daemonbrain
daemonbrain
90 posts
asoiaf enthusiast
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daemonbrain · 3 days ago
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jb bedding [real]
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daemonbrain · 3 days ago
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Things Jaime has said of the other knights of the Kingsguard during performance review season probably
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daemonbrain · 3 days ago
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MA'AM I humbly ask with gratitude if you have thought of a part 2 for 'honor'. I was in bliss at reading your work for hours, and it's left a special place in my heart. 😞💔
Ugh anon thanks for asking babe 💕💕
My Honor will have two other parts:
282 A.C. | *I have no clue what the title will be*
283 A.C. | The Rebellion *not started*
Not gonna lie I only have like 80% of the first scene finished (oops) I love that fic very much but my gosh it took me so long to write and I think I got a little teeny bit traumatized 😩
But fear not, I have 0 intentions of abandoning it !! I’m currently working on an oc x jaime right now so my attention has been sapped by that lol. I also have another oneshot that I’m gonna take care of. While you can def expect a pt. 2, it probably won’t be for quite some time…
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daemonbrain · 13 days ago
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JAIME LANNISTER in every episode: 1.09 // Baelor
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daemonbrain · 14 days ago
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Put me in a room with these two and we’re all leaving with a limp
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daemonbrain · 18 days ago
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Yes, I want to be his neighbor. Of course I want to be the stripper at the club he owns. I want to be his fated omega. I want to be his co-worker. I want to be his doctor, his arranged wife, his enemy, his childhood friend, his kid’s babysitter, his girlfriend, his wife, his ex-wife, his barista, his soulmate, his strange cryptid, his favorite blood bag, his divorce attorney, his pr relationship, his boss, his secretary, his sugar baby, his... I think you get the point.
In all universes, physical forms, and realities, I want that man.
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daemonbrain · 19 days ago
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im ngl most catelyn criticism falls flat bc its usually said with no consideration for why thats how she is. yes she's violent and has internalized misogyny and has her faults as a mother and made her blunders and was. in a way. cruel to jon but the moment you say that while ignoring the reason her faults came to be you're kinda missing the point. catelyn's violence is always committed to protect herself or her children. her misogyny comes from the society she lives in, from her fear that arya will have a bad life because cat knows that women who rebel get punished too. her faults as a mother come from being human, a widow, a single parent with no support as a war rages and her children are taken one by one. her disdain of jon comes from her complex relationship to ned and their past and the fact that she views jon as both a threat to her children and a blight in her marriage. calling catelyn a misogynistic abusive bitch is both unhelpful and a very surface level reading of the character
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daemonbrain · 19 days ago
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taglist: @coco-killed-the-angels, @iluvjoaofelix14, @spnbandwagon1019, @eremika104, @am-i-shit-or-am-i-the-shit
Part 1 | Part 2
cw: murder, simon's a perv, reader's husband is a piece of work, smut, can be read as a standalone. a/n: This was rushed lol
I didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident. I wasn’t thinking straight.
Simon Riley could remember the first time he had heard those excuses. In a rundown burrow of Manchester, fiddling with the telly until a show he was much too young to watch blinked on to the cracked screen.
He’d sit there with beady eyes, attention locked on to the program while his mum did fuck knows what. It was distinctly American with muscle cars, high speed chases, guns, and most morbidly fascinating to an already tainted young mind, death.
Censorship and all, the show never did the gory details of killing someone justice. They never elaborated on the high of having a man stare down the barrel of your gun. It was never described how good it felt to have someone piss themselves in fear of you. The power a person can have when they know they could beat the life out of somebody.
They made excuses for those feelings.
It was always a righteous fuckin’ accident. Good guys versus bad guys, black and white.
A slight breeze whistled through the dim alleyway. Both idle chatter and music from inside the bar behind him wove together in a pacifying hum. It rang in the Brit’s ear as his chest heaved with the satisfaction of a job well done. 
The blood had splattered over his pale skin, still warm droplets sliding past his wrists down his forearms. His knuckles split and bloomed into a haze of purple and red from the force of his hits. None of it was some mishap, it wasn’t a lapse in judgement.
On the contrary, Simon hadn’t felt more alert in months. Not since being in the field.
He glanced at the body crumpled at his feet with both disdain and the closest thing to giddy he was able to feel. This pathetic fuckin’ tosser looked just as miserable as he had any other day. Broken and disfigured with his bodily fluids still bubbling up through the splits in his skin and bone. 
Your idiot husband who dragged you into the depths of his abhorrent ways, brain-dead and awful like a stain that needed to be removed.
He crouched down and loomed over the guy as he would terrorists and people who threatened the very world's security: Menacing and threatening. The difference in offenses mattered little to him. Sure the latter bombed, maimed, and endangered whole countries of people for their own warped means to an end.
But this guy? He wanted to ruin the only decent thing Simon had encountered in a long time. Uniquely different in a vast sea of bad, you steadfastly remained joyous despite having to put up with someone like this.
Your husband's pulse still throbbed, weak as it was. Simon leaned in close and followed the way his breaths puffed out feebly. It was quiet and perhaps if he wasn’t trained to spot the difference between a dead man and one teetering on the edge of their demise, he might’ve missed it. 
Unfortunately for your husband that wasn’t the case.
“Please…” He rasped, a ghost of the words really.
Big hands grabbed the collar of his soiled white shirt. It had been crisp and showy for the woman he had been drinking with. The same woman whose thighs he was reaching for, the curve of her waist he’d held. The same woman Simon surmised he had been leaving you lonely for, his dinner and your kind heart growing colder while he got his little prick wet when he was supposed to be working.
He was cheating on you.
It was the flashes of your little yoga sets which came to Simon’s mind when he first connected the dots of what was happening. You who came into that butchers shop every Friday after your session for a cut of meat to make this poor excuse of a man a meal. All smiles and good like a slice of heaven that felt wrong for someone such as him to witness.
“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.” Was all Simon replied before he moved his grip to the fool's throat. 
His fingers squeezed around the adams apple, effectively cutting off any air being wasted on the near-dead man.
He snarled up close and personal, though your husband was rendered relatively incapable of seeing much. Simon had gotten good hits on his eyes, one of them bloodshot and unfocused, the other already blackened, puffy, and too far gone.
“She’s not gonna remember a bloody thing about ya’.” Simon spat, more to himself than anyone, before the ex-soldier piled his crushing weight on the windpipe.
It was only a moment before the frail thrashing ceased.
The rainy weather had finally begun to wane and the pollen which once scattered the air, tinted windshields, and led to bright flowers had finally receded. The sun rested high in the sky for longer and its rays beat down harsher than it had in the past few months.
Spring and all the hardships it brought had come to pass and summer was now upon the city.
Simon’s hand rested on the cool metal of the door handle. The flimsy barrier between yourself and him. Hell, he could kick it in with minimal effort if need be. To get to you, he’d rip it off the squeaky old hinges which held it to the frame. Luckily for your entrance, that wasn’t necessary. 
Not anymore at least.
Poor, sad you had taken to him like a moth to flame. In your grief it wasn’t drinking or drugs or any other vices you had used as a balm to soothe your weary soul, but Simon.
The jingle of the keys sounded out before he nudged them in. He twisted and unlocked the door before he opened it.
You had stopped coming to the butchers shop, no one to make meals for anymore, no reason to waste time in that place. It had certainly impeded his ability to accidentally run into you, but he supposed that was bound to happen. You needed time to mourn that prick you married. You were too sweet, too free with who you gave your affections to and this was the downside to that.
The concern had started as a result of Simon’s frequent… observations. No matter how long he would watch your apartment, you wouldn’t step a foot outside. Gone were your freshly manicured hands, well-maintained hair, and skin-tight yoga sets. Instead, you opted to wallow and waste away in your own anguish. 
He pushed through the threshold and closed the door behind him, a soft thud accompanied the motion. He peered around for only a moment. It was still in the common areas of your home. Too quiet for his liking. 
Without invitation, he started down the hall towards your room. His heavy boots thudded against wooden floors, bits of dirt coming off them as he went.
You had been all too accommodating when he had finally had enough and came to the source to see what was really happening. Had even invited him in for a cup of tea. To see you in the flesh had been enough to quell the invasive anxieties which had begun to settle in his chest. You certainly didn’t look the same, but strangely enough, you seemed more at ease with yourself than he had ever witnessed. 
If he didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought you seemed more confused than upset.
As he neared your door, his skin prickled as his ears picked up on the faint weeping behind the polished lumber.
You had easily come into the habit of letting the Brit into your personal space whenever he stopped by. Maybe you became too comfortable with a man you had known less than a year, but to his benefit, it was easy to get you to fork over a spare set of keys.
Privacy be damned (and Simon’s emotional range of a turnip aside), he couldn’t stop the surge conviction he had to be near you.
It was only a second before he barged into your room, met with a sight he definitely hadn’t expected.
“Simon… what the hell!” You squealed as you scrambled for your covers. You threw them over your heaving body as if that would erase what he had gotten an eyeful of.
Maybe the universe was kind to him. Perhaps it had finally thrown him a damn bone after years of trying to kill him. It could’ve only been divine intervention which guided him to you at this very moment, to have you so distracted you hadn’t heard him come through the front door.
“Well don’t just stand there-” You started in shock, body gathering itself from its horizontal position upwards.
That was the wrong thing to say to a man who just saw your bare tits pushed up in frustration, cunt glistening with a scant amount of slick as you carelessly shoved your fingers into the hole. Baby hairs stuck to your sweat beaded forehead, tears gathered at your lash line as yet another manifestation of your stress laden body.
He ambled towards you and in that moment there was nothing short of a tank that could stop him.
“Wait. Hey. What are you doing?!” You sniffled, a weak caution as your hands dipped into the sheets of your mattress.
To his relief, you didn’t shrink as his shadow enveloped your quaking form. Your breath stuttered and Simon could only stare in something similar to awe. There was a beautiful defiance he didn’t often see from you as you refused to cower before him.
“What’s going on?” You asked, wide eyed and somewhat gentle tongued.
Even now you couldn’t bring yourself to yell at him, to say something in fiery rage that he’d interrupted your private time.
“I can help.” Was all he mumbled before he descended to his knees in a slowed manner. “Jus’ give me… give me the bloody word and I can.”
As if showing he meant no harm, he braced himself beside the bed. He hoped the act placated you with the knowledge that you could kick him straight in his crooked, already broken one too many times nose if you really wanted to.
“Are you crazy?” You whispered in response.
You hadn’t slapped him in denial yet, as good of sign as any.
He saw the way your legs twitched under the thin sheets. You bit your lip in what he only hoped was contemplation. Another moment passed in silence as his eyes met yours in earnest yearning and absolute want.
The want to brush the tears from your eyes, or to create new ones as he speared you on his cock and bludgeoned into you like a fucking battering ram.
He had waited patiently for months. Had fucked his fist harsh and unforgiveing to the thought of pounding into you until both of you knew nothing but the other’s body. His fantasies of your pleasure addled-mind being anchored by nothing except him stretching you out beyond comprehension. Your cunt would clench over him as the head of him nudged into you with dull pressure that bordered on too much, insistently reminding you of his encroachment inside of you.
“I… I can’t do it myself. It’s like no matter what I try I just can’t.” You choked out embarrassed and sudden.
His blood began to pump hotter the moment you began to inch from beneath the sheets and it was moments before was upon you.
Simon’s usual precision was far from present as the two of you wrestled in a tangle of limbs and positions, but eventually the both of you settled. He knelt before you, your ankles resting on his shoulders, and his hands holding your hips in place (though, it was more an anchor for himself).
He sucked in a sharp breath before his mouth latched onto you. Simon was never one to mince words, nor his actions. When he wanted something, when he wanted someone to feel something, they did.
Your nails dug into the sheets as you threw your head back. He could see the frustration ebb away with each flick of his tongue. He prodded some and then some more, circled and suckled at your clit.
A cut whimper was what caught his attention. Through pale lashes, he peered up at you. The scratch of the sheets, heavy breathing, yet not a peep. He could see the way your lip wobbled, only encouraging him to close his eyes and go in with another lick, harder this time.
Your teeth held on to your bottom lip as if your life depended on it, little moans starting to surface regardless of your intentions.
“Let go.” Was all he murmured before going back in. “Nothin’ t’feel bad about.” 
Small groans left him, leaving vibrations in the most pleasurable of ways. Nothing mattered more to Simon than drowning himself in you, your slick coated his mouth, his nose nudged between your folds, knocking into your more sensitive parts like a bull in a china shop.
