#free daenerys targaryen from jonsas

[ethereal-elegance]

@treehillraven23-blog

How delusional,dumb,and ignorant do you have to be believe this bs as a cop out to dismiss and downplay Daenerys' lack of privilege and family for most of her life,ntm victim blame her because your callous ass lacks empathy for the character☠️Daenerys literally lost everything (most of her family,her home,and what her family had that would've been hers) before she was even born as her mother died shortly after giving her (like Jon's mother,Lyanna),literally started life with nothing (all she would've had if Rhaegar didn't die,if Elia,Rhaenys,and Aegon,literally had nothing even begin with but her name and blood.So congratulations on implying you agree with these facts🤡🙃

And just because she never had the opportunity to know Rhaegar, the privilege to know all her siblings, since that was one of many she was robbed of even birth,it still count as loss especially when it's important full blood related members of the family such as her mother,Rhaella,who suffered all her life being abused by Mad King Aerys even before their father forced the sister and brother to marry for the Prince Who Was Promised prophecy.Viserys was almost just as cruel and abusive to Dany as Aerys was to Rhaella throughout their lives as just a brother,then her husband and king.I bet you would be agreeing with me if it was about Jon regarding Lyanna because it's always double standards with antis,since y'all are so full of shit.

Jon stans (but can't expect you to know since all nonas crackshippers are glorified self-insert sardine stans who projecting to fantasize about fucking Kit Harrington😂) of all people should know damn well how deep the void of a mother is (as Jon has serious mother issues thanks to being mistreated and looked down on due to his bastardy and Catelyn's abuse towards him as supposedly the product of Ned's infidelity),because Lyanna is more important to the narrative for some of the main characters,Jon and Arya,like Rhaegar is to Dany while Rhaella is not thanks to GRRM's intention with his writing in the books.Not to mention Dany looks up to Rhaegar and longs to know him even in death,which is why she's eager to learn about Rhaegar.So your reasoning is invalid regardless,and your first part about Viserys is downright blatant nonsensical lies🤦🏾‍♀️🤨

Daenerys did not "hElP" Khal Drogo to kill Viserys🙄There was literally nothing Dany could do to protect and save Viserys even though she told the Dothraki who witnessed Viserys assault her not to harm Viserys,and even tried to warn him against his misbehavior by giving him a taste for what's was to come if you continued,hence why Viserys was forced to walk on foot instead of riding on horseback as punishment for assaulting Dany.Not to mention GoT never shows Dany actually loved Viserys,still loves him,even misses him (since she remembers how well he treated her back then when he still loved her),but she would and could no longer help him (as she lacked agency and power even as Khal Drogo's wife as a girl who is actually just his child bride sex slave) after warning him about how his violent disrespect to the Dothraki and herself pregnant with Khal Drogo's son as his wife since Viserys forced her to marry the much bigger,much older,much scarier Khal Drogo so young as she was literally just a girl,just a child.

Let's just conveniently ignore book canon of how Viserys changed when he had sell the only thing left of their mother,Rhaella's crown,for food to survive as Dany was severely sick from starvation.Viserys snapped in that moment because he was very close to Rhaella,so he began being cruel,too harsh,verbally,emotionally,and physically abusive to Dany and had been terrorizing her ever since.Viserys would literally beat when "she woke the dragon",and it's obvious when he was even terrorizing her in her dragon dream in the books with the bruises on her naked body and her apparent fear,which is why the dream is symbolic of Dany being scared to wake her dragon.Dany's fear and her body language like she's trying to hide or escape from Viserys is also proof of this besides the memory pre-aSoIaF in one of her chapters Viserys beat Dany so hard all just because Dany spilled,clocked Viserys,and called out his double standards towards her concerning how she should've been born earlier.

As if it's somehow Dany's fault the Targaryens "fell from grace" due to Robert's Rebellion when she wasn't even born yet and just a baby when the Targaryen dynasty ended😭Viserys really had the audacity to shift the blame from the adults onto Dany and actually said if she would've been born earlier,Rhaegar would've had a much better option to marry instead,so Rhaegar would've have been so weak to be so enamored and lovesick with Lyanna he practically threw everything away to elope with her.That memory is manifested into a dragon dream as likely a trauma response similar to nightmares and PTSD of abuse victims.Since Dany was scared of him for years (which is a common response of abuse victims towards their abuser) as she reveals in her POV chapters Viserys hurt her,it can be inferred Viserys actually acted upon his threat towards Dany and the events of that dragon dream really happened before.

Let's just conveniently ignore Viserys consistently insulting and offending the Dothraki with his superiority complex,lashing out at a pregnant Dany and being violent towards her,provoking Khal Drogo by threatening to harm his wife and unborn child.Khal Drogo was literally protecting her from Viserys who posed a threat as he'd shown them all what he was capable with all his unprovoked,unwarranted hostility towards his own full blood related sister,his only family left.Not to mention in the books,Viserys planned to rape Dany before she married Khal Drogo and tried to enter her room at night,but Illyrio foresaw this and had guards stationed outside her door.Viserys felt entitled to Dany's maidenhead (virginity) which he perceived to be belong to him due to his Valyrian blood purity and supremacy and perceiving her as his property,because he believed Dany was supposed to be his bride and give him heirs as his only sister and other full blood Targaryen besides himself.

Oh the irony of Viserys' possessiveness of Dany when he sold his own sister,his only family to Khal Drogo in exchange for an army to take back his birthright,the Iron Throne.Tell me without telling me you never really read the books or even watched the show,most likely skipped Dany's chapters and scenes as antis tend to do,because y'all lack basic reading comprehension skills and are just too threatened by a character as iconic,compelling,great,and complex as Dany🤡

Even in the context of GoT,Viserys was still a cruel,abusive brother to Dany.Literally molested her,literally said he'd let all the Khal Drogo's men and their horses fuck her if that's what it would take to reclaim the Iron Throne,calls her degrading and derogatory slurs rooted in his racism and Valyrian blood supremacy such "Dothraki whore,Horse's slut" despite forcing her to marry the Khal for his own ends for the crown;Not to mention let's just conveniently forget Viserys really threatened to cut out Dany's unborn child when she was pregnant.After everything Viserys did to his own sister,even planned and tried to do to her,Viserys reaped what he sowed and honestly deserved what he got although I do have sympathy and pity for him considering how much his life changed for the worse due to Rhaegar's death and Robert Baratheon usurping.

But Viserys was wrong in punishing Dany for Rhaella's death,blaming and never forgiving her for Rhaella dying from childbirth.It's not her fault as she was literally just a baby fresh out of the womb.So it's valid and true Daenerys lost two brothers including her mother who GRRM rarely mentioned compared to Rhaegar and Aerys + GoT never even cared about to acknowledge Rhaella's existence considering it didn't suit their skewed narrative (but GRRM only used as a writing device often in fiction for characterization and character development to motivate Dany to become a true monarch who prioritizes her duty to the people over the self and devotes her life to protect and care for her people like a mother as the Mhysa/Mother of Dragons,the mother she never while being in the process of fulfilling the void of 'family','home',and "the childhood she had never known" by giving her people that symbolized by protection,security,and safety,because she can't bring back the dead or go back in time to save her family, and she can't even obtain the house with the red door,the lemon tree,and "the childhood she had never known" ) and great-great grand uncle Maester Aemon,who the GRRM didn't even have her meet unlike the likes of Jon who grew up with a father and siblings in a castle.

They’re both gone now. 

[kitnjon]

https://www.tumblr.com/torricelling/755919683801268224/jonsa-fic-rec-not-jonsas-pov-edition-daenerys

hi! do you have fic recs similar to the fics from the link above? fics that are from an outsider's(?) pov, kind of. like another character's pov seeing jonsa. i've read a few of rickon's too aside from the ones in the link. but yes i wish for more 😭 i don't mind other characters too like brienne, sam, some lannister, random northerners, etc if they do exist. but if you don't have, feel free to ignore this msg. thanks though!!

Hey, honestly many fics with outsider POVs I have read are already listed in the fic rec list @torricelling created. Sharing few more here -

POV Rickon Stark

Rickon's Tales by @vivilove-jonsa

POV Daenerys Targaryen

fire and blood by sansast4rk

History Repeated by queenofthebees

winterfell is (not) yours, your grace by blckstar

POV Arya Stark

Arya Stark's New Years Resolutions by @kittykatknits

Collision by @shipperobsession

Rumours by The_Hawk_Eye

A Game of Faces by @anocturnalcow212

the wolf who hears the heart’s desire by @theshipshipper

the half-naked truth

I'm Here by @kit-kat21

POV Littlefinger

Echo by loveschocolatefrogs

As the Snow Crumbles by jonsasnow (zucchako)

she's a monster at times by janebirkin

POV Theon Greyjoy

Jon you Damned Fool by Emilia_Elaine

POV Jaime Lannister

a lion in the wolf's den by @theshipshipper

[esther-dot]

Hey what is your stand on or do you know any metas on the whole "Dany will destroy Volantis and even the slaves will suffer" story. Because until now I don't see how it's not going too be just another rescued city to bolster her savior persona.

Oh, really don't write about this kind of stuff, I can't keep track of certain details no matter how hard I try. However, while I believe the idea is fire and blood from here onward, I don't think that means Dany will change or that suddenly, fans won't have everything they've always had to defend her? As in, her compassion, Dany's belief that she is saving people, it will all still be there, only, they'll also get the thrill of victory they've been wanting too, so for the fans, I think those already sensitive to the consequences of her actions will be more impressed with the horror, while her stans, they'll prolly be happier. They believe she is anti slaver (conveniently ignoring how her actions led to the rape and enslavement of others and how she used forced labor and took money from the slave trade...), so Dany as an avenging angel of the powerless, it's gonna thrill them.

I just googled to see what they're saying about her going fire and blood on Volantis and this is a few years old, but they're already prepped to defend whatever happens. Here’s an assortment of comments I found on Reddit:

"People keep saying this as some GOTCHA to Mad Dany but I do not legitimately care about her burning the shit out of slavers 🤷 I have no sympathy for what she'll do to them. She's learned diplomacy doesn't work with slavery. You get nowhere trying to compromise with them or being polite, and what's been proven time and again if you give them any leeway they'll go right back to slavery and trying to murder you and your people. So like...who tf cares if she butchers the shit out of slavers?" Innocents die in war, that's a consistent theme in ASOIAF and irl. However unlike the wars in Westeros, Daenerys is a lot more justified in her fighting slavery and yes, some slaves will die but we've seen the majority actively want to be freed, will fight with her and ones like Volantis are waiting for her to come free them. She just say the words "fire and blood", nothing more. That does not means she will burn everybody on sight. She still care about the innocents. Smashing select shit and burning a select few people to end slavery might be exactly what a fire and blood Dany would do. Yes it’s just her house words like winter is coming … it is to reassure her identity , that’s all. Even with dragons, the Targaryens were no more destructive than the others houses. The war of the 5 kings was just as devastating than the Dance yet it did not have any dragons.

....you get the idea. The hellish descriptions of what she leaves in her wake, her own complicity in in the slave trade, that didn't make a dent, I don't think Volantis will either. People are bought in. Although, someone did point out, the structure of the city might allow this to be a successful bloodbath for Dany ie fewer innocent casualties than we might expect which will make her even worse going forward because she'll think she can repeat fire & blood successfully and then kaboom KL due to the wildfire.

I'm not sure if Jonsas have written any meta devoted to Volantis, I quickly searched and didn't see anything, but there is stumpy’s recap of ADWD, Tyrion VII that you might find interesting.

[rissa-rey]

Y’all...

Apparently, I’m going to be respected 98% less for saying this but y’all need to stop attacking the actors.

ALL THE ACTORS.

Yes, that includes the ones that aren’t your fave too!

What the fuck is wrong with y’all?

It’s one thing to disagree with what someone said but it’s entirely another to... You know what, I’m not even going to repeat some of the shit some of y’all have been saying. It’s gross and you’re gross for saying a lot of it. And yes, this is also directed at some of my mutuals (unfortunately). Are y’all for real? Some of the utterly asinine shit y’all are saying is the same bullshit we’ve had to deal with being said directly to and about us for the last two years.

It’s a fucking TV show. Get the fuck over it already.

And please feel free to unfollow me if this post offends you. Some of the bullshit I’ve seen being said about certain actor(s) offends me and if my calling that shit out bothers you then you’re not someone I want following my blog anyway.

[ethereal-elegance]

Except canonically there's no love between Jon & sansa,not even platonic because they distant siblings practically estranged with really nothing in common.And even in the context of the terrible adaptation that is GoT,Jon is basically forced to fill in the shoes of Ned & Robb as the head because he's the eldest member of the Starks alive after their deaths,hence why the show compares and parallels Jon to Ned,trying to make him into his clone only to fail miserably by making Jon worse.Yet in GoT,Jon's concern and care for sansa (despite dumb & dumber giving sansa Jeyne's trauma for "character development") is not returned and it's one-sided on sansa's side since sansa shows and proves time and time again she never truly loved Jon or cared about him or desired to protect him or even actually try to as she moving in a way that is the exact opposite with all of her other siblings too.Literally everything sansa has say and done in the show and the books has only really been selfish in service of serving her own interests with no regard for her so called family/dear loved ones.Sansa getting so many of the Northmen killed in the battle of the bastards,especially using Rickon to trick,manipulate,gaslight and guilt-trip Jon to fight in it (which is the begining of sansa's pattern of constantly risking his life and the rest of the Starklings until the very end of the finale of the show,even plotting to kill their own little sister Arya who even the actor of bran and the show writers favored towards the actress of sansa revealed and confirmed the suspicion) to only for her to be the reason their own innocent youngest brother Rickon to die without even showing any guilt, remorse,or mourning him at least just to get credit (like the actress confirmed) for "gEtTiNg BaCk ThE nOrTh WhIcH iS tHeIrS" when many if not most fighting in the battle of bastards against Ramsey Bolton died.Not to mention if sansa was truly "tHe SmArTeSt PeRsOn EvEr" (according to Arya being used as dumb & dumber's spokepiece) and really somehow magically knew about what would happen to King's Landing,then why would she consistently practically constantly provoke the major threat who was apparently volatile and a ticking time bomb?Why would she risk getting kill herself,her family,and everyone in the North killed with her unprovoked hostile behavior immediately upon their initial meeting when their only saving grace has finally arrived to Winterfell to save them from the imminent apocalyptic threat of the white walkers drawing closer to her so called people just because it's the "Mad King's daughter"?Why would she risk getting her precious beloved Winterfell that is their home and the rest of the North obliterated to ashes,acting as if their ally deserved to be judged for the sins of her father before what the d&d forced Dany to burn the people living in the city in the capital of Westeros and the castle her own ancestors built she was working towards her whole life to reclaim,hence destroying the Targaryen legacy?Why would oH sO sMaRtEsT oF aLl sansa & bran the all seeing three eyed raven mentored and trained by powerful Targaryen-Blackwood skinchanger Bloodraven not try anything to prevent the loss of innocent lives especially children in King's Landing if they didn't exactly know what would happened but actually anticipated it instead?It all just goes to show even more that sansa literally didn't care about anyone not even her family but ruling over an independent North struggling to survive that none of the Northerners were prepare to take care of not even the starks let alone the most sheltered pampered spoiled useless ungrateful incompetent dumbass of a brat of them from:

