SANSA
Sansa´s road had been long and hard. She was so incredibly tired and hungry, but she did not want to stop. She was almost there. She was almost safe. She had to see him, the only family she knew the location of. She knew that even though she had been cold and mean to him as a child that he wouldn't turn her away. That had never been him. Jon had always been so kind to her even when she was being a brat to him.
She could see Castle Black now. She had heard in Winterfell that he was now the Lord Commander of the Night´s Watch. She also knew that many of the North were angry at him for letting the wildling through the wall. She knew that Ramsey would use that to try to get rid of Jon. He would say that Jon was going to let the Wildlings murder and rape as much as they wanted, and that Jon had to be killed to stop him.
She could not let that happen, she had to save Jon.
When they arrived at the gate of Castle Black, the castle was very quiet. It was like someone had died.
A black brother looked over the castle wall and asked who they were. Lady Brienne answered that they were travelers coming to talk with Lord Commander Snow. The man´s face fell, and he ordered the gate open. The courtyard was not only filled with sad looking black brothers, but they were greatly outnumbered by wildlings, who were also looking sorrowful.
They meet the man in the other side of the wall. The man was thin with grey hair and looked very dour.
"You are looking for Lord Commander Jon Snow?" Brienne nodded. "Then I regret to inform you that the Lord Commander has passed."
Sansa felt her world shatter. Her last known family member was gone. She felt her insides turn to ice and a strangled sob tried to work its way up her throat.
"This is my Lady Sansa of house Stark, the Lord Commander´s own sister." Brienne said. The man´s eyes widened.
"I am sorry for your loss my Lady. We are now preparing for his funeral. So, if you want to say your goodbyes, I can lead you to his chambers." Sansa nodded and dismounted her horse. Brienne and Podrick hurried after her as they followed the Night´s Watchman. They followed him to the Lord Commander´s solar. It was a small solar, smaller than she would guess, sense it was the solar of the Lord Commanders.
There he was, her last brother. Theon had said that he had not killed Bran and Rickon, but for how long could they have survived the wilds of the North, when their older brothers didn't survive being surrounded with loyal men.
Jon was laying on a table, she could have thought he was sleeping if not for the holes in his black clothing, and the mournful whimpers of Ghost who was laying on the ground by the table. She walked slowly to Jon´s body as if not to disturb him. He was covered in blood, but that did not stop her from touching his cheek. He was cold to the touch and all she wanted to do was to shake him until he woke.
"Pardon me, my Lady." Sansa jumped at the melodious voice. She had been so distracted by Jon´s dead body that she did not see a young man sitting close by. "Are you Jon´s sister?" he asked.
Sansa nodded and tried to dry her tears, but more came instead. "How…" she had to ask, she had to know. "How did he die?"
The young man looked grim. "He was betrayed. Their where some of the men who were not happy that Jon saved the wildlings at Hardhome. And then let them come through the wall. So, they lured him out and stabbed him. But Edd, one of the loyal to Jon went to get the wildlings and we arrested them and put them in the ice cells. We are going to execute them after the funeral."
Jon had been betrayed. Just like father, just like Robb, just like Bran and Rickon. Was it every Stark´s man destiny to betrayed by the men they trusted? Before she could replay someone walked into the room. Sansa had never met this woman before, but she knew her immediately by her the way she looked.
She was tall and beautiful, she had long red hair and was wearing a crimson gown that must not have been very warm and she had a red ruby fastened on a choker. Even her eyes were the color of red. She had heard many stories of Stannis´s red woman, and all her witchcraft, when she was stuck as a hostage in the Red keep.
"Are you Melisandre of Asshai? Sansa asked just to be sure. The woman nodded but she was looking at Jon. Had they known each other well? Where they lovers? At that thought she felt something crawl in her belly. She shook her head to clear her head of that thought.
Then three others entered the room. One of them was the night´s watchman from before, the dour one. The other two were not from the night´s watch. One was an older man who had a beard and was starting to lose his hair, and the other one was clearly a wildling. He was tall and had crazy red hair and beard.
"Milady." Said the older man and nodded to her. Then he turned to the red woman. "Is there anything you can do for him?" This got Sansa´s undivided attention. Were they going to try some crazy spell to bring her brother back?
"I don't know Ser Davos." So, this was the famous Onion Knight. The man who had saved Stannis Baratheon at the siege of Storm´s End. "But I will try."
The Red woman walked over to Jon and beaconed the young man to help her. She asked the dour man to fetch water, then she and the young man started to undress Jon´s body. Sansa averted her eyes. Even though he was gone, she wanted to help preserve Jon´s modesty.
After some time, Sansa dared to look to see if they were done. They had finished undressing him and had put a small cover over his…male parts. What she saw shocked her. His chest and belly were covered in holes. Ugly stab wounds covered him and the cruelest one was over his heart like someone had stuck the knife in and twisted it. She could feel the tears start to build in her eyes.
The nights watchman came back with the water, and the Red woman started her ritual. It was the longest minutes of Sansa´s life. She stood there and stared as the woman worked and chanted in another language.
