#i think rickon would stay up north with bran

[jaehaeryshater]

Gilly, Ygritte, and Monster in Winterfell

art by @shebsart, commissioned by me

Shebsart came through once again guys!!! I’m so excited ^_^

For about a year and a half, since I got into ASOIAF, I have admired Shebsart’s work. Their Theon in particular is the closest I’ve ever found to my vision of him, I adore his hooked nose (Asha’s too!). They also have such an amazing Barbrey design and the Starks, including Jon, are amazing. I have paid for some Ygritte commissions before with other artists, and I have liked all three of them, but when it comes to the closest look of what I think of when I imagine her book counterpart is some of Shebsart’s old pieces of her (and Jon). I was looking for someone to draw Gilly and Ygritte and there was nobody whose opinion that I held in higher regard than Shebsart, as they were my favorite ASOIAF artist, so I asked them if they had any recommendations of who had their commissions open. They told me they actually considering opening their commissions and I have been working with them ever since, even though as far as I know they have not formally opened commissions. Shebsart has been really great to work with and patient, even though there’s been some trouble with payment barriers since we live in very different parts of the world. They’ve been professional and worked hard.

I have long imagined the possibility of Gilly and Ygritte as friends; I thought it was high time I got it depicted in some way. I think it would really benefit Gilly if she had some female influences that weren’t family members. Of course, she does receive this to some extent, but I think it would be very interesting for her to find companionship with a girl around her age that shared the general Freefolk culture, although of course her upbringing was wildly different than Ygritte’s. We know that Ygritte has some sort of soft spot for young children, or at least some sort of moral code that keeps her from killing them. This is one trait shown in both the books and the show. In the show, while I don’t consider anything that happened to it as canon, she specifically spared Gilly and Monster knowing that the others around her would not. I don’t think it would be much of a stretch that Ygritte would grow attached to Monster and have a soft spot there, even though we know she hates incest and would therefore consider his conception an abomination. Everyone in ASOIAF is misogynistic to some extent and some of the things Ygritte says about women are toxic, but I would like to think she wouldn’t victim blame Gilly or call her a whore as Stannis did. I definitely see Ygritte as a strong woman who would want to protect and stand up for someone like Gilly. And Gilly has great compassion and is all around a good person, so I think a friendship would be good for the both of them.

In the depiction above, Ygritte is Queen in the North, consort to Jon. This fits in the same AU as my previous Jon and Ygritte commission by shripscapi. I’ve said this many times, I respect people who hate Jon x Ygritte and they have very valid reasons, but knowing Jon’s character, as long as Ygritte lives, which she would have in this AU as the Battle of Castle Black does not happen, there’s no other choice in Jon’s mind for consort for him as King Beyond the Wall. For the timeline of this art, Jon was first crowned King Beyond the Wall and he went South with his people to get away from and prepare to battle the Others, seeking help from other rulers. His men battle the Boltons and because neither Rickon or Bran have been found yet, he is declared King in the North as well for the time being. His residence is temporarily taken up in Winterfell and the Freefolk settle nearby in close quarters. Jon goes towards the Vale as he’s heard word about Sansa, but Ygritte stays behind with some of the Freefolk. This is when Gilly is her lady-in-waiting. I wanted to show that Ygritte’s clothes are nicer than Gilly’s, but I still wanted both outfits to be respectable. I wanted the fashion to be reasonable for a Northern climate, so that meant furs. Besides, they are both Freefolk and furs mean a lot to them culturally. I sent references for clothing and Shebsart went from there. Some people say Ygritte would never wear a dress but I disagree if it was comfortable enough and she was able to boss people around and be smug, I think she’d wear it as long as it was advantageous for her. And besides, I imagine that Jon designed the dress herself and that’s flattering enough for her to like it. What I did like to show is that Gilly is taking more towards traditional “ladylike” activities like embroidery, while Ygritte isn’t interested. She’d rather sit around and talk and laugh.

Oh, and isn’t baby Monster precious????

Edit: I’ve seen someone say they think Ygritte would hate her life if this is what it was like, and I’m not mad at it or anything, but I don’t agree!!! To clarify more about this AU, Jon becomes King Beyond the Wall because the Freefolk believe that only someone with Stark blood would be able to negotiate with the Others, so they’d be doomed without him. So therefore it’s not just about her feelings for Jon, she’s married to the person she believes will be able to save her people. The influence she has on him is also major and a source of pride for her. In the art above, she is living in Winterfell and yes she’s wearing a dress, but that isn’t her life forever. The reason she stays and doesn’t go with Jon to the Vale is not because she’s a woman and he refuses to let her fight, but because in the main timeline she has a child already (this art has a bit of a fudged timeline, if I were to write a fic on this idea she’d already have had a child before they breached the Wall) and if Jon were to die, the child still has Stark blood and would still be the only hope against the Others. If she had been South and had died with Jon (Jon doesn’t die at this point, but the prospect is why she stays behind), the child would have a regent with their own motivations and wouldn’t have its interests at heart like Ygritte would. This is an important role that I do think at the end of the day, despite Ygritte not being the smartest person, she would take pride and be protective over. It’s not simply that motherhood has changed her and is a role that took over her previous personality, because that’s not true. It’s that there are greater things at play and she’s a key part of protecting the source of the realm’s salvation, so to say. She doesn’t live at Winterfell forever and when at Winterfell, she does boss around some Lords but doesn’t do any chores that she would find tedious. The most she does is sew together a wolf plushie for her child, which was incredibly poorly done. When Bran and Rickon are eventually found and thus Jon doesn’t have the title of Winterfell, they settle in lands previously ruled by the Umbers and she doesn’t wear a dress anymore, I have another commission by shripscapi that shows her usual attire but it is furs, she does hunt, she teaches her children to hunt and falconry. Her traditions are not stomped out in favor of Southron traditions. Her home is not a castle, but a small home slightly more impressive than the huts of the rest of her people, inspired by architecture during the Norman invasion. All in all, she’s really happy. The most important thing to her is that her people are safe, the Others are going to be defeated, and they’ve gotten past the Wall, a goal of her people for a long time. I guess I’ve just had a different view of Ygritte and the Freefolk than majority opinion. I think the Freefolk are more adaptable than people in the South generally are, and it’s impressive how they rallied together despite their differences when faced with the Others. I don’t think the Seven Kingdoms would be able to do that. So I feel as if she, as well as most of her people, would be very happy and feel a sense of accomplishment for being able to live on and live among people that, before the threat of the Others, would never be able to tolerate them and vice versa.

[dipperscavern]

idk if you would write but i would love to see in ur style a tyrell!reader x robb. imagine being the winter rose? omg living the biggest dream by being a beauty of the seven realms, having tales of ur beauty passed on, and then being betrothed to robb as a mean of house tyrell to guarantee their safety, but still, theres no northern or southern who can resist the tyrell beauty and robb is one of them

nana.. this ask did things to me. i love this idea smsmsm & thank u for sending it in !!

tyrell beauty was never anything that could be denied — by friend or by foe.

you & your twin sister, margaery, were the greatest testimonies to that. while margaery was no doubt beautiful, tales of your beauty had spread throughout the seven kingdoms. singers, poets, servants & kings alike had all heard and contributed to the spread of the tale of the tyrell rose — not only beautiful in physical aspects, but a gorgeous personality to match.

you & margaerys older brother, loras, was also rumored for his looks. safe to say, you three were widely known.. the beauties of house tyrell.

even the north, cold and harsh as it was, was not exempt from hearing the tales of you & your siblings beauty. jokes and speculations had long passed around winterfell, only increasing tenfold when hearing about house tyrell’s rumored interest in forming an allegiance with the north. when bran, rickon, & arya stepped into the castle, covered in dirt & almost soaking wet from that days ministrations, jory only sighed seeing them, ushering them to baths with a mutter of-

“the beauties of winterfell…”

robb only laughed at the teases he heard about you & your siblings, but sometimes found his thoughts wandering to you. his mind often drifting to think about the tyrell rose, absurd childlike questions, that he should’ve pushed away as quickly as they entered his mind. do the tales do your beauty justice? what are you like in person? are you warm? would you like him? what would you think of the north?

he focused on training, doing as he was told & preparing to become lord of winterfell one day, although he couldn’t stop the fleeting thoughts about you that arose every once in a while. a child’s dream, he thought.

so you can imagine his surprise when his father & mother sat him down, telling him of the alliance house tyrell wanted to make with house stark..

through marriage.

robb felt like he was dreaming. the beauty of the seven kingdoms, betrothed to him? he could barely keep the smile off his face, wanting to not only improve stature to his house, but do his duty as a husband. excitement pooled in his gut, as theon clasped his hands on robb’s shoulders at dinner, congratulating him. theon’s hands waved in the air, saying something about-

“the beauty and the beast..”

any other night he would’ve gotten a shove to the ground, but robb only threw him a playful smile. even theon’s relentless teasing couldn’t ruin this for him. if he was to be lord of winterfell one day, he’d need a strong woman by his side — he dreamed of a relationship like his mother and fathers, and he prayed in the godswood to the old gods that night, that they would guide your union as man and wife.

in the days leading up to your arrival at winterfell, countless preparations were made. the tyrell host was large, and all of the starks had done their parts to prepare to receive it. you were to stay in winterfell for a week before the wedding, and your family would leave shortly after. you had handmaidens and a few select soldiers to stay with you at winterfell, and you could visit high garden anytime you wanted in the near future. you asked your grandmother if she would visit you in winterfell again after the wedding, but she only put a hand over your own & said it would take the Father himself to drag her back to that “frozen wasteland”.

the day you arrive, robb thinks he’s might jump out of his skin, he’s so nervous. still, he puts on a brave face for his & his families sake, wanting to be everything you need and more.

you, margaery, and the queen of thornes are riding in the wheelhouse, while ser loras is in front of it, mounted on a white mare. his armor glints in the sunlight, doing wonders to illuminate his face. he’s handsome, robb can admit, and that only makes his curiosity increase about you & your sister. & once you both step out of the wheelhouse, robb feels his heart skip as many beats as it can without killing him.

a few of your cousins step out first, giggly as they curtsy to the starks and stand respectively to the side. margaery is next, gorgeous auburn hair & a button nose, a flattering dress with the tyrell colors proudly on display, and a sweet smile to accompany it all. she curtsy’s as well, standing more in front of the wheelhouse, as loras dismounts and moves to stand next to her.

when you step out of the wheelhouse, robb’s breath hitches. his body forgets every single instinct he’s ever had, & he has to remind himself to breathe, as to not kill himself. you’re beautiful. stunning. a sight for sore eyes. he doesn’t think there’s any word in the common tongue that can be used to describe your beauty without downplaying it. it seems like nobody can tear their eyes off of you, your aura doing wonders to brighten the damp atmosphere.

you curtsy to them all, along with a smile he wishes would never leave your face. robb can’t tear his eyes from you, even when you move to offer your hand to the queen of thornes as she steps out. you meet robb’s gaze in the moment everyones attention is not on you. the corner of his mouth tilts up in a smirk as he winks at you. you only tilt your head, brows lightly furrowing as you smile at him. your gaze falls to the floor as blush rises to your cheeks, retracting your hand from your grandmothers and smoothing out your gown.

pleasantries are exchanged, you and robb stealing glances to each other every so often. lady olenna & a few of your cousins go with ned stark & lady catelyn, moving to discuss the wedding, among other things. you take robb’s arm as he escorts you, margaery, and loras to where you’ll be staying at. robb drinks in every moment with you.

you’re gorgeous, soft, & warm. you have a kind heart, a love for the arts and children, and you’re very kind. your shy nature bubbles away as you grow more comfortable in each others presence.

that night, a great feast is held. everyone of the starklings is made to be in attendance, and robb prays that arya can keep her withering resolve just a little bit longer. you’re sat beside him, softly laughing at a remark ned had made. robb’s heart warms at the sight of you & his father getting along, but is quickly forgotten when he sees arya dash away & out of the hall. guards are sent after her, and robb bites back a smile at her daring antics.

he’s snapped out of his thoughts as your hand clasps his bicep, his head turns towards you as you lean into speak in his ear.

“forgive me, i must be excused. i’ll return shortly.” you say, a reassuring smile making its way onto your face as you get up. robb only nods, sighing in an attempt to soothe his frayed nerves.

it’s a few minutes later when the queen of thornes sits next to him, striking up light conversation. judging his character, no doubt. at the end of it she nods her head in approval, asking him to please find her granddaughter — wherever she’s run off to. robb stands up with an-

“of course, my lady.”

moving to follow the direction you went in. it takes him outside, and he looks around, before his gaze settles on you & a small form behind you, a guard approaching in front of you. robb was lucky to be in earshot of you.

“pardon, my lady, we’re looking for arya underfoot, ned starks daughter. ‘bout yay high, brown of hair. have you seen ‘er ‘round?”

you were stood beside a pillar, one arm behind your back as you discreetly pressed arya further behind you. one shift of your form & arya would be revealed, dragged back to the festivities she had just escaped from. robb watched you from afar, careful not to give away your position — but close enough to hear & see your response. curiosity spread through him as he and the guard both awaited your answer.

your brows furrowed in faux confusion, looking at the guard with a soft expression.

“i must confess, i haven’t seen her. brown of hair, you said?”

the guard swallowed, nodding as he eyed you up & down. you smiled sweetly at him.

“i will be sure to keep an eye out, ser…?”

you slightly raised your brows, and the guard quickly gave you his name. you repeated it to him, and the guard nodded, smiling.

