1 King Joffrey
It's finally here, the attack on the capital by Stannis Barathreon has made the Lannister's nervous. The legacy obsessed Tywin Lannister had insisted on holding the wedding as soon as possible. Joffrey needs an heir.
The preparations had taken a few months during which Sansa had felt more like a condemned prisoner counting down to their execution rather than a bride counting down to her wedding.
At the moment she can hide from Joffrey to a certain extent when she is his queen she won't be able to hide. She will be Queen and she will be a prisoner.
She can't believe she ever wanted this. She was such a stupid little girl.
Tyrion Lannister escorts her down the aisle in lieu of her father. Her father who her soon to be husband had executed. She cannot grab his arm due to their size difference making everyone laugh until Lord Tywin "politely" requests silence.
"I am sorry" Tyrion tells her sadly.
"Why? It is my wedding day I am to be Queen and marry my one true love" she tells him in a flat tone trying not to cry. The imp gives her a sad look. He had always been kind to her. For that she is grateful.
She is silent for most of the feast, she is the Queen and she is afraid.
"Smile Sansa you are the Queen" Cersei tells her.
Sansa obeys, she is aware that Queen or not Cersei the old Queen still holds the power.
The King insists on a bedding ceremony, the men, saving Tywin who feels he is above that sort of thing and Tyrion who lecherous drunk or not feels it morally wrong grab their new queen and start tearing at her clothes. She tries to stop them but there are many hands all over her. She closes her hand to endure it and their lewd references to what awaits her. But they don't know the King as she does, she doesn't fear the loss of her virginity but what else he might do to her.
And she is left alone with Joffrey, both naked in the King's bed.
"Enjoy yourself in the Northlands your majesty" a guest yells through the door followed by jeers.
"Get away the lot of you or I'll have all your tongues torn out" Joffrey yells. The crowd dissapears rapidly.
"Well my Queen its time to put a Lannister baby in you."
He grabs her upper arms and flips them so he is on top. He pushes her legs apart harshly with his knee.
"Very pretty" he tells her, "shame your so very dull, oh well as soon as I put a baby in you I'm free to fuck who I want."
"You are the king you can do whatever you wish it is your right" she tells him secretly relieved.
"Yes I am the King" he reminds her. He bites hard on her right breast and Sansa cries out.
"Do shut up I can't stand the wailing of women" he tells her. Sansa bites her lip so as not to antagonize him.
He enters her harshly blood fills her mouth as she bites harder on her lip so as not to scream. She closes her eyes as he thrusts deeper.
It doesn't last long. That's the only good thing to be said for it.
Joffrey falls asleep and Sansa lies there silently praying she will get pregnant soon.
As a Queen she is very dull. She sits beside the King on her throne as says nothing. Cersei is still the centre of the court. At night she is summoned to Joffrey he is not gentle he bites her leaving scars on her neck and breasts and scratches the insides of her thighs. He hits her with his belt leaving welts on her bottom. And she doesn't cry. She only cries when alone in the Queen's chambers.
After four months she misses her monthly bleed. After two weeks it still does not come. She starts to feel sick in the mornings and she knows she is with child.
"Your grace?" she asks entering his chambers, she is still afraid to be left alone with her husband but hopes the news will make him kinder. His mother is there much to her relief.
"What do you want?" he demanded pointing the crossbow he had been checking over at her.
"I am with child your grace" she tells him.
He smiles but it is not directed at her or Cersei. "Glad to see your not completely useless" he tells her.
Cersei herself gives a kinder smile "come Sansa" she tells her "I will tell you what to expect."
Cersei is kind, but only because it suits her, she wants her line to continue so obviously she wants her grandchild to survive.
Sansa's belly swells and suddenly people start to pay attention to her, she is truly Queen now. She is carrying the King's child. Cersei's kind smiles turn cold with jealousy. But she can feel her child moving and no longer feels so alone.
When she goes into labour aside from the doctor's there is only Shae, her maidservant who she now knows to be lord Tyrion's whore at her side. It is painful, there is a lot of blood, Sansa is too young to birth easily, only fifteen.
After three exhausting days there is a baby's cry. "It's a boy" Shae tells her, Sansa smiles and then collapses from blood loss.
