Notes: Hello! This chapter has lots of fluff and is a well deserved break from all of the angst. I did add some modern elements to the wedding, but I think it's still pretty believable. Thank you for reading, enjoy!
Daenerys yawned as she walked out of the latest council meeting. They had been discussing plans for repair and restructure of King's Landing if they were to win, and they quickly came to the realization that they had no Master of Coin. Daenerys said she would consider candidates over the next few weeks and come up with a decision, but all she could think about was how wonderful a foot massage would feel. She had been working and planning and ruling for the past few months with only a few spare hours here and there to herself, but she decided she was going to take the rest of the day off. She was making her way to the bathing chambers when Sansa caught her by surprise.
"Goodness, Lady Sansa, I didn't see you there."
"My apologies your Grace," Sansa said, shifting Clara on her hip, "I actually came to ask you a question."
"Sure, what is it?" Daenerys asked.
"I was wondering if you had anyone to make your dress for the wedding? Sewing and embroidery is sort of my specialty, and I'd love to create something for you as a thank you for all you've done for me. I can finish it in two weeks, and I have my assistant right here," she said, tapping Clara on the nose.
"Well, I will be honest with you, I hadn't even thought of who was to make the dress, but I would be honored if you would take up that task. With Jon's clothes, whenever I compliment the embroidery, he says it's your work. I know that Missandei has been looking into fabrics, so if you have any questions or need more experienced help, I'm sure she'd be glad to help. Plus, she's doing my hair, so I'm sure she will appreciate you handling the dress part."
Sansa thanked Daenerys and left to go find Missandei, but Daenerys stopped her.
"Sansa, do you have a nanny for Clara? I saw that other highborn ladies always had someone to carry around and feed their babies for them, have you not the funds or personnel for such?"
"Oh it's nothing like that your Grace; it's just that I actually prefer to care for her myself. We've been pretty inseparable since, well, I guess since she's been alive. I have my maidens watch her from time to time when I'm at a dinner or sorting things out for the North, but most of the time she just tags along with me. Many find babies to be annoying or fussy, but I do enjoy her company. She's a little more fun now that she's learning to walk and talk, but she's always been very quiet and agreeable. Better than most others I've shared company with to be quite honest with you."
Daenerys laughed and couldn't deny that truth. Clara was resting her head on Sansa's chest, looking shyly at the Dragon Queen.
Sansa leaned in to Daenerys, "Don't worry, when your baby comes, all of the best nannies in the seven kingdoms will be here to help you. You won't ever have to change a single nappy or feed them once if you don't want to."
Daenerys rolled her eyes, "Well, hopefully I can be a little more helpful than that. I suppose these aren't here for nothing," she said, looking down at her chest.
Sansa blushed, but she couldn't hold back a laugh.
Two weeks later
"Are you ready Your Grace?" Grey Worm asked as Daenerys stepped out of the doorway of her quarters.
"Of course," she grinned.
It was approaching sunset, the time that Daenerys and Jon decided they would be married. The sky was a mix of orange and pink and purple, colors that seemed so much warmer than the frigid Northern air. As she stepped into the hall, Sansa came up to her, smiling with excitement.
"Your Grace, are you sure that you don't want me to check the stitching again? I could do one final run through before we go out."
"Sansa, there's nothing more we need to do, the dress is incredible. Now, let's get outside before Jon and the others freeze to death out there." She laughed, holding Sansa's hand.
She was right, the dress was perfect. It was white as per tradition, and it swept out at the bottom, creating a small train behind it. Sansa had spent hours roaming Winterfell with Missandei to find the right fabrics, and they had decided upon a thick cotton material for the outside of the dress, with fur lining on the inside to keep Daenerys warm. Sansa had felt bad that she could not create the fashionable gowns from Essos that Missandei had shown her, but living in the North meant warmth over style. Daenerys, who was not accustomed to the cold, told Sansa to make the dress as warm as possible, and that they could focus on fashion when winter was over. While the dress was plain, Sansa had managed to embroider a dragon on the inside of the right sleeve, and a direwolf on other. It was Daenerys' favorite part of the dress, and she kept playing with the sleeves while Missandei pulled her hair into its magnificent braids. Daenerys endlessly thanked Missandei and Sansa as they walked out together to the Godswood.
It was a crowded affair. Everyone wanted to catch a glance of the marriage between their King and their Queen, and they lined the entire path from Winterfell to the Godswood. Dany was constantly observing all that was around her, but when they got close enough, she focused on only Jon. He smiled at the ground when she appeared, and then stared back into her eyes.