•sansa easily breaking an oath before the old gods of her late father's faith to conspire against the so called devil incarnate with her hand to replace the woman with a man,risking her so called beloved brother life and the rest of their family's lives and the Northerners' lives yet again for the umpteenth time

•sansa begging her little brother bran to give the North independence as a kingdom and begged him to became queen in the North even while bran is king of Westeros,proving sansa only cared about herself getting a crown,not who sat on the throne considering sansa believes ruling is a reward and right and leisure she's entitled to and deserves,not a duty and a job with great responsibility it actually (especially according to Dany's chapters and quotes in the books),(because of her ancestors' genocide of the indigenous native people of the North,the Children of the Forest,her ancestors forced their daughters to marry and mate with for their warging and skinchanging abilities practically to steal it while the First Men also warged war against many houses in the north,wiping out some to become the notorious kings of winter as they kicked out the Blackwoods out of their wolfwoods to take for themselves;("Owning" and ruling land you not only blatantly stole (because it was taken not given or surrendered or even won) but imposed your religion and culture via colonization (unlike the Targaryens who adapted the Westerosi faith of the Seven and assimilated into Westerosi culture instead and didn't enforce theirs on others) upon the rest for thousands of years is not the impressive flex stark stans believe it is using for imaginary drags (as if the Targaryens weren't naturally one of the dragonlord dragonrider noble families of Old Valyria despite being a lesser house who ultimately is the only house to survive because Aenys was likely the only one wise enough to listen to his Daenys the. Dreamer and at least prepare to move his family away because of her dream of the empire's doom if if they didn't know at the time it was a prophetic vision) due to her nonexistent suffering stolen from her childhood friend poor Jeyne🤮

But after all,GRRM did say he created sansa because the Starks all got along too well,which isn't realistic in familial relationships and dynamics,so sansa's is literally the bad egg of the family sowing discord among them.NTM sansa is partially to blame for Ned's death btw especially since her stans love to blame Dany,who's still a child only two years older than sansa,for everything and anything under the sun out of her control when Dany has actually shown/proven she actually cares about other people more than herself and at least,Dany actually tries to help people no matter what even at her own cost and risk since she's truly the most selfless,altruistic,benevolent,kind,noble,honorable,etc.Dany's borderline righteous in spite of her understable flaws (which arent even toxic but relatable and compelling) and her faults (which are literally as a result of Dany actually being way too nice and lenient and for giving),which no one could've anticipated coming miles away and prevented anyway.

I made a post about Jon Snow being a Corn King figure here. So, this post references that one heavily. 

The Corn King is a term for a male fertility god/sacred king who dies or is sacrificed for the good of his people to bring fertility or spring back into the land. The Corn King is born at Yule, matures through the year, and dies at harvest, only to be reborn the next year. At Beltane, the Corn King weds an Earth Goddess (an aspect of the Earth Mother). The consummation of their wedding restores fertility to the land.

The king was the incarnation of a dying and reviving god, a solar deity who underwent a mystic marriage to a goddess of the Earth. He died at the harvest and was reincarnated in the spring. Frazer claims that this legend of rebirth is central to almost all of the world’s mythologies. FROM WIKI

I just wanted to make a ship-specific post as we know that Jon and Dany have both been set up as our savior figures to stop the Long Night, restore balance, and bring Spring back again. And, their convergence has been stated has being the point of the series. Does Dany fit the figure of an Earth Goddess, an Earth Mother? The Mother part is easy as Dany is connected to motherhood from the first book and first season onwards. Mhysa means “mother.” She’s the Mother of Dragons.  

Frazer, in The Golden Bough, uses Diana, the Roman moon and nature goddess (who has also been called Light Bringer interestingly) and her symbolic marriage to the priest-king Nemi “the two figuring as King and Queen of the Wood in a solemn marriage which was intended to make the earth gay with the blossoms of spring and the fruits of autumn.” Egyptian kings married their sisters and they impersonated Osiris and Isis in the rites of spring. 

In Barbara L Talcroft’s The Death of the Corn King which is built on Frazer’s The Golden Bough, she says:

Irish texts speak of the banais rigi or “the wedding of the kingship” which probably meant that the queen, who also impersonated the earth goddess,  chose a mate from among her war band and later to become the king-sacrifice. Mac Cana relates the story from Irish literature of King Eochaidh whose kingship was not recognized because his goddess-wife, Edain, had been taken away from him. Mac Cana concludes, “In the context of Irish tradition, the meaning of this is clear. Eochaidh had become king, but his kingship could be validated only by his union with the goddess of sovereignty, in this case, Edain. This union of king and goddess was at one time ritually enacted at the Feast of Tara.”

So, this part is interesting because it’s the Goddess of Sovereignty that gives the king legitimacy. Without her, his kingship is not validated. 

The ceremony so essential to the legitimacy of the king took place at his inauguration and had two parts- some form of drink offered by the goddess-bride to the king and the sexual union

Have I just talked myself into accepting Bran’s legitimacy VO while Jon/Dany are having sex? Heh.

The intricate relationship between king and Goddess, at least in the Celtic tradition, was undoubtedly caused by the conflicting emphases of the patriarchal sun religion represented by the king, and of the matriarchal earth and moon religion represented by the Goddess.

Moon symbology has figured in Daenerys’ story. ‘Moon of my life’ which Drogo called her is only one such example. The dragon creation myth is another. There are a lot of moon references in Dany’s chapters. But, there are even more moon references in Jon’s chapters. The Azor Ahai myth and R’hollorism is filled with sun, moon, and star references too. R’hllor specifically is connected to sun and stars.

“He told me the moon was an egg, Khaleesi, the Lysene girl said. Once there were two moons in the sky, but one wandered too close to the sun and cracked from the heat. A thousand thousand dragons poured forth, and drank the fire of the sun. That is why dragons breathe flame. One day the other moon will kiss the sun too, and then it will crack and the dragons will return.”

Melisandre says to Jon in ADWD  "You should look behind you, Lord Snow. The moon has kissed you and etched your shadow upon the ice twenty feet tall.“

R’hllor,” sang Melisandre, her arms upraised against the falling snow, “you are the light in our eyes, the fire in our hearts, the heat in our loins. Yours is the sun that warms our days, yours the stars that guard us in the dark of night.”

I was researching the Corn King mythology and I found the references to the Earth/Moon (often used interchangeably) Goddess and the role she plays in the Corn King story. It’s not just his death and rebirth that brings fertility to the land, but it’s the consummation of their marriage. I’m not taking this literally for Jon and Dany, but rather, that their partnership will be what helps saves the world and brings Spring again. 

[hilarychuff]

OMG I just thought of another "The Princess Diaries", sometimes I still think of Sansa who waited for Jon and him never showing up. My poor baby😭

ok i knew i wanted to do this jonsa princess diaries au scene almost immediately because a) frankly there aren't that many actual mia michael scenes in the movie and i don't have my copies of the books at my apartment and b) it's cute!! cute before the heartbreaking moment where jon accidentally stands her up!!! you can imagine the ensuing angst for yourself on this one ❤️ also i thought about waiting until the morning to post this but whatever fuck it i’ll just shameless self reblog later

--

Oh For Fork’s Sake

“Um,” Sansa says suddenly, the slightly higher pitch of her voice grabbing Jon’s attention as they walk side by side to school.

She’s been talking practically nonstop for the last five minutes, rambling really as she fills him in about her day yesterday, how Sister Mordane gave her a solo in choir, how Robb’s band practiced the same song for forty-five minutes straight at their uncle Benjen’s garage last night. He doesn’t mind. He’s liked just listening, actually. Well, not exactly listening. He’s getting the gist of what she’s saying he’s pretty sure, and he’s been responding appropriately (or at least he thinks he has, nodding along each time she glances over at him at least), but mostly he’s just been enjoying walking next to her.

It’s rare that it’s just the two of them like this — usually Arya is nearby, or Robb, even her little brothers Bran or Rickon — but when he’d rang the Stark family’s doorbell that morning, she’d been the only one who’d answered, opening the door almost immediately and then snapping it shut behind her. Arya was running late, she insisted. Too late to wait for. She’d overslept, told Sansa they should go ahead without her, that she’d grab a ride with Robb instead. So they’d left, and Sansa had seemingly made it her mission to fill the silence for every moment since.

He doesn’t mind. Lately, his head has been so full of stupid prince stuff, packed to the brim with names of long-dead relatives and Valyrian family crests and edicts the Targaryen line had issued over the last 300 years. Daenerys has been drilling him on them relentlessly, insisting he’ll be an embarrassment of an heir if he doesn’t figure out how to get this all down. She’d lost her temper with him last night when he’d mixed up his oyster fork and cocktail fork, and he’d been so frustrated he’d shoved away from the table, so desperate for a break that he’d nearly knocked his chair to the ground. Instead it had only wobbled for a moment, then slammed back down onto all four legs, loud enough that it had startled one of his aunt’s vicious little corgis that had been crowded around her feet under the table. Drogon had lunged, snapped at his ankle, and Jon was certain he’d been on the verge of starting an international incident once he’d finally managed to shake his pants free of the pup’s clenched teeth.

Daenerys had banished him for the rest of the night after that, commanding him to get out of her sight, and he’d stormed straight out and walked the 15 blocks home without stopping. Only Ghost had been able to help him calm down, but when he’d fallen asleep later that night, his dreams had been plagued by royal rules and family trees and he’d woken up stressed all over again. So hearing Sansa just babble on about her day as they walk the half mile from her place to school — well, it’s been kind of nice to pretend at least for a few moments that everything is still normal. That he’s just a regular high schooler like she is.

Now, though, she’s like a record that skipped the track, a few sharp little intakes of her breath punctuating the silence that’s fallen between them even as she keeps her strides steady.

“Um, so I was wondering,” she finally manages, and is she… nervous? Is that what the babbling had been about? She’s a little flushed too now that he thinks about it, both of her thumbs hooked into her backpack straps instead of swinging loosely at her sides. Did Arya tell her about him? Does she know? Is that why she’s suddenly acting weird around him?

“Do you —” she starts, then lets out a huff of a laugh, shaking her ponytail as if that’ll reshuffle the words she’s looking for into just the right order. When she finally gets them out, they’re not at all what he was expecting. “Do you have plans already for Saturday night?”

The question takes him entirely by surprise. Is she asking what he thinks she’s asking?

“Why, is Robb’s band playing somewhere?” he says by way of answer. “Did he recruit you to find him roadies again?”

“Oh, no ��� Well, I mean, yes,” she says. “Robb managed to convince some café by Dacey’s house that they’re definitely good enough to be playing public gigs, but I, um —” She hesitates again, just for a moment. “I was thinking maybe, if you wanted to, we could do something else. The parts for your mustang came in, and Uncle Benjen gave me my own key to the garage just in case I ever need it, and I know he wouldn’t mind if we wanted to work on your car after hours.”

She’s blushing a little more now, biting her lip, and he can’t believe for a moment that this is really happening. He’s never imagined it like this, her asking him, so nervous that it makes him feel more confident than he ever has in comparison.

“If we wanted to work on it?” he teases, grinning.

“OK,” she says, rolling her eyes, but he can see her fighting her own smile even as she looks straight ahead instead of at him. “If you wanted to work on it while I watched. And maybe —” She hesitates again, sneaks a glance at him, but his smile seems to reassure her. “Maybe we can even order pizza. And M&Ms. And put it on the company card. Uncle Benjen still owes me from that time he accidentally spilled transmission fluid on my math homework.”

He nods along, waits for her to finish, and then shoots her mock-suspicious look.

“You know,” he drawls. “If I didn’t know any better, Sansa, I’d say you were trying to ask me on a date.”

She laughs, finally releases her iron grip on her backpack straps so she can give him a playful shove.

“Shut up. Do you want to or not?”

When her arms drop to her sides, they’re close enough that his knuckles brush against the back of her hand. Suddenly, he feels like he could correctly identify a thousand stupid little forks, recognize the minute differences in each one by touch alone. “OK,” he agrees. “Yeah, Saturday. Let’s do it.”

His knuckles brush the back of her hand again, his fingers flexing, hand open just in case she wants to slip hers into it — and then Arya is bursting between them.

“Um, hello!” she demands, just this side of panting, her school uniform rumpled and ragged where Sansa’s is pristine and pressed. “Didn’t you two hear me shouting your names? And why didn’t you wait for me? I told you I just needed a few minutes!”

He shoots Sansa an accusatory look, and she has the good grace to at least seem a little sheepish. Still, to think that she purposely went out of her way to get him alone? If you put a family tree in front of him, he could fill out every single fucking name, date, and formal title on the damn thing.

“Sorry,” Sansa says. “I thought you were just getting in the shower, not getting out.”

If she were paying attention, Arya would see that for the obvious lie it is, but she’s not looking at them anymore, instead looking down the street past them.

“What’s going on at school?” she asks, and she’s right, there’s something, a crowd hovering around the front steps.

The whole area is buzzing, people milling around with microphones and cameras and tape recorders, reporters and photographers loitering as if they’re waiting for something. There are some students out front too, Joffrey and Margaery and Loras all at the top of the steps — and then Joffrey is leaning out over the railing, pointing, shouting something and, almost as if as one, the whole mob turns to look at Jon. Fuck.

[reginarubie]

Reposted from @gingerdsnapped this is the art done for my story Empress of the World — a Valyria never fell AU in which the Targs managed to avoid the Doom of Valyria and rose as Emperors of the Free-Hold with JonSa as main pairing inspired by the real-life love stories of some of my favorite historical couples.

You can find it here if you haven’t read it already and wish to: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35105356

The couples that have inspired this are many, in chronological — kind of — order:

Octavian Augustus and his wife Livia

Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville

Henry VII and Elizabeth of York

Suleyman and Hürrem Sultan

Ahmed and Kösem Sultan

Now onto the art

A magnificent cover for the story in which it shows a bit of Jaehaerys and Sansa in their various environment as their love story will span many years and leagues and leagues. As they will be based off in Valyria — the Rome/Istambul of Valyria — but their story will carry them in the North — west of Valyria — and against the Yi’Tis — east — but the love will remain the same.

The three women of the dynasty — barred from Sansa who gets her own piece — who are from left to the right Rhaenys in her sun-crown with the Targaryen colors and the proper ceremonial tint on her eyes and lips, princess of Valyria half-sister to Emperor Jaehaerys and his Chief Advisor; Lyanna lady mother of the Empire, mother of Jaehaerys born Lyanna Karstark who fled the North and a marriage to the second prince of the North and ended up being the concubine of Jaehaerys’ father and the mother of the new emperor with her tunic of Karstark colors and the ceremonial tint with her spiked crown; and — last to the left — Daenerys princess of Valyria and Lady of the province of Pentos, aunt of the Emperor and his previous lover, spurned by his new love for the northern girl with her Valyrian red and black attire and her dragon styled crown. This is inspired by the ceremonial coronation of Jaehaerys III after the end of the civil war caused by Viserys attempt to claim the throne from Jaehaerys.

