« Open the gates ! »
Stannis hastily puts clothes on and goes downstairs, walks out of the castle and stops in his tracks when he sees who's riding ahead of him. On a tall black horse, Jon Snow, who looks both younger and older than he ever did. Next to him, Melisandre, with her arrogant half smile. And, a bit backwards, Brienne of Tarth, riding by a young girl looking terrified.
Sansa. She found her. She kept her promise and the Kingslayer too.
"Where is Arya?" Stannis asks.
Brienne shakes her head slowly:
"I never found her. I have no idea where she could be."
Stannis nodded slowly and turned to the young Stark.
"Lady Sansa. I'm glad you're safe", he said and the girl nodded. She looked lost, in her own home. He looked around:
"I am sorry that the castle doesn't look anymore like the one you used to know. My men are building him up again. But it will take time."
She slightly smiles and gets down from her horse. She bows in front of Stannis:
"Thank you for freeing Winterfell, your Grace."
He nods and orders his men to take her back inside and to give her anything she would ask for. Jon, without a word, follows Sansa. Stannis watches them leave and turns to Brienne:
"Tell me."
He doesn't even look at Melisandre. He and Brienne leave to the castle. They sit down around a glass of water and Brienne starts speaking:
"Lady Stark freed Jai… the Kingslayer in exchange with the promise he would help me getting the girls back. He would stay in King's Landing, and I would come back with them. He was, he was an awful companion and… he provoked me so we fought against each other. This is when the Boltons found us. They…"
She grabs her glass and drinks lengthily.
"They almost raped me, your Grace. Jaime Lannister saved me, and, for that, he lost his hand."
"Which one?" Stannis suddenly asked. Brienne glared at him and mumbled:
"The right one. Roose Bolton let us leave and we finally made it. Sansa was here. But not Arya. I swear it, your grace, I have looked for her everywhere. Everywhere. But I could not find her."
"Don't bother yourself, lady Brienne. You've found Sansa at least."
"Where is Renly? I mean, where is Lord Renly?" she asks.
"We had a visitor while you were away. Asha Greyjoy came to us, and said her brother was prisoner from the Boltons. We found him with the dogs in the kettle. I sent him find the young Starks."
Brienne frowns and looks at him. Stannis nods:
"Yes, they're alive. Theon had lied. Well, Asha has stayed here and Renly wants to marry her. But don't say anything to Sansa. Whether it's about her brothers, or Renly. I'll tell her myself."
Brienne nods in turn and Stannis stands up:
"Get some rest. Eat. Margaery will be happy to see you again, I guess."
"Your Grace? Do you know what happened to Jon Snow?"
Stannis frowns:
"What do you mean?"
Brienne downs her glass and stands up too:
"Your red woman… She brought him back."
She is saying that with both fear and admiration. Stannis pulls a face:
"Brought him back?"
"He has been stabbed by his men. Mutineers. Your Grace, the boy died. He died. Some of his supporters took him to his room and… And the red woman was here. And she brought him back. She resurrected him."
Stannis listens, all ears, dumbfounded. He knows Melisandre has powers, he has seen them. But… That is beyond understanding. He is about to reply when Margaery storms in the room: he looks at her, ready to hear her yell about Melisandre but, she rushes on him, hugs him tight, kisses him deeply and whispers:
"I am with child again."
He stares at her, hardly believing it, and he hugs her back slightly, whispering in her ear:
"I am so happy…"
They remain this way, closely embraced, for a moment before Margaery realizes Brienne is here.
"Oh, hello Lady Brienne", she bows.
"Your Grace", Brienne bows in turn. "Congratulations", she softly smiles.
"Thank you. I have to go tell Loras and Renly!" she says before rushing out of the room as fast as she stormed in. Stannis, without a word, walks out too.
He meets Jon Snow in the Winterfell's big hall, where the lord of Winterfell receives people. Stannis stops by his side and simply says:
"Brienne told me what happened."
Jon turns to him and smiles:
"I wanted to come get Winterfell back. Guess I was late. Thank you for that. I'll never forget", he says, holding his hand at Stannis. The king shakes it firmly:
"What about the Night's watch?" he asks.
