Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I am glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope you like this one as well, as always I own nothing.
Preparations for their departure seemed to take forever, whenever something was done it seemed that there was something else that needed to be done popped up. Sansa was both frustrated and slightly relieved by this. She wanted to see her sister, she had not realized how much she did till the chance to actually see her presented itself. But at the same time she found the prospect of seeing Arya filled her with uneasiness. They had not been the best of terms when they had last seen each other and then there had been all of the stupid things that Sansa had done, including contributing to the death of Arya's friend. Additionally, she was married to a Lannister and if Sansa knew her sister she would not bother to distinguish between which Lannisters were and were not responsible for what had happened to their family.
So when Tyrion told her that they had to wait to formally welcome the new member of the Kingsguard, who was indeed Jamie Lannister, to Sunspear she received it with a mixture of exasperation and relief. When he arrived a party of soldiers went to meet him and to escort him to the Water Gardens. When word came that they were nearly there Prince Doran called them all to the throne room to welcome him. Jamie Lannister strode into the throne room, as cocky and assured as when he had ridden into Winterfell, his Kingsguard armor polished till it gleamed. Even with only one hand he carried himself as if he could take on everyone in the room. When she had first seen him Sansa had thought that he was the most hansom man that she had ever seen. Now though, she saw not sure what to think of him. On the one hand, he was a Lannister, one of those who worked to bring about the downfall of her family. On the other hand, Brienne had told her how he had lost his hand, defending her from Bolton men, so he could not be entirely bad. He bowed and made his greetings to Prince Doran and then turned towards Princess Myrcella.
"Greetings Princess, it is good to see you again. You are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, if that is even possible." Myrcella tried to retain an air of dignity but she could not manage it and burst into a huge smile and she ran forward to embrace him.
"Uncle Jamie it is so good to see you again! How is Tommen? How is Mother and Grandfather?" He smiled at her in return.
"Easy Princess. There will be more than enough time to discuss all of the family affairs. For now let me say hello to my brother and his wife." Myrcella smiled and stepped back with a nod. Jamie turned towards Tyrion and Sansa.
"Hello Brother, Dorne seems to be agreeing with you. And you as well, My Lady." He said to Tyrion and Sansa.
"And you seem to be in good health as well Brother." Tyrion said, returning his brother's smile.
"It is good to see you Sir Jamie." Sansa said.
"Come now," Jamie said to her; "We are family now, please call me Jamie."
"Very well, Jamie." Sansa said.
After that there was the rest of the greetings between Jamie and the court and Sansa could not help but notice that the welcome that Jamie received was even cooler than the one she and Tyrion had received when they first arrived in Dorne. If the Commander of the Kingsguard noticed this he gave no indication of it. After the greetings there was the feast. As the feast was both to welcome Jamie and say farewell to Tyrion and Sansa it was the largest and most extravagant feast that Sansa had seen so far. There was all kinds of food and drink, as well as singers, jugglers and others entertainers. As family members Sansa and Tyrion sat at the high table with Prince Doran, Princess Myrella and Jamie. Arianne was there as well and flirted playfully with Jamie. Sansa had expected that Jamie, a knight sworn to the Kingsguard, would be either embarrassed or annoyed, clearly what Arianne had been expecting, but to her and Sansa's surprise Jamie flirted right back and soon had Arianne looking slightly flustered herself.
Eventually the feast came an end they all retired to their quarters, Jamie joined Sansa and Tyrion in their quarters shortly afterwards. The maid poured them wine and Sansa, seeing that they wished to talk, rose and made her excuses and left the room. As soon as she was in the other room she gave them several seconds and then moved back to the door and opened it up just enough that she could listen to their conversation. At first all they talked about Jamie's plans to hunt for Sir Dayne and Sansa was about to give up when the conversation changed.
"Will you be going through King's Landing on your way to the Eyrie?" Jamie asked Tyrion.
"I don't think so, it would be faster to go to Gull Town." He paused and then sighed; "And I must confess, that I have no particular urge to see Father."
"I can see your point, but even if you had gone to King's Landing you needn't have worried about that, Father is not in King's Landing."
"Has he been called to the battlefield? Has something happened?" Tyrion asked, unease in his voice.
"No, not to the battlefield, he has gone to the Twins, problem with the line of succession with the Frey."
