Jaime Lannister wasn't in a good mood when he left his brother's chambers. Tyrion had tried to seem as if it was nothing when he had knocked over the wine with his clumsy golden hand but Jaime knew better. It wasn't nothing. Well, it was only wine, like Tyrion had said. But the wine wasn't the real problem, the lack of a hand was. He was so consumed by his thoughts that Jaime almost didn't see the fleck of red hair across the yard. It wasn't Sansa but it made him think of her, He hadn't thought to ask Tyrion where his lady wife was during their meal. He headed down the long corridor towards the Lord Commander's chambers when some noise down a corridor to his left caught his attention. It was faint, far off, a woman's muffled screaming and a man's grunting and groaning. Some part of him didn't even want to know but he turned and went towards the sound anyhow.
He neared the end of the corridor and found that the sound originated at room on his right. The door was ajar. It was one of the old armories, one that was rarely used. He recognized Ser Meryn and Ser Boros right away. Meryn had a woman on the table beneath him. She was looking away from him. struggling feebly.
"Fuck her harder Ser Meryn!" Said a third male. Jaime recognized that voice. Joffrey. It was then that he noticed the long tendrils of red hair hanging from the table.
Jaime kicked the door open. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Uncle!" Joffrey paled white. Meryn pulled himself out of the girl and tied up his breeches. "We were only having a little fun."
"Get out!"
"You can't make me!" Joffrey protested. "I am the king!"
"King or not, I am the only person in this room who is wearing a sword." Jaime pointed out. Joffrey looked around realized that Jaime was right. His guards had disarmed themselves before they began their fun.
Anxiously, Joffrey made his exit, followed by his guards. Jaime took off his white cloak and tossed it over Sansa before turning to face her.
"Sansa?" He said gently. She didn't answer him. Her eyes were listless as she stared off into space. "Sansa?" He tried again, this time touching her arm and she flinched in response. "I'm not going to hurt you." He picked up her clothes from the floor. "Can you dress yourself? I can call for some maids if you can't."
"I can." It was the first that she had spoken to him.
"I'll wait outside the door."
It took a lot longer than Jaime might have expected for Sansa to get dressed. When she finally did arrive at the door he understood why. She was badly injured. There bruises on her face and collarbone and probably plenty more that he couldn't see.
"I'll escort you back to Tyrion and we'll send for a Maester." He told her.
She shook her head. "I can't...I fear I can't walk that far Ser. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry." He said gently. She had no reason to be sorry. She was the one who had been wronged. "If you can not walk then I will carry you."
He scooped her up and headed back towards Tyrion's rooms. Sansa had tears on her face and her head rested on his shoulder, her tears making his own neck wet. She seemed almost relaxed in his arms but that had to be due to exhaustion.
"How long did they have you in there?" He finally dared to ask her.
"I don't know. Since just after breakfast."
It was past lunch now. That meant they'd had her for at least several hours.
"And did they all… did they all have you?" He went on.
"Yes." She said, her voice barely a whisper.
His grip on her body tightened. "I will have them punished." He told her firmly. "The kingsguard anyway. I don't know that there's much I can do about the king."
"Why would you do that?" She lifted her head a little to search his eyes.
"Because it was wrong what they did. I swore to your mother I would protect you… and besides you are my brother's wife. You should not be treated so."
She lay her head back down and seemed to relax with him again after that. Jaime left her in the bedchamber while the maester examined and treated her. She was given moon tea and a sleeping draught before the maester left.
Sansa awoke some hours later in her bedchamber. She felt sick when the memory of what happened came back to her and then confused at the memory of what Ser Jaime had done. Tyrion had helped her once when Joffrey was having her beaten and now Jaime had stopped helped her as well. She couldn't quite understand why either of them would help her with anything. She was a Stark, the daughter of a traitor. They were Lannisters. Jaime had fought with her father and killed his men almost three years earlier and Robb had kept Jaime prisoner for a year. What reason could either of them possibly have for helping her and angering the king to do it?
She tried to move out of bed and cried out on pain instead. "Sansa?" Tyrion poked his head in the door, apparently he had heard her. "Are you alright?"
What a horribly stupid question, she couldn't quite believe he had asked it. He was usually so wise. Of course she wasn't alright. "I do not think I can get out of this bed Ser." She managed to say.
"Where are you trying to go?" He asked her.
"To the privy." She said, her cheeks reddening.
"Shae? Jaime?" Tyrion called out.
Jaime? Why was he still here? Sansa didn't have time to wonder about it for long. Jaime came and carried her to the privy. He closed the door on Sansa and Shae while Shae helped Sansa with her clothes. Once Shae had her decent again he carried her back to bed.
"She needs a bath." Shae said once Sansa was back in bed.