“Fuck, please!” You begged as your hand blindly reached for any piece of him, taking purchase on his buzzed hair as you curled forward awkwardly.
His hands dug into your hips as his tongue poked in and out of your cunt. It squeezed the muscle everytime it invasively half-entered, either your body’s way of coaxing him deeper, or an attempt to push away the unfamiliar, he did not know.
When was the last time someone went down on such a pretty thing? The last time you were worshipped like this? Fucks sake, when was the last time you came? Not a little bump of pleasure, or a fast reaction, but properly came?
Your body began to tremble and that’s when Simon decided to hook a finger inside of you. He thrusted it slowly as you whined and shifted. One finger in and out until eventually he joined it with another, much to your cunnys resistance.
“Ah! Just… ugh,” You groaned, continuing to push into his scalp. “Fuck I need more… Simon please.”
More was chanted through his mind like a fucking mantra. His cock twitched again, as hard as a metal rod by this point. He wanted nothing more than to give you what you wanted. Simon Riley was a weak man when it came to a pretty bird.
He wasn’t one to withstand the pleading look on your face, he realized. He knew for sure as his hands went to undo the belt of his pants. He knew when he practically ripped his shirt off.
Your soft hands touched the planes of his chest, the hardened muscles of his abdomen wrapped beneath a layer of fat, and whatever else you could reach as he mounted you. It was gentle as you gazed upon him in a dazed manner. He tried his best to keep his weight off of you, not keen on crushing you beneath him.
It was sudden the way you took his face between your palms, lips parted slightly as you pressed them to his. Still covered in your slick, it took Simon a moment to respond, allowing you to tilt into the kiss a bit more before he firmly kissed you back.
He pulled away reluctantly, and fixed you with the hardest of looks, only to be met with rounded and ready eyes.
“Fuck me.”
Wordlessly, he guided himself to your entrance. He rubbed himself up and then down your slit, head catching on to your hole once while he wondered just how far he’d be able to stretch you before you broke.
You gasped when he pushed in, hands clutched onto his bicep as he fed you his cock slow and restrained. He’d sink until the tip was fully enveloped by your warmth, and then begin to pull back his hips ever so slightly before thrusting in a bit more. 
“Doin’ good, yeah. Pretty thing like you can take it f’me, right?” He bumbled on, almost in as much shock as you were from his ministrations.
Your walls constricted tight against the intrusion, but to Simon it felt as if he were the one being invaded. You flooded him with slick and pressure and the safety of being almost fully sheathed in something so sweet. Better than a hug could ever be, to be surrounded by your very essence.
You nodded along and babbled your yes’s and please’s just as he had imagined you would. It took a few more moments before he had forced himself to the base.
He almost felt bad when he saw the ways which you winced with every thrust forward. But everytime he considered slowing his pace, the notion was shut down as you stroked his face so tenderly. 
“I need this.” You whispered through tears.
You touched his sweat beaded hairline, his dark under eyes so dearly. As if he were something made of glass. As if he wasn’t a killer and you weren’t the brightest light he had ever been guided to.
He didn’t deserve this.
But you did. You deserved to be fucked hard and deep and taken care of. Put over everything else like you so clearly deserved.
“You do. And ‘m gonna give it to ya.” He replied, curt and confident in his choice. 
He began to fuck you in earnest, grunts escaping him as he did. He was quick to go from slow and shallow to a pace more vigorous. Your creaky wooden bed frame shook and squealed as his pace began to pick up, your head jostling and grazing the lumber everytime he pushed forward.
Your feet wrapped around his waist and dug into the divots of his back as if spurring him even farther into you, as if trying to trap him inside you forever. Not that he needed any encouragement to do so.
“Closer please. I…ah! I… I want..” You tried to say between each push in as his cock plunged into the deepest crevices it could find, kissing your womb and stealing the breath from your lungs.
Simon could tell what you wanted as you attempted to pull him closer with desperate effort.
“I’m already- bloody hell,” he grunted. “‘M fuckin’ inside o’ you. How much closer can I get?”
Nonetheless, he obliged and tipped his head forwards as your arms looped around his thick neck, clutching onto him like a lifeline.
“Closer.” was what you managed to say. You reached for his arm and put it to your waist and good god Simon felt and chip in that impenetrable armor of his. He held you firm to him and rutted into you like it was the last time he’d ever feel a cunt wrap so snug around him.
It was soft even as he bombarded it with all he had. Comforting, like a pillar of pliable to his unshakeable and unchangeable nature.
Simon felt his peak build and he watched as your face warped into something that could only be compared to a kettle that was about to whistle from the built up pressure within.
“Fuckin’ cum. Cum with me, cum on my cock.” He said with urgency.
His balls slapped against you and he felt them distinctively tighten up.
He felt you clamp down on to him like a fuckin’ vice as you nodded up and down like a mad woman against his skin. He could feel the gentle prick of your teeth as you simply held yourself against him.
Simon could have sworn his vision turned white as you wrung him out for all he was worth. He felt his cum flood your insides until they turned soaked and sticky and warm. He couldn’t stop the instinct which rose in him to fuck his cum deeper to have it seep into places your limp dicked late-husband could never. Your body yielding and pliant as he pierced into you, riding the remnants of his high within you.
You felt weightless as Simon slowed within you. You really had no clue what was happening, the heavy feeling of being stuffed past your limits was the only prominent thing on your mind.
No one had ever fucked you like that. Not boyfriends or hookups of the past, and certainly not your late-husband.
But you supposed that was the difference between Simon and those other men.
He took care of you.
He always had. Since the beginning he had. Sharing meals with you when you had no one, talking to you when you had been left alone. You might’ve felt bad for taking another man to the very bed you laid next to your deceased spouse once upon a time. 
But was it really so bad to desire someone who put you first?
All those years of sitting quiet, of being isolated, of being the perfect wife and getting little in return. It wasn’t grief which came over you when you were told of your husband’s grizzly murder, it was guilt that you felt more lost than anything. Lost that you were no longer bound to the life that man gave to you, lost as to where to go next.
And there was Simon who showed you the way in his own strang, round-about method.
Simon who you suspected would do anything for you.
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daemonbrain · 19 days ago
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Part 1 | Part 2
cw: murder, simon's a perv, reader's husband is a piece of work, smut, can be read as a standalone. a/n: This was rushed lol
I didn’t mean to do it. It was an accident. I wasn’t thinking straight.
Simon Riley could remember the first time he had heard those excuses. In a rundown burrow of Manchester, fiddling with the telly until a show he was much too young to watch blinked on to the cracked screen.
He’d sit there with beady eyes, attention locked on to the program while his mum did fuck knows what. It was distinctly American with muscle cars, high speed chases, guns, and most morbidly fascinating to an already tainted young mind, death.
Censorship and all, the show never did the gory details of killing someone justice. They never elaborated on the high of having a man stare down the barrel of your gun. It was never described how good it felt to have someone piss themselves in fear of you. The power a person can have when they know they could beat the life out of somebody.
They made excuses for those feelings.
It was always a righteous fuckin’ accident. Good guys versus bad guys, black and white.
A slight breeze whistled through the dim alleyway. Both idle chatter and music from inside the bar behind him wove together in a pacifying hum. It rang in the Brit’s ear as his chest heaved with the satisfaction of a job well done. 
The blood had splattered over his pale skin, still warm droplets sliding past his wrists down his forearms. His knuckles split and bloomed into a haze of purple and red from the force of his hits. None of it was some mishap, it wasn’t a lapse in judgement.
On the contrary, Simon hadn’t felt more alert in months. Not since being in the field.
He glanced at the body crumpled at his feet with both disdain and the closest thing to giddy he was able to feel. This pathetic fuckin’ tosser looked just as miserable as he had any other day. Broken and disfigured with his bodily fluids still bubbling up through the splits in his skin and bone. 
Your idiot husband who dragged you into the depths of his abhorrent ways, brain-dead and awful like a stain that needed to be removed.
He crouched down and loomed over the guy as he would terrorists and people who threatened the very world's security: Menacing and threatening. The difference in offenses mattered little to him. Sure the latter bombed, maimed, and endangered whole countries of people for their own warped means to an end.
But this guy? He wanted to ruin the only decent thing Simon had encountered in a long time. Uniquely different in a vast sea of bad, you steadfastly remained joyous despite having to put up with someone like this.
Your husband's pulse still throbbed, weak as it was. Simon leaned in close and followed the way his breaths puffed out feebly. It was quiet and perhaps if he wasn’t trained to spot the difference between a dead man and one teetering on the edge of their demise, he might’ve missed it. 
Unfortunately for your husband that wasn’t the case.
“Please…” He rasped, a ghost of the words really.
Big hands grabbed the collar of his soiled white shirt. It had been crisp and showy for the woman he had been drinking with. The same woman whose thighs he was reaching for, the curve of her waist he’d held. The same woman Simon surmised he had been leaving you lonely for, his dinner and your kind heart growing colder while he got his little prick wet when he was supposed to be working.
He was cheating on you.
It was the flashes of your little yoga sets which came to Simon’s mind when he first connected the dots of what was happening. You who came into that butchers shop every Friday after your session for a cut of meat to make this poor excuse of a man a meal. All smiles and good like a slice of heaven that felt wrong for someone such as him to witness.
“I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you.” Was all Simon replied before he moved his grip to the fool's throat. 
His fingers squeezed around the adams apple, effectively cutting off any air being wasted on the near-dead man.
He snarled up close and personal, though your husband was rendered relatively incapable of seeing much. Simon had gotten good hits on his eyes, one of them bloodshot and unfocused, the other already blackened, puffy, and too far gone.
“She’s not gonna remember a bloody thing about ya’.” Simon spat, more to himself than anyone, before the ex-soldier piled his crushing weight on the windpipe.
It was only a moment before the frail thrashing ceased.
The rainy weather had finally begun to wane and the pollen which once scattered the air, tinted windshields, and led to bright flowers had finally receded. The sun rested high in the sky for longer and its rays beat down harsher than it had in the past few months.
Spring and all the hardships it brought had come to pass and summer was now upon the city.
Simon’s hand rested on the cool metal of the door handle. The flimsy barrier between yourself and him. Hell, he could kick it in with minimal effort if need be. To get to you, he’d rip it off the squeaky old hinges which held it to the frame. Luckily for your entrance, that wasn’t necessary. 
Not anymore at least.
Poor, sad you had taken to him like a moth to flame. In your grief it wasn’t drinking or drugs or any other vices you had used as a balm to soothe your weary soul, but Simon.
The jingle of the keys sounded out before he nudged them in. He twisted and unlocked the door before he opened it.
You had stopped coming to the butchers shop, no one to make meals for anymore, no reason to waste time in that place. It had certainly impeded his ability to accidentally run into you, but he supposed that was bound to happen. You needed time to mourn that prick you married. You were too sweet, too free with who you gave your affections to and this was the downside to that.
The concern had started as a result of Simon’s frequent… observations. No matter how long he would watch your apartment, you wouldn’t step a foot outside. Gone were your freshly manicured hands, well-maintained hair, and skin-tight yoga sets. Instead, you opted to wallow and waste away in your own anguish. 
He pushed through the threshold and closed the door behind him, a soft thud accompanied the motion. He peered around for only a moment. It was still in the common areas of your home. Too quiet for his liking. 
Without invitation, he started down the hall towards your room. His heavy boots thudded against wooden floors, bits of dirt coming off them as he went.
You had been all too accommodating when he had finally had enough and came to the source to see what was really happening. Had even invited him in for a cup of tea. To see you in the flesh had been enough to quell the invasive anxieties which had begun to settle in his chest. You certainly didn’t look the same, but strangely enough, you seemed more at ease with yourself than he had ever witnessed. 
If he didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought you seemed more confused than upset.
As he neared your door, his skin prickled as his ears picked up on the faint weeping behind the polished lumber.
You had easily come into the habit of letting the Brit into your personal space whenever he stopped by. Maybe you became too comfortable with a man you had known less than a year, but to his benefit, it was easy to get you to fork over a spare set of keys.
Privacy be damned (and Simon’s emotional range of a turnip aside), he couldn’t stop the surge conviction he had to be near you.
It was only a second before he barged into your room, met with a sight he definitely hadn’t expected.
“Simon… what the hell!” You squealed as you scrambled for your covers. You threw them over your heaving body as if that would erase what he had gotten an eyeful of.
Maybe the universe was kind to him. Perhaps it had finally thrown him a damn bone after years of trying to kill him. It could’ve only been divine intervention which guided him to you at this very moment, to have you so distracted you hadn’t heard him come through the front door.