"I thought that Aenys Frey was the new head of the Frey family." Tyrion said.
"He was, now he is rather busy being dead."
"Gods! That family is nothing but trouble!" Tyrion exclaimed in a tone of exasperation. "What? Did the rest of the family kill him?"
"No, though I am sure that they would have done so if he had live long enough, no, I fear he was killed by the Blackfish."
"Brynden Tully?"
"The very same. It seems that he has been making trouble in the river lands and Aenys decided to hunt him down. Tully led them on a merry chase and then he turned the tables on Aenys and ambushed him while he and his men were crossing some stream or other. Anyway, with him gone the rest of the Frey are now quarreling over who the new Lord Paramount of the river lands is. Father needs them to settle the matter, especially with Stannis moving in the North, the Boltons will probably be asking for help soon.
"Father Sent Uncle Kevan to try to settle things but they wouldn't listen to him. In time they would probably settle on a new head of the family, but as I said, Father does not have the time or patience to wait for that so he went to the Twins himself to settle things in that charming way that he has."
"One could almost feel sorry for the Frey." Tyrion said in mock sympathy, then they both laughed. Personally Sansa would not mind at all if Tywin decided to butcher the lot of them, though she doubted that he would be so accommodating.
The next day they left the Water Gardens and headed towards Sunspear, there to take ship to Gull Town and thence to the Eyrie. Sansa was sad to be leaving Dorne, she had been happy there, and she was still feeling uneasy about seeing her sister again. At the same time she felt her eagerness to see Arya again growing, especially as there were still people responsible for the fate of her family to be punished and she was sure her younger sister would be more than willing to help.
The journey to Sunspear went without incident and they boarded the waiting ship. At first the voyage too was without incident. Sansa was glad to be back at sea, she had found that she enjoyed sailing and the weather was perfect. She tried not to take too take pleasure in Podrick's seasickness and her new closeness to Tyrion made the nights more enjoyable as well. Then, nearly a week after leaving Sunspear, the weather took a turn for the worse in the form of a storm which seemed to come out of nowhere. For what seemed like an eternity the ship was tossed and thrown about and Sansa expected at any moment that the ship would break apart and sink, but it did not. Finally, the storm abated and they were still afloat.
"It's a sign." the captain told them when he had time to speak with them.
"A sign of what?" Tyrion asked the man.
"Of winter my lord. These sudden storms always occur during winter. Winter has come again, you can take my word on it."
"How long has this delayed our voyage?" Tyrion asked.
"Some time I fear, we will have to put into a port in order to make repairs and I fear that they will take some time. In fact, it may be quicker for you if you hire another ship to continue your journey."
"I see," Tyrion said in a thoughtful tone of voice; "Where is the nearest port from where we are?"
"King's Landing my lord."
Several days later Sansa found herself looking at an all-too-familiar city. She had not wanted to return to this city, now or ever, but there had been no way to avoid it, the ship could not continue on. She had hoped that they could get a ship right away, but it seemed that no ships were sailing for the next several days. Tyrion had thought to find an inn but before they could find one a message from the Red Keep requesting that they come there immediately.
The journey from the harbor to the Red Keep seemed to take forever, yet part of Sansa would rather it go on forever rather than enter the Red Keep again. As they journeyed through the city Sansa noticed something, the whole city seemed to be uneasy, as if they were all afraid of something, the last time she had seen the city like this was when it was preparing for Stannis Baratheon to lay siege to the city. There was no army outside of the gates yet the same fear was there. There was something else that was different as well. Wherever Sansa looked she saw men clad in coarse robes wondering the streets. They carried clubs and had harsh looks about them and seemed to be glowering at all those around them. Despite their belligerent demeanor they did nothing to impede their progress, though Brienne had her hand on her sword hilt all the way to the Red Keep.
As they walked through that awful place Sansa found herself struggling to breathe normally and her heart was beating so hard that she was sure that it would burst. Her anxiety was not helped by the sight of members of the Kingsguard, the sight of which brought back memories of abuse at their hands.