As she proceeded towards him, Jon could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He knew that their marriage wouldn't change anything about their relationship, and that he had already sworn his life to Daenerys, but something about seeing her walking towards him in the golden sunlight made him remember how much love he had for Daenerys. Love. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt in so many years, but just looking at her made the feeling come flooding back. Her hair was braided perfectly; the golden and silver curls fell uniformly around her face. The dress perfectly extenuated the curve of her body, and it flowed behind her as she walked. Her cheeks were pink with the flush of the winter air, but her hands were warm when she wrapped her ungloved fingers around his.
Once they met, the Septon began to deliver the few necessary prayers for a Northern wedding. Arya and Sansa stood together, and Bran stared at Sam, who continuously ignored him.
Finally, the prayers and speeches were over, and the Septon began to tie Daenerys and Jon's hands together with ribbon to symbolize their union.
"If anyone has an interjection with the joining of Queen Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow, King in the North, please speak now or forever hold your peace."
It was silent. Sam's heart was pounding in his chest, but he couldn't make his mouth move. He sighed, and Daenerys and Jon said their vows.
"I am his and he is mine, from this day to the end of my days."
"I am hers and she is mine, from this day to the end of my days."
Daenerys and Jon were married. The crowd couldn't help but break out in cheers, and even though the Septon disapproved, Jon smiled and looked to his wife, who was looking up at him, her eyes full of light.
…
The dining hall was full again, but instead of recovery after the battle, this evening was met with joy and celebration. A grand feast had been prepared, the rationing all approved by Sansa. Musicians played cheerful music, and many people couldn't wait to finish eating before they got up to dance.
Daenerys sat at the head of the table next to Jon, who was flanked by Tormund, Tyrion, and Missandei. Sansa sat at the table over with Brienne, who was feeding Clara soup while Sansa ate. They were both giggling as Tormund continued sending intense glances to Brienne.
"You should go talk to him you know," Sansa said, smiling down at the table.
"My Lady, my apologies, but that would be inappropriate."
"Why?" Sansa pressed.
I am guarding you at the moment, and I don't think that Lady Clara would be too happy if I were to leave her to eat for herself."
"Well the latter is because I've coddled her too much, but Lady Brienne, we're safe. I feel just fine. Now, answer this, do you fancy him?"
"No," Brienne said quietly.
"Lady Brienne, I will remind you it is highly frowned upon to lie to those you serve," Sansa taunted.
"Well, I did find him interesting, and the slightest bit handsome, but it can't happen Lady Sansa, it's unrealistic. I am sworn to serve you, and having a relationship is not acceptable."
"Plenty of knights have relationships, whether they admit it or not," Sansa replied, "your honor will not be dirtied if you have some fun. Now, stop using my baby as a shield, and go say hello. Here, set her in my lap."
Brienne smiled and gently handed Clara to Sansa.
"Thank you my Lady, for the boost of confidence," Brienne whispered.
Sansa felt she had succeeded in her task, and she smiled and shook her head as she offered her daughter a spoonful of soup.
"Someone ought to be having fun, shouldn't they?" She chirped to Clara, who tried to push the spoon to Sansa's face.
"Well, at least you understand the concept of sharing; I must be doing something right."
…
Dinner was over, and it was clear that Jon had a glassful too much to drink. He laughed at all of Tyrion's terrible jokes, and kept begging his wife to dance with him.
"Jon, I don't know how to dance. I'll just embarrass myself; I don't think these people want to see their Queen tripping on her own feet."
"Dany, look around, no one here knows how to dance. And really, you ride dragons, and you're not coordinated enough to move your feet?"
She wanted to scold him for calling her something so informal in public, but she promised herself she was going to stay relaxed today. Finally she relented to her husband's wishes, and let him lead her to the open space in the hall.
"Relax, just let the music move you," he said, swinging her hands back and forth.
"Oh, so you're a poet now? It is really amazing what a little alcohol will do to a person," she sighed, looking at her babbling husband who she couldn't help but love.
She discovered how fun dancing could be though, especially when no one was watching her. She swayed and clapped and twisted, and felt pure joy in her heart. Jon was amazed at how quickly her demeanor changed without any ale or wine; she went from the stern, stoic queen to a smiling, free dancer. Her hair was already beginning to come out of its braids, but she didn't notice. She kept moving, occasionally taking Jon's hands and letting him spin her around.
She watched the Northerners begin some sort of jig, and after about two minutes, she had learned the steps and joined in. Missandei couldn't convince Grey Worm to dance, but he smiled at her from the table as she joined her Queen on the makeshift dancefloor.
Sansa sat at her table and smiled as she watched everyone enjoying themselves. She giggled when Jon stumbled around Daenerys, trying to find some semblance of rhythm as his wife clapped the beat out for him. Clara had somehow managed to fall asleep despite the noise, and she lay comfortably in Sansa's arms, her hand gripping the chain on her mother's dress. Sansa turned to take her back to her crib, but before she could get up, Tyrion stumbled over and sat beside her.
"You've got a very heavy sleeper there," he said, motioning to Clara.
