"Who would pass the Twin's gate?" A man called from atop the tower.
"The bloody Hound, Sandor Clegane. And my wife, Sansa Stark, eldest sister to your King, Robb Stark."
As the gate opened before them, Sansa's heart raced. It had been three years since she'd last seen her mother and brother. She wondered what Robb looked like now and what kind of king he had come to be. And her mother: what kind of woman was she now after the loss of her husband and three youngest children? They'd be a family again. And they were waiting right across the edge of the bridge, the thought astounding her. Her journey was finally at a close.
Sandor felt uneasy walking across the bridge, Stranger to his right, and the little bird and a Frey page to his left. They'd seek immediate counsel with Lord Frey, King Robb, and Lady Stark-along with Queen Jeyne Westerling, Lord Roose Bolton, Edmure Tully, Brynden the "Blackfish" Tully, Rolph Spicer, Smalljon Umber, Ser Wendel Manderly, and Dacey Mormont, who all together made up the king's small counsel. Amongst the Northerners and men from the Riverlands, Sandor knew he'd be out of place because he was a Westerman, sworn to House Lannister. He'd be distrusted; even if he brought the little bird here on his own will, thus breaking his oath, the high lords would see him as an oathbreaker and disloyal, although he had joined their cause in a sense. Bloody high lords and their bloody honor, Sandor cursed to himself.
"Lord Sandor Clegane and his wife Lady Sansa Clegane are here to seek your counsel, your grace, my lords," the page said.
The room fell silent, the implication of the page's words initially failing to register in the small council's minds. Lady Catelyn, at the sound of her daughter's name almost instinctively burst out of her chair, only to stand frozen in place at the sight of Sansa. Robb followed suit. Their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost. "Sansa," her mother whispered, tears streaming down her face. She looked as if she was in agony, all the pieces of her heart shattering and putting themselves back together at once. All of her children were lost to her, but Sansa had returned to her. The sight made Sansa cry.
She ran from the table, and Sansa went to meet her mother's embrace. Their crying faces were hidden by their veils of auburn curls. The room remained silent; all that could be heard was the two women crying into their embrace and Catelyn whispering, "Oh, Sansa, my beautiful and sweet Sansa," over and over into her daughter's hair.
"What about Arya?" Her mother pulled away to look upon her daughter's face, her eyes hopeful. Sansa could only shake her head. Catelyn sighed deeply in response and pulled Sansa into another embrace.
"Sweet sister," she heard Robb say, his voice much deeper than what she remembered.
"Oh Robb!" Sansa gasped as she jumped into her brothers arms. He cradled her head into his chest and gave her kisses atop the crown of her head. "I am so glad you're here. That you're safe," he whispered, giving her a squeeze.
"I couldn't have been here without-" Sansa paused, and turned to find her lord husband, who was still standing in the doorway, watching the scene unfold with the page.
The mood suddenly shifted. The room became uneasily silent as all eyes fell upon Sandor Clegane, who amidst the joy of the return of Sansa Stark, was the reminder that Sansa was unrightfully wed to a man of a lesser house. He took a stiff, short step forward. Sandor could feel the heat of their scrutinous gazes upon the burned side of his face. His burns began to twitch.
"I must thank you, Lord Clegane, for returning my sweet sister safely to us," Robb said, as dignified as possible.
"And I thank you as well, my lord, for returning Sansa to me. May the Seven bless you," Lady Stark stepped in, her voice completely flat.
Sandor wanted to say, bugger the bloody Seven, but he refrained. "I only did what had to be done."
Lord Walder Frey stood, and began to clap slowly. "We should have a feast in honor of Lady Sansa's, heh, unexpected return," he suggested.
Lord Bolton stood as well. "I agree. Tonight a feast should be held in Lady Sansa Clegane's name."
"I am flattered, Lord Frey, Lord Bolton, but I am undeserving of such a feast-" Sansa began.
