A/N: Disclaimers
- I don't gain anything by this. The characters & story are the brilliant work of GRRM. And the title of the fic is taken from Loreena McKennitt's, Dante's Prayer which is a huge inspiration for this story ;) and there will be times when her lyrics are used here.
*To the most wonderful Onborrowedwings, who has been a grand friend, a great support, a terrific beta, I bow down to you in gratitude for you help! :D
- The story though mainly book canon, can still apply for the HBO show (I don't anything from the tv show either).
- The story will contain dialogue from both the books and the show.
44. The Promise
Sansa woke up with a start, blinking rapidly, the sight the wolf was at this very moment beholding still vividly clear within her mind. She tried to sit upright at once, fear already clutching at her heart at the approaching danger, but was unable to do so since a heavy bulk was looming above her, pinning her to the bedroll beneath her.
She recognized Sandor immediately, but was strangely enough too breathless and flushed from having run through the woods as Shaggydog just mere moments before to do much but stay still for a heartbeat in an attempt to gather her thoughts, with goose bumps and a tingling rush of emotions coursing through her.
But it was no good to try and gather herself, for Sandor was kissing her neck, his hands roaming all over her body as he moved above her, parting her legs with his knee. Sansa could already feel his hard need against her thigh.
No, Sansa thought at once, realizing that what her brother's direwolf had just seen could really not be discarded. She loved whenever her big man woke her up like this, but right now they had to hurry.
"Stop," she said at last, trying to sit up again.
"Little bird," Sandor rasped, leaving her neck and claiming her mouth, not even hearing her words.
Sansa placed her hands on his chest, pushing him aside, wriggling underneath him, as she exclaimed, "Sandor, stop. What are you doing?"
Sandor's black shoulder length hair obscured half of his face as he drew back, looking down at her with an amused frown. "What does it look like I'm sodding doing? Rickon and Osha went away to hunt. I thought we may as well make good use of the bedroll and the cabin while they are gone."
Sansa's eyes grew wide at that. She quickly turned her head around to look around her, noticing that they were indeed alone. She gulped with fear before Sandor's hand started to slide up her thigh, his scarred lips already tracing kisses on the line of her jaw.
Elbowing him away with all the strength she could muster, Sansa said firmly, "Sandor let me go!"
Sandor moved away, scowling at her as she finally sat up and grabbed her shoes, which she had left beside her bedroll last night.
"Bleeding hells, what the fuck has gotten into you, Sansa?" her husband asked her in a hurt exasperated tone.
She looked at him at that, meting his gaze before explaining with a voice she could not manage to keep composed and calm, "Sandor, we have to go for Rickon and Osha. They are not safe out there! I saw- I mean, there are men close by."
"What?" he asked at once, sitting up as well, his grey eyes growing as big as saucers.
"I think there are riders approaching," she told him, hoping he would not ask her how she knew this when she herself had trouble coming up with possibilities as to what being able to see through a direwolf's eyes could mean I just know that there are riders nearby and that they have seen Shaggy by now.
"What are you talking about, Sansa?" Sandor said, standing up with her.
Shaking her head she shrugged, already heading towards the cottage's door. "I- I dreamed that there were riders looking for something through the woods. Looking for us, I believe. But I don't know if they are friends or foes."
Sansa had woken up before she could be certain if the smells Shaggydog had recognized were of Hagen Edar and Lord Seaworth, but even so, they could not risk letting their guard down until they had met them and talked to them first. Maybe they are our friends looking for us, but they could have been forced to become turn cloaks under threat to their lives. Sansa shivered, for that possibility would be too painful to bear.
Sandor called her name twice, but Sansa was too preoccupied with the possibility of strangers finding her brother or hurting his wolf to care to stop. She was almost at the edge of the grove of trees the cottage was located at when her big man caught up with her and grabbed her by the elbow, yanking her around so that she could face him. With a strong grip, Sandor held on to her as she struggled feebly, and grabbed her chin firmly, lifting her face up so that he could look at her as he snarled, "Little bird, look at me. What the fuck is going on? You wake up looking as if you had just seen a bloody ghost and won't tell me anything except that some riders are looking for us. But you said you dreamed this. How do you know that it isn't anything more to it than that, bird?"
"Sandor please, it wasn't only a dream," she pleaded.
"But how do you know it-" he began to protest, before Sansa interrupted him.
"I don't know how, I just- I just do, darling," she said. "And even if it was a dream, I will not rest easy until we've found Rickon and Shaggy and Osha. Help me find them please."
For a moment Sansa feared that Sandor would say she was going mad. His grey eyes bore into hers, but her big man must have seen something in her face as he looked down at her that made him change his mind. He released her slowly, giving her a curt nod, and rasped, "Very well. Let me just go fetch my sword."
