This chapter is mostly the day for Sansa after Tyrion is arrested. There's not a lot of action, it's mostly Sansa's thoughts about what just happened. Imagine her confusion after everything that happened since last night.
SANSA V
Sansa remained motionless as the queen left the room. The two kingsguards were still searching her room, so she didn't dare to move. It was better to stay as unnoticed as possible. I'm afraid you'll be a widow very soon. The words of the Queen Regent rolled in her head. It could only mean one thing. She was going to kill Tyrion. Sansa panicked at the idea. Tyrion was her husband and the only one in King's Landing who protected her. And she didn't want him to die. He had always been kind with her. She looked at the necklace in her hands. She wanted to stop Cersei when she seized and opened the box, but she didn't dare. She had been the frightened little girl who hid behind courtesies as always. Now she knew what Tyrion offered her for her name day. It was a golden Lannister lion necklace. If Tyrion thought it would gladden her, he had been wrong. She wanted to throw the necklace away, but she didn't do it with the two men looking everywhere. It would bring their attention to her.
They searched for some time, but didn't find anything. Finally they went to Tyrion's strongbox on his desk and tried to open it, without success. "Let's find the keys. We'll come back later to open it," Ser Boros said. He then turned his attention on her. "You don't leave this room. Everyone is confined as long as the queen says otherwise."
They left without another look. Sansa was alone once more. However, a few minutes later, Podrick erupted from the door. He didn't look at Sansa and went directly to the strongbox and opened it.
"Podrick. What's going on?" She needed explanations. Why was Tyrion arrested by Cersei? What was going to happen to him? Why was everyone confined to his rooms? Today was the royal wedding. They should be preparing for it, but instead it seemed no one could move.
The squire answered her in a very low voice as he took the documents in the chest and locked it again. "I'm sorry, my lady. I cannot stay any longer. I'll come back as soon as I can." He left without any other word. Again, Sansa was all alone.
Sansa got up from her bed and slipped on a dressing gown before sitting in a chair at the table where she took her meals in normal time. For now, there was nothing to eat on it, only wine, and Sansa didn't drink very much. Tyrion was the one who emptied jugs every day and for now he wasn't there because his sister took him away so roughly from Sansa. She was lying on him when they came into their chamber, awaking her from the best night she had since an eternity.
Wait. Sansa realized something. Tyrion was with her in her bed when they came to take him, and she was laying on him. Did he…? For a moment she panicked. Did he bed her? But then she remembered what happened last night. His confession about his first wife. Her plea for him to consummate their marriage before his father forced them to. The way she burst into tears. The way he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and allowed her to weep on him. There was nothing more. She probably fell asleep afterwards and Tyrion held her during the night. That would explain the position in which she awakened, her head on his chest, his arms around her neck and shoulders. She could still feel the soothing feeling of his arms around her. He shared her bed, but didn't do the deed. It had been such a peaceful night. She wondered now what would happen. Would his father still force them to do their duty as husband and wife? Or would he forget about it now that Tyrion was in prison? Sansa didn't feel quite relieved at the idea she would remain a virgin because Tyrion was killed.
She realized she still held the necklace in her hand. A moment ago she wanted to throw it away, but now she didn't really feel for that. Instead she brought it back into the leather box on her boudoir. Everything was now a mess because of the search by Ser Boros and Ser Osmund. As she put down the box, the door opened. Sansa turned to face the new intruder, fearing who else it could be, only to be relieved to see Shae enter with plates of food.
"Shae!"
"Sansa." Her friend left the tray on the table and went over her. "Are you alright? All the castle is in turmoil. Most of the people are locked in their rooms. I barely managed to come here."
"Do you know what's going on?"
"I have no idea. No one knows." Sansa sighed. She had hoped Shae could explain her "Where's Tyrion?"
