Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone who has already followed this story for bearing with me while I take the time to rewrite it! I'm hoping that it's a more enjoyable read than the original version. That being said, enjoy reading chapter one!
Escape
SANSA
Sansa could hear Arya moving around in the room beside hers, grumbling under her breath as she, once more, unpacked her belongings. They had been caught trying to sneak out of the castle, the few of their father's men that had survived now long dead. The Queen Regent had ordered them locked in their chambers, armed guards standing watch at the door day and night.
Arya had spent the past few days keeping track of when the guards changed. The both of them were eager to escape, but Sansa had convinced Arya to at least unpack her belongings. If they both kept everything packed in their trunks, the Queen Regent would become suspicious, and if they were to escape, they couldn't have that happening.
She was soon joined by Arya through their adjoining door, Needle in hand and a murderous look on her face. Sansa hoped she wouldn't do anything foolish, though she never could read her sister's moods or intentions very well. While she had flourished in the South—she blushed to admit that she had even gotten her first moon's blood shortly after they had arrived in King's Landing—Arya was always a Northern child, with the fiery wolf's blood running through her veins. The south couldn't contain her any more than Sansa could bear living in the cold, dreary north. She admitted, rather reluctantly, that even she missed her cold home.
She sat next to Arya at the small table by the hearth, anxious for news about their father, but also knowing that they wouldn't receive any. She was sure that he would be declared dead the next time they heard of him, and dreaded any news of the sort.
Sansa knew why Arya had pulled Needle out now, though she hoped that her sister wouldn't be forced to use the tiny sword she had been gifted. She could understand the security Arya felt with it attached to her belt. She had the same secure feeling knowing that Arya would do anything to protect them both.
Laughter pulled her out of her thoughts, and she glanced at the door impatiently. It sounded like a woman's laugh, and she wondered which guard would be foolish enough to leave his post before the next guard change. It would be happening very soon, but she knew that she couldn't get her and Arya away before their absence was discovered. The guard changes were set during the most inopportune times, for them at least: too early in the day for them to feign sleep, and too late in the morning for them to pretend they weren't hungry.
The sisters sat silently next to each other, Sansa twisting her hands in her skirts, and Arya critically inspecting Needle for any blemishes along the steel. Sansa knew she had stabbed a boy, someone who had been foolish enough to challenge the she-wolf in her. She had watched Arya clean the blood off the sword, after removing it from the hidden bottom compartment of her trunk.
A knock on the door caught them both by surprise, Sansa standing stiffly, clasping her hands in front of her, and Arya hiding Needle under Sansa's bedcovers after a moment of panic. The person on the other end, a guard no doubt, opened the door without waiting for a response. Sansa furrowed her brows as, instead of a Lannister guard, a petite blonde girl walked in. She had a sword, Sansa noted, hidden just under her red cloak, and she realized that this girl was Lady Emmeline Lannister. They had met only briefly when the royal family visited Winterfell, the older girl preferring her own company rather than the large crowds surrounding the rest of her family.
"The guards will be back before long," stated Lady Lannister, tossing them both small saddlebags. "Pack whatever you require, and douse the lights." Sansa could see the confusion cross Arya's face right before she opened her mouth, no doubt to ask what was going on. Lady Lannister cut her off, "no questions! Do as I tell you!"
Arya ran through the adjoining door to her own room while Sansa sped to the small dresser by her bed. She shoved a few dresses into the saddlebag, rolling them into little balls to ensure she had enough room. They were the few dresses from the south she liked—she wouldn't need the rest.
If what she suspected was true, she would be back in the north before long. As much as returning to the cold bothered her—she loved the south, just not the people—returning home was a much more exciting prospect than becoming King Joffrey's plaything.
Her embroidery kit followed the dresses, as well as the shirt she had been dutifully embroidering for Robb. The gray direwolf was half finished, its mouth opened in a ferocious snarl. She thought back to the direwolves she and Arya had lost. They should have never brought them south. They should have never come south.
Arya joined them again as she was shoving the little wedge cloths she would need for her moon's blood in the saddlebag, nearly forgetting about them. Lady Lannister, who had stood quietly by the door while they packed, beckoned them forward, and Arya doused the lamps before the two of them followed the blonde into the awaiting darkness of the Red Keep's halls.
"Where are you taking us?"
Sansa's curiosity got the best of her before long, though she kept her voice quiet. They had moved quietly through the shadows, along the outside walls of the keep. She could see someone standing in a window, a lamp flickering behind them, and felt a cold chill run through her. Would they be seen? The thought had fear pooling in her stomach, and even after the mysterious figure had closed their drapes, the feeling persisted.
