"Oh, Petyr!" I screamed, as Petyr shoved his cock into me. There was no foreplay, no teasing, it was all or nothing. Petyr was grinding me hard against the gravel path, even the blanket I brought with me couldn't protect me from the harshness of the ground.

"Fuck it!" Petyr growled, as he drove into me further. I was nearly teary eyed from the pressure, it was only a matter of time until I explode.

"I can't!" I wheezed, before I suddenly rolled him over and found myself on top of him.

"Sansa?" Petyr asked in surprised, as he looked into my hungry eyes.

"Shut up, Petyr!" I shot back, before I began to ride him. "I'm going to show you how you do it properly."

"Oh, is that so?" he laughed, barely containing his mirth. His smile quickly went away, once I put him on a high. "Seven Hells!" he cried out, as I sunk myself deeper. It barely escaped his lips before he buried his face into mine and kissed me feverishly. I was one step ahead of him, I drove my tongue into his mouth and smacked his down triumphantly. Petyr jerked his head back in surprise, accidently smacking it against the cold hard ground. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong, Petyr?" I asked, as I forced myself deeper into him. "Your surprised the master is finally beaten by their apprentice?"

Petyr's mouth gaped open, for once he was speechless. I leaned in and bit down on his right shoulder possesively, leaving a bright red mark in his wake. While Petyr was still yelping from the pain I moaned, "Oh, Petyr…. you have no idea what I want to do to you next."

"Sansa?" said a voice off in the distance. My eyelids blinked in confusement, hardly believing what I was hearing off in the distance.

"Sansa?" the voice said again, but this time I recognized the speaker's voice- Lysa. I blinked again, and this time my surroundings were entirely different.

"I was wondering if you're okay? You kept- biting down on your lips. I was getting concerned," my Aunt mused. She laid her hand on top of mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

"No," I said weakly. I raised my free hand up to my lips and felt the deep gash on my bottom lip.

"Just let me know and I'll have them stop the carriage again," Aunt Lysa said soothingly.

"Will never get anywhere if we do," I admitted. It was not a daily occurrence for me to puke at the side of the road. The swaying motion of the carriage traveling up the rocky mountains often made me sick to my stomach. Eventually, we would have to stop so I could relieve whatever was left in my stomach.

"I shall ask Petyr to give you a container to throw up in for next time."

I blushed as she mentioned her husband's name and quickly looked away. If only she knew what I was just fantasizing about, I thought, and bit down on my swollen lip again.

"You're not thinking about Ser Dale again, are you?" My aunt asked as she leaned into my frame further.

"What? No!" I blurted out, surprised that she would even ask me that.

"It's just that… you keep biting your lips, and Ser Dale is riding just outside your window. You might be able to fool Petyr, but you can't fool me. A mother knows… they always know."

"It isn't like that."

"No? Why else would you continue to keep the poor man waiting? It's been over a month and you still haven't given him a clear answer."

"It's not as simple as you think," I interjected.

"Yes or no, Sansa. That's all you need to say."

Of course, she would over simplify things. If only she knew how hard it was to appease both Petyr and Ser Dale at the same time. It was like juggling while trying to swim- next to impossible. Once, when Petyr and I were alone for a fleeting moment I had asked him why I had to keep Ser Dale in the dark. He simply raised his eyebrows with amusement and replied, "Sometimes one person's loyalty can be worth a thousand men."

As I looked out the window, admiring the tall, handsome stature of Ser Dale upon his snow-white horse I could only assume that Petyr offered me half the truth. Ser Dale caught my earnest gaze and steered his horse closer to my carriage. He motioned me to pull down my glass window before he edged his horse closer.

"Good evening, Alayne," he said in a cheery voice.

"Dale," I replied in a civil tone, it was distant and cold, but it hardly seemed to bother the young knight.

"A few more miles and we are expecting to camp for the night."

"Oh," I replied, feeling to tired to think of anything else to say.

"I was thinking… once we stop…"

He was hesitating, it was never a good sign. I felt less inclined to encourage him on.

"I know you haven't been feeling well lately. I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me. Just like old times."

"I don't know-"

"We haven't spoken in a while. It feels like ages since we've had time to talk. I've been thinking… if you spend more time with me I might be able to change your mind."

"Dale, please-"

"I'm not rushing you," he interrupted. "You can take as long as you want. Life is mediocre, love shouldn't be."

"Yes, well-" Gods, why can't I think of anything to say. This would be so much easier if he wasn't such a good man.

"I have my own plot of land, you know. Its a small, humble place up north. Once the war is over we can go there. I think you would like it… it's quiet and peaceful."

I felt Lysa's elbow nudge my outer arm, it was evident she was chiding me to give him an answer. I've been dragging this out for far too long.

