Editing A Clash of Kings-Chapter 52 (section)

==Synopsis==

[[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] sees fires in the [[kingswood]] south across the [[Blackwater Rush]], and recalls that [[Tyrion Lannister]] has also burned the riverfront outside the walls of [[King's Landing]].

Sansa meets again with Ser [[Dontos Hollard|Dontos]] in the [[godswood of the Red Keep]], and learns that he hears more things as a [[fool]] than he ever did as a [[knight]]. [[Varys]] pays in [[gold]] for anything overheard, making Dontos believe that [[Moon Boy]] has been working for Varys for years. Dontos tells Sansa that [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] burned the [[godswood at Storm's End]] at the behest of the [[Melisandre|red priestess]]. When Sansa asks him to make good on his promise, Dontos tells her the time is not right for their escape. Dontos does promise her that when his friend returns to [[King's Landing]], they will have a ship to escape on. Meanwhile, the royal war galleys have been exchanging arrows with Stannis's archers on the south shore; Stannis's vanguard has arrived under the leadership of Ser [[Guyard Morrigen]]. 

[[File:Luaprata91 sandor sansa eve of battle.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Sansa and Sandor atop [[Maegor's Holdfast]] © Luaprata91]]

Sansa does not want to return to her room yet, so she goes up to the roof of [[Maegor's Holdfast]], where she is surprised by [[Sandor Clegane]]. The [[Hound]] is in a foul mood as ever, and tells her that he enjoys killing, and that only cowards fight with fire. He claims he fears no man, but Sansa thinks that he does fear [[Gregor Clegane|his brother]]. Once again, Sandor assures her that there are no [[true knight]]s. 

That night, Sansa has another dream of the [[riots in King's Landing]]. This time she is surrounded by a mob, and calls out to all the great knights, but none respond to her call. She feels herself bleeding, and awakes to find the sheets soaked with blood. She realizes that she just had her first [[flowering]], and burns the sheets in fear that [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]] will find out and want to bed her.

Sansa's maids catch her and bring her before the queen, but [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] comforts her, knowing the girl is frightened at the prospect of marrying Joffrey. She tells her how difficult Joffrey was to bear, and how [[Robert I Baratheon|Robert]] was out hunting when Joffrey was born. Cersei informs her that while Sansa may not love Joffrey, she will love the children she bears him. The queen also reveals that Robert always wanted to be loved, to have friends and be cheered, and that her brother [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]] had the same disease. She tells Sansa, "Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same."