Sansa did not see Petyr again after that long night. She had done what he told her and accepted Cersei's offer. She might not have taken it if he had not told her to leave but the way he said it still played over and over in her head. She had hoped that she would see him again when she went to pick up Lady from the fashion house but he was nowhere to be seen. She even considered going to his door to tell him she was leaving but had a feeling that he didn't want to see her. Why would he? The only acknowledgement she received when leaving that building was an envelope with a cheque enclosed for her services.
She hadn't opened the letter yet to see how much she was paid. Instead she threw it on her desk and laid in bed to stare at the ceiling of her flat while Lady snuggled next to her. The ceiling was not as imaginative as the one she had grown used to. She closed her eyes and saw his night sky.
It didn't feel right to think of such a beautiful thing she was not worthy of lying under but she could not stop the enchantment that enticed her. Much like Petyr…
She sat up quickly. It would be best for her to not think such things. That chapter was now closed in her life. She would see him again she was certain but it would never be the same. Whatever happened between them was locked away in the fashion house and she had no plans of picking that lock no matter how much she thirsted for a taste of those lips one last time.
Sansa's eyes moved to the envelope and she willed herself to pick it up and tear it open. The moment she did the smell of mint exuded and she nearly felt dizzy from it. Slowly, she pulled out the cheque and with it a dark green folded paper. She glanced at the number on the cheque and audibly gasped. It was enough for her to pay six months of rent with a comfortable amount still left. It was far more than she had ever been paid before for a single gig.
The green paper was menacing as she unfolded it and read the contents written in silver ink.
Dear Sansa,
I hope that the enclosed cheque is adequate for your needs.
If you are in need of anything at any time, you need only ask.
Yours sincerely, Petyr
It was formally structured as well as its contents save for offering her anything at any time. She wondered how literal he was being when he wrote that. Yet, considering everything he had done for her including the length he went through to make sure she had everything she needed while staying at the fashion house told her that maybe he wasn't just saying it. That he really meant it. Or perhaps, it was just as it was at the fashion house and it was only for his benefit.
She frowned as she placed the paper down on her lap. At least he paid her well despite all things. She began to fold the paper again when she noticed more writing on the other side. She must have failed to notice it while initially unfolding the paper. Sansa glanced over the handwriting.
December 21
There was nothing more except for the date written, Sansa recognised it as the winter solstice but could not place the significance or why Petyr would write it.
Carefully, she folded the paper and placed it with the cheque on her desk. She would never understand Petyr. He was never clear about his words and actions yet at times she thought she could read him completely then just as quickly he became a stranger once more.
The idea of Petyr and the reality of him were two completely different things for her and she was slowly accepting that she may never know the answers to her many questions. She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. It didn't matter anymore. She was working for Cersei Lannister now, it didn't matter what happened back at the Baelish fashion house. It didn't matter what Petyr said to her. It didn't matter what he did to her. It didn't matter that some sinful corner of her body enjoyed it.
Sansa made a vow to herself, from here on out she would think no more of Petyr. She would not make any attempt at contacting him or seeing him. This was it. The phase had ended and she was ready to start a new one. No more Petyr.
Just as she finished her vow she heard her phone ring. She glanced nervously at the turned over phone. Could it be Petyr?
She took a deep breath and grabbed her phone and looked at the screen. To her relief it was only Brienne.
"Hey!" She tried in her most upbeat tone.
"Hello, Sansa. I know you are still tired from yesterday but Ms. Lannister reached out to me to tell you that she wanted you to come by her studio today."
Sansa could not ask for a better distraction.
"Of course! What's the address?"
"I'll text it to you. She wants you over in an hour."
"No problem, bye Brienne!"
"Take care."
Sansa hung up and quickly gathered herself together. This was perfect. She would get to know her new employer today and wouldn't have to worry about accidentally thinking about that handsome man with the dark hair and grey sideburns with beautiful grey and green eyes and oh God those soft lips- stop it. She mentally chastised herself as she fixed herself up casually in something warm. Lady would have to stay home this time, she didn't think Cersei would be alright with a dog being at her work. Sansa made sure to leave plenty of food and water for the mini wolf that was slowly growing.
The weather was far cooler than it had been since she started to work with Baelish. If she were in Winterfell the snows would have already covered as far as the eye could see but here? It was merely the rainy season. She didn't know what was worse. Snow that no matter how much you wore you could still feel? Or rain that soaked you with winds that blew right through you.
