In Baelor Great Sept, Sansa Stark raised her head and glanced calmly at the three faces on the high platform.
Then, her eyes passed over the first row of the auditorium. As expected, it was her mother-in-law, now her sister Cersei Lannister, who was staring at her with extremely vicious eyes.
Sansa took a small breath.
She could hear her heart beating in her chest, and a slight sheen of sweat formed on her palms.
Although she had experienced this scene more than once after her father was accused of treason and imprisoned, due to the bad taste of the former king Joffrey, Sansa still inevitably felt a little nervous when faced with the scrutiny of hundreds of pairs of eyes with different expressions.
Finally, she suppressed her nervousness, knelt down, and performed an impeccable aristocratic ceremony.
Her movements were elegant and smooth, and every detail complied with the etiquette of the southern court. She had learned these in Winterfell. Her mother from the Riverlands had spared no effort to teach her, so that every move she made was no different from those of the noble ladies in the south.
"My lords."
When Sansa spoke, there was no trace of the North accent, but her voice was as cold as if one could see the sky full of ice and snow.
The voice did not tremble at all, but revealed a tempered calmness.
"I'm Sansa Stark!"
"The daughter of Eddard Stark, Duke of Winterfell, and Lady Catelyn Tully, the legal heir of Winterfell!"
She paused and turned her eyes to the shackled Tyrion beside her.
Tyrion was looking up at her, his gray-green eyes showing great disbelief.
The tall and slender neck of Maiden in front of him even gave Tyrion the illusion that it gradually overlapped with the figure of the noble lady who had accused him in the Riverlands.
She really looks like her mother.
The moment their eyes met, there was no emotion in Sansa's eyes.
"And..." She turned back to face the high platform and said word by word, "Tyrion Lannister's legal wife!"
Legal wife!
This word echoes in Great Sept.
Everyone knows what this means, which means that if Tyrion is convicted and executed, as his legal wife, Sansa Stark will inherit his property and title.
However, she is also a Stark.
The silence was finally broken.
Whispers surged from all directions like a tide, forming a buzzing noise.
"By the gods, she's really back..."
"I have been missing for so many days, but I just chose today.
Cersei's face was extremely twisted as she listened.
Because that the North girl who has always been regarded as a stupid little bird who can be kneaded at will, now dares to stand here so calmly and proudly, scanning the entire audience with that calm and hateful eyes!
What made her even more angry was that this bitch dared to call herself "Tyrion's wife"!
The Tyrion demon who killed her precious son!
Unlike Queen Mother's madness, Tywin never spoke.
He just sat quietly, looking at the young woman at the foot of the steps with piercing eyes.
She has changed.
Tywin was clearly aware of this.
At this moment, Sansa Stark stood tall and straight, with firm eyes and clear speech. Her whole body exuded a cold and hard temperament that had been settled after experiencing great pain.
Interesting.
Tywin tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
Who made her change like this?
Instinctively, his eyes unconsciously looked over Sansa's shoulder and towards the open door of Great Sept.
Sunlight pours in from outside the door, casting bright spots on the floor at the door.
There seemed to be something moving in the shadows at the edge of the light spot.
Tywin calmly withdrew his gaze and focused on Sansa again. No matter who was standing behind her, she was standing here now.
What does she want?
How much does she know?
As the actual ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, Tywin is used to controlling everything. Sansa's sudden appearance is unplanned, but he needs to understand the nature of the matter first.
"Lady Sansa."
Tywin finally spoke, and everyone's ears perked up.
"Your return is surprising."
"Where did you go during your escape from King's Landing?"
Tywin leaned forward slightly, his golden-green eyes locked on Sansa like a hawk.
His eyes were as sharp as a knife, and he directly used the word escape, characterizing Sansa's disappearance as an escape after murder.
But out of the corner of Tywin's eyes, he glanced at the interlaced area of light and shadow at the door again.
He knew very well that Sansa Stark alone would never have the courage to stand here alone.
Sure enough.
Not long after, a figure slowly walked in from the intersection between the bright sunlight outside the door and the shadow inside the door.
The man didn't walk very fast, with a calm gait, as if he was just strolling into his own hall.
He was wearing simple dark coarse cloth trousers, a half-used leather vest, and an ordinary Longsword hung around his waist, as if he were a civilian without any identity.
In fact, the appearance of this person did not cause much commotion. After all, most of the nobles' attention was still focused on the conversation between Sansa and Tywin.
Only a few keen people, such as those sitting in the gallery, noticed.
But Tywin saw it.
His pupils shrank almost imperceptibly for a moment, and then returned to calm, except that the palms on the upper armrests tightened slightly.
Vito·Corleone.
The man against whom the sword could not be brought finally appeared.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Tywin's mind.