The lack of guards so far had her thoughts heading in another direction, and she hoped Lady Lannister wasn't planning on locking them away with their father. Arya would attack her, she knew, looking at her sister's barely concealed weapon.
"The dungeons," Arya spoke up then, drawing Lady Lannister's attention to herself. "Am I right?"
Sansa knew all about Arya's new knowledge of the Red Keep. While she had been sitting with Septa Mordane, dutifully attending each of her lessons, Arya had made it her goal to find every hidden nook and cranny that there was in the keep. In no more than a month, she had discovered the cellar, with its pitch black dragon skulls, as well as Traitor's Walk, the squat tower that led to the dungeons.
Lady Lannister looked at them, her eyes gleaming from under her hood, and nodded, though she didn't say a word. The air was cooling, soothing Sansa's heated skin, and her stomach turned quite suddenly as they approached a heavy iron door.
A guard was stood on each side of the door, the light from the torches gleaming on their helms. They both gave Lady Lannister a bow of the head, the one on the right opening the door for them.
"My Lady, King Joffrey told us to expect you."
She replied with ease, "of course. Please inform his Grace that everything has gone accordingly."
Sansa and Arya followed her through the door, both girls looking back just as it slammed shut behind them. Sansa felt as though her nerves would snap at any moment, wishing she could cover her ears to block out the pained moans of the Keep's prisoners.
"It's just through here."
Lady Lannister's southern accent never failed to surprise Sansa. Though the girl—woman—looked like a Lannister, she had seemed as though she belonged to the North, always wearing her hair in Northern styles and keeping a grim expression on her face. Sansa kept expecting to hear a Northern accent when the woman spoke, and couldn't help but be disappointed each time.
Sansa couldn't help the small gasp she let out as Lady Lannister opened a heavy wooden door, their father sitting stiffly in a corner of the small room. They had traveled to the third floor of the dungeons, which consisted of the black cells, reserved for the vilest of criminals. Sansa felt sick knowing her father had been locked down here, not even the light of the sun to keep him warm.
The dungeons were dark, only illuminated by the torch Lady Lannister held, but she ran ahead anyway, pulling her skirts up to avoid tripping. Her father was holding his hand up, as though the light hurt his eyes. She was sure it would, if he was trapped down here all the time in darkness.
Instead of saying anything, words of assurance catching on her tongue, she pulled out the water skin Lady Lannister had given each of them, pressing it into her father's hands insistently.
"Drink," Lady Lannister spoke from behind them, pulling a small key from her cloak. She knelt down in front of her father, unbinding his legs from the iron shackles. Arya was there then, helping their father up and supporting him as he stumbled. "There is not much time. I apologize for not letting you get your bearings, but we must go now."
Their father nodded curtly, understanding the urgency in Lady Lannister's voice. Sansa didn't, though, and she voiced her confusion as she supported her father's other side, slipping her arm around his back.
"The Kingsguard are the only ones aware of the plan Joffrey has to release you. Should any Lannister or City Watch men see us, the Queen Regent may find out, and you do not want that."
Lady Lannister then turned on her heel, walking into the darkness. Sansa nodded at Arya to follow, trusting her sister and the blonde woman to protect them if need be. Despite Arya not completing her "dancing" lessons, Sansa knew she would be competent in defending them.
A thud from further down the tunnel drew them to a stop, and Lady Lannister appeared from the darkness, Arya close behind. She pulled another torch from a bracket on the wall, handing it to Arya. They continued, Sansa and her father in front, with Lady Lannister's eyes searching in the darkness as she followed them.
"There should not have been any guards down here at this time. We should move faster; where there is one, there is more."
Lady Lannister's voice caused a chill to run down her spine. The implications of getting caught, when they were so close to freedom, didn't sit well with her. She could see, from the look on the woman's face as she glanced back, that the thought was unsettling for her as well. Should they be caught, Lady Lannister would, no doubt, be charged with treason, and her fate would be just as bad as Sansa's father, if not worse.
Sansa couldn't be sure why Lady Lannister was helping them escape, but when they reached the next flight of stairs, she realized she couldn't bring herself to care. At this point, she just wanted to go home.
They came to the end of the passage after what felt like hours. The opening in the passage faced the bay. There were no clouds—there rarely were in King's Landing—and the moon reflected brightly off the water. Small handholds were carved into the stone, barely noticeable in the dark.
"Forgive me, Lord Stark, but you're going to have to climb." Sansa paled as she looked down, seeing just how high up they really were. Below them, sharp rocks jutted out of the water, promising a painful grave for anyone who should fall. "There is a path not far down. There, we will find horses and cart with supplies for the coming trip."