Sansa of House Stark, princess in the North, daughter of king Eddard Stark and queen Catelyn of House Tully, claimant to the Northern crown.

Only surviving child of the royal couple after the coup that has dethroned House Stark by the hand of House Bolton — Roose Bolton was spurned by Ned refusal to marry one of his daughters preferably Sansa to Roose only remaining son, the bastard Ramsay — and House Karstark spurned after king Eddard chose a southern over another daughter of House Karstark and refused a possible marriage between their Houses after that. Sansa fled Winterfell — the burned bodies of her younger brothers still alive in her mind — and found refuge on Bear Island hiding in plain sight by dyeing her hair dark. Captured by a raid she finds herself in Valyria and miraculously at the vok of the Emperor where she catches his gaze and attention, as well as love.

This piece magnificently encapsulate how Sansa will have to navigate being still the rightful claimant to the Northern crown she means to restore and being part of the Valyrian dynasty with the birth of her children.

Her mantra — as long as I know who I am I cannot be broken — keeping her strong through all she had to endure.

Sansa in Valyria as the Favorite of the Emperor and the only woman called to dēmalion — a stay of three months into the Emperor chambers — wearing the royal blue her mother favored during her tenure as Queen consort in the North. The dragon behind her I like to think is Maelys — Jaehaerys’ century old, enormous dragon — and behind her a sight of Valyria by night.

Jaehaerys receives the news of his father’s death at the banks of the Bloody Lake and is posed in front of a choice, accept the ruler ship and the sword of the Lord of the World claiming the throne as the prime minister — prime archor Gael — asks of him; or bend the knee to the only other claimant, his uncle Viserys in Pentos.

On the morrow of the day passed, just after the morning meal, his Imperial Majesty, the Lord of the World, has left this mortal plane to become one with blood, one with fire and one with smoke.

I beseech you, my prince, to come to the capital immediately to seize the throne rightfully yours before treachery spreads and take your post as Lord of the World.

The flame is extinguished, may the embers take aflame again from the ashes.

Gael Leamyor prime achor of Valyria

— Empress of the World, prologue

The magnificent background is to be the Bloody Lake near Tyra, a place with salted shore and blood-red waters due the poisonous algae, near the Sunrise Dorsal, where there are the Fourteen Flames from which by canon the Valyrian have found the dragons.

Sansa Stark, Favorite of the Emperor even in the lands of dragons does not forget who she is.

I look like a woman — she thinks — like mother and quite not yet. There a softness in my eyes, which is all father. They are still alive — she decides — on my face. They are still alive as I am.

The shape of her mouth reminds her of Robb — he had a beautiful smile — she thinks as she smiles softly at her own reflection. And the sharpness of her cheekbones and nose reminds her of Arya — she would’ve grown to be beautiful in her own way, so strong and determined — the unruliness of the red baby-hair around her forehead and nape of her neck are all Rickon.

And her littlest brother laughter fills her mind and squeezes her heart.

And the cyan of her eyes, not as intense blue as her mothers, and yet not steel, but an icy cyan is all Brandon. Brandon’s eyes were the same shade of in-between the blue of Robb and Rickon and mother’s eyes and the silverly steel of her father’s and Arya’s.

They are still alive — she repeats to herself — on my face. In my heart. And one day — she hopes — in the fruit of my womb.

— Empress of the World, chapter VI

And after that another solo piece, this one for Lyanna, mother of the Emperor.

Born Lyanna Karstark she fled the North to avoid an unwanted marriage at age fourteen/fifteen. Her family to avoid insult declared her dead due the sweats and offered another bride to the prince, but he in the meantime had become the prime heir to the crown and married a girl from the South. The Karstark never forgave her the insult that caused them to the point that when Lyanna who had become a mother to Jaehaerys — after having become the new concubine of Emperor Rhaegar — had reached out to them they sent her one of her dresses bloody and tore and told her she was dead to them. Her only purpose in her life is defending her son from foes and false allies alike, ready to do all that it takes to keep him safe.

Inspired by this passage:

He cups Sansa’s chin in his hand “Do not worry about it, ñuha jelevre— he tells her gently — my mother is only protective of me. A mother won’t ask questions when her cub is in need of protection in her mind, she will just bite. Give her time, she will come to love you”

Sansa has tears shining in her eyes and Jaehaerys knows she is thinking of her mother. He knows her mother caught bare-handed a valyrian steel dagger to protect her second son as he laid between life and death, of how she died trying to protect her firstborn son giving her life for his. Knows how much she misses her.

“What if she doesn’t?” she murmurs “sometimes I feel so alone” she tells him softly. And Jaehaerys presses a kiss to her forehead and her eyelids.

“You’ll still have me — he tells her — am I not enough?” he asks her and Sansa breaks the wall in between them and embraces him, fitting her face next to him and nuzzling his cheek with hers, her lithe body pressed against his.

“You’re more than enough” she murmurs against his ear, Jaehaerys holds her closer still to his body “you’ll have to bear a bit with me — she says — you’re not with me always, when you’re away from my side I feel so alone” she tells him.

— Empress of the World, chapter V

A moment of peace between Jaehaerys and Sansa as they discuss what is to come in the privacy of the Emperor’s chambers in between the sheets — pillow talk with a side of politics — and they share their love and insecurities. Notice the detail of the ring Sansa wears because it is extremely important and well done!

And last but not least — the most detail impressive — of this collection, the art dedicated to the last update I made, yesterday.

Pregnant Sansa with the gift her Emperor has sent for, from the North. Inspired by this passage and the rest of chapter IX:

Torches litters the path to it, bathing the whole courtyard and garden in a golden and orange light.

The bark of the tree is white and veined of grey and frost blue, there is a dark, seeping, red blood ember, viscous and ruby of colour, shining in the night light, the roots are encapsulated in the earth, others are still standing out gathered in a tangle of branches as white as milk so intricate that it seems as dark as darkness and the branches, slender and curved upward are crowned by fronds of vibrant blood red leafs; the face carved into the bark is stern and the ember seeps from its downturned mouth and eyes as if blood oozing from eyes and lips of a dying man.

[…]

“You told of how your father built a small sept so that your mother may have prayed to her Gods — he tells her — and I thought I would’ve have wished for my father to do something similar for my mother” he adds, he brings her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles “so, I decided that since I am the lord of the World now, I could very well find a way to recreate a Godswood for my woman; so that she and my mother may pray to their Tree Gods like their fathers before them”

— Empress of the World, chapter IX

I cannot say thank you enough to @gingerdsnapped for the amazing work she did — some even very short notice like this last piece of Sansa and the Heart Tree — I feel so very blessed! I will treasure this collection of pieces for my fic! Thank you so very much to have made come alive in such a fine way my story, everything about it — the dresses and the makeup yeah I am particular about both as well as Jaehaerys and his attires and whole demeanor — I am so happy because this vibrant world that existed only in my mind before now has a real artistic form and I am very grateful!

Original post: https://gingerdsnapped.tumblr.com/post/674014796161630208/request-fill-for-art

[sepedarodatiga]

The Snow Queen fairytale as a motif used in GoT/ASOIAF

First of all, how many fairytales and myths can GRRM fit into this story, seriously?? I know many have written well thought and well informed meta of various fairytale motives fit with ASOIAF/GoT, and I am just here adding into an already huge pile, but it bothers me, okay. I have to get it out there into the tumblr void. And this is not really a well thought and well informed meta (I’m not a folklore/literature expert, not to mention European folklore/literature), I’m just pointing my fingers into the patterns I saw fit. Also, I can’t count myself as ASOIAF book reader, I just watch the show. What I know about the books, I read it here in tumblr. 

But anyway, you might be surprised as to which character I saw fit as The Snow Queen in GoT

It’s Daenerys Targaryen.

I know I know... whaat? The Mother of Dragons, Bride of Fire as The Snow Queen? Get out of here, right...

But it’s a pun. It’s not The Snow Queen, it’s Jon Snow’s Queen, get it? Remember how Jon repeatedly saying “you’re my queen” to Dany during season 8? Yeah. Oh and Jon is Kay, while Sansa is Gerda. 

What made me realize that Dany is The Snow Queen is when I was reading my son the fairytale. In the version retold by Kate Friend, it describes The Snow Queen as beautiful and terrible. And I was like, huh, just like Dany, especially with the white hair and the all white costume in season 8. 

Daenerys Targaryen, beautiful and terrible.

And then of course the story went on describing how Kay becomes her prisoner and then I was like, well that’s like Jon Snow during season 8 too.... And then in Disney’s adaptation Frozen, Elsa has white hair with purple eyeshadow, while Anna (Gerda) has....red hair....which is like... Sansa Stark. Then I also remember the illustration on my son’s book which is by John Patience, that reminded me of the Iron Throne.

The Snow Queen illustration by John Patience. See how much alike this setting is with the Red Keep? Especially in Dany’s vision in HoTU when snow was falling.

So I went investigating, and shit... I mean obviously the sequencing was moved around, GRRM likes to subvert things, but my God!

Before we get into Jon Snow and his queen, I have to start with the other characters first. And I will be taking excerpt of the story from The Hans Christian Andersen Center website which I assume would be the most original one.

Gerda = Sansa Stark

Here is a description of Gerda’s power:  “No power that I could give could be as great as that which she already has. Don't you see how men and beasts are compelled to serve her, and how far she has come in the wide world since she started out in her naked feet? We mustn't tell her about this power. Strength lies in her heart, because she is such a sweet, innocent child.”

Furthermore, her connection with Kay are through roses (they have a window box full of roses) and a song that goes like this:  "Where roses bloom so sweetly in the vale, There shall you find the Christ Child, without fail." Another variation of the song is: “The rose in the valley has flowers so sweet, and angels come down there the children to greet.” She saved Kay with her prayers, hugs, kisses, tears and her song and their reunion literally ended winter and brings spring. If that’s not Sansa Stark (and the jonsa reunion), then I don’t know what is.

Gerda made a journey to the North to find Kay and bring him back together with her to their home. Sansa did not meant to make a journey North to find Jon and bring him back home, but this is what happened anyway. The story even stressed on the fact that when they came back to their homes, they were no longer children but grown ups. On her quest Gerda offered her red shoes to the river to get information about Kay’s whereabouts but the red shoes were given back to her the first time. But she did it once again and the river set her on the path to find Kay. I’m not really sure but for Sansa it could be her betrothal to Joffrey that was then canceled but then she got married to Tyrion Lannister. Her red shoes is her name and her claim to the North.

Gerda then met an old woman who wanted to keep her and made her forget about Kay by keeping all the roses underground. The old woman’s place was beautiful. Here is an excerpt:  “Then Gerda was led into the flower garden. How fragrant and lovely it was! Every known flower of every season was there in full bloom. No picture book was ever so pretty and gay. Gerda jumped for joy, and played in the garden until the sun went down behind the tall cherry trees. Then she was tucked into a beautiful bed, under a red silk coverlet quilted with blue violets. There she slept, and there she dreamed as gloriously as any queen on her wedding day.” But then she saw a rose on the old woman’s hat and finally remembers her purpose of finding Kay. I would say that the old woman is Cersei Lannister who tried to make Sansa forget about her home and her innocence. Sansa was also saved from her clutch by roses (The Tyrells).

Then Gerda with information from a crow, met a Princess and Prince. She thought that the Prince might be Kay, but it turns out he was not. This might be Sansa’s vale arc and the Prince is either Petyr Baelish or Harry Hardyng. The Prince and Princess also gave provisions for Gerda’s journey to the North, so this may be that the KoTV helps Sansa getting Winterfell back. The crow, has a ladylove, another crow and they finally get married and live in the Princess’s castle though unfortunately the crow then died. The crow was a wild forest crow while his ladylove is a tame crow. These two crows could be genderbent into Sam Tarly and Gilly. Remember that Sam is mock as Jon’s ladylove by Alliser Thorne?

Next Gerda met a robber girl who sleeps with a knife and have plenty of pigeons. Yep, of course that is very much like Arya Stark (who sometimes is being referred to as “a girl”)

The pigeons told Gerda about Kay and The Snow Queen. The robber girl finally gave Gerda her reindeer called Bae for her journey to the North. The girl likes to tickle the reindeer’s neck with her knife. At the end of the story it is told that the robber girl then decided to leave her place and find adventure in the world. Very much like Arya’s ending.

Now about that reindeer Bae who helped Gerda to reach to Kay in The Snow Queen’s palace in the far North. In ASOIAF/GoT, we can connect Bae to Baelish. Make sense. Petyr Baelish helps Sansa get to North and Arya’s knife did end up in his neck. But also we can connect it to two foreshadowing of Sansa bearing Jon’s child. The first is more well-known: Bael the Bard. The second one I think is more hidden and I made a post about it quite long ago: Baelor. Is this far fetched? Maybe, but I’ll take it.

Kay = Jon (+ The Night King)

Kay and Gerda are neighbours and they share a garden (particularly a flower box full of roses). Their relationship, in the words of Hans Christian Andersen himself are: “These children were not brother and sister, but they loved each other just as much as if they had been.” So they are NOT brother and sister but love each other as such. While Jon and Sansa are also NOT brother and sister but was raised as such.

Then Kay got splinters of magic mirror stuck to his eyes and his heart. The mirror “made everything great and good that was reflected in it appear small and ugly, but which magnified all evil things until each blemish loomed large”. It made Kay hated all the roses, they look ugly now to his eyes and also made Kay loved the snow and the cold. Jon Snow at the beginning of the story was a cynical little boy because he was raised as a bastard. He wanted to leave Winterfell and sneered at the idea of having a family of his own because he felt that he can’t have them. So he went to the coldest place there is.

In the story, Kay plays with his sled, and then The Snow Queen came with her sled and Kay hooked his sled to hers. The Snow Queen first, covers Kay in a bearskin rug and gave Kay kisses. The first kiss “was colder than ice. He felt it right down to his heart, half of which was already an icy lump. He felt as if he were dying, but only for a moment. Then he felt quite comfortable, and no longer noticed the cold”. The second kiss makes Kay forgets about Gerda and their homes. The third kiss, The Snow Queen does not give him because it would be the kiss of death.

I argue that GRRM subvert this story. I think Jon Snow was already saved by Sansa before he met Dany. The splinters in his eyes and heart was already gone when he faced The Snow Queen. The reunion happened before he met Dany. The first two kisses also already happened: Jon Snow had died and came alive again, and he also forced to forget about his home and family while he was at the Night’s Watch. The bearskin rug which The Snow Queen used to cover Kay can allude to Jeor Mormont and/or Longclaw. 

Then Jon Snow met his queen finally, but instead of a hooking sleds.... it’s dragons. Jon Snow’s sled was his dragon Rhaegal which are hooked to Dany’s sled Drogon. But his eyes wasn’t blinded by the splinter and his heart were already warm. He knowingly and willingly follow the dragon to save his family.

And the third kiss of death that wasn’t given by The Snow Queen? Jon Snow will give it to his queen instead.

Now let’s go back a little bit. Kay was also given a puzzle from ice by The Snow Queen, and if he can solve it then he is free. He was supposed to spell the word “eternity” but he couldn’t figure it out with the shard in his eyes and heart. In GoT we know exactly who has got an shard in his heart.

