Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I enjoyed reading comments. In this chapter there will be some answers. As always I own nothing.
Consciousness gradually returned to Sansa, as it did so she became aware of several sensations. The first were the feelings of cold and wet; looking around she found that she was lying on the ground in a forest. She tried to move and discovered the source of her other feelings, she was bound at wrists and ankles and a gag was in her mouth, preventing her from speaking. She found that her head was still woozy from whatever it was that she had drunk and it made focusing her thoughts difficult. The whinnying of a horse nearby drew her attention. Sir Massey was standing nearby holding the reins of a horse as he paced back and forth, an impatient look on his face. She struggled against her bonds but they were far too tight and she was still weak from the drugs and so she soon gave up. Her efforts had attracted the notice of Sir Massey who turned back to face her.
"Forgive me my lady, I know your current situation is a bit uncomfortable, but I fear that it is necessary for the time being." Sansa could not speak, but she could and did give him the best glare that she could muster. He looked at her for a moment and then came over to her and stooped down beside her.
"If I take the gag out, do you promise not to scream? I assure you that it will do you no good. We have put considerable distance between ourselves and Winterfell." Sansa considered it for a moment and then nodded. He reached over and undid her gag and removed it from her mouth. She worked her jaw for a moment and then took a sip of the water that he offered her.
"Why?" She managed after a moment, her voice sounding hoarse. He shrugged and gave her one of his dazzling smiles.
"I should think that what I am doing is rather obvious, I am changing sides." He paused for a moment and then spoke again.
"You remember when we went to treat with the Targaryen queen? While there Kinvara came and spoke with me. You do remember Kinvara my lady?" Sansa nodded, remembering the high priestess of the Lord of Light.
"She told me that the temple of the Lord of Light had declared that he endorsed Daenerys Targaryen as queen of Westeros. She bid me tell all the faithful in Stannis's army that they were commanded to come over to the Dragon Queen and aid her in all ways that they could." Sansa rolled her eyes.
"You hardly strike me as the most devout of men." Her voice was still a bit raw, but it was returning to normal. He gave a laugh.
"Well, I will admit that it is far easier to be devout when one's god is commanding one to go from a side which is clearly losing to one which is winning. Even a court fool can see a glance who is going to win this war. Once the Queen deals with her foes in the south, she'll come north and there is nothing which is going to be able to stop her. The singers can sing all they like about the glories of dying for doomed causes, but I for one prefer to live on the winning side."
"Then why not simply kill me?" Sansa asked.
"Well, to be honest my lady, you are worth more alive than dead.
"You see, while the Queen may have threatened to remove you from your position, she may not. I understand that it was the Imp who suggested the course of action she took. Make it appear that she is set in her ways, ways which threaten those she is speaking and frighten them half out of their minds and then suggest that she might be persuaded to take a less violent approach."
"How does this apply to me? I am already a captive." Sansa stated.
"Captive or no, you are still a Stark. Once the Queen has you she can use you to compel the North to yield, saving her time and lives. Without the support or hospitality of the North and supporters of Stannis who do not bend the knee will either die or be forced to join the Golden Company in exile."
"And after all these events occur, what happens to me?" Sansa asked, trying to control the fury which was building inside her from overwhelming her.
"Ah, then you shall serve one last purpose. The Queen may leave you in your position, but I doubt she shall trust you. I proposed and my proposal was accepted, that I should wed you and rule in Winterfell as your lord husband." Sansa felt her gore rise in her throat at the thought, but she tried to stay focused on the situation at hand. Her mind was clearing of whatever she had been given and as soon as she was able she would attempt to influence him to affect her escape, just as she had done in King's Landing. To buy time till that happened she tried to think of something to keep him talking.
"Did you kill the King?" She asked at last. He gave a little laugh.
"How could I? I was with you in Winterfell, but yes, I did know that was going to happen. When I returned with you I spoke to the other faithful and informed them of Lady Kinvara's words and they agreed to dispose of him. They wanted to do so sooner, but we decided that it would be better to wait till the Golden Company had either arrived or was about to do so.
"An army of mercenaries without anyone to control them…well I think that that fact should contribute to your people switching sides. I think that we can both agree that they would much rather be allied with the side which can unleash dragons on the Others, who Lady Kinvara has declared are indeed coming, than with an army of disenfranchised nobles who will likely start pillaging what little the people have.
"There is also the fact that the Golden Company has been a thorn in the side Queen's family for a number of generations. This gives her the opportunity to either wipe them out, or deliver them such a blow that they will scurry back to the Disputed Lands and will never again dare to return to Westeros." He paused for a moment and then began to speak again, his tone seemed to carry a slight chuckle.
"I did; however, kill Sir Gower. He was not one of the faithful and he was a potential problem. I should not be surprised to learn that other 'King's men' have also been disposed of. I meant to use the situation to my advantage to cast suspicion on those close to you and then that Myranda girl tried to kill you, in her own clumsy way."
"Were you working with her?" Sansa asked. Sir Massey gave a snort.
"Hardly. She was enthusiastic, but a bit on the clumsy side. I did consider that your death might prove to be of benefit to the Queen so I dragged my feet and hoped for the best and then you caught her and I had to carry out the original plan."
"What about Princess Shireen?" He shrugged.
"I don't know and it does not really matter. She is only a child and her mother is one of the faithful and will bring her around and content herself with ruling Storm's End, as the Queen wants." Senescing her head clearing Sansa shook her head slightly to clear the rest of the fog from it. Though the motion had been slight, Sir Massey noticed it.
"Ah, I see that it is wearing off." He reached into his cloak and took out a flask and uncorked it.
"Lady Kinvara gave this to me when I met her. She really did not explain its purpose, but insisted that it is needed to ensure that you do not give us any trouble on our way to the Queen.
"I hope that we have enough. While she gave me enough for the task, but those plans did not include your little pet. I gave it as much as I dared while still leaving enough for you. Whether it killed it or not I don't know.
"However; it should not be a problem. It may very well be dead and even if it is not, we should be far enough away from Winterfell, combined with the falling snow, should make it impossible for it, or any of the hounds in Winterfell, to track us. Now, drink up." With that he forced her mouth open and poured the liquid down her throat and after a short period of time her mind began to spin and the darkness took her again.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope that you liked it. Sorry that it was a bit short, I didn't want what comes next to be in this chapter. I have been told that there was no clue that Massey was going to turn traitor, I could say that is just a good spy not being caught, but I must confess it is more a case of me not being the best writer and I do apologize for that. I got the idea from the YouTube channel Preston Jacobs, which I highly recommend that you check out. In it he suggests that Massey is not overly loyal and that gave me the idea of him defecting. What do you think of his arguments? Do you think that Lady Melisandre is involved? I am considering having them make it to Dany as a lot will be happening there and it might be good to see things in person instead of hearing about them second hand, or maybe something else entirely. What do you think? Let me know what you think. Till next time please pray for all who need it and may Jesus bless you.