A/N: Hope you guys like this story! I'm ignoring huge parts of the last two seasons of GoT: they do happen, but not the same way. If enough pppl like the story I might continue it. I changed somewhings and added some coversation between our lovebirds.
Sansa Stark - the Lady of Winterfell, Wardeness of the North, Lady Paramount of the North - needed a break. She needed to leave the banquet hall of the Red Keep: everything was too much to her, but she had to be discreet… It wouldn't do to offend her hosts Queen Daenerys Targaryen and her husband the King consort Aegon Targaryen (her brother Jon). She smiled at all the right times and responded to all the questions those Lords and Ladies asked her politely, not showing them that she wanted to be anywhere, but here at this Ball in celebration of Spring and the fourth year of the rule of the new (old) Dynasty. This was the kind of celebration a younger, more naive version of herself would have loved and part of her did: Kings Landing and the Red Keep had never looked better. The Queen and King were honestly good at ruling and cared about their subjects, but - and there was always a but - she hated the real reason this celebration was held: the Queen was barren and the King wouldn't take a mistress to have a child, so the Queen needed to marry off her brother.
Her brother was the real reason this celebration was held, so that he could choose a suitable lady to marry or at least court, and he was also the reason the journey towards the Red Keep from Winterfell had gone so agonizingly slow: every lord and lady in her retinue asked her a thousand and one questions about the crown prince. She was the best to answer them - she knew him personally, she was friends with the prince and had even been married at one point to him! It seemed that Lord Tyrion Lannister wasn't really Tyrion Lannister, but Prince Tyrion Aemos Targaryen of house Lannister, son of Aerys II and Lady Joanna Lannister… That had been a huge shock, but not totally unexpected seeing as he had rode Viserion from Dragonstone to Winterfell during the long night. That had impacted her greatly, but when she confronted him about not telling her that he was a Targaryen when they had been married, he laughed hysterically before telling her that he himself hadn't had a clue: except for all the hatred and contempt from Tywin Lannister. She needed people to stop asking her questions, she didn't know why, but every question or show of interest in her once husband felt like a dagger in her chest and it was awful.
"Finally alone.." She signed in relief once she had escaped toward a balcony that would lead her to the gardens.
"Afraid you're wrong, My Lady, but I can find another place to hide if my company is so very inopportune to you." Said a deep voice coming from the shadows, a voice she recognized very well that caused her to turn around and reach for the owner. Soon the man that haunted her thoughts stepped into the light and as his eyes were caught in the right light she wondered why no one had ever suspected anything: one eye the color of wildfire and another a deep purple that without the right light could be mistaken for black.
"Your Royal Highness, please, I'd be honored to share your company." She answered as she curtsied, not seeing the grimace that covered his face.
As she looked back up she saw the light play across his face and had to agree with the words Margaery said in what felt a lifetime ago, he was handsome; maybe not in the classical way as his brother Jamie or in the ethereal way of his sister Queen Daenerys, but in his own way he looked both Lannister and Targaryen and yet he also looked like himself with his uniquely colored hair that was neither golden blond nor Valyrian Silver but a mix that somehow had strands of black in between and his mismatched eyes and his scar that gave him a roguish look. She felt her face heat up at her thoughts.
"Please, Lady Sansa, don't you mock my height too." He said with a small smile on his lips hoping that his joke would ease some of the tension in her shoulders. He loved his sister Daenerys, he really did and he was happy with his legitimization, but right now he could do without: his days were filled with sycophants trying to curry his favor with your Royal Highness this or that and Prince this or that… It was worse than getting called all kinds of names behind his back and to his face.
"I apologize if my behavior upset you, my Prince." Answered Sansa honestly while she wondered how many people used the protocol salute as a mockery to his height: hadn't he already done enough for them? What right did they have to mock him for something that is so far out of his control?
"Please, my Lady: don't call me my Prince. Not tonight, not you… aren't we friends?" He asked Sansa, taking one of her hands in his.
"If I'm not allowed to call you my Prince, how shall I refer to you then - my friend?" She asked him with a small smile and it felt like his chest might explode.
"Tyrion, call me by the name given to me by my mother." He almost begged her, he would have gone on his knees to hear him called his true name by another that wasn't his good brother Jon and he would add some graveling for it to fall from her lips.
"I shall call you that Sir, but with one condition." She said in a teasing tone.
