(The same night)

Sansa opened her door quietly. Brienne was sitting on the floor with Clara, handing her blocks as she tried to stack them on the uneven carpet. As soon as she heard the door, Clara swung her head around and gave a toothless smile in delight as she saw her mother. Sansa smiled and squatted down to the floor, holding her arms out. Clara crawled over and climbed into her mother's embrace, and Sansa kissed her softly on the cheek. Brienne stood up and bowed to Sansa,

"My Lady, thank you for letting me spend time with her, she is truly a joy," She said, smiling at the baby in Sansa's arms.

"That is what everyone says," Sansa laughed.

"My Lady, you were gone for quite a while? Is everything okay?" Brienne asked as she turned to leave.

"Oh yes, everyone is okay. The Dragon Queen was ill, but everything is okay now. Thank you so much for staying with Clara, and go get some sleep. You deserve it."

"I'm glad she's okay. Goodnight my Lady," Brienne said as she left the room.

With her one free arm, Sansa skillfully put away her clothes and slipped her nightgown on. She blew out the majority of the candles and sat down in the rocking chair with Clara, whose eyelids were growing heavy as she tried to stay awake with her mother. Clara had a grip on the end of Sansa's braid and was running the hair, identical to hers, through her fingers. Sansa pulled down a side of her nightgown and led Clara's head to her breast. She suckled gently, and Sansa wrapped her arms around her baby, leaning down to nuzzle her face against her soft, downy wisps of hair. After just a few minutes, Clara had stopped suckling and fallen asleep. Sansa brought Clara closer to her chest and continued to rock her back and forth in the chair. Tears slipped down her cheek while she tried to convert this feeling to her permanent memory. The tiny breaths against her chest, the little fists bunching up the collar of her nightgown. They had survived the impossible twice, and now her daughter would get to live the life she deserved with a new ruler who promised to do them justice. Sansa longed to know where Theon was, but for now she felt content. She dozed off in the chair and remained there for the rest of the night, never losing her grip on Clara.

(Daenerys and Jon, the next morning)

They didn't wake until the end of the next night. Daenerys woke first, being hit by a pang of grief as she remembered what had happened just one day ago. The light from the dawn was peeking through the curtains, and she lifted her nightgown to find relief: the bleeding had stopped completely. She glanced at Jon, who was still sound asleep. She grinned as he slowly began to stir.

"What time is it?" He asked quietly, looking around the room.

"Sometime near dawn I believe. I can see the purple light of your beautiful Northern sunrises."

Jon smiled and Daenerys took his face in her hands, kissing him gently as he stroked her hair. She let her hands move slowly down to his shirt, but when she tried to pull it off, he stopped her.

"What is it, my love?" She asked nervously.

"I don't, I don't want to hurt the baby," He said, his voice getting quieter as he reached the end of the sentence.

She laughed gently and slowly sat up. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her, and she threw up into the pail over the side of the bed. Jon, who had learned from Missandei, held her hair back as she leaned over.

"I apologize, I'm probably not looking quite so queenly right now," she joked, looking over her shoulder.

"My Queen, you are more gorgeous than ever."

And he meant it. Even with her tired eyes, crazy hair, and bruised body, she was the most beautiful women he'd ever set his eyes on. Her skin shone in the candlelight, and he could just make out the soft curves of her cheeks and her lips. Her nightgown clung to her hips in a way that he could not describe the beauty of, and he had the urge to lift it off over her head. But she was tired, and pregnant, and he knew she needed time.

She rolled her eyes at his remark,

"We must plan a dinner at the great hall tonight, to discuss the battle, future plans, and the, the funerals," she choked out the last few words, already feeling guilty about the brief happiness she felt with Jon just a second ago.

"Yes," he said solemnly, "but you are on bedrest for now my Queen. Wait until Maester Sansa clears you," He teased as she gently hit his shoulder.

"Call her what you will, but she figured it out while the men stood in this room completely helpless. She's a smart one, your sister."

"Thank you for trusting her," Jon said sincerely, "It takes time to earn her confidence, but I swear to you Dany, she believes in you now, and she will do everything she can to help you."

"I saw the way she looked as she helped me yesterday. Her eyes were soft and sincere; I knew then that she realized who I truly am; someone that wants to help her and all of her people. I wasn't planning on asking her to be on the council, but I believe that it was the right choice, an olive branch if you will. She's a mother, Jon, and I know that she will do everything she can to protect her children, as I have."

Jon sighed in relief, knowing that peace had come to two of the most important people in his life. Now he just had to get through to Arya.

(The next evening)

Daenerys stood in her dressing room, looking at herself in the mirror, or more specifically the dress she was to wear to the dinner in the great hall tonight. She smoothed the dress down from her waist, feeling the soft warm stripes of fur that served as stitching between the purple velvet fabrics that she had picked out as soon as she arrived in Westeros. Her stomach was still nearly flat, and she was glad she could keep this to herself for some time. She smiled at Missandei, who had just finished the final braids in her hair.

"If we survive Cersei, please be at the birth with me," Daenerys asked Missandei.

"When we defeat Cersei, I will be there with you Daenerys," Missandei assured her.

"Missandei, I must admit something to you," she said quietly.

"What is it my Queen, surely it can't be so bad?" Missandei said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm still utterly terrified about this baby. I've spent the last eight years thinking I'd never again bear a living child, and now all of the sudden I'm pregnant. What if it's true and the baby is stillborn? I can't remember much from Rhaego's delivery, but I remember the pain I felt afterwards. I can't lose another child. And we have to risk our lives fighting Cersei; I almost lost the baby during this battle, I feel like every move I make could break it."

"Your Grace, ask yourself, how much control do you really have over these things? You have taken care of yourself, you've stayed here in bed for nearly two days to help your child, and I know how hard it is for you to stay still for more than one moment. Believe in yourself, and your ability to bring this baby into the world safely. Nothing is ever certain, not my life, not your life, not anyone's. We can worry if something happens, but not before it."

Daenerys smiled up at Missandei, placing a hand in hers.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They opened the door to find Jon standing in the doorway. The blood had drained from his face, and it appeared as if he was shaking.

"Jon," Daenerys asked in a steady, slow voice, "what's the matter?"

"Bran has returned to consciousness. Theon was killed by the Night King shortly before Arya arrived. Our soldiers have just retrieved his body. He's gone."

Daenerys felt chills spread throughout her body; this was the man she could tell Sansa loved. She put her hand on Jon's shoulder as she asked the next question.

"Does Sansa know?"

"Not yet," he replied quietly, "I don't know when to tell her, she needs to be present and sound at the dinner, so that when you introduce her as a new adviser, there is no questioning to her abilities."

"Jon, the man she survived hell with has died. Don't you think she has the right to know sooner than later? I could tell her if you'd like, I'm in the same place she is now."

"Please Dany, wait until after the dinner. Trust me on this, she will need time to recover, and she should have just a few hours of joy before she's thrown back into the darkness."

Daenerys conceded, and made her way with Jon and Missandei to the dining room.