JON

The familiar feeling of entering Ghost´s mind brought a sense of wonder and happiness to Jon. It was so different from warging into the dragons but at the same time it was so welcoming and comfortable that it made him want to smile.

In his last life, Jon had spent many a night with Ghost as they hunted in the night, but never before had Jon been able to control his faithful friend to such extent as he did now. Jon had come to associate such control with the dragons, but never Ghost.

He was in such control right now that he could move every muscle in Ghost´s body, and every miniscule movement was within his reach, when in his last life, he could only make vague suggestions and hint and nudge Ghost to do what he wanted.

Jon stood up on unsteady feet that were covered with white fur and he made the difficult climb out of the cot and onto the floor of the room that he was in. He had a hard time containing the glee that he felt of being reunited with his friend, even though they were only together in their minds.

He turned and looked behind him as he heard a soft whine, and he could see a small grey direwolf pup that had been lying beside him, that was now looking at him with its golden eyes filled with curiosity.

He blinked at the pup a few times before he started to investigate the room that he was now in. It was rather large and in the middle was a big and soft looking bed, and everything was bathed in an orange glow of the fire that was burning in the hearth.

As Jon inspected the room, a familiar sweet scent tickled his nose, making him stop in his tracks and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and bask in the heavenly smell.

Jon resolved to follow the scent to its origins, and he tracked it to a screen that had been placed in the room to hide something from view when one entered through the door.

What he saw behind the screen, made him freeze and he was completely unable to move as he watched Sansa, lying in a copper tub filled with water.

Her auburn hair was pulled into a bun atop of her head, with a few locks escaping from it as they framed her face, and her cheeks were flushed red from the heat of the water as she washed her neck with a washcloth.

Jon stood there in Ghost´s skin, as if spellbound, staring at a drop of water that ran down her long shapely neck and down to her collar bone.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there like a statue, just staring at her until she opened her eyes and looked at him with her deep blue eyes.

Her smile was gentle, and her eyes twinkled in the light of the fire. "Ghost what are you doing? You should be resting; you had a hard day."

Sansa´s gentle and musical voice was enough to break him from the spell, and he realized how wrong it was for him to be staring at her while she was thinking that she was save from any prying eyes.

Before she had even finished speaking, he violently ripped his conscious from Ghost´s mind. He landed back in his own body with such force that he fell of the chair that his body had been sleeping in and onto the hard-stone floor, effectively knocking the wind from his lungs and making him groan in pain.

The only thought that ran though his mind was that he deserved the pain for not leaving Ghost´s mind immediately when he saw Sansa in that tub.

She was so different from what she had looked like only five years ago, and now Sansa reminded him a lot more of the strong, intelligent woman that he recognized from his last life.

Jon laid there flat on his back, staring into the dark ceiling with his heart racing so fast that he was sure that it would soon burst out of his chest. When had Sansa become so incredibly beautiful?

He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes and gritted his teeth in self-loathing, but as his eyes were closed, all he could see was Sansa in that tub, washing her neck and that drop of water running down her collar bone.

Jon hurriedly opened his eyes once again to try and get the image out of his head, and looked around the dark room that he had been occupying as he laid there on the cold stone floor, and it took him a moment to realize that he was in the library of Castle Black.

He heaved himself from the floor and he was just thankful that he was alone in the library and that no one had seen him practically throw himself to the ground when he woke up from his unexpected nap.

He had fallen asleep when reading and used the book as a makeshift pillow as there was a small pool of drool on the page, which he hurriedly tried to wipe off with his sleeve.

"Jon? Are you alright?" As the voice carried over to him, Jon jumped and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword that he had strapped around his hip, but when he saw that it was his uncle Benjen, Jon quickly let the sword go and let out a breath.

Benjen Stark looked so much older in the light of the fire, it was like he had aged ten years just entering the dark library as he stood half in the darkness and half in the light of the candles Jon had been using to read.

His uncle was staring at him wide eyed with his hands raised to show him that he was no threat. "Jon what is going on? Why are you so jumpy?"

Jon closed his eyes in shame, only to open them again in a hurry as the image of Sansa seemed burned to the back of his eyelids. "Nothing, I am sorry. I fell asleep reading and…" He trailed off as a blush worked its way to his cheeks, which he was unable to stop.

The older man let out a chuckle as he walked over to the desk Jon had been using and looked at the book he had been reading. "Horse tribes, being a study of the nomads of the Eastern plains of Essos, by maester Illster." Benjen shot his nephew an amused look. "No wonder you fell asleep."

