Author's Notes: Hello everyone. Thanks for the reviews and your concern for Shawn. Well, here we go.
The next day Sansa went for a walk in the gardens accompanied by her maid Shae. The day was bright and clear and she remembered when she had walked here with Sir Loras when she thought she was to be married to him. She felt a brief twinge of sadness at what might have been but she quickly suppressed it. Those thoughts and feelings belonged to the old Sansa, she was not here to dwell on futures that would never happen; she was here to put her plan into motion.
Once she was close to where she wanted to be she stopped as if she had just remembered something. Her hand went to her throat as she turned back to Shae. "Shae, I forgot my necklace, the pearl one, go back and fetch it."
"Yes my lady." With an exasperated sigh that she barely troubled to hide Shae curtsied and turned back the way they had come. With her maid gone Sansa turned and took the path to the left. Though she felt fear building inside her she continued on. All too soon she saw what she was looking for. In a small clearing stood the King and two of his Kings Guard, Sir Meryn Trant and Sir Osmund Kettleblack.
They were here to meet Lady Margaery Tyrell. She and the King often met here and went for walks in the gardens, people said it was the Queen's idea and the King only did it because he was made to. Sansa looked about and was pleased to see that Margaery had not yet arrived. Excellent, but she probably wasn't far off; Sansa needed to act fast.
For just a moment she hesitated; she had endured this so many times before, she did not want to go through it again. She took a deep breath, furious with herself. She remembered something Theon had said when they were all still at Winterfell. At his home, the Iron Islands, people showed their devotion to the Drowned God by allowing themselves to be drowned. Afterwards a priest breathed life back into them. Then the priest said 'That which has died cannot die again.' And the man who had been drowned had to reply, 'But rises stronger.'
At the time Sansa had shuddered and then had had several nightmares afterwards. Now she felt differently; the words now applied to her. She had died at the Twins yet remained among the living. She did not know if what she was now was stronger or uncaring of the consequences and it did not matter, either would do.
She walked into the clearing and then stopped short, as if she had been unaware of anyone else being present. The King turned in her direction. As he registered who it was his expression, which before had been bored and sullen, became filled with cruel glee. Sansa looked about, as if she were seeking a way to escape his notice.
"Sansa!" Joffery called; "Come here!" Slowly she approached and bowed.
"Your Grace." She said, keeping her tone low and a bit frightened.
"I did it you know." He said in a gleeful voice and a triumphant smirk on his grace.
"Did what Your Grace?"
"What do you think, you stupid girl? I killed your traitor brother, just as I told you I would after I killed your traitor father. So much for the so-called King in the North; and you said he would have my head. Gods above she is a stupid one, just as my mother said she was."
This last part was addressed to his guards, who grinned and chuckled. Gods above he is practically skipping! Sansa thought in disgust, how could she have ever wanted to marry this brutal creature?
Then Joffery turned back to her and his cruelty became mixed with lust. "Still," he said in a speculative manner as he looked her up and down; "Being stupid is not the same as being ugly. I hear my uncle still hasn't bedded you. After I am married I think I'll show him how it's done. It would punish him properly for his insolence I think. What do you think of that?" He said in a sneering voice.
This was not the first time he had threatened to do this. He was expecting her to be frightened by this, as she had been in the past. This time, however, she did something she had never done before. While keeping her head down she said; "I do not believe your Lord Grandfather, the Hand of the King, would approve."
The King went stock still for a moment and when he spoke again his face was rigid with anger and his voice was little more than a rage-filled hiss. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?" He spat out, sounding as if he had to struggle to get every word out past his rage. "I. Am. THE KING!" The last part was shouted out at the top of his voice. His face was now red, his eyes were wild and his whole body seemed to be shaking.
He spun to face his guards. "Sir Trant! " He yelled. The knight, having performed this service before, knew what to do. He came up to Sansa and struck her in the face. The blow had more than enough power to split her lip and knock her to the ground. "Hold her up!" Yelled the King.
