Chapter 4: Dark disillusionment

Your days, which are somber and short like autumnal days,
Grow shorter like a shadow that bends on the hillsides.
Friendship betrays you and pity abandons you,
And you alone go down the path of the grave.

Joffrey stopped his car and opened the door. Lothor had noticed nothing and continued to bring Sansa inside the gas station. But she kept looking Joffrey. He was a young pretty tall boy, blond, with green eyes. The most beautiful eyes in the world ,thought Sansa, but in her mind appearing those of Petyr Baelish. She bit her cheek, wiping again this man from her thoughts. She was surprised to think of this man's eyes when all she wanted above all was to forgot him. Was him to left very far from her. However, something kept resurface it constantly in her mind, and she did not understand what and why. Fear, surely , she thought. After all, he was a dangerous man, and now he was going to be mostly an angry man.

Joffrey walked behind them now, and she could feel his comforting presence. After a moment, she felt that he had stopped walking. They were on the doorstep of the resort, and Sansa stopped too. Lothor shot her a questioning look, she turned around. Lothor also returned, this time worried. Smiling at Sansa, Joffrey looked away from her and began to move forward, right on Lothor. He looked up guard down.
—Who do you work for ? asked the boy, contemptuously.
—And you, who do you work for? Lothor answered, running his hand down his back.
—Not for your boss, whoever he is, confessed Joffrey, with a growing wild smile.

Before Lothor could react, Joffrey had already pulled out a Taser, the electric pulse striking the guard in the chest full. He had the strength to get out his gun, but his legs gave way and he fell to the ground, immobilized. Sansa, shocked, trying to understand what exactly was going on, she had never seen Joffrey so violent before. Lothor stared Sansa, trying to formulate a sentence, but Joffrey dealt him a kick in the head, ending the man. He stooped, smiling at the motionless body of the man, and took his gun from his hand. He got up and grabbed Sansa's hand and with a "Quick, we have to go "led her to his car. Once there, he pushed her into the passenger seat and drove quickly. By far, Sansa could see Lothor roll on his back and try to grab her phone. " I should've never let it to him, I really am an idiot " Sansa thought. And while she was thinking this, the image of man withdrew more and more, and she felt liberated, free at last. She looked Joffrey, with a little shy smile, placing her hand on Joffrey's holding the gear lever. She felt some thing poking down her neck, and raised her hand to stroke the painful area, this would be a likely insect. Joffrey turned his head, threw a little warm look, and smiled from the corner of the mouth.
— Rest, princess, said the young man. You're safe with me, rest.
— I'm not.. began the girl, but she realized her condition .

She was really tired, but had not been before. It was true that she had some strenuous experiences, but not to the point of being so tired. She wondered if at one time or another Petyr Baelish could have drugs her, but she refuted this hypothesis, it had to be the aftermath of last night, she was sure. Moreover, the smile of Joffrey comforted her and urged her to let go. She relaxed and breathed more slowly, leaving the rest to win. They went inside a tunnel and orange lights wrapped her. They revolved around her, while she sank deeper and deeper into the unconscious. She felt the hand of Joffrey position above hers, caressing it gently, slipping his slender fingers along hers. Gradually, however, the touch was made less sweet, less and less smooth, and she felt slightly Joffrey sink his nails into her skin. She tried to open her eyes, looking at him, but all she could see was the mirror, and the image it reflects. Through her blurred vision, she saw a person in the back of the car, that she hadn't even noticed. And that person looked at her, smiling. A woman. The smile grew a little more, and before the eyes of Sansa does close, she had time to see the woman brandished a syringe, victorious. She felt the hand of Joffrey leave her, and she fell asleep, too tired to understand anything.

