The wine. He should've known. But he had been too parched, too desperate to tell the Stark woman otherwise. Desperate… now there's a place he'd never been before.
He awkwardly climbed into the boat. The wench, Brienne of Tarth in all her manly, armored glory, made sure he got seated. "So rough? No need to…" Jaime began but the wench hushed him quickly, "No words from you, Kingslayer," she situated herself at the oars.
The other woman with them was much more pleasing to the eye. Younger than he but not by much, the Lannister relation had yellow hair much like that of Cersei. However, unlike Cersei, Jaime found her demeanor less demanding, but just as stubborn.
As Brienne pushed from the shore and began to row with the strength that Jaime had not seen in many men. "You could loosen the chains," Jaime started after a few moments of dead silence, "It's not like I'm going anywhere," he looked around in emphasis as they rowed down the river.
The blonde looked over to him, her blue eyes piercing & he had no armor to defend himself, "For the man who slays Kings, you share the most complaints," she began. "It's unbecoming," her eyes wandered back out to the scrolling tree line, her hand tracing the top of the water.
"Well, well, well…finally a woman who is not afraid to-" but Jaime was unable to finish his sentence.
"Milady, I do not think it wise to let him speak," Brienne of Tarth counseled. Jaime glanced back at the creature of a woman, "I am no warlock, my words will not amount to anything," Jaime defended.
"It is alright, Brienne," Senna replied. "As much as it pains me to agree, he's right. We've bound his arms and legs…least we can give him is his tongue." Senna scooped the water in her hand and let it go as Brienne continued to row- not yet breaking a sweat.
Jaime's eyes travelled over the girl, his interest peaked, "If you give me both my hands and tongue you'll be pleasantly surprised as to what can happen….I'm sure the Lannister side in you would be…"
"Disappointed," Senna snapped, finally looking to the man. She shook her head, "Have you gotten a look at yourself, Lannister? My dog is better groomed," she replied.
Jaime only smiled. He looked at her hair again. He wondered what it would look like down from the tight bun it sat in, draping down her shoulders like Cersei's golden hair fell. "Let me go for a swim, maybe polish my shoes," he exaggerated.
Senna looked to Brienne, "I suppose we could let him go for a swim as he is…if it would appease the great Kingslayer…"
"It would against the wishes of Lady Catelyn," Brienne spoke, obviously not seeing the joke that Senna had presented to her. Jaime chuckled; though he hated the name Kingslayer, he enjoyed the failure of the two women's communication, or lack there-of.
Senna returned her attention to the water, but Jaime's gaze did not leave her. She was a distant relation of the Lannisters, closer to the Martells. She was almost a bastard of sorts. But Jaime found he was curious as to her story.
"Very clever," Jaime found he would not still his tongue, "But I'm not worth much to my sister filled with water," he explained. "Besides, you two are here to deliver me to my own doorstep, why would I flee?"
Senna did not want to dignify his statement with a response, but she found his eyes wandering down and she wanted his attention elsewhere, "Because it would suit you, just like your dirty white cloak," she explained, "You care not whether Lady Stark gets her daughters back…"
Jaime couldn't lie. This girl was much smarter than the wench who sat on the other side of him. "Was my time in the Kingsguard so ill-spent? You do realize I shall get a new white cloak when I return, with not a spot on it," he said.
"Maybe so," Senna replied. "But all of Westeros will know what you did…what you've done…" she hissed.
"For a Lannister, you sure seem to be conflicted as to whom you should pledge yourself," Jaime confronted her.
"I am not a Lannister," Senna replied simply. "I may have Lion's blood somewhere in my veins, but I was lucky enough to be raised in a different part of Westeros…or I may have fallen prey to whatever it is you Lannisters do to your young…" she looked over at Brienne's whose jaw remained strong and she showed no signs of tiredness in her rowing.
"Casterly Rock?" he teased. Casterly Rock had been his by birthright, until Cersei urged him to give it up for her, which he did and he took the white cloak, all for love.
"The castle of stone just as hard as the hearts of Lannisters…" Senna muttered, barely looking at him to respond.
"And here it is I thought we've always had hearts of gold…" he smirked. Jaime was glad Lady Stark had sent a Lannister messenger along with them, he had a feeling the wench of Tarth would be rather a bore, especially in comparison to the banter he was having. And the view was certainly more desirable.
"Gold, though it gleams, does not boast anything on the inside…" Senna pulled her hair down, her yellow hair gleaming in the sun. Jaime could see the Lannister in her, even if she wanted to ignore it. His chained and cramped hands longed to reach out and feel her hair, to find if it was anything like his sister's. But he said nothing of it.
"Are we to row through the night?" Senna looked over his shoulder to Brienne who rowed. "Not tonight, m'lday. I thought we might pull off to a covered shore and take rest." She explained.
"Good thing too, once we pass the Great Mount, who knows what banners they'll be carrying…if any at all…" Jaime explained. Senna hated to admit that the Lannister knew what he was talking about. She looked behind her, at the meager supplies they'd been able to set off with. "Let's home we come across someone who will part with a comfort or two…" she said to Brienne, but of course, Jaime interjected.
"Could always hunt to survive…I'm quite skilled with a spear and an arrow but…" he motioned to the chains around his wrists.
"Lucky you…I'm quite good myself," Senna explained. "Sorry, Kingslayer, it's not going to be that easy…" She rolled her head back, the sun gleaming on her pale skin. Jaime wanted to reach out and caress her white skin, to get close to her. He took a deep breath. Away from sweet Cersei for too long…
It seemed like hours, and maybe it was before Brienne rowed them ashore. Brienne pulled the boat in and Senna hopped out onto the wet shore. She turned around and held out her hand, "Ser…"
He just gave her a disdaining look, stood up and awkwardly climbed out of the boat, careful not to touch her in anyway. On his way out, the chain caught on the ore and he stumbled, face first into the shallow water.
Senna laughed a little but reached down to help him up. "You Lannisters are too proud…" she said.
He wretched his arm from her, "We are lions," he stated simply. "At least we do not boast to spear the sun…" He walked up the shoreline, dripping wet. Brienne, still dawned in armor began to build them a fire.
"We do not boast of that which we could not do," Senna replied. She took a seat next to the kindling fire and began to braid her hair. Jaime trudged over and fell down next to her, the chains causing his balance great grief.
"Could you tame a lion?" he asked her, his eyes following the prominent features of her face. "If you could spear the sun…a pussy cat shouldn't be a problem."
"The lion would burn," she promised, "If he dared dance too close to the sun…"