Chapter 7 News Part 2

Sansa busied herself the entire day once the Vale and Manderly forces left to head to White Harbor and with the Unsullied and Northern horse headed west toward Ironrath to retake the Stony Shore from the Ironborn. There was no shortage of items to attend to as there still so much to do, so many buildings had to be repaired, so many people resettled, there was still a clash of culture to deal with. Free Folk women, spear wives as Jon called them insisted on standing guard on the wall like a man-at-arms would, this caused some issues with the Vale knights left to help protected Winterfell, the Northern protective force grumbled as well at having women on the wall but they accepted it better then the vale men. Now that they weren't facing an army of the dead which would overrun their defenses that night, the code of chivalry that the Vale Knights followed forced itself to the surface again. That code of honor didn't allow warrior women, Sansa shut them down by noting how well the spear wives did in the battle of the dead and how Ser Brienne of Tarth commanded the Vale foot in the battle. It helped remove some issues, surprising it was the Dothraki who were the easiest to deal with, they just camped outside of Winterfell and had the occasional fight among themselves. As long as they didn't kill each other or anyone else it was fine by Sansa. Those issues had taken most of the first day and the following morning just after sunrise that Ser Jorah Mormont lead the Dothraki and Northern foot away from Winterfell heading East toward the Dread Fort to take down the Boltons. With them gone Winterfell seemed almost empty with only a commoners and a small defense force remaining behind to hold the Castle.

The next morninj just after Ser Jorah Mormont and the third army left, Sansa walked through the strangely empty yard only to find herself drawn toward the forge. She paused outside for a moment as she watched as the half the smiths worked on making nails help rebuild however the other half were working on her special project. Her eyes kept going to Gendry, she studied this man, he was older than her sister for sure she would put him of age with Jon so around 22 or 23 to Arya's 19 or her 21. Even though he was younger than most of the other men at the forge he was actually directing the work on this project. He command them like a lord would command his forces in battle and the man followed his orders. He paused in his work to look down at a piece of parchment and studied it for a moment before going back to work.

"At least he can read." noted Sansa to herself, there were too many high lords who didn't have their letters. Gendry had not only his letters, but he knew math, one had to if one worked the forge.

"Lady Stark." said Maester Wolkan as he walked up to her holding a letter. "Our first Raven has arrived, from Torrhen's Square."

"Thank you." said Sansa as she took the message and looked at the brown wax which had three trees imprinted on it, she broke the seal and read the message. "Looks like Lord Brandon Tallhart's Stewart is confused but he will open the gates to any forces willing to help drive the Iron Man away."

"Well that is to be expected, my Lady Lord Tallhart was South with Lord Robb until he came north with Manderly missing the Red Wedding." explained the Maester "The Stewart is likely confused on a great many issues."

"That will be a lot of people in the coming days." stated Sansa as she turned to look at Gendry. "Tell me something Maester who would be the heir to the Dreadfort once Rose Bolton and Ramsay are gone?"

"Well you my Lady, you were married to Ramsay Bolton." explained the Maester as a chill ran down Sansa's back, she had tried to push those horrible memories out of her mind. She didn't want to be reminded of them in any way.

"Besides me." stated Sansa, she would never be Lady of the Dreadfort, she would hand it over to someone else or destroy it before she would call that place home.

"Well my Lady there would be some third and fourth cousins for sure, not sure who." admitted the Maester who used to be the Dreadfort's own Maester. "Lord Bolton was an only child his sister dying in the cradle and his father's only brother died fighting in the stepstones during the war of the Nine Penny Kings, he also had no children. So that would leave Lord Roose Bolton's grandfather who I don't know much about, I am afraid. So sorry my Lady I do not know, would you like me to do some research."

"It is nothing of any great importance tend to your other duties first…I was just wondering." stated Sansa as she looked back at Gendry for a moment. "I am working on a possible solution to a problem."

She turned and headed toward the great hall only to see the dark-skinned women, Missandei. She was a foreigner in a foreign land and her dark skinned made her stand out even more.

"Lady Stark." said Missandei as the former slave bowed her head in greeting to the high-born lady, their standing with each other was foggy at best. As a High Born Lady and acting Wardenness of the North on top of being on the Queen's council Sansa would naturally have a higher station then a handmaid and translator to the Queen. That would be without question normally however Missandei wasn't just a handmaid and aid, she was the Queen's closest friend, possibly her only female friend depending on how the Queen saw Sansa and Arya and therefor she held great power within her own right. Also while not on the small council in any official way Missandei had great influence on the Queen and her lover Grey Worm the Master of War. She had also been in every Council meeting, she was an important player as Little Finger would say even without a title.

