Chapter Text
Sansa had started skating at six. Robb had been entered in a youth hockey league at their father’s rink, a convenient way to keep the older two children out of the house while their mom cooked dinner. No one could have predicted that fourteen years later, they would both be representing Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics in their respective sports.
Robb had made lifelong friends in his league—Jon and Theon—all of whom had been picked for Canada’s hockey team, fulfilling lifelong dreams. Meanwhile, Jon and Sansa had quietly been dating for just over a year.
Two suitcases lay open on her bed, spilling clothes and competition gear across the sheets. Her competition costumes and backups hung neatly in garment bags in the closet. Even with Arya and Jon promising to pack some of her clothing in their suitcases, it was going to be tight.
Sansa went through her checklist for the third time: toiletries? Packed. Makeup? Packed. Pajamas, bras, underwear? Check. Socks and shoes, warm-up and practice gear, both pairs of skates? Check. Meal and nutrition plans from her nutritionist? Check. Team Canada gear for the opening and closing ceremonies? Check. Now she just needed room for casual clothes and a few nicer outfits for sightseeing, dinners, and brand events.
Earlier, she and Jon had compared schedules and carved out a few pockets of time to explore the host city before the games began. They both hoped to attend at least one competition for the other. Sansa had even managed to get on the same chartered flight as Robb, Theon, Jon, and athletes from other disciplines, a small but welcome convenience.
A knock at the bedroom door startled her. Arya peeked inside. “You busy?”
“I’m on schedule,” Sansa said. “I don’t leave for the airport until 2 p.m., which gives me four hours to finish packing and grab any last-minute snacks for the flight.”
Arya stepped in, holding a black shopping bag. “Dang, I forgot how much you have to pack.” Being a fencer, Arya always traveled light.
“Tell me about it,” Sansa groaned. “Coach is so worried about a costume malfunction I have to have quadruples of everything. Did you grab more of those compression bags?”
“Yeah. And I got you a few other things too,” Arya said, handing over the bag.
Sansa dug in, and her face immediately reddened. She let out a small gasp when she pulled out a pair of boy shorts labeled Property of SNOW. “Where on earth? How did… What if someone sees these?”
“That’s the point,” Arya said with a laugh. “Though maybe wait until hockey is done before you wear them for Jon. We don’t want him dead before then. It was my idea, but your costume designer helped.”
Sansa shoved them to the bottom of her suitcase and kept digging: fuzzy socks, gummy bears, mint chewing gum, a moose teddy, a power bank, and chapstick.
“I know you donate all the teddies you get,” Arya said, “so I wanted to make sure you’d keep the one I got you.”
As Sansa tucked the moose into her carry-on, she thought about how much had changed. Two years ago, they could barely be in the same room for more than five minutes without arguing. Now they shared inside jokes about secret boyfriends and care packages. Things had gotten easier after Sansa started homeschooling to keep up with training and international competitions. At their small private school, constant comparisons had been exhausting, and Arya often overheard friends commenting on how stunning her older sister was—an added tension neither of them had needed.
“Are you sure Gendry doesn’t mind taking care of the dogs while we’re gone?” Sansa asked. “Make sure he knows he’s welcome to anything in the kitchen.” Sansa and Jon hadn’t moved in together officially yet, but Jon’s dog Ghost would stay at her house with Lady, thanks to the fenced yard. It was also much closer to Gendry’s job.
“He’s fine,” Arya said. “He has to work until ten tonight, but I’ll make sure he knows where everything is before I go to the airport. You left step-by-step instructions in like a dozen places, a list of good takeout spots nearby, and probably a little gift in the guest room. I can even smell the cookies you baked.”
Sansa’s face and neck flushed. She felt guilty asking someone to watch her dog for over a month while she was away, but she didn’t want Arya to think she was after Gendry.
“I’m not making fun of you,” Arya added. “He’s going to think it’s sweet but unnecessary. Jon got him a job with his team, and he’s saving almost two months of living expenses. Trust me, he probably likes you more than me now.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to…” At a loss for words, Sansa trailed off. “I didn’t mean to.” She could feel tears forming; she hadn’t wanted to cause a fight.
“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Let’s get you packed before Jon gets here, okay?” Arya squeezed her hand before reaching for some clothes. “We need to find you something nice to wear for when Jon proposes.”
“No, he’s not going to propose while we are there,” Sansa said confidently.
“How can you be so sure?” Arya asked. She had seen the ring Jon bought, something Sansa didn’t know.
“We talked about it. Neither of us needs that kind of stress until after the Olympics.”
Stacks of clothes still needed to be put in compression bags and wedged into suitcases. They worked in silence for a bit. Having Arya come over to distract her had been a brilliant idea; she was able to get Sansa to a proper lunch grilled cheese sandwich and chicken soup. They even had time to walk Lady for a goodbye stroll.