Tyrion looked skeptical for a moment. "I doubt she is feeling up to getting into the tub."
"I doubt she wants the filth of those men on her body any longer." Shae said much more firmly than befit her station.
"I'll send for some more handmaids to help her then." Tyrion said.
Three handmaids worked together to put Sansa into the tub. They gently helped her wash and tended her injuries as best they could. When it came time to get her out the found the task impossible. She was too heavy and slippery for them to get out. Sansa tried to help them by standing but she just couldn't find the strength.
"I'm going to have to get Ser Jaime to get you out." Shae told Sansa.
"No." Sansa said worriedly. "You can't."
"Sansa I don't want you getting hurt any more than you are. We can not get you out. Jaime Lannister stopped what Joffrey was doing to you and he carried you all the way here across the red keep. He doesn't mean you any harm." Shae insisted.
Sansa wanted ask her to send for someone else but she could think of no one that she would be comfortable seeing her like this. "Fine." She said, resigning herself to her fate.
Shae emerged from the bath chamber with a look of determination on her face. "We can't get her out of the tub." She told the Lannister brothers. "I told her help was on the way.
"Oh." Jaime said when it registered that she meant him. He entered the bath chambers to get it over with quickly. He had already seen Sansa naked when he'd found her earlier though he had tried not to look. As he reached down into the tub he tried to focus on her eyes. Shae had given her a towel to cover herself but it only covered her breasts. There were a lot of bruises and old scars to be seen on her legs and back. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, placing her on another towel that Shae had readied there. He set her down and covered her quickly with the bed linens. Shae was no where in sight.
"Thank you Ser." Sansa said politely.
Jaime only nodded.
Sansa awoke the next morning and heard Tyrion and Jaime speaking in the next room.
"So I told the little shit that I've ordered my men not to harm her." Jaime was saying. "And that if they ever did harm her, I would have them dismissed and sent to the wall. The King's Guard is meant to guard the king, to protect the innocent not harm them."
"Our dear nephew must not have been happy about that." Tyrion commented.
"He wasn't, but he's quite afraid of having all his guards dismissed. I doubt he'll ever try anything again." Jaime said.
"True. It's not like him to do violence without help."
Sansa fell back asleep shortly after that. When she awoke some hours later, the room was quiet. She didn't hear any voices outside. For some reason that she didn't understand, that saddened her. It took some effort to get out of bed on her own and the process was not without pain but she managed it after a while. She tentatively opened the door and found Tyrion sitting in the Solar with a book in his lap, a glass of wine at his side.
"Sansa? You're awake." He stated on seeing her.
"Where is Ser Jaime?" She asked.
"He had duties to attend to." Tyrion said.
"Oh." Sansa felt a stab of disappointment and it made her angry to recognize it. The sadness in her eyes was not lost on Tyrion. He noticed. Sansa went to the privy by herself, then after she had washed she broke her fast.
She couldn't stop thinking about everything. There were so many thoughts and emotions racing through her all at once that she didn't know what to do with them all. There was revulsion and fear at what Joffrey had done to her. And powerlessness at not being in control of her own body. On top of that she was more than confused about the way that Ser Jaime had rescued her. Joffrey was afraid of him. That alone meant that if Jaime was somehow willing to help her, she was safer with his help than without it. He hadn't gazed at her when he took her from the tub the previous day. He had kept his eyes to her face and she had been grateful for it. He had apparently ordered the kingsguard not to harm her any more too. Every knight had a reputation of sorts and Jaime did not have a reputation for ever harming a lady. He was the kingslayer. Perhaps that was why Joffrey feared him. Because every time he saw Jaime he saw him as a man who dared to kill a king. But that still didn't explain why he would help her at all. Nor did it explain that moment in his arms when he carried her back to her room when she had felt safe. Safe for the first time in years. What in seven hells was wrong with her? None of this changed their family house. None of it.
Tyrion watched her sadness as she picked at the food in front of her. "What can I do to help you my lady?"
Her head came up as she broke away from her troubled thoughts. "I don't know my lord."
Tyrion sighed. He hadn't expected anything more as an answer. "I was planning to have my brother over for dinner tomorrow evening, I hope that won't disturb your rest too much."
"No my lord." Sansa felt relief at knowing Jaime would be nearby again.
"Because I can go to his chambers for dinner if you prefer?" Tyrion offered.
"There's no need for that." Sansa said, a little more worriedly than she had intended.
Tyrion narrowed his brows. Sansa was acting strangely. Perhaps she just didn't want to be left alone. "I would leave several handmaids with you and Podrick to guard the door if you like."
"No, my lord, I would much prefer if you and your brother dined here." She said, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"Forgive me Sansa, I find I am confused. It seems like most days you are more than happy to be rid of me and spend your time in solitude." Tyrion said. "I thought the banter of the two Lannister brothers would disturb your rest as well as your solitude. It seems I was wrong about that."