Sansa felt hands on her skin, and all her body aching from apart. She had the sensation of being broken. She opened her eyes and saw nothing around her, just emptiness. But she could feel, and felt someone place her gently on a bed. She felt that slowly, someone removed her dress, and a voice whispered sweet nothings in her ear, words of reassurance, while a glossy cloth touched her skin. She exhaled, shivering in the cool sensation mingled now in her pain. The person sighed and stopped to clean, gently sliding his finger on the wounds of the girl, and up along her neck, stroking her cheeks. She felt the presence leave, then heard the sound of water. What she saw was then an ocean, a blue light, while the feeling of being scope again surpass all the others. She was carried by the waves, by the ocean. But she felt the beating of a heart, the warmth of a skin. The roar of the water approached, resonant louder, and suddenly she was engulfed. A heat radiated throughout her body, relaxing her, which made her sigh of relief. The hand came back, and this time she felt a cloud pass over her body, so soft as silk, and all the pain gone, vanished. She felt water dripping on her face, in her hair, and felt herself bury in the ocean, releasing the weight she contained. She breathed and the water penetrated into her mouth, filling her. The flavor of the mint fills her, as if it could pick up the pieces of her broken body. The ocean took a red tint, as if her blood had stained but was soon swept away by the waves. A new color replaced the red, green. A gray green, metallic, shining in the sun. Then the wet sensation disappeared, and the ocean brought her back on the beach, dripping. She inhaled, exhaled, trying to catch her breath, as if she could not breathe once out of the water. She felt the warm sun. She was surrounded now by a mint smell, and the smell enveloped her, warming up her body. She sank into the sand, and it adapted to her weight, surrounding her. She inhaled deeply, rocked by all these new sensations, but wanting to taste new mint, wanting to regain that feeling of fullness that she had had in the sea. She reached for the sun, the light, and saw nothing even when opening her eyes, only the green color and reflection of the ocean surrounding her. But she knew. Above her stood the ocean, replacing the sky. She could now touch it with her fingertips. She patted her hand, then stood up, wanting to feel again this state of fullness. Suddenly, she buried her head under the water, and mint flavor radiated her mouth, her lips. The filling, the filling. Sweet, cold but hot. Wearing soon as she had touched, the ocean left. The reflection disappeared, and the waves went away from her, leaving her alone on the long shore. And the green light suddenly seemed distant, as if she was not allowed to touch it. And she knew she would never have tried to return to the ocean. If she had not done it perhaps it would have remained. But now it was gone, leaving her alone and broken.

Sansa suddenly awoke when she felt a cold sensation on her skin. The heat had disappeared, and the remains of her dream flew away when the pain radiated her body, yet again. She blinked, surrounded by darkness, and felt that her hands were tied and her mouth gagged. She tried to scream, but it only made her breathing even more difficult. Fear radiated her whole being, and she struggled again and again. Then she calmed down, slowly. She moved her wrists and felt they were handcuffed, and she finds she was laying on the floor. Again a cold sensation returned and she identified it; cold water. Iced water. She cried in her gag to this new attack, unable to control the reaction of her body. She curled up, trying to keep her calm. To think, but it was too painful. She felt someone stoop, and caress her arms, her shoulders, her cheek, but this touch disgusted her, she wanted to scream. Then the hand removed the gag and handcuffs, and the person stood up.
— Meet me in the living room, my sweet, ordered him a familiar voice, I do not like waiting .

She heard the person lead out of the room, and she tried to compose herself. Out of the dream she had just done. There was no relationship between her dream and her current situation, and she knew it deeply, she felt it. And she knew it was not just a dream. "I dreamed of the person who took care of me last night "painfully Sansa thought, regretting that person at that moment. Regretting that heat. But she also knew that a dream was a dream, and that it was often far from reality. At that moment, this person would not be there. This person had only obeyed orders. Yet she regretted his heat. She regretted any short heat. She tried to remember how she got here, lying on the ground, trembling. To put a name to the voice she had heard, and her heart missed a beat. Joffrey . It was Joffrey who had detached her. Suddenly hope returned. He had saved her. Remember slowly what had happened before, she walked slowly to the door and opened it. Joffrey sat on a couch in what she knew was his apartment. She had seen a picture before. But something was wrong. "How can it save me from her own apartment?"Sansa wondered, immediately regretting for having asked the question. Because she knew the answer, although she does not want to accept it. And she remembered the smile of the woman, Joffrey's nails. She felt nothing more. Her heart simply just lost what was left of her humanity . And she wanted to feel sorry for it , after all. Nothing will more astonish her today , let alone her boyfriend treats her like a criminal when all the world suspected her of being one.
– Come here, Sansa, Joffrey ordered her, smiling, and she obeyed. Did you missed me, my sweet? he asked, still smiling, and it froze her heart.
– Yes, I missed you, she lied. This morning, it was perhaps true, but now she was afraid.

He got up, ran a hand behind her neck and pulled his face to hers before stealing a kiss. A cold kiss. There was nothing left from the friendly young man he was before. He had nothing in common with Joffrey Baratheon. He kissed her even more brutally, and she was hurt, but said nothing. Waiting for it to end. He looked into her eyes, breaking the kiss and grabbed her chin with his fingertips, hard enough that it could not move. Then stroked her hair, a small smile on his lips.
– It's really a shame, you know, I had so much fun with you, he confessed, even if I've never loved you, he added with a smile.

