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Jon's Plan

"Podrick, lend me a hand with this," Sam mutters as he gingerly sews Sandor's wound, ever wary of the fierce Hound as his needle moves swiftly through the stitching. Distractedly, Sansa looks about a moment and then pulls up several chairs and bids the men to sit. Jon and Lord Stannis wait for her to be seated first, surprising both men when she takes her place on the bed next to Sandor. "Lord Stannis, how good of you to come and meet with us. Pray, forgive me for not being able to offer a more appropriate welcome. This is a most unexpected turn of events."

"It is a pleasure to meet Lord Eddard's eldest daughter under any circumstances." Jon glances between Sansa and Sandor and then Stannis, watching the battle hardened man sizing up the couple intently. Eyes narrowing, Stannis shifts as he addresses the Hound. "Sandor Clegane, I hoped to never see you again after Blackwater. We heard you were buried in the Saltpans some years back. What brings a man like you north of the Wall?"

Grunting, Sandor shakes his head before sneaking a glance at Sansa. "Thought I'd live away from the fighting, the noise and stench of city life, see how it suits." Sansa folds her hands and clears her throat, patiently waiting for the men to begin. "My lords, please, we are most eager to hear your words." Ever the proper lady, even when telling grown men to get to the point, Sandor chuckles, wincing as Sam continues his sewing.

Jon gestures toward Stannis with a frown. "Through a series of raven messages Arnolf Karstark counseled Lord Stannis to join forces with him to mount an attack against the Dreadfort which is the current seat of the new Warden of the North, Lord Roose Bolton." Gasping, Sansa visibly pales, turning to see Sandor's reaction. "Roose Bolten is now the Warden of the North?" She has heard it whispered that he still practices the "first night" tradition in addition to other unspeakable cruelties. It is unthinkable to her that such a man would ever hold the same title as her beloved father.

"Never mind him, Little bird. I'll cut that fucking bastard in half if he so much as shows his face here." Stannis nods, "My lady, we do not wish to upset you with the details; however some discussion is necessary so you will understand the plan we have formed." Swallowing hard, Sansa pulls her mouth into a tight smile, "Of course my lord. Please, do continue." Nodding sharply Stannis sighs. "I agreed to his proposal and planned my offensive to begin when Ramsay Bolton marched south to Moat Cailin."

Sansa watches Sandor raise his eyebrow and cast a shrewd look at Jon. "Unknown to Lord Stannis, Arnolf Karstark was working for House Bolton behind his back and trying to lure him into a trap. I, however, heard of the plan and without revealing the details invited Lord Stannis to Castle Black several months ago in hopes of persuading him not to go ahead with this course, as the Dreadfort is almost impenetrable even with the small garrison left defending it."

"Oh my, Lord Stannis, that is just horrible. The Boltons cannot be trusted." Sansa remarks, raising her hand to her throat as she remembers how her mother and others described the family.

"Lord Commander Snow advised me to go through the mountains and win the support of the clans first. Though he did not share his reasoning I approved and instead went west to take Deepwood Motte from the Ironborn first."

"Wise choice, those mountain clans are loyal to Eddard Stark even in death. They would take pride in having a king." Sandor remarks knowingly.

Jon nods soundly before replying, "Indeed."

"I won over several of their chiefs and who added an additional three thousand men in my army. We were able to retake Deepwood Motte and returned it to House Glover, a gesture that gained us the support and favor of the north."

"Yes I had heard of your conquests, my lord. Only the barest of details, really. I would not presume to understand your reasoning on such tactics," Sansa smiles politely. Jon grins at Sandor, both men knowing full well Sansa is merely pretending, playing to the man's preconceived ideas of a well-behaved highborn.

If she plays her role well, she may win Stannis' favor and hopefully put an end to his plans of marrying her off to one of his lords, Sandor thinks, proud of the shrewd woman his little bird has become.

Stannis looks somewhat pleased at her words. "Until then I received many rejections from my demands of fealty from the northern lords, although gaining the support of a portion of House Umber certainly helped my cause, as you may well imagine."