The smirk on Benjen´s face made Jon even more irritated than before. "It is actually quite fascinating; it details the fall of the Kingdoms of Sarnor at the hands of the Dothraki." Jon crossed his arms over his chest as he stared his uncle down, only to be smirked at.

"If it's so fascinating, why did you fall asleep reading it?" The man turned to leaf through the book, page to page without reading a letter, making Jon lose the spot he had been reading.

"Is there a reason you were looking for me?" Jon couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice as he stared at the book, hoping that his uncle would turn the pages back and find his spot once again.

"What makes you think that I was looking for you?" There was a twinkle in his uncle´s blue grey eyes as he now was turning a page after page, not even looking at the book, clearly doing this knowing how much he was irritating Jon.

But Jon knew that he really wasn't irritated at his uncle, he was annoyed with himself for not having left Ghost´s mind earlier, and to his shame he had been directing his frustrations onto his uncle, who didn't seem to mind it at all.

"Because you are in a library." He let out a smile as his uncle turned to look at him with bewildered eyes and the man finally stopped turning the pages. "I am actually surprised that you knew that there was one here."

The man stared at him before letting out a bark like laugh. "There are times like this when you remind me so much of Lyanna." Benjen walked over to Jon and through his arm over Jon´s shoulder and gave him a one-armed squeeze. "She was a cheeky bugger too."

Even though he knew that his mother had flaws and had made many mistakes, it really warmed his heart to be compared to her and he treasured every little thing that his uncles told him about her, the good and the bad.

"But there is a reason I came here looking for you." Uncle Benjen let him go and gave him a slap on the back. "We leave tomorrow at dawn for Craster´s Keep, where we will be meeting Tormund Giantsbane for the negotiations. Craster´s former wives have been kind enough to host us for the talks."

Jon nodded as he closed the book that he had been reading and returned it to its proper place on the shelf. "Who will be coming with us?"

They started to walk out of the library after Jon had blown out all the candles. "Lord Commander Mormont and some of the rangers." Benjen said as they walked together.

"And how are the men of the watch feeling about this meeting?" Jon asked his uncle while casting a worried glance his way. When he had offered the Freefolk sanctuary from the Others he had been stabbed to death, and he hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen to Jeor Mormont.

Then again, the old bear had many things going for him that Jon hadn´t when he had served as the lord commander.

Lord commander Mormont had been serving the Watch for years now and he had been a good lord of Bear island for many years before he had abdicated and took the black in favor of his son.

And Jon had been a young man that hadn´t served that long in the watch, and only had a limited military experience under his belt, no matter how successful he had been leading the defense of the Wall when Mance Rayder had attacked them.

When a young man who had only recently joined and many of the men had thought him to be a traitor, took the leadership over men who had been at the Wall for years and served faithfully, there was bound to be a lot of friction.

"Most of the men was in favor of the meeting as this would end in them having fewer enemies and the wildlings that you have on your lands have not been troubling us here." They made their way out of the vaults and into the courtyard of Castle Black, and to the west Jon could see that the sun was starting to set, making the sky look red and orange, reminding him of the light in Sansa´s room which caused him to blush deeply. "But of course, there are those who are all together against the negotiations."

Both of them glanced at Ser Alliser Thorne, who was shouting at a new recruit as they made their way past the training yard. Jon wasn't sure why the old bear kept the man as a master at arms when he was such a dreadful teacher.

"Will you be heading to Winterfell after the negotiations are done?" Benjen hurriedly changed the subject as they made their way away from the training yard.

"Aye," Jon grinned at his uncle. "I will be heading there after I make a stop at Queenscrown." He was looking forward to visit Winterfell and see his family again, it had been too long since he had seen them.

But thinking about Winterfell brought the image of Sansa back into his mind, causing him to start blushing furiously again, much to his embarrassment. "Will you be heading to Winterfell as well?" Jon hurriedly asked before Benjen could comment on the redness of Jon´s face.

The man gave him a weathered grin. "Aye, I think I will. It has been a long time since I have seen them all, and I am sure that Jeor will want me there as a representative of the watch as we discuss this with Ned."

"But let´s not worry about that now," Benjen bumped his shoulder to Jon´s. "come on and let us get some food in our belly."

SANSA

She stood beside her older brother, as they both watched their little sister avoid the wooden sword that Master Syrio swung at her. Arya moved with more grace than any dancer and she was as swift as the wind in her movements as she attacked their water dancer instructor.