“Well don’t just stand there-” You started in shock, body gathering itself from its horizontal position upwards.
That was the wrong thing to say to a man who just saw your bare tits pushed up in frustration, cunt glistening with a scant amount of slick as you carelessly shoved your fingers into the hole. Baby hairs stuck to your sweat beaded forehead, tears gathered at your lash line as yet another manifestation of your stress laden body.
He ambled towards you and in that moment there was nothing short of a tank that could stop him.
“Wait. Hey. What are you doing?!” You sniffled, a weak caution as your hands dipped into the sheets of your mattress.
To his relief, you didn’t shrink as his shadow enveloped your quaking form. Your breath stuttered and Simon could only stare in something similar to awe. There was a beautiful defiance he didn’t often see from you as you refused to cower before him.
“What’s going on?” You asked, wide eyed and somewhat gentle tongued.
Even now you couldn’t bring yourself to yell at him, to say something in fiery rage that he’d interrupted your private time.
“I can help.” Was all he mumbled before he descended to his knees in a slowed manner. “Jus’ give me… give me the bloody word and I can.”
As if showing he meant no harm, he braced himself beside the bed. He hoped the act placated you with the knowledge that you could kick him straight in his crooked, already broken one too many times nose if you really wanted to.
“Are you crazy?” You whispered in response.
You hadn’t slapped him in denial yet, as good of sign as any.
He saw the way your legs twitched under the thin sheets. You bit your lip in what he only hoped was contemplation. Another moment passed in silence as his eyes met yours in earnest yearning and absolute want.
The want to brush the tears from your eyes, or to create new ones as he speared you on his cock and bludgeoned into you like a fucking battering ram.
He had waited patiently for months. Had fucked his fist harsh and unforgiveing to the thought of pounding into you until both of you knew nothing but the other’s body. His fantasies of your pleasure addled-mind being anchored by nothing except him stretching you out beyond comprehension. Your cunt would clench over him as the head of him nudged into you with dull pressure that bordered on too much, insistently reminding you of his encroachment inside of you.
“I… I can’t do it myself. It’s like no matter what I try I just can’t.” You choked out embarrassed and sudden.
His blood began to pump hotter the moment you began to inch from beneath the sheets and it was moments before was upon you.
Simon’s usual precision was far from present as the two of you wrestled in a tangle of limbs and positions, but eventually the both of you settled. He knelt before you, your ankles resting on his shoulders, and his hands holding your hips in place (though, it was more an anchor for himself).
He sucked in a sharp breath before his mouth latched onto you. Simon was never one to mince words, nor his actions. When he wanted something, when he wanted someone to feel something, they did.
Your nails dug into the sheets as you threw your head back. He could see the frustration ebb away with each flick of his tongue. He prodded some and then some more, circled and suckled at your clit.
A cut whimper was what caught his attention. Through pale lashes, he peered up at you. The scratch of the sheets, heavy breathing, yet not a peep. He could see the way your lip wobbled, only encouraging him to close his eyes and go in with another lick, harder this time.
Your teeth held on to your bottom lip as if your life depended on it, little moans starting to surface regardless of your intentions.
“Let go.” Was all he murmured before going back in. “Nothin’ t’feel bad about.” 
Small groans left him, leaving vibrations in the most pleasurable of ways. Nothing mattered more to Simon than drowning himself in you, your slick coated his mouth, his nose nudged between your folds, knocking into your more sensitive parts like a bull in a china shop.
“Fuck, please!” You begged as your hand blindly reached for any piece of him, taking purchase on his buzzed hair as you curled forward awkwardly.
His hands dug into your hips as his tongue poked in and out of your cunt. It squeezed the muscle everytime it invasively half-entered, either your body’s way of coaxing him deeper, or an attempt to push away the unfamiliar, he did not know.
When was the last time someone went down on such a pretty thing? The last time you were worshipped like this? Fucks sake, when was the last time you came? Not a little bump of pleasure, or a fast reaction, but properly came?
Your body began to tremble and that’s when Simon decided to hook a finger inside of you. He thrusted it slowly as you whined and shifted. One finger in and out until eventually he joined it with another, much to your cunnys resistance.
“Ah! Just… ugh,” You groaned, continuing to push into his scalp. “Fuck I need more… Simon please.”
More was chanted through his mind like a fucking mantra. His cock twitched again, as hard as a metal rod by this point. He wanted nothing more than to give you what you wanted. Simon Riley was a weak man when it came to a pretty bird.
He wasn’t one to withstand the pleading look on your face, he realized. He knew for sure as his hands went to undo the belt of his pants. He knew when he practically ripped his shirt off.
Your soft hands touched the planes of his chest, the hardened muscles of his abdomen wrapped beneath a layer of fat, and whatever else you could reach as he mounted you. It was gentle as you gazed upon him in a dazed manner. He tried his best to keep his weight off of you, not keen on crushing you beneath him.
It was sudden the way you took his face between your palms, lips parted slightly as you pressed them to his. Still covered in your slick, it took Simon a moment to respond, allowing you to tilt into the kiss a bit more before he firmly kissed you back.
He pulled away reluctantly, and fixed you with the hardest of looks, only to be met with rounded and ready eyes.
“Fuck me.”
Wordlessly, he guided himself to your entrance. He rubbed himself up and then down your slit, head catching on to your hole once while he wondered just how far he’d be able to stretch you before you broke.
You gasped when he pushed in, hands clutched onto his bicep as he fed you his cock slow and restrained. He’d sink until the tip was fully enveloped by your warmth, and then begin to pull back his hips ever so slightly before thrusting in a bit more. 
“Doin’ good, yeah. Pretty thing like you can take it f’me, right?” He bumbled on, almost in as much shock as you were from his ministrations.
Your walls constricted tight against the intrusion, but to Simon it felt as if he were the one being invaded. You flooded him with slick and pressure and the safety of being almost fully sheathed in something so sweet. Better than a hug could ever be, to be surrounded by your very essence.
You nodded along and babbled your yes’s and please’s just as he had imagined you would. It took a few more moments before he had forced himself to the base.
He almost felt bad when he saw the ways which you winced with every thrust forward. But everytime he considered slowing his pace, the notion was shut down as you stroked his face so tenderly. 
“I need this.” You whispered through tears.
You touched his sweat beaded hairline, his dark under eyes so dearly. As if he were something made of glass. As if he wasn’t a killer and you weren’t the brightest light he had ever been guided to.
He didn’t deserve this.
But you did. You deserved to be fucked hard and deep and taken care of. Put over everything else like you so clearly deserved.
“You do. And ‘m gonna give it to ya.” He replied, curt and confident in his choice. 
He began to fuck you in earnest, grunts escaping him as he did. He was quick to go from slow and shallow to a pace more vigorous. Your creaky wooden bed frame shook and squealed as his pace began to pick up, your head jostling and grazing the lumber everytime he pushed forward.
Your feet wrapped around his waist and dug into the divots of his back as if spurring him even farther into you, as if trying to trap him inside you forever. Not that he needed any encouragement to do so.
“Closer please. I…ah! I… I want..” You tried to say between each push in as his cock plunged into the deepest crevices it could find, kissing your womb and stealing the breath from your lungs.
Simon could tell what you wanted as you attempted to pull him closer with desperate effort.
“I’m already- bloody hell,” he grunted. “‘M fuckin’ inside o’ you. How much closer can I get?”
Nonetheless, he obliged and tipped his head forwards as your arms looped around his thick neck, clutching onto him like a lifeline.
“Closer.” was what you managed to say. You reached for his arm and put it to your waist and good god Simon felt and chip in that impenetrable armor of his. He held you firm to him and rutted into you like it was the last time he’d ever feel a cunt wrap so snug around him.
It was soft even as he bombarded it with all he had. Comforting, like a pillar of pliable to his unshakeable and unchangeable nature.
Simon felt his peak build and he watched as your face warped into something that could only be compared to a kettle that was about to whistle from the built up pressure within.
“Fuckin’ cum. Cum with me, cum on my cock.” He said with urgency.
His balls slapped against you and he felt them distinctively tighten up.
He felt you clamp down on to him like a fuckin’ vice as you nodded up and down like a mad woman against his skin. He could feel the gentle prick of your teeth as you simply held yourself against him.
Simon could have sworn his vision turned white as you wrung him out for all he was worth. He felt his cum flood your insides until they turned soaked and sticky and warm. He couldn’t stop the instinct which rose in him to fuck his cum deeper to have it seep into places your limp dicked late-husband could never. Your body yielding and pliant as he pierced into you, riding the remnants of his high within you.
You felt weightless as Simon slowed within you. You really had no clue what was happening, the heavy feeling of being stuffed past your limits was the only prominent thing on your mind.
No one had ever fucked you like that. Not boyfriends or hookups of the past, and certainly not your late-husband.
But you supposed that was the difference between Simon and those other men.
He took care of you.
He always had. Since the beginning he had. Sharing meals with you when you had no one, talking to you when you had been left alone. You might’ve felt bad for taking another man to the very bed you laid next to your deceased spouse once upon a time. 
But was it really so bad to desire someone who put you first?
All those years of sitting quiet, of being isolated, of being the perfect wife and getting little in return. It wasn’t grief which came over you when you were told of your husband’s grizzly murder, it was guilt that you felt more lost than anything. Lost that you were no longer bound to the life that man gave to you, lost as to where to go next.
And there was Simon who showed you the way in his own strange, round-about method.
Simon who you suspected would do anything for you.
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daemonbrain · 20 days ago
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LOOK WHO’S BAAAAAAAACK HEHEHEHEHHEHE. I didn’t forget about him !! I wonder who Lt. Riley could have snapped on? Hmmmmm…
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daemonbrain · 20 days ago
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Navigation
Evie | 18
follows + asks are from @erenshot
I typically write/reblog stuff about asoiaf or hotd. Jaime Lannister more often than not.
Masterlist | Ao3
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daemonbrain · 20 days ago
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if jaime lives long enough to start actually going bald I think he'll just kill himself. I know I would
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daemonbrain · 21 days ago
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will my honor have a sequel?
YES YES YES.
My Honor is my baby, I spent a long ass time on her so she’ll def get it. I was planning for 2 more parts (282 and 283 A.C.) and have 3000 words on the next part finished. I will warn you, it’ll take me a while 😭
Currently working on an OC x Jaime so i’ve been a bit preoccupied. Thank you for asking <3
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daemonbrain · 21 days ago
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Plssss make more parts of pervert Simon 🙏🙏luv ur writing btw💋
Ugh girl ty for reminding me. Just on a flight back from a ski trip but the SECOND im home I will sit my ass down and give you the smutiest, nastiest thing you’ve read of perv Simon so far 🙏🙏
I think it’ll be the last part as well! Will hopefully get that done by this week :)
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daemonbrain · 21 days ago
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JAIME LANNISTER in every episode: 1.07 // You Win or You Die
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daemonbrain · 25 days ago
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I was just casually scrolling through the jaime x reader tag as one usually does and imagine my surprise when I saw you released the third part :,) I literally had a whole panic before realizing that I could just click and read lol
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I just need to reblog and give every single thought because I was SCREAMINGGGG this entire chapter. Giggling, feet kicking, the whole schebang
“Ned… Theon is the second child you’ve brought home unannounced. You scared Cat half to death.”
You know, I never thought of it but Catelyn probably almost strangled ned when he came home with theon. I can't even imagine the ptsd on her part.
“He does look like her,” said Ned after many minutes of silence. “His mother. I thank the Gods for that.” You leaned against the balcony ledge. “He has Stark eyes, though. Our eyes.”  “Aye.” 
EVERYONE SHUT UP. SHUT. UP. I'm gonna cry if bw knew that he was Lyanna's son omg. Ik it was a hard secret to keep for Ned in general, but it must've driven him up a wall to hide from bw that they still had a piece of Lyanna right there at Winterfell. but like also I see you ned with the spoilers "he has stark eyes" you're not sneaky bud.
“Jory Cassel?” Ned lightly suggested, more as a jest than anything. Though, come to think of it, he was a good, loyal fighter, and would treat you well enough. “It would be a fine match.”
"well actually 🤓☝️" I have a better proposal. might take some work, you hate him ned, we'll have to get him off the kingsgaurd, and he's a little evil. but yk, they're soulmates or whateva
“Say—I knew a girl who had eyes just like yours.”
please give her back bro i actually don't care. this is my formal petition for you to get bw to find sansa, arya, and bran and take them to casterly rock or winterfell. Unfortunately, I also have to root for my man Jaime to be there. Sorry y'all he's your uncle you have to get used to him. They live happily ever after, have some babies if they want, or not, I don't care i just need them all happy. bring myrcella and tommen while they're at it 😭
That voice. Jaime knew that voice—he’d recognize it anywhere. That was no man. Before he could think, your name slipped from his throat, more of a question than anything.
