A Holiday by Decree

~~Day 11~~

Going over another unexpected bump in the road, Tyrion laughed along with Sansa. Butterflies entered his belly from the familiar sensation of the seat falling away beneath him, and he knew Sansa had felt the same. Together, they snickered and barely clapped their hands over the porcelain cups that held the tiny sips of coffee Tyrion had just served them.

They had been on the road for close to two hours, Tyrion figured. While island routes between the royal properties were functional, they were not maintained like the major Westerosi routes Sansa and Tyrion were most used to traveling by wheelhouse.

Of course, after crossing the Narrow Sea in a crate, even drunkenly, Tyrion had known he could survive a rough ride (the memory again had him spare a sentimental thought for Varys). Fortunately, unlike his voyage to the island, when the waves had bothered him, he was fine here on the road and relieved that Sansa seemed well too. It helped that the wheelhouse's interior was padded with fluffy pillows covered in the cool, local fabric Sansa had learned was woven with fruit fibers.

Therefore, where the chaotic ride might have otherwise been an annoyance, the two of them laughed giddily through it. It was certainly taking them forever to drink the coffee they had started in on after breakfast, only being able to pour a few sips at a time. It had become a game: who could keep their drink in their cup long enough to drink it without it jumping onto the wooden floorboards first. At last, they did manage to down the last of their coffee and looked out the windows at the twisty, jungle wilderness.

Because there was little to see but monotonous, muggy green jungle, they had actually begun by eating the breakfast packed in the hamper on the wheelhouse floor. Initially, Tyrion sat with his back to the carriage's front, until Sansa bid him next to her to better share a handful of halved hard-boiled eggs fried crispy and buttery, more fresh buns spread with orange jam, and a small pot of seasoned tomatoes, cucumber and cubed, mild and tender cheese. Nestled between the cushions, they wound up pressed next to each other, and despite the hot climate, Tyrion found himself unwilling to be anywhere else when Sansa made no moves away from him even when the food was finished.

With Sansa so close, Tyrion kept stealing glances back at her despite the exhilaration of their travel. The way the exotic veil and pins complemented her coppery locks and pale complexion, her bright, happy smile –

She was perfect in every possible way to him. He felt ready to burst to tell her - if only he was not still somehow damnably a little shy around her…

It was when the wheelhouse finally emerged from under the jungle canopy, sunlight abruptly filling the interior, that Tyrion's attention fully turned. Along with Sansa, he gladly found himself taken up with the spectacular views all around.