By the time Robb and Jon arrived to pick up Sansa and her luggage, Arya had managed to get almost everything into her suitcases, with just a bit left over for Jon's bag and to help Sansa film for her Olympics vlog.
With a final round of hugs and promises to meet up once they were all in Italy the next week, Sansa felt her nerves build as the miles to the airport sped by. Making the Olympics had been her dream; to be sharing that dream with the people she loved most was incredible.
At the airport, Sansa roped some of the other athletes into a few TikToks. Jon refused to do anything except an Instagram post that mostly obscured his face, but she got plenty of clips for her travel vlog. Her luxury handbag ad post felt less fun in comparison. She even tried to coax Robb and Theon through the latest TikTok dances. All Robb managed to do was flop around like a fish out of water, eliciting a laugh from Sansa despite her nerves.
By the time they boarded their flight, Sansa was shaking. It was only the steady presence of Robb and Jon that kept her from panicking.
Chapter Text
The flight from Toronto was long; thankfully, they all managed to sit together. Jon had even tried to make it a fun date for her, at least as fun as he could with her brother sitting next to her. He had purchased her favorite dessert at a café and had cued up a movie for them to watch together. They had fallen asleep holding hands.
Robb leaned back in his seat to get Theon’s attention. “So… when are they going to tell us?” he muttered.
Theon snorted and fake-gagged. “Seriously? You were mad when I wanted to date her, and now look at them, you’re not even a little upset.” He shook his head, half in disbelief, half amusement, clearly enjoying the irony.
“Yeah, but can you blame me for not wanting you to date her? You’re… you,” Robb said, going back to his movie.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes narrowed.
But Robb had already put his earbuds back in.
The plane finally landed in Milan with a gentle jolt. The cabin buzzed with the low hum of passengers gathering their belongings. Jon stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, while Sansa tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to shake off the long flight. Robb leaned back, keeping an eye on Theon as he fidgeted with his seatbelt.
With a yawn, Sansa asked, “Are we still meeting up this afternoon to sightsee?” They had agreed not to go straight to bed but to freshen up and see a few sites before supper.
Robb yawned himself. “m not looking forward to dealing with all of your luggage,” he mumbled.
Since Sansa had arrived earlier than the rest of the figure skating Tteam, she was mostly on her own, but she wanted extra time to familiarize herself with the Olympic village and reduce her anxiety.
Jon stretched again as passengers shuffled past. “We are Olympians. If we can't handle a little bit of luggage, they should send us home,” he murmured, still heavy with sleep. He gave Sansa’s hand a gentle squeeze. He knew she always worried she was too dependent on everyone else or too much trouble.
Theon and Robb were already moving toward the baggage claim, Theon muttering something about “dragging all this stuff through cobblestone streets,”
While Robb rolled his eyes. "It's not like we will be dragging in through the heart of Milan."
Regaurdless of their complaints Sansa was greatfull they were there to help, she had to film for her youtube channel so she needed a free hand. Most of the airport and bus ride footage would be made in to a montage. She knew a few other players since they played for her dad's team so it was easy to get them to join in Theon’s
shenanigans, like luggage rack surfing.
Their flight had been chartered and direct, so there was little risk of lost baggage. All they had to do was collect their personal belongings and Sansa’s equipment. The equipment managers would handle the hockey gear and bus for the hockey team and other athletes would take them to the Olympic village.
After washing off a day full of travel the group left the village to explore, pausing to take group selfie and other pictures.
They had found a little restaurant near the galleria that served the best chicken alfredo Sansa had ever had. Once she got home to Canada, she promised herself she would make it until it tasted the same or until Jon got sick of eating it.
By evening, they were exhausted. After they had freshened up and set up their rooms, they set off to explore Milan. While Sansa avoided espresso so she'd be able to sleep later, she tried several flavors of cannelloni, sharing with Jon and Theon.
Robb leaned over his plate. “Careful with all that dessert. Don’t want your costume ripping mid-jump.”
Sansa froze, fork halfway to her mouth. She forced a small smile, and for a moment she wished she could disappear under the table. She set the fork down, her appetite gone.
By the time her head hit her pillow that night, she was too tired to be nervous or to worry about her calorie consumption. She’d worry in the morning she promised herself.
The week leading up the opening ceremony Sansa trained every waking moment. Skipping plans for sightseeing or meals with Jon, untill the morning of the opening ceremony. Her alarm went off at 5, when she staggered in to the bathroom her stomach ached with hunger, to change in to work out clothing her reflection startled her.