But it was all for naught. The red priestess stopped, and Jon was still laying there, dead. She had long sense stopped believing in fairytales and songs but a part of her had hoped that some god would take pity and return Jon to her. Everyone left the room, but her and the young man.
"My Lady, we should prepare him for the funeral now." It was the young man again. She looked at him, but she could barely make him out from all the tears in her eyes wanting to come out.
"What is your name?" She asked. "Satin, I am…was the Lord Commander´s steward." He replayed quietly.
"Satin, do you… do you mind leaving me alone with him, just for a little while?" Satin gave her a kind smile and nodded. "I will be back later with some clothes for him to wear."
Sansa nodded as Satin left. He had barely closed the door, when Sansa broke out in sobs. She closed the distance between her and Jon and buried her face into his chest and cried. She had come so far to reach him only to find him dead and gone. She had come looking for her last brother only to find out that someone had taken him away from her. Cruelly murdered him in cold blood.
Her good, kind Jon, who no matter how she had treated him growing up, had always given her a kind smile and a gentle word.
She didn't know how long she stayed there, crying into Jon´s chest, it could have been years for all she knew. But all too soon, Satin came back with the clothes that Jon would be dressed in.
She helped Satin as best she could, but she was to grief stricken to be of much help. She sat down into the chair by the lord commander´s desk. That is when she saw something strange.
In a chest by the fireplace, there were four colorful stones. They were beautiful and the light of the flames reflected in the hard surface of the stones.
"Where did Jon get these?" Sansa asked. Satin turned to her and shook his head. "I don't know my lady. One day they just where here when I was cleaning, and it is not my place to question the Lord Commander."
Silence fell over them while Satin continued his work, but when he was finished, he turned to her. He looked like he was troubled and wanted to say something.
"What is it?" Sansa finally asked.
"It´s just that…the eggs… well they had a weird hold on him." Sansa could see that it had been on the young man´s mind for some time. She nodded at him to go on. "Well ever sense he got the eggs, it´s like they were always on his mind you see. He was even dreaming about them. Once when I came to clean, he was talking in his sleep and he was saying over and over again, fire and blood and put them in the fire." Satin was quiet for a while but then he spoke again. "I was thinking that maybe we should put them on the pyre with him. I think that they meant much to him, and maybe that they should be with him when he goes."
Sansa looked at the eggs. For some strange reason she agreed with Satin, if they had meant so much to Jon, they should be with him. It was a strange feeling that went against everything that Queen Cersei and Littlefinger had taught her. To burn four valuable dragon eggs instead of selling them to buy an army. They would have never allowed such folly, but she was not them and she didn't own the eggs. Jon did, and they should be with him.
She nodded her consent. Nothing more was said and then the men who had left the room before came back. They were getting ready to move Jon. She hurried out of the room and meet Brienne and Podrick, who were waiting just outside. It had turned dark and the stars and the moon were shining bright.
"They are ready for the Lord Commander, my lady." Brienne said quietly. They went ahead to the courtyard where the pyre had been built and waited with the rest of the black brothers. No one seemed to pay much mind to Sansa and her companions, the night´s watchmen were grieving and didn't seem to care that two women had joined them in the courtyard. For the first time she noticed that among the Night´s watchmen and the wildling, there were also a few Baratheon men. They must have been the survivors from Stannis´s army, she thought to herself.
Then they came down with Jon´s body. He was carried on a wooden plank that had handles attached to it so the men could carry it easier. Satin followed after them with the eggs in his arms.
The men put Jon on the pyre and Satin put the eggs around him, then they stepped of the pyre. The dour faced man stepped forward with Satin. He was holding torch four torches and handed Satin one and then two other men Sansa had not seen before. They lighted them up before the first man spoke. But Sansa had stopped paying attention. The only thing she saw was Jon´s body lying there.
Then she felt something large and warm move next to her. It was Ghost, Jon´s direwolf. She hadn't noticed before, her thoughts being consumed with the loss of her brother, but he was unbelievably big. He was the size of a small horse and she guessed if he let it, a small child could easily use him for a mount. He looked her in the eye and gave her a sad whine, she put her hand on his neck for support, to get through this she was going to need all she could get.
She turned back to the pyre. They were now lighting it. She tried to hold it in, but she couldn't. It started out small, but the sobs grew and grew. It didn't take long until she stopped caring that there where people around. All she cared about was that she would never get to talk to Jon again, to ask him to forgive her of how she had treated him growing up, she would never get to reminisce of life in Winterfell with him, before they left.
She must have been standing there for some time, crying, sobbing and staring into the flames when it happened.
Jon´s ash covered figure stepped out of the flames. He stepped out of the flames alive and holding two small dragons and had two on his shoulders. She stood there frozen, she couldn't even breath, she didn't believe her own eyes. It must be a dream she thought. Dead men don't step out of flames with dragons. Not in real life, maybe in songs but never in real life.
