She had left with Doctor Seaworth late in the afternoon. He would deliver her to Ramsay. He had apologized to her profusely as they set out. She had let him say his piece and then told him it was not his apology to make. After that they had rode in silence.

She missed the feel of Jon's knife in her boot. She knew she was safer not having it this time, Ramsay would undoubtedly be displeased if he discovered it, and anyways she doubted she would've been able to use it on him if faced with the choice. She was not inclined to delude herself into thinking she'd be able to successfully slit the major's throat in his stronghold and make it out alive, despite Arya's encouragement. Additionally, she had sworn to them both she would return, and so she had left the knife sitting on the nightstand and hoped she'd chosen wisely.

They arrived at the Umber Estate just before dinner time, the threat of rain loomed large and dark in the sky; the clouds had been building in on their trip over. The doctor let her off at the bottom of the wide stone staircase and apologized once more, then he thanked her and watched her go inside.

She wasn't sure if it spoke more to her predictability or his arrogance, but it quickly became apparent that she was expected. The sentry took her from the front door through the house to the dining room. Ramsay sat at the head of a long banquet table, a place was set to his right. It appeared it would be just the two of them for dinner.

"Saint Sansa," he greeted her almost warmly and rose from the table. She felt a look of confusion pass over her face. "You weren't aware they call you that?"

"I'm not a saint."

"Perhaps not yet, but I am slowly getting you there."

"Who exactly calls me that?" She was genuinely curious.

"The townspeople of course. You are their savior from me after all." He smiled at that. "Please come in, take a seat. Dinner is just about ready."

"I don't think I'm very hungry. I rather just ask you for the –,"

"I don't want to discuss that now. I want you to have dinner with me, then we will discuss our business." His tone offered no negotiation. She swallowed, she knew she had to be extra careful tonight, she was in his home after all, far away from anyone that might help her.

"As you wish. Is there a place I can wash up then?"

"Down the hall to the left."

She left the room and found the washroom. She splashed a bit of cold water on her face and pressed the towel to her cheeks. She set it aside and placed her hands on the sink and looked at herself in the mirror.

"You can do this. It's going to be alright."

Her mind flashed to one of her last memories of Robb. He had been home on furlough after basic training and they were walking around the garden. He had been telling her about hell week, it had sounded terrible and she had asked him how he had managed it. He had responded that he had to keep telling himself, 'If I can take it, I can make it.' She repeated those words to herself now.

She took one more deep breath and went back into the hall.

"Sansa?" She turned to see Mrs Terrick standing in the hall. She had nearly forgotten that she worked as one of the cooks here. She knew she was ashamed of it and so it was rarely spoken about at group, but she had taken the job in order to feed her children and Sansa saw no shame in that. "I knew you would come. Bless you sweet girl," she said as took Sansa's hand.

"How are the boys?" Sansa asked.

"Georgie's taken ill," she answered her voice hitching.

"That's terrible."

"He'll be ok now that you are here. You'll be able to save him," the woman said fighting back tears. "Thank you Sansa. Everyone thanks you." The gratitude made her feel uncomfortable, she hadn't done anything yet and there was no guarantee she would succeed.

"I should get back," Sansa said quietly.

"Of course," Mrs. Terrick said releasing her hand. "Please tell the major I'll be in with the first course in just a moment."

Sansa went back to the dining room and Ramsay rose again as she entered. He gestured for her to take the chair adjacent to him. She crossed the room and he pulled out the chair and pushed it under her as she sat and then took his own seat.

"I happened on Mrs Terrick on my way back, she said she would be in with the first course in moments."

"Good." He was studying her, pinning her with his gaze. She looked away from him and took in the artwork on the walls. It seemed the Umbers liked to dine under pictures of their forefathers long deceased. Their stares almost made her as uncomfortable as Ramsay's.

Mrs. Terrick entered and placed a steaming bowl of soup in front of each of them and left the room without a word. Even though it smelled delicious Sansa couldn't imagine trying to force the whole thing down.

"I'd really like to discuss the Red Cross supplies."

"I told you, business is for after. What else would you like to discuss?"

She had no answer, she didn't want to discuss anything with him other than why she was here but it appeared that would not be an option. She had to think of something quickly because she could see his annoyance growing with her silence.

