Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three Sansa

"The longer you keep him waiting, the worse it is for you," Sandor Clegane warned her. Sansa tried to speed things up, but the fingers just wouldn't listen, and the buttons and knots kept tying badly.She was used to the Hound's gruff voice, but the way he looked at her today terrified her.Had Joffrey found out about her meeting with Ser Dontos?No way, she thought as she combed her hair.Ser Dontos is her only hope.I want to dress up nicely. Little Joe likes me nicely. He likes this dress every time I wear it. He likes the color.She smoothed her clothes and noticed that her chest was tight.

All the way, Sansa walked on the Hound's right, away from the burned half of his face. "Tell me, what did I do wrong?" "Not you. Your king brother." "Robb is a traitor," she recited mechanically. "I have nothing to do with him." Gods be good, the Kingslayer must not be in trouble.If Robb killed Jaime Lannister, she would surely die.She saw Ser Ilyn's face, gaunt and pockmarked, with terrible pale eyes staring grimly at her. The Hound snorted, "Little Bird, they trained you really well." He led her to the lower courtyard, where a group of people gathered in the shooting range.As soon as they saw them, people hurriedly gave way.She heard Lord Gyles cough and found the roving grooms looking at her impolitely, but Ser Horace Redwyne looked away as she passed, while his brother Hope pretended not to see she.A dying yellow cat lay on the ground, its ribs pierced by a crossbow bolt, meowing pitifully.Sansa walked around it, feeling sick.

Ser Dontos came on his broom-horse; at the tourney he was too drunk to mount, and the King ordered that he never dismount again. "Be brave," he said softly, squeezing her arm. Joffrey stood in the center of the crowd, stringing an ornate crossbow.Ser Boros and Ser Meryn stood beside him, and her guts twisted at the sight of them. "Your Majesty." She knelt down. "Kneeling will not save you," said the king. "Get up. Your brother has committed a new treason, and I will punish you." "Your Majesty, I have nothing to do with my traitor brother. You know, please, please—"

"Pull her up!" The Hound pulled her up slowly. "Ser Lancel," said young Joe. "Tell her what good her brother has done." Sansa had always thought Lancel Lannister was handsome and well-spoken, but there was no sympathy or kindness in his eyes. "Ser Steve Lannister was three days' ride from Lannisport, and your brother, with his base sorcery, commanded packs of wolves against him. Thousands of strong men were slaughtered in their sleep, and even There is no chance to fight back with a sword. After the massacre, the northerners feast on the flesh of the victim."

Fear was like a cold hand around Sansa's throat. "Have you nothing to say?" Joffrey asked. "Your Majesty, the poor boy has been frightened out of his wits," whispered Ser Dontos. "Shut up, clown." Joffrey raised his crossbow and aimed it at her face. "You Starks are as cruel as your wolves. I have not forgotten how your monster attacked me." "That's Arya's wolf," she said. "The lady never hurt you, but you killed her." "It wasn't me, your father did it." Xiao Qiao said, "But I killed your father, but unfortunately I couldn't do it myself. The people I killed last night were taller than your father. When they came to the gate of the city, everyone Calling my name and shouting for bread like I was a baker! So I gave them a hard time and I aimed at the guy who yelled the loudest and shot him through the throat."

"He's dead?" The ugly iron arrow was pointed at her face, and she couldn't think of what to say. "Of course he's dead. I hit it with one shot. A woman threw a rock at me and I shot her too, but only in the arm." He frowned and lowered his crossbow. "I should have shot you too, but Mother said things like that, and they'll kill Uncle James, so I'll have to punish you. We'll send a letter to your brother and tell him what's going to happen to you if you don't surrender. Dog, beat her!" "Let me strike her!" Ser Dontos pushed forward, his tin armor clanging.He holds a meteor hammer, but the top is a melon.My Florian.She was so grateful she wanted to kiss his ugly face, full of blemishes and tiny veins.He circled her on a broomstick, shouting "traitor, traitor" and hitting her over the head with a melon.Sansa raised her hand to cover, and every time the melon hit her body, she would shake it, and her hair was already sticky after two hits.People laughed.Eventually the melon broke into pieces and flew apart."Laugh, Joffrey," she prayed, the juice running down her face, and down her beautiful blue dress, "laugh enough, and let me go."

It's a pity that Joffrey didn't smile at all, "Boros! Marin!" Ser Meryn Tran grabbed Dontos by the arm and threw him roughly.The red-faced clown fell on all fours, leaving brooms and melons scattered all over the floor.Ser Boros captures Sansa. "Don't slap her in the face," Joffrey ordered. "I want her to be pretty." Boros punched Sansa in the stomach, choking her.When she bent down, the knight grabbed her by the hair and drew out his sword. In that horrible moment, she thought he was going to cut her throat, but he just hit her thigh with the side of the sword, and under the blow, she I feel like my legs are going to break.Sansa screamed loudly, tears welling up in her eyes.It will be over soon.Not long after, she had suffered countless beatings.

