So in Love

Chapter 5

Actually Theon was supposed to have his eyes closed, but he couldn't bring himself to keep them shut. How could he when Sansa Stark was sitting next to him with her hands folded and her head slightly bent?

Even though traces of her tears were still visible on her cheeks and even though all the color had drained from her face, she was still beautiful. Or maybe she was beautiful because of all this. Sansa was not always subtile and Theon had heard her scold her siblings more than once, especially when they didn't behave or disturbed her reading or music sessions. But she loved them. And now Bran was fighting for his life it showed and it showed beautifully.

He just hated that the first time in ages they actually spent time together, as just the two of them, they spent their time praying. He hated praying. Especially because the Starks didn't even agree on which Gods to pray to.

Catelyn prayed to the new Gods, the Gods from the south, and mostly Sansa went with her mother to the small sept built for the Seven.

But right now she sat in the Godswood and she prayed to the old Gods, the Gods from her father and the Gods from the North.

He wanted to ask her why, but he wasn't planning on ruining this moment. This moment could be the beginning of his future, of his dreams coming true, of everything he wanted.

What if Sansa decided that Joffrey hadn't supported her during this hard time? What if one day Sansa would finally figure out that the crown prince was a jerk and didn't care about her emotional well being? What if Sansa would remember that there had been someone who had cared, someone who had prayed with her and hadn't complained about it?

A smile appeared on his face when he envisioned the moment so very clearly.

Joffrey would ask her once more if she would travel with him to King's Landing, but Sansa would shake her pretty head. And then she would tell the idiot that she would stay here, in Winterfell, with the boy she really loved and really wanted, with the prince if the Iron Islands.

"Lady Sansa?"

Theon's smile faltered. His lips were now forming a straight line and he saw the devil appearing at the edge of the Godswood.

Joffrey's blond hair gleamed in the sunset and his shining armour looked too pretty after an entire day of hunting. He must have gotten a new one. Or he must have commanded his servants to get it cleaned right away. "I've heard I could find you here."

Sansa smiled a weak smile at the crown prince. "I'm praying for my brother."

"So I've heard." Joffrey stepped forward. Something in his tone was off. He didn't mean a thing of what he said, but Theon didn't say a word.

He knew how that would end.

People like Joffrey always got what they wanted and they always managed to let others take the fall for them. That spoiled brat would probably twist the story to make Theon the bad guy.

And Theon had just been very well on his way to prove that he was the good guy, the true Prince Charming, the real knight in shining armour and he wouldn't give the crown prince the satisfaction of ruining that.

That crown prince had already ruined more than enough.

"Are you here to join me?"

"Us." Theon bit on his bottom lip and bent his head. "I'm praying too." He smiled.

"The more people pray for Bran, the better. If we all want him to get better, the Gods will maybe make him better." Her voice and her optimism sounded almost childlike.

As if some stupid Gods, old or new, would decide about the fate of a little boy based on how many people were praying for him to wake up and recover. If those Gods existed, they probably had something much better to do.

And yet, her optimism, her faith, her hope that if she would pray and if Theon would pray and if bloody Joffrey would pray her brother would wake up, it was refreshing and it made his heart skip a beat in his chest.

Joffrey sat down on the holy ground near the Weirwood Tree.

Theon clenched his jaw, but he closed his eyes once more in an attempt to focus on Sansa's praying. But when he opened his eyes for a slight moment to look at her, he saw Joffrey.

Joffrey had his eyes wide open and he was rolling his eyes after each and every sentence Sansa spoke and whispered.

"You..." Theon tensed all his muscles and he was about to push himself up to lecture the crown prince on the issue of respect when Robb appeared.

"Sansa?" Robb shook his head almost invisibly when he caught Theon's glance and Theon took a deep breath. "It's getting late and mother asks you to come inside before it gets dark."

Joffrey quickly stood up and he offered Sansa his arm. "I will escort you, my lady, if you allow me."

And of course Sansa accepted his arm with a smile on her face. Without a doubt she would talk about this moment of kindness for the upcoming days. She would tell how Joffrey came to pray with her for Bran, how he had been so kind to her, how he was so perfect and how he had brought her home safely. And she wouldn't mention Theon. Of course she wouldn't.

Theon was always there.

"Do you want to lose your head?" Robb hissed between his teeth as soon as the crown prince and his sister were out of earshot. "You can't attack the crown prince while he's praying."

Theon snorted. "Praying? He wasn't praying at all! He was mocking her!"

Robb placed a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Who do you think they will believe if there will be a trial? The crown prince or a hostage of Ned Stark?"

"He was mocking her!" He raised his voice. "He doesn't care about her one bit!"

"As if you were here to seriously pray." Robb winked and he pulled Theon a little closer towards him. "I will talk to father to see if we can keep Sansa here in Winterfell with us, but you have to promise me that you will stay calm around prince Joffrey and all the other people connected to the Baratheons and the Lannisters. You can't marry Sansa if you're dead."

Theon breathed out and then he nodded. "Does that mean you would be okay with me marrying Sansa?" He cocked his head and a grin spread across his face.

"Not so fast, Theon. Not so fast." But Robb smiled back at him. At least Robb also thought that Theon was a better option that crown prince Joffrey.

Although Theon had to admit that wasn't exactly an achievement.

And it was for sure not good enough for Sansa.

She didn't just deserve better than prince Joffrey. She deserved the best.