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Sansa Stark knows she is on the edge of the cliff and about to fall. She has known her duty since she was told when she was eight namedays old. She knows she is the bridge between the North and South. She will marry Jon and have babies to seal the alliance. Never to go north again.
Once maybe it would have been enough. But that was before and this is now. Before she fell into the madness. The warm madness that haunts her breast and makes her heart beat too fast. She meets those amethyst across the room. The music belays the tense mood across the grand hall of Kings Landing. The wedding day is approaching and Sansa feels nothing but dread. She knows her soon to be groom feels nothing but the sort.
He seeks to spend time with her and showers her with gifts while moons ago he scoffed at her and thought her vain. Now he looks at her like she has hung the moon. And Sansa has no desire to see that look in his eyes. Maybe it could have been enough. but these attempts do nothing but annoy her.
Instead she looks forward to verbal sparring and stolen glances with the heir to the throne. The man who holds her family in nothing but contempt. The man who is marrying his cousin and who with his skin the colour of sand and white hair makes her feel like a princess from legends. She wants to cry some days from the loneliness that consumes her. She misses Robb and Father and Uncle Ned and Uncle Robert and Uncle Denys back in Westeros from the Company of the Rose. She misses Aunt Lysa and Uncle Elbert.
Uncle Petyr tries but he is not her family. She misses her blood. And all down here she does not want. She does not want her selfish aunt or the cousin who only saw her value when others brought it to her attention. The music about to start playing. The tune is played and to be danced by the future bride and groom.
Sansa braces her shoulders and breathes deep. She will do her duty even if every part of her weeps. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Aegon abandon Arianne and move. She sees him take a deep breath. She sees Jon get ready. She sees the adoration in his eyes and it makes her want to retch.
Aegon stands off to the side. Their eyes meet. And she sighs when she sees the playful glint in them. She knows she is not alone. And she hopes he knows what he is doing. She will follow. She is done trying to fight it. The song barely starts before Aegon holds out his hand and moves to stand before her. Close enough that there is barely a breath between them. He holds out his hand and she sees Jon move.
Duty dies then and there. Sansa wants to see the world. She hates Kings Landing. She wants the sun and the sky and freedom. She takes the hand of Aegon Targaryen. She hopes he never lets go.