Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I am glad that you liked the last chapter I hope that you like this one as well, as always I own nothing. SPOILER WARNING: Will have spoilers from books.
Once again Sansa found herself on a ship headed south, this time on her way to Dorne. The King had commanded her to sail to Dorne and treat with Daenerys Targaryen. Sansa sighed, in truth, this was a fool's errand and everybody knew it. The King had declared that he would never give up his claim to the Iron Throne and the council doubted that Daenerys had crossed the Narrow Sea just to turn around and go back. No, this was being done mostly for the sake of form, if they did not at least make the effort then Daenerys could claim that it was Stannis and not she who wished the fighting to continue. There was another reason for this parley, traveling with Sansa again was Sir Massey. Officially he was her honor guard, in reality he was there to observe the Targaryen army and see how strong it truly was and most of all, to see the dragons.
The ship, Fury of the Storm, was one of the new war galleys the House Manderly had been building was captained by Yara Greyjoy. After the fall of Winterfell Sansa had requested that Yara be given some task. The King had been reluctant but had at last agreed. There was word of internal strife in the Iron Islands and Yara might yet find herself in a position of power there and if that were to be the case it would serve the King's purpose to have her indebted to him. Yara had confided to Sansa that by losing to Greenland King she had forfeited all rights to the Seastone Chair, the seat of the lords of the Iron Islands. Still, she did not tell the King that and was perfectly willing to captain a ship, at least for now.
It had been Yara who had pointed out why it was Sansa who was being sent. It was meant as an insult, the King, Yara said, was the kind of man who did not understand women and saw them as them as being of lesser value. By sending a woman to treat with a woman he was showing that he did not consider her his equal. Not only that but he was sending Sansa, the daughter of the man who had played a significant role in the overthrow of Daenerys's father and her own exile. Besides, Yara had added slyly, if the Targaryen girl were to feed Sansa to her dragons that would help the King's cause too. Sansa forced such thoughts aside and returned her thought to the present.
The voyage had been without incident and they were now pulling in to the harbor at Sunspear. The thought of returning there made her feel uneasy for reasons unrelated to her task. When she had last been here she had been a friend, more or less, now she came as an emissary from an enemy king. She did not expect to be murdered but she did not expect more than the curtsies due an ambassador. As the ship pulled into the harbor she saw that an escort had come to meet them, they had sent a raven to announce their coming so this was expected. They were a mixture of Dornish soldiers and men in black leather armor and helmets which masked their faces, the Unsullied that had been alluded to. They all stood behind an older man clad in enameled plate over gilded mail and overhead flew the three-headed red dragon on a black field banner of House Targaryen.
As the gangplank was lowered the older man, who was clearly the leader of the escort, came forward and with a start Sansa recognized him, Sir Barristan Selmy. Once the gangplank was lowered the party, led by Sansa, moved down it and onto the dock. Apart from Sansa and Sir Massey the party consisted of only ten soldiers, one of whom carried the King's banner of a stag's head inside a burning heart and some servants, the King could not spare more.
Sansa had forgotten just how hot Dorne was, a fact that was not helped by her attire. She remembered when she had first gone to King's Landing she had wanted nothing more than to be a southern lady in all things, including dress and mannerisms. She had loved dresses of silk and other fine materials. That Sansa was gone, there was only Sansa of Winterfell and she dressed to show this. She now wore a dress of pale blue wool and a cloak of grey wool. The cloak included a wolf skin on her shoulders, just as her father's had been and she wore her hair in a simple braid which she had brushed forward to fall down over her shoulder. In her dress the heat was hard to bear but she was determined to not show any sign of weakness by showing that the heat was getting to her. As the two groups approached each other Sir Barristan gave a slight bow.
"Lady Stark. It is good to see you again. Things may be far from well but they are happier than when we last met." Indeed, now that Sansa looked at him, he did indeed seem happier, at peace in a way.
"I am glad to see that you are well Sir Barristan." She replied. He had stood by and watched as her father was killed, but so had everyone else. He had never beaten her and she had felt sorry for him when Joffrey had shamed him before the Court. She introduced Sir Massey and the two men exchanged greetings.
"Are we to see the Queen immediately?" Sir Massey asked as the two parties began moving up the dock and into Sunspear proper.
"Alas, the Queen was called away on an urgent matter and will not be able to speak to you as soon as it was hoped, indeed once we are at the palace I must go to her as well. In the meantime the Queen has requested that you and your party are to be given every curtesy until her return." Sir Massey did not seem pleased by this but they were hardly in a position to protest. As they walked along Sansa turned again to Sir Barristan.
"What is the Queen like?" At her question Sir Barristan smiled.
"She is like her brother Rhaegar in many ways. Wise, strong, determined if hot-headed at times, gentle and just. She will make a fine queen."
Sansa thought of all the kings that she had known. Joffrey, the beast in human skin. Her brother, murdered by those whom he thought his friends and Renly, who died and was quickly forgotten by those who had hailed him. All of them people had said would be good kings.
"They all say that at the beginning." She said this without thinking and had not even realized that she was saying it. Sir Barristan looked at her and his eyes were sad.
"You have changed my lady." She returned his gaze.
"I suppose I have. I was living in a dream when I went to King's Landing and then, I woke up." Nothing more was said for the remainder of the trip to the palace.
When they reached the palace Sansa had expected to be taken to the throne room to speak with Prince Doran. Instead they were taken to the palace gardens where Sansa received a second surprise. Sitting at a table, a glass of wine in hand, was Tyrion Lannister.
Author's Notes: Hello everyone, I was going to make this one chapter then I decided to spread it out a bit. There will be some meetings before Sansa sees Daenerys. As to why this is, Daenerys may indeed see it as an insult, I leave it to you to decide if it is, and has decided to play the game of "You send an insulting envoy I let the envoy cool their heels a day or two before I see them." Till then please pray for Asia Bibi, the persecuted Christians in Pakistan and elsewhere. Dona Perry, a missing woman with Alzheimer's, a child in the hospital after being hit by a car in Florida and all who are injured and victims of illness, human trafficking and kidnapping, the victims of the Japanese earthquakes, the fireman shot in Maryland and the family of the one who died there and the people suffering and missing from the Ecuador earthquake and all others who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.