King's Landing 298 AC.

Olenna.

For the sheer amount of tourneys she'd attended in her life, it was remarkable how much she still enjoyed them. The joust most of all though it brought her sadness too. Each time she looked to Willas she'd think of what could have been if fate hadn't intervened. He'd have been equal to his brothers of that she had no doubt, either with a sword in his hand or as Loras was right now with a lance in it. Olenna cheering on as her grandson easily dispatched his second opponent before she turned once again to the one who sat looking on.

That Willas only took pleasure in watching his brother compete showed just how true and good her grandson truly was. His own dreams of crowning the girl she now knew he cared for, perhaps even loved already, would have to remain just that. Yet Willas sat and clapped and cheered as enthusiastically as Margaery did when Loras unseated the knight from House Banfefort. It made her even more determined to see that his other wishes regarding Sansa Stark would come true. This meant that she needed to speak to Jae and Margaery before she even considered approaching Ned Stark.

If it were for any other reason then she may not even approach the king today. As each time she looked at him other than when Loras or one of the Kingsguard or his cousin rode, Jae, looked to be miserable. Had she not known the cause of that misery then Olenna wouldn't have arranged for a private lunch with Jae and Margaery today and instead would have left it to for another day. But she knew exactly why Jae was in such a mood and it was no wonder that he and her grandson had become such good friends, boys, and their games and need to prove themselves.

As the next two knights charged at each other, Olenna found herself looking once again at Sansa Stark and liking what she saw even more. When she'd told Alerie about her talk with Willas, her gooddaughter had been more than pleased. Her own time spent with the girl having quickly brought her in favor with Alerie, just as it had with herself, Mace, Margaery, and almost all who'd met Sansa Stark. Given she was just two and ten it was clear that she'd be a lady to be reckoned with in the future and was exactly the kind of one that she'd wish to see as the Lady of Highgarden when she was gone.

"How many more of these blasted things are there before lunch?" she asked irritably, though she was anything but, still she did have a reputation to live up to.

"I believe Robb Stark and Ser Arthur both have their matches to come mother." Mace said and she sighed over elaborately to let everyone else know she was still who they expected her to be.

It was something that was becoming harder and harder to pull off she had found. The idea of an irritable Queen of Thorns who you dared annoy at your peril, one which didn't fit with who she was right now. For so long she'd been aiming to see her family settled, to place her granddaughter on the throne, and to see Willas in a position that recognized his worth. Even to see him wed, though that was something that had taken a backseat to Margaery's own marriage prospects in her eyes most of the time.

Now it was almost all done, Margaery was a queen whose husband loved and respected her. Willas a Master of Coin and by the time she was done, he'd be betrothed to the king's beloved sister and the daughter of the Warden of the North. Loras was a Kingsguard and Garlan though he'd turned down an offer of a role in King's Landing, had accepted the king's offer to be in charge of a reserve army. The lords who'd fought with him at Highgarden all keener to fight under her grandson rather than her son. It was both a dangerous and clever thing to do but she knew that Jae had intended for Garlan to be in a position to be named soon as Warden of the South. It was always supposed to be a military position compared to Lord of the Reach which was to be a political one and Jae wished it to be a military man who held it.

That it was to be kept in her family was all that mattered to her. As one of her greatest fears had always been that Randyll Tarly would be named as Warden which would have left them in a far more precarious position than they had been. Margaery had soon explained it to her though that while Randyll and others didn't respect Mace, they did respect Garlan and this was a compromise that would work out to their benefits.

She heard a cheer and looked out to the field seeing Ser Arthur knock a Riverlander on his arse and then watched as Jae moved a little forward when Robb Stark rode out against a Stormlander from House Wylde. Olenna watching as it took him four tilts to unhorse the knight and thought that he rode well enough and handled the lance better. It had been nerves though which had almost been the undoing of the young lord. Still, she cheered as did the King when Robb was declared the winner, and then she was finally able to remove herself and make ready for her meal and conversation.

"Should I come along?" Willas asked as they walked to their carriage.

"You wish the king to geld you?" she said and though it was cruel she found she enjoyed the worried look which appeared on her grandson's face.

"Jae, he…you think he'll not approve?" Willas said his voice going from worried to almost dejected by the end.

"I think you being there will not help, but I promised you I'd see this done, did I not?" she said, and then she felt his lips brush against her cheek.

"Thank you grandmother." he said and she nodded as he helped her into the carriage and then almost as soon as she had made herself comfortable she was climbing back out as the carriage quickly arrived at the Red Keep.

The walk to the King's Chambers was one that felt far too short to her and she wondered had she hurried along or was she walking just the same pace as ever and simply distracted. Behind her Left and Right walked almost casualy and it vexed her that her two guards had been very different since they'd met with Aemon Targaryen. That she knew not what had been discussed was still something that displeased her greatly. As did the amount of time they now spent with Ser Walder and with Brienne of Tarth. She'd briefly wondered if her guards were being poached from her only to find out it was Ser Robar Royce that was being eyed up as the newest Kingsguard and either of them. But it was a problem for another day she thought as she saw Ser Walder and Ser Richard Horpe standing guard at the door.

"Their graces are expecting me." she said and Ser Walder nodded and smiled not at her but at her guards behind her, Ser Richard Horpe knocking and then bidding her enter.

Inside the room she found Jae and Margaery sitting closely together, the smaller table being where they were to have their meal, and Olenna both preferred it and yet wished it was the larger one they sat at. She took her seat and the meal soon arrived, her granddaughter looking at her all the while and she cursed that Margaery knew her mind so well. As for Jae, he seemed oblivious to the hidden meaning of this meal as he ate, japed with Margaery and made small talk with her and through it all her granddaughter looked her way more than once with a knowing smile on her face.

"Perhaps it's for the best if you come right out with it grandmother." Margaery said and Jae looked to his wife before looking to her.