A few days later she wakes up, Cersei is standing over her holding the baby.
"I want to see my baby" she insists.
"His name is Robert" the Lannister woman tells her, "it was the King's wish he be names after his grandfather."
She is angry they did not wait to consult her but not surprised, he has her copper hair and blue eyes. He is beautiful Sansa smiles for the first time in a long time.
Joffrey generally ignores the baby much to Sansa's relief but when it is time to show the baby to the public she is scared to hand him over. She does so but she is shaking.
Joffrey notices and doesn't give her the baby back for the rest of the day, the court lords and ladies coo over how wonderful it is the King is such a good father, even Cersei watches Joffrey with a guarded look.
It is time to return baby Robert to the nursery, Robert throws up on his father. Joffrey throws the baby across the room in a rage, Cersei jumps and catches him, just. Tyrion once said Cersei's one redeeming feature was her love for her children, Sansa is relieved to see this extends to her grandchild as well.
Joffrey storms out. He could of killed his own son. This is what makes Sansa snap, he can beat and humiliate all he wants but Robert is her son and she will not see him mistreated.
The red wedding happens and she swears the Lannisters will fall.
She tells Shae to set up a meeting with little finger.
"Your grace" he tells her with a slight bow.
"It is my belief that you loved my mother" she opens with.
"Yes your grace I did."
"It is also my belief that you will do anything for money and power."
"Your grace?"
"How would you like to be Lord of the vale?" she asks him "my aunt is a widow and she does resemble my mother she has a son but i'm sure a clever man like you can find a way around that."
Littlefinger smiles and asks what the price is.
Two weeks later is Joffrey's name day. Sansa poisons his wine. It is a more horrific death than she anticipated he claws at his throat pulling out chunks of skin.
Sansa has Littlefinger find a culprit. He pulls a condemned man from prision assures him his family will be well provided for if he confesses to these crimes.
Cersei declares herself queen regent as Sansa is too young. Sansa expected this.
She bides her time. She has to find a way to get rid of Cersei.
She has Littlefinger poison Cersei. And claims the position of Queen regent for herself. No not claims demands. The only opponent is Tywin Lannister who demands the position himself.
She demands Tywin Lannister is removed from his position as hand of the king. He responds by calling in the vast amounts of money the crown owes him.
Sansa summons Tyrion. She offers him Casterly rock if he cancels the kingdoms debt. Tyrion agrees knowing his father would never give him his birthright. Tywin dies Sansa doesn't look too much into it he was an old man. She pretends to believe Tyrion's tale of his heart giving out.
Sometimes she thinks she is turning into Cersei both killed their husbands for their sons. Both were ruthless in dealing with enemies.
Sansa is not a cruel queen the people love her because she doesn't start wars that leave them to starve but the lords fear her. If obedient the gain wealth and power if not the Queen regents reaction makes the red wedding look like a paper cut.
Bran and Rickon come out of exile. Bran becomes lord of Winterfell and his sister Queen Sansa gives him the iron islands too after the armies of her son King Robert the second kill all the Greyjoys.
The Frey's and the Bolton's are also slaughtered every last man woman and child. Rosalyn Frey alone escapes on the request of Lord Edmure who has fallen for his young wife. The rest fall at the hands of a group of assassins led by the Queen's sister fourteen year old Arya Stark.
The lords of Westeros bend their knees in fear and say nothing of the massacres. When Stannis Barathreon's armies are defeated by Tyrion and little finger, not a difficult feat when many of his men have been killed by their liege lord on the requests of the "lord of light". Sansa knows she is safe.
Children or not the Stark's replace the Lannisters as the most feared family in Westeros.
12 year old Lord Bran Stark rules the North. 8 year old Lord Rickon Stark rules the land taken from the Boltons and Freys. 14 year old Lady Arya Stark is head of the Kings guard.
16 year old Sansa Stark sits on the iron throne.
and who are you the young Queen said
that I must bow so low
only a beast of a different kind that's all the truth I know
but lions are not the only beasts with claws
and mine are long and sharp my lords as long and sharp as yours
and so she spoke and so he spoke that Queen of Westeros
and now the lords weep o'er their halls and not a soul to hear