Game of Thrones

Long Road Home

Chapter IV

"I can't stop it."

"Once upon a time, she thought she had found her Prince. Princes were supposed to be handsome, noble and brave. They were supposed to be courteous, virtuous and wise. They were supposed to woo fair maidens, wed them, and make them princesses, and love them as Queens. All the while, they should be protecting the poor, and the weak, the young and the old, and defending honour and virtue with everything they do. All the songs said so. She had known them all once. She had sung them all, more than once. How she had longed to be Jonquil, or one of the other pretty maidens. She thought she had found her Prince, once upon a time.

Once upon a time a Golden haired lion had rode through the gates of her castle, resplendent in crimson, a handsome face and beautiful eyes. His hand resting on the golden hilt of a well crafted sword. The beautiful lion had come to her castle with his father, the old stag king, a veteran of a hundred battles. She had been so happy, when she was to be wed to him. Just like the songs, the fair maid would be made a Princess, and then the young Princess would be a Queen, and marry the beautiful Lion King. All she had to do was wait, for the happily ever after.

"I can't stop it." A disembodied voice spoke

She had her once upon a time… but this was not the songs. The happily ever after did not happen in real life. Her beautiful golden lion… well he was golden, there was no doubt about that. But he was no lion, just a cub, a spoiled, petulant cub. He was no Prince either, not really. A bastard, born of incest and all the madness that came with it. Weak not strong, cruel not just, and cowardly not honorable. What a little girl had thought was a warm smile, was now a cold smirk, the way he leaned back on the throne, the little girl had thought that was the confidence of a true Prince, but the woman saw it was the over compensation of a frightened pretender. The antlered crown that rested on his golden hair, a little girl had thought this the height of power. Now it did not seem to fit properly. He was a handsome lad, he dressed well, a gold doublet and crimson sash, but he looked too small for his throne now… his throne, as if it ever was. But the voice, there was still something about his voice though. Something sinister.

"You don't seem happy to see me, My Lady." His words were courteous, but his tone dripped with venom.

"Joffrey Waters." She greeted him coldly

"What did you say?" His eyes narrowed and he leant forward in his chair.

"That is the correct name for bastards born in The Crownlands isn't it?"

"You seem confused, My Lady. I am The King." Sansa let out a hollow laugh "You wear a Crown now as well… What fool did you marry?" Sansa looked ahead coldly "Oh I see… You're just a pretender, like your fool brother… he crossed me. Spread lies about me, and I took his head. Just as I took your fathers before him."

"Your mother had to lie, and cheat and fuck to get you that crown…" Rage flashed in Joffrey's eyes "Your mother had to kill her husband to get you that crown. Your Grandfather had to fight a war to give you that crown. My men asked me to wear my crown, named me Queen in the North. I never had to murder twenty babies, never had to go to war with my uncles… no one wanted you for their King…. My beloved Joffrey."

Joffrey scowled at her, and turned his attention to Lady, who was poised at her side "I had that wolf put to death. I had your father, your Septa and all his men put to death. I made you look at it. I raised Lord Frey and Lord Bolton up in the world after they sewed a direwolves head onto your brother's corpse, after his wife was hacked to pieces, after his unborn child was killed in the womb, after your mothers throat was cut to the bone. I smiled while you were married to a Lannister… I made you what you are, My Lady."

"I can't stop it." The voice called again

"You and others." Sansa nodded "I wanted you dead so much… how I prayed for it every time I visited the Godswood. Who would have thought, I would have played a part. I brought the poison that killed you at your wedding. In a necklace. I remember that day, you looked the part… but you were at your worst. You were already a King, you were winning your war, and about to marry one of the most beautiful women in the world. Yet not even this could please you… so cruel, so full of hate. I remember that day so well, every movement, every gesture. Clawing at your throat, gasping for breath, the veins in your eyes, the purple of your face, the Gods had answered my prayers. I'd never seen you look so beautiful."

Joffrey reclined back on The Iron Throne. The ruined throne room seemed bigger now, the falling ash seemed to intensify "There, My Lady." He smiled menacingly "There it is. You do see the world like me. I've changed you. I've been here since my wedding, I am The King of this place, but this is not your time. One day you'll be here forever, and then you'll see what I can really do. And you will look back on our days together with fondness, and long for the good times. Until that day... Go home, My La…." She allowed herself to smile, it's rare a prayer is answered twice. The sly smirk was gone, the king on his throne began choking, he clawed at his throat as tears ran down his face. He gasped for breath as the blood shot to his eyes and the veins seemed to leap from his body. His face grew purple as Joffrey closed his eyes.

"I can't stop it." The voice called again.

Sansa pulled her gaze away from Joffrey's corpse, she walked through the ash of the ruined throne room, to the ruined crumbling walls. She looked out over the ruins of King's Landing, the ash blanketing the city like snow. There was a strong wind blowing in her face, her hair whipped behind her. She looked up into the grey featureless sky, as a dull drizzle mixed with the ash. The sky seemed to tear open again. She looked up, again she could see the clinking of many links in a chain, resting on a black robe. She concentrated harder this time, she followed the chain up to the neck it hung around, and then up to the bearded face of someone familiar. Maester Wolkan." She thought to herself. Lady barked "I can't stop it." The Master's voice was panicking now.

The sky began to mend itself, covering up the maester with the same dull grey sky that had been there before. She felt a pain now, she closed her eyes tightly. Lady barked. The wind blew stronger and stronger now, she could no longer hear the wolf. She struggled to open her eyes, she looked down at the world below. The city was gone, so was the ash, she was looking through a round hole in the floor now, with nothing but clouds, snow and stone beneath her. "The moon door." She breathed to herself.