“would you be so kind to escort me back to the festivities? a castle like this.. it’s so easy to get lost.”

the guard quickly agreed, not being able to resist you, & robb is enamored, having witnessed the tyrell charm firsthand. what happens next seals the deal for robb.

as you move to take the guards arm, you spot loras patrolling, his path sending him to pass on the other side of the pillar that you’re at. the eye contact between you both is minimal, and robb almost misses your eyes slightly widen & the small nod of his head. with one swift move, you’re grasping the guards bicep & using your other hand to gently push arya to your older brother, as he outstretches his hand just enough for arya to get the hint. as you walk off, loras has one hand on aryas shoulder, ushering her off with a wink — & robb watches the smile grow on aryas face as she slips away.

yeah, he thinks. you’re perfect.

his winter rose.

sorry if this was too long or not what you were envisioning, but i had sm fun writing this !! tyrell supremacy

[lovebaela]

THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH

Chapter 3: Beginning of War

prev | masterlist | next

Pairing: °❆⋆Bran Stark x Targaryen OC .ೃ࿔*:･

CW: fem!oc, mostly fluff, and mentions of murder.꙳·❅°*˖

Rating: Mature audiences - The mature moments will happen later on. In the beginning, it will mostly just be cute fluff.⋆⁺₊❅.

(a/n) helloooo, sooo I recently decided to make a Wattpad account and I’ll also be posting the story on there hehe. So if you don’t like all of the cutesy symbols and the aesthetic on here, you can also read the story on Wattpad without all that stuff :) also I’m making minor changes to the previous chapters so uhhh don’t mind me lol

One night, Rhaella and Lady Stark were with Bran, by his side. It's been a month since she woke up.

Now, they had to wait for Bran's turn to awaken.

He's not dead, I know it, she always told herself.

Rhaella read aloud a book about the history of Winterfell as Lady Stark was making a protective craft. She said that only a mother could make one.

Robb decided to stay to look after his mother. She never once left Bran's side. To the point where Rickon was following Robb around. Robb walked in complaining about it, until he noticed something wrong outside.

"Is there something wrong?" Rhaella asked.

"Both of you stay in here," he said. He quickly ran out of the chamber, leaving them confused. They both rose up from their chairs to look out the window. There was a lot of commotion going on out there. The door opened, making them turn around swiftly. A man they've never seen before.

"You're not supposed to be here," the man said.

"None of you are supposed to be here." They both looked at each other wondering what he meant.

He turned to Bran, "it's mercy for him, really." He drew out his dagger.

"NO!" They both yelled.

Lady Stark ran to the man, preventing him from getting any closer to her son as Rhaella jumped on the bed, throwing herself on Bran. She grabbed the blade, squeezing it so hard that her hands were bleeding.

Rhaella, not knowing what to do, could only think to herself. She didn't know what came over her to use herself as a shield. In truth, they haven't known each other for that long, but he was the closest thing to family, they all were. No, this won't be the day he dies. It can't be. I won't let him, even if it kills me! That led herself to ask the question, would he have done the same for me?

The man threw her off of him and made his way to the bed.

"No!" Rhaella shouted. "Leave us alone!"

Before the man could stab her, Bran's dire wolf bolted in the room, quickly biting at the man's hand. They watched in awe and horror as the wolf dug its teeth into his neck, killing him instantly.

"Thank you," Rhaella whispered to the wolf. He let out a little whine and laid down. At that moment, they knew Bran would be protected, especially now that Summer was huge.

The next day, Rhaella showed Lady Stark where they both fell. They entered inside and went to the top floor. There wasn't really anything in the room. Just a lot of moss, vines, and leaves growing in there. "I found something," Lady Stark said. She showed Rhaella a long strand of golden, blonde hair. Rhaella gasped, remembering the day the king arrived and the feast. The Queen. Her hair was that color. But why would she be in here? And who was she with? "We have to tell Robb," Rhaella said.

They called for a meeting with Robb, Theon, Maester Luwin, and Ser Rodrick in the godswood.

"Pushed?" Robb asked them. "Are you certain?"

"Bran never falls." Theon added.

"We found a strand of blonde hair in that tower," Lady Stark said. "Bran must of saw something he wasn't supposed to see."

"Which led him to get pushed." Luwin said, putting the pieces together.

"What should we do my lady?" Ser Rodrick asked.

"I'll ride to king's landing," she replied. "It had to have been the Lannisters. I must tell Ned."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The maester asked her. She gave a nod.

"They think they can just hurt the people I love and get away with it?" Robb asked. "And then send an assassin? They will pay for this."

That made Rhaella blush. He loves me!

Lady Stark turned to Rhaella, "I need you to stay by Bran's side. To watch over him while I'm gone.

He's lucky to have a friend like you. I know this is scary, but I need you to stay strong for me." She gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes, my lady," Rhaella said determinedly. "I will."

After she left Winterfell with Ser Rodrick, Rhaella did exactly what she asked her to do. She never left Bran's side. She was very concerned for Bran's health. Since he was in a coma, he couldn't eat properly, only honey and water. His body was growing more frail by the day. Nearly becoming just bones and skin. Rhaella prayed every single day for Bran to wake up, hoping one day any gods out there would hear her.

After feeding Bran one night, Maester Luwin said there was a gift for Rhaella. It was a fancy looking chest.

"It says it's from Majester Illyrio from Pentos," he told her. "Also, Lord Stark sent the both of you gifts." He placed Bran's gift at the side of his bed.

From what she could tell, it looked like a sword wrapped up. Then he gave her gift, it was small and wrapped up. She unwrapped it and smiled. It was a doll.

The doll was quite creepy, but she cherished the thoughtful gift anyway.

After Luwin left the room, she opened the chest.

She let out a small gasp, inspecting the gift. It was a dragon egg! Next to it was a letter, from Daenerys!

Dear Rhaella,

I hope you are doing well my sister. I'm afraid I have some news. I was married off in trade for a Dothraki army. His name is Khal Drogo, and he looks big and scary. We are about to leave with the Khalaasar. I didn't want to marry him, or anyone. I just want to go home. To finally see you! Sometimes when I get scared...I say that I am the blood of the dragon. Dragon's are fearless and brave which is what I should be. You are the only person in this world that brings me happiness. I hope you enjoy the gift I sent you.

Love, Daenerys.

Poor Daenerys, I guess we both have to be brave right now. More than ever.

"Look Bran, I have a dragon egg! Too bad Arya isn't here to see it." Rhaella told him. She liked talking to Bran while he slept. Deep down, it felt like he could hear her. "Bran, please wake up," she whispered, holding his motionless hand. "I need you."

A few tears fell from her eyes onto the furs of the bed. She hesitated at first, but then gave him a peck on the cheek before leaving. She reached for the door knob until she heard a groan. Startled, she turned back to the bed.

"Rhaella?" He asked weakly.

"Bran!" She shouted. She jumped onto the bed and gave him a big hug, "You're awake, finally awake!"

Rhaella told the others about the great news. She could tell Robb wanted to cry, but knowing him, he didn't, at least not in front of her. Rickon, of course, did.

"You shouldn't try walking," Maester Luwin told him. "At least, not yet. Your body is extremely weak and thin because of the coma. If you slept longer, you likely would have been dead."

"If Bran needs to go somewhere, what will he do?" Rhaella asked the Maester. "We will have Hodor carry him," he replied.

"I had a strange dream," Bran said, as he was eating some pigeon pie. "I was falling. Falling the whole time, without hitting the ground. There was a raven there too. It had three eyes. It told me 'fly or die.'"

"Don't think about it too much, it was only a dream child," Luwin said.

Rhaella wanted to tell them about her strange dream, but maybe the Maester was right. Perhaps it was only a dream.

— DAENERYS ೃ࿔*:･

"I hit him," Daenerys said, panicking. "I hit the dragon."

Dany couldn't take Viserys' tantrums anymore. He hurt one of her handmaidens, Doreah, because she told him Dany wanted him to come to supper. He took it as a command. He tried to strike Dany down, but something woke inside of her and she fought back.

"Your brother Rhaegar was the last dragon," Ser Jorah Mormont explained. He had met Dany during her wedding, where he swore his loyalty to House Targaryen. "Viserys is less than a shadow of a snake."

"He is still the true king," She reminded him.

"The Magister told the three of us that the common people were praying for his return."

"Three?" The man asked.

"Forgive me," she said. "It wasn't just me and my brother living with Illyrio, our cousin was there with us. My sister, Rhaella."

"I believe I never heard of her." Jorah admitted.

"She was good," Daenerys said with a smile. "A good, sweet, intelligent, and beautiful girl. She was the only thing that I cared about in this world." Her smile faded away, "and he sold her away from me."

"Where is she now?"

"In Winterfell, with the Starks. The people that betrayed my family."

"Forgive me Khalessi, but the Starks are an honorable house. Trust me when I say this, she is in good hands."

"I will get her back one day, I swear it." Daenerys said. "I pray everyday that she is okay, what do you pray for Ser Jorah?"

"Home."

"So do I," she said. I hope she received her gift and the letter.

— RHAELLA ೃ࿔*:･

Rhaella and Bran listened to Old Nan tell her crazy stories. A lot of them were quite strange and boring most of the time. Bran stroked the fur of his dire wolf. He decided to name him Summer. Summer grew so big that soon they would be able to ride on his back. What Rhaella loved about Summer was his beautiful features. He had fire-like brown eyes and fur on his back.

Bran's eleventh name day came and went quickly, but the boy was too depressed to celebrate. He said he'd rather die than be crippled for life, which broke Rhaella's heart. Soon after her eleventh name day passed, but all she requested for was lemon cakes to eat while by Bran's bedside.

Both of them could hear the shouts and screams of Rickon playing with Shaggydog and Greywind outside. "I want to be out there," Bran mumbled. His eyes stung. She could see in his eyes he wanted to cry.

"Would you like to hear a story about a knight?" Old Nan asked as she sowed. "Ser Duncan the Tall perhaps?"

"I don't want to listen to that," Bran said, his voice petulant. The topic of knights seemed to bother him. Rhaella didn't blame his bitterness. The one thing he ever wanted was taken away from him. "Yeah, you already told Ser Duncan's stories many times," Rhaella sighed.

She loved the adventures of Dunc and Egg, but she heard the story so many times, she thought she would pull her hair out.

"It's the scary ones I like." Bran said lowly.

"Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear? Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods."

The children were deeply invested in the story. It was something Rhaella never heard about before, true or not, it intrigued her.

They continued to listen until Theon opened the door, making them snap out of the trance and jump.

"I don't wish to see anyone!" Bran said, coldly.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Theon said.

"Lord Tyrion wants to see you. Hodor!" The tall giant waltzed in the room, "Hodor?"

"Take Bran to the Great Hall," he commanded.

Hodor did as he said, picking Bran up and left the room. Theon and Rhaella followed behind.

"What does he want from Bran?" She asked the Greyjoy. "I'm not sure, he wanted to see you too."

Once we walked in, she could hear Lord Tyrion say, "so it's true . . ."

Hodor stood before Tyrion with Bran in his arms.

"Hello Bran," he said to the child. He turned his attention to Rhaella, "and hello to you too, Rhaella. Do either of you remember what happened?"

"They barely have any memory of what happened before the accident," Luwin answered for them as he sat at the main table with Robb. With Lord Stark gone, Robb had to take on the role as Lord of Winterfell.

"That's unfortunate," the Lannister said.

"Why are you here?" Robb asked.

"Would you be as kind to ask your charming companion to neil? I'm afraid my neck is starting to hurt," Tyrion asked Bran. He was different from his siblings. He was an "imp" Arya said. He was as tall as Rhaella, and can't grow anymore than that. Hodor obeyed Bran's request to neil.

"Do the both of you like to ride?" He asked them.

Both of the children answered yes. Bran added,

"well, I did like to." Luwin wasn't sure if Bran could ever walk again, but he said they still needed to give Bran more time to heal.

"Lucky for you, I have brought the finest horses for you and blueprints of a special saddle that can even let cripples ride," he told him. "I'm not a cripple." Bran said. "I'm not sure yet."

"Well in case you are, the saddle will still work perfectly for you." Tyrion gave Bran the blueprints of the saddle. It made Rhaella feel warm inside to see Bran's eyes light up as he looked at the paper.

"And for you," Tyrion said, turning to her. " have something else as well. I'm afraid it's not blueprints, but I assure you that you will love it."

Rhaella's eyes brightened up as Tyrion opened a small case. Inside of it was a beautiful golden ring with the Targaryen sigil on it. "I found this where we have the Targaryen artifacts kept. I thought you should have it," he explained. "It is believed to be one of the many jewelry that Daemon Targaryen gave his niece, Rhaenerya."

"Wow," Rhaella exclaimed. "Thank you . . ."

"Is this some kind of trick?" Robb asked, confused and defensive.

"I have a special place in my heart for cripples, bastards, and broken things," Tyrion replied, smiling at the children. They both gave a smile back.

"You have done them a kindness," Robb said.

"Winterfell is welcomed to you."

"No need for the false loyalties, Stark," Tyrion said. "For I will be leaving shortly."

Before he could ride off, Rhaella ran outside to the courtyard. He noticed her approaching him, "ah, it's you again. I had the both of your horses placed in the stables. May the gods bless the both of you."

"I . . .I thought your family hated me," Rhaella admitted. "You are a kind person, I thank you again."

Tyrion smiled, "I am not like my family, unlike them, I have a heart. Take this as advice, young girl. As someone who is not only Targaryen, but a foreigner as well, you will face hardships. Take what makes you different, and be proud of it. That way, no one can bring you down."

Rhaella nodded and watched as he rode off with his men. She went over to the stables to see the horses. Her horse had a beautiful white coat with wavy mane so light, it almost looks white instead of blonde. Bran's horse was a beautiful jet black color with black mane. They complimented each other beautifully, like the stars and the night sky.

Bran spent the rest of the morning getting sigil lessons with Maester Luwin. Rhaella practiced her archery with Theon Greyjoy while she waited for the lessons to be over. Lord Tyrion’s gift lifted Bran’s spirits, but only ever so slightly. He was always a cheerful boy, a sweet Summer child. Now, he was as cold as winter.

