Dancing

"My dear Queen Sansa", Tyrion greeted as he took his seat next to the queen on the high table.

"Lord Tyrion, I'm glad to see you enjoying the feast," she said remarking on his good humor.

"Yes, a wedding where no one is trying to kill the king and the bride and groom actually seem happy to be wedded..." he stated looking at the newly married couple who were greeting guests.

"Makes for a refreshing change" she finished, he smiled at her and held his cup to toast hers.

"I'll drink to that, Your Grace" their cups clashed.

"You'll drink to anything, My Lord" she teased after taking a sip of her drink, he barked a laugh.

"True, though none more than you would know how the responsibility of ruling a kingdom may take an imp from his dipsomaniac ways" he sighed.

"Yes, I suppose we should take advantage of a celebration when we can, serving our people is a privilege but it is still an exhausting task."

"Yes. Treaties, agreements, laws and dealing with criminals can be harder than planning sieges and wars, but we do what we must to keep the peace"

"So I gather things are not as smooth with the other five kingdoms? Even with Bran knowing everything?"

The question elicits a sigh from Tyrion "Dealing with Yara Greyjoy lately has proven… taxing, I was sure I would have to make the trip to the Iron Islands myself but King Bran said that it fell to Ser Podrick to deal with it. He understands the interests of the Six Kingdoms, and he was, well, closer."

"Yes, Ser Podrick has been extremely helpful as an emissary of the realms. He's a very capable knight." And I want him back in Winterfell, she thought selfishly.

"Too capable, you have trained him well, Sansa"

"You make him sound like a puppy. He's not." she answered a bit tightly.

If Tyrion noted the defensiveness in her tone, and of course he did, he did not comment on it, instead, he added "He is loyal like one, though, and I only meant that he has come up with some very resourceful solutions to some of the issues between our realms in part, no doubt, from your cunning input."

"He actually requires very little of my 'cunning input' to do his job. He's creative and quite invested in keeping the peace between all our realms." She said sure that her pride in the knight was tangible.

Tyrion was surely going to reply something clever but instead he pointed to the knight who was alongside Ser Brienne and walking to the newlyweds to congratulate them "Ah speak of the devil!"

"He's here. I didn't think he would be able to make it to the wedding" Sansa was pleasantly taken aback by his presence, from the last message she received it was not likely that he would attend her brother's wedding.

He had obviously been in a hurry; though he looked refreshed he was sporting a short beard, scruff more like, and long hair held by a tail in a northern fashion. She only ever saw him looking like that right after coming back home from the southern realms after his longest missions and by the next day he would be all trimmed-up again. She fleetingly wondered if she would get to feel his face like that before the scruff was gone.

He had been clean shaven when he left for Pyke over three moons ago, just a few weeks after they had decided together that Pod and his very small army of men from the south and the north were done being the sole peacekeepers of the realms; that they would sit with Bran and propose a plan to recruit more loyal men interested in the good of the continent because Pod wanted to stay in Winterfell with her. For good.

Because Pod had said that he wanted to be selfish for once, that he was done being away from her for months on end with only her in his mind; he would always seek to serve the realms but he was loyal only to her.

Then, he asked if he could kiss her and she let him, first because she was mesmerized by his eyes and words and that feeling in her that he had spent years perfecting, and then in secret and for weeks. Weeks of stolen moments where he was patient with her, no, not just patient, Podrick actually enjoyed courting her. Even when it only mean making her bite back a laugh by wagging his eyebrows at her when someone said something silly at meetings or offering to walk her to her chambers and leaving with a chaste kiss on her hand when they had eyes on them, he loved making her feel special.

Of course, their time together was put on hold after Bran's raven where he ordered Podrick to go to the Iron Islands and help build more solid bridges with the part of the realm that remained troublesome and prone to rebellion, and Podrick, sworn to obey his king and knowing that ensuring the peace with the ironborn ultimately meant ensuring Sansa's safety, had left dutifully if not reluctantly.