"…Sansa?" His voice was a whisper, but she heard him. Then he fell on one knee, and it was like a spell was broken. She rushed to him, not caring that running wasn't lady like. She knew vaguely that there was some commotion behind her, but all she cared about was Jon was alive and well. She fell down before him and hugged his head to her face.
"I thought you were dead, Jon." She managed to sob into his hair, while he smelled of ash, to her his smell brought nothing but thoughts of Winterfell when it had been a home, of safety and if love could have a smell, it would smell like Jon.
Ghost had followed her to show his happiness that Jon was alive, he was licking the side of his face, and she could feel the heat of the dragons through her clothes.
"My lady, we must get him inside. He will freeze out here." That brought reality crashing down on her. She was kneeling in the dirt and snow in the courtyard of Castle Black, hugging her formally dead, but now very naked brother, in front of everyone. She pushed him away with a blush, and she was sure that her face was going to catch on fire.
Ser Davos came to them and was trying to putt a cloak around Jon´s shoulders, much to the annoyance of the little dragons. The silver one hurried to climb on top of Jon´s head, but the blue and bronze one let the knight put the cloak on Jon. But he didn't look happy with the knight.
The wild haired man and Ser Davos helped him to his feet and guided him back to his chambers. Sansa and her companions followed them. They arrived in his room and the men helped him sit on his bed and he put the dragons on his bed beside him.
Then Ghost came, and with a direwolfs infinite curiosity had to go and sniff at them. The dragons started to hiss and snap at his snout. But Jon flicked at their noses. "No, don't threaten Ghost." To everyone´s surprise they listened to Jon and looked like children when they had been chastised.
Jon looked at everyone gathered in his small room "Could I maybe get some clothes, and some cooked meat for the dragons?" He asked, his voice rough and raspy. Sansa had never been as happy to hear a voice before in her live. She had heard it whisper her name before, but she had been so shocked that she hadn't had the time to appreciate his northern accent and even though it was raspy, it was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.
Ser Davos and Satin rushed to follow his request. Then he looked at her, and she remembered that he was still naked under that cloak. "We will wait outside while you get changed." She hoped that her voice wasn't as small as she thought it had been. Then she hurried out of the room with Brienne and Podrick after her.
For the first time sense Jon stepped out of the pyre, she looked at them. They both looked like they had seen ghosts. Not that she was surprised. It wasn't every day that one sees a dead man step out of a burning pyre with four small dragons. It must have been a short time they had to wait for Satin to let them in, but for Sansa, it was an eternity.
She hurried into the room, but before she could say or do anything, Jon had her wrapped up in a hug. She couldn't remember feeling so safe or so warm before. She wanted it to last forever. Too soon he stepped back and held her at arms-length. "I thought you were dead."
"I thought you had died." She replayed with tears in her eyes yet again.
"I did." That answer didn't help any.
"Then how…" Jon just shook his head. "I don't know." Then who did?
Before they could continue, Ser Davos and the dour faced man entered the room. Jon took the meat filled dish and thanked him. He turned to the dragons and then he turned to them again. "Who put the egg´s on the pyre?" He asked.
Everyone turned to Satin, who looked like he didn't want to be there. "Well after you got the eggs, you started to behave strangely, you started to talk in your sleep when I came in to your solar to clean and you were saying weird things." Jon continued to stare at him and saying nothing.
"It was really strange and you kind of frightened me, to be honest. You were talking about fire and blood, and how the eggs needed to be put in the fire. Yes, I know it is a strange leap to make, to put them on your funeral pyre, but it seemed the right thing to do. You seemed so concerned with them and I thought you wanted to have them with you when you were gone." Satin seemed really embarrassed.
That had not followed the story when Satin had told her about this before. Was he working too hard? Was he not taking care of himself? "Wait, why were you sleeping in your solar Jon?" She asked. Jon looked like a deer that had just spotted a hunter. He cleared his throat. "We´ll talk about that later."
"Yes, we will Jon Snow." She said his surname to make sure that she was not happy that he wasn't taking care of himself properly. That would be changing right now.
She heard snickering behind her. But she had to ask. "And where did you get the dragon egg´s?" The ones snickering stopped and listen to this part of the conversation with great attention.
"Maester Aemon left them for me, and before anyone asks, I don't know why." Sansa frowned but nodded.
Ser Davos cleared his throat. "We have all had a long day. Perhaps we should continue this on the morrow?" Sansa wanted to protest but Brienne intervened. "My lady, we just came to Castle Black and you have had a long and hard journey, you need rest." She hated it when someone used logic against her when she really wanted something. Like Jon to answer all her questions. But Brienne was right, and it was late. Jon had also just come back from the dead and probably needed rest. So, she gave in and nodded.
Jon asked Satin to find them some place warm to sleep in.
They turned to leave Jon´s room but he stopped them. "Sansa, you umm…you should take Ghost with you." She was about to object; couldn't he see he needed all the protection he could get?
"Please, Sansa I would feel better if you have him with you." When he said that and paired it with his puppy dog eyes, she couldn't say no. She doubted anyone could. So, she gave him a small smile and Ghost followed her out the door to find appropriate sleeping quarters for the foreseeable future.