Sansa didn't know what to say. He was right. She had always preferred her solitude before. But after what Joffrey and his guards had done she preferred to be closer to the one man who had the power to stop him. All she could do was pick at her food.
Sansa barely slept that night. Her nightmares kept her awake. Tyrion woke to her screams twice and offered her a sleeping dram. She refused one. She didn't want to be under it's influence if Joffrey came for her again.
When Jaime arrived that next evening Sansa's became far less tense than she had been before. She was still reticent and barely spoke two words to the men but Tyrion could see that she had become more relaxed than the Sansa he had known in previous weeks. After dinner she retired to a quiet corner of the room to read and left the brothers to talk and drink. It was out of the ordinary for her to even do that. Tyrion had always known her to go to bed as early as possible to avoid him. Yet she wasn't avoiding him. Was she trying to spend time with him or with Jaime? His bet was on Jaime. Tyrion observed Sansa glance at Jaime over her book several times over the course of the evening. Strangely enough, he also caught Jaime looking at Sansa a few times too.
She fell asleep in her chair as the hour grew late. It was Jaime who noticed her sleeping there. "Your wife is asleep." Jaime pointed out. "Perhaps you should wake her so she can go to bed. She's likely to hurt herself sleeping like that."
Tyrion went to her and put his hand on her arm. "Sansa?"
She awoke with a start, nearly jumping out of the chair. Her breathing was was in quicking successive breaths as if she were gasping for air. Then her eyes met Jaime's and she seemed to understand that there was no immediate danger. She took a few gulps of air and began to calm herself.
"Are you alright?" Tyrion asked.
"Yes my lord." She said, still shaken.
"I thought perhaps...well Jaime thought perhaps, you would hurt yourself sleeping in this chair. I just wanted to wake you so you could go to bed." Tyrion told her.
"I'd rather not go to bed, my lord." Sansa blurted out truthfully.
"If it's difficult to sleep, I can have Pycelle bring a sleeping dram." Tyrion suggested.
"I don't want a sleeping dram." She said evenly.
"Well you can't stay awake forever. What do you want?" Tyrion asked just as patiently as before.
For a moment Sansa's eyes met Jaime's and then quickly looked down at her hands, a blush on her cheeks. "Nothing my lord."
"Sansa, let me have a moment alone with my brother." Tyrion said. Sansa nodded and got up, all but fleeing the room.
"I think I have a solution." Tyrion said, turning to face Jaime. "Will you sleep here in my rooms tonight?"
"What?" Jaime asked, confused.
"I have a divan, I could have another cot brought in if we need to… but it seems clear that Sansa is not going to sleep if you aren't nearby."
"It does? Why?"
"Don't be stupid Jaime. You rescued her from Joffrey and you ordered the Kingsguard not to harm her any more. The way she sees it, you're the only person in this city who can keep her safe."
"Oh. That was never my intention." Jaime said.
"Perhaps not but it happened that way all the same. So will you stay so she can sleep in peace or will you leave her to her nightmares?"
"I'll stay tonight. No promises for tomorrow though."
"Good enough. I'll tell her." Tyrion turned to go to Sansa's chambers and found she was already there peeking out of the door.
"You heard all that?" Tyrion asked her. Jaime was close enough to hear the conversation.
She nodded.
"Was I correct? You'll sleep better this way?"
"You were correct my lord." She admitted.
Sansa fell asleep a short time later. She did have nightmares but she didn't scream or wake anyone else with them. She woke first in the morning and found Ser Jaime asleep on the divan in the solar. She tried to go around him carefully but his legs were too long and her skirt caught on his foot as she squeezed past him.
"Sansa?" He said groggily as she tried to move past him but pulled his foot to the floor instead.
"Ser Jaime." She said in greeting.
Jaime sat up and put both feet on the floor. "Did you sleep better my lady with a knight to guard you?" He asked with a grin and she realized he was teasing her. He enjoyed being seen as a gallant knight.
"Well enough, but I might have slept better if the knight didn't snore." She said evenly.
Jaime thought for a moment that she was actually angry with him until he saw the small smile grace her lips. "Better a snoring knight than none at all." He quipped.
"True enough." She agreed, "And I thank you Ser for staying for my sake, or perhaps it was for Tyrion's sake, but I thank you either way." She said moving past him so she could break her fast.
Jaime caught her hand before she could leave. "It wasn't for Tyrion's sake." He told her. "It was for yours."
She found that her eyes were filling with tears that threatened to spill out at any moment so she fled from him and went to have her breakfast.
She kicked herself later for not asking him why he was doing this. Then she decided that she would not have been bold enough to ask even if she had thought of it.