FREE ME FROM THIS PRISON OF YEARNING AND PAIN
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In the blink of an eye, you darted forward and your palm struck across the side of his face. Jaime staggered a step back in shock, his one hand cradling his now-throbbing cheek. Many seconds of silence passed, thick with tension.  Then he smiled. All sharp and prideful. “I’m sure I deserve that,” he said, voice clipped.
Okay so he most definitely deserved that but LORD calm down with the smirk. Like i'm folded. I'm done. Someone get these two a room (she will kill him, he might enjoy it)
“Is that what you’re going to do to me?” Jaime taunted
masochist
He could just as easily have asked a squire to fetch the food for him, but Jaime thought it wise to let the two of you have a moment to yourselves. He wasn’t keen on being slapped another time.
I don't feel bad for him but like imagine bw AND brienne teaming up on you. A literal nightmare. But the trio reunion is giving me L I F E
“Do not tell Jaime of this. He won’t come if he knows of the truth. We will tell him Sansa is with the Hound holding her hostage—and we need him to come along to pay her ransom with that wretched golden hand of his.”
Bitter wolf, the OG #ihatemybf... or shall i say her future husband because you're going to give them the happiest of endings right. Right. Please say right. Please agree.
Jaime found himself thinking that he found you frustratingly complex—he was never one for puzzles.
I full on cackled at this. What would Tywin say Jaime 🙄 Lannisters aren't fools!
“I would follow you off the edge of a cliff if you asked,” Jaime said, so calm it disturbed you.
I SAID FREE ME. BW TAKE. HIM. BACK. MY RESISTANCE HAS CRUMBLED I DON'T CARE PLEASE I WILL START CRYING
Jaime’s one hand reached out to brush over your arm, but you shoved him away. His expression crumpled. “I chose you, didn’t I?”
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crumpling up into a ball to think of them for a minute, be right back i guess. This is the one thing I can't do with Lannister x Stark pairings because it's like how does one come back from all the shit that the lannisters put them through. Like it's a mess of compromises and betraying and guilt. It's a complete mess to say the least. Like all the fics are usually having the oc/reader as daughter to ned stark (the ones i've read at least) but with BW being the aunt it just stabs me right in the feels because she watched all of them grow up. That dream from last chapter made my heart sink all the way to my ass. the Starklings are hers :( like his family keeps taking from her but like HE doesn't want to take from her and ugh I just can't.
“My Bitter Wolf,” he murmured, his thumb brushing against your jaw. “I’m choosing you. Does that mean nothing?”
Jaime Lannister you cannot pull the 'my' oh my gosh my heart. MY BITTER WOLF. When I think I can win the I need you like I need air competition but Jaime shows up.
“Bring back Jaime Lannister in a year. If you don’t have at least one of the girls with you, he will die, and you will die with him.”
Okay wait wtf I love where this is going. BW and Jaime hit the road again ?!?!!
“I do,” you told him. “I’ve seen it everywhere I go. And to see you dead… it would ruin me. You ruin me.” Another pause, then— “I loathe you, I really do.” It sounded as if you were trying to convince yourself more than him.
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Jaime smiled at that. “Right—because you’re well renowned for your pleasantries. Is it concerning that I find you even more attractive covered in blood?” he asked as he drew nearer, blunt as always. “I do think I’m falling for you like this.”
I will say it again, someone get these two a room. All the bells and whistles attached, a kit full of oil and whipped cream, the fuzzy handcuffs, whatever they need. He's such a cutie :(((((
Jaime barked out a laugh. “Say that again. I want to savor it this time.”
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Again, there was no hesitation on his end. Jaime hardly thought before he spoke, but it was the truth nonetheless. “I would let you cut me open until you’re satisfied with me, if that’s what you wish. Are you done asking me needless questions or shall we start playing a drinking game with our muddy river water?”
Oh he wants her so bad
“It’s time I returned home.”
UGH FINALLY my girl is taking it over because BW doesn't mess around when it comes to getting what she wants. She's getting her girls back, she's getting her home back, and she's getting her Jaime too (she already has him of course, but I mean more in the sense that they stay together this time. I hope, at least. )
This was such a lovely chapter and i'm so so thankful you decided to update! I love how things are progressing, i'm loving that she's still at his throat because what would this dynamic be without it lol. I've finally had some time freed up in my schedule to catch up on all the fics i'm reading so next i'm def tackling your batmom series next !! anyways my beautiful BW and Jaime are back and i'm overjoyed about it. Life is great !
i'm not made by design ; jaime lannister ; part three.
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part one | part two
pairing ; jaime lannister x stark!reader (she/her pronouns)
synopsis ; wolves and lions tend not to be friends, much less lovers.
words ; 11.9k
themes ; heavy angst, action, sort of barely-there fluff, (actual) enemies to lovers, slowburn
warnings / includes ; war/murder/injury, this part covers a few events from a dance with dragons, politicking, foul language, a lot of generally terrible things going on but what else can you expect from asoiaf, emotional constipation on bw's end, complicated-ish dynamics
a/n ; oh god i'm so sorry this took so long </3 it's so hard figuring out what to write now that i've run out of source material man !!! so i'm rlly sorry if this doesn't live up to the last two parts, i tried my best :( i'm honestly not entirely happy w this chapter but i rlly hope you guys enjoy it regardless! i love these two so much i rlly do :(
main masterlist. read on ao3!
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Summers in the north meant many rainy nights. Snow was not foreign during the season either, though it was more of a cold, icy sludge than the usual thick blankets one would expect in winter. Ned wondered how long this summer would last—he’d have to check the granaries and consult the maesters to make sure they were well prepared for a sudden winter, even if it would likely be years until then.
“It’s hot,” came a voice beside him. Ned turned his head to see you making your way towards him, a frown etched across your features. “I can hardly wear my furs without boiling myself.”
A touch of a smile graced his usually-solemn face. “You’re being dramatic.”
You shot your brother a glare. “Perhaps. But it is undeniable that this summer is hotter than the previous ones. We’ve hardly gotten any snow.” You toed at the melting sludge beneath your boots.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” he told you, not unkindly. “It won’t be like this for long, I’m certain. Winter is coming.”
Now at eight-and-ten, you were practically a woman grown. You were no summer child, Ned knew. In fact, you had been born amidst a harsh and blistering three-year winter. Regardless, in his eyes, you would always be the young girl he had left in Winterfell when departing for the Eyrie all those years ago. 
“I hope it comes sooner,” you grumbled, fanning at your face, which Ned found amusing, considering there was a semi-chilly breeze whistling through the two of you. Then, you casted a sidelong glance at him.
It had only been a handful of weeks since he returned from the south to suppress the Greyjoy Rebellion. The young boy he had brought back as a ward-hostage, Theon, was a frightened, green-eared thing—but little Robb seemed to take a liking to him.
“Theon and Robb were playing at the kennels,” you told him, voice softer. “Tossing bones at the hounds.”
Ned made a noise of disapproval, but said nothing.
“Ned… Theon is the second child you’ve brought home unannounced. You scared Cat half to death.”
Ned’s eyes grew pained. He remembered the way she looked at him once she saw the little boy by his side. “I know. I need no reminder.” 
“At least you bear no resemblance to Theon. But Jon—he looks much like you,” you said. The sludgy snow you were toeing had now completely melted into a shallow puddle. 
“He looks like you, too,” Ned pointed out. He wasn’t quite sure what you were dancing around. 
“No, I’m saying…” You winced at yourself. It was an awkward topic to discuss, knowing Ned was so adamant on keeping his secrets close to his chest, despite your and Benjen’s prodding. “Does he resemble his mother at all?”
Pursing his lips, Ned simply bowed his head and sighed as he always did when it came to matters of Jon. “I don’t want to speak of his mother.”
“Alright,” you relented. But another second passed, and, unable to help yourself, you blurted, “He has the dark hair of Ashara Dayne.”
Ned’s dark grey eyes swung to you. Anger crossed his features, which he had never looked at you with before, not once. His soldiers oft spread rumors of Ashara and him, he knew, but you? He hadn’t expected this to come from you, of all people.
Quickly, you began to stumble over your words. “I just—I remember how you danced with her. And you went to Starfall to return Dawn, didn’t you? And she died, Ashara, so I thought—It was only logical that Jon—”
“What does it matter?” Ned brusquely snapped. “Jon is my blood. He’s your nephew, and that’s all that matters.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” you said, guilt seizing you. You shouldn’t have pried. It was a sensitive subject, and perhaps there was a reason why Ned didn’t want to tell you. With your bottom lip caught between your teeth, you looked ten years younger at that moment. Ned softened. 
“He does look like her,” said Ned after many minutes of silence. “His mother. I thank the Gods for that.”
You leaned against the balcony ledge. “He has Stark eyes, though. Our eyes.” 
“Aye.” 
A strike of guilt warmed your insides as you gestured about vaguely. “He’s my nephew, just as Robb is. But I treat neither of them as such. It’s hard being… affectionate. I wish I had it in me. Lyanna would have been a much better aunt than I. I suspect she would have loved Jon where Cat could not.” 
There was something about Ned’s expression that struck you as odd. His features hardened considerably, and your stomach turned with guilt yet again in fear that you’d said something out of turn.
Finally, Ned squared his shoulders and turned to face you. “You’re a fine aunt. Jon and Robb love you well enough.” Ned shook his head, deciding to change the subject. “The boy, Theon. I can only pray he won’t become a trouble in the years to come. He’s a good lad. But I do hope I won’t have to keep him for long.”
“Robb will be heartbroken once he leaves,” you said. 
Ned’s reluctant smile returned at that. “He’ll live.” One of Ned’s hands landed on your shoulder. “If things were different, Robert would be on the throne with Lyanna as his Queen. Maybe then the Rebellions would never have happened. Balon Greyjoy thought Robert lacked noble support. Perhaps with Lyanna by his side, it would have been different.”
That made you bark out a harsh laugh. “That’s not true,” you told him. “Lyanna would have found a way not to come to her own wedding. She would have rather run off to Yi Ti than marry Robert. And even so… if she had been forced into the marriage, the rebellions would likely still have happened. Balon Greyjoy is a power-hungry man. He would’ve sought another reason to claim independence.”
Ned frowned at that, but did not disagree with you. “And you? Would you do the same if you were betrothed? Run off to Yi Ti never to be found again?”
You shrugged. “It depends on who I would be bound to.”
“Jory Cassel?” Ned lightly suggested, more as a jest than anything. Though, come to think of it, he was a good, loyal fighter, and would treat you well enough. “It would be a fine match.”
The thoughts were quickly dashed, however, when you scoffed and batted his hand away from your shoulder. “Jory would be more suitable for Benjen than I. The two tussle about with their swords all the time.”
“How about—?”
“I don’t think anybody you offer would be any good for me, Ned.”
“Do you plan to just sit in the castle all your life?”
“Yes. If I were to marry a man, would I not be doing the very same, just in a different castle?” At that moment, it looked like you were sulking, as you often did when you were a very young child. 
Ned smiled fondly. “A fair point, sister-mine. Alright, then. As long as you’re happy.”
“You’re my family, Ned,” you told him. “I do not need a husband or children of my own to replace who I’ve lost.”
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Going further north was not an option for you, not anymore. It was crawling with Freys and westermen alike. Westward from the Vale was the only viable pathway now. 
The Inn of the Kneeling Man was a famous little establishment—notorious for its location, where your ancestor, Torrhen Stark, first knelt to Aegon the Conqueror. You stared at the old, flaking painting depicting the kneeling figure, his hands bound together. If not for his submission, you likely wouldn’t be standing here at this very spot. 
With a grimace, you made your way into the inn. It was a far cry nicer than any other inn you’d been to the past few moons, and consequently far more crowded. After a quick glance around, you observed no enemy banners or insignia anywhere, and deemed it safe to stay for a bit. The air smelled of fresh bread and crisp ale. You sat down at one of the common room’s tables, your hood pulled up over your hair, which was freshly cropped and dyed as of the previous night. 
“What can I get for you today?” a rotund serving boy asked, smiling at you wide and genuine. All the commotion and bustling made him damp with sweat and rosy-cheeked, but he was happier than ever.
“What do you have?” you asked. 
