History Fanfic / TheNorthRemembers

[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/336407?view_adult=true&view_full_work=true The North Remembers]] is for the most part centered on the viewpoints of the Stark family and that of their allies. At just over 600k words, it is a bit shorter than the first two books in the series.

* TheNightThatNeverEnds

* CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler: Edmure, who after hearing of Roslin's death along with their unborn child,]] turns into a deeply bitter person who feels he has nothing left to live for in life.

* AnyoneCanDie: Especially for House Lannister by this point, which is lampshaded by Sandor Clegane. The Freys also take this UpToEleven, bordering on HumiliationConga.

* AndManGrewProud: Arya notes that this will happen to [[spoiler:Braavos after watching it sink into the ocean.]]
-->''“Men will sing of the sunken city [...] one day,"'' Arya thought, her mind bizarrely, perfectly clear. ''"Of its beauty [...] Of how it was a great civilization before it vanished forever to the bottom of the sea, and became a memory, a myth.”''

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: 26 characters get a POV chapter, including 11 new ones.

* NotSoDifferent: Arya Stark and the Summer Maid[[spoiler:/Tysha. They both fled to Braavos after the Lannisters destroyed everything they loved. They were both found and aided by Jaqen H'ghar and learned the secrets of the Faceless Men. But, Tysha chose to become a courtesan while Arya chose to become a killer.]]
** Jon muses that humans and the Others are this, as while men deem the Others to be ruthless killers, men have also waged brutal wars, including genocidal ones like the Andal invasion, and that many praised lords and heroes wielded the power to kill those they disliked.

* InfantImmortality: Zig-zagged. Poor, poor [[spoiler: Shireen Baratheon, Robert Arryn, Tommen Baratheon, Rollam and Elenya Westerling]] are all child characters who die, but [[spoiler: Robbie Stark managed to survive his birth despite the contraceptives Jeyne had unknowingly used.]] Double Subverted with [[spoiler: Myrcella Baratheon, who's NotQuiteDead.]]

The future of Westeros, and that of the Great Houses and their Kingdoms, hangs in balance as the long winter starts its descent into the continent with the invasion of the Others. The game of thrones is now currently battled between House Lannister, which has suffered heavy losses from the War of the Five Kings and the ineptitude of Cersei's mad rule, and the rejuvenated Targaryen cause led by Aegon VI. In the North, Stannis Baratheon leads his men in the harsh winter against the turncoat Roose Bolton and his treacherous Frey allies, while relations between the Wall and the Wildlings have quickly fallen into ruin. Meanwhile, Tyrion Lannister has arrived in Meereen, unknowing of Daenerys's current predicament, and in the city of Braavos Arya struggles to abandon her identity as a Stark.

[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/336407?view_adult=true&view_full_work=true The North Remembers]] is for the most part centered on the viewpoints of the Stark family and that of their allies. At nearly eight-hundred pages it is just about as long as the average book in the series.

--> ''If one was to be a legitimate [[WomenAreWiser wise woman]], one had to be as old as the hills, with white hair and withered teats. That way there was no danger of beauty, of sexuality, of damning the souls of those poor blameless men led astray into sin as a result of your shameful mortal flesh. Cersei had concluded long ago that it was impossible for a women to be accepted as both beautiful and strong, or even as either one. [[DoubleStandards If beautiful, she was a slut. If strong, she was a bitch]].''

* AdaptationDecay: In-universe example, the play Arya watches in Braavos in the beginning is a historical adaptation of the events in King's Landing that led to Ned Stark's death and the War of the Five Kings. "Cersei" and "Tywin" are both [[CardCarryingVillain Card Carrying Villains]], "Jaime" is the comic-relief, and "Ned Stark" is a chauvinist who believes the problems of Cersei's control stem from the fact that she is a woman. [[RevisedEnding The play ends with "Robb Stark" avenging his father and destroying the Lannisters.]]

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: The BiggerBad of the series is revealed to be none other than the Great Other, [[spoiler:Jon Snow, who is also, coincidentally, The Prince Who Was Promised.]]

* DiggingYourselfDeeper: See BerserkButton and WhatAnIdiot for how [[spoiler:Littlefinger]] does this when he comes face to face with [[spoiler: Lady Stoneheart aka Catelyn Stark.]]
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: ''Averted''. [[spoiler: There's a reason Cersei's attempted rape of Jaime is on the NightmareFuel page.]]

