298 AL - Day Three

SANSA II

After the excitement of last night, Sansa had fallen almost immediately to sleep. The following morning was the first time since having returned to the past that the family broke its fast together-excepting Theon whom she had suspected had taken her mother's advice on eating in the kitchens that night, and Jon, who still was out cold from the combination of Milk of the Poppy and dreamwine. It was after the morning meal that her father had asked for all of the children except Rickon to meet with him in his solar. Sansa knew what that meant, they were all due for a lecture.

When they all had gathered in the room brightly lit by its large windows, skylights, and Myrish glass situated to reflect the light, her father had them all stand

"Before I begin, is there anything that any of you would like to tell me about why that direwolf is here?"

Sansa could feel that of all of them, Robb was the most genuinely confused, which her father saw right away.

Bran finally broke the silence, "She's with pups."

Her father gave a small smile at Bran's admission, before quietly saying, "Thank you, Bran, for your honesty."

"I'll admit it was a clever trick, trying to sneak in a pregnant direwolf for her pups… had the wolf not scared Jon's horse and he'd not gotten hurt, it might have even worked, for a time. Let me finish Robb, then you can give your explanations... Let me ask all of you this: How were you going to separate the pups from their mother? Let me assure you that any she-wolf would fight to the death to protect her pups. Think of your mother and what she'd go through if anyone took you from her. Think on that. The direwolf is injured and heavy with the pups, the kennel master says she's likely to give birth any day, and as long as the beast needs to heal and nurse her pups she'll remain in the kennels. But once she and her pups are ready, they will be released back into the Wolfswood. A direwolf is not a pet. It is a wild, fierce, and strong beast of the North. It is to be respected as well as feared. That is why our ancestors chose it as our house sigil. Do all of you understand me?"

"Yes, father" they all murmured.

"Now Robb, you had something to say to me?" asked their father.

"Jon and I didn't go into the forest to get the direwolf."

"Then why did you miss supper?"

"We thought we were pursuing Theon."

"What does Theon have to do with this?"

Robb then turned to Bran and asked, "Bran, are you going to tell him, or should I?"

Bran was completely caught off guard by this question, when this became apparent to Robb, he then sighed and said, "Theon attempted to kill Bran and Rickon."

For the briefest of moments Sansa thought that Robb might have also been spirited away from the future they had, but then all the instances in the past few days that had shown he wasn't returned to her mind and she was left to wonder what Robb meant.

"That is a heavy charge to lay against the boy. How do you know this?"

"Jon and I overheard Bran tell Arya."

"Well, Bran, is it true?"

But before Bran could say anything, Arya chimed in rather too eagerly, "Yes. I saw him do it."

But at this, their father simply smiled wryly, "Then why did Bran need tell you about it?"

Arya did not seem to have an answer to this, so their father continued with, "I know it might have seemed like he was trying to kill you last night, Bran. But you have to understand, he didn't know you were in the wolf, and he was trying to save Rickon. I have spoken with him on this matter already and he assures me he was doing everything in his capability to ensure the safety of your brother-even if his actions nearly killed him."

"Bran's a... skinchanger?" asked Robb

"Yes, I helped you bring Jon back to Winterfell," admitted Bran.

"I thought that wolf was behaving strangely… but father, I heard Bran tell Arya yesterday afternoon, not last night. How could Jon and I have ridden out in time to miss supper otherwise?" added Robb with an insistence that proper attention be paid to the threat he must have felt living under their roof.

"Bran…" admonished their father sternly.

Sansa finally interrupted, not being able to bare it anymore, interrupting Bran before he could speak with, "Father, I can explain everything."

"Sansa…" warned Bran.

"No, Bran, it's time father knew the truth. Robb too. Though I doubt either of you will believe me." said Sansa nervously as she turned from Bran to face both Robb and their father.

"Go on," was all that their father said, his face betraying not whether he'd believe or disbelieve. Robb crossed his arms, and all eyes-even those of Arya and Bran-turning to Sansa.

Sansa took a deep breath before speaking, reminding herself that father had come to accept the truth of Bran's skinchanging, mayhaps he could accept the rest. She spoke tentatively at first, flustered and halting as she said, "Bran, Arya, Rickon and I aren't who you think we are... I mean, we're still ourselves... but not the ones you're familiar with. For you see-uh-three days ago we woke up in what we know to be our past, but to you we come from what you could say is... the future. Rickon doesn't really understand it, I mean... he's only five years old."

