Sansa had gone about her days slowly since the army left to go to the Wall. Most of the Starks had followed Jon off to the Wall, her father, Robb, Bran and Arya, leaving Winterfell very quiet. Only herself, her mother and Rickon were left behind. Sansa had passed her the next weeks running the castle and organizing the smiths around the North to get more arrows and equipment to the Wall. Her mother helped her run the castle as well, but things were still icy between them.
She had sat her down one evening after the army left, after they had gotten done with their duties "I asked you to be nicer to Jon, Mother" she had said as they knitted in front of the hearth in Sansa's solar. She didn't respond and just continued to knit furiously. Anger and exasperation swelled within her, what was wrong with her? "Mother you have to say something to me, we can't go on with this divide in the family"
Mother scowled, and let out an angry breath "Sansa, dear, what do you want me to say? That I am sorry that I said those things to Jon?" she laid the cloak she was knitting on her lap "Every time I see him, it's a reminder that Ned lied to me for nearly twenty years, he didn't trust me with the truth of Jon's parentage"
Sansa didn't know how to respond to that. Her father had kept Jon's parentage a secret for the right reasons, she had finally decided after many nights of contemplation, but she wished that he had trusted them all with this information. She let out her own sigh as she set the knitting down "Father's mistakes are not Jon's; he didn't ask to be a Targaryen no less than anyone asked to be born into the family they are"
Her mother shot her an angry glare "What I don't understand, is how he convinced you to let him into your bed" her eyes narrowed at Sansa "I taught you better than that"
Sansa fought and failed to keep the scowl off her face "Please Mother, as I have told you before, it was my idea, I was the one who asked, the one who convinced him" Her mother didn't look convinced. She stood and placed the knitting materials down on her desk "You have to accept this, I'm not some little girl that has her head wrapped around unfeasible dreams"
"Accept it? Accept that Jon has usurped my children's rightful place? Robb or Bran or Rickon or you or Arya should be King, not him"
Sansa rolled her eyes "Mother, the lords won't support any of them!" her mother stepped back in apparent shock at her outburst, she held a hand, raising a finger each time she made a point "Father went south and he died and that death started a war, Robb went south and lost the North, Bran is whatever he is now, and Rickon is a child" she let out an un ladylike huff "The lords named Jon king because he retook the North, he killed the Boltons and retook Winterfell" there were tears in her eyes, and while she willed them to go away, Sansa knew it was going to be a losing battle.
Her mother stared at her for a moment and looked to be torn between comforting Sansa and continuing the argument, the latter must have won out "Even so, the lords should have supported you or Arya if you had pressed it" she let out weakly.
"Mother, I am still a Lannister and a Bolton to many of them, I would have never been able to rule on my own, and Arya is an assassin from Braavos, no" she shook her head as she said it "Jon was the only one of us who could become King"
Her mother let out a shaky cry and Sansa saw the tears in her eyes "My only goal in life since I married your father was to see one of my children be the Lord of Winterfell, it was what is expected of me, and now that hasn't happened, instead Jon, who's not even a real Stark, is King, and he's supposed to marry you. How am I supposed to accept that?"
Sansa crossed the room, and deciding that it was her mother that needing the comforting, she threw her arms around her and held her "Mother, I like Jon and he is a good man, he hasn't forced anything on me, he hasn't hurt me, unlike my last husband" she heard her mother emit a bit louder sob at that "He's given me a voice on his council, he trusts me"
Her mother didn't say anything for a what felt like hours, and pulled back from her "You're sure about this Sansa? That he will treat you right, that he won't dishonor you?" her mother looked like she could start crying again based on her answer.
So, Sansa answered with the truth "Jon is one of the most honorable men I know" her mother had just looked at her, pressed her lips to her forehead the way they had done when she had been a child, and left the solar. Sansa wasn't sure if the conversation had gone well or bad based on that, but she hoped her mother had been convinced.
The next few weeks passed in a blur of darkness, as the long night continued. She got regular updates from Robb and her father, but not from Jon. That worried her a little, in the short time they spent together after their kiss in the crypts Jon had acted happier than she could recall ever seeing him. She worried that he was taking too much on himself, the way he had done during the War of the Bastards. She continued on performing her duties as the Lady of Winterfell and being the regent for Jon while he was away, of course there wasn't much a regent could do when the vast majority of the North's lords and their armies were at the Wall. She saw to the people of Wintertown, made sure they had enough food and enough material to make it until the armies came back.
