Arya watched as Val and Jon vanished into his solar, and she tried to calm her breathing. Jon could do this, she knew he could, but that didn't make her any less nervous about the entire thing. She glanced at Sansa, who had a similar expression on her face like she was worried about what this might mean no matter what outcome it has. If Jon fails, it could mean war with the Free Folk someday, and if Jon succeeds, there was really no telling what kind of reaction the rest of the North was going to have. Arya didn't want to think about this anymore, and she wandered across Winterfell until she got to the forge and found Tormund speaking quietly with Gendry. Arya didn't like how Gendry looked a little pale, but he looked up when she knocked and smiled at her.

"There is my favorite little wolf!" Tormund said with a grin. "So, your husband won't tell me what the crow wants to talk to Val about, will you?"

"I think any decisions about the two of them should come from them," Arya replied. Tormund stared at her and then laughed.

"I told you she would have a better answer than I did," Gendry said, and Arya looked at him. "I told him to mind his own fucking business."

"I mean, that works too," Arya replied. Tormund slapped her shoulder gently and looked between the two of them.

"I should go make sure no one is stealing anyone," Tormund said. "I'll be back for my weapons later." Gendry waved him off, and Arya settled down in her chair so she could watch him work. She never got tired of watching Gendry bend and mend metal. It was beautiful, and art and she was forever grateful that the people of Westeros at least recognized the artistry behind Gendry's work even if they didn't respect the man himself.

"Tormund came in and told me he heard some interesting rumors about me," Gendry said without looking up from his work. "Obviously, he doesn't believe them since I still have my head, and he doesn't think it's going to impact Val's opinion of us either."

"I just hope this works," Arya said sadly. Gendry didn't understand what it meant that they had to let House Dustin leave with almost no punishment, but she did, and it ate her up inside.

"Your brother is a good man, and I imagine that's half the work," Gendry replied. "Also, Tormund gave me a talking to that sounded so much like Davos I thought I was somehow in the south." Arya laughed as she thought about a big warrior like Tormund being a dad. She had seen him around his daughters, and it was still a little weird to think about. What didn't surprise her was that Tormund decided that Gendry needed another father figure in his life. Her lovely husband had a way of breaking the hearts of the people around him and making them want to help and take care of him. He didn't even know he was doing it, he was just sincere and didn't shy away from the hardships of his life, and Arya knew that he'd been missing Davos since he went to Storm's End to help Edric, Mya, and Bella run Storm's End. If Val said yes, then Tormund would be around more, and that was a good thing for everyone.

Arya settled into her chair and picked up the small ingots of Valyrian Steel that Mott left to Gendry and turned one of them over in her hand. She loved the way they felt in her hands, and she wished he could make some sort of amazing weapon out of them. There was hardly enough steel for a knife, so even if Gendry managed to figure out how to work with the steel, there was a good chance he wouldn't be able to make anything big. Arya wanted him to have the opportunity to make something that could last, and with these little bits of metal, maybe he could make new heirlooms for House Stark. If Val said yes, then things were very much about to change in the North, and they would need new heirlooms.

It was several hours later that someone called that Jon and Val were coming outside together. Gendry wanted to keep hiding, but Arya took his hand and all but dragged him out. This was important, and they all needed to be here to see this happen. Both Jon and Val looked regal as they stood together, and neither of them was bleeding, so Arya was glad that she hadn't tried to kill him as soon as he proposed a marriage alliance. Arya reached over and took Gendry's hand into hers and held on tightly. The decision these two made was going to shape the North for the rest of time, and Arya wasn't sure which decision scared her more.

Jon walked down from the solar with Val and wondered just how they were going to approach this. It was strange to go down and announce to a bunch of people that were getting married to a stranger, but this was the choice he made when he let Arya, Sansa, and Bran stay with their partners. This was the choice he was making to avoid open war with Free Folk again, which was just the last thing he wanted. That didn't make it any less strange when they opened the doors and walked down the steps where everyone was watching them carefully. He glanced at Val, and she nodded. She had made this decision the same as he did, and she seemed to understand what was at stake.

