Sansa
Waiting by the inside door of the Great Hall of Winterfell, Sansa was readjusting her gloves. It had been less than a month since Petyr Baelish had died in that room on her orders. Since that day, every time she had to step foot inside that place, her eyes were inevitably drawn to the spot were he has fallen, one hand gripping his slit throat, the other reaching out to her.
The blood had been scrubbed away long ago, yet she could swear the stones seemed darker where the it had gushed out of him. She found that annoyingly distracted her quite often and she had to will herself back to the matters she was attending.
And today she could absolutely not get distracted. Baelish was dead. There was no use dwelling on it. She was not going to let him still hold power over her even in death. Lifting her chin, she assumed the elegant and authoritative posture she had been trying to perfect in order to fit her leadership position, and with a determined look, opened the door and stepped into the Great Hall with purpose.
She heard all the occupants rise to their feet upon her arrival but, as she had resolved, did not look in their direction, instead keeping her eyes focused on her chair, waiting for her at the dominant position, the middle of the table.
She walked by Winterfell's maester who was occupying the first seat, then by Bran who did not make a single move indicating he had even noticed her arrival. He was looking straight ahead of him, unblinking as far as Sansa could tell.
She finally reached her own seat to the right of Arya's. Her sister's clothes were wet from the snow and Sansa could easily deduce she had been spending her morning on the ramparts waiting for the first sight of their guests' arrival. Despite how much she had changed, some of the Arya she remembered had remained. That thought appeased her for a reason she would have been hard pressed to put into words. Today however, she hoped Arya would show the same seriousness and focus on the issues at hand that she had exhibited ever since she returned to Winterfell. Now was not the time for any kind of effusion.
Sansa finally turned to face her audience and immediately locked eyes with the only person in the whole Hall who mattered in this very moment. The violet eyes were calm and the pale skin surrounding them showed no hint of fear, anxiety, or uncertainty. Long, pale silver-gold hair enhancing her features completed the look for which Sansa could find no other qualifier than regal.
The thought of how intimidated by this woman she would have been only a few months ago flashed in her mind but she quickly dismissed it. She had lived through what seemed like several lifetimes since then. She was the Queen regent of the North. And this foreigner was just one more invader.
She did not break eye contact while taking her seat. She was not trying to provoke she who called herself the Mother of Dragons, but she had no intention of showing any weakness either. So she kept her gaze focused on her when the lords of the North who had all assembled at her call took their seat after having respectfully waited for her to do so first.
She did not glance at Jon who was standing by the woman's side. She knew what he had done and was expecting him to explain himself and be very convincing. But for now her concern was the woman who had brought two dragons to her homeland and was coming inside her very house as a conqueror.
"Lady Targaryen. I welcome you into our home. I hope your travels were trouble free, although I fail to imagine the kind of trouble that could possibly stand in the way of two dragons."
"Lady Stark." Daenerys bowed her head slightly, much to Sansa's surprise. "I thank you for your hospitality but I had not planned on coming here at all. I am headed to the Wall to fight the army of the dead, and as lord Snow, the warden of the North, informed me, your forces have prepared for that very fight for several months now. It only seemed natural that I come see the extent of the forces you were to bring forth to reinforce my army."
Sansa could tell the woman had tried to get a reaction out of her when she put emphasis on Jon's title of warden of the North but she had kept her composure. It was no surprise to her. Jon had sent word of his pledge of allegiance to the dragon queen.
"You will find our forces quite formidable, lady Targaryen." Sansa repeated this title again without changing inflection, making it seem like it was her interlocutor's official title. "We rejoice in your decision to assist us in our fight against the white walkers and their army."
For a fleeting second, Sansa saw Daenerys' composure break and the shadow of a very dangerous expression started to replace it. Jon must have seen it as well and he stepped forward. "Sansa enough. What are you trying to accomplish insulting guests in your Hall ? And why this hostile setting for a reception ?"
"My lady, I apologize if I've given offense. But as the former king in the North here", she stared intensely at Jon while hammering these words, "undoubtedly told you, our recent dealing with outsiders had made us weary, especially in such dark times. Why it was in the very spot you are standing that the last southern lord who attempted to take control of the North breathed his last."
"Enough of this double talk Sansa." Arya had not raised her voice but all could hear her clearly through the entire Hall. "This political nonsense is why we ended up where we are so stop playing around."
Sansa repressed the urge to snap at her sister and closed her eyes. "Alright. I guess you have a point." She focused her attention on the regal presence in the room once more. "Queen Daenerys. My brother saw fit to swear fealty to you. He is the lord of Winterfell and his wishes will be respected. But for the sake of the North, I must ask you what your plans for us are once you come into your throne."
