Chapter Text
King’s Landing University. Department of Classical Studies. 10:00 PM
The corridors were empty. Sansa blinked. The fluorescent lights were too bright.
White. Everything around her was white. The walls. The roof. The floor tiles. Why was everything so white?
The ground rippled beneath her feet. She leaned against the wall and shut her eyes. Why was the world rocking? She needed something to hold onto, but there was nothing there. Only walls and floor tiles and fluorescent lights. It’s a shame I cannot climb the wall and hold onto a fluorescent light. The thought didn’t seem strange to her. Everything felt unreal.
She rested her hand against the wall by instinct. She needed to touch something solid, something firm. She needed to regain her sense of reality.
Wait. Something wasn’t right. Sansa knitted her brow, trying to figure out what was wrong. Something about the wall… Something about her hand… Gods. Why couldn’t she make the connection? Her mind felt like wrapped in mist. Think, she told herself. But it was so hard. She wanted to lie on the floor and sleep.
Don’t. Something inside her rebelled at the idea.
Think.
The wall…
Her hand…
Her hand touching the wall…
Think. Think. Think.
The texture. That was the issue. She couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t perceive if it was smooth or rough or grainy.
What was happening?
Move, her instinct told her. She needed to get out of there. She needed help.
Her body felt so heavy as she walked along the corridor. Luckily, she was on the ground floor. She wasn’t certain whether she’d have been able to go down the stairs in her current state.
Exit. Sansa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the sign above the door. Just a few steps left. She could do it.
She didn’t know how she gathered the strength to push the door open. Her body seemed to have taken the control. Her mind was still trying to understand the situation.
She didn’t react when the air brushed her face. She wasn’t cold even though she was wearing her coat unbuttoned. The street lighting was dim and the trees and the dumpsters casted odd shadows.
Sansa blinked when the street lamps began to swirl. Focus. She narrowed her eyes and looked around. The area seemed deserted, but she didn’t despair. The department of Economics was a 5-minute walk from there. Since this was one of the departments with the highest enrollment, chances were she would find someone there.
Move.
The pavement looked like a dark sea. It’s pretty, Sansa thought. A sea of cement and cobblestones. Her fingers could almost brush against it. Her body was leaning forward as she walked.
The sound of a car in the distance made her raise her face. Soon she saw the headlights. The car was coming towards her. Finally, she had found someone, or rather, someone had found her.
The car stopped on her left. It was black. Sansa noticed there was a figurine hanging on the inside rearview mirror, but she couldn’t distinguish its shape. When the driver opened the door, the lights turned on, and she saw it was a metal bird. It was still swinging. Sansa smiled. A bird hanging in the air. So pretty.
The man got out of the car. He was dressed in a suit and tie. He must be a professor, Sansa thought. She lifted her eyes. He had grey temples and green eyes. Her breath hitched. I know you.
“Good night, miss. Do you need some help?”
“Hi.” Her voice sounded groggy. Sansa swallowed. Her brain felt so slow. The man was looking at her and even though he looked serene, Sansa noticed a flicker of worry in his eyes. Focus. “Ah, yes. Yes, I think I… I need some help.”
“Alright.” He raised his hands in a soothing manner. “Alright,” he repeated. “I am Petyr Baelish, I work as a professor at the Department of Economics. You are safe with me, I promise you.”
“Okay.” Sansa just wanted to close her eyes and let the mist in her mind take the control over her.
“What’s your name?” Petyr’s voice brought her back to reality. His voice was like a torch in the darkness.
“Sansa.”
“Alright, Sansa. Tell me. Do you remember how you came here?”
“Yes. No. I mean… I remember leaving the Department of Classical Studies, but I don’t know how I got there.”
“Alright. Don’t worry. You’ll be alright. I’ll take you to a safe place and someone will examine you.” He touched her arm carefully as if fearing she would flinch. But she didn’t show any emotion. “Sansa?”
His voice was so pleasant. His students were lucky. She wouldn’t mind listening to him for hours.
“Sansa?” He squeezed her arm. “Sansa, look at me.”
Oh, yes. She would love to do so. He was very handsome, and perhaps if she stared at him long enough, she would find out where she had seen him before, for Sansa was certain she’d seen him before.
“Sansa.” He lifted her chin gently, and his eyes met hers. Those eyes… Sansa felt as if he were staring into her soul. Suddenly, she felt regret. But why? Those eyes were stirring something inside her. I’m sorry, she wanted to say. But why? Why? She couldn't hold his gaze any longer. She stepped back, and her coat fluttered.
Sansa noticed the sudden change in his expression. Petyr had turned pale, and his eyes showed distress. He moved closer to her again, and this time, she remained still. His expression… It wasn’t the first time she saw the anguish in his eyes. You must remember.
Gently, he pulled away one side of her coat.
“Sansa, you’re bleeding.”
“What?” She looked down at her belly. It was true. There was a red stain on her pullover and the waistline of her pants. “Oh.”
Something clicked in her mind. She remembered where she’d seen him.
“I saw you in my dreams.”
Petyr knitted his brows.
“What?”
She opened her mouth to answer his question, but her legs faltered.
“Hey, hey.” Petyr grabbed her waist before she fell. He held her against his body. Sansa noticed a faint scent of mint. “Stay with me, sweetling. You’re going to get well.”
That was the last thing she heard. Afterwards, the darkness surrounded her.