Getting to the address Brienne texted her was straight forward. She didn't have to make any changes to get to the centre of the historical district. The first thing Sansa noticed was the fantastic view of the once Red Keep now Royal Museum. It was easy to tell which building was Cersei's with the Lannister coat of arms prominently at the side of the ancient wood double door. Standing at the start of the stairs below the door was a tall and burly security guard dressed in a suit with the clear makings of Lannister.
The building was not as tall as Baelish's fashion house but it was much wider. There were only three floors and the large windows were embellished with intricate woodwork painted in gold. The building appeared smug despite standing amongst other beautiful and ancient buildings.
From what Sansa knew about Cersei, her family name extended long back to the times when the skeletons of those dragons in the museum were covered in flesh. It was possible that the building she now worked in was always in the family.
Sansa walked to the stairs and the security guard looked down at her making her feel small.
"Ms. Lannister requested me?" Sansa couldn't help her nervous tone.
The man said nothing and she wondered if he was a mute. He stared her down until finally he turned back to the street and Sansa accepted that as a silent continue forward and ascended the steps to the door, knocking hard.
The door was answered almost immediately.
Sansa entered and made quick note that the inside was very extravagant. Even more so than Baelish. Nearly everything was encrusted in gold. The ceiling was blood red and the walls were worn dark red leather. The floors were made of ancient mahogany with Turkish rugs on top. The furniture was nothing short of impressive with their dark brown wood and golden details with comfortable red pillows. One thing was sure. Cersei liked her red and gold.
The old man gently guided Sansa towards the old wooden staircase lined with a red rug.
"The Lady is upstairs on the third floor. First room on the right. Be sure to knock first… the Lady hates unannounced entrances."
For the old man to be making a point to tell her how to make herself known to Cersei made her wonder just how much the woman hated it. She didn't want to test it though. Better to have a good first impression with her new employer.
She climbed the stairs all the way to the third floor and followed the instructions to the first room on the right of the stairs. She hesitantly knocked on the door twice and announced her name. She waited for a minute until she heard Cersei calling her in.
Sansa entered the workshop. It was far more organised than Petyr's. All the gowns were on one side of the room on mannequins. Some dresses hung from the wall. On the other side of the room was all the work tables and work in progress dresses on mannequins. At the corner near one of the windows was a coffee table with two seats on either side.
The room's walls were painted with a gold cream and the ceiling matched the red from the first floor. Three major windows filled the primary wall facing outside towards a rooftop garden on the building across the street. To the side the Royal Museum could be viewed.
Cersei was sitting in one of the seats at the coffee table with a kettle.
"Join me."
Sansa walked to the table quickly and took the open seat. Cersei poured her a cup from the kettle and slid the saucer with the teacup on top towards her. She thanked her quietly and lifted the cup to smell it. It wasn't tea but mulled wine. Sansa wasn't expecting to drink alcohol so soon in the day but she was not going to be rude and refuse the drink. She brought the teacup to her lips and took a light sip. The wine was stronger than she was used to in typical mulled wines but the spices balanced it perfectly. She took another sip and Cersei was quick to fill her cup again.
"Enjoy." The woman smiled.
It was hard to know for sure but there was something about being in the presence of this famous woman alone that made Sansa uneasy. Something told her to take everything with a grain of salt but she could not fathom why.
After a couple more sips and Cersei refilling her cup once more, the woman leaned back in her chair and examined Sansa.
"You're quite pretty."
Sansa straightened her back in surprise. "Thank you."
"I can see why Baelish wanted to keep you around." She smirked. "Oh well."
Cersei took a large sip of wine and got right to it.
"You might be shocked to find that things are run differently here than what you are used to. That being said, the way Baelish runs his business is different from how anyone does it. Despite being the head face for next season you will not be needed daily until we get to the last weeks. In the meantime you will come in for fittings three times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You will never be late. You will not come too early. You will stay as long as I wish you to stay. You do not need to open that pretty mouth of yours to speak until spoken to. I only need your body, nothing more."
Cersei picked up her cup to drink more. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't expect to live here at any point during our process."
Sansa's eyes widened. Not only did Cersei have rules akin to a dictator but she also knew about her late living arrangements with Petyr?
"How did you know about that?"
Cersei grinned, "I know a great deal, little dove. What you don't want me to know you will need to hide well."
It was at this moment when Sansa realised how good she had it with Petyr. It was clear that she would not be felt up and silently seduced while working here, not that it was a bad thing! Maybe the method that Cersei ran her work was similar to how the majority of designers did theirs and as Cersei had stated, Petyr was the odd one out.