“We have meat stew, we do. Horse or lamb or rabbit, you can take your pick. Fried onions and eggs and beans, if it please you. We’ve got plenty of ale for you to wash it all down, as well. There are sweetcakes in the pantry, last I checked, but I’d have to look again to make sure. Food goes quickly here!” He laughed good-naturedly, but abruptly paused when he caught a glimpse of your eyes. “Say—I knew a girl who had eyes just like yours.”
You arched a brow. You were sure there were many girls out there that had eyes like yours. “Did you?”
He lowered his voice and glanced about, as if he wasn’t sure of what he could say. “I was traveling with her from King’s Landing, you see. We’ve parted ways since then. I do hope to see her again, once the war is over.”
Wishful thinking, you thought with a sad hum. 
“Who was this girl?” you asked.
“Nobody,” he replied hastily. “A friend.”
“What’s your name, boy?”
“Hot Pie, ser.”
“Don’t call me ser.”
“Sorry. Er—what should I call you?”
“You can call me Ned. That’s a funny name you’ve got, Hot Pie.”
“My mother was a baker.”
The past tense in the sentence was not lost on you. You regarded him in a more sympathetic light.
“My mother was a lady,” you told him in a lowered voice, and his brows raised. 
“Would that make you a lord, then?”
You sucked at your teeth. “Not quite, Hot Pie.” There was a familiar cinch of hunger that took hold of your stomach. “Could I have some of that rabbit stew? And a bit of bread to mop it up with, please. That’s a good lad.”
Hot Pie brightened and nodded several times. “Yes, of course! I’ll bring you the freshest bread we’ve got! I bake them all myself—it didn’t taste that great before I got here, but it’s much better now, I promise.”
The chubby boy hustled away, stopping by a few other tables to take orders and pluck up empty chalices. It took only a few minutes for him to return with the warm stew and bread, and you were quick to start wolfing it down. 
“Sit, Hot Pie. Have some of the bread,” you told the boy. You supposed the best way to get information was talking to someone who worked here rather than a passerby. Hot Pie seemed reluctant to take a break, eager to get back to serving customers, but it was clear that your request was an order, not a offer. The dangerous glint in your gaze made a shiver run down his spine and he didn’t wait to sit down across from you. You wiped a bit of stew from your lips with the back of your hand and asked, “What’s been happening in the Riverlands? I’ve heard talk of sieges during my travels.”
 Hot Pie shifted his weight this way and that. He reached over to tear off a chunk of the fresh bread he brought. As he chewed, he hummed in thought. “You’d be right in that. From what I heard, the Lannisters have come to bring peace to the Riverlands. There have been sieges, but it’s all been resolved now, if I recall. There is still much to be wary of, though. The brotherhood without banners are at large and there are many thieves and crooks out alike. Bad men roam these lands. I’m lucky the cooks in this establishment had the space to take in a boy like me, even if they’ve got me scurrying around until it feels like my feet’re about to fall off.”
You spooned some more stew into your mouth and swallowed heavily. “Yes, I’ve heard of this brotherhood. That’s not what I’m worried about, really. Who’s heading the Lannister sieges? Lord Kevan?”
The young boy shook his head. “It’s the Kingslayer at the head of it all. Jaime Lannister. He just had Raventree surrender to him, I’ve heard.”
There was a brief pause. You could feel your heart seize in your chest, almost painful in its stutter. 
“Ned? Ned, are you alright?”
You hadn’t realized you’d went quiet for that long. Hot Pie was leaning forward in concern, waving his hand a short distance from your face. 
After another moment, you washed the food down with a swig of ale. “I’ll be taking a room for the night, Hot Pie. Will you let the inn owner know for me?” You slipped the boy enough money to cover both the food and the room.
“Oh—yes, of course. Yeah, I’ll get right to that. Just tonight, you say?”
“Just tonight,” you confirmed with a grim nod. “I’ll be off first thing in the morning.”
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Pennytree was slowly but surely rebuilding itself. It was larger than Jaime had expected, with its stretches of burned fruit orchards, blackened, crumbling houses, and scorched rubble. But new houses and buildings were being erected, and plenty of them to come, judging by all the wood and raw material he could see stacked in neat, orderly piles.
Despite the obvious signs of life, there was not a single soul to be in sight. Hiding, he presumed. Afraid of me. Perhaps rightfully so.
They set up camp for the night right outside the village. Jaime first sent out half a dozen scouts to make sure no enemies prowled about, then meandered about the wreck of a village, eyeing all the burnt homes and destroyed livelihoods. King’s men had done this, one of the sentries told him. His men.
Not too long after, one of the scouts came back with someone accompanying him. 
“My lord,” the young boy addressed him, pulling Jaime’s attention away from the rubble. “She rode up to the camp, bold as ever, demanding to speak with you.” 
When Jaime’s eyes fell upon the newcomer, his back straightened like a rod. “My lady. I had not thought to see you again so soon.” Her face… What had happened to her? “You’ve been wounded,” he said, feeling like a fool for pointing out the obvious. Of course she’s been wounded, half her face has been torn off. 
“I was bitten,” Brienne told him. Her blue eyes swam with pain from more than just her flesh wound. Her hand was wound tight around Oathkeeper. “My lord, I have a request to ask of you. It’s—”
Before she could finish, another scout that he’d sent off at the same time as the first, grizzled and worn by age and war, came riding up to him with a cloaked figure behind his back.
“Apologies for the interruption, my lord,” he said, scowl deep and voice strained. Jaime could sense something was off. “Found this’un trying to creep into camp. When I tried to shackle the lad, he put a blade to my throat and forced me onto the horse to get to you.”
Jaime’s eyes narrowed, and he reached for his own sword’s hilt. “I would be ever so grateful if you could release my scout—unless you’d prefer to be gutted like a pig. I would be happy to arrange it.”
“You wouldn’t do that. But I do need to be promised I won’t be pierced with arrows once I let go,” said the figure. 
That voice. Jaime knew that voice—he’d recognize it anywhere. That was no man. Before he could think, your name slipped from his throat, more of a question than anything.
You pulled back the cowl and he could see the flash of the blade pressing deeper into the scout’s throat. Jaime stared at you with eyes as large as the moon. It was you—unmistakably so—with harsh eyes of winter and lips drawn back into a familiar snarl. Your hair was different, he quickly noticed—short and coppery-red. Like Robb Stark’s had been… 
But it was you. You, who he had never expected to see for many years to come. You, who he had willingly given up, even if he never wanted to let you go. What the hell were you doing here? 
Two arm’s lengths away from him, Brienne watched you with utter relief in her eyes, clearly having been at her wit’s end trying to find you the past fortnight. 
“Jaime,” you sharply said, snapping the knight out of his reverie. “Tell them to put their weapons down.”
He glanced behind him to see a few knights with their swords and bows at the ready. Immediately, he waved his hand and told them to leave. They glanced at each other, unsure.
“Put your damn weapons down!” Jaime barked, voice now raised. Almost immediately, the knights reluctantly lowered their arms. Satisfied but still wary, you slid down from the horse and pulled the blade away from the scout. 
“Leave us,” Jaime told the two scouts and all his loitering squires. 
“But—” the grizzled scout began to say.
“Leave us.”
They all scampered off into nearby pitched pavilions, pace quickened by the tone of finality in Jaime’s order.
Jaime then said your name again, and he could see your chest rise and fall rapidly. Calming your nerves or quelling your anger, he wasn’t sure. Instead of saying a word to him, you looked to Brienne. 
“Gods, Brienne, I am very glad to see you. I thought you died,” you said, so soft and unsure. One of your hands reached up to hover just above her flesh wound, but you did not touch it, knowing it must’ve hurt like all hells. “I’m so sorry I left. If I’d known—”
“No, my lady,” she placated. “I’m glad you left. They would have killed you if you hadn’t. I only barely escaped with my life. I apologize—I wasn’t able to protect you.”
“Would someone care to fill me in?” Jaime impatiently asked, gaze flitting back and forth between the two of you. 
Immediately, your head snapped to him, and he had to resist the urge to shrink away. Monstrous knights and beasts aplenty he’d faced, but none were as frightening as you were in that very moment. In the blink of an eye, you darted forward and your palm struck across the side of his face. Jaime staggered a step back in shock, his one hand cradling his now-throbbing cheek. Many seconds of silence passed, thick with tension. 
Then he smiled. All sharp and prideful.
“I’m sure I deserve that,” he said, voice clipped.
The way you regarded him was not hostile, but rather akin to a wounded feral animal of sorts. “You deserve more than that. Burning down the Riverlands. Taking their castles. Have you no shame?”
“No, but I have a duty,” came his dry response.
You reared back with an incredulous look. “Duty? You wouldn’t know duty even if it spat you in the face!”
“Is that what you’re going to do to me?” Jaime taunted, his infuriating smile only widening. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.” 
Your face flushed with heat. With a frustrated huff, you shook your head, knowing it was futile to argue with him. He had kissed you the last time you saw one another, but that felt like centuries ago. Time had weathered the two of you. Was he even the same Jaime that had set you off on Varys’ ship?
“There is much you need to tell me, but I should tell you this first,” Jaime said, eyeing you curiously, mind still reeling. His voice lowered, making sure only you and Brienne could hear him. “I’m not sure what you’ve heard, since you’ve left but it’s best you hear this from me than some fishwives’ gossip mill. There is a girl posing as your niece, Arya in Winterfell. She’s just been married to Ramsay Snow. Bolton now, actually. Roose’s bastard has been legitimized.”
Your brows creased at the news. “What? Who’s the girl?” You glanced at Brienne, who’d told you that Arya had been traveling with the Hound a while back, but you decided now was not the best time to share such rumors with Jaime. 
A shrug lifted his shoulders. “Some girl. She’s young and scrawny. It’s close enough to what people are expecting of her. And of the small population that actually remembers what little Arya looked like, who would dare to defy the Warden of the North?”
Anger seized your chest. “Who did this? You?” 
“Of course not,” snorted Jaime. “My dear father did. He’s dead now, so don’t go traipsing off trying to kill him. Tyrion already did that honor for us.”
You swallowed heavily. How haven’t you heard that the mighty Tywin Lannister has fallen? With hesitant hands, you reached out to take his golden one. You knew what it was like to lose a father. Jaime could feel his heart palpitate beneath his chest.
“Jaime…”
Whatever you wanted to say—an offering of condolence, perhaps—died on your tongue. You let the golden hand drop back to his side, and folded your arms across your chest, glaring off elsewhere. Tywin Lannister was no man to mourn—he didn’t deserve your grief.
“I do have good news,” he said, desperate to rekindle whatever good nature the two of you once had.
“I doubt it.”
Jaime could only smile at that. “Bitter Wolf,” he said, almost affectionately. “Your nephew at the Wall—Jon Snow, if I remember?”
At the mention of Jon, your head turned back towards him. “What? What about him? Is he alright?”
The knight let the seconds draw out—he liked the way your eyes widened with anticipation. “I cannot attest to his well being. But I can tell you he’s now Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.” He hung his head and laughed a dry, chesty sound. “Bastards are climbing high these days.”
There’s one on the Iron Throne as we speak, he thought to himself. 
“Jon…” you whispered, eyes now distant.
“Stannis is there, as well. Planning on taking Winterfell, perhaps finding another little lordling to plant there. Hells, if he got his hands on you, he’d rejoice…”
Jaime narrowed his eyes in thought. 
“You aren’t planning on keeping me prisoner, are you?” you asked Jaime. If you were to get to Stannis, things would certainly look up for you.
“I promised you I would never, didn’t I?” he replied. “All those moons ago, in Harrenhal. You’re so forgetful.”
You chose to ignore his airy, nonchalant manner. “Could I have a moment to speak to Brienne privately?”
This surprised Jaime. “What could you say to her that you can’t say to me? I thought you trusted me.”
Both you and Brienne stared at him in silence for a few long seconds. Finally, Jaime nodded his defeat. “Fine. I’ll bring the two of you some hot food to fill your bellies. Perhaps then you wouldn’t be so keen on biting my head off.”
“Unlikely,” he heard Brienne mutter as he moved away.
He could just as easily have asked a squire to fetch the food for him, but Jaime thought it wise to let the two of you have a moment to yourselves. He wasn’t keen on being slapped another time.
“My lady,” Brienne said once Jaime left, her voice now strained with urgency. “There’s been—I know this may sound deranged, but I need you to trust me. Lady Catelyn is back. Only, it’s not really her, not as you remember her, she is—angry and torn.”
You reared back at her words. What the hell was she on about?
