TYRION

"What do you mean, he found her?" he exclaimed, taking the scroll from Varys' outstretched hand. His heart and mind were frantically racing.

"Just what I said, dear friend. It appears that mine aren't the only little birds in the seven kingdoms. It's no great secret that your sister has quite the network of spies all over King's Landing. Surely you cannot be surprised that someone has spotted her" replied the spider, not without sympathy.

Tyrion took a deep breath before opening the scroll:

My dearest wife,

How I've missed you so. But don't let worry cross that beautiful face of yours. Your dutiful husband is coming for you, and it won't be pretty much longer.

All my love,

R.

Chills ran through his body. Then he shook with anger. "She is not his wife" he spat through gritted teeth. "The queen has annulled their marriage on the grounds that we were still legally wed."

Varys sighed and replied, "Though that is her plan, I'm afraid she is not Westeros' recognized sovereign and as such, has no power. As for the two of you already being wed, well… I'm afraid the case will be difficult on a count of your non-consummation. Since Sansa and Ramsay did, albeit horribly, finalize their marriage contract, theirs would appear to be the true and rightful union."

Tyrion felt bile rise up in his throat, followed by a slight heat in his neck and cheeks as he remembered last night. "Well," he coughed, "at least part of that isn't true anymore".

His companion raised an eyebrow, seemingly impressed. "I see congratulations are in order. However, be that as it may, there were far too many witnesses in Kings Landing stating that you did not consummate your marriage prior to her wedding to Ramsay. By all accounts, she is his wife until Daenerys has control of the throne."

"That's nonsense. No documents were drawn, let alone signed, for the annulment. Therefore she was still my wife, at least legally. As for the non-consummation in King's Landing, well… Only two people could absolutely know for sure. And, as you pointed out, Sansa is no longer a maid. There is no way to tell who took her maidenhead and we could certainly fight this if it came to it." Tyrion replied, panicking.

Already shaking his head, Varys continued. "Not if the Lannister's still control the Iron Throne." Seeing his friend blanch a little, he added reassuringly: "There is no way of telling when or if he is coming here. For all we know, he sent this same letter to multiple contacts around Westeros in hopes of someone recognizing her and letting him know. The safest route would be to keep her as close to your rooms as possible, keep guards around you both at all times, and to only let a handful of trusted people and servants around you. I'll keep my spies along the shores for word of any arrivals from the capitol and we will deal with the threat if, or when, it comes. As far as anyone outside this pyramid knows, you are unwed."

What on earth am I going to say to her? I have to tell her the truth, but how?

He had considered writing to Daenerys, asking her to return so he could seek her council and protection. Varys convinced him it would be unwise, as all correspondence could be intercepted, and even a simple letter asking for her return now could be seen as confirmation of Sansa's presence. For now, Tyrion would take his advice and try to keep his wife safe and close.

He was walking back to his apartments, Pod and Brienne keeping his pace on either side of him. Both had just been briefed on the possible threat and were more than happy to keep watch.

"My Lord," Podrick started, "what shall we tell m 'lady?"

Tyrion sighed heavily. "I was wondering that myself, Pod. I'm open to ideas."

"Perhaps you could show her the letter?"

"Maybe. Though I think I should break it to her more gently." Tyrion replied as they rounded the final corner leading to his bedroom.

"Break what to me more gently?" Tyrion stopped dead in his tracks, nearly sending Pod and Brienne tripping over him. Sansa was standing just outside their room, concern clearly etched on her face. "Well?" she urged, seeing their blank stares. They almost looked funny, like they'd been caught stealing sweets before dinner. She didn't laugh though. Something was clearly wrong.

He was starting to worry. She hadn't cried, screamed, or fainted. She just sat there as they took turns explaining the letter that they received, the theories they had discussed, and the plan for her protection and concealment. She seemed to be looking past them, not in a distracted or off-putting kind of way, but with a silent resolve that seemed to turn her to steel. She hadn't asked any questions, hadn't spoken a single word besides a brief and absent-minded "good day" as Brienne and Podrick awkwardly took their leave. Tyrion hadn't taken his eyes off her the entire time and at this point was getting concerned about her lack of reaction.

He shut the door behind their newly appointed bodyguards and took the few short steps to the chaise where his wife sat, unmoving. She looked like a radiant statue. Marble-like in her sharp, yet soft, features. If he wasn't so apprehensive he might have attempted to draw her, or at least taken more time to drink her all in.

"Sansa? Will you please say something?" He reached out to grab her hand, which had been resting calmly on her knee. He was shocked to find it was drenched in sweat. He inconspicuously wiped his hand against his leg as the corner of his wife's mouth twitched with the ghost of a smile.

"And here you probably thought I was a perfectly poised lady" she laughed without humour. Allowing herself to be vulnerable with him, she dropped the act. She let out a breath that she appeared to have been holding for an hour and finally turned to face her anxious husband. "Tyrion, I'm fine. Of course I was shocked to hear that he may have found me, but as you pointed out, it could very well be a trap to gain information from witnesses. Luckily, we weren't in the city long before arriving here. I won't hide in a corner crying until he finds me; we need to make a plan."

Confused, Tyrion asked: "A plan? I thought we had just discussed the one that we already have in place. Podrick and Brienne will" –

"No." She cut him off mid-sentence. "I don't mean the plan to hide me. I am not going to sit here and wait for that monster to find me. And mark me Tyrion, he will find me. He will not stop until he has me and kills me. And trust me when I tell you that it will not be swift. We need a plan to find him first and kill him."

The shock was clearer on his face than the scar that still took over his features. "You can't be serious."

"I've never been more serious about anything."

"But…" he started, "you've only just come back to me."

The heartbreak was louder than his voice as he spoke those words. Sansa's breath hitched as she took her husband's face in her hands and forced him to meet her eyes. "And nothing, no one will ever keep us apart again. But we can't wait for the threat to show up on our doorstep. We need to act and protect ourselves. I'm tired of running from my enemies. It's time to fight back."

He allowed himself a small smile as he felt the power of her words and the warmth on his cheeks. "And just what did you have in mind, exactly?" he asked, not really expecting an answer but rather to humour her. Besides Sansa, no one wanted to rip Ramsay's balls off more than him. But he knew he was half a world away and that he'd have to be patient for his chance. He looked into her eyes, waiting.

"We need to go back to Winterfell."