Chapter 48; One moment of respite;

Characters of the chapter

Daenerys Targaryen, The Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, Queen of the of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men of the South, Queen of the South Kingdom of the Twin kingdoms and Protector of the Realm

Davos Seaworth Knight of Westeros, Advisor to King Jon

Jerome Evander mage-healer in the service of Jon Snow

Jon Snow, also known as Aegon Targaryen and Jon Stark, King of the North Kingdom of the Twin Kingdoms

Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell and the Eyrie, Wardeness of the North

Jon was in the infirmary, by Sansa's bedside. Jon's damaged arm had been healed with magic and Davos was there as well, his injury seen to. Even the injury Ghost had received had been treated, a patch of bare pink skin where the Sunblade had touched him.

It had been awful for Jon to see Sansa with half her face looking like melted candle wax, wrangling his mind for some way to break the news to her, preparing himself mentally to a new reality of doing his best to help her cope with her disfigurement. Of cource that had been before healing magic had been used on either of them. Jon had watched in awe as to the glow of blue light Sansa's wounds had closed themselves and disappeared. Now her face looked like it had never been damaged at all. His sword arm was like new as well, for which he was grateful, though that had not been his primary concern in the moment. He had seen a lot of things in his life, some of which might be considered supernatural. And yes, he had been brought back from the dead, which arguably topped what had been done now. Still, he could not help but be amazed at the things the mages of Thedas were capable of. How they treated miraculous things like everyday occurrences…

One had to wonder to wonder what further impacts beings in command of such potent forces would bring to the Twin Kingdoms?

Since he refused to leave from the spot he occupied while Sansa was being treated, his people came to him. Messengers came inside now and then, bringing word of the battle's progression. When news had reached them that the Grand Army was in full retreat, the sense of relief had been palpable. But Jon was also saddened to learn that Edmond had perished sometime during the battle. He was undoubtedly one of the architects of the victory attained today. Entrenching themselves in Winterfell had been his idea after all, and his sound tactical advise had proven to be invaluable on more than one occasion. It was unfortunate he did not live to see the results of what he had help bring about. He had come to this country as a stranger, a foreigner, but he had left this world as heroically as any true son of the north. Jon vowed to himself that this was how the Nevarran would be remembered, as someone no lesser than any of the heroes the Twin Kingdoms had in this war.

It had also been interesting to note that it had been Lord Redforge that had led a northern force to Winterfell's aid during the battle. Apparently he had managed to cobble together a force of surviving North Kingdom troops after the battle of the Flamewall, somehow ending up as the one in charge despite presence of a few other lords. With under five thousand at his command he had known it would be suicide to attack the Grand Army head on. So instead he had waited as close as he dared, watching for an opportunity to strike. The Queen's army had provided that opportunity with their attack.

Clearly the Upstart Lord had proven his worth in this war. In so doing he had earned the reward he had asked for. He and his family would be nobility in truth now. With his nobility thinned out by this war he could certainly use a new noble House by his side. There might still be some among the more established nobles who would grumble about this decision, but the choice belonged to Jon, not them. Jon had given his word after all, and loyalty demanded a suitable reward.

"Your Grace, maybe you should take a break, get some sleep?" Jerome Evander said.

"I can't. I should be here for her." Jon said.

"There's no danger to her any longer. Our magic has done its work. Now it's just a matter of waiting for her to wake up." Jerome said.

"Go our Grace. That is my medical recommendation. We will alert you the moment she comes to, I promise." He added.

"But what if you're wrong?" Jon said.

"We will watch over her Your Grace, don't worry." Davos said.

Jon sighed, realizing that this was an argument that he could not win, stood up, and with a final concerned look at Sansa he strode from the hall. But rather than go straight to his chambers he decided he needed to take walk first. To check on his people like a good king should he, told himself, but in truth he knew he needed to wait for Sansa to wake, otherwise sleep would not come, no matter how exhausted he felt.

