Chapter Text
Seeing You Again
Chapter III:
Winters Rest: 309 A.C (Sixth Moon)
The Next Day…
Sansa P.O.V
“Is this how your wife felt… when she helped you into your armour so you could ride off to battle, knowing that you might not return" Sansa asked of Jon, her voice flat and emotionless as she spoke.
Wearing a heavy leather tabard that was riveted with steel plates over a thick gambeson with padded sleeves and a steel gorget to protect his neck, Jon was armed and just about ready for battle, only missing his leather gauntlets, his sword belt and his visorless great-helm.
Fastening the straps of his tabard under his arms and hips, Sansa was not pleased with what he was about to do, letting him see the disdain on her face as she did so
Despite insisting on helping him change into his armour, Sansa refused to meet his eyes as they stood together in his chambers, angry and scared at what he was about to do.
For he was about to ride out with his Household Guard to deal with a Wildling raiding party encroaching on his lands, something that would have normally been dealt with by the Winter Guard (who protected the roads, towns, villages and hamlets of the North) but none of them were close enough to deal with these Wildlings.
As such, it fell to Jon as the Lord of Winters Rest to deal with these Wildlings himself, though he would never have refused to do so, as the people under his protection were being threatened.
Not that Sansa was completely happy about this, for she was scared that he would ride away and never come back, depriving his two children of their father as well as their mother.
Depriving her daughter of the man she thought of as a father of sorts.
Depriving Sansa herself of the man she had grown to care very deeply for, more than she liked to admit to herself sometimes.
“This is my duty Sansa… and she understood that, as hard as it was she understood," Jon told her, his voice a little strained as he spoke.
Frowning, Sansa fastened the straps of one of his leather gauntlets (which also protected his forearms) before moving to the other one.
“I understand” Sansa replied, her tone of voice convincing neither of them that she meant what she just said.
Hearing him sigh, Sansa felt his hand on her cheek, tilting her head up so their eyes met once again.
“You better come back… you have two wonderful children who need their father” Sansa told him firmly.
Stroking her cheek before removing his hand, Jon replied.
“I will, I promise”
Sansa sighed and took his sword belt from him, looking down at it as she started to tie it around his hips.
"I will hold you to that," she told him.
After tying his sword belt around his hips, Sansa took a deep breath before pressing her lips to his cheek, a soft kiss that lingered for a few seconds.
“Be safe” Sansa told him softly.
Taking one of his hands and squeezing it, Sansa turned away from him and slowly walked away, praying that he would come back safe and alive, sparing one last look at him as he picked up a visorless great-helm (the most important piece of a man’s armour according to his Uncle, Ser Arthur Dayne) made out of steel, with two upwards pointing steel spikes on either side of the helm, for visual effect rather than practicality and placed it on his head.
Three Days Later…
Jon P.O.V
Dismissing his Captain-of-the-Guard (Wyl), Jon placed his hands on the battlements of the watchtower above his gatehouse, taking a deep breath as he looked out into the distance.
His Captain-of-the-Guard was a tall man in his early thirties with short black hair and a matching beard, dressed in a brown leather tabard, a thick quilted gambeson and a steel gorget, with leather gauntlets, steel pauldrons and a visorless greathelm (identical to the one Jon wore, save for the lack of spikes) adding more protection, with a brown leather sword belt tied around his waist, containing a sheathed two-handed longsword and cylindrical dagger.
A vastly different attire to what was worn by the rest of his Household Guard, who wore short-sleeved, knee-length jerkins (made from leather and doeskin) and gorgets over mail hauberks, with leather gauntlets, mail coifs and steel bascinet caps.
Each guard had a one-handed curved rectangular shield (made from thick wood with a white snarling Direwolf painted onto it) slung over his right shoulder, armed with a one-handed broadsword fastened to their hips, and clutching a large halberd as they stood guard on the watchtowers.
With footsteps approaching him from behind, Jon turned his head to see Sansa approaching him, a small smile on her face.