"I'm here to speak to you both about a betrothal." she said and rolled her eyes when Margaery smiled even more.

"Willas and Sansa." her granddaughter said and she swore Jae did an almost passable impression of Mace as he looked at them both open-mouthed.

"What? You cannot mean to?" he said though she was glad it was shock and not anger he spoke with.

"I'd have them wait, your grace, but aye, I seek your support before I go and speak to your uncle about matching them both."

"No." Jae said and she went to speak only for Margaery to do so for her.

"Jae." Margaery said.

"No, I'm sorry Lady Olenna, I like Lord Willas, truly I do, but he's too old and my sister is too young, far too young. I'll not force her to marry nor will I allow anyone else to do so." Jae said determinedly.

"Jae, that's not… Margaery began before Jae interrupted.

"I said no did I not? and I meant it, Margaery, I'll speak no more on this." Jae said getting up and walking from the table as Olenna looked to her granddaughter and was relieved to see she was smiling.

"Brothers." Margaery said rolling her eyes affectionately.

"He?"

"Will come around. Willas truly wishes this?" Margaery asked.

"He does." she said.

"Leave us, I'll speak to Jae and then speak to you later, grandmother." Margaery said as she got up from her chair.

"Thank you, your grace." she said smiling as she did likewise.

She left the room and found Ser Walder and Left and Right to be deep in conversation and after they joined her, she walked back to her own room before heading back to the tiltyard. The rest of the day's jousting carried on uneventfully, other than the looks that Jae now gave Willas, Sansa, and even herself were far more frequent than he gave to the field. Olenna could see that he barely even acknowledged Loras, Ser Barristan, and Ser Arthur's wins and would have left before the end, and only that it was Robb Stark who rode actually made him stay.

Willas wasn't unaware of the looks he received either and he looked her way worriedly more than once, Olenna having to admit that she found it all so very amusing. She tried to reassure her grandson with her own looks and when he looked to Margaery she caught the small smile on his face at his sister's own reassurance. Unluckily for him so did the king and Olenna had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing aloud. The glaring that Jae did at her grandson only increased after that and she swore that the one-time that Willas's hands touched Sansa's own, the king nearly rose to his feet.

Later that night as she readied for bed the knock came on the door and she opened it to find Left standing there with her granddaughter. Margaery looking almost ready for her bed and yet she'd come to her and that could mean only good or bad news. Olenna prepared herself for both, then seeing her granddaughter smile she felt it was to be the former.

"If it's what Sansa wishes too, then you have the king's approval, support, backing, and bloody orders if that's what you require." Margaery said chuckling loudly.

"Jae's words?" she asked with a smirk.

"Jae's words." Margaery said and Olenna hugged her thanking her once more.

"Now I had best get back to my bed before my husband loses what little is left of his mind." Margaery said turning to walk away.

"Did he really take it badly?" she asked worriedly.

"What? oh god's no, but we fought until he realized he was being a fool and we've not yet made up properly." Margaery said with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face.

Olenna smiled herself as she took to her own bed knowing how happy and content they must be if they fought and made up just as she and Luthor had often done during her own marriage. It had been what she'd hoped for and wished her granddaughter would find and what she'd worried that she never would. That she'd done so on her own and without her help only showing that she was everything she'd ever wished her to be.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Jaehaerys Targaryen.

He had sent the note the night before and asked her to join him today. The need to hear from her own lips what she wished for leaving him with no other choice. It wasn't that he didn't believe his wife and on this after all she was clearly thinking with a clearer head than he. But he needed to hear it from his little sister or to hear it clear enough without letting the cat out of the bag and he also wished for another day with her before he had to tell them all about their mother. The thoughts of that conversation to come were not ones he liked to dwell upon.

The argument he'd had with Margaery over Sansa and Willas was long and drawn out and it took him right to the very end of it to realize just how foolish he was being. Her words not resonating with him and not allowing him to see the simple solution that she finally presented when he couldn't' get there alone. Instead, he'd been so shocked by what Olenna had said, by what she'd requested that he'd taken it in entirely the wrong manner. Seeing it as a forced political marriage when it was anything but. Something his wife, his own eyes, and time finally allowed him to understand.

"No, I'll not speak more on this, I've made my decision." he said after Olenna had left and Margaery came into the room.

"So, you'll decide on her future then? Is that not worse than what you think is trying to be decided here, Jae?" Margaery said back her voice far calmer than his own.

"Don't compare me to my grandfather, not when it's others who wish to have me do what he did?" he said angrily.

"I'm not comparing you to Aerys, Jae, I would never." Margaery said and he looked at her.

"I was talking of my other grandfather, but aye, he did it too and no I'll not be either of them."

"Jae it's not like that, no one is trying to force Sansa to wed." Margaery said frustratedly.

"No one will ever force any of my family to wed, no one." he said leaving no room for doubt.

He looked as Margaery sighed and as it seemed as if he'd opened a door to another argument, whatever it was, it was one she didn't wish to have now he was glad to see.

"Your sister wishes this Jae, so stop being blinded by the past and see that." Margaery said before leaving him alone in the room.

He'd tried, during the rest of the day's jousting he'd tried to look at things from Margery's perspective. He was no fool, he knew Sansa had feelings for Willas, that she'd wished him not to ask her to dance was a clear enough sign of that. The age though, even were they to wait, the age difference was an issue. As was the thoughts of feeling one way now and another later and of thinking that was her best and only choice.

Not everyone was as lucky as he was, a marriage that would have been arranged by politics anyway was one that had started out as anything but. He'd fallen for Margaery long before he truly considered the fact that she was the best and only choice for his wife. She had been the queen of his heart long before it was clear that she could be the only queen for the realm. If she had not been then the chances were they'd still have been matched and put together, and though that was the way of the world and he'd have accepted it as so. What was the point of being a king if you couldn't allow those you love to find their own heart's choice too?