"Missandei, may I ask something of you?" inquired Sansa as the two of them stopped outside of the entrees to the Great Hall between the two statues of stone direwolves.

"Of course, Lady Stark." said Missandei

"What duties do you currently have?" inquired Sansa as the other woman looked at her for a moment, for a moment Sansa wasn't sure if she had insulted her or not.

"Not much at the moment but I need to be ready to help her Grace at any time should she return." Explained Missandei "Why?"

"I wanted to ask something of you." explained Sansa as she looked out into the yard where some children were playing. "When I was a little girl, our Maester, Maester Luwin would teach the local children of the Winter Town how to read, do simple sums and write their names. He did this with my father's permission of course."

"Forgive me, but if Maesters are Knights of the mind as they call themselves shouldn't they try to spread knowledge like reading, writing and sums?" inquired Missandei, in the free cities every child who wasn't a slave learned read and write, and a lot of slaves learned as well. It made them worth more, if they knew how to read.

"Among the lords and Ladies aye." confirmed Sansa impressed that Missandei knew that the Maester's considered themselves the Knights of the Mind. "Among the commoners it was up to each Maester and the Lord they served to decide if they would do it. Both Lewin and my father wanted to do this and I want to start it up again with the orphans and other children."

"They could use the distraction; they do not understand what is going on." confirmed Missandei as a group of children played in the castle yard, both girls and boys where playing with wooden sticks as swords or running around yelling at the top of their lungs. A small few had distance looks in their eyes, they had seen their mother's die in the crypts of Winterfell or their fathers had died in the battle outside. Some of the smallest where from marriages which hadn't even happened yet and few had both of their parents.

"Maester Wolkan is busy and personally doesn't want to teach the commoners." explained Sansa "He would if I ordered it but an angry teacher is a horrible teacher I would hope you would teach the children at least how to read and write."

"It would be a pleasure." said Missandei with a smile.

Brann pushed through knee high grass but felt nothing, the grass physical wasn't there. He wasn't there either he was an observer of a day which had happened thousands of years ago. He wasn't alone standing there waiting for him was Brynden Rivers the other three eyed raven.

"Welcome back." stated Brynden "You missed a lot; the humans have pushed above the neck and have already passed the point where the wall will be built in the future."

"So we are in the Haunted Forest?" inquired Bran as he looked at the lush green around him, while not the summer isle it was still warmer than the average day in the North.

"No we are actually in the Lands of Always Winter before it became that." explained Brynden as Brann reached the top of the hill where Brynden was waiting for them. Down below them where two men armed with spears and knives, they are stringing up an elk on a long pole to make it easier to carry. "I believe down there is the man we want."

"The Last Hero?" inquired Brann

"No, in order to have a hero we need a villain." countered Brynden as one of the man lifted his head up from his work to show a face Brann had seen before. Last time he had seen it pink and alive he had been tied up about to have a dragonglass dagger driven straight into his heart. Now he was alive, still a man, a simple hunter in dawn age getting a meal for his family. He had finished his hunt and as such his family had a meal for another day. The two hunters gathered their kill and lifting the pole onto their shoulders they started carrying the kill home. Bran and Brynden followed the hunters home to a small set of tents.

"FATHER!" yelled a little boy about six or seven years old as he ran up and hugged the future Night King.

"Son." said the Future Night King as he handed this pole off to another man before bending down and picking up the boy.

"Had a good hunt?" inquired a voice as a woman with dark red hair came out of one of the huts, she was dressed in a simple furs and cotton clothing. A few sheep, hogs and a handful of hounds could be seen but it was a simple primitive village. "Both of you?"

"We did great." Laughed the second man who had been hunting with the Night King "Maybe one day your husband will be able to kill something on the first shot, he missed the Elk at first."

"And so did you, little brother." countered the Future Night King with a laugh as the other man, his brother by seamed rolled his eyes. "I got it the on the second go around."

"His family, I had only seen the images of them not their actually day to day lives." stated Bran

"Same with me." Said Brynden as he lifted his head and looked to the other side of the camp, there standing in the open just as they where was the Night King. His ice blue eyes locked first on the two ravens and then he turned to gaze at the image of the family he once had, his wife, his son all of them alive together and happy.

Neither Brynden nor Bran moved, their hearts stopping he could attack them with ease and kill them in this plan of existence. If he did, it wouldn't kill the two Ravens but it would force them back to their bodies and take a lot out of them. It would take hours of rest before they could return, and he could wait for them to repeat the process. They waited for the Night King's attack but to their amazement as the Night King turned their gaze back to them. Then his eyes moved back toward the family and for a brief moment Bran thought he saw sadness in the Night's King eyes then as suddenly as he appeared he turned and walked away back into the grass and disappeared.

"Where is he going?" inquired Bran confused by the movement of their enemy.

