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Sansa's collection

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Willas met Sansa Stark at court while she was attending Queen Daenerys. It was at a feast, and they were put sitting beside one another for reasons unknown, and he promptly fell head over heels in love with her when she refused to dance because she did not want him to feel left out.

Not that she put it so bluntly, of course, but that only made him more determined to have her as his wife.

The only problem is, of course, that Sansa is no longer the lonely Queen in the North. She has a Lord Commander and a Lord Protector and two younger lord brothers and, potentially the worst of all, a former husband who is the Dragon Queen's Hand and who will be reluctant to see Highgarden pass to Garlan if Willas gets his way.

*

1. Tyrion Lannister approaches Willas, and the knowing smile on his face is enough to make Willas blush - is he truly so obvious as that in his affection for Sansa? He hadn't thought so, but mayhaps Margaery had had the right of it, as she so often does.

"Queen Sansa is a very beautiful woman," Tyrion says. "Daenerys is eager for her to marry so Jon can return south."

Jon Targaryen, formerly Jon Snow, Lord Protector of the North and Prince Consort of Queen Daenerys. He refused to be named King. Sansa's brother-cousin who, by all reports, would gladly kill any man he suspects of harbouring lewd intentions towards his sister. Mayhaps Willas was wrong in thinking the Imp would be the worst of his problems. 

"She is not as delicate as she appears," Tyrion adds carefully. "But I would ask that you be gentle with her - she is greatly changed from the girl who first came to King's Landing, and in some ways, that is a great tragedy."

*

2. Four men flank Sansa when she comes forth to greet him at Winterfell, two on either side.

Jaime Lannister is all in shades of silver and white, his golden hand replaced with silvered steel and his hair fading to a soft milky blonde. He is no longer the intimidating force of nature he was when Willas first met him years and years ago, but he still cuts a striking figure, which he knows well.

He puts his striking figure to good use the following morning, when Willas is taking his daily walk to try and loosen the tight muscles in his leg and finds himself cornered by the Kingslayer out of the practice yard.

"A word in your ear, my lord of Highgarden," Jaime murmurs, that amused smirk not shifting to match the contained threat in his eyes. "Her Grace is not a prize to be won, even by a House that delights in collecting such beautiful treasures."

Willas is taller than Jaime Lannister - only just, but he is taller - and is quite certain that he has the moral high ground in this instance, especially considering the way he saw the older man looking at Sansa the night before.

"I do not consider her a prize," he says coolly. "But I will treat her as one."

 

*

 

3. Next to approach Willas - because he can apparently sit back and wait for them to come to him - is little Rickon, Sansa's youngest brother, a whirlwind of fury and tantrums and, it seems, devilishly sharp knives.

Willas knows that Rickon spent most of the war among the wildlings - on Skagos, if the rumours are to be believed - and so his insistence that Willas must steal Sansa is understandable, if amusing.

*

4. Bran is a strange lad, quiet and bookish, but he is elated by the wheelchair Willas draws up plans for. He has one himself, the design modeled on Doran Martell's as per Oberyn's instructions to the carpenters at Highgarden, but even Bran's gratefulness can't quite seem to erase the suspicion in his hauntingly green eyes (they say he can see things that aren't there, and Willas readily believes it).

"Your family made use of my sister before," he says one day, and Willas sighs.

"I rather think I'll be the one in a position to be used if she marries me, don't you?"


*

5. Jon Snow-Stark-Targaryen, bastard-brother-cousin-king, is the last to come to him. He waits until the day before Willas is due to leave, the morning before Sansa must give him an answer, and Willas is beyond relieved to know that this will be his final confrontation with her guard of honour.

Jon is blunter even than the Lannisters.

"If you harm her in any way, I will kill you," he promises, dark eyes firm. The wolfshead hilt of his sword pokes up over his shoulder - they are in the wolfswood, riding out because Sansa suggested that he see more of the North - and he should look dangerous.

Willas laughs. He's been threatened more since deciding he wanted to marry Sansa than ever before in his life, and the only thing he fears now is her turning him down.

"She'll be safe with me as her husband," he assures Jon. "After all, a swift kick to the left knee and I'm completely disabled."

*

They marry two months later in the godswood at Winterfell with all of the Southron court in attendance. 

Willas can feel the gazes of five men on his back as he sweeps a cloak of green-and-gold around Sansa's shoulders and bows to let her place a circlet of iron and bronze on his head, but he is safe in the knowledge that he is now firmly part of Sansa's collection of cripples, bastards and broken things.