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atopvisenyashill · 13 days

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THE WIDOWS OF WINTERFELL: A True Telling of the Trials and Tribulations of Sansa & Serena Manderly Stark, as written by Coryanne Martell of Bear Island

Though the First Men, the Andals, and most of the Valyrians hold with the tradition that a daughter must always come before an uncle in matters of succession, the truth of this is that inheritance does not always - or even usually - follow such strict traditions. There are variances not only between the kingdoms that make up Westeros, but throughout the world as to whether a Lord or King's wealth and role may pass to a son, daughter, brother, sister, or even a relative further removed. These variances amongst traditions include the Iron Throne itself, where no woman nor man descended from a woman has ever sat, the Dornish and their Rhoynar tradition of age based succession - and, more recently, the North, which holds a similar age based succession tradition.

This tradition traces its origins to the succession crisis of Winterfell in the year 175 AC when a short - but tense - stand off occurred between Sansa Stark and her younger uncle, Jonnel Stark. Sansa, being the daughter of Jonnel's older brother, would have come first when holding to traditional succession laws, as would her sister Serena. The issue was seemingly resolved by the marriage of both sisters to their eldest uncles, Jonnel and Edric, with Jonnel being named Lord of Winterfell and Sansa his lady. In truth, the Sisters Stark had only begun their war of words against their young uncles.

Much of our knowledge of that time comes from the account of the succession crisis set down by Torrhen Stark and edited several decades later by Maester Walys, as well as the many letters sent to close friends while they plotted and planned - and the grumblings of their detractors in the North as well as the South. The judgement of their actions is varied; some called the Sisters Stark overreaching tyrants, more interested in their own power than having any true interest in what they called the rights of heiresses. Those that loved the sisters believed Sansa to have as tender a heart as any woman but with the cold pragmatism of the old Kings of Winter, and Serena an intellect to rival a Grand Maester that she hid behind charm and courtesy. Whatever the judgement of their actions, their impact on Northern succession law cannot be mistaken.

SOME NOTES HERE

The names are NOT listed in age order or the graphic doesn't work. Sue me!!!

My characterization for Jonnel, Edric, Barthogan, and Brandon is based off the very vague idea that the North “lamented” the loss of Rickard because the rule of his sons was “troubled” as they were just, not that good at being Lord of Winterfell, except in this version Sansa and Serena get frustrated with that and just refuse to let go of the North when Jonnel dies, and make their beef the North’s problem by going “actually succession is strictly age and not gender based now, new rule.”

read more here, this idea came from me trying to justify absolute primogeniture being recent in the North, for maximum drama between the Starklings and also to give Ned a heart attack.

This timeline is held together mostly on vibes lksjfd I might update the concept as I go along but I got tired of trying to piece together the ages and death dates.

I genuinely have like a novella worth of F&B style lore to back all of this up. Here is only a tiny little bit of it-

Cregan sends Sansa to the Maidenvault to be a companion to Elaena Targaryen. She is one of very few Northern girls sent, and likely (definitely) sent to ensure she could not develop proper support in Winterfell to rival Cregan's sons.

She is recalled to Winterfell once Baelor the Blessed dies, because Cregan Does Not Fuck With Viserys Like That, but Cregan hems and haws about her marriage match until the day he dies.

After she realizes Jonnel intends to cut Serena/Cregard out of the line of succession, she starts building alliances not just in the North but in the South as well. Elaena and Alyssa (one of Rhaena's daughters, Alyssa Hightower, because it is the funniest name!) help her find matches for Cregard, Aregelle, and Aranna that come with influence, money, and a small household ready to move into Winterfell and loyal only to Sansa and Serena.

Cregard marries a northerner, Robyn Ryswell, to gain the Ryswells as an ally. More than that, it was important to Sansa that Cregard marry a Northerner, because some talk about them being ~poisoned by Southron ambitions~ bc she was raised in the Capital.

Torrhen, Cregard's twin brother, marries Rhaella Hightower, or what Alyssa, Elaena, and Sansa refer to as Rhaena and Garmund's Oops Baby. Younger than her sisters by over a decade, Rhaella is doted on, and comes north with a large household and a small fortune.

