Chapter Text
…
The Rehearsal Dinner.
Ned Stark wasn’t expecting to get emotional tonight. Tomorrow during the actual wedding, yes, but not tonight at the rehearsal dinner. It’s the rehearsal. Why would he ever be emotional?
But he is. He looks at his oldest daughter, standing at her fiancé’s side, smiling and looking gorgeous and he feels tears burning his eyes. His oldest daughter is getting married tomorrow. Ned will be walking her down the aisle and she will become a wife and have a husband.
Jon Snow is a good man; the best kind of man. He is a hard worker who owns his own business – a very successful bar – and Ned couldn’t ask for a man to love Sansa as much as Jon does. Just watching them now, Ned sees the way Jon looks at Sansa and smiles at her and it’s as if the man can’t quite believe that he is the one who will be marrying this woman tomorrow.
No, Ned has absolutely no problem with his future son-in-law. He couldn’t ask for a better man for his daughter. It’s just… his daughter is getting married tomorrow. Robb had gotten married five months earlier and Ned had been absolutely ecstatic for his oldest son and his daughter-in-law, Jeyne, and he’s happy for Sansa and Jon, too. It’s just different this time and he can’t explain why.
Sansa and Jon stand together so they can greet everyone who has come to the rehearsal and as if feeling her dad’s eyes on her from across the room, Sansa turns her head then and looks at Ned. He manages a smile when she gives him a bright one. She then leans into Jon and whispers something in his ear. Jon nods and his smile is ever-present on his face as he looks at his soon-to-be wife.
As she always does, Sansa’s appearance is near-perfection. Her red hair is down that evening, waves throughout, and her dress is one of her own creations. Of course. Ruffles that are his daughter’s signature and in a soft lavender color – Ned only knowing it’s lavender because Sansa is his daughter – with pink and orange flowers printed on the fabric.
(Jon is wearing a grey suit and pink tie to match Sansa’s dress that evening.)
Sansa crosses the room, being stopped by nearly everyone, her smile never slipping from her face. Ned can’t remember ever seeing her this happy. He’s sure tomorrow, she’ll be even more so if that’s possible.
Finally, Sansa reaches him, taking a deep breath when she does. “Finally.”
Ned smiles. “How are you holding up?”
Even if the rehearsal dinner this evening – and the wedding and the reception tomorrow – is a small affair, she is still the bride and Jon is the groom and they are the two reasons people have come to celebrate. All of that attention and well-wishes and hosting can certainly be exhausting.
“Can we go get some air?” She asks.
“Of course.”
It is late September, but summer refuses to relinquish its hold for fall to come and the night is still on the warm side. Despite that, Ned takes off his suit jacket and drapes it around Sansa’s shoulders since her dress has short sleeves. Sansa smiles at him and hugs herself.
“Why is it so exhausting just to hug people and thank them for coming?” She wonders.
Ned smiles, tilting his head up to look to the night sky. “Just wait until tomorrow.” Sansa groans a little at that, making him laugh. He reaches an arm out and puts it around her shoulders, pulling her into his side for a hug. “It will go so fast, you won’t even have time to feel annoyed or exhausted until after it’s all done.”
“As long as I get to eat,” Sansa says. “Mom told me that at your wedding, she didn’t even get to sit for the meal. I am sitting down when the food comes.”
Ned laughs again. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Thanks, dad.” And Sansa smiles so sweetly at him, it makes his heart twist. He exhales a shaky breath before he can stop himself and Sansa’s smile fades and her brow furrows. “What’s wrong?” She asks softly.
Ned shakes his head and kisses her on the head. “I’m being silly.”
“Well, I doubt that. What is it?”
Ned pauses and slowly, he pulls his arm away from her shoulders. He tries to think of what is wrong, but he still can’t explain it. Why would it be so different from Robb getting married than it is with Sansa? They’re both his children. He both loves them far more than his own life. Why then is he only feeling emotional and almost melancholy at Sansa getting married tomorrow?
“You’re getting married tomorrow,” Ned then finally speaks.
Sansa smiles just at those words. “I am unless Jon changes his mind between now and then.”
“And Jon knows that I have a gun.”
Ned states that so matter-of-factly, a burst of laughter comes from Sansa and she slaps her hand over her mouth as if she shouldn’t be laughing at that, but Ned grins and Sansa can’t help, but keep laughing.
“No, Jon is definitely showing up tomorrow,” Ned then says. “I imagine he would kill anyone who would get in his way of marrying you.”
Underneath the yellow light of the lampposts, he can see Sansa blush at that and he finds himself smiling. He will never tire of seeing his daughter – or any of his children – so happy.
