Sansa Stark had changed. She was no longer the fool child, perpetually gazing doe-eyed at princes and smiling when someone complimented her needlework. Life at King's Landing had crushed the "little dove," and a young woman with the inner strength of a wolf had emerged from her ashes.
Joffrey had made a pact with the Tyrells, the second most powerful family in the Seven Kingdoms, and was engaged to be married to Margaery Tyrell, a great beauty. As the daughter of a traitor, Sansa was no longer good enough to marry the precious King, but she soon discovered she was good enough to entertain him when he tired of hunting. The first time he called on her, she had expected to be beaten. But what came after was far worse. She was fortunate that it had only been two of his officers then, but The Hound, The Mountain, and many others followed, and she soon learned the meaning of true pain.
She was given her own room, attendants, food and clothing, but for all of this pretense she was little more than a prisoner, and always on her guard for the coming torture that inevitably followed the setting sun. Sitting at the table, dressed for dinner, Sansa would watch Joffrey like a hawk, carefully counting the cups of wine the King would consume. On the rare occasion that he only drank one or two, she could count on being spared. But if he motioned for a third, her heart would freeze, and she was never able to eat much more after that. She knew she was wasting away. After a while her servant, Shea, began bringing her extra meals to keep her from fainting in public. When the news arrived of her brother and mother's death, most thought it would be the end of her. She rarely left her rooms except when ordered. The King's uncle, Lord Tyrion, visited her once, and was the first man in the entire castle to speak kindly to her. Upon seeing her condition, he prevailed upon his nephew to let her out to go riding. She was allowed this modicum of freedom, but was always surrounded by guards. Still, it did bring some spark back into her eyes.
It was on one such ride that her life changed.