--''“Men will sing of the sunken city [...] one day,"'' Arya thought, her mind bizarrely, perfectly clear. ''"Of its beauty [...] Of how it was a great civilization before it vanished forever to the bottom of the sea, and became a memory, a myth.”''

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Cersei, who keeps digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole, to the point that even Ser Loras and Margaery feel sorry for her.

* ActionGirl: Alysane Mormont. She even becomes the first woman to say the Night's Watch oath just so she can fight off the wights!

* [[spoiler:[[AndThenJohnWasAZombie And Then Jon Was The Great Other]]]]: [[spoiler:The BiggerBad of the series is revealed to be none other than Jon Snow, who is also, coincidentally, The Prince Who Was Promised. Fortunately, he's not on the Others' side (he still remembers who he is), as he wants Sam to kill him after he's settled his business with Ramsay.]]
** [[spoiler:AntiAntiChrist]]

-->[[spoiler: ''“Men will sing of the sunken city of Braavos one day,"'' Arya thought, her mind bizarrely, perfectly clear. ''"Of its beauty and its bravos and its canals and its courtesans, of its silks and mysteries and mazes, of its harbor and its mummers and its merchants, perhaps even of its taverns and its cutpurses and its cats and mussel-sellers. Of its terrors and temples and its Iron Bank and its Faceless Men. Of how it was a great civilization before it vanished forever to the bottom of the sea, and became a memory, a myth.”'']]
* [[spoiler: AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Bran gives one to Meera before she sacrifices her life energy for his sake, completing his transformation into a Greenseer.]]

* ArrangedMarriage: In order to win back the Iron Islands from her EvilUncle Euron Crows-Eye, Asha agrees to Ser Justin's marriage proposal and offers it to Stannis Baratheon should he hope to win over the Ironborn. [[spoiler: He accepts, though reluctantly at first.]]

* ButtMonkey: Edmure Tully. As usual, nothing goes right for him.

* CueTheSun: [[spoiler: The sun breaks over the ruins of Castle Black after the destruction of the Great Other, signifying the end of the Long Night.]]

* DespairEventHorizon: After Bran [[spoiler: completes his transformation into a Greenseer and becomes the three-eyed crow, he nearly loses it in his viewpoint chapter after realizing that [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Meera]] died for his sake.]]

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler: Jorah dies in Dany's arms after his heroic sacrifice to blow the dragon horn.]]
** Likewise, [[spoiler: Jamie dies peacefully in Brienne's arms after making amends with Tyrion. All things considered, the heroes get the best deaths.]]

* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: [[spoiler: Following the collapse of the Wall, a massive tidal wave destroys Braavos and somehow makes it all the way to Meereen.]]

** [[spoiler:Jorah Mormont, dying by the wounds inflicted to him by Daario, blows the Valyrian horn to free the dragons from Victarion's control. He smiles as soon as he sees Daenerys running to his side, happy to have been in her service.]]
** [[spoiler:In Chapter 106, after having made amends with his brother and finally redeemed himself in the eyes of history, Jaime peacefully succumbs to his wounds with a smile on his face.]]
* GrandFinale: This story as a whole is this for ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', complete with a SaveTheWorldClimax where [[spoiler:Jon Snow, reborn as Azor Ahai, flies on the back of Rhaegal with Val to stop the Others.]]

** [[spoiler: Jon Connington kills both himself and Varys in order to save Aegon and awaken the dragons.]]
** [[spoiler: Stannis blows the Horn of Dawn knowing it will mean his death.]]
* HisStoryRepeatsItself: [[spoiler: Once again, Jaime kills a monarch to save King's Landing from being burned with wildfire.]]

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: In Samwell's final chapter, he is forced to fight the Great Other at ruins of Castle Black, who has completely possessed the body of Jon Snow. This is emotionally painful as he is forced to fulfill his promise to kill his best friend.]]
* InfantImmortality: Averted for poor, poor [[spoiler: Shireen Baratheon, Robert Arryn, Rollam and Elenya Westerling. Tommen also died while his father/uncle was killing his mother.]] Played straight however, with [[spoiler: Robbie Stark, who managed to survive his birth despite the contraceptives Jeyne had unknowingly used.]] Double Subverted with [[spoiler: Myrcella Baratheon, who's NotQuiteDead.]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler: Ramsay gets his courtesy of Theon.]]