He turned around and quickly strode across the clearing, entering the deserted crofter's small house. Sansa closed her eyes, taking in small even breaths. She wasn't sure what was happening with her. She had not dreamed she was her brother's direwolf since the night before Rickon found her at Ragman's Harbour back in Braavos many weeks ago. She had meant to ask Rickon if he also dreamed he was Shaggydog at times, and had gone so far as to consider talking to Osha about this, but after she told her brother about what had happened to their lady mother and to Robb, these rare and strange dreams had been forgotten.
The sudden sound of leaves and twigs breaking disturbed the silence that had settled upon the groove, making Sansa give a start and whirl around, holding her breath. She sighed in relief when she saw that it was the wildling woman and Rickon who had made the noise. Osha had her little brother by the hand as the two of them swiftly made their way towards her.
Sansa ran to meet up with them, going to her knees so she could give Rickon a hug, thanking the Old Gods and the New for keeping him safe.
"Sansa, there are men coming," Rickon told her, unfortunately confirming her suspicions. "I and Osha saw them right after we hid behind some rocks. Shaggy saw them too and went to fight them before I could stop him."
"How many?" Sandor rasped, making Sansa turn around to look at him, still clutching her brother to her. His longsword was in his hand, Sansa saw, and he was also wearing his chainmail.
"I counted six, m'lord," Osha replied, changing the spear she had made for herself in the last couple of days from her right hand to the left one.
"Were Hagen or Lord Davos among them?" Sansa asked.
The wildling woman shrugged. "Didn't get a chance to see. Thought it best to hide till they passed us by and came here at once. If they are Hagen and Lord Seaworth then they will be here soon enough. The last we saw of the wolf was him running off to meet them. He will lead them here just as we expected and planned back on the ship."
"He could end up leading them here if Shaggy doesn't try to kill them or their horses," Sandor observed, offering Sansa his hand so she could stand up. "If there are really only six of them Osha and I may not have much trouble finishing the buggers off if it comes to it."
Sansa saw the strange way Sandor was regarding her as he spoke. She knew he was wondering how was it possible that her dream could turn out to be true. She almost looked away at that thought in embarrassment, fearing what Sandor would think of her if he knew, but ended up shaking that notion away, remembering that there were more pressing matters presently.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked him, stepping closer to him. "Surely you aren't thinking of going away searching for them and leaving me and Rickon here alone, are you? What if the riders come this way before you even find them?"
Sandor's mouth began to twitch and as he nodded at Osha and the wildling woman led Rickon by the hand towards the cottage, her big man raised a hand to her face so he could tuck behind her ear a loose lock of hair, and growled, "You remember how to use the dagger?"
"Yes," she answered, with a nod. "But dearest, I don't think that-"
"Little bird," Sandor interrupted, kissing the top of her head as he drew her close to him with his arm, hugging her even as he rubbed her back. "I won't let them come near you if I can help it."
Sansa looked up at her husband's burned face, and gave him a poor attempt at a smile and a nod, willing herself to be strong for Rickon. Sandor cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her quickly before they went back to the cottage, hand in hand.
When they stepped inside and Osha muttered that she was ready, Rickon ran to Sansa's side, hugging her leg as he said, "Sansa, don't let them go! Don't go away."
Sandor squeezed her hand at that as some sort of silent reassurance. Sansa opened her mouth, meaning to tell little Rickon that he was not going to be left alone, but never got an opportunity to say the words, for in that moment the loud sound of hooves was heard nearby.
Seven bloody fucking hells! Sandor met his little bird's eyes and saw fear in their blue depths as they heard the sound of the approaching riders getting louder. Three pairs of eyes were fixed on him as he rasped a curse under his breath and muttered, "Don't talk," to Osha, Rickon and Sansa.
He made his way over to the window by the door as silently as he could, flexing his sword hand, ready to make the steel in his hand sing if the fuckers were looking for trouble. How in seven hells could the little bird have known that they were coming? Sandor wanted to know, as he quickly glanced at the sight outside the cabin.
A small party of riders where halting in the middle of the grove of trees outside, led into it by none other than Shaggydog himself. Sansa had been right. There were six riders, but not all of them were men. There were also two women, and elderly knight, as well as a boy who Sandor supposed was the knight's squire. But there, at the front of the small party just behind the direwolf, were Hagen Edar and the bloody Onion Knight.
About fucking time they got here, Sandor thought, as he rasped, "It's Hagen and the Onion along with two men and two women," Sandor informed the others, watching as Shaggydog took one last look at the riders before he walked over towards the cabin.
