"I'm sorry, My Lady," he muttered as he dragged you along the path. You slapped at him as he took you further and further from where Brienne was, where she could end up dying protecting you.
"Let me go, Pod," you sobbed, clawing at his arms as you struggled against him.
"I have to do as Lady Brienne says, My Lady, and that means taking you to Winterfell," he told you, "she will meet us there as soon as she can," he added and you felt your body stop fighting, wracked with sobs as you choked back tears.
*Time Skip*
When you arrived at Winterfell you were in shock. The fields were littered with dead men, but the banners that hung from the walls were yours. "Names?" a man called to you from the watch tower and your eyes flitted up to him for a second.
"Y/N, of house Stark, and my travel companion, Podrick Payne," you answered. You saw the man stagger for a moment, his eyes wide as he disappeared from your view. He reappeared seconds later, opening the gates and ushering your through.
"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting My Lady, your brother has been made aware of your arrival," he told you and you nodded, glancing around the courtyard. You surveying paused, however, as you realised what he had said.
"My brother?" you asked and he nodded eagerly.
"The King in the North, My Lady, Jon Snow," he uttered, giving you a smile which you quickly returned.
"Of course, how could I forget about Jon," you murmured back to him before turning away and taking a few steps further into the courtyard. It didn't seem as though much had changed, it was still as busy as ever, and the people all seemed happy, but there was something different about it. And then you remembered, the reason your home had been such a bright place had been because of the family you had shared it with, a family that was half-gone.
You smiled when you saw Jon step out into the snowy courtyard, and he paused for a moment when he finally locked his eyes on you. He crossed the courtyard quicker than you had imagined possible and wrapped his arms around you. "Y/N," he muttered, his grip tightening for a moment as he held you.
"It's good to see you, Jon," you told him, resting your hands on his upper arm as he released you.
"I missed you," he answered, as though you had been great friends when you had left Winterfell. There had been no hatred between you, but you had never been particularly kind to him when you were children.
"I've missed you too," you replied, patting his shoulders and turning back to Pod. "This is Podrick Payne, he will be staying in Winterfell with us," you told Jon, who nodded his agreement before gesturing for you to follow him inside.
"Sansa will want to see you." He smiled as he spoke, his words echoing through the hallways and causing you to release a sigh. It was quiet inside, and you weren't used to it yet, it had never been like this when you were young, in fact you had always complained that it was too busy for your liking.
"How is she?" you asked softly, but you were cut off by a bubble of laughter from the corridor you were passing.
"How about I tell you myself?" Sansa laughed, running down the hall and wrapping herself around you as though you were a buoy in the ocean, keeping her afloat. "Gods, it's been far too long," she mumbled against you, squeezing your body tighter.
"A lifetime," you answered, letting your hand run over her soft hair.
"Podrick," she cried out, moving to pull him into a hug too. "I didn't expect to see you so far North," she told him and he smiled when she released him.
"Lord Tyrion had me leave King's Landing with Brienne of Tarth, we happened to find Lady Y/N along the way, My Lady." He smiled at her, his cheeks turning red. You had assumed he felt something for her, but it would do him no good, from the rumours you had been hearing, there was no way Sansa would take another husband, not for a long while yet.
"And where is Lady Brienne?" Sansa asked and you felt your breath catch in your throat.
"We aren't sure, My Lady, she fought off some Lannister men so that we could escape." You felt the tears fill your eyes as you considered the options; 1) Brienne was on her way to you as you spoke; 2) Brienne had been taken prisoner by the Lannisters and was suffering at their hands; and 3) Brienne was dead.
"I need to rest," you blurted out, causing all three of them to look at you, concern clear in their eyes, "which chambers will I be staying in?"
Jon nodded, placing a hand on your back and ushering you down one of the many hallways. "Have one of the maids find Podrick somewhere to stay and something to eat would you," he called back to Sansa, and she must have nodded as he kept walking you down the hall and away from them. You both stopped outside of your old chambers, and you glanced at the door. "I could find somewhere else if you would prefer," he told you softly but you simply shook your head.
"No, thank you, this is perfect," you murmured, pulling him in for another hug.
"If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask," he told you softly, giving you a small smile before turning and leaving you to rest.
*Time Skip*
You awoke the next morning to yelling in the courtyard. "You need to wait here, My Lady," one of the men cried, but it seemed that whoever he was talking to had refused to listen as the footsteps continued across the courtyard.
"Where is Lady Y/N?" you heard the voice ask, and within seconds you were on your feet, crossing the room and throwing the shutters open.
"Brienne," you muttered to yourself, your eyes finally finding her and she marched around the courtyard, waiting for an answer. "Brienne," you cried, this time a little louder and you saw her eyes flutter up to you, giving you a relieved smile as she marched towards the door nearest to your chambers. You pulled on your robe, hurrying out the door and down the stair to where she would be waiting for you, throwing yourself into her arms when you got close enough to her. "I thought you were dead," you told her, leaning up and pressing your lips against hers. Brienne stilled at your action, and you wiggled out of her arms, glancing up at her. "I'm sorry," you started, "I shouldn't have, but I was just so scared and I can't keep lying to myself about my feelings for you."
She cut you off, leaning down and pressing another kiss to your lips. "Don't you dare apologise for this," she mumbled against your lips, causing you to chuckle as you pulled her closer to you, burying your face in her neck.
Please consider supporting me for just £3 using Ko-Fi. This money gives me the ability to continue writing in my spare time without having to worry about extra funds and will eventually help me to begin publishing my own works outside of my fanfiction. Follow the link: Ko-fi.com/S6S075KP to pledge money. The link is also available on my profile page and in the comments down below. If you have any questions about Ko-Fi please feel free to private message me. Thank you. L x
Fem!Stark!Reader x Brienne of Tarth - Suddenly I See
Magsimula sa umpisa