Arya was the first to start climbing, her face almost as pale as Sansa suspected how own was, though her lips were pulled back in a large grin. Bran would love this, if he were here. Sansa felt bad as soon as the thought crossed her mind, knowing that even if Bran were there, he would not be able to make the climb without clinging to someone's neck.
A small nudge in her side from her father got her moving, and she shakily grabbed onto the first handhold, following Arya down the carved trail.
She couldn't help but look up as she reached the bottom, watching her father unsteadily climb his way down. She knew his leg must be hurting him greatly, but Lady Lannister appeared to be coaching him down, stopping when he stopped and only moving again when he did.
Arya pulled her to the cart, both of them settling in the furs as Lady Lannister and their father reached the bottom.
The first thing the blonde woman did was pull out four dark cloaks, handing the smaller of the two to Sansa and Arya, and giving the largest one to their father. She unclasped her own cloak, letting the silky Lannister red fabric drop to the ground, and swung her own cloak to rest on her shoulders. She picked up the red cloak, rolling it into a ball and tossing it in the cart with the sisters.
Sansa could see Arya bouncing, no doubt wanting to ask the woman why she had changed her cloak.
Arya spoke soon after, "why did you change your cloak?"
Sansa turned her face away, a smile firmly on her face. Their time in captivity—they were captives, after all; pawns to be used in the Queen Regent's game—had helped her realize the small ticks her sister displayed before she would do something; bouncing in the effort to keep quiet was just one of many.
Lady Lannister gave the two of them a look, a smile playing at the corners of her lips, before she mounted her horse, urging it on. The horse pulling the cart followed after a moment. "My sister is Queen Regent, she has spies everywhere, but at the moment, she is unaware of your escape. Should one of her spies see us, it would do no good to see a Lannister red cloak amongst the caravan. She will, no doubt, learn of your escape soon enough, should my nephew's stories not pacify her. The less she knows of my involvement, the better."
Arya stayed quiet after that, and Sansa watched as she fell into a light sleep, jolting awake every so often as the cart bounced sharply over the rocky ground. Sansa wasn't tired, though, despite the late hour. Instead of sleeping, she studied Lady Lannister, her eyes trailing over the sharp points of the woman's cheekbones and admiring her jade eyes. All Lannisters had green eyes, but Lady Lannister's seemed to stand out more, neither dark nor light.
Eventually, she allowed sleep to take her, the quiet murmuring from her father and Lady Lannister ahead helping sooth her mind into peaceful bliss.
The next morning brought the stifling heat of the south, with the sun glaring harshly on their backs. They had discarded their cloaks when the sun hit the horizon, already anticipating the coming day's heat. Sansa's silky dress stuck to her body uncomfortably, and she was glad she had taken off the fur lined cloak before she could get any hotter.
She found herself riding her father's horse while he slept in the too warm cart. The furs had stuck to her skin when she had started to sweat, and her father had offered to ride in the cart in her stead. Arya was riding the third horse, recently saddled by Lady Lannister when they had stopped. Her eyes trailed over the landscape in the same wonderment she had expressed on their way to King's Landing. Now that Sansa was riding with her, she could understand the awe Arya had felt.
Lady Lannister was still awake. Sansa had suggested they stop, to allow for both her father and Lady Lannister to rest, but the woman had expressed her wishes to get as far away from King's Landing in the short time as they could. "Should Cersei discover that you have escaped, she will send the fastest riders she can find. I wish to be as far away as possible before that happens," she had told them.
"Why risk yourself to save us?"
Arya's voice was quiet but demanding when she asked the question. Sansa was sure that her burning curiosity would not be sated without the answer.
Lady Lannister appeared to ponder how to answer the question, her face holding an unreadable look as she gazed at Arya. She turned toward again, looking across the land. "Your brother started a war to get the three of you back," she informed them, her voice firm. "My father, while he didn't want me to participate, couldn't deny that I was a valuable fighter to have on his side of the battle."
Sansa gave Arya a look, effectively silencing her when she opened her mouth. Sansa knew Lady Lannister's response wouldn't be a good enough answer for her younger sister, but she would give the woman her privacy if she wished to say no more.
"Our families may not get along," continued Lady Lannister as she glanced at Arya again, "but I respect your family, as does my father. After I was injured, my father implored me to return to King's Landing and find the truth of your father's imprisonment. I found, instead, many of my sister's games involving her son and husband, one of which involved your father. She wasted no time in convincing Joffrey that your father had a hand in his father's death, and would soon come for him as well."
"That's a lie!"
Sansa turned a glare to Arya, who could no longer keep her mouth shut.