Watching them together though was seeing a heart's choice Margaery would no doubt say and his wife despite her own bias was thinking far more clearly about this than he. Sitting in the arena as the jousts took place showed that to him and so when they arrived back at their rooms they'd talked some more. Margaery finding her words to be more listened to now and once they'd done speaking, Jae had sent the note to Sansa to meet on the morrow.

After his wife had come back from speaking to her grandmother he had made his apologies clear and often and both of them had eventually slept and slept well. Jae walking alone the next morning as Margaery wished for him to spend as much time with Sansa as he could.

"Lady Sansa, your grace." Jors said and Jae welcomed his sister into the room to break her fast, Sansa looking surprised that Margaery wasn't here.

"Is her grace not joking us, your grace?" Sansa said and he looked at her.

"She's Margaery remember and what have I told you about that your grace stuff?" he said to a smile from his sister as he led her to the table.

"Sorry Jae." Sansa said, his little sister getting better at using his name than others in his family were.

"Besides I wanted to spend time with you today. So how about after we eat you're to be the king's guest at the joust, it's been an age since we've spent time together as simply brother and sister." he said and she smiled a fuller smile at him then.

They ate and spoke on how Sansa was settling into life at King's Landing. Though she was to be one of Margaery's handmaidens she'd not officially started yet, as both Jae and his wife wished for her to spend as much time with her family as she wanted before they headed back to the North. That Sansa spent as much time with the Tyrells as she did with her own family had not gone unnoticed and had taken on a new significance giving what Margaery had said. Jae also trying to remember his wife's warning as he looked at his sister while she ate her meal.

"Don't let her know, Jae, I mean it. I wish my brother or her father to be the one who speaks to her on such, not her overbearing brother." Margaery said.

"I'm not overbearing." he said defensively.

"Please." Margaery snorted "My brother spent the night fearing the wolves or dragons were being sent after him."

He had chuckled at that, the idea of Willas being scared about what he would do to him was laughable to him, especially when if he should be scared of anyone it should be his wife. Jae knowning that she would hurt him even more than he if he ever did anything to harm or hurt Sansa. Still, he needed to know how Sansa felt and so he'd spent most of the morning since he'd woken coming up with and looking for ways to find out how she truly did. The first of them being the easiest and one that he knew she certainly knew nothing about.

"After the joust, I thought we could go on a walk together, just the two of us. I know you and Lord Willas have explored the gardens, but since he'll be going away soon, I figured perhaps you and I could…." he didn't get to finish.

"Going away? Why is Willas going away, I thought he was part of your Small Council?" Sansa asked the fork full of food left untouched on the plate where she'd dropped it the moment he'd mentioned that Willas would be going away.

"Lord Willas and Lord Wyman will be heading to Braavos, I've some work that needed my Masters of Coin and Trade to go there and take care of."

"When? For how long? Does it have to be Willas, can't you send someone else?" Sansa said her words hurried and desperate.

"They'll be gone no more than a moon, much less time I'd expect and it has to be them, Sansa, it's in relation to coin and dealing with the Iron Bank." he said and saw her nod disappointedly.

"You'll be starting your own duties soon too Sansa, so perhaps it's for the best that I send them at the start of that since you'll be busy getting used to them. I'm sure by the time Lord Willas comes back that you and he would have much to speak on during your walks." he said seeing the large smile which appeared on her face at the thoughts of that.

"Aye, we will." she said picking the fork back up and eating once more.

After finishing their meal they headed to the carriage to make their way to the tourney grounds, meeting up with Margaery once they got outside the Red Keep. How his wife was able to ask him how things went so subtly was a skill he really should try and pick up, Jae letting her know that all was well as the carriage set off. He allowed Sansa and Margaery to speak while he thought about how his uncle may handle the offer from Lady Olenna. Politically the match was perhaps the very best that he could wish for his daughter and yet his uncle may not think politically. So he hoped that he'd do as he was doing now and see for himself how Sansa felt about the match before he just dismissed it outright.

The day's jousting felt like it went on for a long time and he was surprised that Robb managed to make it through both his matches. The first one against a knight from Dorne running to four tilts while the second against one of the hundred going to seven. It was Sansa who pointed out the favor their brother wore, the white and green color of it easily marking out who it was from.

"Do you think there's a merman or a mermaid embroidered on it?" he whispered to Sansa making her giggle, though he did notice her look more than once to Willas's seat as she did so, Jae happy to see his goodbrother looking her way also.

Ser Arthur, Ser Barristan, and Loras all rode excellently, Jae cheering them on as they won their tilts quite comfortably. Ser Daemon Sand, Yohn Royce, Beric, and Thoros all won also as did the Hound and Ser Jorah. The field quickly being whittled down to those who actually had a chance of winning and he couldn't help the jealous feeling he got from watching them all compete. He'd wished so much to take part but had been told both because of protocol and that as the king he'd not face a true opponent that he could not. That last part had been a hard thing to accept even though he knew it was true. The idea of people not giving their all when facing him was something he'd never truly had to worry about before.

He'd even considered dressing up in poorer armor and entering as a mystery knight. Or he had until it had been pointed out by his wife that the fact the king wasn't sitting where he was supposed didn't make it that much of a mystery now did it. Jae wishing he felt as his uncle did about tourneys, the idea of not wanting to show your skill off to anyone you may ever face being something he knew his uncle believed truly. Jae though did not think that way, he wished to show his skills off, he looked forward to it. People may learn how you fight that was true but it didn't mean they could ever match your skill though. Barristan had appeared in tourney's for years, Arthur was out there showing just what he could do and Jae knew it would make fewer men wish to test their mettle against either, not more.

When the final joust of the day was set, Jae turned to Sansa asking if she wished to eat first or to have their walk. Unlike the day before with Olenna, they'd stayed and had lunch on the tourney grounds rather than head back to the Red Keep and Sansa he'd noticed had not eaten too much. His sister had simply said she wasn't that hungry and the walk would be nice before they ate that night. Jae finding himself really looking forward to it and to their time together.

