Hi! How does Shaena handle all her trauma when she goes to Winterfell? Does Ned help her in some way?
AH?
honestly, she doesn’t handle it very well at first. 😭 she’s been surviving for so long that by the time she reaches Winterfell she’s almost numb to everything that’s happened to her. that’s kind of the tragedy of Shaena—she’s learned to keep going because stopping means she’d have to actually feel it all.
it also doesn’t help that the North isn’t exactly welcoming. most people don’t see Shaena, they see the Mad King’s daughter. she’s proud, she’s southern, she complains about the cold every other day, and she definitely comes across as a little pompous in the beginning, so trust isn’t exactly handed to her.
Ned, though… he’s patient. (well… patient most of the time. lol sometimes he’s just an absolute man when it comes to girls and feelings.) but he never really expects her to heal overnight. he starts understanding that a lot of the sharpness is fear and grief wearing a crown. he doesn’t fix her trauma—nobody can—but he gives her something she’s never really had before: steadiness, safety, and someone who doesn’t ask her to be anything other than herself. sometimes that’s as simple as quietly making accommodations for her without making a fuss over it.
Winterfell becomes the first place where Shaena realizes she doesn’t have to survive every single day. She can finally begin to live. And that healing is very slow, very messy, and very Northern. 🤍
