The Dove and Her Hound

Chapter Twelve - Godswood

"We can't defend the North from the Walkers and the South from the Bolton's," Jon said. "If we want to survive, we need Winterfell and to take Winterfell, we need more men."

You were at a table with Jon, Sansa, Brienne, Tormund, Ed, a man named Davos, and someone you'd already met before, the Red Lady. You had glared daggers into her skull when you saw her. She didn't care in the slightest, and that angered you even more.

"Aside from the Stark's and the Bolton's, the most powerful Houses in the North are the Umber's, the Karstark's and the Manderly's. The Umber's and the Karstark's have already declared for the Bolton's so we're not doing too well there," Ser Davos said.

"The Umber's were the ones who gave Rickon to our enemies," you said. "They can hang."

"But the Karstark's declared for Ramsey without knowing they had another choice," Sansa chimed.

"I beg your pardon, milady, but they know that a Stark beheaded their father. I don't think we can count on them either."

"How well do you know the North, Ser Davos?" Sansa asked him.

"Precious little, milady."

"My father always said Northerner's are different. More loyal. More suspicious of outsiders."

"They may be loyal, but how many rose up against the Bolton's when they betrayed your family? I may not be Northern, but I know men. More or less the same in any corner of the world and even the bravest of them don't want to see their wives and children skinned for a lost cause. Jon's gotta convince them to fight alongside them. They need to believe it's a fight they can win."

"There are more than three Houses in the North," Jon said.

"There's Glover, Mormont, Kerwin, Mason, Hornwood. Two dozen more," you said. "When put together they equal all the others and we can start small and build."

"The North remembers. They remember the Stark name," Sansa said.

"They'll still risk everything for it. From White Harbor to Ramsey's own door." You looked at Jon. He looked back with a look you couldn't quite place.

"I don't doubt it," Davos said. "But Jon doesn't have the Stark name."

"No. But I do. As well as [y/n]." Sansa looked and Ser Davos and then to you. "Jon is every bit Ned Stark's son as Ramsey is Roose Bolton's. There's also the Tully's. They're not Northern but they will back us against the Bolton's. Without question."

"I didn't know that the Tully's still had an army," you said.

"Our uncle the Blackfish has reformed it and retaken Riverrun."

"How do you know that?" Jon asked her.

"Ramsey received a raven before I escaped Winterfell."

"Well, that's good. The Blackfish is a legend. Stark, Tully, a few more Houses. Almost starts to look like a winning side."

---

After the meeting, Jon gently grabbed your shoulder.

"Can we talk?" He asked. You nodded and when everyone cleared out of the room, you sat down on the bench.

"What would you like to know?"

"What happened to you? How did you get out of King's Landing? How did you and, uh, Sandor, happen?"

"Liam got me out of King's Landing the day father was murdered. Father and Sandor had made a plan to get me out through Liam. I wanted to take Sansa with me, but Joffrey wouldn't let her out of his sight." You took a breath and looked at Jon. "Liam gave me some food, water, and money. He told me that I was to meet Yoren at The Inn at the Crossroad's. In the case that he never made it, I had my weapons and I tried to go to Winterfell. I never made it. Then I found Arya, and Sandor and he had been trying to get us to family ever since."

"And Brienne killed him?"

"Yes. They fought over us and he fell off a cliff. That's when I last saw Arya as well. She never really liked him, but they were civil for me."

"I'm just glad you're safe. I'm sorry about what happened to Sandor. There's a Godswood right outside the wall. We can go, if you'd like," Jon offered. You looked at him with teary eyes.

"I would love to, but I don't see the good it'll do. They're both gone. I'm just happy that I have you two right now. I don't know what I would do if I lost you as well."

"[Y/n]," Jon said. He gathered you in a hug and you let out your tears. You sobbed into his shoulder and clung to him as if your life depended on it.

Unbeknownst to you, Brienne was watching you cry and she felt her heart clench. She didn't know that he meant that much to you and everything made sense to her now. She knew she had to apologize but you didn't let her near you. She had to find a way and hopefully you would listen.