The Lost Winter Rose

Chapter 2

Sansa sat in a chair next to the bed where her older sister was currently lying. After revealing who she was, they had carried her up from the basement and into one of the unoccupied bedrooms. Ridding the room of men, the red-haired girl had asked Brienne to stay and help her clean and cloth her sister, getting her out of the ripped dress that let left little to the imagination. Her dark, now clean hair laid spread on the pillow, and Sansa was scared that if she so much blinked then her sister would disappear again. Not wanting to leave her alone, Sansa had sent Podrick to get Jon, knowing that he would want to see their supposedly dead sister. The two sisters looked completely opposite; while Sansa carried the red hair and blue eyes from their mother's Tully side, Lyanna had the signature dark brown hair that came from the Stark family and had just as much as the north in her as the rest of their ancestors.

She gave her sister's hand a gentle squeeze and closed her eyes, trying to stay strong, but all she wanted was for Lyanna to wake up and embrace her just like she had done when they were children. The sound of the door opening made Sansa lift her head, her eyes guarded; however, once she saw the familiar pair of eyes, a small but tired smile covered her face. Jon stood by the door; while his face was tired and slightly pale, his eyes shone in something that Sansa couldn't quite understand. Brienne gave Sansa a slight nod before walking out of the room and closing the door, leaving the three Stark siblings alone for the first time since before they had separated. He took a step closer but keep his eyes on the redhead. Podrick had filled him in on some of what had happened, but there was still one significant thing that the squire had left out, namely the identity of the woman who was lying in bed.

"Sansa.."

However, he didn't get to say much before his sister interrupted him as she stood up and threw herself into his arms. The feeling of her shoulders shaking and the soft sobs that escaped her lips made him wrap his arms around her. His eyes wandered over to the bed, and as he saw the woman, he felt his arms slacken. It was like he froze; Sansa pulled away and took hold of his sleeve, gently guided him towards the chair that she had previously occupied. As he sat down, his hand moved over the covers and hovered over the woman's hand before he pulled back and let out a breath of defeat. His hands covered his face, rubbing his eyes before his fingers moved up and through his dark hair.

"Is.. that.." He looked up at Sansa and saw her red eyes refusing to leave the familiar face they both had not seen for such a long time. Jon took a breath before trying once more. "Is that Lyanna?"

"Yes." her voice no higher than a mere whisper filled his ears. He looked at her again, his eyes wandering over every single feature of her face, not leaving anything unseen. "wha- how? I thought she died?"

"So did i. We all did. After the red wedding... they said every Stark that was there were killed. She was here the whole time. So close, and I didn't even know it." Her eyes shifted as she turned her sight on Jon. "Look at her Jon, if we had gotten here any later or if we had decided not to come at all, she might have..."

Jons eyes softened as he saw the pain in his sister's Tully eyes; reaching out, he took her smaller hand in his and gave it reassuring squees. "She is still alive Sansa, and if she is anything like the girl she used to be, then she's not going anywhere anytime soon." He said as he returned his gaze to the bed. After everything he's seen, everything he has lost, nothing made him feel quite as lost or scared as the sight of the girl who, throughout his whole life, had treated him not only as her brother but as her best friend. "She'll wake up eventually. She is a Stark, after all.

Sansa scoffed at Jon, "When in the last years has that done us any good? Robb and Rickon are dead. No one has seen Arya or Bran for years. Up until a few hours ago, Lyanna was presumed dead too."