After a moment though, Sansa’s face falls serious again. “Dad, what is it?” She asks again.
Ned sighs deeply. “I don’t know. I am so happy for you and I love Jon like a son and you two together, you two are going to have the best life. I know all of these things. Yet… when you went South for school, it was the last thing I wanted you to do. The South can change people and usually, it’s always for the worse and when you were growing up, I felt like we were always so far apart. With you going South, I knew we would probably never be able to have a relationship.”
Sansa opens her mouth to say something, but then she closes it again, looking at Ned and listening.
“But then you came home and the South hadn’t changed your personality, but it did change you. I hated for what happened to you with everyone at school laughing at your designs only to turn around and steal them and I saw what it had done to you. You were home again and I vowed that not only would I make things right again for you, but I felt like we were getting a second chance to have some kind of relationship. I knew it wouldn’t be like the close one you have with your mother, but maybe, it could be something.”
“Dad,” Sansa says, unable to stop herself. “I… I know you preferred Arya to me when we were younger.”
“That is not true,” Ned instantly disagrees.
Sansa takes a step closer to him. “Yes, it is, and it’s okay. Arya, let’s be honest. She was like another son for you. Always dirty and playing sports and never wanting to wear dresses. I wasn’t anything like that. I wore makeup and sewed and watched The Princess Bride at least three times a week. I was closer to mom… I always felt more Tully than Stark most of the time and I thought you wouldn’t care if I joined in or not. You had four others and I was just so different.”
Ned feels tears prick his eyes again and he goes to his daughter, putting his hands on her arms. “Your mother and I love you all more than anything and I was always so proud of you. What you could design and sew, it still blows my mind and I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren’t important.”
Sansa shakes her head. “I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn’t want to be closer to you.”
“When you came home and what happened to you was so awful, but I was so happy that I could finally help you with something. Finally.” Ned pauses and swallows. “I’m being selfish because I know how much you and Jon love one another and how happy you are together. You’re going to be his wife tomorrow and I’m just thinking of how I won’t be able to have a relationship with you. Again.”
“Dad,” Sansa whispers and there are tears glistening in her eyes.
“I’m being an absolute ass,” Ned mutters to himself. “It’s your rehearsal dinner. You’re getting married tomorrow and nothing is more important than that. I’ll always be your dad and you’ll always be my daughter. I’m sorry for saying any of this.”
“I’m not,” Sansa quickly shakes her head. “I’m glad we’ve finally said these things.”
Ned pulls her into a hug. “Me, too,” he admits into her hair.
He’s not sure how long they stand there, hugging. It won’t be long enough in his opinion, but finally, eventually, they have to pull apart.
“How about once a week, we go out to lunch? Just the two of us?” Sansa suggests.
Ned smiles. “That’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard.” And it really is.
“There she is!”
Both turn to see Jon, Daario and Tormund coming out of the restaurant.
“Snow thought you had gotten your dad to help you run off,” Tormund grins.
“I never thought that,” Jon frowns at him, but when he looks at Sansa, he smiles. “I hope we’re not interrupting,” he then says.
Ned is the one to answer. “Just some father-daughter time,” he smiles and Sansa beams at her dad.
“We have Heinekens and peanut butter M&Ms,” Daario lets Sansa know, he holding up two of the green glass bottles and Jon is holding the other two while Tormund has the bag of candy.
Sansa laughs and claps her hand excitedly. “Castle Black Bar tradition,” she explains to Ned with a smile.
“Well, I wouldn’t dare interrupt such a serious tradition,” Ned teases them. He kisses Sansa’s head. “I wouldn’t suggest getting drunk the night before your wedding though,” he smiles at Jon.
“Tell that to Daario,” Jon frowns at his friend and fellow bartender. “He thinks it’s a great idea.”
“Daario, be a good groomsman,” Ned tells the man as he heads back into the restaurant.
Jon comes to stand at Sansa’s side as Tormund struggles to open the candy bag and Daario threatens that he will kill Tormund if the M&Ms spill all over the ground. She is still wearing her dad’s suit jacket, but she instantly feels so much warmer with her fiancé standing next to her, his hand resting on her lower back. Is her entire life with Jon as her husband always going to make her not feel the cold and always feel warm?
She can’t wait to find out.
“Is everything alright?” Jon asks her quietly as he hands her the other bottle of Heineken.
“Of course,” Sansa smiles and her conversation with her dad has just lifted something from her chest that she hadn’t even realized was there in the first place. “We’re getting married tomorrow,” she then lets Jon know.
He smiles and clinks the neck of his beer bottle against hers. “Just try and stop me.”
…