After nearly three weeks, or at least Sansa thought it had been three weeks, the sun suddenly came up in the middle of the day. To say that there had been celebrations would be an understatement, small folk and high born had celebrated with each other. This feeling of jubilation lasted until the next day when Robb sent a raven, saying to have medical supplies and rooms ready for the wounded. He didn't say who was wounded, and Sansa was loathe to admit that she was disappointed that Jon hadn't been the one to write her. Robb didn't say much else in it and didn't even say if their family was alright.
Two sennights later, Sansa, her mother, and Rickon stood on the battlements, waiting for the army to return. Sansa caught her breath when she finally did see them on the horizon, it was a much smaller army than the one that had left, easily half it's size, if not more. As the army neared Winterfell, she was sad to see that her guess had been correct, more than half the army that had set off to the Wall didn't return. At the head of the army rode Robb, and then there was her father and Arya. Sansa tried to keep the pang of fear from encasing her as she looked for Jon.
By the time that Robb and the others had gotten to the Great Keep, she, Mother, and Rickon had moved to greet them on the stairs. Robb was the first to dismount and with a grim smile hugged her and the others. He allowed for her father and Arya to do the same. Arya had a crooked nose that looked like it was broken, while her father didn't look any worse for wear. But her concern had only grown as Jon still wasn't making his presence known. She must have worn her worries on her face because Robb said "Jon's been hurt pretty badly" the worry that had threatened to encase her escaped and Sansa let out a pained gasp "The Maester's got the bleeding started but it started back up on the way here"
Sansa fought back the urge to see him and instead asked "How many people know about it?"
Robb sighed and threw his arms behind him "The whole army knows"
Sansa had hoped that they would have done a better job keeping it a secret, this will start discussions and problems for Jon. "Come then, let us see to His Grace"
They made their way into the keep after that. Sansa led them not to Jon's chambers, but to her own in the Lord's Chambers. Robb and her father asked her why, but she replied that Jon deserved the best, and the Lord's chambers were comfortable and had better access to the Maesters and servants. She didn't tell them that the real reason was that she had long since stopped thinking of it as her room only, instead it had become her and Job's.
She allowed for the others to see to him and ensure that he was properly cared for. She didn't think she could allow herself to see him, and she had to make sure that she was composed before meeting with the rest of the lords that was sure to be coming. By the time she arrived back at the Great Hall, she spotted Davos speaking with Lord Manderley and Lord Hornwood. She caught the last bit of the conversation and she inserted herself into it "How is His Grace?" Lord Manderley was asking.
Davos pursed his lips and ran his left hand through his white beard "His Grace's injuries are severe" he turned to Sansa "Have you had a chance to see the King, My Lady?" Sansa could tell by lines on Davos' forehead that he was worried for Jon.
"No, However I saw him to his chambers and left him with Maester Wolkan and Sam Tarly" she said evenly, not letting any of the concern that was bubbling in her from coming into her words.
Lord Hornwood nodded at her and then turned back to Davos "Well, His Grace did battle with the Night King, he's lucky to be alive"
Davos nodded his head "On what Lady Arya and Gendry Waters has said, he is" he sighed and then continued "How long do you and your men intend to stay?"
"Not long, my men are tired and long to see home, as do I" Hornwood answered, and Manderley agreed with a grunt. "We will of course be coming back for the council, whenever that will be arranged"
The council did not worry Sansa as much as it had when she called for it, when Jon pulled through his injuries, she thought that the Northern lords would agree that having a victorious king sit on the throne would be enough, even though, she didn't want to be overconfident "I hope to see you back of course, and I pray that we make the right decision"
Lord Manderley nodded his head at that "I will continue to pray to the Seven that we do, Lady Sansa"
They continued conversing or a short time, going over food and how to get the wounded back home, and when they left, Sansa was pleased to find Brienne back and with her. She had missed the woman dearly since she had gone with the army to the wall and didn't hesitate to hug the woman. She responded slowly and awkwardly "Thank you, Lady Sansa, I am pleased to be back as well"
The two of them spent the rest of the day visiting the lords and the officers who had come back. Sansa hated to admit it, but she was afraid to go back to her chambers as night fell upon Winterfell, she had used the day and her duties as a way to not think about Jon's injuries, but now that she was going back, that same dread that had settled into her stomach had returned in full force.