"And it snows there. You told me once that you missed the snow. Well, there's lots of it!"

I laughed at him, liking that noble lustre in his eyes.

"I could make you happy, Alayne," he said in a low voice, his features softened as he said it.

A loud, fearful cry came from the other side of the carriage, which startled us both. Ser Dale immediately drew out his sword and shouted, "Pull up your window!"

"Hold your ground!" Ser Dale called out to the men around him. "Protect the Lady of the Vale!"

A handful of men poured out of the forest and ran across the dirt road to attack our men. Others were high up in the trees shooting quivers into the hearts of men. Ser Dale pulled up his helmet before he rode towards the tribe of bandits. He was a skilled swordsman- no match for the frail looking young men. Still, the bandits were poor and starving, they had nothing to lose so they found bravely against the young, gallant knight.

"Where is Petyr?" Lysa shrilled out beside me, holding her fur blanket with terror.

"He'll be fine," I assured her, though his absence made me uneasy. The death cries around our closed carriage did little to ease our nerves. We heard the sharp whines of horses before they tumbled to the ground, and the low groans of men who were slowly dying from a fatal wound.

"Come on! Fight!" Ser Dale bellowed furiously, as he struck down another opponent. "Protect the Lady of the Vale!"

His men around him fought feebly, it concerned them little whether the Lady lived or died. It was there own skin they cared about, which is why half of them abandoned their post and fled for the woods.

"Cowards!" Ser Dale roared to the swarm of men that left his side. A fatal arrow stuck his horse, and soon the pair of them toppled over to the ground.

"Dale!" I screamed. A swarm of men began to circle around his lonesome figure, their blood thirsty swords glimmered in the last of the light.

Ser Dale grunted as he rose himself off the ground. He was a head taller than all of them- still he was outnumbered seven to one.

He lifted his silver-sheened blade in the air defiantly, and closed his eyes for a moment before he struck the man closest to him. His nimble feet danced around the dirt road, while his long blade slashed at his enemies with lightening speed. His skyey cloak fluttered in the wind as this errant knight struck down the men one by one. His movements were swift and vigil, it was no match for them.

"Well, well," said a raspy voice in front of me, a bandit had walked up to the window with a menacing grin. "Aren't you a pretty thing."

I moved away from the window, squishing Lysa as I moved as far back as possible.

"Is it locked?" Lysa asked me.

I nodded my head at her, too fearful to move. The haggard looking man wielded his dagger and used the hilt of the blade to strike at the window. It didn't budge, a nervous laugh escaped me. The man tried again and again, and soon it made the crystal-clear glass craze into a thousand lines.

"He's going to break in," Aunt Lysa breathed.

"No, he won't," I assured her, even though my voice sounded weak as I uttered it.

"Alayne!" Ser Dale's voice cried out, it was faint and full of pain.

"Dale!" I screamed, as I moved towards the window to see him. Almost all the men around him were struck down, only two strong looking men remained. Ser Dale was limping, it was clear his outer leg had been struck, blood was pouring down his leg. He gave out a battle cry before he dove at the men with his vermillion stained blade. The men were fierce fighters and were quick to strike him down, but Ser Dale was even quicker to get back up. He swiveled the blade around his fingers before he slashed to the right and struck a man's arm; he swiftly turned to the left and stabbed the other man in his chest. The man tumbled to the floor bringing Ser Dale's sword with it- he was unarmed for a single moment. His hands were bare as he reached for his dagger, but it was too late, a sword pierced him from behind and Ser Dale crumbled to the floor face first.

"Dale!" I screamed and hit the marred glass fiercely. The world seemed to dimmer, it blurred until the only thing I could see was Ser Dale's hand lifting up into the air- reaching for me one last time. "Dale," I whimpered as his hand grew limp and crashed onto the floor. "No, no, no."

My Aunt Lysa enraptured me in a loving embrace. I felt lifeless in her arms, hardly aware of what was going on around me. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, after the crashing against the window continued.

"Dale," I breathed, feeling like the last good thing in the world was gone.

"I'm so sorry, love," she whispered into my ear.

There was a cry in front of me, probably another one of our men gone. It was too late- the battle had been lost. "They'll kill us," I moaned, as I stared into the menacing eyes of that haggard creature. "They'll rape us."

"Then we should make this quick," Aunt Lysa said as she unsheathed a dagger at her hip. "There are worse ways to die."

"I just wish…" I cut myself off and looked down at my trembling hands, unwilling to utter thought that came across my mind. I wish I could see Petyr for one last time.

The window broke into a thousand pieces. A bony hand slithered through the gaping hole in searching for the lock. I snatched Lysa's dagger from her hand and was about to kill him when a ringed hand wrapped around the man's throat and pulled him away. A valyrian dagger struck him in his chest. The man cried out in pain and Petyr withdrew it to strike him in the center of the chest again, blood squirting out all around us. Petyr dropped the dead man to the ground and stomped on his throat for extra measure. He suddenly looked up at me, a strange madness was seen in his grey-green eyes.

