The Lone Wolf

[Red Keep]

Sansa Stark. The eldest daughter of the traitor, Eddard Stark, and sister to the rebel, Robb Stark. She is a traitors daughter and a rebels sister, a scorned maiden and hostage to the Queen and King. She looked out on the garden of roses and pictured the winter blues that grew around Winterfell, she misses home and prays to the gods day and night for someone to come and save her.

Its been a week since Lord Tywin's sons, Tyrion had arrived with his brother Loren and brought 6,000 men to defend the city. She only ever met Lord Tyrion, Ser Jaime, and the Queen, she never laid eyes on the third born son of Tywin Lannister. He looked like the rest of them, cold and cruel, just the other day he had every thief within the city rounded up and put into the new Gold Cloak regiment.

She sighed and turned away from the roses and away from happier memories, she is in a den of lions, a lone wolf left to cower and bend to the whims of Joffrey's torment. Its been happening often and she assumed it was because of Robb's victories in the field of battle. She doesn't get much news since she is a prisoner but once and awhile she asks the nearby soldiers or servants.

"Lady Stark."

She turned to see a man approach, he looked plain and wore colors of gold and red, must be one of Joffrey's pages. "The King has requested your presence." She knew what that meant and so she steeled herself before going with the servant, the two Lannister Guardsmen following close behind her as she made way to the throne room where torment was no doubt waiting for her.

The court was gathered and Joffrey was waiting with his crossbow in hand. She slowly began to get nervous as she approached, taking slower steps and hoping this was all a big dream. A nightmare and she would wake the next morning inside of her room in Winterfell, but when she opened her blue pools once more, she frowned and saw this isn't a dream, its the Seven Hells.

"Your grace." She said in a monotone voice and knelt to him, Sandor said to do what he says and she would be spared much, she hopes it works.

"I and my Small Council have been sent disturbing news, and you will answer for Robb's latest treason." He began and she snorted on the inside, is it treason to try and save your sister from a tyrant? She watched him knock his crossbow and put a bolt into it, "Tell them, Lancel. Tell everyone about the news." Joffrey asked Lancel, another cold and cruel person of the thrice-damned House.

"Stafford Lannister was building a host to aid in defeating the rebel when the Northmen pounced like demons. Thousands of men were slain and after the carnage, the Northmen feasted on the dead. Even Stafford was killed in the attack, my kin!" She heard the false knight exclaim like the north was evil, they are not and soon she hoped her brother would march and save her, take her away from here.

The next few moments pass by and filled with Joffrey cursing her and telling her that she should pay for Robb's transgressions, so he had Sers Trant and Blount, two cruel Kingsguard hound on her, beating her and ripping her dress apart until she was barely clothed. It was humiliating and all she could do was cry and attempt to cover herself. After so much abuse she blocked it out and before it could escalate further the doors to the throne room was forced open and she turned to see the Hand of the King, Loren of House Lannister approach with an angry expression.

"Court is dismissed, leave!" Demanded and the courtiers scurried away, leaving him, her, Tyrion, Joffrey, the large guard and Joffrey's Kingsguard. "Is this what I have been teaching you, how to torment a little child?, Answer me." He said to Joffrey who sputtered upon being talked to like that, he didn't like it and when he didn't like something, it usually ended with violence and death.

"I am King! I can do what I want!- " it came from nowhere, the sound of a hand meeting somebodies face and everyone looked on in shock, bated breath to see what might happen next.

"Yes, and you know what makes a man King? his subjects. If the people were here they would see a boy being disciplined. You are the King and the realm needs you to be that King!" The first time the man ever shouted from the few times he had spoken, his usual calm mood was replaced with anger. Meryn stepped forward with a hand upon the handle of his sword and the Lion turned to him, "Go ahead, see how fast that sword unsheathes itself be Wilhelm puts you down. Don't test my patience, knight" He added with the last part coming out as an insult.

Loren walked over and offered her his cloak and she took it to cover herself, he then asked Tyrion to escort her away whilst he speaks to the King. Tyrion asked her if she would be alright if the betrothal between her and Joffrey coming to an end, she didn't trust the words of kindness and simply said that Joffrey was her true love and that she hopes for an end to the war soon.

Evening came as she found herself in a hot bath, carefully wincing as she rubbed the new bruises on her person, added the old ones that still remain on her skin. She hates it here, whereas before she couldn't wait to leave Winterfell for the warm south and all of its grandeur and hoped all the tales and songs to be true only for reality to hit her across the face. She now yearns for the cold breeze of the North, the old walls of her home and wished she hadn't gone to Cersei when her father said he would be sending her and Arya home.

The reminiscing of her sister brought a tear to the eyes, she doesn't even know if her little sister is alright or if she is alive. The best hope is that she left the city and found Robb somewhere in the Riverlands, that she had found her wolf and is with mother. The more she thought about it, the more the tears fell into the water of the bath, I want to go home! She screamed in her mind.

A knock came to her door and she asked who it might be, it was Lord Loren. She fidgeted as she was helped into her dress by her new handmaid, Shae. The woman is foreign and is fairly new at being a maid to her, most know what to do and not to do when in the service of a high Lady. As for her dress, she keeps a certain color scheme, grey, and rust, northern colors. A sigh and she went and opened the door to see the form of the man before her, she took his appearance as she was never so close to seeing completely.

He was young, possibly nine and ten or twenty. A stubble of gold is laced on his chin along with mustache though it's not as pronounced as anyone else he has seen. His hair reminds her of the Queen, though a lighter shade of yellow and was straight, going to his shoulders. He looked dead in her eye and bowed his head once to her, she stepped aside and let him in.

"I wanted to apologize for my nephew. He was brought up thinking he was King, and most that are brought up like that tend to do what they want." He started and she simply listened to him, unable to form words. "It was crafty, your brother. Taking my uncle by surprise like that, though Lancel exaggerated the man-eating, a shame how it must end. If Robb had stayed loyal then he might have been a remembered commander." His sympathies were both genuine and not so, must come with being a member of House Lannister, thank goodness she won't be one.

"Thank you, my Lord." He nodded and he left soon afterward without so much as a word.

That man is strange, comes to apologize and all but say her brother will die and then leave once she accepts the apology. She sighed and got herself ready for bed, once that was finished, Shae made for the door to leave her to rest but before she grabbed the nob, she turned to her and gave her a pitied but protected look.

"Don't trust him, he is a gentleman on the surface but a lion underneath. Goodnight, my lady." And that was that now its just her. Alone and the quietness was somewhat comforting.

Before closing her eyes she prayed once more for salvation from this place.