Where am I?
I was frozen to the bone as I wandered outside in nothing but a torn night dress. My feet were bare, as I stood in a pool of mud. It was dark out, a sliver of a moon hovered over snow-clad trees. The air was still, all was silent. An impenetrable fog rolled across the forest floor. Slowly, it rose till I could not see the snow crusted path before me. The foggy haze soon enraptured me, until everything around me was devoid of light. But the darkness did not scare me, not anymore. Sometimes even beauty can spring from darkness. Petyr had taught me that; he had taught me so many things, and I had grown and learnt from them. But even he could not save me from this cloud of darkness, even he could not bring me back to the light.
The fog refused to lift, instead it grew thicker by the moment. I must leave this place, I thought, but where else could I go? The frosty air seeped its way into my skin, nipping at the tip of my nose and the very edges of my ears. I was chilled to the bone. I must go anywhere but here, I quietly resolved to myself, and so I took one step forward and then another, and very soon I began to trudge my way through an icy path that led to god knows where.
What does one do when they are blind? They stretch out their arms, of course, and so I stretched out mine in front of me, but I felt nothing but the cool night air. I waved them to my sides and felt something like hedge trees between my frost-bitten fingers. The leaves were damp and cold, but not as cold as I felt when I realized they acted like an impenetrable wall. My fate was sealed, I could only go forwards, and so I had nothing but my wits and this garden-like wall to guide me.
After a few minutes I carelessly dropped my arms to my sides, figuring this path would hardly alter from its present state. Ah, but that was my fatal error- the mistake that could cost me my life, for the path was inchoate, it had neither a beginning or end. I crashed into a wall of bay laurel leaves, and quickly discovered my destined path had led me to a dead end.
I'll go right, I told myself, and wandered in that direction. It was open to be sure, the path was much rougher under my bare feet than before, and there was no hedge trees to get in my way. This stroke of good fortune was temporary, however, for I soon crashed into the insuperable wall again. How can this be, I wondered, as I quickly began to realize the walls were at my front and sides now. Where on earth am I?
The pale moon bursted out from a cloud and shinned its lustrous rays in front of me. And what did I see before my very eyes? Endless paths, as far as the eye could see, and great towering walls of bay laurel trees which separated them all. It created a maze, a labyrinth, if you wished to employ a more technical term, but it did not matter what one chose to call it for I was trapped in it all the same.
It's a dream, my conscience whispered in the farthest corners of my mind. Wake up before it's too late.
I shut my eyes and held it in this natural state for a moment. "Please let it be a dream," I muttered under my breath. Slowly, I opened my eyes allowing myself to adjust to the dim lighting, but the foggy dew was still before me. I shuddered in despair and fell to my knees. "It's a dream, it has to be one," I wailed into my dampened sleeve. "Won't someone help me?"
As if in answer, I heard the faintest noise coming down from the heavens. A gentle shush, shush, shush echoed over the icy walkway. A mockingbird suddenly landed in front of me, clothed in black, except for the silver streaks down the sides of its wings. It tilted its head and chirped a high-pitched tune. I smiled at it, relieved to see a familiar sight. It chirped again, merrily this time and lightly hopped on its small straw-like feet towards me. This happy moment was broken by a sudden crunch, crunch, crunch behind me, as if something large and uncommonly heavy was marching its way through the hard-packed snow. The mockingbird angry flapped it's wing and let out a high-pitch shrill. Goosebumps immediately prickled at the back of my neck. It's trying to warn me, I realized, as the mockingbird's song feverishly continued. The mockingbird stretched out it's wings to the fullest, and then took to the air, fleeing in the opposite direction of the ominous sound. I sprinted after it, desirous not to lose sight of it, or else I would be lost in this labyrinth forever.
The mockingbird did not take the carefully laid out paths, instead it darted through small gaps in between the hedge trees and small holes for I to crawl through. And so, I ducked and dogged down these untrodden paths, unbeknown to anyone but the mockingbird and myself. Still, the shadowy creature continued to stalk us, never ceasing to follow my sporadic movements.