She found her family in the solar and Robb explained to her how he was doing, Jon hadn't woken up, but the bleeding had been stopped. Robb and her father sat by the fire, while Arya and Gendry Waters sat at Jon's desk. Her mother wasn't there, and Bran sat in his wheelchair in his corner of the room.
Taking her own seat at her desk she looked down at the paper on it and decided that it could be handled in the morning. Leaning back in her chair "What happened?"
Robb shares a look with her father before they start explaining it, how well things had gone up until the last night of the battle, how the walkers assaulted them on all sides. From south, from the wall itself and the attack on Castle Black. "How did he manage that?" Sansa asked when Robb told her of the Night King leading the army that marched on Castle Black.
"Our best guess is that he used the assault on the wall as a cover to move further west and crossed it there, and then began raising the dead on this side of the Wall" Her father had explained
"The Wall was an excellent place to hold him, but we just didn't have the men to garrison the length of it" Robb had said when she asked why they didn't notice him crossing it.
Robb and her father then glanced at Arya and Gendry, who then took over the story as they told of their battle with the Night King. Sansa was sad to see that she was the only one who felt upset that Theon had been killed, but that had been expected "After I was thrown back, I hit my head on the side of the ice wall" Arya said as she absentmindedly rubbed her nose "It must have knocked me out for a few seconds because when I came too, I saw that Jon and the Night King had moved back into the room, and-" she cut herself off, and opened her mouth and close it several times before continuing "I didn't see Jon get cut down, but I saw him stop it from killing Bran. He pinned it to the floor and that allowed be the time to bury my dagger into it's chest" This new Arya wasn't one to show emotion, so when she let out a little sniff, it showed how much what she said next bothered her "I didn't even realize that Jon had been hurt until I saw him collapse, and you know what's the worst part? He was trying to make me feel better"
Sansa sighed and rubbed her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. She had become so good at keeping them away the last few years, but since her family had returned, she had gotten far worse at it. She spared a glance at the hearth, where she saw Robb and her father looking at her with guarded looks. She figured that they had guessed the change in her and Jon's relationship, or was there a change at all? He hadn't written to her during his time at Wall. Had he felt shame in the feelings that they shared?
Arya and Gendry whispered something, and then stood and with Arya glaring at Robb and their father, left the room. Arya's display seemed to remind her father of something "Where are you going to sleep tonight?"
"Probably in one of the guest rooms" Her father nodded at that. They sat in silence before her father stood and declared that he needed sleep. After he left, it left Robb and her in the room. Robb looked uncertain, as if he wanted to say something, and she saw his nervous tick of him biting the side of his cheek, like he did when he got nervous "What is it?" she asked him, to stop him from biting a hole in his cheek.
"You and I didn't have much time to talk before we left" he replied with unusual uneasiness.
"No, I supposed we didn't" Sansa interjected as much steel and iciness as possible. She thought she knew where this was going.
"Look, I'm not going to say anything about you and Jon, I'm still not comfortable with it, but if you two are fine with it, then I need to be as well, but I'm going to ask this one final time" he turned away from the fire and looked directly at her "Are you sure you are okay with this?" Unlike the other times that Robb had talked to her about this, he wasn't angry, he was concerned.
Sansa stared at him, waiting for any hint of anger, but it never came, so instead she answered him "Robb, I had to convince Jon to do this, I think he and I have the potential to be happy."
Robb uncertainty didn't fade, but he nodded his head in agreement all the same. He looked to stand up but instead said "I'm sorry that I didn't come for you, I should have traded Lannister for you"
"I spent years waiting for you" she said when Robb didn't continue to speak. "Years dreaming of the day that you would ride into King's Landing and kill the Lannister's and take me home" She doesn't know what else to say to him.
Robb pales and stands from his seat just in front of the hearth, his hand grabs at the top of it, and he stares into it, not looking at her "I wish I had done things differently, and I'm sorry" Robb doesn't let her say anything else before he turns and leaves the room.
Robb's sudden departure left her alone with her thoughts. She was glad that Robb had apologized, and even though she could understand why he hadn't traded Lannister for her, it still hurt. She turned to look at the door to her chambers, where Jon laid fighting for his life. She still hadn't seen him. And so, as she opened the door. Jon laid under the furs, his face and the rest of his body bandaged. She was surprised to see Samwell Tarly sitting in a chair to Jon's right, reading a book.