** [[spoiler: Littlefinger, the man who had betrayed Ned Stark and had him killed so that he could finally claim Catelyn, is killed by Lady Stoneheart in a rather gruesome fashion through direwolves]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Garlan Tyrell in chapter 107]]

* LaserGuidedKarma [[spoiler:Walder Frey and Roose Bolton.]] The former [[spoiler:who had been stricken with an apoplexy, immediately dies upon hearing that his daughter Roslin was executed along with the Westerlings at King's Landing.]] The latter [[spoiler:is stabbed in the neck by Ramsay while he wasn't looking, just as Stannis begins his assault on Winterfell.]]

* TheLostLenore: Robb for Jeyne, who she continues to mourn throughout the story.

* LukeYouAreMyFather: [[spoiler: Tyrion, who after putting together the pieces about Penny's past and that of her mother, realizes that she is his daughter.]]
** And of course, it comes to no surprise that Jon snow's parents are revealed to be [[spoiler: Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.]]

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Myrcella. According to Qyburn and Loras Tyrell, she was apparently killed by Obara Sand because she had found out that Gregor Clegane was alive as Ser Robert Strong. Yet when Arianne demands to know the details of how it had happened from her father, he's strangely quiet about it.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler: Granted, it had to be done in order to eventually defeat the Others, but Jon Snow blowing the Horn of Winter and bringing down the Wall came at a heavy cost, allowing the Others to freely travel south and cause mayhem and death throughout Westeros. Additionally, it caused a tsunami which destroyed the city Braavos and wrecked havoc throughout the world.]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Princess Myrcella, widely believed to have been killed by Obara Sand, in fact survived the attack and was smuggled to Highgarden. One of her companions had died instead and people mistook her for the princess.]]
* OhCrap: [[spoiler: Sansa and company's reaction to being spotted by Robert Strong/Gregor Clegane while trying to sneak into the Red Keep]]

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Asha goes ahead with her marriage to Justin Massey despite [[spoiler: Stannis having died and thus no longer any reason to swear fealty]], having been impressed by Massey's bravery during the war.
** [[spoiler: Sansa and Willas' marriage proves to be a lasting and fruitful one, while making the Starks and Tyrells into close allies.]]

* ProphecyTwist: [[spoiler: Though most readers never believed Tyrion to be the valonqar, Cersei finally realizes that Maggy was refering to Jamie as he is strangling her to death.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Dany. [[spoiler: Her destruction of the Iron Throne cements her pledge that the new Targaryen dynasty will not be one of absolute rule but that of equals among the Westerosi houses.]]
** [[spoiler:Aegon as well, for that matter, proves to be a wise and just ruler during the brief time he sits on the Iron Throne, despite his illegitimacy. He does nothing to obstruct Sansa, rather, he agrees to Sansa's request to annul her marriage to Tyrion and allows her to marry into House Tyrell. This would have never happened during the previous regime. He then shows mercy to Jamie for killing his purported grandfather, but wisely kicks him out of the Kingsgaurd and allows him to live at Casterly Rock (though things end up going a bit differently). Finally, his act of selfless honesty to admit his illegitimacy openly to Daenerys further proves his willingness to put the realm before himself. Had he remained seated on the Iron Throne (the Others attack of King's Landing notwithstanding), he wouldn't make a bad king.]]

* SadisticChoice: Aegon is forced to choose between his morality to making horrific, but pragmatic decisions to gain back his birthright. [[spoiler: In both cases, he chooses to be pragmatic, executing the Westerlings and Roslin, and later choosing to sacrifice Jon Connington... In the case of the latter though, [[SubvertedTrope he calls it off at the last minute]]]]

** [[spoiler: Which happens right after poor Sweetrobin's demise. The lords of the Vale, as it turns out during Sansa's trial, never truly cared about the boy and are now squabbling over who will become the next Warden of the East now that Harry the Heir was brutally injured during a raid by the Mountain Clans. This leads to Petyr Baelish becoming the next in line to succeed.]]
** Averted in Chapter 103. Minutes after Randyll Tarly states that [[spoiler: Tommen]] died without an heir, [[spoiler: Aegon swoops in and takes over King's Landing, without even knowing his rival had died.]]