Afterwards, Rhaella and Bran spent the afternoon sitting in the godswood under the weirwood tree. He laid on the ground, resting his head on Rhaella's thigh as she read the history book. "Arya would be furious if she found out we finished the Dance of the Dragons," Rhae chuckled.

"Maybe she should have stayed with us." Bran said, bitterly.

She continued to read, "when Rhaenerya's last alive son was crowned king, the small folk came up with many names. Aegon the Unlucky, Aegon the Unhappy, or Dragonbane. Grand Maester Munkun called him the Broken King."

"Aegon the Broken," Bran said. He sighed. "Bran the Broken."

Rhaella slammed the book shut. "You are not broken, Bran!"

"What do you call a boy who can barely walk properly anymore? Broken, that's what." He said coldly. "Now, I can't even be a knight at all! That's all I ever wanted . . ."

"Well, then," Rhaella said, standing back up. "I guess I'll just have to help you walk better again!"

"What do you mean?" He asked cocking his head.

"How about this, everyday, we come here and practice your walking," she said. "Maester Luwin did say you can walk, just not as much as you used to."

"You'd really help me?" He asked. She was shocked he would even ask that.

"Of course!" She said taking his hand to help him up. "Not only are you my betrothed, you are my dearest friend. All I could ever want is for you to be happy." She wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I'd also like for my egg to hatch, so one day we can fly on dragon back and eat nothing but desserts!"

"I'm glad that we met." He smiled. She smiled back at the Stark boy, "so am I."

Taglist: @lover-of-books-and-tea

[thenorthsource]

The Wildling and the Lost Boy (for anon)

AGOT – Catelyn III

"Rickon needs you […] He's only three, he doesn't understand what's happening. He thinks everyone has deserted him”

AGOT – Bran VI

"What are you doing here?" [...]

"They are my gods too," Osha said. "Beyond the Wall, they are the only gods."

[…] “The cold winds are rising, and men go out from their fires and never come back … or if they do, they're not men no more, but only wights, with blue eyes and cold black hands. Why do you think I run south with Stiv and Hali and the rest of them fools? Mance thinks he'll fight, […] but what does he know? […] He's never tasted winter. I was born up there, child, like my mother and her mother before her and her mother before her, born of the Free Folk. We remember." Osha stood, her chains rattling together. "I tried to tell your lordling brother. […] But he looked through me […]. So be it. I'll wear my irons and hold my tongue. A man who won't listen can't hear."

AGOT – Bran VII

"I lived my life beyond the Wall, a hole in the ground won't fret me none, m'lords," she said.

[…] Ser Rodrik had ordered Osha's chain struck off, since she had served faithfully and well since she had been at Winterfell. She still wore the heavy iron shackles around her ankles—a sign that she was not yet wholly trusted—but they did not hinder her sure strides down the steps.

[…]

Rickon patted Shaggydog's muzzle, damp with blood. "I let him loose. He doesn't like chains." He licked at his fingers.

ACOK – Bran V

"Osha," Bran asked as they crossed the yard. "Do you know the way north? To the Wall and . . . and even past?"

ACOK – Theon IV

Osha would need to carry Rickon; his little legs wouldn't take him far on their own.

[…]

Theon Greyjoy knew he was beaten […] Osha had deceived them with some wildling trick.

ACOK – Bran VII

Bran heard fingers fumbling at leather, followed by the sound of steel on flint. Then again. A spark flew, caught. Osha blew softly. A long pale flame awoke, […] Osha's face floated above it. She touched the flame with the head of a torch. Bran had to squint as the pitch began to burn, filling the world with orange glare. The light woke Rickon, who sat up yawning. […]

There stood Osha holding the torch, […] and the double row of tall granite pillars and long dead lords behind them stretching away into darkness . . . but there was Winterfell as well, grey with drifting smoke, the massive oak-and-iron gates charred and askew, the drawbridge down in a tangle of broken chains and missing planks.

[...] "Are we going home?" Rickon asked excitedly.

[…] Osha carried her long oaken spear in one hand and the torch in the other. A naked sword hung down her back, one of the last to bear Mikken's mark.

[…]

"Take me home!" Rickon demanded. "I want to be home!" […] They stood huddled together with ruin and death all around them.

"We made noise enough to wake a dragon," Osha said, "but there's no one come. The castle's dead and burned, just as Bran dreamed,” […]

"Hodor must stay with Bran, to be his legs," the wildling woman said briskly. "I will take Rickon with me."

[lemonhemlock]

strange that people had the thought that sansa was gonna stay in the vale and not go back to winterfell for so long when geographically other than bran(beyond the wall having trippy visions)/jon("dead")/rickon (cannibal island skagos) sansa is way closer to winterfell than a lot of characters and the knights of the vale is pretty much a chekhov's gun especially since like you said they havent joined the war yet and somehow sansa marching to winter fell with them was unbelievable since like 2009-2018 (her story might not follow the show especially because of the diverged storylines and she has the alternative to escape the vale but who knows)

It's no secret that Sansa was a very hated character throughout GoT's run. People ~manifesting she would stay in the Vale was a way of wishful-thinking her out of the narrative. Their dislike made them ignore reason and come up with many silly theories.

Much has been said about Sansa's pawn-to-queen narrative, but the main argument for her surviving the series is that, if GRRM wanted to kill her, he had many, many opportunities to do so in five books and didn't. Sansa is physically and socially vulnerable & her POV focuses on her rich internal world, strength and endurance, yet she remains unscathed and is instead learning court politics. Why is that? It's basic bildungsroman storytelling. Denying that is just being petty at this point.

Sansa also cannot remain in the Vale as Alayne, since that is Littlefinger's plot. Only the most delulu stans will not accept that a shady person such as Littlefinger will face authorial punishment for his sins. And, when he does die, what's stopping Sansa from claiming her identity? Especially as she finds out the feared and detested Ramsay Bolton has married "Arya Stark". She will naturally want to help her sister.

Now, I need to re-read for this, but I believe it is hinted in AFFC that Myranda Royce slyly figured out who Sansa is. If you remember the prologue of AGOT, the fancy, pretentious Night's Watch ranger from the group of three that first encounter the white walkers, is Waymar Royce. He is the third son of Bronze Yohn, head of House Royce. I did a quick search to refresh my memory:

"Bronze Yohn knows me," she reminded him. "He was a guest at Winterfell when his son rode north to take the black." She had fallen wildly in love with Ser Waymar, she remembered dimly, but that was a lifetime ago, when she was a stupid little girl. "And that was not the only time. Lord Royce saw . . . he saw Sansa Stark again at King's Landing, during the Hand's tourney." Petyr put a finger under her chin. "That Royce glimpsed this pretty face I do not doubt, but it was one face in a thousand. A man fighting in a tourney has more to concern him than some child in the crowd. And at Winterfell, Sansa was a little girl with auburn hair. My daughter is a maiden tall and fair, and her hair is chestnut. Men see what they expect to see, Alayne." He kissed her nose. "Have Maddy lay a fire in the solar. I shall receive our Lords Declarant there."

(AFFC, Alayne I)

I mean... you can't be more explicit than that. The Royces know who Sansa is, but they'll just keep quiet and play out this charade?

[atopvisenyashill]

hey! i’ve been sort of lurking on your blog for a while, lol, but seeing you answer one of your recent asks abt some of your main theories got me curious enough to finally start a convo. so for the record, i was kind of ambivalent about sansa before reading some of your metas, and i’m still not really a jonsa believer, but a lot of things you’ve catalogued on ur blog did a lot to solidify sansa being lady of winterfell as a new member of my ASOIAF Endgame PredictionsTM, and seeing u answer that recent ask w all your separate bits of evidence collected together really sold it for me! quick question, though: i tend to skim-read long posts, so maybe i missed something, but did you say anything about why sansa would specifically end up as QiTN, rather than just lady of winterfell (still under whoever the next major ruler of westeros is)? i mean, especially if we do go ahead and assume that bran will end up as king in harrenhal, i don’t quite get why sansa would want to establish the north as a separate kingdom by seceding from her own brother? i suppose there’s the angle of wanting to honor what robb fought for, which certainly isn’t a bad motivator… but i think the remaining starklings, of all people, would be more likely to recognize (and focus on the fact) that robb’s main motivation in participating in the Wot5K was mostly just to avenge ned and secure the safety of the rest of his family. and even if the idea of finishing what robb started is a motivating factor, considering that asoiaf’s endgame is almost certainly going to be post-apocalyptic in some senses, i feel like whoever’s making these big decisions (even if that group does include some of the starklings, though it definitely will) would be more likely to prioritize trying to kind of return the world of westeros to something most resembling the previous status quo, which committing to splitting the kingdoms would maybe not really help with?

interested to hear your thoughts on all of this, thanks for reading :D <3

First - thank you for the compliment!!! I love to spread the gospel of Sansa As Ruling Lady In Winterfell lol, and it's nice to know I've convinced some people about some aspects of it! I have got to get better about adding a tldr at the ending though bc I too will sometimes just skim a post and queue it alsdjfla. (also validating each other on "the ending is going to be post apocalyptic" - YES that's what I've BEEN saying omg I do sometimes feel like some of the endgame predictions leave out that imo the last half of ados is going to feel very much like a post-apocalyptic type rebuilding!). Also sorry if this is kind of meandering, I wanted to organize it a bit more but that didn't work out lol.

But honestly okay - I go back and forth a LOT on whether Sansa is ruling lady of Winterfell or straight up Queen on the North. I’m still very undecided on it! I think it makes sense, narratively and just like logically that if Rickon is found he’s Bran’s heir in the South (both as a parallel to the Aegon/Viserys ending of the Dance and as a kind of neat bow tie on their story as brothers - they start the series being left behind in Winterfell and end the series choosing to stay behind but together in Harrenhal), then the girls are in the North as the Starks in Winterfell. Again, I think this is a parallel to Sansa/Serena & a play on the she-wolves of winterfell, but also, being the two oldest Starks, makes sense that Sansa is ruling lady and Arya is a sort of Hand (and like Rickon, potentially the one their line descends from but again - call me Sokka because I love to waffle!) But Queen in the North specifically? I think that's less clear than Sansa being ruling lady of Winterfell (which imo isn't just clear, it's the obvious answer for her story arc) though I still think there's a high probability of it.

First, let me get into the more conjecture side of it. Basically, I think part of the reason the kingdoms are going to split is because there will be some population and geographic changes after the Long Night/second war for the throne - I think I've mentioned it before I believe the Neck is going to "break" ie become flooded the same way the arm of dorne was "broken" and flooded and became the stepstones. This would make the North a lot harder to get to, geographically, which could further isolate them and want them to have their own monarch who is In The North and can make more snap decisions as they rebuild than Bran could all the way passed the Neck in Harrenhal.

I also think the Iron Islands are going to get fucked and Asha will lead a lot of her people to the mainland to settle, probably in the North due to them needing more population because they also got fucked - and two groups of people who are notoriously kind of isolationist coming together might prefer to stay partially disconnected from the main kingdoms. Which isn't to say they won't have contact with each other - I guess I was picturing like....idk a sort of EU thing lmao, or maybe a Narnia thing of like, open borders between the 2-3 kingdoms who are all allies and work together due to being on the same continent.

Of course, the breaking of the Neck (which is something I'm a lot more confident on - I think it's a guarantee tbh) could also drive the North back into the arms of the other kingdoms, as they need more help recovering from the Long Night and can perhaps offer help to the South as the South recovers from their wars. But anyways that's my geographic/logistical reason why I think the North might stay separated from the rest of the Kingdoms, even with a Stark King on the throne.

Now, in the previous ask, I mentioned her parallels to other Queens and some of the Queen imagery surrounding her - there's the abundant Naerys/Sansa parallels, and the Cersei/Sansa antiparallels. There's a bit of talk about how ~Sansa is good at queenly things~ and ~Joffrey was foolish to set her aside that feels (to me) like setup for her being a ruling Queen - no one can set her aside or disrespect her then, like Naerys and Cersei go through. Of course just paralleling a few Queens doesn't inherently mean she'll be Queen but I do think the emphasis on comparing her to queens is pointed - then again, imo there's also a lot of parallels between her and Princess Rhaena Targaryen of Dragon Twins fame, and Rhaena does not wind up a queen!

(there is also some parallels to historical queens there, most notably to Elizabeth of York, Queen of England and wife to Henry VII. Notably their marriage ended the War of the Roses, but I don't claim to be an expert there but I have reblogged some meta on that here and I'm sure there's others floating around).

There's also these two little bits here-

Ahead he glimpsed a pale white trunk that could only be a weirwood, crowned with a head of dark red leaves.

In their midst was a pale stranger; a slender young weirwood with a trunk as white as a cloistered maid. Dark red leaves sprouted from its reaching branches.

The first is from a Jon chapter and I think it could point to Bran or Sansa - dark red hair, pale skin, and a crown. The second one is what makes me think it points to either just sansa or both of them - that comes in a Brienne chapter. Again you have the pale skin (white as a cloistered maid) and dark red leaves acting as hair almost. To be honest, there's a lot with the Tully-Starklings having the coloring of a weirwood that's sort of fascinating in what it implies - perhaps that their roots are leading them back North, perhaps something more sinister re: Bran being eaten by a tree. I digress lol.

There's a few comments from Ned as well that feel like they might be foreshadowing-

“Brandon. Yes. Brandon would know what to do. He always did. It was all meant for Brandon. You, Winterfell, everything. He was born to be a King’s Hand and a father to queens. I never asked for this cup to pass to me.”

"Yet someday he may be the lord of a great holdfast and sit on the king's council. He might raise castles like Brandon the Builder, or sail a ship across the Sunset Sea, or enter your mother's Faith and become the High Septon." But he will never run beside his wolf again, he thought with a sadness too deep for words, or lie with a woman, or hold his own son in his arms. Arya cocked her head to one side. "Can I be a king's councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?" “You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” Arya screwed up her face. "No," she said, "that's Sansa."