Sansa explained everything to Shae. How Cersei entered the room with three kingsguards, how they knocked out Tyrion and grabbed him outside to the black cells, accusing him of a crime she had no idea what it was. How they searched the chamber, finding nothing of interest as far as she knew. How they ordered her to stay in her chamber, without any possibility to leave. Sansa thought she saw something in Shae's eyes when she told her Cersei said Tyrion wouldn't live long. What is only surprise? Or horror? Or even worry? Shae gained back her composure very quickly all the same.
"Alright, we don't know what happened, so there's no use to panic. I'll leave later to see what I can find about it, but for now I'll stay. I don't think it would be wise to leave alone right now, and anyway I must dress you and prepare you for the day."
Her handmaiden was speaking calmly, but Sansa could feel worry and uncertainty in her voice. "What about the royal wedding?" Sansa asked.
"I don't think the royal wedding will take place today with everything that is going on right now. But it is best for you to be dressed for the day all the same. Come, I'll brush your hair."
Sansa complied without a word and let Shae brush her hair, clip her nails, and dress her for the day. She also washed the little cut on her cheek. When she was done she emptied Sansa's chamber pot by the window and put some order in the mess the kingsguards and Cersei left behind them. Sansa knew every duty Shae had to do. She couldn't do anything more without leaving the room and she said she wouldn't. She replaced the sheets and the blankets on her bed. At this moment Sansa had begun to eat.
"Did you eat, Shae?" Sansa didn't know when her handmaidens ate to be true.
"No."
"You may eat. There's more than enough for two people." After all Tyrion wasn't there. Shae sat and began to eat with Sansa. Sansa liked it better. She considered Shae more as a friend than as her handmaiden for quite a long time now. She was the only one Sansa trusted enough to confide in. They ate silently. None of them had much to say it seemed. When they were done Shae cleaned the table as she could. Then they both had nothing to do.
Sansa took the embroidery she began three days ago and pursued her work. Shae only sat next to her, doing nothing. When Sansa asked her if she wanted some tissue to work on, her friend declined. She said she wasn't really good at needlework. So Sansa worked alone. She was soon lost in her work, but in the back of her mind she thought about Tyrion. She was concerned about him. She also worried about herself of course. If Tyrion was in danger, she was as well because she was his wife. Finally she decided to ask her opinion to her friend.
"What do you think will happen to Tyrion?"
Shae looked back at her. "I don't know. With the queen, who knows what could happen to him? But I think he will manage to survive to this. He survived much worse."
Sansa thought she felt some doubts in Shae's words. She seemed to worry about Tyrion too. Sansa was glad of it. Shae had seemed quite cold with Tyrion ever since the moment he and Sansa were wed. Perhaps it was only because Shae wanted to protect her, but Sansa guessed the fact Tyrion could never remember her name also played a role in that. After all, it was quite evident now that Tyrion would never hurt her, no matter what happened. She was happy Shae looked concerned about him just like her. She wasn't the only one to worry about him at least.
"I hope he will not die. He is a Lannister but… he never did anything wrong to me. He even protected me from the rest of his family. I don't want him to die."
Shae nodded to show her agreement. After a short hesitation, Sansa decided to speak about last night.
"You know, Lord Tywin wants to force us to consummate our marriage on the next night."
This revelation nearly caused Shae to jump from her chair from what Sansa could see. The foreign girl stared at her with anger in her eyes. "What?"
"Tyrion told me last night. His father gave him until the royal wedding to bed me, or else he would force us to do it during Joffrey's wedding night."
Sansa could see anger boiling in Shae. It wasn't the first time she saw anger in Shae, but she never saw it at such a level. Her friend rose from her seat. "This man is a monster. How can he dare to do that?"
"He wants a Lannister to rule the North one day. My claim is all that interest him."
"What did your husband do about it?"
Shae was now looking at her intensely. "He said he wouldn't do it. Whatever his father tried, he wouldn't bed me against my will." Shae looked at her with an expression Sansa couldn't decipher now, so she continued to talk. "He said he wouldn't rape me, no matter what Lord Tywin would do. That he may be a monster, but not this kind of monster."
