SANSA

Petyr looked at her. "This is all your fault, sweetling. I killed them because of you."

Sansa looked down at her hands which were coated in blood.

"Their blood are on your hands," Petyr whispered fiercely.

"No!" she screamed, trying to wipe her hands clean. "I didn't do it! I didn't want this!" But she was alone now and Sansa fell to her knees sobbing.

She woke from her nightmare with a gasp as strong hands grasped her by the shoulders and gently shook her, before clasping her in a safe embrace. "Father?" Sansa whimpered, still lost in her guilt.

"Uncle Benjen," the voice corrected.

Sansa forced her eyes open. "I'm sorry. I'm really nervous because the trial's today," she sniffled.

"Are you going to be able to testify?" Uncle Benjen asked.

Sansa nodded.

Her uncle gave her forehead a kiss before he stood. "Get dressed and eat some breakfast, love. It might help you feel better," he told her, before exiting her room.

Sansa sighed as she stood up. Her heart was pounding and she was trembling all over. Despite what she led her uncle to believe, she wasn't really sure that she was going to be able to go up to the witness box and testify.

Today, Petyr was going to be trialed for the murders that he had committed, and right after would be the trial for the rape.

Breakfast that morning looked delicious as usual, but Sansa hardly tasted it, queasy as she was.

"We're in the same boat. I'm testifying today too," Jon said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

The reminder made Sansa feel a little better, loosening up a bit of the tightness that was constricting her chest.

The little calm that she had managed to obtain dissipated as soon as they stepped into the courtroom, and then the anxiety overwhelmed her again.

Sansa's mood lifted a little when she spotted Sandor a couple rows behind Uncle Benjen, Jon, and her. Sansa gave him an enthusiastic wave which he returned.

She sat with her hound clutched in her lap as the evidence supporting the premeditated murder claims were presented.

Soon Detective Tarth was testifying about the investigation that she had conducted and what she had dug up.

When Jon went up, Sansa's stomach jumped to her throat. I'll be next, she thought, panicked.

Her mind went blank and her body went into autopilot as she stepped up to the witness box when she was called. She recited her testimony, walking through each memory as if it was playing out in front of her. She answered the questions that were asked, retaining them long enough to answer before her mind blanked out again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Uncle Benjen asked, steadying her as she stumbled back to him when her testimony was over.

"I think I almost fainted," Sansa answered truthfully. "I don't remember anything that happened since I walked up to the witness box."

"I think it's time to get you home and into bed," he decided.

The next two trial days flew quickly by, until the fourth day, the day which Sansa was to testify about the inn.

Her nerves from the first day assaulted her with an intensity that left her dry heaving over the toilet.

"What if I'm too sick to testify?" she tried.

"Are you?" Uncle Benjen returned.

"I might be," she said. But her need to get it over with eventually outweighed her fear, and Sansa dressed and ate breakfast before they headed to court.

The evidence was presented first, and there was an air of fury about Uncle Benjen as a picture of the blood stained sheet from the inn was presented as evidence.

Sansa stared down at her lap and her nails dug into her palms as she squeezed her hands tightly.

She was surprised when Sandor was called up to testify, and finally dragged her eyes up from her lap to focus her attention on him in the witness box.

"She was alone in the room when I entered," his rough rasp seemed to fill the courtroom.

"What was the complainant doing?" the judge asked.

"She was sleeping."

Sansa chewed her lip as she processed the information. No wonder she hadn't seen him at the inn. Sandor was gone when she'd woken up. Only the cops had been there. A female cop had been stroking her hair asking her if she was alright. When they'd taken her to the ambulance, Uncle Benjen and Jon had been outside.

She tried to infuse herself with confidence when it was her turn to head to the witness box. "Here, Sandor, hold him for me," Sansa walked a few rows back to hand Sandor the hound before she was led away.

Her nerves failed her as soon as she stood facing the court attendees and Sansa started to tremble. She couldn't remember any of what occurred when she last stood here. It seemed like a long forgotten dream now. But this moment seemed all too real.

