Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. I hope that this will make up for that.
That evening Daenerys announced that a feast would be held that night in honor of the victory over the Ironborn, but Sansa suspected that the real reason was in order to distract the host from the loss of the dragon and the rather dismal showing of the allied forces and what had occurred afterwards. There had been a council of war held after the battle and though she had obviously not been invited to attend, she had heard that it had not gone well. Though she did not know exactly what was said she could guess, based on what she had seen and heard throughout the camp.
Resentment was simmering all throughout the camp. The Reachers were angry at the Dornish and vice-versa while the Dothraki blamed both of them. It seemed to Sansa that all the Lannisters and Ironborn would have to do to defeat Daenerys would be to sit back and wait for her forces to fragment and fall on each other. So it seemed to Sansa that the Queen had no choice but to go on the offensive and hope that by going after a common foe and hopefully enjoying more success than they had against the Ironborn and further hope that said successes would lead to healed relations. That being said, she was not sure which one of Daenerys many foes she would go after. There were the Lannisters, the Ironborn and, of course, Stannis.
Sansa did not think that Daenerys would go after Stannis, at least not directly. He was way up in the North, with a number of foes between them. The Queen could go after the King's southern holdings of Dragonstone and Storm's End, both of which would have their own advantages. Storm's End was the traditional seat of the Stormlands and while those lands were nominally loyal to the Crown the seizure of Storm's End could bring them over to her cause. Dragonstone, while not as impressive a castle and not as valuable politically as Storm's End, was still a prize worth taking. It was the traditional seat of Daenerys's family and the first place that they settle on in Westeros, claiming it would, symbolically, be very significant. Also, it would give her forces and exhalent location to launch an attack on King's Landing.
However; both presented difficulties. She had always heard that Storm's End was a strong fortress and her father had told her and her siblings that Stannis had held off a besieging army much larger than his own for a year. The Queen did not strike Sansa as one who would sit patiently in a siege camp for a year. Dragonstone also presented difficulties. They did not know, or at least Sansa did not know, the location of the Iron Fleet, only that it had withdrawn after the battle. Now, with one of the dragons gone and possibly even working against them, the Queen's fleet may not be able to mount a successful attack on Dragonstone.
The Lannisters were a more appealing target in many ways. They were far closer and they held both King's Landing and the Iron Throne, the two greatest symbols of rulership of Westeros. As long as they held them Daenerys would appear to be just another pretender to the throne. The Queen may have lost one of her dragons, but she still had two and as the Lannisters had none they should be enough to take the city and the throne. They were also comparatively easy to reach and the Queen would not have to cross as much hostile territory in order to reach them. Victory over the Lannisters would not only gain Daenerys King's Landing and the Iron Throne itself, but would also gain her the majority of Westeros, with the Crownlands and the Westerlands added to her holdings in Dorne and the Reach. Additionally; the Riverlands would likely bend the knee and such a success might even bring in the Vale, which had so far remained neutral in the war. However; if she were to make a guess, Sansa was sure that the Ironborn were the intended target. There were several reasons for this.
The first of these was both practical and symbolic. The Ironborn had stolen one of Daenerys's dragons, the cornerstone of her power and had the potential to steal the others as well. Her prestige had also suffered from losing the dragon, which was also the symbol of her house. Defeating the Ironborn would not only allow her to reclaim her dragon and remove the threat of the horn, but also restore her image. Also, there was fact that as long as the Ironborn continued to operate their fleet could hamper any efforts by the Queen and her allies to move by sea. All of these; however, paled in comparison to one other factor. The Ironborn had insulted the Queen and she did not seem one who would take such an insult calmly. In any event that was in the future, Sansa's concern was the feast.
Sansa dressed in her best cloths and jewelry and allowed Sir Barristan to escort her to where the feast was being held, a large field ringed by torches and a large fire in a central pit. Animals, both familiar and not familiar, were being roasted over it. Tables of food were everywhere and servers carried wine to the attendees who were eating, talking and dancing. Sansa detached herself from Sir Barristan and moved among the people. Though officially a hostage she was able to easily mingle with those present and find dance partners. She soon found who she was looking for, one of the knights of the Reach. He was no one important, indeed she did not even know his name, but he was of the Reach and he was drunk which was exactly what she needed.
She danced with him, the wine only making him slightly clumsy. As they spun and whirled Sansa endured his clumsy attempts to grope her and his slightly slurred attempts at wit. As soon as she was sure that all the pieces were in place she made her move. She looked into her partner's face and smiled.
"I have not been to such a fine affair since I left King's Landing and the company here is far preferable." The man laughed.
"I cannot help but agree my lady." Sansa laughed in her turn.
"Speaking of King's Landing. While I was there someone made a rather amusing jest and I have been trying to remember how it ended. The first part was about how many Dornishmen it takes to shoe a horse…" she trailed off, but the man, grinning like an idiot, rushed to fill the gap.
"How many Dornishmen does it take to shoe a horse? Nine. One to do the shoeing, and eight to lift the horse up!" The whole thing was delivered in a very loud voice, which of course those around them, including a number of Dornish could not help but hear. Many of these began to mutter angrily and one of these pushed his way forward.
"What did you say?!" He demanded. The knight, for his part, now looked a good deal more sober than he had a minute ago. He looked as if he wanted to avoid conflict, but at the same time he could not be seen to back down from a Dornish man, so instead he mustered his bravado and met the other man's gaze.
"I believe that you heard me."
"I did indeed Reacher and now I am waiting for an apology." Her work completed Sansa slid into the gathering crowd.
The Dornishman, his face flaming with anger. Began to push forward. Though both men were unarmed the Dornishman seemed to poses wiry muscles and looked as if he would be a formidable, even if he were unarmed and it appeared that both Sansa and all those present were about to find out. However; before the man could spring forward, a group which included both the Queen and the Queen of Thornes. The two women put themselves between the two men, who both drew back. Lady Tyrell glared at the Reacher knight.
"Sir, you disgrace yourself and Highgarden! We are allies here and if you want to indulge in a drunken brawl like some common sellsword I believe that there is a tavern not far from here." The man's face flushed with shame and he hung his head. Meanwhile the Queen faced down the Dornish man.
"Your prince has assured me that you are some of the finest warriors in Westeros. Sir Barristan tells me that that requires discipline, a trait that you appear to lack. You disappoint me and make your prince a liar." As the man hung his head she turned to address all those present.
"If you all want a fight, then you shall have one! The time of inaction is over! We march on our foes!"
Author's Notes: Well, what did you think? I had a different ending in mind, but this came up. Did a do a good job of outlining her options and who do you think she is going after? Consider this my gift to you all. Please pray for all who need it and Merry Christmas!