The direwolf stepped inside and silently made his way towards Rickon. The boy threw his arms around the beast's neck, as Edar called loudly from outside, "Byan? Jeyne? Osha? My friends, are you in there?"
"We bring good tidings," Seaworth's voice said a moment later. "And friends who are willing to stand up for our cause."
Sandor and Sansa locked gazes, and when the little bird nodded, Sandor knew the time had come to meet them. I fucking hope that Davos is speaking the truth, or else… Sandor had liked the smuggler well enough, but he would not hesitate to kill him if the bugger was returning to them as a turn cloak.
"Don't come outside," he instructed the others in a rough whisper, as he strode over to the doorway. But before he had even taken four steps, the little bird rushed to his side, grabbing him by the arm.
Sandor arched an eyebrow at her, snarling, "What the hell do you think you're doing, bird?"
Sansa met his gaze unflinchingly. Her face was dirty, and there was a scratch on her cheek, but to Sandor she was just as beautiful as ever when she replied, "You really don't think I am going to let you go out there alone, do you? Sandor, we are in this together. We always have. I know you wanted me to stay here hidden, but that can't be helped now that they have found us. Whatever waits outside this house, I am not going to let you face it alone."
"Sansa, don't you realize-" Sandor started to tell his little bird, before bloody Edar interrupted him as he shouted from outside, "Oh come on, you fools. You can trust us."
Sandor cursed out loud, thinking fast. He wasn't keen on letting Sansa or Rickon be seen until he made certain of how matters stood outside, but he also knew that determined expression in the little bird's face well enough by now to know that Sansa was going to follow him if he told her to stay inside.
"Let's go then," he said gruffly, jerking his head in the doorway's direction.
His bird smiled up at him and placed her hand on his arm, following him as they made their way out of the cabin. Quickly registering the sight before him with wary eyes, Sandor noticed that Hagen Edar had his bow and quiver full of arrows attached at his back, and Davos had a sword on him again. The two women appeared to be unarmed, but the boy and the old knight weren't. The former had two daggers on him and the man had a longsword inside his scabbard. I can finish them all if it comes to it.
"Ah, Lord Sandor!" Hagen Edar exclaimed smiling, as he dismounted from his horse before bowing in Sandor's direction, handing the reins of his horse to Davos. Sandor scowled at that, remembering the morning aboard The King of the Seas when the mad Lorathi had told him he supposed he ought to start calling him Lord in order to make Sandor get used to his new position as Sansa's husband.
"And my Lady Sansa too, at long last! Blessed be this morning!"
"Edar," Sandor acknowledged as he scowled at the man, conscious already of the stares the strangers were giving him and the little bird as they stood outside the cabin, Sansa's hand on his arm.
"Hagen," Sansa said, smiling, even as Sandor pulled her behind him in caution. "It is so good to see you again. And you as well Lord Seaworth. I hope everything is well with you?"
"It is," Sandor remarked, unable to hold back a laugh. "Else he wouldn't be here right now with his head still attached to his shoulders."
Sansa almost chuckled at his words, but settled with squeezing his forearm. Seaworth laughed at Sandor's words, saying, "Your husband is right, Lady Stark, thank the Seven. But to the world I must still be a dead man for some days."
As the Onion dismounted, Hagen Edar went to one knee before the little bird, exclaiming, "I trust I find you in good spirits, my lady? Your sworn arrow has returned to your side as promised."
Still smiling, Sansa nodded, saying softly as she regarded the strangers with an expression that revealed nothing, and which Sandor had seen often enough in King's Landing, "Please rise, Edar. I have missed my gallant protector these past few days."
"I thank you, my lady. You and Lord Clegane have been missed as well," the Lorathi replied, standing up. "I bring you good news which I know you will want to hear at once."
"Indeed, but won't you first introduce my husband and me to our new allies?" the bird chirped. Sandor held back a snort, had never seen a sorrier lot of allies. A boy, an old man and two women. Sisters by the look of them. Sandor would have snorted at that had he not been mindful of what was expected of him as the bird's bloody husband.
"Yes of course," Hagen said, pointing at each of the strangers in turn. "The gracious lady with the grey coat is Wynafryd Manderly, and the young lady beside her is Wylla, her sister. They are Lord Wyman's granddaughters, heirs to White Harbour after their father, as I am sure you already knew.
The charming wise knight beside them is Ser Marlon Manderly, cousin to Lord Manderly, as well as commander of White Harbour's remaining garrison. And the lad at the back is Wex from Pyke. He was Theon Greyjoy's squire I am told, and the one who followed Rickon and Osha after they left Winterfell.