"Sansa and I will join you later." he whispered to Margaery as the two horses rode out to meet each other, Jae barely paying any attention to the joust itself.

"You still need more proof?" Margaery asked and Jae shook his head.

By the time he left Sansa back to her room that night, they had walked, talked and he'd even sung a song in the gardens for her when she'd asked. During their dinner, he'd did his very best to make her laugh as loudly and as often as he could, Jae happy to see Margaery joining in with his efforts. When she asked for him to sing again, Jae had done just that, this time with the added bonus of being able to play his harp also for his little sister.

He'd made her frown when he spoke of potential suitors and had he not winked and nodded to his wife before doing so then he'd have had annoyed them both, but he had needed to be absolutely certain. Sansa quickly making it very clear that she wished for no such thing while making trying to make it less obvious that she had someone in mind that she wished would pursue her in that way. When he'd said his goodbyes to her at her door he'd hugged her tightly and kissed her softly on the cheek. Whispering into her ear before he left her alone.

"I love you, little sister, and I want you to be happy, you know that right?"

"I know that." she said softly.

"Anything I can ever do for you Sansa, anything you ever wish from me, I'm here for you always and all you have to do is ask it of me." he said feeling her hug him tightly before he kissed her forehead and bid her goodnight.

He meant every word he'd said and had come around completely. Willas would be a fine husband for Sansa, a man who'd give her all she wished for and most importantly a man she truly wanted to be with. If his help was needed then he'd give it, if it was required for him to intervene then intervene he would. His little sister deserved to be happy and what was the point in being a king if you couldn't at least see that was done.

The Wall 298 AC.

Benjen Stark.

Almost a thousand men had arrived at Eastwatch and were marching towards them, Benjen, Jeor, Bowen Marsh, and Ser Alliser all having done their very best to make Castle Black ready for them. Had this been a few years earlier then they'd not have been able to accept them. They'd not have the room or the supplies to feed such a large group, let alone the other over three thousand men who'd be coming behind them. The supplies that came from the West, The Reach and the North had changed things and allowed them not just to fix some of the wrongs at Castle Black but elsewhere too.

Benjen knew that there were other castles on the Wall that would soon be manned and that Eastwatch, The Shadow Tower, and Castle Black were all in better conditions than they had been in years. Supplies they had a plenty, men were what they lacked and soon enough they would have far more of them than they knew what to do with. It both worried him and made him incredibly happy at the same time. The knowledge that he'd be leaving the Watch in better shape than he'd found it in was something he was proud of his nephew for. While the realization that he was leaving others to deal with the complications such a large arrival of men brought to the Watch, was something he was very much not.

They'd held meetings after meetings so that people could raise their concerns about what this meant for the Watch. The dangers of having such a large group of men who had fought together forced upon them was something they knew all too well. There were huge risks and numerous issues this caused and he, Jeor, Bowen, Cotter Pyke, and Ser Denys along with Alliser and Ser Jaremy and others had sat up nights going over each and every one of them. Dangers of mutiny, a risk to the integrity of the watch's elections, the potential for mass desertions, all of it had been discussed over and over again and contingencies put in place to lower the risks of each.

It was why he'd not left or allowed the loyalists to do so until these men arrived and were settled and if he was being honest with himself he had thought he'd have more time until he was to go South. Something that was becoming very clear he had not and he felt as nervous about that as he was about the changes Jae was imposing on the Watch. He was to be the Northern Envoy according to his brother's raven, to be based in the Red Keep and work with his nephew, and while the idea of being close to Jae was one he relished, he felt ill-equipped for the task he'd been assigned.

"Thought I'd find you up here." he heard Ser Alliser say and he turned happy to see the man was carrying a steaming mug of something.

"Cider or soup?" he asked and Alliser chuckled, a strange enough sight still even after these last five years.

"Cider." Alliser said handing him the mug which he took a mouthful from immediately, the warmth of the cider immediately making the cold retreat just a little.

"What brings you up here?" he asked though he already knew.

"Same as you, Benjen, thoughts of the future." he said and Benjen nodded as he took another mouthful.

It was strange the kinship that had built up between them, they'd never been friends before, nor were they truly enemies or even overly antagonistic to each other. Benjen though had been left in no doubt how Alliser thought of his family and their role in the fall of House Targaryen and Benjen had equally left the knight in no doubt that he didn't give two shits how he felt. Alliser respecting that if not his House's reasons for rising and on that point time had made Benjen do likewise. He'd thought their reasons to be good and true and found that they'd been played and manipulated, all the houses had, and yet there was little comfort in knowing that.

With the truth of who Jae was though Ser Alliser had looked at him much differently, his house very differently and his sister almost reverently. While the man had never said a cross word about Lyanna, Benjen had been sure he'd thought badly of her. If so he now thought anything but and even occasionally asked him about his sister. Over time they'd become dare he say it, friends. Ser Alliser eager for any news he could get about Jae and together with Aemon, all of them had spoken on the future more than once. None of them ever expecting the one that had arrived though.

"The men will be here on the morrow or the next day, you sure Jeor is right in this?" Ser Alliser asked after what to Benjen felt like a long time of silence but had perhaps been a moment or two.

"Aye, we need to split them up and we need to have the other castles up and running." Benjen said.

"I never thought I'd live to see it, is it wrong that I'm happy I wont?" Alliser said and Benjen chuckled.

"What will you do, Alliser? When we leave?"

"After I present myself to the King, I'll see if there's room for me in his service, if not then I'll go home and think about it there." Alliser said.

"Ser Jaremy and the others?"

"The same. Five years, you'd think one of us would have come up with a better plan." Alliser said laughing a little.

"Aye, let's hope the plans we came up for here are better than the ones we came up for our own futures." he said and took another swallow from the mug, finishing it off as he looked out at the wide expanse beyond the Wall.