At this hour the castle was resting, enjoying a blissful sleep free in the knowledge that the enemy had gone and they were safe. There had been no celebration nor feast, nor was anyone really asking for one. A simple respite was all that was needed. And with so many lost among the defenders the mood was more one of quiet reflection than joy.

Jon's feet carried him to the Godswood, the obstruction blocking the path having been removed sometime earlier. He walked amongst the leafless, blackened trees, across the ash covered ground, until he reached the Weirwood tree. Like the other trees here it was leafless, and large patches of its trunk were charred and black. But surprisingly much of the white was still visible as well. Apparently fire had difficulty burning such a large tree with such thick bark.

Jon stepped closer and laid his hand on the trunk of the tree, deep in thought. Then he spotted a single leaf sprouting from one of the branches. A new leaf. The sight of it brought a smile to his lips.

"Well I'll be… You survived, you old rascal?" He said.

"Somehow I figured I'd find you here." A new voice spoke up. A voice he recognized…

He turned around and saw Daenerys standing there, a smile on her lips.

"Dany…" Jon breathed. They ran into each other's arms and kissed. It was a deep kiss, almost a desperate one, months of bottled up feelings pouring out all at once. Neither of them was in any rush to have that kiss end.

"I was so worried I wouldn't ever see you again. I can't begin to tell you how good it feels to see you here." Jon said when their lips did finally part, though they still held each other.

"When I heard your army had been defeated and that Winterfell was under siege… I very nearly left my whole army behind just to come get you. And before the battle today… I was so scared I would arrive too late. But you're here, alive!" Daenerys said.

"They told me that Sansa was injured. Is she..?" She asked.

"She's fine, thanks to the mage healers from Thedas we have working for us. It's incredible what they can do. If not for them she'd be dead, or disfigured for life. But now it's as if she was never hurt at all." Jon said.

"I'm glad. Sansa is someone who knows exactly how beautiful she is, and cherishes the fact. If she were to lose that… I don't think she would have taken it very well." Daenerys said.

"True enough. Though I must say I know someone who is even prettier. Someone I love." Jon said.

Daenerys smiled and was about to answer, but then it began to rain, bringing rain to the parched, dry lands at long last. They hurried to shelter, finding it in an alcove close to the Godswood's entrance. For a time they listened to the fall of rain and the thundering lightning. Then Jon moved a little closer to her, stroking her cheek.

"Jon… what are you doing?" Daenerys said, desire igniting in her eyes. Jon simply gave her one of those intense looks of his, and moved closer for another kiss.

"Jon, I'm not sure this is the right time to…" She managed to utter in half-hearted protest before that kiss silenced her and she found herself responding to his touch. She decided then she did not want to wait any longer for this.

There, in that alcove, the two of them made love. It was a rather quick affair, the two of them not even bothering to remove any more of their armor and clothes than was necessary to do the deed, such was their eagerness for each other. Removing the full plate Daenerys was wearing was especially tricky to, but well worth the effort.

"Thank you." Daenerys said when they were done as she dressed herself again. "Being a Queen for so long… I had almost forgotten how good it feels to be with you. To be loved."

"That's the truth for both of us then." Jon said. Then he gave a worried frown when he noticed her turn sad. "What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry. I should not be thinking about this. Not now. But… this war isn't over." She explained quietly. "We did a lot of damage to the Orlesians. Got maybe twenty, thirty thousand of them before they retreated. We won this battle, and that has given us a fighting chance to win the war. But now we must push them into the sea, end this for good."

Jon nodded grimly. "Yes. I suppose so… but that's tomorrow."

"Agreed." Daenerys said after a pause. "We have given our kingdoms more than enough attention lately. Now it seems only fair that our kingdoms kindly wait their turn and grant us some time just for the two of us. In the morning we can check up on your cousin, see how she's doing."

"Come. Everyone else is resting, so we should too." She told him. "You in particular. Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like week old bread. Guess sleep wasn't a luxury you could afford during the siege?" She added.