My ladies, ser, Wex, it is my honour to present to you my liege lady Sansa Stark and her husband, Lord Sandor Clegane."
As Edar said each of the Manderlys' names in turn, they all bowed their heads in respect at Sansa, but when Hagen said his name, the shy smiles were swiped off their faces in the blink of an eye as they stared at him uncertainly, shifting in their saddles, clearly uncomfortable with the confirmation that Ned Stark's daughter had married The Hound.
Sandor knew what they were all thinking. It was the same hard look The Onion had in his eyes when he questioned Sandor about Sansa's honour back in Braavos. It was a small comfort to know that when the matter was brought into question, both he and his little bird would be able to defend their actions when their affair during the months they had spent in Essos was brought to the table by the people of the North. And by Stannis rigid Baratheon.
After Sansa had exchanged some empty courtesies with the Manderlys, while Sandor just looked at them all with his usual brooding scowl, Hagen stretched his arms behind his head, remarking, "At last we have found you, and thank the gods for that! We've been looking for you for four days now. If it wasn't for Shaggy we would have already ridden off in a different direction.
It is unbelievable to me how we got lost in these northern woods when I used to know the Hills of Norvos like the palm of my hand! Well, at least until your bloody horse almost killed me, remember? Oh and before I forget, Stranger is doing well, my lord. As is Nan. We thought it best to leave them in the city. The poor beasts have suffered enough. But as I was saying, finding you was harder than we thought it would be. Once under the trees, the stony ground and fallen leaves made any trail you may have left hard to see or find."
Sandor almost snorted as the sodding Lorathi went on talking, realizing that he had almost missed Edar's endless blabbering, before the oldest of the Manderly sisters interrupted Hagen by saying, "My lord, we have found two members of the party you promised us would be here, but where may I ask are the others? Where is the boy?"
"Since the direwolf went inside the cottage," Edar replied airily. "I suppose that Rickon must be there, with Osha."
Glancing back at the cabin, Sandor saw that Osha, Rickon and Shaggydog were all huddled close together inside the farthest corner of the house, waiting for some signal from him. When he nodded, Osha muttered what Sandor supposed was a buggering prayer to her tree gods, before the wildling woman bent over to whisper something in young Rickon's ear.
"Osha, I know you can hear me," Hagen said loudly, bouncing on the heel of his boots. "It's Hagen! Why won't you come outside and greet me, my friend? Are you all right?"
"I'm well enough, smiley archer," Osha replied, appearing at the doorway. Sandor saw the dagger she had hidden behind her back in the folds of her old woolen shift. "How are you?"
"I am well enough as well," Sansa's sworn arrow replied, beaming at the wildling. "In fact, I more than well now that I am reunited with you all! I have much to tell you about my first taste of life in the North! It was rather boring at times because dear Davos here isn't the liveliest of companions, but White Harbour is a city that I think-"
"What you think will have to wait I am afraid," Davos interrupted quickly. "Our business here has yet to begin, Hagen, and it is not wise to lose more time."
When the Manderly sisters began to dismount, the old knight quickly tried to do the same so he could help one of them, while the mute iron born went to offer the other sister his hand for support.
"You have met my husband already. I gather that now you want to see my brother," Sansa told the Manderly party, looking at each stranger in turn to register their reactions. Taking a deep sigh, Sansa called, "Osha, could you tell Rickon to please come outside."
"Go on, little lord," Sandor heard the wildling mutter, before she gave the boy a light push forward.
Rickon stepped outside the small house with a frown, looking defiantly at the strangers as he walked over to Sandor. The Manderly party gasped as they caught sight of Shaggydog following at his masters heels, all of them taking a step back in fear.
"I told you already," Hagen said, rolling his eyes at them. "Don't fear the direwolf so much. If he wanted to rip your throats off, he would have done so the moment he came upon us back at the hill."
"The beast looks bigger when one is not riding a horse," Ser Manderly explained, pushing one of the sisters behind him, warily.
Seaworth coughed, trying to explain further Edar's lack of caution, "Shaggydog has been trained to behave almost as thoroughly as Clegane's warhorse has. He attacks those he knows mean to cause his master harm."
Sandor snorted and looked down at Rickon with a slightly amused frown as the boy asked him in a low voice, "Sandor, are they bad people?"
"No, they won't hurt you," Sandor promised his liege lord, stopping himself just in time as he began to raise his hand to ruffle the boy's hair.
Rickon nodded uncertainly and walked over to stand beside Sansa, grabbing her hand. The little bird smiled at Sandor before turning to wink down at her brother and gaze back at the others. Shaggydog went to prowl around the edges of the clearing, making the horses neigh nervously whenever he got too close to them.