"Enough," she heard the Hound's gruff voice. "No, it is not enough," answered the king, "Boros, strip her naked." Boros reached into the front of Sansa's bodice with his thick hands and tore it violently.The silk was torn, and she was naked to the waist.Sansa hurriedly covered her chest with her hands, and cruel titters filled her ears. "Hit her," said Joffrey, "and show his brother—" "What are you going to do?" The little devil's voice pierced through the air like a long whip, and Sansa's hand was released immediately.She stumbled to her knees, arms crossed, panting. "Is this your chivalry, Ser Boros?" Tyrion Lannister asked angrily.His henchman was standing beside him, as was the one-eyed barbarian. "What knight beats a helpless maiden?"

"A knight serving the king, little devil." Ser Boros raised his sword, and Ser Maryn drew it with a "swish" and stepped forward to join him. "You should be bright in your recruiting," the dwarf's mercenary warned, "otherwise this beautiful white robe will be stained with blood." "Who will find something to cover this girl?" the little devil asked.Sandor Clegane took off his cloak and threw it over.Sansa wrapped it tightly around her chest, fists clenched under the white wool.The rough fabric made her skin prickly and itchy, but it was the most comfortable clothes she had ever worn.

"This girl is your future queen," the imp told Joffrey. "You don't care about her reputation?" "I'm punishing her." "Why? She had nothing to do with her brother's fight." "She is of wolf blood." "You have the brains of a goose." "You can't talk to me like that! I'm the king and I can do whatever I want!" "Aerys Targaryen does what he pleases. Did your mother tell you what happened to him?" Ser Boros Brawne snorted. "No one dares threaten His Majesty before the Kingsguard."

