The new queen's words turned out to be the perfect distraction, as the whole audience leaped at the chance to escape the deadly tension between the Lannisters. The pie was wheeled out and presented before the royal dais and although the rest of the royal family (save Cersei) were quick to make a fuss over the arrival, Joffrey and Tyrion were still locked in a fierce glare. Tywin subtly moved forward, placed a less than gentle hand on the kings shoulder and wheeled him back to face his bride. Ever the consummate actress, Margaery laced her arms through Joffrey's and gave him a winning smile.
Although Sansa was sure this battle was far from over, she was glad to see Joffrey willing to give up the fight now and play the gallant groom. And she was glad to see her little husband make his way back to his seat, head and all. As he approached, she could see the anger and pain etched in his face and she was overwhelmed with pride for him. She knew how hard it must have been to be subjected to that level of humiliation without retaliating and she was so thankful that he was able to reign it in long enough to get through such a tense moment. She stood as he approached and pulled out his chair for him. Before she could stop herself, she placed a gentle kiss to his cheek as he sat, bringing a wide eyed look to his face and soft gasps from a few members of the crowd not distracted by the king and his bride.
They had never shared any form of physical affection in public before, but Sansa wanted the whole court to see her feelings for him in that moment. And as she watched the anger fade in his eyes, replaced with a semblance of joy, she knew she had the right of it.
Joffrey thankfully did not notice this display. Cersei however, had seen the whole thing and fixed Sansa with a look of disgust. Sansa boldly met the queen regent's gaze before they both turned their attention to her son, who was swinging his new Valeryian sword through the pastry, killing several doves in the process. Sansa almost gagged at the sight of the twitching birds, but Margaery stepped forward and smiled proudly at her peacocking husband. She took a plate from one of her maids and offered a bite to the king.
"Can we go now?" Sansa whispered lowly to her own husband, squeezing his hand.
"Let's find out" They pushed back their chairs and tried to discretely leave the dais.
But Joffrey's voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Uncle!" They both whirled around. "Where are you going? You're my cupbearer, remember?" The king spoke almost innocently, but the result was the same.
"I thought I might change out of these wet clothes, Your Grace." Tyrion gritted out.
"No, no, no. No, you're perfect the way you are. Serve me my wine." he turned and looked apologetically towards Sansa, but she just nodded. There was not much they could do. "Well, hurry up. This pie is dry!" The king cried when Tyrion didn't leap to do his bidding. The dwarf finally stepped forward and poured a fresh glass of wine before thrusting it into Joffrey's hands. "Mm, good. Needs washing down!" The king gulped greedily.
"If it please Your Grace... the Lady Sansa is very tired..." Tyrion tried again. It looked as if Joffrey was going to refuse him again, but a different voice rang out.
"Of course." Tywin's tone brooked no argument as he stood, imposing as ever. "Go care for your wife." he dismissed his son with a flick of the wrist while leveling the king with a challenging look. While Joffrey was always eager to fight his uncle, his grandfather was a different matter. He turned back to his bride, knowing he had lost. Sansa breathed a sigh of relief, and grasped her husbands hand again, pulling him away from the dais and back to the safety of their rooms.
They walked in silence, but Sansa could feel the rage radiating from him and did not want to say a word to disrupt him from his thoughts. They passed the spot in the gardens only a few hours ago they had found a level of happiness between them and Sansa sighed, thinking about how far they were from that peace now. As they began to climb the grand staircase back up to the keep, a flash of minty green and bright orange caught Sansa's eye among the lush gardens. She could not hear the words spoken, but Lady Olenna's face looked like thunder as she whispered furiously with the dashing Prince of Dorne.
Sansa faltered in her steps as she drank in the scene. The queen of thorns looked frantic in a way Sansa had never seen before. The sharp-tongued and even sharper-witted woman always held an air of smug superiority but watching her now she looked almost...desperate. And while Sansa had only seen Prince Oberyn twice since his arrival and did not know the man, Tyrion had complained that the man was quite sardonic and ostentatious. He did not look like this now though. He listened to the older woman with a furious look of hunger in his eyes and he nodded along to her words gravely before slipping her something discretely. Although they were hidden among the trees, Sansa had an excellent viewpoint from her place on the stairs as she caught sight of a small, velvet purse change hands.
And in a moment, the pair were once again out of sight as Sansa and Tyrion continued up to the keep. She bit her lip as she ascended the steps, pondering on the interaction she had just witnessed.
But that could all wait for later. The moment the couple were behind doors, Tyrion launched himself at their table, sweeping it's contents to the floor in a roar of anger. Sansa flinched at the clatter it made and at the raw fury coming off her husband in waves.
"That damned bastard!" he swore, prowling like the little lion he was, brows furrowed menacingly. "I swear, Sansa, I will kill him. I will kill-"
She swooped down and grasped his hands to still him, pressing one to his lips, halting his words.
"Hush, my lord! Have a care how you speak! We are not out of King's Landing yet and the walls have ears..."
"Not a one of them could blame me after that spectacle! He humiliates me, he taunts you..." At this he seemed to check himself and looked at her truly, the rage starting to ebb in his eyes. "Are you alright, Sansa? I'm so sorry...I had no idea they would plan such a scene..."
Sansa smiled, touched that even in his own pain he would find concern for her. She thought about the moment in the gardens, before Joffrey had ruined it all, and felt a blush come to her cheeks. Forcing herself to not hide behind her walls, she reached out and cupped a palm around his cheek, smiling at him.
"I'm alright, Tyrion. I'm fine." and she found she spoke the truth. Yes, seeing such a horrific depiction of her brother's death had been harrowing. Yes, she was furious and had she not had Tyrion beside her, she doubted she could have gotten through it without breaking down there in front of everyone. But she hadn't been alone. Tyrion had been there to hold her hand and stand with her against that brutal tyrant of a king. And just as he had been there for her, she wanted to be there for him.
Her smiles and touches seemed to be a soothing balm to his temper as she pulled him closer to her, folding her arms around his shoulders and resting her face into his shoulder. They stood there for a moment as his breathing slowed and he wrapped his own hands around her as well.
"Come, my lord. I'm sure we will be needed later as the feast progresses. Let us take the time we have been granted to relax. Perhaps we could fit in a game of Cyvasse?" Tyrion's bright smile warmed her heart as he nodded.
"I would love nothing less, my lady"
He poured them both goblets of wine as she began setting the board and within minutes they were both lost in the game. She had almost forgotten about the feast or the travesty of a play or even Lady Olenna in the gardens when the bells began to ring.
A/N: Okay, couldn't get it out same day, but still quicker than before! Thank you all for your reviews as they always inspire me to write quicker. I promise I have not and will not abandon this story! I sat down this morning to map out where i want it to go, and I promise, it'll be a fun ride! Please enjoy and review!
darkmoon0023: You seriously had me concerned and counting the days too! I was like...there's NO WAY I let it go that long!
Aerdor: Not abandoning! Hoping to update Playing the Game sometime soon as well! I'm slightly less invested in it, but I sincerely appreciate everyone's interest in my stories and will try my best to not disappoint!
