Beautifully Broken

This is my first published ASOIAF fanfiction. It's a one shot. I hope that we will see a Jaime/Dany scene in which the truth about King Aerys does come out.

Please leave a review and tell us what you think.

I do have a much longer one in the works (which is about 30 chapters written) which may be published some time later.

Standard copyright disclaimers apply. ASOIAF of course, belongs to GRRM and not me.

Queen Daenerys Targaryen sat on the Iron Throne, her handmaiden beside her, her new Queenguard also around her, alert for any possible attack or assassins, though it was unlikely since her dragons had saved the day against the Others. She surveyed the throne room before her, the court were all in attendance today, for today was the day that she would see justice done for her father's murder.

Today was the day that she would sit in judgement as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, over Ser Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer. She knew that her Hand, Tyrion, was worried over what she was about to do to his brother. Justice demanded that he die for his crimes against the Iron Throne. When she first had news that Jaime Lannister had been captured by her forces, she had rejoiced for the injustice that had been done to her would be remedied.

The doors opened and two guards entered, a chained prisoner walking between them, his steps slow but deliberate.

And then their eyes met, and when she looked into those cat-green eyes with her violet, she saw past the empty arrogance, the resignation to death and the wall that he put up since he had killed King Aerys, and she could see nothing else but a beautifully broken boy that she couldn't help but feel the need to put back together.

She spoke, "so you are the Kingslayer, who betrayed and murdered my father."

"Yes," the word came out slow, deliberate, resigned. She knew that he thought that there was only one possible outcome ever since he had been captured, and that, was death, either by dragon or by the sword. "I killed your father." The tone was flat, and dead.

"You were Kingsguard, sworn to protect him," she said.

"Yes," the answer was once more, deliberate. "I was." His posture was straight even in his chains. His green gaze bore into her, defiant in a way. He would walk to his death proudly and without regret.

"And you stabbed him in the back," Daenerys stated. "When Kings Landing was sacked, instead of saving your King, you betrayed him for the Usurper." Her voice rang clear, as emotion threatened to overtake her. "And you allowed Princess Elia and Aegon and Rhaenys to die."

"I did," Jaime stated, "I did all of those things." His voice showed no emotion. This was not going well. She wanted him to rant and rave, because then, he would speak the truth. Tyrion had told her the hard truths about her father, and Ser Barristan too, before he died. She knew how her father had raped her mother, his descent into madness. The Mad King, the smallfolk had called him. She knew that her father was not the best person in the world. But still, the Kingsguard were sworn to protect the King. "So pronounce your judgement. I have no regrets and I will be glad to die." That was what surprised her, that he was unafraid of death. No one she had met had ever been wholly unafraid of death. It was the one thing she could count on as constant. That was why he was a conundrum.

"No," the voice from her left, Tyrion. "Jaime..."

It was then she saw Jaime turn, to address his brother, "let me go, Tyrion. I am ready."

"I'm not ready for you to go," Tyrion replied, "I must tell you, I did not kill Joffrey. I lied to you when I escaped Kings Landing. I was angry. I am sorry."

An imperceptible nod came from the chained man. "I know," his voice was clear. "But it does not change anything. I still have to die. There is no way around it."

"Your Grace," Tyrion turned to her, pleading, "please, have mercy."

The court, led by Prince Trystane Martell erupted in clamour. Her other councillors shouted that Tyrion was biased. She raised her hand, signalling silence. "I will not pronounce judgement until I have heard the truth." She turned back to her prisoner, "why did you betray your sacred oath? Was it for your father?" It was what Ser Barristan had said, before he had died. Obviously it had been planned between Lord Tywin and Ser Jaime after Rhaegar had lost at the Trident.

Yet Tyrion had challenged that story when she relayed it to him. He had said that Jaime cared naught for his father's plans. And that was when he had still hated Jaime for what had happened with Tysha. There would have been no prearranged plan to betray King Aerys. Stabbing King Aerys in the back did not feel like premeditation. No sane person would want to be banded a Kingslayer and an oathbreaker.

"Yes," he said, the first sign of emotion in his voice, a bored drawl."Can we get this over with? We all know how this is going to end, so why don't we skip over the rest of it and just pronounce me guilty. I already confessed to killing Aerys. What do my motivations matter?" The court gasped as one at the words.

Daenerys shrugged off the words. An obvious lie. No, it was not for his father. She knew. Perhaps it was time to play her trump card. The lady, dressed as a knight, a hero of the war against the Others, that had come to see her after word had first filtered through that Jaime Lannister had been captured by her forces. This was done in utmost secrecy, even her Hand did not know that this lady had come to see her. "The Crown calls Lady Brienne of Tarth."

"No," the cry came from her prisoner. So, she had gotten a reaction from her prisoner, just as she wanted. Ever since Lady Brienne had come to her, she had been troubled by the story she had shared. For Lady Brienne had told her a story, that not even Tyrion could prove or disprove. A story about wildfire, hidden under all of Kings Landing and her father's plan to burn Kings Landing, massacre the whole city when he knew he was lost. When Lady Brienne had relayed the words "let him be King over charred bones and cooked meat. Let him be the king of ashes," she knew it was the truth. She had seen it in the House of the Undying.

