Bones [ tormund. ]

XVIII. the northerners

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"Are you alright?" Tormund asked gently to her, his hand on her arm from when he had pulled her to the side and away from prying eyes and ears.

"I'm always alright." She smiled lightly at him to put his worries at ease.

"You don't have to lie to me anymore, Enya." He whispered, ignoring the glances from passing gazes. She smiled gently, bringing her hand to his and entwining their fingers delicately.

"I know." She finally looked away from their hands and to his blue eyes that were locked on hers already.

All of a sudden their moment was disrupted by the sound of the gates parting, and horses' hooves. Tormund lifted his gaze over Enya's head to see what was happening, despite her not even bothering to turn around.

Finally Enya turned her head, curious as to what had caused the sudden silence across the courtyard. At first her eyes laid on a pudgy man with cropped brown hair and a squire's outfit, and then the woman behind him. Even on horse she towered over the squire, her short blonde hair hanging in front of her eyes with dirty knight's armour covering her body. Brienne of Tarth.

Enya drew in a sharp breath at the sight of the woman she had not seen in years. She had grown even more if that were possible, looking stronger despite the harsh cold of the North. But then none of that mattered because she saw the trembling figure of the girl behind them who climbed down from her horse.

Sansa.

She already had her scared eyes on her sister, tears filling Sansa's already bloodshot eyes at the sight of the woman she had thought to be dead many times and the sister she had lost all too many years ago.

Without a second thought, Enya sprinted across the yard and pulled her sister into a hug so tight she was sure it would have hurt had they not both been numb.

"They-they said you were dead." Sansa cried into her sister's shoulder, ignoring the pain of her bruises.

Enya laughed through her tears. "No one can kill me that easily."

Suddenly the two girls felt another person joining their tight embrace, Jon wrapping his arms around his crying sisters, tears coming to his own eyes.

—

The Starks sat alone in the fire lit room, finally getting Sansa into the warm after her terrible journey with a warm bowl of soup that probably tasted like Goat's piss.

"Good soup." Sansa muttered, feeling her siblings' stares burning holes in her. "Do you remember those old kidney pies Old Nan used to make?"

"With the beef and onions?" Jon grinned from his seat as his sisters smiled at the memory.

Enya sighed heavily. "We never should have left Winterfell."

"Don't you wish we could go back to the day we left? I want to scream at myself; don't go, you idiot." Sansa sighed sadly, pain flooding her voice, all of their voices.

"How could we have known?" Jon murmured while Enya stayed silent, her eyes shut and just relaxing at the sounds of her family back together again.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking about what an ass I was to you. I wish I could change everything." Sansa spoke grimly.

"We were children." Jon tried to ease her frustration but even he could not deny Sansa's pretentiousness as a child.

"I was awful, just admit it."

Enya grinned, opening her eyes to watch the two burst into laughter. "You were occasionally awful."

Enya snorted at that. "You were horrible. You put the hound's meat in my dinner." She scowled at Sansa playfully but still the rancid taste lingered on her tongue.

"Can you forgive me?" Sansa asked the pair of brunettes who both replied simultaneously.

"There's nothing to forgive."

"Forgive me." Sansa ordered the pair who both grinned.

"Alright, we forgive you." Enya winked at the auburn haired girl. It stayed silent, none of them talking, understanding that the important questions needed to be answered.

"Where will we go?" Sansa whispered, staring into the fire like she wished to find the answer there.

"There's only one place we can go." Enya sighed. "Home."

Jon snorted. "Should we tell the Bolton's to pack up and leave?" He asked sarcastically but Sansa was already on her sister's side.

"We'll take it back from them."

"We don't have an army." Enya reminded her, even though they were all on the same side.

"How many wildlings did you save?" Sansa turned to her.

Enya scowled. "They didn't come here to serve me, they came here because they needed safety. As we all do."

"They owe you their lives." Sansa snapped. "Do you think they'll be safe here if Roose Bolton remains Warden of the North?" Jon opened his mouth to defend Enya but Sansa interrupted. "Winterfell is our home. Its ours. And Arya's and Bran's and Rickon's wherever they are, it belongs to our family, we have to fight for it."

"I'm tired of fighting!" Jon argued. "It's all I've done since I left home. I've killed brothers of the Night's Watch, I've killed wildlings, I've killed men that I admire. I hanged a boy, younger than Bran. I've fought, and I lost." Sansa was silent for a moment.

"If we don't take back the North now, we'll never be safe. I want you to help me, both of you. But I'll do it myself if I have to." Sansa frowned at them but Enya scowled.

"Don't be stupid, of course we'll help you. We're family and we stay together. No matter what." She held both her brother and sister's hands, all three of them linked together in a silent agreement to never leave each other again.

—
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-A