Hurry, hurry, the mockingbird seemed to sing as it flew over the aspen coloured trees. We had slipped out the maze's awesome grasp, but our danger was far from over. I could still hear that horrid tread of the unknown creature behind me, and it was closing in faster than I anticipated. Run, run, the mockingbird sang, as it flew over my head, its graceful wings reflecting the pale moonlight. Soon, I ran across a clearing where no trees did dwell. The fog lightened a fraction, so I could clearly see what was before me and behind. In front of me was a barren field covered in snow, but it did not feel like snow beneath my feet, for it cracked and creaked with every step. I paused for a moment, greatly disturbed by the noise. I forced my hand down into the mound of snow, until my hands felt something rigid and firm beneath my fingers. I wrapped my hands around it and pulled it out from the deep layer of snow. It can't be, I thought, as I held the object up to the light. It must be, I realized, as the ghostly rays from the moon revealed a shard of human bone. I dropped it, and dug my hand into the earth again, only to retrieve what looked like a severed arm.
The mockingbird fluttered down and landed a few inches behind the upturned earth. Its sable eyes looked at me grievously. "What is this? Where are you taking me?"
I'm taking you home, the wind seemed to say, as it blew past my cheeks.
"This isn't home," I replied. The pale light illuminated the silver sheen of a Lannister shield next to him. I unearthed it and held it in front of the pathetic looking creature. "What is this? Where am I!"
The mockingbird flapped its great wings and flew over to a frozen corpse not far from me. I walked over to it and saw a Baratheon soldier, the stag emblazed across his breastplate. Baratheon and Lannister, I thought, when last have have they fought against each other? The bird cooed softly beside me as I tried to uncover this mystery. "The War of the Five Kings? Is that what this is?"
The bird tilted its head at me, patiently waiting for me to figure it out for myself. I looked away from it and gazed across the vast barren land. "This is like a graveyard, isn't it?"
Trust me, Sansa, trust me, the gale seemed to say as it violently brushed past me. It howled and whistled, but even all of that noise could not shut out the quickened steps behind me. The mockingbird immediately became possessive of me, as it gave out a long high-pitch cry. It fluttered towards me and landed on my right shoulder. It looked at me, and I at it, and to both of our surprise we fled at the same time.
My heart hammered against my chest as I sprinted across the open grave, the open sockets of the skulls seemed to be watching me as I made my way through. What was worse, I could hear the terrible cracking of bones, as the creature crushed them beneath his feet as it made its way through. Don't look back, a voice said in the wind, as the temptation grew in the back of my mind. Whatever you do, don't look back. I didn't have too- I could see it's large shadow casting over me, as the vigil moon hovered over the creature and I.
The shadow stalker was closing in fast, I knew it by the way the mockingbird was practically screaming at me to run. I fled across the open field till the ground dipped beneath my feet, and I found myself stumbling down a steep hill. My foot caught on something, and then I tumbled the whole way down until I landed on a sandy sea shore. I let out a groan from the pain and the sheer exhaustion that overwhelmed me now. The mockingbird landed in front of me and chirped at me fiercely. I shooed it away, but it came back again with a vengeance. "Just let me be!" I yelled, but the obstinate bird was determined to get me back on my feet. I dug my fingers through the black grains of sand, half tempted to toss it at the bird, but its low mournful song stopped me in my tracks. It was full of love and horror and fear, it was his own song- I could see that now, so I pulled myself up off the ground and ran after this poor creature till we reached the shoreline. A boat shrouded in a cloud of mist suddenly appeared within view. A heavily cloaked man stood at the edge of the dinghy with a small lamp in his hand. "Do you wish to leave this place?" the man asked in a harsh, raspy voice.
"I do."
"Then you must pay a price."
"I have no money," I said in a weak voice, and pointed to my person to show I had nothing but the clothes on my back.
"Then you must pay with a life."
I felt like something was caught in my throat. What did he mean a life? My life or someone else's?
The rear of the boat shifted, as if it was suddenly carrying extra weight. "A price has been payed," the man said, and turned away from so he could retrieve his oars.
"Who's life?" I asked, as I wadded deeper into the murky water. The mockingbird who was sitting quietly at the tip of the dinghy, now chirped up a reply, but I did not know what it was saying.
The oars dipped into the still water, and the boat slowly ebbed away. I heard something plunge in the water behind me. Its coming!
The Mockingbird chirped frantically, as if it could see the thing behind me. The water continued to ripple away from me. There is more of them now. "Wait!" I cried, as the boat started to retreat away from my view. "Don't leave me!"
The bird's cries grew louder, realizing I would not reach the dinghy in time. "Help!" I screamed, as hands cold as ice wrapped around my throat from behind. "Help me!"
It was no use, for another hand clasped my waist and pulled me under water. Deeper, deeper, deeper into the endless abyss until I could be seen no more.
