After landing at Lordsport, Theon immediately made his way to Castle Pyke. Looking around at his homeland he couldn't help but notice nothing seemed to change on the islands. The Drowned God was still worshiped reverently by the Ironborn, and by he could hear many a sailor recounting stories of pirates and sea monsters to the rapt attention of his peers.

Realizing he wouldn't be looked upon well just walking up to the castle gates, he stopped to gather directions of where he could purchase a quality horse. A few gold dragons lighter, he cantered at a steady pace towards his destination on a strong courser. While he was riding, he saw a woman older than him by a few years mounted on a horse in front of him.

Feeling a bit mischievous, he pulled alongside her. "A woman riding a horse without a man helping her, this is a first."

The woman threw her head back. "Ha! You must have lived in a shack before now and only left it to hunt."

"No, I assure you I didn't. Can you guide me to Castle Pyke?" asked Theon with a self-important air.

The woman was less than impressed. "You didn't tell me your name."

"I'm Theon Grejoy the last living son of Baelon Greyjoy."

She gave a mischievous smile and said, "Well, wouldn't you know, I live there. You may follow me to the castle."

When they arrived at Pyke Castle, the woman dismounted the horse with ease, and threw the reins to a stable boy without ever looking his way. She moved about the place as if she owned it and had lived here her whole life. Theon struggled to keep up with her.

Her manner greatly disturbed him. Who was this woman? A mistress of his dead father's perhaps? "So, are you a servant? That would be even worse than a lady learning, who taught you to ride?"

She finally stopped as they entered the castle and she was moving towards a narrow staircase. Turning to face him she smirked. "You don't recognize me, brother?" her voiced dripped with condescension.

"What? Ya..Yara?"

She sniffed in disdain. "I see being amount the Starks has changed you, Theon. What did they teach you? How to behave and be gentle to others? Did you embrace their false religion and forgot your ironborn heritage?"

"Don't you dare talk about the Starks like that!" Theon snarled. How dare she disparage the people who'd treated him more like family than a prisoner?

"Dare? They took you as a hostage when you were a child, you fucker!" Yara retorted. "Did you forget why you were there in the first place? Did you become so comfortable as their prisoner you forgot how they held your life in their hands!"

Theon didn't know what to say to that. It was true, for all the Stark's treated him like he was family he had still been their prisoner. One misstep on his father's part and… Theon shook his head, his mind was a wreck of conflicting feelings. Yet, he knew she was right. But he'd be damned if he admitted it to her.

"What do you want anyway? Don't you know you're not supposed to talk to your lord this way?"

Yara snorted. "You're not my lord. Besides, we want you to be our king but you haven't been blessed by The Drowned God yet and I'm afraid our people won't accept someone like you. A weak greenlander that doesn't know what it is to fight for our people, to pay the iron price."

At her words Theon swiftly unsheathed his sword and raised it toward her neck. The two locked eyes as he dared her to say another word.

"What are you going to do? Kill your sister? Do it." Yara held his gave as she challenged him.

He didn't move paralyzed by indecision before he decided to lower it. Partly in shame, and partly because he knew kinslaying was one of the few things the Ironborn frowned upon. Yara's expression was triumphant. She opened her mouth to speak but Theon beat her to the punch.

"I..I think your right. The Iron Islands needs to be independent, and I have to be their King."

Yara gave him a long hard look before nodding. "Now you see the truth? Finally. We have to tell our Uncle Euron of this."

…

Ser Brynden Tully was invited by Lord Tywin to the solar of the Hand. He didn't know exactly why exactly the Hand wanted him, but he came nonethless. When The Blackfish had heard about his grandniece's betrothal to The Old Lion, he was shocked but tried not to make much of a fuss about it like his niece had, or alternatively back his queen wholeheartedly like Ser Erwin Black. In the end, he knew he had no authority to object to the Queen of the Realm decisions. He knew his place as part of the Queensguard was to guard the Queen, not advise her in matters of state.

As he was welcomed in to the solar he saw Tywin sitting behind his desk reading a letter before him. He looked up as Brynden stood before him.

"Ser Tully, please sit. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. I have received a letter, telling me of your niece's betrothal. Did you know anything of it?" Tywin's green eyed gaze peered at the man assessing him for any lies.

