Sansa's head hurt. It had been hurting since their family had come back, and it had only gotten worse since the meeting with the lords. Robb and her mother had luckily not blown up in front of all the lords but had instead waited for them to get back to her solar before doing so.
"Did you put her up to this?" Robb had snarled at Jon, as soon as the door had closed to the solar, Jon looked hurt at the accusation, but didn't answer. Typical Jon, not being able to find the words in a time like this. A certain part of knew that Jon did feel as though he had forced her to volunteer to marry him to keep the lords support, but that wasn't true, she had hoped that the lords would be accepting of Jon as their king when they learned the truth, but she hadn't expected it. So, she had thought of a way of keeping their loyalty to Jon and to the Starks, and marriage had been the best way of accomplishing that goal.
The lack of a response from Jon seemed to answer the question for Robb and he launched into a tirade "How could you do this to her? Our sister!" he was yelling now, saying things like how Jon could put her in this position to marry her own brother and spoke of her dreams as a child. He then takes it a step too far "Are you no better than the Lannister's?" Sansa clenched her teeth, Jon was not Jaime Lannister, and she wasn't Cersei, to be accused of such a thing by her own brother made her blood boil.
"That's not what we're doing!" Jon nearly yells, the tone he used when dealing with the more problematic lords coming through "Do you honestly think I want to do this?" There's clear anger in Jon's voice "I'm not forcing her to do anything she doesn't want to" Jon looks at her and then back at Robb.
She watches for the briefest of moments, the rest of her family's reactions. Their Father looked upset, at either the situation, the marriage, or the argument, Sansa couldn't tell, but she imagined it could very well be all three of those things. Her mother had largely been quiet and hadn't launched into the expected a bastard will have base desires argument that she had been expecting from her, but she was wringing her hands in worry. Arya looked incensed at Robb's words, and it was only the calming hand that Sansa had laid on her lap that seemed to keep her from jumping up from her seat and intervening. And Bran did not look as though he was paying attention to them.
Robb's anger has not calmed down and he continues "Has she not suffered enough? You would take away her dreams of marrying someone she loves?" he demands of Jon, who's looking more and more defeated, and upset as time goes on. She has spent enough time with Jon the last year to know that the mutiny at Castle Black continues to bother him, and she thinks that this might remind of that so she needs to get him out of this room. And what did Robb know of what she had been through? He had left her there to suffer in King's Landing while he fought his war with the Lannister's, how dare he accuse Jon of putting her through more
"Robb" she said putting in as much force to her voice as she could "Please stop" and to his credit, he does, and he looks at her with eyes that says he cannot understand why she has agreed to this. "Jon didn't force me into marriage, if anything I forced him into it" a confused look came over Robb and her mother's faces, while her father just stood in his quiet anger, as he had done the night before "Jon needed the support of his bannermen to continue our preparations against the Nigh King" she continued "and when word got out about his heritage, some were angry that they had declared a Targaryen king, but most were afraid that he would march south and try to claim the Iron Throne" she let out a breath, her parents looked almost understanding, while her explanation had done little to appease Robb "It's well known that I will never leave the North again" it had helped that she had mentioned that to some of the more talkative lords, so when the marriage proposed, it was accepted on that basis. "So, I announced that we were to be married"
Robb has deflated on himself, and for a moment he looks between Jon and Sansa before saying "But Sansa, you deserve to be married to someone that you love, not somebody that you saw has your brother up until a few moons ago" there's pleading in his eyes, pleading for her not to go along with this, pleading for her to be the girl that he had called his sister. The girl he abandoned in King's Landing she thinks darkly to herself.
But Sansa is no longer that person, so she steels herself and replies "I gave up on marrying someone for love a long time ago" she looks at Jon and smiles at him "At least this time I will be marrying a good man"
Jon had winced at her mention of her previous marriages, of those present, she thought he was the only who had a firm understanding of what Ramsay had put her through, but the message is clear to the others. Robb deflates further and looks as though he would fall if she pushed him with a finger, while her mother looks at her with such a sorrowful look on her face that she can't bring herself to look at her for more than a minute. Jon starts to move over to her, to do something, but she shoots him a withering glare that she hopes conveys that she wants him to use this opportunity to leave, which he seems to realize what she wants him to do, and after a moment of hesitation, he retreats out of the room.