“Cat?” You tilted your head in befuddlement. “I don’t understand.”
“Her body is cut up and her hair is white and her eyes have been scratched to ribbons. She is a living corpse,” Brienne told you, quick and hushed. Her blue eyes shone with a film of unshed tears. “They call her the Lady Stoneheart. She leads the brotherhood without banners—a group of misfits and bandits and thieves alike, but they rally to her, exacting revenge on everybody involved with the Red Wedding. I tried to tell her of my search for Sansa, but she wouldn’t listen to me. She wanted me to bring her Jaime’s head. And…” Brienne paused for a brief moment to suck in a breath. “She has Podrick. She was about to hang me—asked me to choose between the sword or the noose. And I couldn’t sentence Podrick to his death with me so I…”
“You chose the sword,” you whispered in horror. “I cannot bring Jaime to his death.”
“They’ll kill the boy if we don’t,” Brienne replied, almost pleading.
You gestured about aimlessly. “So what’s your plan? March him right out of his own camp and murder him the second we’re a league away?” You shook your head vehemently. “No. I could not—I will not—kill Jaime. Is she sound of mind, Cat? Will she be willing to hear me speak?”
“I cannot say, my lady. She would not listen to me.”
There came noises from outside the tent and the two of you went silent for many moments before continuing in an even lower volume. “Do not tell Jaime of this. He won’t come if he knows of the truth. We will tell him Sansa is with the Hound holding her hostage—and we need him to come along to pay her ransom with that wretched golden hand of his.”
Brienne nodded. “He must come alone. Lady Stoneheart is not likely to listen to us if he brings a squadron of soldiers with him.”
“We’ll tell him he must come away with no company or Sansa will be killed,” you said, grimacing at the idea of lying to Jaime. “Once we get to Cat, I will try to reason with her. She wouldn’t murder an innocent boy. Seeing Jaime would, hopefully, convince her to release Podrick. And if not… well… I’m sure I could make some sort of bargain with her. She’s my sister.”
This made the tall woman hesitate. Was Lady Stoneheart still Lady Catelyn deep down? “What if she forces you to choose?”
Your expression grew stony. “I would save the innocent squire over the man who fights alongside the monsters that murdered my nephew. But it won’t come to that.”
Brienne’s torn expression was skeptical. You had not yet seen the ruthlessness of Stoneheart; your mind’s image was still picturesque and soft with hope of a distant past. “My lady, I do not know if this is wise.”
“What other choice do we have?”
Once Jaime returned with warm bowls of meat stew, both you and Brienne scarfed down the food at a concerning speed. Jaime watched you with a twisted sense of wonder—part of him thought that he was going to wake up any moment now, and you’d still be gone, off sailing somewhere with the little birds. But you were here—eyeing him intensely over your bowl of stew. It made him feel his chest feel warm and hazy, which was ridiculous, considering the night was frigid. Jaime found himself thinking that he found you frustratingly complex—he was never one for puzzles.
“There’s more if you’d like—” Jaime began to say by the time you had your last spoonful, but you shook your head.
“No time. We have to go.”
Jaime pretended not to be affected when you gave his shoulder a little shove. 
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Jaime put up little argument when the both of you told him of Sansa. 
“I’ll come,” he had said, amused at the surprise in your eyes. “I swore an oath. Not that that means much anymore. But I swore, and I intend to see it through.”
“Really?” you asked, disbelief evident in the singular word. “No questions asked, you would follow me just like that?”
“I would follow you off the edge of a cliff if you asked,” Jaime said, so calm it disturbed you. Being away from the tension and stress of King’s Landing really had changed him, it seemed. Distance from his family was, likely, also a contributing factor. “I jumped into a bear cage for the two of you, remember? This isn’t new territory.”
The three of you left Pennytree almost immediately after the meal—Jaime made sure to tell the few men who you passed that he would return in haste. He gave them no explanation as to where he was going. 
Brienne had told you “Sansa” was about a day’s ride away. After many hours on horseback, trying to put as much distance between you and the camp, the three of you stopped by a grove of shady trees for a brief rest to recover the numbness in your legs. The sun was just beginning to rise, and Brienne rode off to do a quick scout of the perimeter.
“Do you still feel the same as when you left?” he asked once the two of you were alone. The green of his sharp eyes seemed to glow in the warm, dim light. “You told me I was a good man. Was that real, or were your words just wind?”
You had been tightening the saddle on the horse, but stiffened at his sudden question, turning to face him. “That was before you aligned yourself with my nephew’s murderers.”
A frown creased the space between his brows. “I was sent away by Cersei’s command. I never wanted to leave Tommen. Do you really think I have a say on who fights who in this five-faced war?”
No longer did the war have five faces—not if your Robb was dead. Anger crossed your expression, and you pushed closer to him in a blaze of fury. “We’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we? You always have a choice, and you’re always choosing the wrong one.”
Jaime’s one hand reached out to brush over your arm, but you shoved him away. His expression crumpled. “I chose you, didn’t I?”
You felt tears touch the corner of your eyes, but you willed them away. He had chosen you, to your simultaneous dismay and relief. Why?
Jaime turned his head to the side and breathed out a heavy sigh when you spared him no response. “I avoided as much bloodshed as possible in this war. I kept Edmure Tully alive thinking of you and your family.”
“What, you want me to thank you for not brutally murdering an innocent man?” Your hands twitched at your sides, and Jaime wondered if you were going to slap him again. If you were, he was not going to pull away.
But you didn’t, and he ignored your question to continue his dramatics. “And now I’m leaving it all—the battles, the fighting, my duty—because I want to be with you. You are more important to me than this war. I want to help you find your niece.”
Guilt stroked its heavy hand over your chest. You took no pleasure in lying to Jaime. Especially not when he’s been so honest with you in the past, even when he shouldn’t have been. The wretched knight seemed to notice the conflict warring over your features, and reached out to gently cup your face with his one remaining hand. 
“My Bitter Wolf,” he murmured, his thumb brushing against your jaw. “I’m choosing you. Does that mean nothing?”
You wrenched yourself away from him, causing him to stumble back a few paces, and your eyes stung with salt. I’m not choosing you, you thought miserably. But you spoke no words, spared Jaime a hurtful glare, and whisked away from him, back to Brienne. 
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When Brienne led you into the thicket where the brotherhood had set up their makeshift camp, a swarm of men crawled out from the forest like ants to honey. They nodded to Brienne, grabbing a hold of her. She relented with no fight. They took you and Jaime—while you stared at the ground, Jaime erupted in incredulous commands and angry queries to unhand him. He said your name many times, demanding some sort of explanation, but you ignored him. Jaime thrashed and bucked under the grasp of half a dozen men, breaking the nose of two before a blade was slotted beneath his throat. If it had not been for your calm manner, he would have done much worse damage—and he would have easily bested all six with hardly any effort.
“I suppose this is my fault,” Jaime said, voice low, stilling his motions. “My punishment for choosing you, Wolf? What have you done?”
You shut your eyes for a brief moment. After sucking in a breath, you craned your head back to look at the man binding your wrists together. “Take us to her.”
Behind screens of brambles and by the babbling brook, what looked to be the main area of the camp came into view. A large fire crackled greedily within the center. The brotherhood was much larger than you imagined.
Lady Stoneheart was a sight to behold. Her skin was grey, gnarled, and scarred. Her hair was a mess of ashen-white clumps and tangles. Her eyes were a menacing, angry red. Across her throat was a deep gash wound. But beneath all the blood and decay, you could see her—you could see your sister.
“Cat,” you murmured, taking a step towards her. The man holding you tugged you back forcefully. Again, you said her name, this time a sob bubbling forth. It suddenly felt as if you were seven-and-ten again, with your head resting upon her shoulder, listening to her hum as she embroidered Tully fishes onto baby Sansa’s dress. “Cat!”
You cried, heartbroken that the Cat you had known for so many years was now—
She croaked something unintelligible. Her voice was rough, akin to the sound of steel against stone. Beside her stood a thin, bearded man in an oily jerkin. It took you a few moments to recognize him through your bleary gaze. 
“Harwin,” you said, remembering the son of Hullen, the master of horse at Winterfell. The knight had once been a stable-boy when you were no more than a child. He used to ride with Arya, Jon, and Robb during quintains. One of the few chosen to travel down south with Ned after he was appointed to be Hand. What was he doing here?
The man stared at you with only slight sympathy, but made no attempts to help you. “Lady Stoneheart says you have brought him the Oathbreaker.”
“What?” You looked to Jaime, who was staring at you with an indecipherable expression, then turned your eyes back to Catelyn and Harwin. “No, I—Cat, I didn’t come here for that. It’s me. It’s your good-sister. Please, please hear my words.”
Another gruelling noise fell from her torn lips. 
“She does not want to listen to you. She wants justice,” said Harwin. “Bitter Wolf, I believe it best if—”
Rage began to spill over your expression. You could feel the anger that haunted you throughout your youth begin to resurface upon seeing a reminder of your past, of Winterfell. “I’m not speaking to you!” you just about snarled at him, lips curled. You looked back to Catelyn’s desecrated corpse. “Cat, please. It’s your sister—Ned’s sister. Remember?”
Cat grated out a sound.
“She remembers,” Harwin translated. “She remembers everything.”
You nodded, tears slipping down your cheeks. “Then you must remember the oath Jaime swore before you released us. He is no oathbreaker, Cat. I was there. I saw Sansa—hells, if we could have left we would have. She disappeared, and I know where she is.” You hoped your lie sounded more believable than it sounded; you misliked the way your voice trembled with uncertainty. “She’s in the Eyrie. Littlefinger has taken her there.”
There was a cascade of murmurs across the brotherhood. Stoneheart, however, stared at you with her cruel, torn eyes.
“Let him redeem himself,” you pleaded. “Cat, let him fulfill his oath.”
The sound that left Stoneheart was sharp and angry. Harwin, solemn, said seconds after she fell silent, “‘Not an oathbreaker?’ she asks. Jaime Lannister is the reason why her son was murdered.”
“Robb?” you whispered. “That’s not true, Cat. We were still traveling together to King’s Landing when it happened. I miss him, too. More than anything, more than life itself—but it’s not right to blame him for a crime he has not committed.” Finally, you tore your eyes away from Catelyn to look over at Jaime. For once, he was silent, watching you with creased, heavy brows. 
Stoneheart gestured to a man nearby, wielding a sword. An executioner? You felt your blood run cold.
“Jaime Lannister will not be leaving alive,” said Harwin. 
Having been quiet for longer than usual, Jaime finally decided to speak. “I demand a trial by combat,” he announced, voice clear and devoid of fear, a stark contrast to you. “Clearly I won’t be getting a fair trial otherwise, no matter how many testimonies I receive in my favor.”
Stoneheart twitched with mute fury. Her shredded eyes honed in on Jaime as she garbled out more nonsense.
“Very well,” Harwin translated, expression distinctly Northern in his grimness. “Her champion will be Brienne of Tarth.”
You could feel your heart attack the inside of your ribcage, akin to a panicked bird in a cage. “Unhand me,” you snarled, turning to the man still holding you. 
The man said nothing, but with one look at Stoneheart’s expressionless nod, released his grip. Immediately, you sprang away from your captor and made to stand between your former good-sister and Jaime.
“I know you must think him a monster. Trust me, I did, as well. But he’s not a monster—he’s just a man. A better one than most.” Your voice cracked as you spoke. You didn’t dare look back at Jaime, keeping your eyes fixed on Cat. “I’ll extend you a deal. A promise. I will personally bring him back to you if he fails to find Sansa within a year, and you’ll be able to do what you want with him. Please, Cat. I was your kin by law. You were my sister. Please let him help me find your daughters. Just give him some time to fulfill his oath.”
Lady Stoneheart seemed to consider your words seriously for the first time since you were brought out in front of her. She said something then, cold and emotionless, and you could already tell this was another denial before Harwin could even begin to translate.
“She asks if you have decided to betray your family for the Lannisters,” said Harwin.
Your expression soured in incredulity. “I am a Stark of the North,” you whispered. “I will never turn my back on my family. Sansa is not too far, I’m sure. We’ll be able to find her. She’s suspected for the murder of the bastard king, Cat. If Cersei finds her before us, your daughter will be dead. And Arya—Arya is in the North. In… in Winterfell. She’s to marry the Bolton bastard and will be at the mercy of the Lannisters.”
It was a lie, you knew. Jaime told you it was some girl posing as Arya, not Arya herself. Would Stoneheart know? You could only pray she didn’t.
