"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."


Four days passed since Jon told them about their departure to the wall.

Sansa was sitting on the balcony, with a perfect view over Winterfell. The sun would perish soon. It was really quiet here, she loved the silence. She hasn´t been so beautifully self-composed since she left Winterfell for the first time and headed to Kingslanding. Little did Sansa know at this time that she would be on the road to ruin. She was just a little dove like Cersei used to call her. A dove with dreams full of princes and princesses. Had she only known what Joffrey and his family would do to her and her…family, then she would have never gone there. The fairytales about knights would never be the same for her. How? They were all corrupt and selfish. She saw it in Kingslanding. And Petry told her, that there is no one in this world who doesn´t think about himself at first. Of course they wouldn´t show it, they would hide their nature. They would hide their selfishness. They played. They were playing a dangerous game.

"Aren´t you just a sweet little thing. Look at them, they all are better liars than you. They hate the Lannisters like you, yet they´re looking like they loving them. And now look at you. Your face says everything. If you want to survive a little longer, then you have to change the rules. And now I´m asking you, are you ready for it?"

Coming back to reality, she looked at her hands. A needle in her right hand and a green fabric on the other hand. She was sewing. Since she was a child it always calmed her to sew. The old nan taught her how to do it. After all that´s what daughters of lords have to do. She loved it. All the woman things they had to learn, she always couldn´t wait to grow up and marry a prince. In this case Joffrey, who she adored. He was a cruel monster, she thought. How can people like that even exist? She was blinded because of the love she had for him. How could I ever loved such a person? But what did she knew of love at this age. I was only a child, nothing more. Switching her thoughts, she came back to the accident days ago. Jon was shocked to see her only in her undergarments. She felt embarrassed at first, but when she saw the dark look in his face and how he tried to hide his arousal she didn´t feel uncomfortable anymore. In a weird way she felt strong. Strong in a way, that she had power over him. Power over a man. She knew this looks from other men in her past, but she felt always uncomfortable under their eyes.

She didn´t liked it, how they looked at her. She didn´t want to be objectified by them. She felt naked and vulnerable. But she knew that Jon wasn´t like any men. He was different. He had an oath, and he was an honorable man. He would never objectify her. He had a pure soul. But still she liked it. He didn´t saw the little child anymore. How could he? When they parted she was only a young girl with a childish dream. With a terrible naive dream. She may be still young but she must be a grown woman in his eyes now. She wasn´t the only one who changed physically. He also. Sometimes she caught herself looking at him, at his body. He wasn´t so muscular before, but now as a commander he looked very masculine. It must be, with all the training and the fights. Every time when she had inappropriate thoughts of him, she felt terrible and guilty. But maybe she felt like that, because she didn´t had that. Maybe because she never felt the love of a man. Maybe because she was lonely and he was always there.

Still she shouldn´t feel like that, it´s not very ladylike of her. She laid the needle and the fabric carefully on the table and stood up. Looking a last time over the beautiful nature of Winterfell, she went back to her room.

She let the Window open, so she could still look outside. It was warm considering that her home was always cold. Winter was something they lived with since their birth, and it never really got warm here. And now they have to prepare themselves from winter. Winter was coming. Jon said that she had to prepare herself from the cold. The wall was Ice cold, and she had to get used to it.

It wouldn´t bother her so much, after all Jon was with her. She wouldn´t be alone. She would be with him.


They just finished dinner, and he was escorting her back to her room. They never really talked much, but he loved to hear her voice again. So he just asked random things at the dinner table. Just to have a conservation. Now that they finished dinner and he brought her back to her chamber, he didn´t know what to say. They were standing in front of her door now.

"I hope you liked dinner?" he asked.

"Yes it was delicious, like always" she smiled.

"That´s good to hear love." She loved it when he called her love. She couldn´t hide the tiny smile that always reached to her face when he said it.

"What´s so funny?" he asked curious.

"Nothing" she replied and went to her room, with Jon following behind her.