"I am afraid Sansa," Tyrion began telling her over breakfast. "That I have a meeting with the small council today. I hope you will not be too bored spending the day alone."
Sansa forced herself not to look at Jaime or ask where he would be. It shouldn't matter anyway. "I will be fine, my lord."
"I will be back tonight for dinner. Podrick will come by to check on you later." Tyrion said.
This time her eyes did go to Jaime. Would he come back at night too? But she could not bring herself to ask. She tore her gaze away and looked down at her hands.
Sansa managed to occupy herself for most of the day in Tyrion's rooms. Truthfully she was bored but bored was still than being stuck with Joffrey. Podrick came by and check on her twice. She sewed and read and drew pictures and even talked to the walls she grew so bored. Towards late afternoon she went out onto the veranda just to get some sunlight. It was generally quiet out there as it faced the gardens. Someone was waiting for her out there. Joffrey.
"See, I knew that even someone as dimwitted as you would eventually get bored enough to come outside and take the air." Joffrey said. His guards stood a good ten feet behind him. Even with their helms she could see that it was Ser Meryn and Ser Boros again.
"Your Grace…"Sansa said, though she could hardly breathe.
"I have decided Sansa that my Uncle is not going to win. I am the king and he doesn't get to tell me what I can and can't do or what woman I can and can not have." Joffrey was saying.
Sansa took a step back towards the patio door. Maybe if she were quick enough she could escape back inside.
"Sansa!" Joffrey snapped at her and it was then that Sansa noticed he had a crossbow. "You will invite me to your bed and you take off your clothes and spread your legs for me, do you understand?"
She thought about resisting, about screaming for help, but she knew there was no one who could help her nearby/ No one would dare defy the king, Some part of her wanted to survive just as much as she wanted to die. "Come inside your grace." Sansa heard herself saying, but it was as if the voice was not her own.
Joffrey only put down the crossbow long enough to pick up a dagger as that was easier to hold when he was on top of her. Ser Boros and Ser Meryn didn't lay a finger on her, they only watched, to her great shame.
After he was gone, Sansa managed to draw her own bath. There wasn't as much blood this time but there was a lot of pain as she hadn't yet healed from the last time. It wasn't easy to get herself out of the tub and get dressed. She put her wet bloody wash rags in a basin next to the tub. Sansa struggled through each task. She had just managed to dress and was combing her wet hair when Tyrion arrived.
"Sansa?" Tyrion called out.
She didn't answer him. He would know right away that something happened and she didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't talk about it. Tyrion came into her room to find her. He took one look at her wet hair, red rimmed weepy eyes, and the bloody rags nar the tub.
"Did something happen?" He asked.
Sansa kept combing, unable to speak with the knot in her throat.
"Was Joffrey here?" He asked. Her eyes snapped over to his for a moment and he knew he had guessed correctly. "I'll be right back." Tyrion left her, locking the door behind him.
Tyrion went straight for Jaime's chambers. He would be back there by now. It was a long walk after such a long day. He could have sent Podrick to fetch Jaime but Podrick might not have been convincing enough. Tyrion knocked lightly. Jaime opened the door.
"Tyrion?"
"It's Sansa. Joffrey has been tormenting her while I was away. I need you to come with me and help sort this all out."
"I don't see what good I'll be." Jaime protested.
"Then you're blind. Come with me anyway?"
"Fine." Jaime followed Tyrion back to his rooms.
Sansa was sitting curled up in a chair in the solar when the brothers arrived and even Jaime saw this time how her eyes lit up when she saw him. She quickly changed her expression to a unreadable one but they had both seen the way she had initially reacted.
"Are you ready to tell us now what happened?" Tyrion asked her.
"Joffrey was here." She began. "He said he wasn't going to let his Uncle Jaime win.. that he was the king and he would have whatever woman he wanted…"
"That little shit…" Jaime muttered. "Did my men hurt you?"
She shook her head. "They only watched."
"I'll go speak to him right now." Jaime moved to leave.
"Wait!" Sansa cried out and both of them were surprised by the forcefulness of it. "Please don't go…" She said more timidly.
"Oh look we're out of wine." Tyrion said a little too cheerfully. "I'll just go get some more and leave you two speak about a few things that apparently need speaking about."
Jaime gave his brother a quizzical gaze before letting him walk out. He then approached Sansa and took a seat on the divan not far from her chair.
"Forgive me Ser," Sansa spoke first. "I'm sure you have other things to do this night. I will be fine…" She said but he voice was unsteady and he noted that her hands were shaking.
"Sansa, I'm the one who needs forgiveness. I underestimated Joffrey. I didn't think he would try anything after I threatened him and I was wrong. It won't happen again. I will do what I can to keep you safe. If that means I must sleep outside your room every night and keep you close by day then so be it. I swore an oath to your mother and have done a terrible job in keeping it. No more. I will do whatever I must to keep you safe."