"I am not sure." Admitted Brynden as they turned their attention back to the family before them, more children had come out as well as man and women, in total about 50 people made up this tribe in the ancient past. All of them seamed related in some way or another, the Night King son played with three cousins while a roaring central campfire light up the dark night.

Finally everyone lied down for bed with only a few staying up as guards. The Night King among them, he walked around the camp keeping an eye out for danger as a sense of dreed came over the two ravens. Then in the middle of the night a scream filled the air, but it didn't come from the Night King or even his families tent but the tent of his brothers family.

"What the?" inquired Brann as through the darkness he saw the slightly yellow glowing eyes of a few figures, the eyes reminded him of the eyes of a shadow cat only they had humanoid bodies. It was the Children of the Forest, a group of six of them had entered the camp and now had the Night King's Nephew in their hands and where dragging him away into the darkness.

"Stop!" yelled the Father of the little boy who was screaming for help as the whole camp came alive and the men and women picked up spears and knives and went after the Children of the Forest as they ran into the tall grass with the screaming human child. Bran had never seen someone run that fast before, the Night King ran into the tall grass pulling a weapon from his back. It wasn't a spear or a knife but a semi sword, it had a long wooden handle not the length of a spear but about arms length and on the end of it bound by rope was a broken handless knife. He got to the children who had his nephew and lashed out. He brought the weapon down cutting the arm off the child of the forest kidnapping his nephew. His blade missed somewhat and it dug into the boys arm to the bone drawing screams of pain.

"RUN!" yelled the Future Night King as he freed this nephew who took off running even with a deep gash in his arm. The Night King sent another blow on this wounded children of the forest this one a killing blow. Before he could do more the others jumped him and with a well placed bash to the head with a rock he fell to the ground limp.

"We needed a child, not an adult!" whispered one of the Children as they wrapped him in up as tight as they could even as the rest of the tribe began to flood into the tall grass holding torches and yelling out.

"He will have to do, we have no choice." stated the other children as they began to pull the Night King away into the darkness two of their numbers covering the tracks as they went.

"This is how they got him." Stated Bran as they watched the children take him away into the darkness even as boy he saved ran back to the camp and into the arms of his mother and his father.

"Son." cried the Brother as he held hugged his son.

"Dad, uncle saved me but I think they got him." Stated the child as the man nodded before looking at his wife.

"Alright, protect our son I am going after my brother." Said the man

"I will be care Edrick." Stated the woman

"Wait Edrick? That was one of the names Melisandre gave as a name for Azori Ahi." reported Bran as Edrick, took seven men with a couple hunting dogs headed out into the tall grass after his kidnapped brother. "Could he be the last hero?"

"Possibly, but that would mean that the last hero and Night King where brothers." stated Brynden rubbing his chin. "We need to press forward on our search."

It was around midday just over a day since they had left that the sound of flapping wings could be heard in the yard of Winterfell. Sansa looked up just in time to see the two dragons fly over the yard and land outside the southern wall. The dragons seamed to like that spot for some reason and as long as they where happy Sansa was more then happy to let them sleep there. She walked toward the southern gate just as Jon walked through with Daenerys at his side.

"Your Grace, Lord Stark." Greeted Sansa, since they where in public they she addressed them by their titles and bowed.

"Lady Stark, any news?" inquired Daenerys as Sansa nodded her head and handed the letter from Torrhen's Square which Daenerys took and began to read. "They are confused about our statements but await any aid we may provide to help against the Iron born, other closer castles sent riders Castle Cerwyin is flying the Targaryen Banner already."

"They had one?" inquired Daenerys amazed that a castle in the North would have the Targaryen banner after it had been one of the main forces in the rebellion against her mad father.

"In the cellar most likely, after so many years of Targaryen rule a lot of lords had their banners in storage some place or another. We had them in ours." explained Sansa "How was Rickon?"

"Confused to say the least but he is heading toward the King's Road as we speak where he will be picked up. I was half tempted to go pick him up and fly him back on the way, but I don't think he would do well in flight and we can't carry the Dire Wolves on Dragon back" explained Jon

"And Imagine what Holdor would do." added Sansa before nodding her head. "Better to have him come back the slow way."

"Everything else went as planned for the most part, we had to wait longer than expected for the Free Folk raiding party to arrive and explain things to him." finished Jon

"Very little sleep, I believe we will retire to bed early." explained Daenerys as Sansa nodded her head, the two of them looked tired for sure, same with the other guards which had ridden on Dragon back most of the night. From her position she could make out Drogon who was flaming a full cow before swallowing it. Once he had eaten, he seemed to lumber backward and a thump could be heard, the dragon laying down for a rest. She couldn't see the second dragon, Rhaegal but she heard dragon breath followed by chopping and then a lighter thump as he lied down as well. "even the dragons are tired and need some rest."