There's a lot made of that last one, about how Ned potentially lays out his kids endgames right there to Arya -

Lord of a Great Holdfast and sit on a King's Council - Jon Snow

Raise Castles Like Brandon the Builder - Bran

Sail a Ship Across the Sunset Sea - Arya

Enter the Faith and Become High Septon - Rickon

Marry a King, Rule His Castle, Sons will be {etc} - no, that's Sansa

Those comments stick out to me because imo Sansa & Arya's endgames will be a sort of mirror to Ned & Lyanna so it seems natural to me that some of Sansa's endgame would be foreshadowed in the chapters of her father the same as Arya's endgame is sort of anti-foreshadowed (idk how you would phrase that one lol) in Lyanna.

tldr i am much more confident in the idea that Sansa will rule Winterfell than I am in what title she will have while ruling. I do think there is some Sansa-as-Queen foreshadowing, in her comparisons to other Queens like Naerys, Cersei, and Elizabeth of York, and the way characters like Ned & Tyrion talk about how ~queenly~ she acts and how naturally leading under stress comes to her.

[esther-dot]

In spite of GOT's shortfalls I was someone who found Sansa and Theon's relationship compelling. The show placed a lot of emphasis on what was in many ways their twin character arcs. What, if anything, might this mean for the books? Will the two of them become simpatico like that because Sansa is going to face another abusive relationship? I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

It was beautifully acted! That moment back in s5 when Sansa grabs Theon's face and yells at him about his "brothers" until he admits he didn't kill the boys has had such staying power with me. Loved their scenes together. Their s8 reunion was very moving too, and I know the soup scene in s8 was very exciting for shippers.

I can't help but think of the "girl in gray" vision where she (?) is said to be fleeing the marriage they made for her. I wonder if Sansa and Theon are really only a fantasy of the show runners.

I think what happened is that Martin told D&D that Sansa would be the girl in grey and return North, so they needed to write that story, but they liked Theon and Jeyne's storyline so much, they decided to weave them together. In the books, Theon and Jeyne have escaped and been reunited with Asha, so I’m not seeing the opportunity for Theon to create a deep bond with Sansa similar to the one they had in the show. Also, I’d assume Jon will be far less forgiving (without that incentive of Theon having saved Sansa) than he was in the show which would be a barrier.

Sansa does come up in Theon's ADWD chapters in relation to Jeyne as well as in relation to the hero/hero in a song idea so she feels kinda present which may be what gave D&D the idea to just go ahead and bring her into Theon's story:

It was not right that she should look to him for rescue. What had she been thinking, that he would whistle up a winged horse and fly her out of here, like some hero in the stories she and Sansa used to love? He could not even help himself. Reek, Reek, it rhymes with meek. (ADWD, The Prince of Winterfell) We are all dead, Theon thought. I told them this was folly, but none of them would listen. Abel had doomed them. All singers were half-mad. In songs, the hero always saved the maiden from the monster's castle, but life was not a song, no more than Jeyne was Arya Stark. Her eyes are the wrong color. And there are no heroes here, only whores. Even so, he knelt beside her, pulled down the furs, touched her cheek. "You know me. I'm Theon, you remember. I know you too. I know your name." (ADWD, Theon I) Theon grabbed Jeyne about the waist and jumped. (ADWD, Theon I)

Sansa loves Jeyne, so if Bran and Rickon turn up alive (she believes Theon killed them), maybe she would have a nice interaction with Theon once she is in the North, but I assume the GoT bond was largely a result of D&D replacing Jeyne with Sansa.

[whateverthedragonswant]

The Iron Islands Was Never Getting Independence - 6x09 & 8x02 Parallels

So I was rewatching GoT for reasons and I came across this 6x09 scene (love that episode!!!) and I already kind of knew that they were setting up Jon's, Dany's, and Sansa's endgame in this episode, setting them up for their final chapter, but now rewatching it, it blows me away just how obvious it was how things were going to pan out in the end. That Dany would be the final boss. That it was going to revolve around her, Jon, and Sansa. All that.

This scene is one of those obvious instances.

Theon and Yara have always been mirrors for Jon and Sansa since Theon and Yara reunited after Ramsay. For their sibling relationship as well as the power pair they present and represent for their home/family/kingom. In this 6x09 scene, it's no different.

A lot of people have made the point that Dany granted the Iron Islands their independence because Yara/Theon asked while she didn't grant the North to Sansa/Jon because Sansa demanded. They couldn't be more wrong. It's all right here in the dialogue:

Dany: "You've brought us a hundred ships from the Iron Fleet with men to sail them. In return I expect you'll want me to support your claim to the throne of the Iron Islands?" - here nothing about independence is brought up yet but here it makes the dynamic clear: they would need Dany's support for the claim to the Salt Throne, meaning 1) that "kingship" is less than the king/queen of the 7K and it's only allowed to continue for a certain individual if the ruler of the 7K allows it, and 2) she is not coming from a mindset of granting them independence or acquiescing to their request

Theon: "Not my claim. Hers."

Dany: "Oh, what's wrong with you?" - for a woman who wants to rule the 7K in a place she has been told that no other Queen has ruled in (this is right before Cersei takes the IT), it's odd that instead of asking "why is that?" or "oh? interesting" or even being happy about another woman in a ruling position that's granted less than hers, it's an odd question to ask what's wrong with Theon -- I think the writers did this purposely to show a subtle difference between Dany's rhetoric that she consistently sells and how she actually is while also implying she intends to be the only Queen in the 7K, right down to the sub-monarchies (if that's a word)

Theon: "I'm not fit to rule."

Tyrion: "We can agree upon that at least."

Dany: "Has the Iron Islands ever had a queen before?" - oh, suddenly she's interested to hear this fact, why? because it now helps turn up the flames of hope for her destiny so to speak

Yara: "No more than Westeros."

Theon: "Our uncle Euron returned home after a long absence. He murdered our father and took the Salt Throne from Yara. He would've murdered us if we stayed." - what's interesting here is not only are Euron and Dany paralleled this season but also Theon/Yara are the antithesis of Viserys/Dany considering that's what happened to them, the latter two's father was killed in the rebellion/the IT being taken and they would have been killed had they not fled; but it also proves again that Theon/Yara are Jon/Sansa mirrors because Ned was murdered, the North was taken from Bran (aka the future rightful king after the vote in 8x06) by Theon and then it was taken by Ramsay, Bran & Rickon had to flee and then Sansa and Theon had to flee Ramsay

Dany: "Lord Tyrion tells me your father was a terrible king."

Yara: "You and I have that in common." - it's true, they do, but I'm also highlighting this line because it comes back around in 8x02

Dany: "We do. And both murdered by a usurper as well. Will their ships be enough?" - Dany immediately switches gears here - she sees the commonality they have, something she always uses when spreading her rhetoric to gain allies and subjects followers, but switches to "hey, do we have enough or no?" Meaning depending on the answer is what depends on her agreeing to ally with Theon and Yara

Tyrion: "With the former Masters' fleet, possibly. Barely. There are more than a hundred ships in the Iron Fleet." - if this line doesn't have Davos' line from 7x02 "If they break through the wall, do we have enough men to fight them?" & Jon bringing Dany and her dragons North to fight the Night King vibes all over it...

Theon: "There are. And Euron is building more. He's going to offer them to you."

Dany: "So why shouldn't I wait for him?" - this is exactly the same type of attitude we see displayed in 7x03-7x06; after everything she's just heard about Euron so far, no hesitation, "if he's got more ships why shouldn't I wait for him?"; a lot of people defend Dany's reluctance to help the North because of Jon's outrageous claims of the dead walking, she doesn't know who he is right away, and he should bow to her because the North is rightfully hers - but this line right here, it shows she only has one goal in mind and it's not to come to save people from a tyrant or to instill the rightful ruler back on the IT so she can leave the world better than she found it for her people - this is before the reception she gets in Westeros and then the North - it's RIGHT HERE

Theon: "The Iron Fleet isn't all he's bringing. He also wants to give you--"

Yara: "His big cock I think he said. Euron's offer is also an offer of marriage, you see. You won't get one without the other." - we see in 6x10 that Dany is more than well aware that she most likely will have to marry to secure an alliance over in Westeros, the when being the only question besides who - she knew this from what happened in Mereen and how she was going to have to marry to keep the peace before all hell broke loose, she knows this

Dany: "And I imagine your offer is free of any marriage demands?" - so now she's considering their offer, while she says this almost teasingly to Yara, we know that she knows she has to marry at some point and if she can secure the whole Iron Fleet, why wouldn't she? Especially since her single-minded focus is the IT? Because she doesn't want to marry aka she doesn't want to share power (something we see in season 8 after Jon tells her who he really is and how hard she works to keep him in that subservient dynamic by forbidding him from telling anyone) which is also how you can tell that throne room scene dialogue in 8x06 was rewritten in the 11th hour at Emilia's request (something she has gone on record admitting to), it was meant to be Dance of the Dragons 2.0 and it was coming down to one of them prevailing over the other

Yara: "I never demand but I'm up for anything really."

Theon: "He murdered our father and would have murdered us. He'll murder you as soon as he has what he wants." - not only are we getting another Aerys/Viserys/Dany reminder here but now Dany has her justification for not entertaining Euron's would-be proposal and allying herself to Yara and Theon despite their lower number of ships (I don't blame her here, I'm just calling a spade a spade)

Tyrion: "The Seven Kingdoms."

Theon: "All of them."

Dany: "And you don't want the Seven Kingdoms?" - exactly what she has been worried about - she's never wanted to share them so she's making doubly sure

Theon: "Your ancestors defeated ours. They took the Iron Islands, we ask you to give them back." - as Dany will remind us and Jon in 7x03, Torrhen Stark bent the knee to Aegon Targaryen, the original conqueror she's been trying to be the second coming of - this not only has the North vibes due to that parallel but because it also links to 8x02

Dany: "And that's all?" - sounds like here it's simple for Dany, right? Wrong...

Yara: "We'd like you to help us murder an uncle or two who don't think a woman's fit to rule." - another line echoed in 8x02

Dany: "Reasonable." - about killing the uncle

Tyrion: "What if everyone starts demanding their independence?" - not only should Tyrion not be asking Dany this in the presence of Yara/Theon who have not been made allies officially yet, it's obvious they're having him point this out because it's going to lead to what happens in 8x02

Dany: "She's not demanding. She's asking. The others are free to ask as well." - 'which doesn't mean they'll get it' is the end of that sentence

Dany: "Our fathers were evil men. All of us here. They left the world worse than they found it. We're not going to do that. We're going to leave the world better than we found it." - more Dany rhetoric

Dany: "You will support my claim as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and respect the integrity of the Seven Kingdoms." THIS IS HER ANSWER RIGHT HERE - no independence for you Iron Islands, you're still a sub-monarchy but part of my 7K so no you don't get them back

Dany: "No more reaving, roving, raiding, or raping." - she reaffirms that with these conditions (which I agree with her here but the point is she's making it clear what she expects aka no independence)

Yara: "That's our way of life." - you mean like Dany is about to uproot Westerosi life as we know it in 8x05 and want to continue to do?

Dany: "No more." - "We can't build the new world with men loyal to the one we have." - 8x06

Yara: "No more." - having no choice, Yara agrees because at this point the other Lannisters don't care who sits on the Salt Throne (since they still have Tommen at this point) as long as they get any ships they need so it won't matter if Theon and Yara get murdered while Euron takes over/rules the Iron Islands - Yara knows they're not getting independence which is exactly why this little nugget isn't mentioned in her speech in 8x06 before Arya tells her to shut up about killing Jon

*Yara lifts her arm to Dany, after some confusion, Dany embraces her arm and they shake on it* (aka Yara and Theon get to live another day and hopefully have some dragon power backing them and they have a new 7K Queen)

And then, 8x02:

Dany: "I thought you and I were on the verge of agreement before. About Ser Jaime."

Sansa: "Brienne has been loyal to me. Always. I trust her more than anyone."

Dany: "I wish I could have that kind of faith in my advisors."

Sansa: "Tyrion is a good man. He was never anything but decent towards me."

Dany: "I didn't ask him to be my Hand simply because he was good. I asked him to be my Hand because he was good and intelligent and ruthless when he had to be. He never should've trusted Cersei."

Sansa: "You never should've either."

Dany: "I thought he knew his sister."

Sansa: "Families are complicated." (and here come the parallels to the 6x09 conversation)

Dany: "Ours certainly have been."

Sansa: "A sad thing to have in common."

Dany: "We have other things in common. We've both known what it is to lead people who aren't inclined to accept a woman's rule. And we've both done a damn good job of it from what I can tell."

(I skipped the whole Jon part of the convo)

Sansa: "I should have thanked you, the moment you arrived. That was a mistake." *she leans forward*

Dany *leans forward and covers Sansa's hand with hers*: "I'm here because I love your brother. And I trust him. And I know he's true to his word."

(skipping more Jon stuff)

Sansa: "What happens afterwards? We defeat the dead, we destroy Cersei...what happens then?" - Sansa is mentioning the agreement being honored on both sides, both of their enemies defeated, meaning they've given her her terms at that point

Dany: "I take the Iron Throne." - there's that single-minded goal again and what she really plans (she does not intend for any kingdom to secede from her 7K)

Sansa: "What about the North? It was taken from us and we took it back and we said we'd never bow to anyone else again. What about the North?" - here Sansa asks but she also lays down the line on what hers and Jon's mindset is when it comes to the North (and it's made clear by Arya in 8x04 why Jon really bent the knee to Dany in 7x06) and while it's in reference to the Boltons, it was also Theon who took the North first, and of course Aegon back in the day forcing them to bend the knee - so more parallels and just the thing Dany doesn't want to hear

And sure enough:

*Dany doesn't answer but removes her hand* - answer enough which is cemented by Sansa's expression and her sitting back away from Dany when the Maester interrupts them

And the very next scene, they literally have Theon showing up to ask Sansa if he can fight for Winterfell in the Great War. But first:

Theon turns to face Dany as expected, sees Sansa, and then looks at Dany, bending the knee (aka no independence for you Iron Islands)

Theon: "My queen." (aka no independence for you Iron Islands)

Dany: "Your sister?" - basically her saying 'oh crap, did your sister die? I know she was taken captive but did your murderous big cock uncle kill her? Crap, where are my ships? Why am I dealing with you?'