He approached his lips again to her face and whispered in her ear "But that does not mean we can not have fun, right?"She shuddered with horror, tried to leave but the hand that stroked the hair gripped the now, forcing her to sit still and bruising Sansa. He smiled viciously, and looked her body. She was still wet, her dress sticking to her body. She had been in a relationship with him, it was true. They had knew a long time, it's not like she was innocent, but they never really .."My grandfather would not be happy if I was hurting, but I will not hurt you, not too much." he whispered back into her ear. If he had been Joffrey, she would have given her to him, she would have smiled. But it was not Joffrey, he was a monster. So she tried again to leave, but he planned her on the couch, cutting off her breath.
– You think you know me, Sansa? Joffrey asked, chuckling, but are you sure? You say you love me but you don't even know who my grandfather is. You did not know, don't you? he whispered softly.

She struggled, tried to hit him, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her. She was vulnerable and weak. And he was above her, the dominant. Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes, and she did not understand. She did not understand how he could have as much change. She loved him. "But I love you "she had wanted to tell him. And as he began to touch her, she bit her cheek so hard that she could feel the taste of blood spread into her mouth. "I am Joffrey Lannister, grandson of Tywin Lannister " he whispered in her ear, and she understood. She realized she had been manipulated from the start, for years. After a long silence, she laughed, a desperate laugh. Joffrey stopped touching her, and he looked surprised, almost scared."Stop laughing "he commanded he4, but she only laughed more like a demented. Because she knew she would never have peace. He slapped her, and the taste of blood flooded Sansa. He was still holding her hands, and she closed her eyes. Preparing to suffer again. And this time no one would come to save her. She felt the hands of Joffrey undress her, touch her. She heard him laugh, blow loudly. She felt his tense body crushing hers. She could hear the beating of his heart. He loved it, hurt her. And then she heard the trigger of a gun. And saw a shadow in the back of Joffrey. The boy also realized, and he turned abruptly, preparing to defend himself, but he had no time.
– Littlefinger is the name of my boss, kid, said Lothor .

The blast resounded through the room and the body fell to the ground. Sansa felt the blood on her face again, and she looked up to Lothor, in tears. She could not articulate. All this time she had tried to keep calm, but she came over and suddenly everything had just released. She wanted to apologize, she wanted to thank him. But she heard a groan. Joffrey was not dead, Lothor had shot in his leg, and he swore, unable to get up. Then, Sansa saw him ,enter the room and watch her . He did not look happy. His hair were disheveled, his eyes mad, and his tie almost snatched. He took off his jacket, in the the doorstep, and rolling up his sleeves. She then realized that he also had a gun. The look he gave her froze up her blood. Then he walked toward Joffrey, slowly. He looked almost consecutively the young naked girl, in tears and wet, then the body of the boy lying on the floor. He gave a kick to the body of Joffrey, returning him on his back.

– It's for what you did to my henchman began Petyr, crushing his foot to the place where Lothor fired, and Joffrey screamed in pain. And that .. Petyr went on, that's for what you did to her.

Petyr stooped, hitting the young man on the temple, still applying pressure to Joffrey's hurted legs, who continued to moan. Joffrey looked at him with a crazy and hatred look.
– When my grandfather will know what you.. you... did, Joffrey came to articulate, you will pay Littlefinger.

– And this is for what you did to Catelyne simply said Petyr, rising, and looking at the young man's eyes. Then pretending to have forgotten to say something important, he smiled at the young man.

"By the way, my name is Petyr ."

He did not smile, but was not upset so far either, he seemed to enjoy the moment. And then he shot. Without looking, without a shadow of remorse. He shot. Joffrey was dead, and Sansa looked at the man who had once been her boyfriend, and at the man who had killed him. Baelish seemed a little sad, not satisfied. He observed a moment the corpse of the young man, and the blood stain the carpet, then gave him a last kick before turning to her. He looked at her, and it seemed to Sansa that she recognizes disappointment in his eyes.
– And this is how you repay me, he muttered between his teeth, pointing to the corpse of the young man. Lothor, he said, bring her to point B, I've changed my mind.

He approached her, lowering himself and grabbed her chin, much more kindly than Joffrey had done. He put his lips to her ear, and she felt the familiar smell of mint emerge from him. And she understood she was wrong about him, from the beginning. "Thank you for your consideration. " he muttered, before turning and leaving the room, leaving her alone with Lothor, and the corpse of Joffrey. Sansa felt her heart sink.

"I just lost my only ally."