She looked back from where Jon had been previously, and looks at Robb, who sits defeated in his chair, at her mother and father, who stand holding one another. She suddenly feels so tired as though she might faint if she continues standing. And she knows that after a blowout argument like the one she had Robb had just had, that she wouldn't be getting any work done anyway. So, she bids her family a good night and goes into her room.
She goes through her nightly rituals without thinking, she wished they hadn't heard the news from the lords, she wishes had told them this afternoon, but they were all having such a good time being alive and together again that she couldn't bring herself to do it, and now she feels as though she is driving them away.
She lets out a shaky sigh as she holds her head on her knees, the hair brush forgotten on the table, as she wills herself not to cry. It's stupid, she knows, there's no-one here who would use that against her, but old habits die fast, and sometimes, she can feel him waiting in the corners to torment her. There's a small knock on the door, and she is forced to compose herself, she sniffles as she stands ands goes over to the door and opens it. Her mother is standing there, no-one else is left in the office and her mother smiles sweetly at her "Can I come in?"
Not trusting her voice, Sansa nods her head. She must look ridiculous, crying over a stupid argument, gods, it's like she's a kid again. You never cried over Jon Snow though. Her mother guides her back to the table and picks up the hairbrush, and begins brushing her hair, gingerly like she had done when Sansa was a little girl. "Sweetling, we just want you to be happy is all dear" she says, and Sansa closes her eyes, not wanting to continue this argument. "I've told Robb to go and talk with Jon" she finishes brushing her hair and asks, "When did you become so close?"
Sansa doesn't know if it's an innocent question or a question designed to get her to reveal something that she shouldn't, but she doesn't care anymore, this is her mother, and she wouldn't do anything to hurt her. "When I escaped the Boltons, I went to Castle Black" she sniffled, and her mother doesn't question her why her story has suddenly changed "and for the first time since father died, I felt …. Safe" She turns and looks to her mother, who just looks down on her with the motherly love that she had missed so much these last years. She presses herself to her mother who just wraps her arms around her as tightly as she can.
They stay like that for what feels like hours, Sansa silently weeping onto her mother's dress, but when she finally stops and looks back up at her mother, there's a knowing look in her eyes and she looks down and says "I will try to be better to him on your account sweetling" Sansa knows that she's talking of Jon, and when her mother asks her if she wants to go to bed, the earlier heaviness on her eyes returns, and when she finds herself on her bed, her mother plants a small kiss on her forehead, as she had done when she was a child. "I love you Sansa" her mother says.
"I love you Mother" Sansa mutters into the pillow, she doesn't remember her mother leaving the room.
Arya understood why Mother and Father, and Robb were so angry with Jon and Sansa over the betrothal, she had had a hard time coming to terms with the idea as well, but she couldn't help and send a anger filled stare at Robb as he bid them goodnight. Robb had not only hurt Sansa, but he had hurt Jon, and that was something that she couldn't understand. They had been close growing up, maybe not as close as Jon and Arya, but close enough for Robb to know that Jon would never force Sansa into this.
"Mother, Father" she said, she had to try to fix things between the two halves of the family. They both looked her, Eddard Stark looked as solemn as always, and their mother had gone from being angry to looking like she couldn't understand what was going on or why Sansa had chosen this course of action. "Let this be please" it wasn't like Arya to ask for things, she either took or forced people to give, but these were her parents, and she owed them more than to demand that they do as she please.
Her mother shook her head and said in a raspy voice "I just don't understand". Arya knows that her mother needed to understand before she left the room. Her father just looks at her with his grey eyes telling her to go on with what she has to say.
"Then you should go in there" she throws out a finger at the door "You need to talk to her" resolve fills her mother's features, and she stands and shoos her father and Arya away. It doesn't bother Arya at all, she needs to go and find Jon to see if he was doing alright. He Father follows her out of the door and they stand there a minute.