While Sansa had improved so much in the last five years in swordsmanship, she was not nearly as good at water dancing as Arya was nor would she make an excellent warrior, but she would be able to protect herself if need be.

But the younger Stark sister seemed to have a natural ability for the art, she was quickly becoming a swift and deadly with a blade in her hands.

"Damn," Robb said as they watched as Arya ducked gracefully under Master Syrio´s sword, just in the nick of time from being hit. "I would kill to be as fast as her."

Sansa let out a laugh, while Robb excelled in their lessons with Ser Rodrik, but he was always to slow for Arya and Sansa when he stepped into the ring with them in the water dancing, however he could easily best them when he faced them under the watch full eye of Ser Rodrik, and his sisters had to fight on his terms.

"So would I." She agreed with her brother as she felt Greywind and Nymeria´s small forms bump into her leg as they played on the ground at their feet.

Bran, Rickon and Jorelle were all cheering for Arya while waiting for their turn, creating such ruckus that she almost wanted to cover her ears, but she watched for a few moments longer until she knew that she had to go to her room and take a bath, because she was still covered in sweat and dirt from her own training that had ended just before Arya´s had started.

Both Ghost and Lady, who had been sitting by her feet rushed after her to follow her into the castle. Ever since they had found the cubs a week ago, Ghost seemed to have gravitated towards her since he didn't have Jon to follow around.

But when Ghost wasn't following her and Lady around, he could often be spotted, staring Northward, like he was trying to spot Jon on the horizon.

It reminded Sansa uncannily of when Jon had gone to Dragonstone, and then to King´s Landing in their last lifetimes. And it was almost like Ghost had retained the memories of their past lives and was now just waiting for Jon to come back home.

But she and the direwolf pups never made it, as a guard came rushing out of the castle to meet them. "Lady Sansa, your father is asking for you and your brother, lord Robb to meet him in his solar."

The man seemed out of breath and he had clearly hurried to find them, making it clear that whatever her father had to say to her, and Robb was important.

Sansa turned around and called for her brother, making him hurry over to her with Greywind on his heels. "Sansa, what is wrong?"

The concern in his voice was touching, and it made her smile softly. "Father wants to see us."

They half walked, half ran through the halls of Winterfell and to their fathers solar with the three pups running to keep up with them.

They made it in record time to their father´s solar and knocked on the door to let the lord of Winterfell know that they had arrived. Ned Stark´s deep voice carried through the door, letting them know it was alright for them to enter.

As they walked into the solar, Sansa could see her father´s direwolf, Frost lying in front of the fire staring at them with her golden eyes, while Sansa´s mother and father sat by the desk, waiting for Sansa and Robb to sit down.

Greywind hurried over to his mother along with Lady to have a drink, while Ghost stayed with Sansa like always.

Even though Ghost never drank from his mother and relayed upon Sansa to feed him, he was still keeping up with his siblings in growth, but she knew that when Jon came back to Winterfell to claim him once more, Ghost would outgrow the others very quickly, like he had done in their last lives.

Her father was looking grim as he poured ale into two cups and offered it to her and Robb, while Robb and her mother looked baffled at being summoned. "It seems that Cersei Lannister was having an affair and all the children have been declared bastards."

It was just so like her father to announce this without any warning, but the news made Robb´s eyes almost pop out of his head as he choked on a sip of ale, as their mother gasped in shock. "Good gods. Then Robert doesn't have any sons to inherit the Kingdoms."

"Aye," The lord of Winterfell poured another cup, this one for his wife. "he has of course arrested his wife, and her lover, which turned out to be her brother, Jaime Lannister."

The disgust on Robb´s face was clear to them all. "Her own brother?"

Their father nodded again. "Aye, and Robert has also arrested their son Joffrey Waters, but the other two children have not been found as of yet, and Robert is offering a substantial reward for their capture, and return."

While Sansa was glad that they had managed to get Joffrey, she was glad that little Tommen and Myrcella hadn´t been caught, as Robert would most likely end up killing them for their mother´s crimes.

"But there is more, it seems that Tyrion Lannister along with lord Varys the spy master and Ser Barristan Selmy have all also disappeared from the capital was well." Now this was very interesting indeed.

After Sansa had asked her father about the journal of septon Maynard that had proof that Rhaegar Targaryen had married Lyanna, he had told her that Jon Arryn told him that lord Varys had been the one to send it North.

Confirming that lord Varys was one of those who remembered and were working towards making Jon the King of the Seven Kingdoms, like he had been trying in their last lives.

"Father," Sansa decided to speak up. "when Tywin Lannister finds out that Robert has taken his favorite son, and his daughter and grandson into captivity, he will declare war on house Baratheon."