"Wex?" one of the Manderly woman said, turning to look at the mute boy once a long silent moment had passed in which everyone in the clearing looked at the others in turn. Sandor could not fail to notice the way the Manderly party gazed at Rickon, wondering if this truly was Eddard Stark's son.
"Could you please step forward please and tell us what you think?" the woman continued.
The Ironborn mute did as he was told, all the while looking intently at Rickon, Shaggydog and Osha for a heartbeat before he began to nod enthusiastically. The sister who had called to him seemed satisfied with that and nodded, looking over at the little bird and her brother with a wide happy smile appearing on her face. The suspicion in the old knight's face slowly faded away as well. There was not a sound in the grove of trees for a couple of heartbeats after that. But then, suddenly, the youngest of the Manderly woman stepped forward, walking towards Rickon and Sansa with a warm smiled. Sandor was surprised to see that there were tears in her eyes.
"By the Old and New Gods," the young woman said in a high hoarse voice, as she went on one knee before the bird and her brother. "It really is you!"
Sansa and Rickon were looking down at the Manderly woman with the same surprised expression on their faces. The woman went on crying as she bowed down her head in respect before saying, "I am Wylla Manderly, an envoy from my house and an ally, speaking with my grandfather's voice, Lord Wyman Manderly, when I say to you both that House Manderly pledges its allegiance to you and your house, Lord and Lady Stark."
"My allies?" young Rickon repeated, turning towards her sister for confirmation.
The little bird nodded, and Sandor closed his eyes, knowing what that gesture meant. This was the point of no return. The world knows about us. The life they had known where they answered to no one but themselves had definately come to an end now. There was no going back. Their involvement in the bloody game of thrones had begun, with what outcome, only time would tell.
When Sandor opened his eyes again, he saw that both Manderly sisters, as well as the old knight and even the mute boy had gone on one knee before Rickon, swearing their lives and fealty to him.
Sansa's tummy was all aflutter. She stared at the Manderlys and Theon's former squire before her with what she hoped looked like a composed expression, but inside her heart was beating madly in her chest, and her mind was starting to hurt. She could barely believe this was truly happening at last. Sansa was glad to see that Hagen and Lord Davos were safe and sound, and had finally found them, but Sansa knew she could not show her true emotions or her relief.
If there was something Sansa had learned from her time in King's Landing and from her experience with Arman Nervere, it was how to live through a dangerous time as she hid how she truly felt. Maybe I did not fool everybody, but at least I survived Joffrey where others failed.
I hope we can really trust them, Sansa thought, staring at the newcomers as they entered the deserted crofter's cottage, silently praying to the gods that these people were true and good. She was standing on one side of the old table that was the only furniture the cabin possessed, with her head held high and her shoulders thrown back, glad that the Manderlys seemed to have accepted the truth; that Rickon and she were truly Starks despite their disheveled appearances.
Her little brother was standing beside her, regarding everything that was happening in silence, not yet quite daring to trust these people that called themselves their allies. When Wylla Manderly had pledged herself and her house to Rickon and his sister, Sansa had been moved, but words were wind. It was not only her little brother who would need more than that before she came to trusting them.
It is not just Rickon and I; Osha and Sandor also do not like entrusting themselves to strangers, but there is little we can do about it. She had known this would happen, but actually living it in this moment was bringing all of Sansa's worries and hesitations to the surface.
Osha was clutching her spear as she stood behind Rickon, and Shaggydog was sitting on his hind legs at a corner of the cottage, with his ears pricked as he gazed at them all. The Manderly party kept shooting furtive glances at the wolf, but Shaggy didn't seem to mind. When Ser Marlon stepped inside the small house and went to stand behind the Manderly sisters, Sansa looked quickly at Sandor. Her big man was standing to her right, on the place that was expected to be claimed by her lord and husband, glaring his at their new allies in silence. The Manderlys had been looking at her and Sandor with uncertainty, and Sansa knew that the manner in which they were trying to convey to her that they could not believe she had married Sandor Clegane. Or at least not willingly. That made Sansa sad.
She turned around to look up at her husband. He looks just as intimidating as he did back in King's Landing as he guarded Joff, Sansa thought, amazed at the deep contrast between the man from that time to the man she had come to love, determined to make it clear to the world, starting with this party before her, that she was not going to tolerate people addressing or treating Sandor as anything but her husband. At least not in my sight or my hearing.
Wex, the ironborn mute boy with the feral face, dark hair, pointed chin, whom Sansa gathered was just a couple of years older than her, was still outside in the clearing taking care of the horses, when Davos and Hagen stepped inside the cabin. Sansa exchanged a glance with both men before taking a deep breath and saying, "I trust that Lord Seaworth and Hagen Edar have informed you of what has happened to me and my brother during the months the world believed us to be dead?"