"Petyr!" Aunt Lysa wailed. He looked at her for a moment, it looked almost unworldly, as if he hardly recognized her at all.

"Look out!" I shouted, as a harrowing figure approached him from behind. Petyr moved away holding his frosty blue dagger in front of him. He was no match for this giant that stood before him now. The man jeered at him before he withdrew two swords from his sides.

"Seven Hells," Petyr grumbled, as the man's swords glittered in the last of the sunlight. In a matter of seconds, they flickered towards him, Petyr quickly ducked and then dogged out of the way.

"He needs help," I muttered under my breath.

"You stay right here," my Aunt scolded me.

"But he's going to die!"

"There is nothing we can do."

It's a sin to kill a mockingbird, a voice said at the back of my mind. I fingered the silver pin that adorned my furred collar. I knew I had to something- anything to save him. I clutched the dagger hard before I bolted out the door.

"Sansa!" Petyr said angrily as I ran toward them. "Get back inside!"

"No," I said defiantly. "I'm not going to lose you too."

"Sansa, please," Petyr voice quavered from the flurry of emotions that came over him. The giant struck at him, but Petyr leapt backwards and hid behind a large boulder.

"I shall enjoy killing you," mocked the giant. He threw his swords down and rolled up his sleeves. "I want to do it with my bare hands."

"Oh, is it more fun that way?" Petyr asked, as he stealthily moved around the boulder.

"Yes."

"Listen to me, I'm a rich man. If you let me live I'll give more golden dragons than you could ever dream of... I could even give you a castle if you like… and whores. Everyone loves whores!"

The man laughed at him as he circled around the boulder. "You're a funny man."

"Funny? No, I wouldn't say that. I'm wittier, than anything else."

"I'll kill you all the same."

"Now, now. Let's rethink this," Petyr said as he drew out his dagger in front of him. "I am much more valuable to you alive than dead."

I suddenly picked up the giant's sword and pierced him in the center of his back, just as the bandits had done to Ser Dale. The man swivelled around to face me, clearly, I had not done enough damage to him, for he picked me off the ground and gave me a lecherous stare. I tried to swipe at him with Lysa's dagger, but it was no use, it simply grazed his bare arms.

"I thought I told you," Petyr piped up, as he struck the back of the giant's knees with his valyrian blade. "To stay inside," he added, as he stabbed the man in the shoulder blade and back.

The man released his grip and the both of us tumbled to the ground. Petyr rolled the man over and gibed, "You should have taken my offer," before he sliced the man's throat to the bone. "By the light of the fucking seven, Sansa!" he shouted, as he grabbed a hold of my arm. "Do you know how much you risked trying to save me?"

"I couldn't-" I stammered out, it felt like something was caught in my throat. "I couldn't lose you too, Petyr."

Petyr huffed at me with frustration, before he wrapped his arms around me. His blood-stained hands anxiously caressed my frame. After he heard me whimper, Petyr pulled me into his frame and held me so tightly I feared he would never let me go. An idle tear fell down my cheek, as I contemplated just how close I was to loosing him. "You promised me, Petyr. You said you would never leave me."

"And I won't."

"You promise?"

"I promise," he said softly. He moved his head back, so he could kiss me on my brow. "I'll never leave you, Sansa, not ever."

I was sitting next to a riverbank under the twilight sky. There was not a gale in the wind, all was silent and reposed around me. I was not- a tumultuous wave rose inside of me as I wrung my hands anxiously under the pale moonlight. I could still feel the blood on my hands even though they were as white as snow. I splashed them in the water again, hoping the cold water would wash away my sins. What is the use if I can still feel it, rather than see the men's blood staining the thin brown lines etched into the palms of my hand.

Was it shame that was keeping me up tonight? Or was it guilt? Or remorse for the things I've done to Ser Dale? But, was it wrong to lead him on? Should I have not listened to Petyr's instructions? Was it a mistake to follow him blindly? Love is blind, isn't that what they say. Petyr had done his fair share of blinding me to the light, to the truth- whatever that was. But, I still love him. I could not deny that fact, as much as I tried. My stomach tightened with pain, a queasy feeling came over me and soon I was hurling up the last of my dinner into the bushes.

"I wish I could say I'm surprised," a low tenor said behind me. "But I'm not."

"Petyr?" I wheezed, after I wiped at my mouth in burning shame.

"Here," he said, and offered me a cloth from his cloak to wipe away the last of the filth. "Take this as well," He offered, as he handed me a sack of wine.

"Thanks," I replied meekly, and took a long swig.

