“What do we do?” Arya asked.

“The only thing we can do.” Bran said. “We run.”

“The army of the dead are right outside the castle, Bran.” Jon said. “We can't run.”

“If we don't leave, we die.” Bran said. “Before you try to convince everyone otherwise, I'm leaving and taking some of the Northmen with me.”

“You can't order my troops to follow you.” Sansa said, almost jokingly, because she knew that Bran wouldn't do that.

“They are leaving anyway, so I am just going with them.” Bran said and looked at their surprised faces. “Did you really think that you lost nearly all of the heads of houses from the North to the dead and almost none of the commanders of the unsullied?”

Everyone fell silent as Bran had his attendant push him out of the room.

“So, even the Northmen won't honor their king's pledge.” Daenerys said, her voice full of scorn.

“You removed him as king when he bent the knee.” Sansa said. “He's just a warden now.”

Daenerys squinted her eyes at her. “Did you forget our previous discussion already?”

“No, I heard you.” Sansa said. “I don't fault my men for leaving a losing battle.”

“You would defend such cowards and not have them killed for abandoning their countrymen?” Daenerys asked.

Sansa's eyes grew hard and tried not to show her anger.

“That's twice you've referred to them as 'your' men.” Daenerys said and looked at Jon. “How does that sit with you? Your own family claiming that they have the right to rule over your people without even talking to you about it first or asking you to step aside?”

Several people in the room hissed at her accusation and all eyes turned to look at him.

Jon stood there and knew that he was in a bad situation. If he spoke out about Sansa undermining his authority in the North, then in is mind he would be a hypocrite, because he knew that Daenerys was his father's sister... which made her his aunt and close family... which also made her guilty of the very thing she had just accused Sansa of. It was true that Dani didn't know his secret; but, he had the feeling that if he did tell her, or anyone else, she would insist on ruling anyway.

“I don't think...” Jon started to say.

“I have half a mind to call upon her to answer for treason.” Daenerys said and everyone in the room froze. “The entire time we have been here, she has done nothing but undermine your authority, and mine, by sowing discontent and hatred against me and my people.”

“I have not done such a thing!” Sansa exclaimed.

“No?” Daenerys said and turned to face her. “Then bend the knee.” She said and saw the shocked look on her face. “If you truly believe in Jon and his love for you, that he crossed the world to find me and begged me to help your countrymen and these lands, then you should have no problems with bending the knee to me, just as he has.”

All eyes turned from Jon to stare at Sansa.

Now it was Sansa's turn to be in a bad situation. She had never suspected that her halfhearted support for Daenerys would have been brought out in the open like this.

“I shouldn't have to bend the knee, since Jon already has.” Sansa said to try and deflect the attention.

“Normally, that would work... but, as I've discovered, if you don't have individuals of the powerful families bow and accept my rule, getting their troops to bow will not work unless they are too afraid of refusing.” Daenerys said. “So, which of them are you going to be, Lady Stark? A coward that will ignore her responsibilities to her people, or an honorable woman who accepts that her position means she must look after her people's needs before satisfying her own?”

Sansa looked around the room at everyone's faces and stopped at Jon's. She saw his desperate plea to accept what Daenerys was offering and to get it over with. Her thoughts went to him accepting Daenerys' rule without even hesitating, and she couldn't do it. She knew that Daenerys wasn't going to be the best thing for the kingdom because she was too ruthless, too brazen, and didn't know how to handle the people properly.

Sansa stepped away from the table and everyone expected her to bow... and she didn't. Being called a coward did not sit well with her at all. She fought her own self-preservation instincts and held her head high as she spoke.

“You are not my queen.” Sansa said and a soft moan escaped from Tyrion before he could stop it. “Jon, just withdraw your support from her.” She said. “She can't survive in the North if...”

Daenerys nodded to the side of the room and two unsullied stepped forward and grabbed Sansa by the arms.

“Your highness, perhaps a lenient hand would be best...” Varys started to say.

“My queen, please.” Jon interrupted him.

“Jon, I have warned you every day since we came here that she was not helping us like she was supposed to, and now she openly defies me in front of everyone.” Daenerys said. “What would you have me do?”

Arya tried to step forward and one of the unsullied stepped in front of her. She slit his throat with Needle before he could ask her to step back.

“ARYA!” Jon yelled; but, it was too late.

Arya sidestepped the next unsullied that tried to attack her and she shoved her dagger into his lower back and into his kidney. Three unsullied stepped forward and she hopped up onto the table to fight them. Not wanting anything to do with her antics, one of the unsullied kicked the table over to make her fall to the floor. The next moment, she was tied up and gagged, her weapons removed and held to the floor.

Daenerys shook her head. “Jon, if I'd known your people lacked this much common sense and had no honor, I would have refused your request to save them.” She looked at Arya. “You killed two of my men without provocation.”

Arya mumbled something through the gag.

“He was going to ask you to step back, you stupid girl.” Daenerys said, anger clear in her voice. “Unlike what you just did, we would have given her a trial where she could defend herself.” She shook her head. “Thanks to you giving me proof that Sansa and the Starks had no intention of fulfilling their pledge to me, a trial won't be necessary.”

Arya yelled through the gag and struggled.

Daenerys looked at the unsullied holding the girl. “Send her to the Dothraki caravan at the back of the castle. Tell them what she did and they will punish her appropriately for killing two unarmed warriors.”

“My gueen.” Jon said and Daenerys looked at him. “Can't you...”

“I should have her killed; but, I know you love her. She will serve the next six months as a handmaid for the horses.”

“Thank you.” Jon said in relief and the unsullied took Arya from the room.