Brynden blinked in surprise that quickly turned to shock. "What? What are you talking about?"

"So, that's a no then. She married someone. We don't know who he is, but fortunately we have found the boy who delivered the letter."

Brynden shook his head. "I'm confused, my lord. She told us not a word of what she was, least of all she couldn't have gotten the consent of the Queen to do so. How is this possible?"

"As you well know she's had problems with Queen and I, from my becoming Hand to our upcoming nuptials. Her Grace asked her mother to leave court because she wasn't listening to her or respecting her position as Queen."

"I see," said Brynden grimly.

Tywin mistook his expression for judgement. "What happened was not the Queen's fault."

Brynden straightened as he nodded. "No, of course not, she's my Queen and I'll never interfere in her judgements, but I dare say she was right in her decision despite the consequences. The Queen can't have the Queen Mother disturbing the order. Else others will start getting ideas."

"Good."

Tywin then told Cheryin to bring Tyrion and the boy with a Red cloak to escort them. Tyrion recounted to his father and Ser Brynden what happened on the streets yesterday and their decision to not lock him in the dungeons but instead in a room that was heavily guarded. There was a brief silence after Tyrion recounted his tale as everyone waited for Lord Tywin to speak.

"Boy, come here," said Tywin.

The boy approached the Great Lion swallowing with nervousness.

"What is your name boy?"

"Jeno, milord."

Tywin cut to the chase. "Who gave you that letter yesterday?" He glared down at the boy displaying an expression that brooked no argument.

The boy didn't answer him. Tywin frowned before deciding to go with a more gentle approach.

"I'll give you enough food and money for you and your family to live for the year if you answer the question."

The boy's head shot up hopefully before his expression morphed into one of fear. "But he will kill me if I tell. He likely knows that your men caught me."

"Then, tell me what I need, you and your family will be sent to live in the West, bringing you under my protection."

"I don't have a family. My parents left me because they couldn't afford to feed me."

"And the house you were found hiding in?" interjected Tyrion, ignoring the glare his father threw his way for interrupting.

"It's a place that I can stay often, I don't have enough money for a rent," The boy answered vaguely. Tywin felt that he was getting closer to the truth.

"So, your sender didn't give you enough money to rent a room, but let you sleep in some abandoned place and not his place. Is that scar punishment from him for some misdeed?

"Yes, it was a punishment. But I can't sleep in his place…it's a brothel."

That raised everyone's brows. "A brothel?" that sounded familiar to Tywin for some reason. "Who sent you boy? I won't ask again!"

"It was L..Lord Petyr Baelish who sent me, milord."

Everyone could only look at one another in confusion. Baelish was the man the Queen Mother had decided to marry. But why?

"What in the world is Littlefinger thinking?" asked Tyrion. "What could he possibly gain from this?"

"I've never liked him, that opportunistic snake," grumbled Ser Brynden, "What will do now, Lord Lannister?"

Tywin was frowned as he tried to decide the next best course of action.

"I sought you, so you could use whatever information we found to track down who had married your niece, but now we know Baelish is that man. Be we will wait to unmask him until after the wedding. We don't want to draw much attention to the issue. It could hurt the Queen's budding reign."

"But what if they've left the city for land unknown?" asked Tyrion.

Tywin brushed off his son's concerns. "Don't worry about that. I'm confident he will attend the wedding without The Queen Mother as if nothing happened."

Internally he wondered if there was any connection between their marriage and the other happenings lately.

…..

"Lord Targaryen, I need to talk to you." Jon turned to see an irate Stannis Baratheon baring down on him.

"On what matter, my lord," Jon addressed respectively.

"My daughter, Lady Shireen. I promise you, I'll crush you if you do anything to hurt her!"

Jon's eyes bulged in surprise. "Hurt her? No, no! We are friends, my lord."

"I hid her from people for obvious reasons…" Stannis spoke through gritted teeth.

Jon's expression softened in understanding. "Yes, I know."

"Father, didn't often let me interact with other people. My greyscale scars were of great concern to him."