Jon closed the door and went straight to a chair beside her bed.

He sat, never leaving her face.

"So will you tell me what´s so funny or do I have to force it out of you?"

"It´s really nothing Jon, just a small thing without relevance."

She went to the bed, and laid to the the side which was the closest to him. He was still sitting and looking down at her now.

"Still, would you tell me? Please?" he asked with a puppy face.

"You often call me love."

"And?"

"I told you it´s of no importance. I just like it when you call me love" she replied shyly, avoiding his eyes.

"Then I will use it often now" he smiled. "You look tired, I will leave you be. You should rest while you still can. The trip to the wall will exhaust you" he said with concern in his voice.

"I will. Will you stay here until I fall asleep?"

"Of course" he said and blew the candle out, which was the only light in the room. She snuggled into the warm blanket and closed her eyes. Dozing off to another world. Feeling his presence not far away from her.


She woke up tangled between the blanket. Trying to adjust her eyes to the early sun. She groaned. It was still to early to getting up, but she couldn´t sleep longer. So she stood up and called for her maidens. When they arrived, they immediately knew what to do without any instruction from Sansa. Gilly was one of them. At first Sansa felt bad for letting Gilly work here as her personal maid, but Sam told her that Gilly really wanted to do it, and that she couldn´t just sit and do nothing. To put it in words, she wanted it for herself. She didn´t want to be useless, thought Sansa. She could empathize with that. Everyone wants to clear their mind for a while, and forget about reality. Maybe that was what Gilly did.

"The bath is ready. Milady, do you need anything more?" asked Gilly.

"No thank you. You are excused, but Gilly shall stay."

The women bowed to her and left quietly the room. Leaving her with Gilly alone. When Sansa stripped off her clothes, Gilly turned around to give her privacy. Sansa went straight to the bath tub and sinked into the water. It was pleasantly warm, and it smelled of rose petals. She breathed it in, smiling like a child.

"This smells so good Gilly" she stated.

Gilly turned around and smiled.

"Indeed, it was brought fresh from Highgarden. They say the whole area of the Tyrells smells of rose petals, and that every footpath is full of flowers and bouquets." Sansa smiled. For Gilly these stories and narratives must be heavenly. She never saw anything other than her home and the wall. She knew this feeling. Before she went to Kingslanding, she also weren´t anywhere.

"I don´t know of it, but I heard the same" responded Sansa.

It was quiet for a while, till Ginny started to asking her questions.

"Milady will not like the wall, it´s always cold. And most of the men are behaving like cavemen. Lord Snow let the Wildlings live there."

"It doesn´t matter Gilly, if Jon thinks they can live there, so be it."

"But I´m concerned for your wellbeing, they don´t see women often there, especially not a noble woman like you. Jon can´t always protect you."

"But he will, I trust him."

"You´re right. The Lord Commander would never let anything happen to you. I should not have said anything. Please don´t tell him this, I don´t want to make him angry. You have my apologies."

"You needn´t worry, I won´t tell him anything about this. And you surely don´t need to apologize. You´re probably right about the Wildlings, but Stannis Baratheon is also there, and I don´t think they would behave like this in front of him and his men. Or Jon. After all he´s the Lord Commander."

After Sansa was freshly prepared, Gilly excused herself. But she didn´t went away without a last word.

"Milady?" asked Gilly carefully.

"You don´t need to call me all the time Milady. It´s Sansa. What is your question?" she smiled.

"Sansa" said Gilly to herself and opened the door.

"He cares about you."

"Who?" asked Sansa knowing the answer.

"Lord Snow. I see how he looks at you. He fancies you" she only said and headed away. Leaving Sansa confused. She didn´t know what to think about this statement. She wasn´t sure of anything right now.

Could it be? Maybe she wasn´t the only one with this odd and foreign feelings. Maybe he was struggling too. It doesn´t matter she said to herself, he´s a Lord Commander and also her brother. Or not. She looked a last time at the mirror, to see if she was presentable, and left her chamber.