"Nonsense!" Lord Edmure, her uncle, exclaimed. "The return of a Northern Princess should be a large affair."
"Heh, then it shall be done," Lord Walder said, snickering to himself.
Sansa was given a hot bath in her own temporary, private chambers, separate from Sandor. She was sure his chambers weren't even adjacent to hers, but she was not worried about something that trivial at the moment. All she could think about was how overwhelmingly wonderful it felt to take a hot bath with oils, to be with her mother and brother, and to sleep in a real feather bed that night.
After her bath her mother promptly came into the chambers with a new-looking dress in her arms.
"Lord Frey gave this to me for you to wear tonight," her mother said, revealing the dress to her. The dress was Tully blue and covered in intricate white latticework.
"Oh it's wonderful, Mother! I haven't worn a real dress in over a fortnight. I will make sure to give Lord Frey my gratitude," she said, lifting herself out of the bath to dry.
"Oh Sansa, look at you. When you left Winterfell you were still a girl of one and ten, and now you're truly a woman. I almost didn't recognize you when you entered the meeting. The dirt and tangles didn't help either," her mother sighed, taking in Sansa's form.
"I can't believe it has been that long since I left Winterfell with Father…" Sansa paused, seeing her mothers eyes filled with sadness. "I was forced to grow up in King's Landing."
"And forced to marry Sandor Clegane!" her mother lamented. She walked over to Sansa and began to brush her hair. "How dare they make my daughter marry someone as lowborn and awful as The Hound? The Lannisters will pay for what they have done."
"It was Joffrey's idea. I was The Hound's reward," Sansa replied.
Her mother put the brush down. "Are you with child, Sansa?"
"What? No!" Sansa exclaimed, her face flushing with embarrassment from her mother's forwardness.
"When was your last moonblood?" she pushed further.
"A week ago."
Her mother sighed in what seemed like relief.
"Sandor…did not…" Sansa paused, "consummate the marriage."
"What?!"
"We escaped King's Landing the night of the wedding. I waited for Sandor in my chambers expecting to be bedded, but he came to me dressed in armor and gave me warm clothes from under my bed for riding . He planned the whole thing with my handmaiden. We escaped the Red Keep in the night when everyone thought we were consummating the marriage," Sansa explained.
"And he hasn't consummated it since?" Her mother asked, her tone a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"No."
"He hasn't asked you to? It was his idea not to consummate the marriage?"
"Yes. When I asked him about it, he said that he'd return me to you so that I can marry someone more worthy."
"I don't believe it…" Her mother said, picking up the brush to continue untangling Sansa's curls.
"He never asked you to touch him? He's never touched your breasts or woman's place?"
"No! Of course not!" Sansa blushed.
"I don't understand why a man like him would do such a thing…"
"He's not that awful, Mother. Sure he was Joffrey's dog, and he can be immensely rude and hurtful sometimes, but he has been very good to me. He saved me."
"Well, this is wonderful news Sansa." She said, braiding her hair. "I will tell Lord Frey that you are still a maid by the morrow, and your marriage with Sandor Clegane will be denounced after Edmure marries one of his daughters in three days' time."
"Will I have to marry a Frey, Mother?"
"Yes."
"That's what Sandor said."
"What now?" Her mother helped her into the new dress. It was a lovely fit.
"Sandor said that once we reached The Twins, you'd make me marry a Frey because Robb broke his vows."
"Where did you hear that?"
"At the Inn at the Crossroad. I also heard you took Tyrion Lannister captive there."
"Both are true. I wish you could marry a Northern lord, possibly a Karstark, or Manderly, or even a Bolton. But yes, you must marry a Frey." She squeezed Sansa's shoulders in reassurance. Sansa looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw her mother looking into the glass as well. She truly did look like her lady mother. High cheekbones, bright blue eyes, and deep auburn hair. All of her girlish features were gone; she was a lady now. "Let's show everyone how beautiful you are." Catelyn kissed Sansa atop her head, and then they made their way to the great hall.