The Night King. And so that is why he plays with puzzle in ice. He is struggling to form the one symbol that would set him free.

Bonuses

Other than those patterns, there are several interesting tidbits from the story that fits with ASOIAF. There is this one blog said that The Snow Queen story was inspired by another story called “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” which if you read it, it is essentially “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” (the bear is a white bear, by the way)

More bonuses here. When Gerda finally remembers to find Kay during her time in the old woman’s home because of the rose, different flowers gave her different stories even though none tells her about Kay.

This is the story from tiger lily:

"Do you hear the drum? Boom, boom! It was only two notes, always boom, boom! Hear the women wail. Hear the priests chant. The Hindoo woman in her long red robe stands on the funeral pyre. The flames rise around her and her dead husband, but the Hindoo woman is thinking of that living man in the crowd around them. She is thinking of him whose eyes are burning hotter than the flames-of him whose fiery glances have pierced her heart more deeply than these flames that soon will burn her body to ashes. Can the flame of the heart die in the flame of the funeral pyre?"

So GRRM didn’t take the sati ritual for Dany’s rites of passage as mother of dragons from just anywhere, but it is from this story.

Also, hear this story from hyacinth

"There were three sisters, quite transparent and very fair. One wore a red dress, the second wore a blue one, and the third went all in white. Hand in hand they danced in the clear moonlight, beside a calm lake. They were not elfin folk. They were human beings. The air was sweet, and the sisters disappeared into the forest. The fragrance of the air grew sweeter. Three coffins, in which lie the three sisters, glide out of the forest and across the lake. The fireflies hover about them like little flickering lights. Are the dancing sisters sleeping or are they dead? The fragrance of the flowers says they are dead, and the evening bell tolls for their funeral."

Of course this immediately bring to memory the quote of Jon Snow with Val: “The light of the half-moon turned Val’s honey-blond hair a pale silver and left her cheeks as white as snow. She took a deep breath. “The air tastes sweet.”” Well then, according to Hans Christian Andersen, that means death. There are three sisters here which could allude to the three queens at the almost end of GoT: Cersei Lannister (red), Sansa Stark (blue) and Daenerys Targaryen (white).

So those are my stab at it. I would be interested to hear if anyone’s take on it.

[butterflies-dragons]

Sansa Stark and The Exile Prince

You're not my homeland anymore So what am I defending now? You were my town, now I'm in exile, seeing you out (...) I'm not your problem anymore So who am I offending now? You were my crown, now I'm in exile, seeing you out

—Exile ~ Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver (*)

***

At the end of Game of Thrones, the TV Show, Jon Snow is a prince, but he is exiled from his homeland. Sansa fought for Jon's release after Daenerys’ murder, but he was sent to the Night's Watch. 

Then at their farewell, Sansa regrets she was unable to gain Jon’s release, but he comforts her by saying the North will be in good hands under her guidance. 

That’s why the new Taylor Swift’s Folklore song: Exile, featuring Bon Iver, is making all our wounded jonsa hearts bleed again... 

[Let’s cry together while watching this beautiful Exile Jonsa fanvideo...]

Last year, Sansa’s fight for Jon to be released reminded me very much of her pleadings for Ned’s freedom:

The king! Sansa blinked back her tears. Joffrey was the king now, she thought. Her gallant prince would never hurt her father, no matter what he might have done. If she went to him and pleaded for mercy, she was certain he’d listen. He had to listen, he loved her, even the queen said so. Joff would need to punish Father, the lords would expect it, but perhaps he could send him back to Winterfell, or exile him to one of the Free Cities across the narrow sea. It would only have to be for a few years. By then she and Joffrey would be married. Once she was queen, she could persuade Joff to bring Father back and grant him a pardon.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa IV

GRRM has said that the major players’ endings will be similar in the Books, and yes, he has also called Sansa a major player, so Sansa Stark being Queen of an independent North opens the possibility that she could grant Jon a pardon, so he could go back to Winterfell.

Asoiaf Books are full of exiled characters, especially Targaryen ones, like Maegor, Daemon, Viserys, Daenerys, all of them obsessed to claim the Iron Throne for themselves, and that’s the big difference with Jon Snow and the reason to be hopeful for some kind of pardon, reconciliation and returning home to, at last, enjoy some peaceful time at home, a true Dream of Spring.   

But Sansa Stark has already crossed paths with an Exile Prince. Let’s see: 

Back in AGOT Sansa introduced us to a very particular courtier of the Red Keep: Jalabhar Xho.  

Jalabhar Xho is the exiled Prince of the Red Flower Vale, likely exiled for losing a highly ritualized war as per the tradition of the Summer Isles. Following his exile, Jalabhar came to King's Landing in the Seven Kingdoms to request gold and swords from King Robert I Baratheon to help him regain the Red Flower Vale. Robert always entertained the notion of conquering the Summer Isles, but continuously told Jalabhar and put it off until the next year. Although Robert always put off Jalabhar's request for help, he never firmly declined him, telling him "Next year" instead of "No".

Jalabar Xho has a strong bird imagery that connects him with Sansa, since she is mockingly called a bird of the Summer Isles: 

Flowers of a thousand different sorts bloom in profusion on the Summer Isles, filling the air with their perfume. The trees are heavy with exotic fruits, and a myriad of brightly colored birds flitter through the skies. From their plumage the Summer Islanders make their fabulous feathered cloaks. 

—The World of Ice & Fire

Sandor Clegane stopped suddenly in the middle of a dark and empty field. She had no choice but to stop beside him. "Some septa trained you well. You're like one of those birds from the Summer Isles, aren't you? A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you to recite."

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa II

The denizens of Joffrey's court had striven to outdo each other today. Jalabhar Xho was all in feathers, a plumage so fantastic and extravagant that he seemed like to take flight. 

—A Clash of Kings - Sansa VIII

Sansa is the POV where this Prince of the Summer Isles is most mentioned. Out of the 22 mentions of Jalabar Xho��in the Books, 8 of those mentions are in Sansa’s chapters, followed by the 7 mentions of the exile prince in Cercei’s chapters. But what is really curious and very interesting is the fact that most of those mentions are in a romantic context linked with love and weddings:  

Jeyne Poole confessed herself frightened by the look of Jalabhar Xho, an exile prince from the Summer Isles who wore a cape of green and scarlet feathers over skin as dark as night, but when she saw young Lord Beric Dondarrion, with his hair like red gold and his black shield slashed by lightning, she pronounced herself willing to marry him on the instant.

—A Game of Thrones - Sansa II

He was one of the few spectators at Joffrey’s Name Day Tourney:  

Most of the spectators were guardsmen in the gold cloaks of the City Watch or the crimson of House Lannister; of lords and ladies there were but a paltry few, the handful that remained at court. Grey-faced Lord Gyles Rosby was coughing into a square of pink silk. Lady Tanda was bracketed by her daughters, placid dull Lollys and acid-tongued Falyse. Ebon-skinned Jalabhar Xho was an exile who had no other refuge, Lady Ermesande a babe seated on her wet nurse's lap. The talk was she would soon be wed to one of the queen's cousins, so the Lannisters might claim her lands.

—A Clash of Kings - Sansa I

Jalabar Xho was present at Sansa’s wedding with Tyrion Lanniters, he said something to her in the Summer Tongue while they danced together:

Merry Crane took the floor with the exile prince Jalabhar Xho, gorgeous in his feathered finery. 

(...)

The music spun them apart before Sansa could think of a reply. It was Mace Tyrell opposite her, red-faced and sweaty, and then Lord Merryweather, and then Prince Tommen. "I want to be married too," said the plump little princeling, who was all of nine. "I'm taller than my uncle!"

"I know you are," said Sansa, before the partners changed again. Ser Kevan told her she was beautiful, Jalabhar Xho said something she did not understand in the Summer Tongue, and Lord Redwyne wished her many fat children and long years of joy. 

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa III 

[Here you can find a fanart of Sansa and Jalabar Xho dancing together]

Jalabar Xho and Sansa met again during The Purple Wedding and they talked about the Wedding Customs of the Summer Isles:

Tyrion led Sansa around the yard, to perform the necessary courtesies.

She is good at this, he thought, as he watched her tell Lord Gyles that his cough was sounding better, compliment Elinor Tyrell on her gown, and question Jalabhar Xho about wedding customs in the Summer Isles. His cousin Ser Lancel had been brought down by Ser Kevan, the first time he'd left his sickbed since the battle. He looks ghastly. Lancel's hair had turned white and brittle, and he was thin as a stick. Without his father beside him holding him up, he would surely have collapsed. Yet when Sansa praised his valor and said how good it was to see him getting strong again, both Lancel and Ser Kevan beamed. She would have made Joffrey a good queen and a better wife if he'd had the sense to love her. He wondered if his nephew was capable of loving anyone.

—A Storm of Swords - Tyrion VIII

The last we know about this particular character is that he is falsely accused by the Blue Bard to be one of Queen Margaery’s lovers and Cersei would be willing to send him to the Night’s Watch if he confesses:  

Behind Margaery came a long tail of courtiers, guards, and servants, many of them laden with baskets of fresh flowers. Each of her cousins had an admirer in thrall; the gangly squire Alyn Ambrose rode with Elinor, to whom he was betrothed, Ser Tallad with shy Alla, one-armed Mark Mullendore with Megga, plump and laughing. The Redwyne twins were escorting two of Margaery's other ladies, Meredyth Crane and Janna Fossoway. The women all wore flowers in their hair. Jalabhar Xho had attached himself to the party too, as had Ser Lambert Turnberry with his eye patch, and the handsome singer known as the Blue Bard.

—A Feast for Crows - Cersei VI

"I prefer this song to the other." Leave the great lords out of it, that was for the best. The others, though . . . Ser Tallad had been a hedge knight, Jalabhar Xho was an exile and a beggar, Clifton was the only one of the little queen's guardsman. And Osney is the plum that makes the pudding. "I know you feel better for having told the truth. You will want to remember that when Margaery comes to trial. If you were to start lying again . . .

(...)

Alone, the Blue Bard's confession would never suffice. Singers lied for their living, after all. Alla Tyrell would be of great help, if Taena could deliver her. "Ser Osney shall confess as well. The others must be made to understand that only through confession can they earn the king's forgiveness, and the Wall." Jalabhar Xho would find the truth attractive. About the rest she was less certain, but Qyburn was persuasive . . .

—A Feast for Crows - Cersei IX

Does the Exile Prince Jalabhar Xho reminds you of someone? Maybe of another Prince, that will probably be exiled from his homeland after some succession dispute, that is surrounded by bird imagery because he wears a black cloak, that is called ‘crow’ and knows an actual crow that repeats everything it hears, that is linked with Sansa Stark, that once imagined himself dancing with a creature that talked to him in a foreign tongue, and that once organized a foreign custom wedding of a Lady with whom he once danced? Do I need to say it? 

Damn it, George! What are you doing?

(*) This post was written while listening Exile over and over and over again...     

[sailorshadzter]

the life of a king and queen.

@jonsa-creatives  >> written for the queen sansa / jonsa  event 

i really meant to have this done in time lol

He watches her grieve, his own heart hardened to the pain of loss.

Instead, he feels empty, lost, wishing there was a right answer to all that they suffered, for all that was still yet to come. He spares the dragon queen a single glance, her silver hair falling down her back as she leans over the body of her dead Mormont companion, knowing it would not be long before she summons him away from Sansa once again. A hand clenches to a fist, thinking of the many more men that must die, all so this false queen can lay claim to a throne that will never be hers.

His gaze returns to Sansa as she steps back from Theon's pyre, where he can see the glint of the direwolf pin she'd slid into his doublet. From the angle he stands at, he cannot see her face, but he can only assume it's contorted with her grief, her blue eyes swollen as the tears streak her cheeks. He wishes he could take it away, he wishes he could fix it, but he recalls the soft words she had spoken to him only the night before, when she had been stitching one of his many wounds closed; he died to save Bran, he died a hero. While Jon could never forgive Theon for what he had done while he was alive, saving Sansa and Bran had earned him forgiveness, even if it had to be in death. Jon closes his eyes and lets out the breath he's been holding.

When he opens his eyes, it's to take a torch from the man beside him, watching as Sansa and Daenerys and even Arya takes one of their own. Then, one by one, they lay flame to those they loved, those who fell in the battle for the living, those who died so they, the survivors, could keep going.

And keep going they would do, somehow, someway.

[ x x x ]

She stares at him with that intense, blue-eyed gaze, stealing the breath from his lungs with just a look. The firelight frames her in such a way that he cannot stand it and so, he crosses the room to slip his hands into place on her face, fingertips just barely brushing the ends of hair that have fallen free from her pins. "I made your queen angry," she whispers, thinking back to their war room conversation from that morning. Thinking back to the angry glares she'd been given all night long during the feast.

Jon thinks of Daenerys, having just left his rooms minutes before Sansa had arrived, her violet eyes dark with suspicion, narrowed with anger. "You're not the first," he murmurs back, his lips dangerously close; so close, he can feel it when they curve with her amusement. "You won't be the last." He thinks of what he must do, of what he must prevent when Daenerys lays claim to the Iron Throne. He knows not what she will do when they get there, he knows he cannot stop her from what she's already made up her mind to do. But he can stop her, somehow, someway, he will ensure she will never hurt his family.

"I'll come to you, when it's time," she's leaning into him, breathing him in; he smells of fire smoke and ale, comforting scents that make her close her eyes. She can't imagine him not coming home from this war and so she won't think like that, she won't think of the what if's. Not this time. Unlike the first time he rode into battle, she trusted him entirely. Jon chuckles at her words and she snaps back, blue eyes meeting Stark gray. "I mean it."

He thinks of her then, riding into King's Landing with an army at her back, a wild warrior queen come to save him as no one ever came to save her. "When you come, it will be so I might marry you," he brings his lips to hers, a steady kiss, a warm kiss. One he hopes says everything he's not been able to put to words. When they break apart, she's breathless, smiling, radiant. "I love you," he whispers and she sinks into him.

[ x x x ]

"They don't get to choose."

Daenerys' soft words echo in his mind, their meaning taking root, spreading a cold sense of dread through his limbs. It was as he thought- there was no changing the outcome of this war. There had been a part of him that had hoped, that had wondered if just maybe... Just maybe in the end things could be different. That he wouldn't have to do what he intends to do. But their eyes meet and he knows... He knows. When her lips capture his, his fingers already curl around the hilt of his blade. He knows what he must do. He always has.

She slips from his grasp, the blade still embedded into her chest, her violet eyes wide as they stare up at him from the floor. Her lips move, but no words come. It takes several seconds more for her eyes to close and her head fall to the side, her final breath escaping her in what sounds more like a sigh than anything else.

When her soldiers come, she's already gone, taken by Drogon. He allows them to take him in chains, knowing it was only a matter of time before he would take his place as the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, though in his case it will be six, for the North would belong to no one but her.

The North would be Sansa's, as it always should have been.

[ x x x ]

The day he is proclaimed the rightful king, he still sits in a jail cell.