"Very well." said Sansa as the three of them headed toward the Great Hall.

"How long until Robb receives his letter?" inquired Jon

"A day at least, the raven is going to Fairmarket and according to Bran Robb's army will be at it's on the outskirts of the city by sundown." reported Sansa "With luck he will get it late tonight or tomorrow morning."

"Alright, lets hope he believes us." stated Jon "Manderly and Royce should reach White Harbor in two days."

"We plan to head out to white harbor in two days, to time our arrival with the army don't want to arrive before the army and scare the city." stated Daenerys "Besides the Dragons need a rest, they can't fly forever."

"And so do the both of us." confirmed Jon as Daenerys nodded her head.

"Lady Stark will you dine with us this evening?" inquired Daenerys

"Of course your grace, it would be an honor" answered Sansa

The sun was getting low in the sky as Lord Petyr Baelish sat in his office in one of his many brothels across King's Landing. He could hear the sound of people moaning in pleasure from rooms all around him, he knew that each moan was money in his pocket. Lords both high and low always wanted pleasure and he even had a few noble ladies who came in discussed as commoners or men to have their way with men or women in ways that their lord husbands wouldn't allow. He knew things that would blacken the name of many of houses and therefor he had some unofficial power over those lords but it wasn't enough for his liking. It wasn't just the favorite sexual habits of lords and ladies but other secrets as well, he found that people after receiving pleasure tended to speak of things they shouldn't speak about. He had learned much from men speaking to his whores as they lied in bed together.

A knock at his door caused him to look up from his books.

"Enter." ordered Little Finger as a women walked into his study, she was a wore and one of his many spies who until only a few days ago was one of his most important sources of information. "Ah...Shae, how are we doing this day?"

"They are moving to expel me from the Red Keep." reported Shae, unaware that not only did Little Finger already knew that but he had helped push it. Normally a handmaid wouldn't have been noticed but he made sure she was.

"Well with Sansa missing, there is no reason for the crown to keep paying for a handmaid." explained Petyr Baelish. "And without Lord Tyrion there is no one to find you a new place to go. The Kitchens are full and..."

"I helped provide you with information on Sansa is there anything you can do for me?" inquired Shae as Baelish thought about it for a moment, in truth he knew where he wanted to put this piece for the moment.

"I am afraid I can't keep you in the castle as a handmaid to a high lady, all of them have handmaids but maybe I can keep you in semi the castle somewhat." Stated Baelish as Shae's eyes lifted a bit in hope. "I make no promises but give me a day or two to find you a place."

"Very well." said Shae before a knock at the door caused both of them to look up.

"Enter." ordered Baelish as an older man walked in. He had a round belly and a thick black beard and looked like a tradesman or an old hedge knight. "Lord Oswell Kettleblack how are you this evening?"

"I am well sir." Said the old man who didn't look like a Lord as he pulled a few letters out. "I have news for you."

"Perfect." Said Petry as he took the eight letters before giving Oswell a small bag of gold. "If you want, you may also have one of my girls if for the evening if you want."

"No, my Lord I am not a young man anymore. One of my Sons would have taken you up on the offer but I have other plans." laughed Kettleblack "I'll take my gold and leave for the nearest alehouse."

"Every man needs their release." confirmed Baelish as Kettleblack left, in all of Little Finger's spy network the Kettleblack's played an important role. Their small keep, he wouldn't call it a Keep because it was a tower surrounded by a newly made 15-foot-tall wall was only a quarter day ride to the west of King's landing along the Rose Road. It was from there that Baelish received a lot of his communications by raven, he couldn't have the birds come to King's Landing too big of a chance of the wrong people getting a hold of them first. So his raven messages all went through Kettleblack who or one of his three sons would bring to him. He took the letters before looking back at Shae. "You are free to leave, whenever you want."

Taking the hint Shae turned and left leaving Baelish with his letters, he opened the first letter and stopped. Lord Royce was missing, having disappeared along with ten other lords and two scores of knights/men-at-arms. Then he opened the next one and found it had a similar story only with Ser Harry Hardon the heir to the Vale missing. It was a repeat of the same performance in each letter only the name of the high lord or lords missing would go up. He moved over to his desk and began writing out a list of the missing Lords and knights. Every last of them was from the Vale aside from the last one, that one was from another one of his camp followers spies but this one in the Northern Army, it said Manderly and two dozen minor lords or the heirs of major and minor houses had all disappeared. As he wrote all this information down, he tried to understand what was happening, so far all the reports had people disappearing North of King's landing but none to the south. Something had to be going on to his North and he wondered what was happening and how it had already messed up his plans. He was going to "leave" for the Vale and let Sansa marry Tyrion and then smuggle her out when his plan with Ollena Tyrell to remove Joffrey at his own wedding. Now he was stuck in King's Landing when the murder happens and worse of all his escape goat Tyrion was now gone and he couldn't even get Sansa out like he planned. He would have to do what he always did, adapt and play the game.