Something broke in Sansa in those words and all the tears she had refused to shed before came spilling out. She tried to wrap her arms around her knees and hide her sobs. Jaime reached for her hand and pulled gently to make her stand. "Come here." He said, offering her a hug. For a moment she hesitated, then she found that she didn't have the strength to resist. It had been so long since someone had offered her comfort and safety who was actually capable of keeping her safe. She allowed herself to to be pulled into his arms. When Tyrion returned he found Sansa curled up in Jaime's lap, asleep.
"She looks more peaceful just now that she has in months." Tyrion said, pouring himself some of the wine he'd just brought.
Jaime looked down at the woman in his arms. She did look peaceful.
"If you carry her to bed, I'll send for some linens to have a bed made up for you." Tyrion offered but Jaime wasn't listening. The fingers of his left hand were combing through the locks of Sansa Stark's hair and Tyrion saw Jaime press a kiss to her forehead,
"Sorry." Jaime said when he saw Tyrion watching him. "She's your wife I shouldn't…"
"No...it's… there's nothing between Sansa and I anyway." Tyrion told him. "If you care for her...she clearly feels something for you… perhaps that's for the best."
"She might not like to wake alone." Jaime said after a long silence.
"Then sleep as you are. I won't stop you."Tyrion said. "I think I'm going to take my flagon of wine and book and go to bed. Sweet dreams brother."
Sansa awoke safely nestled in Jaime Lannister's arms the next morning. It was the first time in years that she hadn't woken with a sense of panic. There was sense of guilt in having put so much trust in a Lannister but the safety he offered nearly paid for the guilt in her opinion. Nearly. Jaime woke and found Sansa staring up at him with those big blue eyes.
"Sleep well little wolf?" He asked her.
"I am sorry Ser, I hadn't meant to fall asleep here…" She said with a blush.
"It's not a problem. Especially not if you slept well."
"I had no nightmares." She admitted.
"Good." He brushed her hair out of her eyes with his thumb and then he let her go.
Sansa was invited to accompany Jaime on his activities for the day. That meant a lot of time spent at the training grounds where he was sparring with Ser Bronn and later where the kingsguard came to train. She brought a book and needlework to keep her busy while she sat on the sidelines with some of the other women who had gathered to watch. Jaime was busy with his own duties but he kept a close eye on her still. Close enough that he noticed her blush when Ser Loras spoke to her about something briefly.
"What did Ser Loras have to say?" Jaime asked her as they walked back to Tyrion's rooms that afternoon.
"To tell me that his sister says she misses my company." Sansa told him.
"And that was the reason for your blushing like a maiden?" Jaime teased.
"No… he also said I looked lovely today."
Somehow this bit of news irritated Jaime. "Well he was partly right. You do look lovely today, but you always look lovely." He told her.
The compliment caused her to blush yet again. "I thank you Ser. You are too kind."
"No I'm not. I'm not nearly kind enough. If I were, you would not be stuck here married to my brother and there would not have been any war of five kings." Jaime said. He was thinking of Bran Stark and the men of Ned Stark's household that he had killed.
"How do you mean?" Sansa inquired.
He shook his head. It wouldn't do any good at all to tell her that. "I only meant the things that I have done that helped cause the war…"
"I've done my share of those. If I hadn't told the queen that father was leaving then Joffrey wouldn't have arrested him and my brother wouldn't have gone to war." She said sadly.
"Yes, but your father wouldn't have tried to leave if I hadn't…" He stopped.
"If you hadn't what?"
"I think perhaps you were feeling safe in my company in recent days. If I tell you what I did, all of that will be destroyed." He said.
"What did you do?" She whispered.
"The reason your mother captured Tyrion was because she believed that Tyrion had tried to kill your brother Bran. If she hadn't captured him then there would have far less danger for your father in the capital…" Jaime began but he just didn't have the words to tell her.
"Tyrion told me he didn't push Bran. I don't think he was lying… so that means… it was you?" Sansa asked him with the sudden realization of where he had been leading.
He couldn't speak. He could only nod.
"Why?" She breathed, much like her mother had when she'd asked the same question.
"He saw something he wasn't meant to see. I did it to protect Tommen and Myrcella and even Joffrey."
Sansa wasn't as stupid as the queen believed her to be. She had heard the rumors about Jaime and his sister and it took her but a moment to put together the truth. Jaime was Joffrey's father. And he had tried to kill Bran.
"Say something." Jaime prodded, worriedly.
"I..I should go." Was all Sansa could manage and she fled from him back to her rooms.
