Bad Dreams / Sandor Clegane

41. First Kiss

Sansa arrived after escaping Ramsay with help from Theon, along with Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne and Amelia. Jon stood initially stunned when he saw her. but quickly jon hugged sansa with a teary embrace.

'I'm so sorry I was so awful to you.' Sansa began 'will you forgive me?'

'there is nothing to forgive.' Jon assured her.

'forgive me!' she pleaded.

'forgiven.' Jon agreed he glanced to her traveling companions and was taken a back at the sight of Amelia lannister.

"Hi." Amelia said softly.

"I don't want her here." Sansa hissed and Jon gave her a stern look as he moved to Amelia.

"I'm... sorry." Amelia whispered. "For everything my family did-" She began but Jon gave her a hug and Amelia wanted to cry, but she wanted to be brave but she hugged him back. Sansa scoffed.

"I know its not your fault." Jon told her.

"I did love Bran and Rickon." Amelia told him as he pulled back. "I'm sorry for what happened to them most of all." Amelia whispered.

"They are alive." Jon told her and Amelia stared back at him in disbelief. "At least they were, I lost track of them. I almost had them..." Jon remarked feeling defeated.

"I don't understand." Amelia whispered.

"Theon didn't kill them." Jon told her and Amelia's gaze shifted to Sansa. "Come on, lets get you inside." Jon suggested and Amelia nodded in a daze, her gaze flickered to a raven on the wall watching them for a moment before heading inside.

+

'winterfell is our home.' Sansa told him. 'we have to fight for it.'' But jon didn't want to fight anymore, he had died and come back to life, he had been through enough, they all had.

'the Boltons are a force. We need more men then we have, better men.' Jon reminded them.

'or one. Good. Shot.' Amelia countered. They all stared at her. "I'm a good shot." Amelia offered. "Sandor and my uncle... Jaime..." She said awkwardly. "They taught me."

"I don't trust her." Sansa spat and Amelia turned back around, knowing her ideas would be vetoed. Jon recalled Amelia helping bran back in Winterfell all those years ago. Helped him hit the target for the very first time.

"We will keep it in mind, Amelia, thank you." Jon offered and Amelia glanced back at him.

They were all eating, finding some sense of normalcy when a letter arrived and the peace vanished and jon was filled with rage.

'its from Ramsay.' Jon declared. He held the scroll in an aggressive grip.

'Ramsay is holding Rickon prisoner... he is demanding the return of Sansa. He says he will massacre Jon's allies, it is signed Ramsay Bolton... he was legitimized?'

Sansa confirmed that he was made a Bolton and looking over the signature she deduced that Roose Bolton was dead.

'Tormund how many men do you have?'

'2,000,' Tormund informed him. If Amelia could get word to her family she knew they would... help. she hoped they would help. She prayed that if she asked for the golden company to take back winterfell but then again, Joffrey took neds head. But joffrey was dead. Tommen would come to the rescue. Sansa and Arya hated her as though she took his head herself.

'that is not enough to fight Ramsay's 5,000 by themselves.' Jon informed him.

'we will rally the Northern Houses, those still loyal to the Starks,' sansa suggested.

'lets get Winterfell back.' Jon declared.

+

While discussing strategy with Davos, Melisandre, Sansa, Brienne, Tormund, Jon bitterly noted that they simply don't have the numbers to challenge the Boltons at present. Even though the three most powerful houses are already backing the Boltons, Jon suggested rallying the weaker houses, as their combined strength would give them a numerical advantage when combined with his current forces.

'What about the Tullys?' Amelia questioned. Jon was surprised she thought of catelyns family, the Starks bloodline after all the bitterness Sansa sent her way. 'surely they would support you. You are part tully.' She told sansa.

'Brynden Tully's recaptured the Riverrun,' sansa recalled 'with his support it would almost certainly guarantee the Tullys, their numbers would give us an advantage.' she didn't want Amelia to have had a good idea but that was a good idea.

+

with the wildlings allegiance, their army was looking good, strong. Jon was confident as they prepared to set out.

'Lyanna Mormont has agreed to give us... this cant be right.' Amelia said looking up from the note.

'it is.' Jon told her.

'sixty-two men,' Amelia repeated.

"No golden company." Jon agreed. Amelia liked that Jon wasn't treating her like a monster but Sansa was still bitter.

'the remaining force of House Mormont, promising that each will fight with the worth of ten men.' Jon reiterated.

'better than nothing. I suppose.' Amelia remarked.

'alright now onto the ramsay situation...' jon said thinking through their plans.

"Perhaps we can settle this one on one, if he is willing to fight, you could take him. that would save a lot of trouble, we wouldn't have to deal with the Bolton army... but I don't think him brave enough. He is more likely to hide behind his men and let them win the war for him.' Amelia suggested.

"Amelia you are so smart... I'm really sorry about Sansa." Jon remarked.

"Oh, its okay." Amelia murmured.

"it's not though." Jon countered. "You didn't do anything."

"Are Bran and Rickon really alive?"

"If ramsay has rickon that's the hope." Jon agreed.

"And Bran?"

"He had the biggest crush on you." Jon recalled.

"I like him. He was my friend." Amelia remarked. "He kissed me the day of his fall," Amelia informed him softly. Jon watched her smile grow. "I stayed with him and rickon everyday-" She held back a sob. "When sandor got me out... I thought I would never see him or anyone of you again." Amelia remarked holding back tears.

"He wanted to marry you." Jon recalled.

"Bran proposed a few times." Amelia admitted. "he said I was his princess..." Amelia whispered. "He would save me and we would live happily ever after..."

"You miss him."

"I miss him. I want to know that hes alright and safe, the both of them..." Amelia whispered. "I was kept prisoner at Winterfell but I had Bran and rickon and sandor... they made me smile and laugh... made me forget that i was a hostage."