“He wouldn’t send Ser Loras,” Sansa told Jeyne Poole that night as they shared a cold supper bylamplight. “I think it was because of his leg.”

Lord Eddard had taken his supper in his bedchamber with Alyn, Harwin, and Vayon Poole, thebetter to rest his broken leg, and Septa Mordane had complained of sore feet after standing in thegallery all day. Arya was supposed to join them, but she was late coming back from her dancinglesson.

“His leg?” Jeyne said uncertainly. She was a pretty, dark-haired girl of Sansa’s own age. “Did SerLoras hurt his leg?”

“Not his leg,” Sansa said, nibbling delicately at a chicken leg. “Father’s leg, silly. It hurts himever so much, it makes him cross. Otherwise I’m certain he would have sent Ser Loras.”

Her father’s decision still bewildered her. When the Knight of Flowers had spoken up, she’d beensure she was about to see one of Old Nan’s stories come to life. Ser Gregor was the monster and SerLoras the true hero who would slay him. He even looked a true hero, so slim and beautiful, withgolden roses around his slender waist and his rich brown hair tumbling down into his eyes. And thenFather had refused him! It had upset her more than she could tell. She had said as much to SeptaMordane as they descended the stairs from the gallery, but the septa had only told her it was not herplace to question her lord father’s decisions.

That was when Lord Baelish had said, “Oh, I don’t know, Septa. Some of her lord father’sdecisions could do with a bit of questioning. The young lady is as wise as she is lovely.” He made asweeping bow to Sansa, so deep she was not quite sure if she was being complimented or mocked.

Septa Mordane had been very upset to realize that Lord Baelish had overheard them. “The girl wasjust talking, my lord,” she’d said. “Foolish chatter. She meant nothing by the comment.”

Lord Baelish stroked his little pointed beard and said, “Nothing? Tell me, child, why would youhave sent Ser Loras?”

Sansa had no choice but to explain about heroes and monsters. The king’s councillor smiled. “Well,those are not the reasons I’d have given, but …” He had touched her cheek, his thumb lightly tracingthe line of a cheekbone. “Life is not a song, sweetling. You may learn that one day to your sorrow.”

Sansa did not feel like telling all that to Jeyne, however; it made her uneasy just to think back on it.

“Ser Ilyn’s the King’s Justice, not Ser Loras,” Jeyne said. “Lord Eddard should have sent him.”

Sansa shuddered. Every time she looked at Ser Ilyn Payne, she shivered. He made her feel asthough something dead were slithering over her naked skin. “Ser Ilyn’s almost like a second monster.

I’m glad Father didn’t pick him.”

“Lord Beric is as much a hero as Ser Loras. He’s ever so brave and gallant.”

“I suppose,” Sansa said doubtfully. Beric Dondarrion was handsome enough, but he was awfullyold, almost twenty-two; the Knight of Flowers would have been much better. Of course, Jeyne hadbeen in love with Lord Beric ever since she had first glimpsed him in the lists. Sansa thought she wasbeing silly; Jeyne was only a steward’s daughter, after all, and no matter how much she mooned afterhim, Lord Beric would never look at someone so far beneath him, even if she hadn’t been half hisage.

It would have been unkind to say so, however, so Sansa took a sip of milk and changed the subject.

“I had a dream that Joffrey would be the one to take the white hart,” she said. It had been more of awish, actually, but it sounded better to call it a dream. Everyone knew that dreams were prophetic.

White harts were supposed to be very rare and magical, and in her heart she knew her gallant princewas worthier than his drunken father.

“A dream? Truly? Did Prince Joffrey just go up to it and touch it with his bare hand and do it noharm?”

“No,” Sansa said. “He shot it with a golden arrow and brought it back for me.” In the songs, theknights never killed magical beasts, they just went up to them and touched them and did them noharm, but she knew Joffrey liked hunting, especially the killing part. Only animals, though. Sansa wascertain her prince had no part in murdering Jory and those other poor men; that had been his wickeduncle, the Kingslayer. She knew her father was still angry about that, but it wasn’t fair to blame Joff.

That would be like blaming her for something that Arya had done.

“I saw your sister this afternoon,” Jeyne blurted out, as if she’d been reading Sansa’s thoughts.

“She was walking through the stables on her hands. Why would she do a thing like that?”

“I’m sure I don’t know why Arya does anything.” Sansa hated stables, smelly places full ofmanure and flies. Even when she went riding, she liked the boy to saddle the horse and bring it to herin the yard. “Do you want to hear about the court or not?”

“I do,” Jeyne said.

“There was a black brother,” Sansa said, “begging men for the Wall, only he was kind of old andsmelly.” She hadn’t liked that at all. She had always imagined the Night’s Watch to be men likeUncle Benjen. In the songs, they were called the black knights of the Wall. But this man had beencrookbacked and hideous, and he looked as though he might have lice. If this was what the Night’sWatch was truly like, she felt sorry for her bastard half brother, Jon. “Father asked if there were anyknights in the hall who would do honor to their houses by taking the black, but no one came forward,so he gave this Yoren his pick of the king’s dungeons and sent him on his way. And later these twobrothers came before him, freeriders from the Dornish Marches, and pledged their swords to theservice of the king. Father accepted their oaths …”

Jeyne yawned. “Are there any lemon cakes?”

Sansa did not like being interrupted, but she had to admit, lemon cakes sounded more interestingthan most of what had gone on in the throne room. “Let’s see,” she said.

The kitchen yielded no lemon cakes, but they did find half of a cold strawberry pie, and that wasalmost as good. They ate it on the tower steps, giggling and gossiping and sharing secrets, and Sansawent to bed that night feeling almost as wicked as Arya.

The next morning she woke before first light and crept sleepily to her window to watch Lord Bericform up his men. They rode out as dawn was breaking over the city, with three banners going beforethem; the crowned stag of the king flew from the high staff, the direwolf of Stark and Lord Beric’sown forked lightning standard from shorter poles. It was all so exciting, a song come to life; theclatter of swords, the flicker of torchlight, banners dancing in the wind, horses snorting andwhinnying, the golden glow of sunrise slanting through the bars of the portcullis as it jerked upward.

The Winterfell men looked especially fine in their silvery mail and long grey cloaks.

Alyn carried the Stark banner. When she saw him rein in beside Lord Beric to exchange words, itmade Sansa feel ever so proud. Alyn was handsomer than Jory had been; he was going to be a knightone day.

The Tower of the Hand seemed so empty after they left that Sansa was even pleased to see Aryawhen she went down to break her fast. “Where is everyone?” her sister wanted to know as she rippedthe skin from a blood orange. “Did Father send them to hunt down Jaime Lannister?”

Sansa sighed. “They rode with Lord Beric, to behead Ser Gregor Clegane.” She turned to SeptaMordane, who was eating porridge with a wooden spoon. “Septa, will Lord Beric spike Ser Gregor’shead on his own gate or bring it back here for the king?” She and Jeyne Poole had been arguing overthat last night.

The septa was horror-struck. “A lady does not discuss such things over her porridge. Where areyour courtesies, Sansa? I swear, of late you’ve been near as bad as your sister.”

“What did Gregor do?” Arya asked.

“He burned down a holdfast and murdered a lot of people, women and children too.”

Arya screwed up her face in a scowl. “Jaime Lannister murdered Jory and Heward and Wyl, andthe Hound murdered Mycah. Somebody should have beheaded them.”

“It’s not the same,” Sansa said. “The Hound is Joffrey’s sworn shield. Your butcher’s boyattacked the prince.”

r’s b............