Corleone and Sansa appear at the same time, it is no coincidence.
This means that Sansa's disappearance, hiding, and even her appearance at this moment are inseparable from this mysterious Farmer Knight.
But what does Corleone want to do?
Save Tyrion?
Why?
Tywin's thoughts were extremely confused, but his face remained calm, waiting for Sansa's answer and Corleone's next move.
Sansa didn't seem to notice the slight movement at the door, or maybe she did but didn't care.
She faced Tywin's scrutinizing gaze and raised her voice to ensure that every word could be heard clearly Sept: "I have always been in King's Landing, my lord."
"In Flea Bottom."
Flea Bottom.
This word instantly caused an even greater uproar!
"Flea Bottom? Gods!"
"The Stark lady is hiding in Flea Bottom? How is that possible!"
"It's dirty and smelly, full of beggars and thieves...
"How did she survive?"
The incredible exclamations mixed together, turning the solemn Sept into a noisy market in an instant.
The expressions on the faces of the nobles are wonderful.
Flea Bottom is the lowest, filthiest, and most chaotic area in King's Landing. It is a sore that nobles would rather avoid than approach.
Although someone seems to have transformed that place over the past few days, to the nobles of King's Landing, the place is still tacky.
But now, a noble-born Duke's daughter, Lady, who is famous for her beauty and elegance, actually claims that she is hiding in such a place?
This is simply more unbelievable than saying that she escaped outside the Wall!
Mace Tyrell had undisguised disdain on his fat face. He shook his head, as if he heard some dirty words that defiled his ears.
Cersei let out a short and sharp sneer, her face full of pride, "Look, she's talking nonsense."
However, Tywin, as Prime Minister, did not interrupt the commotion.
He let the sound rise and fall, but his eyes never left Sansa's face, observing her reaction.
However, Sansa just stood there quietly, raising her chin slightly, letting those glances and whispers wash over her like a tide.
Her blue eyes were clear and calm, like the surface of a frozen lake, reflecting no ripples.
When the noise subsided, Sansa spoke again, her voice louder and more determined than before. "Besides, I am not "escaping" King's Landing."
She deliberately emphasized the word "escape", and her eyes glanced at Cersei in the first row of the auditorium intentionally or unintentionally, and then turned back to Tywin.
"I was kidnapped."
Take away!
The impact of this word is even greater than "Flea Bottom"!
At the king's wedding banquet, in the Red Castle, under the eyes of hundreds of nobles and soldiers, a duke's daughter was kidnapped.
Who dares?
Who can?
Even Mad King Aerys dare not be so crazy!
Great Sept completely exploded.
This time, even the most calm nobles couldn't help but whisper to each other, and their voices became louder and louder.
Doubt, confusion, anger, curiosity, all kinds of emotions filled the air.
But at this moment, the Prime Minister slowly raised his hand.
It was just a simple action, but everyone fell silent for it, and people's eyes once again focused on the Prime Minister, waiting for his reaction.
Tywin didn't speak immediately.
He looked at Sansa for five seconds, and then he slowly asked, "Who kidnapped you, Lady Sansa?"
Hearing this, Sansa took a deep breath.
She could feel everyone's eyes piercing her like needles, and Cersei's eyes almost turned into a look of real hatred.
However, she still has confidence in her heart.
Because...
There he is.
He promised to keep her safe and intervene when necessary.
With a long sigh of relief, Sansa raised her head, glanced across the audience, and finally fixed on Tywin's face, and said calmly, "Dontos Hollard!"
"The moment Joffrey Your Majesty fell, I had no time to react."
"The crowd was in chaos and screaming. Dontos Ser, dressed in jester's clothes, suddenly grabbed my arm with surprising strength."
"He covered my mouth and dragged me towards the side door.
As she spoke, she paused, as if recalling the panic at that time.
"He told me that he was ordered by someone to take me away from King's Landing, otherwise my life would be in danger. He said that the Red Keep was no longer safe and someone wanted to kill me to silence me."
"I struggled, but it was useless. He put me into a carriage waiting in the shadows, and covered my mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in medicine... When I woke up, I was already in a dirty cargo ship on the Blackwater River.
Her narrative is clear and detailed, without excessive emotional exaggeration, but appears to be true and believable.
"Liar!"
After hearing Sansa's explanation, Queen Mother, who had originally ignored her affairs, suddenly lost his composure. His screams tore through the silence of Sept, and the voice was distorted by extreme anger and fear.
She pointed at Sansa's nose and cursed angrily, "This bitch! She and her Tyrion husband conspired to kill my son, and then sneaked out of King's Landing! She is lying! It's all lies!"
Cersei's chest rose and fell violently, and her luxurious dress swayed with her movements.