Jon chuckled quietly. "No…"

With that they departed through Jon's chambers, hand in hand.

Several hours later, while it was till dark, Sansa finally stirred. She woke slowly, her eyelids feeling heavy as stone. As her thoughts slowly returned to her she listened to the voices around her: the occasional quiet clatter of objects being moved about. Brief, hushed conversations. The moans of the wounded.

Then she snapped into awareness, her eyes flying open as the memories of what had happened returned to her. The horrible burning pain, the feeling of her face melting. Her hand flew to her face expecting to feel the horrible extent of the harm done to her. But her fingers only found smooth undamaged skin. There was no pain either. Her skin did feel a little sensitive to the touch, but not in a way that hurt. Confused she sat up on the bed, only now recognizing her surroundings as the infirmary where she had spent so many desperate, frantic hours to stop people from dying.

"Ah. Lady Sansa, you're awake." Said one of the healers, a woman of some thirty years of age, walking over.

"A mirror. Quickly, please." Sansa said. She could not leave this to her fingers. She had to see it, so she could know it was true.

The healer nodded, as if she had been expecting the request, and produced a simple mirror for Sansa.

Sansa quickly took the mirror into her hands, and looked at herself . And there it was, her face, unmarked by any kind of injury, just as she remembered. She could feel tears of relief starting to stream from her eyes. Even so she was puzzled. It had felt so real, she could recall what had happened so vividly. She couldn't have just imagined it.

She glanced down and realized that he clothes had been replaced with the simple white outfits given to all the patients. She saw her original dress neatly folded on a chair next to her bed. Taking the dress into her hands she could see how the front of the dress was a mess of holes that had burned straight through the fabric. That confirmed her suspicions.

"So it did really happen. But how…?" She wondered aloud, then turned her eyes to the healer.

"You… you healed me then?" She asked. She had seen them working their healing magic of course, each time amazed at what they could do with it. Apparently her injuries had not been an obstacle for them either.

The healer nodded to Sansa's question.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Sansa said.

"Was… was it you yourself that cast the spell, or was it one of the other mages. I'd like to thank the one in person." She asked.

"In this case it was me, so your thanks did reach the right ears. But no thanks is necessary. We are merely doing our duty, as always." The healer said.

"Now then, if I might inquire, how are you feeling? Everything alright?" The healer asked.

"Yes, I think so. My face feels a bit strange though. Tingly. Sensitive to touch." Sansa said.

"Ah yes. That is nothing to worry about My Lady. Newly restored nerve points are often oversensitive. They should return to normal in a few hours, a few days at most." The healer said.

"That's good to hear. Uh… nerve points?" Sansa said.

"A component of the human body responsible for sensations. Touch, temperature, pain, all that." The healer explained. "But I suppose you would not know of such things. Outside the Maesters it seems valid knowledge on the subject it very limited in Westeros. And even their knowledge is often deficient. No offense intended to their profession or to your country of course. But as I was saying, nothing to be worried about. For now rest is what I recommend to you most of all."

"I see. I think you have a point. I do feel like sleeping a little bit more. These last few days have been… very long." Sansa said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I could use a drink of water first though." Sansa said.

"Of cource." The healer said and left Sansa's side, returning shortly with a filled wooden goblet.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Jon is, do you? I would have expected him to be here." Sansa asked, slightly disheartened by his absence.

"Oh he hardly left your bedside, My Lady. Right now though I think he's resting like everyone else." The healer said. Then she smiled and leaned closer to Sansa. "Although in his case one can only hope that he actually remembers to sleep at some point. The way I hear it he was spotted with the Queen."

"With Daenerys?" Sansa said with a chuckle. "My, that does explain quite a bit. I suppose I will see them in the morning then. It would not be right to disturb them."

Sansa laid down and closed her eyes, sleep claiming her again in a matter of moments. The healer meanwhile went about her business, attending to the others in her care.