A Red King Bowed

Do You See Me Now?

Her feet treaded lightly against the floor, keeping her steps silent. She couldn't sleep, hadn't been able to even rest on her bed.

Her thoughts were plagued by Lord Bolton, even though her body throbbed in pain because of the son and his recent visit an hour ago.

But it was the father that had her mind racing, preoccupied and unable to think straight. The ghost of his lips on her skin, the gentle promises he whispered in his soft voice...

She sighed angrily to herself, wanting to forget the whole thing. She'd even torn off a piece of her bread viciously, before realizing she was acting too heated about that encounter. Making a right, she ran into a hall filled with Bolton soldiers, who ended up staring straight at her for her entrance.

"Lady Sansa," one of them started. "It's late? Perhaps you should return to your chambers."

Her mind immediately flashed to what happened there, before remembering why she was wandering in the first place.

Being in that room, where all the horrors happened, made it difficult for her to stay there and to sleep. Instead, she'd taken to just wandering around the halls like a ghost, unable to find rest or any sort of peace.

However, for once, she'd been interrupted in her solitary walk by the unfortunate run in with these five soldiers.

"I can't sleep," she felt herself speak out, almost out of body.

She did not want to return to her chambers at all.

Ignoring them, she averted her eyes from the soldiers and determinedly sat herself on the floor near them, leaning against the wall.

She didn't know why they were stationed there or keeping watch in that area. She just knew it was as far away from her room and Ramsay as she could, and if they kept quiet and didn't bother her, then all was well.

Except one of their stomachs didn't agree and she looked up and at the soldiers, all of whom were looking away from her. One of them though, looked obviously embarrassed.

She glanced at her bread before she stood up and headed over, tearing off a piece and handing it over.

"It's not much," she murmured.

"You don't have to do that, my Lady," he protested but she merely continued to hold it out until he relented and took it.

Then she repeated the motions four more times, to silent Bolton soldiers who accepted their piece of bread until she was left with the last piece and she'd gone back to her spot.

So long as she found her peace and quiet, she didn't care.

~⸹⸹⸹~

They settled in for dinner, with Roose sitting next to his lady wife and sitting directly in front of Lady Sansa. Next to her sat his bastard son, Ramsay grinningly settling into his chair and already selecting his food.

Roose stared him down, causing Ramsay to stop with a grimace and wait until everyone was seated. Then Roose reached out to the food first. Once he'd finished, the rest of them started in on the small selection of food offered.

It was shaping to be a long, harsh winter indeed and Roose reminded himself he had long days of work ahead of him, and even later that night he needed to continue figuring out the state of the North. Looking to relieve himself of the grief and stress he had to look forward to, he went to carefully gaze at Lady Sansa.

Practically gleaming in the dimmed warm light of the candles around them, she was exquisite to behold. He wished he could openly gaze upon her, knowing that his gaze was hungry as it was. Instead, he let his gaze hungrily look over her in secret, watching her soft, plump lips to the slender curve of her neck, to her generous bosom that he had only a glimpse of in her bath.