She found him training like usually at this time. He was bare from upside and had a sword in his right hand. Balancing it like it was the easiest thing in the world. His beautiful hair flew around. It was longer than usual. She wanted to stroke it softly with her fingers, like he did it with her hair.

"Your hair grew a lot."

He turned to her and smiled.

"And? Should I trim it?" he asked, still holding the sword.

"I only said that it´s longer than it was before."

"But do you like it like that?" he came in front of her.

She couldn´t concentrate when he was looking at her like that. Trying to keep calm, she responded.

"I think so, but maybe you should trim the dead ends" she said mockingly and played with a long wave.

"They aren´t that bad, I could let them be."

"You could, but you don´t have to."

"I will ask for a barber, but till then we should go in. It´s too cold, and I´m hungry."

He put the sword down to his place and took her hand in his. Leading her to the dinning room.

The room was large and beautifully decorated. The long curtains at the window had the colors of the Stark sigil. When she came back here again, she changed a lot. Trying to make Winterfell home again. First it was Theon who destroyed and captured her home. After that it was Ramsay Bolton. Destroying everything what her family had built. Marking the Wolfs home until Jon came with his men and Stannis Baratheons knights. She didn´t know what happened with Ramsay. But she figured that Stannis let execute him. Maybe she would ask Jon, he would know it.

They sat silently at the table and ate. No one was there, except her and Jon.

"Where is Sam?" she asked. Sometimes he ate with them, and today he would have been here.

"He excused himself. He may have a lot of work to do as a Maester, also preparing for our departure."

"So in less than two days we will be leaving" she stated, picking with the fork at the food.

"Yes. I hope you did not get cold feet."

"Why would I? I´m still coming with you. Even though someone told me some interest things about the wall."

"What did the person say?"

"That there are Wildlings at the wall. And that it would be dangerous for a woman like me" she said without looking at him.

He put his fork down and stood up. Heading to her.

Bending down between her legs, hands on her thighs.

"Look at me."

She turned her face to him, looking at him vulnerable.

"You will never have to worry about anything again. I will protect you. Nothing will happen to you there. Do you hear me? I would die before anything happens to you. Don´t forget that, ok?" he said, while waiting for her to answer.

She didn´t say anything. She just nodded with tears in her eyes. She was afraid. Afraid of the unknown.

"Come here" he said, bringing her down to him. Hugging her, and stroking her hair. He wasn´t really an affectionate person, but with her everything was different. He didn´t like to see her hurt. Didn´t want to see the tears in her eyes. She clung to him, not letting him go. He didn´t.


That´s how Sam found them. Clinging to each other like lovers under the pale moon. Only that it was broad daylight. Leaving the room quietly without making any noises he went to Gilly. She was sitting in their room, trying to read. Which she couldn´t. They never showed her how. How even? Craster used them as his housewives, raping them and using them for his own needs.

As if he would have showed them how to read. He would teach her how to read.

"Ahh there you are" she said not looking up from the book, desperately trying to encode it.

"I was searching for Jon, when I found him wrapped up."

"Wrapped up in what?"

"Wrapped up in Sansa."

The book fell from her hands.

"You mean..

"Good Lord! Not like that, I mean they were hugging. Having a private bonding moment I think."

"Ohh that makes sense" said Gilly.

"Why does it make sense? Do you mean because they just found each other, because they´re the only Starks left?"

"Not only. Come on, have you not seen how he´s looking at her? He fancies her."

"I never gave it a mind. But he did say the other night something to me, that could fit with your observation."

"What did he say?" she asked curious.

"I just called Sansa his sister in our conversation. When I wanted to leave him for the night, he told me that she was his cousin and not his sister. He must have thought about it the whole time during our conversation. He´s very protective of her. I assumed it´s because they´re family, but it seems there is more to it than we thought."


Does any of you know how many days or...weeks? it takes to travel from Winterfell to the Wall?