Stop it! She told herself firmly. You are not that scared little girl anymore! You've killed men! You killed a king! And there was nothing these men could, for all of their brutality. Those thoughts calmed her and she felt her breathing returning to normal as they neared the throne room. As the doors opened she saw a figure seated on the Iron Throne and for horrible moment she feared that it was Joffrey but as they drew closer she saw that it was not Joffrey but Tommen. He was trying to look severe and kingly but as soon they drew close his face broke into a smile.
"Uncle!" He exclaimed. He leaped to his feet and looked like he was going to run to meet them but then remembered his dignity and forced himself to return to his seat. Sansa and Tyrion approached the throne and bowed.
"It is very good to see you again Your Grace." Tyrion said.
"It is good to see you as well Lord Tyrion, Lady Stark." The King responded.
"Your Grace." Sansa said.
"I am glad that you were able to come and see us." Tommen said. "I know that you are on your way to the Eyrie but I hope that you will be able to stay for a time before you continue on your way. At least join us for dinner tonight."
"We would be honored Your Grace." Tyrion said, after that there followed polite enquires about each other's health and those in Dorne they were dismissed to rest and prepare for that night's dinner. As they left the throne room Tyrion turned to Sansa and, in a tone so low that only she could hear it, whispered to her.
"This is going to be awkward."
They were led to quarters and left to make ready for the dinner that night. An hour or so after they arrived there was a knocking at the door. When Podrick answered the door Margaery was there. She breezed in as if she owned the place. She nodded politely to Tyrion and then came over and embraced Sansa.
It is so good to see you Sansa, or should I call you Aunt now?" Sans laughed a genuine laugh.
"Oh please call me Sansa. If you call me 'Aunt' then I will have to call you 'Niece' and that would make me feel like an old woman." Margaery laughed in turn.
"Sansa it is then. When we heard that you were coming I just had to see you. Come." With that she seized Sansa by the arm and all but dragged her out of the room.
She led Sansa into the gardens. They were still lovely but some of the plants were beginning to change color, another sign of the changing of the seasons. As they walked Brienne followed at a discreet distance. Though she could not see them she was sure that there were other people observing them as well and so Sansa was grateful for the presence of her bodyguard. She turned to Margaery and began to speak.
"So how is married life treating you?" She asked Margaery.
"It's wonderful!" Margaery replied, her voice bright and cheerful. "Tommen is so sweet and kind." She paused and when she spoke again her voice took on a mischievous tone. "And so very vigorous! I do believe, Aunt, that you shall be a great-aunt before very much longer." She had a good laugh at the furious blush that spread across Sansa's face.
"Oh come now," Margaery told Sansa; "You are a married woman yourself. Tell me, is he as small down there as the rest of him? They say dwarfs can actually be quite large there as a way of making up for being so small elsewhere." By now Sansa's face was flaming like the sun and she could only splutter out a reply, while Margaery had another laugh at her expense. As soon as she recovered her voice Sansa tried to change the subject.
"When we were coming up from the harbor we saw some men, rather rough looking." Margaery made a dismissive gesture.
"Oh them, the Faith Militant, pay them no mind."
"The Faith Militant?" Sansa asked, trying to recall barely-remembered lessons from Maester Luwin. "Weren't they disbanded during the reign of the Targaryen kings?"
"Yes, Maegor the Cruel passed a law forbidding armed holy men. But the Queen Mother, in her great wisdom, has seen fit to allow them to rearm. It happened soon after Lord Tywin left to deal with the Frey. Most of the Small Council were opposed to the idea, but Lord Varys supported her in both appointing a new High Septon, who they call the High Sparrow for some reason or other and allowing him to reform the Faith Militant."
"Why would she allow such a thing? Where they not enemies of the Crown?"
"I fear that you will have to ask her. Anyway, they don't do much, they stand around and glare at everyone who they think is not sufficiently pious. There have been reports that they have taken to harassing people in the streets," here she paused, a frown forming on her lips; "I shall have to have Tommen put a stop to it if it is true." She sighed and then shook her head. "Enough of that, tell me all about Dorne." They passed the next several hours in pleasant conversation and then parted to prepare for dinner.
