AN- Hey guys, another new fic that sprang into my head. I just really felt like writing this one, and I also lost the work for another one I was working on. Well, remember to R&R, and I hope you enjoy!
Secrets and Solutions
King's Landing- Jaime Lannister stood next to the Iron Throne, watching with a bored expression as the man sitting on it, Robert Baratheon, listened to the complaints of minor lords and common folk. It had been four years since Robert's Rebellion, and Jaime still stood as a glorified bodyguard to a terrible king. Jaime continually looked over at his sister, Cersei. She was the only woman he had ever been with, well except for one woman he had last scene almost a year ago. Her name had been Elizabeth Marbrand, daughter of the lord of one of the vassals to the Lannisters. She was a beauty, fair skin with auburn hair, a beautiful smile and green eyes much like Jaime's, but a shade or two darker. The two had known each other since they were little, so what happened was not a surprise to either of them. Jaime banished the thoughts of her from his mind when he heard the king shout.
"Next!" Robert yelled after dismissing some unimportant lord. A young woman walked in, carrying a small bundle in her arms. Jaime's breath hitched as he saw her.
"Elizabeth!" he said to himself. She nodded at him as the king waited for her to speak.
"Your grace, I come here today to ask that you release Ser Jaime from his vows as a member of the Kingsguard." She said. Jaime looked on in confusion as the rest of the court did.
"And, tell me my lady, why should I?" King Robert said, actual curiosity mixed with boredom visible in his voice. Elizabeth straightened up and unwrapped the bundle in her arms, revealing the tiny face of a baby.
"So that he may raise his son" She says, getting a gasp from all those present. Jaime was shocked, and was shaking his head in disbelief.
"My Lady you must be confused, I have no children." Jaime said, even though it was a lie, as he had fathered a son named Joffrey with Cersei two years before. Before anyone could say anything, Ser Barristan walked over to Elizabeth, and examined the child. He turned to face Jaime and the king.
"I have seen many father's and their children in my years, but never have I seen tow who look so much like each other. He is your son Jaime, just look for yourself." He said. Jaime gulped and walked down He took one look at the babe, and knew it was true. He had a tuft of blond hair, and his eyes were the emerald green of the Lannisters. Jaime shook his head and retracted from the child.
"He is ours Jaime, his name is..." Elizabeth went to say, only for King Robert to cut her off.
"Kingslayer, discuss your bastard somewhere else. We are busy in here." He said. Jaime nodded and led Elizabeth away. Cersei glared at them the entire time, before she walked away as well.
Later- Jaime was looking around feverishly for his sister, hoping to talk some sense into her. He had sent Elizabeth off to a inn, where he was sure she would be safe. He managed to find Cersei, sitting in her room alone, sipping wine. Jaime walked over to her and sat down.
"I'm sorry" He said, after a few moments of silence. To his surprise, Cersei just laughed.
"Do you think that it matters to me, Jaime?" She says, giving an unnerving smile. Jaime squired a little in his seat.
"What? But I was unfaithful to you!" He says. Cersei just shakes her head.
"I have had to lay with Robert many times, its only fair that you get at least one woman to be your little whore." Cersei says. Jaime stares at his sister, trying to figure her out,
"But, I have a son now." He says. Cersei's smile leaves her face.
"You have a bastard now. You already have a son, Joffrey is our boy." She says. Jaime meets her gaze with equal intensity.
"Joffrey is a on I will never be a father to. I have a chance to do that now!" He says, standing up. The queen stood up and gave him a wicked smile.
"It matters little now. The bastard and his mother will be gone soon" She says, being shocked Jaime grabs her arms rather tightly.
"What do you mean?" He demands, fear bubbling inside of his gut. Cersei sniffed the air a little, before answering.
"Do you smell that? It smells like smoke." She says. Jaime's eyes widen as he runs out of the room, and then out of the Red Keep.
King's Landing- Jaime quickly ran through the streets, in the direction of a huge cloud of smoke. When he arrived, his worst fears were answered. It was the inn Elizabeth was staying at, and it was on fire. Jaime sprinted into the building, avoiding the fiery debris that fell around him.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" He called, and heard a faint voice. He ran towards it, and found Elizabeth, pinned by some support polls, with their baby in her arms.