Theon: "She only has a few ships and she couldn't sail them here. So she's sailing them to the Iron Islands instead to take them back in your name." (aka NO INDEPENDENCE FOR YOU, IRON ISLANDS)

Dany: "But why aren't you with her?" (aka my dude, why are you bothering me? Go get me my land back like your faithful sister)

And then Theon gives us the answer we're expecting when he turns to look at Sansa and then asks if he can fight for her home/family. And we know Sansa is grateful, happy, and speechless. We know Dany is shocked, dismayed, sad, and angry that she's not getting that same type of loyalty/love on this side of the Narrow Sea (8x04 convo with Jon).

So basically, anytime someone says "but Dany was going to give the Iron Islands independence, she agreed to it, Sansa was rude", etc, just point them to these two scenes. Back in 6x09 "Battle of the Bastards" (aptly named and not just for the battle or Jon vs Ramsay) where Jon's, Dany's, and Sansa's endgame are all being set up. 6x10 sets up Cersei's, Tyrion's, and even Jaime's (but that's another post).

[fromtheseventhhell]

The AFFC discarded outline doesn’t confirm QITN as many Stansa’s are already theorizing about (somehow it’s also Jonsa’s foreshadowing??) but it does confirm that she wasn’t meant to stay in the Vale as Lady and will eventually head North, once her chosen plot concludes to that point, which feels like it’ll happen end of TWOW. Especially with Sansa chosen plot (not one completely scraped ten years ago that fans are suddenly using as justification of show!Sansa who was a mash of five other character arcs and confirmation of her book plot) still holds massive hurdles for her to overcome

With Cersei, her bounty, marriage to Tyrion which affect her ability to inherit and proving her identity to the Northmen who believe she’s dead and will need proof after Jeyne is revealed, along with Stannis adamant about her not inheriting. If she does go North currently, alone she’ll die because of Winter growing more intense in the North and to march a Vale army if she gains them will require massive movement during the harshest Winter that’ll cause great loss to their army much like Stannis’ situation heading to Winterfell.

The discarded AFFC outline feels like it confirms the potential of a succession crisis once the Starks start popping up in the North will all their claims being pushed by different people with different agendas.

I agree that there will be a succession crisis, but I disagree that the outline confirms it because the elements have always been there in the story. "Arya's" marriage to Ramsay is being used to hold Winterfell, Wyman Manderly is preparing to back Rickon, Jon is legitimized by Robb's will, LF is trying to use Sansa's claim, and Bran is the Heir whose return is imminent. While some things are up in the air (Wyman's fate, when Bran is returning, the validity of Sansa's claim via Robb's will, etc.) it's very unlikely that all of this would be dropped so that only one Starklings claim is valid. That also doesn't mean that every Starkling's claim will be equally considered though, and I think the bulk of the conflict will be between Rickon, Bran, and Jon (I don't think either Arya or Sansa are heading North before the end of TWOW). As far as the outline interpretation...it's dubious at best.

There's no way I would interpret this as "take the North" if it hadn't been presented as such first. While it very well could say this, even the OP admits they could've gotten things wrong because of how hard George's writing was to read. And if it does say this, it's most likely in reference to LF laying out his plan to Sansa in AFFC. Outside of the death of the Mad Mouse, I don't think it tells us any more about Sansa's arc than we already know from AFFC and her TWOW sample chapter. There's just nothing compelling enough for me to change my previous predictions about where Sansa's story is heading.

[sherlokiness]

I was reading your posts about Jon and D may have sex and then reading your latest ask made me wonder, do you think Jon will agree to marry Dany as part of convincing her he’s team Targaryen and then cheat on her with Sansa? There’s debate about what Jace and Sara foreshadow. Jonerys fans say it’s about them. But imo it’s part of the Targaryen falling for a Stark woman idea. I wondered if Jace was written to not only build that pattern in for Rhaegar and Lyanna but then Jon and Sansa and part of that would be having a wife or being betrothed and betraying them. That seems dark for Jon, but you mentioned him lying and being deceitful so I wanted your take

Hi, anon. Thanks for the ask.

Political Jon actually would make Dany more sympathetic to the readers but I don't think JD will ever marry. That would mean that Jon will not be betraying his short fling but his nominal wife. Dany will not marry some bastard of the North and we could argue that Jon will be King in the North when he meets Dany but he won't stay as one since Bran and Rickon will be coming home. So JD marriage can only work if Aegon marries his auntie but it will too late by then because RLJ reveal will both expose Dany and Jon's true desires.

For Dany, it will be that she's a power hungry hypocrite who previously said she will give up the crown for love and the IT is only her duty. She's already usurped Viserys and Young Griff by this time and the readers don't care because the former was a monster while the latter is only a pretender. There is justification for the killing. Then we have Jon who she will once again usurp even though Jon is what she claimed she always wanted- her love and the rightful King. WORDS ARE WIND.WIND AND WORDS.

For Jon, it will be that he will be justified in deceiving Dany. She is an egoistic tyrant whom her needs he needed to cater to. I don't know if you've read my meta about heroes and sacrifices. TLDR: Dany's hero moment with the Unsullied was done for the greater good but she did it with deceit and trickery never intending to give a dragon in exchange. The readers don't seem to care cause they were monsters. PolJon willl be a hero and he will do it for the greater good but also with deceit and trickery. Nobody should care cause Dany is a monster.

[amberthefantasy]

Fire and Winter

chapter five

Sansa was trying to distract herself. Alysanne could tell that much. Her younger sister had stuck herself inside for the four days since Bran’s fall and busied herself with needlework and other little tasks. Robb had already tried to talk her outside, as had Father and little Rickon but none had succeeded. Now Aly stood in front of her sister’s door, twisting her rings around her fingers as she tried to think over what to say. 

“I know you're out there,” Sansa’s voice came through the door.

Alsyanne winced before slowly opening the door and poking her head inside. Sansa was seated on a small chair by her bed, some fabric in her hand that she must be embroidering. “I have not seen you today, I was wondering how you were?” Aly asked, walking slowly over to stand beside her sister.

“I am well,” Sansa smiled stiffly. 

Aly sighed. “No you are not,” she declared. 

Sansa started and looked up at her. “I am,” she insisted.

“No you are not. You have locked yourself away in your room and refused to come out, even when Father asked you to,” Aly knelt beside her sister’s chair. “You cannot keep pushing these emotions away my sweet. We are all mourning what has happened to Bran but you must not lock yourself away from us all Sansa.”

Sansa stared at Alysanne. Aly could tell that her sister was trying to keep her eyes blank and her expression clear, but there was a slight watery tinge to her eyes and a twitch in her lips that gave away her inner emotions. “I am doing well,” Sansa repeated, shakily. 

“Sansa…” Aly let out a soft sigh. She opened her arms and looked sympathetically at her little sister. “Let it out my sweet,” she whispered. Sansa hesitated for a small moment, then broke and leant into Aly’s arms. “Shh…shhh my sweet sister,” Aly wrapped her hand tighter around Sansa’s back. She felt her sister’s tears as they wet her shoulder, little sobs breaking through Sansa’s lips as she tightened her hold on Alysanne. 

“What if he dies?” Sansa choked out.

“Maester Luwin says he will not,” Aly comforted. “He says that he’s survived the worst and will most likely live. It is now just a matter of when he wakes.”

“What if he is mistaken?” Sansa almost cried.

“Sansa, you know that you can trust Maester Luwin’s assessment,” Aly shook her head. “I am worried for our brother too, but you cannot lock yourself away from us all.”

Sansa pulled back, her head lowered slightly. “I know,” she whispered. “I just cannot stand all of the people pitying me.”

“They have mostly stopped now,” Alysanne reassured her. “Rickon would like having you around again, and though she would never say it, so would Arya.” 

Sansa laughed slightly. “She would never confess to wishing I was present.”

“Just as you would never confess to the opposite,” Aly teased. Sansa laughed again and Aly felt a rush of relief at her sister's renewed joy.

---

“Please, let my brother wake,” Aly prayed to the red face of the heart tree. “Let me have a chance to say goodbye.” She knew that they could not delay their departure for King’s Landing much longer, the realm needed its king and hand. However, the idea of leaving before she knew for certain that Bran would awaken made Alysanne’s heart tinge with pain. That pain was only compounded by the knowledge that her twin was not going south, not even staying here in Winterfell, but heading north to the Wall. Her brother was joining the Night’s Watch.

Even after having a few days to process this fact, Aly still struggled to comprehend why her brother was choosing to give up everything he could have and instead join the Watch. She knew, of course, that it was an honour to serve and protect the realms of men, but her twin brother being so far away at the Wall and in constant danger made her already worry-filled mind race. 

Alysanne did truly know why he was leaving, even if she wanted to act as though she did not. Lady Stark. Jon could not stand the idea of staying here in Winterfell with just her to act as a parent. She understood that of course. Lady Stark was a trouble to be civil with while their father was here, after he left. At least Alysanne would not have to see her for moons, not until the wedding, if even then. 

She stood from the ground. There was no point in dwelling on those she was leaving behind in Winterfell. Not when she had other people to speak with. Meleys was at her feet by the time she left the godswood and headed towards the stable. Tyla would be there, helping her father today. 

Her friend was there. Seated on an old barrel, watching her father groom one of the horses. When Alysanne entered she jumped up, walking over to greet her. “Are you… well?” Tyla asked after a moment of silence between her and Alysanne.

Aly nodded. “Of course. I am sorry to interrupt your day but I do have a question to ask of you.”

“What is it?” Tyla asked.

“Come,” Aly waved for her friend to follow her out of the stable. She did not wait to see if Tyla did indeed follow, but a few seconds after she began to walk the faint sound of footsteps reached her ears. “This is not exactly a private question but I did think that perhaps you might want to hear it in private.” Alysanne explained as she came to a stop down the side of the stable where no one ever went. 

“What question?” Tyla prompted.

Aly smiled. “You do know of course that women of the court often have companions with them.”

“Yes,” Tyla nodded once.

“And as I am to one day be queen it would only be appropriate that I have a handmaiden in King’s Landing.” Aly paused. Tyla was watching her with wide eyes. “As I have no real connection in the south, I was wondering if perhaps you would come south with me.”

Tyla stared at her in shock for a few moments. “You want me to be your handmaiden?”

“Who better?” Alysanne smiled. “You are a dear friend to me, have been for years.”

“But I am just a northern woman of no noble standing, surely there are more appropriate women in the south who could serve as your ladies.”

“You are my friend,” Aly stressed the final word. “Once I go south I will be right in the centre of all the scheming and plotting of the court of King’s Landing. I will need someone I can trust beside me.”

Tyla gulped. “I have no training in manners and proper court etiquette.”

“I can help you, Sansa and Jeyne will be happy too as well I am sure.” 

Her friends ran her hand through her loose brown hair before sighing. “I imagine you already asked my father?”

“Of course, he said yes.” Alysanne took her friends free hand in hers. “But if you worry about it-”

“-I’ll do it.” Tyla declared before Aly could finish her sentence. “I shall come south with you and be your handmaiden.”

Alysanne smiled widely at her friend. Without a moment's hesitation she pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you.”

---

Joffrey had been surprisingly absent since Bran’s fall. Since the day of Bran’s fall and his small attempt at comforting her, Alysanne had only seen him around his mother and never alone. At first Aly had assumed the prince was simply letting the family grieve and worry in peace. But after it was announced that her little brother would live, and the rest of the royal family had offered their condolences for his injury and Joffrey was still nowhere to be seen, Alysanne became worried. 

Was Joffrey simply afraid to offer his condolences? Scared that he would say the wrong thing, as Alysanne would be. Or was it something much worse, did he not care to offer them at all? That thought made Alysanne’s skin crawl. If he was to be her husband and was not even bothered to offer her comfort after her younger brother was permanently injured, how could they ever become close? “Oh Meleys,” Alysanne whispered as she ran her hand through the wolf's white fur. “I wonder if I am just being too much of a worrier.”

“A worrier about what?” A recognizable voice came from behind her.

Alysanne jumped and spun to face him. Joffrey was standing behind her, his hands collapsed before him. The Hound was hovering over his shoulder, eyes darting around for any thread. “My prince,” Aly curtsied.

Joffrey offered her a smile. “I am sorry for my absence,” he said. “I was just unsure as to how to approach you.”

Alysanne almost let out a relieved breath at that. She was just a worrier then. “I understand,” she smiled.

“I do offer my sincerest condolences for your brother's injury. I hear that he will live however?”

“According to the Maester, yes,” Alysanne nodded. “He will live.”

“That is good,” Joffrey’s voice was awkward. “I cannot imagine the pain if he had died.”

“Nor can I,” Alysanne said softly. “I thank you for your concern.”

“You are my betrothed,” Joffrey smiled. “It is my job to worry about you and your family.”

Alysanne smiled back wider than she had before. “I was just going for a walk through the woods, if you would like to accompany me?”

“I would quite like that,” Joffrey nodded. He held out his arm for Alysanne to take.

---

They were leaving for the south today. After putting off leaving for almost two weeks in an attempt to wait for Bran to wake, Father and the King had finally decided that it was time to head south. Alysanne understood why, they had things to do, but it didn’t make her heart any less heavy. She was currently standing in her chambers, making sure that everything she needed to take south was ready. Tyla was beside her, dressed in a new pale grey dress to match Aly’s. Her friend was less worried than Alysanne was. As it had turned out, Tyla’s brother Harwin would be coming south with them too, so her friend had lost basically all her worry and was just left with the excitement of exploring the world. 

