Enjoy the latest chapter! ;D
Chapter 3: Jaime
Jaime Lannister hated travelling for a long time. He hated joining the royal caravan which is now heading to the North, to Winterfell to be more specific. And as a matter of fact, he hated their destination because he'll meet the man who wrongly judged him after he saved thousands of people from dying.
Although he doesn't really want to be there, he had no choice. He was a Kingsguard, his duty was not for himself but for his king, he was bound to protect the fat man who his sister calls as husband. He hated the man, hated him for being fat and loud, hated him for his drunken behaviour and lastly for dishonouring his sister by having whores in his bed and striking her whenever he is angry.
But he has no choice though, being a Kingsguard was the only way that he can be with the woman he loves, Cersei. His twin sister. They were meant to be together, they came into this world his hand wrapped on Cersei's feet following her outside their mother's womb and one day, the two of them will also die together. He loved her fiercely and she the same.
If anyone knew of their relationship and tells him that it is wrong and disgusting, he will question them. Because how can something so wrong feel so right and beautiful?
But of course, they won't understand, they didn't feel what he felt anyways, they won't know the happiness that his twin has brought into his life. They won't understand because they were not him. They were enemies. Anyone who isn't us is an enemy. Cersei once told him and he believed her of course!
As soon as they finally reached the gates of the great keep, the caravan marched inside. People flocked on the roads and bow down to their king, men, and women, children, young and old. They bow down to the man who was now riding in front, his head lifted highly. Finally they stopped when they arrived in front of the castle doors.
Jaime looked at the large family in front of them. The Starks, he studied each one of them from the man who despised him for killing Aerys Targaryen up to the smallest auburn haired boy who seemed to be fidgeting as he kneeled before his king.
But a sight had caught his eye, not only his but everyone who is knowledgeable of history and of the events in the Tourney of Harrenhal.
"Lyanna?" Robert's voice broke down the silence. His voice seemed to tremble and it sounded like a sob, he was moving towards the girl kneeling down a few meters behind Ned Stark. Even if she doesn't lift her head, Jaime knew that the girl a splitting image- no the girl can be the twin sister of Lyanna Stark or maybe her reincarnation. The resemblance is too much that it seemed like they were looking at the ghost of the King's dead fiancée. He may have been young when the tourney happened but even if years have passed, the image of the very girl who started the war was still embedded in his mind.
The scene kept on repeating on his mind, Prince Rhaegar mounting on his horse, a wreath of winter roses on his hand, slowly going towards the Northern beauty, carefully placing the rose on her lap naming her as his Queen of Love and Beauty, Lyanna then smiling sweetly at Rhaegar. It hunted his dreams at night and sometimes the scenes were changing and instead of Prince Rhaegar, he finds himself riding the very same horse, wearing his golden armour with a roaring lion and placing the winter roses on the lap of a brown haired girl who looks exactly like Lyanna Stark.
His heart started to beat furiously as he watched the girl look up at Robert in question, her face; it was the very same face that he encountered in his dreams. He remembered because her features were even softer and more delicate than the deceased woman. But how could he possibly dream of a girl he only saw today?
Robert just stood there, gaping at the young lady who was looking at him in question giving Jaime a time to scrutinize her appearance. She was must be sixteen or seventeen, her long wavy brown hair was cascading on her back, her eyes were the deepest set of grey eyes he ever saw, her cheek bones were firm and regal, her nose was small but aristocratic. She was also very pale, pale as the purest snow and her lips were as red as blood. She was a beauty and almost could rival Cersei's, when her sister was a picture of fierceness and fuelled fire, the girl was a vision of gentleness, purity, a cold beauty.
Ned Stark then without a word stood up and in a hushed voice whispered to Robert.
"That is my daughter your grace, Lyanna Snow." The king just nodded absently to the Lord of Winterfell and then he helped the girl on her feet, Jaime didn't hear what he said but Robert just kissed the girl's knuckles and then turned his attention to Lord Stark's family.
Jaime saw the change in Catelyn Stark's expression when her husband told the king that the girl is a Snow, a bastard. He had heard rumours after the war that the ever honourable Ned Stark brought home a bastard but he never thought that the child was a girl, no, he looked again at the girl and noticed the young man with dark hair beside her, if the man could have been a girl he would have thought that the two were twins. Wait, boy- girl. Ned Stark had twin bastards.
He almost laughed at it, twins especially with different sexes were a very rare thing in the seven kingdoms, as far as he knows, he and Cersei were one of the most prominent twins in Westeros and now he found another pair. He wondered if the two had the same intimacy that he felt for his sister, if the two also though themselves as two halves of a whole.