Just a week ago her face had been free of dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks had a warm healthy glow. Now she looked like she did four years ago, sick tired and drained, when she missed out on making the Olympics. when her eating disorder had been at its peak.
One stupid sentence from her brother, one asinine joke threatened to derail years of work. Not just her Olympic dreams but years she'd spent working on regaining her health.
After splashing cold water on her face she returned to her room and dug put a protine bar to eat. She reset her alarm for 9. After tossing for a while before giving up on sleeping, Sansa pulled her journal out and began organizing her thoughts. A shower helped her feel more a wake before she tidied her room. Greatfull her roommate hadn't arrived yet she set up her camera to film something.
"Hey guys, I know this isn't my usual style of video but I hope you'll stick with me." Her voice started off soft but gained confidence with each word. " I don't plan on editing this so bare with me."
"Four years ago I missed out on making the Olympics team. I blamed bad judges on missing out but the truth is didn't want to admit even to myself was I was sick. I had, have... I have an eating disorder, I was too weak to make my jumps, honestly I was almost to weak to skate. Missing the Olympics in 2022 was both the most devastating thing and best thing to happen to me." She paused to wipe a tear a way.
"I'm not sure where I would be if I had made Team Canada then. It would have reinforced that I was doing the right thing to my body and not the wake up call I needed." She took a death breath, " I am grateful my coach never gave up on me. That she helped me get healthly and I want to apologize to her, because I jeopardized everything we have worked for since I started skating at six. I let a thoughtless and unkind coment from someone I love and respect derail me. I spiraled in to bad habit and I am grateful I realized what was happening before it could effect my preference on the ice."
Sansa took another breath, before continuing with her video, each thought she got through helped her feel stronger.
"I hope that i haven't let anyone down, that you'll still continue to cheer for me. But I also hope this helps even one person not feel so alone."
By the time she finished her video she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She listed resources for eating disorders in Canada and a charity that had helped her when she was her sickest.
After uploading and publishing her video Sansa was ready for a nap, she needed to rest for the opening ceremony that evening.
Chapter Text
Just before taking their places ahead of the opening ceremony, Sansa found Jon.
He wrapped her in a tight hug. “You don’t have to keep things from me,” he whispered to her.
“I’m okay, really.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you ready?” He nodded.
During the wait for the procession to start, Sansa traded pins with athletes she hadn’t met in the dining center yet.
She filmed clips for her channel for later but refused to check engagement on her recent posts, deciding that her mental health needed to be her priority. Thankfully, she still had a few days before her first competition.
After the ceremony, all Sansa could truly say about it was that it was loud and overwhelming. Pyrotechnics, screaming fans… it was too much. It made her thankful she had filmed some of it because she truly didn’t want to forget anything.
The morning after the opening ceremony, Sansa met Jon, Robb, and Theon for breakfast in the dining center. She went through her meal plan, selecting each food she put on her plate carefully.
When she sat down with them, Robb barely acknowledged her at first. It made Sansa anxious. Robb had been her favorite sibling growing up, and they rarely argued, so his silence stung. Finally, when they were nearly done, he spoke for the first time since she arrived.
“I saw… err, I saw your video. Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Robb asked.
“I had only realized a few minutes before I filmed that I was struggling. I… I didn’t mean to upset you.” Shame trapped her as tears started to burn her eyes.
“I’m not… it’s… I mean, first off, next time Theon says something about your eating habits, I’ll punch him.” Sansa could tell Robb was struggling to find the right words.
“Hey… why are you assuming I was the one who said anything about her eating? I’m not such a jackass that I would say shit like that. Besides… Sansa’s hot as fuck.” Theon huffed before getting up to return his dishes.
“But I mean… before, when you were… when things were bad… I had no idea. You never once said anything.” Robb’s voice was rough from emotion. “I would have been there for you… helped you.”
“You needed to focus. You had just gotten signed to the NHL. I got the help I needed then… and I have the support I need now. But never comment on my eating habits again… or on how I might accidentally ruin my costumes.”
“Wait… are you saying that I would… I didn’t… I wouldn’t… when did I say anything like that?” he stammered.
“In the restaurant… on our first… it doesn’t matter. What matters now is not doing it again. You know now, so going forward… you can’t say things like that. I can handle strangers saying shit… but not you. Your opinion matters too much to me.” Tears dripped down her face. “I didn’t post my video to hurt you or punish you. I just… it was wearing me down and it helps to talk about it sometimes."
Before she could finish her thoughts, Robb had scooped her into a bone-crushing hug.
After breakfast, Sansa decided to take a walk outside to clear her head. The air was crisp, and the sunlight bounced off the icy paths, making everything sparkle. She pulled her jacket tighter around her and let herself take slow, deliberate breaths.