"Our vows precise we belong to the Night's watch until we die. I died. I don't belong there anymore. I refuse to live among men who could kill me suddenly."
"What have you done with those who did that?" Stannis asks.
Jon loses his smile:
"I've hung them. Olly… Olly was among them. A boy I trusted as the old bear had trusted me."
Stannis plays with his tongue: he suddenly says:
"The Queen is pregnant."
Jon turns to him:
"Congratulations", he sincerely says. "I hope you'll have a boy."
"Thank you", Stannis nods. "You know, my offer is still available… I can still make you Jon Stark, lord of Winterfell."
Jon smiles, a smile both sad and weirdly relieved:
"I am not a Stark. But Sansa is."
"A woman? Ruling Winterfell?"
"Why not? My brothers are dead…" Jon argues but Stannis interrupts him:
"They're not. They've escaped. I sent Theon Greyjoy looking for them. With Ser Davos."
Jon's eyes turn dark with anger:
"Theon…"
"Yes. He was the Boltons's prisoner. He could have died, honestly. I told him to bring the children back, and that he would be forgiven, for what he had done to Robb. I gave my word, Jon Snow. I can't take it back. And… We need to talk about your sister…"
For a long moment, they talk together about Sansa's future. Of course, they will give her time to recover from what she has lived in King's Landing but time isn't on their side. The White Walkers are still a threat, for everybody in the realm. They agree they would talk to her when she'll feel better. When they leave the hall, they see Brienne chatting with Renly and meeting Asha. Stannis knows his brother will refuse to marry Sansa, now. He is really close from Asha. They pass by Melisandre and he ignores her still.
A few weeks later, Sansa, Jon and him have a long talk about her. She is not aware of Robb and Stannis's arrangement and, thus, doesn't mind the arrangement to be cancelled. Stannis proposes that she marries Quentyn Martell, Prince Doran's son. He argues that he's close from her age, and that it will be a strong alliance between the far North and the far South of Westeros. Jon argues she could eat as many lemon cakes as she wants there. Sansa, after a long hesitation, asks to meet him, and, if she likes him, that she would leave to Dorne only when Rickon and Bran will be safe in Winterfell. Stannis agrees and immediately sends a message to Dorne. Melisandre comes in the room when they're done and he asks them to leave so he could speak alone with her. When they're alone, she smiles:
"Have you missed me, my King?"
He ignores the question:
"I am asking you once, and only once: have you killed Margaery's child?"
She stares at him, smiles again, and walks closer to him: he takes a step backwards:
"Answer."
"Yes", she simply says. "I have seen in the flames that he would not survive. So I killed him."
"A lie", he groans.
He still has hoped Margaery has been out of her mind when she has accused Melisandre. But she was right. She was right.
"How?" Stannis asks, almost on the verge of tears. Margaery was with child again, and he could not risk this child's life. What would Melisandre invent to kill this one, and the one after, and the one after? The only way she would stop was that she becomes his Queen. But he does not want her as his Queen. He wants Margaery. As his Queen, as his wife, as the mother of his son.
"I made her drink a potion while she was sleeping."
He remembers the dream she still makes, and he stares at the red woman, gaping, while her smile is still locked on her lips.
"You have killed my son because… because your god told you he would die anyway…"
He is not asking her anything. He is stating a fact.
"Yes", she says again, getting closer. This time, he lets her do. He lets her bring her face close to his, he lets her lips brush his.
"Have faith in R'hllor", she whispers.
He holds back a sardonic laugh and grabs her scruff brutally. She gasps, he can read fear in her eyes but he suddenly presses his lips on hers. She gives her a sweet smile, smile that disappears when he hisses:
"I believe in no God."
Her eyes widen and he keeps her against him, staring at her eyes, until she collapses on the ground. Her beautiful eyes keep staring at him, her lips part and she tries to speak as her hands rise to take the dagger off her neck. Stannis stares at her while she dies, his hands covered in blood, his sparkling dagger sunk in Melisandre's throat.