FLASHBACK
Sansa woke up to a startling sound. She looked through the windows, and saw that the sun had come up, but was still low. Someone was pounding on her door, so hard they might break the lock. She got up, only in her thin nightgown, quickly grabbed a pair of scissors that she hid behind her back and opened the door.
"The little bird is awake," said the Hound.
"Ah!" she heard Joffrey say, and he came from the hallway and stood in front of her door.
"You have startled my lady, dog. Move."
Sandor Clegane moved out of his way. Joffrey grinned at her and let his eyes wander over her quite exposed body. Her hair was loose and messy and she was holding the scissors quite firmly behind her back. She felt the metal cutting into her palm.
"My lady, my grandfather has asked for you immediately, and I wanted to escort you." She knew he had just taken an opportunity to intimidate and scare her, and he didn't try to make his lie sound believable.
"How kind of you, your grace."
She waited for them to move and let her close the door and change. He just grinned at her and said: "Why don't you go change, my lady?" He was leaning against the door, making it impossible for her to close it. She didn't want to move, partly because she didn't want him to see her naked and partly because she didn't want him to see the scissors she was holding firmly behind her back.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway. Shae emerged behind Joffrey and looked alarmed. Sansa was relieved.
"I will help her get ready, your grace. If you would just wait outside for a while." She stepped in, he moved startled and she closed the door without waiting for an answer. Strangely, he didn't object. For some reason that made Sansa scared. Like he knew something worse was waiting for her.
Shae looked at her bleeding hand. "My lady! You shouldn't…" She immediately confiscated the pair of scissors and cleaned Sansa's hand. "What does he want?"
"I don't know." Sansa said. "He says lord Tywin is waiting for me."
Shae furrowed her brows. "That's not a good sign."
"I know."
Shae quickly dressed Sansa in a pale blue dress that matched her eyes. She brushed her hair and made her as presentable as possible in the little time they had.
The hound pounded on the door. Sansa knew that was her que to go. She stood, and right before Shae opened the door, she looked at her and said "Don't let them play you." Sansa barely had the time to let that process because Shae opened the door.
Sansa walked out and curtsied for Joffrey, who gave her a demon smile and held her arm as they walked to lord Tywin's chambers with The Hound trailing behind them.
"My lady, as you know, we are no longer betrothed. How sad that may make us both, there is no reason to waste a pretty lady's good years."
She didn't like the direction he was going.
"So," he proceeded, clearly enjoying keeping her in the dark, "it is time for you to marry someone else. My lord grandfather will share the joyful news when you arrive."
She started panicking. Who could he possibly want her to marry?
They arrived at the doors and the guards opened. Inside, she saw Tywin and Cersei. Cersei looked absolutely furious. When she saw Sansa, she looked like she could explode. "To that little whore?!"
Cersei burst out of the room past Sansa and Joffrey.
"Your grace, you can go now." said Tywin.
"No but-"
"I said now." He didn't even have to raise his voice. The calmness of his voice was terrifying. Joffrey left, much to his dismay. Before leaving, he tapped Sansa on the butt and whispered "Be a good wife."
Sansa was scared now. Did she have to marry Tywin? She was always told he'd never marry again after Joanna. Did war make him change his mind?
"Sit down, my lady."
She obeyed and looked at her hands. The wound was starting to bleed again and she was trying to cover it.
"As you know, your betrothal to king Joffrey has been annulled. Therefore, you must have a new husband."
She stayed silent and stared at him, waiting for a horrific revelation. Was she to marry the imp? Or a certain Lannister cousin?
"You will marry my son."
She felt tears wanting to escape from her eyes but she pushed them back. She, a Stark, would not cry in front of Tywin Lannister.
"As soon as he comes home, the wedding will take place."
"As soon as he comes home? I was not aware lord Tyrion was away, my lord."
He looked confused for a second, before shaking his head. "No. I will not waste the last Stark girl on Tyrion." He said his name with such disgust it seemed like he wasn't even his son. "No, you will marry Jaime."
She was panicking inside, but he didn't seem to notice. Jaime Lannister? He was of her father's age!
"Isn't ser Jaime a member of the King's Guard?"
"He will be excused from that to fulfill his duties as the Lannister heir."
"But… Isn't he… A prisoner?" she said the last word so silently he might not have heard her. He looked over at her with his prying eyes and looked slightly hurt.
"I can assure you my son is on his way home."
Would her mother and brother have released him? That could not be. They would never have accepted these terms.
Tywin rose from his chair and nodded towards the guards. They opened the doors.
"We can all expect him home in a few weeks. You can joyfully prepare your wedding with your ladies in waiting and the queen."
In a few weeks' time, she would be a Lannister. She would be wedded to her family's greatest enemy. She curtsied and turned to walk towards the open door. She felt one tear fall down her left cheek and thanked the gods no one could see but the guards, if they even were watching.
One guard escorted her back to her chambers. They walked in complete silence. It was only at her door he turned towards her and said "I'm truly sorry, lady Stark. You were supposed to be the queen. You do not deserve to be a prisoner."
She didn't answer. She was too startled. He quickly turned and walked away. She noticed that his armor was one of the Palace Guard, but he was wearing a sigil she hadn't seen before. She had never seen him before. He had caramel hair and grey eyes that looked like silver. He was young and rather handsome, she was surprised she had never noticed him. The ladies liked to giggle and whisper about handsome guards, and she would certainly have heard of him if he had been here longer.
She closed the door and sunk to the floor right behind it. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or scream or sleep. Nothing would save her from this situation.
