Willow // Tywin Lannister (1)

13. Way to her heart

Death by a Thousand Cuts // Margaery Tyrell // Cersei Lannister

They sat outside on the veranda but sansa would not eat, she had just received the new of her brother and mother demise. Shae tried to console her but it had been days and sansa was isolating herself. She stopped eating and barely spoke. Willow couldn't even get through to her but still every night sansa curled into Willow's side crying herself to sleep. Willow felt awful, worse than awful. Sansa liked her family, loved her family, Willow couldn't care less if her family died a bloody and gruesome death. With Frey's it was every woman for themselves.

'You need to eat some thing.' shae told Sansa 'pigeon pie?' she offered

'No thank you.' shae looked around

'Lemon cakes that is your favorite.' shae put it in front of her.

'No thank you.' Sansa repeated dully.

'You love lemon cakes!' shae reminded her 'please tell her she needs to eat!' shae told Tyrion as he came up to them. he looked over to sansa

'My lady you do need to eat.' Tyrion encouraged

'I do not need to eat.' she corrected

'If I could have a moment alone with my wife.' the other handmaiden left while shae stayed at sansa's side. Tyrion pleaded with her silently to give them a moment, begrudgingly shae left.

'she needs to eat.' she called over her shoulder

'I cannot let you starve I swore to protect you.' tyrion told her 'my lady... I am your husband whether you like me or not. Let me help you.'

'How can you help me?'

'I don't know but I can try.'

'I've been awake all night staring at the canopy thinking about how they died.' Sansa informed him.

'I could get you the essence of nightshade to help you sleep.' tyrion offered

'Do you know what they did to my brother? How they sewed his dire wolfs head onto his body and my mother they say they cut her throat to the bone....'

'What happened to your family was a terrible crime I did not know your brother but he seems like a good man your mother on the other hand I admired her.... she wanted to have me executed but I admired her. She was a strong woman and she was fierce when it came to protecting her children.' sansa nodded a tear falling down her face 'Sansa... Your mother would want you to carry on you know it is true.' Tyrion told her.

'would you pardon me my Lord I need to visit the sept.' sansa said getting up.

'Of course I hear prayer can be-'

'No my Lord I do not pray anymore it is the only place I can go with people don't talk to me.' she told him walking away.

++

"Are you isolating our self as well?" Tywin questioned coming up to Willow. "Or just avoiding me." He pondered. Willow stared out the window.
"Sansa needs me. She needs a friend. You don't need me. you got what you wanted." Willow reminded him. "Might as well kill me too, it's not like they can unkill Robb." Willow offered.

"You honestly think that I think so little of you?" Tywin questioned.

"You didn't want this union, neither did I." Willow reminded. "You got what you wanted, why keep me around?" Tywin stared at her a moment longer and she took his silence as contemplation, debating how to kill her and she sighed.

"I'm not going to kill you," Tywin told her.

"You don't keep me around for my pleasant company." Willow told him.

Willow was right. She was a challenge, difficult and stubborn.

"I don't know what you want from me." Willow told him. "Walder killed Robb, your union to me... that was his insurance, now what?"

"I'm not going to kill you." Tywin repeated stepping closer.

"Why not?" Willow offered quietly. Tywin opened his mouth but he didn't think there was anything he could say to make her feel as though he did value her. her whole life women were nothing but bargaining tools that Walder used. She didn't see her worth. Tywin turned around and left, she watched him go letting out a shaky breath.

When Tywin got back Sansa and willow were sitting on the balcony. He slowed his steps as he heard willow singing a song that he didn't recognize. A sad tune, soft but sansa leaned into her.

"That was pretty." Sansa whispered.

"I don't know any happy songs." Willow admitted.

"You wrote it?"

"Yes." Willow told her. "Well not literally, I cant write." Willow reminded her.

"That was beautiful." Sansa assured.

"You really like lurking Tywin." Willow remarked tipping her head back to him. Wordlessly he placed a platter of sweets in front of them before sitting at the couch inside a book in his lap but his focus on willow.

"Do you like carrot cake?" Willow questioned picking up a bite sized piece. "It turns out I love sweets."

"You didn't have sweets before?" sansa offered picking up a lemon tart.

"No, walder was and is a worthless piece of shit." Willow told her.

"Lord Tywin seems to like you." Sansa remarked.

"I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop." Willow mused through a mouth full of cake.

"And if it doesn't?" Sansa offered.

"It better to expect the worst, people don't disappoint you that way."

"That's a sad way to live." Sansa admitted.

"So it not eating and hiding at the sept." Willow countered.

"We are stuck here." Sansa told her. "Alone."

"I see two broken women." Willow corrected. "technically not alone." She added.

"I'm glad you are here Willow." Sansa told her.

"I'm glad I know what cake is." Willow offered taking another bite. "I'm glad you are here too." Willow added with a wink.

"Cake and tarts for every meal!" Sansa declared taking a bite.

"That should be a new law." Willow agreed. "Tywin get on that please. Next council meeting." Willow suggested. Tywin smiled back over at her. The way to willows heart was cake.