"Good people," Jon said. "While I believe you're waiting for me to give this announcement, I actually believe it is in the best interests of Val of the Free Folk to make this important announcement concerning the North." Val blinked and stared at him like she wasn't expecting him to let her make this announcement, but Jon very much meant it when he said he wanted them to be equals, and she was the one who was giving up a lot for this alliance.

"King Jon and I are worried about the future of the North," Val said, her voice commanding as everyone in Winterfell turned to look at her. "We Free Folk are still seen as foreigners, and we believe that it is only a matter of time before there is an all-out war between our people yet again. I do not want more bloodshed, and neither does King Jon. We discussed it, and we believe the best way to keep our people from going to war is to make a real and formal alliance between the Crown and the Free Folk. We believe that the best way for the Free Folk to truly be seen as allies of the crown while remaining their own people is through a marriage alliance. We believe this will make the North stronger by making us allies in every sense of the word, but it will also bring peace to our people from now on. That is why, as the leader of the Free Folk, I Val, a Free Woman, have willingly decided to enter into marriage with King Jon." There was a beat of silence, and then everyone began to talk over each other at the exact same time. Jon held up a hand, and everyone fell silent.

"I have lived among the Free Folk, and I would like to assure you that I will continue to respect your traditions and culture. No one from Westeros will try to change who you are or how you live. It's through marriage that I believe we can keep the peace," Jon said as he glanced at Val. "I would also like you all to know that while I presented why I believe this is the right decision, I would never force a woman to marry me."

"If you all respect me as much as you have said you do in the past, then respect the decision I have made for our people," Val said in a tone that brokered no discussion and made Jon smile a little to himself. She reached over and took his hand into hers. "To a new age of peace in the North and new alliance between our people." There were cheers throughout Winterfell, and while Jon could see that some people still looked a little uneasy, Jon promised himself that he would do everything he could to prove to the Free Folk that they could continue to live as they always have. Minus any raiding parties and attempts to steal a man or woman that is not already a member of the Free Folk. Val turned and looked at Jon but did not let go of his hand. "Jon, I would like to request a little time to gather my things."

"Take the time you need," Jon replied. "I have many ravens to send out my allies before they hear about this through rumors." He hesitated because this was something that Val might not be okay with. "I believe that a quick wedding would be best for both of us."

"I agree and was about to suggest the same thing," Val replied. "It's only a matter of time before someone attacks us, and the faster we get married, the faster we can prevent any bloodshed. We spoke about banning raiding parties and stealing of people that aren't already members of the Free Folk, which I will implement while I'm away. They will obey those laws, I promise. When I return, we'll begin to get ready for our wedding."

"Unfortunately, the wedding of a monarch does require some people to come, or it will be seen a slight," Jon explained, and Val blinked. "My allies in the south; several of them will want to come to the wedding, and they need time to get here."

"I understand, but I would like to know the ways of your castle before allies arrive," Val replied, and she smiled, which Jon could not help, but notice was a lovely smile. "They're already going to think you're marrying a savage barbarian. I don't want to prove them right." Jon smiled and released her hand.

"You're the salvage barbarian marrying the upstart bastard," Jon said. "What a King and Queen we're going to make."

"What a pair indeed," Val replied. "I will return in a sennight." Jon nodded, and he walked up to Arya, Gendry, Sansa, Theon, Bran, and Meera that all congratulated him for the alliance and for his upcoming wedding. Jon had no idea what he was supposed to do with comments like that, and he accepted the hug that Tormund gave him as gracefully as he could. He watched as Val rode off and wondered what it was going to be like when she returned.

Arya helped Sansa craft the letters that would be sent to all of the various Great Houses, explaining that the wedding was happening in two months' time, and they were invited. They sent ravens down to Riverrun, to King's Landing, to Storm's End, the Vale, the Iron Isles, and waited for responses from them. Sansa looked a little worried as they kept writing "two months" because it didn't give people a lot of time to make their way to the North.