"Do you know where he went?" her father asks her, he must want to talk Jon, having not had much of a chance yet. Arya nods her head and takes off, with her father close behind. They weave their way through the halls of the Great Keep and find themselves outside of the crypts. "He's here?"
"Yes, he comes here when something is troubling him" she shoots a glance up at her father "He doesn't know that I know that though, so please keep that yourself" Eddard Stark simply nods, and they head in.
Inside they hear the voices of two men, one obviously Jon, the other, is one that takes her some time to place. "There doesn't seem to be any record that shows how to actually beat them" that voice belonged to Samwell Tarly, Jon's closet friend, and one of the few people that Jon truly trusts outside of the family.
"That's not good enough Sam" Jon growls, it makes Arya grow more nervous, speaking with Jon when he gets like this never does any good, and it usually only leads to more problems.
"I know, I know" Sam repeats, and the big man sighs "I will continue reading the old texts I brought with me from the Citadel"
They have gotten to where they can see the two of them now, Jon is nodding his head in what appears to be thanks towards Sam, and turns away. He catches sight of them and goes still and tells Sam that they will continue this conversation later. Sam looks between Jon, their father, and Arya for a moment before packing up the books and leaves with a 'Your Grace' directed at Jon. Jon turns around for a moment and stares up at the statue that stood behind them, Arya recognizes it as the sculpting of Lyanna Stark.
"I've got Sam reading through the old books and scrolls, trying to discern a way to beat to the Night King" he explains. What he doesn't explain is why he had felt the need to have those types of conversations here, in the crypts. He sighed and looked in the direction that Sam had gone "It's not going well"
They fall into a soft silence, none of them wanting to be the first to break it. Jon doesn't turn around and continues to stare up at the statue. Finally after what feels like minutes have passed, Jon asks "Why didn't you tell me?" he's turned to look at Father, who looks down at his boots.
Arya recognizes the look on her father's as one of guilt and shame. She finds it hard to not feel anger towards her father, Jon had begged to know his mother's identity since she could remember. "Robert would have killed you" Ned Stark said finally, when Jon doesn't say anything, he continues "If I had announced your parentage, Robert would have tried to force me to kill you. And I wouldn't have let him, we would have gone to war, and it would have been a war that I might not have been able to win" Father had moved to stand beside Jon, and was now also staring at the sculpting of his sister, he points at the statue as he says "She made me promise on your birthing bed to keep you safe and protect you, and I thought that recognizing you as my bastard would fix it"
Jon has turned away from them both now, and just stands there, his back turned towards the statue of Eddard Stark "You could've told me before I went to the wall" Jon croaks out, his voice heavy in emotion. Arya's heart goes out to her brother, and she wishes that she could go and make him see that it doesn't matter, that no-matter what happens or who his parents are, he's still a Stark.
Jon let out a deep, sorrow filled sigh "All I ever wanted was to be called a Stark" he turned around and looked at both of them "Thank you for protecting me growing up, I wish you had told me, so I didn't have to find out the way that I did." Jon has a look in his eye that says that he is going to leave, and she steps in front of him
"Jon, you shouldn't be by yourself right now…. What Robb said wasn't true", her father agrees with her. She couldn't understand what was wrong with Robb, he had been so out of sorts since he had come back, and so angry at everyone and everything.
Upon mention of Robb, Jon's face turns dark and full of hurt "I don't want to talk about that" he put and emphasis on that "And I'll be fine, I won't be getting much sleep anyway" he mutters darkly to himself. Arya lets out a frustrated huff and looks at her father for guidance, any guidance that he can offer would help her.
He doesn't give the answer that she was looking for "We have to give your both of your brothers some time to think" He doesn't understand that time is the one thing that they don't have, Jon is leaving tomorrow, and the Night King could attack at any time!
"But Jon is leaving to meet Jaime Lannister tomorrow!" she exclaims, and immediately regrets letting that fact loose, she hadn't meant to, and had noticed that Jon hadn't said that when he announced that he was the leaving the next day. Her father stops and blinks a few times.