They took the lift down and after bidding Alliser goodnight he went to his room, eager for his night's sleep and wondering how many more of them he'd have in this place that he'd called home for five and ten years. Other than on his rangings beyond the Wall and his visits back to Winterfell, his room had been where he'd spent most of his life. This room had been his world and as cold and uncomfortable that it had been, he'd grown to love it a little too. It was his, poor though it was, it was something he'd earned the right of and was his and his alone and soon it would be his no more.

He was woken the next morning by the wet tongue and he wondered who'd let the wolf back into his room. Frost had kept close to the Wall for the last few days, his wolf almost sensing that they'd soon be leaving this place and Benjen had felt his excitement over it. Getting up from the bed he reached over and stroked the wolf's head, allowing some of what Frost felt spill over into him. The wolf was keen to be back with his pack once more and Benjen felt that he needed to get on board with that fact too. King's Landing may not be where he'd expected to end up but his nephew was there, Aemon was there, and soon he'd not be a lone wolf anymore.

"Benjen quick, you need to see this." he heard Ser Jaremy shout from outside his door and so he hurriedly dressed and moved from the room to join him.

When he got to the courtyard he saw Jeor and many other of the brothers of the Night's Watch were all lined up over the main gate and all looking east. Benjen running over with Ser Jaremy and climbing the stairs to look at what they were. It didn't take him long to see and he felt a shiver down his spine looking at the men who marched their way. To see a thousand men be marched and to march in such a fashion was an imposing sight. It was immediately clear these were no raw recruits, these were fighting men, men who'd been in countless wars, and who should they actually integrate strengthen the watch immeasurably.

Benjen looked to Jeor and could see both the excitement and worry on his face and that it was matched by the others too. When he looked to Ser Alliser and Ser Jaremy though he could see another expression and it was one he felt that he may be wearing also. Both men seemed relieved as if they were finding out that all they'd ever wished for was coming true and he supposed in a way they had. They'd been promised their freedom when Jae took the throne, they'd accepted they needed to wait a little longer until the new men arrived and were settled, and now they were ever closer to leaving this place.

When Alliser turned to walk back down the stairs and to see the gates opened, he almost bounced down them, the spring in his step clear for all to see and Benjen was surprised to find that he too felt the same way. He would be leaving here soon, heading south to be by his nephew's side. The rest of his days to be spent working alongside her son and helping him and the North to prosper. As noble a calling as the Night's Watch was, surely there was nothing nobler than doing what he now must and he found himself looking forward to the days to come.

King's Landing 298 AC.

The Joust.

Robb Stark.

That he'd made it through the first two days was something he was incredibly proud of, especially as this was his first true joust. He'd thought the opponents he'd faced to be the hardest he could and yet had looked on as Ser Arthur, Ser Barristan, Loras, and Ser Jorah had all faced men that he doubted he could beat. Still, he'd gotten to the last sixteen, made it to the last day, and had won five jousts and that was an achievement to be proud of. It was certainly one his future goodfather and goodgrandfather were and one that his betrothed certainly was. Wynafred making it quite clear to him when they'd kissed the night before just how proud of him she was.

His father had cheered him on, Cregan, Arya, Sansa, Wynafred, and Wylla and most of the northern lords and their heirs had cheered him on. Even if there had been fun had at his expense too, the Smalljon being the main instigator for that until Arya had threatened to sic Nymeria on him that being enough to quieten the large man down, at least while Arya was present. Jae had cheered him on too and given him as much encouragement as he could, though with the others competing he knew that he'd not get his brother's full favor.

Today though would be different he knew, the other competitors that were left were all far more experienced than him and there would be no luck of the draw for him to hope for. No matter who he was paired against, the fight would be a hard one and even were he to make it through to the next round, it would only get harder still. He stood waiting for the list to be posted and then hung his head when she saw his name next to Ser Arthur's. Of all the people he could have gotten only the Bold would have been worse.

"Gods I'm so jealous." Loras said as they walked back to their tents, Robb looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Jealous?" he asked shaking his head.

"Aye, Jealous, riding out against Ser Arthur in a tilt, with the realm watching on, what could be better than that?" Loras said dreamily.

"You, my friend, have an odd sense of what is good." he said to a laugh from Loras as he turned to go to his tent.

He dressed in his armor and was glad to have the young man to help him. Though he'd never wished to be a knight, he'd squired for one and Ser Wendel had asked his own squire to help him for the day. Robb looking at the young lad as he helped him into his armor and knowing that unlike he, Rickard wished to become a knight more than anything in the world.

"You're really facing Ser Arthur, my lord?" Rickard asked excitedly.

"Aye, I am." he said and the boy smiled as he helped him into his last piece, Robb looking to the opening of the tent and readying himself for what was to come.

He was soon sitting on his horse and watching as Ser Jorah and Lord Yohn Royce fought to a seven tilt victory for Lord Yohn. Robb taking the lance and looking out at the field to see Ser Arthur already waiting for him. Praying he'd not embarrass himself he was relieved when he made it through the first tilt and when he connected on the second he thought that he'd done the impossible, only to find he'd not as Ser Arthur still sat. Riding down for the third he felt as if he had a chance and then he felt weightless before he crashed to the ground. He'd barely even felt the lance connect with his shield and even as he rose to his feet he wasn't sure how he'd been beaten, only that he had.

As he looked to Ser Arthur and nodded and then to the crowd where Wynafred was wearing a worried look until he removed his helm and smiled, Robb heard his name being cheered as well as Ser Arthur's. it made his walk back to the tents feel a little less humbling, he'd done well and had suffered no shame in his defeat. Robb feeling a little bit of pride coming back to him at that and finding himself looking forward to the night's feast to come.

Loras.

