not so strange.'

'I've had five winters, six including this one', Willas sighed, stretching. 'I have a feeling this one will count double, though.'

'Not all winters are equal', Alerie agreed. 'I hope the rain will blow over soon. It would be nice to host a nameday celebration for you.'

'Oh mother, no, it would be in poor taste to throw coin and resources at such a thing. I much rather spare our money and food.'

'A cake in private sphere is fine though, isn't it?' Alerie asked, not even fighting him.

Willas opened his mouth.

'A berry cake?' Alerie pushed with a smile.

Willas sighed, a smile coming up on his face.

'Well, I will never say no to dessert.'

Alerie smiled triumphantly.

'Perfect. Anything else I can assist you with, children?'

'No, not right now', Willas said.

'But thank you so much', Sansa quickly added.

'Good', she nodded, looking at the clock. It was already past midnight. 'I'll leave you then. Goodnight.'

'Goodnight.'

'Good night', the two replied.

'That went…' Sansa started.

'Better than expected', Willas finished.

'So, my lord has a weakness for berries?'

'You didn't know yet?'

'No, alas. I have the disadvantage of knowing you the shortest.'

'But the most intimate at the same time', he smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

'But I did not know your love of berries.'

'Nor do I know what you like in a dessert, but we will get to know that. We had other priorities', Willas smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

'It's lemon.'

'Lemon?' Willas asked, eyebrows rising.

'That's quite bitter, didn't see that in you.'

'Well I think they really give a nice balance to a cake. It's a kind of tart sweetness.'

'I shall take notice of it', Willas smiled.

Sansa's tummy fluttered at his warm gaze.

'Do you think mother was giving us a nudge just now?' he asked her.

'What do you mean?'

'With saying I was created in a stormy winter.'

'I thought she was just remembering.'

'Perhaps it was both.'

'I don't know', she stammered as his hands moved to her back to start on her laces.

'What do you think about trying to add another generation of winter children to our lineage?'

'Well, I've been told this week was excellent for trying that.'

'Did you now? By whom?' Willas asked.

'Leonette.'

'Well, if anyone is an expert at trying, it's her.'

'Willas!' Sansa cried, cheeks burning.

'It's true.'

'I needn't know.'

He chuckled, undoing her laces.

'Neither did I. But now we get to share the burden of that knowledge.'

'Matrimony is such a blessed institution', Sansa laughed as he pulled her closer.

'I quite agree', he hummed before bridging the distance and kissing her.

Replies to comments:

Silverswath: thank you for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

MBB: I am indeed awful at uploading on ffnet. Willas is both affected by his emotions and is cunning in the way he persuades people to be loyal, but his hypocritical stance is partially due to his top-down look at things as well, being a feudal lord and all that :p Sansa laughs more at Willas than at the idea of killing lords. As shown she's still afraid everything might blow up in his face with his bannerlords. She is indeed coming to see that death is part of the game of thrones. She is still very compassionate, but it has indeed shifted from compassion for all to compassion for those who cannot be full players. It's the difference between those who chose their own fate (bannermen) and those who don't (women, smallfolk). It's also a personal matter now. If they don't kill their opponents, she and her family might be harmed. She's lost a family before, she's more okay with drastic measures to protect her second. I'm glad to hear you're invested 3

Aylatha: I'm sorry for the lineshift thing. I try to do my best but I keep struggling putting good breaks on ffnet. I wish this side accepted more enters between text. I'll do my best to double check in the future.