She was kneeling in the throne room before a golden stag that had the emerald eyes of the King. It took a threatening step towards her, lowering its great antlers to rip at her dress exposing her bare skin to the silent court surrounding them. She felt the tears break over her face as the next lash of its antlers slashed at her again, drawing blood this time. Finally it was close enough for her to smell its sour breath and as she raised her eyes to meet its mean gaze it opened its mouth and roared as if it were a lion.
At the sound of a loud crash Sansa awoke screaming, swearing she could feel the pressure of the antlers digging into her soft skin. She searched the room for the demon that haunted her night and day but her eyes only met the concerned gaze of her lord husband standing just outside the privacy of the bedroom. The dim light in the room from the half a dozen low burning candles obscured most things, save for the brilliant green and warm black of her husband's eyes. "I heard your shouts from the other room, are you alright my lady?" Sansa felt the tears rushing to the surface as she tried to come up with whatever story she could think to tell him when another large boom sounded outside. Clutching herself tightly she stared at her husband "what is that noise? Are we under attack?" He took a tentative step into the room with his voice filled with confusion "that is simply thunder my lady." Blinking back her tears she looked at him with bewilderment "I…I don't know what that is. I am sorry for being ignorant my lord." He took a few more steps towards her farther into the bedroom "no my lady don't apologize. I should not assume you would know the weather of the South, just like I would probably be unable to recognize the signs of snow if we were in the North. Thunder, as well as lightning most often happens during rain storms here. A maester could probably explain it better than I but I believe it has something to do with cold air and warm air meeting in the sky." Suddenly the room was illuminated with a flash of bright light and Sansa could clearly see in detail every mark on her husband's scarred face, twisted into what she thought he meant to be a reassuring smile. She shuddered "it as if the gods themselves are battling in the sky." She watched as he nodded, catching the faint musty scent of old books that always hung about him "that is what my old nurse maids would tell me when I was very young and afraid of the storms in Casterly Rock. Oh the many stories I could tell you of those storms Sansa." She watched him shake his head with a sad look, his light golden hair catching in the dim light "but I am sure you would rather get your rest then hear me blather on. If you will excuse me my lady."
The room illuminated once more as he turned to take his leave and Sansa heard herself make an involuntary noise at the thought of being alone during the chaos that was happening outside. "My lady?" she heard him question right before the next clap of thunder sounded outside. "My lord, would it be too much to ask..." she didn't know how to say she was frightened, to ask him to stay with her. They were hardly close, though it was mostly his surname that stood between them more than any animosity she truly felt for him. "Sansa… would you like me to stay with you during the storm?" He had always tried to be kind to her, perhaps she could trust that he would not abuse this weakness as some members of his family would. She slowly nodded sitting up in the bed "yes my lord, if you don't mind." "Not at all my lady, as your husband it is my duty to keep you safe, especially if it is from your fears." He slowly walked towards the other side of the bed, making sure to keep eye contact with her as he climbed up "now let me tell you of the silly child your husband was when he thought himself grown and stupidly thought that storms were nothing to be afraid of." Sansa knew she should feel awkward being in such close quarters with him. That even though he sat far away from her at the other end of the bed it was closer than they usually were together in the day light; but she didn't. She found the sound of his voice soothing, and having something to concentrate on drew her attention away from what was happening outside their windows. She found herself drawn into his story of him as a young man who thought he could withstand a storm, being drenched in sea water and rain water alike as he stood on the shore outside his family home on the coast. She hardly noticed the clattering of thunder as he recounted very nearly being struck by lightning as he stood alone on the shore. "When the lightning struck the sand my lady the action is one that I will never forget witnessing, though in truth at the time I may have been running about the beach like a chicken with his head cut off." Sansa couldn't help from bursting into a fit of laughter from the image of her husband that rose to her mind. When she reclaimed her senses she could see he was grinning at her "I am happy to be able to distract my lady wife so easily with tales where my life was in danger, I will have to keep that in mind if I ever want to hear your laugh again. To get on with my story, when the dust had settled and I was finished making a complete fool of myself I found the most glorious item. That reminds me! Do not move a muscle." She watched as her husband hopped off the bed and slightly stumbled over his own feet in his excitement as he went searching through a trunk on the other side of the room. After a time he returned to her climbing up on the bed much closer to her than before but she hardly registered it looking at the strange object in his hand. It was glass as black as midnight, and shaped like a stream of water being poured only frozen in place like ice. Sansa's eyes were bright with curiosity as her husband put the strange glass in her hand. "The maesters told me that it is called a fulgurite, and that legend says that if you are stuck by lightning while holding one you won't be harmed. I wouldn't suggest trying out this theory of course, you would more than likely be burned to a crisp. This and others like it are what I found once the storm had passed. Its brothers that I have collected over the years decorate my chambers at the Rock, larger and more elaborately shaped if you can believe it. I keep this one with me when I travel to remind me that even if I think I can handle something bigger than me perhaps the better option would be to let it pass. You know me well enough now to know I hardly do that, but maybe one day I will." He chuckled running his soft fingers along the dark glass, unconsciously grazing her fingertips which shot a puzzling sensation up her arms.
She felt her face start to turn colors and was happy that the lighting was so dim when he spoke again "I would like you to have it, if that would be pleasing to you." Sansa knew her face was definitely an unpleasant shade of red by now "no my lord, it is much too precious to you. What if I were to break it?" She could feel her husband's warm laugh reverberate through the bed underneath her "my dear Sansa, don't you know by now that I trust you? The delicate fingers that bring life from needle and thread onto your embroidery fabrics could hardly willingly break anything. Please, my hope would be that it might bring you comfort during your next thunderstorm." "Wouldn't you be with me?" she asked before she could think about what she was saying. There was silence between them as the last few candles burned out leaving them in total darkness. "Is that something you would want?" he asked quietly. She thought over his gentle words for a momnet, holding the lightning frozen in time. "Yes" she said softly, knowing it was truth though the courage to actually say it aloud had come from the glass in her hand. After a few moments he felt for her empty hand in the dark, clasping his stunted fingers over hers as he spoke "then trust me when I say this my lady; I will be by your side during every storm for as long as you want me there." Sansa brushed her thumb over his in the darkness as way of recognition, knowing no words would come easily from her. He was still a Lannister as he always would be, but maybe she could trust him to keep his word where others in his family had failed. That night as the storm continued to rage outside their windows she held the fulgurite tight in her fist as she fell into her dreams.
She was back in the throne room before the golden stag, though now beside her was a little lion crouched in a striking position, his mismatched eyes trained on the king of the forest. The great animal started towards her again, slashing its antlers and making that odd sound from before though instead of a growl it was just a strange sort of bleating. Her little lion jumped in front of her sounding a roar so loud that the stag fell trying to get away from them. Sansa smiled, trailing her fingers through her lion's light golden mane. A stag is hardly a match for a lion, no matter the size.