"Jaime, your here." She said weakly, as he tried to pull the wood off of her. She grabbed his arm and shook her head. Jaime looked confused, but then he understood after she guided his hand to her stomach, where a large splinter of wood protruded from her.
"No" He said, sadness evident in his voice. Elizabeth gave him a sad smile, as she passed the baby off to him.
"His name is Atticus, please raise him right" She said, as he swaddled the child. Jaime then leaned down and kissed Elizabeth, before slowly backing away.
"I will." He says, before heading out of the burning building.
"Goodbye, my little lion. And goodbye, my love." Elizabeth said, as the building finally collapsed, ending her suffering.
1 month later- Jaime had been raising Atticus for a while now, and had found out how hard it is, especially when only a handful of maids in the castle could be trusted. Jaime had been expecting Ser Barristan to forbid him to keep the child in the White Sword Tower, but surprisingly the older man had let him, saying that there aren't any official rules against it. Jaime found himself now waking up at the usual time of the night when Atticus would cry for him. Strangely though, he heard not a sound. He walked over to the baby's crib, and found it empty. Jaime knew exactly who took him, and strapped his sword to his waist before heading to Cersei's room. There he found, to his dismay, Ser Barristan, and Ser Meryn, guarding the Queen's room.
"Lord Commander, please step aside. She has my son" Jaime says, hoping that Ser Barristan will listen. Instead, Ser Meryn speaks.
"Move along, Kingslayer, before we make you." Meryn says, causing Jaime to grab the hilt of his sword. He knew he could easily kill Meryn, but the Lord Commander is a completely different story. To his surprise, Ser Barristan knocks out Meryn with one quick blow to the jaw.
"Go on ahead" He says, moving out of the way and opening the door. Jaime gives him a nod, before entering the room. The door is shut behind him by Barristan. Jaime walks along, and finds Cersei, cradling Atticus, tears in her eyes. Jaime slowly approaches, noting the knife on a nearby table.
"I couldn't do it. He looks so much like you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She says, holding the baby close. Jaime slowly takes Atticus from her, and with one arm hugs her.
"It's okay Cersei, It's okay. Just promise me one thing." Jaime says. Cersei nods.
"Anything." She says, as he slowly pushes away from her.
"Never try to hurt Atticus again. And if you do, nothing will be able to stop me from getting revenge." He says, before exiting the room, his son in his arms.
13 years later- Jaime stood above the courtyards of the Red Keep, and watched his son help train Tommen, giving him pointers on how to fight. A smile crept on to his face every time he saw his son, Atticus Waters, no, Atticus Lannister. He had to remind himself that the boy had been legitimized by King Robert. Though, this was due to the fact that Tywin Lannister had not-so-subtly threatened to collect on the massive debt that the crown owed him. Jaime knew the reason was because after Tywin fostered the boy for a few months, he decided that he was the perfect candidate to be his heir. Speaking of heirs, Jaime's dwarf brother Tyrion walked over to him.
"Good day Tyrion, what brings you here?" Jaime asks his little brother.
"Just wanted to see my brother and favorite nephews before we leave for Winterfell." Tyrion says, looking down at Atticus and Tommen, both laughing. Jaime nodded, thinking about the King's trip to Winterfell, so that he can name Eddard Stark the new Hand of the King.
"Speaking of our nephews, how much do you want to bet that Joffrey will be betrothed to Ned Stark's oldest daughter?" Jaime said, getting a laugh from Tyrion.
"To be honest, I feel sorry for the girl. Do you remember that time that Atticus came this close to beating Joffrey to death after he killed Myrcella's cat?" Tyrion says, and Jaime nods. Before they can continue talking, Atticus walks up to them.
"Hello Uncle Tyrion. Are you ready for the north?" Atticus said, a genuine smile on his face. Tyrion returned the smile to him.
"I am, but the question is if the the North is ready for you. I don't know if all the young ladies will be able to handle the second coming of Jaime Lannister." Tyrion said, getting laughs from Jaime and Atticus.