They both hated it. But at least Sansa was now in King's Landing with a plan approved by her own council and just waiting for the right time to present it to her brother.

Sansa's musings and memories were interrupted by Tyrion, however. "He sent a raven saying he would make haste in an effort to make it to the ceremony; alas, it was not to be, but at least he made it to the reception"

"Ser Pod, come here!" he exclaimed gesturing to the Knight who looked in their direction. He approached their table and stood in front of it barely taking his eyes off Sansa.

"Ser Pordrick" she said with a nod and a grin.

"Your Grace" he greeted with a smile and a short bow "Lord Tyrion".

"Ser Podrick, It's good to have you back in King's Landing, I was just about to tell the Queen that she is being too greedy with you." Tyrion's joking tone serve to dissipate building tension Sansa was feeling just moments before and she decided to play along.

"Pff, you sound like I'm holding Pod hostage" Sansa exclaimed full of mirth, maybe it was the wine, the company or the surprise at seeing Pod, but she suddenly felt much more relaxed and happy than she had been before Tyrion sat down next to her.

"I would never accuse a queen of such a thing, but truly, is she Pod? You can tell me" the Hand whispered conspiratorially.

"Not at all, my lord," Pod grinned "there's plenty for me to do up north but I'm glad to be back for a visit."

"A visit, see how you stole him away from us?" he turned dramatically to Sansa who rolled her eyes at his antics and took a sip of wine.

"Not to worry, my lord, I may call the north my home now but I'll always be your friend" a beat "If my queen allows". That set Tyrion in a fit of giggles and Sansa to send an overly appalled sounding "traitor" his way.

After a few more japes and chuckles shared by the three, Tyrion turned serious eyes on Podrick again.

"So Pod, now that you're here, help me understand something, after all, you know the queen far better than I do at this point... "

Pod looked nervously in Sansa's direction but she made a face as to convey that it was alright to indulge Tyrion for a bit.

"Yes, Lord Tyrion?"

"Pod, tell me, how is it that the Queen in the North, young, lively and of uncontested beauty would rather spend her time sitting with her former husband instead of out there dancing with any of the young men who would no doubt gladly fall at her feet?"

Sansa snorted both embarrassed and flattered by Tyrion's words, Pod could tell, but he couldn't help but be amused at her embarrassment, she was adorable. And it was such an odd event when she was so open in the company of others. He wanted to bask in her adorableness.

"She's a queen my lord, she might be looking for a man who would stand with her instead of falling at her feet." Pod stated looking at Sansa with intent.

Tyrion, either not sensing or deciding to ignore the look that passed between them laughed out loud.

"Ahh good lad, Pod, would you agree with his assessment, Your Grace?"

"Ser Podrick can be a very insightful man, My Lord" she stated with a smile tugging at her mouth.

"Ah yes, insightful for sure but can you also dance, Ser Pod?"

"I- I think so but It's been awhile"

"Great! See, Queen Sansa here has barely left this table all evening, I think we should remedy that"

"Tyrion..." Sansa scolded trying to sound more annoyed than she actually was.

"Ser Podrick is probably too tired from his tra-" but she was interrupted by the man in question.

"Of course I would love to dance with you, Your Grace" he said a little too eagerly.

"I'm afraid I can't even remember the last time I danced, you might find yourself with a stumbling fool" why was she even pretending that she wouldn't dance with him, again?

Tyrion smiled kindly at her "I doubt that, ever since I met you, you have been nothing but graceful, Sansa"

"I don't know why you are trying to butter me up, Lord Tyrion but I'll ignore it in the name of celebration" she stated as she resolutely stood and made way around the table to the delight and surprise of Tyrion and Pod.

"I was instructed by the king to make sure everyone enjoys the feast, that's all" he shrugged.

"It's a good thing that Podrick is here, then" she replied while smiling at the knight.