Sansa was more than surprised when Jaime arrived that evening. "I'm still going to keep you safe, no matter if you hate me or not." He told her.
She said nothing to that. In fact she said nothing to him at all for five days. On the sixth day Tyrion left after breakfast for a small council meeting and Jaime sat on the divan flipping through the pages of a book with a bored air. To his great shock Sansa came and sat down next to him.
"I found this under my pillow last night." She said, passing him a rolled up parchment.
He read: His Grace King Joffrey of House Baratheon commands that Sansa Lannister who was born to House Stark come to his chambers tomorrow evening to be bedded.
"Gods… he just doesn't give up." Jaime said. "I'll take care of it." He told her.
"But what if he…?" She started to protest.
"I'll take care of it." He said more firmly. "You're not to go to him. Do you understand?"
Her eyes narrowed. "How do I know this isn't some trick?"
"You came to me with this message from the king. If you don't trust me to take care of it without tricking you, why did you bother doing that?"
"I can't trust anyone else either." She said sadly.
Something about those words filled him with sadness. She was completely and utterly alone here. The king had been using her however he wished. She'd been married off to an enemy of her house. Her family was all dead and there was no one she could even trust not hurt her in the end. How horrible would it be to feel as if no one in the entire world cared about your well being or your very existence?
"Sansa." He reached over and gently placed his hand on her cheek. "I know I have done horrible things in the past. I want to atone for all of that, to regain my honor by helping you." He felt some of her tears run down his hand. "Will you allow me to help you?"
She nodded. He could see that she was afraid to trust him. No, she was terrified of what would happen by disobeying Joffrey's command. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
That evening when Joffrey arrived with a complement of guards, Jaime answered the door.
"Where is Sansa?" Joffrey said impatiently. "I ordered her to come to me and she didn't come. She needs to be punished."
"I ordered her not to go. In fact I forced her to stay here." Jaime said.
"Why would you do that?" Joffrey said. "Didn't she tell you she had a command from the king?"
"She did and I didn't allow her to leave. I'm stronger than she is and I have a sword. It wasn't difficult."
"Well, you'll let her go with me now I suppose?" Joffrey said nervously.
"No, I won't." Jaime said.
"You won't?"
"I won't. If you order me arrested or killed, your mother will never forgive you, you know that. I also have twelve Lannister men waiting for me between here and the Red Keep who will help us escape if you try to take us by force. You have only four guards with you and they tend to obey my orders most of the time. I suggest going back to your own wife and leaving Lady Sansa alone from now on."
"You can't… I won't…"Joffrey protested but he was already backing away.
Jaime closed and locked the door after the king was gone. He turned to Sansa and she immediately reached for him and hugged him, clinging to him tightly. "Thank you Ser." She breathed in between her sobs.
That was how Tyrion found them when he returned that night. They were standing in the middle of the solar, hugging. Sansa's face as well as Jaime's tunic were soaked with tears.
"Did something happen?" Tyrion asked.
"Joffrey was here. I sent him away." Jaime said.
"I'm so tired." Sansa said, gently pulling away from Jaime.
"Go to bed then. I am staying out here again tonight. You'll be safe." Jaime said gently.
She went into her bed chamber and readied for bed. Jaime woke in the middle of the night to Tyrion's hand on his shoulder.
"Sansa is having a nightmare." Tyrion told him. Jaime listened to the sounds in the next room and heard that his brother was right.
"Well go wake her then." Jaime said.
"You should do it." Tyrion said. "She doesn't want to see me. She would be glad to see you."
"I don't know about glad." Jaime said but he was getting up to go to her anyway.
Jaime took a candle with him and found Sansa still asleep in her bed. She was thrashing about in her sleep as if she were fighting some unseen monster and from time to time she cried out. "No..please...no!"
He sat on the edge of her bed and reached over and gently shook her shoulder. "Sansa? Wake up little wolf, it's only a dream."
She sat bolt upright in her bed with a gasp for breath. It took her a moment to catch her breath and to realize what was going on. Her eyes met Jaime's she started to lean towards him but at the last second she hesitated. He knew she wanted a hug but was either too ashamed or too proud to ask for one. So he gave her what she wanted. He reached for her and pulled her into a warm embrace, leaning back against the headboard of the bed where he could all but pull her into his lap. "You're safe." He told her as he listened to her try to calm her ragged breathing. "No one is going to harm you here."
They awoke the next morning still embraced and facing each other but had moved from leaning against the headboard to laying down in the bed.
"Ser Jaime?" Sansa whispered, her fingers ghosting across his neck and collarbone. It was an innocent enough touch but it sent an unexpected jolt of desire through his body.
"Yes?" His reply came out huskier than he intended.
"Will you…?" She started to ask him something but seemed unable to finish the question. The way her eyes were searching his he could easily guess what it was.
