Loki: Game of Thrones

Chapter 48 - Harsh Words

Sansa cried into Loki's chest, soaking his green shirt, which she twisted in her hand. Loki continued to hold her close, and Sansa had no real idea how long it took them to get back to the sanctum. As Loki started to put her down, she clung to him. Instead of saying anything, Loki set her on her bed, and Sansa looked around. Her room was exactly as she had left it that morning, before she set out on her foolish venture. She raised her puffy blue eyes to look at Loki. She was just in time to see his blue skin fade to pale, and his red eyes become green again. He removed his cloak, and took her soiled one as well. Without saying anything to her, Loki left the room. Sitting up in the bed, Sansa pulled her legs up under the skirts of her dress. Before she hid them beneath the dirty, pink folds, she saw that her ankles and knees were bruised from being held. Glancing at her wrists, she saw that she had bracelets of blue and black. A rustling sound made Sansa jump, but it was just Loki returning with a tray in his hands. A bowl of steamy water was there, along with a goblet of spiced wine. Loki set it down on her nightstand, and sat down on the mattress. Sansa watched as he dipped the cloth in the water, and wrung it out. A second later, he handed her the cup. Sansa took several deep gulps, and placed it back on the table. Loki reached out, and wiped her cheek. The pressure made Sansa wince, and she knew she had a bruise at least from the abuse that had been dealt her. The fact that Loki was not talking to her only unnerved Sansa more, and she finally swallowed. "I know you're angry-" she started to say to him, before he slammed the cloth into the bowl of hot water. This caused the liquid to splash all over the tray.

"You think?" he asked her, his voice cold and controlled.

"But you said the door was unlocked so that I would not feel like a prisoner," Sansa reminded him. Loki chuckled derisively, as he continued to clean Sansa up. He took the goblet into his hands, and Sansa watched as he crushed it, the metal bending to his will. She cringed.

"Yes, but I also said that the world outside those doors was dangerous, and you must not tempt fate. You know what almost happened today?" Loki asked her. He stood up, his hands in front of him, clasped tightly, and continuing to demolish the golden cup. Sansa nodded her head slowly.

"I was almost dishonored," Sansa told him meekly. Loki snickered, and Sansa's head snapped up.

"Almost dishonored? Child, that isn't the half of it." Sansa's eyebrow went up at this, wondering what else could have happened to her. "Getting caught by complete strangers, and raped in an alley, is the least of your worries." This only succeeded in confusing Sansa Stark all the more. "If you had been found by a Gold Cloak, they would have taken you to Joffrey. He would have taken you on the cold stone floor of the throne room!" Sansa paled, and saw that she had Loki's ire now. He tossed the cup across the room, and it hit the wall with a loud clang. This caused Sansa to jump. "Did nothing I say compute for you?!"

"Are you saying I am stupid?" Sansa challenged, feeling brave enough to counter him. Loki threw his arms up and over his head. He stomped around, muttering to himself in a foreign language. Finally, he turned back to face her.

"Well, my simple commands don't seem to be simple enough!" Sansa straightened up at this, and the blood filled her cheeks. Loki had now succeeded in making her angry.

"I'm tired of living here!" she shouted, and Loki stopped pacing. He glanced in her direction, and his eyebrow was raised. "I'm tired of just sitting here in this house, waiting for you to come home every night! I want more from my life!" Sansa told him angrily.

"What life are you going to have if you get captured by the Gold Cloaks?" Loki posed in return, and Sansa closed her mouth. Loki's brows wiggled, and began to tick reasons off on his fingers. "First: Joffrey will simply use you as a sex slave; second: Cersei would mock you for being naïve; third: the court would look down on you for being Joffrey's whore, even if you didn't want to; four: the physical abuse would be demoralizing!" Sansa could feel the tears pricking at her eyes at every point Loki mentioned. Finally, Sansa covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Ignore the truth, but you know that's what would happen," Loki told her, his voice steady.

"Why do you say these things to me?! Do you get some sort of sick pleasure out of making me unhappy?" Sansa asked. Loki growled and approached the bed, his hands out like he was going to grab her. Sansa shrunk away from him instinctively, and Loki knew what she was feeling. He pulled his hands back.

"I'm not trying to make you unhappy, Sansa." Loki's voice was quieter, but the serious tone was still there. "I'm trying to protect you. You've already seen more than most maidens have seen at this age. You're still a child, Sansa. And, I believe that those who seek to corrupt the young and innocent should be punished. But, learn something from this: the world inside this house is safer than anything out there. Nothing can get in here, even if they were powerful enough to find the door. I'm just trying to keep you from harm. A little gratitude every now and then would be marvelous." Loki ran his fingers tiredly through his hair, and left the room. Sansa looked down at her pink skirt, and she saw the grime and tears in it. A meow reached her ears, and Sansa saw Alfie looking up at her. Her green eyes seemed to be so full of concern. Sansa reached down, and Alfie nipped her finger. Sansa jerked her hand back, and Alfie darted for the door. Instinctively, Sansa followed the kitten, and the little animal led her to the washroom.

When Sansa stepped in, she saw that the marble tub was filled with bubbly, hot water. A silk, blue bathrobe was hanging on a peg, along with a cup of wine beside the bath. Sansa smiled slightly, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Sansa stripped out of her torn and bedraggled dress, and climbed in. The water felt soothing on her bruised skin. Taking a bar of rose smelling soap, Sansa rubbed it all over her body. Sansa also discovered that her back had a few scratches from being dragged along the stone floor. Pouring oil in her hair, Sansa stroked her scalp carefully, enjoying the cooling effect the oil had on her skin. After a few moments, Sansa submerged herself, closing her eyes, and allowing the hot water to wash away the effects of that horrible day. When she resurfaced, Sansa saw that Alfie had come to the base of the tub, and had a towel in his mouth. Sansa reached down and took it from him. Standing up, Sansa shivered a little as she began to rub herself dry. As soon as that was done, and put her silken bathrobe around herself, and she put her hair in the towel. Taking the cup of wine, Sansa took a sip, returning it to the tray by the tub.

Sansa left the washroom, and began to return to her chamber. She was almost there, when she heard a shuffling sound, and looked up. Loki was coming out of his study. He had removed his blood stained armor, and shirt, and he was wearing one of the shirts she had made for him. Loki glanced up. Sansa was startled by the expression on his face. His normally sparkling green eyes, were dull; his smirking mouth was twisted in displeasure; and his well-kept hair was disheveled. He said nothing to her. He simply tilted his head, and returned to his study. Sansa lowered her eyes as she entered her chamber, and closed the door behind her.