It is Sansa that comes to him first, war braids twisted in her red hair, bringing a smile to his face at the sight. "I told you I would come," she says as she sinks to her knees, not in reverence, but to throw her arms around him. Jon chuckles, unable to hug her with the shackles around his wrists, but the warmth of her body pressed against his is enough. "Unchain him!" She commands a moment later, pulling back so she might turn back to the guards that hover in the door way.

The man is not one of theirs, but he springs to do her bidding anyways- from the fear in his eyes, Jon can only imagine what threats his precious she-wolf has issued. Once his limbs are free from their chains, Sansa helps him onto his feet and it's then that he embraces her, the momentum of it sweeping her off her feet. "I love you," he says, before all the eyes that watch them from the doorway, uncaring who hears him proclaim the truth of his heart. She smiles, tears shining in her eyes as she nods, leaning in so she might kiss him as she's wished to do all these weeks they've been apart. "You're safe," he thinks of all of their enemies- Cersei, Daenerys, the Night King, Littlefinger, Ramsay Bolton, Joffrey Baratheon... All dead, all nothing but a memory.

"We're safe," she clarifies, softly, her rosy lips curving with the smallest of smiles. "Our family is safe." It was all because of him that she stands where she stands now, it's because of him that she's alive at all. "All because of you." Jon shakes his head as if he means to argue, but she puts a hand to his lips, shaking her own head. "You're my hero." Like the knights from her fairy tales, Jon was the hero that came to save her, the hero she had been waiting for, the brave and gentle knight her father had once told her of.

This time when Jon pulls her into his embrace, he thinks he might never let her go.

[ x x x ]

Before Jon crowns himself king of anything, he stands watch as Sansa is crowned Queen in the North.

He is the first to unsheath his sword, held to the ceiling in reverence to the new Northern queen. His voice is the first to begin the chant in the hall as she sinks upon her throne, her crown of wolves perched perfectly atop her fiery hair. Her eyes find his from across the room and she smiles, a proud smile, a smile that speaks volumes to him. The journey to this moment had been a long one, a tiresome one, but now that they were there, Jon couldn't imagine himself anywhere else.

And so he steps forward, sinking to his knees before her on the throne; before anything else, he is a Northern man and this is his queen... This is the only woman he will ever again call queen, the only woman he will love for all of his life. "My queen," he says as he tilts his head back to look up at her from the floor, ignoring her gesture to rise up, a grin on his lips as he reaches for her hand to take. He presses it to his lips like a proper courtier might, rising up to his feet only then, hesitant to let go of the hand that he holds. "I give myself to you, heart and soul." She laughs, sweet and low, her blue eyes twinkling in the firelight that glows all around them. "I am yours to command." The room is full, but they are alone, lost in the moment, lost in one another's steady gaze.

"And I am yours," she smiles back, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, thinking of little else but the happiness she's found with him, wondering how she's deserving of the love he gives to her, but thankful for it all the same. When Jon smiles, it sends warmth throughout her body, the clutch of his fingers upon hers the only thing she ever wants to feel again.

He kisses her then and the Northern lords that watch know their young queen is happy and so they are, too.

[ x x x ]

It isn't until King's Landing is fully restored that Jon accepts his crown.

With Sansa and the rest of the world watching, he sits upon the new throne of the Six Kingdoms, made for him by Gendry as Sansa's had been. Like hers, it is carved with direwolves and weirwood trees, a perfect match for the throne she's left behind in the North. His crown feels heavy with burden, but when Sansa smiles upon him from where she stands in a beautiful gown of sage green, he's reminded of just why he's come this far. He's reminded of what's kept him going all this time, of the reason that he lives on.

And so the people of Westeros acknowledge their new king, half Targaryen, half Stark, but a man of honor, a man of truth. A good king, they will call him, Good King Jon, the White Wolf of Winterfell, the King that Saved Them All.

[ x x x ]

Several weeks after Jon's crowning, they finally marry.

Standing beneath the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell, they exchange the quiet marriage vows of the old gods. Jon has never seen her more beautiful than she is right then, in a gown of dusky blue and white, the furs draped over her shoulders the perfect accent of gray and white. She is like a dream come to life, something too perfect to exist in a world such as this.

Later, when they retreat to the privacy of their shared chambers- ones that once belonged to only her- he laughs as she pulls the pins from her hair. "What is it?" She asks, swiveling on the stool, still dressed in her lovely gown, her eyes widening at the sound of his laughter. "What's funny?"

"I was only thinking how I once used to sneak into these rooms." He gestures towards the bed, one which they had shared in secret far too many times to count. Now it's her turn to laugh, rising up from the stool to cross the room to stand before him, her hair falling freely across her shoulders. When she's come close enough, he draws her into his arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair, yet again reminded just how lucky of a man he was. "Davos says we should marry again, in King's Landing." He thinks back to what his Hand had said only the day before, a conversation of how they might continue to encourage the strength of Jon's relationship with his people. The world had been through war and had come out scarred, there were wounds not yet healed for some. It would take work to find the true peace Westeros had not seen in centuries. "He says they remember you, they like you." It was true, Jon himself had seen the reaction of the people in the streets when Sansa was seen during her many trips to King's Landing since the end of the war. "I told him to plan it." He knows it to be for the good of the realm, but mostly he looks forward to having another wedding night with her. "And after that... I intend to crown you beside me." Together, they would rule the Seven Kingdoms and hope that they could bring about peace among them all.

[ x x x ]

When the stories are written, they laugh.

They can't help it, hearing the things that the bards and storytellers and historians come up with, trying to find ways to define the life they had lived to get where they were now. The Red Wolf of Winterfell, the Queen That Never Bent, Sansa says to him once, raising her still brilliantly colored eyes from the parchment she reads. The White Wolf of the North, Good King Jon. He had laughed at that, because despite it all, he still doesn't always feel so good.

But when his eyes meet hers, he knows what he has is good, no, what he has is the best. He thinks not just of her, but of the family they've built along the way... Robb, their first born, their heir, though his place will be in Winterfell. The next King Robb, named for the one that should have been. He is built like a Stark, somehow more like the uncle he's named for than anyone could have been prepared for. Sometimes the six-year-old's glare renders him speechless, sends him back to a time where he and Robb had once wrestled in the mud, back to a time when life had been different. Then of course there's Ned, who though quiet like his namesake, is easily persuaded to do wrong by his older brother. He too is more Stark, but he has a touch of Tully in his hair when the sunlight catches it. Some say he is quite like his uncle Bran and there isn't a day where the boy isn't happy in the broken man's lap. He will succeed Jon, if he wishes it, but something tells Jon that Ned will offer his crown to Lyanna, more suited to Hand of a King or Queen. That was who came third, their first daughter Lyanna, named for her grandmother and a spitfire like she was said to have been. She is Sansa's twin, a beauty of a girl even just at two, but she too is a child that Jon cannot deny. Her dark hair is never tidy, though it falls with the same gentle wave as Sansa's does. Lyanna is rambunctious and rowdy, often found tagging along behind her oldest brother. There's another one yet to come, though Sansa's day is to certainly come sooner than later, this one another girl Jon hopes. He hopes a redhead might still yet join their family.

Stepping into the rooms he's shared with Sansa for the last five years in King's Landing, he's stopped by the sight that even still, catches him off guard. She sits up, resting against the pillows, her swollen abdomen nearly hidden by the tangle of children that sleep against her. Robb has his head against her side, tucked into the warmth and safety of his mother's elbow. Lyanna sleeps curled up with her head on her mother's lap, one of Sansa's hands stroke the child's long hair, a faint smile on her lips. Ned sleeps at the foot of the bed, tucked against Ghost, who still yet sleeps beside Sansa as he had done all the years since their reunion. Though Ned sleeps away from the rest, his one hand is outstretched just enough that his little fingers curl into a fold of Sansa's gown. "Now this is a sight." Jon chuckles, carefully sinking down onto the tiny space beside her on the bed, reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from Robb's forehead. "I thought Robb was too big for such things?" Their oldest son had only just recently declared himself to be old enough for a steel sword and far too old for his mother's kisses- but finding him this way brought a warm feeling to Jon's chest. Their first born was indeed growing up, but it seemed not as quickly as the boy might have thought.

Sansa smiles, turning to look at him as he takes his spot beside her. It feels like it's been eons since this bed was theirs and yet... The warm weight of her children, the feeling of the one growing within her... It was all the things she had always wanted. She would never trade what they had now for anything. "He was the first to fall asleep," Sansa chuckles as she returns her hand to Lyanna, who quietly shifts in her sleep, a hand tucked beneath her cheek just as Sansa sleeps. "We'll have to wake them soon," she goes on to say, the second labor pain hitting her, this one forcing her to wince. "But not... Yet." She longs to savor this moment, this single one, where they are as they are, before things must change again. Where Lyanna is still her youngest, where Ned is only a big brother to one, where Robb is not nearly almost seven-years-old and no longer a baby in need of his mother.

Suddenly, Jon is squeezing her hand.

Looking up, a smile curves upon her lips and she knows, she understands. Their family is not changing, it's becoming complete.

[ x x x ]

Westeros sings it's joy the day the youngest princess is born.

She is born with the Tully red hair of her grandmother and mother, named Cat in honor of that grandmother she will never meet. Sansa cries as she holds her close, burying her face in her sweet smelling skin, knowing well that this was the last missing piece of her heart.

After so many years, her heart was complete once again, as if it had been that day before she left Winterfell.  

[acourtofhopeanddreams]

All I want...is you

This was originally written for day 7 of @jonsa-week​ based on the prompt: BASTARDS - ROYALTY - FREE CHOICE, but then my laptop drowned and I only got a new one now. But, better late than never, right? And MERRY CHRISTMAS MY LOVELY JONSA FAMILY!

Sansa agreed to marry prince Jon Targaryen, crown prince of Westeros. But now she's actually meeting him for the first time, doubts linger in her mind. What if the crown prince isn't as nice and brave and strong as he seems?

arranged marriage // the Targs still rule

This was what she wanted. This was what she had dreamed of all her life. This was why she had thanked her father, over and over again. But now she was here, surrounded by unfamiliar faces and a castle she didn’t know, she was not so sure anymore.

Only a few weeks ago she had left Winterfell, excited about all the adventures waiting for her in the south. She had been looking forward to the parties, the music, the dancing and all the girls her age she would meet. But a part of her heart longed for her own bedroom, where she had dreamed countless of nights away and had written passage after passage in her diary.

A part of her heart missed her family terribly, her father, just but always right, her mother, strict but only because she loved her, her older brother Robb, who liked to tease her but also dried all her tears and her younger brothers Bran and Rickon, even though they were loud and didn’t understand a thing of the world yet. She even missed her sister Arya, who was so unlike her in every way possible and had irritated her daily.

“Are you ready, Princess Sansa?”

Sansa nodded.

Jon’s aunt was her age and absolutely beautiful. Her white hair was braided in a complicated pattern and her blue dress accentuated her curves and shape. For a long time Westeros had been certain that Jon and Daenerys would marry, just like so many Targaryens before them, to keep the blood of the dragon as pure as possible. But to everyone’s surprise, Jon’s father had reached out to Eddard Stark. And when Eddard Stark had asked his eldest daughter if she wanted to marry the future king of Westeros, she hadn’t had to think twice about it.

Right now her sudden answer seemed foolish, stupid and naive. Her father might have promised to find her a good man and he had assured Sansa that he wouldn’t have even asked her if she wanted to marry him if he had not seen for himself that Jon was such a good man. But looks and public behaviour could be deceiving. Who knew what happened behind closed doors? How Jon was towards his family and close friends? He could have been wearing a mask.

Daenerys nodded towards the guard and the giant wooden doors were opened.

The throne room was filled with people. Laughter and chatter thrummed in Sansa’s ears and it was only when a servant announced Princess Daenerys Targaryen and Princess Sansa Stark that a small path was cleared to let the two girls through.

Every pair of eyes followed the red haired beauty from the North and Sansa tried to smile even though her hands were shaking and her knees were trembling. With the tips of her fingers she lifted her skirt up to make sure she wouldn’t trip over the hem. And while everyone in the room tried to catch a glimpse of her, Sansa focussed on the young prince standing next to the throne of his father.

In a way he looked nothing like the princes she had always dreamed of. He wasn’t blond. He didn’t have blue eyes. He wasn’t tall and he didn’t look perfectly groomed. Stubbles covered his chin and cheeks and half of his long black curls was tied into a ponytail. The other half hung loosely around his face as if he hadn’t even attempted to tame them. He had his hands folded on his back and while their glances met she noticed the deep frown on his forehead.

Her heart raced in her chest and adrenaline rushed through her veins. What if Jon actually didn’t want her? What if this was his father’s idea and he was in love with someone else but just couldn’t protest? What if the frown on his forehead was because he didn’t think she was pretty or kind or worth his love and heart?

“Princess Sansa.” Jon stepped forward and he reached for her hand, lifting it up to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. “I hope your journeys wasn’t too uncomfortable?” He looked up at her and his brown eyes met her blue ones. His hand was still holding hers and she could feel his palm sweating.

Sansa forced her smile to brighten. “How can a journey be unpleasant when it’s leading me to you?”

Jon’s lips curled up slightly. “Will you officially open this ball with me?”

Even if Sansa would have wanted to say no, that answer wasn’t an option, but she answered anyway. “Of course, my prince.”

They didn’t speak while they walked to the dance floor and Jon’s arm slid around her waist. His hold was strong, but not uncomfortable and as soon as the music started he lead her through the dance. His movements were slightly clumsy. A few times he forgot the correct steps and once the tip of his boot touched her ankle. When the music stopped again a relieved sigh escaped from his lips.

“Was it that horrible to dance with me?” Sansa bent her head while Jon lead her back to the throne where his father was seated.

He rapidly shook his head. “Of course not, my lady. I am simply not a good dancer. I am relieved we survived without too many problems. Did I hurt your ankle badly?” He looked at her and Sansa saw the sincere concern in his eyes.

She shook her head. “No, my ankle will be fine, thank you.”

There were a million more things she wanted to ask him. In a few weeks they would get officially married and yet they barely knew anything about the other.

Jon seemed polite and honest and handsome and still he was a total stranger.

“Is it possible to catch some fresh air or would the invited guests be very offended if I would leave for a short while?” Sansa almost mumbled, but Jon offered her his arm.

“I will show you the palace garden. I think all those people will understand that we would like some time apart from all of them.” He winked and Sansa felt her cheeks heating up while she fought the urge to laugh.

The wink didn’t look charming or sexy or invitingly. It looked a little clumsy and yet in a way also adorable.

Prince Jon nodded at every servant they passed. He nodded at the ones who opened doors. He nodded at the ones who stood guard. He nodded at the ones running around with trays filled with drinks or food. If this was a mask, he had mastered it perfectly and he wore it just as beautifully.

Eventually she felt the fresh air touching her cheeks and she let out a deep breath now the deafening silence was surrounding them. “I’m sorry…” She swallowed. “It’s all a little overwhelming. I’m really happy to be here, I promise.”

“I hope so.” Jon lead them to a small bench near some rose bushes. The roses were blooming, but in the moonlight their color wasn’t quite visible. “If you don’t want to marry me, I really don’t want to force you.” His shoulders dropped a little and he seemed to loosen up a little. “I know it’s hard to say no to a king, but I promise that if you do I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

Sansa looked at him. She truly looked at him and realized that the prince next to her was in a way just like her. Just a guy, with doubts and worries and wishes and dreams. “I’ve always wanted to marry a prince.”