Her throat felt tight and dry as she spoke. She was not sure if she should address the sisters or the elderly knight, but it was the oldest sister, Wynafryd, that answered her.
"Yes, Lady Sansa, they have," she said.
Wynafryd Manderly, daughter to Ser Wyman Manderly's eldest and only living son, was a maid of nine and ten, with long brown hair bound in braids and a composed and serene air to her movements. She and her sister were wearing simple yet warm woolen hunting clothes.
"We were sorry to have heard all the doom and sorrow that has befallen you and Lord Rickon," Wynafryd continued.
It was not all doom and sorrow, Sansa thought, trying to hide a smile as she brushed her hand casually with Sandor's, her fingertips lingering there for a moment before she said, "We thank you for that."
"Your family did not deserve what happened to them either, my lady," Wylla Manderly said in a thin high voice. "Grandfather and Robett Glover have been doing everything they can to make sure the Starks are avenged. And now that we have found you and Lord Rickon, it is only a matter of time once we receive news of what has happened in Winterfell before we join Stannis' cause and defeat our enemies."
Wylla had dyed her longhair a garnish green, though she left her eyebrows a pale blonde. It was strange to think that Wylla was older than her and yet Sansa was already married, and had lived through so much that at times she felt like she was a hundred years old worth of experiences, both good and bad, so unlike the young woman before her.
With a shake of her head so she could gather her thoughts, Sansa opened her mouth to inquire about the latest news they had received concerning Winterfell, when Rickon said suddenly, "The Freys killed mother and Robb, Sansa told me. They all have to pay. Even Little and Big Walder. They're bad."
Everyone in the room turned their attention to Rickon at those words. Something about the way he had said that chilled Sansa to the bone. She stared at Rickon in complete surprise, but everyone seemed pleased enough by what her brother had said, without feeling unease. Even the Manderlys were looking at Rickon with something Sansa could only gather was pride.
She looked at Sandor, and was relieved to see that at least he didn't seem as pleased as the others with the eagerness Rickon had displayed as he spoke of revenge. She could tell by the way his lip curled upwards as he grimaced.
"They will, my lord," Ser Marlon said solemnly. "In time they will suffer for this. Every one of them. Already we have received reports of Freys being hanged by outlaws down in the Riverlands."
Marlon Manderly was taller than Lord Davos, and three stones heavier, with slate-grey eyes and a beard as grey as the winter sea. He was clad in silver armour, with his greaves and gauntlets inlaid with niello, resembling flowing fronds of seaweed. His cloak made of blue-green wool.
"And not only them," the knight went on. "But the Ironborn and the Lannisters and Roose Bolton, along with that mad cruel monster he fathered. There has never been any love lost between White Harbour and the Dreadfort, but now that Roose's bastard runs free, and is married to your sister the Lady Arya, he has only gained himself more enemies; enemies that will not forget every single one of his crimes when the time comes to punish him."
"My brother Jon is a bastard," Rickon pointed out. "He is good. He can help us."
"Do you have news of Jon Snow?" Sandor asked. "He was made Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, was he not?"
"He was," Davos answered, taking a step forward. "He has also been criticized for aiding King Stannis, and for some of his decisions as Lord Commander, but we will talk of Jon Snow in a moment. First there are many other matters we must discuss. Much has changed since I was last here in Westeros."
Sansa could not have agreed more. She felt ready for any tidings she was about to hear, knowing that they could not be worse than the ones Lord Davos had told her back in Braavos concerning her mother and Robb, but Sansa did not expect the sudden words that came out of Wylla Manderly's mouth.
"We met you when you were little, my lady," Wylla said with a smile. "When you came to visit White Harbour with your brother and sister."
"Oh of course," Sansa replied, embarrassed that she had no recollection of meeting the sisters. "I must have seen you at the Merman's Court, but I- we did not talk much did we? I would remember."
Wynafryd nodded, chuckling. "No, we could not talk because your sister Arya kept tugging at your hair even when you had stomped your feet and ordered her to leave you alone. You two got into a fight and were sent by your father the chambers we'd given you as punishment. I was about twelve years old if I remember correctly. Neither Wylla nor I saw much of you after the first introduction. That was one of the reasons why we had to bring Wex with us. We needed a reliable source to make certain you and Lord Rickon were truly Lord Eddard's children. You were no longer going to be that little six year old girl, and if Grandfather was really going to risk thwarting Roose Bolton, we needed not only you and Lord Rickon, but the direwolf, for when the Dreadfort declares you both impostors, the wolf will prove to the north that you both are who we tell them you are."