She had been doing this a lot lately.
Finding him all over the castle, almost like she had learned all of his habits and routines so that she knew where he was and what he would be doing at any time of the day.
Finding excuses to be close to him, seeking his company whenever she could, company that she would not trade for anyone else, she told him.
Just as she kept putting off her visit to Winterfell, every time he brought it up she would just ask him if he wanted her to leave, to which he would always say no.
It was almost as if she wanted to stay here with him and his children for a very long time, longer than the nearly five weeks she had already spent here.
“Sansa?” Jon asked of her as she approached him.
co*cking her head to the side and flashing him a sweet smile, Sansa moved to stand next to him.
"I thought I might find you up here," she told him softly.
As she spoke those words, Jon felt her take his hand and lace her fingers through his, leaning into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.
She had been doing this a lot as well, the small things like this.
Taking his hand and pressing herself into his side, holding onto his arm as they walked through the castle, spending endless nights in his solar or in the small parlour where they shared fond childhood stories and memories.
"I like the view," Jon told her, glancing at her eyes for a moment before both of them turned to look out at the view.
Feeling her squeeze his hand, Jon slowly tilted his head to the side to rest against hers.
“The company is better I am sure” Sansa replied softly.
As she placed her other hand on his chest near his heart, Jon felt the warmth from her hand spreading over his chest.
"The company is not bad," Jon told her, his voice a little teasing in nature.
Meeting her eyes, Jon smirked as she put on a look of mock hurt, removing her hand from his chest to place it above her own heart.
“And here was me thinking that you thought the world of me, would not trade my company for anything in the world” Sansa teased him.
Jon chuckled.
“Well… I would trade your company for that of our children, even if I do love spending time with you” Jon replied amusedly.
Squeezing her hand, Jon continued.
“When you finally do go back to Winterfell… do not tell Margaery that she has been usurped as Alyssa’s favourite Auntie, you might make her jealous”
Jon then watched her sigh.
“You and I will take our children to Winterfell when the time is right Jon… until then, we can stay here as a family” Sansa told him softly.
Pressing her lips to his shoulder, Sansa brought her hand up to his cheek and caressed it.
“I cannot say this enough… but even with half of the effort, you will always be a better man than my late husband” Sansa mused.
Jon sighed.
“You deserved far better… and I would be shocked if you did not find a man who loves you for who you are, a man that loves the real Sansa Stark” Jon told her.
The silence between the two of them ensued for several seconds before Sansa replied.
“Who knows, the man you speak of might be closer than I think," Sansa told him softly.
Nine Days Later…
Sansa P.O.V
Stretching out in her bed as she woke up nice and early, Sansa rubbed her eyes sleepily before sitting up against the headboard.
Today was her twenty-third Name Day, a day she once used to look forward to but now the excitement had faded for the most part, thinking of her Name Day as just another day which left her a year older than she had been the previous year.
The only Name Days she had looked forward to in recent years was her daughter's, a day that she had always looked forward to every year for the last four years.
Hearing a knock at the door, Sansa quickly made sure that she was decent before calling out for the person outside to enter.
As Jon opened the door and slowly walked inside with a small tray in his hands, Sansa smiled at him, quickly running her hand through her morning bed hair to make sure that she did not look a mess.
To make sure she looked nice for him.
"I hope I did not wake you," Jon told her softly.
Sansa shook her head.
“Is that for me?” Sansa asked of him.
Jon nodded and walked towards her.
“It is” he replied as he placed the tray on the small table next to her bed.
A single lemon cake, her favourite sweet.
Glancing at the sticky treat before meeting his eyes, Sansa smiled sweetly before taking his hand.
“A special treat for your Name Day… and there is plenty more where that came from” Jon told her softly as she laced their fingers.
With a soft smile, Sansa thanked him before replying.
“You are the best”
Keeping her hand on his, Sansa took the lemon cake in her other hand and took a bite into it, letting out a moan at how delicious it was.