"May I kiss you?" He asked her. If he was wrong about her this question could ruin everything but kissing her without asking could be just as damaging given everything she had suffered.
"Yes." She whispered, with a slight nod.
Jaime pulled her closer to him than she already was and kissed her longingly. He felt her sigh at the closeness and she opened her mouth wider when he deepened the kiss. Neither of them wanted it to end. Tyrion's knock on the door came all too soon.
"Jaime?" Tyrion called out from the other side of the door. "Father is here."
Sansa and Jaime untangled themselves and dressed quickly. Jaime went out of the room first, followed by a blushing Sansa.
"When word reached me that my elder son had been spending all his spare time with Sansa Stark, I didn't quite believe it." Tywin began. "But now I see that I was incorrect."
"It's not what you think, father." Jaime tried to protest.
"You spent the night in her bed, did you not?" Tywin asked.
"Yes." Jaime said through gritted teeth.
"It doesn't matter what I think. If I know about this then surely Varys and all his little birds know about it as well. Half the kingdom already knows that Tyrion failed to consummate his marriage. By now, just as many people are aware of your new sleeping arrangements. If Sansa fails to bear children in the coming year then House Lannister will become the laughingstock of the seven kingdoms." Tywin scolded.
"What are you saying father?" Jaime asked, though he could already guess the answer.
"It's too late to annul the marriage because after that unfortunate incident with Joffrey we can no longer prover she was a maiden. So I am saying that I would rather legitimize your bastard child than leave my house without any heir at all. If Tyrion is unwilling to do his duty to this family then you will do it! Is that understood?"
"I swore vows to father no children." Jaime protested.
"I am hand of the king and the king himself is your nephew. You will not be dismissed over breaking any vows. You managed to remain a kingsguard after killing another king. I can't imagine the fathering of a child will get you thrown out." Tywin retorted.
Jaime glanced over at Sansa to see her reaction to all this. He expected to find fear in her eyes but he found only confusion. Once Tywin left them, Jaime and Tyrion didn't know what to say.
"I believe our father meant every word of that." Tyrion finally said.
"He always does." Jaime said sadly.
"What will happen if you disobey him?" Sansa dared to ask.
"No one disobeys him." Tyrion said. "Everyone's too afraid to find out the answer to that question."
"I think I'd like some air." Sansa said, leaving them to go to the patio. It was safe enough there with Jaime and Tyrion just inside the door.
"Will you do it?" Tyrion asked Jaime once Sansa had gone.
"It wouldn't be so difficult… I kissed her this morning… but I never should have done that…"
"Of course you should have. Father should have made you marry her and not me. You're a much better match."
"Do you really believe that?" Jaime asked him.
"Yes, I really believe that. You could probably even get her to love you if she doesn't already…" Tyrion said.
"But Tyrion, she's your wife. I'm uncomfortable enough as it with spending so much time with her."
"Right, because kissing her was terribly uncomfortable?"
"No. It wasn't. But it shouldn't have happened. I'm surprised she even allowed it." Jaime said.
"I'm not. Have you seen the way she looks at you? There's nothing between Sansa and I, Jaime. So go ahead, spend as much time with her as you wish. Carry out father's plan if she'll have you. I have no objections."
Sansa could hear most of what the brothers were saying from her place out on the patio.
It confused her that she wasn't opposed to becoming Jaime Lannister's mistress. It confused her that she wanted him to kiss her that morning and that she had enjoyed the kiss. She hadn't truly known that she even had feelings for him until that morning. She had known that she felt safe with him. She had known that she liked having him nearby. But she hadn't known she wanted more from him than that. Apparently Tyrion had known even when she didn't. And now they were speaking of making a Lannister heir from herself and Jaime as if they were speaking of going on a hunt next week or sewing a new tunic. The way they openly discussed which of them would bed her was as baffling as it was fascinating.
"How much of that did you hear?" Jaime asked, coming out onto the patio after a few minutes.
"Enough." She said, blushing.
"Sansa… I told you I would keep you safe. I won't force you no matter what my father commands."
"I think we both know that you wouldn't need to." Sansa dared to speak honestly with him.
Jaime was a little taken aback. He went to Sansa and took her hand, she stood. Then he wrapped his arms around her and he kissed her. It was several minutes later when Tyrion found them still on the patio, kissing. They didn't even notice him. Their eyes were closed and they were lost somewhere in the magic of their own making.
"Well that was fast." Tyrion commented, breaking them apart. "I've never seen my brother obey father quite so quickly before."
"Father's commands have never been quite so interesting until now." Jaime quipped.
"I am taking my leave of you two for the morning. The small council has need of me." Tyrion told them.
