CHAPTER 23

Celia stood there watching him. She was dressed in a very sexy brocade dress today, of course in her color black. The dress had a low neckline showing a bit of cleavage and more form fitting with cuts showing some skin inside cutouts like the ones the Tyrell girl wears that wants to be queen. She had her daggers strapped around her calves because she was wearing black dainty heeled shoes. It was an outfit she bought for the occasion.

Celia watched him sit at his desk and go through his paperwork. She walked out of the room and around the corner waiting to make sure he was alone and everyone was busy.

Celia walked around the corner with her invisibility ring off. She fake-stumbled into the room and giggled with her hair curly and loose.

Littlefinger looked up at her in surprise. Celia batted her eyes and said, "Oops. I am so terribly sorry. I think I wandered into the wrong establishment. Can you help me find the Croft Inn?"

He smiled thinking she was stunning and walked over to her and said in his smooth voice, "It's next door, my beautiful lady. What is your name?"

Celia smiled coyly, "I'm Lady Seraphina Farman from Faircastle in the Westerlands. I was here with my brother but he saw a girl and you know how that goes. He disappeared when I was at the jeweler and now I'm on my own and a bit lost at the moment." Littlefinger kept staring at her like his last drink of water.

Littlefinger said, coming closer to her, "A woman as lovely as you should never be left alone in this city, especially when you are not familiar with where you are. Would you care for a cup of wine? Perhaps, your brother will return to his senses and return to the inn next door. Would you join me for a drink over there? A beautiful lady like you has no business being here. It's a brothel."

She smiled, cocking her head to the side and said coyly, "You're so very kind and generous to rescue me. Thank you. What is your name? Please don't think I'm rude for not asking you first?" He was smiling big and took her hand, kissing the back of it trying to charm her.

He said softly, "I'm Lord Petyr Baelish, my dear. Please let me take such a lovely lady out of here." He had her take his arm and escorted her out of the brothel taking her to the inn next door. As the prostitutes frowned at the beautiful lady as she passed by with Littlefinger.

He took her to a table and got them two wines. She watched him like a hawk to make sure it was fit to drink. He sat down and put her wine on the table.

He asked her, "So your name is Lady Seraphina Farman. I don't believe I have heard of you before."

She asked flirtingly, "Are you one of those people that know a little bit about everyone?"

He smiled and said, sitting closer, "Almost. I must say the only Farman that I ever met once was Sabaston Farman but that was a long time ago."

Celia said, smiling big, "That's my second cousin along with Jeyne." He smiled at her nodding. He was subtly checking her association to the family to be sure she wasn't an imposter.

He said holding his cup up to toast, "To new friends."

Celia said, holding her cup up giggling, "That's so nice. Yes, I like that. To new friends, Petyr." She said his name softly.

Littlefinger asked her and was attracted to her beauty, "Were you ever married before?"

Celia rolled her eyes, "I was married for like a moment, he died four days after in a practicing accident with swords with my cousins soldiers."

She put her hand to her mouth and whispered in his ear brushing his lobe, "He always had very bad breath." Baelish closed his eyes when she did it smiling at her flirting.

Littlefinger smiled at her and asked, "How long ago was that?"

She put her finger to her lips and licked them thinking for a moment. She said, "About two months ago. I didn't even know him." She sipped her wine.

He said, "My you were barely married. A beautiful woman like you should be given attention and kissed often. How long are you and your brother staying in King's Landing?" She smiled at him and blushed.

She said coyly, "That's a very nice sentiment to say. You're a very handsome man yourself with nice manners."

She sighed and said, "Just tonight, Petyr. We are leaving tomorrow. I probably won't even see him tonight being he ran off with a girl like that so fast."

Littlefinger said smoothly, "You can spend time with me for now."

She said happily, "That's very nice to take the time." He said gently, feeling her out, "I have a nice floor of rooms as my personal residence in the city next door, but it's above the brothel."

She said flirting, "You can't hear anything up there to disturb you, do you? I mean if an entire floor under you is people… getting busy. Wouldn't it wake you up? Well I guess if you had a friend to… get busy with wouldn't make it matter then huh?" He was moving closer to her and stroking her hand with his thumb. He was getting excited to have the opportunity to sleep with such a lovely woman before he would leave town.

She said finishing her wine, "Let me get us another wine this time." She jumped up and went and got them two wines putting tasteless Widow's Blood in his very discreetly because it wouldn't take effect for a little while. Then it would kill him over a couple days. He wouldn't know he was poisoned until later on probably in the early morning hours. She sat down as he finished his cup and took the poisoned one smiling as she sat down. Celia talked with him, acting like he was so fascinating and making sure he drank it all down. Celia excused herself to go to the privy upstairs in her room and come right back. She went invisible and went to her room at a different inn.

Baelish waited around and figured out that she wasn't coming back and thought she must have ran into her brother. He went back to the brothel.

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Celia packed up everything and turned in the key as a man and got the horses. She went into the catacombs to that area that was untouched like during the siege. She ate something for her dinner with Shadow. They waited until past midnight. She had Shadow stay with the horses.

Celia went up into the keep to get Sansa. She got to her sister's door and made a wish. She wished both guards to be frozen and unaware of anything going on around them until their shift ends. The guards froze and Celia opened and closed the door.

Sansa was sitting in a chair with a cloak on waiting. Celia turned off the invisibility ring and Sansa smiled. The bed looked like it had someone sleep in there. Sansa had pillows and clothes forming a person.

Celia asked her, smiling, "Are you ready to go away, Sansa?"

Sansa stood up and took Celia's hand and said,"Very ready, Celia."