All he says is the short "Jon must be truly desperate to work with the likes of Jaime Lannister"
"Have you not been listening to him?" She yells and grabs her father's arm to make him look at her "We are all going to be fighting against undead monsters, and Jon has already fought them before! Of course he's desperate!" She was so tired of all of this "I swear to all of the gods, the new and the old and the faceless god, all we have done since you came back is talk, but it doesn't seem like any of us is actually listening to each other!"
Her father regards her for a few seconds, and she is afraid that he will be disappointed in her outburst, like how he would have done when she was a child, but instead he nods his head in agreement "You're right Arya, we have been talking, but none of us haven't been listening. Not me, not your mother, not Robb, and not Jon" He places a hand on her shoulder that she knows he means to show comfort "I will speak to the boys tomorrow, and I will make sure that all of us understand the threats that are beyond the wall"
While that wasn't the answer that she had been looking for, she felt a bit better for it, her father had always had that effect on her, and she knew that he understood what she was trying to say with the outburst. She was just happy that her mother hadn't been around to hear it, she would not have understood, and would have called it an un lady like display.
They exit the crypts and go to bed. It was a restless sleep for Arya, with her dreams forcing her to repeat her father's and brother's deaths over and over. When she is woken up being told that her family is dining in Robb's quarters this morning, she doesn't question it. Instead, she goes to his room, and is surprised to see that only herself, her father and mother, Rickon and Robb are eating her this morning.
The meal is made up of the heavy rationing that has made up the last several weeks of meals at Winterfell, dark bread, and cheese. Her mother, who seems more at peace than she did the night before, talks about how she wants to go and walk through Wintertown today. A question is sent her way by Robb who asks, "Do you know where Sansa and Jon are?"
She can't help but wonder why he seems to care, he doesn't seem like he regrets any of the awful things that he accused the two of last night, is he just spoiling for another fight with Jon? She wipes her face with her napkin and answers his question with her own "Why? So you can go and accuse them of being like Jaime and Cersei Lannister before they leave?". Guilt floods through her brother's face, Good she thinks to herself as she watches it, and while he doesn't answer her question, she decides to be generous and answer his "Jon and Sansa always break their fast together in the morning, it gives the two of them time to discuss things that they might not be able to later" She understood that the tradition had started the day after the Battle of the Bastards, and it continued now, moons later.
Robb sighs, and though she thinks he looks like he wants to go and talk to Jon, he remains where he is seated. The rest of their meal passes in silence, as they eat and then get ready to see their King off. The courtyard is filled with soldiers, Jon's bannermen, some of who still eye the revived Starks warily, and of course the Starks themselves. Jon goes to each of them, he pulls Arya into a hug and tells her to be safe. He hugs father and says something that she can't quite make out, she will have to figure out what was said later. He stops at Robb, and they just stare at one another before Robb turns away, while Jon does an okay job of not looking hurt, Arya knows that it wounds Jon for Robb to be treating him like this. With Sansa he hugs her and places a single kiss on her forehead, which had been something he had been doing since she and Bran had returned, and she wanted to puke each time she saw it. Jon gets on his horse, with the southern knight, Davos right behind him, and they ride out of Winterfell. Slowly the gathering disperses, and Arya goes off to begin getting to work.
The procession of horses and guards rode out of Winterfell shortly after the sun rose. The King, as usual, rode in the front, with Davos riding just behind him. For the first few hours, they rode hard, harder than they had when they had ridden from the Wall to Winterfell. Davos wondered just how much of that had to do with the fact that the King's family had miraculously returned from the dead. If Davos had not witnessed the same sort of miracle happen to Jon Snow, he would've thought Lady Stark to being going mad. But instead, the King's siblings, no that was no longer correct, his cousins had confirmed it, and now they had to wrestle this newly formed obstacle, while also dealing with the far more immediate threat of the White Walkers.