She would not be a Queen that would countenance such an action, even if it was by her royal forebear. The Lady Brienne strode into court, in a dress, one that was fitted to her unique figure.

"No," Jaime cried, plaintive, again.

"What light have you to shed on this matter?" Daenerys asked. "Lady Brienne." The court shouted again that she was a Kingslayer as well, that she had murdered Renly Baratheon. Daenerys once again raised her arm for quiet. Whatever she had done before, Daenerys knew that she spoke the truth about the circumstances of King Aerys's death.

The lady bowed her head, "your Grace," she said, "Ser Jaime told me at Harrenhal." And she launched into detail what had been said by Ser Jaime, humiliating him in front of court, but it was necessary. If his life was to be saved. If she was to put a broken boy back together again. Death was an easy way out for him.

"Liar," she heard Ser Jaime whisper, say, but she ignored him, knowing that he lied. His head was now bowed down in resignation, defeated. Why had Brienne revealed his secret? In a misguided attempt to save his life? He was ready to die. He knew he deserved to die.

Daenerys was impassive on her throne as the story finished, for she knew that she must utterly break Ser Jaime, before she could build him again into the man that she wanted him to be. The Lord that she needed him to be. For whilst Tyrion was in line to inherit the Westerlands he had killed Lord Tywin. It would be unseemly to name Tyrion as Warden of the West. Even though her dragons would have ensured compliance, a grudging compliance was not what she wanted, nor what the realm needed if it were to thrive. And her hold on the Throne was not secure until she birthed an heir or named one. And the only possible living heir right now was Jon, who was more northerner than Targaryen.

Even her dragons could not protect her against the Faceless Men should any rebellious Lord of the West speak her name at the House of Black and White because of what Tyrion had done. It was at these times when Tyrion should have realised that killing his own father was an unnecessary complication. Better that he had died in battle, either against the Golden Company of the fake Aegon or against her own dragons.

And Tyrion himself, a dragon rider, there could not be another Dance of Dragons if he should wish revenge for his brother's death. No matter how much Tyrion had first claimed that he had hated his brother, she knew that he loved his brother and she would not take away the one person that loved Tyrion for who he was and not for his power or prestige. She could not hurt one that had helped her so much.

Tyrion interjected, "It is as Lady Brienne said, the Wisdoms can confirm that we found caches of wildfire underneath the city and used them against Stannis at the Blackwater. Is this truly what happened Jaime?"

"Yes," utterly broken, the voice soft, almost too soft for the people to hear. "It is. Now that this is finished, please let me die."

"No," Brienne's hoarse scream, Tyrion's cry, Daenerys's voice rang out clear. "You do not have my leave to die," she continued, "No, you must live and you must serve. I pronounce my judgement. For the crime of murder, for killing my father, I do pronounce you guilty, but it is mitigated by the fact that you saved all of Kings Landing. It is only by your actions that I even have a throne to sit on today. And I take that into account in deciding your sentence. As you say, you want to die. Death would just be fulfilling your wishes. No, to punish you, I decree that you must live and your must forever serve. You owe House Targaryen that much. You must repay your debt. Although you are stripped of the White Cloak, you are still mine."

Daenerys knew what she had to do. She would rebuild this beautifully broken boy and make him into a man.

Jaime stared at the ground, his head bowed. Once again, he had no control over what would happen to him. Why was everything so cruel to him? When he wanted nothing but Cersei, they had taken her from him and given her to Robert. When he wanted to be a great knight, they had taken it away from him. They had even taken his sword hand from him. The thing that made him infamous, leaving him as nothing. Even now, having rescued Sansa Stark, fulfilling his last promise, ready to meet death, he was stopped from doing so. As the Queen had said, he owed House Targaryen a debt, if not for Aerys, then for Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon. And Lannisters always paid their debts. So, he resigned himself to live, though he knew not what as. He would be nothing more than a comfortable prisoner trapped in tedium. He brought his head up once more to meet those violet eyes with his greens, accepting her judgement. He had no choice.

Daenerys had one more thing to say to the court before they would be dismissed, "let it be known that the Queen cares for her people for they are precious to her. Let it be known that my father was wrong to try to burn Kings Landing to the ground and that Ser Jaime has my forgiveness." Missandei, next to her, her handmaiden stood up and the court was dismissed, leaving her, Ser Jaime in chains and her Queenguard.

"Why?" When the court had all left and the doors to the throne room had been closed. The voice was still flat and dead. It was the question that was unanswered. He knew that the proceedings in front of court was all for show, for Tyrion, for Brienne. Now that it was only her and him, he could hear the truth from the woman, not the Queen.

"Because," when I looked into your eyes, I saw the beautifully broken boy inside and I could not help but want to make him whole again."