“Did you just say yes because I’m a prince?” Jon furrowed his eyebrows. “Because I guess then I’ll end up being a disappointment. I know how to play the prince everyone wants to see, but it’s tiring. I just wanna be me. Especially around you. I hope it’s good enough.”

Sansa smiled. “Well, in the last couple of minutes I’ve seen a lot of prince like qualities in you.” She reached for his hand. His hand felt warm in hers and she bit her lip. “The way you noticed everyone, even those who were supposed to be invisible. You telling me that if I didn’t wanna marry you would make sure I didn’t have to.” She chuckled. “The fact that you really can’t wink and yet still look adorable while trying.”

“You’re the first one to call it adorable.” The hesitant smile grew a little brighter. “My sister says it looks stupid and Daenerys says I’ll never get a girl if I don’t learn how to wink properly.”

Sansa rolled her eyes. “You’re Jon Targaryen, prince of Westeros, you don’t have to be afraid of never getting a girl.”

“There was only one I set my mind on.” Jon turned away from her. “I never talked to her, but I saw her long ago when we were just children. She was reading and trying to tell her little sister all about the story, even though said little sister hated everything about it, or pretended to hate it at least.” Jon paused for a moment. “And she was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And from what I heard, she was intelligent too, even though she tried to hide it.” He licked his lips and he locked his glance with hers again. “I’m glad she said yes when I asked her.”

“Me?” Sansa shook her head. “You’re talking about me? When did we meet?”

“You were only eight and I was visiting Winterfell.”

“I would have remembered that!” Sansa raised her voice. “How could I forget a visit from the king and a prince?”

Jon shrugged. “We didn’t visit as the king and a prince. We just visited as a husband and a son, wanting to see the grave of their wife and mother. We didn’t stay long, but Robb caught me staring at you. He told me everything about you.”

“And you didn’t fall out of love with me?” Sansa blinked a few times.

“On the contrary. He told a lot of good things about you, Sansa. If I hadn’t fallen for you already while watching you, I would have done so after hearing him talk about you.”

A warmth spread through her entire body. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”

“That’s okay.” Jon smiled and he shove a little closer towards her. “You said yes when it truly mattered. I know it’s a lot.” He sighed. “Court life isn’t always fun. Sometimes it’s hard and people are always looking and I know we’re still strangers.” He sighed. “But maybe this life won’t be that bad when I can share it with you.”

Sansa smiled and she softly and carefully pecked his stubbled cheek. “I can’t wait to get to know you better until you’re no longer a stranger.” Sansa leaned back. “And I hope that I won’t end up being a disappointment after all those years you must have dreamed of a far better version of me than I can ever be.”

Jon shook his head. “You might be different from the girl I imagined, but only better. I can’t wait to become your friend and much more.”

“Well, I think you’re well on your way already.”

[margoshansons]

For the Game of Thrones-related ask game! ^_^ #2, 7, 8 and 11

2. Which GoT character do you love to hate?

Joffery is the only valid game of thrones villain, and he was SO MUCH FUN to watch onscreen. Like, yeah he was a dick, but he was an entertaining dick.

7. What’s your GoT NOTP?

JONERYS JONERYS JONERYS JONERYS (and also Jaime/Cersei but that’s a given)

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that at one point, I shipped them. Hard. 

But incest is literally never okay and no it doesn’t matter that the Targaryens did it for centuries, that’s literally the whole reason the dragons went extinct for crying out loud.

If we’re not supposed to ship Jaime and Cersei then I don’t see how they expect us to ship Jon and Daenerys.

8. What GoT pairing do you secretly ship?

A shit ton of rare pairs that I’ve mentioned before. Lyanna/Jaime is a big one, so is Lyanna/Arthur. The biggest one I guess is Jonsa, which kinda counteracts the point above, but marrying cousins is okay? I guess? Idk, Tywin and Joanna did it but again, the Lannisters aren’t exactly the best examples.

Idk, I’m not exactly a proud Jonsa shipper.

Jaimsa is also another one I don’t broadcast. I know a ton of people who would crucify me for shipping it.

11. What’s an unpopular GoT opinion you have?

Oh god I know I’m gonna get heat for this. 

I don’t think Jon is Rhaegar and Lyanna’s son. 

I genuinely think it’s more effective for him to be Ned and Ashara’s, because not only does it connect him to Dawn and the Daynes (aka the only other house that is descended from the First Men), but it makes his arc so much more compelling and fits the narrative GRRM is telling. I could write a whole meta on this but basically GRRM is known for breaking stereotypical tropes and creating morally grey characters. Jon being Ned’s natural son fits that narrative so much more than him being Rhaegar and Lyanna’s. 

Thank you for asking! And please feel free to send in more or ask me to expand! I love talking about this show and have so many ideas!

Game of Thrones Ask Game!

[tluohsalohcin]

The Monarch Siblings

With jonsa headcanon ending

King Robb of Houses Stark and Tully, First of His Name. 

First Monarch in the North after Aegon's Conquest. 

Also known as The Young Wolf.

Born in times of Robert's Rebellion. First born son of Eddard Stark and Catelyn (Tully) Stark. Great swordsman and military mastermind.

Became the Lord of Winterfell at a young age when his father left The North to serve King Robert Baratheon as Hand of the King. After Robert Baratheon’s death, when his father discovered the truth about Joffrey’s parentage, he received a scroll from his sister Sansa Stark, asking him to come south and bend the knee to King Joffrey. He called all bannermen when he realised it was a trick from the Lannisters.

Crowned King in the North by the northern lords as an open rebellion against King Joffrey Baratheon and House Lannister, starting with The War of the Five Kings and making it the First Movement of Northern Independence after Aegon's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.

Won every single battle against Tywin Lannister, head of House Lannister, whom never lost any battle before.

In the first battle he won against House Lannister, he took Ser Jaime Lannister as prisoner at The Whispering Wood, hoping to exchange his freedom for his sisters Sansa and Arya, thinking both were prisoners in King's Landing. It wasn't successful after Lady Catelyn set Ser Jaime Lannister free before time. Robb had to put vigilantes to watch his mother.

Betrothed to marry Roslin Frey, but ended up married to Talisa Maegyr, who met her in times of war against House Lannister. Made his uncle, Lord Edmure Tully, to take his place in marrying the daughter of Lord Walder Frey.

After married, Talisa announced being pregnant, securing a safe lineage for him.

Betrayed by House Frey and House Bolton, both houses ending up serving House Lannister, leading to his murder during The Red Wedding, the wedding of his uncle and Walder's daughter at The Twins, ending the First Movement of Northern Independence. Died alongside members of House Mormont, his mother Catelyn Stark and his wife Talisa (Maegyr) Stark with their child in womb.

The head of his direwolf, Greywind, was attached to his body and mocked by Bolton’s, Frey’s and Lannister’s forces. His body was never brought to the crypts of Winterfell.

No descendants left.

King Jon Snow of House Stark, First of His Name. 

Second Monarch in the North after Aegon's Conquest. 

Naturally born as Aegon of Houses Targaryen and Stark, Sixth of His Name. 

Also known as The White Wolf.

Born in times of Robert's Rebellion. Son of Rhaegar Targaryen, crowned prince of the Seven Kingdoms, and Lyanna Stark. Great swordsman and military mastermind. Great peacemaker and politician.

His uncle, Eddard Stark, took him and presented him as his own son after Lyanna's death after giving birth, in order to prevent Robert Baratheon knowing of the existence of one Targaryen alive in Westeros. He still got many privileges as if he was a natural born son.

Left Winterfell to take vows as man of the Night's Watch the same time his uncle Eddard Stark left to be Hand of the King and Robb Stark took his place as the new Lord of Winterfell.

Worked undercover for the Night's Watch, pretending being a deserter of it and gained the trust of the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder.

Named the 998th Lord Commander by election after Jeor Mormont's death, his mentor. Hero in the Battle of Hardhome against the Night King, even though he lost. First Lord Commander to make truce with wildlings in order to protect them of the Night King. Betrayed by his brothers of the Night's Watch and murdered for making that truce.

Resurrected by The Red Priestess Melisandre of Asshai. Executed the traitors that murdered him and renounced to his title of Lord Commander. Left Castle Black with her sister/cousin Sansa Stark to take back Winterfell from House Bolton.

Crowned King in the North by the northern lords after retaking Winterfell, starting the second movement of Northern Independence.

Left Winterfell and the northern government in hands of his sister/cousin Lady Sansa to mine dragonglass at Dragonstone and bring Daenerys Targaryen and her army to The North to fight against the Night King in the coming Great War.

Forced by Daenerys Targaryen, he gave his crown to secure her participation in the Great War, proclaiming her as The Rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, ending The Second Movement of Northern Independence.

After winning The Great War, his true parentage comes to light and Daenerys Targaryen forced him to bury the truth in order to protect her own claim to the Seven Kingdoms. He kept his word and helped her to her conquest, but after the Massacre of King's Landing executed by Daenerys, he put a dagger to her heart, ending her life and reign. Exiled to Castle Black by his brother/cousin Brandon Stark, after being declared King of the Six Kingdoms for this particular action.

Decided to live most of his life Beyond the Wall with wildlings, but returned to The North several times to visit his sister/cousin Sansa, named Queen in the North. At advanced age, decided to spend his last years in Winterfell with his sister/cousin Sansa. Died in his bed after a severe fever in a winter night. His body was buried in the crypts of Winterfell.

No descendants left (apparently).

Queen Sansa of Houses Stark and Tully, First of Her Name. 

Third Monarch in The North after Aegon's Conquest. 

First Queen in the North in known history without being consort. 

Also known as The Red Wolf.

Born years after Robert's Rebellion ended. Second daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn (Tully) Stark. Great singer, poet, political mastermind and peacemaker.

Left Winterfell with her father at young age, after he took the title of Hand of the King, and her sister Arya Stark. Betrothed to King Joffrey Baratheon until he broke the compromise.

After Eddard Stark was imprisoned for knowing the truth of Joffrey Baratheon's parentage, Sansa begged for mercy and was forced by Cersei Lannister to write a scroll to her brother Robb Stark, demanding him to bend the knee to Joffrey Baratheon in order to save Eddard's life. This sparkled the First Movement of Northern Independence.

Kept prisoner of war at King's Landing after the execution of her father and was beaten every time Robb Stark won a battle against House Lannister. The compromise to marry Joffrey Baratheon stayed intact for some time.

After The Crown won the Battle of the Blackwater, Joffrey Baratheon ended the compromise to marry Margaery Tyrell, daughter of the newest ally to The Crown and House Lannister.

Betrothed to Loras Tyrell for some time, but forced to marry Tyrion Lannister to secure The North for House Lannister.

Escaped King's Landing with the help of Lord Petyr Baelish after Joffrey Baratheon died poisoned at The Purple Wedding, being her and Tyrion Lannister first suspects of the murder. Refugee at The Vale until her aunt Lysa Arryn was murdered by Petyr Baelish.

Travelled back to Winterfell pretending to be Alayne Stone, bastard daughter of Lord Petyr Baelish. Sold by Lord Baelish to House Bolton and forced to marry Ramsay Bolton, son of Roose Bolton, the man who murdered her brother Robb Stark. Raped several times by Ramsay Bolton.

Escaped Winterfell with Theon Greyjoy, prisoner of Ramsay Bolton. Found Ser Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne and both helped her to reach Castle Black, looking for her brother/cousin Jon Snow for help. Theon Greyjoy separated from the group and returned to the Iron Islands.

With her brother/cousin Jon Snow by her side, went house after house in The North asking for fighting men to fight against House Bolton and retake Winterfell and planned together the coming battle.

Without securing an army that could give any advantage against House Bolton, she wrote a scroll to Lord Petyr Baelish, asking for The Knights of The Vale as last option, making her the actual winner of the Battle of the Bastards at the end.

Executed Ramsay Bolton for treason and took her place as Lady of Winterfell, and became the right hand of Jon Snow after being crowned King in the North, starting the Second Movement of Northen Independence.

After King Jon left The North and was forced to give up his crown, she stayed preparing armies and collecting enough food to survive winter and have better chances in the Great War. Executed Lord Petyr Baelish with the help of her sister Arya Stark and her brother Brandon Stark for murder and treason. Secured better relationship with The Vale after that.

Received Daenerys Targaryen at Winterfell and agreed to help her win the Iron Throne in exchange of Northern Independence. Daenerys refused. After learning about her brother/cousin Jon's true parentage, she tried to put him in the Iron Throne for being a better option than his aunt Daenerys. This failed for external reasons.

After Jon executed Daenerys and was put into prison by Daenerys’ army, all the lords of Westeros were invited to the Dragonpit to discuss political matters. She called all north bannermen, ready to fight in case The Unsullied refused to free Jon and went to King’s Landing with Arya and Brandon Stark. At the end of the meeting, Brandon Stark was crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms, but she asked him for Northern Independence, which Brandon accepted, making him King of the remaining Six Kingdoms.

With her brother/cousin Jon Snow exiled Beyond the Wall, the northern lords crowned her as Queen in The North, making the Third Movement of Northern Independence successful. 

With Sansa as Queen, The North entered a Golden Age, where peace and prosperity reigned.

She decided not to marry ever again, but she had three sons: Robb, Jon and Eddard, all three named after her older brothers and father and the three of them carried the Stark name to continue the legacy.

No one knew who was the father of the three boys. Many had speculated she had a secret lover amongst the northern lords. Others were sure it was a wildling, one of those who came with Jon when he visited Winterfell several times. A few people were pretty sure the real father of those boys was Jon Snow.

She died of melancholy days after Jon Snow died of a severe fever at Winterfell, also at night. Her last word was “Jon”, according to her son Robb. Her reign became the longest one in northern history. She was buried in the crypts of Winterfell, next to her brother/cousin Jon.

Her son Robb was crowned King in the North after her death.

[esther-dot]

After finding some posts in the Jonsa tag about the AltX video, I went over watched it b/c I realize I have only interacted with our lovely corner of space and was researching other perspectives. He seems very reasonable but he paints D as a savior who will sacrifice herself out of guilt for KL "collateral damage", ignoring D's own "If I look back I'm lost" mantra which deadens her guilt to the collateral damage in her arc so far. Part 1

Well, I’m guessing every person who has a tumblr blog about GoT or ASOIAF is in too deep, and if you make YouTube videos or have a podcast, you’ve learned how to monetize being a fan, but you are also in too deep! So, yes, there is some of that, but none of us are exempt. You might even say…

Sorry. I saw this gif a few days ago and knew I had to work it into an ask!

I think when it comes to Dany people on our side of the fandom downplay her good actions/her good impulses. I include myself in that. It is good that she tries to do something for rape victims. It’s good that she loathes slavery and wants to free people. It’s good that she tries to work for peace, is willing to compromise if it means she can achieve that. She is even willing to give up her own personal happiness if it means peace. So, she is compassionate and self-sacrificial at certain times/in specific ways.

