B L O O M

Heads

  "And as soon as you've had your blood, I'll put a son in you. Mother says that shouldn't be long." Joffery spoke. Rose unable to hide her disgusted and horrified face as she glances at Sandor, who grins upon seeing her face. Rose turned to face forward again and turned right, following Sansa and Joffery who led the way.

"No please no!" Sansa cried, her red face growing further distressed upon seeing her father's head on a spike. Quickly looking away, before Ser Meryn grabbed her arm to keep her from running away and forced her onward. Rose's hand moved to grip the hilt of her sheathed sword, grimacing at the sight of her friend and father figure's head.

"This one's your father. This one here. Look at it and see what happens to traitors."

"You promised to be merciful." Sansa added, keeping her Tully eyes away from the heads.

"I was, I gave him a clean death. Look at him."

"Please let me go home, I won't do any treason I swear."

"Mother says I'm still to marry you, so you'll stay here and obey. Look at him." At Joffery's scream Rose stepped forward, her hand holding the hilt of her sword. Daring Joffery to make a move. Rose's wordless defense did nothing for Sansa though as she looked at her father's head.

"Well?" Joffery asked, pleased.

"How long do I have to look?" Asked the small yet tough voice of Sansa Stark, oblivious to the death glare Rose was sending the guard holding her and of the knights, and Sandor, that forcefully held the youngest Lannister back.

"As long as it pleases me." Joffery's smile wiped off his face, his boyish need to please his Aunt arose once more as he addressed his less than happy Aunt. "What do you think, Aunt Rose? Are you proud of me?"

"Not in the slightest, Joff." Her agitation showing through her delicate yet outspoken voice, her voice that men often referred to as the stem which hides the rose's thorns.

"Do you want to see the rest?" Joffery asked both Rose and Sansa.

"If it please your grace." At Sansa's words, Rose began to pull her arm from Sandor's tight grip, full of protectiveness towards the Stark, struggling when Sandor sent her a warning look and refused to relinquish his hold on the Southern flower.

"That's your Septa there. I'll tell you what, I am going to give you a present. After I raise my armies and kill your traitor brother, I am going to give you his head as well." Joffery raised his voice.

"Or maybe he'll give me yours." Upon hearing Sansa's sharp words, Joffery took a step forward, calling Sansa's eyes away from her dead father to stare at him. Joffery took a step back upon seeing his seething Aunt's face, sadness filling him because he longed for her to care for him as she did Tommen and Mrycella.

"My mother tells me a King shall never strike his Lady. Ser Meryn." With Joffery's unspoken command, the knight turns Sansa to face him before striking her across her cheeks. Rose immediately cried out and stepped between the dishonorable knight and the girl she cared for just in time for Ser Meryn to slap her across her face. Rose felt her face throb but as the knight stopped, she turned around to gently cup Sansa's red cheeks, her eyes asked if she was okay, only for Sansa to meekly meet her gaze before turning around to once again look at the boy King.

Rose felt Sansa look at Joffery and the edge longingly, stepping towards her once prince in shining armor before Sandor grabbed her arm.

"Here girl." Quickly taking a rag and wiping at the blood that pooled at Sansa's lip, before he turned around, sending Rose a look before resuming his stance behind them.

"Will you obey now? Or do you need another lesson?" Joffery asked her. After pausing he nodded at her silence and started to walk away. "I'll look for you at court."

"Save yourself some pain girl. Give him what he wants. You'll be needing that again." Advised Sandor before walking away, trailing behind the guards that had followed Joffery. Rose walked forward just as Sansa looked back at her dead father.

"I'll kill that pompous little brat." Rose swore under her breath as she took the rag from Sansa's hands to dab at the cut, her mind clouding at her previously innocent nephew's newly discovered cruelty.

"Why did you take the hit for me?"

"Sansa, I'm sorry you had to be hit at all." Rose scolded herself, "I should have stepped in before that cruel knight could lay a hand on you."

"How can you be related to someone like him?" Sansa asked as she met Rose's chocolate eyes. "You're so nice, and he is evil." Rose smiled sadly.

"We do not choose who we are born into this world with, we can only hope to find the ones who you were meant to be with."

"When this is over, will you return to Winterfell with me?" Sansa asked.

"I am a Lannister." Rose replied with a gentle smile, as if that answered Sansa's question.

"I don't care. Robb cares for you, mother cares for you, Arya cares for you, even Theon cares for you. You will always be welcome in the North."

"Come now, let's get you into a bath." And with that Rose led Sansa away, laughing with her until Sansa no longer thought about Joffery or her father. It was just Rose and Sansa, the flower of the South and the beauty of the North.