“Just as delicious as the cooks used to make them when I was a little girl” Sansa continued.
“I am glad you like it” Jon replied as Sansa wiped some of the sugar from the corners of her lips.
Taking another bite out of the cake, Sansa got some of the icing and sugar on the tip of her finger before offering it to him.
“I might just steal your cook and have him make these delicious treats just for me," Sansa told him cheekily.
Smirking at him as he sucked the icing and sugar off of her finger after finishing the lemon cake, Sansa then moved her hand to the top of their joined hands and patted them.
“Thank you… for everything, Jon” she told him softly.
Squeezing his hand, Sansa kept her eyes on his as he told her “Anytime”.
Shifting closer to him, Sansa wrapped one arm around him, kissing him on the cheek as she hugged him tightly.
“I am glad my Guards left us here… I would much rather be here with you than anywhere with them” Sansa told him softly.
Feeling him squeeze her hand, Sansa slowly dropped her head to his shoulder.
“Alayne thinks the world of you… and so do I” Sansa continued.
“She is a great girl… as is her mother” Jon replied softly.
Comfortable against him with their arms around each other’s shoulders, Sansa refused to let go of him, heat pooling in her stomach as she held onto him.
“I will have the servants fetch you some water for a bath, while I wake the children and make sure they are fed” Jon told her softly when she finally let go of him.
“You have more plans for today, I assume?” Sansa replied.
Nodding to her, Jon told her that he had another surprise for her, though it could wait until after their children had been fed and she was bathed and dressed for the day.
As he got up and moved to leave, Sansa took his hand once more and got to her feet.
Before he could say anything, Sansa leaned towards him and pressed a brief kiss to his lips.
"I cannot wait to see what you have planned for me later," she told him softly, licking her lower lip with slightly red cheeks to match the redness on his cheeks.
Letting go of his hand, Sansa moved back to her bed and ran her fingers through her bed hair while she waited for the servants to arrive with the water for her bath.
It was only after he had left her chambers, that Sansa caught sight of another gift from him, one that he had left on her pillow while she was not looking.
A blue Winter Rose.
One of many surprises she could be given by the man she had slowly fallen in love with, having come to realise that she was in love with her cousin for some time.
Picking it up and bringing it up to her face, Sansa closed her eyes and smiled as she inhaled its scent, looking forward to the rest of the day and what other surprises awaited her.
Later that Night…
Jon P.O.V
Leaning into the doorway of the chambers being used by Alyssa and Alayne (who had been sharing their chambers for two weeks now), Jon watched as Sansa tucked both girls into the bed and gave them loving kisses on their cheeks.
His cousin was born to be a mother, for she was a natural with children, regardless of whether they were her children or not.
Stepping out of the doorway as Sansa approached him, Jon stood in silence as he watched her close the door to their daughter’s chambers.
Just watching her, looking her up and down as she dominated his thoughts.
A Tully beauty who was still one of the most desired matches in the North, more so now because the birth of her daughter proved that she could bear healthy children.
Healthy children that he hoped they might have together one day.
What a great day they had together today, spending the morning with their three children before Jon finally revealed his surprise, taking the four of them outside for a picnic under the shade of the Heart Tree.
A picnic where she could not stop smiling, even though what Alyssa had him do to Sansa left the both of them feeling a little flustered.
Several Hours Earlier…
“Father… you should kiss Auntie Sansa, she should get a kiss as it is her Name Day” Alyssa told him.
Choking on his ale, Jon turned to her as he was a little shocked before turning to Sansa whose cheeks were on fire.
Had she not kissed him this morning, Jon might have hesitated.
Instead, he leaned closer to her and pressed his lips to hers, meeting her eyes as he did so and seeing the stars dancing in them as they kissed.
Stars that still danced in her eyes when they finally stopped kissing each other, several seconds too long for it to be anything but deeper feelings.
Deeper feelings that could wait before being explored, with Jon and Sansa quickly returning their attention to their food.