"Tell me about Germany. I've never been but I've heard it's very beautiful."

His eyes lit up, it appeared her request has pleased him. He began to regale her with stories of the superiority of Germany. Its people, food, culture, everything there was better he assured her. She forced herself to swallow a few spoonfuls of soup as he spoke. She felt no satisfaction from it, it felt as if she was swallowing acid.

"I think you will like it there. Once the war is over and we leave this putrid shithole you'll see what I speak of."

She nearly choked over his words, she swallowed quickly and her eyes watered a bit as she forced herself not to cough. The soup became a lead weight in her stomach. He was watching her very closely, the corner of his eyes crinkling and his lips twitching slightly as he suppressed a wicked grin. She said nothing and took a long drink of water.

Thankfully Mrs Terrick entered then with the main course. It was a hearty portion of steak and potatoes topped with a béarnaise sauce. Under different circumstances Sansa would have relished such a rich meal. Tonight however it simply tasted like ash in her mouth as she choked it down.

Ramsay continued to carry on the conversation. Enthusiastically spouting Nazi ideology to her, why it was better for everyone for Germany to rule the world. She ate quietly willing his words to slide from her mind.

Finally dessert arrived, sticky toffee pudding. She hated sticky toffee pudding, but she choked this down as well while answering his questions about her life in London. She didn't want to share that with him and so she kept her answers as superficial and vague as he would allow.

Mrs Terrick came and cleared the dishes and he stood and offered her arm. "Shall we retire to my study to discuss our business?"

Sansa steeled herself and closed her eyes for the briefest moment. 'If you can take it, you can make it,' she heard Robb in her mind. She nodded and took his arm and let him lead her to the study.

It was a large dark paneled room with numerous exotic animal heads and more portraits of long ago Umbers on the walls. A fire was burning in the fire place and he released her to go stoke it. She stood looking out beyond the large desk that was centered along the wall of windows that faced east and could see it was raining now. Recalling something her old nanny use to say about the rain she thought, 'How appropriate that even the angels were crying for me tonight.'

"Is he out there?" Ramsay asked from behind her. She had not heard him come back to her and she flinched.

"Who?"

"Why your true knight of course. The handsome gallant man that would rescue you from the beast."

She thanked god he was behind her in that moment and that he could not see the expression she was sure was on her face. Her heart all but stopped beating. Was he playing at her or did he know about Jon? She forced herself to keep herself steady, her voice calm.

"I was just looking at the rain. I don't much believe in fairy tales anymore."

"I would imagine not after all you have seen in your time here." He waited a few more moments before speaking again. "Come sit by the fire. Would you like some brandy? Sherry?"

"No, thank you."

He poured her a glass of sherry anyways and a brandy for himself and they sat in the pair of chairs that faced the fire. He watched her over the top of his glass as he took a drink and waited for her to speak.

"I am here on behalf of the town, I came as you requested," she said without pretense, "I would like you to release the Red Cross supplies to the doctor."

"Is that so?"

He was studying her, she could see him weighing something in his mind as this went on. She remained quiet and held his gaze, she did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how afraid she was in this moment.

"I've long thought that Baelish greatly underestimated you and your value."

This caught her off guard and a look of genuine surprise crossed her face. Ramsay smiled at her reaction, clearly amused he was throwing her off balance.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean by that," she ventured. This was clearly something he wanted to discuss, she thought it best to indulge him. If nothing else it might at least delay the inevitable.

"When I first arrived here you were one of the first things he offered me." Sansa shuttered, of course he would have. She had long held Petyr in the lowest regard but this actually made her hate him. Ramsay took in her reaction and continued, "In his defense I had asked about the availability of whores on the island. He told me he had no whores, but he did advise he had a pretty "niece" from London that I might find worth my attention." Sansa felt sickened by his words. Ramsay read her expression. "He wasn't offering you as a whore exactly," he corrected, "he made it clear you were quite refined in fact, a prize possession. To Baelish it was as if I had asked simply for meat but he advised I should request something more appropriate to my position, so he was offering me prime rib." Did he honestly think comparing her to a cut of meat would somehow make this better? But then clearly he did not seem to be concerned if she was offended.