Satin helped him into his armor and he readied for his tilt, his eyes drawn to the favor he wore that was covered up beneath his pauldron. He wished he could wear it openly and show the world that he wore the favor of someone he loved but he knew he could not. His best friend may be the king and his sister the queen but the world still wouldn't accept him for who he was, even if they both already had. Margaery having known his truth long before he did and Jae and he had been so close that it was inevitable his friend would figure it out.

Though he'd never actually come out and spoken of it explicitly with either of them, both had made it clear that it made no difference to how they thought of him, and for that he was eternally grateful. The thoughts of one or both of them judging him and finding him lacking were not ones he felt able to deal with. Looking to Satin he knew that he felt the same although without the worry about how people saw him. Whether that was the nature of his love or the fact that he hadn't been born into a life where people expected so much of him, Loras wasn't sure.

"Ser Andar?" Satin said taking him from his thoughts and Loras nodded.

"Robb Stark got Ser Arthur." he said and Satin smirked knowing how much he wished to face one of his brothers in the tourney.

"Then you'll have to win your next match, won't you." Satin said as he brushed his hair from his face before placing his helm on his head.

He wished for nothing more than to kiss him, to hold him and listen to him speak softly into his ear as they did when they were alone together. For now, he cleared those thoughts from his mind and made his way to Bluebell and then he took the flowers from Satin's hand and rode out to the cheers of the crowd. The Knight of Flowers they called him, for his cloak, his horse, and his handing out of the roses his house were so famous for. Loras living up to the image if not the truth of that image as he handed out the roses to the pretty girls of the court.

That he didn't need to look up to see Jae roll his eyes only showed just how well they knew each other and he also knew that while his friend would make a jape at his expense, his sister would sit and defend him vigorously. Looking to where his family sat he saw Willas speaking animatedly to Sansa before both of them waved down at him and he nodded and then made his way to Satin to take his lance. He looked down to the end of the tiltyard at Ser Andar Royce and once the signal was given he raced towards him.

The first tilt was a draw and he felt he took the second. The third though was where it ended and Loras found himself jumping from his horse worriedly when Andar crashed to the ground. He'd caught him so flush that the knight had been thrust from his horse much harder than he'd intended and the noise of him crashing to the ground made the crowd and he worried for the Royce heir. Loras relieved when he felt the man move and when he opened his helm to see and hear from Andar's own lips that he was unharmed.

He watched the remaining matches take place and soon enough was ready for his next ride. This time he was drawn against Lord Beric and he once again set about doing his routine before he readied for his match. Thankfully there was no dramatic fall, no worry over his opponent and he took the match in four tilts and to loud cheers before riding to the back. Making it to the last four meant that he'd likely face Barristan or Arthur and no matter the result, for that alone he'd consider today a victory.

Barristan.

He'd not wished to compete in the tourney and had even asked the king to allow him to miss it, only for his request to be denied. The king telling him that while he appreciated his concerns, this was the first tourney that Arthur was competing in since Harrenhal and he'd much prefer him to actually face some competition. Something that he knew he said so loudly just to irk Ser Loras and have fun at his expense. The thoughts of facing Arthur in a joust did stir up memories and so he reluctantly agreed to compete. Which he was most happy about now as he was finding he'd enjoyed it immensely.

Even the early rounds had stirred his blood and watching Arthur ride had made him remember days long since past. Each victory bringing him closer to facing his friend once more and each time his lance connected he felt a young man again. He'd felt it since the king was crowned, each morning he woke up and readied for his day, and each night he'd made his way back to White Sword Tower. When he looked at his brothers, all of them, Ser Walder, Ser Jors, Ser Richard Horpe, and Ser Loras and Arthur of course. When he sparred with them or with the king and now here while representing the crown in the joust. His white cloak and white armor both were pristine and the knocks he took not feeling as hard as they had but a few years earlier.

He looked down the field at his opponent, Thoros of Myr, the man who'd won the melee and who felt for his king as Barristan did, albeit for very different reasons. He was all who stood between him and the final four and as good as he was, he'd be no match for the Bold this day and certainly not if the crowd was to be believed given how loud they cheered. As he raced down he heard the cheers rise and they had only been dwarfed by the cheers Arthur himself had got, both he and Ser Loras playing second place in the popularity stakes to the Sword of the Morning.

It wasn't a surprise to him, Arthur had not been seen compete in seven and ten years, while he and even Ser Loras were well known to one and all and had been seen by almost everyone at one point or another. As his lance connected with Thoros's shield, Barristan heard the cheers once more and turned to ride again. Four more times he rode down and each time he connected clean, the last one finally doing the Job as Thoros fell. Barristan turning to ride to the back only to see Arthur standing there watching on, a welcome smile on his brother's face.

Jaime.

He should be down there riding out against them and seeking to send each of them crashing to the ground, but he knew he could not. He'd told Jae he could not ride and had seen how annoyed and upset it made him and for him to then compete would have been rubbing it in way too much. That his king was now smirking at him each time he looked his way was a small price to pay he felt, as he knew Jae was feeling exactly how he was each time the horses ran down the line.

The final four had been unsurprising to him, Arthur and Barristan he'd expected and Loras had a talent for jousting that was almost equivalent to Jae's for the blade. The Hound was also damn impressive and the favor he wore making it clear who he was riding for. That and the sound of Daenerys cheering loudly each time he won. There was nothing romantic between them which was something his wife had pointed out when he'd looked and seen what he wore on his arm. More it was a different type of devotion the Hound was expressing as he knocked people to the ground and tore through the field in the melee and now the joust.

The crowd hushed as Ser Arthur came out to face him, the stakes suddenly raised and Jaime felt his heart begin to pound in his chest. No matter how often he'd been at jousts or how many times he'd raised his sword, Arthur was still the very best he'd seen do both. There was an elegance to what he did that others just didn't possess, Barristan, Loras, he, Jae, all of them had skills and talents and on the jousting field, the matches were far more even than they would be in the sparring yard. But none of them had that combination of lance work and horsemanship that Arthur had, nor the casual way he made it all look.