The name Bolton seemed to stir something in her. Her torn eyelids closed open and shut, open and shut, open and—
“Ahh…ya?” her ragged voice strained. That was the first word she’d uttered that you understood. 
“Yes,” you said, eyes misting over once more. “Arya. The Boltons serve the Lannisters now. With Jaime by my side… he may be the only bartering tool powerful enough to sway Roose, now that Tywin and Joffrey are both dead.”
After another lengthy pause, Stoneheart straightened her crooked spine (which still remained considerably bent), and nodded once, then twice. She rasped out some things to Harwin.
Even Harwin looked mildly surprised when he translated. “She accepts this deal. However, she has one condition.”
“Name your price,” you said.
“Bring back Jaime Lannister in a year. If you don’t have at least one of the girls with you, he will die, and you will die with him.”
Behind you, you could hear Jaime suck in a breath, as you knew without even sparing him a glance that he was about to say something rash. You took a step back closer to him and immediately said before he could get a single offensive word in: “Alright. Yes.”
Finally, you turned to look at Jaime. To your surprise, his eyes were wide and—was that fear you could see? Anxious flecks of gold amidst the arrogant calm of his green? You hadn’t even realized that Stoneheart had said something more until Harwin cleared his throat. 
“You will be given a warm meal to fill your belly, and you and the Kingslayer will be sent off.”
“What of Podrick and Brienne?” you asked, looking towards the large knight—your friend. Your only friend.
“They will be kept prisoners—to make sure you hold up your end of the bargain. We cannot trust your word alone. If Jaime Lannister is not brought back for execution within a year, the woman and the squire will both be met with noose. Bring back the girls, and they will be spared.”
“My word alone?” you parroted in offense. “I am Stark. These are my nieces we are talking about.”
Harwin merely shrugged at this. “The Boltons were one of your family’s bannermen. They are not the paradigm of honor you once thought, either.” With that, he gestured towards a few watching men standing further away from the fire. “Bring them food. They will set off in the morn.”
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The brotherhood had given you meager rations for your journey. A handful of salted meat (you hadn’t had the heart to ask exactly what kind of meat), a few chunks of crusty bread, and two leather pitchers full of water that tasted distinctly of old metal. You decided not to think of it too much and accepted what was given to you without complaint. They allowed for you to keep your weapons—they knew better than anyone the two of you would hardly survive a fortnight without a form of defense. 
When the two of you left, you bid Brienne a solemn goodbye and a promise to return. The look she gave you was equally somber, but she nodded in understanding. Jaime made a snarky remark about missing seeing her brutish face first thing in the morning, and Brienne simply pretended not to hear him. 
The plan was to move north, avoiding the Twins crossing, for obvious reasons… and head eastward towards Greywater Watch, the seat of House Reed. Howland Reed was a close friend of Ned’s, a small, kind man from what little you remembered of him… you were sure he was more likely to be friend than foe—though Jaime Lannister in your company made the situation a tad more complicated. You weren’t entirely sure how Howland would react to a Lannister in his halls. Many moons ago, Robb had sent orders to Howland to defend the North by not allowing Tywin Lannister’s army through. But Jaime was not Tywin, and the two of you were no army. Greywater Watch was the most promising place to go. 
Your journey the first few days consisted of many questions from Jaime. How was the trip? What happened to Varys’ ship? Where did you go? Why did you come back? Where are we going now? Why aren’t you eating? Has anyone ever told you you’re terrible at making conversation? So on and so forth. For every ten questions, Jaime counted you bothering to answer only one, and it was often curt, single-worded replies. At least this time he was not shackled with a big brute of a woman prodding his back every five seconds, so he supposed he had less to complain about. 
“I could leave you here now,” Jaime had said. “I could abandon you while you sleep and alert my men of your whereabouts.”
“Do it,” you said airily. “I’ll go back to Stoneheart and ask her to hunt you down.”
Jaime’s sharp face soured. “I wouldn’t leave you. Even though you make things incredibly difficult.”
“Oh, I know,” was all you said in return, and the conversation ended with that.
On the third night of traveling north, the two of you decided to settle down by a bubbling creek. The water was greenish and looked rather terrible to drink, but water was water. Jaime watched you build a small fire. He asked who had taught you to build fires, and, expectedly, was received with silence. To his small delight, you sat beside him instead of across from him. 
It was only a few minutes later when you spoke. “She’ll kill you,” you whispered, just loud enough so that he would hear over the howling wind and crackling fire. It was obvious to Jaime that you’d been thinking about her the entire journey so far. Your eyes flickered upwards to search his face. His beard seemed to give him a scruffy, wild spirit that you rather appreciated. “Even if you bring Sansa back to her, she’ll kill you.”
“What makes you so sure?”
You were so tired of crying. You’d spent your entire life doing so, and it seemed you weren’t stopping any time soon—you felt the tears slip down your face regardless of your contempt for them. Jaime swiped the wetness away for you with a soft touch for a calloused thumb, but you shifted away from his touch. 
“Because she will never forgive you. As Lady Catelyn, perhaps she once would have. But she is no longer my good-sister Cat. Not anymore. I do not blame her.”
There was a long silence. Jaime regarded you with a look that you could only read as warm. “If she kills me once I’ve fulfilled my oath, I would gladly welcome the prospect of dying after doing something honorable for a change. I do not fear death.”
“I do,” you told him. “I’ve seen it everywhere I go. And to see you dead… it would ruin me. You ruin me.” Another pause, then— “I loathe you, I really do.” It sounded as if you were trying to convince yourself more than him. Jaime made a gruff, chuckling noise, even though it was no laughing matter. Your hands curled into tight fists. “I think if there existed a world where I never met you… I would’ve been far happier. How does the saying go? Never meet your idols.”
Jaime stopped laughing and reared back a small distance with quirked brows. “I’m your idol?”
“That’s not the point,” you said, rolling your eyes away from him to the dark sky. “I just think you were much more appealing as an idea in my head. That’s all.”
Jaime thought it very pretty, the way your nose wrinkled and your cheeks warmed the more flustered you got. “No, no, I would really like it if you elaborated on this ‘idol’ matter. Missing a hand, wronged you a dozen different times, and brought shame to everything I’ve ever been named to? That is who your idol would be?”
“I don’t mind the missing hand. How it went missing is a different story. And yes, you’ve wronged me, but I’ve wronged you, as well. I lied to you. Granted, it’s not of the same caliber.” 
“You lied to me, but then you lied for me. I would call it even. Who’s keeping score?” Jaime then regarded you with a queer look. “You’re chatty today. I like you with a loose tongue.” 
You ignored his statement, stoking the fire by tossing more broken branches that Jaime had collected before into the licking flames. “You shouldn’t be so proud of being my idol. From childhood it was because of your infamously worst deed. I used to think you heard my prayers from all the way down south and killed the king just for me. I was no older than one-and-ten. Don’t let it get to you.”
It was already getting to Jaime. He couldn’t seem to wipe the smug grin from his sharp lips. 
“You honor me,” he said, sounding genuine; a rare feat. “I am glad to be your idol.”
That brought a touch of fondness to your wintry countenance. If Jaime wasn’t careful, he would find himself lost in those tired, sad eyes of yours. There was a quiet beauty to them.
“Your eyes,” he said, before he could stop himself. “Your father had the very same eyes.”
At first, he thought you would bite his head right off, with the way you stared at him in that same wounded-animal expression you often wore. Then you quickly looked away, sucking in a small breath. “Do I? He told me I had my mother’s eyes.”
Jaime softened. “I never met your mother.”
“Neither did I. Not really.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. Apologies were foreign on his tongue. 
“It’s alright,” you whispered. “After all, how can you miss something that never really existed for you?”
There was more silence before Jaime said, “I miss many things that never existed for me.” He could feel your curious glance roam over his features, so he decided to change the subject. “Would you like to hear a story?” Before you could say anything—not that you were going to—Jaime said, “My brother was married once before he was wed to Sansa.”
You tilted your head, suddenly interested. “He was?”
“When I was twenty years of age and Tyrion three-and-ten, we were traveling together between Lannisport and Casterly Rock. We came across a maiden. A crofter’s daughter. Tysha, her name was. She was being robbed by a group of outlaws. I chased them off and Tyrion looked after Tysha. He was madly in love with her, you see. He took her maidenhead and the two were later married by a septon drunk off Dornish red. I wasn’t there for the occasion… I had returned to King’s Landing to attend Robert Baratheon at the time. The duties of a Kingsguard.” Jaime smiled at that, sharp as a fox. “A fortnight later, the septon felt awfully guilty and confessed to my father what he’d done. Of course, Tywin Lannister wasn’t happy about his son marrying a common girl. So he had me lie and say that she was a whore I paid for Tyrion to have a few nights with.”
“That’s terrible,” you said, voice quiet. “Why would you do such a thing?”
Jaime could only shrug at that. Whatever residual guilt he had harbored over the girl was still there, though the many years had softened the blow. “I have no proper excuse. I was young. Father was convinced she only wanted Tyrion’s money and not Tyrion. He convinced me to lie that I had set everything up, outlaws and all—and I thought it best at the time, considering Tyrion was so miserable all the time. He missed her.”
“What of the girl?” you whispered, stomach knotted, knowing no story like this had a happy end.
Jaime drew in a shallow breath. “She was brought to Casterly Rock. My father had her raped by the guards to put her in her place. A silver for each guard. Then he had Tyrion rape her, too. Left a gold coin for her because Lannisters are worth more. The marriage was undone, and now hardly a living soul knows.”
There was horror written plain as day across your features. “Your father was a monster. It was no wonder Tyrion killed him.”
To that, Jaime nodded. “It was at times like that I considered myself fortunate to be a Kingsguard, far from him. Either way, I would have been an Oathbreaker from the start. Betray my king or betray my blood?”
“Would you really have defied your father’s orders?” you asked. 
Without needing to think about it, Jaime said, “Yes. If I needed to.”
The wind howled cold whispers into your ears as you pondered on his story. You drew further into your cloak’s hood. “I’ll tell you a story.”
This pleasantly surprised Jaime. “That’s a first,” he said. “Out with it.”
“The first time a boy kissed me, I was seven and he was one-and-ten, if I recall correctly. Perhaps two-and-ten. It was only a moon before the tourney at Harrenhal. He was the son of a blacksmith living in the castle. He would bring me arrowheads he made—they were terrible, blunt little pieces, but I accepted his gifts nonetheless. He kissed me as he handed me another arrowhead. I shoved him away as fast as I could—I was afraid I’d done something wrong, and Father would be cross with me. I was so angry with him… and he was so afraid of me. He asked for my forgiveness—begged for it, even.”
Jaime leaned forward. “And?”
To his bemusement, your expression grew rather embarrassed. “I kicked him.”
“Oh. Well, that’s not too ba—”
“In the face.”
“Oh!”
“Yes, it was not my finest moment. Two of his teeth came out in bloody stumps. I felt sorry for him, but I told him never to touch me again and I ran off. Brandon had to take care of the mess while Lyanna and Ned comforted me. I was sobbing in his arms, afraid the stableboy had gotten me with child. Lyanna had to explain why she was sure I wasn’t with child.” You used the cowl of your cloak to shield your burning features.
As if sensing your thoughts, Jaime flicked the hood back just enough so he could meet your eyes. “And? What came of him? Did your father lop his tiny cock off? Became a eunuch and was sent off to the Wall?”
“No,” you hotly replied, swatting away his hand. “It was just a warning and a slap on the wrist, was all. He actually became a distinguished rider in Winterfell. I hardly ever spoke to him after that—he kept a respectful distance. If I recall, he’s even gotten himself a wife and children.”
A silence stretched thin between the two of you. Then, to your shock, Jaime began cackling up a storm, even bending at the stomach and slapping at his thigh in hilarity. His ribs ached with how much he was laughing.
“It wasn’t a funny story,” you said, almost stern. “I feel bad for him.”
This made Jaime pause. “He forced himself on you, and you feel bad for him? If anything, he deserved a worse fate.” 
“We were children. Things are much simpler when you’re children.” You tilted your head, recalling another memory. “When I was an even younger child, perhaps Rickon’s age now, I told my siblings I was afraid of doors.”
The knight beside you scoffed at that, stifling the remnants of his laughter. “Doors?”
“Well—not the physical wooden slab itself, but… the idea of not knowing what was behind it. It terrified me. But that was all too much and too hard to explain to my brothers and sister at such a young age, so I simply told them I was afraid of doors.” 
Jaime regarded you with narrowed eyes. “Hm. I can’t even picture it.”