"Did you hear anything I just said," asked Ser Dale, after I bumped into his chest.
I tilted my head upwards, feeling dazed and confused at the mere sight of him. "What?"
"You looked like you were out of it," He said with some concern, and made a point to stoop low so he could look into my languid eyes. "Are you still not sleeping?"
"No," I said grudgingly. "And when I do sleep I have nightmares."
"About Lysa," he teased.
"I wish. How can anyone sleep when she makes all that noise. I thought their marriage night was bad, but I think it's getting worse."
Ser Dale laughed at me, fully understanding what I meant since he had to suffer through it too. Last night was probably the worst one of all. The nightmare that still felt fresh in my mind didn't make the situation any better.
"It's only been a week, just give it some more time. They'll get bored of each other soon enough."
"I suppose you're right." I looked away from him to see the hardened dirt path in front of us. It was so different from the one in my dream. Ser Dale cheerful presence after an hour's walk was enough to ease my mind, and distract me from that terrible dream.
"I was asking you why your father is suddenly taking an interest in me," the young knight said, as he drew himself closer to my side.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for one thing he is practically encouraging me to spend more time with you," he related with some uneasiness. "And another, he suggested that I join you on your walks from now on."
"He just doesn't want me to go alone, that's all."
"Perhaps," he said, while wearing a lazy smile. "Or, perhaps, not."
"You know how over protective my father is."
"All to well."
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
"This is Lord Baelish we are talking about! I have everything to worry about."
I shook my head at him, sensing this conversation would not bode well for either of us. "You do not like my father?"
"It's not a question of liking… I don't…"
"Don't… what?"
"Trust- him."
"Good. He's not a man to be trusted," I quipped, before I shot him a brash smile.
"Your too much like him," he mused, and turned his head to look at the clear blue sky overhead. He remained in this tranquil, reposed state till I asked him if that was a bad thing. Ser Dale fidgeted with the hilt of his sword before he answered, "It's a good thing, but it's also a bad thing. All I know is the two of you together can only lead to trouble."
I couldn't help but laugh at him. "You know me to well, Sir Dale."
"Just call me Dale," he said softly. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me with a great depth of feeling. "None of this formality. Everyone here knows how I feel about you."
I looked down at my feet knowing that what he had said was true. Ever since Dale had returned to The Fingers, the two of us have been almost inseparable. He always found a way to make me smile and laugh at my own misery, but I did not love him. The man I loved was currently hiding from his wife in his solar.
"Take that young knight of yours," Petyr said, when I asked him to go take a walk with me.
"But I want to go with you," I whined, it was the same voice I used on my father when I wasn't getting my own way. But Petyr was no Ned Stark, it had no powers over him.
"You know how busy I am," he said soberly, before he buried his head back into the stacks of papers sprawled across his desk. "I had no idea I married such a demanding wife."
Well, who's fault is that, I wanted to say, but Petyr's disheveled hair and tired expression quickly curbed my wanton tongue.
"You look unwell," Petyr observed. "Make sure you take a nice long walk with Ser Dale."
"I can't sleep," I admitted, and decided to ignore the rest of Petyr's comments. "And my head won't stop aching."
Petyr's pen halted on the page. He looked up at me with concern and asked, "Anything else?"
"No. But if you could ask your wife not to yell so loud in the middle of the night, that would be greatly appreciated."
"I will do my best," Petyr quipped, before his lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Alayne!" Ser Dale barked out, ultimately shattering the last of my straying thoughts. "You're not listening to me again."
"I'm sorry," I said quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice the sudden flushness of my cheeks as I was still considering all the things I would have done to Petyr and his precious little desk, if it wasn't for Lysa standing just outside his solar room.
"What are you thinking about in that head of yours?"
"You."
"Really?"
No, I thought, but it's much better than the truth. Dale slipped his hand into mine, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He gave me a flirtatious grin before he asked, "What was it exactly?"
That I wish it was Petyr here, instead of you. "Oh, I couldn't possibly tell you," I cooed.
"Why not?"
"Because it's a secret."
"I have a secret too. Would you like to hear it?"
"If you wish."
"I would very much like to kiss you."
I wish you kept that to yourself. Ser Dale spoke in a silky voice when he added, "And you know what else…" pausing to kiss the back of my hand tenderly.
"What?" I said with a great deal of uneasiness.
"I'd like to make you my wife."