A Game of Thrones

Distraught with grief, Sansa doesn’t leave her rooms or eat for days. One day, Joffrey bursts in and demands her presence at court, insisting that she “bathe and dress as befits [his] betrothed” (729). She refuses and begs to go home, but Joffrey has the Hound force her out of bed. He says Cersei still wants them to marry and that Ned’s execution was merciful because he was given a “clean death” (730). When Sansa tells Joffrey she hates him, he has one of his men slap her, drawing blood. When Joffrey leaves, the Hound tells Sansa to do what Joffrey wants to avoid more abuse. Later, Sansa attends court. The council settles issues that bore Joffrey, but he passes cruel judgments on those that interest him. After, he commands Sansa to walk with him. He tells her that if their first child is as stupid as she is, he will have her beheaded and get a smarter wife. He takes her up to the battlements to remind her how treason ends, insisting that she look at her father’s severed head impaled on a spike. He tells her that he will bring her Robb’s head as a gift since he is also a traitor for fighting Jaime.