A Holiday by Decree
~~Day 10~~
Wind hushed through the long hall around Sansa and Tyrion on their way to the central part of the manor. Like a great heartbeat, the tide crashed on through the stormy night, but at least their lantern that Sansa carried cast a happy, bobbing light in the shadows.
Sansa felt childlike with Tyrion huddled close to her side. It was late, and they were tired, but holding hands, they shared smiling glances as they snuck toward the kitchen.
It was after one such loving glance that Sansa caught herself wondering: how many times had she and Arya snuck through Winterfell like this, looking for midnight snacks? That Sansa now found herself doing so with Tyrion felt magical and surreal; she felt young in a way she had not since her mother first spoke of betrothal with her.
Sansa's heart thudded, and she redoubled her grip on the lantern and Tyrion. She thrilled, as he squeezed kindly back. She couldn't help but marvel at him. She knew the years had sapped much from him as well. The thought of hijinks she had gotten into with Arya suddenly seemed sad; it reminded her of all that Tyrion had alluded to losing the day that Jaime had died.
More and more, Sansa could not help it - she was falling deeply for the kindred soul she found in Tyrion, while the lightness of heart he seemed to have miraculously maintained endlessly buoyed her up.
Oh gods, how Sansa wanted this, what they had between them here, to never end. That their real lives waited for them elsewhere never fully left her mind. For once, the shadow of it filled her with something other than fear though. Now that she had plainly confessed her desire for him, and he had accepted, she would savor their time together.
It was with a racing heart that Sansa finally stepped down into the kitchen with Tyrion. She parted from him to place the lantern on the butcher's block. Leaning her elbows on the cool block, she tried to fan down her burgeoning feelings and simply watched him. She caught herself finding the furrow of his thick brows cute. Even how he searched with such effort for their late-night meal with his keen green eyes made her flush.
Apparently, seeing nothing out on the shelves, Tyrion began to look inside some of the lower cupboards. Sansa shook her head. She had an inkling that he would not find anything so low down. She looked around herself before going directly over to a tall, heavy-looking cupboard.
Tyrion looked over his shoulder, as she pulled open the cupboard doors with a loud creak. Shelves containing root vegetables, baskets of bread and buns, and trays brimming with dried meats and cheeses were revealed.
"Had you seen where they kept things before?" he tutted, smirking over at her.
"No, but a Queen who doesn't sleep apparently learns a thing or two about going through a larder on her own," she grinned.