Sir Trant grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her knees, causing her to cry out in pain. As Trant held her like that Joffery came up and slapped her several times in the face. It stung but because he was neither as strong as his guards nor armored it did not hurt as much as the beatings usually did.
"I am the king!" He screamed at her, as he kicked in the stomach driving the breath from her lungs. "And the king can do as he likes!" He kicked her again. "Now say it!" He screamed at her.
Though she was coughing and chocking, trying to get air back into her lungs, she managed to choke out what he wanted to hear. "You...are...the...king…Your…Grace." She had to pause and catch her breathe before she could continue. "And you…may do as you like…Your Grace."
The King stepped back, panting but with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Well," he said; "Even the most stupid of girls can learn it seems. But I think we need to reinforce the lesson. Sir Trant, perhaps if she had to walk back to her rooms naked she would not forget so readily." Sir Trant released her hair and grabbed the back of her dress.
"Your Grace!" A voice called, drawing all their attention. Just entering the clearing were Lady Margaery Tyrell and her brother Sir Loras Tyrell. "There you are Your Grace, we have been looking everywhere for you."
Though they had to have seen and heard what was going on Margaery gave no sigh of it, though Loras's face did show surprise and anger. "I do apologize for keeping you waiting Your Grace." Margary said, placing herself between Sansa and Joffery.
The King, for his part, forced a smile a smile to replace his leer of anticipation he had had a moment before. "Think nothing of it my lady, I await your pleasure." Margaery then turned, as if seeing Sansa for the first time.
"Why, Lady Sansa, it is good to see you. Though I fear you have had an accident. Loras, be a dear and escort her back to her rooms." So saying, she linked her arm with the King's and led him away, his guards walking behind them.
Sir Loras helped Sansa to her feet and lent her his arm for support. For a while they walked in awkward silence. At last Sir Loras spoke. "I am sorry my lady, a lady should not be treated like that."
Yet, you did nothing to stop it. Sansa thought. Yet she found she was not very bitter about it. She had been beaten before and no one had come to help her then but her husband and the Hound. The Hound was right, there were no true knights and all the stories were just that, stories. But she did not need a true knight, just a strong one.
"It is alright, Sir Loras, I am a stupid girl and the King had to correct me." Before he could reply she continued. "I would not worry Sir Loras."
"Worry my lady?" He asked in a confused tone of voice.
"Yes," she replied; "About Margaery. She isn't stupid like me; I doubt the King will ever have to correct her."
He ground to a halt, his head snapping about to stare in the direction the others had gone in. His breathing quickened and his eyes blazed and he looked fierce and dangerous. Slowly he forced himself to relax and they continued on their way.
Sansa turned her head away from him as she could not keep a small smile from her lips. Everything had gone as she had hoped it would. Margaery had already known of Joffery's brutal nature of course, as Sansa had told her herself, but Loras had not. Now he not only knew but the thought of it happening to Margaery had been planted in his mind.
Sansa had lied, it was amazing had apt and comfortable she was becoming with lying. It would happen to Margaery as well. Joffery would not be able to stop himself and neither could anyone else. Eventually it would be Margaery with the bruises and blood; but unlike with Sansa, there would be repercussions.
The first time Loras saw those bruises he would know where they came from and she doubted the Seven themselves could save Joffery from Sir Loras's wrath, she knew that those white-cloaked ruffians he surrounded himself with could not. They walked on; Sansa finally managing to hide the smirk she had as she considered what would happen if the King died at the hands of a Tyrell.
The smile had not been seen by Sir Loras; it had, however, been seen a bent-backed middle aged gardener who had been industrially pruning a hedge and studiously not listening to the conversation between his social betters.
Author's Notes: Well, there you have it, revenge Sansa style. What did you think did I keep them in character? No offence intended but Loras did not strike me as overly bright at times. Let me know what you think. Please keep praying for Shawn and all who need it. Bye for now and may Jesus bless you all.