It took probably the most uncomfortable two hours in my adult life to get to Stannis Baratheon's dwelling, a grand manor, as befitting of a "man of his standing". It stood tall on elevated ground, and with a gravel road on each side, it gave it the look of a castle on top of an island. I parked on the left and we both walked silently to the door. Sansa smoothed her hair and dress, and raised a delicate hand to knock. We did not have to wait long before hearing steps, and then the door opened to reveal an old man, walking with a cane.

"May I help you?" He said.

"Good morning," Sansa answered. I though it'd be best to let her handle this for the time being. She was much more skilled at dealing with people than I was, especially people like Stannis Baratheon. "I'm looking for Stannis Baratheon. My name is Sansa Stark, and he knew my father. Is he home?"

"Wait just a moment, miss."

The man retreated, and did not come back for a while. I leaned on the wall while she resolutely kept looking at the wooden door. She had not spoken to me since we had taken the road, and I had made no effort to get her to talk. All for the bloody best, I though. My own words kept replaying in my head, and I wished I could think of something else, but then what? I become her little friend, we get together for tea parties and shopping sprees? Not bloody likely. What I wanted from her she would never give. Think of something else. I turned to look at her.

The man came back just in time before I did something stupid.

"I'm sorry, Miss Stark, but Mr. Baratheon is currently indisposed and cannot see anyone at the moment."

"Mr…"

"Cressen," the man answered.

"Mr. Cressen. Forgive me, but we drove a long way to see Mr. Baratheon. Please, do tell him how important this is. Tell him it's about justice. Tell him it's about… getting back what's rightfully his. Please."

Cressen nodded and left once again. I looked at her, surprised. She had chosen the exact words that would probably get Baratheon to talk. I had to admit, she was craftier than I thought.

Finally, Cressen came back and led us inside the house, telling us Stannis was waiting in one of the sitting rooms. When we finally got there, the butler bowed and left us. Stannis Baratheon was standing in front of the furthest window. He was a tall, balding man, and when he turned I could see his eyes were tired. He was not happy with my presence there, I could tell.

"Miss Stark," he said, in way of greeting, "I was sorry to hear about your father. We were not friends, but his death was an injustice. My condolences."

"Thank you, Mr. Baratheon," she said, bowing her head respectfully.

"And you." He turned to me now. "I remember you from my brother's household, years ago. I have no business with Lannisters, or their dogs."

"Good thing I'm neither, then." I said.

"He's working for me," Sansa stated, with a haughty air that I somehow felt was directed to me. "I'm investigating my father's dead, and I think the Lannisters might be behind it."

"The same Lannisters you will soon marry into, Miss Stark?" Stannis asked bluntly.

"No, I do not think that will be happening anymore," Sansa answered calmly, "and besides, it was a Baratheon that I was to marry, not a Lannister."

Stannis made a strange noise with his tongue. "Please, Miss Stark, that boy is no Baratheon, no more than I am a Lannister. Why are you here?"

She glanced at me for half a second, before she said, "My father though it ought to be you instead of Joffrey in charge of Crowned Stag. He took his deal to the Arryn's some days after Robert's death, which makes me think he had certain information that made the deal fall through. We were told you might know what that information was."

Another man might have kept his tongue, but Stannis Baratheon was blunt, and ready to share information that would get him his "birthright" as he'd have called it. I felt I knew what he would say a second before he said it.

"Eddard Stark," he started, taking a seat, "and I began to investigate some serious claims some months ago. Simply put, we began suspecting Cersei's children were not Robert's. After some time of putting together information, your father confronted that woman for the truth. Instead of denying it, she confirmed our suspicions. Her three children were fathered by Jamie Lannister. Her twin brother."

Sansa gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. This was probably too horrible, too perverted a thing for her delicate young mind to understand. I cannot say I was entirely surprised. There had always been something weird between those twins, I knew that, and Joffrey had always resembled his uncle in looks a little too much.

"My father… he knew this?"

"He told the Lannister woman to take her children out of the country before he told Robert. He was well aware of my brother's temper. Only Robert died soon after, and when your father realised he had no proof but Cersei's confession, he took his deal elsewhere, and we had to figure out another way to get that unnatural monster out of my company."

"But her father was murdered, and he never told anyone what he knew." I added.

"And now my company is the one that's in danger. Stark died before the deal with Arryn was finalized, something your brother took care of doing. He should have never done that. He should have waited until we could prove what we knew and then complete the deal with Crowned Stag Railroads and Stark Steel. Eddard Stark's move with Arryn was a way to try and get Cersei to wake up and realise she would lose the company if she did not relinquished it to the true head of it."

Stannis took a breath before adding.

"I have nothing else for you, young lady. I truly hope you can have those traitors arrested." He stood up. I knew a dismissal when I saw one, and so did the girl. She thanked him for his help and we left, Sansa promising we'd do our best to have them arrested.

We showed ourselves out and got in the car. It was past midday, but the clouds in the sky had darkened the day. It was obvious a storm was approaching.

I didn't start the car immediately. Instead I turned to look at her, and she did the same.

"Cersei did it. She had to," she said, with no preamble, her silent treatment forgotten. "If my father had this information, she would have wanted him gone."

"It looks that way," I agreed, "but the company's going to the dogs. You saw the bitch fit Stannis had over the Arryn deal. Maybe they thought with your father gone, your brother could be convinced to go back to Crowned Stag."

This was no good. We had information, but no concrete evidence. The little bird seemed to notice it too. We needed to do something. Not just sit around and talk to people. I started the car and began driving, taking the girl home. By the time we were halfway there, I had formed a plan. By the time I left her home, she had agreed and we would take the steps necessary to make it work as soon as possible.

I drove off just as the first drop fell through the broken windshield, right on my face. It was the sound of thunder that announced the storm's imminent arrival.