Jon Snow & Sansa Stark - Game of Thrones Fanfiction

A Prince of Royal Blood (Royalty AU)

One last goodbye

"Jon!" Sansa wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and buried her face in his neck. Salted tears dripped on his white shirt and a little reluctantly he embraced her and pressed her as tight to him as possible.

Usually these meetings in the woods were the highlight of both their weeks. For her it was an escape from court, no matter how much she enjoyed the gossiping and the balls. For him it was the only time someone was actually seeing him as the guy he could have been.

"San..." Jon pressed a soft kiss on her hair. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" She looked up at him with red and swollen eyes. "I don't know what to do!"

If Sansa didn't know what to do, how could he ever know what to do? And so he held her. He rocked her in his arms. He pressed more soft kisses to her forehead and hair. And he most of all waited patiently until she was ready to tell him more.

"They want me to marry!" The blue of her eyes had never been as vibrant as now, when she looked at him with wide open eyes. "And it has to be someone with royal blood." She swallowed. "I wanted to tell them about you. I wanted to tell them that I wanted to marry you, but they've already sent the invitations to all the royal families in Westeros."

Jon wasn't the kind of guy to cry. He had grown up in an orphanage with barely enough food on the table and daily fights for comfortable sleeping spaces and sips of water. He had worked the rest of his life in dirty stables, never allowed to get anywhere near the horses and the more interesting jobs. But now, now the only really good thing that had ever happened to him was about to be taken away from him, he felt his eyes burning and stinging.

"It's gonna be a competition. Every man with royal blood can sign up and whoever wins will get my hand."

Jon furrowed his eyebrows. "And you've got no say in it?" He tensed all his muscles.

"The tests will make sure he's a good man. Brave and gentle and strong." She sniffed. Strands of her hair had come loose and framed her angelic face. "But I don't want someone brave and gentle and strong. I want you!" She locked her glance with his.

"Is there no way I can sign up?" Jon placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. He wasn't sure if he was the right man for Sansa. He was even less sure if he was the kind of man her parents wanted for her. But he wasn't gonna let her go without a fight either. He had to at least try.

Sansa shook her head. "They test everyone's blood. If it's not royal, you will be sent away."

"Will I be punished if I try?" He was only a simple orphan. A stable boy. But there would probably be countless of men trying. Why couldn't he?

She shrugged. "I don't think father feels like beheading half of his male population because they want to marry his daughter."

"Then I will try." Jon spoke firmly, but Sansa smiled while she bent her head.

"It won't change anything..." She sighed. The palm of her hand felt warm and sweaty when she pressed it to his stubbled cheek. "You don't have royal blood, so you won't get in. All of this will be over. No more picnics while it's pouring rain. No more swims in the ice cold lake when the sun is burning our skin. No more stolen kisses and tender embraces."

Jon's heart raced in his chest. He knew that all of this had to end at some point. He knew that one day she would marry a handsome and rich prince and he would go on his way with memories and a heartache. But he was no prepared to see her this broken.

Sansa was always fierce. She always walked with her back straight and her chin up. She had a solution for every problem and whenever she discovered that something was impossible she simply found another way. If she was defeated, if she couldn't see how they would change their fate, how could he ever have hope?