Sansa wasn't sure if she should talk about Tyrion's revelation about his first wife. She trusted Shae with everything, but Tyrion had told it to her and only to her. He obviously didn't want everyone to know about it and Sansa could only agree with him. That was such a horrible story. She couldn't tell it to anyone, not even Shae. Instead she talked about the events on the morning. "I still can't believe what happened. Cersei and the three knights just entered like that in our room and they grabbed Tyrion like this, pulling him out of the bed as if that was nothing. And then they turned the room into shambles, looking for who knows what."
Sansa stopped to talk and a huge silence lingered in the room for quite a long time. Finally Shae broke it. "They pulled him out of the bed? Didn't your husband sleep on the couch?"
That wasn't the type of question Sansa was expecting, but she guessed it was legitimate. After all, Shae always found Tyrion sleeping on the couch every time she saw him sleeping. She probably didn't understand why Sansa suddenly said Tyrion was taken out of the bed. "I allowed him to sleep in the bed last night. The couch doesn't seem much comfortable and he swore he would never touch me. We only slept in the same bed, nothing happened."
That wasn't the truth, but Sansa wished it was. Right now she regretted she didn't show more thankfulness toward her husband before. He did everything to make their marriage as painless as possible. There were even times when Sansa could say she was happy before her mother and Robb were killed. She knew Tyrion took no part in that. She remembered his words last night. I'm sorry, Sansa. If I could send you away, send you back to your family, put an end to this horrible war, bring them back to life and arrange things so that everything never happened, I would. But you are my wife. I swore to protect you. And I will protect you until I die. He was honest. He always was. The night she spent with him was proof enough of it. He held her against him for the whole night. He could have taken her. He had every right and every reason to do it with his father's threats. But he didn't. He acted with honor. He only comforted her. How could someone from such a family act with so much honor? Sansa had liked this night. She had found solace in his hold. She rued her behavior toward him before that. She needed him to be in danger of dying to realize how unfair she had been.
"Excuse me, my lady. I think I will leave. I'll try to gather some information about what is going on. I'll manage to avoid the guards, I know ways for that."
Shae's words got her out of her thoughts. However, before she could say anything, her handmaiden had already left the room. She would have liked Shae to stay longer with her. Sansa returned to her needlework. She continued to work on it for most of the day, trying to not think about anything else, but it wasn't possible. Her thoughts repeatedly wandered to the same worries. What would happen to Tyrion? What would happen to her? Why was Tyrion arrested? Did he really do anything wrong or was it only an invention of his sister, the queen? What would Lord Tywin do? Would he still force them to consummate their marriage? When would she be able to leave this room again? No meal was brought to her for midday. Anyway she didn't care, she wasn't hungry.
Finally, when evening came, the door finally opened. Sansa thought Shae came back with some news, but it was someone else who crossed the doorstep. It was the young and shy boy who always flushed when she looked at him. Podrick Payne, Tyrion's squire. Why was he there? He had a tray of food with him and put it on the table.
After that, he stood before her, not saying a word, but Sansa had the impression he was trying to say something. Finally he spoke. "Excuse me, my lady. I would have come to you sooner, but no one is allowed to wander in the Red Keep except the Kingsguard, Lannister men, and a few people with the authorization of the queen. Ser Jaime gave me the leave to bring you some food."
Ser Jaime Lannister? Sansa didn't know what to make of it. The Kingslayer wasn't a man she would trust quickly. She knew like everyone else Stannis's claims that he was the queen's lover and that her children were also his. She also knew now that he attacked her father in the streets and that it was how he got his injury to the leg. He had come back recently to King's Landing, released by her mother apparently. She wondered why her mother released this man. Moreover, she wasn't ready to give him much credit after Tyrion's revelation last night. He allowed the wife of his brother to be raped by his father's guards. However, she recalled that of all his family members, Jaime Lannister was the only Tyrion never spoke ill of. She found it odd considering the events concerning Tysha.
Despite that, Podrick was Tyrion's squire. Perhaps she could get some information from him. He seemed to be quite devoted to Tyrion. "Podrick, can you tell me what is going on? Tyrion was arrested this morning by the queen and brought to the black cells. No one is going to tell me."
