Chapter 10

Two days later, a faint glow still in her mind about the secret that she held, she slowly undressed for her evening bath. Tyrion, knowing that she'd been training harder than usual, had asked that a bath be placed in her rooms, and Shae was going to help her.

Unsure of how faithful the woman was to her and Tyrion, she was a bit hesitant to have her help, but she carefully hid it, remembering what Bronn had told her just earlier that day.

"Nothing can change in how you act, Sansa…I know you're more confident and sure than before, but if anyone sees you as a threat, that'll put you in their sights as a target. You need to continue acting the way you were before I started trainin' you…understood?"

She had nodded, and he'd been satisfied enough that he'd risked a brief kiss before they left the training area, and the sensation of it still lingered on her lips. For a man with rough hands and a coarse, almost crude manner, he had a surprisingly soft manner in how he kissed…and she liked it. Sansa smiled to herself as she put her shift to the side and moved towards the tub that was filled with steaming water. As she slid into the blissfully hot bath, she was reminded of the hot springs up in Winterfell.

She closed her eyes and took a moment to remember. However, the sound of Shae walking into the room and gathering her clothes broke the spell.

"Good evening, my lady. Is your bath hot enough?"

Sansa nodded.

"Yes, Shae. Thank you, it is."

She watched for a moment as Shae headed towards the door, wondering if she should say anything more to her, but decided against it. There was no need for more conversation when there was nothing more to be said. Honestly, now that she was becoming more aware of how much the people of King's Landing resented her, she had become more aware of their true feelings.

Shae, she was now fairly certain, held a curious hostility towards her, but she didn't understand why. Sansa had done nothing to her, in any shape or form that she was aware of, so she was completely mystified as to why her handmaiden would feel that way. Of course, she was perfectly cordial, but that was as far as it went. She was cordial and polite…and nothing more. She never went out of her way to make sure that she had everything that she could want. She gave her what she needed, and that was all.

Sansa wouldn't complain, of course, as she had been assigned by the queen mother, but she couldn't help but wonder why she acted that way.

Deciding it wasn't worth the effort to think about it, she instead thought of Bronn and their…well, relationship wasn't the proper word for it, so she wasn't sure what to call it. As it was, the two of them had only shared two brief kisses, and he hadn't even come close to initiating another.

But he was softer around her, in a way that she hadn't seen before.

Their training was no longer just training, as each time they met he seemed to subconsciously go out of his way to spend time with her. There was less time focused on the training and more time was being spent simply talking or sitting next to each other, their shoulders touching as they said not a word, enjoying each other's company.

After a while, Sansa realized that she had spent quite a long time in the bath, so she stood up, no longer as self-conscious about her nakedness anymore, and Shae approached her with a clean robe…but then her handmaiden suddenly stopped in front of her and stared at her, her eyes hard and almost accusing. Sansa suddenly felt exposed at the woman's almost hateful gaze and hesitantly said, "Shae, may I please have my dress?"

Shae paused a moment longer and then slipped the dry clothes over her shoulders and said, in a clipped tone, "Do you need anything else, my lady?"

Sansa shook her head.

"No, thank you, Shae. I can take care of myself from here. You may go."

At her words, the dark haired woman quickly strode out of the room, and the Stark girl stared after her, wondering why she was acting in such a strange way and why seeing Sansa, well, naked, had caused her to act that way. Moving to her vanity, she picked up the brush and began to run it through her hair, her thoughts wandering once more back to Bronn. He had slowly allowed more intimacy between them, but not in the romantic way that she'd hoped. He was letting her spend more time with him and letting her reach out to him and touch him; a hand on top of his, a brush of her fingers over his arm, an embrace on rare occasions…but never another kiss.

In fact, he seemed almost…scared to let them go that far again. As if a kiss could be too much, Sansa thought in her mind…but then she remembered how he'd reacted the last time that they'd kissed and she felt a rush of warmth once more settle between her thighs. He had been so…demanding. And she'd liked it.

Softly smiling to herself, she moved forward on her seat, causing her robe to fall open around her legs, and that was when she saw it.

So subtle it was barely noticeable, she saw bruising on her thighs. Curious as to why she hadn't noticed it before, she stood up and let her robe fall open all the way and saw, with the aid of her mirror, a faint purpling along the back of her hips, as well. For a moment she was completely baffled as to how it had appeared there, but then she remembered. Bronn, in their most recent training, had been pinning her in different ways and having her escape, and he had been holding her down from behind and the marks were from where his hands had been.

Flushing in embarrassment at the thought, she closed her robe and reached for her night dress, realizing that it must have been what Shae had seen. But why would it have made her angry? That she did not understand. Deciding it didn't matter, Sansa dressed for bed and let the thoughts drop from her mind. It was Shae's problem, after all, not hers.

Tyrion had been lounging comfortably in his private chambers, enjoying a glass of wine, when Shae stormed in, her eyes flashing angrily at him, and he carefully put his drink to the side as she began to angrily hiss at him, unable to yell because of the fact that if she did, she would easily be heard by anyone who happened to pass by.