"I understand," Sansa assured them. They were as hesitant to trust me as I was of trusting them. Knowing that she was still a little bewildered by everything that had happened since she had woken up from her strange dream, Sansa decided that the best course of action for her at present was to remain silent and listen to everything the Manderlys had to say, asking pertinent questions from time to time, creating her own judgment until the time when she could think things through clearly and discuss everything with Sandor.
"But we also knew," Wylla explained, "That Stannis Baratheon- or well, King Stannis as I suppose we must start calling him now that Lord Davos has met Grandfather's price- would never make common cause with an imposter. So when we met with Lord Davos and he assured us that he had truly found you and Lord Rickon, we knew that we could have hope that the Starks of Winterfell would once again rule the North. Your presence will change everything."
"We are not aware if King Stannis has finally descended upon Winterfell," Davos informed Sansa. "The last reports we received were that his grace was isolated and delayed by snow as he made his way through the Wolfswood."
"And even if he had," Ser Marlon pointed out, "We have no way of knowing if Stannis has already put everyone to the sword or given them to the fire.
"We can only wait. But we have not sat idly, my lady," Wynafryd continued. "White Harbour has luckily been spared the worst of winter and the war, and we have tried our best to keep as lively a household as we can manage."
"The smallfolk that lived near the White Knife are making their way to White Harbour daily," Wylla said. "They come seeking shelter from what Ramsay Snow's men are doing to the countryside. Grandfather told us to do for them as much we could, so Wylla and I visit the Old Flint daily- that's where they are living now- and we give them as much food and clothes as we can spare, but it is not enough. Many beg or steal or worse, but all the young men are being accepted at the barracks at least, being trained to fight."
"You talk as if you two were the only ones doing something in the city," Sandor remarked. "What is your father doing? Did he go to Winterfell with Lord Manderly?"
"Oh no," Wynafryd replied, meeting Sandor's eyes for a moment before turning to look at Sansa. "Father and Mother and Maester Theomore thankfully went away about a week before Lord Davos and Hagen Edar arrived at the city."
"Why thankfully?" Osha enquired, speaking for the first time and drawing curious glances from the three Manderlys.
"Because I doubt Mother would have approved of her daughters granting a Lorathi merchant with a private audience," Wynafryd answered after a moment. "And had Maester Theomore learned the truth, or seen Lord Davos, your plan would have been doomed. Even with Mother, we would have risked too much. She fears the Lannisters even now after they returned Father to us."
Sansa nodded, recalling what Davos had told her and Sandor back in Braavos about Lady Leona. He said Lord Wyman considers her a foolish frightened woman. Sansa could not find it in her to blame her. Were someone to take Sandor away from me and keep him hostage like they did with Wylis Manderly, I would be more than frightened.
"Our maester was born a Lannister, and Grandfather does not trust him," Wylla explained. "When Father was returned to us, he was weak and sick. Mother suggested taking him to rest and recover his strength to our keep near the Sheepshead Hills. Maester Theomore went with them to look after Father."
Sandor wished to learn more about the current state of the port city, so the Manderly sisters informed them that women outnumbered the men by five to one in White Harbour, and what few men remained had long grey beards or looked too young to shave. There were septons as well, and holy sisters, for which Sansa was glad, since it meant that if someone was to question her marriage to Sandor, a quick wedding ceremony could be conducted easily enough.
When Sandor asked how Edar and Davos had managed to meet with the Manderly ladies, Sansa's worn arrow answered, "After The King of the Seas anchored, I played the part of the rich merchant I once was, while Davos pretended to be my servant. We booked some rooms at the winesink The Lazy Eel since Davos said that most locals shunned the place, along with the city's guardsmen and the customs officers. There were no more Freys in the city, and because our dear Davos has a common face, there was no great risk of him being recognized.
The day after we arrived at the city I went to seek a private audience with Lady Wylla. Now, I'm sorry Lord Clegane, but after I heard how much she loved horses and riding, the idea struck me that the only decent passable excuse for me to be allowed to talk to her was if I pretended to be offer Stranger to her."
Sansa gasped and looked at Sandor quickly upon hearing those words, afraid for the way her big man would react at that. Sandor stared silently at Edar without blinking, with his burned features twisting in anger.
The sight must have scared the sisters for Wylla Manderly quickly intervened, by saying to Sandor, "Yes, but I did not buy the warhorse. It is a beautiful destrier but of course it already has its owner. Ser Marlon told me that Stranger was so wild he would break my neck the first time I rode him, and only agreed to play along with the purchase when he had learned what Hagen Edar's true intent was. But rest assured that your horse is waiting for you in White Harbour. As is that sweet mare of yours, Lady Sansa. Nan is the sweetest horse I have ever seen, and has taken to the castle's stables very well. I trust you know she will give birth to a foal soon."