Sansa nods thoughtfully, though she is clearly puzzled to hear Stannis Baratheon readily offering such information. "My lord, your perseverance and determination are most admirable. If you will forgive my bluntness Lord Stannis, I can only dedeuce the purpose of sharing such details with me must also somehow involve the marriage alliance you proposed. May I ask what you see my part as being in assisting you?"

"Lady Sansa, this is the reason I intended to give Winterfell back to the Starks. My army marched on Winterfell and eventually joined up with the forces of Arnolf Karstark. Upon arriving I learned Asha and Theon Greyjoy had been executed. I have since been told it was Sandor Clegane who did the duty himself as well as eliminating that traitor Walder Frey. I had no proof, however, as there were no bodies to be found but your brother has since informed me Clegane had brought them to him here. With the eldest true-born daughter of Lord Eddard Stark installed in Winterfell, the support of the mountain clans and northern lords would be united in loyalty to your house and thus, by extension, to me."

"I see," Sansa sighs, trembling slightly at his words and the heavy implications her decision will mean for the stubborn lord. Undoubtedly Stannis will become king one day, which makes my position even more precarious with him. "You must think me an ungrateful and selfish girl, my lord, for rejecting your chosen suitor."

Sighing, Stannis looks at Jon. "Your brother has given me information in exchange for allowing your refusal to go unchallenged, Lady Sansa. I have no desire to burden you with the particulars. I will say in light of Lord Celtigar's actions tonight, the young man was a poor choice indeed and one I can no longer abide. My apologies to you and your house Lady Sansa. Rest assured I will see justice for you."

Rising to his feet, Stannis motions for his guards to follow. "The rest of this conversation would be better served if it only involved family, I believe. I will take my leave and bid you goodnight. We'll speak more of this on the morrow." At his words Stannis shakes Jon's hand and then exits the cabin as quickly as he arrived and Sansa lets out a long breath she did not realize she was holding at his departure.

Jon rises and follows Stannis outside, sending two of his men to attend the lord's needs in Castle Black. "Pod, Sam, you men head back to the castle as well. I wish to speak to Sansa and Clegane alone."

"Of course my lord," Pod bows to Jon and then to Sansa, who suddenly takes both of his hands in hers. "You took a great risk coming to our aid. Thank you ever so much my friends." Sandor grunts in agreement. "You did right by us, Payne. I owe you for that and you too, maester." Sam finishes his treatment of Sandor and smiles up at him. "You'll heal up just fine, Clegane. I'll leave some mineral salts for you here. Soak in them three times a day, it will speed the healing process and keep the wound clean." The young men steal one last smile at the couple before hastily moving outside.

Sandor rises and approaches Jon. "There's something we should discuss, Lord Commander. Today I asked your sister to be my wife and she has agreed. As her brother I would ask for your blessing." Grinning, Jon looks at Sansa, whose cheeks are ablaze, blushing clear down to her chest. "Do you wish to wed Sandor Clegane, sister? I must hear it from your own mouth, you know."

Taking Sandor's hand she smiles, the first genuine smile he has seen from his sister since his arrival. "Yes brother, I love him very deeply. He is the only man I wish to wed or would even consider as my husband, for that matter. Please say you will give us your blessing, dear brother."

Cocking his head at the couple, Jon struggles to keep up a tone of seriousness. "Well, this is very sudden. Let me think on it now." Sansa's countenance falls so suddenly that her brother loses the heart to tease her. "You have proven yourself loyal to my family and protected my sister most admirably. I appreciate that you cared enough to ask but I would not deny Sansa's wish to marry you. She is so clearly in love with you that all the men of the Night's Watch know it as do all the Free folk. Despite your rough exterior, Clegane, you too are quite taken with her as anyone can plainly see. Take your ease Sandor, you may wed Sansa with my blessing."

Clearing his throat, Sandor shifts uncomfortably on his feet before answering tersely, "I thank you Lord Commander. I love Sansa; in truth I have loved only her in my life. Be assured I'll do my best to be good to her." Jon can barely restrain his amusement, seeing the ferocious Hound nervously pledge his love for his sister in such an awkward fashion and for a moment he smiles, thinking of what Robb would have said about this development.

Turning to Sansa, Jon gently takes hold of her hands. "Sis, you know I believe you should wed whoever you wish. I'll gladly give you my blessing." Raising his eyebrows Jon asks, "Well, when do you wish to wed? I would not have you wait on my account."

