Picking up with the last chapter, we are moving onto newer and shocking events. I hope you enjoy! I am sorry for such a long wait!
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Happiness
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"Ser Davos, you look quite ill this morning."
Another week had gone by since Sansa and Selyse had crossed paths and in that time, she did not see much of Stannis or Shireen. She spent her days in the great hall, sitting near the opened balcony windows, sewing and keeping herself busy. No one seemed to pay her any mind as she walked alone in the halls, but she seemed to like it that way.
Davos grumbled a bit, "I guess you could say I have exchanged words with the King this morning and he is much more hardheaded than I remember." Sansa nodded, "Will the King see me today?" Davos paused and held a door open for her, "Do you wish to see him today, my Lady?" Davos wondered if Sansa could have the same interest in their King just as he has in her. Sansa smiled, "I would much like to see him today, Ser Davos, if you could make it possible?" He could not help but sneer at the idea, but he nodded all the same, "Of course." He pushed on, "Why ever would you want to speak with him, my Lady?" Sansa's palms were beginning to sweat,
"My meeting with Selyse was quite chilling."
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Still, Sansa sat alone for most of the day, her sewing becoming a bothersome chore instead of the hobby she enjoyed. With a heavy sigh she tossed the fabric she was working on across the room and simply stared at the wall as she thought of all the possible reasons why the King had not come to her. Finally, as if her mind was read, a knock echoed through the room. She stood, but remained silent for several seconds before asking,
"Who is it?"
His voice was welcomed, "It is Stannis Baratheon, my Lady. May I enter?" Sansa gasped and ran around the room, straightening her bed linen, making sure everything was in place before she finally unlocked the door and allowed him entry. He arched an eyebrow, "A locked door? You do know you are not my prisoner, Lady Stark, you are a guest." He watched her walk to her vanity and placed the brush in her hand back down, "As such a guest, you may exit this room and walk the castle at any hour-"
Sansa nodded, "Of course, I understand that, your grace, but I'm afraid-" She stopped speaking when she noticed Stannis picking up the fabric she had tossed across the room in her upset. Stannis thumbed the sewing pattern, "Afraid?" Sansa explained, "Afraid of the company I will find in the halls." It was then he realized she was speaking of Selyse. He chuckled, which made Sansa become confused, "You have no need to fear her, my Lady."
"Oh?"
He offered her a seat in her own room before explaining further, "Tell me of what happened between you and my wife."
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Sansa feared to say anything, a fear of Selyse coming back to her that very night after hearing she spoke with the King. Still, Sansa looked up at Stannis and saw his dark eyes looking into hers; so she spoke.
"She-She said some horrid things to me, your grace. She claimed I have been sneaking around the castle at night to be with your daughter, but I would never sneak, I swear! She kept telling me that I was lucky to be here, how you shouldn't have let me stay. And she.."
She trailed off, not wanting to mention what Selyse said to her about Stannis. But he pursued her to finish her story, "What else?" Sansa leaned towards him slightly, "She said that you were her husband alone. Hers. No one else." He could have laughed in glee at what she said, but Stannis could see how scared she was, and it was this moment that he realized how young she truly was. Sansa was only ten and three, recently flowered, and unaware of what it was like to have someone Stannis' age to care for her. Care for her? Stannis stopped himself; Did he care for her?
"Do you fear my wife?"
Sansa gave a sigh, "Yes, your grace." Stannis knew then that he could no longer have Selyse around Sansa, as the poor girl was truly frightened of her. He stood, "I can assure you that as of the next moon you will have nothing to worry about." As he went to walk towards the door, Sansa stood and reached out, "Where are you going?" Stannis eyed her, "Pardon?" Sansa gulped and realized she had shouted at the King, "I-I only hoped that you would stay for a while. Perhaps we can speak more of my stay here, maybe speak of Shireen?" Stannis heard his daughter's name come from Sansa's lips and hissed, "What of the girl?" Although he sounded hostile, Sansa still placed a small hand on his arm, "I was hoping we could speak of me being able to visit her?"
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It was later that day that Stannis looked at Melisandre from across his desk, "Selyse is frightening the girl, Melisandre. She must be gone." The Red Witch nodded, "I understand, my King, but how? She is your wife, your queen, to divorce her now would be to show weakness to your enemies in the South." Stannis rubbed his face, "She can bear me no more children, no sons, no heirs, she needs to go. I have no emotional feeling towards her, I cannot stand looking at her-"
"What about the Stark girl? Hm? Can you stand to look at her?"
Stannis smirked, "I can look at her just fine. I could do many things to her..." He trailed off as he realized what he was saying, "Selyse must be taken care of and you will be the one to do it." Melisandre smiled, "Death?" Stannis gave a nod and she continued, "I believe I have the perfect plan to remove her, your grace."
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Its a bit on the shorter side, but its a new chapter. Thanks for reading!