Conciliation

[nrgburst]

Fandom: Game of Thrones
Characters: Sansa Stark & Yara Greyjoy, mentions of Theon Greyjoy
Rating/Warnings: G, grief/mourning
Word Count: 382
Summary: She wishes she could have interred him at Winterfell with an easy conscience. But he's chosen to go home before, so she has to at least try. 

(I wanted a Sansa/Yara pre-ship premise despite how much they distrust each other as of 8x06. And they both loved Theon so that was the thread I pulled at. Set just after the Council in 8x06.)
 
On Ao3 here.

Sansa doesn't understand why Lady Greyjoy continues to support the Mad Queen after her death: Daenerys Targaryen had given her nothing but promises; Yara Greyjoy had won back the Iron Islands with her own men and ships.

 

But despite her sneering accusations, Sansa too, understands loyalty.

 

So she has to speak when Yara shoves back her chair and stands, impatient to leave the Council.

 

“Lady Greyjoy,” Sansa calls.

 

She turns and glares back suspiciously over her shoulder. Sansa keeps her face a neutral mask despite the other woman's obvious hostility and hurries forward. “I was hoping to speak to you. About Theon.”

Yara turns abruptly, her eyes meeting hers with both dread and hope. “...You have his body?”

Sansa blinks and takes a deep breath. “I'm sorry- there were too many dead, we couldn't-”

Yara's countenance shifts to one of disgust, and she spits on the ground. “You buried him? No true son of the sea would have wanted to rot under the ground.”

 

Stung, Sansa lifts her chin. “We know. We loved him too-”

 

“And he died for it! As if you Northerners hadn't already taken enough of him,” Yara bites out, bitter and unforgiving.

 

Sansa meets her eyes unflinching, although her eyes have filled with tears. “...He did. He and his men honoured us by defending Bran from the Night King himself.”

 

Yara's eyes go to Bran, who inclines his head in acknowledgment and she hesitates.

 

Sansa can see that it's not just the North that remembers.

 

So she continues. “...We brought Theon's bones and ashes. We had to burn all the bodies, or their festering would have sickened those still living, but... I thought you would want to commit them to the sea, though we didn't know the custom.”

That flash of gratefulness only appears on her face for a moment before Yara nods brusquely.

 

“Bring them to our ship, then. And we will send my brother to the depths properly, so his bones may rest among those of our ancestors. For what is dead may never die.”

 

Sansa inclines her head. “What is dead may never die,” she echoes, and Yara gives her a thoughtful look before she turns again and strides off.

 

It's not a thank you.

 

But Sansa's relieved there's agreement in this, for Theon's sake.