Jae was unmatched on a horse, Loras was perhaps as good with a lance, Barristan was flawless in his execution of both, and he was perhaps a better lance than any. But for the combination of both none of them matched his mentor and watching him was almost like watching an artist at work. Jaime looking on with great interest as the two men clashed over and over. One tilt, two, there, four, right up to six, and neither had given ground and he, Jae, and the crowd were on the edge of their seats when both men stumbled in the seventh. Only one fell and it was soon clear it was not to be the princess's day to wear a crown. Arthur hanging on while the Hound fell to the ground and the crowd cheering as loudly as he'd ever head it.

"I thought he was done for." Gerion said and Jaime caught Joy shaking her head.

"No, Ser Arthur was always going to win." his cousin said and Jaime turned to look at her.

"And who'll win the next match cousin?" he asked and Joy smiled before she looked to Jae and then back to him and answered.

"Loras." Joy said emphatically.

He admired her confidence, but on this one she was wrong and as the Bold and Loras came out he found himself cheering on his brother rather than his former squire and the man he'd knighted. It wasn't that he cared any less for Loras than he did Barristan, if anything it would be the other way around. The boy though not as close to him as Jae had been was still someone he considered almost a son. No, it was more that he not only felt that Barristan would win but he hoped he would, the thoughts of him facing Arthur in the final being ones which made the little boy inside of himself incredibly excited to see.

It would turn out not to be though and when Loras took it in five, Jaime found himself looking to Joy who was sitting there with a smile on her face and who had just received a wink from the king as well. As they readied for the final match, Jaime almost asked her who she thought would win only to stop himself at the final moment. He found that he was keener to see it without knowing anyone else's opinion to change how it may look.

The first tilt was even, the second and third went to Arthur and on they went, splitting them right up until the ninth. Jaime looking to see Jae looking on with a glint in his eye and to drop his shoulder as they rode out for the final time. As he looked out on them both he saw Loras do the same as Jae had and he wondered if he'd seen him do it, only to figure out that he had not and it wasn't that Jae had given him a sign, it was Jae simply noticing a way to win. A way that Loras had seen too as Arthur's lance found nothing but air while Loras's hit hard and true. The crowd holding their breath as Arthur fell to the ground and then the cheers roaring around the arena as Loras took the day.

"I told you he'd win." he heard Joy say happily to Gerion and he shook his head as he laughed before rising to his feet and cheering Loras's victory as loudly as he could.

Jaime then looked on as the herald announced the winner and Loras rode over to where the garland was before riding and stopping in front of Jae and Margaery.

"Your Grace, I would name you as the Queen of Love and Beauty." Loras said as Margaery took the crown from her brother and smiled beamingly as she placed it on her head.

"I thank you Ser Loras and compliment you on your fine victory here today." Margaery said to the loudest cheers of all.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Ned Stark.

He had intended to spend some time with Elle alone before the feast tonight, only for the note to arrive from Lady Olenna requesting a meeting with her and her grandson. So after returning from the joust and instead of being able to get out of these clothes and just sit and speak with his wife until he needed to dress for the feast, he sat in the solar and waited for Olenna and Willas Tyrell and waited. What they wished to see him about he knew not though he suspected it had to do with trade or something of that nature.

It was because of that he'd thought of asking Robb to join him, his son having a better grasp on those things than he but he'd thought the better of it and allowed him to spend time with his betrothed instead. He deserved it after how well he'd performed in the joust, after all, Ned feeling so proud to see him out there not looking out of place and showing just what he could do. Even losing he'd done so with honor and shown great fortitude and he could have asked no more of him than that. So he'd have this meeting alone and hope that it wasn't too complicated or complex for him to follow along with.

"My lord, Lady Olenna and Lord Willas." Alyn said and he bid him send them in.

Neither of them wished for refreshments and so he forwent the ale he'd been looking forward to, settling instead for a mug of water as they took their seats. While Olenna looked determined, Willas looked pensive and he wondered why that was, only to be shocked by the words Olenna spoke and to find himself speechless for quite some time afterward.

"Lord Stark, my grandson and I have come with the offer of a betrothal for Lady Sansa'" Olenna said and Ned looked at her as if he'd not heard her words at all.

His mind was trying its best to make sense of what she was saying, Sansa, his Sansa, to marry, to marry who. Loras, no Loras was a Kingsguard so it couldn't be Loras, Garlan, he was married wasn't he, surely she couldn't mean? could she? But he was too old, far too old and Sansa even for Loras, Sansa was far too young, no there must be some mistake, he must have misheard them both. His thoughts were mangled and making no sense to him as he tried to understand what was being asked of him.

"Forgive me Lady Olenna, I must have misheard you." he said confusedly.

"You have not Lord Stark, I bring the offer of a match between Lady Sansa and Willas." she said.

"My daughter is far too young and I mean this with no offense, Lord Willas, but you are far too old for her."

"I take none my lord, and believe me I have thought how you have myself. I care greatly fro Sansa, my lord, she is wise beyond her years and yet even I know she's far too young to be married." Willas said and Ned breathed a relieved sigh.

"Then I do not understand?" he said wondering why he was here if he already knew this.

"I propose the marriage takes place in a few years, Lord Stark, when Lady Sansa reaches her majority." Olenna said and he felt the confusion inside his head once more.

He looked at them both and tried to quieten down the voices that were threatening to overwhelm him, while he did his very best to think about what was best to do. Sansa felt affection for Lord Willas, perhaps it was even more than the simple crush he had at first thought his daughter had, that much he had known, but would she be happy with such a match? Ned thought she may be, for now at least but what about in a few year's time? What about as she grew older and saw more of the world? And did he wish her tied down to a match that she may not want then?