“As for her sister and traitor to the crown.” Daenerys said and looked at Sansa. “There is only one punishment suitable for treason.”

“You aren't the queen of the seven realms!” Sansa said. “You can't charge me with being a traitor to you if I was never loyal in the first place!”

Several people gasped and Daenerys laughed.

“Foolish girl. I didn't say my crown, did I?” Daenerys said. “I believe Jon was your king and you did everything you could to undermine his authority in the North, so much so that the heads of the houses left in the middle of the battle and took their commanders with them!”

Sansa's face flushed red at her words.

“You understand it, then. You cannot stand here in front of everyone and say that you haven't rebelled against him or harboured ill will towards him, especially for bringing me here.” Daenerys said. “At the next opportunity, I will...”

“No.” Jon said as he stepped forward and drew his sword.

Daenerys turned to look at him, and he was surprised that she didn't have a bit of worry on her face, even though he was brandishing his sword so blatantly.

“I am so sorry about this.” Jon said and lifted his sword as if to strike, and Daenerys gave him a calm and peaceful smile. He knew in that moment that she really loved him, above all other concerns, and he knew he had made the right decision. He swung his sword and pivoted...

...and plunged it right through Sansa's heart.

The three Northmen that were heads of houses reacted and tried to attack, and the unsullied grabbed them and put them on their knees.

“Kill them.” Daenerys said and the three men were quickly killed.

“Oh, Sansa.” Jon said as he removed his slightly glowing sword from her chest and dropped it, then caught her body before she fell to the floor.

“J-J-Jon...” Sansa managed to get out.

“I have always loved you like a sister, even though you and your mother hated me so much.” Jon said with tears in his eyes.

“You... knew...” Sansa took two quick breaths and then sighed as her breath left her for the final time.

Tyrion stood off to the side, his eyes filled with tears. Once again he lost a woman whom he was to be married to and he cursed silently. He didn't say anything or stepped forward to add his sorrow to Jon's.

“Treat them appropriately.” Daenerys said to a squad of unsullied as she put a hand on Jon's shoulder. He nodded to her in thanks, picked up his dropped sword, and everyone followed the two of them out of the room.

In moments, all of the dead bodies in the room were decapitated. All but one were taken to the wall, covered in oil and lit on fire, then dumped over the side onto the army of the dead. The last body was taken to the crypts and put into one of the empty ones, covered in oil and lit on fire, then placed her remains inside with the cover slightly open to let it burn.

*

Arya tried to struggle as the two unsullied ignored her and carried her through the castle. She had heard Sansa's death from the hallway and she stopped herself from crying about it as she added Daenerys' name to her now very short list. As she thought about how to deal with it, from one second to the next, she went from being completely immobilized in her captors arms to laying face up on the ground.

Arya looked up and saw a towering man as he easily decapitated the second unsullied with his broadsword. She blinked her eyes at the brutal efficiency and the power, then that same sword cleaved through the air and sliced the ropes around her ankles and her wrists in one motion.

“Who did you piss off this time, girl?” Sandor Clegane asked as he grabbed her shoulder and stood her up on her feet.

“Daenerys.” Arya said after she pulled the gag out of her mouth.

“Aye, the blonde bitch.” The Hound said and hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “If that's the case, then you better get going.”

Arya looked at the two headless bodies and then back at him. “So should you.”

The hound looked down at the dead bodies and shrugged. “Fuck'em.”

Arya fought to keep the smile off her face. “They won't take kindly to you doing that.”

“Girl, there's a literal army of the fucking dead climbing the outside walls right now.” The Hound said. “I could do anything I wanted right now and no one is going to tell me no, nor could they stop me.”

Arya bent down and retrieved her dagger and her sword, Needle. “What do you want to do, then?”

“I want a fucking drink and to be left alone.” The Hound said.

“I'm sure I can get you the first if follow me.” Arya said and led him through some hidden pathways through Winterfell and they came out near the main house and the stable. “Help me do up the horses.”

“Horses?” The hound asked and they did up two horses and added the supplies they needed for a long journey. No one was around, so they took a bit more than they were supposed to.

“Come on.” Arya said and led her horse between two buildings to a small entrance, then she disappeared. A few minutes later, she came out with two large saddle bags that looked quite heavy.

“What's this?” The Hound asked and grabbed one to put on his horse.

“The best wine in Winterfell.” Arya said and climbed up onto her horse. “Are you coming?”

“Cheeky girl.” The Hound said and popped open one of the saddle bags and took out a huge cask of wine. He took a swig of it and his eyes bulged as his face turned red from the strength of the alcohol. “What the fuck is this?” He asked, completely surprised.

“I told you. It's the best wine in Winterfell.” Arya said and kicked her horse into motion. “You better keep up if you want the other saddle bag when those run out.”

The Hound stared at her for a moment, grumbled a curse under his breath as he climbed his horse, then trotted after her. “You know you're a right bitch, don't you?”

Arya didn't stop her smile this time. “Hurry up, you drunk bastard.” She said and kicked her horse to go faster. “Your wine is getting away.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake.” The Hound said and rode his horse to catch up to her.

*

A caravan of Northmen with Bran in the lead cart, left the safety of Winterfell and rode as quickly as they could towards the south. He knew that if they didn't reach a particular spot before the dead broke through Winterfell's defenses, then he would be killed as well.

Bran didn't even feel bad about leaving Sansa to die, mainly because she had believed that she was too smart to be caught by her own machinations. He thought about what could have happened, had he told her the truth about Jon, then he shrugged. He had left it to Jon to tell who he wanted and that was how it was going to stay.