Northern Ravens

Chapter 1

For years she had heard that council meetings were boring and a waste of time. She had accompanied rulers who had longed to escape from them, who attended as few of them as possible and who preferred leaving all the boring decisions to the other council members.

But Sansa actually enjoyed those meetings. She liked knowing what was going on in her kingdom and what the people worried about. She made sure to listen carefully to every plea and story and to every prompted solution. She wanted to understand the true question, the true issue and she wanted to be certain that the remedy wouldn't cause any other unwanted problems no one had thought about.

"Are there any other matters we should discuss?" She straightened her back and let her eyes wander over the representatives of the different houses of the North. Even though she didn't need to wear a crown to be respected and taken seriously, she felt the by now familiar weight of the dire wolf pressing on her red hair.

Her crown represented her father, who died for the kingdom and his children. Her crown represented Rickon, the brother who had been nothing but bait to lure an entire army into a carefully crafted trap. Her crown represented Robb and her mother, who had paid the ultimate price for an independent North and for loving the wrong person. And her crown represented Arya and Bran and most of all Jon, the remaining Starks who were now spread across the world. She liked keeping it close. If she wore it, it felt as if all those family members she loved so much were near her, were with her, no matter how far away they were in reality.

A young boy, actually way too young to be a council member, shook his head. "This was all for today."

Sansa smiled at him and pushed herself up from her chair. And even though she had witnessed her council members standing up and bending their heads countless of times already, she had not grown completely used to it yet. She doubted if she would ever grown used to it. "I will speak to you all tomorrow then. If something urgent happens in the mean time, feel always free to disturb me." She walked past them and left the room.

As soon as she was all alone in the hallway though she started to walk faster and faster to climb the stairs leading towards the chamber of her new Maester.

"My Queen." The Maester didn't seem surprised when Sansa stormed into his room. Instead he wore an amused smile on his face. "What can I help you with today?"

Sansa rolled her eyes. "Have any ravens arrived today, Maester?" She took a few deep breaths to steady her breathing and she let her hands rest on the wooden desk. Countless of papers laid spread out on it and yet she didn't see the familiar handwriting she was looking for.

It had been only four days since she had gotten his last letter. Her answer most likely hadn't even reached him yet in the high north beyond the wall. But still she hoped that maybe he had not waited for her answer to send her a new letter, a new sign that everything was still fine, that he was still safe there and that he was missing her just as much as she was missing him.

"There was a raven today, my Queen." The Maester spoke annoyingly slowly, but Sansa tried to keep her frustration in check. "Not from the high north though." He left an agonising long pause. "The raven came from King's Landing." He eventually handed her the folded scroll carrying the signet of King Bran the broken. "I didn't get the chance to open it yet."

She smiled politely and pressed the letter to her chest. "I don't think my brother will write me anything harmful."

Although he would probably not write her the one thing she actually wanted to hear the most either. He kept on telling her that it was too early, that it was too soon, that there were still too many Unsullied and Dothraki lingering around King's Landing with no idea where to go. He kept on repeating that although he technically couldn't force her to apply the judgement passed by his kingdom, he did advice her to just wait a little longer, until it was truly safe, until she could be certain she wouldn't start a new war no one actually wanted to fight.

Her fingers trembled slightly however when she unfolded the paper and let her eyes take in the words.

Dear Queen in the North,

I will let you know when the time is right. There's no need to take unneeded risks by sending me more ravens with the same question. Life has kept you waiting for your happy end for a long time. I promise it's not long now anymore. I would however like to ask you a favour. Could you personally travel north for me to see if Jon Snow is still where his punishment demands him to be?

Bran the Broken, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Six Kingdoms, Protector of the realm

A broad smile spread across Sansa's face when she handed the letter to her Maester. She shifted her weight constantly while he let his eyes wander over the sentences and she could barely contain the adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"He wants you to visit Jon?" The Maester raised his eyebrows. "Doesn't a Queen have more important matters to take care of?"

She probably did, but the North was officially independent for more than sixteen months now. "I am sure that the council will understand that once in a while we have to follow the instructions of the King of the Andals." She looked at him and waited for more protests to roll off his tongue. "I will ask Jon to return to the wall so I won't be away for too long." She bit her lip. "And if the kingdom needs me in the mean time, they can always send me a raven and I will return as soon as I can."

The Maester simply smiled at her and nodded. "As you wish, my Queen."