Far to the North Tyrion Lannister was actually enjoying himself a lot as they headed toward the Wall, he had found debating Samwell Tarly very enjoyable. Tyrion wouldn't admit it outload to anyone not even his brother but he suspected that on a pure knowledge level Sam may actually know more than him. That being said Sam lacked the cunning which came from playing the game of thrones and the ability to turn the knowledge into points in a debate making him the weaker of the two. He knew if he told Jaime his Knight brother would relate it being a skilled swordsman going up against a physically stronger opponent, yes they where stronger and could swing the sword harder but they lacked the skills to put that strength to the best use. So while Sam may have more knowledge he lacked skills in debating, throwing point and counterpoint to win an argument.

The two of them had ridden North together on a cart side by side all the while debating about things like the Conquest of Aegon the 1st and the Dance of the Dragons which carried some interest to him to the laws of inheritance as if they were two Arch-Maesters. This went on to the second day where they talked about more about the Dance of the Dragons and the different laws of the Seven Kingdom. Finally, as the sun was setting on their second day on the road the two of them enjoyed some roasted fish as the rest of the man in their escort moved around the camp. Some tending to the horses, some resting, some playing dice and others on guard duty. None of them where expecting a fight, the Boltons where over a day ride to the South East and nothing North of them until they reached the Wall. Still they didn't fly the Dragon banner or even the Banner of House Stark, only the Moon and Falcon of House Arryn who was currently at war with no one as far as anyone who hadn't come back to the past was aware.

"Remind me what where we debate about before the food?" inquired Tyrion as he finished his fish.

"We are debating the best way aid our Queen without having it backfire on her grace." explained Sam as Tyrion nodded as he remembered.

"Yes, her Grace rightfully wants to break the wheel as she calls it but last time she broke the wheel it lead to bloody rebellions in Slavery's Bay." added Tyrion remembering the uprisings. "She is right to want to change things, the game is costing too many lives but if we throw everything out we will have nothing but trouble."

"Her grandfather, Aagon the Fifth tried to give the commoners rights and privileges which they never had before and had nothing but rebellions and defiance from the Lords of the Realm." explained Sam "Then Daenerys father came and removed all those rights and privileges and made the lords happy with him until he went mad."

"Remind me what where some of those rights?" inquired Tyrion, he knew them of course but he wanted to help this man up a bit. He could see that Sam wasn't fully sure of himself and if Sam's father refused to bend the knee, Sam may find himself the Lord of the third most powerful house in the Reach behind the Tyrells and the High Towers. Either way, he was now the heir again to Horn Hill and that required strength.

"The amount of harvest they were allowed to keep for one, the freedom of movement, right to appeal rulings of their lords to the Liege Lord or even the crown." explained Sam

"No lord likes to have the right of pit and gallows challenged. The only reason why the rights of the first night was abolished was because the faith and the crown who had dragons backed it. Also south of the Neck the practice was basically dead already." stated Tyrion "We have dragons now but I don't see the Faith falling in line with any super radical demands of her grace and we both know how much trouble the Faith was for my sister. Getting the Lords to follow a woman is going to be hard enough, North of Dorne that isn't what happens, so a Queen over them all will be issue."

"If she tries to radically change he current system the faith and the lords will rebel and we will have pointless deaths when we need every soul to fight the real enemy." agreed Sam

"A hard balance to make, has to be radical enough to appease the Queen but not too radical to upset the Lords." stated Tyrion "But one we have to find and then we will have to convince her that it is the proper path."

The sun was setting over Winterfell as Ser Jaime Lannister stood on the ramparts of the ancient castle looking to the North, he had no idea why he was looking toward the North. All the action was currently to the south, even if the greater threat was to the North. He was lost and he knew it, he was a man without honor and with no idea what his next move should be. He had ridden North to fight the undead and he had seen the horror, he had never been so scared in his life not even in his first battle, not even when he rode into the Kingswood with Ser Arthur Dayne himself to put down outlaws. See the wall of undead, all those glowing blue eyes and the cries they made would cause the bravest man to break. He had made it through that, and that was because he had been transported to the past. He knew that sometime in the future he would face that horror again.

On top of the horrors of that battlefield he had a new horror to deal with, his sister, his lover, the mother of his children. All three of his children were still alive, so was his still a father and he had mixed feelings about all of them.