"I came to tell you this also, my lady." Sansa was quite surprised by this. Finally, she would know what was happening for everyone being locked in their apartments. "Lord Tywin is dead."
The new numbed Sansa for quite a long time. Tywin Lannister? Dead? She felt some joy at the idea the man who organized the slaughtering of her family was dead. The gods showed some justice after all. However, that was quite unforeseen. How could the Hand of the King die so suddenly?
"How?" That was all that Sansa could ask.
"No one really knows. He was found dead in his bed by one of his guard. According to Ser Jaime, his heart failed during his sleep. He told me that's what the Grand Maester said when he examined the body." So the Lord of Casterly Rock died peacefully in his bed. Sansa was a bit disappointed. To be honest, she would have liked a more painful way to die for the old man who made her family suffer so much. Podrick continued to speak however. "The queen didn't believe her father died this way. She is accusing Lord Tyrion of murdering him."
That made quite a shock to Sansa. Tyrion killed his father? She remembered a few things he told her last night. My father won't do anything. I'll make sure of that. If my father is ready to do everything for the family, then I'm capable to do the same for my wife. My father is not the only who's ready to do everything necessary. Did he kill his father for this reason? To prevent the forced consummation of their marriage? For a moment Sansa wanted to thank Tyrion for that.
She realized quickly however it wasn't possible. Tyrion couldn't have killed his father. Tyrion never killed anyone, even when he was Hand of the King. Death seems a bit extreme. Though Sansa couldn't help but feel a little special, thinking her husband was ready to kill a man like Tywin Lannister for her. But it sounded so unbelieving. Deep inside, Sansa knew Tyrion didn't kill his father. How could he kill a member of his own family? She wasn't a good enough reason for that anyway. It wasn't as if Tyrion loved her. He wouldn't slaughter his own kin for an innocent and stupid girl like her. Wouldn't he? No, Tyrion didn't kill his father, Sansa was sure of that.
"He didn't do it. Tyrion didn't kill his father." Before she could realize it, she said the words. She shouldn't have. Podrick was a good boy, but she wasn't entirely sure she could trust him, especially after he said Ser Jaime sent him.
"I know, my lady. I've been his squire for more than a year now, and I know Lord Tyrion would never do such a thing. Ser Jaime doesn't think he did it either."
Sansa felt reassured she wasn't the only to believe in Tyrion's innocence, but the mention of Ser Jaime didn't make her confident of Podrick's words. Tyrion may be Ser Jaime's brother, but the knight was also the queen's brother… and lover, for sure. She had no difficulty to believe that Joffrey was the result of an incest. Ser Jaime could have sent Podrick to get some words from Sansa that could incriminate Tyrion, or even her. She had to be careful with what she said.
"What is to happen to the royal wedding?"
"Queen Cersei reported it for later. No one knows when it will take place." So much expenses for a marriage that will never happen. If Tyrion was free, he would fume about this.
"Does the queen have any proof of my husband's guilt?" She said it in a very ladylike voice. She had to wear her armor again to let no emotion transpire.
"For now, none. Ser Jaime says that his father died of natural causes, and that his sister probably just believes that Lord Tyrion did it. He believes he will leave the cells very soon."
Sansa didn't believe a word of Podrick's last sentence. She knew Cersei and Tyrion hated each other more than everyone else. She would die before she set him free. She had more and more the impression Podrick was sent as a trap. Sansa looked at the boy. He seemed to be genuinely concerned about Tyrion. Sansa remembered how shy and kind the boy was. He probably didn't even know himself that Tyrion's brother was using him against his own master. Sansa couldn't give him any information.
"Thank you, Podrick. Please leave me now. I would like to eat alone. Could you please send me one of my handmaidens to bring back the dishes and prepare me for the night?" She hoped it would be Shae.
"I'll do what I can, my lady." He bowed his head and went to the door. He turned back to her halfway. "My lady, I'm going to visit my lord in his cell tomorrow. Is there anything you would like me to tell him?"