"Jon needs to have Daenerys and Yara here when he gets married," Sansa said. "They have to be here, or it would be seen as some sort of slight."

"We should be planning for your wedding," Jon said from his side of the table as he continued to write all of the scrolls. While Arya and Sansa were working on the scrolls for their allies in the south, who wouldn't have a problem reading a letter with Sansa's signature, Jon was sending out the notice to the Houses in the North which was going to be interesting. Arya couldn't imagine that many of them were going to be happy about this, but they all agreed that Jon would be the King when he was officially named a Stark. They had to follow his rule, whether they liked it or not. Arya wasn't sure how she felt about this whole thing; Meera and Theon weren't strangers, so it was easy to welcome them into the pack. Val was a stranger, though, and Arya didn't know how she felt about her favorite brother marrying a stranger.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" Arya asked one night three days after the announcement. They were getting one of the rooms in the family wing ready for Val since Jon seemed pretty convinced that she wouldn't want to share his bed every night.

"Tormund does, and I trust Tormund," Jon replied. They were starting to get responses from the lesser houses that all seemed to have an opinion on the matter that they wanted to share but kept saying how they would be there for the wedding. Sansa mentioned that the tone of the responses made it sound like these people were only coming out of obligation or because they thought something dramatic was going to happen. Jon looked up from the scrolls he was reading when Arya didn't say anything else, and he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like letting a stranger into our pack," she replied. "We know who Meera and Theon were, and I had known Gendry for years before I brought him. We don't know her, what if she tries to hurt you?"

"She's a leader who cares about the well being of her people above all else, which is something I can understand. She just wants people safe, Arya, which I think is something you can understand too," Jon replied, which wasn't the answer Arya wanted, but it was the one she got.

Val arrived a few days later with a few bags strapped to her horse and not much else. Jon was out to greet her while everyone else waited in the Great Hall. Arya chewed on her thumb until Gendry knocked his shoulder into hers and raised both of his eyebrows. Arya thought she was justified in being nervous. The doors opened, and Val walked in with Jon, and she looked profoundly uncomfortable. Sansa was on her feet and stepped forward.

"Formally, you should be known as Lady Val, but we aren't formal in our family, so I believe Val will just do," Sansa said as she offered a hand for Val to shake. "My name is Sansa; I'm Jon's older sister and his Hand to the King."

"Pleasure to meet you," Val replied. "Though I don't really know what a Hand to the King does." Sansa smiled like that information delighted her to hear. She went around the room to introduce everyone, and Val got a strange look in her eye when she saw Meera and Bran, but Arya didn't say anything. She shook hands, and Arya could see the multiple daggers on her belt. Gendry did too, and he asked about them. Val seemed a little taken back that Gendry would ask her about her weapons.

"May I see one of them?" he asked. "I'm a blacksmith, and I'm just curious about what kind of weapons they used beyond the wall."

"Whatever we could steal," Val said, but she handed one of the blades over to Gendry for him to look over.

"I wanted to tell you all something else," Jon said, and Arya held her breath because this couldn't be good. "One of the conditions of our marriage was that our children won't be raised as princesses or princes. We all know that the North wants the next king or queen to be a child of Ned Stark and not Lyanna, and because of this, I will name Bran and Meera's son or daughter as my heir. Any children Val and I have will be members of the kingsguard or the queensguard."

"We are adopting the Dornish model of inheritance?" Sansa asked.

"Dany has insisted it be implemented throughout the south, and so has Yara, I don't see why we would be any different," Jon replied like that wasn't a huge thing, like he wasn't making women lesser in the North anymore. Arya smiled and thought about the days when she used to think about running her old holdfast and how it would be possible for the women of the North to have that opportunity. Gendry handed Val back her dagger.