He wasn't exaggerating though. Atticus was the spiting image of his father at 13. He was already as tall as Joffrey, and had a much better build. He also inherited Jaime's aptitude with the sword, and was able to hold his own against men twice as experienced as him. The only difference between Jaime at that age and Atticus (besides that Atticus kept his hair a bit shorter) was their personalities. Spending most of his life as a bastard made Atticus much humbler than his father. He also as a sense of fierce loyalty to his loved ones, and while he has a moral compass to rival Ned Stark's, he was tutored in how to play the game by both Tywin and Tyrion.
"Father, is it true that Lord Eddard will become Hand of the King?" Atticus asks. Jaime nods, as Tyrion goes off to talk to Tommen.
"Yes son, he will." Jaime said. Atticus had met Lord Eddard once, as a young boy during the Greyjoy Rebellion.
Flashback, 9 years ago- Jaime was in the middle of the war room in King's Landing, watching as Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark made their plans. The fleet of ships at Lannisport had been destroyed, so they were going to have Stannis use what he had in the battle. After the meeting was done, and most of the men shuffled out, Jaime and Eddard came face to face.
"Kingslayer, how does it feel to be in an actual war, instead of stabbing men in the back?" Eddard said, disdain in his voice.
"Well, Lord Eddard, at least this one has killed any of your relatives, yet." Jaime said. He knew it was a low blow, but he would not let his honor be questioned by anyone if he could help it. Before Ned could retort, Atticus, at only four years old, walked in.
"Atticus, what are you doing here?" Jaime asked, kneeling down to his son's level.
"I wanted to see you before you go to fight. Daddy, who is he?" He said, pointing at Ned. Jaime stood up and gestured at him as he spoke
"This, my son, is Lord Eddard Stark." He says. Atticus looks at the older man and walks over to him, motioning him to lean down.
"What is is little one?" Ned asks.
"Can you make sure my daddy doesn't get hurt?" Atticus requests, getting a chuckle from both of the adult men.
"Sure little one, your father will be fine. You have my word." Eddard said, getting a smile from the child. Jaime then placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Now run along Atticus. Go to your aunt Cersei" Jaime said, leaning down and kissing the boy on the forehead before he ran off. Jaime turns to leave, but Ned stops him.
"You treat your bastard well, that's a rare thing." Ned says. Jaime looks him in the eye.
"I guess we do have something in common then." He says before walking out of the room, leaving Ned to his thoughts.
Flashback over- Atticus rode on his horse with his pet dog , Rebel, behind him as he rode out of King's Landing with the royal family. As the royal caravan rides, King Robert calls out.
"Kingslayer! Send your bastard up here!" He shouted from the front of the caravan. Atticus sighed and rode to the front.
"Yes, your grace?" He asks. Atticus was not fond of the man,as he disliked the way he treated Cersei and Jaime. He also thought that a King should act with much more grace.
"Have you ever been to the North, bastard?" King Robert asks. Atticus shakes his head.
"No, I haven't, your grace." Atticus answers.
"Well, living there always makes you tougher. Maybe it will make Joffrey less of a little shit. He is a prince, and he needs to start acting like one." The King says. Atticus nods in agreement. The only family member he never got along with was Joffrey. He constantly had to protect his little cousins from the boy.
"Well, I hope so. I rather not have to knock him upside the head when he is king." Atticus says. King Robert laughs at the boy's honesty.
"Go back to your father, bastard." Robert says. Atticus bows his head and rides back to his father's side.
He finds Jaime, and sees him muttering to himself.
"Father, if you kill this king you might not be allowed in the next one's Kingsguard." Atticus says in a joking tone. Jaime gives him a small smile.
"Yeah, I don't think Joffrey has the balls to do anything to me." Jaime says, some of his trademark arrogance showing. Atticus just roles his eyes.
"Well then, I believe that you would then become heir to Casterly Rock. How does that sound?" Atticus says, making his father pale. Atticus laughs at his father's expression, as they continue their journey to the North.
AN- First chapter done! For those who don't know this, Atticus is the name of my favorite character in To Kill a Mockingbird. Anyways, I really hope you all enjoy the story so far, and remember to R&R.
P.S.- Rebel is a bullmastif.