theladyofwinterfell | (no subject)

Being a queen is tiresome business, especially when all of her bannermen seem to want something different and are at one another's throats for one thing or another. Politicking is something she's good at, yes, but Sansa doesn't want to spend every waking hour doing it. Once she dismisses them all, however, she gives them a promise that she'll make a tour and visit every court individually to hear their concerns. This is a fine idea in theory but in practice will be an undertaking that will tap into every resource she has.

She has guards, of course, but she'd rejected the traditional hierarchy of seven sworn guards who take no wives and have no children and decided to just use trusted men from her garrison. She doesn't particularly want them to leave the castle, considering they're the best she has, so she'll have to hire someone from outside to accompany her instead. That will be risky, certainly, but she trusts her own judgment.

There'd been a rumor of a witcher who had drifted into her borders and she thinks he'll make a perfect bodyguard for such a long trip so she sends a messenger to go find him and bring him to court. She makes sure her message doesn't make it mandatory, only optional, and her messenger returns to say he'd found the man but he'd chosen to make a decision on his own. Very well. There's no sense in hurrying and she'll give him a fortnight to decide whether or not he'll turn up at court.

It's a cold day when someone announces a visitor to her and she hopes it is the man she'd sought, even if he doesn't agree to her proposal. She tells her servants to show him to the chamber she's been using to read correspondence in because it's far more casual than sitting on a throne to receive someone and leaves the door open for him to come in.

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"Fine by me." Once more, the witcher doesn't bow, though there's no disrespect in the way his steady yellow eyes study her. Instead, he nods to her. "Then I'll be on my way."

He doesn't expect her to require him over the next two days, but he'll be hanging around Winterfell, just in case. Besides, he'll need to keep a sharp eye on the armorer.

Their deal struck, Geralt turns and heads from the chamber, his armor and the dual swords on his back clinking with every step. There's a great deal to make ready, and not a lot of time in which to do so.

Sansa has her own preparations to make. She intends to travel light, only three dresses, and they'll fit in the saddlebag that her horse can carry. She has her crown as well but that is only to make the sort of statement that some of her bannermen require from time to time (The Glovers, after all, hadn't stood with the Starks against the Boltons and the North Remembers.)

There is also the matter of gold and she has a heavy purse of it that she entrusts to Geralt when she sees him near the stables.

"It's all there, as promised. Normally I would pay half up front and half afterward but I find no reason to distrust you. Besides, if you wanted to kill me, there's nothing I could do about it anyway. Such is the nature of what you are. I trust you, though, so there's no reason to withhold payment. I have some gold with me, as well, but not so much as to call attention to us. It is my intention to be as anonymous as possible on the roads so no one gets ideas."

"Pretty sure there's plenty you could do about it," the witcher drawls, reaching out to accept the heavy bag of coin. "Starting with not hiring me to begin with. You wouldn't be the first royal to drive a witcher from their castle grounds."

He adds a rune to the bag – a clever thing from a sorceress of his acquaintance, a small charm that simply negates the weight of a small object. The bag instantly feels lighter, and he adds it to Roach's saddle, then gives her a skeptical glance. "Dunno about anonymous, but we're pretty likely to call attention to ourselves. You are, at least. Not many women in the world with looks like yours."

"My face has caused a lot more trouble than I would like. If I had it to do over, I would choose to be a plain woman instead so that men wouldn't notice me nearly as much. I used to be...arrogant about being beautiful. I was proud of myself for something I had no influence over at all. Now I wish I was less beautiful and more clever."

Sansa thinks herself fairly clever but she's learned that the acquisition of knowledge never ends and whenever you think yourself done learning, you've only just begun to do it.

"All that said, thank you for the compliment. I'm hoping if I keep my hood on as much as I can, they won't see my hair and know me as the queen."