Tyrion Lannister raised an eyebrow. "I'm not threatening the king, ser. I'm educating my nephew. Bronn, Timett, and Ser Boros will kill him if they open their mouths again." The dwarf smiled. "That's called a threat, ser. Do you know the difference?" Sir Boros's face turned dark red, "The Queen Mother will definitely know about this!" "Without a doubt. What are you waiting for? Are we sending for your mother, Joffrey?" The king blushed. "Nothing to say, Your Majesty?" continued the uncle, "very good. Learn to use your ears more and less your mouth, or your dynasty will be shorter than mine. Willful cruelty won't win the love of the people...not even The Queen Mother likes it." "No, Mother said, they'd rather be afraid of you than love you." Joffrey pointed at Sansa. "She's afraid of me." The little devil sighed. "Yes, I know that. It's a pity neither Stannis nor Renly is a girl of twelve. Bronn, Timett, take her." Sansa felt like she was sleepwalking.She thought the Imp's men would take her back to her bedroom in Maegor's Tower, but instead they led her to the Handler's Tower.She stepped into this place for the first time since her father's fall, and climbing those steps again made her dizzy. The maids who took care of her tried to make her stop shaking with meaningless words of comfort.One of them took off the remaining dress and underwear on her body, and the other bathed her, washing away the sticky melon juice from her head and face.They scrubbed her with soap and doused her head with lukewarm water, but all she could see now were the faces on the shooting range.Knights vowed to help the weak, protect women, and fight for justice, but they failed to do any of them.The only one who helped was Ser Dontos, but he was no knight, nor was the Imp, nor was the Hound .Because they're not real knights, none of them are. When she was cleaned, the ginger-haired, fat Maester Franken came to tend her.He laid her face down on the mattress, then smeared the red, swollen welts on the back of her legs with ointment, and made her a dose of sleeping wine, with a little honey to make it easier to swallow. "Sleep well, boy. When you wake up, you'll find that it's all just a bad dream." No, no, no, you stupid bastard, Sansa thought, but she drank the sleeping wine anyway and fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was already dark, and the room was both familiar and strange, so she didn't know where she was.She stood up, and a sharp pain ran through her legs immediately, bringing back all the memories, and the tears welled up again.There is a robe for her beside the bed.Sansa slipped into her robes, and opened the door.Standing outside the door was a woman with stern complexion, brown skin like leather, and three necklaces around her thin neck.One is gold, one is silver, and the other is made of human ears! "Where does she want to go?" the woman asked, leaning on a tall spear. "The godswood." She had to find Ser Dontos and beg him to take her home now, and she couldn't bear it. "Half says she can't leave," said the woman, "she's praying here, God hears." Sansa obediently lowered her eyes and retreated into the room.She suddenly realized why she was so familiar with this place.Turns out they put me in Arya's old room, when Father was the Prime Minister.Her things have been cleaned and the furniture moved, but it's the same room... Presently a maid came in with a tray of cheese, bread and olives, and a jug of cold water. "Take it," Sansa ordered, but the girl left the food on the table anyway.She realized that she was really thirsty, so she had to walk across the room to fetch water, and every step she took, her thigh felt like a knife was piercing her.She had just finished two glasses and was biting into an olive when someone knocked on the door. She turned nervously, smoothing the wrinkles in her robes. "Please come in." The door opened and Tyrion Lannister walked in. "Miss. I didn't bother you, did I?" "I am your prisoner?" "You are my guest." He wore the Chancellor's Necklace, a chain of gold hands. "I think we need to talk." "Yes." Sansa found it hard not to look at his face; it was so ugly that she found it strangely attractive. "Are you satisfied with the food and clothes?" he asked. "What else do you need, just ask." "You are very kind. This afternoon... thank you for saving me." "Joffrey has reason to be so angry. Six days ago, your brother attacked my Uncle Stafford, who was stationed in a village called Oxford, three days' ride from Casterly Rock. You northerners won a landslide Victory. We just got the news this morning." Robb will kill you all, she thought gleefully. "It's . . . it's terrible, my lord. My brother is a loathsome traitor." The dwarf smiled feebly, "Well, he's not a brat, there's no doubt about that." "Ser Lancel said Robb had a pack of wolves..." The little devil laughed contemptuously. "Ser Lancel is our winebag warrior, who probably can't tell a wolf from a tumor. Your brother brought his direwolf, and that's all I think. The northmen sneaked into my uncle's camp and cut the tethered horses. and then Lord Stark let the wolf in. In this way, the well-trained horses also went mad. Many knights were trampled to death in the tents, and the rest of the rabble woke up and fled in all directions. .Ser Stafford was stabbed in the chest by Lord Rickard Karstark while chasing a horse.Ser Rupert Brax, Ser Lymon Vicary, Lord Crakehall and Lord Just They were all killed. Fifty nobles were taken prisoner, including some of Justor's sons and my nephew Martin Lannister. Those who narrowly escaped were talking nonsense about the Old Gods of the North and Join your brother in battle." "Then... there is no witchcraft?" Lannister snorted. "Witchcraft is a fool's excuse for incompetence, the seasoning to smear failure on top of. My brainless uncle, it seems, didn't even set up a sentry. His regiments were novices—apprentices, miners, farmers, fishermen, Lannisport The only mystery is how your brother was able to surprise them? Our army still holds the fortified city of the Golden Tooth, and they swear he didn't pass there." The dwarf shrugged anxiously. "After all, Robb Stark is my father's heart, and Joffrey is mine. Tell me, what do you think of my king's nephew?" "I love him with all my heart," Sansa replied immediately. "Really?" He was not convinced, "And now?" "I love Your Majesty more than ever." The little devil laughed loudly, "Okay, okay, finally you have a good teacher, and you learn to lie well, maybe one day in the future, you will be grateful for it, child... oh, you are still a child, right? It is still you Have you had your period already?" Sansa blushed.It's an impolite question, but the shame is nothing compared to being stripped naked in front of half the castle. "No, my lord." "That's best. Look, I don't want you marrying Joffrey, I hope that's some consolation. After all that's happened, I'm afraid marriage won't reconcile the Starks and Lannisters. It's a pity, Joffrey screwed up this marriage, which was one of the rare wise things King Robert did." She knew what she had to say, but the words stuck in her throat. "You're quiet," Tyrion Lannister remarked. "Have you got your wish? Do you wish the engagement to be terminated?" "I..." Sansa didn't know what to say.Could this be a trap?Will he punish me if I tell the truth?She gazed at the dwarf's murderous, protruding forehead, at his cold black eyes and sly green ones, his crooked teeth and his wire mustache. "I just want to be nice and loyal." "Be nice and loyal," said the dwarf thoughtfully, "and stay away from the Lannisters. It's hard for you, and I thought so when I was your age." He smiled. "They tell me you visit the godswood every day. What do you pray for, Sansa?" I pray for Robb's victory and for Joffrey's death... I pray for my home, and for Winterfell. "I pray that the war ends soon." "Soon, my boy. Soon there will be a decisive battle between your brother Robb and my lord father, and there will be a settlement of all disputes." Robb will beat him, Sansa thought.He beat your uncle and your brother Jaime.He'll beat your father too. The dwarf seemed to see her face like an open book, reading her mind clearly. "Don't take the battle of Oxford too seriously, ma'am," he told her politely. "A battle never decides a war, and my Uncle Stafford is no match for my lord father. Go to the Godswood next time." , just pray your brother will be wise enough to bow his knees. Once the North is under the king's rule, I will send you home." He jumped down from the chair by the window. "You sleep here tonight. I will send my men to watch over you , please rest assured, people from the Stone Crow Department—" "No," Sansa snapped out in panic.How could Ser Dontos set her free if she was locked in the Handhold Tower, guarded day and night by dwarf minions? "You like black ears? If you feel more comfortable around women, I'll leave Zira to you." "No, please don't, my lord, I'm afraid of these savages." He grinned. "Me too. But the point is, they'll scare off Joffrey and the brood of snakes and sycophants they call the Kingsguard. With Zira and Timett around, no one will do you any harm." " "But I'd rather sleep in my own bed, a lie came to mind, so fitting, she blurted out immediately, "This tower is where my father's men were slaughtered, and their ghosts stay here, and it will give me nightmares."Wherever I looked, I could see their blood. " Tyrion Lannister studied her face. "I am no stranger to nightmares, Sansa. Perhaps you are wiser than I think. Well, at least allow me to escort you back safely."