Author's Notes: Hello everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I last updated, I hope that this makes up for it. Also, I forgot to say this last time. This story has more than one million views! I had no idea that it would ever be so popular. Thank you all and I hope that you continue to enjoy it. As always G.R.R. Martin and HBO own the original material. SPOILER WARNING: Will have elements from the books not shown in show.
Though she had resolved to leave for the Wall as soon as possible, it ended up being nearly a fortnight before she and her party could set off. There seemed to be an endless number of preparations which had to be made before they could depart. First the party had to be organized, supplies prepared and arrangements made to ensure that the running of the North was not interrupted while she was gone and a hundred other details. Fortunately for Sansa she could leave many of these perpetrations to Maester Dontin and Sir Willard of House Greenhill, a knight who Lord Manderly had sent with her from White Harbor. The latter she had also appointed castellan and charged him with holding Winterfell in her absence. She had also sent a letter to Jon informing him that she was coming and that she had a matter of great importance to speak with him. She had considered writing to the King as well, but in the end, she decided against it. Jon would surely inform him of her coming and she found herself reluctant to write to him.
Indeed, the more she thought about it as preparations were made the more worried she became. She could easily see him calling her mad and accusing her of treason if she failed to send more people and she knew all too well what he did with those he considered traitors. These thoughts, of course led her to another fear, that Jon would also consider her mad, or a traitor. Just thinking of his expression of betrayal sent a deep feeling of dread through her body. To say nothing of Arya. All of this made her begin to become reluctant to go to the Wall, nor was she the only one.
None of her people were happy with her decision to leave Winterfell. Maester Dontin thought that she was being irresponsible to leave Winterfell when it was clear that leadership was greatly needed, though he was far more diplomatic than that when he voiced his objections. The Wildlings were even more reluctant for her to go to the Wall, mostly because if she went then they would have to go as well. Mally informed Sansa that Herra had summed up their feelings with the statement that; "The only good thing about watching the Crow's sister is that we got away from that cursed thing and it's warmer here." The greatest objector; however, was Brienne. She had come to Sansa and urged her not to go. If her visions were true, Brienne argued then the Wall was the last place Sansa should go.
"My lady," the big woman paused and then forced herself to continue.
"If the Wall should indeed fall, then harsh truths must be faced." She paused again, clearly reluctant to say what she was about to, but she was clearly determined to say it.
"What truths?' Sansa asked, trying to help her get it out.
"If the Wall does indeed fall," Brienne started again; "Then your brother and everyone else there shall die. If that happens then it will be up to you to lead to your death, which would leave the North defenseless. You should stay here and continue to prepare for what is to come if the worst should happen. If you were to die, who would be left to defend the people of the realm?" There was much in what she said but, for all her qualities as a warrior, she was not skilled in obfuscation. She was clearly hiding something. She gave Brienne a moment, but the larger woman did not say anything, though she was clearly uncomfortable.
"Is there something else?" Sansa finally asked. Brienne bit her lip, clearly not wanting to say what was on her mind, but at last she did.
"There is, my lady." She paused and the reluctantly began to speak again.
"Stannis is at the Wall." She chocked and seemed to be holding back tears; but when she spoke again, her tone was one of anger.
"He killed Renly, the one who should have been king, with black magic and I swore that I would avenge him.
"I also swore that I would serve you. If you go to the Wall, then I will come with you and if I see Stannis I will have to keep my oath to Renly, but that will mean breaking my oath to you." Again she paused and when she spoke again her eyes had a pleading look in them, which was mirrored in her voice.
"I beg you, please, do not make me have to choose." Her words struck Sansa and for a moment she could find no words and for a while she was silent.
After a moment a thought occurred to her. She did not like it, but it was the only way to avoid a confrontation which they could not afford in the face of what was to come. Were Brienne to kill, or just attempt to kill the King, the living would be divided at the time they could least afford it. She looked at Brienne full in the eye and began to speak again.
"Very well, then when I go you shall remain here and aid Maester Dontin Sir Greenhill in preparing Winterfell for any future attack."
"My lady!" Brienne cried, shock and horror in her voice and face.
"Yes, I am Lady of Winterfell and Wardeness of the North. I have to go to the Wall and I cannot take one whose actions I cannot guarantee. The Wildlings will have to do for my protection." With that she turned and left so that Brienne could not see how much saying those words had hurt her. She did not speak to Brienne again and it was a relief when they at last set out.