Celia said, squeezing her hand, "Good my dear. Let's get you out of here. Now hold my hand and don't let go so nobody can see you either, ok?" Sansa nodded.

They walked out the door and closed it. Sansa looked at the guards that were frozen. They walked down the corridors to the same false panel they went through from the siege. Celia led her down into the catacombs. Sansa petted Shadow and got undressed and redressed in the black men's clothes. Celia tightly braided Sansa's hair down her back and tied a scarf around her head tightly to cover her red hair. Sansa put on the black cloak pulling it far forward. Celia kissed her and changed into her man's face, surprising Sansa. Celia put on her cloak doing the same. She and Sansa led the horses and Shadow through the catacombs to an obscure gate she found that was concealed outside of the wall of King's Landing.

There was a concealed exit outside of the walls around the Old Gate. It had old metal rusted gate bars that were just big enough to get the horses through one at a time. The best thing was that the gate had a lock that had crumbled but still looked locked. Around the gate the entire area was overgrown and couldn't be seen well. It looked like it had never been used in a hundred years and made it look obscure. Celia had a branch of leaves and brushed over the entire area of their tracks making it look like it had still not been disturbed.

Celia took them due north closest to Kingsroad, but they stayed off the road but followed at a distance. They proceeded in the dark quickly moving steadily throughout the night stopping only for bathroom breaks and food. They travelled through into the next evening where they camped modestly with no fire. Celia contacted Jaqen through the mirror and told him what was going on and that the soldiers would be combing the countryside but they had a good head start. Jaqen said that if worse comes to worse, she could give Sansa the invisibility ring and keep her man's face on. Celia agreed that was a very good idea and taught Sansa how to work the ring. She told her sister that they would need to be careful until they were far enough away to be safer.

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In the morning, handmaidens and Shae couldn't find Sansa and found only pillows in the bed. When it was reported to Tywin that Sansa was missing. He started barking orders and sent out guards to search the keep, docks and King's Landing to locate where they could have gone. The soldiers were then sent out in small bands to start combing the main roads.

It was reported that nobody was seen leaving through any of the gates that would match her description at all. The docks held no information at all except for the list of ship departures during the night but no extra passengers were taken onboard in the night on any of the ships according to the City Watch.

Tywin Lannister was having a fit because it was as if she vanished into thin air. He was growling and snapping at everyone. He was even more frustrated two days later when he found out that Petyr Baelish died of Widow's Blood poisoning like Cersei on the way to the Erie and never married Lysa Arryn.

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Celia kept a look out for anyone coming from any direction and had Sansa's horse and the pack horse tied by leds one behind the other and Sansa invisible by day. They camped but Sansa stayed invisible the whole time. Celia cooked them a good dinner and they went to sleep together with daggers in their hands.

On the fourth day, a small group of guards were coming up the road and Celia whispered to Sansa not to move, make a sound or say a word.

The lead soldier demanded to Celia, "Where are you headed with three horses and a wolf?" Shadow was still small enough to pass for a large regular full grown wolf. They couldn't tell it was a direwolf.

Celia in a different voice like Jaqen taught her to use said, "I be headin' ta the Crossing. Me brother be waitin' fer me to bring him this here horse. He be a smithy round there bouts. I be findin' the black wolf as a pup he be harmless just following me as I be travelin'."

The soldier asked, "Have you seen any redheaded women while traveling?"

Celia in the voice said, "Nah, I be partial ta blonde girls with big titties meself. No redheads round here so far." The soldiers chuckled and rode away.

Sansa whispered after they were gone, "How did you learn to do that with your voice?"

Celia said back to her quietly, "Jaqen taught me how. I can't wait to let you meet him. He talks like a Lorathi." They ran into two more patrols of soldiers over the next two days.

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When they finally got to The Ivy Inn, Celia went in and got a room and took Sansa to the room with all of the baggage, settling her in the room and bringing her and Shadow a hot dinner to the room. Celia went down to eat and look for Jaqen. She saw him walk into the inn from outside. He looks around and locks eyes with her. A smile creeps across his face.

He got himself a dinner and wine from the serving wench who was flirting with him, and sat down next to her at the table.

Jaqen said, taking a bite of pork stew and touching her thigh with his hand underneath the table, "A man sees that a girl has arrived safely. Where is a girl's sister? The soldiers came this morning searching the inn for red haired women."

Celia said in a low voice, "I got her settled with Shadow and a hot meal in the room. She is happy to be able to get a hot bath. I told her after I ate that I would help her draw a bath and dye her hair. She has been invisible in the night and day for five days now. She has had to be silent when people are around. Sansa said that it felt strange to be standing in front of people and not be seen. I told her that you get used to it because I have been doing it for over a month."

He asked curiously, "What has a girl been telling a girl's sister about a man?"

She said softly, taking a bite with her head down, "That I am in love with you, you're brilliant, you took care of Arya until she acted bratty, you're very handsome, speak like a Lorathi, have many talents in skill and fighting." He smiled while taking a drink of wine.

He said as he was looking at his bowl, "You make a man sound perfect."

She said softly, interlacing her fingers with him on her thigh, "A man is for me." He smiled and put his head down taking a bite of food.

He thought, 'A girl is the perfect one for a man also. Celia always makes a man feel like he is valued and loved. A man has been away from a beautiful girl for too long.'

Celia said, "Let me introduce you to Sansa then I will get her comfortable and ready to sleep. I will come find you if you show me your room."

Jaqen said softly, "A man will make a girl a warm bath to relax a girl and wash her beautiful body." She loved how attentive he was when he was with her.