"Right. I'm supposed to help Ser Loras in the armory." Jaime said suddenly remembering his duties. "Come with me?" He asked Sansa. She nodded.
Sansa went with Jaime to the armory and took the chair he offered her in one corner. She took out a book but had only read three pages by the time Loras arrived. Loras glanced over at her and then at his Lord commander but said nothing.
"Lady Sansa is here for her safety." Jaime explained. "My brother had other duties to attend to and she can not be left alone."
"Surely she is safe enough in her room though I am happy to work with her here nonetheless." Ser Loras said, slightly confused.
Jaime sighed. "Do you remember my former order, that the kingsguard is not harm the innocent at the King's command?"
"I remember it well enough Ser but I have never needed to obey it." Loras said.
"That's because Joffrey is to marry your sister. He knows that Margaery cares for Sansa. He behaves better around you." Jaime said.
"Did the king do something…?" But Loras was too polite to finish the question.
"He did. Twice." Jaime said sadly. "Which is why I gave the command that I did. I doubt Joffrey will try anything while you're on duty… but if he does…"
"Of course." Loras said, making it clear that he understood.
Sansa looked up from her book from time to time as they seemed to be cleaning and polishing weapons. She paid little attention to what they spoke of. They all left when it was time for the noon meal. Jaime and Sansa had almost reached Tyrion's chambers when they met someone in the hall, Cersei.
"Hello little dove." Cersei spoke to Sansa first. "I do believe you are confused about which of my brothers you ought to be spending your time with."
"There's no confusion." Jaime spoke up. "Tyrion had other matters to attend to. Lady Sansa isn't safe if she's left alone."
Cersei glared at Sansa then turned to Jaime. "I spoke to father this morning. I need to speak to you alone."
"No." Jaime said firmly. He didn't want to speak with her He knew she would only try to manipulate him into resuming their old relationship and that wasn't something he could do. Not now that he knew about all the lovers she had taken. "Come Sansa, Tyrion is likely waiting for us to join him for lunch by now."
They pushed past the queen regent and went into Tyrion's rooms. Tyrion wasn't there yet. The servants had laid out a meal on the table. Jaime and Sansa sat down and began to eat. Tyrion never expected them to wait for him before eating.
"We need to talk." Jaime said after some minutes of silence during their meal.
"I agree, Ser."
"First of all, you needn't call me ser. Just Jaime is fine."
She nodded. "All right then. Just Sansa is fine for me as well."
"Are you alright with this?" He asked her. "It seems like some of the enmity between our houses, between us, was falling away even before my father came up with his great plot for us but that doesn't mean we were ready for…"
"It isn't so bad." Sansa said simply but she sounded sad.
"You're right, it isn't. I rather liked kissing you and I think you liked it too." He said with a grin.
"I did." Sansa couldn't prevent herself from blushing. "But I felt guilty."
"Because of Tyrion?"
"Yes, and because I will always be a Stark and you will always be a Lannister."
Jaime swallowed. He understood the sentiment. "I feel guilty too." He admitted quietly. "I am sorry for what I did to Bran. And I am sorry for the things my family has done to yours."
Sansa nodded in acknowledgement. "I am sorry that my brother kept you prisoner and that my mother took Tyrion captive."
"Well now that's out of the way." Jaime grinned.
"Is it true that Joffrey is your son?" Sansa dared to ask.
Jaime's grin quickly faded as he thought on how to answer her question. "Yes." He finally said.
A tear slipped out of Sansa's eyes. "Does he know? Is that why he listens to you?"
"He doesn't know. I suspect he only listens to me because I make the right threats."
They lapsed into silence again for a long while. The servants came and cleared away the meal. "I think I would like to take a nap." Sansa told him.
Jaime was bored while Sansa slept. Eventually Tyrion returned and they drank plenty of wine and spoke about many things. The hour grew late and Sansa didn't emerge to join them for the evening meal. Tyrion fell asleep after too much wine and decided to go check on Sansa. He found her curled up on her side, wide awake.
"How long have you been awake?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I never went to sleep."
"You missed dinner."
"I didn't feel like eating." She said.
"Sansa...I…" He didn't know what to say. He knew that she was torn in her feelings for him. She liked him, she liked the safety from Joffrey that he offered and she had even enjoyed kissing him, but she also hated his name and his past and the fact that his father had taken away her choices.
"Jaime." She turned to face him. "Will you sleep next to me tonight?"
He sighed. "I will." He took off his boots then his tunic and noted the way Sansa's eyes widened when she saw his bare chest. She had no objections when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Sansa awoke the next morning naked in Jaime's arms. She smiled to herself. He had been gentle with her and she had enjoyed every moment of the previous night.
"You seem happy, little wolf." Jaime said as he awoke and found her smiling.
"Well, maybe I am. Maybe I really am."