Stay Alive - Chapter 7

I stood on the walkway overlooking the training yard. The Starks had been contained in their private quarters since the news had arrived. I couldn't approach them without making it obvious that I knew what had happened. Lord Stark probably already thought the entire castle knew. He might not like the game, but he understood how it worked. I could admire his desire to stay out of all of the machinations. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he wasn't in the game.

Only Jon remained with me. He stood not to far from me at a resting stance. Our usual training regimen had been interrupted with the information gathering. Technically, we could have had one of the other soldiers for the day and we would have had any other time. Jon and I both knew that the news would break soon. Things would move quickly once it got out.

It would only make sense for them to return to Winterfell to bury the former Lady Stark. That should get them out of the city when Robert died. Hopefully, that would not only save their lives, but prevent Lord Stark getting too close to the truth.

I heard Sansa crying before she got too close. Jon let out a little grunt as she hugged him. I turned to see him holding her close. Jon rubbed her back and whispered soothing words in her ear. She collected herself enough to face me after a long couple of minutes. Her steps were stiff and shaky as she walked toward me with her arms out. I nodded and opened mine to her.

Sansa closed the space between us in a flash. She squeezed me tighter than I expected. Her face was pressed against my chest. She spoke, but her words were muffled beyond what I could understand. More footsteps caught my attention as I held her.

Arya walked over to Jon and stood beside him. She had a distant look in her eyes as though she wasn't sure where she was. The thoughts rolling around her head were complex for her own reasons. From what I could remember, she and her mother didn't have the best relationship. Lady Stark wanted another well-behaved princess, not a wolf-girl. Still, that didn't mean the loss was easy on her. She had to figure out her feelings on her own. It's not easy to admit being relieved when someone dies. With her mother gone she no longer had to hide behind 'dance lessons' for her training. She was also free to run with Nymeria through the woods. Finally, she could be the version of herself that she had always wanted. All it took was the death of her mother.

"Sansa," I whispered. "Look at me."

She sniffled and met my eyes.

"You are Sansa now," I continued. "But when you reach Winterfell, you will be Lady Stark. I cannot understand the pain you are going through. Please don't hesitate to ask if I can help in any way within my ability."

"Thank you, Joffrey," Sansa tried to smile through her tears.

"There is something important I need to tell you," I gave her a sad smile. "Something I have only recently been able to learn."

She cocked her head to the side. I pulled a handkerchief from inside my doublet. Technically, it was a piece of clothe I had snipped from a soft blanket, but it functioned just fine. She took it, patted her eyes, and nodded once she was ready.

"You have a responsibility to your people," I stroked her back as I spoke. "As do I."

"What do you mean?" Sansa asked.

"You may have to put your own wants and desires to the side to better serve your people. They rely on your choices to live their lives," I continued. "When the time comes, you need to be Lady Stark first and Sansa second. Just as I am Prince Baratheon before I am Joffrey. For now, let Sansa mourn."

Sansa thought for a moment. She nodded and took a few deep breaths. Once she had control she stepped away from me. Her back straightened and the woman that she had been training to be started to shine through. It was a façade for now, but we all have to pretend at some point. Hell, I was playing a part every moment of the day.

We stood there for a moment, letting the world take shape once more.

"Thank you, Joffrey," Sansa curtsied.

"Thank you, Sansa," I bowed in reply.

Sansa turned away and walked over to Arya and Jon. I watched as the trio moved toward a doorway. Jon shot me a brief look to ask permission. I nodded in answer. Once they were gone I allowed myself to lose myself in my thoughts.

Was there anyone in this world that I would mourn? The people around me were becoming more real each day, but I didn't have that life-long connection. In fact, I was practically counting the days until King Robert finally died. That and I had ordered the death that had cracked Sansa's world. There was only one thing to do with my thoughts still a tangled mess.

I joined the castle guard in their training. It wasn't the style that I was building as my own. If nothing else it was some good exercise and it kept my brain from thinking too much.

My world narrowed down to the exercises I was doing. I didn't even notice the passage of time until Jon approached me. He caught my attention as I worked through a series of blade forms in quick succession to drive the movements into my muscle memory.

"How long have you been out here?" Jon asked as I walked over.

My doublet and under-shirt were draped over a nearby weapon rack. I deviated from our path to the clothing to get a drink of water. It tasted of grit and had only the barest hint of coolness, but damn, it did taste amazing. The filtering process had been success. My sketches together with some better minds made the end result safe to drink. It helped move my other projects along once people realized I wasn't losing myself to madness.

"Since you left," I said between drinks. "How are they doing?"

"They are mourning," Jon sighed. "Lord Stark is preparing to travel to Winterfell in the next few days."

I nodded.

"How is the King taking it?" I asked.

"He's not happy," Jon gave single dry chuckle. "Lord Stark and the King spoke behind closed doors. Not that it mattered. Their voices were loud enough for anyone nearby to hear."

I arched an eyebrow in a silent question.

"The King tried to tell Lord Stark that his duty as The Hand overwrote mourning his wife," Jon just barely kept the contempt out of his words.

I winced. A man of lesser quality would have punched King Robert in the face. I doubted Lord Stark did, but I would have understood. The man had never wanted to be The Hand, let alone travel all the way to Kingslanding. He was from the North and that was where he belonged. Having Lord Stark in Winterfell was the best for everyone, even if I couldn't stop war from consuming the land. Hopefully, he hadn't made too much progress on the project Jon Arryn had left him.

