Ever After AU

The Rescue

Fireworks burst overhead as Jeyne ran through the crowd of nobles heading toward the masquerade ball. Back at Winterfell, Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen, and Cersei were dressed in their best finery; heading down to their carriage. As they left the manor, they passed right by the cellar where Sansa was being kept.

"I wanted to be the peacock." Myrcella complained.

"Honestly, 'Cella, the horse is one of the gods' noblest creatures." Cersei said dismissively.

"Well, why don't I just pull the carriage while I'm at it?" Myrcella snorted and laughed.

"If you think we'll get there any faster." Cersei mumbled to herself, pushing past Myrcella to get into the carriage.

The ballroom was decorated with colors of red and gold, torches lighting everything and everyone. All those in attendance sparkled and shone like stars. Margaery knew she had never seen so many beautifully outfitted people in one place before. The attendees danced on a raised platform in front of the dais on which the king, queen, and princess sat. The crowd spun and swirled in time with one another, perfectly coordinated to the rhythm of the music emanating from the orchestra.

Jeyne threaded through the crowds, amazed to have made it that far. She asked the kindest looking noble lady she possibly could. "I'm looking for Lord Tyrion."

"He's the very short man over there, dressed like a lion." the woman said with a soft smile.

"Thank you, my lady." Jeyne said quickly before rushing to the Lord. Her heart pounded with fear and anxiety at the prospect of speaking to her hero.

"My-my lord." she said upon tapping his shoulder and promptly fainted. Tyrion turned and looked at the unconscious girl fallen flat on the ground.

"Yes?" he asked.

-----/////-----

"Gaah." Nan groaned when the file would not fit into the lock. "Oh, mistress, it's no use!"

Sansa barely paid any attention as she sat in the cold, damp and dark. By this point, she had nearly given up hope.

"Allow me." said Tyrion as he arrived at the door as well. He pulled a tool from his sleeve and with only a few swift motions, removed the hinges from the door. The pins clattered to the floor and he pulled the door back, allowing Sansa to escape her cage.
"Oh! Brilliant." Nan exclaimed, feeling ridiculous for not seeing the answer in front of her. "That was genius."

"Yes, I shall go down in history..." Tyrion laughed darkly. "As the man who opened a door."

"Oh, Jeyne." Sansa laughed. "How did you..." she cut herself off and hugged her friend tightly.

"Nan said the princess was expecting you." Jeyne said decidedly. "You are my friend and I am always willing to help you."

"The princess is expecting someone who does not exist." Sansa protested to the group before turning to Tyrion alone. "My lord, my name is Sansa Stark, and I am but a servant in this household."

"Yes, and I am but the least son of a disgraced house that will no longer acknowledge me." Tyrion chuckled darkly. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"I have deceived her." Sansa argued sadly, her heartbreak evident in her voice.

"The princess will understand." Tyrion replied immediately.

"Come along, child." said Mordane. "The night is young. We must get you ready for the ball."

"I do not wish to go." Sansa said in the sulky tones more often associated with typical teenagers.

"But if you stay, the baroness wins." Nan added.

"How can I face Margaery?" Sansa asked desperately.

"Because she deserves to hear the truth from the one she loves." Tyrion said definitively.

"A bird may love a fish, my lord, but where would they live?" Sansa asked with a sad laugh.

"Then I shall have to make your wings." said Tyrion with a small smile that could almost be mistaken for kind. He was plainly startled when Sansa rushed in and hugged him.

"Ooh, come on! There is no time to waste." Mordane complained. "Nan, get the dress."

-----/////-----

Margaery had expected the ball to be a wonderful time in which she could announce to the world how much she loved Catelyn de Tully. Now she was just sad, heartbroken and her mind filled with enough confusion for three other princesses. She couldn't stand the party and hid in one of the hallways, where it was dark and cold, seeming much more suited to her mood.

"I understand you wanted to see me." said King Mace Tyrell of Highgarden, the ruler of Westeros, upon finding her in the isolated corner.

"Yes, Father, I did." she said softly.

"Listen, Margaery, perhaps it was unfair of me..." Mace began, saddened by the heartbroken look on his daughter's face. "To put so much pressure on you about the marriage contract... I just thought it was time to make some changes in your life. You seemed to me to be floundering. And, uh, well, I just wanted to say... that this university thing is a brilliant idea. We don't have to announce anything tonight."

"I have made my decision." Margaery said in a tone of complete resignation.

"Oh." Mace said almost sadly.

-----/////-----

Nan and Septa Mordane smiled wide and broadly as they shoved Sansa up and into the carriage, ushering her on. Pride shone on their faces. Just as they began to head out, Nan and Mordane were overcome with excitement and bounced up and down. Even Jeyne did something of a happy dance when she thought no one was looking. Tyrion decided he liked that kid.

"She looks like a masterpiece." Jeyne said with a heavy sigh.

"She looks like her mother." Mordane added after.

"Alright, let me get a look at those paintings of yours, shall we?" Tyrion asked the girl with a wry half-smile.

"Now?" Jeyne asked in shock.

"When you're as old as I am, my friend, now is all you've got." Tyrion chuckled darkly.

"Wait!" Nan stopped Jeyne and Tyrion before they could get too far away. "It's tradition."

Jeyne and the others stopped just in time to see Sansa lean out of the window and wave emphatically to the others. They were barely able to make her out in the darkness. The staff and the friends of Winterfell jumped up and waved back, except for Tyrion who just smirked at the display.