My favorite scene to write so far! Hope ya'll enjoy a good ballroom dance!
Petyr looked down at the beauty before him. She looked even more peaceful than he had ever seen her sleeping amongst the trees. He gently brushed a strand of red behind her ear, trying not to think of what she was doing to him.
He used to be able to think with his brain, not being affected by his heart in so long. He ruled with smarts and wits, using what he had to his advantage. He had few weaknesses and no one to be able to wield them properly. He was a perfect ruler.
Then she came along.
He watched her grow reciting words said to him well over a century ago, playing his fair maiden. She had wore the clothes, said the words, acted her part and he in turn fell in love all over again. She was so much more than a girl pretending to be his lady love. She was even better than her. She was smarter, more beautiful, more willing to learn the game. She was perfect for him.
She was his weakness. She had his weakness in her very pocket. He watched her find it all over again and kiss it. He felt her lips against the gold like it was against his very own, the whole shock of her doing such an action freezing him till she spun him around telling her she was going to give it back to him. She didn't want his power. She didn't want him.
Petyr sighed, leaning down to gently lay a kiss on the girl's forehead. It was as close as he was going to allow himself now. She made her point clear to him even if she hadn't realized it was him. She wanted her brother and then she was going to leave. He should want that. He should want the wolf girl to leave his Labyrinth and let him rule over it again. He shouldn't want her to rule at his side.
But he was selfish. Selfish and thinking with his heart.
Petyr stood up, leaving the girl on the ground. He felt the tugging on the back of his head, his magic pulling him to the dream he knew she was having. He smoothed out his doublet, reaching down to the girl to grab the curled up spider. The goblin king, inspected the small creature before crushing it between his two fingers. Gods he hoped Varys felt that. The spider deserved more than just being crushed between his fingers, but he settled with doing what he could for the moment. Never let it be said he didn't live in the moment. With a final farewell gaze towards the sleeping girl he let himself cease to exist on the physical plane.
Falling.
She knew she was falling, the air moving around her , but she just couldn't bring herself to care. It was almost comforting having nothing around her but the dark empty space.
Falling.
She wasn't the only thing falling, she dimly noted. She was surrounded by glass and gold. The glass came in all shapes and sizes, some orbs and others as flat as a window. She swore scenes played out on them but they all disappeared before she could figure out what any of them were. She was happy in them, that much she knew.
Falling.
Sansa looked down, seeing nothing still , the ground never showing below her. She was fine with that. No ground ,no landing ,no Labyrinth.
Falling.
Slowly, as if she was surrounded by water, she grabbed one of the glass pieces that passed her. She had a feeling that it was the right one, the one that would help her. Looking deeply into the clear surface she watched the scene unfold from within the orb.
Landing.
Where once Sansa was surrounded by vast emptiness it was now filled with people of all sorts. They pressed upon her dancing as if they didn't have a care in the world. As she tried to move she realized she was no longer in her normal clothes. She was in a light blue dress, the skirt puffing out making her realize it was a ballroom gown. Her hair no longer fell past her shoulders instead it was pinned up to her head with all different kinds of gems. One she felt with her hand had a shape of a small bird, what one she couldn't imagine.
Dimly she turned in a circle trying to get her bearings, trying to know where she was. All she saw was a sea of masks, each one more disturbing and extravagant as the last. She could feel the faces behind them staring at her, judging her. Quickly she moved, trying to free herself of the sea of people who laughed and danced. All she saw among the people were muted colors, whites, greys and black swimming in front of her eyes. The only splash of color was herself, drawing every eye she passed
A flash of green among the white. Her head tried to follow the only color besides herself to no avail. It was quickly lost among the greys. Slowly she realized people were moving in front of her, clearing her path. She quickly took the path available , seeing the man at the end.
The Goblin King removed his mask, the beaked creature giving way to the ever smirking face she had come to know and recognize anywhere. His own outfit was a dark green, patterns swirling around his vest that moved on their own. His gloved hands held out for her, begging her company. Her steps never faltered, continuing to the only face she knew. The only one she could trust among the staring faces.
He was gone. She blinked and he was gone. Her head whipped around, standing on the tip of her toes to try to see over the ever moving crowd. Nothing, she saw nothing. Her feet moved, trying to find the one thing she knew, him.