“You are still worried for Bran and Jon,” Tyla said after they finished going through everything and checking it. 

“Of course I am,” Aly almost snapped before wincing. “Apologies, I only mean that… Bran was meant to come south too.”

Tyla placed a hand on Aly’s shoulder. “I know, I wish he was coming too.”

Alysanne smiled. “Thank you, you really are a great friend.” Tyla smiled, a slight blush rising in her pale cheeks. “However, if you do not mind I would like to visit him before we leave.”

“Of course,” Tyla smiled. “I am going to visit my father.”

The two parted ways, Tyla heading outside and Alysanne climbing a few stairs up to Bran’s room. The only other person in the room was Lady Stark. She looked up when Alysanne entered but did not speak. Alysanne nodded to her before walking to the opposite side of the bed and sitting lightly on the edge of it. She looked down at Bran. He looked so peaceful, as if he was truly just sleeping. “Hello little brother,” Alysanne said softly. “We are leaving today. I wish you could come with us. Maybe after you wake you can come south and join us in King’s Landing but you shall have to get some strength back before you do.” She paused, holding down the cry that was threatening to come from her mouth. “I shall wait with bated breath for the moment we hear you have awoken and will write every day with news from the capital. I will miss you brother,” Alysanne promised.

Lady Stark had stilled in her movements halfway through Alysanne’s goodbye but did not speak to fill the silence that followed it. Alysanne leant over to kiss Bran’s forehead then stood slowly. “Lady Stark,” she gave a small curtsy. “I shall see you in the future.” Lady Stark still did not speak but she offered Alysanne a polite nod goodbye. 

As she left the room Alysanne took one more glance back at her still sleeping brother and muttered a soft goodbye under her breath. 

The courtyard was bustling when Aly reached it. Sansa was already standing by the Stark’s wheelhouse. It was much smaller and less fanciful than the Queens but it would do its job of carrying Sansa and Arya. Just as she was about to join her sister she spotted Jon and Robb standing by a horse on the other side of the yard and made towards them. As she reached her brothers they embraced each other. She gave them a moment to finish their goodbye before joining them. “Aly,” Robb’s voice was tight with suppressed emotion. “The next we see each other you will be wed.”

“I shall,” Aly nodded. “Mayhaps you shall also find a bride.”

“I doubt it,” Jon joked. 

Robb slapped him on the shoulder but did not snap back. He simply pulled Alysanne into a tight embrace. “I cannot wait to see you again sister, you keep that prince in line.”

“I will,” Aly smiled. After she released Robb she turned to look at Jon. “We should say goodbye now,” her voice was strained. “We may not get a chance on the road.”

“Yes,” Jon’s voice was just as strained and full of emotion as hers. “I love you sister.”

“And I you,” Alysanne nodded. She didn’t hesitate another moment before pulling her twin into an ever tighter embrace than the one she had shared with Robb. “We may not see each other for years, think about how little we see Uncle Benjen.” She choked out, feeling tears begin to pool in her eyes.

“I know, but we will write to each other, and I promise that as soon as I can I will come south and see you sister,” Jon vowed.

“I shall hold you to that,” Aly said softly into his ear. 

“Alysanne, Jon!” Father’s voice called. “We are leaving.” 

The twins pulled apart. Alysanne looked around, spotting Balerion saddled just a few feet away and walked to mount him. Unlike her sisters she would be riding, as she preferred. Once she had mounted the large black horse, Meleys stalked from the outside of the group to stand beside the horse. Alysanne heard Robb call a final goodbye as they began to slowly leave the yard. Father called one back, as did Arya and Sansa from the window of their wheelhouse. Alysanne called her own and Jon followed not a moment later. Just as she exited the gate, Alysanne glanced back at her home for what might be the last time in a long while. She saw that little Rickon had joined Robb in the yard and offered him a wave goodbye just as Balerion turned and she lost sight of them.

f&w masterlist / post masterlist

[imaginarianisms]

i& was thinking about this for a hot minute &. the reason why i& don't have sansa as the consort of anyone, even if she would end up as queen of westeros in the process like she would have been had she stayed wed to aegon vi, is specifically because she's supposed to be the matriarch of the family after robb perished at the red wedding. she's intended to be the queen that brings a golden age to the north with all the power of the north to herself during her lifetime. sansa's gonna be full of herself & attention seeking all she wants, she loves attention, she loves feeling beautiful, indigenous girls and women are Never shown in jewels, they're never compared to legends like beyonce or marilyn monroe, we never see them in sexy dresses & walk down red carpets or be the shining star & pinnacle of femininity, indigenous girls & women are literally almost Always reduced to stoic characters & the noble savage trope, native girls & women deserve to walk down runways like beyonce, they deserve to be on vogue & be beautiful without any bullshit inspirational quotes & wisdom spouting stereotype charity cases for nonnative & especially white people to consume, indigenous girls & women deserve to be seen as regal & graceful the same way that so many white women are, they deserve to be smiling & covered in flowers & to be covered in riches that were denied by white folx who tried to make us like them.

but most importantly, possession of her becomes equated with the possession of winterfell which is why the tyrells attempted to marry her off to willas tyrell & the lannisters forcefully marry her to tyrion lannister & littlefinger to steal her away for his own political machinations, & sansa's children can be used by her husband's family to attempt to take control of winterfell. whoever marries sansa stark owns her in all but name as long as she is a lady, not just her own autonomy & her body, but whoever marries sansa gets access to winterfell & the north & thus access to her culture.

sansa's entire storyline begins with her father lord of winterfell eddard stark essentially trading her to robert in exchange for the king's trust & bc of the patriarchal society, the horrible truth is whoever is the head of the stark family essentially owns the right to sansa's body & its reproductive abilities. so ned transfers these to robert & upon both of their deaths, the lannisters immediately seize control of her & her rights as the richest house in the realm & later the tyrells attempted to steal control of sansa & littlefinger actually successfully does so. then once sansa is back in the north & her family is in control of winterfell again, the right to determine her future will also return to the head of the stark family. which means that if anyone other than sansa - jon, bran, rickon, even her sister arya ( although bran won't be ruling winterfell, he's disabled & can't have children because of it, rickon's too young & wouldn't care about politics anyway & arya is more foreshadowed to be a nymeria figure leading a group of people off to lands like the west of westeros ) - ends up controlling winterfell, sansa will never gain control of her own body & future, she'd have spent her entire life as someone else's pawn & a vessel for others' goals & dreams of greatness.

now i& hear some of y'all saying "but they'd never do that!!!! they only have her best interests at heart!!!!!" ok. just like her father did at the beginning of the story right. yes, ofc they love sansa but even if they promised her that she'd remain single if she wanted to, there's no guarantee that whoever rules winterfell won't change their mind & ask her to marry for the good of the family. even if they promised her that right to choose her own husband, all it'd be is simply a transference of ownership. if her husband died before her, her future would either pass onto her son or back to the head of the family. so no, she won't end her story as a political pawn of a family member, nor will she end her story as someone's consort; she becomes free to control her own marriage & her own reproductive choices by becoming the head of the stark family. she doesn't remain lady of winterfell, either, because as a vassal to the king ( or queen if we're going with daenerys targaryen here ) in the south, she still doesn't retain that control because her liege could still force her into a marriage she doesn't want, not unlike how robert used his power as king to pressure ned into accepting the betrothal between joffrey & sansa despite robert knowing Exactly who joffrey was. sansa stark i becomes queen of the north in her own right.

[lovebaela]

THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH

Chapter 2: Winter is Coming

prev l masterlist l next

Pairing: °❆⋆Bran Stark x Targaryen OC .ೃ࿔*:･

CW: fem!oc, mostly fluff, and mentions of murder.꙳·❅°*˖

Rating: Mature audiences - The mature moments will happen later on. In the beginning, it will mostly just be cute fluff.⋆⁺₊❅.

(a/n) hey guys, I finally finished the masterlist so please check it out! I also recently made a ao3 account and I’ll start posting this series on there as well so stay tuned 🤍

Dividers by @sylasthegrim

UPDATED VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER IS ON WATTPAD

https://www.wattpad.com/1439924205-dragon-of-the-north-b-stark-𝐢𝐢-winter-is-coming

Once the Stark boys came back, Bran said he wanted to show Rhaella something. He took her to the kitchens to show her. To her surprise, there were puppies! “Oh my gosh!” She gushed. “Bran, they are adorable!” He picked one up saying, “This one is mine! I haven’t decided on a name yet. They’re direwolf pups! There’s enough for all of the Stark children, even Jon!”

He handed the little pup to Rhaella. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you one. Maybe, we can share mine!”

The pup licked her cheek. “I’d like that!” She giggled. She turned to Arya. “Did you name yours?”

“Sure did!” She said. “Her name is Nymeria!”

Sansa scoffed. “The name of mine will be Lady. She’s going to be well behaved and good like me.”

Arya rolled her eyes.

Robb lifted up his pup, examining it. “I think I’ll name mine Greywind.”

“That’s so cool,” Bran said, jealous.

Rickon played with his pup. “I’m going to name mine…Shaggydog!” Everyone thought that was an odd name, but didn’t say anything, fearing that they would hurt the boy’s feelings.

The preparations continued for the King’s arrival. During Rhaella’s free time, she liked exploring Winterfell and interacting with the people. Although it took a while for the people to warm up to her, she was eventually called Winterfell’s delight. She was quite similar to Bran. A loving and outgoing child.

In the courtyard, Bran was receiving history lessons from Maester Luwin. Rhaella and Arya were waiting on him to finish, doing each other’s hair. Rhaella liked teaching Arya how to braid. She looked over at Bran, who was already glancing over at her. They both waved at each other until Maester Luwin wacked Bran on the head. “You need to focus,” the Maester said. The girls laughed.

“I think he’s really starting to like you.” Arya said.

“Really?” Rhaella asked.

“Are you kidding? He’s always staring at you. And don’t tell him I told you this, but after the first dinner you had with us, he told me you were very pretty.”

That made Rhaella blush. Does he really like me? Arya could just be teasing. We both agreed to just be friends. I wonder if Robb thinks I’m cute? If only I were older I would’ve been married to him instead.

After Bran was done, he decided to go climbing the castle walls. Rhaella didn’t feel like going with him, so she stayed by Lady Catelyn’s side. Bran’s direwolf pup also followed her around. He was growing at a rapid speed. Lady Stark was quite stressed making sure everything was perfect. Especially since the Lannisters were coming.

“Brandon!” Lady Stark yelled, as they walked outside to the courtyard.

“I see the king!” He shouted. “He’s got thousands of people!”

“Get down here right now!”

Once he gracefully made his way down his mother said, “how many times must I tell you, no more climbing! Promise me!”

Bran looked down at his feet and then answered, “I promise mother.”

“I noticed something, you always look at your feet before you lie…”

Bran chuckled, not denying it.

“Go let Ned know the king is close.”

Bran took Rhaella’s hand and they took off with their direwolf chasing behind them.

The stark family stood in a line as everyone else stood behind them. Jon was to the left of me while Theon Greyjoy was to my right. The gates opened for the King to trot in with his horse. Following him was his king’s guard and a boy on horseback. That must be his son, the prince. The blonde haired boy smiled at Sansa, and she smiled back at him. One knight hopped off of his horse, and took off his helmet. He had to have been the most beautiful man Rhaella’s ever seen. He had long golden blonde hair with emerald green eyes. “Jaime Lannister, the Queen’s twin brother,” Arya said, before Sansa hushed her.

“I heard the prince was a royal prick,” Theon whispered. He, at a young age, was sent to Winterfell by his own father, Balon Greyjoy. He made the terrible mistake of crowning himself king of the iron islands and starting a war. After their loss, Theon was sent away to Winterfell to be Lord Stark’s ward. Theon always viewed himself as a prisoner.

Then, came in the carriage with the Queen inside. She exited out of the carriage, looking slightly annoyed.

“Where’s the imp?” Arya asked Sansa.

“Please, just shut up!” Sansa asked.

We all bowed before the king and Queen as they made their way to Lord Stark. The King said hello to every member of the family. He made eye contact with Rhaella. She stiffened, not knowing what to do. “My king,” she said, curtsying. He gave a simple nod, and went about his way into the crypts with Lord Stark.

“Wasn’t so bad, was it?” Jon said, messing with her hair. She let out a relieved sigh, “no, thank goodness.”

Lady Stark had Rhaella, Arya, and Sansa get ready for the feast together.

“The prince is so handsome…” Sansa said, blushing. “I can’t believe the king wants me to marry him! Can we marry now or do we have to wait?”

Her mother stopped brushing her hair, “gods Sansa, your father hasn’t even made a decision yet!”

She turned to her, “please tell him to say yes! It’s all I could ever want!”

Lady Stark nodded, “we’ll see.”

Arya rolled her eyes, “not everything is about boys.”

Rhaella finally finished making her dress. The dress was a delicate light blue with a beautiful dragon embroidered on the neckline.

“That looks amazing!” Arya said.

“Thanks, learned from the best,” Rhaella replied smiling at Sansa.

“I suck at making my dresses…” Arya said.

“You still look very beautiful,” Lady Stark said. “You all do.”

Rhaella made her way to the Great Hall for the feast. She had to sit with Jon and the stable boys. “I like the dress,” Jon said. “Made it yourself?”

Rhaella nodded with a smile. Jon’s wolf, Ghost, laid his head on Rhaella’s lap.

“I guess Ghost likes it too,” Jon laughed.

“Do you boy?” She asked the white direwolf as it wagged its tail. Ghost was the runt of the litter and albino with red eyes. Jon named him ghost because he barely makes a sound.

Everyone watched as the Stark family entered the great hall one by one after the King and Queen. A few of them walked in with the King’s children. Robb with Princess Marcella, Sansa with Prince Joffrey, and Arya with Prince Tommen. The feast finally began.