She turned to the trial seat and screamed at Tywin, with a cry in her voice, "Father! You can't believe her! She is a Stark, and she is with that demon!"
"I demand... I demand that she be tried together with that devil! For regicide!"
Seeing Cersei's face twisted with anger and fear, Sansa clenched her fists quietly.
How similar.
Cersei at this moment is exactly the same as Joffrey back then, just as self-righteous and just as hysterical.
At that time, she was frightened, deceived, and manipulated by such a gesture.
If she had been a year ago, or even a few months ago, faced with Queen Mother's public accusations and insults, she would have panicked, rushed to defend herself, cried and begged, and folded her wings like a frightened bird.
But now Sansa Stark is no longer that little bird.
She experienced her father's arrest and public execution, the disintegration of her family and the stigma of "treason", and Joffrey's cruel teasing day after day...
She has seen the deepest malice in human nature, and also experienced the humblest kindness.
She has died many times, and that innocent and stupid "Little Bird Sansa" has died countless crying nights.
And now standing here is Sansa Stark, reshaped from ashes and ice.
She may not be strong enough or wise enough, but she has learned to be calm, to observe, and to steady her breathing in the center of the storm.
More importantly, the fact that she dared to stand here today, facing the most powerful people in the Seven Kingdoms, and facing Queen Mother who wanted to eat their flesh, proved that she had the confidence!
This confidence not only comes from her own growth, but also from a promise, an extremely powerful backing!
So, Sansa didn't argue, didn't cry, or even look at Cersei.
She just slowly loosened her clenched fists, raised her head, and cast her light past the madly shouting Queen Mother, directly towards the person on the high platform who really controlled the situation, Tywin Lannister.
Someone told me that after saying these words, you just need to wait quietly.
Sure enough, in the main seat, the Prime Minister looked at his screaming daughter, with no expression on his face, but a look of disappointment flashed deep in his green eyes.
Cersei.
His only daughter inherited Lannister's blond hair and blue eyes, inherited the family's desire for power and control, but did not inherit the matching wisdom and patience.
She is like a lioness driven by instinct, ferocious and violent, but lacks strategic vision and is easily swayed by emotions. She can only roar and bite at critical moments.
Stupid.
Tywin commented coldly in his heart.
Just as stupid as her son Joffrey, if not worse.
At least Joffrey is still an unpolished child, while Cersei is already an adult woman who has experienced marriage, childbirth, and court struggle.
Doesn't she understand?
The sudden appearance of Sansa Stark is certainly a change, but it is also an opportunity!
An opportunity to regain the inheritance rights of the North!
When he forced Tyrion to marry Sansa, wasn't it just to obtain the Lannister family's legal claim to the North through this marriage?
But what is Cersei doing?
She actually clamored that Sansa and Tyrion should be tried and executed together?
This daughter didn't miss him at all. She only saw hatred and revenge, but she couldn't see the price behind hatred and revenge, nor the overall situation.
She never learns that true power lies not in killing your enemies, but in making them work for you.
Shaking his head slightly, Tywin ignored Cersei's scream.
He didn't even look at her, he just cleared his throat, then slowly sat upright, his eyes falling on Sansa again.
"Lady Sansa."
"You said you stayed in Flea Bottom."
"So, can anyone vouch for you?"
This is a key question.
All eyes were focused on Sansa again.
Tyrion held his breath, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
Sansa took another deep breath.
She could feel the weight of those countless glances, she could feel Cersei's almost solid malice, and she could feel the unfathomable depth beneath Tywin's calm surface.
She also knew that her next words would completely change the direction of this trial.
But Sansa did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned slightly sideways and looked at the door of Great Sept, looking at the area where sunlight and shadow intertwined.
The corners of his mouth slowly moved upward, curved in a playful arc.
"Of course, my lord."
At this moment, a calm and gentle voice came from the direction of the door.
The voice was not loud, but it seemed to have a calm and unhurried confidence.
"I can vouch for Lady Sansa Stark."
Hearing this, the entire Baylor Great Sept, hundreds of nobles, knights, and golden robes, all turned their heads and looked at the source of the sound.
Sunlight poured in through the open door, casting golden light spots on the floor.
In the shadow at the edge of the light spot, the man took a step forward and completely walked into the light inside Sept.
He was still wearing the plain and shabby coarse cloth trousers and old leather vest, with Longsword hanging around his waist.
Some people recognized him.
In other words, they have all heard of legends that are getting more and more bizarre and awe-inspiring.
Farmer, who established order in Flea Bottom, defeated the Magic Mountain, was personally canonized by the Prime Minister, mysteriously disappeared not long ago, and then returned to King's Landing to take charge of order in Flea Bottom.
Vito·Corleone.