The girl turned her head towards him, their eyes meet- her grey eyes and his jades. As he saw the orbs, he felt himself drowning. She looked at him with question and he realized that he had been staring at her for too long that he didn't even notice her sister and the children come down from the wheel house. He looked away.
He heard Robert and Ned talking about going to the crypts and his sister telling him that they have to rest. Robert didn't mind her and was almost dragging Lord Stark to the direction of the crypts. Jaime clenched his fist as he felt that Robert had embarrassed her sister in front of the northerners.
He jumped out of his horse and gave it to the stable boy who approached him, people were starting to scatter.
"Where's our brother?" He then glanced over his shoulder and saw Cersei clutching her fur shawl tighter, the weather in the north was far more colder than the South and for several days of travel, the days were very gloomy here and Jaime wondered how people here survived in the almost greying wasteland. But when he thought of the word "grey" his mind conjured the image of the Snow girl looking at him in question.
"I shall look for him." That was the only words he said and turned his way towards the nearest brothel he can find, he heard Tyrion asking the guards earlier about the brothels here in the North and he had heard them talking about a whore named Ros and that his brother should try her.
On the corner of his eye, he saw the Lyanna Snow and the eldest child of Lord and Lady Stark; he noticed that the girl flinched as the young man touched him. She does not seem to be afraid but he felt that the girl doesn't want to talk to her older sibling. People had dispersed and only the royal convoy stayed there, his sister and the others is nowhere to be found, Lady Stark might have showed them their chambers.
"-stop this Robb, I don't want to talk to you…" the girl's voice was hushed but he can hear it from where he is standing.
"-Lya, please…." Robb Stark tried to touch her again but she moved away, Jaime out of nowhere decided to butt in to their small argument.
"Is your brother bothering you my lady?" He said, although the girl was no Lady, Jaime had noticed that the girl held herself as any highborn lady does. Ned Stark may have loved his daughter so much that he may have assigned a septa to teach her nobility and etiquette.
The two looked at him in surprise, and if Jaime were a match, he thought that he would have burn at the anger that accompanied the surprise in the Stark boy's gaze. Lyanna opened her mouth to speak but closed it again before clearing her throat and finally speaking to him.
"No Ser, my brother and I are just having some fraternal arguments. I would like to apologize if we caught your attention." Jaime doesn't know why she had emphasized the word fraternal but he saw the way she looked at her brother when she said the words. "And I am no lady ser, I am a bastard."
"Lyanna." Robb said warningly. Lyanna shot one glance at her brother and the knight was surprised that suddenly the boy excused himself. He felt a connection between the two, and noticed the same looks and the silent languages he and Cersei also had. Does this girl and her brother have a relationship same with me and Cersei's? He thought to himself.
"If you'll excuse me ser." She curtsied before him but before she can leave he caught her hand but decided to drop it when he felt a jolt as their skin met, it was weird, it felt like his hand touched live fire and the heat burned through his skin but he didn't mind it, maybe it was because he never touched other woman than his sister before that his body reacted weirdly to another woman. Somehow he began to become curious about the girl and wanted to learn about her real score with the auburn haired Stark boy.
"I'm sorry." He said when the girl arched her eyebrow in question of his action. "It is my first time to visit this place my lady, my brother is needed by my sister, the Queen. If it is okay with you, can you please accompany me to the brothels in the area? It seems like my brother started his vices early." He told the girl of his current situation and hoped that she will go with him, he honestly had no idea about the whore houses her and would be glad if someone was to accompany him and he won't mind going with a beautiful girl.
"Uhmm. O-of course, it will be fine ser." She said almost reluctantly. "This way." She pointed to the direction and started walking, he followed behind her.
It didn't take them long before they have found his brother; Tyrion was surprised to see that he was with a girl so he decided to introduce them to each other before his younger brother would think differently about his company.
"Brother, this is Lyanna Snow, Lord Stark's daughter; she accompanied me here to find you. Lady Snow, this is my younger brother, Tyrion of House Lannister." He introduced the two and Lyanna gave a small curtsy before his brother and Tyrion grinned at him.
"Ah, so you are the bastard daughter of Lord Stark. I always thought that the bastard was a boy." Tyrion said and Jaime saw the girl flinch as his brother mentioned the word bastard. He almost felt sorry for her, being a bastard was the last thing he would ever want to be in the world but somehow he felt relieved that Ned Stark decided to raise the girl here, it would be a waste if he would send her away especially that the girl was too beautiful. Now he wondered what kind of future the girl will have since she had no lands or titles to inherit.
