“As High As Honor” by calistabista

Pairing: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)
Word Count: 163,453

Author’s Summary

Sansa burns Winterfell as the Night King approaches. Somehow, her story continues.

My Thoughts

It’s not often that I will recommend a story before I’ve finished reading it myself. But every now and then, there’s one that stands apart from the rest.

I’m only on chapter 35 of 57 in “As High As Honor,” the first story in the “By Her Hand” series from calistabista. And yet, it’s already among my all-time favorite Game of Thrones fanfics. I’ve come across this plot device many times, but never as well executed as in this fic—the general idea is that after the events of season 8 (or book 6), our favorite characters are reborn with a second chance at the game. This time, with foreknowledge, they are able to make better decisions.

Usually with stories like this, I give up after a chapter or two. But the way calistabista writes each character, from Sansa to Samwell, is incredibly well crafted. The story never feels forced, the new decisions of our heroes well thought-out and calculated. It’s also a great mixture of book canon and show canon, one that lends itself to a retelling perfectly. And bonus: we’ve been promised Jonsa. I’m not there yet, but boy am I ready.

With the show quickly coming to an end, I find solace in hopeful stories like this one. Join me, won’t you?