He looked up as she opened the door "Lady Sansa, I apologize for the intrusion" he said as he closed the book "I intended to be gone by now, but I thought I would stay with him for a bit.
Sansa liked Sam, he had proven to be a loyal friend to Jon since he had come to Winterfell, so she smiled one of her small smiles "There is nothing to apologize for, Sam, I'm happy that Jon had someone to sit with him, now though, I think I'll sit with him for a while if that's okay"
Sam stood and nodded his thanks before leaving, and Sansa took his place in the chair. She wouldn't spend long here, but she wanted to spend some time alone with Jon, even if he wasn't awake. She reached over and gently took his hand in hers, and held it. As she sat there, she was struck with a sudden tiredness, and she felt her eyelids grow heavy. I'll just close them for a bit, and then I'll leave, she thought to herself. She didn't leave.
With the war with the others over, Davos now knew that they had to work on preparing the North for the coming war with the South. He had spent his morning meeting with the Lords who would be leaving the next day, and they all confirmed that they would be back for the council that Lady Sansa had called for. He had gotten explicit support for Jon from Lady Lyanna and the lords whose lands were against the Wall, the ones who had fought with him during the war with the Boltons, and he had support from the Karstarks and the Umbers. Their combined weight would be hard to argue against, and with Jon's victory against the Night King, he thought that there was a solid chance that they could keep Jon in power.
Davos grabbed at the burned stag toy that he had found of Shireen's. He was surprised to find himself doing so in public, he had always tried to keep his grief private, but the combined stress of the war and King Jon's injuries had worn him down. He had tried hard to not see Jon as a son, but he had apparently failed at that, and he worried what it would do to him to lose yet another child. He let go of the stag and brought his hand out of his pocket. He hears Eddard Stark say something to him, and Davos realized with shame that he hadn't even heard it. "I apologize Lord Stark, I didn't catch that"
"I had asked if you had a moment to speak with me" Eddard Stark betrayed nothing of his intentions, so Davos nodded his head and gestured towards the war room, where Davos knew they wouldn't be bothered or heard. When they got into the room and the door was closed, Lord Stark asked "You are Jon's hand correct?"
Davos knew that Lord Eddard knew that he was Jon's hand, so it was an odd question "Yes, Lord Stark, I am"
"And you were also Stannis Baratheon's hand?" Davos swallowed, he didn't like thinking of Stannis, while he blamed Melisandre for Shireen's death, he knew that it had been Stannis who had ordered it and allowed it.
"Yes" was all Davos could bring himself to answer.
"How did you come to be his hand?"
"I was with King Stannis when he stopped the Wildlings from coming over the Wall, and His Grace, that being King Jon, and I developed a working relationship with him during his time as Lord Commander. After Stannis was defeated, I worked with him and Lady Sansa in gathering support against the Boltons"
Lord Stark didn't look relieved, but didn't ask any other questions, so Davos asked one of his own "Is there something specific you wanted to as me, My Lord?"
Eddard Stark looked at him for a moment before answering "I wish to see my son- my nephew's advisors, and if they are good and honorable people" Davos knew of course, the legendary honor of Eddard Stark, and how important that idea of his honor had implanted itself on Jon's own sense of honor.
"I am loyal to His Grace in all things" Davos said with no hesitation. He believed in Jon Snow, just as he had when they worked together when he had been Lord Commander, just as they had when Davos had begged Melisandre to bring him back. "I will serve him as long as he sees fit for me to" and he added with little forethought "I believe in him, he hasn't done his people wrong yet, and even if he is a Targaryen, he shows none of the signs of the madness"
Lord Stark narrowed his eyes at the mention of Jon being a Targaryen "Jon's father might be a Targaryen, but I raised him as a Stark, and he is more Northern that most Northmen"
"I agree, Lord Stark" and he did, truly, Jon was a good soldier, and Davos believed he could be an excellent King, if the lords would just continue to support him. "I do not intend to return south, I wish to continue on serving King Jon here"
Eddard Stark nodded his head, and then said "Jon will continue to need help in ruling the North"
"Do you not intend to put your name forward?" If he didn't, then that removed the largest threat to Jon's rule at the council, and then all that left was Lord Robb.