"Ser Jaime?" said a voice behind him as Jaime turned to see Podrick Payne the only fellow Western man currently in Winterfell and Ser Bron of the Blackwater. House Payne was sworn to house Lannister and as such if Jaime was heir to Casterly Rock, Podrick was his man in theory. In truth he was Ser Brienne squire and loyal to the Starks. As for Ser Bronn he was a basically a sell sword but had severed house Lannister with skill and bravery, for a large amount of Gold.

"Podrick how are you doing?" inquired Jaime

"Fine, my lord." Said Pordrick as he looked out over the landscape to the North as well. "Ser if I may ask a question?"

"Go right ahead." Said Jaime

"How are we going to defeat the dead?" inquired Podrick

"We need to unite, we marched on Winterfell with one of the largest armies in Westeros History but if we had had all the forces of all the Seven Kingdoms we would have been larger even in our time." explained Jaime "Now if we are able to stop the War of the Five Kings before a whole Northern Army is crushed at the Red Wedding, before the Lannister's are destroyed by Daenerys dragons on the Rose Road and other battles we will have thousands if not tens of thousands of additional people to stand against the dead."

"All well and good, Ser but who will believe we are telling the truth?" inquired Podrick "It isn't like we can ride up to each Lord and Lady and say yes we are telling the truth, they will not believe us."

"We have to find a way." stated Jaime as he thought about what he would say to his father about events which where yet to happen, worse what he would say to Cersei and his children. Should he tell them that he is their father. Would Joffrey accept being the ruler of Casterly Rock over King of the Seven Kingdoms, not likely, Tommen would be just as hard to convince because he wouldn't want to believe it. Myrcella, she would be the easiest she had figured it out on her own, when she figured it out he didn't know. It something he would have to deal with and Cersei was another issue all together. "Maybe if we show them an undead like what happened in the Dragon Pit it will work for the other Lords and Ladies."

"Didn't work on your sister." countered Bronn "Besides didn't they loss a fucking Dragon to get one. Not worth the price if you ask me."

"True." admitted Jaime before turning back to Bronn "And you Ser Bronn of the Blackwater what do you need?"

"Well I wanted to talk to you about which Castle I will get." answered Bronn as Jaime fought a groan, he didn't want to deal with this now.

"We will deal with that once the war is won and we see which Castles are open for you." Explained Jaime "If a Lord bends the Knee they will keep their lands and castle."

"And with two dragons who in their right fucking mind will stand against you?" laughed Bronn "Maybe the Freys and the Boltons will disappear, aye. They are hated and traitors, so I was thinking of where I want my castle."

"You want the Twins or the Dread Fort?" inquired Jaime, none of those castles where under his control, being in the Riverlands and the North.

"Gods no, a Bridge and a Frozen Hell hole no." stated Bronn with a grin. "I had somewhere else in mind."

Night had fully fallen over Winterfell as Sansa ate with Daenerys and Jon in their royal chambers. It was an informal event, no servers, no titles being used and a lot of laughter being shared.

"And then he was rolled from the horse and landed in a pile of shit." laughed Sansa as Jon shook his head while Daenerys broke out laughing at Jon's expense. "I swear to the seven above that it happened, your soon to be husband forgot to strap down the saddle and it rolled over and splat right into the shit."

"I was seven and I will never live that down." said Jon confirming the story as Sansa shock her head.

"Not a chance." confirmed Sansa with a playful laugh.

"I am surprised you didn't get hurt, a seven-year-old falling off a horse." Admitted Daenerys

"It was more of a pony, truth be told mother and father kept it to train the children how to ride before letting them on a true horse." explained Sansa "Jon has gotten better at horse since then, I have seen him at the battle of the Bastards and even before that he was skilled on horseback."

"I must admit I prefer to fight afoot but I was always better there." admitted Jon "Robb was better on horse, I was better a foot."

"Sure." said Sansa

"And I remember the time you screamed like the damned when I jumped out in the crypts covered in flour." countered Jon as Sansa glared at him. "You thought I was a ghost and took off screaming while Arya slapped me. She was four at the time you where what 8."

"Really, flour...a flour ghost. You ran off to your parents didn't you." said Daenerys with a laugh.

"Yes." confirmed Sansa with shame, then she noticed a tense moment between the two of them.

"What?" inquired Daenerys

"Lets just say, my mother took every chance she got to punish Jon and while Robb had lured us down there and had set the whole thing up. It was Jon who got punished not him." explained Sansa

"A mother loves her childern more then a bastard." added Jon as Daenerys placed her hand ontop of his.

"The past is in the past now." confirmed Daenerys even as her anger against Lady Stark built a bit for what she did to Jon all those years ago.

