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Eddard Stark paced nervously back and forth in one of the corridors of Winterfell. At the end of that corridor, behind the closed door of a chamber, he could hear his lady wife Catelyn screaming at the top of her lungs trying to battle the pains to deliver their second child together.
The waiting process was a new thing for Ned. He hadn't been present with the nerves and anxiety and excitement the first time Cat gave him a child. A son. I wish I was there, he would think to himself every time he watched his boy Robb running around the castle with his soft auburn curls, the ones like his mother's, bouncing merrily. I should've been there.
He remembered the day Cat told him that she was carrying his child for the second time. Ned Stark was good at concealing his emotions, but the prospect of becoming a father again immediately broke down his wall. This time it felt real. This time he had chosen to take up that responsibility again. This time there was no war to fight. This time he wouldn't miss anything. This time he would be there. For Cat. And for their new child.
Ned felt the silence of Winterfell creeping around him. The screaming had stopped. He leaned on the wall, sighing, calming himself down. He could hear the door creaked open, and Maester Luwin emerged from the chamber. Without a second thought, he walked quickly towards the maester.
"My lord," greeted Luwin.
"Is everything alright?" asked Ned as he tried to take a peek inside the chamber.
"Everything is alright. The mother and the baby are both well. The lady has fallen asleep, though. It has been a successful but tiring labor," he explained.
"Better not to wake her, then. We should let her rest. May I come in?"
"Absolutely. Come inside, my lord." The maester led Ned inside. The midwife and some servant girls who'd helped to deliver the baby were just about to leave. They all gave Ned little smiles of congratulations on their way out.
Ned made his way to the side where Cat was fast asleep on the bed. Her beautiful hair was messy, some sweats were still left on her face, but she looked calm and happy in her sleep. My life has been dark at times, and she has become the light that guides me through it. He kissed her forehead and looked at her with love swelling in his eyes. "You've done well," he whispered.
Only then he realized the tiny bundle next to Cat, wiggling quietly. He studied it for a moment.
"The lady has insisted to keep her close to her," said Luwin.
Her, Ned thought. It is a girl. He then walked slowly to the baby's side of the bed, whilst still studying her very closely.
"She is a very healthy baby girl. Congratulations, my lord," Luwin said again. Ned heard him fine, but he was too fascinated by this tiny creature in front of him that was apparently his daughter. The maester took the lord's silence as the cue to leave. Ned then knelt beside the bed. He watched her for a moment, as if he was afraid to touch her. She is mine. And once those words were planted on his mind, he reached out and held the baby on his arms. He sat on the edge of the bed. She squirmed a bit, before relaxing with a tiny smile plastered on her tiny lips. He kissed her softly. And in that moment, the world become theirs and theirs alone. You have given wings to my soul, my sweetling.
His adoring gazes at the baby was broken off by the sound of the door being opened. It was Robb. He stood at the door, unsure whether or not he should come in. "Father?"
"Robb, come here," called Ned softly. He still didn't want to wake Cat yet. She deserved the rest.
Robb obeyed and walked towards him. He noticed the little baby that his father was holding. His blue eyes lit up immediately, knowing what it meant. "Is that the baby?" he asked excitedly.
"Sshhh, we don't want to wake Mother up yet. She's resting," Ned turned his attention to the baby again. "But yes, this is the baby."
"Do I get a sister, then?" the little boy asked again.
Ned looked up, a bit puzzled. "And how did you know that it was a girl?"
"I prayed for it," his eyes beamed as he flashed a grin. "I wanted a sister." Robb looked at the baby girl, "She's so tiny."
Ned couldn't help but smile to the boy's statement. "Well, now you got what you wanted, what are you going to do?"
"Can I play with her? Although, I'm not sure if she can play like me. She's so small. When will she get big, father?"
Ned chuckled. "You need to be patient on that, son."
"Well, what else can I do with her?" asked Robb as he studied his sister's tiny face.
"Come sit here next to me," Ned told him. The boy obeyed. "The gods have granted you your wish for a sister. Now she will be your responsibility as much as she is mine and your mother's."
Robb tilted his head slightly. His three-year-old mind didn't quite the grasp of what his father was saying to him. Ned noticed it.
"One day," Ned began again, "you will grow to be a big boy. A man. And this baby girl right here, your sister, will need you to protect her. Not only because she is smaller than you, but also because you two are siblings, like you and Jon now, so you'll have to take care of each other. As long as you two still call yourselves a Stark of Winterfell, you will always have each other."
Robb listened closely to every word that came out of his father, but by the end of it, his attention was distracted again by the tiny bundle that is his sister. "Can I touch her, father?" he suddenly asked.
Ned chuckled, "Of course. Just be gentle." Ned then lower the baby for his son. Robb lifted his right hand and started caressing his little sister's cheek. He then looked up to his father, "What are we going to call her?"
It was Ned's turn to tilt his head slightly. He hadn't really thought of that yet. There had been casual discussions with Cat about this matter, but nothing was settled. Though, he did love one of those names Cat had pointed out a fortnight ago. What was it? Would it be good enough?
"Father?" called Robb, breaking his father's thought.
Ned stared at his boy, then his little girl. "What about Sansa?" he finally asked.
Robb eyes widened. "Sansa? Sansa. Sansa... I like it!" he exclaimed.
On the bed, Cat adjusted her sleeping position. Ned and Robb looked at her, then at each other. "We should leave Mother and Sansa to rest for a little while," Ned decided.
"Yes, father," replied Robb, "but can I give my sister a kiss goodbye first?"
Ned smiled and without saying a word lowered the baby again for his little boy. Robb reached for little Sansa's cheek and kissed her softly.
Ned then put baby Sansa into a crib next to the bed. He invited Robb to come out of the room, but before leaving, Robb ran quietly to the crib and whispered, "Thank you for coming and being my sister, sweet Sansa. I promise I'll be a good brother to you."