** [[spoiler:This is pretty much supported in canon.]]

* [[spoiler:SelfMadeOrphan: During the attack on Winterfell, Ramsay finally loses it and kills Roose Bolton like how he always wanted to, with his flaying knife. Also counts as a KarmicDeath, considering that Roose had backstabbed Robb the same way. Fat Walda (Ramsay's step-mother) is also stoned to death after she was led to believe that Ramsay would let her go.]]

* [[spoiler:SurprisePregnancy: Jeyne is shocked to hear from Jyana Reed about the truth of her supposed pregnancy, despite not having her moon blood since the Red Wedding.]]

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: [[spoiler:Roose Bolton]] is stabbed in the neck by [[spoiler:Ramsay]]'s flaying knife, dragged through into his spine, mutilated by [[spoiler:Winterfell's scattering debris]], and ultimately peed on as final insult. His lady wife follows suit, bordering on CruelAndUnusualDeath when [[spoiler:her step-son]] drives a jagged rock into her mouth and beats her with it, before finally choking her with his knee.

* TogetherInDeath: [[spoiler: Connington is greeted by a vision of Rhaegar as he lies dying from killing Varys]]
--> [[spoiler:'''Rhaegar''': ''"Jon...It has been so long"'']]
--> [[spoiler:'''Connington''': [[TearJerker ''"Too long, my silver prince"'']]]]
* TookALevelInBadass: It seems as though in every chapter she narrates in, Sansa becomes more and more of a badass. [[spoiler: From killing Shadrich, to leading the Brotherhood without Banners back to the Vale and getting her hand burned to enlist the Burned Men!]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Littlefinger. After five long books of meticulous, continental-wide planning and political manipulation, he finally starts losing his cool [[spoiler: when the Burned Men attack the Gates of the Moon. Which culminates in him coming face-to-face with his former love, Lady Stoneheart.]]

