Every day as they rode, it grew warmer. And Sansa, with every step the horse took, felt as though she was being taken further and further from the home she fought so hard to win back.
But then Jon would ask her how she was feeling, and she'd snap back into the present. Her home was there, beside her. She just had to keep reminding herself of that.
Sansa didn't mind the travelling either. She was grateful to shed some of the heavy furs, and let her skin breathe. And unlike the proper ladies of the South, she wasn't hidden in a carriage behind them. She rode atop a horse, beside her King, with her loyal men beside her. And at night, she slept soundly, exhausted from the hours of riding.
One morning, she was awoken by the normal sounds of the camp awakening. There was a clatter of noises as fires were started, food was being prepared, the horses fed and watered.
Jon was gone, as he usually was. Up before the light. She remembered waking up like this, on the road when they were asking for house's allegiance. It felt like a millennia before then. She felt older, in ways, but stronger too.
She dressed in her riding clothes, her leather fur lined pants, and a heavy embossed green cloak. She unknotted her hair impatiently, not feeling like bothering with the painstaking designs she was used to at home. She pinned it away from her face, and then a simple braid down her back. At her throat, she had a Stark broach on her choker.
She stepped outside of the tent, and into the morning mist. They were only a few days off from Kings Landing, where Daenerys was docked just outside Blackwater bay, waiting to attack.
She walked across the camp, nodding at the few people who bid her a good morning.
Jon was in the command tent, and she pushed through the flaps and into the warm interior.
"Not too much longer, we're just preparing in case there are Lannister forces willing to come from Casterly Rock."
"Doubt more than a hundred, right now they'll mostly be in Kings Landing, protecting their Queen."
"Very well." Sansa said. She approached Jon, beside him, looking down at the map.
"Are you doing well?" he asked.
"I am. And you?"
"Nervous." he admitted, quietly, and only to her. "But glad you're here."
"Good." she said. "I'm going to go break my fast. Is Bran up?"
"I believe so, near the mess tent."
Sansa turned around, and left. She walked through the mud, when a shadow blocked out the pale sun.
She looked up, and her eyes widened.
"Jon!" she called.
She heard the tent flaps flutter, and then Jon swore.
Above them, a pair of huge dragons circled, looking down on the camp.
"It's her." Sansa squeaked. "She...she really has them."
She looked over, and was surprised to see Jon smiling, his eyes aglow with wonder.
"Didn't think they'd be so bloody big." he said, half laughing.
"That's what people used to say about our wolves." Sansa said.
The dragons circled lower, and Sansa squinted, glancing a flash of blonde hair.
"Gods, she's riding one of them." she said. "That's...that's amazing." she whispered.
The dragons landed in a field a ways away. Riding up the hill behind them, was a small army, dressed in black leather.
"They don't look like they want to fight." Sansa commented.
"I'm not sure. That's a lot of men." Jon said.
Bran rode up to them, already saddled and fully dressed.
"I called to her." he said. "I wasn't sure if she would come."
"Can we trust her?" Jon asked up at Bran.
"More than any other ruler I've seen." Bran said simply.
They met in the middle of the field, Daenerys walking alone, with no guards beside her. Only the enormous dragons watching her from behind, eyeing the large Stark party with suspicion.
She wore a red gown, with riding pants beneath. Her long blonde hair hung in silvery waves down her shoulders. It wasn't envy Sansa felt when she looked at her, only inspiration. Sansa felt her own shoulders straighten, and she pulled her horse even further beside Jon, as she had been lingering behind.
"King in the North." Daenerys said as they finally met. Jon dismounted, and Sansa followed suit. "I've heard about you, Jon Stark. And of you, Sansa. From my hand."
"Your Hand?" Sansa asked, and Dany nodded.
Emerging from the crowd of soldiers beyond, Tyrion appeared, along with a pretty dark haired girl, and a serious looking soldier.
Sansa froze, her eyes adjusting to the sight of Tyrion. She opened her mouth to say something to Jon, but he held her hand up.
"You have a Lannister?" Jon asked.
"I'm afraid I'm not a large bargaining chip, Lord Commander." Tyrion said as he walked up. "And Sansa, my bride, you look well." he said darkly. "The North agrees with your complexion."
She remained frozen, unsure of what to say. She'd never expected to see the man again, her husband from King's Landing, betrothed as a joke to both their houses. And now here he stood, beside the woman they needed most in the world.
"Lady Sansa, fear not." Tyrion said. "We both know our marriage was hardly deserving of that name. It was never...sealed. My quarrel is not with you."
She nodded.
"Well, now that the reunion is over." Dany said, sounding a bit annoyed. "We can discuss why you've been appearing in my dreams."
Jon stepped forward.
"We need your help." He said. "Westeros...needs your help."
"Shall we discuss this in your command tent?" Dany said after a long pause.
"What do you know of the white walkers?" Jon asked as soon as they were seated at the small but fine wooden table. Sansa was at his side, Bran on the other. On the other side of the table, Dany sat, Tyrion on one side, Grey Worm beside him.
"Just from the dreams." she motioned to Bran. "And the legends, I suppose. As a little girl. We all hear the story, about the ice men beyond the wall. Meant to scare us."
"The Night King has over 100,000. And with each army they overtake, his numbers only grow." Jon said.
"And how do we defeat them?" she asked, seemingly amused.
"Fire." Jon said. "It's the only way to make sure they stay...they stay dead."
Daenerys looked upset now, her jaw clenching.
"You suggest I use my only asset, and ensure they're exhausted and unable to take Kings Landing?" she said. "That's not why I'm here, I'm afraid, killing ghosts from the north. I'm here to take my home back."
"You saw them yourself." Bran said.
"A trick of the mind." Dany said, and she stood. "We are done here. I shouldn't have trusted another magici-"
She turned, and began to leave the tent.
"My father fought for you." Sansa said, standing suddenly, after remaining quiet so long. Dany paused, and turned.
"Excuse me?"
"My father...Ned Stark. He tried to protect you. To keep Robert from sending assassins your way. 'No point in harming a child', he said." Sansa cried. "And we have since lived in a world that only hurts children. My father believed in protecting the innocent, and in keeping little girls safe from great and powerful men who might hurt her."
Daenerys waited, listening.
"And since he died, the men who would hurt the little girls, squander the weak, and kill any who got in their way...they are the ones who hold the power. I believe you aren't that way, and the North will accept you and bow to you, I assure you. They are good people, they know a good ruler when they see one. They follow my house faithfully. But none of this matters. None of it will matter. Because if we don't act fast, there will be no more North to accept you, to protect you from foreign invaders. They will grow stronger with each man they kill, and then nobody is safe. Even with your dragons, you will watch your people perish in the streets, and we will all die when Winter finally arrives."
"You were married to her?" Daenerys asked, raising a brow at Tyrion.
"She's better now." he said, smiling at her.
"We are offering you 40,000 troops." Sansa said. "And it's not a lot, but with that...with that comes the loyalty of the people whose lives you could save. It's no dragon. But we are offering you our help now, before there won't be anyone left to help."
Sansa took a breath, and waited.
"Lady Sansa." Dany said after a long pause. "We heard whispers of what you've been through, and I must admit...I wasn't expecting this. I was expecting a timid girl, actually. When you suffer, Lady Sansa, you do not get quieter. You grow strong. You fight for your house, and your rightful place in the world. That's what I'm doing. You were taken from your home, and you're taking it back."
Sansa nodded, and Daenerys sat again.
"Tell me what we're up against, then. Tell me of the Night's King."