The Queen in the North: Game of thrones fanfiction

Chapter sixty seven

Chapter sixty seven

Axel

It had been nearly four months since Elonar and Garlan had left to collect the rents. A month ago they were meant to return, he had began to fret a little, because El was usually in touch every few weeks and she hadn't been in recent weeks. Until one morning when a raven came bearing a letter sealed with red ink, and a direwolf.

"El said she'll be back in the next month" Axel said to Sansa over breakfast one morning As he read through El's letter.

Sansa only raised her eyebrows slightly picking at her food.

"So.. Do we tell her? About us I mean" Axel said quieter reaching about for her hand.

"I suppose we must." Sansa said taking Axel's hand in hers and squeezing it gently, "I want to make sure it's alright with her before we marry Axel.."

"Why?" Axel asked looking up at her slightly sceptically.

"Axel you think I don't know why your doing all this? It's obvious that you both feel something for each other.." Sansa said sadly. "I've been so foolish.. Thinking that you might have liked me, and wanted to marry me.."

"Sansa I do like you, and want to marry you.. But why do you think I'm doing this.." Axel asked pulling his hand away and holding his arms across his chest.

"Because you and her especially are terrified that her baby isn't Garlan's" Sansa said simply.

"And where did you hear that?"

Sansa laughed, "it's hilarious the three of you think you've got this little secret that no one else could possibly work out, you all think that no one else see's what's going on. The servants talk Axel, everybody talks. I've seen the way you look at her, and I've also seen the way Garlan looks at you."

Axel was taken a back, "well since you've got this all worked out why don't you tell me what else you think you know about our little, 'dynamic' " Axel said lending back in El's chair in the great hall.

"Well, you think you've got them Devine claim on my sister, because you saw her first and protected her, as was your duty. Then when she married Garlan out of necessity you felt as though she had been stolen from you and you had always hoped that she somehow might fall out of love with Garlan and realise what she's been missing. Then as though by magic you had that chance with El, when you both thought him dead. But then he came back and you lost her again. Now she's pregnant and none of you know who's it is, is that right? Or did I miss anything?"

"Surprisingly close actually, there was a patch however when she chose me over him and then decided I wasn't good enough and she didn't want any scandals.."

"Ahh that's where I come in is it? To prevent the scandals, you marry me so it doesn't look like the baby's yours if it's born with a full head of red hair.." Sansa stood up to leave letting her chair scratch loudly against the stone floor.

"Sansa it's not quite like that.." Axel defended.

"Tell me Axel, how is not quite like that?" She snarled, for the first time Sansa reminded Axel of her sister. She stormed off in only a way that El or Sansa could have done. The tone of her voice was just like El's when she was angry. But Sansa wasn't El, and she never could be. Axel knew that, but still he was beginning to like Sansa for her differences from her sister, not how they were alike. Axel also knew that he could never have El, not even if Garlan died, El could never truly give herself to Axel because of the love she felt for Garlan. But Sansa was right; Axel did need to marry Sansa, for El's sake to avoid any scandals.

Only a few weeks past, Axel was trying, really trying to fall in love with Sansa because it was so important to El to do so. Axel always felt like he was hurting Sansa and for that he felt ashamed. "Look I'm sorry. I do like you Sansa, you are a very beautiful girl and you deserve a lot better than me" Axel said one morning as he walked the godswood with Sansa.

Sansa smiled slightly from underneath her auburn hair, "look Axel, I will marry you. I've been betrothed to four men and married to one, yet I'm still a virgin. I must be cursed. But El needs this, and she would do the same for me, I'm sure. She murdered my husband and his father, then started a war for me"

Axel smiled, "I don't quite think you actually murdered the Bolton's for you, nor fought a war for you.. But your right El would do the same for you. Sansa this has to be your choice, I will not force anything on you.." Axel said, Sansa brought him close, gently pulling at his collar with her long delicate fingers, and before he could say a word of objection her lips were gently pressing themselves to his. Axel's first instinct was to pull away, but it all felt to beautiful he could bring himself to part with her. Axel took her face with his one hand gently and kissed her harder.

They were only broken apart some moments later when one of the stable boys cam bringing news that Lady Stark had returned. Axel only waved him off and pulled Sansa back into his arms.

"Axel.." She said pulling away.

"Hhmm" he whispered against her neck.

"Shouldn't we be going to greet El?" Sansa said.

"I guess we must.." Axel sighed pulling her in once more.

By the time Axel and Sansa had gotten into the yard, El and Garlan were only just dismounting. Fresh Snow covered them both, lightly dusting El's hair and cloak. Garlan dismounted first and held out his hand delicately for her to take.. Really she can get off a horse without your help.. Axel thought.

"Axel" she shrieked once off the horse and she walked, fast as she dared in her late stages of pregnancy. Axel dropped Sansa's hand to pulled El into a tight embrace. "Nothing burned down I take it?" She asked pulling away.

"No my lady.. Everything is just as you left it." He smiled.

"Come Axel walk with me for a while" she said leading Axel away from everyone as they began to unpack the horses. Once they were out in the godswood and out of earshot from the castle El spoke, "my brother Jon, at the wall? Do you remember him?" She asked, her cheeks turning from porcelain to ash.

"Yes, a decent enough man as I remember. Obviously I admire his bravery taking the black and all.. I could never do that.." Axel laughed in a feeble attempt to lighten Elonars apparent bad mood.

"We rode north as far as Moletown, and we're staying in a house there when a few of the nightswatch rode in, after hearing of our arrival bring word that my brother Jon had been killed only hours before."

"Gods" Axel exclaimed, rubbing his reddish stubble anxiously, "by whom?"

"His own men. They murdered him Axel.."

"Why? How could that even happen? He was the Lord commander no?"

"Axel they killed him because he was helping wildlings come over the wall the escape the white walkers." Just as she said it,  a gust of wind blew about the, in a the strangest way, causing shivers to crawl down Axel's shine, and goose flesh to rise beneath his clothes.

"He warned me about this, he sent me word begging me for men who were loyal to me, just to loan them too the watch for a few months.. But I ignored him because I needed all my men, but if I had have given him the men, maybe they would have stopped it. Oh axel it's all my fault. Jon is dead because of me, because I was so selfish."

"El, you know that can't be true." Axel said pulling her into a hug, "how could you have known?"

"But Axel I did know, he told me, but I just didn't listen and now he's dead" she sobbed. As much as Axel comforted her she just wouldn't listen to a word of it. She was stubbornly punishing herself for her brothers murder, in only a way Elonar could.

Axel felt a sudden twinge of anxiety when he thought about the idea of the White walkers. He'd never actually seen one of course, but God had he heard tales. As every child in the north had, these horror stories of the dead coming back as ice men who could not be killed scared children. But these were obviously not stories anymore.