Stunned into by her seemingly eagerness to dance with him, Pod could only stare as he offered his arm to the queen "Shall we, you grace?" and he bowed in the direction of Tyrion, who raised his cup to him.

Satisfied to see that the queen would finally partake in the celebration, the Hand of the King watched the pair making their way across the courtyard with a knowing smile on his face.

Once out of earshot, the Queen broke the silence between them.

"We miss you in Winterfell, I missed you" Sansa said with a smile as they took their place on the dance floor.

"I missed you as well, My Queen." his eyes were regretful as he placed a hand just above her waist and took her hand in his other, careful to put a respectful distance between them "The situation in Pyke took longer than we expected and then..."

"Then my brother shocked us all with the news of his impending wedding" she chuckled as she comfortably set her hand on his shoulder.

"Aye. That was a surprise." he began to lead and neither could help but smile at the other, and soon they found confortable a rhythm.

They danced for a while, laughing at times when the songs would change rhythm and they had to find a new pace.

Sometimes they ended up dancing closer to each other than appropriate, sometimes Sansa's hand would slip up to the back of Podrick's neck or his hand would grip her waist just enough for her to feel the heat through the layers of her dress.

At one point loud laughter from someone made Sansa look up to the other guest and she became aware that more than a few eyes were on them and so to distract herself from them she decided to carry on with the conversation.

"Bran…I didn't even know he was in contact with Lady Meera again, let alone …this."

"I guess we have missed a few things…Your brother actually looks…well, happy" they both appreciated how rare it was for someone like Bran to feel such a simple feeling as they glanced at the couple while swaying to the music.

"He was nervous before the ceremony" she confided with a mischievous smile

"Can you believe it? The all-knowing three-eyed-raven, King of the six Kingdoms, nervous because of a woman of all things…"

He thought about it for a short while and finally said resolutely, "I suppose that is how you should feel on you wedding day, nervous but happy."

"I was certainly nervous for my previous weddings…I wouldn't know about happy."

At that statement Pod shook his head and steeped closer to her, enough so that he could speak to her ear instead of looking at her.

"So next time, make sure you choose to be happy"

"Next time?, I can't even fathom it…" and he wanted to erase the pained regret from her voice, so he spoke calmly but certain.

"Is that such a preposterous thought, though? That you may marry again, marry someone you love?"

This time she answered looking at him in the eyes "No. Right at this moment is not preposterous at all."

"Good" he threw her a smile as he stepped back to put a respectable distance between them.

Whatever else they could have said to each other was interrupted as Tyrion announced that the king would make a speech which meant that Sansa had to go back to the dais.

"Podrick," she said releasing his hand and putting a top to their dancing.

"Yes, Your Grace?"

"After all of this, would you meet me in my chambers?" and the intent in her voice made him widen his eyes slightly.

He gulped before he whispered "My Queen?"

"I told you I missed you, Pod" she shrugged.

So he softly asked, "Sansa…are you sure?"

"What you just said? I choose to be happy. Tonight, with you. Would you deny me?"

"Never My Q- " he shyly shook his head as his own words "Never, Sansa."

And then she smiled and turned away as he was left staring as she walked away from him until he felt someone's eyes on him and he turned his face to see Bronn, of all people, raising his cup to him with a cheeky grin on his face.

Oh Gods.

That's it. The journey's almost over, I hope you're enjoying the story.

Also, I want to acknowledge the anon reviewer who said Podrick should kill Sansa because she's a monster and F*** her, and tell him or her that they inspired this rant:

( aghhhh and why can't I just write honey-moon smut so hardcore that it just ends with her hair splayed on Pod's sweat-drenched chest as a blissfully drained Pod is telling her 'Seven gods! I think I created a monster' and she's all ' what so you didn't like that?' And he pants in a daze' no, no I actually want a repeat I just need time, I mean … F***, Sansa!' and she giggles and says… 'yeah, love, that's the idea… F*** Sansa').

xoxoxo