"I believe my time has passed, I will offer my council and advice to whoever the council decides on, but my time for ruling has passed" Eddard said "Let it be given to either Jon or Robb, but I'm no King"
Relief flooded through Davos, and he felt the need to go speak with Lady Sansa. She and him had been built a good working relationship, and he knew of her plans to support Jon at the Council. Lord Stark and him spoke a bit more, and then Lord Eddard bid farewell, and left. Davos also left and headed for the Lord's Solar where he expected to find Lady Sansa. However, she wasn't there. And he didn't have the time to go looking for her, so instead he went back to his duties.
The first thing Jon noticed was pain. His entire body hurt, especially his chest and his thigh. The second thing he noticed was that he couldn't see. He let out a very shallow breath, and the pain only intensified. Feeling was slowly coming back in his extremities, and the last thing that he noticed was that something, or more accurately someone was holding his hand. The hand was small, and soft.
He tried opening his eyes, but the piercing pain of the brightness from the room made him close them. He swallowed and opened them again. he fought through the pain and slowly the world around came into focus. He recognized the room he was in, Sansa's chambers. He tentatively turned his head to the right, to see who was holding his hand. The red hair let him know that it was Sansa. She was asleep, and she looked so peaceful that Jon didn't want to wake her up. But he also thought that she wouldn't be very happy with him if he didn't, so he weakly started shaking his hand.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly looked around to see what woke her up when she froze and then looked down to their hands. And then she looked up at his face she let out a breath "Jon?" she asked quietly. Jon squeezed her hand. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her voice.
"Yeah" he said with a gravelly and rough voice. She let go of his hand, and he immediately missed it's presence and she gingerly threw her arms around his neck, and leaned down and she must have been careful to not touch any of wounds, and kissed his cheek. She trailed kissed from his cheek to the corner of his mouth, and she pulled back for moment, and it gave Jon a second to look into her blue eyes. She pressed her lips into his. Unlike her voice, Jon didn't need the reminder to know that he had missed this. He tried to deepen the kiss from his own position, and she helped by tilting her head. He doesn't know how long they stayed like that, but it probably wasn't long.
She pulled back and rested her head on his "I'm so happy you're awake" she pulled away and she smiled at him "I should probably go and let everyone else know that you're awake"
He wanted to pull her closer and tell her that the rest could wait, but that was probably a bad idea, especially in his condition.
Sansa's eyes widened and she nodded her head and reached over and poured him a cup of water from the pitcher. "The Measter's told us to leave this here in case you woke up in the middle of the night" she was saying. She held up his head and helped him drink. When he was finished, she laid him back down kissed his cheek and said "I'll be right back"
Jon tried to remember what had happened, he remembered the Night King shattering, and that was it. He supposed that they must have won if he was back in Winterfell, but what of the others? Had Robb and Ned survived? Or what of the rest of the armies? He would have to ask Sansa when she returned.
She returned soon enough, with no-one else. "I asked Lady Brienne to get the others" she explained as she took the seat next to him. She looked unsure for a second and then asked "Do you need anything before they arrive?"
He thought for a moment, he didn't think he needed anything, but he still had his questions "No, but is everyone alright?" he asked.
She nodded her head "Everyone in our family is fine, Arya has a broken nose, that's the worst of the injuries" Her eye's betrayed the worry as she started onto the next sentence "I've been told the interim Lord Commander was killed" she placed her over his "I'm so sorry Jon, I know that he was your friend"
Sorrow filled Jon at that, Edd had been a good friend and with his death, that group that had lead the Night's Watch against the Walkers had fallen just to Sam and himself. And with the way that Jon had felt, he knew he had been close to leaving Sam as the final member of that group.
His brain finally registered that Sansa's hands was on his, and he turned it over and entwined his fingers in hers. "Have you been waiting for me to wake?"
Sansa smiles and says "We've all been watching over you, as has Sam and Gilly, I had them put you here, and I didn't want to spend the nights away"
"So, I've been taking your bed?" guilt spread through him, she should have put him in his own chambers, and that would have been just as well as it would have avoided unnecessary rumors.
"Jon before you left, it was practically our bed" She explained. She visibly paled and asked in a quiet voice "Why didn't you write?"
