The Viper and The Wolf

Chapter 7

Sansa laid in the bed she shared with her husband, her hair let loose, untamed and under-dress as she gazed up at the bed's canopy. It was blank. There was nothing sewn into it. Nothing to stare at. But with her mind feeling as light as the air around her, she couldn't help but admire it.

The king was dead. Joffrey was dead. Really dead. Gone. No longer was he alive to torment and mock her and her family. Her cheekbones were throbbing and stinging from smiling so much. But she smiled again, this time giggling as she reached up to hold her head, running her fingers through her hair. She no longer had to try and convince herself that she was dreaming. The cemented imagery of Joffrey's dead, purple corpse lying there in front of her eyes was enough to convince her that it was real.

The wedding celebration had of course ceased the moment the king was pronounced dead. Margaery had cried, Cersei wailed while Tyrion Lannister was escorted away for the murder of the king. But Sansa didn't say or hear a word during any of it. Instead she was led away in her light haze by her husband and straight to bed where she had immediately fallen asleep. When she awoke, she was no longer wearing the fancy dress and hairstyle, but instead wore her nightgown. And there in bed she remained in her haze.

Sansa suddenly jolted when the sound of approaching footsteps were heard outside of the door. She rolled onto her right, facing away from the door as it creaked open allowing the cool breezes outside to greet her back. She remained still as possible as a pair of boots made their way in.

"I wouldn't worry much, Daemon," the voice of her husband whispered. "It's going to happen whether they expect it at all. It will happen. I would rather do more than give him a headache. You know that."

"What shall we do in the meantime?"

"We wait. That's all. We wait for the right, exact, moment."

Sansa swallowed as she heard a pair of boots leave the room with the clank of the door and all. She continued to lay on her side, snuggling into her pillow before she heard the sound of metal being pulled from its sheath. Her heart suddenly began to pound as the sound of slicing ensued after. The sound of pouring liquid was heard before footsteps approached her from behind. Sansa closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing in a calm manner as the new weight dipped into the bed behind her.

"How do you feel this morning, sweetling?" Oberyn asked as he placed his hand over her stomach. Sansa sighed, grunting as she rolled onto her back and she looked up at her husband. The way his eyes always shined toward her made her stomach bubble and she couldn't help but smile at him. A weak, tired smile but still a smile.

"I feel better," Sansa confessed with a break in her voice. "I no longer feel sick."

"That is a very good sign," Oberyn ran his hand through her unkempt hair. "You slept for a while. That means you can eat."

Sansa watched as Oberyn removed himself from their bed and toward where he stood moments ago. She looked to see a small fruit platter and a cup of lemon water her husband carried over to her. Sansa sat up quickly, moving her hair aside as Oberyn sat back down and he handed her the water. She didn't need him to tell her to drink with her dry tongue and throat doing that for her already.

Oberyn remained close to her. She could feel his minty breath brush gently against her left cheek as she sipped the water before turning to the fruit platter. She no longer felt uncomfortable with Oberyn's close presence. She knew he had no ill intentions if he had any to begin with. Her stomach suddenly cramped, causing her to drop her hand that held a little piece of strawberry and she closed her eyes.

"I can't eat anymore," she confessed, placing her hand on her stomach. The image of the mountain of maggots still plagued her eyes every time she blinked. The little seeds within the red fruit couldn't help but remind her of those little nightmares.