2Disclaimer: All ASoIaF blogs to Martin.
It was the first day of summer and the whole of the castle was abuzz. For today was Sansa Stark's wedding day.
They had survived, not unscathed, but they had survived. The war against the White Walkers had come with a heavy toll, many brave men had died during it, many more had died during the winter. With the poor provisions, the South devastated, famine running rampant and greyscale south of the Northern borders, the residents of Winterfell had reasons to feel relieved when it was all finally over.
It had taken a while for all the residents of Winterfell to warm up to Sansa's chosen one. Sandor Clegane was lowborn, a second son and lame of the leg. But through the war and years, the man had worked hard to earn their trust. To show them he was not after Sansa's status as Lady of Winterfell, but as simply Sansa, the woman he loved.
They had come to see that beneath that gruff exterior, it hid a man who had his own code of honor. Who treated their lady with respect, who did not care for titles nor was he impressed by them.
So little by little, the residents of Winterfell began to think of him as one of their own. Sansa's siblings too, warmed up to him during those years, with Arya being the one who took the longest to accept him, but in the end, by his actions and her love for her sister, they came to a truce. Of course, he did not escape the (rather reasonable) speeches that promised pain if he ever were to mistreat Sansa.
And so today, it was the momentous occasion of their wedding.
The kitchens were busy with preparing the feast, spit roasted rabbits, creamy mushroom soup, honeyed chicken, pigeon pies, roasted vegetables, summer greens tossed with pecans, suckling pigs and salted cod, for desserts there were custard and berries tarts, honey cakes, oat cakes and of course, in honor of Sansa herself, a big lemon cake, the drinks were beer, spiced wine, cider and lemonade .
Sandor had given her free reign on the preparations. "I'd eat anything you put in front of me, Little Bird." He had said.
And so, Sansa had thrown herself at the preparations with gusto. And if she went a little over the top, no one would begrudge her that, she had earned this and no one had the heart to tell her no. Not even Arya when Sansa tried (and succeed!) of getting her to wear a dress for the occasion.
Sansa had been overjoyed at Arya's acceptance, that she had commanded for a simple, yet elegant look for her. Dove grey gown with embroidery at the neck and sleeves in white flowers. Jon, Bran and Rickon had gotten new clothes for the occasion too, both Bran and Rickon would use a dark grey tunics with black breeches. Jon, had chosen for a whole black outfit.
But her biggest projects had been her wedding gown and the wedding cloaks. She had dismissed the thought of wearing white, for she did not want to be reminded of that other wedding, that one that felt almost a lifetime ago. So she had chosen a pale shade of grey, with almost a silver sheen; pale blue roses embroidered in around the neck, her sleeves and the bottom part of her dress. She was happy with it. The sleeves did not dragged, but allowed her for free movement, the dress was form fitting without being skintight, but she had chosen to wear a modest train in her dress.
Her maiden cloak was a lovely piece of work, but she itched to wear the one that would placed on her shoulders, a secret project that only Sandor and herself knew about, well, they had told her siblings too, after all, it was important that they knew.
The night before the wedding Sansa had been a ball of nerves, she could sleep, no matter what she tried to do. She ended waking both Arya and Jeyne, who were sharing her bed one last time. And they ended reminiscing about the past and hopes for the future. They only fell asleep as the sun began to rise, but Sansa had felt only peace then.
They broke their fast in her room too, a simple meal of eggs, bread and preserves. For Sansa was sure she would not be able to handle too much food, her nerves getting the best of her.
They had decided to get dressed together too. Arya and Jeyne got into their respective dresses and after that, they helped Sansa get into hers. It was Jeyne's job to do Sansa's hair, which she did in a lovely braid that she then wrapped around her head like a crown. Arya's hair was simply done at her request, half up, half down. Jeyne herself let it mostly free save for two braids that came from each side and met in the middle.
It was when the sun began to set, that they made their way into Winterfell's Godswood, Jeyne had been sent to get ready the marriage cloak. Jon was waiting for her to walk her down the path, and he smiled when he saw her.
"You look beautiful sister, I hope Clegane knows how lucky he is."
Sansa beamed at him, "Thank you Jon!"
They made their way in silence after that, cherishing the moment. Sansa's arm was entwined with Jon's when they entered the Godswood. Plenty of people had gathered to watch the wedding, but Sansa had no eyes for anyone else, except the tall man that stood the nearest to the weirwood.
Sandor made for a handsome sight in black and yellow, clean and shaven he stood tall and proud. Sansa couldn't help but to be filled with pride for him.
The ceremony went without a hitch. And when it came to the removal of the cloak, Sandor did something that surprised everyone, he removed his own first, and then he removed Sansa's; it was then when Jeyne passed a bundle to Rickon, that he made his way towards the couple.
Sandor took one of the bundles in his hands and unfurled it. It was a new cloak, but it did not simply bear the Clegane arms, but it was a beautiful mix of the two: Two dogs and a wolf in black on a white background. He placed it gently on Sansa's shoulders and then knelt. Sansa took the second cloak, and gently placed it around his shoulders. Once it was done, he stood and took Sansa's hand.
They spoke then as one and as planned. "With this cloak, I bring you into my protection, and will allow no harm to come to you. I will love and cherish you until I my last breath, I wed you with joy. You are my family and my rock, for I love you and will always do so."
It was then when Jon spoke.
"Let it be known as you all have bore witness, that today, a new house is born. One where both of them have promised to love and care for one another. To protect one another until death do they part. Winterfell, I give you the Stark-Cleganes!"
Sansa and Sandor kissed. And whatever is that the future held, they would face it together.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Reviews/Feedback are awesome.