"I knew what he was doing, he wanted me to be pleased with him, to see him as an ally, perhaps even owe him a favor. Honestly I thought you'd be fat and ugly, but then I saw you in town. Imagine my surprise that you are actually as beautiful as he claimed, he did get some credit for that.

After the dance I thought you might be an amusing distraction, something to play with, I am a man after all. I thought it could be fun, at least until you bored me. But then that day at the harbor, when you refused my gift, I saw the way the people regarded you, watched you. You were concerned with their thoughts of you but you didn't seem to fear me. I was intrigued, I almost admired you. I knew then there was much more to you then just beauty, something that might be very useful to me and my rule here."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I want you to understand how I feel, and that there are things I'm willing to offer you as a result." His words hung in the air, his eyes and jaw had softened; if she didn't know what a monster he could be she would almost think he was trying to be vulnerable. This was a side of him she had never seen and it was unsettling. Sansa took a drink of the sherry hoping it might calm her nerves.

"I think you have a good heart, you don't like to see people suffer, not if you can help it. The people here see that, they respect you for it," he continued on, "They look to you to save them. Isn't that why you're here now?" She knew not to delude herself into thinking his words were a compliment, there was a warning buried in there somewhere. She said nothing and took another sip of the sherry.

"I'm here because you demanded it."

"Did I?"

He was starting to make her doubt herself, she couldn't allow him that privilege. "I'm not so special," she said at last. "As you said, I don't like to see other people suffer. I think it's a terrible to see someone suffer and realize you have no power to help them."

"You don't think you have any power?"

"I don't have any."

"Did you not save that Donniger boy? I think the people in your sweet little hamlet here would say you have quite a bit of power."

"It's an illusion. We both know I only have the power that you have allowed me to have, that you want everyone to think I have."

He smiled at that. "See I knew you were smart. What would you think if I could offer you the power to help everyone?"

"Honestly I don't see how that would be possible. It's clear you have all the power here, why would you want to share that with me?"

"I do have all the power, yes. You'd do well to remember that," he warned gently.

"But it's not enough, you want something else," she said trying to divert him. She was hoping she might even be able to unsettle him.

"And what is it you think I want?" His eyes were glowing in the firelight, menace and malice moving like eels below the water. She knew then she had likely made an error but she had few other options so she doubled down.

She also knew he wanted her but she knew better than to give voice to it. "It concerns you to rule only by fear, you want their acceptance. After all, it must be exhausting to govern by fear, fire and blood," she offered hoping her words might catch him off guard.

They did not have the desired effect. He scoffed and laughed. "Yes, their acceptance would be helpful, it would allow me to focus on more important matters. But let me be clear, the only thing I might be concerned about is that there will be no one to govern if I'm forced to murder everyone."

They stared at each, the room filling with the sounds of the rain, the crackling of the fire and their breathing. She was not going to win this, he was better than her and had less to lose; she knew she should accept that.

"So how exactly would I make everyone suddenly accept Nazi rule? People here have not exactly embraced the rule of foreign conquers."

"History tells us that familial relationships, marriage alliances and the like, seem to go far with calming the protest of simple backwater people."

Sansa gasped at this, was he offering her marriage? She grabbed the arm of her chair to keep from fainting. This was so much worse than she could've imagined. She had resigned herself to allowing him to use her body but a marriage? No, that would mean so many terrible things. She'd belong to him, he'd have regular access to her, expectations of children, no, no this she could not bear.

"So I ask again, what if I could give you the power you need to help these people?"

She would not consent, she would rather die than belong to him like that. Better to have him end her here and now then to let him slowly destroy her soul piece by piece. She prayed everyone would understand, she had tried her best, but even some things she could not do. "I would think it comes with a very steep price, one I doubt I could pay," she finally answered and waited for his wrath.

He stared at her intently, mulling over her words. She was prepared for him to fly into a rage but instead he remained calm, but his eyes were hard and cold, the amusement she saw earlier was gone.

"If you are unwilling to bargain with me then tell me again why you are here."

"As I said before I'm here to request that you release the Red Cross supplies so we can treat the sick,"she repeatedly her earlier request.

"And what do I get in return?" He was genuinely curious, he wondered how far she was willing to go since she had taken so much off the table already.