"I present to you Lady Sansa Stark, eldest daughter of Lady Catelyn and Lord Eddard Stark, Princess and Daughter of Winterfell." Someone heralded as Sansa, her lord husband, and her lady mother entered the hall. He announced Sandor's titles but they were lost under the Northernmen's enthusiastic shouting and hollering. As she walked up the the main table where her brother, his wife, Lord Frey, Lord Bolton, and Uncle Edmure were sitting, everyone seemed to say, "My lady," bowing as she passed.
Never had Sansa felt this way before. She truly felt like royalty. Back in King's Landing she was a hostage, a false-king's disgraceful sister, daughter of a traitor. Here, she was a princess.
At the high table, Robb sat in the middle next to Lord Frey to his left and his Queen, Jeyne, to his right. Next to Jeyne sat Lady Stark, then Sansa and Sandor. Lord Bolton sat to Lord Frey's left while Lord Edmure and the Blackfish sat to Sandor's right.
The feast held in Sansa's name was more grand than the one held on her wedding night. They banqueted on courses of honeyed chicken and roasted onions dipped in gravy; dipped sucking pig; boiled goose eggs; salted trout; wheels of white cheese; salads of sweetgrass, spinach, and plums; and Sansa's known favorite, lemon cakes. Everything was washed down with sweet wine and mead. Sansa laughed, and she ate so much she felt like she could burst.
That night Sansa went to bed atop a soft featherbed, and her dreams and thoughts were calmed by a belly full of food and sweet wine. She slept for the first time in what seemed like forever: in peace.
Sandor awoke feeling dizzy from the amount of wine he had consumed the night before. It had been way too bloody long since he last had wine. Not since the Battle of Blackwater Bay, Sandor thought. Seven buggering hells! He groaned aloud, remembering how horrified he was that night.
Pushing the memory aside, he thought about how good it felt good to sleep with a belly full of wine on a proper featherbed. Sandor had hoped he'd never have to eat a sub-par meal with watered down ale from an inn again. The feast they had held in honor of Sansa's return was exceptionally delicious, and obviously costly due to the wartime situation.
After the dizziness went away, Sandor opened his eyes and was disappointed when he did not see his little bird sleeping beside him, as he had grown so accustomed to during their journey. It felt wrong without her by his side as he woke. He knew he'd better start getting used to the feeling. He rose, dressed, washed his face and mouth in a basin, and left for the council meeting that he and Sansa were asked to attend.
The meeting was held to discuss Sansa's life and how she and Sandor came to the Twins.
"At first I was so happy to go to King's Landing, I had dreamed of it since I was a little girl. But before we even got there, things started to turn out terribly wrong." She described when on the Kingsroad, she and Joffrey found Arya and the butcher's boy, Mycah, pretending to sword fight, and when Joffrey pulled out his sword and commanded Mycah to fight with a stick, Arya hit him with her stick. He threatened her with his steel, and Nymeria came out of nowhere and bit him in the arm. Nymeria ran away, and Lady and Mycah were killed as consequence. Ever since then, Arya hated Sansa, and Sansa reached her limit with Arya's discourteousness. Sansa had her lessons with Septa Mordane while her father made Arya take "water-dancing" lessons.
"During that time everything seemed fine. Joffrey was still the beautiful, golden prince I had always dreamed of. They held a tourney in honor of father, but…" Sansa trailed off, not wanting to continue.
"Speak what you can. We know nothing of what happened to you, Arya, or your lord father and his men during your time in King's Landing, so it's important that you tell us." "Father was stabbed through the leg by a Lannister guard, and soon after King Robert was slain by a boar. Father was arrested for treason because he believed Joffrey wasn't Robert's trueborn son. I wrote to you and mother, the queen made me. I begged Joffrey to grant father mercy, and he gave father mercy by beheading him in front of me after he confessed his treasons." Sansa began to sob, and Robb put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "That was his mercy." She wiped her eyes and knew she had to continue. She was never given the opportunity to openly mourn all that she had lost.