It was a picnic that was greatly enjoyed by all five of them, staying out there talking, laughing and eating for hours before they finally went back inside.
As Jon escorted her back to her chambers so she could get changed for supper, Sansa embraced him, thanking him for such a wonderful afternoon before she went to change for supper, telling him that once the children were put to bed later tonight, they would have a proper talk about where they went from here.
A long overdue conversation about how they truly felt about each other and what they wanted to be from this day forth.
Still wearing her thick, long-sleeved dress (dark grey and bronze that was as modest as it was warm) from the feast, Jon had wasted no time in telling her how beautiful she was when he first saw her in it.
In actuality, supper was a small feast (attended by only themselves and the Household Staff), with Jon finding a few musicians among his servants to play some music for them.
Hiring them with the sole intention of playing for Sansa at the feast, something he knew she had picked up on judging by the way she had been looking at him earlier.
Just as he braved the dance floor with her, trying not to mess up their dance, even after she assured him that she would dance with him whenever he asked, even if he messed up and made fools out of the both of them.
Once Sansa had closed the door to their daughter's chambers, Jon took a step towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders and kissing her cheek.
Something that made Sansa close her eyes with a soft smile on her face and a sigh falling from her lips.
Those same lips that he had kissed twice today, giving him a teasing taste of her which left him wanting more.
“Seeing you with our children, has there ever been a sight that makes more sense than the sight of Sansa Stark putting young children to bed?” Jon told her softly.
Sansa sighed and swayed slightly against him.
"I love children, even the ones that are not mine by birth, I still love them… that includes Alyssa and Lyonel” Sansa replied.
Jon pressed another kiss to her cheek which made her smile.
“I love your daughter too Sansa, like she is one of my own” Jon told her softly.
Sansa then turned around in his arms so she was facing him with her hands pressed into his chest.
"She is your daughter, Jon, regardless of who sired her on me, she is yours… she will always be yours” Sansa insisted softly.
Jon managed a small smile and ran his thumb over the top of her hand.
"I am honoured that you think so," he told her softly.
Meeting his eyes, Sansa looked unwavering.
“You will always be her father Jon, her real father… the father who loved her and not the father who ignored her” Sansa insisted.
Jon nodded and wiped a tear from her eyes.
“I promise, I will do my best to be a good father to her… and a good man to you” Jon told her softly.
Watching Sansa lick her lower lip with tears of joy welling up in her eyes, Jon kissed her on the lips.
“The longer you stayed here, the more I realised that I was falling in love with you… that I loved you more than I have ever loved another” Jon told her.
No sooner had he spoken those words, that he felt Sansa's hands on his neck, pulling him down to where her lips were waiting for him.
“Oh Jon, I have been waiting to hear you say that for so long… I love you too” Sansa told him in a low, breathy voice before she kissed him.
Kissing her several times in succession, Jon pulled her flush against his body as she kissed her way up to his ear.
Then she said it to him, said those magic words.
“Take me back to your chambers… then take me to bed” Sansa whispered to him.
Unable or unwilling to refuse her, Jon picked her up, holding onto her thighs and her arse which drew a giggle out of Sansa.
Cupping his cheeks and kissing him, Sansa sighed as he carried her back in the direction of his chambers.
“I want this… want you so much… want to touch all of you… taste all of you” Jon groaned, kissing her between words several times as they moved along the hallway.
Sansa smiled lovingly at him as they moved.
"Show me… show me what it is like to be loved by a real man," Sansa told him quietly.
Just hearing her talk like that was making him excited.
“I have thought about this so often… thought about what you look like under your dress, of seeing the lust in your eyes while your body trembles as we make love” Jon told her quietly.
Even the moan she let out upon hearing him say that was like sweet music to his ears, wanting to make her moan like that again.
The Next Morning…
Jon P.O.V
As he always did, Jon woke up early with the rising son as did every other man and woman of the North.
Feeling one of his arms trapped underneath Sansa’s body, with one of his hands resting on her stomach while the other one was fondling one of her breasts over her shift, Jon smiled as he remembered what happened last night.
