A Holiday by Decree
~~ Day 4 ~~
"Sansa, I apologize," Tyrion said, before he continued, his voice turning soft, as he spoke. "You see, as you're probably at least somewhat aware from your own personal experience with me, I've been terribly unlucky in love. In fact if you didn't already guess it, my fear of getting wrapped up in another catastrophically unattainable romance was the real reason I was planning to flee in the morning.
"So I'm afraid, I would be all too glad for a chance to court you, Sansa, but I beg you - I'm apparently made of tough stuff, but my heart isn't and might not survive another epic tragedy. Are you sure this is what you want?" he finished, and Sansa felt her heart squeeze with new understanding at his words. The sensation made her brave, and she got up to come around the bed toward him.
Carefully having settled on the footstool beside and slightly lower down from him, Sansa took in another surprised look from Tyrion. While Sansa did not pretend to know all of what he had been through, she hoped to find out.
From her own experiences, she also understood all too well his need for reassurances, because she knew she would need the same: "Tyrion, please know that I have thought about what I am asking, and I hope for the chance to talk more about that with you. Of course, I cannot promise the outcome of our courtship, otherwise asking for it would be pointless. You've probably heard enough about me too to know, you're not the only one who's been hurt terribly between us; I definitely do not plan to hurt you and only ask the same in return. If anything, I'll need your patience,"
"So please, is there any chance you might change your mind and stay for the rest of your holiday?" she finished, daring to hope her words, even if clumsy, got through to him.
Thankfully, Tyrion's gaze had warmed, and when he spoke, so had his tone. Was that even a flush creeping out past his beard, as he replied? she wondered: "If you ask like that, saying 'no' now surely would make me the stupidest man alive," he began. "Though are you sure, you haven't possibly forgotten anything about me? Need I remind you that I'm a Lannister, and a penniless one at that; that I'm quite a bit older than you; or that I'm well, you know, this?" he joked and gestured to himself physically. His bittersweet smile made Sansa's heart ache again.
"No, I haven't forgotten about any of those, and need I remind you, this time around I'm no longer a silly child? Now that I'm older and smarter, I can see these things are all just parts of you that I would finally like to get to know better," she answered with a small smile. "Now, will you stay? May I help you put your things away?"