The Young Lion

Act 2 Ch 19 The Bell Tolls

Two weeks had passed since Joffrey and his group's visit to the Pyromancer. The city had finished being fortified for the siege, and now all they had left to do was wait for the old stag to come. Stannis had done as Joffrey had predicted and split one third of his army to his ships and had them sail for Blackwater Bay, While the rest of his men marched through the Kingswood. Joffrey had received word that Tywin had been informed of the city’s current predicament, but he doubted he or the Lannister army would arrive in time for it to matter.

Joffrey was currently sitting in his Solar alone at his desk surrounded by documents. He had become stressed senseless ever since he had received word of Uncle’s march toward the city. The only times he had ever managed to quiet his mind was either through training with Barristan and Sandor. Or when he was coming up with new designs for inventions once the war was over. After all, creating was one of the few pleasures from his past life that he held onto in this strange fantasy world where he found himself. As he continued to draw a knock came at his door.

Knock Knock Knock

“Who is it?”

“It's me, your grace.” Answered Sansa’s voice.

“Come in.” 

He quickly responded as he rolled up his parchments and put them out of sight. Sansa then let herself into his chamber, closing the large oak door behind her. She wore a lovely light velvet gown which had a low cut down the center of her cleavage. Her red hair was kept free and rested past her shoulders to the mid of her back. As she came into the room she spotted Joffrey sitting at his desk with a tired look on his face.

“Good evening my love.” 

She said with a warm loving smile spreading across her face.

“Hello beloved.” He responded by giving her a gentle smile in return.

Sansa slowly made her way over to his desk, stopping on the other side. She gazed at all the new drawings and documents that laid across his desk. As she drew her gaze upon Joffrey’s face she noticed the weary look and the bags under his eyes.

“Joffrey you haven't been sleeping have you?”

Her voice held clear concern for her future husband’s health.

“No, not really.”

“You know it worries me when you work yourself like this.” She said sternly, holding both her hands against her hips.

“Sansa I appreciate your concern, but I can’t afford to just sit idle.”

“I’m not asking you to sit idle.” She retorted. “I’m asking you to not put your health second to your inventions. If you work yourself into an early grave, who will look after your people then?”

Joffrey went to respond but couldn’t think of a response that didn’t make him sound childish. 

“I see your public speaking lessons are already bearing fruit huh.” He said letting out a heavy sigh as he put down his quill.

“Yes Septa Donyse is an excellent tutor.” She said with a beaming smile.

“Yeah? What else has she been teaching you?”

“Mainly lessons in the great rulers in the histories of Westeros.”

“Any favorites?”

“Hmm,” Sansa brought her finger to her lip and appeared in deep thought.

“I would have to say queen Alysanne is my favorite.”

“King Jaehaerys I's sister wife, what makes her your favorite?”

“Besides being a beautiful and powerful dragonrider? I would have to say because she was the greatest queen to ever rule the seven kingdoms.”

Joffrey was growing more and more interested in Sansa’s personal growth. She had been a rather sheltered and spoiled naive brat from the north lands that looked down on all those around her. That's why Joffrey had arranged for specialized tutors to teach her in the ways of not only the faith of the seven, but also in the fields of philosophy, linguistics, history, politics, and math. He felt like she had been a bird in a cage, and knew that with that right push she had the makings of a great ruler in her.

Now that her family and Septa had returned to the Riverlands, Joffrey had full unadulterated influence over her and her development. She had been a little resistant at first but after he showed her that there was more to being a queen than having a pretty face, eating lemon cakes, and popping out children, she came around. Slowly but surely she had broken out of her cage that her parents had placed her in, and was becoming the queen he knew she could be.

“Interesting,” He said with a smile. “And what exactly made her the greatest queen in all the kingdoms?”

“She was well tempered and kind and she loved all of her subjects, highborn and low alike.” She said with a smile. “That's why she held her woman’s courts during her first royal progress. With these she helped the nobility and the common folk by having Jaehaerys enact the Widow’s Law and ending the right to the first night.”  

Sansa recounted the texts as if the book were right in front of her. Her passion and vigor made Joffrey raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“That's why she’ll always be remembered as the second greatest queen in Westeros history.”

“Oh? Why the second?”

“Because,” She then slid into his lap and sat with him on his desk chair. “I’m going to be your queen after all and together we’ll be the greatest rulers in the past, present and future.” 

“Quite the ambitious one aren’t you.” He said with a chuckle.

“I guess I’ve picked up some of  your habits.” She said as she playfully tapped his nose.

Joffrey continued to chuckle as Sansa sat on his lap. The pair then began to stare into one another’s eyes. After a brief pause Sansa slowly brought her face close to Joffrey's and locked her lips with his. The kiss was light and gentle, a chaste and a rather inexperienced kiss. Then slowly Sansa started to get more aggressive, she slowly brought her pink little tongue out and brushed it against his lips and teeth as she bit his lower lip.