** Chapter 39 [[spoiler: After five long books, the Others finally attack the Wall.]]
** Chapter 42 [[spoiler: With a little manipulation from Varys, Cersei has Roslin Frey and the Westerlings executed, despite Jaime's best efforts. This action causes many noble houses to defect from the Lannisters to the Targaryens]]
** Chapter 53 [[spoiler: The Wall collapses]]
** Chapter 54 [[spoiler: Ramsay kills both his father and Mance Rayder, taking the real Lightbringer from the latter, and has Winterfell leveled via niter explosion.]]
** Chapter 77 [[spoiler: Bran completes his transformation into the Three Eyed Crow]]
** Chapter 78 [[spoiler: Euron sacks Oldtown in service to the Great Other. Sam is able to drive dragonglass into him only to be reborn as an Other. Sarella buys time for Sam to escape, presumably dying in the process.]]
** Chapter 85 [[spoiler: Sansa's plan is put into motion as the Brotherhood and Burned Men attack the Gates of the Moon during her trial. Cue Littlefinger and VillainousBreakdown as he stares face to face with Lady Stoneheart]]
** Chapter 86 [[spoiler: Braavos is destroyed by a massive tidal wave just as Arya escapes along with Ser Justin and the Summer Maid back to Westeros]]
** Chapter 95 [[spoiler: Theon finally gets his revenge on Ramsay]]
** Chapter 97 [[spoiler: Jon Connington reveals to Aegon that he is descended from the Blackfyre line, not the Targaryens. He then burns himself and Varys alive, awakening two of the mummer's dragons at Dragonstone and under Aegon's control]]
** Chapter 99 [[spoiler: Sandor duels Robert Strong and the latter's true identity is revealed to be none other than Robb Stark (Specifically, Robb's head grafted to Gregor Clegane's body.)]]
** Chapter 100 [[spoiler: Jon is revealed to be the [[BigBad Great Other]], upon which he extracts a promise from Sam to kill him after the Others are defeated.]]
** Chapter 101 [[spoiler: Jaime kills Cersei to prevent her from destroying King's Landing. Shortly after that, dragons swoop down on the city]]
** Chapter 106 [[spoiler: The Others attack King's Landing right as Dany finally returns to the city and orders the Iron Throne to be destroyed while she and Aegon's forces manage to repel the invaders, but Jaime dies in the process.]]
** Chapter 108 [[spoiler: Stannis blows the Horn of Dawn and dies to give Jon a chance at stopping the Others for good. Davos encounters Gendry in White Harbor and declares him the heir of House Baratheon.]]
** Chapter 109 [[spoiler: Sam fulfills his promise to Jon and strikes him down with Lightbringer before the Great Other can truly take over. To Sam's surprise, Jon lives, no longer under the Others influence. Jon declares that he will stay in the far North to keep the Others from rising again and gives Sam a lift on the back of Rhaegal to return to Oldtown and rebuild the Citadel as the Long Night finally comes to an end.]]
* WhamLine
--> [[spoiler:'''Jon''': ''"There is no hope of defeating this army unless the Great Other dies as well--Sam, It's me."'']]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler: The epilogue takes place nearly 30 years after the end of the War of Dawn]]
** [[spoiler: With the Tyrells' support, Sansa has Winterfell rebuilt and installs Rickon while acting as regent. Rickon however, proves to be uncontrollable due to his bond with Shaggydog and ultimately is allowed to abdicate and roam free in the wild. Sansa takes over as de facto Queen of the North]]
** [[spoiler: Arya slowly regains bits of her memory as the years go by, though she never fully recovers. Despite an offer of marriage from Gendry, she refuses to take a husband, preferring her freedom.]]
** [[spoiler: Dany and Tyrion agree to a political marriage, managing to produce one heir. The queen's dragons die on the same day their son is born, which weakens Targaryen authority over the other Great Houses.]]
** [[spoiler: Asha Greyjoy is installed as ruler of the Iron Islands, who manages to maintain a degree of autonomy from the Crownlands. Edmure Tully takes over the Riverlands, pledging neutrality in any future territorial disputes. Gendry is installed as Lord of Storm's End while Harrold Hardyng takes over the Vale. Aegon and Arianne Martell marry and rule over Dorne together. Myrcella, the last surviving child of Jaime and Cersei, takes up her real name and is installed as Lady of Casterly Rock, though she struggles to maintain the westerlands' autonomy since.]]
** [[spoiler: Jeyne Westerling and Addam Marbrand marry and raise Little Robbie with all their love and support. Robbie eventually leaves North to join his uncle Bran and succeed him as the Three Eyed Crow]]
** [[spoiler: Brienne remains at Sansa's side, serving in her Queensguard.]]
** [[spoiler: Sam becomes the new Grand Maester of the rebuilt Citadel and writes a treatise on the properties of magic.]]
** [[spoiler: Jon continues to stand vigil over the far North and marries Val.]]
** [[spoiler: Sansa and Willas Tyrell's marriage produces four children, one of whom is killed during a rebellion. Willas breaks his leg again some thirty years later and passes. With their eldest son acting as Lord of Highgarden, Sansa decides to abdicate and pass on her title to her eldest daughter Catelyn, crowning her as Queen of the North as the story concludes]]
** [[spoiler: Sandor shows up at Catelyn's coronation decades after he and Sansa parted ways at King's Landing, much to her shock. Old, grizzled, and missing an eye, he offers to escort the "little bird".]]
* AWorldHalfFull: Oddly enough, Westeros becomes this in this fic. Though many have died thus far and [[spoiler: the Wall has collapsed]], events are in motion to unite the other Houses in preparation for the Others invasion, [[spoiler: Ramsay, Roose and Walder have finally received their comeuppance]], and the Starks, who have been Westeros' CosmicPlaything since the whole affair started, are in a position to reclaim their lost glory.
** It's clear which family the author is a fan of. The original setting of George R. R. Martin is far closer to WorldHalfEmpty.
** Lampshaded by Sansa in Chapter 103

* WildChild: Rickon, who somehow became separated from Osha. When [[spoiler: Arya]] finds him, he doesn't even remember that he's a Stark.
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Obara Sand certainly would, and would gladly suffer the consequences for doing so.]]

''The North Remembers'' is an ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' ContinuationFic written by Silver Raven Star, intended to be the direct sequel to the events which happened after ''Literature/AFeastForCrows'' and ''Literature/ADanceWithDragons''.

-> '''Sansa''': ''"[[IAmTheNoun I am the North]], and [[TitleDrop the North remembers."]]''

* [[spoiler: Melisandre goes through one after losing her powers.]]

* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: [[spoiler: following the collapse of the Wall, a massive title wavedestroys Braavos and somehow makes it all the way to Meereen.]]

* NoImmortalInertia: [[spoiler: Melisandre appears as her true age following the destruction of the temple of the R'hlor in Asshai.]]