Jon caught up to her a few minutes later, hands shoved into his pockets. “Hey,” he said softly. “Mind if I join you?”
Sansa shook her head. “Of course not.”
They walked in silence for a while, the crunch of snow under their boots the only sound. Finally, Jon spoke. “You know… you don’t have to pretend everything’s fine around me. I can tell when you’re holding back.”
“I’m not pretending,” Sansa said quietly. “I just… I don’t want to drag anyone down with me.”
“You’re not dragging me down,” Jon said firmly. “I want to be here. I want to help. I just don’t want you to disappear on me, your silence kills me.”
Sansa let herself smile. It felt good to hear that. She looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the concern in his eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
They continued walking, and Sansa felt some of the tension inside her ease. For the first time since arriving, it felt like she could breathe a little easier. “Come on, you have a game to get ready for—your first as an Olympian.” She held her hand out to him as they turned to walk back to the dorms.
That afternoon, Sansa had a blast cheering for Robb, Theon, and Jon in their first hockey game against Slovakia with her family. Even though she had spent most of her life watching hockey, she still cringed each time Robb or Jon took a hit to the boards. The thrill of watching Jon score his first goal of the Olympics left her breathless.
After the final buzzer, Sansa leaned back in her seat, letting out a long breath. As the team skated off the ice, laughing and slapping each other’s helmets, and her family followed them toward the exits, still shouting congratulations.
“Come on, let’s grab a quick bite to celebrate!” Arya called, tugging at Sansa’s sleeve.
Sansa shook her head with a small smile. “I have to get ready for my first skate tomorrow. I should head back to the dorms.”
Her mom gave her a quick hug. “Get some rest, Sansa. You’ll need all your energy.”
Sansa lingered for a moment, watching the family chatter and laugh as they exited. A part of her wanted to stay and celebrate with them, but she knew she needed to eat and rest. With one last wave, she turned and walked toward the dorms, her heart full from the day and the thrill of the game still buzzing in her.
After a hearty meal in the dining hall, Sansa headed to bed. She checked that her competition costume still hung in her closet. When she started skating, her mother had made all of her costumes, placing rhinestones herself. For just a moment, Sansa wished her mother still made them; as a kid, she felt like they brought her luck.
The next morning, Sansa woke before her alarm, her stomach tight with nerves. The dorm was quiet, the hallways empty except for the distant clatter of early risers.
Breakfast was quick. Her teammates were already in the dining hall, quietly going over routines and stretching, but all Sansa could think about was her dad. He hadn’t attended any of her competitions or showcases in years. He always had a reason he couldn’t attend—usually he was away with his own team or exhausted from recent travel. But he was here in Milan to see the boys play hockey. There was no reason he couldn’t attend today. Right? He was at the game yesterday.
It was stupid to be so filled with doubt. He loved her. He would be there.
Throughout her warm-ups, her mind drifted. At her makeup table, there were bouquets of flowers from Jon, her siblings, and her parents. If her dad sent flowers, surely he’d be in the stands—but he’d sent flowers to competitions he hadn’t attended either.
She didn’t remember lacing her skates or applying makeup, only vaguely remembered her barrette tugging on her hair when it was put in. She remembered hugging her family just before she started warm-ups. Her dad was there, hugging her. She distantly remembered her coach’s pep talk—the same one she had been giving since the Olympic trial began. She had no memory of taking her jacket off or stepping onto the ice.
Everything went silent for her. She couldn’t hear the crowd or her name being announced. She could barely hear her music over the pounding of her heart.
She blocked out everything but the ice and her music. With each spin, each jump, her confidence built. She had done the routine hundreds of times. In her mind’s eye, she was at home on her home rink, the one she’d been skating on most of her life.
Not until her final bow did she look to the section Arya had texted they would be in. Everyone but her father was there. She saw Arya jumping up and down, her mother hugging Robb. Jon and Theon threw flowers, while Rickon and Bran threw stuffed animals. But her dad was absent.
Tears burned her eyes.
She didn’t remember skating to the exit or stepping out of the rink, or the cheers from the crowd. She didn’t remember collapsing in her coach’s arms. She didn’t remember hearing her scores read out or both of her coaches’ shouts, just the wrenching sobs.
She’d never understood why it was called the kiss and cry booth. But now she did.
She didn’t know how she got from the bench to the waiting area. For a half hour, her teammates came to hug her. The woman from the pairs team wrapped her into a gentle hug. She didn’t understand what had happened until members of her team helped her to the podium.
Her program was just enough to beat out the Americans for gold.
She had won a gold medal at the Olympics and her dad was nowhere to be seen. He probably had a meeting come up like always. Everything always came before her. He always had time for everyone but her.