The dinner was as awkward as Tyrion had said it would be. It was private affair, just family members. The King sat at the head of the table with Margaery on his right hand and his mother on his left. Sansa and Tyrion sat across from them with Tyrion facing Margaery and Sansa facing Cersei, who spent very little time eating and more time glaring hatefully at Tyrion, Sansa and Margaery, as well as making veiled insults at them, something that everyone but Tommen seemed to be aware of. Most of her bile seemed to be aimed at her daughter-in-law, who parried and returned each verbal thrust. Looking at the two of them with Tommen, who seemed to be quite oblivious of what was going on around him, in between them Sansa was reminded of a bone being fought over by two dogs. After what seemed an eternity the dinner came to an end, as they all left the room Margaery invited Sansa to come with her the next day to watch Loras at practice.
The next morning Sansa and Brienne joined Margaery at the practice yard were Loras was practicing at arms. He was as hansom as Sansa remembered, perhaps even more so. She and Margaery clapped and cheered as he spared. To her surprise Margaery turned to Brienne.
"What do you think of his fighting? You did put him on his back once, rather handily if I recall." Brienne looked slightly uncomfortable.
"He fights well Your Grace." She said diplomatically.
Just then the fighters seemed to break for a rest. As a squire took his sword and another handed him a cup Margaery rose to call him over to speak with them. Before she could do so a movement caught Sansa's eye. A group of about twenty men, by the look of them members of the Faith Militant. They were armed with clubs, hatchets and mallets. She was shocked to see that they were being led by Sir Lancel Lannister, he was dressed as plainly as the others and he had the Seven Pointed Star cut into his forehead, as did some of the others. They pushed their way passed the servants and then split into two groups, one group of fifteen heading towards Sir Loras and the other five of them heading towards Sansa, by now everyone had turned to regard them.
"Seize them." Lancel commanded. One of those approaching Sansa spoke to her.
"Lady Sansa, you are under arrest for the crimes of apostasy…" Which was as far as he got. Even as the others were reaching for her Brienne was moving, her sword springing from its sheath. With a single blow she severed the hand of one man reaching for Sansa while striking out with her fist at the other man reaching for her. The man's head snapped back and Sansa heard bone breaking. The fell to the ground, blood pouring from his nose and his eyes rolling up into his head.
The other three rushed at her, weapons at the ready. One struck at her shoulder with a mallet, a blow which she absorbed with her armor and did not even seem to notice. Another swung at her midsection with a hatchet. Brienne moved in and swung at the hatchet, catching it where the metal and wood of the hatchet met. Being far stronger than the man she ripped the weapon from his hands and her reverse swing disemboweled the man. The final man raised a mace over his head and started to bring it down. Brienne moved in and caught the weapon as it began its decent with one hand while with the other she drove her blade into the man's stomach. She then spun around to backhand the man with the mallet, knocking the man senseless. Tearing her stunned gaze away from the carnage that her bodyguard had wrought Sansa saw that Loras was being dragged away and more of the Faith Militant were heading towards them.
"My ladies! We need to get out of here!" Brienne shouted to Sansa and Margaery as she moved to stand between them and the oncoming attackers.
"But Loras!" Margaery screamed as tried to run to her brother. Sansa reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
"We cannot do anything for him!" She yelled at Margaery. "We need to go and get help!" Though clearly far from happy Margaery seemed to acknowledge the wisdom of Sansa's argument. Together they turned and began to run towards the Red Keep.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, how did you like this chapter? I know there might be some questions about what happened, such as the formation of the Faith Militant. Think about it, Tywin will be gone for weeks, if not months. Cersei can use the Faith against the Tyrells, which was all she wanted in the show, and when Tywin comes back he can go "Rains of Castamere" on them, so she gets rid of both groups and she doesn't have to do anything. As for the charge of apostasy against Sansa, this might be a stretch but think about it like this; when the Andals first came they forced the First Men to adopt the Faith of the Seven, so they are hostile to other religions. Sansa holds, or held, both the Faith of the Seven and the Old Gods. I think it would be reasonable to assume the Faith Militant would see that as apostasy, or at least Cersei could suggest that, plus Sansa is the heir apparent to the North. This makes her one of powerful the High Sparrow seems to be against and the land she is heiress to is the last heathen stronghold, think that is a stretch? Looking ahead think of this: Tywin-Tyrion verses the Faith, place your bets! Till next time please pray for the victims of violence in Charleston and their families the Sudanese pastors, the Americans held abroad, runaways, kidnapping and human trafficking victims, the sick, and all others who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.