The crowd pushed against her , her every movement being fought against by the laughing, leering crowd. She actually pushed someone, their Goblin Styled mask getting in her way too much.
There! She caught his face among the masked ones, his eyes never leaving her. He smiled at her as she began making her way towards him, her skirts hiked up so she could run. Someone pushed in front of her again, their dress sleeves puffing up like clouds. The second Sansa got the accursed dress out of her line of sight he was gone again, disappearing amongst the fake goblins and even faker smiles.
The room seemed to be spinning around her causing her to lose all sense of direction. The only thing she was sure of was Petyr. She had to get to him.
The people began moving faster, the entire world in a dance she was unaware of. The more she struggled against the current the further they pushed her back. Frantically she bumped into someone behind her. A hurried sorry rushed from her lips as she turned from the guest, the second she drew far enough away she saw them move the white fan from their face, the goblin king staring back serenely.
She stared in shock till she shuffled along again, losing sight of her king. She twisted around trying to get back despite knowing he wouldn't be there anymore.
As fast as the world began moving it all stood still. Looking up she saw who she was looking for. Sansa let out a breath of relief, Petyr walking down the steps that separated them. No one stood between them now, everyone standing to the side knowing they needed their space.
His hands fit her perfectly, she found herself thinking as one of his hands found her hip and the other held her hand so they could begin dancing with everyone else. Sansa found she couldn't look away from his eyes, his storm grey eyes with flecks of grey conveying so much as his mouth stood close in that constant smirk.
She could feel everything. If the world around her was like walking through water, being so close to him was like finally breaching the surface. She finally could breathe again and breathe she did. His mint scent invaded her senses filling her with him. He continued spinning her gently, pulling her closer to him still.
"Petyr.." It came out as a whisper, barely perceptible against the songs of the ballroom around them yet he still heard her. He always heard her.
His smiled grew softer, his spins getting slightly faster. "My Sansa." He responded, his voice washing over her as if he was whispering in her ear despite him standing in front of her like before.
The people that once stood in a circle around them began dancing as well, masking their movements turn for turn. They were leading the court, she realized. Their court. Their kingdom.
Her eyes darted back to his. She saw nothing but pride in them and… something else. Slowly it dawned on her. Love. He loved her. He truly loved her.
She was his fair maiden from the story she read in her room all that time ago.
Her mind was pierced with that thought, breaking through the haze.
Her room.
Home.
The Labyrinth!
Rickon!
She heard the chimes of a clock ringing through the ballroom as loud as any laugh that had filled her ears. She pulled from the Goblin King, his hands letting her go as if he never had a firm grasp on her in the first place. She had to ignore the grief stricken look shooting across her face, ignore the stabit sent through her heart.
She pushed through the crowd of dancers, unsure what was real or fake anymore. She couldn't remember how she got her, just knowing she had to leave. The crowd almost pushed back on her before she broke through them finally, a glass wall meeting her.
She knew what she had to do.
Sansa looked back, the Goblin King in the same spot still watching her as his eyes displayed the grief that had been written across his face moments before. "I'm sorry" She whispered again, knowing he couldn't hear her at this distance.
The teen grabbed a nearby candlestick, the flame playing across her hand but not hurting her. She threw it with all her might against the glass, shattering sounding like music to her ears.
Falling.
Again there was nothing below her. She was back to normal, the glass orb she had grabbed broken in her hands, cutting her. She didn't flinch just opened her hands so the glass flowed upwards as she continued her descent.
This time she knew she would have ground to met her.
He pushed against the tree in shock, his breath coming out in gasps as he gripped his chest cursing.
He hadn't expected that. Why would he? He would have no idea what her dream would be, only knowing it would reflect herself.
He sighed remembering how she felt against him as they twirled through the room together, her eyes never leaving him. It was like heaven.
Then she shattered her own dream just to best him once again. How had she known? How had she remembered?! He made sure she had eaten all of the lemon cake, she should've been stuck in her dream world till he himself let her go.
Her will was stronger than he anticipated.
That wouldn't do.
Petyr pushed himself off the weirwood tree, patting the tree gently in thanks for keeping him safe. He watched the face twist into a sort of smile as he smiled lightly back before turning around and walking towards his castle. With each step he became fainter till there was no sign of the Goblin King ever being there except for the smiling tree.