As The King in the North's Hand of the King, or Castellan or whatever the Northerners called his position, it was Davos' job to look out for dangers to the King, and the resurrection of not one, but three trueborn Starks certainly fit the bill. The least likely for the lords to support was Rickon, being that he had been a child, and the lords wouldn't want to put a child on the throne. No the larger threats were the King's cousin and uncle, Robb and Eddard Stark. Both had been proven leaders, Lord Eddard Stark had been the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North for nearly twenty years, and Robb had lead the North during the War of the Five Kings. Of the two, Davos expected Robb to not get any large amount of support from the lords however, many still bitter about his role in losing the North to the Boltons and the Lannister's. No the true threat is Lord Stark, Davos thought to himself glumly. And it would be difficult for the lord's to not support Eddard Stark. He had been a good Lord of the North, had inspired the confidence of his bannermen, and had the experience of fighting large scale wars. Davos expected that there were some within the lords who would support Jon no matter what, those like Lyanna Mormont of Bear Island, Alys Karstark of Karhold, and the Umber boy, the latter two because Jon had spared them, which had caused quite the argument between the King and Lady Stark. The major opponent to Jon would be Lord Glover, who had already announced his intention to support Eddard Stark against Jon at the announcement last night. The wildcard was House Manderley, who looked just as likely to support either Jon or Eddard.
Thinking of these things made Davos look forward at his King who was brooding far worse today than he had since the end of the war with the Boltons, not speaking, and when spoken too, only answering in single words. It was a far cry of the Jon who, while not necessarily talkative, always spoke and listened to his soldiers. Davos suspected it had something to do with how angry Robb and Catelyn Stark had looked last night at the announcement of the King's and Lady Sansa's betrothal. Davos sighed, their pace had slowed down considerably and maybe he could speak to the King about it, they needed him on his best foot when they met with Jaime Lannister. Davos' horses trotted up to the side of the King's who turned his head slightly to see him. "Your Grace, you've been acting differently these past few days… It has something to do with your family, doesn't it?" Davos hated being so direct about it with the lad, but Jon needed to get himself out of this rut.
Jon turned his head around briefly, probably trying to make sure that the others wouldn't be able to hear him, when he turned back to look at Davos, his expression was one of sorrow, instead of answering his question, the King spoke one of his own "Tell me, Ser Davos, do you think me and Sansa like the Lannister's?"
What an odd question "No Your Grace, you and Lady Sansa are nothing like the Lannister's, you're both to devoted to your families and to the realm, which is why you and her have entered into the betrothal agreement" The betrothal still bothered Davos, he knew it shouldn't, as cousin marriages were common throughout Westeros and Essos, it wasn't usually done between people who had thought of themselves has siblings growing up. Davos had thought he had seen some warning signs that they were more than family during the War of the Bastards, but nothing had confirmed it. And he spent enough time with Jon to know that he even if he had felt those types of feelings towards Lady Sansa, that he wouldn't act them out.
The King chuckled darkly "Robb Stark doesn't feel the same way" Davos was about to point out that Robb Stark had lived in a Westeros where the two of them had been thought to be brother and sister, when Jon continued "I just wish he could see that I don't want to hurt her"
"He will Your Grace" Davos didn't know if Robb Stark would or not, but he needed to give Jon an assurance. Davos had never interreacted with Robb Stark, and he had only met Eddard Stark once, when he had lifted the siege of Storm's End during Robert's Rebellion.
The King sighed and looked towards the horizon, they were still a few days out from Moat Cailin, and then after they had finished meeting with the Lannister's it would be back at Winterfell, where they would have to figure out how they were going to feed the army, while also securing their own supplies for winter, and then of course was the looming confrontation with the Night King. Davos sighed once again, and realizing that their conversation was over, fell back to his place in the procession, and hoped against hope that he had been able to reassure his king.
Jaime Lannister walked through the halls of Moat Cailin, the supposedly impregnable castle of House Stark, escorted by three of his men, and three Stark men. Jaime looked over at Bronn, how simply shrugged his shoulders. Bronn had been difficult to convince of this course of action, and he had had to promise him a second castle to rule over before it had been agreed. When Jaime had learned of the raven that the northerners had sent out detailing the threat to the north, his gut had told him it was true. He had begged and begged Cersei to send their armies north, but she had refused. They came to a set of large doors, and two of the Stark guards took post on either side of the wall and only allowed Jaime and Bronn to enter.