"I can make you anything you want," he said. Val nodded and looked around the room at all of them. She didn't trust them, Arya could tell, but she was going to be family, so they needed to all get used to each other the best they could.

Val was not used to the ways of Westeros, and she seemed to be extremely uncomfortable at first. Arya didn't want her to be; she might not trust this woman, but she could relate about being in a strange place surrounded by people you weren't sure you could trust. It was probably a good thing that all of them weren't very good at being ladies. Arya knew she wasn't a proper lady, and she continued to train with Brienne, who was still Sansa's sworn shield. Meera might be pregnant and wearing dresses because they were more comfortable, but she could still put a spear through a man's eye from very far away. As for Sansa, she might seem like a proper lady to those that first met her, but Arya knew that her sister was a wolf, and despite having no weapons training, Sansa was the one who would bear her teeth at anyone that threatened them.

One morning, three days after Val arrived, Arya walked up to her as they were all breaking their fast. Val blinked and seemed to tense as soon as Arya got close. If there was anyone, Val seemed the most uncomfortable with it was her, and Arya wondered if she recognized a fellow warrior.

"When you fight, do you fight with your daggers?" Arya asked, and Val stared. She looked around like she expected someone to say something about this not being proper table conversation, but Arya didn't care, and it was just family here. They didn't need to perform; they could just be themselves.

"Yes, I would say daggers are my preferred weapon," Val replied carefully.

"I don't have a lot of experience with a dagger, could you teach me?" Arya asked. Val stared like she was waiting for the punchline of a joke and glanced at Jon, who was blatantly listening in on the conversation.

"It's not a trick," Jon assured her. "Arya is a warrior, and a good warrior wants to know how to use every possible weapon. She wants to learn. I can promise you that."

"Very well, I'd like to teach you how to fight, Arya," Val replied. The two of them walked outside, but Arya gestured for Val to follow her to the forge. "Why are we going to the forge?"

"I asked Gendry to make me a dagger two days ago, and I need to go pick it up. I don't have a good one to learn to fight with," Arya replied. Val nodded, and the two of them walked through Winterfell as people gave them strange looks. Val wasn't in her furs anymore but warm leather pants, a tunic, and a cloak. Her hair was still in the same braids with twists of cloth in them. There were hints of her Free Folk heritage all over her more conventionally Northern clothing.

"I'm getting the impression that all of the ladies in Winterfell are not exactly what one would call a proper lady by Westeros customs," Val said.

"Yes, that would be true, we're all very different and nothing like the good southern ladies that are in some of the other houses," Arya replied. "The thing is, no one expects you to be a good proper lady. Not even Sansa, who wanted nothing more than to be a good lady when we were kids, is a proper lady now."

"No, your sister would tear a man's throat out with her teeth if they threatened any of you," Val replied, and she smiled to herself. "I just don't know what kind of queen I should be to help everyone."

"Be yourself," Arya said with a shrug. "Be a warrior queen; we could use one in the North, or don't if that's what you want. You care about people, and I think that's the most important thing. You're giving up your own freedom to keep people safe; that makes you pretty amazing in my book already."

"Thank you, that means a lot," Val said, and Arya could tell that it really did. They pushed open the forge, and Gendry looked up from a scroll that he was reading.

"What did you get?" Arya asked.

"A request for some jewelry from Ellaria in Dorne," he replied, and Arya raised both of her eyebrows. It was one thing to make things for people who were basically family, but Gendry hadn't ever gotten a request from someone that they barely knew. "Apparently, she saw Daenerys' crown and thought it was "exquisite" according to this letter and wants me to make a few pieces for her and her daughters. The materials are already on the way, and if I don't want to, I can just send them back."

"Is it common for our allies to make requests like this?" Val asked, which was a legitimate question to ask. Gendry blinked and smiled softly.

"No, this is a little unusual, but there hasn't ever been a blacksmith that is part of the royal family before, so we're all kind of making it up as we go along," Gendry replied. "I like designing things, and I would be honored to design the crown you'll be wearing someday."