Her father's protective but stifling attitude had led Shireen into a life closed from the outside world. It was reflected in her often times childish personality, while at other times she displayed a maturity beyond her young adult years. She'd often had only herself for company as her mother neglected her completely, and while her friendship with Ser Davos was all well and good, it wasn't enough especially in comparison to her peers, she needed more exposure.

"That's a shame," said Jon, "I see myself more like you, the greyscale aside...I mean you're like me, a victim of the circumstances. I suffered because people only saw a worthless bastard and you suffered because of your scars. Both things we had no control over. We're equals."

"It's nice of you to say that me, Jon, but not everyone understand so."

Jon shook his head. "It doesn't matter, I understand you. So, have you prepared for the Queen's wedding?"

"Oh, yes! I'm so happy. This is the first wedding I've been allowed to attend!"

"She seems to like your company, I'll not forbid her from seeing you but my words stands.."

…

Sansa days became busier and busier by the day as the wedding approached. The city was starting to become packed as nobles across the Seven Kingdoms started to fill the capital. Thankfully they had enough accommodations for them all in King's Landing.

It was decided the day would be a holiday in the Seven Kingdoms. A tourney was to be held in her honor and Tywin's. The Old Lion usually hated such displays things but for Sansa he'd accept anything.

They agreed that the Hand appointing ceremony would be after the marriage rituals instead of before.

As Robb would escort her down the aisle, his brother Ser Kevan Lannister would be by his side. Their immediate family would stand in the first seats from both sides of the aisle. Sansa's family on the right and Tywin's family on the left.

As well Tywin ordered a new pair of great desks so he could be beside Sansa late in the evenings when they finally share the royal apartments. Secretly, he asked that Sansa's name and his to be written underneath them to make it more intimate.

When Sansa glimpsed the desks she hoped the wedding day would arrive sooner because she could hardly wait anymore to be his wife.

Yet, she was anxious as well due to so many matters state occupying her mind. One of them was the 'Wedding Night' itself. She was shy of the matter. Her mother had only briefly told her of went on between man and wife in the bedchambers. She had treated whole thing as if it was scandalous to even talk about. She hope Tywin would be understanding to her lack of experience.

As if he heard her thoughts, a knock came on the solar door and Ser Erwin announced Tywin's presence.

"My lord, please sit down"

"Sansa, I have something to give you. It means something special to me," said Tywin, "We will not share my name but we belong to each other Sansa. I want to give you a special gift, something as a physical manifestation of my affection for you."

"Tywin.."

He reached into his doublet before pulling out a ring. "This, this is my mother's ring…I remember as a child she wore it often. It was made especially for her and she loved it dearly."

"Tywin.." Sansa was speechless. To give such a gift to her.

"Joanna wore it. When she died I kept it hidden, at first maybe so Jamie could give it to his future wife, but then he married someone so unworthy him, and then...you happened. It seemed like the gods, as you said before, wanted us together. The stone of the ring is a sapphire like your own eyes."

Sansa felt a sudden bravery fall on her then as she looked him in the eye, "Tywin Lannister, do you love me?"

Tywin swallowed, "Is it not obvious Sansa?"

Sansa eyes filled with tears, "I find myself sharing the same feelings. I love you too."

"Oh..but...my deeds, my reputation?"

"I told you before. The time will come and you will tell."

"I promise you, Sansa, one day you will know everything. Let me put the ring on." She nodded eagerly.

He wanted to kiss her hard at that moment but he as always he couldn't because someone like Ser Erwin could enter the room and interrupt their intimacy. But there were no interruptions this time, yet nonetheless, he replaced the ring on the finger of her left hand.

"Perfect" he smiled at her.

She wished their wedding was today and not tomorrow but there was nothing to be done about it.

As if reading her thoughts. "Soon, my darling. We will have each other."

Sansa nodded not knowing what to say. He bowed then kissing her finger.

The tears continued to flow, Sansa thought she was living in a dream. He wiped them away with his thumb quickly and said, "Your tears are precious to me."

"I'm sorry, I don't have something to give you."

"But you did." He entered his hand into his his pocket to show her the watch she gave him before on his nameday.

"Do you remember this? It's always with me and I never forget it anywhere. When I'm thinking of you I look at it."

"Oh, Tywin! I love you."

"I love you too, only time is our solace until our wedding."