Why hadn't Jon written her, a part of it was that he had been so focused on the war with the Walkers to write, but there had been moments when Robb or Ned had said that they were going to send a raven to Winterfell, but he had declined to send anything with it. If Jon was being honest with himself, it was mainly because he was still an insecure boy playing at being King and didn't want to embarrass Sansa.
He told her as much and she merely scoffed "You should know better Jon, you are not playing at being a King, you are one" She looked as though she was going to continue to admonish him, but was stopped as the door to their solar was flung open.
Ned Stark comes through, followed by Rickon, Bran, Robb and then Arya. Ned comes to the bed, and eyes his and Sansa's hands, but does not comment on it, and instead says "It's good to see you awake, Jon" something swells in Jon's chest, something that feels like relief, he knew from what Sansa had said that Ned Stark had been against their change in relationship, but now, even if he wasn't comfortable, he seemed accepting.
Robb, then Rickon, and then Bran were next, all saying things along similar lines to what their father had said. Arya was last, and he can't help the smile from showing on his face as he says "Look, here is the woman who killed the Night King!"
A faint smile appears on her face and she said "It was a team effort Jon" Despite the smile, she looked uncertain for a moment. Her eyes flicked to Sansa and then said "How are you feeling?"
"Fine" Jon said curtly, he figured that they knew that he was lying. Sansa squeezed his hand, Jon thought that he was being chastised and instead said "I'm aching everywhere, but it's better than the alternative"
"That it is" Robb said from behind Arya.
They spoke of the final battle, what all of them had been doing, he and Arya spoke about the duel with the Night King, how they had really only won on the fluke that the Walker's had been stopped. Just as they were finished up, another man came in, Davos Seaworthy
"Your Grace, I just heard you were awake and wanted to see if it was true" he explained his presence. Which wasn't necessary, Davos had good Hand for him, and had become a friend that he knew he could trust.
Jon waved him off and said "No, I'm happy to see you Davos"
They spent the next hour talking and then they had left, leaving him and Sansa alone. Their loneness reminded Jon of that fact that he was stealing her bed, and shifted himself over to what had become his side and said "You shouldn't sleep in that chair"
She blushed and said "Jon Snow, is this your attempt at asking me to bed?" He hadn't meant it like that, he just wanted her to sleep in the bed. He opened his mouth to respond but she continued with a brief laugh "Fine, just give me a second"
Soon later she under the furs, and pressed up against him as tightly as Jon's wounds allowed. She was running circles on his chest. "I think we should have a feast, after you are able to move around better, a way to celebrate the victory against the Night King and your recovery" Jon didn't want a celebration just because he was doing better, but if there was one to celebrate their soldier's victory against the Night King, then he could do that.
"Aye, I agree" he turned over so he could see her "I don't much like feasts, but I think that it's something we should do, we have a lot to celebrate"
A smile swept across her face "Yes we do"
Sansa sat at the head table, just to the left of Jon. The feast had gone wonderfully well for them, and while there had been some hesitation in having a feast with their food stores, she had been able to throw something respectfully, stew and bread and cheese. Luckily though they had plenty of wine and ale, and since that was the main ingredient in a successful feast, it had come together nicely.
She had scooted up her chair as close to Jon's as possible. She had drank enough to know that she was in the cups, and she knew that the rest of her family had well. She hadn't seen Jon smile as much as he had in a long time, if ever. She had placed her head on his shoulder as they watched the crowd dancing. Sansa expected that she was being too overt in their affections with one another, but she didn't find it in her to feel ashamed about it. She could make out her mother and father dancing, along with Rickon and some girl.
She felt the sudden urge to dance and dragged Jon out there. They had taken most of their people's attention and while it wasn't the dancing that she had dreamed of when she had been young, as this was merely them slowly swaying as they circled around one another, she thought it was better.
She hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time, her family had returned, and they had survived the Long Night, she felt as though there was nothing that could stop them. She pressed a kiss to Jon's lips, and she knew that had been too overt, her drunken self didn't seem to care.
It was in the middle of their dancing that a shaken Sam came up to Jon, pulled him aside and handed him a letter. The happy dopey smile that had been on his face fell as he read it quickly developing into a scowl, and when he handed it back to Sam, Sam's round face fell into a frown. She moved over to them on the outskirts of the hall and asked "What is it?"
Jon's grimace hardened even more when he whispered "King's Landing is gone"