Laughing happily, Sansa hugs her brother close, whispering, "I wish to marry on the morrow, brother, in front of the Heart tree at noon. Does that suit?" Jon smiles, nodding, "Tomorrow it is then."

"Please invite Pod and Sam, as well as Lord Stannis if you wish. We will invite the village tomorrow morning." Jon tweaks her chin. "Consider it done." Sandor uneasily steps closer, "My lord, I would ask what it is Lord Stannis has in mind for Sansa."

"Of course Clegane-or should I say, goodbrother?" Jon laughs, causing Sandor's face to twitch into a small grin. "I knew Stannis would never take no for an answer when it came to Sansa. His plan was the obvious choice and I have anticipated he would make such a move for months. So I held on to a very key piece of information as a bargaining tool for when the time presented itself. The reason I recommended Stannis gain the support of the mountain clans is due to intelligence I received about Arnolf Karstark from his niece Alys. According to her, he dealt treacherously with Stannis and in reality works for House Bolton. Arnolf tried to lure Stannis into attacking the Dreadfort and straight into a trap set by Ramsey."

"Gods be good," Sansa whispers, sinking into a nearby chair while Jon continues his story. "Stannis is mounting an assault as we speak and plans on taking Arnolf, his son Arthor and three grandsons captive for their treachery." Sandor clicks his teeth. "Captive? Not Stannis. He'll execute them for certain." Shaking his head, Jon comments, "Some men only understand violence, I've found."

"It's a horrible world, Lord Commander. Stannis knows how the game is played." Jon nods and then turns to Sansa. "In exchange for my warning, Stannis has agreed to allow you to leave off from forming any marriage alliance on his behalf. It is the least he can do, considering the value of what I have given him." Sighing, Jon rises, "Still, he would like to see you at Winterfell. I would hope he would consider allowing your return with Sandor as your husband."

Hope glimmers in Sansa's eyes at his words, though they also bring a derisive snort from Sandor. "Unlikely, Lord Commander, highly unlikely that, though I would wish it for the little bird and the rest of your people's sakes." Jon nods in agreement. "As do I, Clegane. Sansa, please try not to get your hopes up. We will learn more after your wedding and later after Stannis' attack."

Smiling, she reaches out and touches Jon's cheek affectionately. "You have already done more than I could have ever asked, Jon. You took a great risk holding on to that information-too great. I would not have asked you to do such for my sake. Sandor is all I want and having my family close to me. That is all I need to be happy, dear brother, and I thank you for all you have done for me-for us."

Jon kisses her hand and then turns to leave. "You deserve your happiness Sansa and I will always do my best to make sure you will have it. Besides this family could use more fighting men," he chides, slapping Sandor on the back as he whistles for Ghost.

Sandor gently leads Sansa back inside. "Now Sansa, I know you hope to return to Winterfell but when we wed that will no doubt put an end to Stannis' so-called goodwill. Are you ready for that?" he whispers, gently stroking her cheek, his eyes betraying the fear she will reject him in favor of returning home. Placing her hand over his, she presses it close to her face. "Yes my love, I am. As a matter of fact, I…" Sansa hesitates, her cheeks reddening. "You…what?" Sandor rasps, amused at her embarrassment. "I would like for us to pledge our troth now my love, and not wait until tomorrow." Tilting up her chin, Sandor stares into her eyes, searching her thoughts. "Are you certain? What happened to saying our vows under the Heart tree and having your brother there as witness?"

Sadly, she looks down, rubbing his hand against her cheek. "I…I am afraid Stannis may try to prevent it. The Old gods only require we say our vows, where we say them does not matter. We could still go through with a second ceremony in front of everyone tomorrow. What say you?"

Staring into her eyes, Sandor's heart begins racing with excitement; all he has ever wanted is about to become his. He would marry the little bird any time, any place. Sansa is looking into his eyes with such longing and affection, he knows full well he would not have the heart to deny her even if he did mind it. "Don't worry your head over Roose. I said it once and I'll say it again: I'll kill him if he so much as shows his ugly face north of the Wall, believe that." Grinning at her, Sandor pulls her close. "Little bird, let's do it. Let's say our vows right here, right now."