2.
Sansa Stark was situated among the rest of the gallery, where she watched the day's proceedings occur. When King Joffrey cast her off her face revealed nothing. She was aware of the eyes that were upon her, looking for some clue as to her emotional state. What was within was not revealed without-ribbons of joy were lashing through her, but her face remained stony. She wore her mask well.
She was free of Joffrey at least. The dread of his abuses would end, though she didn't know to what degree. She'd been pawned off to his Dog. He'd treated her gently, yet she was still afraid of him. He was brash and abrupt, callous and hardened. She could hear a tone of glee in his voice when he agreed to take her on-he'd deal with her. She didn't like the sound of that. Yet she was free-better off that what she would have otherwise been.
She could feel, for a moment, Joffrey laying his eyes upon her. He wanted her reaction-he wanted to squeeze the last bit of terror out of her, break her before he let her go. She thought that she should react, acquiesce what she knew he required. She screwed up her face as though she had been beaten and let tears fall down her cheeks. Her display was one of her best-she looked as though she wanted to fight this, hide from her new fate. She gave him that-let him believe that his kindness was better than a Dog's. His eyes filled up with a malicious glow.
She didn't look at The Hound as he strode towards her, the crowds which gathered around her parting until she stood in the midst of everything completely detached and alone. Without warning he pulled her towards him and lowered his face, whispering lowly into her ear "Up you go, Little Bird." He scooped her up and gently hoisted her over his shoulder. Once, long ago, being carried in the court like that would have shamed her. She felt nothing but a staid relief. He'd said it so calmly and lifted her so carefully. For a moment she nearly felt safe.
The Hound carried her to where he'd been standing only moments earlier.
"My Grace." He addressed Joffrey, waiting to be dismissed.
"The Wolf-Bitch is crying, Dog. She hates you. You'll make her miserable. The traitor deserves nothing but the worst from you. Mother says that she is to remain a Lady, but I don't agree. Forthwith Sansa Stark is stripped of all of her titles. She is no longer a Lady of Winterfell. I've changed my mind-you can't do what you want. She's to be the wife of a Dog. I don't want to give the pretender in the North any ideas of coming to collect his sister. Dog, I demand that you marry her and breed her. I'll not listen to Mother's ideas. I'm King-I've defeated Stannis. I make the decisions!"
Joffrey was addressing Sandor, but the speech was meant for his mother. Cersei had the look of the grave about her-The Hound knew what was on her mind. Jaime-the only pawn to win him back was being ripped away from her and there was nothing that she could do. Joffrey was asserting himself even more than what he'd done before Blackwater.
Sandor said nothing-what could he say? A thousand thoughts clamored through his mind, making it impossible for him to focus on anything but the weight about his shoulders. He nodded and waited, his jaw tense and his head reeling. He pulled Sansa off of his shoulders and turned her towards Joffrey. Neither Sansa nor Sandor had looked into each other's faces. It wouldn't have made a difference; their expressions said nothing of their minds, only of their stations and what was expected of them.
Sansa was audibly crying, her face reddened and slicked with tears.
"Sansa Stark-The Hound is going to take you to your room and empty out your things. You are to take only your clothing and affects, nothing that belongs to King's Landing. You are to stay with him in his kennel into you leave in the morning. As soon as you arrive at Clegane Keep you will marry him in his Sept. He'll send a raven when the thing is done. Perhaps you'll learn to be a good wife by then, wolf-bitch."
Sansa nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"If it please your Grace." She managed to chirp and fell into her curtsy, lowering her eyes to him.
"It does please me. Now go, Dog, and get her out of my sight. She sickens me."