~Elena~

I'd decided that I quite liked the small man leading me through the halls that I'd somehow become lost in. He was a refreshing change from the tittering girls and cold staring men that I'd encountered since I'd made the search for Sansa Stark's room almost an hour ago. He liked to jest about the different people he'd assured me I'd meet and didn't take himself to seriously, often joking about his height and his place in this world. He confessed that he was much to addicted to wine and women, and that he was currently serving as the Hand of the King, which was both fascinating and daunting. He's a Lannister. I scolded as I found myself laughing at his jokes. Lannister's can't be trusted. I felt him trying to take his hand away as a group of girls crossed our path, whispers rippling down the halls as they watched us before rushing off. His head was turned away in secret shame as his eyes, that once sparkled with amusement, turned hard. He's broken. Not like a Lannister at all. I kept my grip on his hand firm, flashing him a small smile when he looked up at me.

"How did you come to be here? You are much different from the girls they usually put in this position." He stopped walking and merely stood watching me. I gnawed on my lip, wondering what I should tell him. Don't trust him. No matter how much you want to.

"Lord Varys found me sneaking into the gardens. Instead of turning me in, he decided I might be a welcome change for Lady Stark." I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. I didn't mention my sister or that I'd actually known Varys for many a year.

"A welcome change indeed." He chuckled before he began walking again, leading me to a wooden door that was firmly shut, his small fist knocking three times.

"Come in." A small voice called from inside before Tyrion opened the door with a soft shriek of metal hinges.

"My lady Sansa, this is Elena, your new hand maiden." Tyrion introduced as he allowed me room to enter. She was quite beautiful in a lost and tormented way. Flaming hair pulled from her ivory face, lips pulled in a tight line.

"Another one?" She asked as she cast her eyes to the floor. She doesn't trust me. I thought as she began wringing her hands in an effort to not move. Of course she doesn't. I wouldn't. I reasoned as I imagined what it must be like to live with the Lannisters.

"I belive you will quite like this one better than the last." Tyrion tried as he offered me a smile, before bowing and taking his leave. I gnawed on my lip again as I tried to remember what a hand maiden was supposed to do. I told Varys I would be horrible at this. I snapped inwardly as I continued to stand there dumbly.

"Well?" Sansa snapped as my eyes found hers staring holes into my face.

"Forgive me, my lady. I've never actually been a hand maiden before. Perhaps you could tell me what needs doing and I will do it." I commented deciding honesty was the best path. She looked at me with calculating eyes, and I could practically see the wheels turning as she waged war within herself. To trust me, or not to trust me was the question.

"Dinner will be soon. Draw my bath. Then you can help me dress and brush my hair." She instructed before she turned from me again. I kept the sneer at being ordered around from my face, because I knew that showing displeasure would only turn her away from me again, and that was not the mission. So I did as instructed, even going so far as to make sure her bed was made and chamber pot emptied. This isn't so bad. I thought as I helped her wash her hair with soaps that smelled like lavender. She was silent the whole time, still not completely trusting me as she allowed me to help her dry, putting on a cream colored robe.

"What do you like to do when you aren't with the king?" I asked to make conversation as I ran a brush through her long hair, the activity making me think of my sister who was safely tucked away in the kitchen with a jolly robust woman named Rosette.

"I quite like sewing. Sometimes I read or visit the gardens." She replied simply with a shrug of her shoulders. "Where did the Lannisters find you? Did the queen put you here?" She asked, her eyes cold and untrusting again, but I wouldn't have caught the change had I not been looking for it.

"The Lannisters did not put me here. Lord Varys found me sneaking into the gardens and decided I would be a good match for you. I have yet to even meet the queen." I answered with a soft smile as I pulled her hair back, braiding two sides. She worried her bottom lip as if trying to decide if she trusted my answer or not.

"What were you doing in the gardens?" She asked I pulled the rest of her hair into a bun, wrapping the braided pieces around it. The hairstyle was simple, but I was not accustomed to intricate hairstyles like my sister was so fond of.

"My sister loves flowers. I wanted to get her one from the garden, so I climbed the wall and plucked a rose. That's when Lord Varys found me." I lied, the words not quite so bitter this time as I smiled at her, smoothing back some flyaway pieces, before turning her so I could put some colored paste on her lips.

"He could have had you punished." She spoke with a small frown. I nodded in agreement as I walked over to her wardrobe to pick out her dress.

"He could have. Lucky for me Lord Varys is a kind man." I selected a deep green dress with heavy gold lace and gold corset with green flowers. She watched me for a moment, before walking over, removing her robe.

"Not all men here are kind." She spoke softly as she helped me understand the workings of the damnable corset, laughing at my failed attempts. She spoke more openly after that, telling of her home in Winterfell and explaining snow to me. Having come from desert country, snow was all but a foreign concept. I liked when she talked of her past, her eyes alighting when she recounted the snowball fights with her brothers and sister, of being scolded by her mother for ruining yet another dress. It was endearing, and I could have killed the maid that came to announce dinner was ready and the king was waiting.