The Proposal

Sansa

Sansa had not been well the past few months and it had been difficult for her to even get out of bed . The cold it seemed had finally reached her bones and it seemed she was not able to keep anything down except for some broth and vegetables . Sam was trying different herbs and powders on her to increase her strength and appetite but he had said that these things take time , but she was grateful that at least she had not lost more weight .   There were certain foods and spices that Sam had her avoid and he was trying to have her change her diet as well . It seemed to be working but it was still too early to tell .Sam and Gilly had been a blessing to her in more ways than she could count . She was forever grateful that he was the maester of Winterfell and for all the joy their little family had brought her and her family .

But by far the biggest blessing that she had been given was her son Robb . He was the reason she got up in the morning with a smile on her face . He seemed to know exactly what his mother had needed and when she needed it . Even though Robb was almost grown , close to 16 , he had never given her any trouble . He and Little Sam were naughty children but they were never disobedient and luckily they both had the sweetest dispositions .Now they had both grown up to be remarkable young men . She was grateful that Little Sam was there as well as the Tarly's younger daughter Ava to give Robb a normal happy childhood .  Over the last few years Brienne had brought Joanna to spend vacations with them and Ser Jaime has joked that they should eventually prepare to be in-laws . Sansa had noted the way that Robb and Joanna looked at one another and she thought that Ser Jaime was right .

She was grateful she was feeling relatively well today . Today was Ava's name day and Gilly had arranged a little party at the cottage for all of them . Ava was excited that Joanna was going to be a part of her name day celebrations . Sweet Joanna had helped Sansa complete Ava's gown that Sansa had started but had been too weak to finish . Joanna had knit Ava a beautiful shawl as well . Brienne has been grateful to Sansa that Joanna had found someone that shared her other interests .

Joanna was a wonderful with the sword as well , how could she not be with who her parents were , but she was not passionate about it the way Brienne was . Jaime and Brienne had insisted over the years that Sansa learn some self defense techniques so she had become proficient with a small blade herself . Jaime had remarked that Robb was a natural and maybe one of the best if he got the right training . Jaime and Brienne has spent countless hours in the training yard with Little Sam and Robb teaching them all that they knew , and it had certainly paid off . Jaime took great pride  in both of the boys ability to fight in case the need ever arose . Whenever Sansa would look upon the training yard and see them train she could not help but think of Robb and Jon training all those years ago . She had paid special care that the training yard was well maintained and state of the art , partly in homage to her older brother who she still missed to this day .

In many ways a Sansa was a completely different person than when she had been a girl growing up in Winterfell . Time and circumstances had changed her , but motherhood had changed her the most .

She was truly an independent woman .She had significantly contributed to improving the economy of the North and also improving the lives of the small folk . The common people loved the Lady of Winterfell . Bran had given her the luxury of not having to get married and had asked her to stay on as the Lady of Winterfell . Meera did not want to manage the keep along with her duties as Queen . In fact Meera was the one who insisted that she not leave .Bran had also legitimized Robb and would eventually make him heir since he had no children of his own and if the time arose .Robb was an excellent student and had natural leadership qualities . When Sansa questioned Bran as t0 if the Northern Lords would accept Robb as King if the time ever came , Bran had stated that Robb was a Stark and that would be enough for them . Bran had been so sure that Sansa also stopped dwelling on it.

Overall she was content with the way that her life had turned out . She had many suitors over the years that claimed they would accept Robb as well , but she was happy with Robb and her situation in Winterfell so she did not feel the need to become involved with any man . She had gotten to spend her life with her greatest love and his name was Robb .
She could not fault the Gods for what they had written for her .

The last few months as her health had deteriorated she thought constantly about letting Jon know of Robb , but at the end fear always prevented her from reaching out to him , as it always had done in the past when she had thought of telling Jon about his son .She did not know how he would react or how Queen Daenerys would react since technically Robb was also a Targaryen. Her ultimate instinct was to protect her child so she did not reach out . A very few close people knew that Jon was the father but for the most part it was a closely held secret and she was fortunate that the few people that knew would never betray her trust . She had told Robb who his father was when he had been old enough to understand and she also explained their circumstances . She answered all his questions as truthfully and completely as she could over the years . Robb seemed to understand and accept . After all , how can you miss what you never had . Robb was lucky to have some male role models to look up to notably Bran, Jaime and Sam . What one of his mentors lacked he received with the others . He may not have had his father in his life but Sansa made sure he had abundant love , security and affection and that was all she could do as his mother . She had tried her best and she had to trust that it was enough .

She snapped out of her thoughts and started to get ready for Ava's nameday celebration . Today was going to be a special day , and she was determined to enjoy it .