She could only imagine Lord Tywin´s fury when he found out that Cersei was being set aside and her children declared bastards, and the fact that Ser Jaime was imprisoned. The man had declared war on house Tully and the Riverlands in their last lives when Tyrion had been taken, and lord Tywin famously despised his youngest child.

What would he do when the golden twins of house Lannister were taken captive by Robert?

"Sansa is right Ned." Her mother agreed with her as she stared at her husband. "Tywin´s anger will be terrible when he finds out." Lady came strutting over to them after drinking from her mother and laid down next to Ghost and yawned tiredly.

"Aye, but this is not what worries me." This made them all frown, what on earth had happened to make her father so grim? Robert and the Lannisters being at each other´s throat, was good for them as they would never now unite against Jon in the field of battle.

"Robert is also asking for Sansa´s hand in marriage." Sansa stared at her father, not really comprehending what he was saying for a few moments.

The fear was creeping up her spine as the meaning of her father´s words started to seep into her skull. She knew that her father wanted to dethrone Robert and crown Jon in his stead, but the dread and fear of the thought of being sold off to a man like Robert was almost crippling.

She could hear Lady start to growl at her feet, and Ghost was showing his teeth at no one in the room, but only in his fury at something was making her so afraid.

"This is the most advantageous marriage," Her mother spoke up in a faint voice. "but surely Robert wants a woman who is ready to have children, as Sansa is too young, and it would be very dangerous for her."

"Who cares what Robert wants?" Robb growled out in anger with his Tully blue eye burning. "I will kill him if he lays on finger on my sister."

"Robb," Their mother was clearly shocked to hear him talk this way about the King. "that is treason."

"Enough." The lord of Winterfell spoke and to Sansa´s eyes the man looked like he was made from stone. "Sansa will not be marrying Robert."

"Ned," Now there was fear in her mother´s eyes. "If you deny Robert this, he will be furious and may take this for treason, and our Sansa would be Queen, I am sure you can talk Robert into waiting until she is old enough to marry."

"I don't want to be Robert´s Queen." Sansa couldn't keep silent anymore. "I would rather die than to marry him." She could feel the sting of tears run down her cheeks.

"But Sansa, you always wanted to become a Queen, remember?" Her mother sent her a sweet smile, but Sansa shook her head.

"I don't care about that, I just want…" She managed to stop herself before she told them all that she only wanted to marry Jon, and no one else. At this moment all she wanted to do was to grab a horse from the stables and ride to Queenscrown and stay there with Jon forever.

She felt their eyes on her as they waited for her to continue. "Sweetling," Her father said patiently. "what is it that you want? You can tell us."

As she sat there, staring into her father´s eyes, she could see something that she was sure was hope in his warm grey eyes, and she made up her mind. "I want to marry Jon."

CATELYN

When her father had told her of her betrothal to Brandon Stark, she had been so happy, and she had thanked him profusely for such an advantageous match.

And now her daughter was being offered an even more advantageous match, which would make her a Queen, and she was saying no.

But Cat could understand that very well. When she had been betrothed to Brandon, she had been twelve and he fourteen, but while Robert was a year older than Sansa´s father, so of course she wouldn't be all that enthusiastic about marrying him.

But the man was the King non the less, and when a King asked something, you obeyed.

And now all Catelyn could do was to stare at her little girl as another tear rolled down her cheek as she claimed to want to marry someone named Jon. Was Sansa talking about the Smalljon? But he was now already married with a child on the way.

Before Cat could inquire further into the identity of this Jon person, her husband smiled so widely that it reminded Catelyn of when he had first laid eyes on Robb in her arms.

He stood up from his chair and walked over to where Sansa was siting and pulled her into his arms. "Alright sweetling, I will talk to him and we shall see what we can do."

Sansa smiled a watery smile before she looked worried and frightened again. "But only if he wants to, I don't what to make him do anything he doesn't want to."

Cat´s husband smiled at their beautiful daughter. "I know sweetling." He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you and Robb get yourselves something to eat and clean up after training, while your mother and I talk, I think that it is time that she knows the truth."

Sansa´s darted to her, as she frowned deeply. Ned and the children were keeping something from her? Catelyn could feel the righteous anger flow into her veins like lave, and she tried her best to from demanding to know what was going on.

Sansa nodded and grabbed Robb´s hand and led her shocked brother out the door with the three pups after them. Cat´s first born looked like someone had clubbed him on the head as he stared at his sister as she dragged him out the door.