"Anything." He answered without a thought, she could ask him anything and he'll give it to her gladly.
"Well, two actually." She proposed and he just nodded. " First of all I shall be Sansa for this night and you will take me somewhere far from this celebration."
"You've got yourself a deal My … Sansa." He finished correcting himself. "Please follow me to my new favorite place." He said, offering his arm.
She smiled before accepting his arm, softly placing one of her hands on his upper arm. He gave her a conspiratorial smile as he led her towards some unknown place in the gardens far from the music and the sound of the celebrations.
They passed some lighted areas once in a while, but it was mostly just them under a starry sky and the moonlight enjoying each others silent company with only the sky and the gods as witnesses to whatever they might say to one another; at some point they reached a clearing where they found Grey Worm awaiting them in his new armor marking him as a kingsguard.
"It seems we have been discovered, Sansa." Said Tyrion with a huff.
"No, the queen told this one to look over the Prince. She never told this one to tell her if the Prince left, only said 'make sure the Prince kept good company." Declared the man with a conspiratorial smile.
"So we are allowed to just be here away from the celebrations alone?" Asked Tyrion hopefully while Sansa watched the interaction silently with a healthy respect and no small amount of fear seeing a kingsguard and being in the company of a crown prince, even if she knew that this was Tyrion not Joffrey, as for Grey Worm, well, she wasn't sure about him but trusting Tyrion hadn't steered her wrong yet.
"This one doesn't know. This one only knows that no harm shall come to the Prince and also believes that Lady Sansa fits good company." Grey Worm answered Tyrion before leaving the clearing, hiding somewhere close so that he could act if Tyrion needed him.
"Tyrion, did this just happen?" Asked a perplexed Sansa.
"I believe so, sweet girl. Don't worry, we are where I wanted to take you." Tyrion answered before he let go of her arm while he walked a couple of steps away and took what looked like a wooden lute from somewhere between his clothes before playing a short tune on it.
"Tyrion?" Sansa asked, confused.
"Give him a moment, Sansa dear." Was all he answered and before she could question what he meant, Viserion appeared and landed smoothly. "Hello boy, are you having a good time?" Tyrion asked the massive beast while he stroked it as if it were a kitten. The sound it made even reminded Sansa of a kitten purring. "Can you do me a favor, boy? See that Lady there? That's Sansa, you've met her before, even if you don't remember, it was pretty chaotic at the time. The thing is, we want to spend some time without loud noises and people. Do you think we might snuggle up to you to keep warm?"
When Sansa heard Tyrion ask the dragon if it would be good if they were to snuggle up against it, she wondered if he had gone mad. There was no way in the seven hells that she'd snuggle up against a dragon! There was just no way, until:
"Come Sansa, what are you waiting for, Viserion gave his consent." Said Tyrion as he walked up to her, grabbing her hand gently.
"For us to snuggle up to him?" She asked him, looking at him as if he had grown an extra head or two.
"Don't worry, he likes snuggling up." Assured Tyrion as they both sat down and yes, as he had said, Viserion moved himself almost curling around them, and due to this they both ended up snuggled against the dragon. Of course Tyrion would bond with the one dragon in the history of the world that likes snuggling! "I've heard from a bird that Arya and a centrain Storm Lord shall be marrying soon, tell me how did that happen?" He asked, relaxed against the beast while he looked at the stars.
"I can't say that I'm completely sure, the only thing I'm certain of is that Lord probably did beg a lot and got rejected many times." Answered Sansa giggling as she too started to relax against the massive creature. It was warm and even with its hard scales she somehow felt comfortable.
"And tell me, how is the North?" He asked while he started climbing his dragon as if it were a tree not that Viserion seemed to mind and if he did would she know?
"What are you doing?" She asked him wondering why he would climb Viserion while they spoke.
"I'm getting some good dornish wine from Viserion's stash: we'll need it." Explained Tyrion with a smile in his voice and the dragon made some grumbling noises. "Don't worry boy, she knows I'm joking about who the stash belongs to. After all it's me that drinks and knows things!"
"Won't the wine be too warm? And how come you stash wine in his saddle?" Sansa asked, feeling bewildered.
"I designed his saddle and I stash much more than just wine with him… and don't worry I've learned how to stash the wine! There were some failed experiments not worth telling you about. Now tell me about the North while I find my way back to the floor." He said as he started making his way down, she just accepted it and started telling him about the North.