Sansa wanted to travel to the Wall as fast as possible, but it was not possible to travel as quickly as she would wish. The large party, with its many wagons moved with painful slowness. This was due both to their number and to the weather, the latter of which worsened the further north they went. The King's Road was buried beneath snow the whole way and there was even some fears that their food would run out, even though they had brought plenty. Nevertheless, they pressed on through the worsening weather. The journey seemed that it would never end; but, if Sansa was honest with herself, she was enjoying the journey.
It felt good to go days and days without being burdened by a seemingly endless amounts of papers and problems which she had to struggle to find solutions for. She felt freer than she ever had since returning to Winterfell. As the journey continued; however, she began to grow more concerned. How was she to present her case to Jon and the King? Father had been blunt, but commanding. They said that Robb could motivate his men to do things that they thought were impossible; a skill that Father had told them that King Robert during the rebellion had. She, on the other hand, was none of those things. She was not charismatic; she was not a bold speaker and she did not consider herself a clever debater.
She kept having visions in her mind during the day and her dreams at night of her standing before them and having nothing at all to say. It would be even worse if either or both of them were to ask her where these visions had come from. Jon had written that since the betrayal of Melisandre the King had little to no patience for visions, dreams and prophecy and from the tone of the letters Jon agreed with him. Would they take her warnings seriously; or would they dismiss it as the drug-addled ravings of a madwoman? The fear gnawed at her the closer to the Wall that they got.
She began to consider turning back, but could she? Would her people see that course of action as weakness and lose faith in her? If; however, they did continue on, that could be worse. She could be sent back to Winterfell in disgrace, or worse. Jon had also said in his letters that some of the King's southern lords had said that lordship of the North was far to important to be left to a woman. While due to the loyalty that the Northern lords held for the Starks she doubted that he would replace her, there were other things that he could do. He could send one of his lords to Winterfell to "assist" her in ruling, or perhaps even command her to marry. The very thought of which made her queasy. That last made her smile sadly as she remembered her feelings at the thought of her marriage to Joffrey, at least until he showed his true self.
How things have changed.
At last, the outriders reported that the Wall was in sight. Despite seeing it, it was still some time before they reached Castle Black. The passed through Mole's Town, now larger than ever with the Wildlings who had crossed the Wall. Also present were members of the Night's Watch. These sent one of their own ahead to inform Jon and the King that she had arrived. Sansa considered remaining at Mole's Town as many of her party were weary from the journey, but decided to press onwards. The meetings were likely to be bad enough, making them come to her would only make things worse.
They reached Castle Black around noon and Jon was there to greet her. He helped her down from her horse and they embraced. As they broke apart she got her first good look at him. She was dismayed by his appearance, though she tried her best to hide it. He looked worn, bags under his eyes suggested that he had not slept for some time. He had never been stout, but now he was noticeably thinner, not staved, but not healthy. His beard looked as if it had not been cared for either. She tried to hide her dismay, as well as the unease at the thought of what must have driven him to this. He smiled, though she was not sure that she had hidden her feelings from him." Looking about she saw no sign of the King; her confusion must have been obvious, for Jon answered her unspoken question.
"The King is not here, though he is on his way back. He went to East Watch, where most of the Gold Company are billeted, easier to get supplies to them there. He is; however, on his way back." He smiled again, this time with more warmth.
"But come, let us go inside and have something warm to drink while we wait for him and you can tell me what brought you from the warmth of Winterfell to here." Sansa nodded, she was indeed cold and she welcomed any excuse to put off talking about why she had come to the Wall. Accompanied by her bodyguards and Silver Fang, who had immediately presented a submissive posture to Ghost, she followed Jon to his quarters where he poured her a glass of hot, spiced wine, which she drank gratefully.
"Now," he said as he poured his own cup and then sat down; "Tell me what brings you here." She stared at her cup, as it or its content would give her the words that she sought. Before she could speak, there came the blast of a horn, at its sounding all eyes turned in the direction of the Wall, from where the call had come.
She was about ask Jon what that was about, when the horn sounded again. She looked to Jon and was stunned and frightened to see his face. There was fear there, suppressed, but present and then a third blast sounded. What little color that was left in Jon's face drained away and he set his cup down hard on the table. She was going to ask him what was going on he turned and headed towards the door at a run. Not knowing what else to do, Sansa followed him.
