The Viper and The Wolf

Chapter 6

A day had passed since Sansa had been told of her mother's death and her brother's disappearance. Possibly captured. She sat outside under the Martell canopy, keeping the warm sun from harming her on the stone balcony, food sitting in front of her to eat, but she didn't. Instead she sat there in a trance, pale face, eyes red with darkness sitting beneath them. Her hair was down, dressed in dull colors. Shae stood behind her wordlessly, leaning against the wall and waited for her lady to eat, but she didn't. Instead of choosing whatever meal to eat that day, she decided not to eat at all.

Sansa didn't look up as footsteps approached her, and Ellaria sighed sadly. "I've been told you haven't been eating." She said, "Not even a nibble of a cracker or a sip of water. You need to eat something." Ellaria slid the food and plated it before her. "Pigeon pie."

"No, thank you." Sansa's voice was weak, shaky and almost helpless.

"Alright." She grabbed another plate and sat it before her. "Have a lemon cake."

"No, thank you." Sansa repeated the same way.

"But you love lemon cakes." Ellaria rubbed her back, but Sansa didn't respond. She sat there lifeless as Oberyn came around the corner, and his paramour looked at him in concern. If anyone could get Sansa to eat it would be him. "Tell her she needs to eat."

"You do need to eat, my dear." Oberyn said as he placed his hand on her left shoulder.

"I don't want to eat." Sansa said, staring down at her lap.

Oberyn was beginning to fear she was slipping into a very deep depression, one that would deny her food, water or any company; one he won't be able to pull her from. He looked to Ellaria. "If I could have a moment alone with my wife."

"Of course." She said, sorting Sansa's hair before looking at her paramour. "She needs to eat."

Sansa didn't react as Ellaria and her handmaiden left her with her husband. Oberyn sat down to her left, taking a moment to study Sansa's condition. She had indeed grown pale with such a deep frown on her lips. Dark color was under her eyes from a fitful night of no sleeping. Drinking and not eating enough.

"I was told you also didn't eat anything yesterday." He said, the concern and worry very evident in his voice. "I can't let you starve, Sansa. I swore to your brother I would protect you." Sansa didn't respond and he gingerly took her hand. "Let me help you."

Sansa was silent as her eyebrows and lips seemed to twitch in a ray of emotions. Sadness, anger, frustration to heartbreak. "I lie awake all night staring at the canopy, thinking about how they died." She confessed.

"I can make you the milk of the poppy to help you sleep." Oberyn offered while rubbing her hand.

"Do you know what they did to my brother's dire wolf?" Sansa demanded, her hand shaking in Oberyn's grasp. "How they they skinned it while alive before chopping its head off? And my mother. They cut her throat to the bone and threw her body in the river."

Oberyn frowned and he looked down, the familiarity of his sister's death beginning to weigh on him. "What happened to your family was a terrible crime." He said softly. "I didn't know your brother, not having seen him in person. He seemed like a good man wanting nothing more than for you to be safe. Your mother, I admired her. She didn't want me near you, but I admired her. She was a strong woman. And she was fierce when it came to protecting her children." Sansa whimpered ever so slightly and Oberyn inched closer. "Sansa. Your mother would want you to carry on. You know it's true."

"I-" The little weak sound escaped her throat as she trembled and shook. "I'm sorry, you married me for nothing, my lord." She sniffled, fresh tears falling freely. "I did not want to be a burden to you."