The rest of the fandom has the opposite problem in that they ignore all her dark actions and their consequences. They ignore the fact that every rape, death, every person taken as a slave during her war campaign is on Dany’s head. Conquering Westeros is a frivolous war. Burning KL will be an atrocity committed in pursuit of a throne that she has no right to. And, even if she did, there is no higher purpose. The showrunners deluded people by making them think Dany was going to overthrow the feudal system, but book Dany is out for revenge for her family, to take what is hers, and she knows what it means, she has seen the cost of war and she chooses to make others pay it.

Who is in deeper, the person who says that even though she does some good things, there is no absolving someone of needlessly causing so much death and destruction or the person who thinks that even if she burns a city to the ground, it doesn’t matter, she is still a hero?

Who is in deeper, the person who reads this:

Across the road, a girl no older than Dany was sobbing in a high thin voice as a rider shoved her over a pile of corpses, facedown, and thrust himself inside her. Other riders dismounted to take their turns. That was the sort of deliverance the Dothraki brought the Lamb Men.         

I am the blood of the dragon, Daenerys Targaryen reminded herself as she turned her face away. She pressed her lips together and hardened her heart and rode on toward the gate.                 

"Most of Ogo's riders fled," Ser Jorah was saying. "Still, there may be as many as ten thousand captives."

Slaves, Dany thought. Khal Drogo would drive them downriver to one of the towns on Slaver's Bay. She wanted to cry, but she told herself that she must be strong. This is war, this is what it looks like, this is the price of the Iron Throne. (AGOT, Daenerys VII)

and says, “Dany is right. This is the price and a throne is worth it”

or the person who says, “uh, I don’t think we’re meant to defend this”?

There’s a two-step thing with Dany that keeps things from being simplistic. Immediately after that line, she tells them to stop raping, and we often have a good + bad combo with things in her story, but regardless of remorse and not wanting people to suffer, this doesn’t stop her. She sees this but doesn’t connect the dots, will instead bring devastation to Westeros. Choosing to go to war and cause this kind of suffering, choosing to use forced labor and the profits of slavery, it damns her.

I think we are so accustomed to violence and war in entertainment, that fans don’t take the fact that Martin is anti war seriously. And that doesn’t mean lip service to the idea. In GoT they celebrated war but then had Tyrion say actually it isn’t good. In ASOIAF, the message is implicit. I said this of my beloved Robb:

...but she saw his true bride plain before her now: the sword he had laid on the table." (AGOT Catelyn, XI)

Robb was undone by a series of choices, his own and others, but I think Martin is consistent and insistent on his anti war stance, and it is this moment that Robb's fate was sealed, the moment he chose the sword. (link)

People are free to end their feelings about Robb’s death with “Fuck Tywin and Roose and Walder.” Or they can think, huh, why did Martin write this? Why did Robb have to die? What does his death say?

Now, if I’m right, if Robb’s fate is the result of choosing the sword rather than choosing peace, how can Dany, who is needlessly going to war, get a victorious, heroic death? I think the manner of death says something to the reader (Tywin dies while shitting), so if Robb, a good person whose war was justified even if he should have stopped it in that moment, chosen peace instead of continuing, if he had to die betrayed and stabbed, his body desecrated, how can anyone argue that Dany, who has already done worse things than Robb and will personally be involved in far worse in KL will die a hero’s death? I think anyone saying that is in too deep. I think Dany dies betrayed and stabbed. I don’t want to read about anything gross, I don’t like the idea of Jon doing this to her, but I think the odds are that he does, because that’s how you implicitly communicate things to your reader.

Also, there’s a widespread fascination with how a person does something unspeakably evil, countless books written on trying to understand monsters and why they do what they do, so I don’t think it’s weird that Martin wants to explore what it takes to bring a person to the point of committing an atrocity. He’s written a story in which he walks a character to that point, creates believable psychological motivations, and the idea that he then says, “…and before we wrap this up, she’ll be a hero again!” Well, it’s insulting. If we are meant to understand how awful war is for the smallfolk (and this is universally acknowledged by the fandom) how can they turn around and say that the person who will slaughter more smallfolk than anyone else in the story will get a chance to be redeemed in the audience’s eyes? Doing so implicitly tells the reader that those people didn’t matter anyway, and I think there is no way Martin would do that. The fact that the BNF referred to all those people dying as “collateral damage” (a totally desensitized way to speak of countless civilian deaths) is all the proof you need that if Martin allows her a little redemption arc after KL, people are going to miss the point.

I am in too deep in the sense that I know Martin wants me to care about Dany, will want me to care about her even when she burns KL, and I know I can’t feel for her what he wants me to feel. Martin will want the audience still “with her” as in, he doesn’t want to alienate people so that they’re detached from her POV. In that moment of monstrous behavior, he wants her fully human. And I know I can’t feel for her that way. But, most of our entertainment spoon feeds us, so the idea of forcing us to understand that the people who do these horrific things are human, with desires and goals and fears and struggles and triumphs in their lives…that there are good impulses mixed in with the bad…I think it’s art although it’s hard to swallow. He has often talked about his interest in morally grey characters, that good and bad both exist in individuals, that villains aren’t necessarily setting out to do evil etc so their argument that she won’t set out to be a mass murdering tyrant therefore she is still a hero…I mean, ok, they can think that, but I think he’s been pretty vocal about the type of villain he wants to build and they’re being willfully obtuse. Martin wants to write about the perplexing complexities of humanity, not just throw stereotypes at our heads. They can insist only Ramsay, Cersei, the Mountain etc are villains, but that means ignoring Martin’s words. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We will likely never read the last novel, so we can’t ever “win” this argument, but if a thoughtful person who is aware that Martin is anti war and that Dany will burn KL refers to everyone who dies as “collateral damage” dismissively rather than understanding that we’re meant to care about those lives, that we’re meant to realize innocents die inevitably and that is why peace must be pursued instead of war, I think we know why an author who wants us to understand the horror of war, who cares about the smallfolk, can’t let Dany die a hero after that. It would justify brushing aside every rape, every death, the forced labor and money from slavery Dany took to get there. If Dany/her dragons save the world, it tells the reader that Mirri’s death was worth it. The way you tell the reader it wasn’t is to refuse to let it be. Dany’s conquest is born in burning a woman alive, she will end it by burning hundreds of thousands of people alive. Is that “collateral damage” or is it the fucking point?

So, I guess I would say, I don’t think I’m in too deep to suggest that if Dany burns KL she is a baddie who will die a bad death, and that to end it any other way is in direct conflict with Martin’s sentiments. I am too deep into my anti Dany stance to start writing positive posts about her though! Also, there is nothing to lose by saying Dany will die a hero, but saying otherwise would mean losing followers etc, so I always try to remind myself that there are many motivations for why BNFs say what they do or don’t say certain things. theusurpersdog wrote about Dany’s arc in a very levelheaded way here. You might find reading their metas reassuring.

[orangeflavoryawp]

Jonsa - “A Violence Done Most Kindly”, Part 1

Alright, it’s here.  I’m fucking doing it.  This is my Jonsa tour de force, my magnum opus.  My ultimate fix-it fic.

This is going to be a Season 7/8 AU. To summarize the major plot points up until now, this 'verse branches out roughly post Battle of the Bastards in canon, the mass murder of the Freys by Arya still stands, Cersei has been killed but her murderer hasn't been determined yet, Daenerys has only just landed in Westeros, the occupation/battle over Riverrun never happened as the Freys were slaughtered beforehand, and both Edmure and Brynden Tully are still alive, Bran found his way to Winterfell while Jon and Sansa dealt with ruling the North and preparing for a war with the dead, as well as the shifting power dynamics in Westeros now that Cersei has died. This story also assumes established Jonsa. Soft E. Dark. Politics and magic and murder and sex. That's essentially the gist of it.

I HIGHLY recommend that you read 'Bruises' before getting into this. It serves as a prequel of sorts, and it's only a one-shot so it reads pretty quickly. 'Bruises' really helps to set up the tone of where Jonsa is at the start of this fic.

“A Violence Done Most Kindly”

Chapter One: Hunger

"There is an old sort of magic to sacrifice, after all." - Jon and Sansa. Stark is a house of many winters.

Read it on Ao3 here.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 fin

* * *

It would be a lie to say that Sansa understands Cersei now – here at the end.

           Here where she warms her brother’s bed.

           Sansa imagines Cersei looked at Ser Jamie like this once, watching him in his sleep beside her.  Or perhaps not.  Perhaps theirs was always a quick, furtive fuck.  A blinding instant of lust and need, smothered in dark alcoves and behind garish tapestries, a secret, silent thing – clawing at them from the inside.

           Perhaps they’ve never slept the night through beside each other.

           Perhaps she regretted it – gurgling out his name while she choked on her own blood.

           Sansa reaches up to trace a hand down the side of Jon’s face, trailing past his jaw, along the cords of muscle flexing in his throat beneath her touch, whispering down his chest as he groans to wakefulness.  She slips her hand to his growing hardness with a surety that might have been foreign to the little dove Cersei once knew.

           But then, maybe that is also a lie.

           “Sansa,” he groans, head thrown back along the pillow, voice rough with sleep and desire.

           She braces her lips to his neck, imagines the rush of blood just beneath her mouth – pulls him from slumber with a selfish, desperate yearning she does not regret.  “I need you,” she breathes into his skin, teeth sinking down.

           Jon growls his answer, grabbing her by the hair, yanking her head back and kissing her hungrily.  He turns her easily, bracing her back along the bed as he covers her with his weight, already hard and ready in her hand.

           Some small part of her wishes Cersei had been her kill.  A different, equally intense part of her, is relieved beyond words that she isn’t – that she would never be, now.

           But more than that – more than a vengeful wrath she’s spent too long feeding to ever be free of hunger, to ever be satisfied with a mere raven scroll and the somber, even way Bran announces the news – more than that –

           She just needs Jon.

           “Come back to me,” she whispers against his mouth, moving with him in the dark.

           No, she doesn’t think she’ll ever understand Cersei.

           But as she feels Jon slip inside her, as she cradles his groan in the hollow of her throat, as she catches her lips at his temple – she thinks she doesn’t need to.

           It’s a different hunger she feeds now, after all.

* * *

           Sansa recognizes the sound of Baelish’s footsteps well before he’s made it to her side.  He slinks like shadow easily enough across stone and wood and dirt, but here in the godswood, trudging through snow in the womb of winter, his steps are almost awkward, clunky.

           He does not belong here.  She knows this now with a certainty she hasn’t felt in years.

           “My lady, I had hoped to find you here.”

           Sansa only sighs, glancing away from the red weirwood leaves to meet his gaze over her shoulder.  She offers a silent nod in greeting.

           Baelish makes his way toward her, smoothing his hands over his robe when he settles beside her.  “You have not forgotten what we spoke of when last I found you here, I should hope.”

           Sansa tugs her furs tighter around her shoulders, eyes drifting back to the weirwood branches.  “How could one forget?”

           “Yes,” he murmurs, eyes drifting down her face and trailing the length of her throat.

           She tries not to swallow, not to give notice of her discomfort.  He takes a step closer.  She resolutely does not take one back.

           “This is a very crucial time for us, Sansa, you must know that.”

             “Cersei is dead,” she says in answer, and she thinks maybe it should feel different along her tongue.  Lighter, perhaps.  Sweeter. Instead, it’s nothing but a stringent tartness.

           “Yes, and by whose hand?  None of my people seem to know the answer to that, except for whispers of faceless girls. Dead end gossip.”  He looks at her out of the corner of his eye, appraising.

           Sansa gives him nothing to appraise.  “Is that what matters right now?”

           He stays quiet a moment, and then, “It is, until we can ascertain whose side her murderer is on.”

           Another silence.  Sansa stretches a gloved hand out to catch the faint flecks of snow falling from the branches.

           “We can’t let this opportunity pass us by.  Cersei’s death has lead to infighting amongst the houses.  King’s Landing is in near shambles with no discernible sovereign.  Qyburn has fled without the support of his queen.  The Mountain hasn’t been seen since reports of Cersei’s death. Citizens are fleeing to the other kingdoms as we speak, and even Daenerys Targaryen has seen the uselessness in conquering King’s Landing at this point.”

           She knows this.  She knows this already and she’s tired of hearing it.  It only ever ends one way.

           Baelish reaches for her, grasping her arms and turning her to face him, his gentleness forced and rushed – a falsity.  Sansa blinks up at him.

           “We have to consolidate power.  If we wait too long, this chaos will be of no help to us.”

           “Then go.”

           Baelish furrows his brow at her answer, his fingers flexing along her elbows.

           She swallows tightly, face a blank visage.  “Go to King’s Landing then.  Consolidate.”  She lifts her chin.  “Go.”

           His throat flexes, poison tongue pressing back behind pursed lips.

           “You can’t, can you?” she asks, not unkindly.  “Because your power lies here.  With me.  And with the Vale.  You can’t abandon either of us without giving yourself a disadvantage.”

           “Sansa.”  It’s almost a warning.  As much a warning as Baelish ever gives – all smooth tones and invaded intimacy.  His head inclines toward hers.

           “Jon won’t go South.  Not for that.”  She extracts herself from his hold slowly, gently, without offense.

           Baelish smacks his lips, a minute flicker of irritation crossing his eyes, but it’s all he will allow her to see of his disturbance.  “The King can be persuaded.”

           “Not in this.  The dead occupy him on all sides.  He won’t play the game.”

           “Not even for you?”

           Sansa doesn’t think too long on the way his eyes flick to her lips for a fraction of a second.  “You overestimate my influence.”

           “Oh, I think not,” he says lowly, a curl to his lip that reminds her of purple-faced boy-kings and hound-fed bastards.

           No, he does not belong here.  Not in the white and cold and wind of home.  Not here where her mother used to brush her hair and her father used to beg her hand to dance and her brothers played their knightly parts in her tales dutifully.  Not here where she had wanted to bury Lady those many years ago.

           Wanted, and never could.

           Sansa realizes suddenly, that Winterfell is not yet free.

           And neither is she.

* * *

           In the wake of Cersei’s death, the ensuing vacuum of power nearly cripples the kingdoms, with the remainder of the Lannister forces rallying behind a mourning, vengeful Ser Jaime, intent on securing the Reach and the Stormlands. Dorne wastes no time to declare its independence from the Seven Kingdoms entirely, and shortly after the suspicious slaughter of the Freys by unseen Northern hands both the Riverlands and the Vale swear to the North under the threat of a coming dragon queen.

           Jon has no time for such politics.

           Sansa rails against him openly in the Hall of Lords, demanding his attention to the ensuing fight for the crown, but the dead take precedence in everything he brings to court, and it’s not long before ravens are sent to all corners of Westeros begging aid in the coming fight.

           Bran watches placidly, neither arguing for or against either of them. Sansa would call him not unlike a piece of furniture if she hadn’t better manners, and most days her pleads for his council lands on deaf ears.  She ends most gatherings of the lords rife with frustration and nearly frothing at the mouth.

           She doesn’t need to glance at Baelish to know the look he gives her.

           “You think just because Cersei is dead that we are free from the South? That they will not land their hooks into every inch of the North until we are chained to them once more?” Sansa seethes, shutting her door once Jon is through it.

