Epilog: Home
A cool wind blew around them and disheveled Sansa’s hair as they rode the last stretch of road towards Winterfell. She had ample time to stare at the familiar gray stone and wooden palisades. The wood was new, as Winterfell had been put to the torch, but the stones still stood, even if they were a little blackened in places. The smallfolk assembled to watch them pass as they rode through the town, and every now and again her father stopped to speak to some of the craftsmen. On one such occasion, a little girl approached her horse with a wreath made of wildflowers.
“Thank you,” Sansa told her when she handed it to her. “A finer crown I could never wish for.”
The girl blushed at the compliment before disappearing in her mother’s embrace. Then a roar shook the earth, a bit like the Titan’s, only this one indisputably came from a living creature. A shadow rose behind the walls of Winterfell from where the broken tower used to be. The beast was huge, with dark green scales that had golden highlights, but it took to the skies like the lightest bird.
“That’s Rhaegal,” Arya said from her own horse. “Which means Jon is here.”
And indeed he was. Sansa saw him when she rode through the gates. They had all arranged themselves in front of the great hall to welcome back their lord. Jon stood in the middle, a modest circlet in his dark curls, next to Robb, who now sported a full beard. On Jon’s other side stood Sansa’s mother—an unusual sight, seeing them side-by-side, to say the least—followed by little Rickon, who wasn’t so little any more. And next to Robb stood the woman who must be his wife. She carried an infant in her arms and a shy toddler clung to her skirts.
“My lord,” Robb said with a bow. “Winterfell is yours.”
Beside her, her father nodded with a hint of a smile on his solemn face. He couldn’t take his eyes off the grandchild he hadn’t met yet. Then everything became less formal. Sansa had scarcely time to dismount before her mother hugged her fiercely, as if she were afraid that Sansa would disappear again if she let go. They were the same height now, she noticed. Over her mother’s shoulder, she exchanged a warm glance with her brothers, who all stared at her with love in their eyes.
“Oh, my little girl,” Sansa heard her mother mumble into her hair. “You’re finally home.”
“Yes,” Sansa said. “I’m home.”
Fin