Sansa thought some time about it. She had to be careful about what she would say. Anything could be used against her by Cersei eventually. Perhaps she should say nothing. However, she was concerned for Tyrion. She didn't want him to believe she didn't give a damn about him. Not after what happened last night. She chose her words very carefully. "Tell him that I hope he is alright. That I hope he will leave the black cells very quickly. And tell him…" She wanted to tell Podrick to thank her husband for what he did for her last night, but she feared Cersei would use it and pretend it was some kind of secret thanks for killing Lord Tywin for her. Sansa couldn't take that risk. Instead she only said: "Tell him I miss him." She could have said that she loved him, but that wouldn't have been the truth.
Podrick left. Perhaps he would never visit Tyrion anyway. The boy believed he would, but Sansa couldn't trust the word of a kingslayer, a man who loved his own sister and had children with her, a man who tried to kill her father, a man who bought a whore to his brother and made him believe the girl loved him, then afterwards… She didn't want to think about it. Tyrion's revelation still weighed over her.
Sansa ate silently. She thought about the unexpected turn of events that happened in no more than a single day. In less than twenty-four hours, she had learned that she and her husband would have to consummate their marriage, willingly or unwillingly, at the latest during Joffrey's wedding night. She also discovered her husband had been married and that his father destroyed this marriage. Sansa slept with him without consummation. Then Tyrion was arrested the next morning, and now she learned that Tywin Lannister was dead in unknown circumstances.
Sansa was happy about the death of the Lord of Casterly Rock. He was the mind behind the slaughtering at the Twins, Cersei's father, Joffrey's grandfather, and the head of House Lannister. He deserved to die. The way he left seemed a mercy compared to the horrible things he had done. Even if Tyrion had killed him, and she knew he didn't, she wasn't sure she would blame her husband for that, even if that was kinslaying. However, as she thought about it, she didn't believe this death was such a good new. With Tywin Lannister dead and Tyrion in prison, who would be able to oversee Joffrey and stop him from doing everything he wanted? His mother? Sansa didn't think so. The Queen Regent always seemed to approve what her son would do, even when she didn't. And Margaery wouldn't be able to influence Joffrey if she didn't marry him.
Sansa became quite anxious about her situation. She had no one to protect her anymore. She had to leave King's Landing, but how? And where would she go? Perhaps she should have accepted Lord Baelish's offer. She was thinking about it when Shae entered the room. Sansa realized at the same time that night had come. How much time did she remained seated, thinking about the implications of Lord Tywin's death and Tyrion's arrest?
"Shae, Lord Tywin is dead."
"I know. All the servants are talking about it. The Tyrells are confined into the Maidenvault, and much of the inhabitants of the Red Keep cannot leave their rooms. They barely allow a few servants to carry on their duties. They are accompanied by Lannister guards all the time. I was nearly caught when I went back to the servant's rooms."
"You know the queen accuses Tyrion of killing his father?"
"A few talked about it." Shae's tone changed when she answered the second time. It became indifferent, as if she didn't care what was going to happen to Tyrion. "They allowed me to prepare you for the night and to bring back the dishes to the kitchen, but they won't allow us much time. It would be best to start right now."
Sansa would have liked Shae to stay longer, but she had no choice. So she let Shae change her for the night, clean the table and retrieve the empty tray. Sansa was surprised she ate all the food. Perhaps she needed to eat more than she believed sooner. She only spoke one time to her handmaiden. "Do you think Tyrion will get out of it? He didn't kill his father, I know it."
"I guess it will depend of the king and the queen." Shae's tone was hard and emotionless. Sansa didn't like it. Tyrion could die and Shae didn't seem to care about it. She seemed to do during the morning. Why did she look so indifferent now?
Shae left the room after a few minutes later and Sansa went to the bed. After everything that happened the last two days and her previous short night of sleep, as deep her sleep had been, she was exhausted. Strangely she found the bed quite empty. She managed to fall asleep after a few minutes. She did the same dream with her father promising her a husband who was strong, gentle and brave.
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