Petyr was sitting close by, looking at her, his grey-green boring into hers and she quickly jerked her eyes away as her heart rate picked up in panic. She didn't remember his presence being so prominent when she testified on the first day, but then again, she couldn't remember any part of her previous testimony.

I can't do this.

"Do you need a moment?" someone was asking.

Help me.

Petyr was still staring at her and she felt like throwing up.

I didn't want to have to hate you.

Her head was spinning and flashbacks ran on repeat through her mind.

Her family in the car. Petyr on the phone. Petyr on top of her kissing and touching her. Petyr with Robin's medicine. The screams as the car went airborne. The feeling of suffocation as Petyr repeatedly pushed into her. Aunt Lysa hysterical on the phone about Robin being rushed to the hospital.

Tears came to her eyes.

Don't cry. Don't cry.

Everyone was staring at her.

I want to go home.

Someone cleared his throat loudly and she looked toward the sound. Her eyes landing on Uncle Benjen.

Uncle Benjen winked before smiling encouragingly at her. Jon gave her a thumbs up.

Her eyes gratefully roamed over them before settling on Sandor who sat two rows behind them.

Sandor held up her hound and gave her a thumbs up.

Feeling more confident, Sansa gave a nod to signify that she was ready.

Numbly she placed her palm on the bible and swore to tell the truth.

"Could you tell the jury your name?"

"Sansa Stark."

"And your age?"

"Fifteen."

"What city do you live in?"

"New York City."

"And before that?"

"Sacramento."

"With the defendant?"

"Yes."

"How long have you known the defendant?"

"Since I was born," Sansa whispered. Then cleared her throat and tried again in a louder and clearer voice.

"What was your relationship like with the defendant?"

Sansa chewed her lip nervously. "Petyr was always kind to me. He's my uncle by marriage and I was always his favorite. Once my family was d-dead, he took care of me and raised me. I was happy living with him, but… he also liked to do things with me too."

"What kind of things?"

"Petyr loved kissing me on the lips, especially when he bought me a gift. He liked for me to model it for him and then sit on his lap so that he could touch me and kiss me. Sometimes we would share beds. He would sleep in my bed when I was upset about something or I would sleep in his bed, usually on his birthday or valentines day."

"Can you tell us what happened on the night that you ended up at the inn with the defendant?"

Sansa described the phone call, meeting Petyr in the car, falling asleep, realizing they were on the highway, Petyr taking her phone after Jon called, the heavy rain, taking a bath to warm up, changing into Petyr's shirt because her clothes were drenched, sharing a bed with Petyr.

"Can you tell us where the defendant touched you?"

"Everywhere," Sansa whispered, before repeating herself in a louder voice. "Between my legs. My breasts."

"Was there penetration involved?"

"Yes."

"Can you describe how it occurred?"

Sansa recounted the events.

"At anytime during the incident in the inn did you say 'no' to the defendant or let him know that you didn't like what was going on?"

"No."

"So you allowed the defendant to engage in sexual acts with you."

Sansa looked at Uncle Benjen before she looked down. "Yes," she answered.

"The jury are not trying to scare you. They already know Baelish is in the wrong because you're a child. Just answer the questions and once the trial is done Baelish will be locked away in prison," Detective Tarth had whispered to her earlier that morning. Sansa focused on that as she answered the questions directed at her.

It was with numb legs that she stumbled from the witness box when she was finally dismissed. The court was taking a break and people began to file out of the room. Sansa made her way to Jon and Uncle Benjen who were waiting for her.

"You were awesome," Uncle Benjen stated, holding her in a bear hug. Sansa was filled with relief that her testimony was over and she squeezed him back tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Where's Sandor?" Sansa asked, looking around as they walked out the doors to the lobby beyond.

"He's over there," Jon said pointing.

"I need to go thank him," Sansa told them, before walking over to Sandor. But she was shy when she arrived.

"Here," Sandor handed the hound back to her. "Wouldn't want him to get separated from his rightful owner."

Sansa took the hound from him and then wrapped her arms around Sandor in a hug. "Thank you for coming, Sandor," she told him.

"I promised I would come," he said, returning her hug. "You were really brave."

Sansa stroked the hound's scars softly. "I was so brave today, wasn't I?" she whispered.