Sansa smiled at Wylla, in part because she was pleased to hear about Nan and Stranger, but mostly due to the way Wylla had talked to Sandor, with no trace of contempt in her voice as the Manderly girl looked at Sandor's burned face without flinching in disgust or fright.
Sandor narrowed his eyes at Hagen, and barked hoarsely, "All right then. Go on."
Edar sighed in relief, smiling as he thanked Wylla before continuing. "Well, it's just as Lady Wylla said. At first I pretended that I was looking for a buyer for Stranger, but when we were finally left alone- well, not alone. Lady Wynafryd was always with us- but yes, when we were left alone I finally told the ladies who I really was and what my true business was with them. By then I had already made out as much of their characters as I was ever likely going to under the circumstances, and well, there came a point where I had to risk it and told them that Davos was back and wished to speak with them."
Wynafryd nodded. "We were very surprised at first, but thought it best to meet with Lord Seaworth that very night, knowing what he was going to tell us. That is when we learned about your whereabouts."
Her sister sniffed, looking at Rickon and Sansa with a warm smile on her face. "I wanted to come looking for you straight away, but Ser Marlon and Wyn told me we had to plan this out carefully."
"We brought Ser Marlon with us for protection," Wylla's older sister continued, "If Grandfather had entrusted him not only with White Harbour but with the truth about his secret plan with Lord Seaworth before he went to Winterfell, Wylla and I knew we could do the same."
"But Ser Marlon also came because he threatened us with sending a raven to Father about what we were really intending to do if we did not let him come with us," Wylla reminded her sister.
"I need to keep an eye on you both, girls," Ser Marlon said with a scowl, looking at the siblings through arrowed eyes. "I would not have forgiven myself had Seaworth and Edar turned out to be liars, and any harm came to you."
Sansa looked at her hands in that moment, trying to hide her smile as she wondered exactly just how much help the elderly stout knight could be if required of him.
"And now that you have seen that they were not lying," Sansa said at last carefully, looking at each of the Manderlys in turn, weighing them even as she felt her heart beat a little faster inside her chest, "What do you intend to do?"
"Our duty of course," Wylla said at once, without hesitation. "Stannis offers us vengeance for our murdered king, so we will join him. The Lannisters and the Freys and the Boltons will pay. They have been spreading vile scum, saying the Red Wedding was King Robb's fault. They said he changed into a beast before them, along with his bannermen, and started killing everyone, even my uncle Wendel. Well, they can all choke upon their fables until they die and good riddance! House Manderly has not forgotten."
Sansa could not help but shiver when she heard that. The Freys were saying that Robb had the mark of the beast because he was a warg. The dream she'd had this morning of being in Shaggydog' skin came to Sansa's mind vividly then, making her gulp.
"Forgotten what?" Rickon asked enthusiastically beside Sansa, thankfully oblivious to her inner struggle as he brought everyone's attention to himself.
"The promise, my lord," Wylla answered, smiling at Rickon. "The debt that White Harbour owes to the Starks of Winterfell, and which we will never truly be able to fully repay."
"What was the promise about?" Rickon wanted to know.
"You see, my lord, a thousand years before the Conquest," Wylla Manderly answered. "A promise was made, and oaths were sworn in the Wolf's Den before the old gods and the new. When my forbears were sore beset and friendless, hounded from their homes and in peril of their lives, the wolves took them in and nourished them and protected them against their enemies. White Harbour is built upon the land your own ancestors gave mine. In return my family swore that they would always be Stark men."
"The Boltons and the Freys and the Lannisters killed Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn and our good brave King Robb," Wynafryd continued. "But House Stark has not been extinguished, and if what Lord Seaworth speaks is true, then with the help of King Stannis we will at long last get justice for our losses. The mummer's farce our grandfather has been playing is nearly done."
Sansa reached out to hold Sandor's hand. Her big man squeezed her hand in reassurance. It was odd, but rather than feel scared or daunted in those moment, Sansa found herself more determined than she had felt in a long time. Her love for Sandor had been the only certain thing in her life so far, but now, as Sansa learned how matters truly stood before her and her husband and her brother as she was reminded of the promise- she really felt for the first time certain and capable of carrying out the task that had been set upon her shoulders.
A/N: I would like to thank you all for reading this story, and for all the encouragement and nice reviews I've received. Overwhelmed by your constant support my lovely friends and readers. Thank you, thank you! x)