How he had carried Sansa back here to his chambers and made love to her, quite a few times.
Just as Sansa had changed back into her shift before they went to sleep, Jon was wearing his britches and a linen shirt, though he was still able to feel the shape of her hips against his body.
Almost as soon as he had woken up, Sansa was stirring in his arms as she was waking up herself.
Shifting his body so he was covering her slightly, Jon pressed his lips to hers, looking into her eyes as they slowly opened.
"Morning," he told her softly.
Flashing him a smile, Sansa told him “Good morning” before arching her hips back against his, feeling the evidence of his desire pressed against her arse.
It was then that she realised that he was still fondling one of her breasts.
“Like them?” Sansa teased him.
Jon chuckled and brought his other hand up to fondle her other breast.
“Like does not even begin to cover how I feel about your teats… or any other part of you” Jon teased her in return.
Laughing together, Jon kissed her again before helping her to sit up.
With both of them sitting opposite each other on their knees, Jon cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue against her lips as he sought entry into her mouth.
After several shared kisses, Jon took hold of her hands and kissed the both of them.
“Will you marry me?” Jon asked of her, having done all the thinking he needed to do about this.
No matter what happened, he would never change his mind about this.
He wanted to share his life with Sansa and wanted them to be a proper family.
“Yes” Sansa’s quiet voice was brimming with excitement as she nodded.
“Yes?” Jon asked of her, wanting to hear her say it again.
Sansa kissed him and pressed herself into his chest.
"Yes, Jon… yes," Sansa told him, her cheeks a lovely shade of red as her lips quivered with excitement.
As Jon kissed and sucked on one of the marks he left on her neck last night, Sansa closed her eyes and placed her hands on the back of his neck.
“We shall tell our children about us as a family… and then we will marry tonight, right out there under that Heart Tree in the courtyard” Sansa told him softly.
Hearing this, Jon stopped kissing her neck and met her eyes once more.
“Tonight… but what about your parents, and mine… surely you would want them here for this?” Jon asked of her in surprise.
Sansa sighed and cuddled him.
“If you want to wait for your parents to come here before we marry then we can do so… but I would much rather it was just us and our children Jon, just something that we can enjoy ourselves with our children by our side” Sansa told him softly.
She did make a good point, for this wedding was about them and their children, even though he would have liked to see their family by their side as they married.
For their family would likely not accept this and might try to put a stop to it.
He very nearly insisted that they wait for their respective families to come to Winters Rest before they married, stopping himself before he could do so.
Instead, he agreed with her suggestion that they have a wedding later tonight, agreeing that their wedding was a one-time thing for them to enjoy amongst themselves and their children.
“Okay… after we tell our children, I will have Ros and Duncan begin making preparations for a small wedding, even if I wish I could give you a much bigger wedding” Jon told her.
Feeling her kiss both of his cheeks before his lips, Jon ran his hand into her morning bed hair as she told him.
“I would much rather have something more private and intimate… something where we can just concentrate on ourselves and our children, rather than thinking about anyone else”
Twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, Sansa continued.
“This is our wedding Jon, yours and mine… we should not have to think about anything other than making our family whole… a family that will grow as time goes on”
Kissing her lips again, Jon asked of her.
“What about your dress?”
Sansa smiled.
“I have the perfect dress in mind… and a cloak to go with it, you will like it, I promise," Sansa told him softly, an excited smile on her face as she spoke.
As Jon opened his mouth to reply, Sansa stopped him by placing her finger on his lips.
"We have everything we could need Jon, I promise… you, me, our children, and our home… let us just enjoy it now” Sansa continued.
As she removed her finger from his lips, Sansa smiled as Jon gently pushed her back, pinning her underneath him on the bed.
"I love you," Jon told her, his voice husky and his hand sliding the skirt of her nightdress up her leg.
Watching as her eyes glistened and her lips curled into a smirk, Jon kissed her again and slid her skirt even higher.