"If you are worried about me meddling in your affairs, I can put those fears to rest right now. I will expect the North to obey the same laws as the rest of the realm and come to fight for its ruler when called upon. That is all."
Sansa studied Daenerys' face. She could not tell if she was genuine or not. She seemed to believe the words she had said, but the best liars always did. Relinquishing the sovereignty of the North once again was not something she liked, but it was not her call to make. Jon would have a lot to answer for when she got her hands on him.
"If that is what you and my brother have agreed, then I can assure you the North will honor those terms. We are a proud people but we have never broken an oath, at least not without good cause your grace."
Sansa was amazed when she noticed Daenerys' breathing got easier upon hearing her sentence. Next to her Jon almost let out a sigh of relief and the let go of the tension in his body.
"All the lords of the North and most of the Vale are gathered here your grace. I invite you to tell us what you expect of us in this war on the eve of which we are." With these final words, Sansa ostensibly made herself comfortable in her chair, giving the floor to her guests.
Daenerys and Jon turned to face the lords of the North.
"My lords, my ladies," Jon slightly nodded in lady Mormont's direction, but she did not return his gesture and kept a serious look on her face, waiting to hear what he had to say. "What lady Stark said is true. I did swear the loyalty of the North to queen Daenerys Targaryen. As you all know, I had no intention of doing such a thing when I left Winterfell. We have been through so much already, and will go through so much more that relying on a southern influence hardly seemed like a defensible decision. And yet I did just that. We are a proud people, it is true, and the lords of the south do not know of our way of life. But I can assure you that there has only ever been one thing on my mind ever since you chose me as king of the North, and that has been to make sure there was still a North to be proud of after the long night had started. And I believe Queen Daenerys is the woman to lead us to victory in this fight we are marching towards."
"Jon took a few steps forward in order to place himself in the center of the hall. "My decision to pledge the North to Queen Daenerys was not an easy one. For months I adamantly, stubbornly refused to submit to her. But as time went on, my lords, my ladies, it became apparent that the only way we are ever going to survive to even discuss such matters as who governs whom is to face the death approaching us together, united, like mankind has never been united before. And the one to push us through that darkness is the woman standing before you here. It is something I believe from the depth of my heart. I wouldn't have sworn myself to her for anything less. This is no time for quarrels between houses or thinking if someone comes from the south or the north. We must make it through the challenges ahead of us free of these considerations. We must go forth without ulterior motive or hidden agenda. We must join together, as a people."
Jon's last words resonated in the Great Hall for a few silence before behind snuffed out by a deafening silence.
"That is all well and good lord Snow," one of the lords stood up to face Jon, "but that doesn't change the fact that this woman knows nothing about Westeros, to say nothing of the North." He now turned to the khaleesi. "How can we put our trust in the daughter of a mad man who spent all of six month in our lands after being raised and living all her life on Essos. What claim does she have over the Iron Throne and our sovereignty that doesn't come from the dragons at her side ?"
"My claim is more legitimate than that of the Boltons whom you were so eager to accept as your ruler, my lord." All the lords assembled in the hall turned as one in the direction of Daenerys who had answered lord Glover's question matter-of-factly. "I am not here to rob you of your lands my lords and ladies. I am simply stating the fact that I will stop the army of the dead, and protect my entire kingdom from their advances. Whether the North decides to be a part of my kingdom or face the dead alone is a decision I leave in your hand. However seeing as your lord has already agreed to join my kingdom, any house that were to secede would not only be a traitor to the crown, but a traitor to the North as well. And come the end of the long night, should the traitors be lucky enough to have somehow survived, they would be housted from their castles and thrown to the wilderness to fend for themselves."
Silence to not fall completely following the end of the Queen's sentence. Chairs were being rattled, disapproving murmurs were growing, and metal gloves were tightening. Daenerys decided to step forward as well to the center of the room and stood next to Jon. "But I am sure that none of this shall come to pass. Everyone in the world knows that the northmen are the most honorable in all of Westeros. I do believe you will also be smart enough to recognize that the threat we face could cause our extinction as a species. I am not here to discuss the state of Westeros once the menace has been crushed, but to make sure that it is crushed and that we live long enough for you to resent my rule. Because if we don't, it will not matter who was slated to sit the iron throne next or whether the North was to be independent. If all that remains are corpses, the bickering of the lords will be the last thing anyone will think about. So as of this moment I am extending you a hand in friendship and offering us a chance to make sure that we all live to have these debates." She shot a sideways glance at Jon who was looking back at her with unmatched intensity. "And who knows. The North may still get its independence."