"Three." interjected their father.

"No, when-where we're from he's five. I'm four and ten, Arya is one and ten, and Bran is nine," explained Sansa.

It was then that her father sighed, shook his head and said, "I ask for the truth and instead…"

"It is the truth!" yelled not only Sansa, but Arya and Bran as well.

There seemed to be enough weight behind all three of their united protests for their father to entertain listening to them a little longer as he said, "All right, let's say you all are from two years in the future, how did you get here?"

It was now that Sansa found herself having trouble keeping up with all the words that came bubbling out, "I know not. One night I'm in the Eyrie, Petyr is telling me that I'm to marry Harold Hardyng, and the next morning I'm waking up in my own bed in Winterfell. At first I thought it was a dream, and that any moment cousin Robert would smash Winterfell and it would turn to snow and I'd be left in its ruins as a nightmare. But the dream kept going on and on, and soon I realized I wasn't dreaming anymore, but here… actually home."

Another silence passed as her words sunk in, finally her father said, "I'll give you one chance to prove it-if what you say comes to pass, I will believe you. If it doesn't, then you shall be assisting the servants in their duties around Winterfell for a month."

Sansa nodded to show she understood and thought deep and long about what was to come, trying to find something to latch on to, then suddenly it came to her memory. And she said, "Uncle Jon is going to die."

At this her father gave yet another sigh. "Your uncle is an old man. Frankly, any soothsayer could proclaim that and probably have a good chance of being right."

Sansa however felt the need to continue-to prove herself right, despite his dismissal. Mayhaps he'd believe her, mayhaps it might make a difference, and so she spoke, "He's going to be poisoned… by Aunt Lysa. She told me the whole thing. Petyr convinced-is convincing her to put Tears of Lys in his wine. She's then going to write mother and blame the Lannisters, which was also Petyr's idea. She thinks that if Uncle Jon dies she and Petyr could be together you see, and they did-do marry, but after she proved-proves to be a piece no longer useful to him, he'll kill her!"

The entire solar was eerily quiet after she'd said this, Arya staring at her oddly, Bran's and Robb's eyes wide open, but her father, his cold exterior continued to hide any hint of a reaction. Finally he asked, "Who's this Petyr you keep mentioning?"

"Lord Baelish. He's the Master of Coin. Aunt Lysa convinced Uncle Jon to put him in the position." explained Sansa.

Her father said nothing in reply for a moment. After seeming to think on this he then turned to face Bran and Arya, asking, "Do either of you have anything to add to this story?"

Both Arya and Bran shook their heads.

Bran clarified by saying, "I was in the North."

"I haven't seen Sansa in over a year," was Arya's only reply.

A moment of silence o'ertook them, and it was finally Robb who broke it with, "But that doesn't explain Theon. If he will try to kill you in the... future, then why?"

Sansa didn't know if she had it in her to continue, she felt her energy being drained of her from having told so much already. It was Bran who looked Robb straight in the eye and said, "Because you let him go."

Robb seemed to be taken aback by his younger brother's accusation-enough to keep him quiet while Bran added, "You'll send him to Pyke to get his father's help, and he'll turn his cloak and attack Winterfell."

"Why would Robb send Theon anywhere? He's my ward," interjected their father.

"Because you died, father." Arya replied and at the memory of this, Sansa couldn't take it anymore and broke down crying, collapsing to the floor as her knees gave way. In her mind she was recalling that hateful day… how she had pleaded for mercy, only to watch as Joffrey had flippantly gone back on his word. Most of all, though, she recalled how it had all been her fault. Her fault that they hadn't escaped. Sansa soon found someone had wrapped their arms around her, and she turned and was surprised to see it was Arya, who was silently crying as well. Bran soon joined them.

It was then that their mother entered the room, swooping down to take the three of them in her arms and begin to comfort them. Demanding of their father, "Ned, what did you say to them?"

Her father was at a loss for words, for he did not answer her, and their mother shepherded the three of them from the room to comfort them further away from their father. Sansa however was near inconsolable as she saw in her mind her father's head severed from his body, again and again.