Rhaella noticed Queen Cersei looking at her. Lady Catelyn gave a little nod, hinting her to come over. Rhaella took a deep breath and made her way over. Once she was before them, she curtsied. “My Queen, my Lady,” Rhaella said.

“Why aren’t you a precious thing?” The Queen asked. “Rhaella, isn’t it? Surely, a beautiful thing like you shouldn’t be hiding in the North, where it’s cold.”

“T-Thank you, my Queen! You look very beautiful yourself.” Rhaella smiled. The Queen had long gorgeous golden blonde hair and emerald green eyes. She truly was a sight to see.

“And your smile, like the sun entered the room and exploded,” the Queen added. “You’re free to go, and would you be a dear and tell Sansa to come over?”

Rhaella didn’t know how to feel about the last compliment, but curtsied again before walking away. Sansa was sitting with her friend Jeyne Poole, giggling and whispering. “Sansa,” Rhaella said. “The Queen wants to speak with you!” Sansa’s eyes lit up with joy, “Really, she wants me?” She quickly got up from her seat and walked over to them. Rhaella sat back down with Jon. “What did she want?” He asked, lifting his eyebrow. “Nothing really,” Rhaella replied. “Nothing bad, thank goodness.”

As everyone ate their food, Rhaella looked up at Arya. She had a mischievous look on her face. What will she do? She scooped a piece of pigeon pie, and aimed it at Sansa. She flicked the pie at her, hitting her cheek.

“Arya!” She shrieked. “She always does this!”

Robb picked Arya up and took her to her bed camber as the whole room laughed.

The musicians started to play their music, inviting everyone to the dance floor. I’d like to dance a little, but who would ask me?

୭ ₊ Bran ˚.

Bran watched as men brought their lady partners to the floor to dance. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder. “You should ask Rhaella to dance,” Robb said. “I think it would make her very happy.”

“She is your betrothed after all,” Theon added, teasing Bran.

Bran’s cheeks went red, “s-stop teasing me! What if she says no?”

“Believe me, she wouldn’t,” Robb said. “Besides, you should never be afraid of rejection.”

Easy for you to say, all the girls love you, even her…

Bran nodded and got up from his seat. He walked over to Rhaella, offering his hand, “Gaomagon jaelā naejot lilagon lēda nyke?”

She smiled and nodded, “Kessa!”

They both made their way to the dance floor, and began to mimic the moves of the pairs. “The dancing lessons really paid off,” she said. Bran agreed, “yeah! We’re doing good!”

The two of them continued to dance. “Bran, I think everyone is watching us!” She whispered. He glanced around the room. She was right, everybody was watching, even the king. “Don’t worry about them, just focus on me,” he told her. Everybody began to cheer for them, including the other Starks.

“That’s my brother!” Robb yelled.

That’s so embarrassing…

Rhaella laughed, making Bran blush.

୭ ₊ Rhaella ˚.

Once the song was over, Rhaella and Bran went back to their seats. Where’s Jon? She hopped off her seat and searched for him. She walked outside to find him training with his sword. “There you are,” Rhaella said. “You missed me and Bran dancing!”

“Don’t worry, I saw you two before I left outside. You both did great.” He said.

“I wish you could have danced with us.” She admitted.

They both heard another song playing from inside. Jon placed down his sword, and offered his hand, “well then, my lady, may I have this dance,” he asked, in a silly voice. Rhaella laughed and accepted. They both danced until the song was over. Rhaella and Bran went to Arya’s bed chamber to read another Targaryen story before going to bed. Arya set up a tent with her blanket so they could lay on their bellies on the floor. “We didn’t finish the dance of the dragons!” Arya said. “We left off on the part where Prince Jacerys went to Winterfell.”

Rhaella began to read from the book, “well it says here that he met Lord Cregan Stark, who also lost his younger brother. Jacerys reminded him so much of his sibling that they formed a brotherhood and they made the—”

“The pact of Ice and Fire.” They heard a voice say. All of a sudden, the blanket was yanked from above making the children scream. “It’s just me,” Lord Stark said. “All of you should be sleeping you know.”

“After this part of the story.” Bran said. “Please?”

Their father chuckled, “alright then, the pact was made between them to show the North’s support for the blacks during the dance. The Prince said once he’d have a daughter, she would marry Cregan’s son.”

“Did it happen?” Rhaella asked.

“No, the Prince died shortly after during a battle.” He answered.

Arya frowned, “so the pact was never fulfilled?”

“I’m afraid not,” he said messing with her hair. “That’s what war does, nothing but destruction and death. I despise it.”

“Imagine what it was like to have a war with that many dragons,” Bran said. “Maybe I don’t want to imagine it.”

Lord Stark agreed, “the poor dragons were the key ‘weapons’ in that war, nearly wiping all of them out.”

“And now they’re all gone.” Rhaella said.

“Perhaps they are,” he said. “Now, time for bed all of you.” Bran and Rhaella left the room and went to their own.

The next day, the girls had embroidery lessons with Princess Marcella. Nearly the whole time Sansa was giggling and whispering to her friends Jayne and Beth.

“What’s so funny?” Arya asked. “Tell me what y’all are giggling about!”

“The prince,” Sansa blushed. “He was very handsome at the feast. He even stared me.”

“I’m sure he also saw you get pigeon pied to the face,” Arya snickered. “Besides, Jon said he’s a spoiled brat.”

Sansa rolled her eyes, “Jon is just jealous that he is a bastard and not a prince!”

Arya and Rhaella gasped.

“Sansa, that’s so mean!” Rhaella said.

“It’s the truth,” Sansa said. “And I will be queen someday.”

Arya grabbed Rhaella’s hand, “let’s go see what Bran is up to!”

They made their way into the courtyard. They found the Stark and Baratheon boys together. Bran and Tommen were heavily padded with wooden swords.

They called for him and waved. “Good luck brother!” Arya yelled.

As the two boys were fighting, everyone could sense the tension between Robb and Prince Joffrey. They were smack talking each other the whole time. Their fight would certainly be interesting.

“I wish we could do that,” Arya sighed. “It would be fun!”

Rhaella agreed, “yeah, but alas, we are girls. Some books I’ve read said that outside of Westeros there are places where women are allowed to do anything men can.”

“I’d like to go there sometime.” She said.

“Same here.”

Tommen fell to the ground as Bran held his wooden sword at him. Wow, Bran would have made a great knight of the kingsguard, Rhaella said to herself. Then I showed up and ruined everything…

When it became dawn, the King and Lord Stark were leaving for a hunt with Robb and Theon following them. Bran and Rhaella watched as they trotted away on horseback. Lord Stark looked at them to wave goodbye. They smiled back and watched as the party left.

“My father will be hand of the king,” Bran said. “He’s leaving to King’s Landing tomorrow. He’s going to take us with him. Mother didn’t want me to go, but father thought that I could calm down the feud between Joffrey and Robb.”

“Did he mention me?” Rhaella asked. As scared as she was of the king, the Starks truly had become a family to her. She didn’t want to lose them.

“I asked father, they are still making a decision.” He said. “I’m sure the king will say yes. You are my betrothed after all.”

Bored, Bran and Rhaella explored Winterfell’s castle. They visited the stables where Hodor, a large and tall man, attended to Bran’s pony. Hodor was truly a mystery. All he ever said was ‘Hodor.’ No one knows why.

“I’ll have to leave him behind,” Bran said as he looked at the pony. Rhaella turned to Bran and noticed water in his eyes. She held his hand, whispering, “hey, it’s going to be okay.”

Bran sniffed, “sorry, I shouldn’t be crying. Boys don’t cry.”

“Everyone cries, Bran,” she reminded him. “There’s no shame in that.” She knew he wouldn’t believe her, but it wouldn’t hurt to try comforting a friend.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to leave,” he admitted. “This is my home. My real home.”

There was that word again, ‘home.’

Where’s my home?

The stable boys noticed the Stark boy crying and began to snicker. “What a baby!” One of them laughed. “Shut up!” Rhaella shouted. “That ‘baby’ is more important than any of you will ever be!” She grabbed Bran’s hand and they both took off.

The two children grew bored again, thinking of what to do next.

Bran gave her a mischievous smirk, “you wanna go climbing?”

“Bran, your mother said no!” She reminded him. “And I don’t feel like climbing right now…I’ll just watch.”

His direwolf pup began to chew on his shoe. “Come on you!” He told the pup. They found an abandoned tower in the distance. Bran pointed at it, “I’m going to climb that one!” Once they got there, Bran started climbing. Never once had he ever fell from climbing. Never.

Once Bran made it to the window, he looked confused. Before Rhaella could ask if something was wrong, she saw Bran get dragged in by a hand. Without thinking, she began to climb herself up the tower. She was halfway there until Bran was pushed from the window. She swiftly grabbed his hand, “hang on.” She held on as much as she could. “We’re going to fall!” He shouted. Her fingers began to slip from the wall. “We’re going to be okay—” she started to say until her fingers completely slipped off the wall. They both held onto each other as their bodies hit the ground. Everything went black.

“Ser Ilyn, bring me his head!”

Confused, Rhaella woke up in a crowd of people. They were all shouting at someone. She turned to where they were all facing and gasped. It was Sansa, the Queen, and Joffrey with his kingsguard. Except, Joffrey wore the crown of the king. Is this Kingslanding? “No!” Sansa yelled. “Please don’t do this!” Lord Stark was being executed! Rhaella wanted to shout, but she couldn’t. No! The knight drew out his sword, and lifted it up. Rhaella turned away, covering her eyes, before seeing his head get sliced off. What is going on?

“Dany, please!” A voice begged in fear.

Viserys?

She removed her hands to investigate, only to be in a completely different spot. She was inside a tent with many men and women. She knew it wasn’t Westeros due to the majority of people having darker skin with unfamiliar accents. There Viserys was, on his knees as two other men restrained him from moving. “A crown of a king,” The tall man said. He held a pot of melted gold over Viserys’ head and poured it over him. He screamed in agony until he could no longer say anything. His head slammed to the ground. He was dead!

“He was no dragon.”

Rhaella turned back to see Dany. She showed no emotion whatsoever after what just happened.

“Fire cannot kill a dragon,” she said, staring at his lifeless body.

There was a loud screech from the sky, startling Rhaella. Once she looked up, she couldn’t believe what was there before her. It was a dragon! The scales of the creature was a beautiful deep shade of blue, with a lighter shade going down its neck and under its wings. The dragon opened its mouth, letting out blue flames at her.

Rhaella let out a small groan. Her vision, at first, was blurry. All she could hear was a gasp.

“Gods be good!” A familiar voice exclaimed.

“My…lady?” Rhaella asked.

“Yes, sweet girl. It’s me.” She said.

Rhaella tried to stand, but she was weak.

“No, you need your rest.” She said. Rhaella could tell Lady Stark was relieved, but not completely. Bran was still sleeping in a bed next to hers.

“How long has it been?” Rhaella asked.

“A couple of days.” She answered. “You were in a coma.”

Rhaella’s stomach let out a vicious growl. She didn’t realize how hungry she was.

“You poor thing, all we could give the both you was honey and water while you were sleeping,” Lady Stark explained. “I’ll have someone bring food from the kitchen.”

“I tried to not let go,” Rhaella explained. “I was holding onto his hand while gripping the wall with my other hand.”

“Do you remember anything else before that?” She asked.

“Well, all I remember was him falling from the tower. He could have been pushed, but I didn’t see…”

That made Lady Stark want to ask more questions, but Rhaella didn’t have a lot of answers. They all left. Lord Stark, Sansa, Arya, and Jon. Rhaella didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye. That made her sad. She wanted to cry, but refused to let any tears fall.

“Whoever did this to you will pay,” Lady Stark said coldly. “I promise you that.”

Taglist: @lover-of-books-and-tea

[the-dendrophile-bookdragon]

Two Sides of one Coin

Pairing: Robb Stark x fem!werewolf!reader

Warning: forbidden love, angst, anger outbursts, talk of arranged marriage, fluff

Summary: Everyone is against your love but this doesn't hinder you.

Wolfsbane Masterlist

The dinner table was eerily silent. You sat opposite from Robb, eating a bare minimum. His father sat at the head of the table. Catelyn sat right next to him while Robb sat on his left side. Next to the matriarch sat you while Sansa, the oldest daughter, sat next to you. She glanced over at you from time to time. She watched you from the corner of her eyes like a hawk. You could feel how suspicious she was of you. You were new and held a lot of affection from her older brother. 

Next to you sat Arya, the girl who trained with Jon. She was much more trusting. She had a million question for you but was shut down by a glare of her mother. You smiled sympathetically at her and told her she should come later to your room. 

Next to Sansa sat Bran, the second oldest. He was nosy but not as much as Arya. He turned to Robb to question him. Patently he answered his little brother’s question as best as he could. Next to little Arya sat Rickon, the baby of the family. With glee in his voice, he retold his whole day. What he learned and saw. Everyone smiled as he repeated a story he read today. 

Rob wore a look of hurt on his face. Every time he looked at you his longing became greater. Every adult or young adult around the dinner table felt the tight atmosphere during the meal. Catelyn send her younger children to go upstairs to start their nightly routines. Arya groaned. Moaning about not being tired and Robb promising her to teach her a new fighting move. The mother huffed before shoving her into the arms of the servant waiting for the young girl to start her journey for her chambers.  

Sansa wanted to stay too. She wanted to know who was sitting at her dinner table. “It’s late, my dear. Go to bed.” Ned saw the exhaustion in the young girl’s eyes. “Go.” He softly added. With reluctance she stood up and stumbled out of the great hall.  

The only remaining people where Lord and Lady Stark, Robb and you. You felt the air change. Your stomach dropping. Ned looked at his son with sad eyes. “Your mother and I have spoken to Maester Luwin about your union.” Ned looks at his hand laying intertwined with Catelyn’s on the table. “And he too thinks it won’t be a good idea. He will not bless it if you go through, and he think the gods won’t do it either.” Robb sprang up, his hands landing on the wooden surface of the table with a bang. “What is so wrong about our union?! Just because she is lower borne?” 