"The gratitude of the people, the satisfaction of saving lives and not letting people suffer."

He laughed at her, it was cold and brittle. "I've made it clear that means little to me. And anyway, gratitude and satisfaction will not warm my bed on these cold winter nights," he scoffed and then waited for her response.

Sansa felt her throat closing off, everything in her stomach was threatening to push its way out of her. 'This is what you came here expecting. You can handle this,' she told herself quickly. But the way he was looking at her now, rage simmering beneath his eyes, it scared her. He likely would want to punish her for her earlier rejection of him. 'You have to be very careful now,' her mind whispered as she felt a cold chill pass over her causing her flesh to prickle.

"If that's your price…." she said quietly looking away from him into the fire.

"Say it, say what you're offering." It was clear he was enjoying her humiliation.

She couldn't say she would give him herself, for she would never truly allow him to have her, not all of her anyways. "I'll give you tonight," she finally managed to say.

He let out a sound, something between a light low laugh and a sigh that indicated he was pleased with her response. He got up and went to the door. He called into the hallway and then went to the desk. He wrote out something and then one of his staff entered. He spoke to him and handed him the paperwork. They saluted each other and the man left.

"It's done. I am releasing the supplies now as you have requested. Everyone in town will know what you have done for them. That you have secured their lives for now."

"You swear it?"

"I do. Now come with me." He offered her his arm again and after a moment of hesitation she took it. He led her from his study down the hall to his bedroom. He pushed opened the door and let her inside. This room was dark as well. There was a fire in the fireplace and a large dark four poster bed stood on a platform jutting out from the left wall.

He closed the door and then stood close behind her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck, the heat emanating from the rest of his body.

"Take off your blouse," he commanded. She suddenly realized that this was far worse than the last time when he had just torn her clothes from her. She knew then that this is how he would take his revenge on her. He would force her to be complicit this time. He was going to make her hate herself, to be an active player in his humiliation of her.

She swallowed and began to undo the buttons with shaking fingers. She shrugged her blouse off and he took it and hung it on the door. He turned back to her and trailed his fingers over the exposed skin of her neck and her shoulders. She felt a tear slide down her left cheek but she didn't dare brush it away and she hoped he won't notice. She could feel her heart sluggishly constricting in her chest. She closed her eyes as another tear escaped.

After a moment he moved in front of her and took her hands and then gave her a kiss. She did not respond, she stood like a statute and felt his lips move over hers for what felt like an eternity. He drew back, his eyes bright and threatening in the fire light. He took a step towards her and she instinctively stepped back. They repeated the dance until he had her pressed between him and the wall. She was fairly certain her heart had turned to stone, that it was no longer beating. Another tear trailed down her cheek and he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, lingering while he used the tip of his tongue to sweep away the tears that were now falling freely. His breath fanned across her face and neck. She closed her eyes and choked on her vomit.

And then she suddenly felt a sense of cold replace his radiating heat as he pushed back from her. "You can go," he said coldly. Her eyes flew open, she was sure she had not heard him right but she didn't want to ask him to repeat himself less he change his mind.

"The medication?" she whispered as he stared at her.

"I told you I would release it if you came and asked, and I will be true to my word," he said turning away to stare into the fire.

Sansa was unsure why he was letting her go. Her heart had started to beat again but she still felt cold all over. She reached for her shirt and put it back on, hurriedly fumbling with the buttons.

"Thank you," she murmured stepping away from the door and then turning to open it so she could flee from him. Part of her feared this was just part of his game; that he planned to let her in the hall only to chase her down.

"Consider this my gift to you. Proof I am not so evil," he said turning back to her, his words making her stop and look back at him. His eyes were hard and cold, suppressed anger sparking under the surface.

She stared at him for a single breath and then she turned back, opened the door and stepped into the hall. He moved to stand in the doorway. "Sansa," he purred giving her pause. She shivered as she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

Any relief she had felt was ripped from her as he spoke. "Despite what you think I'm a reasonable man, so I am going to give you some time to reflect on tonight, but I can guarantee you are going to need what I can offer you sooner or later. So next time I make you the offer, I do hope you'll find yourself much more inclined to pay the price," he said. And with that he closed the door with an echoing thud.