"You told me you hadn't touched her!"

"Touched who?"

"Your wife!" she spat out, standing in front of him with her hands clenched at her sides, looking all the world like a god who had been betrayed by her lover. "And don't tell me you don't know what I am talking about, Tyrion! I have seen it with my own two eyes!"

Trying to understand just what she had seen to make her assume such a thing, he carefully worded his next question so that he might gain insight to her seemingly righteous fury.

"Seen what, Shae?"

She rolled her eyes in a juvenile manner, reminding him of her youth, and then gave him a insouciant look, pressing her lips tightly together as though trying to keep from saying something much more poisonous and accusatory, and then finally said, "I've seen the marks on her. The ones that you left behind after you…fucked her. Now I understand why she's been so secretive recently, and why she can't go but a few moments without smiling. It's because of you!"

Shocked at this accusation, he quickly put together the pieces of what she'd told him…and soon realized what she must be talking about. Dammit, Bronn was going to have to answer him for putting him in this position! There was no doubt in the youngest Lannister's mind that the marks on Sansa had come from training with the sellsword, and now he was having to answer for it.

Keeping his voice level and steady, he replied, "Those marks were not left by me, as I never share my chambers with her in the evenings and neither does she share hers with me. If you had the barest inkling of logic in your mind, you would have already come to that conclusion." Shae opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off and continued, saying, "However, I do know where they are from, and I can assure you that the girl is most definitely still a virgin. So, since that has been cleared up, are you going to fuck me or leave the room in a pique?"

Shae glared at him and shook her head, saying, "Your assurances mean nothing! If not from you, then who? If you do not tell me, I will go to your father and tell him you never consummated your marriage…"

She left the threat lingering in the air between them and he arched an eyebrow, not quite believing her.

"Oh, you will, will you?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I will."

Tyrion took a moment to assess her tone and her body language…and was displeased when he saw that she was not in any way bluffing. Dammit, she was becoming a liability! The only way to keep her from going to Tywin would be to tell her about Bronn training Sansa. He thought about it for a moment, and then conceded. It was the only thing to be done.

"Fine. You want to know where her marks come from, then I will tell you. But," he added, emphasizing it as much as possible. "It must be kept a secret. Lives are at risk if anyone finds out."

She merely arched an eyebrow at him, not intimidated by his words, and he gave her a look. She stared right back at him, and he let out a beleaguered sigh and took another sip of his wine, before finally saying, "Bronn has been training her."

Silence.

"To defend herself?" she finally asked, and Tyrion nodded, slightly surprised at how quickly she'd understood. Shae went quiet once more and an almost thoughtful look crossed her face as she said, "That does explain quite a few things, actually. The girl obviously has a crush on him because of the time he's spending with her." She let out a short sigh and then muttered under her breath, "Stupid little girl. She will get her heart broken."

Tyrion chuckled at that and replied, "Oh, I don't think so," and Shae looked up at him and immediately read the humor in his eyes and said, "Bronn likes her?"

He nodded.

"Yes…unfortunately."

Shae smirked.

"I hope you're making his life miserable," she said, stepping over to him and settling herself at his feet, running a hand suggestively up his leg, obviously forgiving him and forgetting her accusations of him from only moments before, and he smirked in response to her actions.

He tilted his head to the side and replied, "No, not particularly. Actually, I've been trying to encourage the poor bastard. He doesn't seem to know what to do with himself and I find it a rather good source of amusement," and at that Shae laughed as well and then came up on her knees and leaned into him, her hands finding his way to his belt, deftly untying it as she said, "Well, good. Now, let me make things up to you."

At her ministrations, all thoughts of Bronn and Sansa left his mind, and he felt secure in the knowledge that Shae would keep their secret safe.

Early the next morning, Shae slipped from the covers and changed back into her clothes. Silently, she left the room and headed back towards the handmaidens' chambers, taking the fastest and most hidden route that avoided all of the guards.

The instant she was back, her thoughts turned to what Tyrion had told her and she smirked.

Of course he thought she would keep the secret. She had been convincing enough, that much she knew, and she was proud of herself for maintaining her image of the dutiful, paid whore, who pretended to be in love with him.

However, this information was too good to not be used. There were several ways that she could use it against the Stark girl…and against Tyrion. She didn't care much for the sellsword, and actually respected him because he was like a whore in many ways. Sold his services to the highest bidder, not caring who it may be, and looked out solely for himself. The fact that he now had feelings for the lone wolf in the den of lions did not matter much to her.

What mattered was that she could use this information to find a way out of King's Landing. And that was all the motivation she needed to turn on her gracious benefactor, though the words were too kind of a description for him.

As the other handmaiden's woke, she smiled to herself.

Maybe not today, but soon. Soon she could use it to find a way out and back home…consequences be damned.

Part 10/?