"Getting more populated by the day: many wildlings are deciding that this side of the wall is the place to be." Sansa mumbled as she accepted the wineskin offered to her.
"They aren't giving you much trouble, are they?" He asked her while she took a sip and had to hide a grimace. She took a big sip and this wine was stronger than what she usually drank.
"No, they aren't… of course there are some things where we differ, but in the end we all are Northerners…. and who am I kidding: why didn't anyone tell me that being the head of the ruling house was so difficult? I have to clean the mess made by the vassals and fix their petty disputes: and let me tell you they are petty!" She complained for the first time since she became the Lady of Winterfell causing him to laugh and almost choke on his wine.
"If you had been more attentive to my ramblings during our short marriage you would have known that you would be surrounded by fools that would make a mess for you to clean up." He answered her, understanding her plight. "But you at least have Bran to help you?" He tried to cheer her up.
"Don't get me started on Bran." Mumbled Sansa wondering what kind of mess would await her once she returned from Kings Landing.
"Hey! I like Bran!" Exclaimed Tyrion in mock offense after which he gave her a smile.
"I'm not even going to start that conversation so… Tell me about how you realized who you were? And how is life as the crown Prince?" She asked her friend. Sure, in the ravens he sent her he would sometimes tell her some of the things he did, but it always felt as if there was more.
"Well you know that after the disaster where I was accused of regicide, which I didn't do - if it were me, he wouldn't have gotten to be a king - I had this wonderful trip to Essos, I saw all the places to visit and then I came across Daenerys's dragons chained to the walls in some enclosed place: let me tell you those are terrible living conditions for dragons, but anyway they didn't eat me as a snack, instead they adopted me and brought me to their mother. That's when I saw Varys, and as everyone present was trying to comprehend the dragons' possessive and protective behavior around me, the cunt told something that I felt I really had the right to know sooner: Aerys II had lusted after my mother for years and when there started to be rumors of a possible assault, she left court never to be seen again! Eight months later yours truly was born: so I got trial by fire from Dany before she decided that, yeah, I was her brother, so she adopted me then and there. I even got Viserion out of all that shit." Sansa sensed that she was given a heavily edited version of the events, but decided to not push for more details, the rumors said that he spend sometime in Essos as a slave.
"And my life as a crown prince sucks: I'd rather be a Hand, even if I still have a seat on the small council it's not like I can do much because Jon and Dany prefer me not interfering with it too much and I'm only allowed to help once everything is about to go up in flames." Grumbled the Prince with a cute pout not that anyone would even know. "Aside from basically running the West, my job is to stand still and look pretty while everyone and their grandmother tries to seduce me to get the crown on my head or my money or both…" Tyrion signed dramatically even if Sansa felt that he really felt that way, if only he knew. "You know my life would be much easier if only your brother took a mistress to sire him a bastard!" At this Sansa laughed knowing that it was the truth.
"No really, for the Westerlands I can appoint my cousin Joy as the heir and strong arm her future husband into taking the Lannister name and in becoming Lord consort!" He exclaimed in indignation at her laughs.
"How did that even happen?" She asked once she could breathe again.
"How did what happen?" Tyrion asked, confused.
"You as Lord Paramount of the Westerlands?" She asked, wondering about that: Jamie was still alive so how?
"Didn't I tell you about that?"
"I don't think so, you only wrote, and I shall quote, a cunt of a golden lion dumping everything on me calling it a show of support and love before running to the other side of the continent. And that is all you ever wrote about that." She told him.
"Well that is exactly what happened! That was Jamie's way of showing support and telling me he loved me and of course we are still brothers! And it was not as if there was anyone still alive that would have a claim before me at it, with the exception of him, of course. He just dumped the West on me before heading to Tarth to marry Brienne, he didn't even think about Joy or anything." The Prince explained in a suffering voice.
"Wow, that was a dirty trick he pulled on you." Sansa conceded.
"Thank you!"
"No, thank you for sharing all that with me." Replied the redhead yawning.
"Sansa?"
"Hmmm?"
"I know this may be foolish, as you already rejected me once, but marry me?"
"What!?"
"I know I'm a fool, but share the rest of your life with me please?"
"You know what, yes, I'd love to."
"Really?"
"Yes really." She said with a smile before planting a chaste kiss on his lips to silence him.
A/N: I've finally found a beta the wonderfull elliecat78 lets thank her for her wonderfull work! Please leave a review.