The answer to that was one he didn't even have to search for. He knew it, as clear as he knew anything in this world on that he already had the answer. He was not his father and he never would be and while he would approve the matches his children made, he'd not force them into any. He'd seen far too clearly what happened should you try and do that and so no, he'd not make the match unless there were caveats regarding his daughter's possible changed feelings. That they wished to wait showed they or at least Lord Willas understood this and had factored it in, something which earned his respect. The man also cared to have his approval as that was clear in how he was looking at him.

"Forgive me, Lady Olenna, Lord Willas, my mind is racing ahead of me as you've both managed to catch me by complete surprise. I find I need a moment." he said standing up and bidding them stay in their seat while he walked into the other room.

He was disappointed to see Elle was taking a nap, as he knew that he could use her counsel now, and since she wasn't there for him to talk and his mind wasn't allowing him to think clearly, he closed his eyes and reached out to someone who'd help calm him down. Feeling the wolf's presence very quickly and almost immediately he began to feel more relaxed. It allowed him to free his mind of the voices and the doubts and to concentrate instead on the positives and begin to formulate a course of action.

Ned walked back into the other room and took a seat after he had sent out for wine and ale. He looked at the two people sitting opposite him, Olenna looking almost angrily at him as if he was about to refuse while Willas looked almost crestfallen. Both of them eagerly accepting the wine now and Ned taking a much-needed swallow from the ale when Alyn brought the refreshments into the room.

"My daughter is most precious to me Lord Willas, most precious, and I want nothing more than for her to be happy. Which is why I suggest the following." he began before reaching to the mug of ale.

He paused while he took another swallow from the mug looking to the man once more before glancing at Olenna and seeing her sitting now with a half-smirk on her face.

"I will speak to Sansa and see if this is what she wishes, if so then we'll speak some more and finalize the details of a future betrothal. However, even if my daughter wishes this match wholeheartedly now, her age and the time between now and when it would take place will both need to be addressed.

Her fostering at Highgarden is also to come to an end should she accept. I know she's already been offered a position with the queen, but if she is to be betrothed then she cannot be a ward of House Tyrell and will instead be a ward of the King and queen, is that acceptable to you both.?"

"It is Lord Stark." Olenna said.

"While I have no doubts of your character Lord Willas or make no aspersions to it, I'd ask for your word that you'll continue to behave honorably and that my daughter's virtue will never be called into question while you are both unwed?"

"I give it freely and truly, Lord Stark." Willas said firmly.

"Lastly, I know you are both aware of my sister and her own betrothal and while this would be nothing like that, I'd seek one final assurance."

"My lord?" Willas asked confused.

"Should, for whatever reason Sansa decide that this marriage is not what she wishes for, should how she may feel or may not feel change, then I expect all of us here in this room to respect her choice."

"Without question, my lord. Without hesitation or recriminations. I swear it on the Mother, Lord Stark. If for reason this is not what Sansa wishes, now, in the future, ever, if it's not what she wants then I give you my oath that I'll accept and respect her choice no matter what that choice may be." Willas said so firmly and determinedly that Ned almost didn't know what to say next.

He actually felt himself sitting silently for a moment not because he was doubting what he was about to do but because he wasn't sure how to react to Willas's declaration.

"Then I shall speak to my daughter and find out her mind to this and shall inform you of my decision once I have." he said.

After they left he sent for Sansa and waited in his room looking down on his wife as she slept, hoping he was making the right choice and feeling for once that he was. Sansa arrived so quickly that he felt that either she was aware of what had happened or that the gods were at work. Ned having her take a seat in his room and readying to speak to her on what Lord Willas and Lady Olenna had said to him and it soon becoming clear that she didn't know anything about it at all.

"Lord Willas and Lady Olenna paid me a visit." he said and Sansa looked at him confusedly.

"For why?" she asked making it even more clear it was not something she'd known about.

"To speak on you." he said softly and her confused look only deepened.

"Me?" she asked.

"Sansa, I need you to be to truthful with me, can you do that sweetling, no matter how you feel or what you may think I may say, can you do that for me?" he asked and she nodded nervously "Lord Willas, Sansa, how do you feel about him?"

"Father, I, Willas, he's not, I've not." she said and he moved from his seat and sat beside her putting his arm around her.

"No one has said anything to the contrary, Sansa, you're in no trouble, nor is Lord Willas, I'm just, can you tell me how you feel about him, please Sansa?"

"I...I love him father." Sansa said her voice almost a whisper and he saw her look down to her lap where her hands were both squeezed tightly together.

"Good." he said and her head snapped up to look at him, Ned leaning in to kiss her cheek "Lord Willas has asked for your hand, Sansa."

The smile she gave him was as true as any he'd ever seen from her, it was beaming right up until it was not, and then she looked at him worriedly.

"Did you refuse?" she asked her worry clear.

"I told him and Lady Olenna that I needed to speak to my daughter first, to see her mind on this. This match it would please you?" he asked before he took a deep breath.

"It would father, truly it would, I wish for it more than anything I've ever wished for, even more than I had wished to foster in Highgarden. He's a good man father, good and true, just as you are, as Jon is, I can think of no man I'd wish for my husband more than he."

"It would seem that Lady Olenna and I will need to work out the finer details then would it not?" he said and before he knew it he was wrapped up tightly in his daughter's arms, Sansa hugging him with all she had and Ned finding himself leaning in and hold her back just as tightly.

"Thank you, father, thank you, thank you." she said over and over again and Ned thanked the gods that he was able to handle this far better than his own father had.

A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. I'm sure people may have noticed the erratic timing of my updates and lack of replies to reviews. My work has been a nightmare for the last week and a half or so and It's left me with time constraints, it's finally looking as if it's got back to normal and so over the next week or so I should get back to normal.

Up Next Jae speaks to the Starks about Cat and receives a vist from a stranger. Willas and Sansa share their news with each other. Dany shares a kiss at the closing feast and Shiera sees something she's not seen in almost a lifetime.