“Brandon and Ned never let me sit closest to a door from then on. Benjen always teased me and would sling me over his shoulder and stand the both of us by the doorway, and then he’d ask if I was scared. He was cruel the way brothers are cruel. The way you were to Tyrion, I suppose.”
A discontent noise fell from Jaime’s lips, but he did not disagree with you. 
“And Lyanna… Lyanna tried to help me face this fear by telling me to open a closed door to check what’s behind it.”
Jaime hummed. “Did you find anything?”
“Nothing ever,” you said, shaking your head. “Except one time, Benjen was hiding behind. But he never scared me, not ever.”
“And are you now?”
“Hm?”
“Are you afraid of what could be behind a door?”
There was a pause as you thought. You picked up some more branches to toss into the fire, watching the fire shift and pop with the new food. “Would you think less of me if I told you yes?” you whispered.
How Jaime saw you then was how he was sure a moth saw light. “No,” he said, feeling as if something had caught in his throat. “I do admire your fear, Wolf. It’s something I can learn from.”
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Jaime was asleep. One thing you noticed was that he always left you to sleep past the agreed time he should’ve woken you up to swap watches. 
“You need your sleep,” he had said with an easy shrug and a grin once you confronted him about the matter. “You look terrible, you know.”
As irritating as he was, you found yourself grateful for the extra hours of rest. The journey certainly hadn’t been kind on your body; your feet were aching with the grueling pace you had set for yourself. While Jaime was catching up on a few hours of sleep, you would watch the treeline in the distance, listening to the leaves rustle with the breeze and the owls hooting to their hatchlings. The stars were bright that night, pale amongst the sky. You wondered how many there were, and if you could manage to count them all before having to rouse Jaime.
You only managed to get to twenty before you heard a swishing noise from a thicket in the distance. You tensed, immediately reaching for your dagger. The two of you were somewhat protected by a brambled hedge of shrubbery, but that did not mean you were entirely safe. 
A four-legged figure nosed its way out of the green. Your muscles relaxed, but only slightly. An animal was far less dangerous than a man. It would likely scurry off in a moment or two.
You stared at it for a while longer, and the animal drew nearer. A wolf, you realized, noting its bushy, swishing tail. Then, your brows knitted together. It was far larger than a regular wolf, near monstrous in size, looking to be taller than you, even in the distance. It had a glossy grey pelt and glowing, amber eyes. 
This was no normal wolf. It was a direwolf. 
You breathed out a shaking breath. Direwolves hardly wandered as far south as Winterfell, much less down to the Riverlands. It couldn’t have wandered here all on its own. Lady was dead, you knew that to be true. Grey Wind murdered by the Freys. Shaggydog and Summer were likely killed by Theon Greyjoy, or thrown into a cage somewhere in Winterfell. Little Ghost was on the Wall with Jon. That left—
“Nymeria,” you murmured in shock. 
You stood up. Would she recognize you? Or worse—would she hurt you?
It was probably a good idea to shake Jaime awake. You casted a brief glance over at him, curled up by the sack of food rations, his sharp, handsome face softened with slumber. Deciding against it, you began to creep nearer to the direwolf. She stood with her ears pricked, unblinking, not taking her eyes off you.
“Hello, sweet one,” you said, voice low and level, despite the rushed blood coursing through your veins. Nymeria’s ears twitched. “It’s been a long time.”
The wolf lifted one paw, swayed her tail against the grass twice. Then her sharp teeth bared in a snarl, glowing beneath the starlight.
You stepped back, sensing her growing hostility. It felt ridiculous speaking to a direwolf, but you knew how intelligent they were. If there was even a shred of a possibility, it was worth pursuing. 
“Do you know where Arya is? Arya.” 
At the name, Nymeria put her paw back down. Her head tilted, much like she used to do when she was a confused pup learning how to spin for food. Abruptly, she turned and bounded back into the trees. A deep howl echoed through the forest, sounding ghostly in its timbre. Other howls echoed after her—Nymeria clearly wasn’t alone. You were grateful the other wolves hadn’t approached. Just a day ago, Jaime was telling you about many squadrons of Lannister bannermen being mauled by a pack of wolves, led by a large she-wolf. Perhaps that was Nymeria. She certainly fit the description.
You returned to the bramble barrier, finding Jaime still sound asleep. He had turned whilst you were gone, now facing away from the sack. You sat down beside him, and, strangely, found yourself excited for him to wake up so you could tell him what had happened.
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There was, you waged, about an hour before the sun would rise. You would wake Jaime then, and the two of you would continue northward to Howland Reed’s castle. If the pace the two of you had set was consistent, you should be there in no more than a fortnight. 
It was quiet for a long while. You thought you could hear someone humming a familiar tune, and after waiting with your ears pricked for a moment, you realized you were imagining it—after all, you knew nobody but Benjen that used to hum that melody. Your heart ached at the thought of your youngest older brother. 
There came a rustle, a step, and the snap of a branch somewhere off to your left. You turned, hand curled around the handle of the dagger, muscles coiled at the ready. Perhaps Nymeria had come back, you pondered, unsure if that was something you would even want to happen. Probably not. 
Another snap. A shuffle. A thud. You narrowed your eyes—wolves familiar with this forest would be far more sure-footed than that. 
After a tense second, you were proved right. Before you knew it, half a dozen men swarmed out of the trees, silent despite their clumsy feet, eyes wide and pale with the moonlight. They all carried weapons—though they were rather unconventional ones; pitchforks, shovels, garden pick-axes. Their tattered clothing told you that they were likely farmers who had turned to the life of thievery in times of desperation. So much for Jaime bringing peace to the Riverlands.
Hurriedly, you managed to kick at Jaime’s leg just as one man was already advancing on you with a snarl, barreling forward and pinning you down onto the foliage underneath. All the air slipped out of your lungs. You were no good at close-hand combat, and hadn’t had time to properly train in many moons—but you relied on your instincts, which told you to claw at any part of his skin you could reach, and lift your feet as high as he could possibly allow, kicking him in the chest. 
By now, Jaime had been hauled off by a bigger, burlier man that stood so tall that Jaime only came up to his chest. There was another going straight for him—but you had more pressing matters to focus on. The man that had been on top of you was drawing back with wounded, ragged gasps, and you pounced forward, brandishing your dagger.
He had time to let slip one plea for his life—but you were quick to plunge the sharp end straight down his sternum with as much force possible, piercing his heart swiftly. Out it came—and down again. And again. Again. Once more. There was blood all over your forearms, some flecks landing wetly on your face. With a clenched jaw, you slashed his throat. Rubies dribbled from the cut, glittering under the moonlight. You abandoned his body, briefly wondering if Nymeria and her pack would come back and feast.
When you turned, there were two more thieves hesitating. They looked on the younger end—just boys. You scowled at them, made a motion as if you were going to attack them next, and they promptly turned on their heels and fled. When you looked over to Jaime, he had managed to grab his sword and had pierced his two assailants swiftly. They fell to the ground with bloodied noises of pain. Jaime flicked the excess blood off of the blade with a disgusted wrinkle of his nose. Then, he looked at you, taking in your gore-soaked appearance. His brows raised when he looked over at the corpse you’d stabbed and slashed.
“What happened to being so concerned over innocent men?” Jaime questioned, half-genuine and half-provoking. 
“I told you before,” you hissed. “There are always a few rotten apples in an orchard. I would have been fine helping the men find food—pinning me to the ground with the intent of robbing us, or worse, revokes them of any right to my pleasantries.”
Jaime smiled at that. “Right—because you’re well renowned for your pleasantries. Is it concerning that I find you even more attractive covered in blood?” he asked as he drew nearer, blunt as always. “I do think I’m falling for you like this.”
“Oh, be quiet,” you snapped. You turned to look at the treeline, where Nymeria had come out. 
“Are you alright?” he queried, expression shifting into one of concern, single hand reaching out to touch your arm, tender from when you slammed into the ground. “Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine. Most of the blood isn’t mine. I just have to wash it off.”
Jaime nodded, looking strangely prideful. He offered his hand out for you to take. You stared at him for a moment, then brushed past him and made your way to the river. He trailed after you with a barely-repressed smile.
“What were you looking for?” he asked as you began to scrub the blood off you. Thankfully, it came off quite easily since it hadn’t had time to set and dry on you. 
“I think I saw someone I knew,” you muttered. The excitement of telling him the news had worn off with the attack. The water was frigid, and though you were well acquainted with the cold, you were going to catch your death if you loitered longer than you needed to.
With furrowed brows, Jaime regarded you as if you had grown a second head. “Who?” His hand was already falling to the pommel of the longsword. 
You shook your head. “Not a person. A direwolf.”
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After you had washed up, dripping with river water but now void of grime, you and Jaime were quick to pack up what little you were carrying with you, to start off northward once again. When you had asked if Jaime wanted to wash himself before leaving, he only laughed at your face. “I’ll freeze my balls off if I do that. I’d rather keep them for now. I can bathe once we get to Greywater Watch.” Where there was one gang of thieves, there were likely a dozen others—it was better to keep moving.
“Only if Howland Reed doesn’t skin your balls off himself,” you remarked.
Jaime didn’t say anything to that, but he glanced over at you with a grin. That was likely the closest thing to a jest he’d ever heard you say.
As you walked, Jaime noticed you were favoring your left side, trying not to put too much weight on your right foot. “Did he knock you there?” he asked, gesturing downward to your ankles.
You scowled at him, as if irritated that he was observing the smallest of your actions. It made you feel terribly intruded upon. “I’m fine,” you repeated. 
Jaime shrugged. “If you say so.” But he stepped closer, occasionally bumping into your right side as if to help you keep your weight off. Arse.
About an hour after the skirmish, Jaime decided he had enough of the silence. He was keen on hearing your voice again, even if it was going to tell him to fuck right off. 
“You can reclaim the North as yours now,” he said. “If you gathered enough loyal men… you could.”
You sucked in a breath. “I have more pressing matters before sitting on a throne.” You didn’t bother to list them, but you thought them glaringly obvious.
Sansa. Arya. Brienne. Pod. Ca—Stoneheart.
“Everyone in my family is scattered and alone and I need to be there for them. What good would it be wasting all my energy battling the Boltons?” 
Jaime wasn’t used to being the smarter of the two. He felt that it was the most logical decision at the moment, considering the two of you would practically be wandering about aimlessly if not for going after your rightful seat. “Perhaps you can be there for your family by retaking your home.” With a softer tone, he added on, “Might I remind you… you have nothing right now. No castle, no money, no weapons, nothing. Only me to watch you.”
This seemed to struck a nerve in you, much to Jaime’s simultaneous dismay and elation. 
“I don’t need you to watch me,” you scathingly said. “You’re just with me because you’re an important political figure that could be of use. And I didn’t want to have to watch my good-sister lop your head off.”
Jaime briefly wondered why, but instead arrogantly retorted, “Well, I’m sure I wouldn’t have let it come to—”
“But I suppose you’re right,” you admitted, interrupting him with a melancholic puff of an exhale, words weighing heavy.
Jaime barked out a laugh. “Say that again. I want to savor it this time.”
“You are insufferable,” you said, though it lacked any true bite. “To save my family, I must leave them. Is that what you’re suggesting?”
“You’re not leaving,” Jaime reminded. “You’re just taking… a short detour.”
“Short,” you snorted. “It would be a miracle if we can take Winterfell back before the year’s mark.”
Jaime squared his jaw, now thinking back to Brienne. “Alright. After Greywater Watch, what then? Where would you like to go? I would…” He stopped walking, and grabbed hold of your wrist. Your eyes flashed dangerously as they met his. “I would follow you wherever you go.”
For once, you had no harsh retort for him.
Instead, you asked, almost as if searching for a reason for him to rescind his statement, “Even if I keep telling you to leave?”
Jaime nodded. “Even then.”
“And when I put a knife to your throat, deciding that I want to take revenge for my nephews?”
Again, there was no hesitation on his end. Jaime hardly thought before he spoke, but it was the truth nonetheless. “I would let you cut me open until you’re satisfied with me, if that’s what you wish. Are you done asking me needless questions or shall we start playing a drinking game with our muddy river water?”
Your features, which had softened considerably, now fell back into their naturally irritated state. You nodded with solemn determination. Jaime thought you looked much like your brother Ned right then. 
“Right. I think that settles it.” You started off walking again, shaking your wrist free of his hold. “We’ll go north, as we have. But—it’s time I stop hiding.”
In the distance, a single wolf howled. 
“It’s time I returned home.”
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daemonbrain · 1 month ago
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Rhaenyra ‘The Cruel’
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