"Agreed, and you will have the last laugh when she find out who you really are." confirmed Sansa

"Well I guess it is my turn to tell a story…." Started Deanarys before stopping, she didn't really have a funny story, she grew up on the streets of the free cities to some degree as she and her brother fled the knives of King Robert. Then there was her brother's madness, how she was afraid of him of waking the dragon as he would say. She had a horrible childhood, a painful one, only once she had been married off did she start to get some actual freedom but then she was wrapped in the duties of ruling. Jon must have read the look on her face because he spoke up.

"We have all had hard lives in one way or another." stated Jon as Dany nodded her head and Sansa bowed her head softly.

"Sorry, I should have been more careful." Said Sansa

"No, you shared a story and I couldn't think of a funny moment to add to the conversation." Admitted Daenerys "You did nothing wrong."

"In truth we are all waiting for the other hammer blow to fall." noted Jon "With Dragons we can move faster than any army on the ground or raven in the air. We are waiting and it is eating us all up. We are waiting to see if our letters will be believed and for our forces to be in place for the next part in this game."

"True." admitted Daenerys

"And we have other things to prepare for." added Sansa as both of them looked at her. "Your marriage for example, we need to set a date, decide where to have it and if it is to be before a Heart Tree or in a Sept."

"True." admitted Jon as he looked at Deanarys "That is something we do need to discuss; I personally would prefer to be before a heart tree and the Old Gods."

"I am not religious, but I know the Faith wouldn't take kindly on a Queen not being married in the Faith of the Seven." stated Daenerys, she didn't have to deal with the Faith when she landed but she had heard from her hand and others how big of an issue they had been. "Maybe we can have a Septon perform the rights before a Heart Tree, I don't see how the Faith would find fault with a marriage being done before the eyes of the New and the Old Gods."

"That is the road I would take, but there is something else to consider." said Sansa before taking a breath. "Marriage alliances for the other great lords and ladies which came back with us, Jaime is heir to Castely Rock, Tyrion is Hand of the Queen, Brienne is heir to the Isle of Tarth, Rickon once we have him returned is also a valuable groom that could be offered, Ayra will never give up Gendry so we can't marry her off without people dieing, there are the Vale Lords, the heirs to the North as well and then there is me."

"Sansa." said Jon with concern "You don't…"

"I will not be forced to marry someone I dislike but if it helps our cause and I like the man then yes I will marry again." announced Sansa firmly as she tried to fight back the horrible memories of Ramsay and their marriage. "It is something we need to consider, to bind us all together."

"Any recommendations?" inquired Daenerys

The sun hadn't broken over the horizon yet, King Robb Stark was awake he was in his tent looking down at a map of the Riverlands. His army was on the march, but it was a smaller army then before none of the lords had been found and none of the men who had disappeared either. They all disappeared without a trace and a full day of searching had resulted in nothing. He rubbed his chin, with the missing men he needed House Frey back on his side more than ever, the marriage of his Uncle to the Frey girl had been pushed off a day for the search but he couldn't make Walder Frey wait forever so they were on the march again. Leaving a small force behind to keep searching, he had sent Lord Manderly Heir and two dozen lesser lords off to head to White Harbor by ship to gather the forces he needed to retake Moat Cailin. He needed to get back into the North to crush the Iron Man fast and then march back south to deal with the new Lannister and Tyrell alliance. He was so focused on the map and the problems before him he didn't even notice the movement behind him or her arms wrapping him up from behind.

"You need your sleep too love." said his wife Talisa as she kissed the back of his neck. "Come back to bed, we have at least an hour or two, we will both be asking for our rest when our child comes."

"So we shall." said Robb as he turned around to face her, running his hand through her long dark hair, she was a foreigner from Volantis, his lords disliked her, the Freys hated her but he loved her without question. She brought him happiness and their child would be the next King of the North and Rivers after he was gone. He kissed her and that was when he heard the sound of horse hooves outside his tent. Followed by the sound of a man in armor jumping off with a clang before a guard yelled him.

"My King, excuse me but Lord Umber has a message from Fairmarket." said the guard

"Bring him in." ordered Robb as they parted, and he turned to see Lord Jon Umber walk in. "Lord Umber."

"My King." Greeted great Jon Umber as he went down on one knee before standing up.

"You have something to report?" inquired Robb

"Yes, I was in Fairmarket gathering some supplies and the Lord's Maester brought these to me." explained Lord Umber as he held out three letters. "They all came in by Raven just before the our of the bat this very day, I brought them here at once."