           Jon heaves an unsteady breath, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “That’s not what I think, and you know it,” he grits out, sending a dark look her way.  “Stop twisting my words.”

           “Then stop ignoring mine.”

           “I’m not!”  He stalks toward her, stops before he can do anything else.  His hands itch at his sides.  “Sansa, we can’t keep this up – this back-and-forth.  We can’t afford such a divide, not now.”

           Sansa takes a purposeful breath, hands folding before her.  “I’m with you, Jon, I am but – ”

           “Are you?  Sometimes I wonder.”  He can’t help the scoff that leaves him.  He stares at her, keeps her gaze a moment longer, and then he’s turning to the far window, a hand raking over his face.  He’s just so tired, suddenly.

           Sansa is deadly still.  So still he can’t even hear the rustle of her skirts on the cold stone at their feet – can’t pick up the scrape of air she pulls through anger-fused lungs.

           “And how is your show of the dead going with the other kingdoms, hmm?” she bites out.

           Jon snaps his head to her, his eyes narrowing so quickly she might have missed it.

           Sansa takes a step toward him.  “Are they simply jumping to aid us?  Are they gathering the entire might of their forces, marching the sum of their armies North, all on your word?”  Something sharp glints in her gaze and Jon swallows his reply back instantly. She scoffs, head thrown back.  And then her eyes are eerily blue on his – instantly staggering him.  “And have I ever demanded evidence?  Have I ever once denounced your claims of the rising dead before the lords?”

           Jon has no answer.  None that would satisfy, at least.

           Something in her softens at his silence, another step taken toward him. ��I’ve never asked you to prove anything to me, Jon.”

           Jon, she calls him – always.

           (There was never anything to prove between them, after all.)

           Jon closes his eyes, takes a long, deep breath, exhales just as evenly. When he opens his eyes, she’s still there.  Still copper-crowned and winter-poised.  Still every inch his sister.

           And every inch not.

           He thinks maybe it’s a sickness – this craving of his.

           Jon steps into her, the stiff silence descending upon them like a cloak. He’s so close.  He’s so unbearably close, and even though he has yet to touch her, the heat suffuses him – a stifled winter, a burrowing need.

           He can see the way her chest heaves at the sudden proximity.

           (She’s always been his, even when she won’t admit to it.)

           Jon thrums a tentative hand along her side, fingers grazing the line of her hip.

           Her tongue darts out to wet her lips.

           It’s a lost cause, he knows.  Since the moment she opened her door to him, this was only ever going to end one way.

           “I know you’re with me,” he tells her on an exhale, roiled in heat.

           She arches a single, fine brow.  “Do you? Sometimes I wonder.”  She almost smacks her lips with self-satisfaction.

           A low snarl eases from his lips, his hand bunching in her dress, dragging her to him.  She lets him, hands alighting on his chest.  He leans into her, nuzzling his temple to hers, breath ragged already.

           She makes it so easy.

           He’s already panting for her.

           (She makes it so hard.)

           “Sansa,” he groans out, fingers trembling as they reach for her laces.

           She takes his face in her hands, pulls him back until his eyes are locked with hers.  He doesn’t still his unlacing of her.  He couldn’t even if he tried.

           So unbearably close.

           (He just needs to touch her.)

           “You lose one war, you lose them all,” she tells him, arching against him.

           She’s right, he knows.  She’s right, and yet –

           She comes undone so easily in his hands – they need to stop ending their arguments this way.

           Because this – the splendid way she hisses beneath his tongue and the subtle way she arches into his hands and the ragged pant of his name (his name) along her bruising lips – is a war they can’t afford to lose.

           (This is a war they haven’t even begun to fight, not truly – not by the light of day.)

           “I’m with you,” she whispers against his mouth, and he knows.

           He knows, he knows, he knows.

           And even still –

           Some wars aren’t about who’s right.  They’re only about who’s left.

* * *

           Arya returns to Winterfell in the dead of night.  Ghost clambers to wakefulness at the foot of Jon’s bed, the sharp rap on his door jolting him from sleep.

           It’s Davos at his door.  “In the hall, Your Grace,” he says, and nothing more.

           Jon rushes from the room, following his Hand and the faint shadows Davos’ torch casts along the walls.  When he turns the next corridor, he sees Sansa emerging from her own chambers, Brienne at her side.  Her sworn shield tugs the fallen slip of Sansa’s robe over her lady’s bared shoulder at Jon’s presence, and the motion does not go unnoticed.

           “What is it?” Sansa hisses in the night.

           He shakes his head, throat parched.

           It happens moments later.

           It happens when they breach the shadowed hall.  It happens when Arya turns from her appraisal of the room, eyes a slate grey that should be comforting, familiar – but are only haunting.  She is perfectly still in the filtering moonlight through the tall windows.  She is perfectly winter-poised (an eerie reflection of the sister beside him, and distantly, he wonders if either of them knew they’d ever grow to be thus).

           It’s a crack, a fissure – a lung-scraping quake that sunders through the silent hall.  

Ghost is the first to break the stillness, trotting up to Arya with an ease that staggers Jon’s heart in his chest.  But Arya smiles – smiles – and it’s a faint curl of her lips, before she’s bending like reeds in the wind, reaching for the direwolf’s great maw and threading her fingers through his thick fur, hands gliding over Ghost’s face and ears and neck.  Something of sorrow and fondness sweeps over her face then. “Hey, boy.  You’ve been keeping watch for me?”

           Jon is breaking toward her then, something splintering inside him he hasn’t a name for, and then she’s in his arms, and he’s lifting her up, up, and up, her feet off the ground, her arms around his neck, his broken gasp of her name smothered in her hair, and he’s trembling, absolutely shaking against her, absolutely shattered – here, to be here – with his little sister in his arms.  He holds her for an immeasurable amount of time, for eons and epochs and yet he’d hold her still, if only he could.  It never seems enough.

           Jon dips her back to the floor, breathless, glancing back at Sansa, and he stills suddenly at the way she stares at them.

           Arya keeps a hand at Jon’s elbow, her smile receding.  A soft, keen quiet overtakes her.  Her eyes shine with tears.  “Hello, Sansa.”

           Sansa takes a step, hand outreaching, and then stops herself.  She takes a sudden breath, and Jon is too overcome to think much of it, so he braces a hand at the small of Sansa’s back, urging her toward their sister.

           He doesn’t catch the way Arya’s eyes trail the intimate motion of his hand.

           “Arya.”  Sansa’s voice catches, and then she’s stumbling into her, arms wide, drawing her little sister to her chest.

           Arya’s eyes shutter closed for a moment, breathing something of relief against Sansa’s breast, her hands fisting in her robe at her back, but then she’s blinking those grey, haunting eyes open to Jon.

           He feels cracked open.  Bloody and bare.  Jon swallows the trepidation back.

           Their sister is returned.

           His hand burns beneath the memory of Sansa’s heat at his fingertips.

* * *

           Arya knows.

           She knows, Sansa thinks when she catches the derision in her little sister’s eyes from across the courtyard.  Somehow, she knows.

           Sansa steps purposely away from Jon as they walk together below the ramparts.

           He furrows his brows at the motion, a hand going to her elbow.  “Sansa,” he begins.

           She huffs her frustration, staying his hand.

           He’s always been terrible at pretenses.

           “Our sister is watching,” she mutters beneath her breath pointedly, and she can see the way his spine straightens, the way his shoulders stiffen.

           She is Sansa Stark.  And he is Jon Snow.  And not for the first time has she lamented this – though perhaps not so much as now.

           Now when he is close enough to touch and yet the chasm widens ever farther.

           This chasm called honor.

           (But there is nothing honorable about the ways in which he touches her in the dark of night.)

           Jon is silent for long moments, before he comes to an abrupt halt at the edge of the courtyard.  Sansa turns to find him staring at his boots, brows furrowed.  He heaves a sigh, a calloused hand wiping down his face, and then he’s turning swiftly, walking back the way they came.  Sansa watches him go, something constricting in her chest not unlike grief.  She looks back across the courtyard to see Arya still watching her.  Her jaw locks, her barred teeth caught behind perfectly poised lips.

           There are some things Arya will never know, she reminds herself.

           She will never know the way Jon’s eyes grow dark by candlelight, or the way his throat flexes beneath the press of her tongue, or the tremble that racks through him when she slips to her knees at the edge of his bed, bracketed by his thighs.

           And perhaps there is something secret and selfish still living in her. Perhaps there is a part of her that revels in the knowledge that while she may not be the favorite sister, she is the only sister who can drag such whines from his throat, who can reduce him to pleading, who can have him panting and desperate as he throws his head back, hand curling in her copper tresses as he pushes her mouth down on his length, hips thrusting shallowing up to meet her.

           No, Sansa reminds herself.  Arya will never know the dark visage of Jon when the last of his control snaps, when he’s pouring filth from his mouth too base even for brothels, when he’s rutting into her mouth like something feral, spilling hot and frenzied down her throat as he growls her name through clenched teeth, over and over and over again.

           No. Arya will never know the way he looks at her in the aftermath, the way he curls a quaking hand along the curve of her jaw, thumb brushing over her mouth in something perhaps too feverish to be called tender, but just as searing.

           She thinks this when she departs from the courtyard.

           She thinks this when she feels Arya’s gaze following along her back.

           She thinks this when she closes the latch behind her to Jon’s door that night.

* * *

           “You’re our brother,” Arya says like a demand.  “You’re her brother.”  It comes out slightly searing this time.

           Jon grips at the mantle over the hearth, his back to her.  “I still am.”

           “How could you be?”  Her scoff is lined with something faintly like disgust.

           Jon closes his eyes at the sound.  He draws a deep breath in, lets it to air.

           Arya shifts somewhere behind him.  “Robb would never have touched her so.”

           “Aye, and Robb isn’t the brother she begs for at night, is he?” he spits just as harshly, whirling on her.  He realizes what he says a moment before he catches the look that passes over her face.

           It’s not a look she’s ever directed at him before.

           Jon swallows thickly, the words dying in his throat.

           Arya looks away, lips pursed tight.  She’s so utterly still.  This whole while, her entire time at Winterfell, she’s been nothing but stillness.

           Jon wants to shake her suddenly, just to know she’s still there.  Just to know he isn’t the only one missing what they used to be.

           He has to tear his gaze from her – has to focus on the lick of flames in the hearth, the flare of copper too familiar to cool this rancid heat in him. “But I’m not Robb, am I?” he whispers, almost like regret, almost like penitence.

           (Almost, but not quite.)

           “No,” Arya answers, so low he might have imagined it.  “No, you’re not.”

           He isn’t sure what it is he hears in her voice, and he doesn’t have the heart to turn to her then, to see for himself, to know the damning censure of her gaze, even when her voice is indiscernible.  

           She leaves him then, the heavy door of his solar sliding shut with a nauseating finality.

           She doesn’t even leave a shadow.

           (But he thinks he should have expected this.  He thinks he should have expected a lot of things.)

* * *

           Jon has known the permanence of betrayal, the way it sinks into your marrow until you are rife with it, until the sharp tang of it has festered long and sour beneath your tongue, until it is behind every look over the shoulder and every false greeting.

           Jon sneaks a glance at Sansa beside him, catches the upturn of her chin while she listens to Lord Glover in the Hall of Lords, the resolute crispness of her blue gaze as she sits regally at the head table.

           His hand strays to the ends of her furs hanging over the arm rest.  He catches the material between his thumb and forefinger, a small comfort.  An anchor in the storm.

           He glances back out across the hall.  All eyes are on Sansa.  All but a lone, accusing pair.

           Jon catches Arya’s glare from across the hall, nearly missing her lithe frame amidst the shrouding shadows of the Stark banners.  The flicker of torchlight is not enough to obscure her frown.

           His hand slips from the edge of Sansa’s furs beneath the table, his throat dry with an apprehension he’s never felt before.

           They sit staring at each other for long moments – everything and nothing passing between them – the lords airing their complaints and their needs like a fog around him.

           “Do you agree, Your Grace?”

           Sansa’s voice comes to him like a gale.

           Jon snaps his gaze to her, blinking rapidly.

           He suddenly remembers.

           He remembers that Sansa has seen the evidence of betrayal marring his skin. She’s seen the gashes along his chest and not withheld her touch.  She’s smothered his sobs of recollection to her breast when he’s recounted the nooses – the way their feet swayed in the wind like a condemnation.

           Sansa has never been party to his betrayal.

           Sansa will never be his betrayal.

           His fingers search for the ends of her furs once more, gripping tightly beneath the cover of the table – no longer an anchor, but the thing that drowns him.

           “Aye,” he agrees, never needing to know what he agrees to.

           Sansa eyes him with something of sharpness.

           Jon looks back across the hall.  Arya is gone.

           He does not relinquish his hold.

* * *

{“Why did you bring her here?”

           Bran looks up at Sansa’s question.  It is a face she used to know once – but not anymore. She holds tight to this image of her brother like sand sifting through her fingers. She wonders if it is not perhaps easier to simply let him fall.

           She looks away finally, her hands gripping at her skirts.

           The hearth spits another log to cinders before them, and she thinks he means to keep this damn silence always, until, “Because she is needed.”}

[happyjonerys]

Introducing HAPPY JONERYS

I have been kicking around this idea for approximately the last 30 days, since right after the Game of Thrones series finale aired. After the anger wore off, and the dust settled, I realized I that not only do I still ship the fuck outta Daenerys Targaryen & Jon Snow, I’M NOT ALONE. While I respect & totally understand those who have jumped ship, I wanted to create A SAFE HAVEN OF ONLY POSITIVE JON + DANY CONTENT where fans like myself can go when they’re sick of all the Anti Dany, Anti Jon, and Anti Jonerys energy that has resulted from the backlash to the final season, where there’s zero worry about seeing a gif or image of Dany’s murder or her corpse. 

SO, my fellow Jon + Dany shippers, whether you spitefully still ship them even harder after S8 like I do, or whether you are finding it difficult to even LOOK at them right now, but still occasionally want a break from the negativity and angst to reminisce about what could have been, I give you HAPPYJONERYS.TUMBLR.COM.

On this blog-

YOU WILL *NEVER* SEE A SINGLE GIF, IMAGE OR VIDEO OF DANY’S MURDER AT THE HANDS OF JON. EVER EVER EVER EVER. 

YOU WILL *NEVER* SEE ANTI-DANY CONTENT OR COMMENTARY

YOU WILL *NEVER* SEE ANTI-JON CONTENT OR COMMENTARY.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU WILL THEREFORE *NEVER* SEE ANTI-JONERYS CONTENT OR COMMENTARY.

YOU WILL ALSO NEVER SEE CONTENT TRASHING KIT OR EMILIA ON THIS BLOG.

Nope, on this blog we live on the power of positivity (& denial), so instead, you will find images, videos, articles and even fanfic of everything positive & happy Jon + Dany and Kit + Emilia, separately & together.

Feel free to bookmark or share this blog with your fellow Jonerys shippers who need a little Pick Me Up every now and then. 

Inbox is open for messages, comments, suggestions & submissions but as the name of the blog suggests, any negativity or hateration will be ignored & promptly deleted. Go troll somewhere else, Jonsas! ;-)

Last but not least, shout out to @jon-erys for the blog graphics.