Aranna is the first match Elaena and Sansa set up though it's not for politics (it happens before Edric dies) but because of their fondness for each other - Elaena's son, Jon Waters, with Serena's oldest girl. I know there’s the bastard thing but executive decisioning that Jonnel and Edric are excited about it - they grew up hearing all sorts of stories about Alyn Velaryon and they can't help but think it's both very cool and potentially useful to have his bastard son with a Targaryen princess in Winterfell.

Aregelle's husband, Garin Martell, is not from the direct line of the Martells aka a brother to Myriah and Maron. He is however, part of the household sent to protect Myriah when she comes North to marry Daeron in 169, as a squire. Elaena suggests the match and also hints at the idea that she wants a Dornish influence in the North to help Sansa and Garin is like "say no more, that's hilarious."

The match between Lyanna and Galeo Cassel is made by Serena. Galeo Cassel was a merchant from Braavos who made his home in winter town, finding he much enjoyed the cold weather and the odd, serious ways of the Northerners. He becomes a close friend of Serena's while Sansa is in the South, and is rewarded with a marriage match, when he designs a sigil - he tells everyone who will listen that the single wolf is Cregan, the two wolves are Sansa & Serena, the three wolves are him, Lyanna, and his brother, and the four wolves are their children (who haven't been born yet). Being the richest man in winter town, his support and fondness for the girls becomes important to their goals. Yes I worked in an origin story for House Cassel.

Sansa reaches out to every aunt she has with the promise of fantastic matches for all their kids if they back her claim against Barthogan. I simply did NOT have the room for all of the kids, hahahaha, but this is how she gets the Norreys, Umbers, Ryswells, and Blackwoods on her side - all of a sudden, they get to jump the line over her uncles AND they’re offloading their spare kids into other people’s castles. In return, she gets second son Leo Blackwood's own son, Ronnet, a sweet match with a Tully, and they marry back into the family a generation later. She gets the Ryswells a sweet match as well with Cregard, obviously, and will get the Umbers one soon (hold that thought).

Alysanne Stark, daughter of Torrhen and Rhaella Hightower, is their oldest child. She, Edrick, and Addam and Elaena are all close, growing up in Winterfell together. Alysanne, who married Jason Blackwood, is given some land in the Wolfswood to settle, and the two eventually form their own cadet house, at first called House Stark of the WolfsWood but eventually it is shortened to Starkwood. Elaena Soranys, a name she later takes on to rid herself of the taint of bastardry, marries the heir to House Umber. Olyvar marries the heir to House Mormont, Janna, and his second born child - they have four daughters in total - establishes House Martell of Bear Island.

I haven’t decided if it’s more likely that the Martells of Bear Island are just, this random Martell cadet branch in the North that by present day just doesn’t look Dornish at all and has no relationship to Dorne or the main Martell branch, but kept the Martell name, OR if Bear Island is like, just a Little multicultural because the presence of its original Dornish founding member is enough to draw the presence of more Dornish people to Bear Island. I was picturing kinda like the Marches, where you can see through the names and marriages a bit of a mixing of the two dominant cultures there, like a lil sprinkling of southron influence seeping through.

I still wanted to keep the concept of a succession crisis when Dunk and Egg get to the North SO! Brandon still marries Alys Karstark - a match Sansa fights against loudly - and Beron still marries Lorra Royce and has several children (i stole some of them for other characters though). Cregard dies before his mother and Serena, who is old, frail, and sickly, rules in name alone when Sansa finally passes - the rule of Winterfell is mostly in the hands of her grandson, Edrick. He marries a Manderly, and they have one child that lives to adulthood, Arsa, though she has a number of cousins all eager to be her favorite - including, eventually, her cousin William.

After William’s wife, Gillian’s Glover, dies in the birthing bed, Arsa sends for a nursemaid to care for his son, Brandon. Though Brandon dies soon after the nursemaid, Nan, gets to Winterfell, a grieving William is touched by his cousin’s care.

When Sansa dies, and Edrick is fatally wounded not long after, Dunk and Egg walk into a succession crisis. While several first born daughters have inherited since Sansa and Serena's changes - Janna Mormont, Corlynne Cerwyn, Arya Flint, and Serena Hornwood - the very short rule of Edrick and the premature death of Cregard has everyone on edge about yet another ruling Lady of Winterfell. As Edrick lay dying, Westeros’ nosiest squire and most upon knight roll up to the castle, curious as to why every single Stark is suddenly at Winterfell.

Also, here are the invented sigils, the Mormont Martell words are not serious but I imagine their words are similarly metal: