Clandestine. 》 Tyrion Lannister 《

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Galena stood with Sansa overlooking the yard. She held onto the railing tightly, almost afraid it would disintegrate in her hand. Years ago, she would train down there when her aunt wasn't watching. She would often do it at night with Robb and Jon, who were mainly the ones who taught her, when they knew Catelyn would be busy with other things. There were a few times, though, when she would sneak up on the boys during the day, jab them from behind, and start an all-out war. She always reminded them, which she realized now how annoying it must have been, that they should be aware of their surroundings. If she was an actual enemy, she could have killed them.

One day when she snuck up on them, they were ready for her, and when they turned on her, she defended herself better than she ever thought she could. She avoided each lunge with perfect fades and pivots, and not once was she struck. That was the day Uncle Ned and her father applauded her. They stood in the very spot she was now, and encouraged her to continue. She was swept up in their support, and that was when Robb kicked out her legs. She fell to the ground with a heavy thud. When Robb reached down to help her up, he could barely control his laughter. She laughed with him, and so did the men watching from above. She always knew she wasn't meant to be a proper lady, and it was that day her father and uncle started to take her seriously.

She sighed heavily all of a sudden, causing Sansa to put her hand over hers. “I know how hard it is being back,” Sansa sympathized. “All of the memories come rushing back, and it can be paralyzing.”

She stared at her little cousin with admiration. The timid little girl she once knew was gone, and in her place was a courageous and confident woman. Once upon a time, she thought Sansa would be nothing more than a supportive wife to her Lord or Prince husband, but now she couldn't imagine her in that position at all. She exceeded everything everyone thought she was capable of. She rose above all she had been through and was now the Lady of Winterfell. Sansa was in charge, and she was damn good at it.

“Does it get easier?” Galena asked her cousin. “When I'm awake, it's mostly good memories, but when I'm asleep, all I see in my dreams is Theon. They start out well enough, with flashbacks of our younger years, and then they turn dark.”

Sansa looked deeply into her eyes, and Galena could see her pain. She already knew the answer before it was even spoken. “I wish I could tell you yes, but I'm afraid I can’t. I still see Ramsay when I walk by that room. I often have nightmares, but they have slowly started to go away.” Sansa squeezed her hand. “I have faith that one day, they'll stop all together.”

“Oh,” was all she replied.

“You're oddly quiet, Lena,” Sansa noted. “What's going on in your head?”

Sansa was right. She was hardly a quiet person. If she wasn't arguing with someone, she was rambunctious and outgoing. When she was a girl, she was always making wisecracks, or playing a joke on someone. She wasn't the girl Sansa recollected, and she knew it. She was beaten down and defeated, and she was tired.

She, Jon, Davos, and Daenerys had been there for three days now, and they were due to leave in two nights. She had gone to see her father yesterday and the day prior, and she wanted to go again. Despite the fact that she wanted to be with him as much as possible, in reality, she was avoiding Winterfell. She didn't want to get reattached. She wanted to stay as distant from it as possible.

She bowed her head, afraid to look Sansa in the eyes, for she did not want to start crying again. She cried so much these past few months, and she was sick of it. “I don't mean to be,” she said quietly. “I'm just afraid I won't leave.”

Sansa tilted her head. “Why do you have to leave?”

She smiled self consciously, looked into Sansa’s eyes, and giggled. “Your husband.”

Sansa didn't hold back her perplexed look. “He's dead.” She grasped Galena’s forearm suddenly. “Wait,” she said. “Do you mean Tyrion?”

Galena nodded. “If I allow myself to reconnect any more than I already have, I'm afraid I'll never see him again, because I'll want to stay here. This is my home.”

Sansa nodded slowly. “He’s a Lannister,” she said with a snarky undertone. “How much can you really love a Lannister? Does he really deserve you? Is he worth all of the anxiety you're feeling?” She paused, and and sighed audibly. “But I suppose Tyrion is a good man. He was always kind to me.”

“You suppose?” She scoffed, suddenly feeling the need to defend him. “I know you were forced to wed him, and I'm sorry for that, but just because he’s a Lannister doesn't mean a thing. And I know you were appalled at the thought of being the wife of a disgusting dwarf, but he is more man than any man in Westeros!" She waved her hands adamantly as she talked. "If you were given the chance to get to know him, you might have thought differently.” She felt her pulse quicken in anger, but she pushed away her rising temper, and tried to remain calm. “I know he isn’t like the knights and princes you were brainwashed to love, and I know he doesn’t fight like other men, but he is brave in his own way; he’s smart enough to outwit all of them! He is handsome and he is funny. He's kind, and sweet, and gentle, and he is worthy of a Stark girl!”

Sansa’s eyes lit up as a crooked grin stretched across her face. “I know,” she nodded.

Galena tilted her head and thinned her eyes. “Did you…” She smiled as she began to grasp what just happened. “Did you just contradict me on purpose?”

“The student has become the teacher,” Sansa teased.

Her cheeks reddened. When they were younger, and Sansa questioned everything, Galena would always highlight the bad qualities that Sansa thought existed. And Sansa, being more Stark than Tully, would argue until she realized she was being silly, and that the very thing she thought was wrong was actually perfectly fine.

She shook her head slowly. “But why?”

Sansa grinned. “I meant what I said about him...the good part, anyway," she giggled.
“He was always kind to me. And even though we were married, he refused to share my bed because he knew I didn't want it. If he were any other man, he would have forced himself upon me.”

She sighed heavily and crinkled her nose. “What's your point?”

Sansa turned to her and put her hands on her shoulders. She looked her in the eyes and spoke softly. “Lena,” she said, “It doesn't matter where you rest your head, because Winterfell will always be your home. You will always be welcome here...and so will Tyrion.” She turned Galena around and gently shoved her. “Go. Visit with Arya and Bran. They've missed you.”

She looked over her shoulder at Sansa. Her heart flooded with pride. The little girl she once knew may have been gone, but she was still the same kind and compassionate Sansa she loved.

“I miss them, too.”

Sansa smiled and nodded once. And as Galena started to walk away, she spoke again, adding, “Just to warn you, they're both really strange, and Arya is actually a bit frightening.”

She smirked as a stifle of a laugh escaped her lips. “Thank you, Sansa.”