"He made the one that Jon wears too," Arya said, and she was so proud of her husband. "All three of the monarchs in Westeros wear crowns designed by Gendry's hands, and they are all stunning." Arya always did enjoy making Gendry blush.

"I finished your dagger," he said and handed the blade to her. Val looked it over, and she seemed impressed.

"If you made this in a few days, I would love to see what you make when you have time. This is far better quality than the weapons we stole from armories where men put lots of time into their blades," Val said, and Gendry flushed again.

"Thank you," Gendry said with a bow of his head. Arya kissed him on the cheek, and the two of them walked out to the training yard. Arya was not surprised to find Brienne there but Sansa and Meera as well. Val stared at the three of them and then glanced at Arya, and she shrugged. She had no idea what was going on.

"I heard that we're beginning dagger lessons," Sansa said, and Arya noticed that Sansa was wearing her plainest dress and comfortable looking shoes. She was dressed to get dirty and fight, which was strange to see in her sister. Meera was pregnant but was still standing tall and looked ready. "I've seen too much bloodshed, and I need to learn to defend myself. I believe a dagger would be the best weapon for me, and I would love to learn from another woman."

"Very well, ladies," Val said. Sansa borrowed a dagger from Theon, Arya could see the kraken on the handle, and Meera had her own blade. Val pulled her weapon and began to teach all of them how to hold it properly and began to work on footwork. Arya was smiling as she watched Meera almost lose her balance because of the baby or how easily Sansa picked up on the footwork because of her experience dancing. They were all smiling and laughing when the lesson ended.

Two weeks into Val living in Winterfell, Jon asked her if she would take dinner with him alone in his solar. She agreed, and she seemed calm and confident as the servants brought them their dinner.

"I'm settling in well," Val said as soon as they were alone. "I knew that's why you wanted us to eat alone. You wanted to know if I'm settling in okay, and I think I am. This is very different from what I'm used to, but your sisters and everyone have been trying to help me settle in."

"I was concerned I won't lie to you," Jon said as they ate.

"I don't know what kind of queen the Northerners want, but if I try to be the person they want me to be, I won't be able to help, and I want to help," Val said as she took a sip of wine. "They will always look at me strangely because of where I came from, so why should I try to be different from them? I'm their queen, and no amount of scorning is going to change that."

"That's a lesson I'm still learning myself," Jon admitted as he took another drink. They finished dinner and settled down in front of the fire with the wine and passed it back and forth. It was the first time they really got the chance to talk to each other about something that wasn't the North. Jon told her about being raised a bastard and how Catelyn despised him for it. Val told him about losing her family to raids and then to the White Walkers. She talked about seeing the Free Folk suffer and wanting to do something about it now that the Night King was gone. They talked well into the night, and Jon found that he really didn't mind her company.

They were both a little drunk by the time he walked her back to her room, but they were both smiling and laughing. It was the happiest Jon had seen Val since she arrived at Winterfell, which was a relief. Val opened the door to her rooms and turned around to look at Jon carefully. She was leaning against the door frame, and she reached forward to push a lock of Jon's hair behind his ear, and he froze.

"I don't think I'll mind being married to you, Jon Snow," Val said.

"I don't think I will mind being married to you either," Jon replied even if it felt like the wine was impacting him more than it should.

"I think we will do good things together for both of our people," she said, and Jon nodded. They stared at each other for a moment before Jon managed to find his words.

"I know you're teaching my sisters, Meera, and Brienne how to use a dagger, but I would love to learn too if you're amenable," he said. Val studied him for a moment and then nodded.

"Only if you teach me how to use a sword in return," she said, and Jon grinned.

"Consider it a deal." They shook on it, and Jon bid her goodnight. As he lay awake that night thinking about being married so little time, Jon found that he wasn't as worried as he thought he would be. He agreed with Val, he did believe that they were going to do great things for their people, and his wish of being friends with his wife felt like it was coming true. He didn't know what more a king could ask for.