"Since father was executed, I've been a hostage in King's Landing, a plaything for Joffrey to torture, or Queen Cersei to torment. They hated me, they humiliated me, they married me to The Hound. I was so alone.
"Afterwards Joffrey made me look at father's head atop a spike. Along with Septa Mordane's and Jory's. Arya had been gone by then. She probably escaped when they arrested father because they never found her, or her body.
"Joffrey was a monster. He ordered knights of the Kingsgaurd to slap me, and when word of Robb's victory at the Battle of Whispering Wood he threatened to shoot me with his crossbow, and ordered me to be stripped and beaten in front of the entire court…
"When Princess Myrcella was sent to Dorne a riot broke out and I was left behind. Joffrey ordered no men to search for me. I was about to be raped by three men when Sandor found me…Oh, it was so awful!" She began to cry again.
"Hush now, hush. It's alright now. What they did to you and our family is unacceptable. They will pay," Lady Catelyn said as she cradled her daughter in her arms.
"We will kill them all, I promise you, Sansa. I'll kill them all," Robb said, his hands turning into fists.
At the end of the meeting, Lady Stark asked to have a private word with Lord Frey.
"My lord, my daughter tells me that she remains innocent. Her husband failed to consummate the marriage."
"Heh, are you telling me to believe that?"
"Yes. I can tell when my children lie, and Sansa told me truthfully about the state of her marriage. I have yet to interrogate Clegane about it, but I am taking her word for it."
"And why are you giving me this information?"
"I would ask that, after Edmure and your daughter's wedding, that you see it in your heart to marry Sansa to one of your sons."
Lord Frey sat back in his chair, the proposition sounding so sweet in his ears.
"How will we know for sure that, heh, Sansa hasn't been, heh, ruined?"
"After the wedding I will call upon the septon to assess her maidenhead."
"Heh, I shall grant your request, Lady Stark."
Notes:
So- this chapter was lots of dialogue! I told you that this next chapter would be long, I hope you all got what you wished for. 2,350+ words, woo! If you were hoping that they wouldn't show up just in time for the Red Wedding, this chapter is my little "gift of mercy" to you.
There are also a lot of names in this chapter, and for me reading the books and watching the HBO adaptation, the names are the most difficult part.
-Jeyne Westerling is Robb Stark's wife. In the HBO adaptation her name is Talisa Maegyr, and is a noblewoman from the Free City of Volantis. For this fanfiction's sake his wife is the Westerling woman.
-Rolph Spicer is a knight from House Spicer and is the castellan of the Crag for House Westerling.
-Smalljon Umber is the eldest son of Greatjon Umber and is the heir to Last Hearth and House Umber. Smalljon Umber is one of the thirty highborn warriors who forms Robb Stark's personal guard. He fights with this unit during the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
-Ser Wendel Manderly is a knight from House Manderly. He is the second son of Lord Wyman Manderly. Ser Wendel accompanies his brother, Wylis, to the muster when Robb Stark calls his banners.[1] He stays with Robb's force on the march south and is named as one of his personal guard during the Battle of the Whispering Wood
-Dacey Mormont is the heir of House Mormont. She is the daughter of Maege Mormont, Lady of Bear Island, and is the niece of Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Dacey rides south against the Lannisters with Robb Stark, with Dacey being numbered among Robb's battle companions and personal guards during the Battle of the Whispering Wood.
The last section of the chapter was a lot of plot- forgive me.
"Since father was executed I've been a hostage in King's Landing, a plaything for Joffrey to torture, or Queen Cersei to torment. They hated me, they humiliated me, they married me to The Hound." I took this from Sansa's confession scene in the "Mockingbird" episode. I love Sophie Turner's rendition of Sansa. She's the one who made me fall in love with her character.