Lady Lannister wasn't fazed, though, and instead let out a chuckle. "Of course it's a lie, but my sister lives for deception. I sometime think even she believes her lies. But that's neither here nor there. Joffrey needed the views of someone who had not been involved in the whole affair, and I so happened to be that person. I was able to convince him of your family's innocence in the matter, and he agreed to release you to your brother."
"Joffrey is not rightful king, regardless." Sansa jumped as her father joined the conversation, having not noticed him wake up. "Even if Robb takes the army back north, that won't stop Renly and Stannis."
Lady Lannister waved her hand at him in dismissal, her voice nonchalant. "Let them all squabble over the Iron Throne. Your family will return north without resistance, and you will be left alone. Joffrey has, no doubt, already announced the North's independence from the other six kingdoms. The war for the Iron Throne and Cersei's infidelity is not your concern any longer."
Sansa watched at Arya made a face, knowing the girl would ask another question soon enough. Over the course of their riding, Sansa had watched Arya's eyes glide to the dual short swords strapped to Lady Lannister's belt. Knowing of Arya's wish to continue learning the Water Dance, she was sure that her sister would question Lady Lannister about her ability to wield the swords soon enough.
They stopped next to a small river the next time, Lady Lannister setting up a sturdy canopy for them to rest under. A tent would just hold the heat, but the canopy would allow any wind that blew to cool their skin.
Sansa and Arya were permitted to roam along the smattering of trees after their small camp had been set up. Lady Lannister had insisted they eat first, and drink plenty of water before venturing off, and Sansa was soon knelt next to the river with Arya, both of them refilling their empty water skins. They had both been thirstier than they thought.
Sansa watched as Arya approached their father and Lady Lannister, her sister's eyes trained solely on Lady Lannister's dual short swords once more. The woman was securing the horses, her gold engraved scabbards gleaming in the sun.
"How did you learn to wield your short swords? Do they have names?"
A smile graced Lady Lannister's face for the first time since they had left King's Landing, and Sansa found herself staring in awe. Lady Lannister was a beautiful woman, of that she could admit. When she smiled, her face seemed to light up, her eyes brightening to a light green. She looked even more beautiful then.
"My father was never very invested in me acting like a lady, though I still had my lessons with my Septa like any girl would. My sister was lady enough to satisfy him for the time, especially with her being a queen. Father, being one of the most influential men in Westeros, has many men indebted to him, and he felt that he didn't require an alliance with any other powerful houses." She paused, her forehead scrunched. "I was left to my own devices much of the time. When Jaime visited, he decided that he would teach me how to wield a sword, so he may pass on his secrets to me. As he is part of the Kingsguard, he has no heirs to pass his secrets on to."
Arya looked to be in love, Sansa mused, seating herself under the canopy. She closed her eyes in bliss as the wind cooled her heated skin.
Their mother hadn't allowed them to learn the ways of weapons, even something as safe as a bow. It had made their capture in King's Landing even easier. Perhaps Sansa would ask her father or Lady Lannister to teach her to wield a dagger. At least she would be able to protect herself then.
"Did you name them? All great swords have names. My father's greatsword is named Ice, and my sword is named Needle." Arya spoke quickly, hardly breathing between sentences. "Did you learn the Water Dance? Syrio, my dance instructor, said that short swords can be just as effective as a Water Dancing rapier, if you use it right."
Arya was no doubt bouncing in excitement now. Sansa could just imagine the gleeful expression that she would have on her face after getting Lady Lannister to open up a little. She had always seemed very closed off on matters concerning her personal life. Sansa had to wonder if perhaps she just never had any friends to talk to.
"I have studied the Water Dance," Lady Lannister replied, and Sansa heard Arya make a noise of excitement. "However, I have never had the opportunity to learn it. Perhaps you can give me some tips the next time we make cap, should your Lord Father agree. As for my swords' names, I do not think I know them well enough to name them just yet. They were a gift from my brother for my name day, as he knew he would not be seeing me for a time."
Though the sun was still high in the sky, Sansa laid down on one of the pallets set out, her eyes closing involuntarily. The heat lulled her into a fitful sleep, Arya's conversation with Lady Lannister becoming a quiet buzz at the back of her mind.
Edited on 7/14/2015
Author's Note: Much writing, and nearly three pages longer, I've finally finished the rewrite of chapter one! Over a thousand words have been added, but I find myself much happier with this chapter than I was originally. I hope everyone enjoyed! Rewrites of chapter two will likely begin tomorrow, and will hopefully be finished come the weekend. Again, thank you to all my lovely followers for baring with me during the rewrite!
