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He sat in box number 5 watching, through his theater binoculars, that delightful soprano captivating the audience with her magnificent performance. A beautiful redhead woman named Sansa Stark stole Tywin’s heart. She had a voice that caressed all his deep-buried desires and made him ache for more. He vowed he would have her.
Sansa was flattered by the praise she received. She had gifts from many admirers around the world. Although, one man, she presumed, never failed in sending her flowers every morning. He refused to give a name much to her disappointment, but she guessed he was a prominent businessman who had access to vital information such as the hotel she stayed in.
As the season was almost over, she had a chance to visit her family up north. She missed her papa and mama, her sister Arya had sent her a letter of her brother Robb's engagement to a lady named Jeyne Westerling. The message made her giggle like a silly little girl, reading Arya's snarky comments on her parent's unwavering desire to marry Sansa next. But the truth of it, she wanted a love match. She did not think her parents would approve it since she had to fight foot and nail to join the Opera. A noblewoman who performed and sang? That was unheard of.
She was at the lobby finishing her business when the receptionist told her, her staying for the next season was paid already. “But, by whom?” she asked.
“By me Lady Stark,” a rich baritone voice reached her ear.
Sansa was stunned when she saw the Duke of Casterly Rock beside her. She heard many things about the man, but none of them were pleasant. The man was known for his wealth and his cutthroat methods in his dealings with the gold mining business. There on the mountains of the Westerlands, he gained more than 3000 golden dragons in a year, placing him as a strongly desirable suitor for those thirsty for appearances.
He was wearing his beige three-piece summer suit holding a Panama Fedora hat in one hand and a cane in the other. He was the epitome of a very dapper and handsome gentleman, Sansa thought. She was waiting for her chaperone when he offered lunch on the lawn, and she accepted, wanting to thank him. Surprisingly, he was a charming companion asking about her passion for singing. He seemed to know more about the technicalities than the average gentleman would.
“Can you sing, your grace?” She blurted out.
He adjusted himself on the chair and said, “It’s only a hobby, and you are the first one to know about it after my late wife.”
Why would he tell her that? She thought.
“I am a patron of an opera house in the west, and frankly, I came here to offer you an opportunity there.” Performing in the Lannisport Hall was the dream of her childhood, and the greatest singers in the world were there, she couldn't refuse him.
“Believe me; they take my recommendation seriously there,” he emphasized, and that sealed the deal for her.
She called her parents that night, telling them she would be absent for another two months before she got back to her home. After a thorough discussion, they approved but notified her that a gentleman asked for her hand. Sansa’s heart sank, and soon, her dreams would crash.
Her sadness was temporary when she arrived in the Westerlands. Tywin showed her around the different sites driving them in his brand new Packard Twin Six Roadster. The Sunset Sea was a scenery she would never forget with its slow undulating waves. She knew that was a memory she would forever treasure with Tywin. They wined and dined together every day in his house, where he introduced her to his children. Sansa didn't miss an odd look that appeared on their faces as she became a frequent guest. What was that? She was just a friend of their father.
The opening performance gained great success in the critiques books, and soon she became the talk of the town. Tywin was never disappointed in her talent, but the more he saw her, the more he needed her. And soon, he decided to confess his true feelings.
One day he knocked on her suite’s door multiple times, but nobody answered. Tywin asked around of her whereabouts only to find she had left for her home. She left him a note apologizing for not being alarming and telling him that an incident occurred, killing both her father and brother, and now her younger brother Bran inherited the state, and she had to help him. His Jaime found him in a foul mood that day, unable to eat or speak to anyone.
“Hello, young chap, what happened?” He tried to appease him, but Tywin ignored him.
“Father, if that was about your Stark girl, go north and talk to her.” Jaime sighed when the silence continued and decided to leave.
“That much obvious, son?” he suddenly said.
“Yeah, that much is obvious. Good luck.”
Tywin took the Westerosi Railway Express on his journey north. He tried to sort the words he would say to Sansa but failed miserably. He couldn't sleep properly, thinking of her eyes and smile. She was the water he drank and the air he breathed. At Winterfell manor, Sansa was not much better. She realized how she missed Tywin profoundly and wept when she discovered her true feelings. But all for nothing, he was gone now from her life.
She was sitting in the drawing-room with her mother when the butler announced a visitor who refused to give his name and demanded to see her. Sansa had no time for that and ordered him to dismiss the stranger, only to hear a familiar voice.
“Lady Sansa Stark, I want to see her!” the man insisted.
“Let him enter Mr.Poole.” and here he was in front of her flesh and blood.
Duchess Stark curtsied before she forgot her manners and frowned at him. Her bewilderment increased when her daughter ran and embraced him. What was happening here?
“Sansa, whatever that was, you have only twenty minutes with him.” Catelyn left.
That was not enough and would never be, but for now, she would take it. They sat holding hands and struggled to say a word.
“You first, Sansa,” he urged.
“I.. there’s so much I want to tell you, but I love you, Ty,” She admitted.
“Oh, my dearest darling. I love you too.” he removed a strand from her face and brushed her lips with his. “I want you, Sansa. Will you marry me?”
“Oh, yes! Thank God, you arrived. Now, I can marry someone I love. My family won't refuse the golden duke.”
He laughed from the bottom of his heart and kissed her until she had her fill. Soon she would be his star duchess; Tywin would never forbid her passion.
“One last thing, the flowers in the hotel. That was you, right?”
“Sansa, I loved you before you knew me. You are the first in my heart since Joanna.”
“Well, your tips were not enough. Some of the flowers were withered,” she teased him.
“Ugh, incompetence. I'm sorry, my love. Never mind, you are mine now. You better know that I'm a possessive man.”
“How possessive?” she winked at him.
“Woman, just wait until we're married!” He kissed her forehead and laughed again. Tywin and Sansa were a match of the age.