Joffrey had been taken by surprise by her sudden aggressiveness but tried to regain control. He opened his mouth and began a battle of tongues against Sansa, each tried to dominate the other. Sansa had been concerned about her inexperience and her inability to physically please Joffrey. So she had taken the time to speak with his Master of Coin Ros and get private lessons on how to handle a man.

As the late night evening makeout session started to heat up more and more. Sansa started to caress Joffrey’s exposed broad chest, while Joffrey’s hands slipped down and started to grope her rather firm bottom. Slowly her hand started to trail lower than his chest, her delicate fingers caressing his abdominal muscles. It wasn’t until she had stopped at the tent in his pants and started to fiddle with his pants drawstrings, that Joffrey broke the kiss off.

“What are you doing?” He asked, pulling away.

Sansa looked down at him confused.

“What? I thought you wanted to?” She asked as she stood up from his lap.

Joffrey then stood up as well.

I just do it's just-” He stuttered trying to find the right words to not offend her.

“It's complicated.” He finally said.

“Complicated?” Sansa started to get angry. “You refuse to be intimate with me, and everytime I try to take our relationship to the next level you pull away. And you call that “complicated?”

Her anger was pliable but more than anything Joffrey could see it was more of a teenage girl's insecurity. She was probably growing afraid due to the lack of intimacy that Joffrey was only marrying her out of duty and her family's name. Not out of love.

“Are you just marrying me because of your father’s decree? Is that it?”

“What? No!” He denied.

“Then why? Why won’t you share your bed with me?” Her eyes were round and her voice pleading.

“We have shared a bed together, remember?”

“Not like that! Why won’t you let me perform my duties! Why won’t you try to have a child with me!”

Joffrey tried to find the right words to explain his predicament to her but was drawing up blanks. He couldn’t very well tell her he was actually a twenty six year old man in a sixteen year boy's body. Nor could he explain why the idea of him having sex with a fifteen year old girl made him feel like he should be locked up somewhere. After racking his brain for a minute he finally spoke.

“You’re too young.” He said sternly.

“Too young?” She asked, confused, perhaps hearing him wrong.

“Yes,” He nodded his head. “You're too young for childbearing and I’m not willing to risk your life.”

“What are you talking about?” She looked at him with clear confusion. “My mother was younger than me when she gave birth to my brother Robb.”

“And she was lucky to have survived, let alone have more children. Most aren’t that lucky and your life is too precious for me to risk for just one night of passion.”

Sansa became stunned by his words. She had begun to fear that Joffrey had no interest in starting a family with her. Which was why she had gone to Ros for help in becoming more pleasing to him.

“But I want to have a family with you.” She said defiantly.

“And one day we will, I’m just asking for you to wait a little bit longer.”

Sansa was quiet and looked at the ground fiddling with the stone floor with her foot.

“You promise it's not because I’m ugly?” She asked, her eyes still uncertain.

Joffrey let out a loud mental sigh in his head as he walked toward her wrapping her in his arms.

“Of course not.” He said his voice filled with affection. “You’re the most beautiful girl in all the seven kingdoms. I have never for one second thought of you as ugly.”

Sansa buried her head into his chest as he whispered sweet words into her ears. She then looked up and stared into his eyes.

“Ok, I’m willing to wait a little longer.”

“Good girl.”

The two then kissed again, not a hot and passionate kiss like before but a light and gentle one that completely conveyed their feelings to each other. As the pair stood in the middle of the room, enveloped in one anothers embrace the sounds of bells resonated within the room. Joffrey quickly released Sansa and made his way to his Solar’s balcony, which gave him a complete view over the whole city.

As he made his way outside he looked upon the horizon, and saw the furthest reaches of the Kingswood set ablaze. The colors of bright orange fire illuminated the night sky. Sansa slowly made her way to the balcony as well and her face became anxious and fearful upon seeing the flames.

“Here he comes.” He said to himself

Joffrey’s face became still and serious, all the humor and gentleness from before evaporating. He then quickly marched across his room and reached his door. After opening it he turned his attention to his kingsguard Preston Greenfield.

“Find Jacelyn and tell him to assemble the men at the training grounds.”

“Yes, your grace.” 

The white knight bowed his head and made his way down the hallway.

Joffrey closed the door and turned his attention back to Sansa.

“Beloved, go to Maegor Holdfast and remain there until I come for you.”

“Yes, your grace.” She said turning to leave.

As Joffrey removed his white evening shirt Sansa called out to him. As he turned to face her she gave him another kiss on his lips.

“Be safe my love.” She said with a sweet but anxious tone.

“Of course, my lady.” He responded with a smile.

Sansa then picked up the edges of her gown and quickly exited his chamber. Joffrey then resumed preparing himself for battle. 

“The war ends tonight.” He thought to himself. “One way or another.”

The sounds of bells continued to echo throughout the city as the civilians sought shelter from the battle that would soon ravage their city.

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