"Oh, I do have a twin brother milord. He must be with my trueborn brothers." She said almost timidly and politely and it seems to Jaime that she was not comfortable talking about her parentage and status. He cleared his throat and motioned his brother to come to him.
"How about you go to our dear sister brother, I will walk with Lady Snow for a while. Please don't tell our sister about this incident." He whispered and Tyrion smirked.
"What did Lady Snow do to you that you wanted to spend more time with her than our beloved sister, dear brother?" Jaime frowned at his brother's statement. Tyrion was knowledgeable of his and Cersei's secret but he kept it to himself and Jaime was thankful for that. Tyrion must have known that if he spilled his secret, then his and their sister's head along with the heads of his bastards will adorn the battlements of the Red Keep and he knew that Tyrion wouldn't want that, for Jaime's sake.
Before he can even say a word, Tyrion added something.
"But of course, it will be nice to see you with other woman aside from our sister." Tyrion said with a smirk then turned to Lyanna who was currently toying with her skirt. "Well, Snow girl, I do have a lot of things to do, please accompany my brother in my absence." With that Tyrion turned his way to the castle.
"I'm sorry about him." He said to her apologetically. "He didn't mean to call you a-"
"A bastard. Don't worry Ser, I am used to being called a bastard all the time, who am I to complain? It is the truth even if it hurts." She said, with a sad smile and he felt pity for the girl. If he were not a Kingsguard, he would marry her and give her his name even if his father will be angry. Wait, why am I thinking of marrying a bastard girl? I just met her today and even if I had dreamed of her before still, I don't know her and I love Cersei. She is the only woman for me, not some lowly natural born girls.
But still, even he tried to deny it, he was attracted to her. Who would not be? She was beautiful, not anymore a girl and not yet a woman, and ever since they stepped out of the keep, he noticed the stares that men give her. And he found himself glaring at them. Although in his mind he kept on repeating that he was only for Cersei, for Cersei alone, body mind and soul. He had to calm himself and clear his mind, trying so hard to keep himself from getting aroused by her scent alone.
She smelled of winter flowers, fresh and intoxicating. Her scent alone was enough to get him hard and he tried so hard to keep himself from going to that direction. He doesn't want to embarrass himself or earn a hard knock from Ned Stark for desiring his daughter.
They walk in silence until he excused himself from her, leaving her bewildered by his actions.
The night came and Jaime became bored by the feast that was held for the King's honour. The great hall of Winterfell smelled like wine, ale and sweat and he felt himself suffocated and if he won't go out for a while, he might strangle the King for whoring in front of his sister.
Everything was peaceful outside compared to the loudness and noise that came from the hall. He started to walk around to check the area and clear his mind, he had been thinking about the Snow girl all the time and Cersei had noticed his detachment and became angry. She asked him what's wrong but he couldn't really tell her about the girl, he was afraid that his sister might claw the girl if he tells her that he was kind of attracted to Ned Stark's bastard.
Yet, he found himself longing for her company and thinking of her small smile and deep grey eyes. It was natural that the girl and her twin brother wouldn't be in the feast. It was a disgrace to the Royal family if the bastards were to sit with them.
It was getting cold and he decided to just go back to his chambers, he wanted to get some sleep. It was the first time that he will sleep in a feather bed for a month so he decided to go to his room instead. The hallways of the keep were empty because everyone seemed to be attending the feast except for the two bastards. He wondered where the girl was.
But before he can turn to the direction of his rooms, a tune caught his ears. Someone inside the castle was playing a harp and he wondered who that is, everyone was inside the hall and the rooms were empty. He doesn't really believe in ghost stories but the castle of Winterfell were almost years old, thousands perhaps, it was just renovated by time to time and he knew that a lot may have died in these walls.
He followed the tune and heard a soft humming accompanying it. He stopped towards a half open door, he took a peek inside and he saw her there.
She was sitting near the window, locks of her hair were covering her face but he knew it was her by the sweet scent of the winter roses that came from the room. She was wearing the same blue dress she was wearing beneath her fur coat earlier. Although he doesn't see her face but he knew that she was sad basing on the sad tune of the song she was playing.
For a moment of staring, he almost thought that he was staring at Rhaegar Targaryen. The late prince had a liking to music and poetry and there were several times that he would sing to them or play his high harp to them. And Jaime even if he was a man, would sometimes weep at the sad and tragic songs that the prince will sing.