Robb looked at the letters, the first was address to his mother on the outside but below the name Lady Catelyn Stark was a glub of gray wax with a Dire wolf sigil. That would have been odd enough, but the handwriting was Sansa's which was impossible. He looked at the next letter to see it was addressed to him, only the wax was white and it had Jon's handwriting on the front. The last one was possibly the strangest of them all. It was also the largest letter and had seven wax seals. On the outer edge was house Manderly Green Merman, followed by a black seal with what looked to be a raven's head, he didn't know who that belonged to, next to that was the gray seal of house Stark again. On the opposite side was the brown gates of house Royce of Runestone, followed beside the Red lion of Lannister which caused his blood to boil. Beside that however was the White Dire wolf sigil that graced Jon's letter. Then right in the middle larger by a quarter was a red wax seal with the three headed Dragon of House Targaryen.

Robb just looked at the three letters confused; it didn't make any sense.

"My King?" inquired Umber

"Go get my mother at once please, bring her here and then gather my council after that." Ordered Robb as he looked at Jon's and Sansa's letter again. It was their handwriting. "One of these letters is for her."

"At once my King." Said Umber as he moved out of the tent, Robb placed the three letters down on the table and simply looked at the seals. Once Umber had left he turned and looked at Talisa. "You better get dressed; I don't think we will be going back to bed any time soon."

Far to the North the sun was rising over the Dread Fort as well as Ramsay Snow stood before the main gate of his father's seat. He took a deep breath of the cool autumn air before turning back around.

"Perfect weather for a hunt don't you agree?" said Ramsay as he looked at the two women before him, one was dressed leather armor and had a long bow in her hands and a quiver full of arrows draped on her back. Her long brown hair was pulled back slightly to prevent her hair from interrupting her pulling an arrow. A short sword hung on a belt and she held multiple large black hunting dogs. She grinned at him as she nodded her head in agreement.

The other women was scared out her mind, she was dressed in rags and had no shoes on her feet. Her red hair had been cut short with a dagger and some blood ran down her face from a cut she had gotten. That wasn't the worse, deep red marks soaked through her tunic, her once massive breasts which had been her pride next to her long hair had been cut off and now hung from a rope around her neck.

"Please…I am sorry I didn't mean to." pleaded the woman through red hot tears.

"You didn't mean to…what didn't you mean to?" inquired Ramsay as he walked up to the women. She was one of the women he had taken back from Winterfell after he had captured it, the men he had put to the sword blaming it on the Iron born, the women the women would be his play things. This one had once had a beautiful figure which was why Ramsay had decided to have her as a bed warmer along with Myranda. Then she had laughed at Ramsay's manhood and when pressed said admitted that Theon's was larger. She had lost her breasts for that and once he was done with her Theon wouldn't have a dick at all.

"Sorry, I am so sorry." pleaded the woman

"Now listen, here is our little game I am going to let you go." explained Ramsay as he walked behind her and pointed her east pointing over her shoulder sniffing her hair as he stood behind her. "The Eastern Fork of the Weeping Water is 20 leagues that way, if you can get across that then you win, couldn't be simpler. You will be free and neither one of us will bother you again, you can live the rest of your days as you wish….but if we should get you then let's just say you will not have a chance to play again."

He turned to Myranda and smiled at that, it was a falsehood one woman had played this game a second time and many times after that. Myranda herself had once been in this woman's shoes, she had fled through the woods avoiding his dogs and gotten across the Weeping Water beating Ramsay winning her freedom. Ramsay had seen her on the other side and had seen he had lost. Then not a day later she had returned to the Dread Fort and to his amazement she had jumped him and gave him the best blow job he had ever had. Once finished she asked if she could hunt again, he had agreed but he didn't want to wait the day after a hunt for her to come back so now she joined him on the hunt and after each hunt they had retired to his chambers and then bliss. Seamed the thrill of the hunt excited her in many of ways and then she would release those pent-up emotions in the bed chamber with him.

"But we will be fair, we will give you a head start." announced Myranda as she pulled a ½ hourglass and placed it on a barrel beside the gate. She flipped it over as the sand began to fall. "Go."

With that the woman took off running into the woods stumbling as she went.

"I'll go get the dogs." Said Myranda

"Great." Said Ramsay as she took in another deep breath of cool air putting his hands behind his back. "What a wonderful day for a hunt."

In the wood line Arya and the hound watched a beaten, blooded and scared woman run away from the two figures by the gate.

"That has to be Ramsay." announced Arya

"Looks more of a cunt then Joffrey did." stated the Hound

"Does." corrected Arya "He is still alive, for the moment."

"True." stated the Hound "Shall we begin?"

"We shall." confirmed Arya with a grin as the two of them disappeared into the woods.

First I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know this is shorter than normal and not a whole lot happened but I consider this a set up chapter for things that will happen in later chapter. I am setting the pieces in place for what will come in later chapters and I wanted to save Robb and Lady Stark getting the letters for a chapter of their own. So now until next time please keep reading Thanks Wilkins75.