He ran across the yard and leapt into the cage to take him to the top of the Wall. Just as he was closing the door Sansa threw herself in, dread growing inside her. They rode to the top in silence and, after a ride which seemed to take forever, they reached the top of the Wall. Members of the Watch, Wildlings, soldiers that she had sent to the Wall and knights and soldiers loyal to the King rushed up and down the walkway. The wind blew so hard that it threatened to rip Sansa's cloak from her. Snow and ice flew into her face and threatened to blind her and the cold cut into her. Seeing that all the others looking out into the Haunted Forest she squinted her eyes and forced herself to look as well. The snow and mist were so thick that she could barely see the tops of the tallest trees and at first she did not know what she was looking at. Then, too fast to be natural, the wind died away and the mist and clouds rolled back. What she saw took her breath away.
Emerging from the trees was an army of the dead. Wildlings, members of the Watch, men, women and children united in death. They ranged in from those who looked freshly dead to those who were little more than skeletons. Moans of fear, anger and disgust sounded from those around her at the sight. Worse than these; however, were the cries of grief and pain which rose from those who recognized friends and loved ones among the dead.
They continued to pour from the forest in a seemingly endless tide. Sansa would never have believed that there were so many people beyond the Wall and yet still they came on. It was not just humans who filled their ranks. The bodies of deer, elk, wolves, bears, horses and more lumbered alongside them. Towering over them all were corpses which could only be giants, some still riding the mammoths which Jon had told her they rode in life. They came on and on till Sansa began to believe that she could take no more till, without warning, the advance halted just outside of bowshot. They did not come to a stumbling, undisciplined stop, they simply halted as one in a manner she doubted any living army could have done so. Though none more emerged from the forest Sansa was convinced that more remained within the trees.
"What are they waiting for?" Someone nearby asked. Sansa did not know who said it, but they spoke for her as well. Then she noticed a rippling among the dead as several figures emerged. She did not know why, but even though she could not see what was causing the movement she found herself shaking in a way that had nothing to do with the cold. Then they emerged and she saw them.
They were tall and gaunt, with flesh and hair as white as the snow and they moved with a grace that the finest dancer would envy. They appeared to be armored in ice which reflected the light and mirrored their surroundings, making them hard to focus on. It almost seemed that they were not walking at all but gliding across the ground. For a moment Sansa thought that they were strangely compelling and beautiful and then she saw her eyes. They were blue, not the blue of a man, but a burning bright solid blue. While unnerving, it was not this which stole their beauty. That was done by the malice and hatred which was clear even from the distance separating them.
One moved slightly ahead to stand in front of the others. It stared up at them for a moment and then it spoke, at least Sansa thought it was speaking. There were no words, just a sound which made Sansa think of ice cracking in a storm. Then it laughed. It was a horrible sound, if cruelty could be made into a sound this would be it. She clapped her hands to her ears and tried to block it out, nor was she the only one. It seemed to go on forever, but at last it came to an end; leaving a silence which was almost as horrible as the sound.
A second White Walker, for they could be nothing else, came up to the first, holding something in its hands. It seemed strangely solid in compassion to the creature. At fist she did not know what it was, but others around her had sharper eyes.
"No," one of the Wildlings said in fear-filled whisper; "It cannot be. The horn." Looking closer Sansa saw that it was a horn of great size.
Suddenly, though she did not know how, she knew that this was her vision from King's Landing coming true and a cold dread seized her. Without thinking she grabbed Jon and tried to pull him back towards the cage which had brought them up. He stared at her in bewilderment.
"What are you doing?" He asked her in confusion, while around them people looked on in bemusement. Her growing terror lent her strength and removed any concerns about what others thought of her.
"WE HAVE TO GET OFF THE WALL NOW!" She screamed out as loud as she could. Before anyone could say anything, the horn was blown.
It was like no horn that she had ever heard before. It loud yet deep so that it seemed quiet. It was so deep that it seemed to reverberate through her and make her bones vibrate. The sound froze Sansa and everyone else around her. The sound hung in the air for a moment, slowly fading to leave an eerie stillness. Then the earth began to twist and shake. All around her men were thrown to the ground. One or two were actually thrown from the Wall and fell screaming to their deaths.
CRACK!
With a resounding boom which seemed to herald the ending of the world a great rent was torn in the ice of the Wall. As the shaking continued more and more rents appeared and chunks, great and small, broke lose and fell to the ground. More men fell and plunged to their deaths. Men shouted and fear and disbelief at what was occurring. Sansa, for her part, could only look on in numb silence as the Wall, raised by her ancestor in a time so ancient that it resided in the land of legend, began to fall to the ground.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked the chapter. What did you think? For anyone who just watched the show the horn was the Horn of Winter. Well, things are going to be getting exciting. Till next time please pray for the still trapped in Afghanistan, including children, those impacted by the hurricane in the US and all others who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.