The Restoration of House Targaryen Chapter 22 (Patreon)

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Sansa couldn’t help but smile as her mother embraced her lovingly once more; surrounded by her warmth and presence, she felt like a pampered child again. Catelyn only stepped back after several seconds, but didn’t move away, instead beginning to place countless loving kisses all over her face before taking her in fully and saying proudly:

“Look at you, you’ve all grown up now.” Sansa smiled broadly at her mother’s words, feeling proud of the way her body had developed, and feeling fortunate to have inherited her mother’s Tully genes. “I always knew you’d become the most beautiful lady in all the Kingdoms.”

“Well, I always wanted to be like you,” Sansa says, with tears of happiness.

“You’re much more beautiful than I am, sweetheart,” Catelyn says before hugging her daughter once more. Finally pulling away from her, she turns, eager to embrace her other daughter, but instinctively stops when she sees her new appearance.

Arya, far from being offended, is amused by her mother’s reaction and doesn’t hesitate to openly show her sharp fangs before saying with an amused smile:

“Don’t worry, Mother, I won’t bite you. I’ve already got someone for that.”

Catelyn clearly didn’t understand what Arya meant, and before she had a chance to ask, Sansa obviously beat her to it and said:

“Don’t worry about it; she’s just being silly as usual.”

Arya clearly didn’t like her older sister’s words at all, glaring at her angrily, but Sansa simply ignored her and continued speaking to her mother.

“We’ll explain everything to you soon, but first I’d like to know how much you remember about what happened before it all went wrong.”

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“You really don’t remember anything?” Sansa asked incredulously.

She shook her head, still trembling as she recalled the events surrounding her death.

“And what’s the last thing you remember?” Arya asked a little more sharply.

“We were at the Frey castle; it was supposed to be a celebration. Edmure had just married Walder Frey’s daughter, but at some point, during the evening the atmosphere changed, and then the music. It all happened in a split second… by the gods, they stabbed her so many times… there was so much blood,” Catelyn said, tears welling up in her eyes and her body beginning to tremble as she recalled the traumatic event; Sansa quickly went over to her and gave her a comforting hug.

“It’s all right, Mother. It’s all over now; the Frey’s are dead. Just like the Lannister’s and the Boltons. All those who betrayed us and hurt us are gone,” Sansa said comfortingly.

“How?” Catelyn asked in disbelief.

“Jon killed them,” Arya said with a smile. “Well, I helped a bit, and so did the dragon Queen, but it was Jon who did most of the work.”

“You mean the bastard?” Catelyn said, clearly confused.

“Don’t call him that,” Sansa said, using a colder, harsher tone with her mother for the first time, before relaxing and speaking more gently again. “You’ve been away for quite a while, Mother. We’ve got a lot to catch you up on.”

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“I can’t believe what you’re telling me. How on earth is that even possible?” Catelyn said after hearing everything Sansa and Arya had to tell her.

They’d told her about all the important events in Westeros that had taken place since her death; the most heart-wrenching of all was hearing of the death of her baby, Rickon, at the hands of Roose Bolton’s bastard. Naturally, after hearing that, she asked about Brandon, and although they’d confirmed he was alive, they warned her that he wasn’t exactly the same Brandon as before. She didn’t mind that much; as long as her baby was safe, she was more than relieved.

She had to go and see him later.

Then they told her about the war, the deaths of several kings, the arrival of the Targaryen girl in Westeros, and how Jon’s true identity had been revealed. Apparently, the bastard had never really been a bastard, nor was he Ned’s son; rather, he was the legitimate son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. The dragon prince had never kidnapped her, as everyone had thought; instead, the two of them had run away and married in secret. The boy she had always thought of as a bastard actually turned out to be a Targaryen prince and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. And now he was married to the Targaryen girl, who had dragons.

“This is too much – how did all this happen?” Catelyn murmured, taken aback by all the new information.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth,” Sansa said calmly. “Take as long as you need; we know it’s all very difficult for you right now. You’re not the first person to come back to life.”

“What do you mean?” Catelyn asked incredulously. Although, after everything they’d told her, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing.

“Well, to start with, Jon was the first to be brought back to life; a red witch did it. As well as being a prince, he also turned out to be a legendary warrior destined to slay a monster made of ice who had an army of the undead. After that, I was the next to return; Jon had to use me as a sacrifice to forge a legendary sword. And if you’re wondering why me, it’s because I’m the one he loves the most.” Arya said that last bit with a mocking smile as she stared intently at Sansa. Her older sister simply rolled her eyes at her attempts to tease her. “Although I wasn’t supposed to come back, Jon wasn’t going to sit idly by. By giving up the powers he’d gained by sacrificing me, he brought me back. That’s why I look like this now; and now, to survive, I have to drink his blood and semen—”

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l4SGe0Ic7V8NEHkGttptjrfkfwnBgop_RpOQvLXYQz4/edit?usp=sharing