CHAPTER 162
Winterfell, Inner Keep.
"Ah... no!"
Sansa, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly screamed as though trapped within a terrifying nightmare and bolted upright in bed. She panted heavily, cold sweat covering her forehead as her frightened eyes darted around the room.
"Was it only a dream?"
She murmured softly, instinctively pressing a hand against her chest. Moments earlier she had dreamed of being pierced by a monster with icy blue eyes. The instant its weapon struck her, her flowing blood froze into blooming ice crystals, and the unbearable cold had shocked her awake.
Her direwolf, Lady, who had been resting beneath the bed, sensed her mistress's fear. She let out a low whine before jumping onto the bed, gently licking Sansa's trembling hand. The warmth of Lady's rough tongue slowly calmed Sansa's racing heart.
"It's alright... it was only a nightmare..."
Sansa whispered reassuringly while stroking Lady's thick fur.
Outside the bedchamber, the guard Jon Snow had assigned to protect her immediately heard the scream. He hurried to the door, knocked firmly, and asked with concern, "Lady Sansa, are you alright?"
Sansa brushed the damp strands of hair away from her forehead. After taking several deep breaths to steady herself, she answered, "Yes, it was only a nightmare."
The guard relaxed noticeably.
"Would you like me to summon a maid?"
Sansa thought for a moment. Seeing that dawn had nearly arrived, she replied softly, "Yes, please."
The guard acknowledged her request, quietly instructed his companion to remain at his post, then hurried away to summon the maids responsible for attending to Lady Stark.
Only after the footsteps outside faded did Sansa finally relax completely.
She sighed softly and prepared to rise from bed, but the moment she moved, she felt a faint dampness and discomfort between her legs.
Sansa froze.
As though suddenly realizing something, she hurriedly lifted the thick fur blanket covering her body.
A crimson stain immediately came into view upon the linen sheets.
"Blood..."
"My... my moon blood has come?"
She remained seated in stunned silence, uncertain how to react.
Lady Catelyn had already taught both Sansa and Arya everything they needed to know about a woman's moon blood, so panic never crossed her mind. She simply had not expected it to arrive so suddenly.
Yet only moments later, overwhelming joy replaced her confusion.
"My moon blood has finally come."
Looking at the crimson stain once more, Sansa happily confirmed it for herself.
"Then... I can finally marry Garon."
The thought made her heart leap with excitement.
Unable to stop herself, Sansa smiled sweetly as visions of her future with Garon filled her imagination. She became so immersed in those pleasant fantasies that she failed to notice the gentle knocking outside her door.
Jeyne Poole, worried after hearing Sansa's earlier scream, finally pushed open the door together with Beth Cassel.
"Sansa..."
The moment Jeyne entered, she stopped speaking. She saw Sansa sitting on the bed wrapped in her nightclothes, staring into space with a foolishly happy smile.
Seeing the situation, Beth quietly closed the bedroom door again to block the guards' view.
"Sansa, what are you doing?"
The two girls glanced at Lady lying peacefully on the bed before approaching Sansa with familiar ease.
"Ah... is that blood?"
As soon as Jeyne came closer, she immediately noticed the stained sheets.
"Sansa, has your moon blood come?"
Beth, having already experienced her own first moon blood, stepped forward and gently shook Sansa's shoulder, finally pulling her out of her daydream.
Blushing furiously, Sansa hurriedly wrapped herself tighter beneath the fur blanket and shyly nodded beneath the teasing gazes of her two closest friends.
"Hehe."
"No wonder you screamed," Jeyne giggled. "So our Sansa can't wait to become Lady Glover."
Beth sat beside the bed, absentmindedly stroking Lady's fur while smiling.
"Not only that. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already picked out names for her future children."
"Eddard Glover? Or perhaps Robb Glover?"
Sansa's face turned crimson with both embarrassment and indignation.
"You're talking nonsense... I... I never..."
She stumbled over her words while desperately trying to defend herself.
"Of course, of course. Our future Lady Glover definitely wasn't thinking that. I must have imagined it."
Jeyne deliberately nodded before adding mischievously,
"When Lord Garon returns victorious, I'll be sure to tell him everything personally."
"Don't!"
Mortified, Sansa immediately threw herself toward Jeyne, trying to cover her mouth.
"I'll tell him! I'll definitely tell him!"
Jeyne broke free from Sansa's hands while deliberately shouting even louder, making Beth cover her own mouth as she laughed uncontrollably.
The three girls quickly began playfully wrestling across the bed, their cheerful laughter filling the chamber.