But as the door closed, she couldn't hold her peace anymore. She stood up and slammed her cup of ale on the table in anger. "Ned what in the name of the Seven is going on? You and the children have been keeping things from me?"

She could understand that her husband was keeping something from her, that was his right, but the children should not be keeping secrets from her.

"Not by choice." Ned sighed and walked back to his chair. "I believe that it is time for you to know the truth about Jon."

"Yes, who is this Jon that Sansa is so adamant on marrying?" For the life of her, she couldn't think of any Jon´s that Sansa had meet recently that she could possibly want to marry. "The only Jon I can think of her knowing is your bastard, but he is her half-brother so it cannot be him."

"Cat," Ned eyes looked sorrowful, and it was like he was begging her to understand. "Jon is not my son."

Hoster Tully´s eldest child stared at her husband for what seemed like an eternity, not really understanding what he was saying. "Is he… is he Brandon´s bastard?" She whispered, not really wanting to know.

"No, Cat." She could feel the relief flood her, not because Brandon having bastards was a surprise to her, but the fact that if someone who was known to be Brandon´s son, could make the argument that they were the rightful ruler of the North, and try to usurp her son from his birthright. "Jon is Lyanna´s trueborn son by Rhaegar Targaryen."

And just like that the relief that she had been feeling was replaced by what felt like a punch in the gut.

She collapsed back into her chair, and her hands started to shake. "What?" It felt like her whole body was going numb and she was having a hard time believing her own ears. "Are you telling me that he is…"

"Aye, Cat." Ned looked at her with his grey eyes that were filled with concern. "Jon is Rhaegar Targaryen´s trueborn son and heir, and the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms."

"No." She started to shake her head; this just couldn't be. The boy couldn't be the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, it was impossible. "Please tell me that this isn't true Ned."

"It is Cat, it is all true."

Hot tears ran now down her cheeks. "But he kidnapped her, and he raped her and here you are keeping his son safe." She half screamed at her husband.

"No, Cat." Ned denied, patiently. "Lyanna love Rhaegar, and she married him, and she loved her son and begged me to keep him save from Robert who would have killed him if he knew that Jon existed."

"But Brandon and your father thought that she had been kidnapped." Catelyn could barely see for the tears that welled up in her eyes, that she couldn't stop even if she wanted to. "and now you are telling me that it was all a lie?"

Ned shook his head once again. "I don't know why Brandon thought that Lyanna had been kidnapped by Rhaegar, we never saw any proof that he had. But I think that someone may have lied to him, but why I couldn't even guess."

Her husband opened a drawer in his desk and handed her a handkerchief to dry her eyes. When she had hurriedly wiped away all the tears that formed in her eyes, she took the cup back from the desk and took a large swallow of the bitter drink. "Why on earth would anyone do that? Why would anyone try to lie to Brandon about his sister being kidnapped?"

She got no answer from her husband, as he clearly didn't know either, so they sat there until Cat finally asked. "Why didn't you tell me Ned?" She asked with such anger in her voice that she hardly recognized it.

"Until six years ago, only three people knew. Benjen, Howland Reed and I, and I wanted to keep it that way but…" He trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"But what Ned?" She gathered enough strength to stand up to tower over him. "You decided to tell our children, but not me, your wife."

"I didn't tell them." Ned denied softly. "Six years ago, Jon figured it out himself, then after he and Sansa started to get close, Sansa also figured it out, and then half a year later at the Wall, Robb overheard me talking to Benjen about it when we thought that no one was listening."

She couldn't have been more shocked if he had slapped her in the face. "They knew for six years Ned? My children knew for six years."

She had never before in her life felt so betrayed by anyone, nor had she felt more like a fool for not having seen something that her seven year old daughter had figured out by spending a few hours with the bast… no not bastard, the trueborn son of the last dragon.

Then the thought struck her. "Is he… is he the Jon that Sansa was so adamant on marrying?"

She knew the truth before he confirmed it. "Aye, I think that she has been in love with him for some time now."

Catelyn sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me, after the children found out?"

"I was afraid that if I did, your attitude towards Jon would also change. And if it did, it would have made the wrong people suspicious." Cat opened her mouth to protest his words, but there was nothing she could say that wasn't a straight out lie.

If she had known that the boy wasn't her husband´s bastard and in fact the rightful King, she would have treated him very differently than she had done, and she certainly wouldn't have prayed for the boy´s death.

"Why are you telling me now?" She asked her lord husband in a deadpan voice.

"Because I aim to put him on the throne."