Instead of his father, his mother chimed in, “This union won’t be beneficial for the North. It won’t strengthen the house Stark an another one.” She turned to you, “I am sorry your hopes for the future are shattered but this is what’s best.” Robb huffed next to you. “So, you will send her away? Back to her village where she isn’t safe?” Ned held his hand up, gesturing for his son to sit down. “I will not send someone back into danger. A letter from her father arrived. He pleaded for her to become a ward of the North and I will grand this wish.” 

Robb was stratified you weren’t leaving. You would stay in Winterfell, by his side. But he wasn’t happy about not being able to marry you. He couldn’t do anything to change his parent’s opinion even if he wanted. The only thing running through his mind was fleeing. Running out of the hall. Away from Winterfell. With you by his side. But he knew he would endanger you if he did it. So, he did the next best thing and stormed out of the great hall. His mother wanted to stop him but she herself was stopped by her husband. “Let him leave. He is upset. Let him be.” 

“My Lord, my lady. If I may? I would like to return to my chambers. It was a long day.” Both nodded and you stood up. You bid them a good night and followed Robb into the hallway. The parents saw your sad demeanour and slightly slouched posture. Ned felt your disappointment, but he felt it was too dangerous to grant your wish to marry each other.  

Robb leaned with his back and head on a stone wall. His eyes were tightly shut into a grimace. You touched his arm softly. With a small push you lead him to the door leading outside. You were ushering Robb outside the castle into the yard. The air was fresh but not cold. Still, a shiver ran down your spine. Robb, who saw your shivering. He stepped behind you and took you in his arms intertwining your small hand in his bigger ones. “You have entered my mind and body, little wolf. My mind is consumed by you.” You looked down at your intertwined hands. “But I think no one will approve of this relationship, my lord.” 

Robb scoffed, “I don’t care about anyone but you.” He looked into your bright eyes. He saw the stars reflecting in them. “I don’t care. And if I must go to war for you to be by my side.” He took your chin gently between his thumb and pointer finger and turned your face to look up at him. He leaned down slightly and connected your lips together. 

The kiss was short as you broke it. “You heard them. A lot of people will be against it. The North should stay as united as it is. I have a feeling something terrible will happen and then you will need every bannerman and their men.”  

Robb leaned his forehead onto yours. “See, and this is why I want you to be by my side. We are two sides of the same coin. We complement each other.” You smiled sadly at him, “You may think that but there are others who won’t. Maybe even the gods are against it.” 

Robb smiled charmingly at you. He took your face into his palms and leaned down. You met him halfway and connected your lips into a passionate kiss. 

Here is my TAG LIST if you want to stay updated! 

To read more of my work, please see my MASTERLIST.

Don’t want to follow my main? My SIDE BLOG!

[the-king-andthe-lionheart]

Really, all logic and literacy seems to be foregone when it comes to Sansa and her delusional fans trying to make GOT happen.  But guess what?  Sansa’s GOT storyline is NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.  As someone who grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin I’m accustomed to snow, and I grew up with horses so I know a little about them as well.  I am also someone who is actually literate and always applies context to situations in these books.  So there is no goddamn way that Sansa is going to make it North in TWOW, much less, be reunited with Jon first, especially considering Rickon is possibly already with Davos and considering Davos’ location, he may end up at the Wall with Rickon instead of back in White Harbor due to the Winter Storms out at sea.  So let’s look at all of the factors preventing Sansa from heading North in TWOW:

1.  It’s the beginning of winter, and not just any winter, a magical winter that is preluding the LONG NIGHT.  And what do we know about the LONG NIGHT?  Well the stories from Old Nan said that the previous LONG NIGHT lasted a generation and it was so bad that mothers would smother their babies and children so they wouldn’t starve or freeze to death.  Hell, the normal northern winters are so bad that the infirm go out to die in order to give their younger family members more food and supplies to survive.  If that’s a normal winter, then how is THIS winter going to be?  There is a constant blizzard right now, Stannis’ army is starving to death and freezing to death, there are 40 ft snow drifts along the walls of Winterfell, and there are ropes criss-crossing Winterfell to help people walk from place to place because the snow is so deep.  And like you said, it’s not just the snow that’s the problem, it’s the cold.  Sansa has no notion of what winter entails.  If she ever saw a winter it was when she was just a baby.  She has never experienced even their normal winters.  How is she supposed to deal with being exposed to the elements like that?

2.  Sansa has her own arc in the Vale that doesn’t seem like it will be tied up for a long while yet.  Littlefinger doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to try to reclaim Winterfell for Sansa, if that’s even one of his goals, rather than a pretty lie.  If what LF is telling Sansa is even a bit true, it seems like he intends for Sweetrobin to die, Sansa to marry Harry the Heir, become Lady of the Vale, and conceive a child, before Harry meets an unfortunate end, thus making Sansa Lady Regent of the Vale whom LF can control, and possibly marry himself before moving onto the North.  So if this is the case, I don’t think LF has intentions on moving in on the North in just a few months, but a few years, after all, he is hoarding things for the winter.  Not only to price gouge other people but to keep them well supplied for the winter.  So it seems his intention is staying put for the winter.  Perhaps, news about Robb’s Will and the resurgence of Rickon and Bran and Arya could speed and re-route his plans, where he wants to head to the North, but then again, I ask, how would this happen?

Sea travel is very dangerous now with the winter storms, so heading to the North on galleys with a large retinue and possibly an army would be perilous and he’d likely lose half his retinue/army and half of his supplies.  Not only that but if they traveled by galley and made it to White Harbor, they’d still need to march their retinue/army from White Harbor to Winterfell in winter, a winter where weather likely won’t be clearing up, but instead getting worse by ADOS.  How exactly are horses and carts of supplies and thousands of men going to get to WInterfell, when Stannis is already having this much trouble?  These things are the main reason why I believe the War for the Dawn will take place in the Riverlands, not the North, because it seems logistically impossible for armies to go there during the winter preluding the Long Night.  If there is any sort of traveling by the second half of TWOW, I’m sure it will all be southern travel - people beginning an exodus of the Wall (when/if the Wall breaks), people beginning an exodus of Winterfell, and finally people beginning an exodus of the North altogether.  I say this time and time again, but I’m not picking on Sansa here and trying to keep her away from the North, because suffice it to say I don’t even think my favorite character Arya is getting North until after the Long Night either.

3.  I’ve seen theories that Sansa may be kidnapped and brought to the North, ranging from the Mad Mouse, to Brienne and Jaime, to the Hound, early in her TWOW arc, but I don’t find this feasible.  Of course, she very well could be kidnapped if GRRM just decides to waste Sansa’s Vale arc, and of course whoever kidnaps her could try to get North, but we have to think about logistics here.

Sansa and her kidnapper would need to get their hands on some garrons and bear paws to travel the uber-wintery and freezing North.  They would need garrons because they can withstand these freezing temperatures, and they don’t eat as much as other horses.  However, they would have to make sure that these garrons were fat, and they’d likely need a small herd of them so they could group together to keep warm during their rest times.

Sansa and her kidnapper would need several carts for supplies and of course horses to pull the carts.  Travel time from Winterfell to King’s Landing when it’s not winter usually takes 3 months, so let’s say it would normally take half that time to get from the Vale to Winterfell, so my rough estimate is that it might normally take a month and a half maybe?  But we have to take winter into consideration so the smart thing to do would be to pack supplies for at least a 3-4 month journey.  These supplies would probably consist of food, barrels of alcohol, hay, oats, clothes and furs and blankets, and timber, as well as tents and other portable supplies to help protect against the elements.

So I ask them, how would a kidnapper have those types of supplies to bring Sansa North?  There is no way that Sansa and a kidnapper could survive going North with very limited supplies.  It’s winter so there is no chance of scavenging food from plantlife, animals are hard to come by, regular horses would probably break their legs and/or die from the elements, and they’d likely freeze and starve to death.  It’s just not feasible.

These people are just so damn desperate to make Sansa the real “Girl in Grey” that they forego all reason and logic, and conveniently forget that this is a fantasy story with magical seasons, and a winter that is preluding the invasion of the Others and the Long Night.  Not only that but it completely erases Sansa’s Vale arc.  She may not be an active player, but she still has an arc to finish there.  It’s not like Arya’s current arc and Bran’s current arc, where you can naturally see them finishing them within less than a handful of chapters before doing something else, and that may be because it seems like they are headed towards the finish line of what they needed to learn during these arcs, but with Sansa, it still feels like she’s at the beginning of what she needs to learn, so yeah, I don’t see her leaving the Vale.  I personally think that Sansa is going to stay in the Vale until ADOS, if not a quarter of the way through her ADOS arc.

At times like these I really despise this fucking subreddit

But I will say "the snow will blow to the sides so that Sansa has an easy path to make it to Winterfell, I know more about how snow works than you because I saw a movie that one time" was not on my bingo card. Amazing theory! Brilliant! Let's pretend like this blizzard *isn't* monstrous in a *fantasy setting* to the point where people AND horses are dying (and being eaten!)

[amuelia]

An AU/spec fic setup i was thinking about... Ca 15 years after the events of asoiaf, Rickon Stark, who stayed with Osha, hears that Bran is getting married and enters the celebrations incognito to see what became of his siblings.

Pictured: Rickon Stark and Osha, Arya Stark and a friend, Sansa Stark with her husband Samwell Tarly and their daughter, Jon Snow, Bran Stark

Explanations under the cut:

Rickon Stark:

 Davos finds him, but due to the chaos in the North and the various conspiracies decides that Rickon might be the happiest staying with Osha for now. While Osha offers to reunite him with his family, he has a grudge due to feeling abandoned and kept his distance for years.

His wolf’s name, Shaggydog, reflects this, as Rickon’s story takes an undramatic end despite him being technically very important to the Northern succession story as one of Ned’s trueborn sons.

Arya Stark:

 Became a traveller and boat captain. Throughout the story, we see that she has an easy time making friends and learning languages, and has an open mind and willingness to become friends with people from all walks of life, which fits a captain as she would have a tightknit relationship with her crew. Arya has also shown that she dislikes the stereotypical expectations for a courtly lady and does not envision herself in this path of life; Boats in asoiaf on the other hand have been home to a number of gender-nonconforming women such as Elissa Farman and Asha Greyjoy.

"You," Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, "will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon." - Arya screwed up her face. "No," she said, "that's Sansa."- Eddard V, aGoT

Her wolf’s name, Nymeria, reflects this, as the historical Nymeria has been famous for her ten thousand ships. She was also a queen, and per a Theon chapter “every captain was a king aboard his own ship”.

Sansa Stark:

Always desired to be a lady, and has shown to be adept at the expectations of the court and working and interacting with other nobility. Samwell as her husband shares her love of songs and stories, is the heir of a southern castle which is the style of court she loves, and would treat her kindly and gently. Sansa’s story deals with themes of how appearances do not reflect character, and while Samwell does not look the stereotypical prince, he has a wonderful character and showed feats of bravery against all odds.

"Sweet one," her father said gently, "listen to me. When you're old enough, I will make you a match with a high lord who's worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong. This match with Joffrey was a terrible mistake. That boy is no Prince Aemon, you must believe me."  - Sansa III, aGoT

Her wolf’s name, Lady, reflects this endgame.

While Sam is currently at the citadel, i feel he will not end his life devoted to celibacy; While technically being against his father’s wishes, being a maester still plays into the idea of Sam not being deserving of Horn Hill and not continuing the Tarly line. Randyll’s toxic masculinity is not the be all end all of how a lord can be, and i like the idea of Samwell returning to his home after Randyll’s death with all his new experiences and living his best life. I see the wall as broken down by the end of the books, so there is no use for Sam to be a maester there. Gilly fell in love with Sam who showed her kindness from a heavily abusive home life, but she might want to one day return to what is left of her family and siblings and try to build a better life. Sam as lord of Horn Hill would send supplies to Jon’s projects and help out Gilly however he can.

Jon Snow:

Resurrected after his assassination, he has stopped aging, and lives his life trying his best helping relations around the former wall. “Kill the boy and let the man be born.”, Jon is told, an advice that appears to have a toxic effect on him (he thinks of it when he decides to pursue Ramsay); in the end, his traitors kill the boy, yet a man is never born as he will never grow up. The conditions and biological effects of his resurrection make him a living embodiment of the nights watch vows; a bittersweet fate.

His wolf’s name, Ghost, reflects this; as Jon himself now resembles a Ghost, forever reflecting the look of his death, wandering around with the purpose that his life once had.

“An albino,” Theon Greyjoy said with wry amusement. “This one will die even faster than the others.”

Jon Snow gave his father’s ward a long, chilling look. “I think not, Greyjoy,” he said.“This one belongs to me.”  - Bran I, aGoT

Bran Stark:

As Robb Stark’s heir, he has become the new King in the North. Since Robb was the king of the Riverlands as well, Bran might have his seat at the isle of faces in the god’s eye, a location that has often been speculated about; otherwise, he would have his seat at Winterfell. Bran in aCoK has shown good potential as a ruler and handled things as well as his young age allowed. While Bloodraven acts as a teacher to him, his fate as a tree-bound seer appears to be the worst case scenario and a fate that Bran would avoid. Grrm’s works appear to celebrate life and humanity, and Bran as the first main PoV will likely choose this path over a life of slow dehumanization. While treated as Robb’s future bannerman, Bran‘s first chapter (which starts the entire series) shows a strong preparation for his role as a ruler.

His Wolf’s name, Summer, reflects this dream of spring ushered by a new King. 

The morning had dawned clear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. - Bran I, aGoT

Obviously these are all just speculations as well as things that i think would be fun for the purpose of this scenario :) Feel free to disagree!