Only after Sansa completely exhausted herself did she finally surrender.
"Jeyne... my dear Jeyne... please don't tell Garon."
Seeing Sansa's pitiful appearance, Jeyne could no longer suppress her laughter.
"Fine."
"But you have to promise me one condition."
Sansa nodded repeatedly.
"As long as I can do it, not just one, I'll agree to ten."
Jeyne's eyes immediately brightened.
"Good. You said that yourself. Don't regret it later."
Sansa instantly looked at her suspiciously.
"What are you planning?"
"Hehe. I'm certainly not plotting anything against your Garon."
"You... you're talking nonsense again..."
Just as the girls continued laughing together, hurried footsteps echoed once more from the corridor outside.
The three immediately lowered their voices.
Soon they heard the guards outside saluting.
"Maester Luwin. Lord Snow."
"Is Lady Sansa awake?"
It was Maester Luwin's familiar voice.
"She's awake. Lady Jeyne and Lady Beth are inside with her."
A knock soon sounded upon the bedroom door.
"Please wait a moment, Maester."
Beth called toward the entrance before she and Jeyne quickly helped Sansa clean herself.
Sansa changed into a fresh gown while Jeyne quietly folded away the bloodstained sheets and placed them upon a nearby chair.
Only then did they invite Maester Luwin and Jon Snow inside.
The heavy wooden door creaked open.
Maester Luwin hurried inside, followed closely by Jon, whose expression appeared unusually solemn.
Sansa immediately noticed the seriousness on both their faces, causing her own heart to sink.
"Maester Luwin... has something happened again?"
With a weary sigh, Maester Luwin withdrew a letter from within his sleeve and handed it to her.
"A raven has arrived from Bran at Castle Black."
He intended to explain while Sansa read, but his eyes casually fell upon the folded bloodstained sheets resting nearby.
Instantly, concern appeared upon his face.
"Sansa... are you injured?"
"Why is there blood upon those sheets?"
Startled, Jon also noticed them.
He stepped forward anxiously.
"Sansa... are you hurt?"
Sansa, who had not yet opened Bran's letter, shyly shook her head.
Maester Luwin paused.
With his years of experience, realization quickly dawned upon him, and a warm smile spread across his weathered face.
"Could it be..."
"Has your moon blood finally arrived?"
Sansa's cheeks flushed crimson once again as she nodded.
"Moon blood?"
Jon blinked in surprise.
Then, understanding immediately replaced his concern.
A teasing smile appeared upon his face.
"It seems I should begin calling you Lady Glover before long."
His words only made Sansa even more embarrassed.
Unable to meet everyone's amused expressions, she hurriedly opened Bran's letter, hoping to divert the conversation.
However, the moment she finished reading, her expression immediately became grave.
"Bran says more than ten thousand wildlings have gathered beyond the Wall."
"There are giants among them."
"Giants?"
Jeyne and Beth looked at one another in astonishment.
Maester Luwin nodded heavily.
"Even before Lord Eddard rode south with King Robert, the Night's Watch had already reported giants appearing beyond the Wall."
"Lord Eddard originally intended to gather supplies and men before addressing that threat."
He sighed deeply.
"But none of us expected everything else that has happened."
"The war in the south remains unresolved. We still have no word from Lord Garon."
"And now the Wall faces another crisis."
He rubbed his tired forehead.
"Gods... could everything Bran wrote truly be happening?"
Even Maester Luwin, whose composure rarely faltered, felt utterly exhausted after enduring so many successive disasters.
Looking toward Sansa, he unexpectedly asked,
"Sansa... what do you think we should do?"
After everything she had experienced over recent months, Sansa no longer panicked as she once might have.
She calmly organized her thoughts before answering.
"Maester Luwin, Robb and Lord Garon are both away."
"Although Jon has trained many new men, Winterfell itself still requires a proper garrison."
"I think we should call upon nearby bannermen to reinforce Castle Black."
"At the same time, we should immediately send ravens to Riverrun and inform Robb, asking for his judgment."
She paused before asking respectfully,
"What do you think of that plan, Maester?"
Looking at the increasingly composed and capable young woman before him, Maester Luwin felt a trace of relief wash away much of his previous exhaustion.
He smiled gently.
"We shall do exactly as you suggest."
"Sansa."
Maester Luwin nodded in approval before reminding her to rest well. He then departed together with Jon Snow to begin making the necessary arrangements.
As the raven carrying Winterfell's request for aid flew toward Castle Black, far away upon Dragonstone, Stannis Baratheon was also facing the catastrophic aftermath of the Battle of the Blackwater.
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