He doesn't know how long he was staring at her until he heard a soft growl and felt that something was biting his boots, pulling him inside the door. He looked down and saw a small pup, a wolf the whitest one he ever saw and the bloodiest red eyes that would seem to hunt him forever. This was a beast even in small size.
"Meraxes, don't." The pup stopped what it is doing and ran towards the young girl who had put her harp down. It licked the girl's face and the peeling laughter from Lyanna's lips made Jaime's heart to rush. "Ser Jaime, I- I didn't notice that you were there." Lyanna then turned to her, hugging the wolf on her chest.
"Forgive me, I just followed the beautiful tune and it lead me here." He smiled and he saw the girl blush making her even prettier in Jaime's eyes. He stared at her like an idiot. Snap out of it stupid. Cersei might found out about your betrayal. Stupid kingslayer you belong to your sister! He scolded himself, using the nickname he despised to get himself out of the trance the girl has put him in.
"Oh, you think that the song is beautiful? Thank you!" She exclaimed. The first time that her voice became louder than usual. "I- uh, I composed it. No one ever heard it before, except you." She smiled, embarrassed.
"Yes. It is. You have done a great job composing the song by yourself; perhaps you can become a musician in the King's court and play in feasts." He suggested.
"Thank you Ser but I don't have any intentions of leaving Winterfell. I am content with my simple life here." She said, her grey eyes met his again and they stared at each other, he felt that his emotions were mirrored at hers, there was a mixture of curiosity and question in her eyes. The trance only broke when the pup whimpered on her hands and she put it on the ground.
"Such an unusual creature for a pet." He muttered as the pup looked at him with his blood red eyes almost scrutinizing his appearance, if he were a mind reader, he would think that the pup was assessing if he was a threat to his mistress or not.
"I think direwolves are not really meant to be kept as pets Ser but their mother had died when my siblings found them. There are seven of the pups, given to each one of us." She answered and he became curious and surprised to hear that the pup was a direwolf. Like dragons, direwolves were believed to perish a long time ago. It was rather a rare thing to see one. Well, now he thought he was lucky to finally see a direwolf pup himself.
"How curious that you named your pup after a dragon." He commented, he found it rather unusual that Lyanna had named the pup, Meraxes and he knew soon that the name was after Queen Rhaenys I's dragon that had perished during the battle of Dorne.
"Oh. You have noticed." She blushed at that and giggled, making his heart race again. He bit his cheek to stop himself in blushing for response. "I've always been fascinated with dragons Ser-"
"Jaime. Just Jaime. You can call me by my name when we are alone, no need for such formalities." He finally said cutting her off. After starting being a Kingsguard and guarding King Aerys while he rapes his wife, he started to hate being called Ser, and it would sometimes remind him that Knights aren't always as people thought them to be. He found himself useless during those times. They vowed to protect the innocent but yet he can't protect the Queen from the Mad King because he vowed to protect him too.
"Okay. Se- Jaime. You can also call me Lyanna." She said and paused for a while. "Honestly, I don't like being called Lady Snow or Lady Lyanna, it seemed to be an insult for me." She paused again. "Forgive me, I sometimes become emotional."
"No need to worry Lyanna." He said and Lyanna smiled at him, Jaime for a moment stared at the blood red lips and wondered if it will taste as sweet as her scent. He heard some footsteps approaching and decided that it is time for him to say good night to Lyanna Snow.
"I believe it's time for me to retire to my chambers, Lyanna." He caught her hand and placed a chaste kiss a little longer than a second on the knuckles of her soft hand. It was rather fast, earning a gasp from the girl.
He straightened his back when he suddenly felt his cock twitch as he heard the soft sound.
The girl who was rather surprised with him kissing her hands, just nodded at his good bye. He turned away and started towards his chambers, hurriedly so that the girl won't notice the bulk on his pants. Somehow he needed to release the heat.
When he opened his chambers, he wasn't surprised to see his sister there. She was already naked.
Cersei. Perfect. Without any words he pounced on her, half guilty that he desired for a woman with brown hair instead of his golden sister. It was the first time in years that he thought of another while taking her. He hoped that Cersei will forgive him for his betrayal.
Thank you everyone for your reviews! I will be rereading the chapters to check for possible errors and typos. And I'm glad that you found the story interesting, I hope you'll find this chapter as enjoyable as the first two. I'm now focusing on the next chapters.
Tell me what you think about the update! ;)