Sansa stood feeling the pools of warm water collect in her outstretched palms, enjoying the kiss of each rain drop. A swift storm had taken the castle in by surprise as she watched people scramble for shelter under awnings and into doorways from her post on the balcony attached to the apartments she shared with her lord husband. She felt her pale green gown start to become sodden with rain, but still she stood; barefoot, arms extended, and with her face to the heavens. She knew how she must look, like some insane girl too stupid to come in from the rain but Sansa had stopped caring what the people of Kings Landing thought of her a long time ago now. Her mother had often told her stories of the summer rains at Riverrun when she had been a girl, so unlike the icy rains that fell at Winterfell that would surely kill a crop before it nurtured it that had been Sansa's experience. She could not help but smile at the memory, almost feeling her mother's fingers running through her auburn hair instead of the torrents of water now dripping down it.
The smells from the city beyond the walls became muted, only the freshness of the rain filling Sansa's senses. It was said that rain was a great cleanser and that is how Sansa felt; clean. For so long she had carried the weight of so many tragedies that she had no control over on her shoulders and she could almost feel them being rinsed little by little from her skin as streams of sweet rain trailed down her body. "Sansa?" a now familiar voice questioned. She turned to find her little lord husband looking at her with concern. "Are you well my lady?" he asked as he tentatively walked out onto the balcony and stood an arms distance away from her under the awning. "I apologize my lord, I am sure I am a sight. I just…I just love this weather" she breathed smiling. He furrowed his brows at her "you act as though you have no rain in the North." Sansa sighed watching his face for any sign of mockery "none warm enough unless your desire is to freeze to death. Can't you sense its warmth my lord? It's almost inviting one to experience it." She watched her husband's ugly face contort into what she took as a grin "my lady, I find it fascinating that you take such pleasure in natural things." She stepped closer to him, emboldened by her cleansing "and when was the last time you enjoyed something so natural my lord? I mean truly enjoyed what was happening in the world around you without your control to influence it. So few things that happen in these dark days can hold an innocence to them, is it wrong to take happiness away from something so trivial?" He looked up at her, dumbfounded by her words and she remembered herself and attempted to apologize when he stopped her "no, my lady you are right. I can't tell you the last time I honestly appreciated anything like you have described." He studied her face for a moment and seemingly made a decision because he stepped out next to her in the rain and put his face to the sky, letting the rain wash over him.
Sansa didn't know how long they stood together in close silence as the rainfall swept over them, thoroughly soaking them to the bone. It was only when the sky darkened with the setting of the sun and thunder started ringing in the distance that he suggested they return indoors and she agreed. Once inside he silently bowed to her with a thin smile and walked out of their private quarters giving her privacy to change. A small part of her wished he would stay, that they could continue whatever had made him join her on the balcony. As she peeled the soaking gown and shift off her body she thought about what just happened. She was sure had it been anyone else they would have mocked her for being silly enough to stand out in the rain, let alone join her in the experience. He wasn't just anyone she thought letting a smile play across her face as she remembered how the rain had made his light golden hair plaster to his face eliciting a smile from him that could almost be child-like. He would always be ugly, but in that moment of recognition on the balcony she had finally seen his beauty.
Freshly dressed in her night shift and her long hair thrown into a simple braid she made a decision as she took a towel from the wardrobe. Soundlessly she crossed the small hall that divided their territory and slowly opened the door to his solar. He had stripped himself of his crimson tunic and dark breeches and sat behind his desk still in his damp small clothes leaning back in his chair with his hands covering his face. She hesitantly walked towards him "my lord?" Startled he snatched his hands from his face and looked at her with surprise. Sansa blushed realizing that they were both rather underdressed at the moment "I thought perhaps you would…" she trailed off offering the towel. He took it from her, finger tips trailing hers for a few fleeting instants as he gave her a soft half-smile "thank you Sansa." Sansa smiled back "you're welcome…Tyrion." She quickly turned on her heels and walked out of the room as she grinned to herself at the look of astonishment that had come over his face when she had willingly used his name instead of some forced pleasantry.