The Long Night

Moving Forward

It's been a few months since Sansa has arrived in the True North. She is settling in well with the Freefolk . All her help with the glass gardens is starting to take shape, but it will still take months to come to fruition . She has also started teaching the women how to sew the materials they have more efficiently and its more like an assembly line versus just passing time . They can possibly use these materials they have sewn for trading for supplies and foodstuff they will need to last the winter . Sansa has also made some new friends a young girl named Rayla who is teaching her how to hunt and fish , and an older woman Dara who has taken Sansa under her wing and has taught her how to acclimate herself to life in the True North.Her days pass pleasantly and she has kept herself so busy that she has not allowed herself to think about anything except getting through the day.

 When she falls on her mattress at night she is exhausted and normally falls asleep immediately .Tonight though , sleep does not come . She tosses and turns and her mind drifts to Winterfell, Bran , Arya and inevitably Jon . However much she tries to completely block him he always manages to drift into her consciousness, she doesn't know who she hates more for that,  herself or him . She admonishes herself over and over . Just stop Sansa ! Don't make yourself miserable over someone who doesn't give you a second thought ,she tells herself . But she knows its no use .She wonders if she will ever get over him . She knows she can live without him, she has already done that , since he left her to go to Dragonstone. The thing that pricks at her is knowing that she held some hope , misguided as it was, that they could be together as a family in whatever capacity at Winterfell . Her , Arya , Bran and Jon and they could find some happiness being together after all that they had suffered . But no , he ruined all that by giving HER Winterfell ! The thought just shatters her heart into tiny shards. He held so little love for her, for the Starks , for their family, for Robb's memory ,that he could just give away their heritage, their home ! He gave it away to a stranger , but clearly a stranger that now held his heart . She couldn't , she couldn't think about this anymore. She gets up , Ghost,  her constant companion follows her out of the room .

She leaves the room not paying attention and is nearly knocked over by running straight  into Tormund .

T : Red! Couldn't sleep ?

S: No , you ? 

T: No just thought I'd get myself some ale  or goats milk, you know let my pretty hair down a bit. You wanna join? 

S: Yes , I think I will join . Thank you .

Sansa and Tormund sit down and have some ale, Tormund has already had a few but Sansa isn't far behind . They share a companionable silence . 

T: What's going on on that pretty little head ? I know you told me you don't want to know what's going on with the Kneelers, but Bran has sent you at least half a dozen ravens . You sure you don't want to know anything ? I responded to the ones he sent me , and told him you don't want to know anything and haven't read any of his ravens .

S: No , I just want a clean break right now . If it was a dire emergency Bran would have sent someone. He does know I'm here. There's nothing I can do there now . I want to be helpful and productive here . I hope that's ok with you ?

T: Sansa ! I have told you this is your home as long as you want it to be. You don't have to keep asking me . Truth be told, I could never could  have started the glass gardens without you . We need that. Dara was also telling me how well the sewing assembly line is going . We need that as well for trade . You're a natural leader Sansa and you're making life better for the people here . I have a feeling someone is going to come steal you away from here and then where would we be ?

S: Sansa laughing , nobody is going to steal me ! Unless you know of any handsome Wildling that wants a fire kissed kneeler ? 

T: The only handsome Wildling I know is me , but I think Little  Crow would kill me , so were better off being friends ! Tormund laughs , he's had a bit too much ale by now . 

S: Sansa looks down . No he doesn't care. 

T: You sure Red? I don't know what's going on exactly , but from what you've told me the last few months , you don't know what is going with him either . Little Crow has never been the most open sort of guy you know . Maybe you should try to see what is going on with him.

S: Tormund , I don't care what's going on with him . She looked defeated . Then a thought struck Sansa. Tormund did you tell him I was here ?

T: No ! But he's gonna find out eventually and you've got his Wolf . Eventually that Wolf is going to find him or visa versa .

S: He was going to the South. So he abandoned all of us , including Ghost. Ghost couldn't be in the South with him and his Dragon Queen , so he left him .She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice .

T : All I'm saying Red is that a lot has happened and you may want to know .....

S: Sansa interrupts him . No I don't want to know , I don't want to know anything . Tormund I'm tired now , I think I will turn in . Ghost follows Sansa back to her room .