"That sounds like him," I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Let's go to lunch."

"The kitchen is happy to have clean water at their disposal," Jon offered.

"Now if I could only figure out how to get a reliable source of ice," I muttered.

"Ice?" Jon laughed. "There is plenty of ice in the North."

I cocked my head to the side. Then I gave a wide smile.

"Jon Snow's Ice," I said. "I think you have a great idea for a business."

"Me? Ice? What?" Jon floundered.

"Trust me," I offered. "Ice can do many amazing things." I counted them off. "Extended food usage, chilled drinks, and…" I trailed off. "Ok, two things."

"It takes nearly sixty days to get to Winterfell at a steady pace," Jon rolled his eyes. "I doubt any ice could make the trip."

"Eh," I shrugged. "It was an idea. Just something to think about."

~§~

The castle was a blur of activity the next couple of days. I helped where I could, but it came down to simply staying out of the way. Sansa and Arya were busy as well. Jon stayed beside me as usual until I ordered him to spend time with the two Starks. He gave me a thankful nod then hurried to find them.

My days were spent trying to sketch more ideas for inventions and improvements that I could remember. It wasn't just the ideas that came to mind, but the ones that I knew enough to explain. The ability to create the necessary parts complicated matters too. It was enough to keep me busy and out of the way.

I only saw Sansa and Arya at meals. They weren't much for conversation. No one was. It just didn't feel right. Even Cersei stayed quiet. Not once did she complain about the quality of wine, but only when Sansa and Arya were around.

Much too soon it was the night before the Starks were meant to leave. They would be setting out shortly after breakfast now that all the matters were settled. Lord Stark stepped down as The Hand which left the position open for now. King Robert wasn't in any hurry to fill the spot considering his limited options.

I had just settled into bed when the door to my bedroom opened. My guards were still in the hallway, so they must have let the visitor through. I sat up and went wide-eyed as Sansa crept closer. She wore a simple robe that was cinched closed. It must have been something she brought from the North because it was much to warm to wear it.

"Don't say anything," Sansa whispered. "This about Joffrey and Sansa."

I stayed in place as reached the bed. Sansa paused to gather her strength before climbing onto the bed and straddled me. Our eyes met. Her breath was already faster than before. As was mine.

"Please," she replied, still in a whisper.

There were reasons that I should say no to her. I decided to ignore all of them and focus on the naked young woman on my bed. Instead, I pulled her close and captured her lips as my hands grabbed her luscious ass. The gowns she wore hid such a wonderful rump.  Her hands pulled at my covers, desperately trying to get to me. She may have been inexperienced, but she still made me let out a low moan when she freed my hard cock. It had been a long time since I had gotten laid. I pulled open the robe she wore to find that Sansa was nude underneath.

I had always thought that Sansa was attractive, but I had tried to subtly keep her at a distance. Now, I got to appreciate how must time I had wasted. Even in the low light provided by the candles she was gorgeous. Her breasts were firm and pert, capped off by light pink coin sized areolas. The stiff pebbles of her nipples just begged to be kissed. I did just that, licking each before place a sloppy kiss on them. Her skin was smooth and dotted with freckles.

Sansa pushed off of my lap, down between my legs. She locked eyes with me as she took hold of my hard member. My hips flexed of their own accord, while I ran my fingers through her red hair. She took that as a sign and began to stroke me. My hands jumped from her hair to the sheets. My hips bucked when my orgasm ambushed me. Pulse after pulse of cum launched from my cock. Sansa watched as it arced through the air.

I leaned forward and pulled her onto the bed. She giggled when I positioned her in the center of my bed and climbed between her legs. I flashed her a roguish grin, then grabbed her legs and rested them on my shoulders. Sansa let out a little squeak as I lifted her so that only her upper back was pressed against the bed. The scent of her arousal filled the room. I could feel that she was already wet for me.

We shared a smile as I leaned in for another kiss. The crown of my cock aligned with her lips. Our brief kiss ended. We both moaned as I sank in slowly. Our eyes were locked onto each other. I pulled back until only my head remained inside, then I thrust forward, burying my hard member to the hilt. Sansa moaned and arched her back as I bottomed out, her firm breasts and hard nipples rubbed against my chest.

Sansa wrapped her legs around me, unconsciously locking her ankles behind my head to keep me close. I pulled back, pressing against her grip before I slammed hard and deep. The pace I set was steady and firm as I tried to fuck her hard enough to break the bed. The apex of each motion ended in a sharp slapping sound. Sansa tried to say something only for muddled sounds to come out. I took that as a good sign.

Her gibberish and moans mingled with the sound of their bodies. She let out a short, sharp scream as I pussy began to strangle my cock. Her sudden orgasm caught me off guard, as did the extra depth of my thrusts as her ankles spurred me forward. I let out a shuddering moan as I came a moment later. Sansa lost herself to another orgasm as my seed filled her.

I held her tight against me as I filled her pussy with my cum. It took a moment to get my breathing under control as I relished the feeling. Sansa shivered through aftershocks, and I admired the way they made her breasts bounce. I rolled to the side to make sure we were both on the bed rather than sleeping atop her. Then I pulled her against my chest.

"One night for Sansa and Joffrey to be together," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.