In the room stood a single large table, with openings in the wall on the far side, where a man, Jaime assumed it was the supposed King Jon Snow, stood, looking out towards the North. Another person stood in the room, and a lump form in his chest as he recognizes her, Brienne of Tarth, the last time Jaime had seen her had been when she escaped as his armies finally broke through into Riverrun, she doesn't look at him though. Another man stood behind the table, a man of mid age with short hair and a grey beard. Jaime recognized this person, he realized in astonishment, it was Ser Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight. He had assumed that he had been killed along with Stannis Baratheon after Bolton had defeated him.. The And why was he with the northern king? Seaworth began "You are going to meet with His Grace, Jon Snow, The King in the North, and the King Beyond the Wall"
Jaime cocked his head, King Beyond the Wall, how did a Stark bastard come to be both King in the North and the King Beyond the Wall? The King had turned and came to the other side of the table. While he had been a boy the last time Jaime had seen him, Jon Snow had bulked up and gained a considerable number of scars. Jon Snow gestured to the table and took a seat, as did Davos, Jaime, and Bronn "I have to know how you came to be King in the North and the King Beyond the Wall" he tries to interject some levity in what is sure to be a heavy conversation, but he can tell it's not appreciated.
Ser Davos speaks first "Why is it you have brought you army to Moat Cailin?" Jaime looks at the knight.
"I have come to answer King Jon's call to raise up arms against the White Walkers" He had made that clear enough in his letter to Jon Snow when he had arrived at Moat Cailin nearly a moon earlier. He had hoped that they would readily take his word for it, as he had a request of them that would not stand well.
"You expect me to just believe you?" Jon Snow asked from his seat at the center of the table, directly opposite of Jaime "You who crippled my brother and aided in killing my other one?" So they were going to delve into that, some of his worst actions he had ever taken, all in the name of family.
"We were at war with one another when King Robb was killed, and I had nothing to do with the Red Wedding" he says truthfully, he hadn't even hear about the plot until it had already occurred. That brings him to the other accusation "And I wish I hadn't pushed your brother, that was wrong" it was true, Jaime had felt immense guilt over that action since he had done. Cersei had such a bad effect on him that it wasn't good.
The King, or Davos Seaworth, do not looked convinced. They share a glance and Ser Davos says "I must admit, based on what Stannis Baratheon told me, I find it very hard to believe that you wish you hadn't pushed Lord Bran" Jaime closed his eyes.
"You asked for help and I have brought help! You have to trust me"
Jon Snow sighed and looked down at the table, where is hands rested palms down "I suppose that's true, what caused you to turn on your sister?"
Thoughts of Cersei brings bile up to his throat, and he sees that Brienne has taken a great interest in the conversation, he wishes he could say that most of the reason was her, and in truth it was, he had come to realize that he loved Brienne, but he didn't think that King Jon would quite buy that the Kingslayer would betray his family for love, so he goes with the next reason " When I realized that Cersei had used Wilfire on the Sept of Baelor" he lost his words for a moment "I couldn't in good conscience follow her any longer. I already killed one king for threatening to use wildfire on the city, I couldn't follow another who was willing to do it."
The King and Ser Davos seem confused for a moment, they must not know why he had killed King Aerys. Brienne steps forward and says "Your Grace, Ser Jaime has told me this before, I believe him" his heart goes out to Brienne in thanks. Jon Snow nods his head slowly, meaning he must take Brienne's word seriously.
"Very well. I thank you for bringing your armies north to help us in this time of need, if that's everything, you should make ready to move your army to Winterfell" Jon stands and turns to leave, but Jaime stops him.
"There is one thing" Jaime says, the King turns around with wary eyes "My officers think I've made a mistake coming here, they don't believe in the stories of the Night King and the White Walkers. I propose that you and I take them beyond the wall with a dead body. And when the Night King raises the dead as you say, they will see it and accept that we must come together to stop the undead"
Davos looks alarmed at that and turns his head rapidly to see what his King's response is to that. Brienne has a worried look in her eyes, while King Jon just stands there, his face unreadable. After a few minutes of silence, the king begins to slowly nod his head in agreement. "Very well Ser Jaime, you and I, along with my guards and your officers, will go beyond the wall" and then the King turns and walks out the door.