"Not too much," he chided, and snatched it away from me.

"I'm not a child!"

"I know that."

"Then why are you treating me like one?"

Petyr sat down on the damp grass and began to chuckle low, it was barely audible to anyone but me. "I am finding you strangely amusing as of late."

"Is that so?"

"It is," he said in a low tone. He dug his hands inside of his pocket before he handed me rose-gold plight-ring.

"What is this?"

"It's yours."

"Petyr," I warned. I was not in the mood for his little games.

"It is a gift."

"Your giving me a ring because…"

"I am not giving it to you. Ser Dale gave it to you about a month ago when you accepted his proposal. You have been deceiving me for a month, much to my dismay. You feared I would get rid of him if I ever found out the truth, and you couldn't let that happen- not when your pregnant."

"What?" I exclaimed and dropped the engagement ring in the sand. "What do you mean I'm pregnant?"

"I've had my suspicions for a while. But when I look at you now… I'm sure of it."

"What!" I stuttered. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You don't see it, do you? Not how I see it. The signs I mean. First, there was your chronic headaches, tiredness, short temper… and then there was the swelling of your breasts I noticed the morning Lysa arrived. It was the little things, my dear, the tiny details that only a man like me would notice. And now your throwing up practically everyday… a thing I greatly feared, but fortunately for me Lysa was just as eager to leave The Fingers as I was. You see, if we stayed the truth would have been found out, and I was not entirely sure what I could do to cover the truth. But the Vale! An enormous castle like that is an easy place to hide our little secret."

"So, you knew this all along?"

"Oh, yes! Why do you think I encouraged Ser Dale's attention to you?"

"I thought you were mad," I teased. I shook my head in disbelief and mumbled, "I thought you knew what you were doing."

"I was," he assented. He picked up the phlight-ring and placed it into the palm of my hand. "Dale Braes is the father of your child. He has been for the past month and a half. Is that understood?"

"But we never-"

"I encouraged him to take long walks with you, because I needed to make sure the two of you spent some time alone together. Our experiences in the cave prove that some things can happen in broad daylight without anyone else knowing."

"Oh," was the only thing that escaped my mouth. I rubbed my hand over my stomach as I tried to take in everything Petyr was saying. "So, I really am pregnant?"

"Yes, my sweet."

"With your child?"

"With my child," he drawled, and I knew his eyes were darkening even though I could barely see it. I felt his ringed hand rest on top of mine, as we both felt my flat stomach.

"It's hard to believe there is something growing inside of me," I breathed, as I felt the warmth of his hand spread all over mine. "Is that why you kissed me like that- that day in the cave."

"Like this?" he asked, as he stooped forward to lift up the folds of my dress and kiss my bare stomach again and again.

"Petyr, stop," I said in an unsteady voice, as his warmth trailed around the center of my body. "Otherwise, you know what will happen next."

"Hmmmm," he mumbled, and continued his attentions. I pressed my hands to the sides of his temples and pushed him away.

"I mean it," I said in a stern voice. "I can't do this right now."

"I know," he whispered, as he moved himself back. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"Yes, here's one. Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Well, my time is running out," he teased, as laid his hand on my woolen dress where he just decorated my stomach with kisses.

"When?"

"Sometime before I send Ser Dale away. It is a great evil that he died today, but it can't be helped. I was hoping to keep him around a little bit longer, so the lords and ladies of the Vale could notice his attention to you. It would have made it easier…" he paused and stroked his cleanly shaven chin. "… to spread a rumour when someone is still alive and well, but perhaps this will play to our favour."

"Petyr! He sacrificed himself for me today. I wouldn't be alive right now, if it wasn't for him."

"Have I not told you? One man's loyalty can be worth a thousand men."

"Please, don't tell me you are responsible for the attack today."

"I am not that heartless. No, they attacked us on their own accord. I did warn Lord Royce that taking the King's Road would be dangerous, but he never listens to me. After my little talk with Lysa this evening, perhaps he will."

"Your going to get rid of him, aren't you?"

"No. He's more valuable to me alive than dead."

I sighed and looked down at the golden rings that adorned his hands. I was rubbing them gently when I asked, "Did you get me pregnant on purpose?"

"No. It was purely by accident," he mused. "But it was a happy accident."

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"I am," he breathed, and kissed me on my brow. "I am happy, Sansa. Do you believe me?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, and looked away from him. Petyr's fingers trailed along my jawline, feeling the sharp ridges before he tilted my head in his direction. Slowly he inched his face forward and held it there for what felt like ages before he kissed me slowly. It deepened over time, proving to me that he meant what he said. His hands cupped the side of my cheeks as he pulled me into him further, as if he feared I would let go. Petyr was a fool, I would never leave him, not now- not ever.