"When do I start?" Sansa asked hesitantly.
"Right now." Cersei stood up from the chair and clapped her hands. Not soon after, a young blonde woman hurried into the room with a measuring tape around her neck with several fabric samples in her hands.
Cersei walked over to an empty workshop table where the young woman placed the fabric samples. She quickly sorted through them. "Measure her."
The woman was quick to obey as she walked over to Sansa who was still sitting in her chair by the table. "Come along, Miss."
Sansa stood and followed her to the centre of the room and the woman was quick to begin with the measurements. It didn't take long for them to be collected. Once the young woman was done she went to record the measurements and Cersei picked up the paper to read them.
"You might want to lose a few centimeters on your waist." She smirked.
Sansa tried her best to not frown but managed to simply nod. "I will try my best."
Cersei dropped the paper onto the table.
"That is all I need from you today. Come back in two days and I hope to see you slightly smaller." The smile on Cersei's face was mocking and it bristled Sansa.
All that Sansa could do was smile kindly and bow her head. It felt as if she were addressing a queen.
She quickly left the room and descended the stairs and walked through the red clad lounge back out to much needed fresh air. Sansa gasped as she put her hands on her knees. All she had to do was stay strong. This was the norm right? Maybe? She glanced over and saw the Royal Museum. Sansa frowned at the sight.
Without any logic, she found herself making way towards the museum and at some point she was waiting in the ticket line to go inside. She was lucky that the line wasn't as long as it was that day she came here with Petyr. It didn't take long for her to get her ticket and enter the museum.
The main hall was crowded with tourists. Sansa passed them by and worked her way towards the intersection that led to different exhibits. She stood there for a moment wondering where she should go first.
Without even thinking, her feet were walking towards the entrance into the hall of recent artefacts. The hall was just as breathtaking the second time as it was the first. She glanced over at the astronomy objects, half expecting to see Petyr there. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. She felt a small part of her die at the sight. Why was she disappointed? What had she expected to find?
Sansa approached the celestial objects. She saw all the inspiration for Petyr's room in them. She sighed as her eyes drifted over the globes of stars and planets.
Because you're the stars in my sky
The words he told her that fateful day echoed in her mind. She didn't understand them completely then. She still didn't think she understood exactly what he was trying to say. Part of her felt that she did know but she had beaten down that part of herself.
Sansa shook her head, she was just being silly. Coming here? What did she expect to find? She made way through the exit into another exhibit, just as she left the room a familiar dark man with a trail of mint entered and made his way straight towards the stars.
The dragon skeletons did much to comfort her. Sansa was fascinated by them and just the thought of what they might have looked like in flesh gave her goosebumps. There were paintings of them but Sansa didn't trust those to be completely accurate representations.
She found herself gazing at the dragons for over an hour before she realised how long it had been. She felt her stomach growl and thought that going to the café might help refresh her.
Sansa made her way out to the gardens, many of the flowers had died due to the cold but the greenery and hedges still remained, making it a beautiful place despite the lack of colour.
The walk towards the café was enjoyable. The warm sun was out and shining on her with the cold breeze cooling her down. It was a lovely combination considering how cold Winterfell would get at this point in the year.
Sansa rounded the corner and entered within view of the café. Her stomach rumbled once again, reminding her of her immediate need of sustenance. She wondered what she should order as she walked closer.
Rather than entering the main café area, Sansa stopped short. She stared wide eyed at the gazebo she and Petyr once ate under. Sitting at the table was Petyr with Margaery across from him. Both were smiling at each other as a waiter delivered their drinks. Sansa was shaking with anger. Everything he told her was a lie. He really was just using her. She had become a plaything for him just like the rest. She wasn't special at all! How could she be so stupid?!
Sansa had half the mind to approach him and throw his drink in his face. As she debated over what to do in her seething mind, she watched Petyr turn to call the waiter back but instead he saw her. They locked eyes and all the anger disappeared in an instant. Instead, tears were forming in her eyes and slipping down her cheeks. She turned on her heel and began to run. She had to get away from him. Get away from this place.
She made her way back into the great hall and out the gates of the museum. She stopped for a moment and looked back. So much of her wanted to see him chasing after her, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least she finally knew the truth. What her position really was. She vowed to never be taken for a fool again. Especially by him.
Sansa ran down the stairs to return home to Lady. At least there was something in this world that wanted her company for reasons that weren't tainted.