"Tyrion, you were with us in the crypts, she slept through the entire battle. She only woke up when dawn began to break," Sansa reminded him.
"I try not to think of that night anymore, but I remember wishing I could have done the same," he paused, "you know, I think the last wedding I attended was ours," he said proudly, sipping more wine from his cup.
She began to laugh, but then quickly fell quiet when she realized he wasn't joking.
"Tyrion, don't you remember Joffrey's? That was nearly a year after ours," she said slowly.
"Oh my gods, how could I forget? What a wonderful night!"
Sansa nearly spit out the wine she had been drinking, but then a smile crept to her lips, "we'll just say it wasn't the worst night I've had."
"There it is! I knew you enjoyed it just a little bit! You have a taste for vengeance Lady Stark, it's refreshing."
Sansa shook her head, knowing it was the copious amounts of wine that was causing him to say these things.
"I came here to ask you something. Jon was going to, but he is otherwise occupied."
"I can see that. Well, what is it?"
"While he's away with Daenerys to fight the war, he was wondering if you would continue to serve as Queen in the North. The Queen doesn't know what she's going to do with the North once she has the throne, but she's told me many times she prefers to see you running things while she's deciding. You did an excellent job while Jon was away before, without you I don't know if Winterfell would have been ready to defend itself against the onslaught of the dead."
Sansa's heart sunk for a moment as she remembered that Jon and Daenerys were leaving once again. But she was grateful she'd have such a time consuming job to busy herself with while they were away.
"Well, I would be honored. I was going to ask Daenerys if she would consider granting the North independence, but quite a lot happened between then and now. I figured I'd wait a little longer to ask her properly," she admitted.
"Lady Sansa, if you rule with the same intelligence and grace you did for the time Jon was away, you'd only help your case. Daenerys wants peace and choice for the people, and if an independent North is the way to do it, with a Stark alliance, then she will comply."
"Thank you Tyrion," Sansa said sincerely.
"Now, will you do me the honor of just a dance or two? Do you remember the Southern Waltzes?" he asked.
Sansa called for a maiden to take Clara to her chambers, and she stood up beside Tyrion and smoothed out her dress.
"I may be a bit rusty, but we'll give it a go," she replied.
They twisted and stumbled and laughed. Sansa was surprised she remembered as much as she did, and it felt so freeing just to move. Daenerys saw Sansa dancing with Tyrion, and she smiled proudly as her head rested on Jon's shoulder.
"Look at your sister," she whispered in his ear.
He turned to glance at Sansa, and he beamed.
"Ay, she needed this." He assured.
"You're right. I will be sure to thank Tyrion for this." She concurred.
...
As things finally died down, Jon and Daenerys began making their way back to their chambers.
"I didn't know Northerners could have so much fun." Daenerys noted.
"Well, when you're stuck inside from the cold, sometimes it's important to keep moving to stay warm. Dancing seems to be the most interesting way to do so."
Daenerys smiled as she shut the door behind them, "I can think of another way," she said, biting her lip.
…
"Do you know how incredibly happy you make me?" Jon said as he ran his hand down his wife's back.
"I've contemplated it from time to time," she smiled, planting a kiss on his lips.
They were lying naked under the blankets, using each other to keep themselves warm.
"I wanted to show you something," she said, sitting up and lifting the covers off of her.
She took his hand and guided it to her stomach. She placed both her hands on top of his, and waited for him to realize. Suddenly he began to feel it. He circled his hand around her belly, and felt the very slight bump that was beginning to swell. He gasped, and looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"Oh my gods," he said, utterly speechless.
"I know," she whispered, "I saw it this morning. Sansa was trying to get the dress on, and for some reason I ran my hand over my stomach. It's so cold here, I very rarely spend time without clothes on, but I felt it. I gasped, and Sansa was so scared she had poked me, poor thing. But I showed her, and all she said was 'I told you so'."
"Sounds like Sansa," he admitted.
"So this is really going to happen?" he asked, looking up to her face.
"Well, nothing is for certain, but this surely is a very promising sign." She smiled.
"We'll have to think of names for a boy or a girl. Although something tells me it's a boy."
"Really? I was certain it's a girl." Daenerys yawned.
"I'll make you a deal. If it's a boy I name it, and if it's a girl you name it, if you're ever so confident."
Daenerys rolled to face away from Jon in playful frustration.
"I think I know who's growing inside my body. I hope you'll like my name choice."
Jon shook his head with a grin on his face, and wrapped his arm around his wife.
"No matter who it is or what we name it, I will love that child more than anything in this world, and that's a promise."
"Except for me, of course," Daenerys teased quietly.
"Except for you, my Queen, the love of my life," he assured her.
She rolled over to face him, "now stop flattering me and kiss me again," she pouted.
"As my Queen commands," he responded, gently rolling her on top of him.
